Oh Captain, My Captain!!!

Tis’ the Season!

Welcome one and all!  This is Captain Red Zone coming to you with the next part of my new deck series for Tri-Colors for your viewing delight. By the time you’re reading this, chances are you will be in the middle of the holiday season. Some of you will just be finishing Hanukah while others may have just finished buying a Jace, the Mind Sculptor for that special someone for Christmas. But however you celebrity, this time of the year has become the season mostly known for gifts, giving, and peace among you and your fellow Planeswalkers. So in the spirit of this festive time of the year I’m going to bring you my Bant deck. This week we will be sharing the love with everyone’s favorite flying animal…

What??? It can fly! You just have to give first. So let’s get to giving!

A Time For Giving!

When people see Phelddagrif the reaction is usually very mixed. Some people see it a say “HEY! You’re about to help me win easier!”, while others almost go on auto pilot and decided that you’re the one first to kill. The good thing about this is you can, usually, get to stay in the game by helping the other players instead of the guy who’s attacking you. So let’s start with the creatures that will help you help them.

Questing Phelddagrif, Hunted Phantasm, Hunted Lammasu, Hunted Troll, Hunted Wumpus, Tempting Wurm, Braids, Conjurer Adept, Jötun Grunt, Magus of the Vineyard, Sheltering Ancient, Arbiter of Knollridge, Mother of Runes, Heartwood Storyteller, Kami of the Crescent Moon, Walking Archive, Mistmeadow Witch, and Galepowder Mage: I wish Questing Phelddagrif was a Legend just because I think it has amazing art, but I guest a lost Phelddagrif is so common that when one gets to where it’s going it becomes a legend. The parts of the Hunted cycle here are great for helping other players out. Sometimes they get a little behind in the game and these creatures, combined with Tempting Wurm and the blue Braids, are great for helping the guy with two lands on turn 6 stay in the game. Galepowder Mage and Mistmeadow Witch work great with come into play creatures like these and can be used on other players creatures so blink their (insert “enter the battlefield effect” creature) so they can get an extra use out of it. Walking Archive, Kami of the Crescent Moon, and Heartwood Storyteller helps move the game along by making sure everyone get to draw the extra cards they need. Mother of Runes can keep our creatures safe from spot removal while Jötun Grunt helps the guy with all those pesky creatures in his graveyard by giving him a second chance to draw them. Arbiter of Knollridge and Magus of the Vineyard bring the present of Mana and Life points to the game.

Court Hussar, Eternal Witness, Sun Titan, Primeval Titan, Weathered Wayfarer, and Sakura-Tribe Elder:  While these are going to be spending most of their time giving to us, we’re just going to use what we receive to give to others. I like to think of these like a Donation Drive. First, people give to us, then we use what we get to give to others. Also I kinda like the idea of Primeval Titan working in a soup kitchen….

Trade Secrets, Skyscribing, Blue Sun's Zenith, Words of Wisdom, Forced Fruition, Fecundity, Font of Mythos, Temple Bell, Teferi's Puzzle Box, Howling Mine, Jace Beleren, Standstill, and Minds Aglow: So if this deck had a “win condition” It would be on the backs of these cards. You Do what you can to give people what they want… by drawing cards… until they don’t want any more… then you help them by giving them some more. Trade Secrets with that special someone near a log fire. Then we will use Skyscribing or Blue Sun's Zenith to give to someone in need. Forced Fruition and Fecundity will spend most of their time helping someone else but at least you can finish your holiday off right by giving. Font of Mythos, Temple Bell, and Howling Mine draws everyone cards before you even get the chance to see one, which is very giving while  Words of Wisdom and Jace Beleren helps everyone when you choose to in this deck. Teferi's Puzzle Box is here to help people mix their hands up in hopes of helping them find the cards they really need, like lands, instead of cards they don’t, like a Titan or a Sphinx. In this deck you always break your own Standstill and Minds Aglow is a great way to do that!

New Frontiers, Rites of Flourishing, Heartbeat of Spring, Upwelling, Kodama's Reach, and Collective Voyage: In this game, mana is a lot like money. So I like to think of these as Gift Cards. You’re not sure what to give so you give them some mana and let them use it for what they want. But that doesn’t mean we can’t pick up a little something for ourselves while we’re out. I think after all that giving we did its ok to give ourselves a little bump right.

Ghostly Prison, Propaganda, Krosan Grip, Path to Exile, Swords to Plowshares, Beast Within, Pongify, Bant Charm, Spin into Myth, Faith's Fetters, Prison Term, Oblivion Ring, Remand, Arcane Denial, Hinder, Day of Judgment, Planar Cleansing, and Worldpurge: Where I come from, you have to be care when you’re seen giving this much. There are some people out there that will beat you up and take all your gifts. So if you’re out late, walking the streets like some weird mix between Santa Claus and Batman, you need to protect your neck.

Yeah... something like that...

This package is here to help insure that your group is going to take your gifts even if they think you should be dead.  But I like to think of this as a club where you set up your party for your play group so they can get their gifts. Ghostly Prison and Propaganda is your personal club bouncers, making sure only the coolest creatures get in while telling the low level creature without money to go to the back of the line. Path to Exile, Swords to Plowshares, Beast Within, Pongify, Bant Charm, Spin into Myth, Faith's Fetters, Prison Term, and Oblivion Ring are the drinks at the bar waiting for the creatures that paid the cost to meet the boss. Day of Judgment, Planar Cleansing, and Worldpurge are here so should the club down when too many people get in. Sometimes you see someone trying to sneak into the party and that’s when you call over Remand, Arcane Denial, and Hinder to throw them out. Krosan Grip is here to deal with all the empty bottles.

Playing removal in a deck like this seems kind of counterproductive. So if we’re really going to be giving we need…

Knowledge Pool: See, now we can feel good about our removal package because at least we can just make it available for someone else to use. When you’re giving your opponent the chance to spread the love with the cards in this deck, everyone’s a winner.

Reliquary Tower, Forbidden Orchard, Prahv, Spires of Order, and Novijen, Heart of Progress: With all this card draw, we need to keep a Reliquary Tower jut to keep up with it. Forbidden Orchard will provide us mana and a 1/1 for any other player in need. Prahv is our way to stop the violence even if it’s headed at someone else while Novijen can pump any creature any one plays if we’re really in the mood to grow.

 Vivid Creek, Vivid Grove, Vivid Meadow, Seaside Citadel, Azorius Chancery, Simic Growth Chamber, Graypelt Refuge, and Selesnya Sanctuary: And here are a few lands to help make sure that we have the mana we need to cast what we want. Usually When I build a personal deck these I try to use a mana base like this one. I find it provides a good balance of colors without breaking the wallet.

A Time For Sharing!

With 9 Islands, 9 Forest, and 8 Plains our gift for the season is ready to be delivered. As always, my mana base here is just a suggested starting point. At the bottom, you can check out the deck list. Next week I will be taking a little time off to work on side projects and maybe try to relax a bit. But don’t worry, I’ll be back and during my time out you may get a taste of what’s in the works between Cassidy Silver, Christian Renoe, and myself  for when I return. When I get back we’re going straight into the violent side of Magic with Black/Red/Green in our next Tri-Color Deck! Feel free to leave any comments you have and you can always hit me up at CaptainRedZone@gmail.com. As always thanks for the read and I will see you soon with another article!

Hope you had fun and please leave any comments or suggestions.  Until next time,

This is your Captain speaking… We’re heading into the Red Zone!!!

1 Phelddagrif

1 Questing Phelddagrif

1 Hunted Phantasm

1 Hunted Lammasu

1 Hunted Troll

1 Hunted Wumpus

1 Tempting Wurm

1 Braids, Conjurer Adept

1 Jötun Grunt

1 Magus of the Vineyard

1 Sheltering Ancient

1 Arbiter of Knollridge

1 Mother of Runes

1 Heartwood Storyteller

1 Kami of the Crescent Moon

1 Walking Archive

1 Mistmeadow Witch

1 Galepowder Mage

1 Court Hussar

1 Eternal Witness

1 Sun Titan

1 Primeval Titan

1 Weathered Wayfarer

1 Sakura-Tribe Elder

1 Trade Secrets

1 Skyscribing

1 Blue Sun's Zenith

1 Words of Wisdom

1 Forced Fruition

1 Fecundity

1 Font of Mythos

1 Temple Bell

1 Teferi's Puzzle Box

1 Howling Mine

1 Jace Beleren

1 Standstill

1 New Frontiers

1 Rites of Flourishing

1 Heartbeat of Spring

1 Upwelling

1 Kodama's Reach

1 Minds Aglow

1 Collective Voyage

1 Krosan Grip

1 Path to Exile

1 Swords to Plowshares

1 Beast Within

1 Pongify

1 Bant Charm

1 Spin into Myth

1 Faith's Fetters

1 Prison Term

1 Oblivion Ring

1 Ghostly Prison

1 Propaganda

1 Remand

1 Arcane Denial

1 Hinder

1 Day of Judgment

1 Planar Cleansing

1 Worldpurge

1 Knowledge Pool

8 Plains

9 Island

9 Forest

1 Reliquary Tower

1 Forbidden Orchard

1 Prahv, Spires of Order

1 Novijen, Heart of Progress

1 Vivid Creek

1 Vivid Grove

1 Vivid Meadow

1 Seaside Citadel

1 Azorius Chancery

1 Simic Growth Chamber

1 Graypelt Refuge

1 Selesnya Sanctuary

Oh Captain, My Captain!!!

[Ran out of time to do links but it will be fixed by Friday] Calvin

Touch of Death! Welcome one and all!  This is Captain Red Zone coming to you with the first part of my new deck series for Tri-Colors for your viewing delight. This week we’re going into the Green/Blue/Black combination known as Vorosh, but quick story. When I first started playing Magic, sometime around the summer of 1999 or so, my favorite color to play was Black. I only played casually because, at the time, my brother and I had no idea that there was such a thing as competitive Magic. Black was my favorite color because it had the Hand of Death.

I liked Red because the burn spells could hit both the creature or the player but it wasn’t a guarantee that the damage would be enough to take out a creature. I didn’t play counter spells because I didn’t fully grasp how they worked at first and till this day I’m a little trigger shy with them. With a spot removal like Hand of Death, I could kill any (nonblack) creature I wanted. There was no pressure to do it right now before it hits play, becomes too big to burn, or any of that. It was a point and kill kind of thing.

After a few years of buying packs at my local comic book store, my brother comes to me and tells me about how he met some people at his high school that played Magic and there was a new set that came out called Odyssey. This was the first time I got see the Basilisk effect. For those of you who don’t know, the Basilisk effect is basically what deathtouch is but it only works during combat. I loved this effect. Now my creatures could kill any creature no matter the size difference? Sign me up! But this was when I learned how counter magic really worked… but that’s a story for another time…  

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is I love deathtouch like effects. It makes it hard for other players to attack you because they know there creature is going to die. And it will usually be to a smaller, less impressive, creature. No one wants to loss a Godsire or its 8/8 token to a Giant Scorpion. Sure you could make another token but don’t say you wouldn’t want it for face smashing instead of trading with a 1/3 common. I had this in mind when I choose the Commander for this week’s deck and that’s why I chose…

When most people see Damia the first thing they notice is that area of text about card drawing and hand size. But if you breakout the magnifying glass and look in the upper left hand corner of that same text box you see a little effect she has. Granted as a 4/4 for seven mana you don’t plan on attacking with her, but that’s no reason to not turn hers sideways. So let's go!

You've Got the Touch! You've Got the Power! YEAH!!!

I’m thinking of this deck as a Gorgons den. Players will be afraid to send creatures at you because they know their creatures will die. Only the bravest, and foolish, creatures will dare step foot on your side of the battlefield and most will not be returning home. So let’s start with the obvious set of creatures…

Moonglove Winnower, Grave Titan, Bitterheart Witch, Typhoid Rats, Giant Scorpion, Vampire Nighthawk, Glissa, the Traitor, Greater Basilisk, Daggerback Basilisk, Turntimber Basilisk, Thornweald Archer, Wren's Run Vanquisher, Hornet Queen, Acidic Slime, Death-Hood Cobra, Ambush Viper, Onyx Mage and Deadly Recluse: While we may not have many artifacts,  Glissa, the Traitor is still willing to bring them back from the graveyard whenever another corpse is add to the death toll. Moonglove Winnower and Thornweald Archer are a perfect example of the kind of creatures your opponent doesn’t want trading with their Primeval Titan or Consecrated Sphinx while also being elves for Wren's Run Vanquisher to come out. Typhoid Rats, Giant Scorpion, Greater Basilisk, and Daggerback Basilisk may not have much but they have the touch and in my book that’s good enough. Turntimber Basilisk’s Landfall ability can come in handy for dealing with creatures that refuse to battle. Hornet Queen maybe on the expensive side but five flying deathtouching creatures in one card can’t be passed up on. Acidic Slime usually only gets played because of its board changing destruction effect but, just like a lot of creatures in this group, the fact that it has deathtouch is often overlooked. Death-Hood Cobra, Ambush Viper, and Onyx Mage can even turn other creatures without the touch into deathtouching pros. Deadly Recluse is here to keep the sky clear making our side of the field a no fly zone. Bitterheart Witch is used to find curses but if you haven’t been paying attention… deaths… touch. Vampire Nighthawk is a great example of how great a creature can be with just combining a few evergreen abilities on one creature. Quick can you name a 6/6 black creature that is not a zombie, makes zombie tokens, and has deathtouch….Times up! It’s Grave Titan!

