<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spirit of the Night" href="#" target="_blank">Spirit of the Night</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Nielsen">Cliff Nielsen</a>)</h6>
<h1>Introduction</h1>
<p>We find ourselves in a transitory place. A place that marks the arrival, or the passing, of a great scholar or fabled ruler. This ephemeral land is heralded by the <em>qilin</em>, or Kirin. The Dragon Giraffe. They inhabit a duality of space, for the transmundane quickly descends back to grounded earth. For that brief auspicious hour that they do appear, they are arbiters of chiaroscuro perception - they are at once scaled in dazzling jewels, precious metals, and the fragments of stars - and modestly unadorned, armored by mud and the austere bells of mountain ascetics.</p>
<p>They are fearsome and exactingly just. They see guilt or innocence, good or evil, but not the humanity between.</p>
<p>Perfect for a <em>Dual Shot</em>.</p>
<p>And welcome to this latest experiment, where we brew two decks at the same time... in one deck. Our Kirin commander today is not quite as auspicious as the myths would hold - this one has been twisted, its voice of bells now detuned. Our deck-within-a-deck is led by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Infernal Kirin" href="#" target="_blank">Infernal Kirin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and it would have us play a proper divergence.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Infernal Kirin"></div></div>
<hr />
<h1>Any Color You Want... So Long as it's Black</h1>
<p>All of the <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=name&amp;q=%28type%3Alegendary+type%3Akirin%29">Kirin Legends</a> want us doing multiple things. Most immediately in that manner particular (and parasitic) to Kamigawa, whereby Spirit and Arcane are lumped together. But then they each do something else. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bounteous Kirin" href="#" target="_blank">Bounteous Kirin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gains you life, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloudhoof Kirin" href="#" target="_blank">Cloudhoof Kirin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> mills. So firstly, you have the instances of overlap between <a href="https://edhrec.com/tribes/spirits">Spirit</a> creatures and Arcane spells.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Devouring Greed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skullmane Baku"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kami of the Waning Moon"></div></div>
<p>Effects like <em>Splice</em> and <em>Soulshift</em> are very clearly predicated on this. But each Kirin allows us to go beyond this encouraged combination of subtypes. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Infernal Kirin" href="#" target="_blank">Infernal Kirin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> wants us to play <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/discard">discard</a>, and to that end, there are bridges to be seen through the mist.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kemuri-Onna"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="He Who Hungers"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Banshee of the Dread Choir"></div></div>
<p>As our commander's discard effect is quite specific, and targeted, it's not advisable to rely on that channel for hand hate, and indeed, one might consider utilizing the abilities of this Kirin - or any of its peers - in an incidental capacity. So although we're running several discard effects as Arcane sorceries or Spirit creature abilities, our discard payoffs are minimal. We look to prioritize our winning strategy through mass mana generation into something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exsanguinate" href="#" target="_blank">Exsanguinate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and by generating a wide board state full of Spirits to sink into <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Devouring Greed" href="#" target="_blank">Devouring Greed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. All the while nattering away at our opponents' longevity with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thief of Hope" href="#" target="_blank">Thief of Hope</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or heavier guilts like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Choice of Damnations" href="#" target="_blank">Choice of Damnations</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and the black classic <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gray Merchant of Asphodel" href="#" target="_blank">Gray Merchant of Asphodel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="The Dragon Giraffe" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Infernal Kirin
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Kami of the Waning Moon
*1 Kyoki, Sanity&#039;s Eclipse
*1 Kemuri-Onna
*1 Skullmane Baku
*1 Thief of Hope
*1 He Who Hungers
*1 Balthor the Defiled
*1 Iname, Death Aspect
*1 Akuta, Born of Ash
*1 Spirit of the Night
*1 Banshee of the Dread Choir
*1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
*1 Ghost-Lit Stalker
*1 Crypt Ghast
*1 Graveborn Muse
*1 Hypnotic Specter
*1 Tergrid, God of Fright
*1 Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
*1 Orzhov Racketeers
*1 Orzhov Enforcer
*1 Pitiless Plunderer
*1 God-Eternal Bontu
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Charcoal Diamond
*1 Sundial of the Infinite
*1 Baku Altar
*1 Maskwood Nexus
*1 Nihil Spellbomb
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Dark Ritual
*1 Cabal Ritual
*1 Goryo&#039;s Vengeance
*1 Horobi&#039;s Whisper
*1 Soulless Revival
*1 Hideous Laughter
*1 Broken Visage
*1 Songs of the Damned
*1 Seize the Soul
*1 Call for Blood
*1 Sickening Shoal
*1 Soul Shatter
*1 Price of Fame
*1 Doom Blade
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Devouring Greed
*1 Choice of Damnations
*1 Cranial Extraction
*1 Footsteps of the Goryo
*1 Swallowing Plague
