Plunder the Graves 1.0

No sideboard found.

The owner of this deck hasn't added a sideboard, they probably should...

This deck is from the commander 2015 release. I am in love with this pre-made deck but it does not meet me "graveborn" deck standards. There are a lot of fun creatures but some of them are useless to me. I did two play tests and did well in both games. Meren is amazing and is exactly the kind of commander I would need for the strategies that I like to use in a graveyard focused deck. For example, cards like Clouthresher, Blood Bairn, and Wood Elves stuck out as complete wastes of space for what they do.There are some cards that I have in my collection and could purchase in order to streamline the deck. Mana costs, abilities and over all synergy are my main reasons for wanting to modify the deck and create a sideboard in order to improve it. Be on the look out for slight modifications and feel free to add suggestions.

-Bandana

Okay guys, I'm back. I have finally figured out which cards will be replaced by new and better cards. I will start with a not so brief list of the cards that are being cut and the reason(s) for the decision. Some cards may be added to the sideboard but for the most part all of the cards on this list are no longer a part of this deck.

Creatures (15):

1. Wood Elves is a nice land search deck but it is not the best one I could use for this deck. I can search for a Forest and put it onto the battlefield untapped but it only lets me get a FOREST. I don't think that is the best option for this deck. There are plenty of green mama symbols but I want to be able to choose which land card I add to the battlefield.

2. Blood Bairn is a card that I could not get on board with even when I used it to smash my friends face with for a couple of turns. I like that it allows me to simply sacrifice a creature instead of having to pay some sort of mana cost or lose life as well. The problem is that the bonus is only temporary. It gets a whopping +2/+2 until the end of the turn but that did not seem worth it to me. If my opponent manages to kill Blood Bairn after I use it's ability then it becomes a waste. I "feed" my graveyard with more creatures but it doesn't help me out that much. I need a card with a more permanent and lasting effect in order to pressure my opponent and make it tough to deal with the card before and after it leaves battlefield. (Flesh Carver).

3. Banshee of the Dread Choir is not that great to me but it earned a spot in my maybe board. It's myriad ability is great in group games and I was surprised that I understood how it works. It gives me at least one more creature that will die at the end of the turn, applies offensive pressure on my opponents, and helps Meren stack experience counters. The problem with keeping this in my main 100 card deck is that I don't play group games as often as I used to. I can usually predict when I will be play a group and I can easily throw this into the deck before I play and bam... problem solved.

4. Caller of the Pack is basically the Banshee's partner in crime. It's better in group games and is taking up space in the main deck. It is a maybe board card at this point and is not exactly worth adding directly to my sideboard.

5. Centaur Vinecrasher is an interesting card that I am not too familiar with. The problem for me was finding a way to destroy my lands. Terastodon is great for that and there are a few other options. The problem is that I don't really have a strategy that requires me to get rid of lands. I have the capability to do it but it doesn't help me that much. In my one on one play test, I noticed that this card did not get any bigger than a 4/4 during the entire game. By the time it gets enough +1+1 counters I have already shut my opponent down and have plenty of bigger creatures to poke them with. The second is was that I faced was trying to find a fast way to bring my lands back to the field. Eternal Witness was only able to bring back a maximum of two cards per turn and I didn't see the point in destroying my lands in order to beef up Centaur Vinecrasher. I certainly didn't want to waste time destroying my opponents lands when only Centaur Vinecrasher and Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord benefit from it. It a nice strategy within the deck but it is nothing that I need to focus on.

6. Cloudthresher is a nice potential board wipe creature that has found it's way to my sideboard. Whirlwind is one cards that I like and gush about sometimes. I could and might add Whirlwind to the decks sideboard once I get my hands on one of them. Cloudthresher however has good synergy with the deck and I managed to "nuke the field" three times in one turn. I could have gone for more but my opponents flying creatures weren't big enough to survive four damage. In the future, I may end up adding this card back to the main deck. Enjoy this joke that I made as I dropped cloudthresher over and over again.

"Mr. Owl! How many Cloudthresher's does it takes to destroy all of the flying creatures that my opponent has on the battlefield?"

"Let's find out! One! Two! Three! Goddamnit....."

