I have kind of a goofy, odd-ball idea that I wanted to shoe-horn into a Black Devotion shell. Looking at strange combos & build-around cards, I saw Phyrexian Etchings and realized it has a hilarious potential with Harmless Offering like the old-school Illusions/Donate combo while also offering great Devotion potential as a BBB enchantment.
I was looking at shells with Rest in Peace. It means that you will not lose any life when Phyrexian Etchings eventually hits the yard. With the printing of Harmless Offering it may be worth revisiting the deck. The thing is other colours is really hard to do because of the steep mana requirements from Etchings. Also if there is a way to exile just your own graveyard then it may have some merit, otherwise it is stuck with the same decklist from before.
EDIT: I just realized that the printing of Anguished Unmaking may make this idea even more viable. You can exile Phyrexian Etchings with it and only take 3 damage!
I was looking at shells with Rest in Peace. It means that you will not lose any life when Phyrexian Etchings eventually hits the yard. With the printing of Harmless Offering it may be worth revisiting the deck. The thing is other colours is really hard to do because of the steep mana requirements from Etchings. Also if there is a way to exile just your own graveyard then it may have some merit, otherwise it is stuck with the same decklist from before.
EDIT: I just realized that the printing of Anguished Unmaking may make this idea even more viable. You can exile Phyrexian Etchings with it and only take 3 damage!
This is a topic that I am constantly looking into. I have my notepad doc with ~20 combo decks that are just rotting there, waiting for better cards to be printed and enable them into a competitive light. I have been meaning to port it into the forums at some point because the decktags and cardtags will make it really nice but I just haven't found the time lately.
Some of the more fun combo cards I am always looking at in no terms of viability or competitiveness are:
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- Grand Architect
Why Postmortem? For 1 more mana you get 3 creatures back permanently with Proclamation of Rebirth. If its intended for a longer grind then that 1 mana isn't really an issue, and you need those 3 creatures for the grind anyway.
I might consider trying it, but it's a three mana investment, whereas Postmortem Lunge is actually 1 generic mana since it's Phyrexian black mana, which works to make Death's Shadow even bigger coming back from the graveyard. Also, the idea is to use it to hopefully one-shot the opponent when they're not expecting it.
Hi there! With the WMCQ coming up, I've been testing this archetype kind of non-stop for the last 2 weeks on MTGO. Starting off of Magnus Lanto/Sam Black's lists, I'm currently at this point and I would like to share my insights and hear if you guys agree with what I've been doing to the 75. (Note: the changes I've made are very minor. I've tried some more extreme changes but always came to the conclusion that the Lanto list was better. Shocker I know)
In the maindeck, I've swapped out the Steppe Lynx's for Kird Apes. Steppe Lynx makes fetching in the early turns very awkward as sometimes you can't cast half your hand if you have to fetch Blood Crypt or Godless Shrine on 1, and it is basicaly a mulligan whenever you have a 1-land hand. The Kird Ape makes Stomping Ground a great t1 fetch target as you have more to cast off it, it can attack into Snapcaster Mages and can block Goblin Guides. I've been really liking this change so far.
In the sideboard I've really been wanting something over the 2nd Helix that was in Lanto's list, but I'm really torn on what it should be. So far, I've tried Postmortem Lunge, Surgical Extraction, Grafdigger's Cage and Orzhov Charm. What kind of SB tech do you guys like?
Personally, I've been using Postmortem Lunge in my SB for awhile. I like it for removal-heavy matchups like Jund.
[...]
Which Eldrazi matchup? The UR one? The colorless one? The processor one? The RG worldbreaker one? The green white blink one?
There are too many to capture a "matchup" because the decks are evolving rapidly.[...]
To be more specific:
1) Colourless CFB version
2) UR East-West-Bowl version
3) GR version with World Breaker and Kozilek's Return
4) Monoblack control
Can't say that I've tested against any of them, but CFB's T1 Chalice on 1 tends to lock us out. If this deck were heavy in my meta, I'd up my Kiln Fiend count and add Abrupt Decay to my SB.
The other three play very differently. UR is aggro, so plan like you would against Big Zoo, I guess? Hard to say about the other two...
