You prefer lots of instants and sorceries over creatures
You hate ramping
What do the colors offer us?: Black: Removal, Tutoring
Red: Fling effects, Removal, Haste
Green: Ramp, Draw, Enchantment & Artifact removal
His ability:
"Whenever another creature is put into a graveyard from play, you may put X +1/+1 counters on Kresh the Bloodbraided, where X is that creature's power"
Original Kresh the Bloodbraided
While Rafiq was one of the mythic rares that saw an increase in power level, some of the mythic rares were so strong they had to be taken down a peg or two during testing. Kresh the Bloodbraided, one of the representatives from Jund, was just such a card.
When Development first got hold of Kresh, however, things were a different story. Here's what his first stats looked like:
Kresh the Bloodbraided 2BRG
Legendary Creature
Carnage – Whenever a creature goes to the graveyard from play, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
4/4
Naturally, stats started morphing. The 4/4 was dropped to 3/3, but that didn't really address the fact Kresh's abilities were being abused. His "carnage" ability (which eventually lost its status as an ability word) changed from giving all of your creatures +1/+1 to giving Kresh himself the bonus. A mere +1/+1 from a creature dying wasn't quite strong enough, however, so things went back the other way. Now Kresh himself gets large fast based on what happens on the board, but without being unfun. And, like Rafiq, you can count on Kresh showing up at the EDH table in the near future!
I like Kresh with the ability he currently has, but I think they (WotC) made him too weak. His mana cost is too high, and he doesn't have any form of evasion (Trample would have been perfect). If you compare it to Rafiq of the Many for example it's pretty obvious that the Bant legend is way stronger.
The Competition:
Adun Oakenshield: This Legends creature isn't easy to find these days. He's very good at getting creatures back from the graveyard (obviously), and quite the guy for a Sac/Stax strategy.
Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund: He's a good beater (Flying and Haste), you can use him to dish out general damage. Most people will build the dragon theme around him, so there isn't much space for creativity. It's also quite problematic when a copy effect hits him...
Prossh, Skyraider of Kher: The strongest and most competitive Jund general out of all. This general is a bit too combo related for my personal taste, he's amazingly strong and can be abused very easily.
If you're looking for a competitive Jund deck... This will be it!
Shattergang Brothers: It's a nice card, it's cheap has a good power and toughness for the cost and a whole lot of useful abilities. This deck is way more sacrifice oriented than my version of Kresh, it all depends on your playstyle. If you wanna play a Stax deck, I highly suggest you play either Adun Oakenshield or Shattergang Brothers.
Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper: A lot of people name this Orcish Shaman as one the biggest opponents of Kresh. Sek'Kuar is a very build around general, he doesn't work with token creatures, but man he does his job with Bloodghast and the like. In this deck you'll find a lot of sac based strategies. Again people tend to put some combo's in this deck.
Quote
Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.
Is a quote written by Sun Tzu, and is more than 2000 years old. Sun Tzu was a high-ranking military general, strategist and tactician. The ancient book 'The Art of War' where the quote is located, is attributed to him. The book is devoted to several aspects of warfare, and had an influence on military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy over the whole world.
Sun Tzu considered war as a necessary evil that must be avoided whenever possible. The war should be fought swiftly to avoid economic losses: "No long war ever profited any country: 100 victories in 100 battles is simply ridiculous. Anyone who excels in defeating his enemies triumphs before his enemy's threat become real". According to the book, one must avoid massacres and atrocities because this can provoke resistance and possibly allow an enemy to turn the war in his favor.
So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.
If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose.
If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself.
Personal Biography
My name is OwnDemon, and I've been playing since around 2006. My first deck I ever got was "Snowscape", which I got as a birthday present.
My dad introduced me to the game, he has been playing since it came out. My introduction was with the Kazz en Zakk starter set.
Deck History
I started playing EDH around 2011.
It's hard for me to remember with what commander I started xD.
If I would take a guess, I think Lyzolda, Blood Witch or Jhoira of the Ghitu was my first EDH I made.
Since then I've made a deck with every possible color combination. I realised I loved green and black alot, the other colors were fun to play with as well, but green and black had everything you'll ever need.
Anyways, in the end it was always the Jund colors that were calling me back, and I don't really see a general better than Kresh the Bloodbraided in those colors. (Tied with Adun Oakenshield perhaps) I also really like the artwork of the card ^^ (SoA version). It shows us the battle that EDH can be!
Kresh is pretty versatile, you can make him Tribal, Token Oriented, Aggro-ish, Voltron, Fling'ing effects, whatever you want Kresh can provide it!
The main strategy of the deck will be to get a very big creature into the game (or make Kresh very big), and then fling it towards an opponent.
You don't wanna do this too early, because you have to keep in mind that you have more than one opponent. Most of the times you will be able to take out one opponent with combat damage, and the other opponent with a Fling effect. This deck also wants to apply pressure, play a big threat every turn and see how their life total plummets.
Keep an eye out for control and/or combo players.
Early Game:
In the beginning you want to maintain a low profile, you want to ramp, and assemble as much mana as possible while trying not to draw too much attention.
Try to pay attention to what everybody's playing, try to set up players against each other (a little bit of politics never hurt), agree to take out a troublesome creature to earn a favor. Don't hold back to shoot some removal if you see something that could become very difficult to deal with later on.
Mid game:
This will be the first time you'll play Kresh, if he dies you can re-play him, but don't spend too much mana on him. He starts at 5-7-9-11-13-...
