Naw dawg, this is vintage through and through. Just needs a Black Lotus and a Storm Crow.On a more serious note, what would make this better in modern? Now I'm genuinely interested to see if this could possibly work. Obviously all the black mana ramp would have to go, as would the Academy Rectors. I was thinking of using Enduring Ideal at first, but I'd have to cheat it into play somehow...
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Hah, yes I know... Trust me, I made this deck as a joke. It is the most casual of stupid casual combo decks I could come up with! I do not actually think anything about this deck is overpowered, everything about my write-up is just dripping with sarcasm. I just wanted to make a deck with 100+ Shadowborn Apostles. :P
Yeah, I was thinking of using those, but really they are just too mana heavy. With the setup I have here, I can do 52 damage to someone on turn five. Maybe sooner if I get enough Rites of Flame.
Nice! But your deck needs Stitch in Time because why not? :P Actually, looking at your sideboard, I might want to use Guttersnipe in this deck. I'll have to consider it.
Yes, I own all of these cards. Why do you ask?
I always suspend Benalish Commander... Sure, he comes in a turn later, but you get a free soldier token and he can attack a turn earlier. Seems good to me.
Because I only have 2! :P Really though, Preeminent Captain tends to die too quickly to really rely on. In the early game, he's the first thing to be targeted by removal. In the later game, I have enough mana to make him irrelevant. True he can be the most useful card in the deck (ideally, I can use him to play a Captain of the Watch turn 3), but it's risky. Still, maybe it's worth trying the deck with a couple more to see how it goes.
Yes, after testing it out a bit I see what you mean... However, I find that if I add any more lands I just wind up with too many. Really, this deck doesn't need more than 3 or 4 at any given time. Hm, perhaps a few more changes are in order.
Unfortunately, I have an illogical hatred for instants and sorceries that gain life... Not really sure why. I guess I just prefer gaining smaller amounts of life every turn as opposed to a larger amount only once. Just personal preference I guess. I do like the idea of more search cards though. I stuck with Vampiric Tutor simply because I could use it to fetch a Dark Ritual for use second turn. Other tutors are simply too slow for this (oh Imperial Seal, why are you so darn expensive???). But, now that I think about it, those 2-mana ones would work nicely for getting that second Gravecrawler I need to fuel sacrifices. With those, I wouldn't need Nether traitors at all! Well, I guess that solves that problem. Thanks!
Living Death? Hm, that's an interesting idea. A little much at 5 mana, but maybe worth looking into...
That's true, which is why I use Eon Hub, Quicksilver Amulet and lots of search cards to actually get them. Without their upkeep costs, they aren't actually bad cards.
The only problems with Preeminent Captain and Militia's Pride are that most of the creatures I use in this deck will be tokens, and I rarely have anything in my hand by the 4th turn. As for Journey to Nowhere and Oblivion Ring, the battle is usually over before anything worth getting rid of can enter the battlefield. Even Honor of the Pure is a little slow for this deck, but I think it's a necessary evil. That being said, maybe I will trade the Soul Parries for Preeminent Captains for a while and see how it plays out.