kraus991 expressed interest in seeing my Teneb list, so I'm posting it here. It's pretty different from any list I've seen so far, and is currently my favorite deck to use, since the banning of Primeval Titan nerfed my Azusa Eldrazi deck. I really miss PT and Griselbrand in here, but it still retains most of its raw power without them. First, the deck:
1. Artifact Denial - We want to deny our opponents the use of all artifacts. This tends to cripple lots of decks, especially those that rely on artifacts for mana. To do this we have a bunch of cards that destroy all artifacts, Molder Slug and Kataki, War's Wage, which can be recurred and deal with indestructibles, Null Rod and Stony Silence, plus some spot removal for artifacts. Aura of Silence makes it hard for opponents to play artifacts.
2. Captain Sisay Toolbox - We want to drop Captain Sisay early and gain as much advantage off of her as we can. Usually, you will first tutor for Volrath's Stronghold in order to protect her and whatever else she grabs, while expanding your mana base. You can tutor for green or black mana from the Kamigawa lands, and haste from Hall of the Bandit Lord, which all make Teneb a much greater threat. Kor Haven can save you from some Voltron generals, and just makes you an unattractive target in general. The legendary creatures are all certainly no slouch either, and Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite and her boyfriend, Kamahl, Fist of Krosa are a frightening duo that can make even your little guys strong threats while they eat away at manabases. Time of Need usually finds Sisay unless you have to find something else right away.
3. Graveyard Control - BGW are the best colors for manipulating graveyards, and Teneb is great evidence of this. You have plenty of ways of recurring your creatures, as well as ways of preventing your opponents from recurring anything. Sun Titan can recur all of your enchantments, as well as your Null Rod and fetchlands. Sisay usually grabs Volrath's Stronghold first, and Null Rod and Stony Silence protect your own graveyard from most graveyard-hating artifacts. You have 3 bouncelands to reuse Bojuka Bog, so you should get good mileage out of it. Teneb and Nighteyes the Desecrator can even steal you a win condition from an opponent's graveyard.
4. C-c-c-combo Breaker! - Since we want the game to go long, we have to make sure we can reliably disrupt combos. Nezumi Graverobber, Cremate and Shred Memory disrupt graveyard-based combos. Aven Mindcensor stops ramping and tutoring. Gaddock Teeg says NO to a lot of things, as does Null Rod and Stony Silence. Intrepid Hero keeps them off of large creatures, and Elesh Norn keeps them off of small creatures and tokens. Kamahl discourages them from wiping your guys, preserving your soft lock. Destroying their artifacts certainly helps a lot, and Akroma's Vengeance, Austere Command, and Pernicious Deed save you when things get really bad. You also have plenty of instant-speed spot removal for all kinds of permanents, including some exiling and tucking effects. Choke is for all of the blue decks that are sure to give you trouble. If they counter or destroy it, fetch Sun Titan to recur it. If they kill him, you have plenty of ways to get him back.
5. Land Protection - Because we aren't using artifacts or creatures for mana, we have to be very protective of our lands. Weathered Wayfarer, Tithe, and Gift of Estates help you catch up if you are behind on mana. Life from the Loam gets you your lands back, while fueling your graveyard strategy.
I don't have Tooth and Nail because it's expensive and usually won't win you the game. You'd rather have something that will give you incremental advantage or protection.
That's all I'll write for now. I'll clean this up when I get the chance.
I dig the commitment to the non-artifact theme. Molder Slug is a card I’m going to have to put to use. Did you consider World Queller as well? Especially with no artifacts or planeswalkers in your deck, it would be useful most turns.
I can’t believe I haven’t seen Gift of Estates before. It fetches three duals! I need some copies, especially for my non-green white decks. I like your focus on nontraditional ramp/color fixing. You obviously have some ramp cards, and then cards like Weathered Wayfarer and Gift of Estates that require you to have less land than somebody. I'm guessing that your ramp gameplan is to move through your ramp fairly slowly, keeping it as recovery as much as ramp.
A Captain Sisay toolbox makes a lot of sense in a control deck. I’d always thought of her in terms of a more agro-build, but she looks great here. Fetching legendary lands is pretty sweet.
Speaking of fetching legendary cards, did you try out the green praetor? Yeah he’s not well-loved, but neither are Elesh Norn or Sheoldred.
Looks like a blast to play… a griefer deck for griefer decks.
