Sidisi, Brood Tyrant - Zombie Horde and Shenanigans

[DementedKirby]

Lich Lord of Unx is an amazing card because you might not always win via combat damage. Pillow fort and control are a thing, which is why effects like that are important to have at least one-of in the deck.

[DementedKirby]

It's usually so incredibly hard to make changes in this deck, but here're the recent changes I've made:
out:
Gurmag Drowner
Voidslime

in:
Disallow
Elvish Reclaimer

Elvish Reclaimer is a Birthing Pod for lands so on its own it can get Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth as well as Cabal Coffers or Gaea's Cradle onto the battlefield. It needed a slot and its function is better and more useful than Gurmag Drowner. Disallow is just an easier to cast Voidslime so that change was a long time coming.

---

Also, I uploaded a video on my channel explaining the Main Build of my deck, for anyone interested in seeing a video instead of reading through the primer. The primer has way more information but the video is illustrative. You can find it here.

[Gwathnar]

I've got to check out your video when I get a chance.
I've actually wanted to start doing my own deck tech videos for my decks but have no idea how.

With TBD and the printing of Thassa's Oracle my Sidisi deck has taken a big turn from what it was and gone to more of a combo deck. I've yet to test the updates due to the craziness surrounding COVID-19 and all the protective measures in place. Heck I haven't even proxied the 25 or so cards that are changes to try it over Discord.

[DementedKirby]

That's great! Sidisi can definitely contain a Sushi Hulk package and I even mention that in the end of the video.

Yeah, the COVID-19 quarantine and lockdown has been crazy to say the least. I've only been able to play online via Cockatrice. That's why my lastest gameplay video has been with Cockatrice footage. It might be that way for a while, too... I suggest building it in Cockatrice and testing it there; that's where I brew and test all my decks - whether I end up building them in real life or not. Every deck I own (which is quite a few) I tested there before committing to buying/trading for the cards I need.

As for starting your own YouTube channel, it's never too late to start! It is a lot of work, though. If you're going to do it just for yourself then that's a great mindset starting off. Doing it to make it big is the wrong mindset to start off with. That should be a bonus. I started the channel in late July and am barely at 1,500 subs. I have more than some channels that have started before me but there are some channels that have way more and have started after me. There is no formula to follow. Measure your success with your satisfaction, not with statistics and analytics. So if I had to give you some advice, it would be that; do whatever makes you happy and you should be set!

[Gwathnar]

I opt'd to leave out the Flash Hulk lines in Sidisi because I've got a cEDH Sushi Hulk deck anyways.
I've still got Kozilek in my deck so I've got some hoops to jump through but that's fine by me.

I've tried Cockatrice but never really got use to it. I'll have to try it more.

Thanks for the advice. My biggest issue is time, with 3 kids and a full time job I don't have much time for myself.

[DementedKirby]

I opt'd to leave out the Flash Hulk lines in Sidisi because I've got a cEDH Sushi Hulk deck anyways.
I've still got Kozilek in my deck so I've got some hoops to jump through but that's fine by me.

I've tried Cockatrice but never really got use to it. I'll have to try it more.

Thanks for the advice. My biggest issue is time, with 3 kids and a full time job I don't have much time for myself.

Oof! Tell me about it! I work full time and also study part time so it's definitely difficult finding the time for it! Sometimes it can be a bit daunting, to say the least.

[WWolfe]

Not seeing much out of this set for Sidisi outside of maybe Deadly Rollick or Fierce Guardianship.

[KitsuLeif]

Not seeing much out of this set for Sidisi outside of maybe Deadly Rollick or Fierce Guardianship.

Skull Prophet would like to have a word with you!

[DementedKirby]

@KitsuLeif

I get what you mean, but I'm guessing @WWolfe was referring to the Commander 2020 new cards more so than Ikoria.

[WWolfe]

Yea, I was referring to the Commander 2020 cards. I'm waiting to comment on Ikoria until we've seen the complete set.

[WWolfe]

Since the full set has been revealed what are everyone's thoughts on cards for the deck?

Skull Prophet probably deserves to be play-tested. Zagoth Triome could be useful if you can afford an ETBT land. And Fiend Artisan could perhaps be useful as a tutor to find a key piece before combat (Craterhoof Behemoth, or Filth, Wonder, or Brawn if you have a sac outlet) but it seems pretty situational since you can only do it at sorcery speed.

