MTG Salvation

Updated 6/1/16

I also run a Lazav as my general and our deck seems pretty similar. Here is my decklist. I run a lot less creatures than you do but the theme of the deck is the same.

One card that i find to be really useful is Grinning totem. You can use it as almost like a bribery for your general to copy any card in an opponent's deck. Some of the fun intances was to copy a worldspin wurm then proceed to win via general damage.

Best of luck!

Thanks, and will have to check out Grinning Totem, definitely fits the deck thematically and being able to grab any card at such a low cost is fantastic.

What do you think about Guiltfeeder?
And Cabal Conditioning.

Guiltfeeder seems awesome. Conditioning isn't too bad, I do enjoy unexpected discard, and even if I don't have anything huge out (rarely do) it doesn't take much to get everyone to dump their hand.

Your curve for creatures is indeed very high.
You could use Fleshbag Marauder, Solemn Simulacrum, Snapcaster Mage, Trinket Mage...
Can all help to lower your creature curve =)

Ever thought about Wayfarer's Bauble as ramp?

Could the new dimir legend find a place in your deck? (He mills)

Quote from Jivanmukta

Glad to see you found a new U/B legend to play with.

Thanks man. Really happy with him, I loved Grimgrin...he was my boy. But Lazav gets **** done.

You're curve (for creatures at least) seems REALLY high and you don't seem to be playing a ton of reanimation to bypass that. On the note of reanimation Forbidden Alchemy is a great tool.

Yeah, I used to run a lot more reanimation and my curve is still a reflection of that I suppose. My deck has never been super creature focused anyways, though I was typically dead on the board alot because of it.

How could I forget good ol' Alchemy, and I really like the FNM art for it..may check it out in here.

Quote from SaraceenPsycho

Your curve for creatures is indeed very high.
You could use Fleshbag Marauder, Solemn Simulacrum, Snapcaster Mage, Trinket Mage...
Can all help to lower your creature curve =)

Ever thought about Wayfarer's Bauble as ramp?

Could the new dimir legend find a place in your deck? (He mills)

Yeah, may look into some good low mana cost utility dorks. Now that I have a decent few artifacts he can grab again I may put Trinket Mage in, though I'll have to get the artifact lands if I do.

Snapcaster if I ever do get my hands on one again (I've gone through so many of him haha) he may end up in the list as well.

Sad Robot I usually cut pretty early in a deck's life. I like the utility he gives, but in these colors I feel there is better.

The Bauble I'll take a look at.

And Mirko is definitely one I am planning to try. I think I swooned over Mind Grind in my topic post, so I like an evasive creature that can grind someone for 4.

Thanks for posting this up. It gave me some ideas on improving my own Lazav list. I'll post it up when I get a chance. Mine focuses more on mill as a wincon, using Praetor's Grasp to get rid of those pesky Eldrazi graveyard effects. Lots of mana doubling. Mine runs a subtheme that I like to call "I drink your milkshake" ie, all the various theft spells/abilities.

Im currently testing Despise and Distress in my Lazav deck as kinda pseudo-spot removal removal for creature sitting in someones hand that they either tutored for or got bounced. Its actually worked pretty well with Head Games to put someones's Ulamog into their hand then Despise it and swing with Lazav

Quote from Helios52

Im currently testing Despise and Distress in my Lazav deck as kinda pseudo-spot removal removal for creature sitting in someones hand that they either tutored for or got bounced. Its actually worked pretty well with Head Games to put someones's Ulamog into their hand then Despise it and swing with Lazav

Very interesting, and dirty haha, I kinda like that.

Yeah I was considering discard effects, but haven't really committed to trying any.

Also going back and forth on spot removal. Its good way to buff Lazav and deal with threats afterall. And Ashes to Ashes is amazing afterall.

Well, not gonna be much of an update after Dragon's Maze, only thing I am for sure including is Notion Thief. I'll give Mirko a try, but not expecting him to stay for too long, we'll see.

Thanks for the posting, I'm working on a similar deck.

Since the deck is playing Tezzeret, I added the two colored artifact lands into my deck, since he can tutor those for free (0). The deck has plenty of basic lands, I think it can handle swapping 2 for the colored artifact lands.

Quote from Pyrenus

Thanks for the posting, I'm working on a similar deck.

Since the deck is playing Tezzeret, I added the two colored artifact lands into my deck, since he can tutor those for free (0). The deck has plenty of basic lands, I think it can handle swapping 2 for the colored artifact lands.

You are quite welcome, look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Yeah, if I still had my Vault and Seat they would be in here for the same reason. Probably need to pick up a copy of each again.

Quote from Hirwaz

You should add Nephalia Drownyard among your lands.
It allows you to mill an opponent with your extra mana (maybe to find a creature to copy with Lazav, Dimir Mastermind), and it's an auto win with Palinchron + Deadeye Navigator on the board (infinite mill with infinite mana and infinite land untap)

Can't believe I never thought of running Drownyard in here, definitely gonna throw it in, thanks.

Blue Sun's Zenith is also a good pick and a kill with Palinchron + Deadeye Navigator (draw your deck to find Mind Grind or Nephalia Drownyard and win)

Already running Blue Sun, and it is always a favorite.

And finally, Duskmantle Guildmage works perfect in your deck. Its second ability can help Lazav, Dimir Mastermind, and the first ability launches the combo with Mindcrank

Pretty sure I have one around somewhere, will definitely give him a look. Didn't even realize he could get the combo off.

Hope this helps

It most certainly did, thanks.

Quick little update.

I have added in Notion Thief, though outside of testing on Cockatrice, where I was able to draw 9 and then win the game off of someone using Primal Hunter's -3, I have not actually been able to use him in a game.

I also added in Nephalia Drownyard, which just fits the deck so well.

Also on the list now is Ashes to Ashes, which I haven't really run since the earlier days of Grimgrin, because I ended up scooping to a Kaalia deck getting Avacyn out while I was in absolutely no position to be able to deal with her or combo off several games in a row and I wanted removal dammit.

Bit of a big update today. Been really unhappy with the deck lately, decided to tweak things up a bit. Finally upped my land count to what I hope is a respectable 35 (originally was at 33). I also took the advice of many to cut Chromatic Lantern, as much as I like the card..a two color deck doesn't need the fixing, and this offers me a rock that I can also turn into an evasive creature, which is now a bit of a thing for my deck I suppose. Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre was cut as well, originally serving as a combo piece when I was running Temple Bell with Mind Over Matter, though he also was a nice dude to swing with, and after those went out he ended up being used mostly as a way to recur my graveyard. I've had a few people suggest cutting Venser, Shaper Savant as I lacked the means to really sufficiently abuse him outside of shenanigans with Deadeye Navigator, and there are plenty of better shenanigans I can pull off with that card, as such he too was removed from the deck. Knowledge Exploitation made its way out, I like the card but I rarely used it and I wanted to try something new. Something that took me by surprise was my willingness to cut Buried Alive and Entomb, but after cutting Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur I really had very few major reanimation targets in my own deck, couple that with my already low number of reanimation spells..and they made their way out. Oh and as for why I cut Jin, I like the card quite a bit, I like the draw I can get off of him, but I have other draw engines in the deck, and he topped my curve off pretty high. Pact of Negation got the oust too, which was a pretty hard decision to make. I love free counterspells, but I've gotten screwed over by it as often as it has helped me in all honesty. I cut Moonlight Bargain, it's a nice draw spell and I encourage others to run it, but I needed room and, as I said, I have other ways to draw. And I also let Voltaic Key go, it was a combo piece I really didn't need. Diabolic Revelation was snipped as well, it's nice but again..when you need room you just..gotta cut.

So what did I replace all of that with? My new evasive creature package. Cards like Invisible Stalker, which can hold swords/be encoded onto and swing like a boss. Shadowmage Infiltrator, which has the bonus of drawing me a card while being relatively tough to block and having a decent sized rear end at an easy cost. Wrexial, the Risen Deep, who really should have been in the deck to start with. Dimir Keyrune, as I said before. I also threw in Trinket Mage as I have a few relevant targets for him, can abuse him with Deadeye, and I added a couple of other targets for him (and Tezzeret), such as Tormod's Crypt, which adds in some always necessary graveyard hate, and my deck's relevant artifact lands Seat of the Synod and Vault of Whispers. Another addition is yet another card that I really should have been running from the get go, Traumatize...hello?!?!? And Pact made its way out, but good ol' Hinder was right there to pick up the slack. Also running Go for the Throat as some nice spot removal.

So yeah, some testing today went relatively well with it. I was even able to win against the Kaalia deck that normally gives me trouble, as I just cannot deal with the aggro it has normally. Still lacking behind our group's Mimeo deck, which I used to be able to compete with quite nicely, but I've about given up on staying level with it, it's just too fast combo oriented.

I actually like playing against Kaliaa decks with Lazav. I run a bunch of "look at someone's hand and choose something for them to discard" pieces, and Kaliaa decks almost always have a bunch of fatties to pluck. My favorite of the bunch is definitely Seer's Vision. It lets you view *everyone's* hands and not only get a ton of information, but you can nab the best creature anyone has in their grip for Lazav.

Quote from acidfreeze

I actually like playing against Kaliaa decks with Lazav. I run a bunch of "look at someone's hand and choose something for them to discard" pieces, and Kaliaa decks almost always have a bunch of fatties to pluck. My favorite of the bunch is definitely Seer's Vision. It lets you view *everyone's* hands and not only get a ton of information, but you can nab the best creature anyone has in their grip for Lazav.

I've never seen that one before, yeah I really kinda wanna pick that up and give it a shot, that's fantastic.

Been going back and forth on if I want any of your more traditional discard spells in the deck. I may try them at some point, but it was pretty tough making the cuts I did yesterday, so trying to make more will be..well, not fun hahaha. If nothing else I can board them in for 1v1 play.

But Seer's Vision, yeah that is something I think I might try playing main decked.

I'm with you on that one, its so hard to make cuts with Lazav. He supports so many strategies, mill, discard, control, equipment heavier Voltron, reanimator, so many options! It makes it so hard to decide what to get rid of!

Quote from NGW

So yeah, some testing today went relatively well with it. I was even able to win against the Kaalia deck that normally gives me trouble, as I just cannot deal with the aggro it has normally. Still lacking behind our group's Mimeo deck, which I used to be able to compete with quite nicely, but I've about given up on staying level with it, it's just too fast combo oriented.

What's in that Mimeoplasm list that makes it so difficult to deal with? What are the combos and what makes it pull ahead quickly? Maybe I could offer some suggestions about how to fight it.

35 lands is also pretty light.

I strongly recommend putting in Praetor's Grasp. You're trying to mill, and it just wouldn't do to mill someone's Eldrazi and have to restart the process. Grasp their ass and leave it exiled.

Quick update, added in another sword (Fire and Ice) and a bit more spot removal.

personaly i think this deck would be more cometitive if it had said cards in it: Acquire, Sadistic Sacrament, Mind Funeral , Snapcaster Mage & Praetor's Grasp. mor deck control with SS & PG, funeral in most cases can be more reliant than grind & snap works amazing with it & acquire is great to grab out their collosus or solumn or even a sol ring lol

Went ahead and updated this thing, been some time since I have done so and this deck has changed quite a bit since I first started this thread so I went and removed the more..in-depth sections as they were mostly irrelevant and unrelated at this point.

Most major changes would probably be the overall lowering of the average cmc of the deck, dropping things like Gilded Lotus and Thran Dynamo in favor of lower cost rocks such as Talisman of Dominance. I've also officially added Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker to my roster of evasive creatures, and he has the bonus of interacting very favorably with my general. Strionic Resonator was an obvious inclusion given the large amount of triggers in here, and it's still the only card I really wanted out of M14. I have added the last two swords to the deck as well, the original Darksteel pair, Fire and Ice as well as Light and Shadow, both are fantastic, though I do prefer Fire and Ice, which is likely my second favorite sword in the deck, with Body and Mind still taking the top spot if only because it furthers my game plan most. And then we finally get to the biggest addition, and probably the one that I can't help but just feel good about finally getting to run, Dark Confidant. Dude is just pure card advantage and I freaking love it.