Here is my take on Doran. I could really care less about his abilty. He is in a color trio that I really like and is essentially a 5/5 for 3 mana giving you an early game beater while everyone else is trying to ramp and fix their mana. It would work just as well as a Teneb deck but people don't kill Doran on the spot like they kill Mr. Harvester.
The deck is currently constructed to make it rather difficult for opponents to kill my creatures and keep them killed. Reveillark works with a lot of the cards in the deck and combines with Saffi Eriksdotter, Karmic Guide, and Sun Titan things become rather difficult to keep dead. There are more synergies with all those cards as well but those are the main ones. Those cards in various combinations can really make Living Death more lopsided in my favor. I don’t have any infinite combos with those cards out of personal preference but most people auto assume when Saffi, Lark, Karmic Guide are all out that I am going to douche combo everyone. When you add in the other cards like Teneb, the Harvester, Sheoldred, Whispering One , Nezumi Graverobber, Debtors' Knell, and Nim Deathmantle there are a lot possibilities for things to potentially come back. I don’t try to reanimate as a strategy I just try to keep things in play (if that makes any sense). I try not to leave things in my graveyard to be exiled but if they are no big deal there will be others.
Fast mana, card advantage, battlefield advantage, and fast relentless overwhelming force is basically what I have tried to achieve.
Here is what is in: Apprentice Necromancer – Works so well with a dead Reveillark or Sun Titan and other tnings. Kinda of a Saffi #2 Magus of the Library - The best card I have added in a long time Kamahl, Fist of Krosa - Better than Garruk most of the time due to creature tutors Syphon Mind - needed more card draw especially with Magus of the Library no in the deck Angelic Renewal – Does all sorts of fun things and Sun Titan just brings it back. It is my Saffi #3 Debtors' Knell - A good card I never put in because I hated it so much when other people played it.
I need to find something to cut to add Exsanguinate, mostly for life gain. Play it for 5 in most games and gain 15 life…not bad. Plus it could kill if need be. My deck use to be life gain city but after evaluating cards like Serra Ascendant, Phantom Nishoba, Windbrisk Raptor, and Battlegrace Angel I decided they were good but didn't really do anything to actively try and get the win and they were cut. Now I just Slowly die to Phyrexian Arena, my draw spells, and Hall of the Bandit Lord.
Joraga Treespeaker – Green Sun’s Zenith keeps telling me to play this card so I can turn 2 cast for it. Mana Ramp is good but I can’t convice my self it is needed.
Necrotic Ooze – Works with Saffi, Apprentice Necromancer, Bloom Tender, Magus of the Library, Geth, Knight of the Reliquary, Nezumi Graverobber, and Kamahl, and those are just what I have. I know if I put in then I would want to Add Chainer because Chainer without the exile draw back seems good. As long as I didn’t rely on the Ooze to do things then it would be ok. Seems to tempting not to try and go all in. Then again I ran a deck that Ooze comboed around turn 4-6 just a few weeks after Scars came out well before the big Extended Necrotic ooze deck. In the long run it is just some dude I wouldn’t want to attack with and I seem to have enough of them already. Do I really need a Saffi #4?
Reincarnation – This card just seems fun and potentially powerful…yet conditional and not very reusable (AKA not a good “Value Engine”). Saffi #5 or conditionally better.
Necromancer's Covenant – I really like this card. I have played it before and had some luck with it. It was a good hoser, chump blocker maker, and life gainer. Great after a Wrath for instant protection/threats. A lot of times it was dead card. Still good and fun.
Tainted Well – It cantrips…It screws a land…It comes back with Sun Titan. Nice filler type of card that has applications. The black Spreading Seas. I think that leaving a good land in play but unusable might probably be better than killing it. Plus someone has to waste a good removal card to get rid of it and Sun Titan seems to like it.
All the Swords of _____ including Vengeance – Then I would proably need to run Stonehewer Giant and Stoneforge Mystic and Enlightened Tutor (which I should proably be playing anyway). That is a lot spots to make room for and we have those very good extremely playable Praetors on their way.
probably should have been Twilight Shepherd (I almost never want to play that card...just Chord for it once in a blue moon), but the Sheperd flies and does some relivant things.
This thread inspired me to launch a revision project on my beloved Doran deck. The original concept revolved around spending the early game hiding behind walls and generally looking innocuous, which wasn't such a bad strategy but could use some resilience.
