Conditions Allow - Isareth the Awakener

Archetune-Up - Korvold, King of the Gobbos

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rude Awakening" href="#" target="_blank">Rude Awakening</a> | Art by <a href="https://www.mtgpics.com/illus?art=351&amp;reprints=1">Ittoku</a>)</h6>
<h1>Introduction</h1>
"Rude awakening." That's a strange idiom, isn't it? There's the intended meaning of a harsher realization casting a cold, hard shadow on one's naive preconceptions. This plays on the lyrical image of someone being shaken awake, as from a pleasant slumber or a daydreaming doze. The feeling of a sudden turbulence, a dramatic change in one's state of mind (or board), is likely a familiar one for all of us.
And though it can certainly be unpleasant, why is politeness factored into the discussion at all? Is it somehow a breach of decorum to alert someone, even roughly, to the truth of wakefulness?
Wake up, sheeple! Or, wake up sheeple? Oh, uh, Gyrus can actually do that. Commas can be fun.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gyrus, Waker of Corpses"></div></div>
And the sad truth is that although there is a distant and tertiary theme of Dragon tribal in this brew, this <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/reanimate">Reanimate</a> deck inside a <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/sacrifice">Sacrifice</a> deck has no method by which to grant Human as an additional creature type to <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nyx-fleece Ram" href="#" target="_blank">Nyx-fleece Ram</a>, although I'm sure that's possible in another deck.
Without too much more rambling in the hillsides of madness, I welcome you to the latest edition of Dual Shot, where we brew two decks at the same time... in one deck.
<hr />
<h2>Hidden in the Depths</h2>
We're back to a split more closely approximating 80/20, as was established in Dual Shot's pilot studies. Actually, sometimes it feels like you have to really dig for the reanimation subtheme to rear its head, even with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gyrus, Waker of Corpses" href="#" target="_blank">Gyrus, Waker of Corpses</a> at the helm. But these two themes enjoy a sort of natural synergy: sacrificing creatures puts them into the graveyard, and in this case, apparently, they're only mostly dead, as your Hydra alarm clock is clamorous enough to get them up and out of their deathbed.
And while we're going to be running cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Victimize" href="#" target="_blank">Victimize</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dread Return" href="#" target="_blank">Dread Return</a>, the payoffs are primarily in the shape of sacrifice triggers - in fact, in our 99 lurks a king cursed with gluttony: <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Korvold, Fae-Cursed King" href="#" target="_blank">Korvold, Fae-Cursed King</a>. Korvold almost functions as a hidden commander, fueled by the rest of the deck and either drawing you into an out or turning sideways, himself. Reanimating one of our draconic threats - cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund" href="#" target="_blank">Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atarka, World