Gray Merchant of Asphodel

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ACrispyTaco on zombies can't be killed

1 week ago

Nice deck so far. I also really like Zombies and have a zombie recursion themed deck. Check it out for some ideas. Gravewater

I would consider adding Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Cauldron of Souls By themselves they can keep your zombies on the field, but when they are both on the field together their abilities cancel each other out and will keep zombies coming back over and over until they are removed.

Also pulling Rot Hulk from the Graveyard with cards like Persist comboed with Gray Merchant of Asphodel is disgusting.

Im not a huge fan of most Planeswalkers except Liliana, Dreadhorde General is pretty good. They tend to get focused down quick and some their best abilities require a minimum of 3-4 turns to get built up.

Hope this helps!

Last_Laugh on Marchesa the Black Rose - Sacrifices must be made!

2 weeks ago

Not a bad start, but I do have several suggestions for you. I'll keep things budget friendly and break it down by category.

Finisher: Gray Merchant of Asphodel will end games. With alternate sources of +1+1 counters the lifegain doesn't matter at all. Even with an expensive Marchesa build, this is my #1 go-to finisher.

Alternate +1+1 Counter Sources: Vigean Graftmage is really good here. It comes down before and immediately protects Marchesa and it's 2 free sacs on each player's turn (itself plus 1 other). Sage of Fables likewise immediately protects Marchesa and allows you to abuse any wizard etb/death triggers every turn. Unspeakable Symbol is one you use in response to removal targeting anything without a counter (don't proactively put counters on everyone).

Card Draw: Grim Haruspex is easily your 2nd best draw engine here behind Danny Pink. Liliana's Standard Bearer will draw cards for everything that died the turn Marchesa returns it. Plumb the Forbidden helps you dodge non-destroy wraths (instant speed and pseudo dodging counterspells makes this card). Lethal Scheme helps you surprise protect up to 4 creatures without counters without tapping lands and to remove a creature while drawing some cards.

Enchantment Removal: Cards like Solemnity and Rest in Peace are the bane of Marchesa. Don't get caught with your pants down... Chaos Warp, Feed the Swarm, and Canoptek Tomb Sentinel are your only 3 realistic options and ALL 3 deserve spots.

Feel free to check out my list for ideas, I've had her built for about 9 years straight now so if you have any question, shoot. Upvotes on any of my decks are appreciated (especially Marchesa since it'd be upvote #200 lol). Every Masochist Needs a Marchesa to Love Them

Last_Laugh on Grixis Marchesa, The Black Rose

2 weeks ago

Nice deck, I love me some etb/death trigger abuse Marchesa. I do have some suggestions for you though and I'll break it down by card function.

Finisher:

Gray Merchant of Asphodel's lifegain seems counterproductive but with alternate sources of +1+1 counters your life total doesn't matter. In 9 years of running Marchesa, Gary has ended more games than any other card here and it's not remotely close. I personally recommend a clone suite to sac when he enters so they all reenter as Garys (Phantasmal Image, Flesh Duplicate, and Phyrexian Metamorph). Note that Imperial Recruiter abuse will look up Gary, Clones, and Bloodletter of Aclazotz in one go around the table.

Jokulhaups is a bit of a dick move, but it will end games since all your creatures come back to an empty board.

Alternate +1+1 Counters:

Anduril, Narsil Reforged is on attack and even gets counters on your fresh non-attacking stuff.

Mikaeus, the Unhallowed lets you abuse all your non-humans and he enables some infinite combos with Persist creatures.

Vigean Graftmage looks underwhelming but he comes down before and immediately protects Marchesa and he let's you abuse any etb/death trigger on everyone's turn (itself + 1 other).

Thran Vigil is only on your turn but this card still puts in serious work.

Metallic Mimic doesn't need a tribal deck here. When it first comes down you name humans or wizards to immediately protect Marchesa but you sac it to rename the type to your most abuseable etb/death trigger as needed.

Protection:

Ripples of Potential is a great answer to non-destroy wraths including Farewell.

