Karlovation - Taxation is extortion

Commander / EDH MrHighscore

SCORE: 147 | 57 COMMENTS | 19901 VIEWS | IN 77 FOLDERS


2.0 —Feb. 11, 2017

Changed 7 cards for a more lean experience. More focus on protection and lifegain to abuse Karlov as a beatstick.

MrHighscore says... #1

Thank you for the feedback and support :)

@logansullivan

-You may be right. I just assembled the deck, and will try it out, but I'm keeping Greed in mind as a candidate replacement for Painful Quandary

@Sinist3r

@HyperViper191

  • I have not tried Tiny Leaders yet, but nice to know that I have someting to work with :)

@VesuvanDoppelbanger

  • Good suggestion, though I can't find anything I would want to drop for Unspeakable Symbol.

@MidnightDawn13

  • I think Curse of the Forsaken will be too situational, and may hurt me more than I like. I'll pass for now.

@smitm901

  • Righteous Cause is too expensive for what it does, but it would be okay vs. token decks.

Cheers

Changes

December 22, 2015 10:14 a.m.

I wish I could help more but I would agree that Treasury Thrull would be good in here and I might add Temple of Silence.

December 22, 2015 11:32 a.m.

MrHighscore says... #3

@Mtg_mill Thank you for the feedback.

I would really like Treasury Thrull in the mix to complete the extort creature list, but I am having a hard time finding a spot for him. Thematically I could drop Sun Titan but it is just so much better. My next choice is High Priest of Penance, but that is not optimal either. I would like to hear suggestions and reasoning.

I try to avoid lands that enters tapped especially when I'm only running two colors, so I won't be adding Temple of Silence.

Cheers

December 22, 2015 2:23 p.m.

Gravemind111 says... #4

I know he isnt exactly theme but Athreos, God of Passage fits your mechanic well with some taxation. Indestructible is always nice to have as well.

December 22, 2015 8:25 p.m.

deathmonste9 says... #5

Sunscorch Regent anyone?

December 31, 2015 11:56 a.m.

SmokeyBear15 says... #6

I'm going to be building a deck with Karlov soon and the extort idea is an excellent way to get multiple life gaining triggers. +1

April 6, 2016 9 p.m.

MrHighscore says... #7

I have played quite a few games with this deck now, and it is way more powerful than it looks! :)

Cheers

April 22, 2016 1:18 p.m.

Asynd says... #8

Why the Necrotic Sliver?

June 19, 2016 10:20 p.m.

Flagellum says... #9

I too run Karlov and from play testing a month or two ago I can attest to his power. When he first came out I don't think people expected how powerful or how fat he can get. Though, I run him as more voltron/extort falling back on his exile ability when I need to play defensively.

Not sure if it was mentioned earlier but Cliffhaven Vampire might fit well here. It's a Sanguine Bond on legs but you don't run Exquisite Blood so no fears of going infinite. Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant is a fun one to run with Karlov and it can protect your extort weenies (and it counts as an enchantment when flipped). I'm also surprised to see you're not running either of the soul sisters. With a T1 Soul Warden I had Karlov up to a 36/36 within the first few turns.

June 20, 2016 12:38 a.m.

Vindicate gives you some of the best removal around, and a cheap sac outlet like Carrion Feeder lets you get death triggers, or lets you get value from your creatures getting destroyed. Nyx-Fleece Ram is good with Karlov, as it is a blocker that makes him huge.

One thing you could do with all the life you gain is Bitterblossom and Anguished Unmaking. Protection for Karlov would be nice, like Swiftfoot Boots, Lightning Greaves, or Whispersilk Cloak, so that he doesn't just get murdered when he hits.

June 20, 2016 10:31 a.m.

MrHighscore says... #11

Thank you for the suggestions, much appreciated :)

@Slade_Excalibur

@Flagellum

@Turn8ScornfulEgotist

  • I have so much spot removal in the deck, that I took the luxury of not running Vindicate/Anguished Unmaking. For the 'combo' with recursion I am running Necrotic Sliver instead.
  • I do agree that more protection for Karlov would be nice. I'll have to think about a major revision bump to make room for the gear.