The world found out.

7. At first glance, Corpse Augur seemed like a funky card that could put me closer to death before I get a chance to play some of the cards in my hand. Early on in my one on one play test, this deck was killing and reviving cards extremely quickly. I didn't have any creatures in my graveyard at the end of my end phase which turned out to be a good thing. I understood that Meren's ability is not a may ability but there is a small loop hole here. Corpse Augur has a may ability and I don't have to bite my veins to get to the blood of my deck. I will add this to my sideboard list for now but I am re-thinking my strategy with this cards. This deck lacks draw power and life gain and could be a much needed boost for this deck. Blood Rites enchantment fixes that all at once. It allows me to sacrifice a creature, draw a card, and gain life. If I don't find a better card for this then I am throwing Blood Rites in sooner than any other card on the replacement list. Sign me up! Yes, please and thank you!

8. Great Oak Guardin is going to my side board. I like that he allows me to target with player untaps their creatures. In the right situation, that could foil my opponents plans and throw off their own strategy. I like the +2/+2 buff and it has flash which could let me cast it to block my opponents creatures with my own. This card never made it to the battlefield in either game but I definitely see the potential and will enjoy the day when I finally get to use this big guy.


9. Indrik Stomphowlrer Is a funky creature that is just a step below acidic slime. There are other cards that could allow me to destroy target permanent that I will be searching for and adding to the deck. Simple right?

10. Lotleth Troll

11. Phyrexian Rager

12. Satyr Wayfinder is a card that gave me problems. It has a nice ability but it doesn't suit the deck. I like that it allows me to add a land to my hand and put the rest into my graveyard. This is a may ability and it let's me go through the top four cards of my deck. If none of those cards are useful I can send them to the graveyard and get closer to finding a good card at the same time.

That's where the problem comes in.

During my play test, I used this card's ability at least 5 times. It didn't go so well and I could have picked better times to use it. I always found a land but I had to send an instant or a sorcery to the graveyard with maybe one creature. Maybe it was bad timing but I think that this card could set me back and do more harm than good. This card is primarily a land search card that "feeds" the graveyard. This card would be wonderful in some situations. Unfortunately, I don't think I want to keep this card in the main deck and try to use it better. (Replaced by Blood Artist).

13. Skullwinder is a useful card. I used it quite a few times when Eternal Witness was unavailable or if it gets exiled. I like that it has deathtouch and allows me to return a card to my hand. The only thing I don't like is that my opponent gets to return a card to their hand, too. I do not want to give my opponents any resources back if I can help it. There are some other cards that can help me get my cards back from the graveyard without helping my opponent like Greenwarden of Murasa. It has a higher mana cost but that won't matter when I get enough experience counters. I can definitely use this card repeatedly and I won't need to exile it so this is going to be a nice edition to the deck.

14. Wall of Blossoms

15. Thief of Blood is not too good in this deck. I original felt like this card would be a game changer in the right moment or a complete dud in others. It might even be both in the same instance. The play test proved this to me and I made a mistake that led me to my decision. I managed to kill off two of my opponents Planeswalkers and I removed all of the +1/+1 counters from my creatures just by casting this card. Thief of Blood became a 60/60 or some ridiculous power and toughness and I was all set to swing the next turn and end the game (I had Pathbreaker Ibex on the field).

My opponent said no.

The very next turn they destroyed Thief of Blood and I felt like I had made the worst move I could have made. I still had my other creatures but my big guy was gone. I got rid of his planeswalkers but he got rid of my only win condition at the time. It actually stopped my opponent from gaining a considerable advantage but I could not accept how quickly he was able to destroy the next turn. This deck can generate a lot of +1/+1 counters than I originally thought it would so this card kind of sets me back. I could not believe what happened and thus my love/hate relationship with this card began. It's going straight to my sideboard for that crap. It has potential if I play it right but I need time to recover from that mess of a game. I love you Thief of Blood! Marry me!

This deck will be changing soon so I will add some combos and strategies at a later time.

-Bandana

I just added some modifications to the deck and I will keep you guys posted with anything else that comes to my mind about this deck.

-Bandana

• EDH
• Golgari
• Commander
• Graveyard