Make sure you have some creatures on the board when you play him, so that you can block with them, and pump Kresh a little before he dies because of a stiff breeze. This is also the part where you slowly start taking over the board. Taking out whole armies with Balefire Dragon.
Kresh will draw attention, the longer he stays on the board, the bigger he'll get, and your opponents WILL notice. They won't think you're a threat (depends on your board state). Because they think Kresh is very easy to deal with (Kill him, bounce him, ...), but you prove them wrong, you punish them by Flinging him towards their heads! But that's for the next stage.
Late game:
This is where Kresh becomes lethal, it's very easy to have 25+ counters on him, and by this time, no player will have his full life total. Make sure you have something in hand or on the board, so you can profit from him if your opponents decide to take him out. (A Fling effect, Greater Good) Don't be scared to draw a hand of 30 cards, because most of the times your solution to win the game will be there. And of course the saying: "Go big or go home", your games need to be epic, and your wins memorable!
By the time you're in the late game phase, a lot of creatures will have seen the graveyard (both yours and your opponents), try to filter their graveyard: Use Withered Wretch to get those nasty creatures out, and by the time you land on a Living Death, you'll be a happy man. Living Death serves as some kind of Wrath effect, and it's a second/third win condition next to the beating and flinging.
The Deck's Weaknesses:
- Board Wipes: (Damnation, Wrath of God, ...) You will either love or hate these. If you have a way to protect Kresh (Darksteel Plate, Spearbreaker Behemoth), he will become monstrous! One time I had a Kresh on the battlefield with over 300 counters (No need to say I won that game).
However, if you can't protect him, this can become quite annoying. Creatures are your strong side with this deck, if you don't have any, it will be hard to win. One thing that I like about this deck, is that is able to win out of nowhere. Target removal however, is a lot more annoying, Kresh is very vurnerable (he doesn't have shroud nor hexproof), so opponents will love to bounce him, blink him, remove his counters in any possible way... and that's where you punish them! Fling a giant Kresh towards they face, and next time they will overthink their decision to mess with our beloved braided warrior.
- Tax Effects: (Ghostly Prison, Propaganda) Most of the times you will embrace this, it gives you time to develop a nice board state without worrying to much about the rest, some stuff will die, your Kresh will get big, and everybody will be happy. Make sure you can get rid of them when the time comes. Or attack the other players, let Kresh grow and fling him at the pillowfort.
- Life Gain: Life gain strategies may be a bit of a pain, because our deck is focused around beating. When an opponent is gaining lots of life the best way to stop him will be to swing with kresh (Commnader damage). You could run Tainted Strike as well, but I'm not fond of using infect.
- Hexproof: Leyline of Sanctity, Ivory Mask, Witchbane Orb... Bye bye Fling strategy, Fling targets so this will me very very annoying. Just like the combo decks (see below) you could always run more artifact & enchantment removal if this is becoming problematic. Normally not alot of players run these Hexproof-player cards, so in theory this shouldn't be a problem.
Just attack them instead of Fling'ing. This deck is made for combat, so make sure to let them taste it.
- Combo Decks: We have some material to stop it (Artifact & enchantment removal), but we could always run more. The best card to stop combo decks has to be Krosan Grip, several times I've seen the look on my opponents faces that they wanted to rip the card apart.
Card Choices
Artifacts
Mana Crypt:
Nihil Spellbomb:
Sol Ring:
Swiftfoot Boots:
Sword of Feast and Famine:
Creatures
Currently reworking! =)
Birds of Paradise
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Scavenging Ooze
Eternal Witness
Farhaven Elf
Fierce Empath
Merciless Executioner
Reclamation Sage
Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
Wood Elves
Disciple of Bolas
Mina and Denn, Wildborn
Oracle of Mul Daya
Acidic Slime
Kalonian Hydra
Lord of Extinction
Malignus
Sidisi, Undead Vizier
Urabrask the Hidden
Xenagos, God of Revels
Bane of Progress
Grave Titan
Vigor
Avenger of Zendikar
Balefire Dragon
Sheoldred, Whispering One
Craterhoof Behemoth
Instant
Currently reworking! =)
Sorcery
Currently reworking! =)
Enchantment
Currently reworking! =)
Land
Currently reworking! =)
Card Options
Artifact
Reworking! =)
Creature
Reworking! =)
Instant
Reworking! =)
Sorcery
Reworking! =)
Enchantment
Reworking! =)
Planeswalker
Reworking! =)
Land
Reworking! =)
Wants
Stonehoof Chieftain -> Urabrask the Hidden
Fleshbag Marauder -> Xenagos, God of Revels
Terastodon -> Craterhoof Behemoth
In Garruk's Wake -> Damnation
Aggravated Assault -> Worldly Tutor
Read the Bones -> Tooth and Nail
Rakdos Charm -> Sylvan Library
I also have a Kresh the Bloodbraided EDH, and something it looks like you're missing tutor effects, along with mimic vat is always fun. You have some very interesting conditional type removal also. If you're looking to make the removal better, try getting Maelstrom Pulse, its also extremely handy against token players. If you're looking for more ideas, try looking at my decklist down below.
Hehe, I try to stay clear of the tutor effects actually ;).
I only have a few, and most of the time it's just to get genesis in the yard.
Maelstrom's price tag is a bit high, but I certainly will take a look at your list.
Hehe, I try to stay clear of the tutor effects actually ;).
