Pestilence is a mass-removal based control deck for casual players in a mostly multi-player setting. The card Pestilence originated from the first set, Alpha, but has never shown up in competitive play (as far as I found in my research). Nonetheless, there have been multiple reprints of Pestilence (last seen in 6th edition) and casual players everywhere have been playing this versatile card since the beginning of Magic.
Black
There are several different Pestilence decks you can build. First, let’s look at some basic cards to start building a traditional Pestilence deck.
Obviously, you’ll want to start with some Black. Here are some cards that have been used in Pestilence decks before:
Cemetery Gate: A creature immune to your black shenanigans. The Gate will block early, and stay on the battlefield to keep Pestilence alive (one of the few on-colour creatures that can).
Circle of Affliction: Sick of taking damage? You can choose Black and for every B you spend on the Pestilence, you can gain a life and make your opponent lose one.
Crypt Rats: I’ve personally never used this, but it could definitely fill the role of a one-time Pestilence for cheap.
Darkest Hour: With lots of Protection from Black Creatures, Darkest Hour makes your creatures immune to other creatures.
Death Pits of Rath: This rather expensive enchantment lets you take control of creatures definitively.
Dimir House Guard: This guy will fetch Pestilence for your fourth turn or be a 3-toughness evasive beatstick later on.
Last Laugh: Lots of fun in multiplayer, you can really make the world explode with this.
Nested Ghoul: If you keep responding with damage on the stack, you get a stack of tokens! It can be especially useful in the BG version with Rite of Passage.
Orzhov Euthanist: You will be running into creatures too big to kill with Pestilence sometimes. He helps with that.
Pestilence: I think there’s no getting around this one... or is there?
Plague Spitter: This guy is a free Pestilence every turn. Marginally useful. Good to get some combat damage through.
Stillmoon Cavalier: Excellent card. Has additional protection, pumps, gains flying first strike. Very customizable and a great finisher.
Syphon Soul: It and its’ variants in a multiplayer match guarantee a big life-swing in your favor, allowing you to go nuts with Pestilence.
Thrashing Wumpus: This Pestilence on a stick can be very good at clearing a board, or attacking. You can deal 2 damage a turn without killing it, or go on a blitz and raze the board.
Treacherous Link: This is one of the most important spells in the deck. You keep a creature on the battlefield, and you deal double damage to your opponent.
Withering Wisps: Building your deck with Snow-Covered Swamps to accommodate this Pestilence variant is very easy and rewarding. It costs one less mana too... Doubles up nicely with your Pestilence to avoid using tutors and things.
Obviously this list is far from exhaustive, but it shows the kind of synergy you look for in Pestilence.
Withering Wisps is a stronger card in this deck than Pestilence, and seven of them are plenty. You’ll notice the removal is also life-gain. Tribute to Hunger is especially good, because after a Pestilence effect, only the strongest creatures survive (therefore less choice for the opponent and more life for you). Syphon Soul is strong in multiplayer, but underwhelming in 1-on-1. More removal may be better instead. Darksteel Myr is an excellent blocker and keeps Pestilence alive.
White
The most popular version of Pestilence is without a doubt with its’ enemy colour: White. Why White? Because White hates on Black, of course! With all the Black-hosing cards available in White, the colour is well suited to protect yourself from your own Pestilence. Take a look at some White cards that can be found in B/W versions:
Auriok Champion: One of the few creatures with Pro Black that gains you life as well. Very useful and definitely worth the investment.
Blind Hunter: Nets you some life and deals plenty of damage. Haunt is a good mechanic in general for Pestilence.
Death Speakers: A decent 1 drop, but dies very easily. Not the best choice.
Enlightened Tutor: Now you can search up your pestilence, your Pariah, your Myr, your Treacherous Link. This tutor has plenty of targets.
Equal Treatment: Makes your Pestilence go for 2 a shot, or reduces damage from a fatty. I’m not a fan, as it only lasts one turn and you need lots of mana (and protection) to make it worth it.
Greater Auramancy: Protects your many frail enchantments. Could be worth a couple slots.
Guardian of the Guildpact: Not only is he immune to Pestilence, but he also immune to most things. An excellent choice, though expensive at 4 mana.
Hedron-Field Purists: You only pay for the first level, clearly. Might be a little on the mana-intensive side.
Pariah: I can hardly imagine a B/W version without this. Not only is it removal if you play it on your opponents, but if you slap this on one of your own Pro Black creatures, you become immune to Pestilence damage.
Protective Sphere: I’ve only recently discovered this and I have yet to try it, but it seems really good at saving you a ton of life.
Runed Halo: Protection from Pestilence (or anything bothersome really). This is a versatile card.
Samite Ministration: Gain some life for a change! Very nice in the late game when you have lots of mana to spend.
Soltari Monk: Good aggressive creature that keeps Pest alive. Remember that it can only block creatures with Shadow.
Sphere of Grace: Another very useful card to have. Immune to Pestilence now (and have I mentioned that this deck is favored against other black decks?).
Tainted Sigil: Pretty decent card for B/W. I might give it a try sometime.
Voice of Grace: A good Pro Black creature. Flies for damage and keeps your pestilence alive.
Wall of Hope: This is my 1-drop of choice. You can take advantage in the beginning and gain some life, or clear the board of creatures with toughness 2 or less without any life loss. Not to be underestimated. I consider this a staple.
Wall of Light: A better Cemetery Gate, but in the enemy colour. I believe that when splashing white, there are better inclusions.
Wall of Resistance: I’ve never used it, but I’ve seen it suggested many times. Could be a very good blocker and prove to be quite strong with Pestilence.
In this deck, the original Pestilence is better than Withering Wispsbecause of the non-basic lands. You can also include things like Tainted Field, but then the use of Withering Wisps will be more difficult. There are less creatures in this particular build because it is mostly for multi-player, where creature are in abundance. As for tips and tricks: putting a Treacherous Link and a Pariah on an enemy creature makes you invulnerable to damage; it all goes to that player. A single black mana turns into a lightning bolt for them. Darkest Hour with Sphere of Grace is also quite amusing.
This version shows how easy it can be to include Pestilence as a sub-theme into many decks. This highly defensive version can hold its’ own a lot better in 1 vs. 1. It requires more white sources however, so Tainted Field (or any B/W land) is necessary. Worship could easily have a place in this creature-heavy deck.
