Finding room for graveyard hate

[materpillar]

I find myself having incredible difficulty slotting in more than the bare minimum amount of graveyard hate in my decks (see Bojuka Bog/Scavenger Grounds) and I don't exactly know how to resolve this problem. Whenever I look at my decklists for things to cut, I always immediately gravitate towards graveyard hate. Not because it is bad. As an avid abuser of the graveyard, I'm very very familiar with how necessary graveyard hate is. I just find that it always feels underwhelming because it is frequently preventative not reactive. I'm also try to keep my tutors to a minimum, so I find myself frequently drawing graveyard hate when it doesn't matter or not drawing it when it does. The main issue is that I like to heavily theme my decks. Relic of Progenitus is good, but it's just so bland.

A couple of examples, my Esika, God of the Tree aims to have the worst mana curve I can create while still being a functional deck. Relic of Progenitus/Nihil Spellbomb are about 10 mana cheaper than the deck wants. The Ur-Dragon creature type matters is only running The Scarab God and Patron of the Vein. Again Relic of Progenitus/Nihil Spellbomb aren't on theme, so no go on those.

I have a hard time emotionally committing to cutting interesting engine building / theme cards for bland, decent graveyard removal. I'd like to slot in more graveyard hate but I'm having a hard time figuring out how to do it.

[Crazy Monkey]

I am very familiar with this issue, because I also try to enforce thematic choices for all the sections of my decks. For better or worse, this includes all modes of interaction. I have multiple decks which only interact with noncreature permanents with cards like Nullmage Shepherd, Cindervines or Devout Chaplain depending on the theme. I lost a game recently when my Rayami, First of the Fallen sacrificial soup ran 0 removal or outs for Solitary Confinement. Even now, I'm much more likely to add something like Questing Beast over something simple like Beast Within.

Graveyard hate is the hardest types of interaction for me to fit in on theme across my decks. Some of them are great at it (See: Osgir, the Reconstructor making 6x Soul-Guide Lanterns), but something like Sphinx tribal is never going to interact with my opponent's graveyard much outside Chancellor of the Spires.

I've mostly made peace with sometimes just getting blown out by whichever blind spot my theme ends up with. Unfortunately, beyond color restrictions for stack interaction, that ends up being graveyard hate fairly often.

[Jemolk]

I generally set myself a minimum number of specifically on-flavor graveyard hate cards, then filter through everything until I find things that adequately fit the theme and at least sort of perform the function. It generally results in some odd choices, which I gather is in many ways the point here, and for me as well.

For example, for tribal tribal, I could find three potential options that seemed at least potentially worth consideration that you don't have. Mardu Woe-Reaper triggers on Warriors entering, so it fits. Chainer, Dementia Master is a little risky, since he exiles all Nightmares when he leaves, but reanimating opposing creatures can count as graveyard hate, and he does have a tribal anthem effect. Finally, General's Enforcer cares about a specific creature type, albeit only legends of that type, and can exile cards from graveyards with an activated ability. Of the three, the Woe-Reaper seems the closest to what you'd want, so I'd definitely consider it.

For the absurdly high CMC deck, meanwhile, options include, at minimum CMC 6, Void Maw, Necromancer's Covenant, Ethereal Absolution, and at 7, Hedonist's Trove. If you're willing to go down to 5 for some particularly janky nonsense, you can also run Bazaar of Wonders.

[Sinis]

My graveyard hate usually has some acceptable fail-case for when it's not needed. It might be just a cruddy creature like Angel of Finality, it might have some other mode like Shred Memory or Rakdos Charm, or it might cantrip like Soul-Guide Lantern. Sometimes it's part of another card effect like Commit // Memory.

I have trouble running very dedicated stuff like Ravenous Trap, but my meta doesn't depend on graveyards as much as others, perhaps.

[PrimevalCommander]

I have just come to terms that I need at least 2 slots dedicated to grave hate. They don't have to be the best, or the most on-theme, just some form of interacting with a graveyard for when you know you will need it. All the removal and counterspells in the world still have a hard time slowing downMeren of Clan Nel Toth or Muldrotha, the Gravetide. These decks feed of the fact that many players don't care to use valuable deck space on boring graveyard hate cards. I do have one or two decks that still don't have any grave hate, but generally I will commit at least a Scavenger Grounds and a Tormod's Crypt type artifact in decks without Green or Black. The cost of having proper answers to a very powerful resource is something I'm willing to spend 1-3 slots on. With the few land based options, and the new cards that have alternate uses, makes this a much lower opportunity cost to include than 10 years ago. We are in the golden age of grave hate. Shouldn't be that hard to find a couple cards that work if you care enough to want them. Heavy adherence to restrictive themes would be an exception. You'll just have to do your research and play some niche cards that make the commander format interesting.

Anything in black gets Bojuka Bog and/or Nihil Spellbomb
Anything in green gets Scavenging Ooze. Quickly becoming one of my favorite grave hate cards. Becomes a solid threat in a few turns.
If I'm not in green or black, then the artifacts come in.

Rakdos Charm is excellent.
Deathrite Shaman is useful
Kaya's Guile has several good abilities. Being an instant edict really helps this one in flexibility.
Return to Nature is always useful, though more surgical
Faerie Macabre is instant speed, free, and recur-able.

[pokken]

How about instead of graveyard hating, you take advantage of graveyard users, with spells like Spelltwine and Rise of the Dark Realms?

(Not every deck can do this but a lot can:))


My favorite graveyard hate guys are Scavenging Ooze and Deathrite Shaman personally otherwise. Just a splash of hate. I usually won't bother running all that much myself, fine to just let graveyard decks do their thing and sweeper them if needed:P

Winds of Abandon has just been a godsend against those types of decks.

[Mookie]

I've been running into a similar issue recently - lots of new cards I want to test out and not many card slots available, and cutting grave hate is extremely tempting, since it tends to not be the integrated into the rest of the deck. Another contributor is that my meta has felt pretty light on graveyard shenanigans lately (well, other than my own - I haven't seen Meren or Muldrotha in ages), and very heavy on grave hate (lots of Rest in Peace and Dauthi Voidwalkers running around). I have pared down my grave hate in a few decks as a result, although I'll probably bring it back after I've finished testing new cards (or if I run into more graveyard-based decks).

More broadly, I tend to favor more flexible grave hate that has a lower opportunity cost - Rakdos Charm, Soul-Guide Lantern, Scavenging Ooze, and Callous Bloodmage are all quite solid. Alternatively, use cards like Diluvian Primordial, Sepulchral Primordial, and Reanimate that can make use of your opponents' graveyards.

[NZB2323]

Bojuka Bog, Deathrite Shaman, Return to Nature, Dauthi Voidwalker, and Ashiok, Dream Render are my favorite GY hate cards. Drannith Magistrate can sometimes prevent someone from abusing their GY.

Ghen, Arcanum Weaver runs cards like The Eldest Reborn and Debtors' Knell, so I don't necessarily want to nuke my opponent's GYs but the deck still runs Bojuka Bog and Agent of Erebos.

Remorseful Cleric and Dawnbringer Cleric are perfect fits in my cleric tribal deck, but a lot of my decks don't want to run GY hate because they're more committed to winning their gameplan. I don't want to cut a vampire in Edgar Markov for Rakdos Charm.

[Dunharrow]

I honestly do not include gy hate in many of my decks. Unless I have a toolbox card like Sunforger or creature tutors or something, I will just not run anything. I might run something that works with my deck or doesn't hurt my deck (Scavenger Grounds), but only when it makes sense.

In some of my GY decks I avoid creature-based GY hate because it hurts when it gets cloned.

I really like GY decks and I am only playing for fun. I want to see Geth, Lord of the Vault + Ashnod's Altar repeatedly play another player's Venser. I think it's neat.

So ya, unless I am toolboxy/trying to control the game, I just don't care what other people are doing.