Millicent Ghostswarm

[BeneTleilax]

Having screwed around with various swarm decks, Zada, Krenko, Rhys, I've always found them to be too slow, too combo-prone, or too fragile. Millicent, despite being somewhat plain, does exactly what I want. In fact, I kind of like the fact that she's so plain: make dudes, attack, if they die you get backup dudes.

Decklist

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

Commander

1 Millicent, Restless Revenant

Creatures

1 Lunarch Veteran

1 Topplegeist

1 Hopeful Eidolon

1 Mothdust Changeling

1 Spectral Sailor

1 Lantern Kami

1 Mausoleum Wanderer

1 Lantern Bearer

1 Kami of False Hope

1 Martyred Rusalka

1 Ghostly Pilferer

1 Departed Deckhand

1 Strict Proctor

1 Shacklegeist

1 Supreme Phantom

1 Selfless Spirit

1 Spirit of the Labyrinth

1 Rattlechains

1 Remorseful Cleric

1 Flitterstep Eidolon

1 Spectral Adversary

1 Spell Queller

1 Drogskol Captain

1 Patrician Geist

1 Empyrean Eagle

1 Mirror Entity

1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner

1 Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr

1 Hanged Executioner

1 Guardian of Faith

1 Bygone Bishop

1 Cemetery Illuminator

1 Drogskol Reinforcements

1 Spark Double

1 Godhead of Awe

1 Sephara, Sky's Blade

Enchantment

1 Fanatical Devotion

1 Martyr's Cause

1 Reconnaissance Mission

1 Anointed Procession

Artifact

1 Skullclamp

1 Sol Ring

1 Dowsing Dagger

1 Throne of the God-Pharaoh

1 Strixhaven Stadium

1 Ashnod's Altar

1 Phyrexian Altar

1 Bident of Thassa

Instant

1 Rapid Hybridization

1 Swords to Plowshares

1 Counterspell

1 Rally the Ancestors

1 Mystic Reflection

1 Rootborn Defenses

1 Generous Gift

1 Mirrorweave

1 Cyclonic Rift

Sorcery

1 Return to the Ranks

1 Citywide Bust

1 By Invitation Only

1 Storm of Souls

Land

1 Hallowed Fountain

1 Windswept Heath

1 Arid Mesa

1 Marsh Flats

1 Prairie stream

1 Glacial Fortress

1 Nimbus Maze

1 Path of Ancestry

1 Hengegate Pathway

1 Command Tower

1 Mystic Gate

1 Exotic Orchard

1 Prismatic Vista

1 Fabled Passage

1 Moorland Haunt

1 Ghost Quarter

1 Windbrisk Heights

11 Plains

10 Island

Approximate Total Cost:

[pokken]

Few questions

-Are you sure this deck really needs a Sun Titan?
-Do you think with the color balance the way it is you should tilt the man a +1 plains -1 island?
-Any thoughts on Akroma's Will type finisher rather than stuff like Favorable Winds? Your guys are a little on the small side but many of them have some decent bodies. Alternatively, Gideon, Ally of Zendikar might be worth thinking about. Just that ability to instant anthem and then your dudes are 2/2s forever whether you get swept or not is pretty savage.
-Dragon Throne of Tarkir might be another one worth noodling on. +4/+4 from your commander would probably be pretty efficient.


Love the list, especially the use of altars for explosive ramp and the Martyr's Cause effects.

[BeneTleilax]

Are you sure this deck really needs a Sun Titan?

I like having recursion in creature-damage decks, and I have several spare Sun Titans. I should probably swap him for Sevinne's Reclamation or something else better, but for now he's on hand.

-Do you think with the color balance the way it is you should tilt the man a +1 plains -1 island?

Cut an island for Windbrisk Heights.

-Any thoughts on Akroma's Will type finisher rather than stuff like Favorable Winds? Your guys are a little on the small side but many of them have some decent bodies. Alternatively, Gideon, Ally of Zendikar might be worth thinking about. Just that ability to instant anthem and then your dudes are 2/2s forever whether you get swept or not is pretty savage.

I considered it, and if I need more explosive ways to close games, I'll try it. I'm hoping to avoid the "swarm and rush massive damage ASAP before a wrath" pattern. I'd rather build value over time, fall back, grow back. Millicent really gives a fair bit of resilience in her cost reduction and the death triggers. I also don't like planeswalkers, never have, and generally avoid them unless I'd really miss out on something cool.

-Dragon Throne of Tarkir might be another one worth noodling on. +4/+4 from your commander would probably be pretty efficient.

Added. I also have several of those spare. Might be a bit expensive for a deck without substantive ramp, but it certainly packs a punch.

Love the list, especially the use of altars for explosive ramp and the Martyr's Cause effects.

Thanks!

[pokken]

It's possible this is more of a Return to the Ranks than a Sun Titan deck? I dunno.

If you want to be a total monster, Opposition might be the best way to close it out with this commander.

[BeneTleilax]

It's possible this is more of a Return to the Ranks than a Sun Titan deck? I dunno.

Yes, yes it is. Swapped.

If you want to be a total monster, Opposition might be the best way to close it out with this commander.

I've got Shacklegeist to be a less brutal and more thematic version of that lock. I did add Strixhaven Stadium to close games once I have a critical mass, and I also have Mirrorweave and Mystic Reflection to spam copies of my lords (or combo with Spark Double to make everything Millicent). Mirror Entity, the aforementioned Dragon Throne and even Drogskol Reinforcements can also make my swarm huge, and Katilda and Eidolon of Countless Battles should let me convert to a voltron kill if needed. Might run Blade of Selves or something if I want to spam more lords. A fair amount of what you pay for in Akroma's Will is evasion, and I've got that in spades.

[pokken]

Also I know I am the signet hate patrol but since 1 cmc spirits do a pretty good impression of Llanowar Elves in this deck, I think I'd probably swap them for more 1-2 cmc spirits.

Some really good ones you're not running:

Ugin's Conjurant
Hopeful Eidolon
Clarion Spirit
Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit (who doesn't synergize with tokens but does with other dudes)
Mindshrieker

[BeneTleilax]

Also I know I am the signet hate patrol but since 1 cmc spirits do a pretty good impression of Llanowar Elves in this deck, I think I'd probably swap them for more 1-2 cmc spirits.

Some really good ones you're not running:

Ugin's Conjurant
Hopeful Eidolon
Clarion Spirit
Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit (who doesn't synergize with tokens but does with other dudes)
Mindshrieker

Realized I wasn't running near enough lands, even as aggressive as I am, and dedicated most of the slots I cleared to that. Non-evasive spirits make Millicent cheaper, and then turn into Tireless Pilgrims. I only added the Eidolon because it also has some lategame utility.
Cut Favorable Winds because I'd much rather my lords be creatures to work with Millicent's abilities, and I have a ton of creature protection so I don't even know if it would be more resilient.
Replaced Veto and Negate with Spell Queller, because I have some recursion and enough sac outlets to cheat it.
Cut March of Souls because this deck wants to be the wrath-bait, not run symmetrical wraths, even cool tribal symmetrical wraths.
Cut Karmic Guide because it's expensive and doesn't really fit what the deck wants.