Let’s Build the Most Golgari Deck of All Time

[kirkusjones]

Black and green is my favorite color combination ever since the days of Spiritmonger wrecking middle school cafeteria tables. Dredge is one of my favorite deck archetypes/mechanics, so I want to build the most BG deck possible. I'm currently thinking of Amzu, Swarm's Hunger because the deck is going to have graveyard synergies and being rewarded for what we were going to do anyway is always a plus.

The big problem is narrowing the focus. I know I want the deck to have strong graveyard/recursion elements, but not sure where to go from there. Amzu makes tokens, are we a go-wide deck? Aristocrats? Lands ala @Dunadain's Zask, Skittering Swarmlord build?

Help me!

[Mookie]

I'm contractually obligated to mention Tasigur, the Golden Fang as an option - my own build is running only four blue cards, and he works very well as straight BG.

Broadly speaking, when I think 'Golgari', I think 'graveyard'. To me, Golgari is all about the cycle of life and death, with things going in and out of the graveyard. From there, you have three options for the card types you want to focus on (creatures, lands, or mixed/delirium), and two options for the method by which you want to fill your graveyard (self-mill vs sacrifice). If I specifically wanted to do a Golgari-ish deck, I don't think I would do tokens or aristocrats - I generally view Selesnya / Orzhov as the token guilds, and Orzhov / Rakdos as the aristocrats guilds. My perception could definitely be skewed by Teysa though.

Amzu, Swarm's Hunger seems cool, but I would specifically advise against a land-based strategy because they care about the mana value of the stuff leaving your graveyard - you want to be recurring big stuff, not lands. As for other options... I would say Meren of Clan Nel Toth is the most iconic creature-based Golgari commander, while The Gitrog Monster is the most iconic land option. Amzu and Baba Lysaga, Night Witch seem promising if you don't want to focus on a specific card type, with the former leaning towards self-mill/dredge and the latter leaning towards sacrifice. There are plenty of good options though (like Tasigur and Zask), and a lot of the themes can be mix-and-matched.

[pokken]

Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord is probably the most golgari of the golgari options, and also is pretty good.

[Dunadain]

Amzu, Swarm's Hunger has my vote, I just think he's cool.

But don't you dare go insect tribal with him.

[kirkusjones]

Here's what I've got so far:

Decklist

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

Commander

1 Amzu, Swarm's Hunger

//Creatures (27)

1 Delighted Halfling

1 Birds of Paradise

1 Elvish Mystic

1 Fyndhorn Elves

1 Llanowar Elves

1 Elves of Deep Shadow

1 Spore Frog

1 Bloodghast

1 Skull Prophet

1 Fiend Artisan

1 Golgari Thug

1 Nether Traitor

1 Eternal Witness

1 Grismold, the Dreadsower

1 Stinkweed Imp

1 The Mycotyrant

1 Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord

1 Meren of Clan Nel Toth

1 Tormod, the Desecrator

1 Archfiend of Ifnir

1 Golgari Grave-Troll

1 Lord of Extinction

1 Syr Konrad, the Grim

1 Underrealm Lich

1 Izoni, Thousand-Eyed

1 Phantasmagorian

1 Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis

Planeswalkers (1)

1 Grist, the Hunger Tide

Enchantment (4)

1 Tortured Existence

1 Insidious Roots

1 Soul Enervation

1 Chalk Outline

Instants (1)

1 Assassin's Trophy

1 Tear Asunder

Sorceries (2)

1 Life from the Loam

1 Dread Return

1 Living Death

Land (4)

1 Barren Moor

1 Bayou

1 Overgrown Tomb

1 Tranquil Thicket

1 Underground Mortuary

1 Nurturing Peatland

Approximate Total Cost:

[Mookie]

Amzu dredge it is then!

Chalk Outline and Desecrated Tomb both seem like obvious inclusions - the former works particularly well with dredge. I also like the idea of Dread Return to take advantage of any expendable tokens you generate. Beyond them, there are a few different directions you could take the deck. Phyrexian Reclamation and reanimation effects are one way to get Amzu triggers and take advantage of your self-mill. You could run Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis, Worm Harvest, or other spells that can be cast from your graveyard. You could run Hermit Druid and Altar of Dementia and try to deck yourself. Or you could even run Mesmeric Orb + Basalt Monolith + a shuffle Eldrazi and go full Four Horsemen combo. Or even 'all of the above'.

[Dunadain]

If you want to go the with Delighted Halfling and Elves of Deep Shadow, you might as well go all the way with:

Birds of Paradise
Elvish Mystic
Llanowar Elves
Fyndhorn Elves
Arbor Elf
maybe even Boreal Druid

And even though you have some creature synergies in your list, I still believe that Wild Growth and Utopia Sprawl are the greatest Mana dorks in EDH.

