Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange

[Reya]

I do want to know if any of you have played with Binding Mummy ? And if so how has it felt playing so far? Currently I haven't seen it in many games lately, So I am wondering if the utility in it is good or not

Mummy is an amazing zombie. I would never cut it. Often you can turn the 2 mana ability of Varina into a "2 mana: tap your rock or your blocker". You can deny a lot of mana for your opponents and this can be game winning. Remove blocker can also leads to victory.

[Rframpt]

I do want to know if any of you have played with Binding Mummy ? And if so how has it felt playing so far? Currently I haven't seen it in many games lately, So I am wondering if the utility in it is good or not

Mummy is an amazing zombie. I would never cut it. Often you can turn the 2 mana ability of Varina into a "2 mana: tap your rock or your blocker". You can deny a lot of mana for your opponents and this can be game winning. Remove blocker can also leads to victory.

Now that is great to know that the cards does work. I have likely just been unfortunate not seeing it in its moment of glory or when it start to get rolling. Then that is at least one card I know not to cut

[Reya]

We can say that mummy allows us to keep rolling. Even by just landing 1 or 2 zombies, with Mummy on the field, is often enough to get all the team swinging.

[Rframpt]

I will also say that Lazotep Chancellor is amoung my favours for the deck. Getting a sac outlet that produces mana can really get us rolling as each trigger is separate and when can sac the army token to pay for generating a new army token. Then with any of our AristoZombies or Binding Mummy we can make sure we have a better attacks before blockers get declared

[Reya]

Chancellor is great but it's complicated to abuse. You need to have a sac outlet and a discard outlet at the same time. It's really great for producing a zombie for one little mana.

Edit: the way you want to abuse Chancellor is the same synergy as Altar + Zombie Infestation + Skullclamp. This let you draw your entire deck and put everything to the yard. You just need some extra black mana and at least 1 card left in hand to finaly cast a mass reanimation spell and win. This line is quite complicated to achieve with Chancellor.

[Falkenbach]

I do want to know if any of you have played with Binding Mummy ? And if so how has it felt playing so far? Currently I haven't seen it in many games lately, So I am wondering if the utility in it is good or not

Its one of the better two drop zombies in my opinion. If sequencing goes well you will have free swings with it out. And with varinas ability creating a zombie can pursue others from swinging to you treathing to tap down their creature. I would not take it out anytime soon i think.

[pzbw7z]

I do want to know if any of you have played with Binding Mummy ? And if so how has it felt playing so far? Currently I haven't seen it in many games lately, So I am wondering if the utility in it is good or not

Binding Mummy is solid. Using Varina's ability on an opponent's upkeep to trigger the Mummy to tap a fatty is priceless.

[pzbw7z]

Last night I gave Grave Pact a try out. It works about how I imagined; brutally. Gravecrawler, Phyrexian Altar plus Grave Pact = opponents scoop.

It's much easier to get use out of Grave Pact than Tombstone Stairwell, which is what I swapped out to test Grave Pact. Sadly, Stairwell is super fun so I might well switch back, but Grave Pact is brutal - if not really fun - and an fairly simple way to neutralize much more powerful aggro decks.

[Rframpt]

Edict effects can be insanely brutal for some decks. Especially when they aren't prepared for it. Tombstone Stairwell is just a can I feel the need to play in Varina as it is unlikely I would build another zombie tribal deck

[toctheyounger]

Yeah pact strikes me as the sort of inclusion that's on when it's on and really not when it isn't. I guess we can work around that, though. Now that it's reasonably priced I might pick up a copy. Dictate of Erebos is a good option too.

I'd never cut Binding Mummy myself. It's the epitome of free real estate here.

Also, I was wrong about the price of Beseech the Mirror settling down, whoops. I still want a copy here though.

[pzbw7z]

Also, I was wrong about the price of Beseech the Mirror settling down, whoops. I still want a copy here though.

While it's a little off topic, I built a budget Rowan, Scion of War deck, and Beseech the Queen - yes, Queen, not Mirror - is actually fantastic in it. It's easy to cast for free! I've played it since the beginning in Varina and it's rarely more than BBB with my mana. I've considered it a budget tutor for Varina, but it's one of the more expensive cards in my Rowan build. Beseech the Mirror is nearly half the price of that whole deck!

[Rframpt]

I will say, it is always great when you as a folks in another forum for advice on what to cut you somehow end up with more cards added to you decklist and still very unsure as to what needs to be cut from your deck

[pzbw7z]

So far, I have to say, I'm diggin' Graveborn Muse!

[toctheyounger]

It can be great, for sure. I always found the 'wait till my next upkeep' effect just a tad too baity. It asks to be removed. And if it isn't, it's a mandatory effect, so you risk murdering yourself.

Idk, it is pretty great in most scenarios, just not an every scenario card.

[Rframpt]

For me Graveborn Muse is a very neat card. Folks in my meta see it as not that threatening or they find there are better things to use their removal on. At worst, it is one extra card but even an extra card in hard is something I find great for Varina

[pzbw7z]

If a four-MV permanent is removed before it can do it's thing, it's a bad thing, but that can happen to many - if not most - of our permanents. So the floor is very low indeed, but the ceiling is through the roof to mangle a metaphor. I drew twelve cards in two turns last night and I probably would have used the Muse with Diabolic Intent before long to stop the bleeding. I didn't have to because I had had Buried Alive and Swan Song in my opener and Muse drew me into Phyrexian Altar and An Offer You Can't Refuse.

I had to bounce a permanent that sacrificed itself to destroy artifacts and enchantment beforehand, and I remember being concerned that that made me tap out. No one had any interaction. Later I realized that I had seven U on the table with the Zombies and the altar. I'm a slow Magic player sometimes.

While it is bad if a four drop whiffs, any piece of reaction that hits Muse probably can't hit Corpse Knight or Wayward Servant or another important piece.

[Rframpt]

Also it has some amazing art. Kev walker really going to town making some incredible art.

[Falkenbach]

Its a great zombie the problem i have with muse is that it is on the same cmc spot and timing drop as varina herself. Or would you drop varina turn 4 and the turn after muse and keep one mana open for swan song or the other interaction?

[pzbw7z]

Its a great zombie the problem i have with muse is that it is on the same cmc spot and timing drop as varina herself. Or would you drop varina turn 4 and the turn after muse and keep one mana open for swan song or the other interaction?

What's the problem? I play several four-MV cards. The odds of having Muse in hand on turn-four aren't that high anyway. I'd play Muse if I wanted to draw cards and Varina if I wanted to do her things. If I couldn't swing profitably I'd go for Muse, if I could, I'd probably play Varina. The only time I'd ever feel bad about playing Muse is if I had low life.

[Falkenbach]

Its a great zombie the problem i have with muse is that it is on the same cmc spot and timing drop as varina herself. Or would you drop varina turn 4 and the turn after muse and keep one mana open for swan song or the other interaction?

What's the problem? I play several four-MV cards. The odds of having Muse in hand on turn-four aren't that high anyway. I'd play Muse if I wanted to draw cards and Varina if I wanted to do her things. If I couldn't swing profitably I'd go for Muse, if I could, I'd probably play Varina. The only time I'd ever feel bad about playing Muse is if I had low life.

Fair point about not being able to swing profitably i will reconsider if i can test her out more.

[pzbw7z]

Has anyone ever given Vesper Ghoul a thought? Three mana is steep for the ability, but it's a good ability

[Rframpt]

Has anyone ever given Vesper Ghoul a thought? Three mana is steep for the ability, but it's a good ability

Three mana for a 1/1 mana dork. I don't think that is where we would like to be. Upside is that the mana isn't restricted and is any color.

[Rframpt]

Got an insane game of magic yesterday. Putrid Imp discarding Nevinyrral, Urborg Tyrant at the opponent's end step before me. Cast Animate Dead with mana enough should he die I could boardwipe. Then I proceed to lock the board down with recurring Nevinyrral and sacrificing him (or at least recur him twice which was brutal enough) until I could combo finish with Gravecrawler, Phyrexian Altar and Plague Belcher

[Rframpt]

In the same vein as Pzbw7z. Have you all encounter a card or cards that is a sleeper hit? or over performs but doesn't see a lot of play in other builds with this Legend?

[toctheyounger]

I've definitely looked at Vesper before. And, while I'm not quite brave enough I've always wondered how viable Lich Lord of Unx is as a mana sink win condition.