Nethroi non-combo

[Outcryqq]

My first stab at Nethroi, Apex of Death. I didn't want to include any combos. I wanted to focus on Nethroi's ability, mutate, and a small keyword-soup subtheme. Deck should be a very resilient deck that can win by combat (going wide or via a giant mutation) or by decking with Altar of Dementia.

Any comments, ideas, and criticisms welcome!

Decklist

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

Commander: 1

1 Nethroi, Apex of Death

Creatures: 46

1 Deathrite Shaman

1 Stitcher's Supplier

1 Dawntreader Elk

1 Fiend Artisan

1 Hermit Druid

1 Paradise Druid

1 Sakura-Tribe Elder

1 Satyr Wayfinder

1 Silhana Ledgewalker

1 Skull Prophet

1 Faeburrow Elder

1 Necropanther

1 Nyx Weaver

1 Reclamation Sage

1 Rhonas the Indomitable

1 Beast Whisperer

1 Blinking Spirit

1 Boneyard Lurker

1 Dirge Bat

1 Disciple of Bolas

1 Gemrazer

1 Luminous Broodmoth

1 Migratory Greathorn

1 Odric, Lunarch Marshal

1 Polukranos, Unchained

1 Ravenous Chupacabra

1 Solemn Simulacrum

1 Temur Sabertooth

1 Acidic Slime

1 Auspicious Starrix

1 Cairn Wanderer

1 Cataclysmic Gearhulk

1 Cavern Whisperer

1 Golgari Grave-Troll

1 Kathril, Aspect Warper

1 Underrealm Lich

1 Archon of Valor's Reach

1 Bane of Progress

1 Chittering Harvester

1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed

1 Sawtusk Demolisher

1 Hornet Queen

1 Phantom Nishoba

1 Ashen Rider

1 End-Raze Forerunners

1 Zetalpa, Primal Dawn

Spells: 15

1 Sol Ring

1 Altar of Dementia

1 Despark

1 Evolutionary Leap

1 Life from the Loam

1 Anguished Unmaking

1 Beast Within

1 Death's Oasis

1 Generous Gift

1 Birthing Pod

1 Moldervine Reclamation

1 Deadbridge Chant

1 Duneblast

1 Eerie Ultimatum

1 The Great Henge

Lands: 38

1 Bayou

1 Bojuka Bog

1 Command Tower

1 Dakmor Salvage

1 Evolving Wilds

5 Forest

1 Gavony Township

1 Godless Shrine

1 Horizon Canopy

1 Indatha Triome

1 Marsh Flats

1 Nurturing Peatland

1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood

1 Overgrown Tomb

3 Plains

1 Sanctum of Eternity

1 Sandsteppe Citadel

1 Savannah

1 Scrubland

1 Silent Clearing

4 Swamp

1 Temple Garden

1 Temple of Malady

1 Temple of Plenty

1 Temple of Silence

1 Terramorphic Expanse

1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

1 Verdant Catacombs

1 Windswept Heath

Approximate Total Cost:

[darrenhabib]

I think having at least one hexproof creature for your mutate will mean less blowouts if you have access to it.
Paradise Druid, Silhana Ledgewalker.

Also Blinking Spirit can be a great mutate target as you can return it and any creatures mutated with it back to your hand, so you can recast for more mutates and just a way to save your creature against removal.

Hermit Druid is both a mana fixer and a way to fuel your graveyard. You have 14 basics, so you'll probably mill something like 6 cards on average.

Survival of the Fittest is obviously great. You can search and discard Golgari Grave-Troll for the dredge each turn.

I'm always a sucker for Life from the Loam. I noticed your mana base has the full quota of sacrifice draw cards in Nurturing Peatland, Horizon Canopy, Silent Clearing.
If you are sacrificing one and using Loam, then I'd like to see at least one additional land each turn card so that you are still getting ahead on lands.
Whatever you can afford, but options are Exploration, Burgeoning, Azusa, Lost but Seeking, Oracle of Mul Daya, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove.
Dryad of the Ilysian Grove is the cheapest to buy and can fix your colors.

Insatiable Hemophage just seems unplayable. I would play Auspicious Starrix even though it requires more mana, just way better upside.

I like the fact that you've got creatures that would have no power for checking with Nethroi mutate ability but come into play with some impact. All these would literally count for zero of the power, so would come in at no extra cost.
Sylvan Caryatid, Incubation Druid, Leafkin Druid, Wall of Roots, Whisperer of the Wilds, Birds of Paradise, Devoted Druid
Polukranos, Unchained, Realm Seekers, Sewer Nemesis, Spike Weaver.