[DirkGently]

Some solid options in this list:

https://scryfall.com/search?q=o%3A%22re ... order=name

especially if you want to add some discard outlets. Death Tyrant and World Breaker stick out as some pretty strong cards that trigger Amzu for high value.

[Dunadain]

Maybe a bit of a nonbo with the whole gy matters theme, but Worldspine Wurm can make some very big insects with discard outlets and stuff like:


Entomb
Unmarked Grave
Buried Alive
Jarad's Orders
Final Parting

The Entomb/unmarked grave are stupidly efficient beaters, but not too exciting, same thing for the other ones, but it also might be nice to always have one easy option to grab.

Then, if you draw it late then you can just cast it and see what happens, 2010 commander style.

Notably, you get to see the cards you dredge before choosing whether or not to use Amzu, so if you do go the dredge route, whenever you flip up worldspine, you can get a 12/12 and worldspine will shuffle back in, hopefully to get milled again soon.

Earthquake Dragon is another option, it costs mana and a land to get the insect token, but it's a couple points bigger, the card goes back to your hand to be discarded again, and it works better with dredge, just activate the ability on an opponents turn, that way you get two insects instead of one.

Scourge of Nel Toth is probably decent, your sort of trading two bodies for two new bodies, but presumably the new bodies are bigger than the ones you sacced. Plus you're in golgari, you got stuff like bloodghast.

Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar is like the less cool younger brother of Earthquake Dragon

I kind of like the idea of cards that exile themselves from the yard, but the only ones worth even looking at are Soul of Innistrad, Daring Fiendbonder, and Jack-o'-Lantern.



Switching gears from making the biggest insects to making the most insects:

Phytotitan + sac outlet is 4 7/7s a turn cycle. Definitely my favorite recommendation.

Scavenging Ooze it probably feels strange to plan on exiling your own yard in a graveyard based deck, but there's bound to be something in your yard you don't need, you can activate him once on each opponent's turn for maximum insect tokens, and he doubles as gy hate for any opposing gy decks.

[Dunadain]

Damn, you obviously can't run him, but Yidaro, Wandering Monster would be so cool here.

Instant speed cantriping 8/8.

[kirkusjones]

Just came across Overwhelming Remorse. This should be pretty cheap for us most of the time.

Hoping to have more time next week to mess with this, just got a new job and onboarding has been a cluster. But at least I got the jaerb.

[kirkusjones]

Decklist

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

Creatures (35)

1 Birds of Paradise

1 Delighted Halfling

1 Elves of Deep Shadow

1 Elvish Mystic

1 Llanowar Elves

1 Spore Frog

1 Bloodghast

1 Fiend Artisan

1 Golgari Thug

1 Nether Traitor

1 Scavenging Ooze

1 Noose Constrictor

1 Wild Mongrel

1 Eternal Witness

1 Grismold, the Dreadsower

1 Old Rutstein

1 Ramunap Excavator

1 Shambling Shell

1 Stinkweed Imp

1 The Mycotyrant

1 Undead Gladiator

1 Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord

1 Meren of Clan Nel Toth

1 Tormod, the Desecrator

1 Amzu, Swarm's Hunger

1 Archfiend of Ifnir

1 Death Tyrant

1 Golgari Grave-Troll

1 Syr Konrad, the Grim

1 Underrealm Lich

1 Zask, Skittering Swarmlord

1 Izoni, Thousand-Eyed

1 Old One Eye

1 Phytotitan

1 Phantasmagorian

1 Earthquake Dragon

Planeswalkers (1)

1 Grist, the Hunger Tide

Artifacts (2)

1 Desecrated Tomb

1 Conduit of Worlds

Enchantment (5)

1 Tortured Existence

1 Insidious Roots

1 Chalk Outline

1 Soul Enervation

1 Perilous Forays

Instants (7)

1 Entomb

1 Assassin's Trophy

1 Deadly Dispute

1 Fanatical Offering

1 Reckoner's Bargain

1 Beast Within

1 Overwhelming Remorse

Sorceries (4)

1 Life from the Loam

1 Dread Return

1 Buried Alive

1 Jarad's Orders

Land (5)

1 Barren Moor

1 Bayou

1 Overgrown Tomb

1 Tranquil Thicket

1 Underground Mortuary

Approximate Total Cost:

The manabase is still in progress. My group doesn't really play fetches, so that's why they're not in the list already. Do we want Elven Chorus to take advantage of the tokens? I know I want some more removal, both in creature and instant form. Not sure if I need Ramunap Excavator if I have LftL, Zassk and Conduit of Worlds.

[Dunadain]

If you can afford a Bayou, you can afford some fetches XD, Do you just want to avoid shuffling?