So with the deathtouch creatures out of the way, we move onto the next set of creatures that are in a similar area. The creatures with the Basilisk effect! These creatures will kill just about everything they fight with at the end of combat, so their almost as good but hey I still like the “If I got to go I’m taking you with me” attitude.

Gorgon Recluse, Infernal Medusa, Ohran Viper, Sosuke, Son of Seshiro, Simic Basilisk, Serpentine Basilisk, Stone-Tongue Basilisk, Thicket Basilisk, Lowland Basilisk, Venomous Dragonfly, Deathgazer, Tangle Asp, Dread Specter, and Engulfing Slagwurm: Stone-Tongue Basilisk is good at a 4/5 with this effect but way better when you hit the threshold. Serpentine Basilisk’s morph effect can catch a few people out there. Simic Basilisk can be used to help another player take out a creature. Thicket Basilisk, Gorgon Recluse, Deathgazer, Dread Specter, and Infernal Medusa have abilities that will allow certain creatures to live, like walls or black creatures, but sacrifices must be made sometimes… why does that sound familiar? Ohran Viper can draw you cards if it connects with a player. Ohran Viper and Tangle Asp maybe small so I’m calling up Sosuke, Son of Seshiro to help with the battling and the extra pump he gives to snakes. Engulfing Slagwurm will give you the most problems when it comes to deciding to attack or just hold him back for blocking. Venomous Dragonfly has flying, making it easier to deal with those pesky other flyers. As for Lowland Basilisk, it is the weirdest when it comes to these creatures. From the best I can figure it is the missing link between deathtouch and the basilisk effect. If it gains the ability to deal damage to a creature outside of combat, that creature will die at the end of the next combat phase even if it didn’t attack!

So with all of this going for us, now would be a good time to start thinking about how to get these creatures out of the Den and into the faces of our enemies.  

Basilisk Collar, Livewire Lash, Viridian Longbow, and Thornbite Staff: Livewire Lash, Viridian Longbow, and Thornbite Staff are all here for the creatures with deathtouch so they can start to kill from a distance while Basilisk Collar is here to give deathtouch to any creature without it… or lifelink to any creature with deathtouch so we can regain any lost life.

But this isn’t enough to deal with every problem when we start turning dudes sideways. I wonder… what other effect is good when combined with deathtouch?.... hmmm

Grappling Hook, Fireshrieker, Bladed Pinions, Helm of Kaldra, Phyrexian Splicer, Power Matrix, and Viridian Claw: Oh Yeah!! First Strike!! You get to attack and anyone dumb enough to get in the way catches a brick to the mouth before your creature even gets to see the whites of their eyes! Here are a few ways to get that death dealing dealt right. Even a little double striking action can help round out this package.

Rite of Replication, Spitting Image, and Cackling Counterpart: Having the ability to copy any of your creatures, or even the best creatures on the other side of the table, can come in handy. I wouldn’t feel right without adding a few of these just to add some extra copies of our best nonlegendary creatures.

Favor of the Overbeing, Animate Dead, Mana Reflection, and Curse of Death's Hold: Mana Reflection for mana, Animate Dead because it’s awesome, Curse of Death’s Hold because the witch should have at least one target, and Favor of the Overbeing because…. Well…. Hmmm…

Vorosh, the Hunter and The Mimeoplasm: Since there are only two other legends in these colors at the moment, I feel they should be here. Vorosh has been putting in work for this color combination solo for so long it should have a medal. The Mimeoplasm has also been putting up numbers with the local community. So much so that I can’t even think of a single person in my play group that doesn’t have at least one deck with it taking the lead. So, even if he’s just side lining here, you can’t deny how amazing it can be.

Cannibalize, Hand of Death, Doom Blade, Go for the Throat, Hero's Demise, Do or Die, and Putrefy: Removal packages come in all sizes. It seems as if no matter how many I time I make one for a deck I always find something new or old I didn’t realize was a thing. Looking at Do or Die just brings a tear to my eye. Where have you been all my life?

Grim Discovery: Nothing to special about this one. It just didn’t really fit anywhere else.

Can't Touch This!

With 13 Islands, 13 Forest, and 13 Swamps we can now watch people as they squirm in their seats while trying to decide if it’s really a good idea to attack us. As always, my mana base here is just a starting point. At the bottom, you can check out the deck list. Next week we’re going Green/White/Blue with our next Tri-Color Deck using as we visit Bant. Feel free to leave any comments you have and you can always hit me up at CaptainRedZone@gmail.com. As always thanks for the read and I will see you next week for another article!Hope you had fun and please leave any comments or suggestions.  Until next time, This is your Captain speaking… We’re heading into the Red Zone!!!

1 Vorosh, the Hunter

1 Damia, Sage of Stone

1 The Mimeoplasm

13 Swamp

13 Island

13 Forest

1 Gorgon Recluse

1 Mana Reflection

1 Infernal Medusa

1 Moonglove Winnower

1 Grave Titan

1 Bitterheart Witch

1 Onyx Mage

1 Typhoid Rats

1 Giant Scorpion

1 Vampire Nighthawk

1 Glissa, the Traitor

1 Ohran Viper

1 Sosuke, Son of Seshiro

1 Simic Basilisk

1 Serpentine Basilisk

1 Stone-Tongue Basilisk

1 Thicket Basilisk

1 Lowland Basilisk

1 Venomous Dragonfly

1 Deathgazer

1 Tangle Asp

1 Dread Specter

1 Greater Basilisk

1 Daggerback Basilisk

1 Turntimber Basilisk

1 Thornweald Archer

1 Wren's Run Vanquisher

1 Hornet Queen

1 Acidic Slime

1 Death-Hood Cobra

1 Ambush Viper

1 Deadly Recluse

1 Rite of Replication

1 Spitting Image

1 Cackling Counterpart

1 Grappling Hook

1 Fireshrieker

1 Bladed Pinions

1 Helm of Kaldra

1 Phyrexian Splicer

1 Power Matrix

1 Viridian Claw

1 Favor of the Overbeing

1 Animate Dead

1 Hand of Death

1 Cannibalize

1 Hero's Demise

1 Doom Blade

1 Go for the Throat

1 Grim Discovery

1 Do or Die

1 Putrefy

1 Engulfing Slagwurm

1 Curse of Death's Hold

1 Basilisk Collar

1 Livewire Lash

1 Viridian Longbow

1 Thornbite Staff

Oh Captain, My Captain!!!

Sacrifices Must Be Made!

Welcome one and all!  This is Captain Red Zone coming to you with the first part of my new deck series for Tri-Colors for your viewing delight. This week we got to see what happens on the darker side of Magic with Grixis. This is another three color combination that was well defined thanks to  Alara block. This is the color combination that has a ton of undead legends. I got so tied up in them that I was going to make a zombie themed deck … but then I got tired of using the graveyard as a crutch. I may still have some graveyard antics but this time I’m going to try to keep it at a minimum. So let’s go!

A Sacrifice For the Good of Others... But Mostly Me!

Let’s start with our theme. I’m looking at this combination and I’m thinking of Death.  But not in the conventional way, these colors are not afraid to strap one of their own down and use him/her/it for food. That’s right! Sacrifices run wild here because, let’s be honest, everything has a price and who better to pay that price than someone else. So, using that, I’m going to use creature sacrifices as one of the key themes.  And who better to lead the lambs to slaughter than…

This seems like a great start. Even without the graveyard theme, I couldn’t resist using a zombie. But without a graveyard theme, who’s getting their ass up on the Altar? It sure as hell ain’t going to be me! So we need to figure out who we can get to willingly allow us to kill them… while we think about this let’s move on to our in house butchers!

A Sacrifice Is Best Refuted By Accepting It!

So in order to get a lot of counters on Thaximundar, we need to sacrifice a lot. So let’s start this with.. 