*1 Sink into Takenuma
*1 Waking Nightmare
*1 Three Tragedies
*1 Kindred Dominance
*1 Languish
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Exsanguinate
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Black Market
*1 Dawn of the Dead
*1 Raiders&#039; Wake
*1 Bastion of Remembrance
*1 The Eldest Reborn
*1 Underworld Connections
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Davriel, Rogue Shadowmage
*1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Hagra Mauling
*1 Pelakka Predation
*25 Swamp
*1 Everglades
*1 Crypt of Agadeem
*1 Barren Moor
*1 Bottomless Vault
*1 Shizo, Death&#039;s Storehouse
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Field of Ruin
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Castle Locthwain
*1 Cabal Stronghold
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<h1>Transitory Lands</h1>
<p>Ah, speaking of lands, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crypt of Agadeem" href="#" target="_blank">Crypt of Agadeem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one part of a powerful and elaborate win condition for us. Elsewise, the lands in this list provide pretty typical utility and, uh, black mana, but together with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Songs of the Damned" href="#" target="_blank">Songs of the Damned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crypt of Agadeem" href="#" target="_blank">Crypt of Agadeem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can do some pretty vile things with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iname, Death Aspect" href="#" target="_blank">Iname, Death Aspect</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We can fuel <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exsanguinate" href="#" target="_blank">Exsanguinate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swallowing Plague" href="#" target="_blank">Swallowing Plague</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if we need to deal with something, or we can pivot into something more traditionally aggressive with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Balthor the Defiled" href="#" target="_blank">Balthor the Defiled</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, with the hopes of creating a greatly asymmetrical board state in our favor. At a smaller scale, you can churn the dead souls of the past with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goryo&#039;s Vengeance" href="#" target="_blank">Goryo&#039;s Vengeance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dawn of the Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Dawn of the Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, playing with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundial of the Infinite" href="#" target="_blank">Sundial of the Infinite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to cheat impermanence.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crypt of Agadeem"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Infernal Kirin" href="#" target="_blank">Infernal Kirin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does a good job of performing hand hate and disrupting combos, but we're not really trying to win with discard - instead, our general tends to glide more along the lines of interruption. Also, for one added boon, shout-out to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrgBD_tuz9f7qIiooB8LVLQ/featured">EDH Deckbuilding</a> for the Iname + Maskwood <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES6kHlqPEmU">idea</a>, which ricocheted into our Rogues and Specters and Gods becoming Spirits, pleasing our Kirin, and enabling Balthor to pump our whole board, since with Maskwood, everything is a Minion!</p>
<p>Even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will be a Minion! Skittles is as robust an alternate win condition as ever, but everyone's favorite Dragon Skeleton costs half as much as THPS1+2 for the PS4 (or costs as much as half a copy, if you're in the market for something like THPS1+2-2).</p>
<p>I, uh... look, if you want to replace it, start by bolstering the discard strategy with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana&#039;s Caress" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana&#039;s Caress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or if you want to replace <em>that</em>, then <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Megrim" href="#" target="_blank">Megrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Megrim"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Painful Quandary"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tinybones, Trinket Thief"></div></div>
<p>You can go pretty nuts with upgrading the discard side of the deck, with big movers like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Waste Not" href="#" target="_blank">Waste Not</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painful Quandary" href="#" target="_blank">Painful Quandary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but then you run the risk of just streamlining, leaning hard into optimization, and turning into a Tinybones deck, and we wouldn't want that. <em>(Wait, wouldn't we?)</em></p>
<hr />
<h1>Conclusion</h1>
<p>That's it for this experiment. Finding cards that act as powerful bridges between themes is integral when trying to do everything a busy commander might have you doing. You can easily (and perhaps responsibly) pilot <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alela, Artful Provocateur" href="#" target="_blank">Alela, Artful Provocateur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a flying tribal or Faerie tribal commander, and rely on her <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/dual-shot-true-duality/">other abilities</a> for incidental value - you were going to run <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Banishing Light" href="#" target="_blank">Banishing Light</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> anyway, right? But finding cards that ford those rivers allows room for interesting, undiscovered synergies - not to mention added elegance and enjoyment of the game.</p>