I only have a few, and most of the time it's just to get genesis in the yard.
Maelstrom's price tag is a bit high, but I certainly will take a look at your list.
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord was in here before, but he got cut, because I think there were better things.
Any things you don't like, and like to see cut?
Both brawn and anger, through personal experience, just don't do enough for you, along with grave betrayal. Its such a huge mana investment in an enchantment that does nothing right away unless you have even more mana. I just don't think they're worth the space, but maybe you have had more success with them.
I also think essence harvest could be removed, it doesn't do enough.
I would recommend adding cards with undying, like vorapede and flayer of the hatebound. Double sacrifice is always nice, and when comboed with birthing pod create really good advantage. Sylvan Primordial is a lot better than it looks, trust me. I don't use Jarad very often,(he's sort of on the chopping block) but he has been useful occasionally. There was one game where flinging kresh at a table of 4 other players killed two of them and dropped the others to just 2, but sadly I couldn't finish them off. Also consider some planeswalkers in here. Garruk Relentless can produce some small tokens, but when flipped is very nice and comes with a sac/tutor effect.
Speaking of tutors, why do you avoid tutors? Do you have a lot of hand cycling in your meta?
Both brawn and anger, through personal experience, just don't do enough for you, along with grave betrayal. Its such a huge mana investment in an enchantment that does nothing right away unless you have even more mana. I just don't think they're worth the space, but maybe you have had more success with them.
I also think essence harvest could be removed, it doesn't do enough.
I would recommend adding cards with undying, like vorapede and flayer of the hatebound. Double sacrifice is always nice, and when comboed with birthing pod create really good advantage. Sylvan Primordial is a lot better than it looks, trust me. I don't use Jarad very often,(he's sort of on the chopping block) but he has been useful occasionally. There was one game where flinging kresh at a table of 4 other players killed two of them and dropped the others to just 2, but sadly I couldn't finish them off. Also consider some planeswalkers in here. Garruk Relentless can produce some small tokens, but when flipped is very nice and comes with a sac/tutor effect.
Speaking of tutors, why do you avoid tutors? Do you have a lot of hand cycling in your meta?
I hope this advice has been useful.
It's certainly useful, thank you ^^.
Anger is just so funny, if somebody forgets it's in the yard, they will have a very suprised look, the moment you swing out of nowhere for lethal damage. (It happened several times :D)
I think haste is pretty important in a deck like this.. I've been thinking about Madrush Cyclops or Fires of Yavimaya, but can't really find a place for them.
I just replaced Brawn for a Terastodon.
If you can compare Terastodon with Sylvan Primordial, I like the terastodon more, for the simple reason that he provides tokens (which can be blocked, more counters on Kresh, and so on).
Vorapede seems a bit mana intensive, but I will playtest him if I find one.
Undying is indeed a nice mechanic, but the only one that really looks interesting is Mikaeus the Unhallowed.
I avoid tutors (except land ones), because I think it makes the game boring.
Most of the time you will tutor for the same card (I even have the feeling with Jarad's Orders (to get genesis in the yard)), and the games will look identical.
It's certainly useful, thank you ^^.
Anger is just so funny, if somebody forgets it's in the yard, they will have a very suprised look, the moment you swing out of nowhere for lethal damage. (It happened several times :D)
I think haste is pretty important in a deck like this.. I've been thinking about Madrush Cyclops or Fires of Yavimaya, but can't really find a place for them.
I just replaced Brawn for a Terastodon.
If you can compare Terastodon with Sylvan Primordial, I like the terastodon more, for the simple reason that he provides tokens (which can be blocked, more counters on Kresh, and so on).
Vorapede seems a bit mana intensive, but I will playtest him if I find one.
Undying is indeed a nice mechanic, but the only one that really looks interesting is Mikaeus the Unhallowed.
I avoid tutors (except land ones), because I think it makes the game boring.
Most of the time you will tutor for the same card (I even have the feeling with Jarad's Orders (to get genesis in the yard)), and the games will look identical.
Terastodon is usually very good, but most of the time it gives tokens to the opponent. Sometimes the tokens can just be overlooked, but other times they can create something to worry about. With sylvan primordial, you can't pile up all the destruction on one player, but you always end up with lands for yourself. I would recommend using both tersatodon and sylvan primordial.
As for you not liking tutors, you don't always have to choose the same tutor target. When I tutor, I have tons of options to choose from to find the solution to a big problem. Sometimes you really need an acidic slime, and tutoring for it solves your problems. Also, if you don't like things being the same every time you tutor, try Signal the Clans. Often times, you can pick three targets that will all work, but you don't know exactly which one you're getting. I've found that running tutor spells doesn't make the game monotonous, it just makes you able to handle any situation.
Also, creature with undying are a lot better than they look, although vorapede and mikaeus are notably the only really good creatures with undying, I just like Flayer of the Hatebound.
Though, I also think you could use some sacrifice effects. Protection, hexproof, and indestructible run rampant in EDH. Cards like Barter in Blood and Chaos Warp are good for that.
Maybe Lavalanche as a focused sweeper? Sorta plays like politics: "if you don't attack me 'till we are two left, I'll sweep that other guy who can kill you next turn".
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"I don't do tactics, I don't do guard duty. I do damage, take it or leave it".
Maybe the inclusion of dudes that grab any basic land and not certain types, like Borderland Ranger or something along those lines.
