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The following is a colorless-focused () love letter to a demon beneath a chapel.

Ormendahl We Ever Wanted

Ormendahl, Profane Prince   resides beneath the Westvale Abbey  , and is the focus of our endeavors.

Story of the Decade

This singular card has actually impacted my opinions of deck construction probably more than most others- unlike Lupine Prototype and One with Nothing... those cards seem to have homes in concepts that already existed. And sure, the Abbey falls underneath that umbrella in such a way that other concepts take a singular copy.

For the purposes of what we're doing here, the Abbey will have a full playset because it's the focus and chosen win condition.

The thematic choice of a colorless deck is for sheer efficiency and lack of weaknesses in lieu of response or removal focused tactics.

Let your imagination run wild about how Ormendahl does his thing, and take a walk through my shoes and brain this last decade.

Buckle Up, Buttercup..

So much could be used in this tab to illustrate the number of ways I've considered building the deck. A lot of different shells and ideas came to my list as certain playstyles made sense in my head and while testing, but nothing really sealing the efficiency I was in search of.

Each variant will have it's own subsequent tabs, and then the core functionality I've chosen listed beneath it. Enjoy, and feel free to ask me anything you have questions about!

To detail a few of the concepts, there's a reddit post a few years old now that documented how to turn Westvale Abbey   into a creature.

  1. Using something like Vivify, Elemental Uprising, or an adjacent effect.

  2. The following step was to make that creature all creature types by way of Shields of Velis Vel or an associated spells that gave changeling status.

  3. (The third and final step is personally my favorite abuse of card types in the history of the game. Considering that Westvale Abbey   is an MDFC, it means effects that say "flip this card" apply literally.) The last step in our chain is to activate a spell like Moonmist or Waxing Moon. These two spells are the namesake because you transform the "changeling man land" you currently have in the Abbey, and poof. Magically produce Ormendahl, Profane Prince  .

This methodology is henceforth referred to as "Combodahl" as in Ormendahl + Combo.

All of that is just one way to make a deck focused on producing Ormendahl. Also, arguably the most structurally weak! Color fixing, protecting your combo, cantrips, it all eats up so much of the deck space that you have nothing to defend yourself with! (I'm still obsessed with Combodahl Prince, look for that variation sometime in the next decade at this rate.)

Another variation of this deck was my own shot at a Mono-Green () construction that captivated my attention for sometime as a self-mill influenced Elf deck. Things like Aftermath Analyst and Elvish Warmaster to help navigate the medium territory, and admittedly a slower variation that liked winning on turn 4-5 with protections in place. The best version of this existed in Legacy because I wanted to use Once Upon a Time, even though it was more effective as a piece in Combodahl builds. It relies on singular copies of sideboard stax pieces like Phyrexian Revoker to prevent things from walking away, considering it's a stompy-influenced construction.

Another variation I've drafted was more spell-slinging focused in order to produce as much mana as fast as possible, which floated between a Izzet colored () combo focused deck with protection, and exploding with the mana to produce a win somewhere between turn 3 and 5. It was sporadic and inconsistent, despite feeling like I had the control. It needed too much "okay you act first, then I'll..." type engagements. This particular variant was strongest in Modern, where Murktide Regent was great at reinforcing the win.

One of my favorite variations included a bunch of artifact/goblin synergies in a Mono-Red () deck that favors zero-drops and things like Gleeful Demolition, Kuldotha Rebirth and subsequently Desperate Ritual, etc. This deck won a bit quicker around turn 3-4, but it was easier to disrupt and derail the game plan considering the color scheme. This deck found it's best home in Legacy, but I personally feel that with Untimely Malfunction and Redirect Lightning, this deck could be better suited in Modern now.

Looking to the Future

There's always going to be new cards printed but from here, I'm more likely to create deck forks as kamarupa and Balaam__ have named them, and my intent is to detail these ideas as well as I have here, if not more in depth. There's room for a discussion about Modern Aristocrats (), and also about Mono-Black Cultists (). Sky or Hell is the limit!

I have been at this construction a long time, so please, I encourage commentary, questions, and remarks about the concept. Cheers!

No but like, really. This card has existed for a decade and no mainline competitively driven constructions have ever come close to making it a highlight of the build.

This feels like it could somehow be my masterpiece. With that in mind, I know now that I'm not the only one obsessed with Westvale Abbey   or at the very least fascinated by it's uses. So I whole-heartedly encourage healthy discourse about this deck!

Suggestions

Updates Add

Per the recommendation of capwner, I have opted to increase my count of Urza's Saga from three-of to a full playset, and leaving only one copy of Urza's Cave.

Otherwise, Luxior, Giada's Gift comes out of the sideboard in favor of a spare copy of Not of this World.

Not of this World also feeds Ugin's Labyrinth and provides "free counterspell" utility in the mainboard.

So far I've really enjoyed the feedback from the community and I can't wait to push this boulder as far up the hill as it will go! Cheers!

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Casual

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Revision 18 See all

(3 weeks ago)

+2 Not of this World main