Spider Spawning with Sidisi, Brood Tyrant

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lyonhaert
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Post by lyonhaert » 4 years ago

Spider Spawning with Sidisi, Brood Tyrant

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Decklist

Commander (1)

Real Commander (1)

Approximate Total Cost:

I think I discovered this deck summer/fall of 2017. Prophet of Kruphix was already banned and I definitely had to replace some of the pricey lands and some cards I didn't have. I think I may have initially put in Seedborn Muse but that wasn't terribly good without flash and the slot later became Splendid Reclamation since I wanted to see how well that did (still haven't cast it in this deck yet).
My initial changes revolved around replacing stuff I didn't have or couldn't run, mostly: Prophet of Kruphix, Craterhoof Behemoth, Ancient Ziggurat, Gaea's Cradle, Tropical Island, Bayou, Rupture Spire, and Underground Sea. I ended up choosing these replacements at the time, more or less: Splendid Reclamation, Dragon Throne of Tarkir (might still get a Craterhoof some day), Exotic Orchard, Forest, Yavimaya Coast, Misty Rainforest, Island, Sunken Hollow.

If you listen to BDM talk about the deck (Command Zone May 2015; Commanderin' January 2019), it's premise is that Spider Spawning is the central card — as if it would be the commander of the deck if you could have a sorcery be the commander. I really like how this deck "goes with the flow" and manages to do something productive with almost anything you end up with in your hand, and almost no tutoring or recursion. I have indeed won with spiders a couple times, but it's also fun to just make a ton of giant squirrels.

As time has gone on, I've made a few changes to experiment with new cards of replace ones I didn't like. Genesis Hydra just never did it for me and I think eventually became a testing slot in which Journey to Eternity currently sits, having not used it yet. Joraga Treespeaker hit the field a couple times but I never leveled it, so when Stitcher's Supplier came out it seemed like a really nice 1-drop for the self-milling side. Jungle Weaver similarly did not spark joy, but Muldrotha, the Gravetide seems pretty awesome.

Underrealm Lich is currently being tested in place of Sultai Soothsayer, but there really isn't any card draw in this deck to take advantage of him. That one might end up switched back but time will tell.

The deck does have some possible weaknesses in the lack of removal or counters, possibility of graveyard getting exiled, etc. But the principle of it seems to be "keep on trucking; don't look back" and it does that pretty well if you're not emptying your hand. I may even cut back on the recursion pieces to maintain that more.

I've considered using Body Double as a form of 'recursion' for a handy creature that happened to die or be milled. This is also sortof a toolbox deck, so Prime Speaker Vannifar could be a useful value piece since the curve is pretty full — I'll need to examine what 'upgrades' are possible and if there are enough to merit more curiosity (if I were to pursue combo with her I would just build a Vannifar deck). Havengul Lich had crossed my mind, but at that point I also start getting into theft, which I don't want to do with this deck because I do it plenty in other decks. I could probably use a bit of flying.
Some deck philosophy points regarding feedback and future changes —
  • I'd like to maintain this in a 75% power level, if it already is (it may be a bit beyond that?).
  • Remember — I have to, too — that this deck is about being resilient and really wants to try to win with lots of spider/insect tokens, preferably made with Spider Spawning.

Update - 2019-04-17
Having listened to the newer podcast and seen some updates to his deck, I feel like I grok the premise of the deck better. As opposed to (or, in addition to?) some of the cards I'd mentioned before, I'll be considering some of these:
Last edited by lyonhaert 4 years ago, edited 4 times in total.
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Post by lyonhaert » 4 years ago

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Post by lyonhaert » 4 years ago

2019-05-17

This was kindof a rebuild I did a while back. The original version focused a lot on tutoring lands to hand, but that isn't actual ramp. So I decided to try a number of replacements that placed the lands on the battlefield. Also trying Deranged Assistant and Millikin as mana dorks and swapping Elves of Deep Shadow to Joraga Treespeaker. I'd originally removed Treespeaker but I see some value now in giving it a real try since I can play it for g and if it lives its first level is pretty much free.