Green
White is not the only enemy colour, as you well know. Green needs to have a chance to shine as well. Although much less popular, B/G Pestilence is a very powerful contender that hits with heavy creatures only Green can provide. In essence, the deck revolves around Rite of Passage making your creatures huge while killing off your opponents’ and then swinging in for the kill. It is the fastest of the Pestilence decks. I am basing this section almost wholly on personal experience, as I found very few other examples to compare with. Here are some cards I found to be excellent in B/G:
Bearscape: After sweeping the board, you graveyard becomes quite full. Using this in your second main phase or on your opponents’ turn guarantees Pestilence stays around and maybe a horde of angry bears attacking next turn.
Beast Within: Kills absolutely anything, and a 3/3 is nothing to worry about with this deck. Perfect.
Commune With the Gods: This innocuous 2-mana spell digs deep for Pestilence or any creature or enchantment you might need. A very powerful spell to set up your game.
Fungus Sliver: Although I wouldn't recommend having 8 copies of Fungusaur in your deck, These slivers can be potentially better than the original, as their ability stacks with multiple copies. It could make for an interesting Sliver sub-theme, as well.
Grazing Gladehart: This antelope will gain you life in the early game and stomp on your opponent later.
Hunted Troll: A cheap finisher with a non-existent drawback.
Magus of the Candelabra: This guy will tap your Forests to untap your Swamps to keep using Pestilence triggers. He also has 2 toughness, which can be important when playing with Rite of Passage.
Mercy Killing: Takes care of indestructible creatures and basically has no drawback, since the 1/1s will all just die.
Rite of Passage: I use cards exclusively with 2+ toughness, so that Pestilence doesn’t kill them.
Tree of Redemption: He pumps up and then switches life with you (13+x, where x is the amount of life you lost with Pestilence). You then just use Pestilence again, pumping him up and switching when your life goes low.
Utopia Sprawl: Choose black. Goes quite well with Magus for some fast ramp.
Utopia Tree: Have you ever had the pleasure of killing someone with this tree? I have. A third turn Pestilence is what you’re aiming for, so it’s appropriate in this deck.
Whirling Dervish: One of the few playable Pro-Black creatures in Green, the Dervish comes with the somewhat problematic double-G cost. If you build your mana base accordingly (with say, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and other mana-fixers), you should not have any problems casting him.
There’s too much green in this deck for Withering Wisps. Besides, Thrashing Wumpus is a much better option, as he pumps himself. There’s some ramp in the deck to get to the 4-5 mana early on and start smashing face. Putrefy is a budget friendly version of Maelstrom Pulse, but I suppose it could just as easily be Beast Within now. A 3/3 is nothing to worry about for this deck.
Red
This covers the most common uses of Pestilence in casual play. But it’s not over. Red has access to Pyrohemia, the time-shifted version of Pestilence! Casual players everywhere rejoiced. Many tried to mix Pyrohemia and Pestilence in the same deck. It’s a terrible idea. I don't recommend it. You need to have access to an abundance of both Black and Red mana for it to work. Unless you decide to run 4 Badlands, 4 Blood Crypts and many fetchlands, good luck with that. I believe Red Pestilence is best left mono-coloured, or with a White splash.
Braid of Fire: The mana from this enchantment can only be used during your upkeep, since mana pools empty after each step and phase. This forces you to use Pyrohemia on your turn, and only on your upkeep. Hey, free mana comes at a price.
Deep-Slumber Titan: This guy will keep your Pyrohemia alive and swing for huge amounts of damage, and then untap to block. A great finisher for the deck.
Keeper of Kookus: An easy 1-drop to include to make sure you have a pro-red creature to keep Pyrohemia.
Pyrohemia: While there are no other red cards that do exactly what Pyrohemia does, Red packs plenty of damage-based board wipes (Pyroclasm) that help build synergy and control in a similar way.
Spitemare: Massive damage coming towards the opponent can put a lot of pressure on them early enough, and make combat situation very difficult.
Thick-Skinned Goblin: He costs you mana, but he's sure to live through a Pyrohemia wipe.
Vulshok Refugee: This pro-red also makes for an excellent attacker on an empty board. Probably the best option out there, as he sits perfectly on curve with Pyrohemia, and his extra point of toughness over the others makes him more appealing.
Over the years, Pyrohemia has received a surprising amount of support in the form of creatures, encouraging one especially to splash with White.
Pyrohemia
I had built a Pyrohemia deck back when Planar Chaos was released. That was when mana burn still existed and mana pools didn’t empty at every new step of the turn. I had an evil idea. Since I only had access to 4 Pyrohemias and didn't have access to tutors in red, my deck couldn't rely on drawing them every game, so I decided to build around it in a less synergistic way, rather taking advantage of the mana burn rule to harm my opponents.
The deck has lost much of its’ power since then, as Citadel of Pain now needs Manabarbs in order to do damage. Braid of Fire is only useful for Pyrohemia and paying for activated abilities. I used creatures with activated abilities to sink my excess mana to avoid mana burn. If any of you still play with mana burn, by all means, try this deck out. It can still be used, but I can’t abuse the rules like before.
Here is a more current version of mono-red Pyrohemia, this time abusing powerful creatures printed in the last few years:
Extremely efficient versus multiple opponents, it also has a remarkably smooth curve, keeping the 4-drop slot relatively uncrowded (compared to other Pestilence decks) and topping out at 5 with Stuffy Doll. Blasphemous Act typically costs around 4 mana and knocks out an opponent with Stuffy or Reckoner. Deep-Slumber Titan, although colliding with Pyrohemia in the 4-drop slot, is a fantastic finisher and blocker all at the same time. With Pyrohemia in play, he basically has Vigilance. Many cards untap him, and there's never been a situation yet where he's been uselessly tapped in play.
Artifacts
I'd just like to make a quick mention of potent artifact cards for Pestilence, as there are several worth mentioning. Not all of them made it into my decks, but could still be of interest in your own deck-building!
Chimeric Idol: Use its ability at the end of your turn, and Pestilence's ability will see it as a creature on the battlefield and not sacrifice itself. It's also a 3/3 beater that's hard to remove. Unfortunately, it prevents you from using any spells or abilities with mana on your opponents' turn.
Darksteel Myr: Obvious synergy by not dying to damage. An excellent blocker to boot. Watch out for Trample, though, as it doesn't do much good when blocking that.
Shield Sphere: an excellent early blocker at the affordable cost of 0. He stays relevant for a good portion of the game, and can usually withstand a good amount of Pestilence damage.
Steel Wall: This card has become mostly unused, thanks to the printing of Disowned Ancestor, which I consider to be a strict upgrade. Steel Wall can definitely still be used if you are running complex mana bases or just don't have your hands on the new spirit.
Stuffy Doll: Obviously used to double the damage dealt to the opponent, as well as being a fearsome defender. The mana cost is a bit high, but still quite playable and typically a game-ender.
