Tergid Strategy

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Rasputin101
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Post by Rasputin101 » 3 years ago

Like a million other players I'm trying to build around Tergrid, God of Fright // Tergrid's Lantern but she's one of those commanders that draws negative attention before opening hands are drawn.

She's also the type of commander that gets worse the better the deck preforms. Once you've made your opponents discard their hands she's considerably worse off. Plus you're surrounded by disgruntled players.

So how do you solve both problems?
So here's me thinking: would it be better or worse to run the artifacts you'd typically see in a group hug deck? If you can fuel your opponents into more cards for discard and sac yes, they will see more answers but will the game be 1, less of a drag, and 2, better for you because their fuel becomes your fuel through discard and sac effects?

Does anyone have any more thoughts or potentially any suggestions for more black compatible group hug cards? (Typically a UG trick)

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DirkGently
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Post by DirkGently » 3 years ago

I think stuff like howling mine is going to be questionable because, once they have an empty hand, it'll usually be trivial for them to play whatever they draw. So you'll still be failing to get value from discard. Temple bell (and similar cards Otherworld Atlas, Mikokoro, Center of the Sea, and Howling Golem) can be activated on your turn, when they're much less likely to be able to play whatever cards they draw before you get a chance to make them discard it.

If you're looking for ways to make it more fun for the other players though, probably play a different commander tbh. Discard and sac are not usually appreciated by most opponents.
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Rasputin101
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Post by Rasputin101 » 3 years ago

You're right.
Even if the card they drew isn't an optimal play they won't hold it to prevent a discard and it ending up on the other side of the table to them.

I don't mind the deck being tough to play against or slightly 'unfun'. I just don't want to create a board state every time that cards like Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, Korvold, Fae-Cursed King and other such control decks can create where it's a real grind and there's not really anything you can do to dig yourself out of.
Even with a board wipe you've got no cards in hand and the table is topdecking.

Your suggestions of drawing on my turn which can then be exploited is a great shout though.

Looking to build a discard deck because it's probably one of the only archetypes I've not got in a pool of 15 or so decks that I've not yet built and from what I can see there's no other 'discard commanders' that yield the same value as Tergrid does

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TheAmericanSpirit
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Post by TheAmericanSpirit » 3 years ago

To be honest, I kinda like the idea of giving people resources to take away. There's plenty of black cards whose drawback involves ceding control to an opponent, and Tergrid gives you an easy way to reset them in theory. It's probably a less effective version of Tergrid in terms of W/L ratio, but it's the also first version (from what I've seen) that might be something less than a chore to see across the table.

Dirk's provably right though, you might just want to consider alternatives as well rather than rry to make something awful less so.
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DirkGently
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Post by DirkGently » 3 years ago

Rasputin101 wrote:
3 years ago
I don't mind the deck being tough to play against or slightly 'unfun'. I just don't want to create a board state every time that cards like Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, Korvold, Fae-Cursed King and other such control decks can create where it's a real grind and there's not really anything you can do to dig yourself out of.
Even with a board wipe you've got no cards in hand and the table is topdecking.
Tbh neither of those seems as forcefully unfun as Tergrid to me. GAAIV is often played stax-y, but his ability is strong just on its own. You don't need to play it as a stax deck, you could just play a bunch of UW spells to maximize his discount. And Korvold only triggers on your own stuff being sacrificed so you definitely don't need to play it as control at all. Whereas Tergrid only triggers when your opponents are discarding or sacrificing so the only direction she points you to go is to pack your deck with those things. There's no way to play her realistically that would be "fun" by most commander players' standards.
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Phelddagrif - Kaervek - Golos - Zirilan

Flux Decks
Gollum - Lobelia - Minthara - Plargg2 - Solphim - Otharri - Graaz - Ratchet - Soundwave - Slicer - Gale - Rootha - Kagemaro - Blorpityblorpboop - Kayla - SliverQueen - Ivy - Falco - Gluntch - Charlatan/Wilson - Garth - Kros - Anthousa - Shigeki - Light-Paws - Lukka - Sefris - Ebondeath - Rokiric - Garth - Nixilis - Grist - Mavinda - Kumano - Nezahal - Mavinda - Plargg - Plargg - Extus - Plargg - Oracle - Kardur - Halvar - Tergrid - Egon - Cosima - Halana+Livio - Jeska+Falthis+Obosh - Yeva - Akiri+Zirda - Lady Sun - Nahiri - Korlash - Overlord+Zirda - Chisei - Athreos2 - Akim - Cazur+Ukkima - Otrimi - Otrimi - Kalamax - Ayli+Lurrus - Clamilton - Gonti - Heliod2 - Ayula - Thassa2 - Gallia - Purphoros2 - Rankle - Uro - Rayami - Gargos - Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa - Ashling1 - Angus - Arcum - Talrand - Chainer - Higure - Kumano - Scion - Teferi1 - Uyo - Sisters
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote
Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena
Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6

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pokken
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Post by pokken » 3 years ago

Discard is not an archetype I can see that one needs in their staple of decks any more than we need a land destruction deck.

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Dunharrow
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Post by Dunharrow » 3 years ago

The New World fell not to a sword but to a meme

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Post by hyalopterouslemur » 3 years ago

She looks like she'd be great in Nekusar, but yeah, discard will always be an add-on rather than a main theme. Though I do have to question the concept of "fun" as it relates to game balance. With so many broken lands and spells, we need answers. Land destruction fits the first, counterspells and discard fit the second. Both are regarded as "unfun". I think I'll jealously clutch my Lightning Bolts.
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darrenhabib
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Post by darrenhabib » 3 years ago

Tergrid is just so obnoxious that trying to pull off a group hug deck sounds..actually like a breath of fresh air.
As pointed out more often than not opponents will be able to cast a bunch of their cards. But just to shift obnoxious lanes you could play a few stax cards to slow the pace down. Sphere of Resistance, Thorn of Amethyst, Trinisphere.
Then I think you can still play like one or two bombs like All Is Dust so that the whole group hug element means that opponents might get to go wild, but you do potentially have a way to reap more rewards.
The advantage to all this is that Tergrid is probably tolerable enough that opponents will not have to kill him on site...maybe if you keep pointing out the fun the are having drawing cards.

Damnable Pact and Peer into the Abyss. Admittedly an opponent is probably going to find an answer to Tergrid before discard but you could catch a big green stompy deck without an answer.
Peer into the Abyss + Worst Fears for the ultimate in 15 mana combos. Hey I've produced a lot of mana in Coffers+Urborg decks.
But Worst Fears by itself might be good if there are a lot of draw effects onboard and you can discard permanents you want by taking control of their turn.

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Treamayne
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Post by Treamayne » 3 years ago

From the casual perspective, I would not want to play against a Tergrid, God of Fright // Tergrid's Lantern deck. I might be willing to give it one chance if the player limited the shenanigans to mostly "choice" cards like Forbidden Ritual, Choice of Damnations and Shrike Harpy. Things where Tergrid's influence affect the choice but it's not *just* a top-deck slog.

Too bad there isn't a way to give opponent's hands cycling (a la Tectonic Reformation).
V/R

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