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Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2023 1:05 am
by pzbw7z
Plumb the Forbidden is one of those cards one just never finds in shops. I didn't like
Epiphany at the Drownyard when I ran it, but it's perhaps better than
Fact or Fiction, which I do run. I may reconsider.
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2023 9:54 pm
by toctheyounger
It really is worth tracking down, but I agree. It's tough to find. It's probably the best draw in the build, purely for scaling precisely as much as you'd like, from one card with no sac to as many as you can sac.
I generally agree regarding
Epiphany at the Drownyard though, the card is strange. I find it's very rarely what I want to funnel my mana into, but it does dig deep, so there is that.
Broadly speaking I think these burst draw spells tend to fare better for the deck than tax draws do. We benefit from having a glut of cards and being able to sculpt hand and fill yard proactively is very beneficial. I love remora and Rhystic, but they do tend to be somewhat subpar here.
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2023 8:31 pm
by Falkenbach
I think it could be good in a deck that looks to play a longer game using more of Varina's ability and token synergies and less fast zombocombo bs or aggro. Varina definitely has a control shell deck that just makes zombies and uses stuff like
Opposition and
Dreadhorde Invasion type stuff. There're a few other efficient zombie token makers too IIRC (
Lazotep Chancellor is legit).
I am curious if we could do something with
Opposition and
Faces of the Past and other tab effects and a horde of zombies
Intruder Alarm
So far i can think of
Cryptbreaker and
Gravespawn Sovereign . Its not optimal but it could make a different build and take on Varina
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/5-wink-fb.png)
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2023 9:56 am
by pokken
toctheyounger wrote: ↑1 year ago
I generally agree regarding
Epiphany at the Drownyard though, the card is strange. I find it's very rarely what I want to funnel my mana into, but it does dig deep, so there is that.
I don't get the epiphany hate. For me it's been a game winner most times I draw it. Epiphany plus altar = gg. Epiphany plus crypt or nykthos = gg.
So easy to make a crapload of mana in this deck late in the game and if you have to cycle it early on it's not too bad.
Being east to cast is also very helpful.
There have been multiple times where I split it all in one pile and people had to put them in my hand out of terror lol.
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2023 9:41 pm
by toctheyounger
pokken wrote: ↑1 year ago
toctheyounger wrote: ↑1 year ago
I generally agree regarding
Epiphany at the Drownyard though, the card is strange. I find it's very rarely what I want to funnel my mana into, but it does dig deep, so there is that.
I don't get the epiphany hate. For me it's been a game winner most times I draw it. Epiphany plus altar = gg. Epiphany plus crypt or nykthos = gg.
So easy to make a crapload of mana in this deck late in the game and if you have to cycle it early on it's not too bad.
Being east to cast is also very helpful.
There have been multiple times where I split it all in one pile and people had to put them in my hand out of terror lol.
Yeah, maybe I am undervaluing it. I've just found it's often one I sandbag for other plays, so maybe I'm missing out.
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 12:59 pm
by devilcatz
Sidar labari of Zhalfir
Legendary Creature - Human Knight
Eminence - Whenever you attack with one or more Knights, if Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir is in the command zone or on the battlefield, draw a card, then discard a card.
Flying, first strike
Whenever Sidar Jabari deals combat damage to a player, return target Knight creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
4/3
New Varina but for knights?
No zombie making
Must connect
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 1:29 pm
by pokken
doesn't scale with # of attackers thank god
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/1-smile-fb.png)
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 2:45 pm
by pzbw7z
I do have a fondness for tribal knights.
Sidar Jabari upgrade
Sidar Jabari of Zhalfrim (link will work, eventually) looks like it might be a fun commander and maybe a better commander for Haakon than Varina. Esper for knights seems odd, but
W and
B are the most important colors.
U will add some good spells.
R will be missed primarily because of
Embercleave but that's about far enough off topic for me.
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 4:45 pm
by pokken
I will say it is kinda cool that the commander explicitly enables
Haakon, Stromgald Scourge ![Smile :)](./images/smilies/1-smile-fb.png)
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 8:07 pm
by toctheyounger
I am pleased to see Zhalfir return. Mirage was in rotation when I first started playing, it's a real nostalgia kick for me.
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 8:48 pm
by pokken
I want some more swampcycling zombies dangit
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 10:20 pm
by pzbw7z
toctheyounger wrote: ↑1 year ago
I am pleased to see Zhalfir return. Mirage was in rotation when I first started playing, it's a real nostalgia kick for me.
pokken wrote: ↑1 year ago
I want some more swampcycling zombies dangit
I played during the Mirage cycle as well, and a cheaper swamp-cycler would be welcome. I'm not sure I want to see any more flanking, though.
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 1:41 am
by toctheyounger
pzbw7z wrote: ↑1 year ago
I'm not sure I want to see any more flanking, though.
It's not banding, but it's not great either. The mechanics so far seem decent. Backup for example seems like it could well be worth it if there's any zombies that are well costed. It's doubtful but you never know.
