First off, non-creatures>creatures, if, on a fundimental level, you disagree with this philosophy, you play a different game than I do. I love combo'ing out, it's the only way to actually win a 4 person EDH game in my opinion (certainly the easiest way at least). Needless to say, more or less all of my edh decks are combo decks (I take a broader view of what comboing is and would even go so far as to clump my Skittles deck as combo decks). However, Despite the fact that I tried really hard not to make it that way, my first two EDH decks (Zur and then Arcum) was largely just net-decks. It seems like, while I thought I could optimize the decks, I was having trouble finding something that was an 'original' edh deck I enjoyed playing.
My favorite deck that never happened was Myr Incubator + Goblin Charbelcher. For those who remember that far back, the deck worked as follows, run only artifact lands, activate myr incubator, remove all your lands from your deck, make a pile of 1/1s which kill your opponent (sacrificed to Ironworks and then shot at your face with a fireball). AND now your deck has no more land, so an activation of goblin charbelcher flips your entire deck and you just kill your opponent.
I wanted to adopt the charbelcher aspect of the combo to EDH, and this is how I did it.
Why creatureless?
The issue is of course, you don't want to flip a land, this is a bit difficult to overcome usually, luckily though we have the most versatile Swiss army knife of a card ever. Proteus Staff.
The P. Staff is one of the most amazing things ever. Against many decks, the ability to tuck their general will shut them down permanently. In addition, it fuels your game ending combo.
The basic gameplan of the deck is as follows: activate proteus staff, win the game. The key is that as you have 0 creatures in your deck, whenever you activate proteus staff, you will flip your entire library and then you get to REARRANGE IT HOWEVER YOU WANT. You can put goblin charbelcher on the top and all your land on the bottom and start sniping players every turn (rearranging your library every turn). While this is the fun way to win, there is a reasonable 'backup' strategy (below).
The funniest part, the creature you're usually going to be staffing away is your general, which brings her back untapped (though the deck has some token generation just in case your general is unavailable.
The "Backup" Plan
The reason that 'backup' is in quotation marks is because this plan is actually the easier way to win. After you rearrange your library, you put the following cards on top of your library. Scroll Rack (first), Sword of the meek, thoptor foundary, time seive, + (depending on how many cards are in your hand) mana crypt + Sol Ring + mana vault. Draw and play the scroll rack, exchange your entire hand with the top of the library, cast out the infinite turn combo and end the game. The mana crypt / sol ring / mana vault are included to help generate mana to be able to combo out the same turn.
The rest of the deck
I filled the deck with some of my favorite combos in the color combination. Orim's chant + Isochron scepter is just funny, and I think no white deck should be made without land tax + Scroll Rack. Most of the key cards are 2cc, so all the transmute 2 I can run are in there, as are a bunch of traditional tutors + disruption.
Why Merieke?
Why Merieke? She is the durdliest of durdlely general out there. You can stall up a board really easily and deter people from attacking you while you set up our combos, She also happens to be esper. Merieke can stall out a board all by herself, win games all on her own, etc... AND with any untapper, she just ends up reading "tap: sacrifice target creature an opponent controls". She stalls the board until we can combo off.
I used to run Merieke, and my favorite combo to put in this is Mind Over Matter + Temple Bell. If you get both pieces out, the only way you can be stopped is with a Krosan Grip. It's pretty nasty.
I used to run Merieke, and my favorite combo to put in this is Mind Over Matter + Temple Bell. If you get both pieces out, the only way you can be stopped is with a Krosan Grip. It's pretty nasty.
That's a fairly strong win condition, though with all my card draw, (and correct me if I'm wrong) I'm fairly sure I'll need an Eldrazi to prevent myself from decking too, which sucks because then I couldn't run Goblin Charbelcher / Proteus Staff as another wincon (though I suppose flipping a proteus staff into an ulamog is never a bad thing...)
That's a fairly strong win condition, though with all my card draw, (and correct me if I'm wrong) I'm fairly sure I'll need an Eldrazi to prevent myself from decking too, which sucks because then I couldn't run Goblin Charbelcher / Proteus Staff as another wincon (though I suppose flipping a proteus staff into an ulamog is never a bad thing...)
You are absolutely correct. I forgot to specify the third part of the combo: Ulamog or Kozilek in the deck.
Now, uhm, pardon my ignorance, but how does the Charbelcher combo work, and how does having Ulamog in there stop it from working?
You are absolutely correct. I forgot to specify the third part of the combo: Ulamog or Kozilek in the deck.
Now, uhm, pardon my ignorance, but how does the Charbelcher combo work, and how does having Ulamog in there stop it from working?
It's actually a fun combo, for reference, there's a dailymtg article that talks about the combo here.
The combo basically works as follows, you play proteus staff and activate it on either Meirke or a creature token. As there are no other creatures in the deck, you get to reveal the whole thing and then puts the "rest on the bottom of his or her library in any order." As this is your whole deck, you can rearrange your library IN ANY ORDER! All the land go on the bottom and you activate charbelcher.
You end up flipping 45-50 cards and shoot someone dead in the face. (You can arrange charbelcher to the top of the library if you don't have it already). Not nearly as effective as mind over matter / temple bell (seeing as you have to shoot each player individually), but the combo is SUPER easy to assemble (you just need to draw proteus staff and you're done) AND it doesn't cost UUUU to cast (Also, MoM doesn't work if they too have an Eldrazi)
If you happen to have an Ulamog in your deck, you stop short of your whole library and only get to arrange some of it, preventing you from putting all your land at the bottom :-( (we just need a card like Legacy Weapon to get printed without the WUBRG color identity)
It's actually a fun combo, for reference, there's a dailymtg article that talks about the combo here.
The combo basically works as follows, you play proteus staff and activate it on either Meirke or a creature token. As there are no other creatures in the deck, you get to reveal the whole thing and then puts the "rest on the bottom of his or her library in any order." As this is your whole deck, you can rearrange your library IN ANY ORDER! All the land go on the bottom and you activate charbelcher.
You end up flipping 45-50 cards and shoot someone dead in the face. (You can arrange charbelcher to the top of the library if you don't have it already). Not nearly as effective as mind over matter / temple bell (seeing as you have to shoot each player individually), but the combo is SUPER easy to assemble (you just need to draw proteus staff and you're done) AND it doesn't cost UUUU to cast (Also, MoM doesn't work if they too have an Eldrazi)
If you happen to have an Ulamog in your deck, you stop short of your whole library and only get to arrange some of it, preventing you from putting all your land at the bottom :-( (we just need a card like Legacy Weapon to get printed without the WUBRG color identity)
1. Mind Over Matter does work, because they're not discarding the Eldrazi. They'll have their whole deck in their hand and then they're forced to draw from a deck that isn't there.
2. I see what you mean. Hmm. That's harsh. I almost don't like the Charbelcher combo, because it's more easily disrupted, and it kills only one person. But you make good points about the pros of your combo!
The combo I listed works better in my type of deck, which runs creatures with tap abilities, and a lot of untappers to abuse them. I don't know how your deck runs though, so I'm not going to tell you to just switch types. Hmm.
1. Mind Over Matter does work, because they're not discarding the Eldrazi. They'll have their whole deck in their hand and then they're forced to draw from a deck that isn't there.
2. I see what you mean. Hmm. That's harsh. I almost don't like the Charbelcher combo, because it's more easily disrupted, and it kills only one person. But you make good points about the pros of your combo!
The combo I listed works better in my type of deck, which runs creatures with tap abilities, and a lot of untappers to abuse them. I don't know how your deck runs though, so I'm not going to tell you to just switch types. Hmm.
There are obviously better combos to be run, but I really thought this would be the most "fun" combo I could make. Additionally, I usually end of with decks that look very similar because (especially in this color combination) goodstuff.dec is usually just tutors + counterspells, meaning it's actually just the optimized deck.
This combo gave me a very real restriction to build with (no creatures) and the combo is actually really funny when it goes off.
Besides, I have other, much more competitive decks, if I'm really just trying to win (I'm looking at you Mimeo.. I mean hermit druid)
Unmake is a very good piece of spot removal. However, because mierke is such a powerful general for killing guys, my only spot removal is tuck effects (condemn / spin into myth).
Thank you for the suggestion though! If i find I need spot removal, unmake will be top the list!
Add a Sharding Sphinx into this beast, that way u swing with 5 flying, to get 5 creatures, to use time sieve.....and unlss they have flying they take infinite damage and u get infinite turns!
Some major changes to the deck, I took it a part for some time and tried to fill the void with other decks, though I just missed getting to play this one. I made some updates due to me finding some cards (people being willing to trade me their humility / contamination / etc...), opps ommisions, new sets, and further optimization for multiplayer. let me know what you think!
I like this deck even though I don't really like Merieke or using combos as an immediate win condition. Plus, I avoid playing cards that say "win" in the text.
I like Proteus staff though, it reminds me a bit of mindmoil and puzzlebox.
The Durdliest of Durdle
Why would I do this?
My favorite deck that never happened was Myr Incubator + Goblin Charbelcher. For those who remember that far back, the deck worked as follows, run only artifact lands, activate myr incubator, remove all your lands from your deck, make a pile of 1/1s which kill your opponent (sacrificed to Ironworks and then shot at your face with a fireball). AND now your deck has no more land, so an activation of goblin charbelcher flips your entire deck and you just kill your opponent.
I wanted to adopt the charbelcher aspect of the combo to EDH, and this is how I did it.
The P. Staff is one of the most amazing things ever. Against many decks, the ability to tuck their general will shut them down permanently. In addition, it fuels your game ending combo.
The basic gameplan of the deck is as follows: activate proteus staff, win the game. The key is that as you have 0 creatures in your deck, whenever you activate proteus staff, you will flip your entire library and then you get to REARRANGE IT HOWEVER YOU WANT. You can put goblin charbelcher on the top and all your land on the bottom and start sniping players every turn (rearranging your library every turn). While this is the fun way to win, there is a reasonable 'backup' strategy (below).
The funniest part, the creature you're usually going to be staffing away is your general, which brings her back untapped (though the deck has some token generation just in case your general is unavailable.
I filled the deck with some of my favorite combos in the color combination. Orim's chant + Isochron scepter is just funny, and I think no white deck should be made without land tax + Scroll Rack. Most of the key cards are 2cc, so all the transmute 2 I can run are in there, as are a bunch of traditional tutors + disruption.
Why Merieke?
Why Merieke? She is the durdliest of durdlely general out there. You can stall up a board really easily and deter people from attacking you while you set up our combos, She also happens to be esper. Merieke can stall out a board all by herself, win games all on her own, etc... AND with any untapper, she just ends up reading "tap: sacrifice target creature an opponent controls". She stalls the board until we can combo off.
The decklist
1 Merieke Ri Berit
Untap Merieke
0 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Pemmin's Aura
1 Magewright's Stone
1 Thousand-Year Elixir
1 Puppet Strings
Removal
1 Condemn
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Damnation
1 Oblation
1 Terminus
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Pognify
1 Path to Exile
1 Disenchant
1 Aura of Silence
1 Return to Dust
Mana Excelleration
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
3 Ravinaca Signet
1 Azorius Keyrune
1 Chromatic Lantern
Utility
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Humility
1 Contamination
Counterspells
1 Hinder
1 Counterspell
1 Spell Crumple
1 Goblin Charbelcher
1 Proteus Staff
1 Thoptor Foundary
1 Sword of the Meek
1 Time Sieve
1 Isochron Scepter
1 Orim's Chant
1 Land Tax
1 Scroll Rack
Creature Generation
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Bitterblossom
1 Mimic Vat
1 Luminarch Ascension
1 Bribery
1 Mobilization
1 Trading Post
Tutoring / Card Advantage
1 Shred Memory
1 Compulsive Research
1 Liliana Vess
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Fabricate
1 Ancestral Vision
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Necropotence
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
0 Tolaria West
4 Swamp
4 Plains
4 Island
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Adarkar Wastes
1 Caves of Koilos
1 Underground River
1 Marsh Flats
1 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
1 Marsh Flats
1 Godless Shrine
1 Watery Grave
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Celestial Colonnade
1 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Command Tower
1 Arcane Sanctum
1 City of Brass
1 Tolaria West
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Tolaria West
1 Maze of Ith
1 Buried Ruin
1 Academy Ruins
1 Strip Mine
1 Mistveil Plains
Edric | Skithiryx | Merieke | Talrand
--------------------------
Well except for pauper EDH
Garruk's Packleader | Inkfathom Witch | Gelectrode | Sigil Captain | Glider Barin | Sludge Strider | Paragon of the Ameshsa
That's a fairly strong win condition, though with all my card draw, (and correct me if I'm wrong) I'm fairly sure I'll need an Eldrazi to prevent myself from decking too, which sucks because then I couldn't run Goblin Charbelcher / Proteus Staff as another wincon (though I suppose flipping a proteus staff into an ulamog is never a bad thing...)
Edric | Skithiryx | Merieke | Talrand
--------------------------
Well except for pauper EDH
Garruk's Packleader | Inkfathom Witch | Gelectrode | Sigil Captain | Glider Barin | Sludge Strider | Paragon of the Ameshsa
You are absolutely correct. I forgot to specify the third part of the combo: Ulamog or Kozilek in the deck.
Now, uhm, pardon my ignorance, but how does the Charbelcher combo work, and how does having Ulamog in there stop it from working?
It's actually a fun combo, for reference, there's a dailymtg article that talks about the combo here.
The combo basically works as follows, you play proteus staff and activate it on either Meirke or a creature token. As there are no other creatures in the deck, you get to reveal the whole thing and then puts the "rest on the bottom of his or her library in any order." As this is your whole deck, you can rearrange your library IN ANY ORDER! All the land go on the bottom and you activate charbelcher.
You end up flipping 45-50 cards and shoot someone dead in the face. (You can arrange charbelcher to the top of the library if you don't have it already). Not nearly as effective as mind over matter / temple bell (seeing as you have to shoot each player individually), but the combo is SUPER easy to assemble (you just need to draw proteus staff and you're done) AND it doesn't cost UUUU to cast (Also, MoM doesn't work if they too have an Eldrazi)
If you happen to have an Ulamog in your deck, you stop short of your whole library and only get to arrange some of it, preventing you from putting all your land at the bottom :-( (we just need a card like Legacy Weapon to get printed without the WUBRG color identity)
Edric | Skithiryx | Merieke | Talrand
--------------------------
Well except for pauper EDH
Garruk's Packleader | Inkfathom Witch | Gelectrode | Sigil Captain | Glider Barin | Sludge Strider | Paragon of the Ameshsa
1. Mind Over Matter does work, because they're not discarding the Eldrazi. They'll have their whole deck in their hand and then they're forced to draw from a deck that isn't there.
2. I see what you mean. Hmm. That's harsh. I almost don't like the Charbelcher combo, because it's more easily disrupted, and it kills only one person. But you make good points about the pros of your combo!
The combo I listed works better in my type of deck, which runs creatures with tap abilities, and a lot of untappers to abuse them. I don't know how your deck runs though, so I'm not going to tell you to just switch types. Hmm.
There are obviously better combos to be run, but I really thought this would be the most "fun" combo I could make. Additionally, I usually end of with decks that look very similar because (especially in this color combination) goodstuff.dec is usually just tutors + counterspells, meaning it's actually just the optimized deck.
This combo gave me a very real restriction to build with (no creatures) and the combo is actually really funny when it goes off.
Besides, I have other, much more competitive decks, if I'm really just trying to win (I'm looking at you Mimeo.. I mean hermit druid)
Edric | Skithiryx | Merieke | Talrand
--------------------------
Well except for pauper EDH
Garruk's Packleader | Inkfathom Witch | Gelectrode | Sigil Captain | Glider Barin | Sludge Strider | Paragon of the Ameshsa
Unmake is a very good piece of spot removal. However, because mierke is such a powerful general for killing guys, my only spot removal is tuck effects (condemn / spin into myth).
Thank you for the suggestion though! If i find I need spot removal, unmake will be top the list!
Edric | Skithiryx | Merieke | Talrand
--------------------------
Well except for pauper EDH
Garruk's Packleader | Inkfathom Witch | Gelectrode | Sigil Captain | Glider Barin | Sludge Strider | Paragon of the Ameshsa
Additions:
1 Humility
1 Spell Crumple
1 Contamination
1 Terminus
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Mobilization
1 Mistveil Plains
1 Path to Exile
1 Trading Post
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Pognify
1 Azorius Keyrune
Removed
1 Go for the Throat
1 Mortify
1 Spin into Myth
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Countersquall
1 Mana Leak
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Wrath of God
2 Mirrodin Talismans
Edric | Skithiryx | Merieke | Talrand
--------------------------
Well except for pauper EDH
Garruk's Packleader | Inkfathom Witch | Gelectrode | Sigil Captain | Glider Barin | Sludge Strider | Paragon of the Ameshsa
Minor details. Alara block was during the period of my no longer playing magic though I should have known that. The deck is REALLY fun to pilot.
Oh and I will 100% have to find room for Cyclonic Rift. That card is just not fair...
Edric | Skithiryx | Merieke | Talrand
--------------------------
Well except for pauper EDH
Garruk's Packleader | Inkfathom Witch | Gelectrode | Sigil Captain | Glider Barin | Sludge Strider | Paragon of the Ameshsa
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
I like Proteus staff though, it reminds me a bit of mindmoil and puzzlebox.
This is probably the most unique Merieke 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
Tainted Aether, Spreading Plague, and Overburden are backbreaking for our opponents and essentially don't effect us at all.
UBRKess, Dissident MageUBR - Controlling Dissidents
GRhonas the IndomitableG - Indomitable Four Drops
WUBOloro, Ageless AsceticWUB - Loot & Renanimate