Cheers

July 21, 2016 1:28 a.m.

RunningPigeon says... #12

Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim could fit well in here as part of a removal package for non-creature permanents and Felidar Sovereign is a decent alt-win con, last thing I can think of off the top of my head is Well of Lost Dreams as additional draw potential.

August 20, 2016 7:31 a.m.

Shane.Allen says... #13

Really fun looking deck, I love the extort mechanic, also a big fan of Obzedat. Looks like this deck is just a riot to play. How competitive is your meta?

August 20, 2016 10:33 a.m.

maddoxmtg says... #14

for taxing, add both the thalias. Aven Mindcensor is awesome in edh.

August 20, 2016 8:31 p.m.

Plouffe666 says... #15

What do you think about running Kambal, Consul of Allocation for more taxation / extort-like effect ? Or Thalia, Heretic Cathar for slowing more agressive deck and adding a little defence ?

October 12, 2016 1:20 p.m.

maddoxmtg says... #16

And even Authority of the Consuls would be super solid.

October 12, 2016 3:53 p.m.

Jormvalte says... #17

Have you considered Flickering Ward, As you run a lot of Extort you could play it and extort it three times for nine mana beefing Karlov of the Ghost Council with +6/+6 and then beat with protection from a color. Rather nifty I'd say. Also Easily recurable with Sun Titan.

I would remove ... say Drana's Emissary

December 18, 2016 5:25 p.m.

MrJohnston says... #18

yo MrHighscore, Yawgmoth's Will is banned as fuck

January 2, 2017 3:11 p.m.

maddoxmtg says... #19

Actually MrJohnston, Yawgmoth's Will is perfectly legal. Yawgmoth's Bargain is how you say, "banned as fuck".

January 2, 2017 3:49 p.m.

MrJohnston says... #20

maddoxmtg fair enough. man, shouldnt have spoken on a whim. wish i could delete the comment to prevent future confusion :/

January 2, 2017 4 p.m.

scrobacca says... #21

Have you thought about running Gray Merchant of Asphodel? Just an idea, considering you have ways of recurring him and making it that much more painful.

January 14, 2017 4:21 a.m.

MrHighscore says... #22

Thank you all for the feedback and apoligies for the late response. Lately I've been taking a break from brewing EDH decks, so I'm not visiting TO very frequently.

@RunningPigeon

All good suggestions, But I don't really see what I should take out. In general I'm not running very high on life, so I don't think I can make use of the abilities, and most of the time I would not have mana for Well of Lost Dreams.

@Shane.Allen

My meta has all kinds of decks. Some people got T1 and others (few) play OTC commander decks. Most decks are T2 or T3 trying not to combo out in turn 4 or 5. I build this deck because I like extort and drain, but it has been far more powerfull and fun than I anticipated, at least in my meta.

@maddoxmtg

@Plouffe666

@Jormvalte

  • Flickering Ward is a great suggestion. I'll see what I can doo to find it a slot.

@scrobacca

I'm not updating the deck right now (as I like to keep it in sync with the paper version), but I want to make room for these cards (all very low casting cost except for Merchant):

I'll update the maybeboard accordingly.

January 14, 2017 7:26 a.m. Edited.

CelineT says... #23

Is Academy Rector tutoring for Debtor's Knell because otherwise there's no synergy there. You need to exile Rector to tutor for an enchantment.

January 14, 2017 5:04 p.m.

caesarsalad77 says... #24

I think I'll keep an eye on this deck as it evolves. I've got a Kambal deck right now and it tries to do quite a few similar things.

January 15, 2017 5:43 a.m.

MrHighscore says... #25

@CelineT good point. I'll take out Academy Rector (I should probably also remove Debtors' Knell, but on the ohter hand: fun stuff).

Minor tweaks basted on cards I have in stock

Cheers

January 20, 2017 2:16 p.m.