Skyshroud Claim could go for Explosive Vegetation. Although the Claim nabs Forests and places them untapped, the Vegetation can grab any type of basics, which I think is a lot more useful in your deck.
Well, with borderlands it goes to your hand. Wood elves for example please drops them immediately in the battlefield. And it can drop shock lands.
Same with the Skyshroud Claim. Perhaps I should take a look for kodama's reach and the vegetation... Oh the terrible descisions of making cuts :-P .
Damn, I thought I saw the word "basic" on Wood Elves. Third error xD.
Have you thought about Boundless Realms? It is devastating when you have a bit of land out, but also turns you into a primary target for LD (if your group does not rule that stratehy out for "un-fun").
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"I don't do tactics, I don't do guard duty. I do damage, take it or leave it".
I made a couple of changes, ... AND
We have ourselves a banner! ^^
These are the changes I made.
8/05/2013
Rakdos Lord of Riots -> Farhaven Elf
Eyeblight's Ending -> Blood Frenzy
Barter in Blood -> Chain Reaction
Wild Ricochet -> Journey of Discovery
Genesis -> Madrush Cyclops
High Market -> Mountain
Winding Canyons -> Mosswort Bridge
First off, Rakdos for farhaven elf. I had the feeling that Rakdos was very mana intensive (need specific conditions to be able to bring him into the game, etc.)
The discount for creatures was nice, but I don't know if's it worth the trouble.
I replaced it by Farhaven elf, cause it's nice to have as much mana ramp as possible (I hope it's not becoming too much).
The next change is Eyeblight's ending for Blood frenzy.
You can help an opponent, pump his creature (so more tokens for Kresh) and kill it in the end.. Seems like a win-win situation. It's also cheaper then Eyeblight's ending, and a card that (for my personal taste) deserves alot more appreciation.
Then we have Barter in Blood. I know it's always nice to have a way to remove indestructible creatures, but the chain removes alot more of them. I'll see how this one turns out.
Genesis was out for Madrush Cyclops for the simple reason that I don't have a "Genesis", and it's hard to come by. If I would be able to trade one.. It would be in ^^. But I also like the haste of madrush cyclops, he's like a walking Fires of Yavimaya . And for 4 mana a 3/4 is always nice.
Then we have high market for a mountain. Because I don't own a high market, and I had the feeling I needed more basic lands for all the land tutoring spells.
And winding canyons for mosswort bridge, because holding mana open isn't really the style of this deck :p.
Plus it's very easy to trigger Mosswort Bridge in this deck.
I've added:
- Rune-Scarred Demon (Tutor on a stick, and it's a beater!)
- Avenger of Zendikar (Blockers: check, pumps kresh when dies: check, win con: check)
- Rakdos, Lord of Riots (This could be a nice discount for my creatures... But double black, and double red, let's see how that turns out ).
- Big Game Hunter (Small dude that kills a big dude)
- Bogardan Hellkite (8 mana is a lot..., I'm doubting this one)
Out: (Instants)
- Grab the Rains (I already have 3 fling-ish effects, plus this is the one that costs the most)
Out: (Sorcery)
- Hull Breach
- Skyshroud Claim (I don't have the shocklands yet... so at the moment this is coming out, and replaced by explosive vegetation)
- Journey of Discovery (replaced by Kodama's Reach)
- Jarad's Orders (I don't have a Genesis, so I don't really see a reason why this should stay in... I have the feeling it would fit better in a Karador deck)
Out: (land)
- Stomping Ground (Will be in the deck as soon as I acquire one)
- Overgrown Tomb (See above)
- Rootbound Crag (This shouldn't be too hard to come by..., as soon as possible ).
Added:
- Ghost Quarter (Except for Acidic Slime, I didn't really have a way to remove troublesome lands)
- Swamp
- Forest
I also have a Slum Reaper on its way, I wonder what to take out for it ^^.
All help is appreciated!
I'm honestly wondering if reverberate will fit in here, but beyond that I'm not too sure. Also, blood frenzy looks a bit too conditional, but if its worked for you it looks like some awkward politics at the table.:D
Who thinks I should make room for an Oversold Cemetery? ^^
With 31 creatures... Most of the time I have enough to trigger it, and it's always nice to have some more recursion.
I don't really wanna go the token way with this deck...
Regrowth is indeed an option, or perhaps Treasure Find, I hate the white border of regrowth... And a black bordered is so much money..
Unless somebody would alter it of course ^^.
@Short stack: I'm happy with my banner, looking forward to see yours ;-) .
Only thing I regret is that the legendary Kresh isn't really centered. Nonetheless it came out great. And I love my Sun Tzu quote (Art of War).
If you guys are interested, I'm trying to make different versions of Kresh, and one would be a themed deck (Conan the Barbarian).
If you have any suggestions feel free to leave them at the link posted below.
Why play this fearsome braided warrior?
You might like Kresh the Bloodbraided if:
You might not like Kresh the Bloodbraided if:
What do the colors offer us?:
Black: Removal, Tutoring
Red: Fling effects, Removal, Haste
Green: Ramp, Draw, Enchantment & Artifact removal
His ability:
"Whenever another creature is put into a graveyard from play, you may put X +1/+1 counters on Kresh the Bloodbraided, where X is that creature's power"
Original Kresh the Bloodbraided
While Rafiq was one of the mythic rares that saw an increase in power level, some of the mythic rares were so strong they had to be taken down a peg or two during testing. Kresh the Bloodbraided, one of the representatives from Jund, was just such a card.
