Sisay is a toolbox general which makes her very powerful in a singleton format. Her colors are excellent for making mana, destroying things, and aggro. When I built her, I had no idea she would be as fun as she is. I've been playing her steady for 2 years and despite making numerous other decks, she is by far my favorite to play even after all this time. I have other decks that are fun to play and I have to force myself to play them because I like playing Sisay so much.
Other commonly played g/w generals include Gaddock Teeg, Sigarda, Host of Herons, Rhys the Redeemed, Saffi Eriksdotter, and Trostani, Selesnya's Voice. These are all strong generals but none of them provide the kind of card advantage and tutoring that Sisay gives you. I find that her ability to tutor for something in a 100-card singleton is more powerful than making tokens, gaining life, or having hexproof. And considering that Gaddock Teeg and Saffi Eriksdotter are both in the deck and are fetchable by Sisay, the benefits of using them are easily utilized without having to make them your commander. There really is no other toolbox general in her colors. In terms of alternative toolbox generals, my other favorite is arcum dagsson - a deck that I chose to build as well and have also written a primer for. I consider both of these commanders to be top-tier generals.
The fact that Sisay provides so much card advantage allows me to put in more ramp than I otherwise would have and not have to worry so much about dead draws. No matter how much mana you create, this deck always gives you something good to use it on. When I play this I am always dropping bombs that my opponents have to deal with. When they expend their resources to get rid of those creatures she just keeps giving me more. It is not even fair, really. This is a visual representation of what it is like to play against this deck....
Sisay was born in Dominaria and was orphaned at a young age when Phyrexians raided her village. Her family kept the Skyship Weatherlight and she eventually learned how to use it. This ship was part of The Legacy, a collection of artifacts that were capable of killing the leader of the Phyrexians: Yawgmoth. Sisay stood at the helm of The Weatherlight during many battles during the Phyrexian invasion. With the help of Gerrard, Urza, and Karn, they were able to complete The Legacy and defeat Yawgmoth.
According to lore, Sisay was able to rally various legendary creatures to her cause to defeat Yawgmoth. This is reflected by her ability to summon legendary cards from your library and put them in your hand.
I have played mtg since 1997. About two years ago, after not having played mtg for a year or two, I went to a local card shop with some vintage/casual decks because I heard they played mtg there. To my dismay, the only thing that people were playing there was edh, a format that I had never heard of before. I had an itch to play so I went home and checked out various generals to see what piqued my interest.
The first EDH deck I made was Arcum Dagsson, which is still a favorite of mine. A friend of mine got sick of playing against it (I don't think this happened until about....the first game ha ha) and he told me to make a new deck - preferably something that wasn't blue. When I showed him Sisay he told me that she was a blue general too and that she just happens to have green/white symbols in the corner.
Before building Sisay I studied many other Sisay decklists, considered the strengths and weaknesses of each one, then constructed the best deck I could. Sisay was great when I first built her and with every change to the decklist she has steadily improved. Initially I built this deck to be very combo heavy - I had earthcraft and squirrel nest for infinite squirrels, and rings of brighthearth and basalt monolith for infinite mana and doubling various abilities (like Sisay's, loyal retainers, fetchlands, etc.). I eventually realized that all those combo cards were often dead draws and that the deck would be stronger if I added more ramp and took out redundant combo pieces. I did however put more focus on interactions that prevented my opponents from making mana so in addition to kamahl and elesh norn, I added living plane (a nasty card in conjunction with elesh norn or linvala) and The Tabernacle at the Pendrel Vale (which is tutorable by Sisay and is nasty with living plane).
When avacyn, angel of hope and sylvan primordial were printed they immediately went into the deck, and so did staff of domination when it became unbanned. With every change the deck became stronger and more fun.
One time I declared that I was using sisay to tutor for something. One of my opponents responded by casting chaos warp on her, which resulted in putting a land into play. After that resolved her ability went off and the legendary card that she tutored for was....captain sisay.
Another time I had 5x forests and 1x savannah in play as well as thousand-year elixir. In hand I had vorinclex, voice of hunger and two cards that my opponents just LOVE to see me cast together, living plane and elesh norn, grand cenobite. I was praying for mana, preferably one that could be tapped for white so I could cast elesh. Instead, on my draw step I get a gaea's cradle which was kind of disappointing since I had no creatures in play. Although its interaction with living plane is nice, if I cast living plane then the cradle would have summoning sickness. Before reading further, can you guess what I did? (I mean really, how much can you do with 6 lands and an elixir?).....
.....I casted living plane and laid the cradle and since the cradle was a creature, the 1000-year elixir let me use its ability as though it had haste. I tapped it for 7 green mana, then used the elixir to untap it and use it again, putting 13 in my pool. I used 8 of it to cast vorinclex (leaving 5 floating) then tapped the savannah for WW and casted elesh norn. So with those 6 lands and an elixir I was able to cast living plane, vorinclex, elesh norn, turn my lands into 3/3 creatures, and kill all their lands.
You have no cards in hand and your library is empty so you will die on your next draw step. During your previous draw step somebody casted an instant that made you discard whatever you drew, then your graveyard got exiled. It is now your precombat main phase and on the battlefield you have kamahl, fist of krosa, gaea's cradle, 3x forests, and a staff of domination.
So if all you have is kamahl, staff, a cradle, and 3 forests, is it possible to kill 6 people? You can't attack since one person has a peacekeeper and the means to pay its upkeep and regenerate it if necessary. And even if you could attack there is plenty of maze of iths to stop you. And even if you could hit them, they all have pro-green creatures to redirect the damage to. So is it really possible to kill them?
Here's a clue if you need it: (in fact, if you think you know it read this before you check the answer)
If you tap the 3 forests, turning the cradle and two forests into creatures, then your gaea's cradle will be a creature that taps for 4 mana. Unfortunately, this is not enough to go infinite with the staff of domination. At this point you can make 4, use 3 of it to untap the cradle and the remaining 1 to untap the staff again, but you don't actually generate more mana.
But its a start...
Answer
1) tap the 3 forests for GGG and use kamahl, fist of krosa's ability to turn gaea's cradle and 2 of the forests into creatures (4 creatures total).
2) tap the cradle for GGGG.
3) use the staff of domination - pay 3 to untap the cradle (since it is a creature). G is floating.
4) pay G to make the last forest a creature (5 creatures total: kamahl & all 4 lands).
5) tap the cradle for GGGGG
6) pay G to untap the staff, then pay GGG to untap cradle, then pay G to untap staff again.
You now have a 1/1 gaea's cradle creature that taps for 5 green mana, and an untapped staff of domination.
7) Make infinite green mana using the cradle and staff (it costs 3 to untap the cradle and 1 to untap staff, so since this costs 4 and the cradle makes 5 green mana, this generates G every times you repeat this process).
8) use kamahl's first ability to turn all of your opponents' lands into creatures.
9) use the staff to pay GGGG to tap opponent #1's city of brass creature (which does 1 damage to him).
10) pay G to untap the staff.
11) use staff to pay GGG to untap opponent #1's city of brass creature.
12) pay G to untap the staff.
13) repeat steps 9-12 x99 times, killing opponent #1 with his own city of brass.
14) use staff to tap opponent #2's maze of ith (reminder: it was already turned into a creature).
15) pay G to untap staff.
16) repeat steps 14-15 for each remaining opponent.
17) use staff to tap opponent #2's weathered bodyguards.
18) pay G to untap staff.
19) repeat steps 17-18 for each opponent.
20) use staff to untap all your land/creatures.
21) pay 500 green mana into kamahl's ability, giving all your creatures +300/+300.
22) Attaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!
This list is about $800 cheaper than the other one. You could save more money by replacing loyal retainers with resurrection, miraculous recovery or something else.
Before I talk about strategy I just want to say that there are a LOT of great cards that function beautifully in Sisay and I could not put them all in, so I recommend that you use my decklist as a base to work from and I encourage you to make changes based on your own meta and playstyle.
One road to victory with this deck is the following:
1) Make a lot of mana.
2) Put a creature (and maybe an enchantment) into play that ruins your opponents' plans.
3) Drop bombs and beat people up.
Most games can be won by using sisay to tutor for cards that interfere with your opponents such as linvala, keeper of silence, gaddock teeg, or elesh norn, grand cenobite, and while they are dealing with that you smash them with big eldrazi or other creatures.
1) Get kamahl, fist of krosa and gaea's cradle, and a few other lands on the battlefield.
2) Cast staff of domination.
3) Turn gaea's cradle (and maybe a few other lands too) into a creature, then generate infinite mana/life/card draw/ and tapping and untapping of creatures using the cradle and the staff. Then untap your land/creatures, use kamahl to make everything infinitely large and attack people with your lands.
How to pilot the deck
When you mulligan, the first thing to consider is mana. I like to ramp as much as possible as soon as possible. I want to get sisay on the board and tutoring no later than turn 4. I also hope to get something that can give sisay haste (lightning greaves, swiftfoot boots, or thousand-year elixir) and some form of removal.
A common first Sisay target for me is something to interfere with my opponents' game plan. If I sense an immediate threat from creatures (such as ghave, guru of spores or arcum dagsson) I might fetch linvala, keeper of secrets first. If I'm worried about mass removal or other big spells I might grab gaddock teeg first. If there's a lot of artifacts - kataki is a good target.
During the mid-game I should have some mana to play with and once there are no immediate threats to worry about, I will either focus on shutting down people's mana, doing an infinite combo, or I'll start dropping bombs. Ulamog, the infinite gyre is great for getting rid of a threat and is a great beater that is hard to get rid of. Kozilek, butcher of truth is great card draw and aggro. The late-game in my meta often involves a lot of board wipes and exiling creatures. At this point I'm generally tutoring for big creatures like eldrazi, and what's great about those guys is that if they are put into the graveyard, sisay can tutor them up again. That's the funnest part about this deck - after your opponents get rid of one threat you simply tutor for more. If I'm worried about mass-removal, I might put avacyn, angel of hope on for protection and beatdown. If I'm confronted by token armies or low-toughness generals, I love dropping elesh norn, grand cenobite on the battlefield (this card is amazing!).
With all the aggro, tutoring, and combo options, there aren't really any cards that are essential for victory. Unless they are able to exile every combo piece and most of the creatures, this deck will still be tutoring for whatever is left (using sisay, survival of the fittest, or fauna shaman) and putting it on the battlefield.
What about mass-removal and exile effects?
One way to deal with these is to prevent from ever happening by putting gaddock teeg into play. Another way to protect against mass-removal is by casting avacyn, angel of hope. If those plans fall through then sisay is great at rolling with the punches - she is fairly cheap to cast and the deck makes a lot of mana so it is easy to put her back on the board and get her tutoring for more nastiness to crush your opponents with. The fact that sisay is so good at recovering from it can make mass-removal your friend since she generates card advantage and usually recovers faster than your opponents do.
Armageddon and other spells that destroy all lands really hurt because this deck has a lot of cards that put extra lands on the battlefield. Some ways to prevent this involve casting gaddock teeg to prevent these spells or avacyn, angel of hope so your lands survive these spells.
Humility is a card I see from time to time and it must be destroyed as soon as possible. It hurts most players though so I usually encourage one of them to use their resources to kill it before I use my own. Austere command, beast within, oblation, and aura shards are good for this.
Merciless eviction hurts every deck. It is particularly damaging to sisay considering she often relies on avacyn, angel of hope to protect her resources. Fortunately, sisay tends to have plenty of mana to work with so getting her back on the board and tutoring for things usually allows you to recover faster than your opponents do.
Treachery and other effects that can steal sisay can really slow the deck down. Often the deck does well without her using cards such as survival of the fittest, fauna shaman, birthing pod, and greater good for card draw and tutoring for the answers you need. Otherwise you can use spot removal to destroy whatever is enchanting her to get her back in the command zone.
Linvala, keeper of silence shuts down many decks, which is why sisay uses her. With the new legend rule your own linvala can be cloned and used against you. The various forms of spot removal in the deck can be used to stop this, as well as duplicant.
Avacyn, angel of hope protects all your permanents from being destroyed and is a great beater that remains untapped so she can block too. It is amazing that you can get all that from only one card. She also lets you ignore the tabernacle at pendrell vale's upkeep cost which is great, especially if living plane is in play.
Elesh norn, grand cenobite changes everything when she hits the battlefield. Making your own creatures bigger is great, but making your opponents' creatures -2/-2 is amazing! Not only is she fantastic as a stand-alone card, but she combines with kamahl, fist of krosa or living plane to kill your opponents' lands.
Gaddock teeg is a card that often shuts down other decks and forces them to deal with it. His life expectancy is not high but he draws spot removal that I would rather see spent on a 2 cmc gaddock teeg than an 8 cmc avacyn.
kamahl, fist of krosa is great on his own in a deck that produces mana like this one does. Doing a double or triple overrun usually ends the game. He also combines with elesh norn to do G, destroy target land. He can also turn gaea's cradle into a creature which can make infinite life and card draw with staff of domination if there are at least 5 creatures in play (which might be attained by turning other lands into creatures).
kozilek, butcher of truth and ulamog, the infinite gyre are fantastic beatsticks that also have great ETB abilities. And if they end up in the graveyard then they go back in the library for sisay to tutor up again.
Saffi eriksdotter is great as a stand alone card for putting a creature back on the battlefield and re-using their ETB ability if there is one (it is music to the ears to hear my opponents groan when sylvan primordial strikes again). She also has great synergy with reveillark.
Vorinclex, voice of hunger is brutal in edh. This deck loves doubling mana and the ability to keep your opponents' lands tapped for a round, even if it gets killed afterward, slows them down.
Duplicant is great because the fact that he often exiles a big creature and becomes a big creature in return is like casting two cards for the price of one. He's fantastic. He's also a nice target for birthing pod, reveillark, and saffi eriksdotter.
Fauna shaman is survival of the fittest on a stick. My favorite use for her is to discard a high cmc legend creature for loyal retainers, which puts that legend into play.
Knight of the reliquary usually functions as a mana producer. Since the deck often makes each land produce extra mana, tapping a forest or plains then sacking it for a gaea's cradle can give you an insane boost in mana. And if you have living plane in play, you can use him to get gaea's cradle (which will make huge mana but don't forget about the summoning sickness) then the tabernacle at the pendrell vale to shut down your opponents - the cradle pays your entire upkeep so you should be the only one who is not shut down by this.
Loyal retainers is, believe it or not, one of the most powerful creatures in the deck. He works spectacularly well with survival of the fittest and fauna shaman for bringing out big legendary creatures early. He's also a great target for reveillark.
Seedborn muse is outstanding in multiplayer EDH, especially if sisay is on the board. Being able to tutor up another legend card on each player's turn is the kind of card advantage that ends games.
Sylvan primordial is a wrecking machine that is so powerful that players everywhere want to ban him. The fact that he puts more forests into play is great in a deck with mana-doublers like mirari's wake, mana reflection and vorinclex.
Instants and sorceries
Austere command is great if you have avacyn, angel of hope on the board since your stuff will remain. And since this deck often starts by ramping mana instead of casting permanents, it can be a very one-sided board-wipe.
Beast within is considered by many to be the best spot-removal in edh since it is an instant that targets anything. Giving your opponent a vanilla 3/3 creature is usually not significant. In rare cases I have even used it to target my own indestructible permanent to make a blocker to prevent lethal combat damage.
Eladamri's call is extremely powerful in a 100-card singleton format. You might get gaddock teeg to prevent boardwipes and other big spells, saffi eriksdotter to protect creatures, loyal retainers to bring a fallen legendary creature back to the battlefield, etc. Worldly tutor functions similarly as well.
Eternal witness and regrowth are more or less staples in green decks and provided extra utility in the deck.
Skyshroud claim costs more than I normally want to spend for a ramp spell but it can grab dual lands and it put them into play untapped. When mana is doubled with something it is essentially a free spell.
Tithe typically grabs a dual land or two - casting it in response to sacking a fetch land is a nice way to have it fetch 2 lands.
Tooth and nail is a one-card combo that ends games. You might put elesh norn, grand cenobite + kamahl, fist of krosa into play and start destroying lands. Or you might put ulamog and kozilek into play, or avacyn and vorinclex, or any combination thereof.
Enchantments
Aura shards lets you destroy things turn after turn after turn. What more needs to be said?
Greater good provides card draw and can also provide defense against anyone who attempts to take control of or exile your creatures. It is fun to sack an eldrazi, draw cards, then have sisay tutor for it and cast it again.
Mirri's guile is kind of like a sensei's top that doesn't cost any mana. Between it and all the shuffling effects in this deck, you will get much better draws than you would if you drew randomly.
Survival of the fittest is probably the best enchantment in edh. Not only does it let you tutor for the creature you need turn after turn, but it puts into your graveyard the creatures that you want there so they can be brought onto the battlefield with cards like loyal retainers, karmic guide, or reveillark.
Sylvan library is great card draw and considering all the shuffling that this deck does, you are usually looking at three new cards each turn which enables you to have much better draws than you normally would.
Artifacts
Birthing pod is great in a deck like this that has many creatures with ETB abilities. Sacking academy rector and reveillark for something can bring great benefits too.
Mana crypt, mana vault, and sol ring are key players in ensuring that you accelerate in mana ahead of your opponents. They also work well with mana reflection.
Thousand-year elixir gives sisay haste and untaps her to use her ability again. It also gives your lands haste if you have living plane in play.
Lands
Lands Cavern of souls is here to protect a creature (Sisay, usually) from counterspells.
Eiganjo castle can be tutored by sisay in case you need one more W to cast something. It's ability to prevent 2 damage is occasionally useful.
Flagstones of trokair is tutorable white mana that puts a land into play if it dies.
Gaea's cradle is one of the most powerful lands ever printed (personally I'd say tolarian academy is #1), and likely the most powerful land in edh. I have sisay tutor for this all the time. The mana boost from it is amazing, especially if mana reflection is in play.
Hall of the bandit lord comes into play tapped - which I hate - but being able to give sisay or a big eldrazi haste makes it worth it.
Kor haven is usually a surprise to the attacking player and can save you when you need it to. It can be a good land to tutor for against decks like rafiq of the many or the mimeoplasm.
The tabernacle at pendrell vale....is this card for real? This monster can be tutored by sisay and knight of the reliquary and if you have living plane in play it essentially shuts everyone down. Including yourself unless you have gaea's cradle, avacyn, angel of hope, or a mana-doubling enchantment in play. Admittedly, it is far from essential and considering the price tag I am sure that 99% of sisay players will not use it. Still, its pretty amazing.
Yavimaya hollow has a surprisingly useful ability that makes it worth using, despite not being able to produce colored mana.
Horizon canopy creates G or W when you need it and can be sacked for a card when you don't. Very handy.
Mosswort bridge can be amazing or a total dud. Getting 10 power worth of creatures is rarely a problem and yes, you can pay the additional 2 to entwine tooth and nail.
Sigarda, host of herons is a great creature for her cost. Still, a 5/5 flyer is not much aggro and her ability would not be beneficial during most games in my meta. If your playgroup plays with a lot of eldrazi or other cards with sacrifice effects she would most likely be worthwhile however.
Iona, shield of emeria has a significant aggro presence and far more importantly, she can shut down or slow down opposing players. Her casting cost is prohibitive but overall, she probably merits inclusion in the deck. If you can't afford tabernacle at the pendrell vale, she might be a good one to fill that slot.
Sun titan was in the deck for a while and it was pretty good. It was nifty how hard he was to kill with saffi eriksdotter in play but the deck was not able to take advantage of that very well. That combo is amazing with greater good in play but I don't think I was ever able to pull that off. Ultimately, he was a dead draw too many times so I cut him.
Umezawa's jitte is a neat equipment that is tutorable by sisay, but it doesn't do enough for my tastes. When I tutor for stuff with sisay, I expect something that ramps my mana significantly or has a huge impact on the battlefield. Jitte isn't powerful enough in my opinion.
Mindslaver is another artifact that sisay can tutor for. Sometimes it is devastating when you mindslaver someone but I found that often all you could do is tap their stuff. I regretted how weak it was too many times so I cut it.
Asceticism was in the deck for a while and it is powerful but it doesn't protect from boardwipes and it seemed to be a dead draw most of the time. If your meta has a lot of spot removal it might be worth using though.
Defense of the heart was in the deck too for a while. I got tired of it never triggering so I cut it.
- earthcraft (the earthcraft + squirrel nest combo was cute but too hard to execute)
- squirrel nest (the earthcraft + squirrel nest combo was cute but too hard to execute)
- genesis (This was always a dead draw for me and I rarely found its ability useful)
- kodama's reach (decided to switch to cheaper ramp cards)
- cultivate (decided to switch to cheaper ramp cards)
+ three visits (the earlier I can ramp, the better)
+ farseek (the earlier I can ramp, the better)
+ ulamog, the infinite gyr (because beatdown is everything too)
+ kozilek, butcher of truth (because beatdown is everything too)
+ seedborn muse (untapping blockers is good, untapping sisay every turn is even better)
- sun titan (Great card, I like it with retainers and saffi. I might put it back in one day).
- privileged position (I took this out after playing a meta with not much spot removal, but I might put it back in)
- acidic slime (I went with harmonic sliver instead. This deck has other ways to deal with lands).
- iona, shield of emeria (with the new legend rule everyone is cloning legends, and this one hurts me).
- primal command (nice card but a little costly)
- worldly tutor (I rarely ever seemed to use this card)
- sterling grove (This didn't get used much either other than to protect my other enchantments)
+ mirri's guile (a turn 1 play that optimizes your draws is great)
+ harmonic sliver (replaced acidic slime)
+ sylvan primordial (damn this guy is good)
+ bloom tender (because speed is everything)
+ mana reflection (because mana is everything too)
+ nature's revolt (its not as good as living plane but I'll try it)
- nature's revolt (nah, I'll just stick with living plane)
+ Iona, Shield of Emeria. (I probably should have used this all along.)
2014
- sterling grove (This didn't get used much either other than to protect my other enchantments)
+ Unexpectedly Absent. (great removal card)
Sun titan is great with saffi eriksdotter, loyal retainers, and tons of other things that might have been sent to the graveyard, like fetchlands. I tried him for a while before and he didn't do a whole lot. He might deserve another chance though.
Asceticism was cut after it seemed to be a dead draw a bunch of times. Lately I have been playing in a group that is heavy on removal so I'm strongly considering putting it back in.
Defense of the heart is sometimes like a tooth and nail for half the cost. Great card...when it works. I had it in there for a while and it almost never triggered.
crop rotation might be a good addition considering the enormous utility of two of the lands in this deck - cradle and tabernacle.
iona, shield of emeria can shut people down and might deserve a second chance. I hate to see it cloned and used against me with the new legend rules though.
sigarda, host of herons on the other hand has been made stronger by the new legend rule. But I haven't had too many eldrazi knocking down my door so she doesn't seem too useful in my meta.
stoneforge mystic is a card that I haven't playtested yet that I probably should have.
fierce empath is a tutor on a body that might deserve a place in the deck as well, although I don't know what I would take out.
How can your rings double the ability of Loyal Retainers, Academy Rector etc?
Those are not activated abilities.
I suggest to add in Eight and a half Tails to have turorable protection for your general.
Also try to add in Miraris Wake if you have so much Enchantment tutoring in your Deck.
If you want to suck add the Mindslaver,people will hate you if you use it with the Rings.
Knight of the Reliquiary is also a good Creature here for your Rings.
The Rest is pretty solid and well tuned.
What is your meta?
Why aren't you running endless amounts of Armageddon effects?
How vulnerable is your deck to Tormod's Crypt?
Why not more recursion?
In my opinion; Captain Sisay is just too slow now since more mana efficient general like Gaddock Teeg exist which should be ran as a Stax/Land Desturction/Combo deck, but people are too afraid to build that apparently or can't put their minds behind it.
1. Gaddock Teeg can lock them game up against bad players and players with no cheap removal. Pretty effective for a 2 converted mana spell with the ability to beat for 2 every turn.
2. Stax + Permanents to sacrifice to Smokestack effects = Win...Nope, I have yet to see it done with the hundreds of Green/White decks on this site...
@midnightz076: Loyal Retainers is an activated ability, so he is able to rings it and win, I guess.
How can your rings double the ability of Loyal Retainers, Academy Rector etc?
Those are not activated abilities.
Academy Rector is triggered, Loyal Retainers is activated. The portal card doesn't have : in the text, but the oracle text includes it to make it clear.
I suggest to add in Eight and a half Tails to have turorable protection for your general.
Also try to add in Miraris Wake if you have so much Enchantment tutoring in your Deck.
If you want to suck add the Mindslaver,people will hate you if you use it with the Rings.
Knight of the Reliquiary is also a good Creature here for your Rings.
The Rest is pretty solid and well tuned.
Knight of the reliquary is amazing, as are your other suggestions. There's tons of other cards I would want to put in as well but the problem is what to take out. I will consider these though.
What is your meta?
Why aren't you running endless amounts of Armageddon effects?
How vulnerable is your deck to Tormod's Crypt?
Why not more recursion?
1) Aggro mostly.
2) I do have elesh norn + living lands and kamahl. I was considering hokori, dust drinker, largely so I could see my opponents' souls get sucked away when I tooth and nail for hokori and seedless muse, but I think the elesh norn + living lands/kamahl is enough.
3) I don't know, I haven't built it yet. I've never played sisay so I posted the list here in hopes that I'll get some feedback on what changes to make before I trade for/buy the cards. I also don't intend on stocking my graveyard with more than a few creatures so I'm hoping that the deck has enough other options that the graveyard destruction won't affect it much.
4) I have loyal retainers, reya dawnbringer, angelic renewal, regrowth, eternal witness, reveillark, karmic guide, sun titan, and genesis. Feel free to offer suggestions on what else to include and what to take out for it.
you should change threads name ''aggro + combos like you've never seen before!'', its very misguiding because this is just ordinary but well tuned captain sisay.
If anyone wants to complain about the title I'll be happy they bumped the thread.
Yah the the thread title is very misleading considering this strategy has been done to death and there's been two primers about it on these forums.
lol.
Its so sad how these forums are overrun with members that are incapable of posting any useful feedback so they whine about irrelevant details instead. I wonder what the next whining reply will complain about....grammar? Spelling? Lets wait and see.
I checked the primers before making my list and they didn't have living plane (to combo with elesh norn), phyrexian altar, earthcraft, squirrel nest, or melira sylvok outcast or her combo pieces. One of them didn't even have loyal retainers. My decklist has far more combos than the primers and the other 5 or so Sisay decklists I scanned over while designing my list. Therefore, there's nothing wrong with my thread title.
lol.
Its so sad how these forums are overrun with members that are incapable of posting any useful feedback so they whine about irrelevant details instead. I wonder what the next whining reply will complain about....grammar? Spelling? Lets wait and see.
I checked the primers before making my list and they didn't have living plane (to combo with elesh norn), phyrexian altar, earthcraft, squirrel nest, or melira sylvok outcast or her combo pieces. One of them didn't even have loyal retainers. My decklist has far more combos than the primers and the other 5 or so Sisay decklists I scanned over while designing my list. Therefore, there's nothing wrong with my thread title.
Riley's primer includes Living Plane and Loyal Retainers? Claiming to have an original list and being almost a cut and paste, save a few cards, is far from irrelevant.
The date in the title indicates when it was last updated.
There wasn't much in theros or commander 2013 precons that excited me too much. Bow of nylea is a decent, versatile card that is tutorable by sisay. From the commander decks I like unexpected absence and possibly bane of progress.
Due to the insane amount of removal sent my way from my playgroup I think I'll try to find room for iona, shield of emeria as well.
The date in the title indicates when it was last updated.
There wasn't much in theros or commander 2013 precons that excited me too much. Bow of nylea is a decent, versatile card that is tutorable by sisay. From the commander decks I like unexpected absence and possibly bane of progress.
Due to the insane amount of removal sent my way from my playgroup I think I'll try to find room for iona, shield of emeria as well.
I was just scrolling to leave the same comment. Bow of Nylea is multi-utility here. You can fetch it. You can put dead Legends on the bottom of your lib and fetch with Sisay.
Just updated this. I've changed this decklist a lot lately to add lots more ramp and efficiency. I'm focusing more on shutting down my opponents' mana which is getting me targeted more - not just my threats but also my mana sources. Living plane basically shuts people down since it's always followed by elesh norn, tabernacle, or linvala. Some of the cards in the decklist are still being tested.
Excelent deck. You use good alternatives for banned cards in your last decktech. You should use global removals to further explore the ability of Avacyn
Sisay was born in Dominaria and was orphaned at a young age when Phyrexians raided her village. Her family kept the Skyship Weatherlight and she eventually learned how to use it. This ship was part of The Legacy, a collection of artifacts that were capable of killing the leader of the Phyrexians: Yawgmoth. Sisay stood at the helm of The Weatherlight during many battles during the Phyrexian invasion. With the help of Gerrard, Urza, and Karn, they were able to complete The Legacy and defeat Yawgmoth.
According to lore, Sisay was able to rally various legendary creatures to her cause to defeat Yawgmoth. This is reflected by her ability to summon legendary cards from your library and put them in your hand.
The first EDH deck I made was Arcum Dagsson, which is still a favorite of mine. A friend of mine got sick of playing against it (I don't think this happened until about....the first game ha ha) and he told me to make a new deck - preferably something that wasn't blue. When I showed him Sisay he told me that she was a blue general too and that she just happens to have green/white symbols in the corner.
Before building Sisay I studied many other Sisay decklists, considered the strengths and weaknesses of each one, then constructed the best deck I could. Sisay was great when I first built her and with every change to the decklist she has steadily improved. Initially I built this deck to be very combo heavy - I had earthcraft and squirrel nest for infinite squirrels, and rings of brighthearth and basalt monolith for infinite mana and doubling various abilities (like Sisay's, loyal retainers, fetchlands, etc.). I eventually realized that all those combo cards were often dead draws and that the deck would be stronger if I added more ramp and took out redundant combo pieces. I did however put more focus on interactions that prevented my opponents from making mana so in addition to kamahl and elesh norn, I added living plane (a nasty card in conjunction with elesh norn or linvala) and The Tabernacle at the Pendrel Vale (which is tutorable by Sisay and is nasty with living plane).
When avacyn, angel of hope and sylvan primordial were printed they immediately went into the deck, and so did staff of domination when it became unbanned. With every change the deck became stronger and more fun.
Another time I had 5x forests and 1x savannah in play as well as thousand-year elixir. In hand I had vorinclex, voice of hunger and two cards that my opponents just LOVE to see me cast together, living plane and elesh norn, grand cenobite. I was praying for mana, preferably one that could be tapped for white so I could cast elesh. Instead, on my draw step I get a gaea's cradle which was kind of disappointing since I had no creatures in play. Although its interaction with living plane is nice, if I cast living plane then the cradle would have summoning sickness. Before reading further, can you guess what I did? (I mean really, how much can you do with 6 lands and an elixir?).....
.....I casted living plane and laid the cradle and since the cradle was a creature, the 1000-year elixir let me use its ability as though it had haste. I tapped it for 7 green mana, then used the elixir to untap it and use it again, putting 13 in my pool. I used 8 of it to cast vorinclex (leaving 5 floating) then tapped the savannah for WW and casted elesh norn. So with those 6 lands and an elixir I was able to cast living plane, vorinclex, elesh norn, turn my lands into 3/3 creatures, and kill all their lands.
Opponent #1: is at 100 life, he has no cards in hand, yavimaya hollow, city of brass, and peacekeeper in play, all of which are untapped.
Opponent #2: is at 100 life, no cards in hand, untapped maze of ith, and an untapped weathered bodyguards with green ward on it.
Opponent #3: is at 100 life, no cards in hand, untapped maze of ith, and an untapped weathered bodyguards with green ward on it.
Opponent #4: is at 100 life, no cards in hand, untapped maze of ith, and an untapped weathered bodyguards with green ward on it.
Opponent #5: is at 100 life, no cards in hand, untapped maze of ith, and an untapped weathered bodyguards with green ward on it.
Opponent #6: is at 100 life, no cards in hand, untapped maze of ith, and an untapped weathered bodyguards with green ward on it.
So if all you have is kamahl, staff, a cradle, and 3 forests, is it possible to kill 6 people? You can't attack since one person has a peacekeeper and the means to pay its upkeep and regenerate it if necessary. And even if you could attack there is plenty of maze of iths to stop you. And even if you could hit them, they all have pro-green creatures to redirect the damage to. So is it really possible to kill them?
Here's a clue if you need it: (in fact, if you think you know it read this before you check the answer)
If you tap the 3 forests, turning the cradle and two forests into creatures, then your gaea's cradle will be a creature that taps for 4 mana. Unfortunately, this is not enough to go infinite with the staff of domination. At this point you can make 4, use 3 of it to untap the cradle and the remaining 1 to untap the staff again, but you don't actually generate more mana.
But its a start...
Answer
2) tap the cradle for GGGG.
3) use the staff of domination - pay 3 to untap the cradle (since it is a creature). G is floating.
4) pay G to make the last forest a creature (5 creatures total: kamahl & all 4 lands).
5) tap the cradle for GGGGG
6) pay G to untap the staff, then pay GGG to untap cradle, then pay G to untap staff again.
You now have a 1/1 gaea's cradle creature that taps for 5 green mana, and an untapped staff of domination.
7) Make infinite green mana using the cradle and staff (it costs 3 to untap the cradle and 1 to untap staff, so since this costs 4 and the cradle makes 5 green mana, this generates G every times you repeat this process).
8) use kamahl's first ability to turn all of your opponents' lands into creatures.
9) use the staff to pay GGGG to tap opponent #1's city of brass creature (which does 1 damage to him).
10) pay G to untap the staff.
11) use staff to pay GGG to untap opponent #1's city of brass creature.
12) pay G to untap the staff.
13) repeat steps 9-12 x99 times, killing opponent #1 with his own city of brass.
14) use staff to tap opponent #2's maze of ith (reminder: it was already turned into a creature).
15) pay G to untap staff.
16) repeat steps 14-15 for each remaining opponent.
17) use staff to tap opponent #2's weathered bodyguards.
18) pay G to untap staff.
19) repeat steps 17-18 for each opponent.
20) use staff to untap all your land/creatures.
21) pay 500 green mana into kamahl's ability, giving all your creatures +300/+300.
22) Attaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!
1x Captain Sisay
Legendary creatures (10)
1x Avacyn, angel of hope
1x Elesh norn, grand cenobite
1x Gaddock teeg
1x Iona, Shield of Emeria
1x Kamahl, fist of krosa
1x kataki, war's wage
1x Linvala, keeper of silence
1x Mangara of corondor
1x Saffi eriksdotter
1x Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
Other creatures (17)
1x Academy rector
1x Birds of paradise
1x Bloom tender
1x Eternal witness
1x Fauna shaman
1x grand abolisher
1x hokori, dust drinker
1x joraga treespeaker
1x Karmic guide
1x Knight of the reliquary
1x Loyal retainers
1x mother of runes
1x qasali pridemage
1x Sakura-tribe elder
1x Seedborn muse
1x somberwald sage
1x sun titan
Instants and sorceries (18)
1x Beast within
1x Chord of calling
1x council's judgement
1x cultivate
1x Eladamri's call
1x Enlightened tutor
1x Farseek
1x Green sun's zenith
1x Idyllic tutor
1x life from the loam
1x Nature's lore
1x nissa's pilgrimage
1x Regrowth
1x Swords to plowshares
1x Sylvan scrying
1x Three visits
1x Tooth and nail
1x Unexpectedly absent
1x Aura shards
1x Greater good
1x Living plane
1x pattern of rebirth
1x utopia sprawl
1x Survival of the fittest
1x Sylvan library
1x wild growth
Artifacts (11)
1x Birthing pod
1x Lightning greaves
1x Mana crypt
1x Mana vault
1x selesnya signet
1x Sensei's divining top
1x Sol ring
1x Staff of domination
1x Swiftfoot boots
1x talisman of unity
1x Thousand-year elixir
Legendary Lands (9)
1x Eiganjo castle
1x Flagstones of trokair
1x Gaea's cradle
1x gemstone caverns
1x Hall of the bandit lord
1x miren, the moaning well
1x Okina, temple to the grandfathers
1x Pendelhaven
1x The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Lands (26)
1x Ancient tomb
1x Arid mesa
1x Cavern of souls
1x Command tower
1x Flooded strand
5x Forest
1x Horizon canopy
1x Marsh flats
1x Misty rainforest
1x Mosswort bridge
3x Plains
1x Reflecting pool
1x Savannah
1x Strip Mine
1x Sunpetal Grove
1x Temple Garden
1x Verdant catacombs
1x Windswept heath
1x Wooded bastion
1x Wooded foothills
1x Captain Sisay
Legendary creatures (10)
1x Avacyn, angel of hope
1x Elesh norn, grand cenobite
1x Gaddock teeg
1x Iona, shield of emeria
1x Kamahl, fist of krosa
1x Linvala, keeper of silence
1x Mangara of corondor
1x Saffi eriksdotter
1x sigarda, host of herons
1x Vorinclex, voice of hunger
Other creatures (13)
1x Birds of paradise
1x Bloom tender
1x Duplicant
1x Eternal witness
1x Fauna shaman
1x Harmonic sliver
1x Karmic guide
1x Knight of the reliquary
1x Oracle of mul daya
1x Reveillark
1x Sakura-tribe elder
1x Seedborn muse
1x somberwald sage
1x Sylvan primordial
1x terastodon
Instants and sorceries (20)
1x Austere command
1x Beast within
1x Chord of calling
1x Cultivate
1x Eladamri's call
1x Enlightened tutor
1x Farseek
1x Green sun's zenith
1x Idyllic tutor
1x Kodama's reach
1x Nature's lore
1x Oblation
1x Path to exile
1x Regrowth
1x Skyshroud claim
1x Swords to plowshares
1x Sylvan scrying
1x Tithe
1x Tooth and nail
1x Worldly tutor
1x Aura shards
1x Greater good
1x Living plane
1x Mana reflection
1x Mirari's wake
1x Mirri's guile
1x Sterling grove
1x Survival of the fittest
1x Sylvan library
Artifacts (8)
1x Birthing pod
1x Lightning greaves
1x Mana vault
1x Sensei's divining top
1x Sol ring
1x Staff of domination
1x Swiftfoot boots
1x Thousand-year elixir
Legendary Lands (6)
1x Eiganjo castle
1x Flagstones of trokair
1x Hall of the bandit lord
1x Kor haven
1x Pendelhaven
1x Yavimaya hollow
Lands (31)
1x Bant panorama
1x Cavern of souls
1x Command tower
1x Evolving wilds
1x Flooded strand
1x Flood plain
8x Forest
1x Grasslands
1x Horizon canopy
1x Krosan verge
1x Mosswort bridge
1x Naya panorama
6x Plains
1x Reflecting pool
1x Strip Mine
1x Terramorphic expanse
1x Sunpetal Grove
1x Temple Garden
1x Wooded bastion
This list is about $800 cheaper than the other one. You could save more money by replacing loyal retainers with resurrection, miraculous recovery or something else.
Before I talk about strategy I just want to say that there are a LOT of great cards that function beautifully in Sisay and I could not put them all in, so I recommend that you use my decklist as a base to work from and I encourage you to make changes based on your own meta and playstyle.
One road to victory with this deck is the following:
1) Make a lot of mana.
2) Put a creature (and maybe an enchantment) into play that ruins your opponents' plans.
3) Drop bombs and beat people up.
Most games can be won by using sisay to tutor for cards that interfere with your opponents such as linvala, keeper of silence, gaddock teeg, or elesh norn, grand cenobite, and while they are dealing with that you smash them with big eldrazi or other creatures.
Another way to crush your opponents is to take away their ability to produce mana. There are a few ways to do this:
Elesh norn, grand cenobite + kamahl, fist of krosa = G, destroy target land.
Elesh norn, grand cenobite + living plane = all their lands are dead.
linvala, keeper of silence + living plane = their lands can't tap for mana.
the tabernacle at pendrell vale + living plane = their lands will tap to save themselves.
*Note: if you have avacyn, angel of hope and tabernacle in play, your lands are indestructible so you don't have to pay the upkeep.
Lately my favorite way to end the game is this:
1) Get kamahl, fist of krosa and gaea's cradle, and a few other lands on the battlefield.
2) Cast staff of domination.
3) Turn gaea's cradle (and maybe a few other lands too) into a creature, then generate infinite mana/life/card draw/ and tapping and untapping of creatures using the cradle and the staff. Then untap your land/creatures, use kamahl to make everything infinitely large and attack people with your lands.
How to pilot the deck
When you mulligan, the first thing to consider is mana. I like to ramp as much as possible as soon as possible. I want to get sisay on the board and tutoring no later than turn 4. I also hope to get something that can give sisay haste (lightning greaves, swiftfoot boots, or thousand-year elixir) and some form of removal.
A common first Sisay target for me is something to interfere with my opponents' game plan. If I sense an immediate threat from creatures (such as ghave, guru of spores or arcum dagsson) I might fetch linvala, keeper of secrets first. If I'm worried about mass removal or other big spells I might grab gaddock teeg first. If there's a lot of artifacts - kataki is a good target.
During the mid-game I should have some mana to play with and once there are no immediate threats to worry about, I will either focus on shutting down people's mana, doing an infinite combo, or I'll start dropping bombs. Ulamog, the infinite gyre is great for getting rid of a threat and is a great beater that is hard to get rid of. Kozilek, butcher of truth is great card draw and aggro. The late-game in my meta often involves a lot of board wipes and exiling creatures. At this point I'm generally tutoring for big creatures like eldrazi, and what's great about those guys is that if they are put into the graveyard, sisay can tutor them up again. That's the funnest part about this deck - after your opponents get rid of one threat you simply tutor for more. If I'm worried about mass-removal, I might put avacyn, angel of hope on for protection and beatdown. If I'm confronted by token armies or low-toughness generals, I love dropping elesh norn, grand cenobite on the battlefield (this card is amazing!).
With all the aggro, tutoring, and combo options, there aren't really any cards that are essential for victory. Unless they are able to exile every combo piece and most of the creatures, this deck will still be tutoring for whatever is left (using sisay, survival of the fittest, or fauna shaman) and putting it on the battlefield.
*Note: The fastest way to get big legendary creatures on the board (such as elesh norn, avacyn angel of hope, or vorinclex, voice of hunger) is usually with survival of the fittest. You discard the legend for loyal retainers, then sack the retainers to put it into play.
What about mass-removal and exile effects?
One way to deal with these is to prevent from ever happening by putting gaddock teeg into play. Another way to protect against mass-removal is by casting avacyn, angel of hope. If those plans fall through then sisay is great at rolling with the punches - she is fairly cheap to cast and the deck makes a lot of mana so it is easy to put her back on the board and get her tutoring for more nastiness to crush your opponents with. The fact that sisay is so good at recovering from it can make mass-removal your friend since she generates card advantage and usually recovers faster than your opponents do.
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Humility is a card I see from time to time and it must be destroyed as soon as possible. It hurts most players though so I usually encourage one of them to use their resources to kill it before I use my own. Austere command, beast within, oblation, and aura shards are good for this.
Merciless eviction hurts every deck. It is particularly damaging to sisay considering she often relies on avacyn, angel of hope to protect her resources. Fortunately, sisay tends to have plenty of mana to work with so getting her back on the board and tutoring for things usually allows you to recover faster than your opponents do.
Stranglehold is a card that should be destroyed on sight. It is another card that hurts most players so it is tactical to encourage one of them to use their resources to kill it before you use your own.
harmonic sliver, ulamog, the infinite gyre, austere command, beast within, oblation, and aura shards are good for this.
Treachery and other effects that can steal sisay can really slow the deck down. Often the deck does well without her using cards such as survival of the fittest, fauna shaman, birthing pod, and greater good for card draw and tutoring for the answers you need. Otherwise you can use spot removal to destroy whatever is enchanting her to get her back in the command zone.
Linvala, keeper of silence shuts down many decks, which is why sisay uses her. With the new legend rule your own linvala can be cloned and used against you. The various forms of spot removal in the deck can be used to stop this, as well as duplicant.
Creatures
Avacyn, angel of hope protects all your permanents from being destroyed and is a great beater that remains untapped so she can block too. It is amazing that you can get all that from only one card. She also lets you ignore the tabernacle at pendrell vale's upkeep cost which is great, especially if living plane is in play.
Elesh norn, grand cenobite changes everything when she hits the battlefield. Making your own creatures bigger is great, but making your opponents' creatures -2/-2 is amazing! Not only is she fantastic as a stand-alone card, but she combines with kamahl, fist of krosa or living plane to kill your opponents' lands.
Gaddock teeg is a card that often shuts down other decks and forces them to deal with it. His life expectancy is not high but he draws spot removal that I would rather see spent on a 2 cmc gaddock teeg than an 8 cmc avacyn.
kamahl, fist of krosa is great on his own in a deck that produces mana like this one does. Doing a double or triple overrun usually ends the game. He also combines with elesh norn to do G, destroy target land. He can also turn gaea's cradle into a creature which can make infinite life and card draw with staff of domination if there are at least 5 creatures in play (which might be attained by turning other lands into creatures).
kozilek, butcher of truth and ulamog, the infinite gyre are fantastic beatsticks that also have great ETB abilities. And if they end up in the graveyard then they go back in the library for sisay to tutor up again.
Linvala, keeper of silence is great as a stand-alone card for shutting down other people's generals such as azami, lady of scrolls, ghave, guru of spores, arcum dagsson, or either niv-mizzet. It also combines with living plane to make: your opponents' lands are useless 1/1 creatures.
mangara of corondor is great removal that is tutorable by sisay. He has saved my butt countless times. I often put my lightning greaves or swiftfoot boots on him to use him the turn he enters play.
Saffi eriksdotter is great as a stand alone card for putting a creature back on the battlefield and re-using their ETB ability if there is one (it is music to the ears to hear my opponents groan when sylvan primordial strikes again). She also has great synergy with reveillark.
Vorinclex, voice of hunger is brutal in edh. This deck loves doubling mana and the ability to keep your opponents' lands tapped for a round, even if it gets killed afterward, slows them down.
Other creatures
Academy rector is outstanding in this deck which has so many outstanding enchantments (survival of the fittest, aura shards, mana reflection, and living plane). If rector is on the battlefield you're almost guaranteed that no ground creatures will attack you. I love sacking her to birthing pod for karmic guide or seedborn muse.
Birds of paradise and bloom tender can provide an early mana boost, and they become more significant later on if mana reflection is in play.
Duplicant is great because the fact that he often exiles a big creature and becomes a big creature in return is like casting two cards for the price of one. He's fantastic. He's also a nice target for birthing pod, reveillark, and saffi eriksdotter.
Fauna shaman is survival of the fittest on a stick. My favorite use for her is to discard a high cmc legend creature for loyal retainers, which puts that legend into play.
Karmic guide works nice with birthing pod and works great with survival of the fittest and fauna shaman. It is also a great target for reveillark.
Knight of the reliquary usually functions as a mana producer. Since the deck often makes each land produce extra mana, tapping a forest or plains then sacking it for a gaea's cradle can give you an insane boost in mana. And if you have living plane in play, you can use him to get gaea's cradle (which will make huge mana but don't forget about the summoning sickness) then the tabernacle at the pendrell vale to shut down your opponents - the cradle pays your entire upkeep so you should be the only one who is not shut down by this.
Loyal retainers is, believe it or not, one of the most powerful creatures in the deck. He works spectacularly well with survival of the fittest and fauna shaman for bringing out big legendary creatures early. He's also a great target for reveillark.
Oracle of mul daya provides a nice mana boost and card advantage. If the top card isn't a land you can change it every time you use sisay, survival of the fittest, birthing pod, a fetch land, etc.
Reveillark is here for one reason and one reason only - to bring stuff out from the graveyard. She is great with saffi eriksdotter and has many targets: loyal retainers, karmic guide, duplicant, seedborn muse, gaddock teeg, etc.
Seedborn muse is outstanding in multiplayer EDH, especially if sisay is on the board. Being able to tutor up another legend card on each player's turn is the kind of card advantage that ends games.
Sylvan primordial is a wrecking machine that is so powerful that players everywhere want to ban him. The fact that he puts more forests into play is great in a deck with mana-doublers like mirari's wake, mana reflection and vorinclex.
Instants and sorceries
Beast within is considered by many to be the best spot-removal in edh since it is an instant that targets anything. Giving your opponent a vanilla 3/3 creature is usually not significant. In rare cases I have even used it to target my own indestructible permanent to make a blocker to prevent lethal combat damage.
Chord of calling and green sun's zenith might fetch a mana creature early on or something huge in the late-game.
Eladamri's call is extremely powerful in a 100-card singleton format. You might get gaddock teeg to prevent boardwipes and other big spells, saffi eriksdotter to protect creatures, loyal retainers to bring a fallen legendary creature back to the battlefield, etc. Worldly tutor functions similarly as well.
Eternal witness and regrowth are more or less staples in green decks and provided extra utility in the deck.
Farseek, nature's lore and three visits all provide a turn 2 mana boost that puts a savannah or temple garden into play.
Idyllic tutor might be used for a mirari's wake or mana reflection, but more often I tutor for survival of the fittest or living plane.
Oblation and swords to plowshares are great spot removal, especially for indestructible creatures.
Skyshroud claim costs more than I normally want to spend for a ramp spell but it can grab dual lands and it put them into play untapped. When mana is doubled with something it is essentially a free spell.
Sylvan scrying is great in a deck that has lands that are as powerful as gaea's cradle and the tabernacle at pendrell vale.
Tithe typically grabs a dual land or two - casting it in response to sacking a fetch land is a nice way to have it fetch 2 lands.
Tooth and nail is a one-card combo that ends games. You might put elesh norn, grand cenobite + kamahl, fist of krosa into play and start destroying lands. Or you might put ulamog and kozilek into play, or avacyn and vorinclex, or any combination thereof.
Enchantments
Greater good provides card draw and can also provide defense against anyone who attempts to take control of or exile your creatures. It is fun to sack an eldrazi, draw cards, then have sisay tutor for it and cast it again.
Living plane is my favorite enchantment in this deck, and considering the destructive power of aura shards and the raw power of survival of the fittest, that's saying something. Living plane gives your opponents' lands summoning sickness but its real power comes by shutting down their ability to create mana entirely:
living plane + linvala, keeper of secrets = their lands are useless 1/1 creatures.
living plane + elesh norn, grand cenobite = their lands are dead.
living plane + the tabernacle at pendrell vale = their lands will be tapped every turn to save their lands and other creatures (*note: you'll want to have a gaea's cradle or avacyn, angel of hope so that you aren't tapped out as well).
Another unusual use for it is living plane + gaea's cradle + staff of domination = infinite life, mana, and card draw.
Mana reflection and mirari's wake lets you make the most out of your lands. Mana reflection is even better with gaea's cradle and doubles other mana producers such as sol ring, mana crypt, mana vault, birds of paradise, and bloom tender.
Mirri's guile is kind of like a sensei's top that doesn't cost any mana. Between it and all the shuffling effects in this deck, you will get much better draws than you would if you drew randomly.
Sterling grove protects your enchantments or tutors for one. I usually tutor for living plane or survival of the fittest.
Survival of the fittest is probably the best enchantment in edh. Not only does it let you tutor for the creature you need turn after turn, but it puts into your graveyard the creatures that you want there so they can be brought onto the battlefield with cards like loyal retainers, karmic guide, or reveillark.
Sylvan library is great card draw and considering all the shuffling that this deck does, you are usually looking at three new cards each turn which enables you to have much better draws than you normally would.
Artifacts
Lightning greaves and swiftfoot boots are sisay's favorite footwear, and for obvious reasons.
Mana crypt, mana vault, and sol ring are key players in ensuring that you accelerate in mana ahead of your opponents. They also work well with mana reflection.
Staff of domination is great as a stand-alone card, and often gives me an extra card or two each turn later on in the game. There are some combos that can be done with it as well:
staff of domination + gaea's cradle + living plane + 4 lands = infinite life/cards.
staff of domination + gaea's cradle + mana reflection + 2 lands = infinite life/cards.
Thousand-year elixir gives sisay haste and untaps her to use her ability again. It also gives your lands haste if you have living plane in play.
Lands
Cavern of souls is here to protect a creature (Sisay, usually) from counterspells.
Eiganjo castle can be tutored by sisay in case you need one more W to cast something. It's ability to prevent 2 damage is occasionally useful.
Flagstones of trokair is tutorable white mana that puts a land into play if it dies.
Gaea's cradle is one of the most powerful lands ever printed (personally I'd say tolarian academy is #1), and likely the most powerful land in edh. I have sisay tutor for this all the time. The mana boost from it is amazing, especially if mana reflection is in play.
Hall of the bandit lord comes into play tapped - which I hate - but being able to give sisay or a big eldrazi haste makes it worth it.
Kor haven is usually a surprise to the attacking player and can save you when you need it to. It can be a good land to tutor for against decks like rafiq of the many or the mimeoplasm.
The tabernacle at pendrell vale....is this card for real? This monster can be tutored by sisay and knight of the reliquary and if you have living plane in play it essentially shuts everyone down. Including yourself unless you have gaea's cradle, avacyn, angel of hope, or a mana-doubling enchantment in play. Admittedly, it is far from essential and considering the price tag I am sure that 99% of sisay players will not use it. Still, its pretty amazing.
Yavimaya hollow has a surprisingly useful ability that makes it worth using, despite not being able to produce colored mana.
Arid mesa, flooded strand, marsh flats, misty rainforest, verdant catacombs, windswept heath, and wooded foothills are all great at finding your dual lands (savannah and temple garden), thinning out your library, and shuffling the library for cards that interact with what's on top, but they are far from necessary in this deck. Feel free to use cheaper alternatives.
Horizon canopy creates G or W when you need it and can be sacked for a card when you don't. Very handy.
Mosswort bridge can be amazing or a total dud. Getting 10 power worth of creatures is rarely a problem and yes, you can pay the additional 2 to entwine tooth and nail.
Sigarda, host of herons is a great creature for her cost. Still, a 5/5 flyer is not much aggro and her ability would not be beneficial during most games in my meta. If your playgroup plays with a lot of eldrazi or other cards with sacrifice effects she would most likely be worthwhile however.
Iona, shield of emeria has a significant aggro presence and far more importantly, she can shut down or slow down opposing players. Her casting cost is prohibitive but overall, she probably merits inclusion in the deck. If you can't afford tabernacle at the pendrell vale, she might be a good one to fill that slot.
Sun titan was in the deck for a while and it was pretty good. It was nifty how hard he was to kill with saffi eriksdotter in play but the deck was not able to take advantage of that very well. That combo is amazing with greater good in play but I don't think I was ever able to pull that off. Ultimately, he was a dead draw too many times so I cut him.
Umezawa's jitte is a neat equipment that is tutorable by sisay, but it doesn't do enough for my tastes. When I tutor for stuff with sisay, I expect something that ramps my mana significantly or has a huge impact on the battlefield. Jitte isn't powerful enough in my opinion.
Mindslaver is another artifact that sisay can tutor for. Sometimes it is devastating when you mindslaver someone but I found that often all you could do is tap their stuff. I regretted how weak it was too many times so I cut it.
Asceticism was in the deck for a while and it is powerful but it doesn't protect from boardwipes and it seemed to be a dead draw most of the time. If your meta has a lot of spot removal it might be worth using though.
Defense of the heart was in the deck too for a while. I got tired of it never triggering so I cut it.
staff of domination + gaea's cradle + 4 lands + living plane = infinite mana/life/cards
staff of domination + gaea's cradle + 2 lands + living plane + mana reflection = infinite mana/life/cards
living plane + linvala, keeper of secrets = their lands are useless 1/1 creatures.
living plane + elesh norn, grand cenobite = their lands are dead.
living plane + the tabernacle at pendrell vale = their lands will be tapped every turn to save their lands and other creatures
living plane + gaea's cradle + staff of domination + 4 lands or creatures = infinite mana/life/cards.
kamahl, fist of krosa + gaea's cradle + 3 other creatures + staff of domination = infinite mana/life/cards.
kamahl, fist of krosa + elesh norn, grand cenobite = G, destroy target land.
- earthcraft (the earthcraft + squirrel nest combo was cute but too hard to execute)
- squirrel nest (the earthcraft + squirrel nest combo was cute but too hard to execute)
- genesis (This was always a dead draw for me and I rarely found its ability useful)
- kodama's reach (decided to switch to cheaper ramp cards)
- cultivate (decided to switch to cheaper ramp cards)
+ three visits (the earlier I can ramp, the better)
+ farseek (the earlier I can ramp, the better)
+ ulamog, the infinite gyr (because beatdown is everything too)
+ kozilek, butcher of truth (because beatdown is everything too)
+ seedborn muse (untapping blockers is good, untapping sisay every turn is even better)
- rings of brighthearth (the rings + basalt monolith combo was cute but too hard to execute)
- basalt monolith (the rings + monolith combo was cute but too hard to execute)
- hokori, dust drinker (great with seedborn muse but this combo seldom happened)
- asceticism (I cut this for privileged position)
- mirror entity (the reveillark/karmic guide/saffi eriksdotter combo is neat but pretty hard to pull off).
- defense of the heart (I played this lots and it never went off so I gave up on it).
- genesis wave (this is a great card but I'd rather spend my mana on something else).
+ mana crypt (because speed is everything)
+ mana vault (because speed is everything)
+ gaddock teeg (to stop the boardwipes and big spells)
+ privileged position (I cut asceticism for this)
+ austere command (blowing stuff up is fun).
+ mirari's wake (making mana is fun too)
+ living plane (oh my god where has this card been all my life!)
- sun titan (Great card, I like it with retainers and saffi. I might put it back in one day).
- privileged position (I took this out after playing a meta with not much spot removal, but I might put it back in)
- acidic slime (I went with harmonic sliver instead. This deck has other ways to deal with lands).
- iona, shield of emeria (with the new legend rule everyone is cloning legends, and this one hurts me).
- primal command (nice card but a little costly)
- worldly tutor (I rarely ever seemed to use this card)
- sterling grove (This didn't get used much either other than to protect my other enchantments)
+ mirri's guile (a turn 1 play that optimizes your draws is great)
+ harmonic sliver (replaced acidic slime)
+ sylvan primordial (damn this guy is good)
+ bloom tender (because speed is everything)
+ mana reflection (because mana is everything too)
+ nature's revolt (its not as good as living plane but I'll try it)
- nature's revolt (nah, I'll just stick with living plane)
+ Iona, Shield of Emeria. (I probably should have used this all along.)
- sterling grove (This didn't get used much either other than to protect my other enchantments)
+ Unexpectedly Absent. (great removal card)
- dragonlord dromoka
+ ulamog, the ceaseless hunger
Sun titan is great with saffi eriksdotter, loyal retainers, and tons of other things that might have been sent to the graveyard, like fetchlands. I tried him for a while before and he didn't do a whole lot. He might deserve another chance though.
Asceticism was cut after it seemed to be a dead draw a bunch of times. Lately I have been playing in a group that is heavy on removal so I'm strongly considering putting it back in.
Defense of the heart is sometimes like a tooth and nail for half the cost. Great card...when it works. I had it in there for a while and it almost never triggered.
crop rotation might be a good addition considering the enormous utility of two of the lands in this deck - cradle and tabernacle.
iona, shield of emeria can shut people down and might deserve a second chance. I hate to see it cloned and used against me with the new legend rules though.
sigarda, host of herons on the other hand has been made stronger by the new legend rule. But I haven't had too many eldrazi knocking down my door so she doesn't seem too useful in my meta.
stoneforge mystic is a card that I haven't playtested yet that I probably should have.
fierce empath is a tutor on a body that might deserve a place in the deck as well, although I don't know what I would take out.
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All input is welcome!
My sexy UU my Arcum Dagsson deck UU thread.
My sweet GWGW Captain Sisay GWGW thread.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
Those are not activated abilities.
I suggest to add in Eight and a half Tails to have turorable protection for your general.
Also try to add in Miraris Wake if you have so much Enchantment tutoring in your Deck.
If you want to suck add the Mindslaver,people will hate you if you use it with the Rings.
Knight of the Reliquiary is also a good Creature here for your Rings.
The Rest is pretty solid and well tuned.
Why aren't you running endless amounts of Armageddon effects?
How vulnerable is your deck to Tormod's Crypt?
Why not more recursion?
In my opinion; Captain Sisay is just too slow now since more mana efficient general like Gaddock Teeg exist which should be ran as a Stax/Land Desturction/Combo deck, but people are too afraid to build that apparently or can't put their minds behind it.
1. Gaddock Teeg can lock them game up against bad players and players with no cheap removal. Pretty effective for a 2 converted mana spell with the ability to beat for 2 every turn.
2. Stax + Permanents to sacrifice to Smokestack effects = Win...Nope, I have yet to see it done with the hundreds of Green/White decks on this site...
@midnightz076: Loyal Retainers is an activated ability, so he is able to rings it and win, I guess.
EDH
BWG Doran Suicide Tempo BWG
BUW Sharuum Midrange Control BUW
Academy Rector is triggered, Loyal Retainers is activated. The portal card doesn't have : in the text, but the oracle text includes it to make it clear.
Knight of the reliquary is amazing, as are your other suggestions. There's tons of other cards I would want to put in as well but the problem is what to take out. I will consider these though.
1) Aggro mostly.
2) I do have elesh norn + living lands and kamahl. I was considering hokori, dust drinker, largely so I could see my opponents' souls get sucked away when I tooth and nail for hokori and seedless muse, but I think the elesh norn + living lands/kamahl is enough.
3) I don't know, I haven't built it yet. I've never played sisay so I posted the list here in hopes that I'll get some feedback on what changes to make before I trade for/buy the cards. I also don't intend on stocking my graveyard with more than a few creatures so I'm hoping that the deck has enough other options that the graveyard destruction won't affect it much.
4) I have loyal retainers, reya dawnbringer, angelic renewal, regrowth, eternal witness, reveillark, karmic guide, sun titan, and genesis. Feel free to offer suggestions on what else to include and what to take out for it.
If anyone wants to complain about the title I'll be happy they bumped the thread.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
Its so sad how these forums are overrun with members that are incapable of posting any useful feedback so they whine about irrelevant details instead. I wonder what the next whining reply will complain about....grammar? Spelling? Lets wait and see.
I checked the primers before making my list and they didn't have living plane (to combo with elesh norn), phyrexian altar, earthcraft, squirrel nest, or melira sylvok outcast or her combo pieces. One of them didn't even have loyal retainers. My decklist has far more combos than the primers and the other 5 or so Sisay decklists I scanned over while designing my list. Therefore, there's nothing wrong with my thread title.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
Riley's primer includes Living Plane and Loyal Retainers? Claiming to have an original list and being almost a cut and paste, save a few cards, is far from irrelevant.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
I buy HP and Damaged cards!
Only EDH:
Sigarda, Host of Herons: Enchantress' Enchantments
Jenara, Asura of War: ETB Value Town
Purphoros, God of the Forge: Global Punishment
Xenagos, God of Revels: Ramp, Sneak, & Heavy Hitters
Ghave, Guru of Spores: Dies_to_Doom_Blade's stax list
Edric, Spymaster of Trest: Donald's list
The date in the title indicates when it was last updated.
There wasn't much in theros or commander 2013 precons that excited me too much. Bow of nylea is a decent, versatile card that is tutorable by sisay. From the commander decks I like unexpected absence and possibly bane of progress.
Due to the insane amount of removal sent my way from my playgroup I think I'll try to find room for iona, shield of emeria as well.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
Grand Arbiter
Omnath
Skittles
I was just scrolling to leave the same comment. Bow of Nylea is multi-utility here. You can fetch it. You can put dead Legends on the bottom of your lib and fetch with Sisay.
And if youre to play huge creatures - Elvish Piper or Quicksilver Amulet may be an answer.
Modern - Bogle, Infect (hey, i'm new!)
EDH - Prime Speaker Zegana, Reaper King
Standard - MBD, G/b Devotion, Blue Devotion, Boros Burn, BG Dredge, W/G Aggro, Dimir Heroic
ENCHANTMENT AGGRO!
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.