Also trying Krosan Restorer instead of Somberwald Sage, and thus also added Dimir Aqueduct and Golgari Rot Farm to go along with Simic Growth Chamber in case I get to lay any of those for untapping.

Ghoultree I never cast as it's just a big do-nothing. Muldrotha, the Gravetide is a good card but this deck is mostly creatures and lands so its ability is wasted mostly, whereas Ramunap Excavator can better interact with Oracle of Mul Daya, and Tasigur, the Golden Fang is in for testing as a recursion element along with Genesis. Dragon Throne of Tarkir gets replaced by End-Raze Forerunners, because I'm totally not buying a copy of Craterhoof Behemoth.

This is a spider deck, so I'm adding Ishkanah, Grafwidow to replace Deranged Hermit (because tokens), and Izoni, Thousand-Eyed is not really a straight swap with anything... but also tokens and a potentially useful sack outlet. World Shaper is basically a backup Splendid Reclamation now that I've got some new mana-sinks. Oh and Shizo, Death's Storehouse is hopefully to get some more attack triggers out of Sidisi.

Among these changes, I may end up missing Solemn Simulacrum, Yavimaya Elder, or maybe Soul of the Harvest. We'll also see if I like the tutor-land-to-battlefield stuff over the tutor-land-to-hand stuff.

Some cards I've been thinking of testing in this deck (some of which I still haven't gotten around to testing). Spider Spawning is the star, and has a small suite of support cards for retrieval/re-use that I could possibly improve upon. If anybody has some speculation on changes that help support the Spider Spawning + other cool stuff plan, I'm all ears, even if it's new things to try among the "cool stuff" rather than the support for Spider Spawning. I had also looked at Rotwidow Pack, but it seems to have a bit of overlap with Ishkanah and I'm not super keen on exiling creature cards.
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Post by lyonhaert » 4 years ago

2019-09-19


Going to try out the Life from the Loam + cyclers package this time around. I should have plenty of other ways to get forests, and these fetches on their way out will be useful in Samut's deck eventually.

Cavalier of Thorns is definitely in for testing, which should be simpler to test than Tasigur. His ETB is nice, but we'll see about that dies-exile trigger since there's a lot of mill and not so much draw here. Tasigur didn't actually see much testing due to the need for opponent choice, but this isn't exactly the kind of deck where many answers are run that could be politicked for, he was mostly just a mana sink. Also I could see opponents giving me back Wonder and Genesis quite readily.

I'm trying out tutorless on both this deck and Chainer for now. Yavimaya Elder is a good card and I'll be giving him a turn here again, and I've been wanting to try Body Double for a while now.

Expel from Orazca because the deck is shy on removal and I wanted to try this one out. Return to Nature / Beast Within / Krosan Grip are also good choices I might switch to later.

Other thoughts -
Quiet Speculation seems like a blow-out tutor able to get both Spider Spawning and Gnaw to the Bone at the same time. I was thinking about trying it but it seems like as much of an enabler as Buried Alive would be in Chainer, which I'm also purposely not running because I'd prefer variance. I'll test it if I put tutors back in.

Songs of the Damned could be a nice ritual, but I don't really have any mana sinks other than Ishkanah, Grafwidow. I need to pay attention to how much mana goes unused on my board and whether I need to consider any mana sinks.

Spitting Image could be useful and fun here, what with LftL moving in, but could also necessitate a bit more land-to-hand effects. This one is possibly top of the list of one I'm thinking of testing later.
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Post by lyonhaert » 4 years ago

Swapped Parallel Lives back to Doubling Season since I needed the former somewhere else and hadn't used DS for the reason I'd taken it out originally.

I also finally got to use Journey to Eternity and flip it. For the setup, the cost of the recursion ability on the flipside, and how often I needed it, it might as well have just been Bond of Revival, because returning Sidisi to mill a bit more was fine, but reanimating Kessig Cage-Breakers at the end of my opponent's turn for pseudo-haste and making 34 2/2 wolves was all the reanimation I needed. If it was Bond of Revival I could probably have done it 2-3 turns earlier instead of biding my time to when it was okay to hold up the 6 lands to activate it, even though I'd have been making around 20 wolves at the time.

Edit: Or maybe it would just be handy to have some Lightning Greaves in there.
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Post by lyonhaert » 3 years ago

Looks like I have some card swaps to catch up on. But first, set reviews.

Commander 2020

Cazur, Ruthless Stalker - It's like a green version of Curse of Stalked Prey, which is cool. Encourages combat and will compound go-tall + trample strategies or go-wide strategies. So he kinda could help, but doesn't really do much on his own here.

Zaxara, the Exemplary - This would only operate as a mana dork and potential blocker, really. The X-spell bit would be good for X-spell tribal for generating tokens, but we have zero of those.

Ethereal Forager - Cool design, but without protection this is just asking for spot removal to get those delved cards stuck in exile. And cards like Spider Spawning are too important to do that with. Eternal Witness does its job pretty well, and some of the important instants/sorceries have flashback.

Fierce Guardianship - This is probably going to become popular, but I'd probably just run Negate or another counter-spell instead, since I just use Sidisi to get things started usually and don't depend on her to stay out. I could even run Arcane Denial if I'm hurting for a way to put Wonder or Genesis in the graveyard and draw 3 cards.

Souvenir Snatcher - This one is pretty interesting, though. This is basically a 5u sorcery to give a creature flying and steal an artifact and counts as a creature in my graveyard otherwise.

Otrimi, the Ever-Playful - Definitely belongs in a mutate-themed deck, so doesn't do much here.

Boneyard Mycodrax - This is a function where I'd prefer Nighthowler still, as Scavenge is one-time. I end up with a ton of creatures in the graveyard and could get quite a lot of +1/+1 counters onto Master Biomancer, and Sidisi could reach one-shot range. Sorcery speed on scavenge keeps me from putting them on Zegana, though. I might test it.

Daring Fiendbonder - Sorcery speed is a bummer, but indestructibility is alright. Since it's most likely to end up milled into my graveyard, 1b isn't much, even though I have to go down a creature due to the exile. That indestructibility could come in pretty handy, and somewhat a surprise (too many cards in the graveyard for folks to remember it all), so I'll likely test this.

Curious Herd - Definitely not quite what we're interested in, but it is cute.

Obscuring Haze - It's a possibly free fog. Moment's Peace is way better here, or Arachnogenesis for spiders.

Predatory Impetus - To me this is one of the more interesting of the goading auras because of the Lure aspect. Probably not something I really want in this deck, but I'm sure there's a place for it somewhere.

Sawtusk Demolisher - I'll keep my Beast Within, thanks, rather than a 1-more sorcery-speed version that can't hit other creatures all for being able to give something trample and maybe make it 6/6.

Ikoria

Avian Oddity - Basically a 2u instant to add flying to something and uptick the graveyard creature card count. Nimble Obstructionist would be more worthy of the slot, probably.

Facet Reader - Looters are okay and could be useful, but I'd rather use Dakra Mystic for its effect on other players, or Merfolk Looter/Deal Broker since I don't have to pay them.

Reconnaissance Mission - For decks that want Coastal Piracy / Bident of Thassa-type stuff, this is quite good since you can cycle it away.

Gemrazer|57596 - This one I could see possibly running instead of Reclamation Sage, for example, because it gets around Torpor Orb and gives something reach and trample. Outside of that it's a bit restricted because the Sage doesn't require you have another creature in play (most folks don't see Torpor Orbs much), and all the "when this mutates" triggers are vulnerable to instant-speed creature removal of the host, not just counters to the creature spell or counters to the ability.

Mythos of Brokkos - Now this card I really want to use. I was already considering adding something like Entomb / Final Parting / Intuition to this deck. Even without using ub, it's two Nature's Spirals on one card.

Sudden Spinnerets - It's kinda funny in an on-that-spider-flavor way, but no. :laugh:

Wilt - Naturalize with cycling. Cool.

Back for More - This is nifty. I don't know that I'll use it here, but instant speed reanimation + fight is nifty.

Boneyard Lurker - This is another one that's better off in a mutate-focused deck. While most of the cards in the deck are permanents, Regrowth and Eternal Witness are preferred over Nature's Spiral. And one can't abuse Lurker with DEN.

Brokkos, Apex of Forever - His trigger is probably handier to trigger a stack of mutates or something. Just being able to give one (non-Human) thing trample and possibly make it 6/6 isn't quite enough value for this list.

Emergent Ultimatum - This is definitely one of those cards that people are going to build around so they can pick 3 cards that are a damned-no-matter-the-choice for the opponent. Reminds me of Intuition packages, except this Ultimatum casts them. Intuition would probably be good for this deck, actually.

Parcelbeast - Coiling Oracle is a good card, and I'm just now going to test adding Risen Reef to the list. Parcelbeast caught my eye because it can skip waiting for a full trip around the table before being able to tap by mutating onto something that doesn't have summoning sickness anymore. But being able to do it every turn would be grand, with a 2/4 body.

Skull Prophet - I run Deranged Assistant and Millikin, so this somewhat appeals. I usually don't have a problem getting colors from my lands, so I like that they give me mana and mill simultaneously. This guy has them split so I can only do one or the other, though, and is not fixing any colors unlike Urborg Elf or Deathcap Cultivator.

Titans' Nest - This is interesting, because it's sortof got Sultai Ascendancy's upkeep trigger (but half the cards), but can basically be used to delve for any spell. Basic case: if I'm a bit short on mana and don't have Splendid Reclamation or World Shaper and the time to untap with the lands I could power out a thing or two, like casting and flashing back Spider Spawning. It can also respond to attempted theft from our graveyard, even if the theft has split second since this is a mana ability. And the restriction on the mana is barely a downside here.

Fiend Artisan - I'll go ahead and mark this bold and probably test it, because this is probably a good card for this deck even with the sorcery speed restriction. I won't be surprised if having a tutor makes it play more linearly, though, which is something I've avoided since this deck can usually do pretty well with the "whatever I happen to draw and mill" approach. I already wasn't running Fauna Shaman, right?

Zagoth Triome - And just because I have fetches, I do want this. Probably two of each, really.
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Post by lyonhaert » 3 years ago

Time for more set reviews.

Core Set 2021

Teferi, Master of Time - Being able to loot every turn works okay with a deck that wants to self-mill. The -3 is also interesting as far as semi-removal.

Liliana, Waker of the Dead - Normally don't run walkers at all in this deck, but that -3 could pretty easily be double-digits. :laugh:

Liliana's Standard Bearer - An interesting way to draw cards, considering it can come after my board has been wiped in order to help me recover. Typically the big draw I've used has been dependent on actually having stuff first.

Elder Gargaroth - Sometimes there's a spot for a big ol' beater in this deck, and this is a pretty good one. Sometimes with all the little throwaway creatures like Coiling Oracle and Wood Elves, I'm tempted to also run Infinite Reflection, but it wouldn't really help out the token thing like Essence of the Wild used to.

Heroic Intervention - I'm glad it's getting reprinted, as it's a pretty good defensive card and would likely be useful as a staple.

JumpStart

Ormos, Archive Keeper - Now this is a more interesting discard outlet. Also some protection against decking (which I haven't done yet).

Branching Evolution - This deck cares way more about tokens than +1/+1 counters, so I'd be more likely to run Doubling Season instead. This would be great in Ayula, though.

Thriving Grove, Thriving Isle, Thriving Moor - I think these are pretty decent as far as EPT lands for color-fixing go in budget landbases.
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