Sun Droplet: If you are playing mostly 1-on-1 games, I would not recommend this card, as 2 life per turn is not a great deal. This card begins to shine when there are four or more players. I find this card too annoying to use as you have to remember to use it on everybody's turn, and it attracts a lot of attention to you gaining life all the time. Not exactly a card to help you remain inconspicuous at the table.
Urza's Armor: 6 mana is a lot to pay, but the effect prevents all damage dealt to you by Pestilence at a colourless cost. This makes it playable for any Pestilence deck not using White. The price is high, but the possibility is there for any colour.
Have I missed anything? If you think so, let me know in the comments, I’ll gladly discuss it and add it to the list. I will add a card that shows direct synergy with Pestilence, not just complimentary cards (ex. Unmake would be a decent card, but it has nothing to do with Pestilence).
Here is an additional Primer on the Pauper version of Pestilence, in case anyone was interested in seeing even more ways Pestilence can be used effectively.
I have a member of my playgroup that plays B/G, and Sprouting Phytohydra can get silly with pestilence; even more so if Right of Passage or Vigor is already in the deck
That's a great suggestion! That can certainly make a silly amount of blockers! 5 mana is pretty hefty though, for something with no power. And to make more than 2 Hydras at a time, the damage from Pestilence needs to be of 1/turn, if I understand it correctly.
1 Sprouting Phytohydra, deal 1 damage, 2 hydras, deal another, one dies second makes a third, two hydras, and it repeats in a loop.
Treacherous Link would be hilarious in a Pestilence deck, especially on an Indestructible critter.
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First, kudos to a very well thought out primer, looks great.
I'm a fan of pestilence, and have had a pest deck for a long time...always a fun card that plants a target on you head in multiplayer. :lol:
There's a longer-ish thread for my pestilence here, you'll see some other great suggestions that I got: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=244228
A few things to note off the bat:
- exotic orchard is your boss land in any multicolored pestilence deck. Pretty much a staple.
- I think Duskrider peregrine deserves mention as one ofthe better creatures for a BW build...it just curves so perfectly.
- any of the hunted Cards (http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=244228 ), with the vet unfortunate exception of hunted horror (which would have been PERFECT) would be great on-color finishers in the pestilence deck. The green one I particular seems ideal as a finisher in the gb varierty.
- spirit link also deserves honorable mention (unless I missed it, which is very possible lol), with the ability to enchant an opponents creature (thus acting like removal) early on, or going nutty on the back of a wumpus / crypt rats.
- I've found teroh's faithful to be really nice, with a solid backside, and providing an effective chunk of life to help with your gameplan, as a worthy mention :-).
- children of korlis would be good in a bw version, eh?
I'm sure I'll think of more, but here's some thoughts for you, and kudos again on a good primer.
First, kudos to a very well thought out primer, looks great.
I'm a fan of pestilence, and have had a pest deck for a long time...always a fun card that plants a target on you head in multiplayer. :lol:
There's a longer-ish thread for my pestilence here, you'll see some other great suggestions that I got: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=244228
A few things to note off the bat:
- exotic orchard is your boss land in any multicolored pestilence deck. Pretty much a staple.
- I think Duskrider peregrine deserves mention as one ofthe better creatures for a BW build...it just curves so perfectly.
- any of the hunted Cards (http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=244228 ), with the vet unfortunate exception of hunted horror (which would have been PERFECT) would be great on-color finishers in the pestilence deck. The green one I particular seems ideal as a finisher in the gb varierty.
- spirit link also deserves honorable mention (unless I missed it, which is very possible lol), with the ability to enchant an opponents creature (thus acting like removal) early on, or going nutty on the back of a wumpus / crypt rats.
- I've found teroh's faithful to be really nice, with a solid backside, and providing an effective chunk of life to help with your gameplan, as a worthy mention :-).
- children of korlis would be good in a bw version, eh?
I'm sure I'll think of more, but here's some thoughts for you, and kudos again on a good primer.
Thanks so much for the compliments and great suggestions! I'll definitely take a more thorough look at your link, as there's lots of good stuff here! I had a really hard time getting this Primer off the ground, as there seemed to be no interest in Pestilence at the time I posted it (11 months ago). Only now is a conversation starting to pick up!
I think you probably meant Forbidden Orchard, which would indeed be a good suggestion for any multicoloured Pestilence deck. I think it's a little dangerous to play, as you do need to have the removal in hand so that the drawback doesn't bite you in the ass (seriously). I could definitely see it played as a 1-2 of in the deck!
I had never thought of Duskrider Peregrine that way before, but you're absolutely right! I love it! kinda needs to be in opening hand to work well though, as the regular casting cost is really steep.
I had never thought of using the hunted cards like Hunted Troll, but he seems like the finisher GB needs! I'll definitely try him out personally! Great suggestion!
Spirit Link (or Vampiric Link) is not a bad suggestion, but I find it's use to be a bit too niche for me. Other than acting like removal, it has very limited use in most circumstances.
Teroh's Faithful is a bit too... janky for me. I feel like Wall of Hope trumps him in many ways, but mostly for the mana cost. It can end up gaining way more life than him and costs only 1 mana, however it can't attack or kill X/1s.
Children of Korlis would indeed be handy, although I'm not sure what it could replace in most BW decks.
1 Sprouting Phytohydra, deal 1 damage, 2 hydras, deal another, one dies second makes a third, two hydras, and it repeats in a loop.
Have 1, Pestilence 1, Gain 1, Lose 0 Have 2
Have 2, Pestilence 1, Gain 2, Lose 1, Have 3
Have 3, Pestilence 1, Gain 3, Lose 2, Have 4
Five is expensive, but Black/Green makes better use of having the creatures around than other colors anyways; and most pestilence decks run some acceleration (even if it is just Dark Rituals) to ease the pain
Have 1, Pestilence 1, Gain 1, Lose 0 Have 2
Have 2, Pestilence 1, Gain 2, Lose 1, Have 3
Have 3, Pestilence 1, Gain 3, Lose 2, Have 4
Five is expensive, but Black/Green makes better use of having the creatures around than other colors anyways; and most pestilence decks run some acceleration (even if it is just Dark Rituals) to ease the pain
Ahh! The killed hydra still makes a token! I see!
As for the mana cost, I suppose it is quite manageable, as it only has 1 green in its mana cost, making ramping into it with even a dark ritual really easy!
White Knight is unfortunately too invested in white with its' WW cost. There is more often than not a greater number of swamps than plains in a deck, for obvious reasons. This makes double-white casting costs very difficult to manage (unless they're late-game cards).
