Magic: The Gathering - Page 622

"Passively" killing people with the lifegain/loss effects is probably too slow and unreliable, so I need wincon.
I see several:
Beat down: these 3 have bad strength for what their cost, so adding other cheap, offensive allies to flood the board and attack every turn, forcing the opponent to take damage, or block them and take damage from cutthroat.
Splashing R looks like a good idea then, cards like Munda, Firemantle mage, Kor Castigator, a finisher Resolute Blademaster or Reckless cohort (side question: is using its "always attack" with untapped mana work for bluffing the opponent about combat tricks?), Munda can serve as pseudo-draw for tempo. It also gives access to cheap removal like Outnumber to deal with bigger threats. But then it feels like my "core" is more here to support the aggro than the reverse.

Whittle down: Just make the clock a bit faster with evasive creatures, Emissary's already flying. Kalastria Nightwatch, Angel of Renewal, Defiant Bloodlord, Malakir Familiar can all do the job while having other uses too.

Play around the lifegain: That's pretty much including Defiant Bloodlord in the deck and going ham once she hits the field. Bloodbond Vampire, Nightwatch, Familiar... Angel of Renewal suddenly becomes a potential finisher if you've got a decent board, and the 3 corer cards get accelerated.
The best variation to include Felidar Sovereign.

Token generation : allows defense against non-trample creatures by blocking with chumps, then dealing damage. Pretty much prevents sweepers as long as cutthroat is on the board.
I'd love to include Retreat to Emeria but it's super expensive (CMC4, really? T_T) and I guess it's better to just play aggro when you have the other effect available...
Splashing G becomes interesting because of Grovetender Druids to spam additional tokens, From Beyond, but also Beastcaller Savant/Lifespring Druid, Tajuru Warcaller or Rot Shambler.
The mana fixing allows for Unified Front to be a power play too, be it on curve or as a finisher (hi Warcaller).
Jaddi Offshoot and Retreat to Kazandu play into the theme but I doubt they're good.
Carrier Thrall provides pseudo-ramp and 2 bodies for 1B.

Recycle your losses: pretty much killing everything then bringing them back to do it all over again. I know Rally the Ancestors exists and is very powerful, for the sake of BFZ I'm looking at March from the Tomb, slower but more versatile as your stuff doesn't end up exiled if you can't get it killed. Emeria Shepherd plays into the theme too but it's high CMC and slow if you don't draw plains. I own a Dutiful Return or two but it seems bad.

4x Kalastria Healer
4x Zulaport Cutthroat
4x Drana's Emissary
4x Malakir Familiar (deathtouch+flying for defense, can swing and provide reach too)
2x Bloodbond Vampire (ally, another removal target, can spiral out of control)
2x Kalastria Nightwatch (ally, decent body, easily given flying on my turn)
1x Defiant Bloodlord (wincon, pretty much interchangeable with Emeria Shepherd, but easier to use than Landfall I feel)

2x Altar's Reap (low curve so I need ways to replenish my hand, plus instant speed to sacrifice a blocker with cutthroat on the field)
2x Vampiric Rites (see above; also instant lifegain for Familiar, Nightwatch and such? Yes please; beats Tandem Tactics unless I really need to keep a blocker alive)
2x March from the Tomb (a single one targeting multiple Healers (or if you have them on board) can probably seal a game)

Because of cutthroat itself, sweepers aren't an issue for the deck as long as I have one on board.
Spot removal isn't too big either because there is card draw+redundancy (and low CMC for the two core cards).
I'm more afraid of counterspells on March from the Tomb (but I probably can't do much about it, at least with BFZ's B/W), and aggressive decks just running me over, either killing me too fast or preventing me from building my healer+cutthroat core board by making me block every turn (either landfall or allies).
There's also the issue of exile (W enchantments and also Complete Disregard from B).

So I guess what I need most is early game removal, some sac outlets, and either more board "safety" or aggro to put pressure on a control opponent:
- Bone Splinters (sac outlet + unconditional removal, low cost)
- Gideon's Reproach (good way to get rid of aggro Landfall creatures, often 1-for-1 mana-wise).
- Ruinous Path (sac-less removal, more expensive but works on planeswalker too?)
- Stasis Snare (can get around recursion and regenerating creatures)
- Rising Miasma (it'll kill most of my board but I don't have to care since I have March from the Tomb and it'll trigger cutthroats in play too; if it can break an aggro deck's tempo, wurf)

- Retreat to Hagra (feels redundant and slow, at best a worse Emissary that's more resilient to removal)
- Nirkana Assassin (defensive option, can replace the Familiar if I don't need flying: sturdier, ally, Vampiric Rites can provide lifegain at instant speed)
- Makindi Patrol (great to punish an aggressive opponent who taps all his creatures and force him on the backfoot if I can a turn's worth of damage)
- Hero of Goma Fada (combos with the above, not sure if it doesn't detract from the deck's intended synergy though, especially considering the CMC? Alternate threat?)
- Serene Steward (not sure; decent body, and the ability can grow a dude for blocking purpose, but loads of removal straight-up destroy/exile now, and it costs me mana)

- Kor Castigator (great 2-drop to put pressure I guess? Doesn't trade with landfall but still hurts, and an ally)

- Unified Front (if I splash, 3 ETB ally triggers can be brutal with one or more Healers on the field, also gives me stuff to sac or chump block with)
- Return to Emeria (another token source but its CMC is so damn high!)