Fair enough if so, but you've got 3 Crucible of Worlds effects (though, notably, not Crucible itself) so they would be really good. Also great with Bloodghast

I still think Scavenging Ooze is good.

It looks to me like most of your tokens are going to be pretty big, Bloodghast and Golgari Thug make the smallest tokens, and they are still 3/3s, so I'd rather use them to kill my opponents then tap them for mana.

Vengeful Pharaoh is always fun with dredge, and will trigger Amzu, Swarm's Hunger off your turn, something you don't have many ways of doing (Though, of course, most people just won't attack you, which is good to).

How happy are you with a fair Spore Frog? you don't have many ways to loop it.

[kirkusjones]

@Dunadain Scooze definitely belongs, it was an oversight and will get added in.

I own fetches but my regular group doesn't run fetches/unconditional tutors/two card combos. Games are swingier but still a lot of fun. If I was taking this to the LGS to play against randos it would look a lot different. The only reason Crucible of Worlds isn't in the list is because I only own one and it's currently in Slogurk

Oh man! I forgot about Vengeful Pharaoh, more sweet tech from my legacy dredge days. Will 100% be running it here.

Fair(ish) Spore Frog will be fine. I plan on running Volrath's Stronghold and it can be recurred with Meren/Tortured Existence/Conduit. I'll probably add in Phyrexian Reclamation and maybe Soul of Innistrad, so that should do it.


Thoughts on Sludge Titan?

[Dunadain]

I didn't see that card during a spoilers, it's pretty neat. Do you think they're going to make a full hybrid Titan cycle?

At any rate, it's probably decent, it's a big body that does what your deck wants to do while also giving you plus one card a turn.

I just think it's cool, so I would definitely be running it

[kirkusjones]

I didn't see that card during a spoilers, it's pretty neat. Do you think they're going to make a full hybrid Titan cycle?

At any rate, it's probably decent, it's a big body that does what your deck wants to do while also giving you plus one card a turn.

I just think it's cool, so I would definitely be running it

A hybrid Titan cycle would be pretty slick. I think the return to Lorwyn would be a cool place to do it, given the liege and spirit avatar cycles from our first go around with that plane.

Looking through the list so far, I think I need a couple of permanent-based sac outlets. The mana Altars are always an easy include, but anybody have any funky recommendations?

EDIT - somehow forgot to put Viscera Seer in, so that's one scratched off the list.
So far there's:

• Viscera Seer
• Fiend Artisan
• Perilous Forays
• Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord

Plus Deadly Dispute and its two cousins.

Maybe one more non-altar outlet? High Market?

[Dunadain]

Not funky in the slightest, but Phyrexian Tower and High Market are pretty free, Hostile Hostel // Creeping Inn is also fine.
Attrition is fun (for you, not your opponents).

[kirkusjones]

Tower/Market/Attrition it is. Tarrian's Journal // The Tomb of Aclazotz is tempting, but I haven't loved it when I played it in the past. The sorcery speed part, even in a slower meta like mine, sours me on it.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

Don't forget Phyrexian Plaguelord! The card is a classic and still kills little %$#% with extreme prejudice.

[duducrash]

What do you think of when you think of playing Golgari? I think of long, grindy games with pointed removal, using your graveyard. I then would start with the baseline 40 lands. Since I'm running this many lands, why not run Field of the Dead . I'm already running Insidious Roots gives double duty to the tokens. Insidious Roots also work nice with Avenger of Zendikar . If you are going long and grindy, you might want some tireless folks by your side too. Tireless Provisioner , Tireless Tracker

To work with the commander, are cards such as Witherbloom Command and Eccentric Farmer ? They are like "Draw a land, make a token, with so many tokens, even Jaheira, Friend of the Forest might be a consideration. But to be fair I'm not sure about it, might be streetching. Just put good old Kalitas, Bloodchief of Ghet for old rocks sake.

I really like Golgari, I think its a really skill testing and intesive play pattern

[kirkusjones]

Golgari encompasses some of my favorite archetypes: lands, recursion and graveyard shenanigans. I was a legacy dredge player, both of the LED and Manaless varieties and love the opportunity to use my graveyard as a second hand.

At their best, Golgari decks are resilient and grindy,, like Spiritmonger. That's what I'm hoping to build here.

I have three different lands decks in various states of construction, but I can't resist including Life From the Loam. It's one of the best engines in the game.

That being said, I think I'd have to choose between Eccentric Farmer and Witherbloom Command just in terms of deck space. I like the flexibility of Command, though I almost think I'd rather have Darkblast than either of them, given that it has dredge 3 and works as removal while making a 2/2, where the Farmer/Command will only yield 1/1s. Undead Butler does something similar to the Farmer, so I may run that.

[kirkusjones]

Are we a Living Death and/or Pernicious Deed deck?

I know Deed is a non-bo with Amzu, but it's such a great card.