<p>Here, cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baku Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Baku Altar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kemuri-Onna" href="#" target="_blank">Kemuri-Onna</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> proved to be capable unifiers, where <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akuta, Born of Ash" href="#" target="_blank">Akuta, Born of Ash</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> seems an obvious first cut. And the interplay between <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iname, Death Aspect" href="#" target="_blank">Iname, Death Aspect</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maskwood Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Maskwood Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to get a lot stranger with this list. Just keep in mind that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Infernal Kirin" href="#" target="_blank">Infernal Kirin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> rewards a variety of converted mana costs (or, mana values). What unexpected synergies have you gleaned from pseudotribal commanders like the Kirin? What about from abilities generally considered to be parasitic, like <em>Splice</em>? Let us know in the comments! Til next time.</p>


Dual Shot - The Dragon Giraffe

Ranking Every Land with EDHREC – Part 26: Salvager of Secrets

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="It That Betrays" href="#" target="_blank">It That Betrays</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/morano">Tomaz Jedruszek</a>)</h6>
<h1><strong>A Hands-On Approach</strong></h1>
<p>Greetings, everyone, and welcome back to <em>Monomania</em>. In this article series we build mono-colored decks as a way to explore ramp and draw packages that are synergistic with our particular deck’s strategy, challenging staples and misconceptions about the color pie. Today’s featured commander is a rapacious tentacle man, and all he wants to do is poke an opponent once. What's in our hand? Is it an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Undertaker" href="#" target="_blank">Undertaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="It That Betrays" href="#" target="_blank">It That Betrays</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? That's the line between life and death.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Volrath the Fallen"></div></div>
<p>Volrath the Fallen and I have a history. I built a budget-friendly version of this deck years ago, played it a few times, and realized that the deck’s fun factor is fairly dependent on cards that cost $10 or more. Some black decks just need <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cabal Coffers" href="#" target="_blank">Cabal Coffers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth" href="#" target="_blank">Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vesuva" href="#" target="_blank">Vesuva</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I dismantled the deck and largely forgot about the commander until recently. In this article, I’m revisiting the first Volrath, entering a shadow dimension of unrestricted budgets, and seeing what I can put together.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shriekmaw"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sibsig Muckdraggers"></div></div>
<p>The concept is simple and compelling: we want high-CMC creatures that we can pitch to pump Volrath. First and foremost, we’re hoping to kill our opponents with commander damage. However, this commander also gestures in two other directions as well. First, because we will be discarding big creatures, we might as well reanimate them afterward. This deck wants cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Delver" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Delver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Artisan of Kozilek" href="#" target="_blank">Artisan of Kozilek</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Secondly, because we’re running such expensive creatures, a big mana package is a great contingency plan to cast some of these game-ending monsters from our hand in case Volrath is no longer an option. Our build is creature-focused and loves cheating mana costs. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shriekmaw" href="#" target="_blank">Shriekmaw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sibsig Muckdraggers" href="#" target="_blank">Sibsig Muckdraggers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancient Stone Idol" href="#" target="_blank">Ancient Stone Idol</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> may not be amazing on their own, but they have increased utility here because they work two shifts as big buffs on our commander or utility effects.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Volrath the Fallen" href="#" target="_blank">Volrath the Fallen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only leads 58 decks listed on EDHREC but deserves a more careful eye. Because he can activate his ability more than once in a turn, it will be easy to one-shot a single opponent. Unlike other Voltron strategies, this deck also has the ability to transition into a big-creature build. Let’s get into it and see what cards will most successfully support what Volrath is trying to do.</p>
<hr />
<h2><strong>Wind Up</strong></h2>