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 2:38 am
by pzbw7z
toctheyounger wrote: ↑1 year ago
pzbw7z wrote: ↑1 year ago
I'm not sure I want to see any more flanking, though.
It's not banding, but it's not great either. The mechanics so far seem decent. Backup for example seems like it could well be worth it if there's any zombies that are well costed. It's doubtful but you never know.
I actually didn't mind banding. I would band
Camels with an
Abu Ja'far|ARN and attack; people would look at me like I was stupid. Then I'd play
Army of Allah!
Flanking was just weird. "Oh, you assign that X/1 creature to block? It dies, and you can't regenerate it!"
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 5:37 pm
by Reya
What do you think of
Soul Partition ? This card can work exactly like Chain of Vapor. It lets you exile anything when you want to go of or lets you "protect" your own combo piece (for a later recast).
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 9:46 pm
by pokken
Reya wrote: ↑1 year ago
What do you think of
Soul Partition ? This card can work exactly like Chain of Vapor. It lets you exile anything when you want to go of or lets you "protect" your own combo piece (for a later recast).
I think it's defensible. My deck slants U a little more than W, but I definitely would play
Soul Partition before most other removal. Significantly before
Anguished Unmaking or
Void Rend
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 11:10 pm
by toctheyounger
pokken wrote: ↑1 year ago
Reya wrote: ↑1 year ago
What do you think of
Soul Partition ? This card can work exactly like Chain of Vapor. It lets you exile anything when you want to go of or lets you "protect" your own combo piece (for a later recast).
I think it's defensible. My deck slants U a little more than W, but I definitely would play
Soul Partition before most other removal. Significantly before
Anguished Unmaking or
Void Rend
I'm down with that too. I've run it elsewhere and it is the sort of tempo removal this deck needs.
As an aside the way its worded it can protect your stuff too without costing the extra
2 to cast. I can't think of many pieces we'd desperately want to do that for but you never know, I guess.
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 11:35 pm
by pokken
toctheyounger wrote: ↑1 year ago
I can't think of many pieces we'd desperately want to do that for but you never know, I guess.
Altars for sure, especially since you can usually sac some creatures to them to pay for it and pay for recasting it
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/1-smile-fb.png)
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 12:40 am
by toctheyounger
pokken wrote: ↑1 year ago
toctheyounger wrote: ↑1 year ago
I can't think of many pieces we'd desperately want to do that for but you never know, I guess.
Altars for sure, especially since you can usually sac some creatures to them to pay for it and pay for recasting it
Yep good call. Probably the aristocrats too if there's anything particularly nasty pointed our way. Otherwise Varina getting got in the early turns can really hurt too.
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 2:43 am
by toctheyounger
So what do we think of battles for Varina? In the abstract or specific? There's nothing inherently zombie flavored spoiled so far, but
Battle for Tolvada isn't awful on either side. It has a nice ETB and the flipside has a token boost. Yeah, it isn't much so far, but we can hope for something wildly specific and great for us.
I feel like with the right card we're in a good position to hit the battle via combat, considering we need to swing anyway, we have some evasion and we can almost always build a presence. Flipping them seems doable here. It's just whether the juice is worth the squeeze.
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 2:49 am
by pokken
The one that tutors for instants or sorceries is pretty good.
Giving us something to attack that isn't a player feels like extra good politics for Varina.
If there's a mass reanimating one it's a shoe in I think.
The sequence of
Invasion of Arcavios get demonic tutor then attack and double demonic tutor feels pretty game winning. Or double intuition.
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 6:29 am
by pzbw7z
Invasion of Innistrad doesn't look awful, but it doesn't look spectacular either. Still, it might be worth a spin.
Removing a large, perhaps indestructible creature and two 2/2 Zombie tokens isn't terrible four 2
BB and a few swings at something other than an opponent. The ability to exile a few of one's opponents' creatures could prove handy from time to time before a mass reanimation. The ability to remove their flashback cards and just graveyard value in general could also prove useful.
It might not scream value, but it seems reasonable.
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 5:31 pm
by pokken
pzbw7z wrote: ↑1 year ago
Invasion of Innistrad doesn't look awful, but it doesn't look spectacular either. Still, it might be worth a spin.
Removing a large, perhaps indestructible creature and two 2/2 Zombie tokens isn't terrible four 2
BB and a few swings at something other than an opponent. The ability to exile a few of one's opponents' creatures could prove handy from time to time before a mass reanimation. The ability to remove their flashback cards and just graveyard value in general could also prove useful.
It might not scream value, but it seems reasonable.
It's not the worst removal spell ever I guess, but probably more of a budget thing I think.
Enchantments that make zombies have a lot of application in a more controlling Varina shell too.
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 6:55 pm
by pzbw7z
If it were only cards from my graveyard I'd say pass, for sure, but since it isn't, I think it's worth considering.
Re: Varina, Lich Queen - Esper Zombie Midrange
Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 10:08 pm
by toctheyounger
Yeah, I think it's like pretty on the fence myself. Flash is nice in it's own way, but I'm still not hugely sold.