JensDagon

Iona uses a replacement effect, not ETB trigger. The real defense is that even in EDH Iona is expensive as balls.

It's such a shame that it was only the fifth edition art that had it so. If they ever reprint the Nether creatures, I'd like to see something more in line with that artwork(or in honesty /that/ artwork), but would probably only see the old one.

Indeed. I dropped the targeted disruption in favor of other tactics, and the gamble that I can stabilize before the opponent. Which has held true unless nobody deals with Ashnod's Altar, in which case we have simplified the game for a few designs. Hermit druid however has had an amusingly bad time against this.

The colossi are pains to get rid of, but that's where the beauty of sacrifice comes in. I'd much rather leave them with a colossus on the field than let there be a swarm of bears.
The second something becomes a resource, the first person to weaponize dependency gains an almost staggering advantage.

Scroll Rack really is something I need to work in. I'm thinking I'll get rid of Bog Witch for itm as while her ramp is nice, card advantage is especially powerful in this deck.

Now that is an option that had crossed my mind, but I thought Killing Wave was more useful for it's ease of casting. The argument of being able to reuse BSZ is compelling, but the sheer size of some of the creatures in EDH makes me a little concerned quite honestly, and the reduced casting cost is quite a benefit.
One thing a friend suggested was the inclusion of Elixir of Immortality to both mitigate the cost of operating Maralen, and as a means of rearming.

A full game using this deck involved me spending my turns by shifting 20 life in my favor via the Bogbrew package, and recurring it with Krovikan Horror, and Tortured Existence. Oh yes, I think I can grow accustomed to this.
http://i.imgur.com/iZb4d.gif

I can only take credit for certain portions, as the description says, it was mostly inspired by the one Artemis did. The Iname & co. package is one I always want to slip into EDH with a decent support for black, and I'd probably run Ichorid as well if I thought I could get away with it.
Cloister and Bridge is lackluster, but it is a necessary precaution in my eyes. There is no card in EDH that I hate more than that damned Memory Jar. When one of our group heard I was tinkering with it, he sent me a text saying "lol memory jar" and attached this bit from Archer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXCpNOPAQ6w

Temporal Extortion I don't know how I didn't think of, I used to love that card way more than I reasonably should. And Glacial Chasm is a bit of a facepalm moment for an xx-Lands player.

Scroll Rack is an interesting option, not perhaps as attractive without Land Tax, but in the context of EDH could have amazing potential by itself.

Eternity Vessel is a bit pushing it, I honestly think I'd rather risk the suicidal tendencies than throwing another card at that cost in. Though it is definitely an option for the sideboard with Maralen.
It would be easy to use, and has synergy with many of the lines of play offered by this deck, but the mana cost is too extravagant for it to be justified in the mainboard I think.


Thanks for the suggestions, what you and Artemis say will definitely be at the forefront when tweaking this. It's good, constructive advice, from people who know the deck and more importantly the format better.

I like it, but I am intrigued by the choice of Thran Dynamo. I usually use Mox Opal for a cheap accelerant, and a smaller land base as is my norm. How is that working for you?

I also really suggest more Winter Orb. It can win you so many games that it is ridiculous. And Jester's Cap can make for a /very/ powerful sideboard tool.


Overall a very interesting list for Stax Brian, even for the Glue versions it has low counts on some cards, but I can see good reason for it at the same time. Very interesting indeed.

Amusingly enough, I've been told that before.

Agreed, there's a simple elegance in the slow, brutal, crushing defeat that comes with being flattened by Thopters. But there isn't always the time to do it sadly.

Ah, but there I must bring up a point of contention; as a general noun that is acceptable, much the same way that it is acceptable to say that tomato is a fruit. But like there is the more culinarily specific distinction that a tomato is a vegetable, there is a more specific distinction of what type dessert a pudding is.
An arguable point, but a valid one nonetheless.


P.S. I don't call it a toilet, I call it a water closet. I'm not a /complete/ savage.

The idea is simple as to why I would bother with having tutor effects; I found, even in testing, that the times I wouldn't want Maralen aren't so infrequent as one might hope. Letting somebody tutor up the dude(my pet name for Hermit Druid) is worse than me tutoring up the Rack. There are certain things that you need to prepare for as much as you can without Maralen before casting her, and tutor effects hasten that process.
I will easily concede that two is too many though.

Cranial Extraction is much to pricey for a single card, but you must it admit it seems at least remotely,tempting given the effect and that it can trigger.
Bitter Ordeal would probably be my choice, as while Neverending Torment technically has higher capability, I can't resign myself to an Epic spell in a deck such as this. There are too many possibilities.

Given the nature of EDH high land counts are part and parcel for most decks, but I find I haven't been enjoying the land count in my Witch-Maw deck even, and Maralen gives me reason to run an even more aggressive setup for it than I desire there even. Thirty just seemed like a good number to start testing with, and I have to tell you that it's been quite fitting.


I appreciate you commenting Artemis, as you have much greater experience in these matters. I simply had an idea, and went with it.


Postscript: Witches' Eye was put in because I was a little excessive with the witching theme.

Yeeeees, this is how UW Parfait(I reject the idea that pudding and parfait are interchangeable after having made both) should be. I will however say that I much prefer the grinding game of Thopter Foundry to the combo finish of Helm of Obedience. It's just more enjoyable to play it out in my opinion.

I think the longest a deck has taken me to design was my original Iso-Seek Poxtraction, but most of that was research time taken on other decks to maximize each aspect I wanted to use, the deck itself took less than a week to make.
Arguable point is that I view most of my designs as incomplete, I am always looking for a way to make each and every one perfect. Most notably I think this has been visible with Reanimator, and Pox. The creature suite for Reanimator more or less only changes with sets, but Pox is always in my mind if I'm thinking about MtG.

On average though, for a working build that lasts a set, my general time is less than ten minutes, and edits to designs I have made before take less.

So... I took it as a challenge, and did the best I could within mono-Black EDH to create something that can rip a deck apart. Wound up putting the graveyard-based Spirits in there too. Don't know why, just did.

To go further with the idea of that, Bitter Ordeal, Life's Finale, and Sadistic Sacrament are options of great pain.

I wouldn't be surprised if they make one that's better, Witch-Maw is shockingly easy to build around.

It really does, but it does so at a certain cost. Most people don't like to let it be after seeing it once or twice.

The first card I see is Anvil of Bogardan, and it just kind of followed suit in terms of cruelty. But then I see Neverending Torment... Epic spells are just plain cruel in EDH, but that one especially.

While I love the art for River of Tears, my love of Undiscovered Paradise with Landfall triggers is greater. It's trading off an instability for a different manner, but by securing the colors regardless of your hand, and Crab triggers, seems like it would be a positive trade.

You'll be damaging yourself at equal rates without Blood Artist, where you will negate the loss of life upon the death of creatures, and the situation becomes net advantage to you of -1 life for the enemy per cycle and a sustainable mana source for it.
This is by no means the only route for this deck, but it is the most amusing, and a method to combo out of a bad situation occasionally.

And thank you, while I can take no credit to the primary shell of Zombardment, I can take credit for this form of it.

The best part about it? I just beat Taxes with it.
http://i.imgur.com/DKygvYN.gif

Zombie+Gravecrawler+Goblin Bombardment+Carnival of Souls=You killing your opponent just before you die(Hopefully, doesn't always work out...)
Get out a Blood Artist and Carnival of Souls becomes net Mana gain in that situation, and you just go off for the lolz.