Just so you're aware, the Life // Death combo doesn't work with Splendid Reclamation very well, as lands that enter the battlefield after Life resolves won't be creatures.
This deck looks sweet otherwise. Spider tribal is a good way to play an ineffective deck and I think renaimation-combo or similar is the best way to run Ishkanah. Conspiracy definitely earn bonus points in my book.
I'm a big fan of this in Alesha, where you can transmute for a bomb (often Sun Titan, for me) and then reanimate it to punish aggro/token decks. Plus it's a wincon with Reveillark/Karmic Guide loops as long as each opponent has at least one creature!
In regards to Otherworldly Outburst, Make Mischief, and Spawning Breath, I have found that the deck can be sped up immensely by the inclusion of cheap draw spells to allow you to hit your more powerful cards, rather then the listed powerful but situational cards. I have been much better served running Magmatic Insight and Faithless Looting rather than have cards that rely on other cards (namely toughness boosters and bad goblin lords in a deck with a medium to little amount of goblins). If this becomes a primer, then people are going to expect the optimal version of Zada, not the most fun. It is my fervent belief that eschewing the above cards will increase the power level of the deck. While they are fun, and can be very good, the overall power level and consistency of the deck goes up without them.
The spells that specifically boost toughness are just cards that already warrant play for power-boosting and other effects, that incidentally boost toughness as well. I actually agree on the goblin lords, their inclusion in my deck was a relic from a more goblin-focused era and I've now cut them (and Eldrazi Monument) to make room for Otherworldly Outburst, Make Mischief, Hanweir Garrison, and Shreds of Sanity. Outburst is also great as wrath insurance, since it's pretty difficult to win if you spend three or four turns building your board and then a savvy opponent casts a boardwipe, forcing you to rebuild from a hand that likely has much less to work with now.
The thing is that for the deck to function at all, whether you're playing Zap/Flare/etc. or not, you have cards that rely on other cards. Crimson Wisps is probably the best individual card in the deck, and it's still useless if you don't have Zada and a decent board. It's just the nature of the beast.
Also, I don't think anyone expects the optimal build for any commander from MTGS Primers. Hunding Gjornersen's Zedruu Primer is probably not the optimal Zedruu build, but it's fun and unique and the thread serves its purpose as a Primer for people trying to build and play similar decks. The optimal version of Zada likely does not run any Splice nonsense, but I can't imagine it won't be in this thread anywhere for similar reasons.
Blood Moon is mostly terrible against Dredge IMO. If the game is going well they only want to cast Insolent Neonate, Faithless Looting, Tormenting Voice, Burning Inquiry, Conflagrate, Life from the Loam, suspended Greater Gargadon, and flashbacked Rally the Peasants (which of these they want to cast depends on the build, of course). Unless you're up against a Loam/Conflagrate build you aren't shutting them down at all, and are actually helping them by making it so they don't take damage from Mana Confluence. Best-case scenario for Moon against them is that they kept a hand full of Narcomoebas and Prized Amalgams, but if they did that then they have ways to get the Amalgams into the yard and onto the field. Anger is incredible, though.
EDIT: Actually I guess it keeps them off of Gnaw to the Bone, but that's not enough of an incentive for me to board it in because Gnaw's easy to beat.
How are you all finding the splash hate for Dredge? Void, RiP, and Cage seem to be popping up much more frequently. I've been considering adding a second Echoing Truth to the side to deal with Void, but it doesn't really impact RiP or Cage.
Also, the Bant Eldrazi, Dredge, and Nahiri UWR matchups seem great. Eldrazi Taxes seems like a complete nightmare. What do you guys think about Suicide Zoo? I haven't played it but on paper it seems favorable for us.
I use Cavern of Souls to stop her from getting countered, Command Beacon to return her to hand, and Goblin Chirurgeon to protect her on-board. A ton of rituals also helps, since you'll want them to chain spells after cantripping anyway.
This'll probably find a slot in my deck, since I already have a toughness-boost package for Zap, Flare, and Spawning Breath. Likely skippable for most other builds though.
I'll be testing Hanweir Garrison for sure, and probably Mirrorwing Dragon as well even though I know you guys aren't all sold. Overall I'd say this set is a big improvement over SOI for us.
Not sold. This is only two counters (or mana) away from being Ulamog instead, and only GG away from being Terastodon. You can't even hit it off a Maelstrom Wanderer trigger.
Doubt I'll put her at the helm of anything, but I'll probably have to find a spot for her in Animar.
I also love jank and pray that someday Mannichi, the Fevered Dream will be playable. Spiritcraft is a cool mechanic, a friend recently built Kodama of the South Tree and it's surprisingly strong.
Mono-black also has a ton of great commanders from Kamigawa: Iname, Death Aspect, Marrow-Gnawer, Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker, Toshiro Umezawa, Horobi, Death's Wail, Maga, Traitor to Mortals, Kokusho, the Evening Star, and Kuon, Ogre Ascendant.
This deck looks sweet otherwise. Spider tribal is a good way to play an ineffective deck and I think renaimation-combo or similar is the best way to run Ishkanah. Conspiracy definitely earn bonus points in my book.
The spells that specifically boost toughness are just cards that already warrant play for power-boosting and other effects, that incidentally boost toughness as well. I actually agree on the goblin lords, their inclusion in my deck was a relic from a more goblin-focused era and I've now cut them (and Eldrazi Monument) to make room for Otherworldly Outburst, Make Mischief, Hanweir Garrison, and Shreds of Sanity. Outburst is also great as wrath insurance, since it's pretty difficult to win if you spend three or four turns building your board and then a savvy opponent casts a boardwipe, forcing you to rebuild from a hand that likely has much less to work with now.
The thing is that for the deck to function at all, whether you're playing Zap/Flare/etc. or not, you have cards that rely on other cards. Crimson Wisps is probably the best individual card in the deck, and it's still useless if you don't have Zada and a decent board. It's just the nature of the beast.
Also, I don't think anyone expects the optimal build for any commander from MTGS Primers. Hunding Gjornersen's Zedruu Primer is probably not the optimal Zedruu build, but it's fun and unique and the thread serves its purpose as a Primer for people trying to build and play similar decks. The optimal version of Zada likely does not run any Splice nonsense, but I can't imagine it won't be in this thread anywhere for similar reasons.
You were all right about Mirrorwing Dragon being crap, incidentally. It's very much a lose-less card that really does nothing for us.
EDIT: Actually I guess it keeps them off of Gnaw to the Bone, but that's not enough of an incentive for me to board it in because Gnaw's easy to beat.
How are you all finding the splash hate for Dredge? Void, RiP, and Cage seem to be popping up much more frequently. I've been considering adding a second Echoing Truth to the side to deal with Void, but it doesn't really impact RiP or Cage.
Also, the Bant Eldrazi, Dredge, and Nahiri UWR matchups seem great. Eldrazi Taxes seems like a complete nightmare. What do you guys think about Suicide Zoo? I haven't played it but on paper it seems favorable for us.
Biggest disappointment of EMN is definitely that Stensia Banquet says "target opponent."
This'll probably find a slot in my deck, since I already have a toughness-boost package for Zap, Flare, and Spawning Breath. Likely skippable for most other builds though.
I'll be testing Hanweir Garrison for sure, and probably Mirrorwing Dragon as well even though I know you guys aren't all sold. Overall I'd say this set is a big improvement over SOI for us.