Knight of Glory is fine, though! I don't really like that it only has 1 toughness and no first strike, however. The exalted doesn't really make up for it, imo.
Note that this design is a couple of years old. If I had the budget, I'd add a playset of the overpowered (and expensive) Boros Reckoner, then replace the Shivan Meteors with Blasphemous Act.
Note that this design is a couple of years old. If I had the budget, I'd add a playset of the overpowered (and expensive) Boros Reckoner, then replace the Shivan Meteors with Blasphemous Act.
I love it. Thank you!
I don't think a dedicated Pyrohemia deck is possible for mono Red. It would have to be a RW list.
I think the synergy with your creatures and the mass burn spells is just genius. Such a good idea! Perhaps 2X Stuffy Doll would be appropriate here, as both a Shivan Meteor/ Blasphemous Act target and just for dealing massive pain with Pyrohemia.
As for Boros Reckoner, who is basically a strict upgrade to Spitemare, I think that once he rotates out of Standard, he'll just be another mediocre Legacy creature no one wants to play and his price won't clear 3$. Just wait a year!
I'll get cracking on posting my own improved Pyrohemia list and a dedicated RW list.
I think the synergy with your creatures and the mass burn spells is just genius. Such a good idea! Perhaps 2X Stuffy Doll would be appropriate here, as both a Shivan Meteor/ Blasphemous Act target and just for dealing massive pain with Pyrohemia.
A very good call! I think I left Stuffy Doll out because of its high mana cost and because I wanted my creatures to serve as beaters as a backup strategy. But it's much more useful with Blasphemous Act than with Shivan Meteor, so once I make that switch, the Doll will probably go in.
As for Boros Reckoner, who is basically a strict upgrade to Spitemare, I think that once he rotates out of Standard, he'll just be another mediocre Legacy creature no one wants to play and his price won't clear 3$. Just wait a year!
I hope you're right! If so, I'm likely to rebuild the deck to look something like this:
Adding Boros Reckoner and Mogg Maniac gives me enough focus on the spite-damage mechanic that I can rely on it consistently. Since I'm switching to Blasphemous Act, I pull Deep-Slumber Titan because it dies to the Act. Since I'm also adding Mogg Maniac, I need to pull Pyrohemia because it kills the Maniac immediately.
So it's no longer a Pyrohemia deck. But it's probably stronger for it, and sometimes you just have to cut a card.
I can't believe I didn't think of Mark of Asylum. Good call! Although the deck can't revolve around having that card in play, or else it would make the strategy really hard to get going. I believe Urza's Armor and plague spitter make some appearances in the opening post.
Magebane armor seems pretty fringe to me, I don't see it being all that useful in decks, as you have to pay for its' cost and then again to equip, it's just not that efficient in my eyes.
Personal Sanctuary is cool! I usually like to spread out my Pestilence activations between my turn and theirs, and being able to react to situations on their turn is often essential. It costs half as much as Urza's Armor, and you get half the effect. I actually prefer Personal Sanctuary, yes for it's mana cost but also for the "no burn on my turn" thing.
Did I mention Death Pits of Rath in the primer? If not, I should. I've seen it used before in Pestilence decks, but I must have forgotten about it!
Thanks for pulling this out of history, honestly I'd completely forgotten about this thing. It needs some love.
So psyched that this has become a primer; my Pestilence deck is my favorite deck to pilot in casual multiplayer games. I'll post a decklist when I get around to it. Some thoughts:
I came upon a list on TappedOut that, while pretty janky, featured Phylactery Lich. I think this is a total game-changer because it synergizes with Darksteel Myr, already a Pestilence staple, gives you yet another lowishCMC black/artifact creature, and puts in work as a beater, something most Pestilence lists lack. A list like this can remain monoblack, opening the door for Withering Wisps and making the effect more efficient. It needs Darksteel Ingot or something to really be consistent, but it seems like this setup would be more potent than any B/W list (my deck is B/W).
Also, Exsanguinate should be in the primer. I know it's a no-brainer, but it's even better in this archetype than it usually is.
Good to hear it! It was always a primer, and has been posted for a while, but was never put in the primer section. My goal is to have all information regarding Pestilence in one single place, that's easy to browse and stays clean. I wish I had had something like this when I was starting out.
Phylactery Lich is not a bad idea! It does require some bulding around though, as you mentioned. With artifact lands like Vault of Whispers, it could be very easy to include. Would you like to post a decklist?
I'll mention Exsanguinate in the primer, but I don't see it as being as efficient as something like Syphon soul, especially in multiplayer. I guess it could be good in the REALLY late game, so a 1-of could be interesting. Thanks for sharing!
Good to hear it! It was always a primer, and has been posted for a while, but was never put in the primer section. My goal is to have all information regarding Pestilence in one single place, that's easy to browse and stays clean. I wish I had had something like this when I was starting out.
Phylactery Lich is not a bad idea! It does require some bulding around though, as you mentioned. With artifact lands like Vault of Whispers, it could be very easy to include. Would you like to post a decklist?
I'll mention Exsanguinate in the primer, but I don't see it as being as efficient as something like Syphon soul, especially in multiplayer. I guess it could be good in the REALLY late game, so a 1-of could be interesting. Thanks for sharing!
This is theorycrafting, but a list might look something like:
Exsanguinate falls squarely into the category of "try it, you'll like it." I consider it a staple for black multiplayer decks. Playing Pestilence usually turns the table against me, and dealing with huge creatures and other sources of damage gets very hairy very fast. Exsanguinate is key to keeping your life total ahead of your opponents'. Yeah, you need to wait until you can invest some mana into it, but going off with as little as X=4 in a three player game is really swingy. It's invaluable to me in a deck where the only acceleration is Dark Ritual, and if I could afford Coffers or Bubbling Muck or the mana doubling creatures I can't even imagine how gnarly the effect would be. Also, sometimes I'll be sitting behind a Worship after Pestilence gets destroyed, dropping lands, and I'll topdeck an Exsanguinate to burn out the table. Also it's splashable, unlike Drain Life and friends, so it's B/X-friendly.
Good list! I really don't agree with 4 Exsanguinate, though. Infest also seems a bit odd to me, wouldn't you rather have spot removal there?
There's no doubt it's an awesome multiplayer card that will give you a massive swing. Single-player, it's just sub-par. I hadn't thought that any colour mana could be used, though, which is a big step up from other similar spells, indeed.
My conclusion is that's it's a good card for multi-player, and should be used in moderation. I wouldn't have more than 1-2 in a deck, frankly.