Render" href="#" target="_blank">Atarka, World Render</a>, can easily knock a single player out of the game, but you'll need to rely on the pressure of recursion and card draw in order to eke out a victory - especially with a card as common as <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bojuka Bog" href="#" target="_blank">Bojuka Bog</a> essentially hitting you like it's a <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time Walk" href="#" target="_blank">Time Walk</a> if you're in a lane for reanimation.
One other thing to be wary of is the fact that Gyrus puts a creature token onto the battlefield tapped and attacking - which means that although the creature is attacking, it was never declared as an attacker while moving into to phase (when you declared Gyrus as an attacker) - this means that any tokens you create with on-attack triggers do not trigger. No surprise bonus mana from <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Savage Ventmaw" href="#" target="_blank">Savage Ventmaw</a>, sadly. But let's take a look at the pile of cards and see what does work.
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Gyrus and the Circle of Corpses" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Gyrus, Waker of Corpses
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Paradise Druid
*1 Leyline Prowler
*1 Sorcerer&#039;s Broom
*1 Rapacious Dragon
*1 Izoni, Thousand-Eyed
*1 Demanding Dragon
*1 Thrashing Brontodon
*1 Syr Konrad, the Grim
*1 Catalyst Elemental
*1 Battle Rampart
*1 Korvold, Fae-Cursed King
*1 Mayhem Devil
*1 Atarka, World Render
*1 Darigaaz Reincarnated
*1 Malfegor
*1 Tymaret, the Murder King
*1 Swift Warkite
*1 Lyzolda, the Blood Witch
*1 Plaguecrafter
*1 Gorging Vulture
*1 Hope of Ghirapur
*1 Goblin Cratermaker
*1 Bladewing the Risen
*1 Keeper of Fables
*1 Priest of Forgotten Gods
*1 Gluttonous Troll
*1 Judith, the Scourge Diva
*1 Savage Ventmaw
*1 Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Murder
*1 Bake into a Pie
*1 Gang Up
*1 Dark Ritual
*1 Fling
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Gild
*1 Tormenting Voice
*1 Hull Breach
*1 Taste of Death
*1 Painful Lesson
*1 Sign in Blood
*1 Mana Seism
*1 Faithless Looting
*1 Portent of Betrayal
*1 Savage Twister
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Bloodsoaked Altar
*1 Golden Egg
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Rakdos Cluestone
*1 Gruul Cluestone
*1 Golgari Cluestone
*1 Witch&#039;s Oven
*1 Altar of Shadows
*1 Kolaghan Monument
*1 Golgari Locket
*1 Rakdos Locket
*1 Gruul Locket
*1 Whispersilk Cloak
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bloodfire Infusion
*1 Shade&#039;s Form
*1 Moldervine Reclamation
*1 Dark Heart of the Wood
*1 Burning Sands
*1 Rhythm of the Wild
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Angrath, Captain of Chaos
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Command Tower
*1 Guildmages&#039; Forum
*1 Jund Panorama
*1 Savage Lands
*1 Geothermal Crevice
*1 Rocky Tar Pit
*1 Mountain Valley
*1 Bloodfell Caves
*1 Jungle Hollow
*1 Rugged Highlands
*1 Timber Gorge
*1 Foul Orchard
*1 Cinder Barrens
*1 Golgari Guildgate
*1 Temple of Malady
*1 Cryptic Caves
*1 Sapseep Forest
*1 Rakdos Carnarium
*1 Gruul Turf
*5 Swamp
*4 Mountain
*7 Forest
[/Lands]"></div>