Note that something like Majestic Myriarch does still have power even in your graveyard, so not as good as other options as far as using Nethroi mutate power.

[Outcryqq]

Thanks Darren for the in-depth advice!

Hexproof: id included boots, was thinking greaves, but Paradise Druid is perfect!

Blinking Spirit is good too, I was already considering Temur Sabertooth for similar reasons - I think both could be included.

Hermit Druid is good, only issue is he's a human, but his utility probably outweighs that.

Survival is amazing but I'm trying to avoid tutors.

Loam is amazing and was already in my list.

Extra land drops would make sense, but I'm concerned they're not helpful towards the overall game plan.

Yeah homophage isn't great, I guess I liked the mutate and keyword. Starrix should take his place.

Still considering other 0 power dudes. I want the most bang for my buck for my slots and some of these are low impact.

[Outcryqq]

Changes:

Added Silhana Ledgewalker, Blinking Spirit, Polukranos, Unchained, Auspicious Starrix, Hermit Druid, Temur Sabertooth

Removed: Splinterfright, Swiftfoot Boots, Migration Path, Insatiable Hemophage, Arcane Signet, Majestic Myriarch

[Outcryqq]

I'd post this in the rulings threads, but just thought I'd mention it here too: in a recent commander versus video, the players (Jeremy) indicated that they believe the ruling for mutate and your commander to be this: when a mutated creature dies which includes your commander, and you send your commander to the command zone, ALL creatures in that mutation go to the command zone, which would "strand" all non-commander creatures in that zone.

We will have to wait for release notes to get an official ruling, but that seems unlikely to be the official ruling. Such a ruling would severely limit mutate commanders' effectiveness in EDH. Since it is my understanding that if you blink a mutated card, each creature returns as a separate creature, I would think that you could use the commander's replacement effect on only that creature.

My decision to build this deck will hinge on this ruling, so stay tuned!

[Outcryqq]

Pack Rat seems amazing in this list as a great mutate target and discard outlet, so I need to find a space for him. I hadn't realized that copies like this retain all the abilities of the entire mutation.

I didn't realize that Beast Whisperer worked even when you cast a creature for its mutate cost, so he's back in as a great source of card draw. Still having trouble finding spots.

I wanted another good mutate base target, so I chose Rhonas the Indomitable because his condition to allow my mutation to attack is pretty easy to satisfy.

As stated before, Paradise Druid is great.

Also, it appears the ruling that I mentioned above is that you can send the commander to the command zone and send the rest of the parts of the mutation to the appropriate zone (usually the graveyard), so that's good news for mutate commanders.

Added Pack Rat Beast Whisperer Rhonas the Indomitable Paradise Druid, removed Reveillark Deathreap Ritual Indatha Crystal Fertilid. Reasoning: Reveillark is great, but I have plenty of recursion already in this deck, including the commander. Beast Whisperer should be more card draw than Deathreap Ritual. Indatha Crystal is not effective as a lot of ramp already in the deck. While Fertilid is good, Paradise Druid is fixing plus hexproof as another good mutate target.

[Mookie]

Minor callout - Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Luminous Broodmoth + Altar of Dementia (or any other free sacrifice outlet) is infinite. If you're dedicated to not having any combos, may want to cut one of them.

I'll also call out Wood Elves / Farhaven Elf as two other low-power inclusions. Buried Alive and Dusk // Dawn also seem like they would make sense.

Deck looks sweet otherwise. Not a ton of obvious cuts I'd call out, although there is a bit of tension between the different parts of the deck fighting for slots (Nethroi triggers / mutate creatures / keyword soup). I tend to find it difficult to support more than two subthemes in a single deck. How has that been working out for you?

[Outcryqq]

Mookie: good call on that combo! We will see if it becomes problematic.

Regarding too many themes, I'm not sure because I haven't been able to test it beyond goldfishing. I play in person and these haven't dropped, and even if it had most of us have been avoiding socializing.

[Outcryqq]

Pack Rat's character defining ability (p/t equal to rats) applies regardless of which creature you put on top, so it's not as good as I thought. Mythos of Nethroi is decent but this deck has access to better removal. Those are cut.

Added The Great Henge and Underrealm Lich, both of which should be amazing.

[Outcryqq]

Since I'll probably be attacking late game after reanimating a lot of small dudes, added Gavony Township and Oran-Rief, the Vastwood.