I can't guarantee my SB plan is the 'right' plan, but it's what I did:
vs Jund +2 Hooting Mandrills +1 Dismember +2 Postmortem Lunge (Never ended up drawing or casting them)
-2 Lightning Bolt -2 Become Immense -1 Titan's Strength
vs Nacatl Burn +2 Faith's Shield +1 Phyrexian Unlife +2 Hooting Mandrills
-1 Gitaxian Probe -1 Titan's Strength -1 Street Wraith -1 Wild Nacatl -1 Become Immense
vs Goblins +1 Illness in the Ranks +1 Dismember +2 Faith's Shield
(I can't remember)
vs Boggles +1 Natural State (Took out his Daybreak with it, too) +2 Faith's Shield (Let me swing for lethal past his 9/11 First Striking Bogle) +1 Dismember
(I can't remember, I think like 1 Expedite and both Bolts and something else)
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/mardu-black-devotion/ - Rough sketch decklist.
4 Bloodghast
3 Bloodsoaked Champion
4 Geralf's Messenger
2 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
2 Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
4 Relentless Dead
Enchantment (2)
1 Demonic Pact
1 Phyrexian Etchings
2 Collective Brutality
1 Harmless Offering
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Thoughtseize
1 Profane Command
Instant (7)
3 Anguished Unmaking
1 Disfigure
3 Dismember
4 Marsh Flats
4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Arid Mesa
3 Swamp
1 Blood Crypt
2 Godless Shrine
2 Leechridden Swamp
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
Any thoughts or opinions are genuinely appreciated/welcomed.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/mardu-black-devotion/ - Rough sketch decklist.
4 Bloodghast
3 Bloodsoaked Champion
4 Geralf's Messenger
2 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
2 Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
4 Relentless Dead
Enchantment (2)
1 Demonic Pact
1 Phyrexian Etchings
2 Collective Brutality
1 Harmless Offering
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Thoughtseize
1 Profane Command
Instant (7)
3 Anguished Unmaking
1 Disfigure
3 Dismember
4 Marsh Flats
4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Arid Mesa
3 Swamp
1 Blood Crypt
2 Godless Shrine
2 Leechridden Swamp
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
Could make for an interesting Mardu Control list, or even a Mardu Black Devotion list, as Phyrexian Etchings has good synergy alongside Gray Merchant of Asphodel.
Fits into Mono-U Devotion - http://www.metamox.com/modern/monoblue-devotion/
Would love to see this in a Modern version of Cat Pact, ie Demonic Pact & Harmless Offering.
Nice, would be interesting in some kinda Grixis Elementals deck.
That list is nutso, I love it...
I might consider trying it, but it's a three mana investment, whereas Postmortem Lunge is actually 1 generic mana since it's Phyrexian black mana, which works to make Death's Shadow even bigger coming back from the graveyard. Also, the idea is to use it to hopefully one-shot the opponent when they're not expecting it.
Personally, I've been using Postmortem Lunge in my SB for awhile. I like it for removal-heavy matchups like Jund.
This thread dies and picks up every so often. Not as busy as other deck threads, I guess?
Can't say that I've tested against any of them, but CFB's T1 Chalice on 1 tends to lock us out. If this deck were heavy in my meta, I'd up my Kiln Fiend count and add Abrupt Decay to my SB.
The other three play very differently. UR is aggro, so plan like you would against Big Zoo, I guess? Hard to say about the other two...
To quote Zack Elsik, when asked about how Lantern Control matches up against 'Eldrazi':
4x Izzet Staticaster
4x Nightshade Peddler
But I can't seem to settle on a good Temur shell for it. Any suggestions?
vs Jund +2 Hooting Mandrills +1 Dismember +2 Postmortem Lunge (Never ended up drawing or casting them)
-2 Lightning Bolt -2 Become Immense -1 Titan's Strength
vs Nacatl Burn +2 Faith's Shield +1 Phyrexian Unlife +2 Hooting Mandrills
-1 Gitaxian Probe -1 Titan's Strength -1 Street Wraith -1 Wild Nacatl -1 Become Immense
vs Goblins +1 Illness in the Ranks +1 Dismember +2 Faith's Shield
(I can't remember)
vs Boggles +1 Natural State (Took out his Daybreak with it, too) +2 Faith's Shield (Let me swing for lethal past his 9/11 First Striking Bogle) +1 Dismember
(I can't remember, I think like 1 Expedite and both Bolts and something else)