So I've been tinkering with a Pharika build since she came out but I finally got it to a point where I'm pretty happy with it. Now the build is meant to revolve around lifeline. While I have none of the direct artifact tutors, I have a bunch of the black tutors in here between Rune-Scarred Demon, Liliana Vess, and the usual black spell suspects. I have been considering adding Diabolic Tutor and I have a Demonic Tutor along the way that I'll need to find room for. Early on, I typically am dropping creatures that fetch me more lands, via things like Wood Elves, Burnished Hart, etc. etc. Hopefully I can tutor up Lifeline and get it out by turn 4 or 5. At that point, I start abusing my sac outlets and the ETB effects to continue to fetch lands or destroy my opponents' stuff via Reclamation Sage/Acidic Slime/Bone Shredder/Shriekmaw. Bone Shredder and Shriekmaw are nice because between evoke and echo, I can get multiple uses out of them via lifeline without even needing a sac outlet. The extra early mana is important so I always have mana open to either get a blocker or exile my opponents' creatures when they fall. End game typically involves me dropping some combination of Strength from the Fallen or Ancestral Mask to give a huge buff to Pharika and swing for unblockable commander damage via evasion effects from something like Rogue's Passage or Dreadbringer Lampads. Other ways of winning are just simply to outlast my opponent. I've had some times where I've destroyed my entire opponents' boards by simply saccing Acidic Slime every turn. One major weakness of this deck is flying creatures. Spidersilk Armor is pretty much the only thing, aside from being able to pick them off individually or stalling the game over and over with Spore Frog. Indestructible is also an issue, hence Silence the Believers. Overall, this deck is one I enjoy as it has a lot of fun interactions and is competitive enough to win sometimes.
-1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa - Found him to be a dead card a lot of the time. Never really needed the overrun effect to win and didn't need to use my lands as chump creatures as I'd rather make a snake and remove the threat permanently.
-1 Golgari Signet - Needed to open up a spot and there's already tons of land ramp so I was okay dropping this for now. Might end up actually swapping it back in and taking Sol Ring out later. Adding the G/B for Pharika's ability is nice and Sol Ring's two colorless doesn't seem to do much when I get to late game.
-1 Putrefy - Numbers game, wanted to have another tutor and with all the creatures having the ETB effects to destroy things, felt this was where a cut could be made.
+1 Destructor Dragon - Knew I'd be finding a spot for him the second it was spoiled. His effect happens upon death but that's fine since I've got the sac outlets. Him being a flyer is a major bonus.
+1 Diabolic Tutor & +1 Demonic Tutor - Wanted more tutors.
Three cards I'm looking to acquire for this deck are Damnation, Duplicant, and Mimic Vat. Not sure what I'd take out for Damnation (Life's Finale is the obvious choice but being able to remove three of the biggest threats in a deck before they even see the board is awesome). Duplicant would replace either Bone Shredder or Shriekmaw likely. The nonartifact, nonblack clauses have come back to bite me on more than one occasion. Any other suggestions are always welcomed!