[DementedKirby]

Since the full set has been revealed what are everyone's thoughts on cards for the deck?

Skull Prophet probably deserves to be play-tested. Zagoth Triome could be useful if you can afford an ETBT land. And Fiend Artisan could perhaps be useful as a tutor to find a key piece before combat (Craterhoof Behemoth, or Filth, Wonder, or Brawn if you have a sac outlet) but it seems pretty situational since you can only do it at sorcery speed.

Skull Prophet definitely deserves to be tested although at the end of the day I think it might be a bit too slow. Zagoth Triome is going to replace Opulent Palace. It's a shame that wedge lairs weren't made for the Commander 2020 precons. At this point I honestly don't know why WotC doesn't complete land cycles that are over a decade old. But I digress... Fiend Artisan could be a great addition to the deck since it's effect is similar to Prime Speaker Vannifar. I have to sink way more mana into it, though. But it's still a great way to tutor for a needed card. Activating it at sorcery speed is definitely another drawback so this card might end up being one of those that are better in theory than in practice.

[WWolfe]

Anyone else have any thoughts on Ikoria or C20 cards?

[DementedKirby]

Anyone else have any thoughts on Ikoria or C20 cards?

I've been quite busy with my channel due to the overwhelming amount of great cards for the format. But I should soon post my review concerning cards that are good/useful for Sidisi later on today. They're already posted!

[DementedKirby]

Here's my review for Commander 2020:

• Fierce Guardianship - Having a free counterspell is no joke. Having Sidisi out is most of the gameplan getting a free Negate because of it is awesome.
• Tidal Barracuda - It might help opponents outside of my turn but at least during my turn it's like Dosan the Falling Leaf. This helps me complete my game-ending combos without any kind of interaction from my opponents save from activated and triggered abilities. But for the most part, it's solid. It's also on a creature with a huge plus for this deck.
• Deadly Rollick - Similar to Fierce Guardianship, this is a free exile spell if we have Sidisi out. Nothing to scoff at.
• Sawtusk Demolisher - Has a Terastodon effect if we mutate it. This deck has plenty of mutate targets on it. In fact, the best one is Sidisi herself. This helps me mutate Sidisi into a nonlegendary 6/6 with trample as a bonus. Meaning that I can clone Sidisi later on and not worry about the legend rule. It also makes it easier to attack with Sidisi to trigger her and not worry so much about her dying in combat.

[DementedKirby]

Here's my review for Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths:

• Excavation Mole - It does self-mill 3 when it enters the battlefield but it's still a 3/3 with trample for 3 mana. I don't think it's that impactful in the deck given the rest of the cards in it and available for it that I'm already not running.
• Gemrazer - A Naturalize on a body if we mutate it. There's plenty of mutate targets in the deck but Sidisi is definitely a great one for it. Mutating her with Gemrazer makes her a nonlegendary 4/4 with reach and trample, making it easier to send her to the red zone than as she currently is.
• Titanoth Rex - Is a cheap way way to give a creature trample as well as drawing a card. However, if we reanimate it for free, it's an 11/11 with trample. That's definitely a threat in this format.
• Gyruda, Doom of Depths - I probably won't use this as a companion even though you definitely could since Sidisi complies with its deck-building restrictions. However, you'd need to do some work changing a large part of the deck to accommodate it as the companion. That being said, it's great as 1/99 since it mills the entire table for 4 when it enters the battlefield and it can reanimate any creature milled this way if its casting cost is even.
• Fiend Artisan - This can get huge in the deck. However, that's not necessarily why it's good for the deck. It's similar to Prime Speaker Vannifar, who's already in the deck. I can just sacrifice a zombie token, pay X and get any creature from my deck onto the battlefield. Definitely worth testing out to see if it's as powerful as Vannifar.
• Skull Prophet - A 2-costed mana dork that can tap for either B or G but can also tap to self-mill for 2. For me, it's a bit slow for this deck. I'd rather have something like Bloom Tender for that mana cost since the deck already has multiple ways of self-milling that are much more efficient.
• Parcelbeast - Has the potential of only costing GU via mutate. It's a good way to check the top of the deck for any lands. If we're manipulating the top of the deck then we might be able to get a land onto the battlefield each turn thanks to it and really accelerate our game (assuming we're also dropping our normal land per turn).
• Brokkos, Apex of Forever - Is an amazing way to make Sidisi a 6/6 with trample since we can mutate Brokkos from the graveyard. If it gets self-milled, we can then mutate it onto Sidisi and make her even more dangerous. This is definitely something worth testing.
• Emergent Ultimatum - Seems interesting. An opponent chooses 2/3 monocolored cards you look from your library. This can be used to find combo pieces but Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is colorless so you can look for it. You'd have to look for Rune-Scarred Demon, Sidisi, Undead Vizier, and Razaketh, the Foulblooded since these are tutors on a body. Then, no matter what they choose, you can choose for any card you want. At first glance, BBGGGUU might seem costly to do so, but Rune-Scarred Demon alone costs 7 mana. Razaketh costs 8. And if used this way, this spell will net you 2 beaters, whichever of these 3 you get, as well as any card. It is a bit narrow, though, but it all depends on the combos of your own Sidisi build.
• Titan's Nest - This card is able to give delve to all of our spells without an X in their casting cost. However, as I've mentioned multiple times, I don't like exiling cards with this deck because it plays with the library. That being said, lands not used that are in the graveyard can be used to reduce casting costs but I'd rather just generate the massive amount of mana the deck can already produce. The first ability of the enchantment is also too slow for the deck.
• Zagoth Triome - With so many fetches in the deck, this can definitely be included even though it enters the battlefield tapped.