I dig the commitment to the non-artifact theme. Molder Slug is a card I’m going to have to put to use. Did you consider World Queller as well? Especially with no artifacts or planeswalkers in your deck, it would be useful most turns.
I like World Queller, but in a more stax-ish build. It's vulnerable and needs to survive until your next turn to do anything. Molder Slug and Sheoldred at least do something if they aren't killed immediately. I think I'd rather have something like the new Vraska the Unseen or Planar Cleansing if I wanted an effect like that.
I can’t believe I haven’t seen Gift of Estates before. It fetches three duals! I need some copies, especially for my non-green white decks. I like your focus on nontraditional ramp/color fixing. You obviously have some ramp cards, and then cards like Weathered Wayfarer and Gift of Estates that require you to have less land than somebody. I'm guessing that your ramp gameplan is to move through your ramp fairly slowly, keeping it as recovery as much as ramp.
Gift of Estates is one of the most underrated cards in the format. When you're ahead, you don't need it, and when you're behind, it completely saves you. It's the total opposite of win-more. Seriously, 3 cards for 2 mana in WHITE? And it solves all of your color problems! I prefer it even over some of the green options, especially because its combination of cheapness and power allows me to keep more hands than I normally would. A hand with 5 business spells, Gift, a bounceland, and another land provides 6 mana in all colors!
Yeah, the plan isn't to ramp extremely quickly, but to ensure steady and sustained growth. You have a lot of cheap disruption and removal to survive the early game, and you want to be able to protect your investment.
A Captain Sisay toolbox makes a lot of sense in a control deck. I’d always thought of her in terms of a more agro-build, but she looks great here. Fetching legendary lands is pretty sweet.
I actually consider Sisay to be the real general, with Teneb as a backup plan. Sisay is SO much better with access to black, and black allows you to reliably tutor for Sisay. Sisay finds whatever creatures you need, and Teneb ensures that they stick around.
Speaking of fetching legendary cards, did you try out the green praetor? Yeah he’s not well-loved, but neither are Elesh Norn or Sheoldred.
He's alright, but he's my least favorite Praetor. Unless I'm using him for the mana doubling, or I'm running lots of tax and stax, he just seems to do too little. I think Avacyn, Angel of Hope or Terastodon would be a lot more useful as fat as high-end creatures go.
Looks like a blast to play… a griefer deck for griefer decks.
I never thought of it that way, but yeah. One of my favorite things about this deck is that it's "fair." It doesn't run any extreme stax, no heavy land destruction or mana denial (outside of Kamahl/Norn, but that's a small part of the overall strategy), no blue, no infinite combos, and no blazing fast kills in the first few turns, and yet it manages to stay competitive. It's really fun to watch your board slowly and steadily develop as the game progresses and you get to play with some of the best creatures and removal spells in the game. The most annoying plays this deck can make are using Myojin of Night's Reach's ability, and locking the game down with Sun Titan and Pernicious Deed, but neither of them are that extreme most of the time.
Obviously, some of the cards are expensive. If you can't find original duals, Gift of Estates loses a lot of power unless you add more Plains and rework the entire mana base. In some metas, you don't want to run bouncelands, or you want more basics. You might also want to cut a few cards you don't need for a few more basic lands. Imperial Seal can easily become a Worldly Tutor, a Sylvan Tutor, or a Green Sun's Zenith, since you're usually going to be finding Sisay anyway. Cruel Tutor or another black tutor also works.
Really, there's a lot of room here to tailor it to your meta, so feel free to be creative. The only rule is to remember that you want to play for the long game and make steady, sustained progress.
I am working on a Teneb list myself!! And I wanted to ask if I can use your deck as a guideline, because it friggin rocks I love how you wanted to make it like a creature tool box, which was my original intent, it's just all I saw on the forums were graveyard manipulation -.- but thank you for posting this version, it's simply awesome
I am working on a Teneb list myself!! And I wanted to ask if I can use your deck as a guideline, because it friggin rocks I love how you wanted to make it like a creature tool box, which was my original intent, it's just all I saw on the forums were graveyard manipulation -.- but thank you for posting this version, it's simply awesome
Thank you! Teneb and Sisay are two of my favorite creatures in this format, so I looked for a way to build a deck around both of them. I think it works rather well.
Space is so tight already, and every single card is excellent, so we'll see. The Primordials are all really good, as is Merciless Eviction, so I can see them going in. Treasure Thrull gives another recursion engine and lifegain for grindy games. Blind Obedience is more artifact hate and shuts down hates plus gives lifegain to help grind games out. Orzhov Charm is solid removal.
The rest seem to be outclassed, but I'll test them anyway. Obzedat, Ghost Council looks nice to tutor for and play with Captain Sisay the turn after you play her if you already have Volrath's Stronghold, and is a nice creature at any point. Lord of the Void and Giant Adephage can get out of hand if they aren't dealt with multiple times. Skarrg Goliath is interesting because he allows Teneb to kill somebody in 2 hits, and Teneb can bring him back after you use him for Bloodrush. Undercity Informer is a sac outlet and a way to fill your graveyard, obviously. We'll see how it goes.
Space is so tight already, and every single card is excellent, so we'll see. The Primordials are all really good, as is Merciless Eviction, so I can see them going in. Treasure Thrull gives another recursion engine and lifegain for grindy games. Blind Obedience is more artifact hate and shuts down hates plus gives lifegain to help grind games out. Orzhov Charm is solid removal.
The rest seem to be outclassed, but I'll test them anyway. Obzedat, Ghost Council looks nice to tutor for and play with Captain Sisay the turn after you play her if you already have Volrath's Stronghold, and is a nice creature at any point. Lord of the Void and Giant Adephage can get out of hand if they aren't dealt with multiple times. Skarrg Goliath is interesting because he allows Teneb to kill somebody in 2 hits, and Teneb can bring him back after you use him for Bloodrush. Undercity Informer is a sac outlet and a way to fill your graveyard, obviously. We'll see how it goes.
Any opinions on these?
I was vouching just for Obzedat mainly because of it's ability and evasion but, I'm up to try any of them. Going for an exact build of yours cos it is that AWESOME!!! Cept for the pernicious deed...thoughts on Mirari's Wake?
O, and try out Crypt Ghast as well
So, how has testing gone? Anything work well in particular? Treasury Thrull is pretty good. Extort IMO is quite powerful as well. Obzedat isn't that good in multiplayer commander tho
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the sharpest steel is tempered in fire!!! though the plane of mirrodin is lost, the fire of mirrans still burn!!!!!
sign in blood stood out to me as a wtf? card in this list. u run awesum stuff wit this card? lol
-sign in blood
+ Greater Good- more draws wit u fatties
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GU Experiment Kraj- all your abilities belong to us WB Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts- battlecruiser GUB The Mimeoplasm- when graveyards are not safe RGW Mayael the Anima- i luv the fatties
and u said u not like Tooth n Nail. it prob doesnt work well in ur deck cuz u arent running the creatures that REALLY bust this card! i run it in my borbor enraged edh and its just unfair to the opponents.
GU Experiment Kraj- all your abilities belong to us WB Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts- battlecruiser GUB The Mimeoplasm- when graveyards are not safe RGW Mayael the Anima- i luv the fatties
I was vouching just for Obzedat mainly because of it's ability and evasion but, I'm up to try any of them. Going for an exact build of yours cos it is that AWESOME!!! Cept for the pernicious deed...thoughts on Mirari's Wake?
O, and try out Crypt Ghast as well
Obzedat, Ghost Council is alright, but nothing special here. We want our big creatures to bring something really special to the table that we can abuse over and over, and we already have Kokusho, the Evening Star for life drain.
Pernicious Deed is NUTS. We have a lot of expensive creatures, so you can wipe everything else while our best stuff survives. This deck also tends to tutor for and recur Sun Titan very often, and when these two cards combine you can keep the board clear indefinitely, especially when Teneb joins the party to protect Titan.
Mirari's Wake is a good card and speeds up Teneb's clock by a turn. It depends on your build and how much you can use the extra mana.
Crypt Ghast just doesn't do enough here. We don't run enough Swamps and we don't need the Extort.
So, how has testing gone? Anything work well in particular? Treasury Thrull is pretty good. Extort IMO is quite powerful as well. Obzedat isn't that good in multiplayer commander tho
I haven't had the chance to test this much yet, since I've been working on some other decks. I do like Treasure Thrull and am definitely going to test it. It works well with some of the same cards that Sun Titan does, and in many ways is actually better than the Titan, which is one of the best creatures in this deck. Without testing, I'd say that it's a strong choice.
Thoughts on Solemn Simulacrum?
He used to be in the deck. It's nice that he's so easy to kill off. Nothing wrong with running him if he works for you. Same goes for Wurmcoil Engine.
Quote from simulacrum »
deck looks awesum!
sign in blood stood out to me as a wtf? card in this list. u run awesum stuff wit this card? lol
-sign in blood
+ Greater Good- more draws wit u fatties
Sign in Blood is one of my favorite black cards. As long as you can pay the mana, it's almost NEVER a bad draw. Early game, you can cast it when you have nothing better to do, and you have more options next turn. Late game, you'll have spare mana anyway, so it's basically a free extra card. It also helps you make your early land drops, which is so important. It's also not usually worth it for someone to counter such a small spell, unlike something like Recurring Insight, so you'll get the draw when you need it and that counterspell will be saved for someone else.
Greater Good is one of the best draw engines in the game, but it's also situational. I wouldn't cut guaranteed draw like Sign in Blood for it, but feel free to run it over, say, Graveborn Muse.
Also:
ur #4 in ur post, Killer Instinct <3
and u said u not like Tooth n Nail. it prob doesnt work well in ur deck cuz u arent running the creatures that REALLY bust this card! i run it in my borbor enraged edh and its just unfair to the opponents.
pay the entwine:
Avenger of Zendikar + Regal Force
Urabrask the Hidden + Balefire Dragon
dont underestimate it yo
It's not that it's not an amazing card. It's that we don't really need it. We have no problem drawing, casting, and recurring powerful creatures. Since we're not a ramp deck, most of the time, Tooth will just clog our hand when we'd rather just have another creature.
If your games go long and mana isn't a problem, you can Tooth for Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Triskelion for an instakill. My version of the deck is tuned for a fast metagame and likes to fly under the radar, so my strategy is different.
1 Teneb, the Harvester
Artifacts
1 Null Rod
Creatures
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Bloodgift Demon
1 Captain Sisay
1 Dimir House Guard
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Eternal Witness
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Grave Titan
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Intrepid Hero
1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Kokusho, the Evening Star
1 Krosan Tusker
1 Loyal Retainers
1 Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker
1 Molder Slug
1 Myojin of Night's Reach
1 Nezumi Graverobber
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
1 Slum Reaper
1 Sun Titan
1 Weathered Wayfarer
Enchantments
1 Aura of Silence
1 Choke
1 Necropotence
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Stony Silence
1 Sylvan Library
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Beast Within
1 Cremate
1 Crib Swap
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Golgari Charm
1 Mortify
1 Oblation
1 Path to Exile
1 Putrefy
1 Shred Memory
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Tithe
1 Vampiric Tutor
Planeswalkers
1 Vraska the Unseen
Sorceries
1 Akroma's Vengeance
1 Austere Command
1 Creeping Corrosion
1 Cultivate
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Gift of Estates
1 Jarad's Orders
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Life from the Loam
1 Living Death
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Night's Whisper
1 Seeds of Innocence
1 Sign in Blood
1 Time of Need
1 Vindicate
Lands
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Arid Mesa
1 Bayou
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Command Tower
2 Forest
1 Godless Shrine
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Kor Haven
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Murmuring Bosk
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
1 Orzhov Basilica
1 Overgrown Tomb
2 Plains
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Savannah
1 Scrubland
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
2 Swamp
1 Temple Garden
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawmoth
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Winding Canyons
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
There are a few basic themes going on here.
1. Artifact Denial - We want to deny our opponents the use of all artifacts. This tends to cripple lots of decks, especially those that rely on artifacts for mana. To do this we have a bunch of cards that destroy all artifacts, Molder Slug and Kataki, War's Wage, which can be recurred and deal with indestructibles, Null Rod and Stony Silence, plus some spot removal for artifacts. Aura of Silence makes it hard for opponents to play artifacts.
2. Captain Sisay Toolbox - We want to drop Captain Sisay early and gain as much advantage off of her as we can. Usually, you will first tutor for Volrath's Stronghold in order to protect her and whatever else she grabs, while expanding your mana base. You can tutor for green or black mana from the Kamigawa lands, and haste from Hall of the Bandit Lord, which all make Teneb a much greater threat. Kor Haven can save you from some Voltron generals, and just makes you an unattractive target in general. The legendary creatures are all certainly no slouch either, and Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite and her boyfriend, Kamahl, Fist of Krosa are a frightening duo that can make even your little guys strong threats while they eat away at manabases. Time of Need usually finds Sisay unless you have to find something else right away.
3. Graveyard Control - BGW are the best colors for manipulating graveyards, and Teneb is great evidence of this. You have plenty of ways of recurring your creatures, as well as ways of preventing your opponents from recurring anything. Sun Titan can recur all of your enchantments, as well as your Null Rod and fetchlands. Sisay usually grabs Volrath's Stronghold first, and Null Rod and Stony Silence protect your own graveyard from most graveyard-hating artifacts. You have 3 bouncelands to reuse Bojuka Bog, so you should get good mileage out of it. Teneb and Nighteyes the Desecrator can even steal you a win condition from an opponent's graveyard.
4. C-c-c-combo Breaker! - Since we want the game to go long, we have to make sure we can reliably disrupt combos. Nezumi Graverobber, Cremate and Shred Memory disrupt graveyard-based combos. Aven Mindcensor stops ramping and tutoring. Gaddock Teeg says NO to a lot of things, as does Null Rod and Stony Silence. Intrepid Hero keeps them off of large creatures, and Elesh Norn keeps them off of small creatures and tokens. Kamahl discourages them from wiping your guys, preserving your soft lock. Destroying their artifacts certainly helps a lot, and Akroma's Vengeance, Austere Command, and Pernicious Deed save you when things get really bad. You also have plenty of instant-speed spot removal for all kinds of permanents, including some exiling and tucking effects. Choke is for all of the blue decks that are sure to give you trouble. If they counter or destroy it, fetch Sun Titan to recur it. If they kill him, you have plenty of ways to get him back.
5. Land Protection - Because we aren't using artifacts or creatures for mana, we have to be very protective of our lands. Weathered Wayfarer, Tithe, and Gift of Estates help you catch up if you are behind on mana. Life from the Loam gets you your lands back, while fueling your graveyard strategy.
6. Gaddock Teeg - This guy is amazing and you want him down most of the time; he's an easy early pick for Sisay tutoring. Shred Memory can also find him in a pinch. You only have 5 cards that you can't cast when he's down - Akroma's Vengeance, Austere Command, Creeping Corrosion, Jarad's Orders, and Vraska the Unseen, and Vengeance can still Cycle.
Some random synergies
Kamahl, Fist of Krosa + Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Captain Sisay + Volrath's Stronghold/Hall of the Bandit Lord
Bojuka Bog + Selesnya Sanctuary/Golgari Rot Farm/Orzhov Basilica
Cavern of Souls + Selesnya Sanctuary/Golgari Rot Farm/Orzhov Basilica
Weathed Wayfarer/Tithe/Gift of Estates + Selesnya Sanctuary/Golgari Rot Farm/Orzhov Basilica
Kamahl, Fist of Krosa + Golgari Charm
Sun Titan + Aura of Silence/Qasali Pridgemage/Fleshbag Marauder/Pernicious Deed
Jarad's Orders -> Sun Titan + Eternal Witness -> Revive Jarad's Orders
Jarad's Orders -> Sun Titan + Fleshbag Marauder/Qasali Pridemage
Tutor -> Dimir House Guard -> Captain Sisay -> Volrath's Stronghold -> Dimir House Guard (as many times as you need; Graveborn Muse/Creeping Corrosion/Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker are all fantastic targets at this point in the game)
I don't have Tooth and Nail because it's expensive and usually won't win you the game. You'd rather have something that will give you incremental advantage or protection.
That's all I'll write for now. I'll clean this up when I get the chance.
Mono Red's Strengths and Mono White's Strengths
I dig the commitment to the non-artifact theme. Molder Slug is a card I’m going to have to put to use. Did you consider World Queller as well? Especially with no artifacts or planeswalkers in your deck, it would be useful most turns.
I can’t believe I haven’t seen Gift of Estates before. It fetches three duals! I need some copies, especially for my non-green white decks. I like your focus on nontraditional ramp/color fixing. You obviously have some ramp cards, and then cards like Weathered Wayfarer and Gift of Estates that require you to have less land than somebody. I'm guessing that your ramp gameplan is to move through your ramp fairly slowly, keeping it as recovery as much as ramp.
A Captain Sisay toolbox makes a lot of sense in a control deck. I’d always thought of her in terms of a more agro-build, but she looks great here. Fetching legendary lands is pretty sweet.
Speaking of fetching legendary cards, did you try out the green praetor? Yeah he’s not well-loved, but neither are Elesh Norn or Sheoldred.
Looks like a blast to play… a griefer deck for griefer decks.
WUBRG Some of these decks can actually win games...WUBRG
How I know I should build a deck:
I like World Queller, but in a more stax-ish build. It's vulnerable and needs to survive until your next turn to do anything. Molder Slug and Sheoldred at least do something if they aren't killed immediately. I think I'd rather have something like the new Vraska the Unseen or Planar Cleansing if I wanted an effect like that.
Gift of Estates is one of the most underrated cards in the format. When you're ahead, you don't need it, and when you're behind, it completely saves you. It's the total opposite of win-more. Seriously, 3 cards for 2 mana in WHITE? And it solves all of your color problems! I prefer it even over some of the green options, especially because its combination of cheapness and power allows me to keep more hands than I normally would. A hand with 5 business spells, Gift, a bounceland, and another land provides 6 mana in all colors!
Yeah, the plan isn't to ramp extremely quickly, but to ensure steady and sustained growth. You have a lot of cheap disruption and removal to survive the early game, and you want to be able to protect your investment.
I actually consider Sisay to be the real general, with Teneb as a backup plan. Sisay is SO much better with access to black, and black allows you to reliably tutor for Sisay. Sisay finds whatever creatures you need, and Teneb ensures that they stick around.
He's alright, but he's my least favorite Praetor. Unless I'm using him for the mana doubling, or I'm running lots of tax and stax, he just seems to do too little. I think Avacyn, Angel of Hope or Terastodon would be a lot more useful as fat as high-end creatures go.
I never thought of it that way, but yeah. One of my favorite things about this deck is that it's "fair." It doesn't run any extreme stax, no heavy land destruction or mana denial (outside of Kamahl/Norn, but that's a small part of the overall strategy), no blue, no infinite combos, and no blazing fast kills in the first few turns, and yet it manages to stay competitive. It's really fun to watch your board slowly and steadily develop as the game progresses and you get to play with some of the best creatures and removal spells in the game. The most annoying plays this deck can make are using Myojin of Night's Reach's ability, and locking the game down with Sun Titan and Pernicious Deed, but neither of them are that extreme most of the time.
Obviously, some of the cards are expensive. If you can't find original duals, Gift of Estates loses a lot of power unless you add more Plains and rework the entire mana base. In some metas, you don't want to run bouncelands, or you want more basics. You might also want to cut a few cards you don't need for a few more basic lands. Imperial Seal can easily become a Worldly Tutor, a Sylvan Tutor, or a Green Sun's Zenith, since you're usually going to be finding Sisay anyway. Cruel Tutor or another black tutor also works.
Really, there's a lot of room here to tailor it to your meta, so feel free to be creative. The only rule is to remember that you want to play for the long game and make steady, sustained progress.
Mono Red's Strengths and Mono White's Strengths
Epic Signature by the one and only Ace in Ace of Spades Studio
Proud member of the Spirit of EDH
BGW Teneb, the Harvester [Primer]
R Márton Stromgald
WUB Dakkon Blackblade
GR Atarka, World Render
{Writing and Rants}
WUBRG The Primeval Dragon's influence on EDH
Thank you! Teneb and Sisay are two of my favorite creatures in this format, so I looked for a way to build a deck around both of them. I think it works rather well.
If you like the idea of a deck built around two creatures instead of just the Commander, you should check out my Hazezon Tamar/Norin the Wary deck as well. It really surprised me just how much Sisay likes access to black, and likewise, how much Norin likes access to W and G. Here's the list: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=9259984#post9259984
Mono Red's Strengths and Mono White's Strengths
So far, the cards that have the best shot of making it in are:
Luminate Primordial
Sepulchral Primordial
Sylvan Primordial
Treasure Thrull
Merciless Eviction
Blind Obedience
Orzhov Charm
I'll also be testing:
Obzedat, Ghost Council
Lord of the Void
Giant Adephange
Skarrg Goliath
Undercity Informer
Space is so tight already, and every single card is excellent, so we'll see. The Primordials are all really good, as is Merciless Eviction, so I can see them going in. Treasure Thrull gives another recursion engine and lifegain for grindy games. Blind Obedience is more artifact hate and shuts down hates plus gives lifegain to help grind games out. Orzhov Charm is solid removal.
The rest seem to be outclassed, but I'll test them anyway. Obzedat, Ghost Council looks nice to tutor for and play with Captain Sisay the turn after you play her if you already have Volrath's Stronghold, and is a nice creature at any point. Lord of the Void and Giant Adephage can get out of hand if they aren't dealt with multiple times. Skarrg Goliath is interesting because he allows Teneb to kill somebody in 2 hits, and Teneb can bring him back after you use him for Bloodrush. Undercity Informer is a sac outlet and a way to fill your graveyard, obviously. We'll see how it goes.
Any opinions on these?
Mono Red's Strengths and Mono White's Strengths
I was vouching just for Obzedat mainly because of it's ability and evasion but, I'm up to try any of them. Going for an exact build of yours cos it is that AWESOME!!! Cept for the pernicious deed...thoughts on Mirari's Wake?
O, and try out Crypt Ghast as well
sign in blood stood out to me as a wtf? card in this list. u run awesum stuff wit this card? lol
-sign in blood
+ Greater Good- more draws wit u fatties
GU Experiment Kraj- all your abilities belong to us
WB Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts- battlecruiser
GUB The Mimeoplasm- when graveyards are not safe
RGW Mayael the Anima- i luv the fatties
ur #4 in ur post, Killer Instinct <3
and u said u not like Tooth n Nail. it prob doesnt work well in ur deck cuz u arent running the creatures that REALLY bust this card! i run it in my borbor enraged edh and its just unfair to the opponents.
pay the entwine:
Avenger of Zendikar + Regal Force
Urabrask the Hidden + Balefire Dragon
dont underestimate it yo
GU Experiment Kraj- all your abilities belong to us
WB Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts- battlecruiser
GUB The Mimeoplasm- when graveyards are not safe
RGW Mayael the Anima- i luv the fatties
Obzedat, Ghost Council is alright, but nothing special here. We want our big creatures to bring something really special to the table that we can abuse over and over, and we already have Kokusho, the Evening Star for life drain.
Pernicious Deed is NUTS. We have a lot of expensive creatures, so you can wipe everything else while our best stuff survives. This deck also tends to tutor for and recur Sun Titan very often, and when these two cards combine you can keep the board clear indefinitely, especially when Teneb joins the party to protect Titan.
Mirari's Wake is a good card and speeds up Teneb's clock by a turn. It depends on your build and how much you can use the extra mana.
Crypt Ghast just doesn't do enough here. We don't run enough Swamps and we don't need the Extort.
I haven't had the chance to test this much yet, since I've been working on some other decks. I do like Treasure Thrull and am definitely going to test it. It works well with some of the same cards that Sun Titan does, and in many ways is actually better than the Titan, which is one of the best creatures in this deck. Without testing, I'd say that it's a strong choice.
He used to be in the deck. It's nice that he's so easy to kill off. Nothing wrong with running him if he works for you. Same goes for Wurmcoil Engine.
Sign in Blood is one of my favorite black cards. As long as you can pay the mana, it's almost NEVER a bad draw. Early game, you can cast it when you have nothing better to do, and you have more options next turn. Late game, you'll have spare mana anyway, so it's basically a free extra card. It also helps you make your early land drops, which is so important. It's also not usually worth it for someone to counter such a small spell, unlike something like Recurring Insight, so you'll get the draw when you need it and that counterspell will be saved for someone else.
Greater Good is one of the best draw engines in the game, but it's also situational. I wouldn't cut guaranteed draw like Sign in Blood for it, but feel free to run it over, say, Graveborn Muse.
It's not that it's not an amazing card. It's that we don't really need it. We have no problem drawing, casting, and recurring powerful creatures. Since we're not a ramp deck, most of the time, Tooth will just clog our hand when we'd rather just have another creature.
If your games go long and mana isn't a problem, you can Tooth for Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Triskelion for an instakill. My version of the deck is tuned for a fast metagame and likes to fly under the radar, so my strategy is different.
Mono Red's Strengths and Mono White's Strengths
Epic Signature by the one and only Ace in Ace of Spades Studio
Proud member of the Spirit of EDH
BGW Teneb, the Harvester [Primer]
R Márton Stromgald
WUB Dakkon Blackblade
GR Atarka, World Render
{Writing and Rants}
WUBRG The Primeval Dragon's influence on EDH