When Development first got hold of Kresh, however, things were a different story. Here's what his first stats looked like:
Legendary Creature
Carnage – Whenever a creature goes to the graveyard from play, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
4/4
Naturally, stats started morphing. The 4/4 was dropped to 3/3, but that didn't really address the fact Kresh's abilities were being abused. His "carnage" ability (which eventually lost its status as an ability word) changed from giving all of your creatures +1/+1 to giving Kresh himself the bonus. A mere +1/+1 from a creature dying wasn't quite strong enough, however, so things went back the other way. Now Kresh himself gets large fast based on what happens on the board, but without being unfun. And, like Rafiq, you can count on Kresh showing up at the EDH table in the near future!
Source: https://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/ld/6
I like Kresh with the ability he currently has, but I think they (WotC) made him too weak. His mana cost is too high, and he doesn't have any form of evasion (Trample would have been perfect). If you compare it to Rafiq of the Many for example it's pretty obvious that the Bant legend is way stronger.
The Competition:
Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.
Is a quote written by Sun Tzu, and is more than 2000 years old. Sun Tzu was a high-ranking military general, strategist and tactician. The ancient book 'The Art of War' where the quote is located, is attributed to him. The book is devoted to several aspects of warfare, and had an influence on military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy over the whole world.
Sun Tzu considered war as a necessary evil that must be avoided whenever possible. The war should be fought swiftly to avoid economic losses: "No long war ever profited any country: 100 victories in 100 battles is simply ridiculous. Anyone who excels in defeating his enemies triumphs before his enemy's threat become real". According to the book, one must avoid massacres and atrocities because this can provoke resistance and possibly allow an enemy to turn the war in his favor.
So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.
If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose.
If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself.
Personal Biography
My name is OwnDemon, and I've been playing since around 2006. My first deck I ever got was "Snowscape", which I got as a birthday present.
My dad introduced me to the game, he has been playing since it came out. My introduction was with the Kazz en Zakk starter set.
Deck History
It's hard for me to remember with what commander I started xD.
If I would take a guess, I think Lyzolda, Blood Witch or Jhoira of the Ghitu was my first EDH I made.
Since then I've made a deck with every possible color combination. I realised I loved green and black alot, the other colors were fun to play with as well, but green and black had everything you'll ever need.
Anyways, in the end it was always the Jund colors that were calling me back, and I don't really see a general better than Kresh the Bloodbraided in those colors. (Tied with Adun Oakenshield perhaps) I also really like the artwork of the card ^^ (SoA version). It shows us the battle that EDH can be!
Kresh is pretty versatile, you can make him Tribal, Token Oriented, Aggro-ish, Voltron, Fling'ing effects, whatever you want Kresh can provide it!
5 Kresh the Bloodbraided
Artifacts (5)
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Sol Ring
2 Swiftfoot Boots
3 Sword of Feast and Famine
3 Sword of Fire and Ice
Creatures (27)
1 Birds of Paradise
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
2 Withered Wretch
3 Eternal Witness
3 Farhaven Elf
3 Fierce Empath
3 Merciless Executioner
3 Reclamation Sage
3 Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
3 Wood Elves
4 Disciple of Bolas
4 Oracle of Mul Daya
5 Acidic Slime
5 Kalonian Hydra
5 Lord of Extinction
5 Malignus
5 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
5 Urabrask the Hidden
5 Xenagos, God of Revels
6 Bane of Progress
6 Grave Titan
6 Rampaging Baloths
6 Vigor
7 Avenger of Zendikar
7 Balefire Dragon
7 Sheoldred, Whispering One
8 Craterhoof Behemoth
3 Pernicious Deed
3 Phyrexian Arena
4 Greater Good
Instants (12)
1 Berserk
1 Nature's Claim
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Worldly Tutor
2 Fling
3 Beast Within
3 Chord of Calling
3 Jund Charm
3 Krosan Grip
3 Soul's Fire
4 Momentous Fall
5 Burn Away
Planeswalkers (2)
4 Sarkhan Vol
5 Garruk, Primal Hunter
Sorceries (12)
2 Demonic Tutor
2 Explore
2 Farseek
2 Nature's Lore
2 Three Visits
3 Cultivate
3 Kodama's Reach
3 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Damnation
4 Skyshroud Claim
5 Chandra's Ignition
7 Tooth and Nail
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Badlands
1 Bayou
1 Blood Crypt
1 Bloodstainted Mire
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Command Tower
1 Dragonskull Summit
7 Forest
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
3 Mountain
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Rootbound Crag
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Stomping Ground
1 Strip Mine
5 Swamp
1 Taiga
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Wasteland
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Woodland Cemetery
The main strategy of the deck will be to get a very big creature into the game (or make Kresh very big), and then fling it towards an opponent.
You don't wanna do this too early, because you have to keep in mind that you have more than one opponent. Most of the times you will be able to take out one opponent with combat damage, and the other opponent with a Fling effect. This deck also wants to apply pressure, play a big threat every turn and see how their life total plummets.
Keep an eye out for control and/or combo players.
In the beginning you want to maintain a low profile, you want to ramp, and assemble as much mana as possible while trying not to draw too much attention.
Try to pay attention to what everybody's playing, try to set up players against each other (a little bit of politics never hurt), agree to take out a troublesome creature to earn a favor. Don't hold back to shoot some removal if you see something that could become very difficult to deal with later on.