<p>I’ve mentioned this before on Monomania, but the big mana package available to mono-black is difficult to exclude. Unless you are pursuing a low-to-the-ground, aggressive strategy, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cabal Coffers" href="#" target="_blank">Cabal Coffers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth" href="#" target="_blank">Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vesuva" href="#" target="_blank">Vesuva</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deserted Temple" href="#" target="_blank">Deserted Temple</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are almost always powerful additions. Here, they are imperative. When Volrath is inevitably removed from the board, we want the ability to cast cards that cost 10 mana or more for their sticker price. Big mana is an essential component of our ramp package for this reason.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bog Witch"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crypt of Agadeem"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oblivion Sower"></div></div>
<p>Above we have three flex inclusions that I have chosen to supplement our other ramp strategies. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bog Witch" href="#" target="_blank">Bog Witch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of my favorite underrepresented cards to champion. This card fits into more decks than one may think. As is typical of the Spellshaper creature type, we have to discard a card in order to activate its ability, but in any deck that wants a discard outlet, this isn’t a cost as much as it is an extra benefit. In our deck, this creature can both discard a bomb to the graveyard as well as produce mana necessary to cast a reanimation spell. It only sees play in 496 decks listed on EDHREC and I’m positive there are more graveyard-based decks that want this card.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crypt of Agadeem" href="#" target="_blank">Crypt of Agadeem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is perfect for our build as well, since we'll be pitching creatures to the yard with our commander or cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bog Witch" href="#" target="_blank">Bog Witch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oblivion Sower" href="#" target="_blank">Oblivion Sower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another powerful flex creature in our deck. While exiling four cards in the hopes of hitting one or two lands isn’t an amazing rate for six mana, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oblivion Sower" href="#" target="_blank">Oblivion Sower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a few exceptional use cases that push it over the top. First, if you hit three or four lands from the top of your opponent’s deck, this is suddenly an exceptional ramp effect. Second, graveyard hate is very common in certain metas, including my own. In almost every game I play, a graveyard becomes exiled at some point. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oblivion Sower" href="#" target="_blank">Oblivion Sower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn’t care if a land was exiled with its ability or with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bojuka Bog" href="#" target="_blank">Bojuka Bog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. if it’s in exile, we can snag it. Using this card to target the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord Windgrace" href="#" target="_blank">Lord Windgrace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> player, I've been able to sneak nine lands onto the battlefield.</p>
<hr />
<h2><strong>Reload</strong></h2>
<p>The card advantage package is really where our deck finds some interesting, off-the-wall inclusions. We want to keep the focus on high-cost creatures and the graveyard while also including powerful card advantage effects.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sandstone Oracle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Baleful Force"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kozilek, the Great Distortion"></div></div>
<p>These three inclusions embody our primary theme. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sndstone Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Sndstone Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a low floor but also a very high ceiling. We have several discard outlets in our deck, which means we will normally be playing with a smaller hand and have a higher chance of drawing three, four, five, or more cards.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baleful Force" href="#" target="_blank">Baleful Force</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is secretly a decent card. Given a full turn rotation at a four-player pod, you will draw four cards in exchange for four life. The real advantage of this card is actually how unassuming it is. If you play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vilis, Broker of Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Vilis, Broker of Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, an opponent may get spooked immediately and remove it on sight. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baleful Force" href="#" target="_blank">Baleful Force</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, however, is just innocuous enough to avoid attention. Finally, the new and old Kozileks can also help us draw through our deck. The Great Distortion could even be another discard outlet for us if necessary.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oversold Cemetery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Undead Gladiator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grave Scrabbler"></div></div>
<p>Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oversold Cemetery" href="#" target="_blank">Oversold Cemetery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tortured Existence" href="#" target="_blank">Tortured Existence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> fill a particular role in our deck, cycling creatures in and out of our graveyard. These are important pieces because they will help us repeatedly pump Volrath with the same high-cost creatures. Or, if we’re at that stage in the game, we could play a bomb like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emrakul, the Promised End" href="#" target="_blank">Emrakul, the Promised End</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> every turn and force our opponents to remove it again and again.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Undead Gladiator" href="#" target="_blank">Undead Gladiator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grave Scrabbler" href="#" target="_blank">Grave Scrabbler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> don’t provide us with card advantage directly, but do fulfill that very important role in our deck, once again cycling cards in and out of the graveyard. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Undead Gladiator" href="#" target="_blank">Undead Gladiator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another underrepresented card in our format, only seeing play in 437 decks. This card can help fill in gaps and sculpt bad hands into better ones. You can discard irrelevant cards or a creature you want to reanimate. Whatever you use the Gladiator for, he fits right in with Volrath.</p>
<hr />
<h2><strong>The Deck</strong></h2>
<p>With all that set and settled, let’s take a look at the deck as a whole. Ramp and draw take up an outsized proportion of slots here because we want to ensure that we play our six-mana commander early and power out beaters as fast as possible. There are still other notable inclusions, however, that we can dive into. As always, season to taste.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emrakul, the Promised End"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Delver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Empty the Catacombs"></div></div>
<p>Emrakul is at the top of her class in this deck. While she doesn’t pump Volrath to lethal, she does everything we want—she provides a significant buff, has a discount effect, and can hose a player out of the game in a pinch. In addition to this, I’ve also included many other Eldrazi such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Void Winnower" href="#" target="_blank">Void Winnower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="It That Betrays" href="#" target="_blank">It That Betrays</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pathrazer of Ulamog" href="#" target="_blank">Pathrazer of Ulamog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These cards can sneak a win all on their own if necessary. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Delver" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Delver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> leads the team of reanimation effects present here, including <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Entreat the Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Entreat the Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animate Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Animate Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood for Bones" href="#" target="_blank">Blood for Bones</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Finally, I’m highlighting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Empty the Catacombs" href="#" target="_blank">Empty the Catacombs</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> here to advocate for its inclusion both with our commander and with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syr Conrad, the Grim" href="#" target="_blank">Syr Conrad, the Grim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card can refill your hand with fodder for Volrath. In a well-tuned Syr Conrad deck it could just end the game on the spot. I can’t believe this only sees play in 185 decks.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="The Tentacular Now" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Volrath the Fallen
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Undertaker
*1 Bog Witch
*1 Burnished Hart
*1 Fleshbag Marauder
*1 Merciless Executioner
*1 Plaguecrafter
*1 Undead Gladiator
*1 Crypt Ghast
*1 Dread Presence
*1 Filth
*1 Grave Scrabbler
*1 Ravenous Chupacabra
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Magus of the Coffers
*1 Phyrexian Delver
*1 Shriekmaw
*1 Nirkana Revenant
*1 Oblivion Sower
*1 Meteor Golem
*1 Sandstone Oracle
*1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
*1 Baleful Force
*1 Razaketh, the Foulblooded
*1 Vilis, Broker of Blood
*1 Artisan of Kozilek
*1 Sibsig Muckdraggers
*1 Void Winnower
*1 Ancient Stone Idol
*1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
*1 Kozilek, the Great Distortion
*1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
*1 Pathrazer of Ulamog
*1 It That Betrays
*1 Emrakul, the Promised End
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Dead of Winter
*1 Entreat the Dead
*1 Blood for Bones
*1 Empty the Catacombs
*1 Mutilate
*1 Decree of Pain
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Expedition Map
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Coldsteel Heart
*1 Key to the City
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Extraplanar Lens
*1 Mimic Vat
*1 Whispersilk Cloak
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Thran Dynamo
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Phyrexian Reclamation
*1 Tortured Existence
*1 Animate Dead
*1 Dance of the dead
*1 Oversold Cemetery
*1 Dauthi Embrace
*1 Strands of Night
*1 Whip of Erebos
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Barren Moor
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Cabal Coffers
*1 Cabal Stronghold
*1 Crypt of Agadeem
*1 Desert of the Glorified
*1 Deserted Temple
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Polluted Mire
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Scrying Sheets
*22 Snow-Covered Swamp
*1 Strip Mine
*1 Thespian&#039;s Stage
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*1 Vesuva
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

<hr />
<p>What do you think of the old Volrath? Does this style of deck have a chance or is it just too slow? What did I miss? Where have I gone wrong? Let me know in the comments below! Remember to EDHREC responsibly: always dig a little beyond the statistics. I’ll see you all on down the road.</p>


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