<hr />
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
So you might have noticed that this is a shakily modified Korvold Brawl deck. As well, this particular <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dual Shot" href="#" target="_blank">Dual Shot</a> is still in the early stages of development. You'll want good utility from your sacrificial lambs, er, Dragons, or whatever weird thing you'll be delivering to the gods. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spore Frog" href="#" target="_blank">Spore Frog</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashnod&#039;s Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Ashnod&#039;s Altar</a> are must-includes, and although we want our creatures dying for the cause, a good pair of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Greaves" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Greaves</a> might be nice for Gyrus, though I'm not exactly sure it's the boot-wearing type. Sandals, maybe. In any case, Gyrus dying to removal isn't the worst thing in the world, as his commander tax can be worked into his casting cost rather elegantly. For example, the first time you cast him, say you make X=3, so you cast him for 6 mana in total. He dies, and then you recast him with X equaling 1, you pay the tax of 2, and you've... spent 6 mana in total. Your clangorous Hydra still enters with six +1/+1 counters. That's the sort of recursion that any Timmy or Tammy could love.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spore Frog"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashnod&#039;s Altar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lightning Greaves"></div></div>
Then some obvious cards to connect our adjacent themes at play: <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Buried Alive" href="#" target="_blank">Buried Alive</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Victimize" href="#" target="_blank">Victimize</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dread Return" href="#" target="_blank">Dread Return</a> - and a few other <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reanimate" href="#" target="_blank">Reanimate</a>-esque cards (like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reanimate" href="#" target="_blank">Reanimate</a>, perhaps) to get the infrastructure of our thematic bridge up to code.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Buried Alive"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Victimize"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dread Return"></div></div>
While you're cleaning up your mana base - replacing the taplands, gainlands, and lockets with any sort of fetch, even things like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evolving Wilds" href="#" target="_blank">Evolving Wilds</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terramorphic Expanse" href="#" target="_blank">Terramorphic Expanse</a> for fixing and sacrifice triggers - you may also tidy up some of the rest of the chaff. While all-stars like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest" href="#" target="_blank">Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Gitrog Monsters" href="#" target="_blank">The Gitrog Monsters</a> are all very interested in what we're doing, simpler upgrades (read: removal suite) take priority. How did a regular old <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murder" href="#" target="_blank">Murder</a> find its way in here? Gods, it's like I'm asleep when I add the removal to these decks.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doom Blade"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Storm&#039;s Wrath"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reclamation Sage"></div></div>
You'll also have fun slotting in things like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anger" href="#" target="_blank">Anger</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ramunap Excavator" href="#" target="_blank">Ramunap Excavator</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fleshbag Marauder" href="#" target="_blank">Fleshbag Marauder</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Feldon of the Third Path" href="#" target="_blank">Feldon of the Third Path</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pitiless Plunderer" href="#" target="_blank">Pitiless Plunderer</a>. This reanimation catalogue, though not particularly fleshed out (accidental pun with our Zombie Warrior friend), ends up looking more Mardu than Jund - insofar as it's combat-centric. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gyrus, Waker of Corpses" href="#" target="_blank">Gyrus, Waker of Corpses</a> into <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bladewing the Risen" href="#" target="_blank">Bladewing the Risen</a> into <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atarka, World Render" href="#" target="_blank">Atarka, World Render</a> is wonderfully stupid and probably doesn't even work the way I want it to (remember, when creatures are made to enter the battlefield tapped and attacking, they were never declared as attackers, so "when ~ attacks" triggers don't hit the stack). At any rate, if you need another Dragon, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prossh, Skyraider of Kher" href="#" target="_blank">Prossh, Skyraider of Kher</a> has got your back. I can only assume that means he has your back, and most of the rest of you, in his mouth, but, hey, free sacrifice outlet.
As it stands, this list is really more of a 90/10 split, but that's owing to one simple truth: that this was just a Korvold deck at first. The Brawl precon got retooled into an EDH deck that looked a little bit too much like many other recs for the Fae-Cursed King. That there was a good deal of overlap in the sacrifice and reanimation themes (and any graveyard strategy, really) led to this becoming an early Dual Shot candidate. And even in its fledgling form, this list hearkens back to <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/dual-shot-dynamic-stall/">an earlier Dual Shot</a> experiment, one with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest" href="#" target="_blank">Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest</a> front and center. By this I mean that a much closer split seems very feasible. As long as you can reliably fill your graveyard (self-mill, sacrifice outlets, big threats eating spot removal), you have fuel for reanimation. If you can secure payoffs for both filling and emptying your yard, then perhaps by some metrics, you've brewed two decks at the same time... in one deck... aaaand Catchphrase!
That's all for today. If I'm to field a question to you folks, then it has to be about graveyard synergy. What lists have you played with that did more than one thing with the old lichyard? Were you bringing back lands and maybe hoping for a heavy ping with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lotleth Giant" href="#" target="_blank">Lotleth Giant</a>? Let us know in the comments. Till next we meet.

sacrifice

Conditions Allow - Isareth the Awakener

Archetune-Up - Korvold, King of the Gobbos

Dual Shot - Rude Awakening

Conditions Allow - Dralnu, Lich Lord

Archetune-Up - Atla Palani's Eggcelent Adventure

60 to 100 - Korvold the Value-Cursed King

Diabolic Intent - Infinity Gauntlet

Replacement Commanders - Time to Troll!

Conditions Allow - Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked

The Knowledge Pool - Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord