{"ops":[{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"THE CHALLENGE"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n\""},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"For December's deck building contest - build a Commander-legal deck that aims to execute a combo requiring five or more cards. Decks will be judged on the creativity and originality of their combo, as well as how they assemble the combo. Extra consideration will be given to decks that omit universal tutors ("},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":{"card-link":"Demonic Tutor"}},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":" , "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":{"card-link":"Gamble"}},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":" , etc.) or exclude tutors entirely."},{"insert":"\"\n\nArchidekt's December challenge is no joke. The odds of naturally drawing five essential cards in a game without tutors are extremely low. It's also quite the challenge to come up with an original 5-card combo that isn't already known to the brilliant hive mind of the MTG community. This was already shaping up to be the most difficult build I've undertaken.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"THE COMBO"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nIf I'm already going for an original combo, I might as well use a terrible card that rarely ever sees play in EDH. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Wretched Throng"}},{"insert":" is the perfect candidate, seeing play in less than 200 decks according to EDHREC. The card was obviously not designed for a singleton format, so let's figure out a way to make it work.\n\nThe most obvious tool we need is a way to tuck WT (Wretched Throng) back into our library when it dies, so its effect can somehow target itself. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mortuary"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The Cauldron of Eternity"}},{"insert":" both have the effect we need, so I've included them both for redundancy. We'll only need one of them to pull off the combo, but it's nice to have a backup piece in case one gets exiled.\n\nWe'll also need a way to reduce the casting cost of WT to make this an infinite combo. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The Sibsig Ceremony"}},{"insert":" is a perfect way to reduce WT's cost and have it die right away. Again for redundancy, we need a backup plan. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Cloud Key"}},{"insert":" with \"creature\" chosen is the perfect plan B, so in it goes.\n\nNow we need to make one blue mana pip, so WT can be recast indefinitely. You know it, you love it, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Phyrexian Altar"}},{"insert":" is the star of the show here. This card, along with Mortuary, take up nearly half of the deck's budget, but they are essential for making this monstrosity of a combo work. Well, there is an alternative in the form of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Pitiless Plunderer"}},{"insert":", but it should be noted that Pitiless Plunderer won't work with Cloud Key. It needs The Sibsig Ceremony to kill WT.\n\nLastly, we want a payoff for those infinite death triggers to close out the game. Any "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Blood Artist"}},{"insert":" effect will do, so I've included it, along with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Vengeful Bloodwitch"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Zulaport Cutthroat"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Diregraf Captain"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Bastion of Remembrance"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Funeral Room // Awakening Hall"}},{"insert":". Please note that using one of the above-listed creatures will require you to cast them before casting The Sibsig Ceremony, or it will immediately die upon entering the battlefield.\n\nTo sum this combo up, we need our Blood Artist effect out on the battlefield (part "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"A"},{"insert":"). We also need Mortuary or The Cauldron of Eternity out on the battlefield (part "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"B"},{"insert":"). For mana generation, we need Phyrexian Altar or Pitiless Plunderer out on the battlefield (part "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"C"},{"insert":"). To reduce the casting cost of WT, we need The Sibsig Ceremony or Cloud Key out on the battlefield (part "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"D"},{"insert":"). If Cloud Key is used, Pitiless Plunderer will not work for the combo. Lastly, we need the star of the show in hand, Wretched Throng (part "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"E"},{"insert":").\n\nCast WT for one blue mana. If you're using The Sibsig Ceremony, it will trigger upon WT entering the battlefield. Before it resolves, sacrifice WT with Phyrexian Altar to float one blue mana. If you're using Pitiless Plunderer, just let Sibsig resolve so you can get your treasure token for mana. When WT dies, it gets tucked into the bottom or top of your library, depending on which part "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"B"},{"insert":" you're using. Just make sure you let part "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"B"},{"insert":" resolve before WT resolves, so you're able to use WT's ability on itself, putting it back into your hand from the library. Now you're able to recast WT with the floating blue mana or treasure token, and repeat the process an infinite number of times, draining your opponents' life totals with your part "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"A"},{"insert":".\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"TUTORS"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nThe redundancy of having two options for our combo pieces is nice, but we'll still need some form of tutors in this deck, or we'll never pull off this combo in an actual game. I did my best to adhere to Archidekt's condition about universal tutors. To keep things fair and playable, I only used modal tutors that could be used for more than just searching for a card. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Insatiable Avarice"}},{"insert":" can be used for card draw. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Lively Dirge"}},{"insert":" can be used for its recursion effect. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Scour for Scrap"}},{"insert":" can be used for its regrowth effect. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Drift of Phantasms"}},{"insert":" acts as a useful blocker. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Muddle the Mixture"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Perplex"}},{"insert":" can help protect our board state. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Clutch of the Undercity"}},{"insert":" can act as removal or as a way to bounce back our own permanents before being destroyed/exiled. Finally, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Shred Memory"}},{"insert":" is a great way to make sure an opponent isn't able to capitalize on our mill strategy.\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Raul, Trouble Shooter"}},{"insert":"'s mill and gravecast strategy is also going to help us find those combo pieces, which is why he was chosen as our commander. Milling is a lot more mana-efficient than drawing, so we're able to dig deep through our library, looking for combo pieces or tutors to find them. This was my attempt at getting around Archidekt's frown on tutors for this deck building contest. It's a lot easier to let those combo pieces hit the yard and cast them from there than it is to draw them naturally without universal tutors.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"PLAYSTYLE"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nYou won't be winning through combat damage, so don't even bother attacking. There are plenty of creatures included to deter attacks from our opponents, such as "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Cruel Somnophage // Can't Wake Up"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The Ancient One"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Deathcap Marionette"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mire Triton"}},{"insert":". Your focus should be on milling to find those combo pieces. Raul isn't the only card that lets us gravecast. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Emry, Lurker of the Loch"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Reenact the Crime"}},{"insert":" can also fill in if Raul gets destroyed. Besides gravecast, we can also regrowth cards back to our hand from the graveyard. Some of the best options for this are "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ripples of Undeath"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Undead Butler"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ill-Gotten Gains"}},{"insert":". Even better than gravecast or regrowth is direct recursion. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Reanimate"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Unearth"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Stitch Together"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Victimize"}},{"insert":" are some of the all-stars that make it happen.\n\nCard draw is a little light in this deck, but that's made up for by using cards from our graveyard. Perhaps the most effective way to dig for combo pieces comes from combining draw with what we've managed to mill. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Visions of Beyond"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dig Through Time"}},{"insert":" fit perfectly into our game plan.\n\nRemoval is also a little light, for two reasons. First of all, we won't need to remove any blockers, since our win condition is not combat damage. Secondly, we're able to find removal spells easily and even reuse them from the graveyard, if necessary. This means that we won't need a lot of them taking up card slots in the deck. The one board wipe included, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Nuclear Fallout"}},{"insert":", also helps us mill cards. Board wipes from our opponents are usually welcome, since they help fuel the graveyard.\n\nSince there are some symmetrical mill cards included, such as our commander, I've included six graveyard-hate cards to prevent opponents from taking advantage of our strategy. Two of my favorites in this deck are "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Grip of Amnesia"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ashiok, Dream Render"}},{"insert":". Ashiok is also very useful for slowing down land-ramp players.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"HIGHLIGHTS"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nThere are a few cards that you might skim over without realizing their significance in the deck, so I'd like to cover them here.\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Wand of Vertebrae"}},{"insert":"'s primary use is obviously milling one card per turn, but it also acts as a way to protect key cards from graveyard-hate, tucking them back into your library at instant speed.\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Priest of Gix"}},{"insert":" acts as a ramp card once The Sibsig Ceremony or Cloud Key is out on the battlefield. This really helps you lay out all your combo pieces in one go.\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Shadow Kin"}},{"insert":" is a really clever form of recurring your Pitiless Plunderer or Blood Artist from the graveyard, but it can also be used to copy one of your opponents' big creatures to help block or grant you some other useful ability.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"CONCLUSION"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nInstead of just adding some random 5-card combo into a deck that already has a win condition, I really wanted to completely build this deck around the combo. I also wanted to be able to see this combo occasionally occur in a bracket 3 game of Commander. I do believe the deck succeeds on both fronts. Raul is certainly not a kill on sight commander, and I think you'll be able to go under the radar for a while. The massive amount of mill, redundancy of combo pieces, and modal tutors are all great ways of being able to see this monstrosity of a combo happen. Wretched Throng is certainly the last card anyone at the table is going to expect to see, just before losing to an infinite 5-card combo.\n"}]}