Removal:

Canoptek Tomb Sentinel will hit anything non-land but most importantly it's an abuseable effect that hits enchantments.

Feel free to check out my list for ideas. Upvotes on any of my decks are appreciated (especially since it'd be upvote #200). Every Masochist Needs a Marchesa to Love Them

fluffyeel on The apocalypse (Sheoldred)

3 weeks ago

Yay, darkness. Here are some thoughts that might synergize with your deck:

• With Sheoldred feeding off of card drawing, you might consider things that speed up card drawing. These can be double-edged swords, but Howling Mine, Font of Mythos, Teferi's Puzzle Box, Memory Jar, and the like might be worth considering. Reliquary Tower may also not be a bad idea.
• Rather than Infernal Darkness, why not Contamination? You can also get an engine with things like Bitterblossom, Dreadhorde Invasion, and Reassembling Skeleton (or other recurring creatures, e.g. Bloodghast) to make your opponents cry even more.
• Koskun Falls could also be another way to tax your opponents.
• You could also go with Wound Reflection to double up on the suffering. Things like Kokusho, the Evening Star and Yawgmoth, Thran Physician are must-plays in any deck I have with black, and considering Gray Merchant of Asphodel might also be worth your time.

MadHatter23 on Mono-Black Enchantment

1 month ago

The other wincon is slow grind of having Gray Merchant of Asphodel enter the battlefied, sacing him, and then bringing him back.

MagicMizz on [Help] Shadowheart, Shar's Shadowborn Apostle

1 month ago

listen. i know shadowheart is dope. but you might as well throw Gray Merchant of Asphodel in here just as a small win-con.

Last_Laugh on Marchesa, The Black Rose - …

2 months ago

Ok, so I'm not going to lie... I've had this deck built for roughly 9 years straight at this point so the list is very optimized and cuts are TOUGH. Every Masochist Needs a Marchesa to Love Them is the list and Mahadi, Emporium Master is the card I'm looking to hopefully add.

The deck is set up for ETB/Death trigger abuse with aggro as a plan B. It usually wins by looping Gray Merchant of Asphodel with alternate sources of +1+1 counters and sac outlets so I can drain multiple times on every player's turn (including any of my clones entering/re-entering as Gary copies).

Last_Laugh on Marchesa, the Black Rose

2 months ago

I have several suggestions for you. I'll keep things budget friendly and if you're picking up what I'm putting down, I can also help suggest some cuts.

First off is enchantment removal. There's hardly any options in th5ese colors but I recommend running all 3 so problematic enchantments like Solemnity or Rest in Peace don't wreck your day. Chaos Warp, Feed the Swarm, and Canoptek Tomb Sentinel are all budget friendly and worth their weight in gold here. Another good boardwipe here is Last One Standing.

I don't really do theft in my Marchesa list, but Gisa, Glorious Resurrector is the exception and holy crap does she put in some dirty work.

Next is card draw. Liliana's Standard Bearer, Lethal Scheme, Plumb the Forbidden, and Sage of Fables are all good budget options here. Sage will also come down before Marchesa and immediately give her or any other wizards you run a +1+1 counter. Plumb in response to boardwipes or right before your turn will refill your grip (instant speed and pseudo dodging counterspells makes this card). Also, Danny Pink's price has been sloooowly climbing but it's a very real possibility you'll find one in your LGS dollar binder and omg is this thing absolutely nuts!

On the subject of alternate sources of +1+1 counters... Thran Vigil only works on your turn but it'll get new counters on anything you stole and sac'ed on your turn. Vigean Graftmage let's you sac 2 creatures on everyone's turn (itself + whatever) to abuse etb/death triggers like Gray Merchant of Asphodel or even Grim Haruspex card draw. Spark Double I guess falls into this category and copies either Marchesa for double Dethrone or whatever your meanest etb/death trigger is at the time.

I'm also guessing Rakdos Locket was supposed to be Rakdos Signet.

Feel free to check out my list for ideas. It's far from budget friendly overall but I run everything I recommended. Upvotes on any of my decks are appreciated. Every Masochist Needs a Marchesa to Love Them