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1 Pharika, God of Affliction
Creatures
1 Spore Frog
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Big Game Hunter
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Bone Shredder
1 Courser of Kruphix
1 Eternal Witness
1 Grim Guardian
1 Wood Elves
1 Burnished Hart
1 Glissa, the Traitor
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
1 Agent of Erebos
1 Nylea, God of the Hunt
1 Creakwood Liege
1 Eidolon of Blossoms
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Dreadbringer Lampads
1 Shadowborn Demon
1 Pharika's Mender
1 Doomwake Giant
1 Shriekmaw
1 Acidic Slime
1 Phyrexian Plaguelord
1 Genesis
1 Massacre Wurm
1 Thoughtrender Lamia
1 Archetype of Finality
1 Gleancrawler
1 Destructor Dragon
1 Krosan Tusker
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Archetype of Endurance
1 Vraska the Unseen
1 Liliana Vess
Artifacts
1 Lifeline
1 Sol Ring
1 Skullclamp
1 Swiftfoot Boots
Enchantments
1 Pestilence
1 No Mercy
1 Attrition
1 Dictate of Erebos
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Perilous Forays
1 Ancestral Mask
1 Strength from the Fallen
1 Greater Good
1 Deadbridge Chant
1 Mana Reflection
1 Khalni Heart Expedition
1 Malevolent Awakening
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Spidersilk Armor
1 Defense of the Heart
1 Bow of Nylea
Instants//Sorceries
1 Increasing Ambition
1 Life's Finale
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Silence the Believers
1 Diabolic Intent
1 Living Death
1 Maelstrom Pulse
10 Forest
10 Swamp
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Command Tower
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Temple of Malady
1 Golgari Guildgate
1 Tainted Wood
1 Grim Backwoods
1 Gilt-Leaf Palace
1 Temple of the False God
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Woodland Cemetery
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Rogue's Passage
So I've been tinkering with a Pharika build since she came out but I finally got it to a point where I'm pretty happy with it. Now the build is meant to revolve around lifeline. While I have none of the direct artifact tutors, I have a bunch of the black tutors in here between Rune-Scarred Demon, Liliana Vess, and the usual black spell suspects. I have been considering adding Diabolic Tutor and I have a Demonic Tutor along the way that I'll need to find room for. Early on, I typically am dropping creatures that fetch me more lands, via things like Wood Elves, Burnished Hart, etc. etc. Hopefully I can tutor up Lifeline and get it out by turn 4 or 5. At that point, I start abusing my sac outlets and the ETB effects to continue to fetch lands or destroy my opponents' stuff via Reclamation Sage/Acidic Slime/Bone Shredder/Shriekmaw. Bone Shredder and Shriekmaw are nice because between evoke and echo, I can get multiple uses out of them via lifeline without even needing a sac outlet. The extra early mana is important so I always have mana open to either get a blocker or exile my opponents' creatures when they fall. End game typically involves me dropping some combination of Strength from the Fallen or Ancestral Mask to give a huge buff to Pharika and swing for unblockable commander damage via evasion effects from something like Rogue's Passage or Dreadbringer Lampads. Other ways of winning are just simply to outlast my opponent. I've had some times where I've destroyed my entire opponents' boards by simply saccing Acidic Slime every turn. One major weakness of this deck is flying creatures. Spidersilk Armor is pretty much the only thing, aside from being able to pick them off individually or stalling the game over and over with Spore Frog. Indestructible is also an issue, hence Silence the Believers. Overall, this deck is one I enjoy as it has a lot of fun interactions and is competitive enough to win sometimes.
-1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa - Found him to be a dead card a lot of the time. Never really needed the overrun effect to win and didn't need to use my lands as chump creatures as I'd rather make a snake and remove the threat permanently.
-1 Golgari Signet - Needed to open up a spot and there's already tons of land ramp so I was okay dropping this for now. Might end up actually swapping it back in and taking Sol Ring out later. Adding the G/B for Pharika's ability is nice and Sol Ring's two colorless doesn't seem to do much when I get to late game.
-1 Putrefy - Numbers game, wanted to have another tutor and with all the creatures having the ETB effects to destroy things, felt this was where a cut could be made.
+1 Destructor Dragon - Knew I'd be finding a spot for him the second it was spoiled. His effect happens upon death but that's fine since I've got the sac outlets. Him being a flyer is a major bonus.
+1 Diabolic Tutor & +1 Demonic Tutor - Wanted more tutors.
Three cards I'm looking to acquire for this deck are Damnation, Duplicant, and Mimic Vat. Not sure what I'd take out for Damnation (Life's Finale is the obvious choice but being able to remove three of the biggest threats in a deck before they even see the board is awesome). Duplicant would replace either Bone Shredder or Shriekmaw likely. The nonartifact, nonblack clauses have come back to bite me on more than one occasion. Any other suggestions are always welcomed!