Enjoying the ideas and interactions in the Life from the Loam decks in the Legacy format, I set out to try to create an EDH which would carry several of those interactions with it. I needed green obviously for the LftL, which would bring Terravore along with it. I really liked Countryside Crusher and Seismic Assault, so that brought red with it. I also have a bit of a soft spot for Wildfire, and that would fit in well here as dual land disruption + sweeper. I decided on adding white so that I could take advantage of some of the land sweepers like Armageddon and gain access again to the Knight of the Reliquary that was in the Legacy version. At the time of making this list, there was no way to make a 4-color EDH (and there is not currently a 4-color commander that I would like to utilize for a Lands.dec build), and I felt like not much to gain from adding blue and black to what I already had. After playing around with cards on Magic Workstation, I came up with a list, which has since evolved into this:
Please note that this deck previously used Rith, the Awakener as the commander, but has since switched to Zacama.
There is one thing I really want to comment on regarding the deck:
--Land destruction is generally frowned upon within EDH. I feel like land destruction is frowned upon for drawing out the length of games and slowing the pace to a crawl. While I certainly have that ability with the deck in this form, I only plan to ever use the non-basic hate on people who are playing several colors just for the tutoring, and hitting other people's utility lands out from under them. My "Plan B" would probably be, "Play big threat --> Armageddon" to put pressure on the table for a very crucial few turns, resulting in my win. To that end, I may change up the distribution of destruction spells to free more spots within the deck for other things. I'll have to play out more real games before I make a big change.
I'm quite sad that I had to cut some of my old favorites, so if I move away from so many of the land destruction spells, I'll be looking at Seismic Assault first. The assault worries me a little because of the triple red, but I love it from my younger days.
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger makes me happy as a creature, because he's a double whammy of mana development for me, and disruption for my opponents; both things that this deck wants to be doing. The fact that he's a good sized body as well makes him a great inclusion in my eyes.
List is up-to-date as of the end of Ixalan block.
As always, comments and feedback are appreciated. Thank you for looking.
I did a significant update to the list, putting a much stronger emphasis on the Life From the Loam engine. I also eliminated almost all of the mass land sweepers that would result in a "Chasm-like" penalty in most EDH leagues.
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"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
The change to the seismic assault has been absolutely fantastic. This card single handedly finished off 3 of 4 opponents at my table tonight. The switch to the zorb gives me a little more longevity against an aggressive strategy, and I actually prefer a land search to the colorless that my sol ring used to provide.
I'm a little sad that this deck has never really gotten any feedback from the community. I feel like it has been playing fairly strong every time I've gotten to use it, and I've probably won around half of the larger multiplayer games (4+ players) I've been a part of with the deck.
For some future changes, I'm considering removing either the Godsire or the Novablast Wurm and replacing that space with an Avenger of Zendikar. It just seems too good to not be running along with my land-centric base.
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"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
I'm really wondering if Rith is the best suited Commander for a deck like this. Uril, the Miststalker might be a better fit for this strategy; he plays very well with LD and could serve as a backup if your primary strategy doesn't play through.
Emmara is like the worst parts of Legends and Homelands got pregnant, aborted the fetus, tossed it in the trashcan, set it on fire and wrapped the corpse in a Dragon's Maze pack wrapper.
Uril can be a big beating, but you need to dedicate several spaces in the deck to synergizing with your commander. I spent too many spots synergizing the Life From the Loam portion to split it up now.
I've also taken a much larger focus away from the land destruction I started with. It's much less destruction and greater disruption at this point.
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"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
I've finally started getting in some of the applicable on-color fetchlands for this deck (Arid Mesa, Wooded Foothills, Windswept Heath), so those will be making their way into the decklist shortly.
Also, I just stumbled across Hermit Druid in a few conversations recently. How did I forget about this man? He is a terrific enabler for my Life From the Loam engine. He can ensure that I'm hitting my land drops every turn. I can activate him in response to a graveyard sweeper to hit my Ulamog and re-shuffle back into my library (risky in many situations, I know). I can activate him with my Countryside Crusher or Knight of the Reliquary on the board to give them a nice boost.
I honestly cannot believe that I have left him out until now. I'll need to play some more games, but I may try to switch my Restock for a Praetor's Counsel to synergize more with my now-growing graveyard.
I'll update the list above soon with my changes, but feel free to suggest some yourselves.
I finally broke down and added one of my Wastelands to the deck. The applicable shocklands have let the deck run much more smoothly (although if you have the original duals you should run them instead), and the fetchlands all make my Life From the Loam engine better. (Also all of those creatures that want land cards in the grave).
Hermit Druid has been every bit as good as I thought it would be. If you have a Life From the Loam in your deck, you should almost always be running this man with it. I kid you not.
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"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
I added in the GSZ for more utility. I can find a Dryad Arbor now for some acceleration. I can find my Hermit Druid for milling/finding my Loam. Late in the game, I can get a win-con. If I'm in trouble, I can search up my Spike Weaver.
I'm also debating the merits of Kessig Wolf Run vs/ a High Market/Miren, the Moaning Well. With the KWR I can trample through a clogged board for some damage, but with a sac outlet I can set up some loops with Genesis and my utility creatures.
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"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
It's been a little while since making any comments on my deck, so I figured it was time to bring up a few of my thoughts at this point.
I'm running a handfull of utility cards that act as removal for me, but I'm not entirely happy with them. Decimate has been especially lack-luster for me recently. It has the potential to give you great card advantage, but I'm too often restrticted with a need for 4 separate targets. Because of this, I'm looking to replace it with something a little more flexible, such as Beast Within.
I'm also considering taking out the three signets for a few new goodies. Nothing decided yet, but I was thinking of:
- Selesnya Signet, Gruul Signet, Boros Signet
+ Command Tower -> This gives me a touch more mana fixing that the signets would have provided. It is definitely less fragile than the artifact mana would be, at the very least.
+ Burgeoning -> This provides the acceleration that the signets could have provided before, while keeping the emphasis on lands, rather than the artifact.
+ Waves of Aggression -> I don't have any retrace spells in the list so far, which makes me a little sad. This Is likely the best one for this deck. It gives me more offense, and a chance to take out several players at the table in one turn. It can also act as a defensive card by simply untapping my men after an alpha strike on a single opponent.
Also, as my land count has been going up and the 'geddon effects come out, I'm going back to what DramaTurtle had brought up (much) earlier. Is Rith the best commander for me at this point? I'm debating a switch to Hazezon Tamar.
Like I said, I'm not sure about these changes yet, but I wanted to get them on paper to remember them if I decide to come back to it.
This gives me a lower mana curve, and boosts my mana production similar to what I'd get from prime-time. The loss of a land-tutor will hurt, but I've still got my Expedition Map, Crop Rotation, Sylvan Scrying, and Knight of the Reliquary. We'll see how it goes.
I also may want to replace the Avenger of Zendikar in my list now. He was a great TnN target along with prime-time, but I think I may want to switch to something that's a better offensive option on its own. No change for now, but I'll definitely be thinking about it.
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"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
So I've been thinking recently of trying to fit a Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle, Vesuva, and Scapeshift into the deck. In my opinion, Valakut combo isn't really a viable option in a 40-life format, but I have had a lot of success using my Seismic Assault in this deck.
What would you think?
I only have 6 cards currently with the land-type of Mountain. It is however, exceedingly easy for me to fetch out every land with a basic land type from the deck over the course of a game. Would the potential for 6-ish points of Valakut damage each turn from sac'ing and replaying mountains seem worth it? Or does a Scapeshift grabbing the Valakut, Vesuva, and 2 or 3 mountains for 12-18 damage in one turn seem justifiable in running these cards on their own?
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"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
So I've been thinking recently of trying to fit a Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle, Vesuva, and Scapeshift into the deck. In my opinion, Valakut combo isn't really a viable option in a 40-life format, but I have had a lot of success using my Seismic Assault in this deck.
What would you think?
I only have 6 cards currently with the land-type of Mountain. It is however, exceedingly easy for me to fetch out every land with a basic land type from the deck over the course of a game. Would the potential for 6-ish points of Valakut damage each turn from sac'ing and replaying mountains seem worth it? Or does a Scapeshift grabbing the Valakut, Vesuva, and 2 or 3 mountains for 12-18 damage in one turn seem justifiable in running these cards on their own?
If you add Valakut, consider Prismatic Omen as well. It's not a dead draw early since it fixes your mana, and late game you could easily tutor up Valakut to make every land drop into a bolt. If you want, you could add more enchantment tutors like Idyllic Tutor or Sterling Grove, since they can find Omen or Seismic Assault.
This is a really cool deck. I love the concept. I'll take a closer look when I have some more time and try to give some more feedback.
If you add Valakut, consider Prismatic Omen as well. It's not a dead draw early since it fixes your mana, and late game you could easily tutor up Valakut to make every land drop into a bolt.
I've thought about Prismatic Omen before, but even with Valakut, I'm not sure I'd need it. I have pretty decent mana fixing as it is, with all of my fetchlands. Getting the extra value from Valakut may not be necessary. I can sacrifice the same mountain over and over and replay it again from my Crucible, and that doesn't take up a card slot in the maindeck. The other benefit of giving my fetches purpose after they've fetched all of the relevant lands from my deck, is also covered by the Riftstone Portal.
If you want, you could add more enchantment tutors like Idyllic Tutor or Sterling Grove, since they can find Omen or Seismic Assault.
If they were actually extra Enlightened Tutors, I'd run them in a heartbeat. I'd love to have another way to find a Crucible when I need it, but the enchantments really aren't that crucial to my game-plan. If I had to chose one of the two, it would definitely be Sterling Grove though. Great nostalgia pick for me, and provides some protection to my relevant enchantments even if I don't need a tutor. I'll keep it in mind.
This is a really cool deck. I love the concept.
Thanks a lot. One of my friends is close to obsessed with this deck. He loves how elegant it is (in his words).
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"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
I am working on Rith too;) I really like your build.
I would stick with Rith as your general, only because Rith costs less and has a bigger body with evasion, after MLD you may actually get in for lethal general damage.
I am working on Rith too;) I really like your build.
I would stick with Rith as your general, only because Rith costs less and has a bigger body with evasion, after MLD you may actually get in for lethal general damage.
Keep updating
Thanks for the support. I think I had subconsciously always known that I wouldn't change Rith out as the general, but I did want to re-evaluate to make sure.
No true updates yet, but I'm pretty confident that the new Borb will be finding a slot in the deck once Gatecrash is out.
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"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
I like the Primordial much better than Terrastodon in theory. Typically, you'll hit a similar number of permanents with his ETB, plus you get to ramp a bit. He's also cheaper (mana cost) and a better blocker (reach). I may reconsider, based on only one permanent-per-player, rather than any 3 as chosen by Terrastodon.
I may also want to find a slot in here for Thespian's Stage. Don't know about that one yet, though.
I've been keeping my eye on a few cards recently, as ones that I feel are under-performing. Wildfire, as much as I really want this to work, just hasn't been good in the format for me. Ramp decks laugh it off, and I'm not explosive enough to really capitalize on "screwing" an opponent. Dwarven Miner and Dwarven Blastminer are both good cards, but I never seem to be able to really disrupt an opponent efficiently. I feel like I'm cheating a player out of the game if I get them online immediately, and later in the game, they are rather ineffective.
I want to replace these with some cards that will be able to more effectively disrupt the mana capabilities of my opponents.
The 'Web and 'Toll are both serving the same purpose: disrupting all opponents with no investment from me beyond playing the card. I've been very impressed with War's Toll in my Basandra deck, so I really want to try it out here. This is a much slower, more grindy deck than that one is, but I imagine that it will be just as effective.
The Buried Ruin allows me to recur not only the 'Web I just added in, but more importantly, my Crucibe of Worlds should that happen to find its way to the grave.
If anyone is wondering about Karametra, God of Harvests - I don't like it. There aren't that many lands with basic land types that I'll want to be continually searching out, and there's an approximately zero chance that I ever reach the required devotion to make it a credible threat.
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"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
Hm it seems like you should check out that one lands deck with child of alara as that seems where your build is going lol. But I like how you've gone away from the Ruth tokens to this.
Hm it seems like you should check out that one lands deck with child of alara as that seems where your build is going lol. But I like how you've gone away from the Ruth tokens to this.
Just out of clarity, my deck was around before Grom's 5-color lands build. Due to the significant differences in card options w/ 5-color, he's also going to have a lot more options in regards to finishers and overall strategy. The only real option from his list that I could include here, would be adding Dark Depths + Thespian's Stage (which I have considered several times).
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"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
This gives me some actual land-based win-conditions to jam through. As much as I want the 'Wildwood and 'Monastery to be real, credible threats, they just aren't. At best, they can act as a small defensive stop from utility creatures. I think I can do better than that. Inkmoth Nexus is a threat on its own, and with my Kessig Wolf Run, I have real one-shot potential.
The 'Crusher, as unique as it is, is really only a big, dumb beater. If I'm going to use one of these, I may as well use the biggest, dumbest beater there is. In comes the Dark Depths combo.
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"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
No real updates in the list as-of KtK, but I wanted to put down a few cards I've been considering as future additions. We'll call it my "alternates list".
Ancient Grudge is one of the best flashback cards I could find a slot for here. With dredge and Hermit Druid putting cards in the grave, this is certainly a possibility.
Explore has probably deserved a slot in here for a while. Amazing in the early game and invisible in the late game.
Realm Seekers is probably my favorite potential card addition from Conspiracy for any of my decks. This could act as a legitimate threat at several points in the game, and also as a tutor for any of the lands I may want to find.
Scout the Borders is the slight improvement on Mulch that makes me want to give it a try in here. Not yet though.
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"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
00 Zacama, Primal Calamity
Lands (46x)
01 Arid Mesa
02 Barbarian Ring
03 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
04 Buried Ruin
05 Command Tower
06 Dark Depths
07 Dryad Arbor
08 Dust Bowl
09 Flagstones of Trokair
10 Forest
11 Forest
12 Forest
13 Forest
14 Forest
15 Forgotten Cave
16 Glacial Chasm
17 Horizon Canopy
18 Inkmoth Nexus
19 Kessig Wolf Run
20 Kor Haven
21 Krosan Verge
22 Maze of Ith
23 Mistveil Plains
24 Mountain
25 Mountain
26 Mountain
27 Mountain
28 Plains
29 Plains
30 Plains
31 Raging Ravine
32 Reliquary Tower
33 Sacred Foundry
34 Scattered Groves
35 Secluded Steppe
36 Sheltered Thicket
37 Stomping Ground
38 Strip Mine
39 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
40 Temple Garden
41 Terramorphic Expanse
42 Thespian's Stage
43 Tranquil Thicket
44 Wasteland
45 Windswept Heath
46 Wooded Foothills
47 Sol Ring
48 Fellwar Stone
49 Darksteel Ingot
50 Coalition Relic
51 Mox Diamond
Artifacts
52 Expedition Map
53 Zuran Orb
54 Sensei's Divining Top
55 Crucible of Worlds
56 Mana Web
Enchantments
57 Seismic Assault
58 Mirari's Wake
59 Sylvan Library
60 Privileged Position
61 Exploration
62 War's Toll
Sorceries/Instants
63 Beast Within
64 Devastation
65 Catastrophe
66 Constant Mists
67 Enlightened Tutor
68 Crop Rotation
69 Life from the Loam
70 Swords to Plowshares
71 Tooth and Nail
72 Regrowth
73 Restock
74 Gamble
75 Green Sun's Zenith
76 Sylvan Scrying
Utility Creatures
77 Acidic Slime
78 Solemn Simulacrum
79 Qasali Pridemage
80 Oracle of Mul Daya
81 Tireless Tracker
82 Eternal Witness
83 Genesis
84 Deadwood Treefolk
85 Ramunap Excavator
86 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
87 Spike Weaver
88 Sylvan Safekeeper
89 Hermit Druid
90 Courser of Kruphix
91 World Breaker
92 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
93 Greater Gargadon
94 Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger
95 Sun Titan
96 Knight of the Reliquary
97 Realm Seekers
98 Avenger of Zendikar
99 Borborygmos Enraged
Please note that this deck previously used Rith, the Awakener as the commander, but has since switched to Zacama.
--Land destruction is generally frowned upon within EDH. I feel like land destruction is frowned upon for drawing out the length of games and slowing the pace to a crawl. While I certainly have that ability with the deck in this form, I only plan to ever use the non-basic hate on people who are playing several colors just for the tutoring, and hitting other people's utility lands out from under them. My "Plan B" would probably be, "Play big threat --> Armageddon" to put pressure on the table for a very crucial few turns, resulting in my win. To that end, I may change up the distribution of destruction spells to free more spots within the deck for other things. I'll have to play out more real games before I make a big change.
The Spurnmage and Nullmage Advocates are political cards that help to stay on the good graces of many at the table, while protecting myself. The Glacial Chasm, Spike Weaver, and Constant Mists will hopefully keep me alive if I anger too many.
I'm quite sad that I had to cut some of my old favorites, so if I move away from so many of the land destruction spells, I'll be looking at Seismic Assault first. The assault worries me a little because of the triple red, but I love it from my younger days.
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger makes me happy as a creature, because he's a double whammy of mana development for me, and disruption for my opponents; both things that this deck wants to be doing. The fact that he's a good sized body as well makes him a great inclusion in my eyes.
List is up-to-date as of the end of Ixalan block.
As always, comments and feedback are appreciated. Thank you for looking.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
Cube
Draft my "Classic Border Cube"
WUBRG
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
Cube
Draft my "Classic Border Cube"
WUBRG
-Sol Ring/+Sylvan Scrying
-Destructive Force/+Zuran Orb
-Goblin Trenches/+Seismic Assault
-(I can't remember)/+Exploration
The change to the seismic assault has been absolutely fantastic. This card single handedly finished off 3 of 4 opponents at my table tonight. The switch to the zorb gives me a little more longevity against an aggressive strategy, and I actually prefer a land search to the colorless that my sol ring used to provide.
I'm a little sad that this deck has never really gotten any feedback from the community. I feel like it has been playing fairly strong every time I've gotten to use it, and I've probably won around half of the larger multiplayer games (4+ players) I've been a part of with the deck.
For some future changes, I'm considering removing either the Godsire or the Novablast Wurm and replacing that space with an Avenger of Zendikar. It just seems too good to not be running along with my land-centric base.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
Cube
Draft my "Classic Border Cube"
WUBRG
I've also taken a much larger focus away from the land destruction I started with. It's much less destruction and greater disruption at this point.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
Cube
Draft my "Classic Border Cube"
WUBRG
- Novablast Wurm / + Avenger of Zendikar
I've finally started getting in some of the applicable on-color fetchlands for this deck (Arid Mesa, Wooded Foothills, Windswept Heath), so those will be making their way into the decklist shortly.
Also, I just stumbled across Hermit Druid in a few conversations recently. How did I forget about this man? He is a terrific enabler for my Life From the Loam engine. He can ensure that I'm hitting my land drops every turn. I can activate him in response to a graveyard sweeper to hit my Ulamog and re-shuffle back into my library (risky in many situations, I know). I can activate him with my Countryside Crusher or Knight of the Reliquary on the board to give them a nice boost.
I honestly cannot believe that I have left him out until now. I'll need to play some more games, but I may try to switch my Restock for a Praetor's Counsel to synergize more with my now-growing graveyard.
I'll update the list above soon with my changes, but feel free to suggest some yourselves.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
Cube
Draft my "Classic Border Cube"
WUBRG
-Elspeth, Knight-Errant / +Hermit Druid
-Ghost Quarter / +Wasteland
-Naya Panorama, -Lightning Greaves, -Miren, the Moaning Well / +Arid Mesa, +Windswept Heath, +Wooded Foothills
-3 other random lands (I can't remember) / +Stomping Grounds, +Sacred Foundry, +Temple Garden
I finally broke down and added one of my Wastelands to the deck. The applicable shocklands have let the deck run much more smoothly (although if you have the original duals you should run them instead), and the fetchlands all make my Life From the Loam engine better. (Also all of those creatures that want land cards in the grave).
Hermit Druid has been every bit as good as I thought it would be. If you have a Life From the Loam in your deck, you should almost always be running this man with it. I kid you not.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
Cube
Draft my "Classic Border Cube"
WUBRG
-Spurnmage Advocate / +Green Sun's Zenith
-Jungle Shrine / +Dryad Arbor
I added in the GSZ for more utility. I can find a Dryad Arbor now for some acceleration. I can find my Hermit Druid for milling/finding my Loam. Late in the game, I can get a win-con. If I'm in trouble, I can search up my Spike Weaver.
I'm also debating the merits of Kessig Wolf Run vs/ a High Market/Miren, the Moaning Well. With the KWR I can trample through a clogged board for some damage, but with a sac outlet I can set up some loops with Genesis and my utility creatures.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
Cube
Draft my "Classic Border Cube"
WUBRG
I'm running a handfull of utility cards that act as removal for me, but I'm not entirely happy with them. Decimate has been especially lack-luster for me recently. It has the potential to give you great card advantage, but I'm too often restrticted with a need for 4 separate targets. Because of this, I'm looking to replace it with something a little more flexible, such as Beast Within.
I'd also like a bit of creature spot removal in here. I want to find space for a Swords to Plowshares and a Crib Swap in here. I'd like to keep away from both Condemn and Path to Exile for these slots. Path is anti-synergistic with my mana denial suite (Dwarves, Wasteland, Strip Mine, Acidic Slime). Condemn doesn't help me against a creature that doesn't attack, such as Gaddock Teeg or Withered Wretch. The life or the 1/1 from these two are pretty negligable in comparison.
I also want to add in a copy of Barbarian Ring. Because. That's why.
Anyone have any suggestions to help me out?
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
Cube
Draft my "Classic Border Cube"
WUBRG
-Decimate / +Beast Within
-Recoup / +Barbarian Ring
-Nullmage Advocate / +Swords to Plowshares
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
Cube
Draft my "Classic Border Cube"
WUBRG
Update:
- Crystal Ball / + Maze of Ith
I'm also considering taking out the three signets for a few new goodies. Nothing decided yet, but I was thinking of:
- Selesnya Signet, Gruul Signet, Boros Signet
+ Command Tower -> This gives me a touch more mana fixing that the signets would have provided. It is definitely less fragile than the artifact mana would be, at the very least.
+ Burgeoning -> This provides the acceleration that the signets could have provided before, while keeping the emphasis on lands, rather than the artifact.
+ Waves of Aggression -> I don't have any retrace spells in the list so far, which makes me a little sad. This Is likely the best one for this deck. It gives me more offense, and a chance to take out several players at the table in one turn. It can also act as a defensive card by simply untapping my men after an alpha strike on a single opponent.
Also, as my land count has been going up and the 'geddon effects come out, I'm going back to what DramaTurtle had brought up (much) earlier. Is Rith the best commander for me at this point? I'm debating a switch to Hazezon Tamar.
Like I said, I'm not sure about these changes yet, but I wanted to get them on paper to remember them if I decide to come back to it.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
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Update:
-Signets / +Command Tower, +Sol Ring, +Expedition Map
-Obelisk of Naya / +Mox Diamond
We'll see how this works for me.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
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-Primeval Titan / +Earthcraft
This gives me a lower mana curve, and boosts my mana production similar to what I'd get from prime-time. The loss of a land-tutor will hurt, but I've still got my Expedition Map, Crop Rotation, Sylvan Scrying, and Knight of the Reliquary. We'll see how it goes.
I also may want to replace the Avenger of Zendikar in my list now. He was a great TnN target along with prime-time, but I think I may want to switch to something that's a better offensive option on its own. No change for now, but I'll definitely be thinking about it.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
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What would you think?
I only have 6 cards currently with the land-type of Mountain. It is however, exceedingly easy for me to fetch out every land with a basic land type from the deck over the course of a game. Would the potential for 6-ish points of Valakut damage each turn from sac'ing and replaying mountains seem worth it? Or does a Scapeshift grabbing the Valakut, Vesuva, and 2 or 3 mountains for 12-18 damage in one turn seem justifiable in running these cards on their own?
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
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If you add Valakut, consider Prismatic Omen as well. It's not a dead draw early since it fixes your mana, and late game you could easily tutor up Valakut to make every land drop into a bolt. If you want, you could add more enchantment tutors like Idyllic Tutor or Sterling Grove, since they can find Omen or Seismic Assault.
This is a really cool deck. I love the concept. I'll take a closer look when I have some more time and try to give some more feedback.
I've thought about Prismatic Omen before, but even with Valakut, I'm not sure I'd need it. I have pretty decent mana fixing as it is, with all of my fetchlands. Getting the extra value from Valakut may not be necessary. I can sacrifice the same mountain over and over and replay it again from my Crucible, and that doesn't take up a card slot in the maindeck. The other benefit of giving my fetches purpose after they've fetched all of the relevant lands from my deck, is also covered by the Riftstone Portal.
If they were actually extra Enlightened Tutors, I'd run them in a heartbeat. I'd love to have another way to find a Crucible when I need it, but the enchantments really aren't that crucial to my game-plan. If I had to chose one of the two, it would definitely be Sterling Grove though. Great nostalgia pick for me, and provides some protection to my relevant enchantments even if I don't need a tutor. I'll keep it in mind.
Thanks a lot. One of my friends is close to obsessed with this deck. He loves how elegant it is (in his words).
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
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I would stick with Rith as your general, only because Rith costs less and has a bigger body with evasion, after MLD you may actually get in for lethal general damage.
Keep updating
Thanks for the support. I think I had subconsciously always known that I wouldn't change Rith out as the general, but I did want to re-evaluate to make sure.
No true updates yet, but I'm pretty confident that the new Borb will be finding a slot in the deck once Gatecrash is out.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
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-Godsire / +Borborygmos Enraged
-Terrastodon / +Sylvan Primordial
I like the Primordial much better than Terrastodon in theory. Typically, you'll hit a similar number of permanents with his ETB, plus you get to ramp a bit. He's also cheaper (mana cost) and a better blocker (reach). I may reconsider, based on only one permanent-per-player, rather than any 3 as chosen by Terrastodon.
I may also want to find a slot in here for Thespian's Stage. Don't know about that one yet, though.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
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I've been keeping my eye on a few cards recently, as ones that I feel are under-performing. Wildfire, as much as I really want this to work, just hasn't been good in the format for me. Ramp decks laugh it off, and I'm not explosive enough to really capitalize on "screwing" an opponent. Dwarven Miner and Dwarven Blastminer are both good cards, but I never seem to be able to really disrupt an opponent efficiently. I feel like I'm cheating a player out of the game if I get them online immediately, and later in the game, they are rather ineffective.
I want to replace these with some cards that will be able to more effectively disrupt the mana capabilities of my opponents.
-Wildfire, Dwarven Miner, Dwarven Blastminer / +Mana Web, War's Toll, Buried Ruin
The 'Web and 'Toll are both serving the same purpose: disrupting all opponents with no investment from me beyond playing the card. I've been very impressed with War's Toll in my Basandra deck, so I really want to try it out here. This is a much slower, more grindy deck than that one is, but I imagine that it will be just as effective.
The Buried Ruin allows me to recur not only the 'Web I just added in, but more importantly, my Crucibe of Worlds should that happen to find its way to the grave.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
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Update:
-Sylvan Primordial / +Courser of Kruphix
If anyone is wondering about Karametra, God of Harvests - I don't like it. There aren't that many lands with basic land types that I'll want to be continually searching out, and there's an approximately zero chance that I ever reach the required devotion to make it a credible threat.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
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Just out of clarity, my deck was around before Grom's 5-color lands build. Due to the significant differences in card options w/ 5-color, he's also going to have a lot more options in regards to finishers and overall strategy. The only real option from his list that I could include here, would be adding Dark Depths + Thespian's Stage (which I have considered several times).
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
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Update!
-Countryside Crusher, Stirring Wildwood, Nantuko Monastery / +Inkmoth Nexus, Thespian's Stage, Dark Depths
This gives me some actual land-based win-conditions to jam through. As much as I want the 'Wildwood and 'Monastery to be real, credible threats, they just aren't. At best, they can act as a small defensive stop from utility creatures. I think I can do better than that. Inkmoth Nexus is a threat on its own, and with my Kessig Wolf Run, I have real one-shot potential.
The 'Crusher, as unique as it is, is really only a big, dumb beater. If I'm going to use one of these, I may as well use the biggest, dumbest beater there is. In comes the Dark Depths combo.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
Cube
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—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
Cube
Draft my "Classic Border Cube"
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