During the deck's lifespan, I'd been consistently cutting one treefolk after another, and now I threw all of them overboard. Walls got the axe as well, with the exception of Wall of Roots. The most drastic change, though, was excluding a whole league of staples from Swords to Plowshares to Wrath of God. It will be interesting to see how this version performs compared to the previous one.
The deck is currently constructed to make it rather difficult for opponents to kill my creatures and keep them killed. Reveillark works with a lot of the cards in the deck and combines with Saffi Eriksdotter, Karmic Guide, and Sun Titan things become rather difficult to keep dead. There are more synergies with all those cards as well but those are the main ones. Those cards in various combinations can really make Living Death more lopsided in my favor. I don’t have any infinite combos with those cards out of personal preference but most people auto assume when Saffi, Lark, Karmic Guide are all out that I am going to douche combo everyone. When you add in the other cards like Teneb, the Harvester, Sheoldred, Whispering One , Nezumi Graverobber, Debtors' Knell, and Nim Deathmantle there are a lot possibilities for things to potentially come back. I don’t try to reanimate as a strategy I just try to keep things in play (if that makes any sense). I try not to leave things in my graveyard to be exiled but if they are no big deal there will be others.
Fast mana, card advantage, battlefield advantage, and fast relentless overwhelming force is basically what I have tried to achieve.
1 Doran, the Siege Tower
Creatures (27)
Ramp/Mana
1 Bloom Tender
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Primeval Titan
1 Wood Elves
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Geth, Lord of the Vault
1 Karmic Guide
1 Nezumi Graverobber
1 Reveillark
1 Saffi Eriksdotter
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
1 Sun Titan
1 Teneb, the Harvester
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Magus of the Library
1 Regal Force
1 Angel of Despair
1 Duplicant
1 Massacre Wurm
1 Sunblast Angel
1 Terastodon
1 Woodfall Primus
1 Avenger of Zendikar
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Eternal Witness
1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
1 Netherborn Phalanx
Spells (24)
Spot Removal
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Vindicate
1 Austere Command
1 Decree of Pain
1 Profane Command
1 Beacon of Unrest
1 Cultivate
1 Hunting Wilds
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Skyshroud Claim
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Demonic Collusion
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Chord of Calling
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Tooth and Nail
1 Ambition's Cost
1 Ancient Craving
1 Harmonize
1 Momentous Fall
1 Promise of Power
1 Genesis Wave
Enchantments (8)
Mana
1 Mana Reflection
1 Mirari's Wake
1 Greater Good
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Aura Shards
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Debtors' Knell
1 Survival of the Fittest
Artifacts (3)
1 Akroma's Memorial
1 Nim Deathmantle
1 Sol Ring
Basics
4 Forest
3 Plains
2 Swamp
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Windswept Heath
1 Bayou
1 Fetid Heath
1 Godless Shrine
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Murmuring Bosk
1 Orzhov Basilica
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Savanah
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Scrubland
1 Temple Garden
1 Twilight Mire
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 High Market
1 Kor Haven
1 Krosan Verge
1 Mistveil Plains
1 Mosswort Bridge
1 Oran Rief, the Vastwood
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Vesuva
1 Volrath's Stronghold
Basic lands of choice for this deck because it matters:
Foil of Course
Latest Changes:
Caustic Wasps - Good but went another direction
Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni - Got him to work a few times and he is never a surpirse once in play
Novablast Wurm - Really only worked well with Akroma's Memorial and usually killed more of my stuff than anyone else
Qasali Pridemage - Something had to go and decided on this.
Soltari Visionary - Good but went another direction
Steel Hellkite - Never did anything and was fragile
Garruk Wildspeaker - Going with Kamahl instead. Garruk did work well with Primeval though
Here is what is in:
Apprentice Necromancer – Works so well with a dead Reveillark or Sun Titan and other tnings. Kinda of a Saffi #2
Magus of the Library - The best card I have added in a long time
Kamahl, Fist of Krosa - Better than Garruk most of the time due to creature tutors
Syphon Mind - needed more card draw especially with Magus of the Library no in the deck
Angelic Renewal – Does all sorts of fun things and Sun Titan just brings it back. It is my Saffi #3
Debtors' Knell - A good card I never put in because I hated it so much when other people played it.
05/01/2011
sadly cut Apprentice Necromancer to add Genesis Wave...Long live Genesis Wave.
05/07/2011
- Angelic Renewal
- Twilight Shepherd
- Syphon Mind
+ Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
+ Sheoldred, Whispering One
+ Momentous Fall
A few other cards I am thinking about:
I need to find something to cut to add Exsanguinate, mostly for life gain. Play it for 5 in most games and gain 15 life…not bad. Plus it could kill if need be. My deck use to be life gain city but after evaluating cards like Serra Ascendant, Phantom Nishoba, Windbrisk Raptor, and Battlegrace Angel I decided they were good but didn't really do anything to actively try and get the win and they were cut. Now I just Slowly die to Phyrexian Arena, my draw spells, and Hall of the Bandit Lord.
Joraga Treespeaker – Green Sun’s Zenith keeps telling me to play this card so I can turn 2 cast for it. Mana Ramp is good but I can’t convice my self it is needed.
Necrotic Ooze – Works with Saffi, Apprentice Necromancer, Bloom Tender, Magus of the Library, Geth, Knight of the Reliquary, Nezumi Graverobber, and Kamahl, and those are just what I have. I know if I put in then I would want to Add Chainer because Chainer without the exile draw back seems good. As long as I didn’t rely on the Ooze to do things then it would be ok. Seems to tempting not to try and go all in. Then again I ran a deck that Ooze comboed around turn 4-6 just a few weeks after Scars came out well before the big Extended Necrotic ooze deck. In the long run it is just some dude I wouldn’t want to attack with and I seem to have enough of them already. Do I really need a Saffi #4?
Reincarnation – This card just seems fun and potentially powerful…yet conditional and not very reusable (AKA not a good “Value Engine”). Saffi #5 or conditionally better.
Necromancer's Covenant – I really like this card. I have played it before and had some luck with it. It was a good hoser, chump blocker maker, and life gainer. Great after a Wrath for instant protection/threats. A lot of times it was dead card. Still good and fun.
Tainted Well – It cantrips…It screws a land…It comes back with Sun Titan. Nice filler type of card that has applications. The black Spreading Seas. I think that leaving a good land in play but unusable might probably be better than killing it. Plus someone has to waste a good removal card to get rid of it and Sun Titan seems to like it.
All the Swords of _____ including Vengeance – Then I would proably need to run Stonehewer Giant and Stoneforge Mystic and Enlightened Tutor (which I should proably be playing anyway). That is a lot spots to make room for and we have those very good extremely playable Praetors on their way.
My Articles on CommanderCast
My Alters
Generals:
Arcum Dagsson, Asmira, Holy Avenger, Dakkon Blackblade, Doran, the Siege Tower, Hanna, Ship's Navigator, Horobi, Death's Wail , Konda, Lord of Eiganjo, Kresh the Bloodbraided, Ob Nixilis, the Fallen, Rhys, the Redeemed, Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker, Ulasht, the Hate Seed, Vorosh, the Hunter, Zur the Enchanter (Geratric Themed)
probably should have been Twilight Shepherd (I almost never want to play that card...just Chord for it once in a blue moon), but the Sheperd flies and does some relivant things.
My Articles on CommanderCast
My Alters
Generals:
Arcum Dagsson, Asmira, Holy Avenger, Dakkon Blackblade, Doran, the Siege Tower, Hanna, Ship's Navigator, Horobi, Death's Wail , Konda, Lord of Eiganjo, Kresh the Bloodbraided, Ob Nixilis, the Fallen, Rhys, the Redeemed, Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker, Ulasht, the Hate Seed, Vorosh, the Hunter, Zur the Enchanter (Geratric Themed)
- Angelic Renewal
- Twilight Shepherd
- Syphon Mind
+ Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
+ Sheoldred, Whispering One
+ Momentous Fall
Let's see how these Praetors do.
My Articles on CommanderCast
My Alters
Generals:
Arcum Dagsson, Asmira, Holy Avenger, Dakkon Blackblade, Doran, the Siege Tower, Hanna, Ship's Navigator, Horobi, Death's Wail , Konda, Lord of Eiganjo, Kresh the Bloodbraided, Ob Nixilis, the Fallen, Rhys, the Redeemed, Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker, Ulasht, the Hate Seed, Vorosh, the Hunter, Zur the Enchanter (Geratric Themed)
During the deck's lifespan, I'd been consistently cutting one treefolk after another, and now I threw all of them overboard. Walls got the axe as well, with the exception of Wall of Roots. The most drastic change, though, was excluding a whole league of staples from Swords to Plowshares to Wrath of God. It will be interesting to see how this version performs compared to the previous one.
Dreams of the Sphinx (Sharuum the Hegemon)
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
For vår jord (Azusa, Lost But Seeking)
Black Power (Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed)
Damia http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=410191
DDFT Legacyhttp://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=505247
Domain Zoo http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=10212429#post10212429