This will be the first time you'll play Kresh, if he dies you can re-play him, but don't spend too much mana on him. He starts at 5-7-9-11-13-...
Make sure you have some creatures on the board when you play him, so that you can block with them, and pump Kresh a little before he dies because of a stiff breeze. This is also the part where you slowly start taking over the board. Taking out whole armies with Balefire Dragon.
Kresh will draw attention, the longer he stays on the board, the bigger he'll get, and your opponents WILL notice. They won't think you're a threat (depends on your board state). Because they think Kresh is very easy to deal with (Kill him, bounce him, ...), but you prove them wrong, you punish them by Flinging him towards their heads! But that's for the next stage.
This is where Kresh becomes lethal, it's very easy to have 25+ counters on him, and by this time, no player will have his full life total. Make sure you have something in hand or on the board, so you can profit from him if your opponents decide to take him out. (A Fling effect, Greater Good) Don't be scared to draw a hand of 30 cards, because most of the times your solution to win the game will be there. And of course the saying: "Go big or go home", your games need to be epic, and your wins memorable!
By the time you're in the late game phase, a lot of creatures will have seen the graveyard (both yours and your opponents), try to filter their graveyard: Use Withered Wretch to get those nasty creatures out, and by the time you land on a Living Death, you'll be a happy man. Living Death serves as some kind of Wrath effect, and it's a second/third win condition next to the beating and flinging.
- Board Wipes: (Damnation, Wrath of God, ...) You will either love or hate these. If you have a way to protect Kresh (Darksteel Plate, Spearbreaker Behemoth), he will become monstrous! One time I had a Kresh on the battlefield with over 300 counters (No need to say I won that game).
However, if you can't protect him, this can become quite annoying. Creatures are your strong side with this deck, if you don't have any, it will be hard to win. One thing that I like about this deck, is that is able to win out of nowhere. Target removal however, is a lot more annoying, Kresh is very vurnerable (he doesn't have shroud nor hexproof), so opponents will love to bounce him, blink him, remove his counters in any possible way... and that's where you punish them! Fling a giant Kresh towards they face, and next time they will overthink their decision to mess with our beloved braided warrior.
- Tax Effects: (Ghostly Prison, Propaganda) Most of the times you will embrace this, it gives you time to develop a nice board state without worrying to much about the rest, some stuff will die, your Kresh will get big, and everybody will be happy. Make sure you can get rid of them when the time comes. Or attack the other players, let Kresh grow and fling him at the pillowfort.
- Life Gain: Life gain strategies may be a bit of a pain, because our deck is focused around beating. When an opponent is gaining lots of life the best way to stop him will be to swing with kresh (Commnader damage). You could run Tainted Strike as well, but I'm not fond of using infect.
- Hexproof: Leyline of Sanctity, Ivory Mask, Witchbane Orb... Bye bye Fling strategy, Fling targets so this will me very very annoying. Just like the combo decks (see below) you could always run more artifact & enchantment removal if this is becoming problematic. Normally not alot of players run these Hexproof-player cards, so in theory this shouldn't be a problem.
Just attack them instead of Fling'ing. This deck is made for combat, so make sure to let them taste it.
- Combo Decks: We have some material to stop it (Artifact & enchantment removal), but we could always run more. The best card to stop combo decks has to be Krosan Grip, several times I've seen the look on my opponents faces that they wanted to rip the card apart.
Card Choices
Artifacts
Creatures
Instant
Sorcery
Enchantment
Land
Card Options
Artifact
Creature
Instant
Sorcery
Enchantment
Planeswalker
Land
Wants
Stonehoof Chieftain -> Urabrask the Hidden
Fleshbag Marauder -> Xenagos, God of Revels
Terastodon -> Craterhoof Behemoth
In Garruk's Wake -> Damnation
Aggravated Assault -> Worldly Tutor
Read the Bones -> Tooth and Nail
Rakdos Charm -> Sylvan Library
Swamp -> Verdant Catacombs
Mountain -> Strip Mine
Forest -> Ancient Tomb
Exotic Orchard -> Badlands
Swamp -> Bayou
Savage Lands -> Taiga
Reliquary Tower -> Phyrexian Tower
Change Log
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
Special thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the avatar and Inkfox Aesthetics for the sig.
Vaevictus Asmadi, Creator of [The Spirit of EDH]
EDH Decks
BRGProssh, the Chump-Block DragonBRG
BRGVaevictis Asmadi-Hoarder of ManaBRG
I only have a few, and most of the time it's just to get genesis in the yard.
Maelstrom's price tag is a bit high, but I certainly will take a look at your list.
Wow, I thought Terastodon was already in there.
Need to find some room for him asap :p.
Bloodgift Demon, Reaper from the Abyss & Slum Reaper are some cards I've been doubting about myself.
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord was in here before, but he got cut, because I think there were better things.
Any things you don't like, and like to see cut?
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
Both brawn and anger, through personal experience, just don't do enough for you, along with grave betrayal. Its such a huge mana investment in an enchantment that does nothing right away unless you have even more mana. I just don't think they're worth the space, but maybe you have had more success with them.
I also think essence harvest could be removed, it doesn't do enough.