[Hawk]

Agreed on Excavation Mole - It's good to be on the lookout for potentially relevant cards, but neither of your lists is running Stitcher's Supplier, Armored Skaab, or Mire Triton all of which have more relevant types/bodies.

I do agree as well that Sawtusk Demolisher is worth a look, but do note that it's actually more like a Terastodon effect than a Beast Within since it only targets non-creatures.

[DementedKirby]

Ah, that's true.

[SaintForthigan]

Hey there! I've been running a fair bit more playing with this deck, and I've 2 cards to raise for consideration.

Field of the Dead. With how few basics this deck runs, this is almost always going to be online and pumping out zombies, and I've had a lot of matches where this has been the difference in eking out another activation of Nullmage Shepherd, or in leaving just enough blockers behind to save my bacon after a Filth fueled alpha strike.

Phenax, God of Deception. I've been trying this recently, and while I'm not certain if the jump from 2 to 5 mana is enough to justify this over Embalmer's Tools, the fact that you're doubling just how deep every individual zombie is able to dig when it taps to mill has felt really powerful whenever it's hit the field, and it's made it substantially easier to go infinite once you've got an Intruder Alarm in play.

Anyways, keep up the great work, and thanks for brewing up this awesome deck!

[DementedKirby]

Thanks! Glad you like my deck!

Field of the Dead is definitely a good card to consider since it will make zombies essentially for free. I'm not sold on swapping out Phenax for Embalmer's Tools since you can tap down zombies with summoning sickness with the tools but not Phenax. That and Phenax costs more than twice as much.

[WWolfe]

So my son text me that some new black creatures had been previewed but he didn't think they fit my Sidisi deck. I got a tad bit excited, but after looking at them they don't fit. Liliana's Standard Bearer is interesting but unless I'm sac'ing creatures in response to a boardwipe to ping some damage or doing the Gravecrawler combo (which I always win doing), the card draw off it isn't that big an incentive to play it, I don't see where it's that useful. Liliana's Devotee is a half anthem (only buffing the power) but the second ability, I don't need to pay for zombie tokens with how this deck pumps out tokens. And Liliana's Steward really does nothing for the deck.

It's starting to look like we may be more likely to get something for this deck out of Jumpstart than we are Core 2021.

[DementedKirby]

Yeah, I'm just waiting to see when the spoilers are complete. Even if it's just a couple of cards to consider. This deck is tight enough as it is to make cuts anyways. So I'm not too bummed by it; it's already a solid deck. There are more incomplete archetypes out there that can use more support.

[Pants1982]

Is this thread dead, M21 and jumpstart are both out now.

[DementedKirby]

It's not. The last time I posed on it was about a month ago. That doesn't make it a dead thread, lol.

[Pants1982]

That's good, I finally built this deck, though I don't have all the cards. I substituted grim flayer for scroll rack, deathrite shaman for dryad forest. What would you replace intuition for?

Are you going to post your thoughts on the cards from m21 and jumpstart?