What Pestilence needs is a Pro-black creature with Lifelink. The only one that currently exists is Blood Baron of Vizkopa, and I'm not convinced it's entirely playable.
I agree with Infest being an odd choice. Pestilence/Withering Wisps can do more for the 3 mana than Infest and I'd rather just use spot removal to fight off creatures in my early turns. Spot removal is also better in later turns as it would be better for taking out any threats too big for Pestilence to take out.
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There are several different Pestilence decks you can build. First, let’s look at some basic cards to start building a traditional Pestilence deck.
Obviously, you’ll want to start with some Black. Here are some cards that have been used in Pestilence decks before:
Circle of Affliction: Sick of taking damage? You can choose Black and for every B you spend on the Pestilence, you can gain a life and make your opponent lose one.
Crypt Rats: I’ve personally never used this, but it could definitely fill the role of a one-time Pestilence for cheap.
Darkest Hour: With lots of Protection from Black Creatures, Darkest Hour makes your creatures immune to other creatures.
Death Pits of Rath: This rather expensive enchantment lets you take control of creatures definitively.
Dimir House Guard: This guy will fetch Pestilence for your fourth turn or be a 3-toughness evasive beatstick later on.
Last Laugh: Lots of fun in multiplayer, you can really make the world explode with this.
Nested Ghoul: If you keep responding with damage on the stack, you get a stack of tokens! It can be especially useful in the BG version with Rite of Passage.
Orzhov Euthanist: You will be running into creatures too big to kill with Pestilence sometimes. He helps with that.
Pestilence: I think there’s no getting around this one... or is there?
Plague Spitter: This guy is a free Pestilence every turn. Marginally useful. Good to get some combat damage through.
Stillmoon Cavalier: Excellent card. Has additional protection, pumps, gains flying first strike. Very customizable and a great finisher.
Syphon Soul: It and its’ variants in a multiplayer match guarantee a big life-swing in your favor, allowing you to go nuts with Pestilence.
Thrashing Wumpus: This Pestilence on a stick can be very good at clearing a board, or attacking. You can deal 2 damage a turn without killing it, or go on a blitz and raze the board.
Treacherous Link: This is one of the most important spells in the deck. You keep a creature on the battlefield, and you deal double damage to your opponent.
Withering Wisps: Building your deck with Snow-Covered Swamps to accommodate this Pestilence variant is very easy and rewarding. It costs one less mana too... Doubles up nicely with your Pestilence to avoid using tutors and things.
Obviously this list is far from exhaustive, but it shows the kind of synergy you look for in Pestilence.
3 Pestilence
4 Withering Wisps
4 Treacherous Link
3 Circle of Affliction
4 Cemetery Gate
4 Darksteel Myr
2 Dread
2 Orzhov Euthanist
3 Dark Ritual
3 Tribute to Hunger
Sorceries (5)
3 Syphon Soul
2 Vicious Hunger
23 Snow-Covered Swamp
Withering Wisps is a stronger card in this deck than Pestilence, and seven of them are plenty. You’ll notice the removal is also life-gain. Tribute to Hunger is especially good, because after a Pestilence effect, only the strongest creatures survive (therefore less choice for the opponent and more life for you). Syphon Soul is strong in multiplayer, but underwhelming in 1-on-1. More removal may be better instead. Darksteel Myr is an excellent blocker and keeps Pestilence alive.
The most popular version of Pestilence is without a doubt with its’ enemy colour: White. Why White? Because White hates on Black, of course! With all the Black-hosing cards available in White, the colour is well suited to protect yourself from your own Pestilence. Take a look at some White cards that can be found in B/W versions:
Blind Hunter: Nets you some life and deals plenty of damage. Haunt is a good mechanic in general for Pestilence.
Cho-Manno, Revolutionary: Rather expensive, but difficult to get rid of.
Crusading Knight: A good creature to have in a less budget-friendly deck that includes Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth.
Death Speakers: A decent 1 drop, but dies very easily. Not the best choice.
Enlightened Tutor: Now you can search up your pestilence, your Pariah, your Myr, your Treacherous Link. This tutor has plenty of targets.
Equal Treatment: Makes your Pestilence go for 2 a shot, or reduces damage from a fatty. I’m not a fan, as it only lasts one turn and you need lots of mana (and protection) to make it worth it.
Greater Auramancy: Protects your many frail enchantments. Could be worth a couple slots.
Guardian of the Guildpact: Not only is he immune to Pestilence, but he also immune to most things. An excellent choice, though expensive at 4 mana.
Hedron-Field Purists: You only pay for the first level, clearly. Might be a little on the mana-intensive side.
Pariah: I can hardly imagine a B/W version without this. Not only is it removal if you play it on your opponents, but if you slap this on one of your own Pro Black creatures, you become immune to Pestilence damage.
Protective Sphere: I’ve only recently discovered this and I have yet to try it, but it seems really good at saving you a ton of life.
Runed Halo: Protection from Pestilence (or anything bothersome really). This is a versatile card.
Samite Ministration: Gain some life for a change! Very nice in the late game when you have lots of mana to spend.
Soltari Monk: Good aggressive creature that keeps Pest alive. Remember that it can only block creatures with Shadow.
Sphere of Grace: Another very useful card to have. Immune to Pestilence now (and have I mentioned that this deck is favored against other black decks?).
Swans of Bryn Argoll: Draw a card for each B I spend? Yes please!
Tainted Sigil: Pretty decent card for B/W. I might give it a try sometime.
Voice of Grace: A good Pro Black creature. Flies for damage and keeps your pestilence alive.
Wall of Hope: This is my 1-drop of choice. You can take advantage in the beginning and gain some life, or clear the board of creatures with toughness 2 or less without any life loss. Not to be underestimated. I consider this a staple.
Wall of Light: A better Cemetery Gate, but in the enemy colour. I believe that when splashing white, there are better inclusions.
Wall of Resistance: I’ve never used it, but I’ve seen it suggested many times. Could be a very good blocker and prove to be quite strong with Pestilence.
Words of Worship: Sometimes life is more important than cards.
Worship: Fun with Darksteel Myr or anything hard to get rid of. You can’t be killed by your Pestilence and your opponents can’t kill you either.
4 Pestilence
3 Withering Wisps
4 Pariah
4 Treacherous Link
2 Sphere of Grace
2 Darkest Hour
3 Cemetery Gate
4 Darksteel Myr
2 Auriok Champion
2 Wall of Hope
Instants (7)
3 Tribute to Hunger
3 Dark Ritual
1 Enlightened Tutor
11 Snow-Covered Swamp
9 Snow-Covered Plains
3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
In this deck, the original Pestilence is better than Withering Wispsbecause of the non-basic lands. You can also include things like Tainted Field, but then the use of Withering Wisps will be more difficult. There are less creatures in this particular build because it is mostly for multi-player, where creature are in abundance. As for tips and tricks: putting a Treacherous Link and a Pariah on an enemy creature makes you invulnerable to damage; it all goes to that player. A single black mana turns into a lightning bolt for them. Darkest Hour with Sphere of Grace is also quite amusing.
Here is another example of B/W Pestilence:
4 Pestilence
3 Withering Wisps
3 Sphere of Grace
4 Pariah
4 Treacherous Link
4 Wall of Hope
2 Order of the Stars
4 Perimeter Captain
4 Cemetery Gate
3 Stalwart Shield-Bearers
1 Enlightened Tutor
Lands (24)
10 Snow-Covered Swamp
9 Snow-Covered Plains
2 Tainted Field
3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
This version shows how easy it can be to include Pestilence as a sub-theme into many decks. This highly defensive version can hold its’ own a lot better in 1 vs. 1. It requires more white sources however, so Tainted Field (or any B/W land) is necessary. Worship could easily have a place in this creature-heavy deck.
White is not the only enemy colour, as you well know. Green needs to have a chance to shine as well. Although much less popular, B/G Pestilence is a very powerful contender that hits with heavy creatures only Green can provide. In essence, the deck revolves around Rite of Passage making your creatures huge while killing off your opponents’ and then swinging in for the kill. It is the fastest of the Pestilence decks. I am basing this section almost wholly on personal experience, as I found very few other examples to compare with. Here are some cards I found to be excellent in B/G:
Beast Within: Kills absolutely anything, and a 3/3 is nothing to worry about with this deck. Perfect.
Commune With the Gods: This innocuous 2-mana spell digs deep for Pestilence or any creature or enchantment you might need. A very powerful spell to set up your game.
Fungusaur: An built-in Rite of Passage, he’s a workhorse in this deck.
Fungus Sliver: Although I wouldn't recommend having 8 copies of Fungusaur in your deck, These slivers can be potentially better than the original, as their ability stacks with multiple copies. It could make for an interesting Sliver sub-theme, as well.
Grazing Gladehart: This antelope will gain you life in the early game and stomp on your opponent later.
Hunted Troll: A cheap finisher with a non-existent drawback.
Magus of the Candelabra: This guy will tap your Forests to untap your Swamps to keep using Pestilence triggers. He also has 2 toughness, which can be important when playing with Rite of Passage.
Mercy Killing: Takes care of indestructible creatures and basically has no drawback, since the 1/1s will all just die.
Rite of Passage: I use cards exclusively with 2+ toughness, so that Pestilence doesn’t kill them.
Sprouting Phytohydra: An army of blockers that can suddenly go on the offence after being pumped up with Rite of Passage.
Tree of Redemption: He pumps up and then switches life with you (13+x, where x is the amount of life you lost with Pestilence). You then just use Pestilence again, pumping him up and switching when your life goes low.
Utopia Sprawl: Choose black. Goes quite well with Magus for some fast ramp.
Utopia Tree: Have you ever had the pleasure of killing someone with this tree? I have. A third turn Pestilence is what you’re aiming for, so it’s appropriate in this deck.
Vigor: A one-upped Rite of Passage that doubles as a great finisher.
Whirling Dervish: One of the few playable Pro-Black creatures in Green, the Dervish comes with the somewhat problematic double-G cost. If you build your mana base accordingly (with say, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and other mana-fixers), you should not have any problems casting him.
4 Pestilence
4 Rite of Passage
3 Utopia Sprawl
Creatures (25)
4 Magus of the Candelabra
4 Utopia Tree
4 Cemetery Gate
4 Fungusaur
2 Vigor
3 Tree of Redemption
2 Plague Spitter
2 Thrashing Wumpus
2 Beast Within
Lands (22)
9 Forest
9 Swamp
4 Tainted Wood
There’s too much green in this deck for Withering Wisps. Besides, Thrashing Wumpus is a much better option, as he pumps himself. There’s some ramp in the deck to get to the 4-5 mana early on and start smashing face. Putrefy is a budget friendly version of Maelstrom Pulse, but I suppose it could just as easily be Beast Within now. A 3/3 is nothing to worry about for this deck.
This covers the most common uses of Pestilence in casual play. But it’s not over. Red has access to Pyrohemia, the time-shifted version of Pestilence! Casual players everywhere rejoiced. Many tried to mix Pyrohemia and Pestilence in the same deck. It’s a terrible idea. I don't recommend it. You need to have access to an abundance of both Black and Red mana for it to work. Unless you decide to run 4 Badlands, 4 Blood Crypts and many fetchlands, good luck with that. I believe Red Pestilence is best left mono-coloured, or with a White splash.
Braid of Fire: The mana from this enchantment can only be used during your upkeep, since mana pools empty after each step and phase. This forces you to use Pyrohemia on your turn, and only on your upkeep. Hey, free mana comes at a price.
Deep-Slumber Titan: This guy will keep your Pyrohemia alive and swing for huge amounts of damage, and then untap to block. A great finisher for the deck.
Keeper of Kookus: An easy 1-drop to include to make sure you have a pro-red creature to keep Pyrohemia.
Pyrohemia: While there are no other red cards that do exactly what Pyrohemia does, Red packs plenty of damage-based board wipes (Pyroclasm) that help build synergy and control in a similar way.
Spitemare: Massive damage coming towards the opponent can put a lot of pressure on them early enough, and make combat situation very difficult.
Thick-Skinned Goblin: He costs you mana, but he's sure to live through a Pyrohemia wipe.
Vulshok Refugee: This pro-red also makes for an excellent attacker on an empty board. Probably the best option out there, as he sits perfectly on curve with Pyrohemia, and his extra point of toughness over the others makes him more appealing.
Over the years, Pyrohemia has received a surprising amount of support in the form of creatures, encouraging one especially to splash with White.
4 Pyrohemia
4 Manabarbs
4 Citadel of Pain
4 Braid of Fire
2 Flamewave Invoker
4 Goblin Balloon Brigade
4 Thick-Skinned Goblin
4 Wall of Fire
4 Chimeric Idol
4 Urza’s armor
Lands (22)
22 Mountain
The deck has lost much of its’ power since then, as Citadel of Pain now needs Manabarbs in order to do damage. Braid of Fire is only useful for Pyrohemia and paying for activated abilities. I used creatures with activated abilities to sink my excess mana to avoid mana burn. If any of you still play with mana burn, by all means, try this deck out. It can still be used, but I can’t abuse the rules like before.
Here is a more current version of mono-red Pyrohemia, this time abusing powerful creatures printed in the last few years:
4 Boros Reckoner
2 Darksteel Myr
4 Deep-Slumber Titan
2 Stuffy Doll
4 Pyrohemia
3 Dragon's Claw
Mass Burn (9)
4 Pyroclasm
3 Breath of Darigaaz
2 Blasphemous Act
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Arc Trail
2 Arc Lightning
Lands (23)
23 Mountain
Extremely efficient versus multiple opponents, it also has a remarkably smooth curve, keeping the 4-drop slot relatively uncrowded (compared to other Pestilence decks) and topping out at 5 with Stuffy Doll. Blasphemous Act typically costs around 4 mana and knocks out an opponent with Stuffy or Reckoner. Deep-Slumber Titan, although colliding with Pyrohemia in the 4-drop slot, is a fantastic finisher and blocker all at the same time. With Pyrohemia in play, he basically has Vigilance. Many cards untap him, and there's never been a situation yet where he's been uselessly tapped in play.
I'd just like to make a quick mention of potent artifact cards for Pestilence, as there are several worth mentioning. Not all of them made it into my decks, but could still be of interest in your own deck-building!
Chimeric Idol: Use its ability at the end of your turn, and Pestilence's ability will see it as a creature on the battlefield and not sacrifice itself. It's also a 3/3 beater that's hard to remove. Unfortunately, it prevents you from using any spells or abilities with mana on your opponents' turn.
Darksteel Myr: Obvious synergy by not dying to damage. An excellent blocker to boot. Watch out for Trample, though, as it doesn't do much good when blocking that.
Shield Sphere: an excellent early blocker at the affordable cost of 0. He stays relevant for a good portion of the game, and can usually withstand a good amount of Pestilence damage.
Steel Wall: This card has become mostly unused, thanks to the printing of Disowned Ancestor, which I consider to be a strict upgrade. Steel Wall can definitely still be used if you are running complex mana bases or just don't have your hands on the new spirit.
Stuffy Doll: Obviously used to double the damage dealt to the opponent, as well as being a fearsome defender. The mana cost is a bit high, but still quite playable and typically a game-ender.
Sun Droplet: If you are playing mostly 1-on-1 games, I would not recommend this card, as 2 life per turn is not a great deal. This card begins to shine when there are four or more players. I find this card too annoying to use as you have to remember to use it on everybody's turn, and it attracts a lot of attention to you gaining life all the time. Not exactly a card to help you remain inconspicuous at the table.
Urza's Armor: 6 mana is a lot to pay, but the effect prevents all damage dealt to you by Pestilence at a colourless cost. This makes it playable for any Pestilence deck not using White. The price is high, but the possibility is there for any colour.
Have I missed anything? If you think so, let me know in the comments, I’ll gladly discuss it and add it to the list. I will add a card that shows direct synergy with Pestilence, not just complimentary cards (ex. Unmake would be a decent card, but it has nothing to do with Pestilence).
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Pauper Pestilence Primer
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1 Sprouting Phytohydra, deal 1 damage, 2 hydras, deal another, one dies second makes a third, two hydras, and it repeats in a loop.
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First, kudos to a very well thought out primer, looks great.
I'm a fan of pestilence, and have had a pest deck for a long time...always a fun card that plants a target on you head in multiplayer. :lol:
There's a longer-ish thread for my pestilence here, you'll see some other great suggestions that I got: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=244228
A few things to note off the bat:
- exotic orchard is your boss land in any multicolored pestilence deck. Pretty much a staple.
- I think Duskrider peregrine deserves mention as one ofthe better creatures for a BW build...it just curves so perfectly.
- any of the hunted Cards (http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=244228 ), with the vet unfortunate exception of hunted horror (which would have been PERFECT) would be great on-color finishers in the pestilence deck. The green one I particular seems ideal as a finisher in the gb varierty.
- spirit link also deserves honorable mention (unless I missed it, which is very possible lol), with the ability to enchant an opponents creature (thus acting like removal) early on, or going nutty on the back of a wumpus / crypt rats.
- I've found teroh's faithful to be really nice, with a solid backside, and providing an effective chunk of life to help with your gameplan, as a worthy mention :-).
- children of korlis would be good in a bw version, eh?
I'm sure I'll think of more, but here's some thoughts for you, and kudos again on a good primer.
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Would you happen to mean Forbidden Orchard instead?
Thanks so much for the compliments and great suggestions! I'll definitely take a more thorough look at your link, as there's lots of good stuff here! I had a really hard time getting this Primer off the ground, as there seemed to be no interest in Pestilence at the time I posted it (11 months ago). Only now is a conversation starting to pick up!
I think you probably meant Forbidden Orchard, which would indeed be a good suggestion for any multicoloured Pestilence deck. I think it's a little dangerous to play, as you do need to have the removal in hand so that the drawback doesn't bite you in the ass (seriously). I could definitely see it played as a 1-2 of in the deck!
I had never thought of Duskrider Peregrine that way before, but you're absolutely right! I love it! kinda needs to be in opening hand to work well though, as the regular casting cost is really steep.
I had never thought of using the hunted cards like Hunted Troll, but he seems like the finisher GB needs! I'll definitely try him out personally! Great suggestion!
Spirit Link (or Vampiric Link) is not a bad suggestion, but I find it's use to be a bit too niche for me. Other than acting like removal, it has very limited use in most circumstances.
Teroh's Faithful is a bit too... janky for me. I feel like Wall of Hope trumps him in many ways, but mostly for the mana cost. It can end up gaining way more life than him and costs only 1 mana, however it can't attack or kill X/1s.
Children of Korlis would indeed be handy, although I'm not sure what it could replace in most BW decks.
Stillmoon Cavalier is in the list of cards I omitted, at the end of the article!
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Have 1, Pestilence 1, Gain 1, Lose 0 Have 2
Have 2, Pestilence 1, Gain 2, Lose 1, Have 3
Have 3, Pestilence 1, Gain 3, Lose 2, Have 4
Five is expensive, but Black/Green makes better use of having the creatures around than other colors anyways; and most pestilence decks run some acceleration (even if it is just Dark Rituals) to ease the pain
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Ahh! The killed hydra still makes a token! I see!
As for the mana cost, I suppose it is quite manageable, as it only has 1 green in its mana cost, making ramping into it with even a dark ritual really easy!
That is such an awesome suggestion! I'll definitely have to play around with that! I'll add it to the list of red cards. Thanks so much!
Do you think you could post your Pyrohemia list? I realize mine sucks big time and I'd like a more competent list somewhere here.
White Knight is unfortunately too invested in white with its' WW cost. There is more often than not a greater number of swamps than plains in a deck, for obvious reasons. This makes double-white casting costs very difficult to manage (unless they're late-game cards).
Knight of Glory is fine, though! I don't really like that it only has 1 toughness and no first strike, however. The exalted doesn't really make up for it, imo.
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Sure thing. It's not a dedicated Pyrohemia deck, more of a control-ish burn deck with a few tricks, but hopefully it will provide some ideas.
4 Deep-Slumber Titan (4)
4 Spitemare (4)
SPELLS
4 Arc Trail (1)
3 Earthquake (X)
4 Lightning Bolt (1)
4 Pyroclasm (2)
3 Pyrohemia (4)
4 Searing Blaze (2)
3 Shivan Meteor (3)
4 Staggershock (3)
23 Mountain
Note that this design is a couple of years old. If I had the budget, I'd add a playset of the overpowered (and expensive) Boros Reckoner, then replace the Shivan Meteors with Blasphemous Act.
I love it. Thank you!
I don't think a dedicated Pyrohemia deck is possible for mono Red. It would have to be a RW list.
I think the synergy with your creatures and the mass burn spells is just genius. Such a good idea! Perhaps 2X Stuffy Doll would be appropriate here, as both a Shivan Meteor/ Blasphemous Act target and just for dealing massive pain with Pyrohemia.
As for Boros Reckoner, who is basically a strict upgrade to Spitemare, I think that once he rotates out of Standard, he'll just be another mediocre Legacy creature no one wants to play and his price won't clear 3$. Just wait a year!
I'll get cracking on posting my own improved Pyrohemia list and a dedicated RW list.
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You're welcome!
A very good call! I think I left Stuffy Doll out because of its high mana cost and because I wanted my creatures to serve as beaters as a backup strategy. But it's much more useful with Blasphemous Act than with Shivan Meteor, so once I make that switch, the Doll will probably go in.
I hope you're right! If so, I'm likely to rebuild the deck to look something like this:
4 Boros Reckoner (3)
4 Mogg Maniac (2)
4 Spitemare (4)
2 Stuffy Doll (5)
4 Arc Trail (2)
4 Blasphemous Act (9)
4 Earthquake (X)
3 Fault Line (X)
4 Lightning Bolt (1)
4 Staggershock (3)
23 Mountain
Adding Boros Reckoner and Mogg Maniac gives me enough focus on the spite-damage mechanic that I can rely on it consistently. Since I'm switching to Blasphemous Act, I pull Deep-Slumber Titan because it dies to the Act. Since I'm also adding Mogg Maniac, I need to pull Pyrohemia because it kills the Maniac immediately.
So it's no longer a Pyrohemia deck. But it's probably stronger for it, and sometimes you just have to cut a card.
I can't believe I didn't think of Mark of Asylum. Good call! Although the deck can't revolve around having that card in play, or else it would make the strategy really hard to get going. I believe Urza's Armor and plague spitter make some appearances in the opening post.
Magebane armor seems pretty fringe to me, I don't see it being all that useful in decks, as you have to pay for its' cost and then again to equip, it's just not that efficient in my eyes.
Why Festering Evil? I don't get it.
Personal Sanctuary is cool! I usually like to spread out my Pestilence activations between my turn and theirs, and being able to react to situations on their turn is often essential. It costs half as much as Urza's Armor, and you get half the effect. I actually prefer Personal Sanctuary, yes for it's mana cost but also for the "no burn on my turn" thing.
Did I mention Death Pits of Rath in the primer? If not, I should. I've seen it used before in Pestilence decks, but I must have forgotten about it!
Thanks for pulling this out of history, honestly I'd completely forgotten about this thing. It needs some love.
Thank you! Now it won't get buried in posts anymore!
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I came upon a list on TappedOut that, while pretty janky, featured Phylactery Lich. I think this is a total game-changer because it synergizes with Darksteel Myr, already a Pestilence staple, gives you yet another lowishCMC black/artifact creature, and puts in work as a beater, something most Pestilence lists lack. A list like this can remain monoblack, opening the door for Withering Wisps and making the effect more efficient. It needs Darksteel Ingot or something to really be consistent, but it seems like this setup would be more potent than any B/W list (my deck is B/W).
Also, Exsanguinate should be in the primer. I know it's a no-brainer, but it's even better in this archetype than it usually is.
Phylactery Lich is not a bad idea! It does require some bulding around though, as you mentioned. With artifact lands like Vault of Whispers, it could be very easy to include. Would you like to post a decklist?
I'll mention Exsanguinate in the primer, but I don't see it as being as efficient as something like Syphon soul, especially in multiplayer. I guess it could be good in the REALLY late game, so a 1-of could be interesting. Thanks for sharing!
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This is theorycrafting, but a list might look something like:
4 Vault of Whispers
20 Snow-Covered Swamp
CREATURES
4 Darksteel Myr
4 Phylactery Lich
4 Stillmoon Cavalier
4 Withering Wisps
2 Darksteel Pendant
4 Dark Ritual
4 Exsanguinate
4 Geth's Verdict
2 Sign In Blood
2 Infest
2 Beseech the Queen
Exsanguinate falls squarely into the category of "try it, you'll like it." I consider it a staple for black multiplayer decks. Playing Pestilence usually turns the table against me, and dealing with huge creatures and other sources of damage gets very hairy very fast. Exsanguinate is key to keeping your life total ahead of your opponents'. Yeah, you need to wait until you can invest some mana into it, but going off with as little as X=4 in a three player game is really swingy. It's invaluable to me in a deck where the only acceleration is Dark Ritual, and if I could afford Coffers or Bubbling Muck or the mana doubling creatures I can't even imagine how gnarly the effect would be. Also, sometimes I'll be sitting behind a Worship after Pestilence gets destroyed, dropping lands, and I'll topdeck an Exsanguinate to burn out the table. Also it's splashable, unlike Drain Life and friends, so it's B/X-friendly.
There's no doubt it's an awesome multiplayer card that will give you a massive swing. Single-player, it's just sub-par. I hadn't thought that any colour mana could be used, though, which is a big step up from other similar spells, indeed.
My conclusion is that's it's a good card for multi-player, and should be used in moderation. I wouldn't have more than 1-2 in a deck, frankly.
What Pestilence needs is a Pro-black creature with Lifelink. The only one that currently exists is Blood Baron of Vizkopa, and I'm not convinced it's entirely playable.
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