I would recommend adding cards with undying, like vorapede and flayer of the hatebound. Double sacrifice is always nice, and when comboed with birthing pod create really good advantage. Sylvan Primordial is a lot better than it looks, trust me. I don't use Jarad very often,(he's sort of on the chopping block) but he has been useful occasionally. There was one game where flinging kresh at a table of 4 other players killed two of them and dropped the others to just 2, but sadly I couldn't finish them off. Also consider some planeswalkers in here. Garruk Relentless can produce some small tokens, but when flipped is very nice and comes with a sac/tutor effect.
Speaking of tutors, why do you avoid tutors? Do you have a lot of hand cycling in your meta?
I hope this advice has been useful.
Special thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the avatar and Inkfox Aesthetics for the sig.
Vaevictus Asmadi, Creator of [The Spirit of EDH]
EDH Decks
BRGProssh, the Chump-Block DragonBRG
BRGVaevictis Asmadi-Hoarder of ManaBRG
It's certainly useful, thank you ^^.
Anger is just so funny, if somebody forgets it's in the yard, they will have a very suprised look, the moment you swing out of nowhere for lethal damage. (It happened several times :D)
I think haste is pretty important in a deck like this.. I've been thinking about Madrush Cyclops or Fires of Yavimaya, but can't really find a place for them.
I just replaced Brawn for a Terastodon.
If you can compare Terastodon with Sylvan Primordial, I like the terastodon more, for the simple reason that he provides tokens (which can be blocked, more counters on Kresh, and so on).
Vorapede seems a bit mana intensive, but I will playtest him if I find one.
Undying is indeed a nice mechanic, but the only one that really looks interesting is Mikaeus the Unhallowed.
I considered to put Garruk Wildspeaker in the deck (only green one I have laying around, but I thought it wasn't really worth it).
If I would have a Garruk Relentless I would certainly try him out.
Or Garruk, Primal Hunter.
I avoid tutors (except land ones), because I think it makes the game boring.
Most of the time you will tutor for the same card (I even have the feeling with Jarad's Orders (to get genesis in the yard)), and the games will look identical.
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
Terastodon is usually very good, but most of the time it gives tokens to the opponent. Sometimes the tokens can just be overlooked, but other times they can create something to worry about. With sylvan primordial, you can't pile up all the destruction on one player, but you always end up with lands for yourself. I would recommend using both tersatodon and sylvan primordial.
As for you not liking tutors, you don't always have to choose the same tutor target. When I tutor, I have tons of options to choose from to find the solution to a big problem. Sometimes you really need an acidic slime, and tutoring for it solves your problems. Also, if you don't like things being the same every time you tutor, try Signal the Clans. Often times, you can pick three targets that will all work, but you don't know exactly which one you're getting. I've found that running tutor spells doesn't make the game monotonous, it just makes you able to handle any situation.
Also, if you're planning to get Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, you definitely need to get triskelion so you can infinite combo.
Also, creature with undying are a lot better than they look, although vorapede and mikaeus are notably the only really good creatures with undying, I just like Flayer of the Hatebound.
Special thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the avatar and Inkfox Aesthetics for the sig.
Vaevictus Asmadi, Creator of [The Spirit of EDH]
EDH Decks
BRGProssh, the Chump-Block DragonBRG
BRGVaevictis Asmadi-Hoarder of ManaBRG
Though, I also think you could use some sacrifice effects. Protection, hexproof, and indestructible run rampant in EDH. Cards like Barter in Blood and Chaos Warp are good for that.
BR Sleeper Ascension - Casual
The trisk combo isn't really my thing... inf combo's are soo lame :p.
I will take a look at Sylvan Primordial and test him out.
Signal the clans is indeed a fun alternative for randomness! =D
@Allies w/ Benefits
Grave Betrayal is taken out for Barter in Blood!
Thanks guys !
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
Do you think my mana curve is too high?
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
Skyshroud Claim could go for Explosive Vegetation. Although the Claim nabs Forests and places them untapped, the Vegetation can grab any type of basics, which I think is a lot more useful in your deck.
The same goes for Kodama's Reach or Reap and Sow, maybe even Mwonvuli Acid-Moss. With adequate ramp, you can turn your deck's curve into an advantage.
Same with the Skyshroud Claim. Perhaps I should take a look for kodama's reach and the vegetation... Oh the terrible descisions of making cuts :-P .
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
Have you thought about Boundless Realms? It is devastating when you have a bit of land out, but also turns you into a primary target for LD (if your group does not rule that stratehy out for "un-fun").
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
We have ourselves a banner! ^^
These are the changes I made.
8/05/2013
Rakdos Lord of Riots -> Farhaven Elf
Eyeblight's Ending -> Blood Frenzy
Barter in Blood -> Chain Reaction
Wild Ricochet -> Journey of Discovery
Genesis -> Madrush Cyclops
High Market -> Mountain
Winding Canyons -> Mosswort Bridge
First off, Rakdos for farhaven elf. I had the feeling that Rakdos was very mana intensive (need specific conditions to be able to bring him into the game, etc.)
The discount for creatures was nice, but I don't know if's it worth the trouble.
I replaced it by Farhaven elf, cause it's nice to have as much mana ramp as possible (I hope it's not becoming too much).
The next change is Eyeblight's ending for Blood frenzy.
You can help an opponent, pump his creature (so more tokens for Kresh) and kill it in the end.. Seems like a win-win situation. It's also cheaper then Eyeblight's ending, and a card that (for my personal taste) deserves alot more appreciation.
Then we have Barter in Blood. I know it's always nice to have a way to remove indestructible creatures, but the chain removes alot more of them. I'll see how this one turns out.
