Because he's the perfect general to protect combos, as only a few spells can "counter" his "countering" ability. Admittedly, this isn't really the deck for heavy interactions with friends, so don't try to build it if you're looking for fun combat tricks and wins via general damage. This Ertai list is for people who want to think and practice the slow game. So yes, this is for you if you're that boring type of player like me that everybody else hates.
HOW TO PLAY THE DECK:
Essentially, the deck aims to combo out with any of the following card interactions:
Guile + Dovescape
With Dovescape in play, any player who plays a spell will get their spell countered. However, due to Guile's replacement ability, you'll end up as the controller of the spell and only you can get the 1/1 tokens.
Enduring Renewal + Blood Pet + Bitter Ordeal
Alternately, you can also combo off with these three cards. You can keep replaying Blood Pet for infinite and gravestorm all the way with Bitter Ordeal.
Time Warp + Mnemonic Wall + Capsize
Another combo in the deck, although unintentional, involves these three cards. Once you've set up enough mana (potentially through Cabal Coffers + Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth), you get to have infinite turns, which is essentially GG.
That's six combos all in all. Protecting any one of these combos is where Ertai comes in. The deck runs only a few amount of creatures for Ertai to eat, although Reassembling Skeleton and the other "food" critters are very good at constantly feeding Ertai's ability. The deck also runs a number of lands (Kjeldoran Outpost, Urza's Factory, etc) that produce tokens to fuel Ertai and act as blockers. It's also important to note that in this list, you're not really supposed to rush Ertai into play immediately and try to counter everything. This is not the deck for that.
While setting up, your opponents may eventually realize what you're trying to do, and they'll all most likely start to look your way. Here's where the moat effects come in. Cards like Peacekeeper, Island Sanctuary, Propaganda, and Ghostly Prison make it difficult (if not impossible) for aggressive decks to smite you. Make sure you don't drop them all at once to avoid losing all of them from a single Oblivion Stone or Austere Command.
ALTERNATE WAYS TO WIN:
If they're on to you, it's time to find other, more conventional ways to win.
The deck also runs Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre. In my gaming circle, people tend to have a lot of answers to different types of decks (RFG effects, heavy counters, silver bullets against known combos) and there is that offchance where key combo pieces get taken out. In such instances, Ulamog can win games quickly for you. Just be sure to protect it from effects like Path to Exile, Swords to Plowshares, Crib Swap, Unmake, and the like. Clone and Phyrexian Metamorph can also copy your opponents' big creatures should you need other ways to win. Evasive manlands like Celestial Colonnade and Creeping Tar Pit can also help you sneak in more damage for the win.
And there you have it. Sleeve it up and try it out for yourself. You're more than welcome to tweak the combos out a bit to your liking. As long as you have the main protective shell to guard your combo, you're good to go.
Thank you for reading through everything. Comments and suggestions are more than welcome. Cheerio
"Some of the other guys dared me to go out, but I knew it weren't no ordinary giant giga-blasting blaze of unending flames that would scorch the whole world."
—Norin the Wary
I ran Bloodghast, Nether Traitor and Nether Shadow before, but given that Ertai only comes out to protect the combos, I needed something that kind of had some semblance of power (3/2) for the occasional combat situations. Also, two out of the three creatures mentioned can't block. The small number of creatures in the deck also make it difficult to return Nether Shadow/Traitor. So I guess the answer for me is NO, they're not really better options for the deck. What I'm thinking is swapping it with Epochrasite. Thoughts?
What would you take out for Bitterblossom? I used to run it in an old, old list, but I just borrowed the card from a friend. And I can't really support a token win, so the card will primarily be for defense. What if I play Phyrexian Processor/Riptide Replicator instead? At least I can beat down.
Ertai's role here isn't to come out early and counter everything, just so we're all clear. Thanks for the comments.
If you're doing a combo deck then you don't need to worry about combat, you need to worry about getting your combo online as fast as possible. As such, the undying fiend has two strikes against him. I mean, seriously he hinders your draws. Replace him with bitterblossom and you'll be much better off.
Also, you're running Sadistic Hypnotist. You NEED bloodghast and bitterblossom in your deck to use him to his fullest. It's also a no brainer since you've got clamp in the list as well.
"Some of the other guys dared me to go out, but I knew it weren't no ordinary giant giga-blasting blaze of unending flames that would scorch the whole world."
—Norin the Wary
I get your point, and I can stick a Bitterblossom in there. I think I'll go with that and either a Phyrexian Processor or a Riptide Replicator. Thanks again.
Because you'll never get to use it in any other list (well maybe hanna list with claws of gix)
While I understand your take on the list, a tuned Ertai list can be extremely brutal. In my experience playing Ertai, I usually just used Yosei, the Morning Star and Mimic Vat to lock my opponent out of the game. You technically have to counter your own spells, but who cares when they're eating a 5 to the face every turn.
I don't know your budget constraints, so I'll wait before recommending anything expensive like planeswalkers, but assuming you have the dough, I have a lot to recommend.
Because you'll never get to use it in any other list (well maybe hanna list with claws of gix)
While I understand your take on the list, a tuned Ertai list can be extremely brutal. In my experience playing Ertai, I usually just used Yosei, the Morning Star and Mimic Vat to lock my opponent out of the game. You technically have to counter your own spells, but who cares when they're eating a 5 to the face every turn.
I don't know your budget constraints, so I'll wait before recommending anything expensive like planeswalkers, but assuming you have the dough, I have a lot to recommend.
That would be brutal for 1v1 EDH. However, I almost exclusively play multiplayer. And it would be difficult for an opponent to cast a spell when they're locked out of mana, so you'll need other sac outlets. Used to do similar tricks with my Ghost Council of Orzhova deck, though.
I've used Hatching Plans in my old Ertai list, which was essentially control and just beat down with flying fatties. Big card there was actually Enchanted Evening.
DECK EDITED. Primer now includes "latest changes".
"Trust me, this new shampoo makes your hair smell like coconuts"
Ertai, the Corrupted
Because he's the perfect general to protect combos, as only a few spells can "counter" his "countering" ability. Admittedly, this isn't really the deck for heavy interactions with friends, so don't try to build it if you're looking for fun combat tricks and wins via general damage. This Ertai list is for people who want to think and practice the slow game. So yes, this is for you if you're that boring type of player like me that everybody else hates.
Essentially, the deck aims to combo out with any of the following card interactions:
With Dovescape in play, any player who plays a spell will get their spell countered. However, due to Guile's replacement ability, you'll end up as the controller of the spell and only you can get the 1/1 tokens.
Reveillark + Karmic Guide + Carrion Feeder (or any other sac outlet)
There are a number of combos in the deck for these three cards, including:
1. Blood Pet + Exsanguinate = infinite mana/kill spell.
2. Highway Robber = infinite life loss for opponents.
3. Bitter Ordeal = infinite gravestorm.
Enduring Renewal + Blood Pet + Bitter Ordeal
Alternately, you can also combo off with these three cards. You can keep replaying Blood Pet for infinite and gravestorm all the way with Bitter Ordeal.
Time Warp + Mnemonic Wall + Capsize
Another combo in the deck, although unintentional, involves these three cards. Once you've set up enough mana (potentially through Cabal Coffers + Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth), you get to have infinite turns, which is essentially GG.
That's six combos all in all. Protecting any one of these combos is where Ertai comes in. The deck runs only a few amount of creatures for Ertai to eat, although Reassembling Skeleton and the other "food" critters are very good at constantly feeding Ertai's ability. The deck also runs a number of lands (Kjeldoran Outpost, Urza's Factory, etc) that produce tokens to fuel Ertai and act as blockers. It's also important to note that in this list, you're not really supposed to rush Ertai into play immediately and try to counter everything. This is not the deck for that.
While setting up, your opponents may eventually realize what you're trying to do, and they'll all most likely start to look your way. Here's where the moat effects come in. Cards like Peacekeeper, Island Sanctuary, Propaganda, and Ghostly Prison make it difficult (if not impossible) for aggressive decks to smite you. Make sure you don't drop them all at once to avoid losing all of them from a single Oblivion Stone or Austere Command.
If they're on to you, it's time to find other, more conventional ways to win.
And now, the decklist:
1 Ertai, the Corrupted
COMBO PIECES:
1 Guile
1 Dovescape
1 Reveillark
1 Karmic Guide
1 Highway Robber
1 Blood Pet
1 Enduring Renewal
1 Bitter Ordeal
1 Exsanguinate
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Sadistic Hypnotist
1 Viscera Seer
1 Dimir House Guard
ERTAI'S TOYS
1 Thousand-Year Elixir
1 Lightning Greaves
ERTAI'S FOOD:
1 Reassembling Skeleton
1 Phyrexian Processor
1 Epochrasite
1 Bitterblossom
MOAT EFFECTS:
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Windborn Muse
1 Island Sanctuary
1 Peacekeeper
1 Propaganda
REMOVAL:
1 Wrath of God
1 Day of Judgement
1 Phyrexian Rebirth
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Mortify
1 Return to Dust
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Increasing Ambition
1 Buried Alive
PERMISSION/BOUNCE:
1 Cryptic Command
1 Counterspell
1 Arcane Denial
1 Forbid
1 Dissipate
1 Negate
1 Draining Whelk
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Capsize
DRAW/LIBRARY MANIPULATION:
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Bloodgift Demon
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Skullclamp
MANA ARTIFACTS:
1 Sol Ring
1 Coalition Relic
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Dimir Signet
1 Azorious Signet
OTHERS:
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Time Warp
1 Mnemonic Wall
1 Clone
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Beacon of Unrest
LANDS:
1 Urza's Factory
1 Kjeldoran Outpost
1 Springjack Pasture
1 Prahv, Spires of Order
1 Command Tower
1 City of Brass
1 Grand Coliseum
1 Arcane Sanctum
1 Vivid Marsh
1 Vivid Meadow
1 Vivid Creek
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Watery Grave
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Godless Shrine
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Celestial Colonnade
1 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Lavaclaw Reaches
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Temple of the False God
1 Marsh Flats
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Strip Mine
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
2 Island
1 Swamp
4 Plains
Thank you for reading through everything. Comments and suggestions are more than welcome. Cheerio
LATEST CHANGES:
April 17, 2012
Removed:
Undying Beast, Brood of Cockroaches, Sol Ring (list had two), Tempest of Light
Added:
Bitterblossom, Phyrexian Processor, Thousand-Year Elixir, Lightning Greaves
Cockatrice Username: seriph0
Phantamsal Image is another replacement for various combo parts and can do some nice things on his own.
What would you take out for Bitterblossom? I used to run it in an old, old list, but I just borrowed the card from a friend. And I can't really support a token win, so the card will primarily be for defense. What if I play Phyrexian Processor/Riptide Replicator instead? At least I can beat down.
Ertai's role here isn't to come out early and counter everything, just so we're all clear. Thanks for the comments.
Also, you're running Sadistic Hypnotist. You NEED bloodghast and bitterblossom in your deck to use him to his fullest. It's also a no brainer since you've got clamp in the list as well.
Cockatrice Username: seriph0
Because you'll never get to use it in any other list (well maybe hanna list with claws of gix)
While I understand your take on the list, a tuned Ertai list can be extremely brutal. In my experience playing Ertai, I usually just used Yosei, the Morning Star and Mimic Vat to lock my opponent out of the game. You technically have to counter your own spells, but who cares when they're eating a 5 to the face every turn.
I suggest adding more token making cards also. Here's a mostly exhaustive resource for you: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=375219
I don't know your budget constraints, so I'll wait before recommending anything expensive like planeswalkers, but assuming you have the dough, I have a lot to recommend.
Isperia, Supreme Judge: Control
Malfegor: Control
That would be brutal for 1v1 EDH. However, I almost exclusively play multiplayer. And it would be difficult for an opponent to cast a spell when they're locked out of mana, so you'll need other sac outlets. Used to do similar tricks with my Ghost Council of Orzhova deck, though.
I've used Hatching Plans in my old Ertai list, which was essentially control and just beat down with flying fatties. Big card there was actually Enchanted Evening.
DECK EDITED. Primer now includes "latest changes".