Viscera Seer, Phyrexian Ghoul, Vampire Aristocrat, Flesh-Eater Imp, Mortarpod, and Grimgrin, Corpse-Born: Here we have a creature package that gives us some control over when a sacrifice happens. Viscera seer gives us a look into the future while Mortarpod gives us a way to deal a little damage. Ghoul, Vampire Aristocrat, and Flesh-Eater Imp can all be game ender in their own right if given one clear shot at a player while you have enough creatures to sacrifice.

Sheoldred, Whispering One, Fleshbag Marauder, Gatekeeper of Malakir, Abyssal Gatekeeper, and Butcher of Malakir: Where the previous group of cards were about us controlling when something got sacrificed, this one is about creatures that give us more ways to have others suffer with us or for us. Gatekeeper of Malakir can’t target a creature but it can take aim at one player instead of the whole table like Fleshbag Marauder and Abyssal Gatekeeper. Butcher of Malakir and Sheoldred, Whispering One are not afraid to make the whole table suffer while feeding Thaximunder.

So with all of the creature sacrificing going around I think I figured out what to use for fuel…

Stitcher's Apprentice,  Drowned Rusalka, Brine Shaman, Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder, Rakka Mar, Lich Lord of Unx, Cemetery Reaper, Bloodline Keeper, Mogg War Marshal, Weirding Shaman, Puppet Conjurer, Pentavus, and Genesis Chamber: The two best types of creatures to sacrifice are your opponents and tokens. Since you can’t always depend on your opponents, this list is for the latter part. Pentavus, Stitcher's Apprentice, and Puppet Conjurer’s abilities can work well here since they can make a creature and sacrifice it repeatable times. Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder and Genesis Chamber are great token generators while Rakka Mar, Bloodline Keeper, and Lich Lord of Unx pump out tokens one at a time. Cemetery Reaper provides a way to make tokens and remove creatures from the graveyard. Mogg War Marshal provides goblins for Weirding Shaman to sacrifice to make more goblins. Drowned Rusalka adds some looting while Brine Shaman gives a little control magic for creatures.

Emrakul's Hatcher, Rapacious One, Siege-Gang Commander, Grave Titan, Myr Battlesphere, and Grixis Slavedriver: With all of these sacrifices, sometimes you just don’t have the time to wait for the next few turns to pass. Sometimes you need to sacrifice a group of creatures now to try and gain control of the game, draw an answer, or just to get that last few counters on Thraximundar or Grimgrin to finish off your last opponent. For those moments I bring you… Army-In-A-Can! Yes Army-In-A-Can comes in several different flavors and sizes for your every day usage. Just open, add water, sit back, and watch the field fill with your favorite token creatures. Army-In-A-Can! Act now while supplies last!

Twisted Justice, Altar's Reap, Skulltap, Carnage Altar, and Vivisection: These card bring to question, are cards worth the life of a creature? On Grixis the answer is always Yes.

Mortician Beetle and Grave Pact: Usually when I pair two cards up it’s because they work the same, make a combo, or something amazing like that. But saying this early turn beetle makes a great beat stick when you have a Grave Pact out is just too obvious. Some I’m just going to point it out here and move on…

Cruel Ultimatum and Curse of the Cabal: Big spells are big. If you haven’t seen a Cruel Ultimatum resolve than you really need to stay in more. That card, with its high mana cost, was actually played seriously in Standard! So you know it’s got a home here. Curse of the Cabal on the other hand not so much but you can’t deny its ability to just wreck a player is resolved.

Mind Stone, Ashnod's Altar, and Burnt Offering: A few mana rocks never hurt anyone… unless they were a turn one Sol Ring. But the card I like here is Burnt Offering because it reminds me of the movie The Wicker Man. Every time I see Burnt Offering I think of Nickolas Cage being burned alive. Too bad it was just a movie and not a documentary because if it was real he wouldn’t have gone from a seat in the head piece of this…

To this…

Brimstone Volley, Reaper from the Abyss, and Skirsdag High Priest: The new Morbid mechanic is one that I personally can’t wait to see develop over the next two sets of Innistrad. In this deck Brimstone Volley is a Lava Axe for three that can target a creature or a player. Reaper from the Abyss will only get to use his effect once a turn but with all the sacrifices you can do, it could easily be once every turn. As for Skirsdag High Priest, with a deck like this it becomes almost unfair to have the ability to make a 5/5 flying demon whenever you sacrifice a creature to some other effect. With a few tokens this becomes an every turn thing that just builds and builds until you’re the target of ever hate card your table can find. And really, is that what everyone wants?

Diamond Valley, Keldon Necropolis, Phyrexian Tower, and Miren, the Moaning Well: I’m going to start adding effect lands to all the decks I type up and this seems like just as good of a place as any to start. What I like about these is that they provide a way to sacrifice creatures on land cards. Lands are usually harder for most groups to deal with due to a lot of groups not packing the land hate enough. So why not give these a try if you’re in one of these groups.

Crack the Earth, Demonmail Hauberk, Malevolent Awakening, Shivan Harvest, Helm of Possession, and Grab the Reins:  Here are a few fun cards to toss in to round out the rest of this deck. Not much to see here…

Evil Twin, Followed Footsteps, and Mimic Vat:  Evil Twin is great for dealing with Generals but can pull double duty by copying your token generating creatures. Followed Footsteps fall under similar lines as the Twin but if left unanswered will make more and more tokens. Just think of it on something like a Grave Titan and no one stops it. You’ll be making a 6/6 token that makes two 2/2 tokens at the beginning of every one of your upkeeps. Mimic Vat is great for taking other peoples creatures but since it exiles at the end of the turn, why not use that token for a sacrifice?

Viscerid Drone, Gate to Phyrexia, and Attrition: A removal package is always needed. Even if it is small. I’m sure that most times creatures will die do to some kind of sacrifice related event, but it doesn’t hurt to have a few extra ways out right?

Sedris, the Traitor King, Lord of Tresserhorn, and Garza Zol, Plague Queen: Here we slap in the other Legends. Sedris’s unearth ability will help bring back creatures to sac in case of an emergency. Lord of Tresserhorn makes you sacrifice two creature when he comes out to play but you can’t knock a 10/4 regenerator. Garza maybe better used in a different deck but she’s still one of the best Commanders so she gets a spot.

Born of Great Sacrifice!

With 11 Islands, 12 Mountains, and 12 Swamps I’m pretty sure we now have a sacrifice any deity would wish their followers took the time to plan. As always, my mana base here is just a starting point. At the bottom, you can check out the deck list. Next week we’re going Green/Blue/Black with our next Tri-Color Deck using a less popular Commander. Feel free to leave any comments you have and you can always hit me up at CaptainRedZone@gmail.com. As always thanks for the read and I will see you next week for another article!

Hope you had fun and please leave any comments or suggestions.  Until next time,

This is your Captain speaking… We’re heading into the Red Zone!!!

1 Sedris, the Traitor King

1 Thraximundar

1 Lord of Tresserhorn

1 Garza Zol, Plague Queen

11 Island

12 Mountain

12 Swamp

1 Sheoldred, Whispering One

1 Fleshbag Marauder

1 Gatekeeper of Malakir

1 Butcher of Malakir

1 Mortician Beetle

1 Abyssal Gatekeeper

1 Viscera Seer

1 Phyrexian Ghoul

1 Vampire Aristocrat

1 Drowned Rusalka

1 Flesh-Eater Imp

1 Brine Shaman

1 Stitcher's Apprentice

1 Viscerid Drone

1 Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder

1 Rakka Mar

1 Lich Lord of Unx

1 Grixis Slavedriver

1 Cemetery Reaper

1 Bloodline Keeper

1 Skirsdag High Priest

1 Mogg War Marshal

1 Weirding Shaman

1 Siege-Gang Commander

1 Grave Titan

1 Myr Battlesphere

1 Puppet Conjurer

1 Pentavus

1 Crack the Earth

1 Curse of the Cabal

1 Mind Stone

1 Helm of Possession

1 Carnage Altar

1 Ashnod's Altar

1 Demonmail Hauberk

1 Malevolent Awakening

1 Shivan Harvest

1 Gate to Phyrexia

1 Attrition

1 Burnt Offering

1 Grab the Reins

1 Altar's Reap

1 Skulltap

1 Grimgrin, Corpse-Born

1 Brimstone Volley

1 Reaper from the Abyss

1 Genesis Chamber

1 Mimic Vat

1 Mortarpod

1 Emrakul's Hatcher

1 Rapacious One

1 Diamond Valley

1 Keldon Necropolis

1 Miren, the Moaning Well

1 Phyrexian Tower

1 Grave Pact

1 Twisted Justice

1 Cruel Ultimatum

1 Vivisection

1 Evil Twin

1 Followed Footsteps