Genesis was out for Madrush Cyclops for the simple reason that I don't have a "Genesis", and it's hard to come by. If I would be able to trade one.. It would be in ^^. But I also like the haste of madrush cyclops, he's like a walking Fires of Yavimaya . And for 4 mana a 3/4 is always nice.
Then we have high market for a mountain. Because I don't own a high market, and I had the feeling I needed more basic lands for all the land tutoring spells.
And winding canyons for mosswort bridge, because holding mana open isn't really the style of this deck :p.
Plus it's very easy to trigger Mosswort Bridge in this deck.
Currently thinking about:
- Slum Reaper
- Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
- Giant Adephage
- Sylvan Primordial
- Reaper from the Abyss
- Lurking Predators
- Heartless Summoning
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
Out:
- Loxodon Warhammer
Added:
- Darksteel Plate
- Whispersilk Cloak
Out:
- Wood Elves (I don't have the shocklands yet.. as soon as I get them, this one goes back in)
- Fauna Shaman (Genesis is gone, and I have the feeling this would be better in Karador)
- Kazuul Tyrant of Cliffs
- Primordial Hydra (As soon as I get one... :p)
- Lord of Extinction (As soon as I get one)
- Puppeteer Clique (I've putted this into my Lazav, Dimir Mastermind deck, and I don't really wanna have the same cards in every deck)
- Flameblast Dragon (Felt like this didn't do enough)
I've added:
- Rune-Scarred Demon (Tutor on a stick, and it's a beater!)
- Avenger of Zendikar (Blockers: check, pumps kresh when dies: check, win con: check)
- Rakdos, Lord of Riots (This could be a nice discount for my creatures... But double black, and double red, let's see how that turns out ).
- Big Game Hunter (Small dude that kills a big dude)
- Bogardan Hellkite (8 mana is a lot..., I'm doubting this one)
Out: (Instants)
- Grab the Rains (I already have 3 fling-ish effects, plus this is the one that costs the most)
Added:
- Reverberate (Wonder if this is worth it)
Out: (Sorcery)
- Hull Breach
- Skyshroud Claim (I don't have the shocklands yet... so at the moment this is coming out, and replaced by explosive vegetation)
- Journey of Discovery (replaced by Kodama's Reach)
- Jarad's Orders (I don't have a Genesis, so I don't really see a reason why this should stay in... I have the feeling it would fit better in a Karador deck)
Added:
- Recollect (It's nice to have some recursion)
- Explosive Vegetation
- Kodama's Reach
- Harmonize (I don't really have a lot of card draw in this deck so... in it goes! Perhaps I should think about Bloodgift Demon)
- Barter in Blood (Kresh requires sacrifices!)
Out: (land)
- Stomping Ground (Will be in the deck as soon as I acquire one)
- Overgrown Tomb (See above)
- Rootbound Crag (This shouldn't be too hard to come by..., as soon as possible ).
Added:
- Ghost Quarter (Except for Acidic Slime, I didn't really have a way to remove troublesome lands)
- Swamp
- Forest
I also have a Slum Reaper on its way, I wonder what to take out for it ^^.
All help is appreciated!
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
Special thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the avatar and Inkfox Aesthetics for the sig.
Vaevictus Asmadi, Creator of [The Spirit of EDH]
EDH Decks
BRGProssh, the Chump-Block DragonBRG
BRGVaevictis Asmadi-Hoarder of ManaBRG
Any thoughts where Slum Reaper might fit?
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
I'm honestly wondering if reverberate will fit in here, but beyond that I'm not too sure. Also, blood frenzy looks a bit too conditional, but if its worked for you it looks like some awkward politics at the table.:D
Special thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the avatar and Inkfox Aesthetics for the sig.
Vaevictus Asmadi, Creator of [The Spirit of EDH]
EDH Decks
BRGProssh, the Chump-Block DragonBRG
BRGVaevictis Asmadi-Hoarder of ManaBRG
It pumps kresh, destroys a creature and "helps" an opponent... Just hope they won't become mad at you.
Reverberate is indeed... Well got replaced by Slum Reaper !
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
With 31 creatures... Most of the time I have enough to trigger it, and it's always nice to have some more recursion.
I don't think we have a lot of choices to recur creatures on a regular basis.
Do you guys know any others, except Phyrexian Reclamation, Oversold Cemetery, Haunted Crossroads, Volrath's Stronghold (which is quite expensive).
Corpse Dance, but that's not really worth it, since we don't have a lot of sac outlets.
Perhaps Grim Harvest?
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
Special thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the avatar and Inkfox Aesthetics for the sig.
Vaevictus Asmadi, Creator of [The Spirit of EDH]
EDH Decks
BRGProssh, the Chump-Block DragonBRG
BRGVaevictis Asmadi-Hoarder of ManaBRG
Regrowth is indeed an option, or perhaps Treasure Find, I hate the white border of regrowth... And a black bordered is so much money..
Unless somebody would alter it of course ^^.
@Short stack: I'm happy with my banner, looking forward to see yours ;-) .
Only thing I regret is that the legendary Kresh isn't really centered. Nonetheless it came out great. And I love my Sun Tzu quote (Art of War).
If you guys are interested, I'm trying to make different versions of Kresh, and one would be a themed deck (Conan the Barbarian).
If you have any suggestions feel free to leave them at the link posted below.
Conan the Bloodbraided
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris