Sengir Delbiatch.DEC (A Fun Concoction)

[Cavius The Great]

Here I present to you a deck that is extremely fun to play let alone competitive. Ever since Delraich was printed and the combo Sengir Autocrat/Delraich came into existence, I have been mesmerized by the combo and strived to build a competitive deck ever since. The combo works by playing Sengir Autocrat and the very same turn a Delraich by sacking the tokens produced by Sengir Autocrat. This can happen the very first turn via Dark Ritual and Chrome Mox. Now I will take the time to post my current decklist then explain some card explanations afterwards.

Sengir Delbiatch.DEC v. 1.0 (for Legacy)

// Lands
    4  Wasteland
    12  Swamp
    4  Ancient Tomb

// Creatures
    4  Delraich
    4  Sengir Autocrat

// Spells
    4  Night's Whisper
    3  Duress
    3  Ambition's Cost
    4  Dark Ritual
    4  Chrome Mox
    3  Bog Down
    4  Chalice of the Void
    3  Sever Soul
    4  Diabolic Tutor

// Sideboard
SB: 3  Pithing Needle
SB: 2  Forced March
SB: 3  Dystopia
SB: 3  Engineered Plague
SB: 4  Chainer's Edict

The main focus of the deck is to get into play a Delraich asap. You achieve this by pumping out draw spells such as Night's Whisper and Ambition's Cost fueled by acceleration such as Ancient Tomb, Dark Ritual and Chrome Mox. Chalice is in the deck to protect the Delraich from STPs and is extremely efficient since most the cards in the deck can work around it.

Here are a few card choices and explanations:

Ancient Tomb: An ideal land card for decks that produce mana intensive spells. This card easily gives the accelleration needed to get cards such as Bog Down, Sever Soul, Ambition's Cost, Chalice of the Void and Sengir Autocrat into play.  A first time chalice for 1 via Ancient Tomb is a very common play. I chose Bog Down over Hymns for the very reason of playing it off Ancient Tomb. Ancient Tomb also helps with casting Sever Soul quicker and also helps with hardcasting a Delraich if neccessary, but take note, only as a last resort.

Dark Ritual/Chrome Mox: makes a first turn Sengir Autocrat/Delraich possible with the right hand. A first turn play is slightly rare but the deck can pump it out by the second and third turn quite commonly due to Ancient Tomb and Chrome Mox.

Ambition's Cost/Night's Whisper: The draw in the deck. Both are necessary for getting the combo into play quicker. Ambition's Cost can be played off a Tomb while Night's Whisper can be played as early as the first turn via Moxen.

Chalice of the Void: The ultimate F-you card, a chalice for 1 stops StPs and much much more such as creature strategies like Zoo and combo peices for High Tide.

Bog Down/Duress/Wasteland: Duress is a give in while the Bog Down seems to be more unorthodox. I chose Bog Down over Hymn because it can take out 3 cards with the right play and has synergy with Ancient Tomb. Wasteland is also a give in as key disruption and also to take out randomly troublesome cards such as maze of ith.

Diabolic Tutor: The only tutors in the deck, it too is accellerated my Ancient Tomb and fetches the missing combo pieces or any other key situational cards.

Sengir Autocrat/Delraich: Duh!

Sever Soul: Can take out troublesome green fatties that normally would be a nuisance and at the same time gain a buttload of life. Also helps to gain life to counteract cards such as Tomb, Ambiton's Cost and Night's Whisper.

The Sideboard: The sideboard mainly consists of creature removal and cards to combat any random meta.

Well, there's the deck. Unfortunately Ive only tested this deck a few times and can't really get into matchups atm. I have all the info written down somewhere i just got to find it. Hopefully we can get a good discussion going about this deck and improve upon it. What can I say its the most fun deck I've ever played. Who doesnt enjoy beating face with a first turn 2/2 and 6/6 trample?? That's what I thought.

[Anusien]

Why Delraich?  I have trouble seeing this guy being a better finisher than something good like Juzaam Djinn or even some of the Skittering creatures.  Having to play a 7 mana creature that dies to Edicts and Swords is fairly unspectacular, and even after all that effort, you still only have a 6/6 trampler.  Hell, I'd rather Sengir Vampire.  The evasion is much better, it's cheaper and doesn't require infinite setup.  Or Kokusho.

[Cavius The Great]

If you haven't noticed Delraich gets played for free with a Sengir Autocrat in play. its alternate casting cost is sacrificing 3 black creatures and is NEVER, I mean NEVER meant to hardcast. I don't really think you realize the power of a first turn 6/6 trample as opposed to inferior creatures like the ones that you suggested.

And last but not least chalice for 1 stops STPs and an extra creature in play such as Sengir Autocrat stops Edicts.

[Anusien]

I missed that it was an alternate CC instead of an extra CC.  Now that that's corrected:
I admire your three-card combo (Autocrat + Chalice + Delraich) that somehow also doesn't scoop to Wrath of God.

Try Hymn to Tourach instead of Bog Down, Cabal Therapy instead of Duress, Terror instead of Sever Soul (5mana is too much for removal), Grim Tutor over Diabolic Tutor.  Skeletal Scrying seems better than Ambition's Cost, and Phyrexian Arena might be better than both.  And Infest in the board over Forced March.

[Dream_Merchant]

I missed that it was an alternate CC instead of an extra CC.  Now that that's corrected:
I admire your three-card combo (Autocrat + Chalice + Delraich) that somehow also doesn't scoop to Wrath of God.

Try Hymn to Tourach instead of Bog Down, Cabal Therapy instead of Duress, Terror instead of Sever Soul (5mana is too much for removal), Grim Tutor over Diabolic Tutor.  Skeletal Scrying seems better than Ambition's Cost, and Phyrexian Arena might be better than both.  And Infest in the board over Forced March.

I still dont get why its better then Juzam.  But yeah.. cool.. oh btw. Hecatomb is your friend.

I think I know why he doesnt have hymns.. and has bog down. Because of the tombs..( doh he says so )  although Stupor is probably better.

Grave pact for more casuality.

[SpencerForHire]

Don't alot of decks run FoW and Swords?  Last I checked a one creature kill strategy was a bad idea (Most tog decks).  Your going to lose because you have almost no forms of disruption, if you wanted this to be ar eal competitor your going to need Cabal Therapies and all sorts of things along those lines.

Also you are using a two card combo, expecting it on the first turn with no fast tutoring, this is going to stall out versus anything that matters.  You need more consistancy which means either more tutors or other ways to get your Delriach out and keep him out.

[Cavius The Great]

I still dont get why its better then Juzam.

Does +1/+1 power/toughness and trample convince you?

oh btw. Hecatomb is your friend.

I've actually tested Hecatomb and based a few decks around it, so yea, that card has been on my mind. it kinda diverts from the Delraich combo so I decided to exclude it from the decklist.

Because of the tombs..( doh he says so )  although Stupor is probably better.

I was about to point that out, thanks lol. I wish ppl would read the whole post. *rolls eyes*

Don't alot of decks run FoW and Swords?  Last I checked a one creature kill strategy was a bad idea (Most tog decks).  Your going to lose because you have almost no forms of disruption, if you wanted this to be ar eal competitor your going to need Cabal Therapies and all sorts of things along those lines.

A chalice for 1 usually protects Delraich from Swords to plowshares. Cabal therapy might be useful for Fow but I see its usefulness limited. If my opponent counters a spell with FoW and then I cast Bog Down with kicker the very next turn it usually leaves him with no hand. I also think that Bog Down and Duress is more than enough disruption IMO.

Also you are using a two card combo, expecting it on the first turn with no fast tutoring, this is going to stall out versus anything that matters.  You need more consistancy which means either more tutors or other ways to get your Delriach out and keep him out.

What do u suggest for fast tutoring? I have 4 Diabolic Tutor maindecked. Btw I refuse to play Grim Tutor over Diabolic tutor becuase I would be taking mana burn from the Ancient Tombs if i went with Grim. I basicly pay Diabolic Tutor for the same exact cost via Ancient Tomb. Plus Grim tutor is heavy on the life loss which is another downside.

[SpencerForHire]

What I am saying is that this is going to be extremely slow unless you want to be losing large amounts of life, that is the penalty for speed in black.  My reccomendation is adding more creatures to the deck that synergize with the sacrificing and then run Diabolic Intent.  Cards like Abyssal Gatekeeper come to mind.

[cosineme]

I missed that it was an alternate CC instead of an extra CC.  Now that that's corrected:
I admire your three-card combo (Autocrat + Chalice + Delraich) that somehow also doesn't scoop to Wrath of God.

Try Hymn to Tourach instead of Bog Down, Cabal Therapy instead of Duress, Terror instead of Sever Soul (5mana is too much for removal), Grim Tutor over Diabolic Tutor.  Skeletal Scrying seems better than Ambition's Cost, and Phyrexian Arena might be better than both.  And Infest in the board over Forced March.

or...how about the new arena that is a 2/1 to boot?i hear he's "ok"

[Cavius The Great]

I missed that it was an alternate CC instead of an extra CC.  Now that that's corrected:
I admire your three-card combo (Autocrat + Chalice + Delraich) that somehow also doesn't scoop to Wrath of God.

Try Hymn to Tourach instead of Bog Down, Cabal Therapy instead of Duress, Terror instead of Sever Soul (5mana is too much for removal), Grim Tutor over Diabolic Tutor.  Skeletal Scrying seems better than Ambition's Cost, and Phyrexian Arena might be better than both.  And Infest in the board over Forced March.

or...how about the new arena that is a 2/1 to boot?i hear he's "ok"

Dark Confident really hurts when ur running four "7" mana spells.

@Anusien: I really think that Sever Soul is superior to Terror in a couple ways. First, It gains you life which negates the life loss in the deck to a certain extent and second, It's accelerated by Ancient Tomb while Terror basicly wouldn't be. Believe me, I had alot of cards in mind, If I wanted the basic spot removal i would of went with Smother or Diabolic Edict, but none of those spells incorporate life gain so I chose Sever Soul over them.

Also Anusien, I posted this in regard to Diabolic Tutor over Grim Tutor.

Btw I refuse to play Grim Tutor over Diabolic tutor becuase I would be taking mana burn from the Ancient Tombs if i went with Grim. I basicly pay Diabolic Tutor for the same exact cost via Ancient Tomb. Plus Grim tutor is heavy on the life loss which is another downside.

BTW, does anyone have any thoughts on Spinning Darkness??

Oh, I forgot......

And Infest in the board over Forced March.

Infest and along with all the other suggestions you've made doesn't have synergy with Ancient Tomb while the intial cards in the deck do. I just wanted to clear that up.

[Dream_Merchant]

Ancient Tomb is nice.. but there is wasteland.. and there is also Crucible and wasteland. So dont put all your eggs in one basket unless that basket is made from a hyperdamping material which absorbs gigatons of tnt worth of explosion shockwave.. which is what is going to hit you the second you set foot in the competitive arena. ok .. I stop exaggerating.

I still think stupor is superior to bog down.

You have a 4 mana 2 card combo. I mean.. this thing is somewhere along the lines of Hunted Horror and Powder Keg.

regarding severe soul.. but but.. it costs 3BB!!! and its a Sorcery!!!!

Spinning Darkness. Its good in Pox. I dont know about here.. my feelings are ambivalent. Try it out. Should be better then severe soul.

[SpencerForHire]

You could probably survive with maindeck Contagions as well.

[Cavius The Great]

You have a 4 mana 2 card combo. I mean.. this thing is somewhere along the lines of Hunted Horror and Powder Keg.

It's a tad bit superior to Hunted Horror and Powder Keg, in the sense that Delraich and Sengir Autocrat are both decent on their own. Plus I prefer 3B over 2BB any day, especially with this deck.

Ancient Tomb is nice.. but there is wasteland.. and there is also Crucible and wasteland.

I have 12 basic land plus 4 chrome mox, the deck hardly is effected by a Crucible/Wasteland lock, it just slows the deck down "oh, so very slightly"

I still think stupor is superior to bog down.

decent suggestion. But i'm not too sure on that though. Is discarding 1 card randomly really that much better? Plus Bog Down can net you 3 cards, which IMO, seems more devastating.

[SpencerForHire]

You have a 4 mana 2 card combo. I mean.. this thing is somewhere along the lines of Hunted Horror and Powder Keg.

It's a tad bit superior to Hunted Horror and Powder Keg, in the sense that Delraich and Sengir Autocrat are both decent on their own. Plus I prefer 3B over 2BB any day, especially with this deck.

How is Powder Keg not good on it's own?  Sure it is a bit slower than most things but you can definately use Powder Keg versus goblins and things like that.

Ancient Tomb is nice.. but there is wasteland.. and there is also Crucible and wasteland.

I have 12 basic land plus 4 chrome mox, the deck hardly is effected by a Crucible/Wasteland lock, it just slows the deck down "oh, so very slightly"

I don't think the manabase of this deck is the weak spot that people should be worrying about right now as much as the overall combo and its vulnerabilities.  (Though I must say I like the use of Chalice.)

I still think stupor is superior to bog down.

decent suggestion. But i'm not too sure on that though. Is discarding 1 card randomly really that much better? Plus Bog Down can net you 3 cards, which IMO, seems more devastating.

The reason Stupor (and even Hymn which is superior to both) is better is because you are causing Card disadvantage for yourself for 3 for them.   Mathematically you are spending 1 card with Hymn/Stupor to remove two cards.  With Bog Down you are using 2 cards (the spell and a land) to remove 3 cards from their hand.

Edit: Sp.

[Cavius The Great]

he reason Stupid (and even Hymn which is superior to both) is better is because you are causing Card disadvantage for yourself for 3 for them.   Mathematically you are spending 1 card with Hymn/Stupor to remove two cards.  With Bog Down you are using 2 cards (the spell and a land) to remove 3 cards from their hand.

You're right, I'm convinced. Stupor is better. Even better than Hymn To Tourach IMO because of the heavy colorless manabase.

P.S -  Sever Soul has kind of grown on me. I've beaten random green fatty decks with it. You gotta love gaining 7 life off a Thorn Elemental. Spinning darkness only deals three damage while Sever Soul totally destroys the creature. Sever Soul is also tech versus Secret Force.

[Anusien]

@Anusien: I really think that Sever Soul is superior to Terror in a couple ways. First, It gains you life which negates the life loss in the deck to a certain extent and second, It's accelerated by Ancient Tomb while Terror basicly wouldn't be. Believe me, I had alot of cards in mind, If I wanted the basic spot removal i would of went with Smother or Diabolic Edict, but none of those spells incorporate life gain so I chose Sever Soul over them.

See, there's this problem where Terror costs 2 and Sever Soul costs 5.  I'm not willing to pay 5 mana to cast my first piece of targeted removal because I'll be dead by then.  Nowadays you're going to hit a random Goblin who will only gain you 2 or 3; Hell, Consume Spirit would be better against J. R. Goblin than Sever Soul (and Terror/Mutilate beats the bpants off both)

Btw I refuse to play Grim Tutor over Diabolic tutor becuase I would be taking mana burn from the Ancient Tombs if i went with Grim. I basicly pay Diabolic Tutor for the same exact cost via Ancient Tomb. Plus Grim tutor is heavy on the life loss which is another downside.

This is the same reason you justify for not running Hymns, and it doesn't hold up.  You aren't ALWAYS going to have a Tomb, and Ritual into either one of those is a very strong play you should seriously be considering.  If the Tombs are holding you up from casting the most powerful spells in Black, ditch them.

P.S -  Sever Soul has kind of grown on me. I've beaten random green fatty decks with it. You gotta love gaining 7 life off a Thorn Elemental. Spinning darkness only deals three damage while Sever Soul totally destroys the creature. Sever Soul is also tech versus Secret Force.

Terror is even more "tech against Secret Force" because of the ability to serve as removal before turn infinite.  If all you need is to beat up on Thorn Elementals, then sure, make your deck suck.  Honestly, turn your 2 card combo into a 1 card combo, and just run Juzaam.  Then you can use efficient removal to clear a path and beat.  Costing a card less for a solid creature is awesome.

[Cavius The Great]

Terror is even more "tech against Secret Force" because of the ability to serve as removal before turn infinite.  If all you need is to beat up on Thorn Elementals, then sure, make your deck suck.  Honestly, turn your 2 card combo into a 1 card combo, and just run Juzaam.  Then you can use efficient removal to clear a path and beat.  Costing a card less for a solid creature is awesome.

You got a point, sever soul really sucks against gobbos. Maybe a combination of Vicious Hunger and Spinning Darkness would help in the gobbos matchup. I just need something with life gain as you already know. Vicious Hunger might be a bomb in the deck cuz it can take out a 2 toughness goblin, nearly 95% of gobbos, and gain you 2 life to boot.

Honestly, turn your 2 card combo into a 1 card combo, and just run Juzaam.  Then you can use efficient removal to clear a path and beat.  Costing a card less for a solid creature is awesome.

To be honest i really think a deck with Juzam, Faceless Butcher, Mermeric Fiend and Hypnotic Specter with efficient removal would be superior, but that really cuts down on the "fun" factor.

[Jacob Orlove]

To be honest i really think a deck with Juzam, Faceless Butcher, Mermeric Fiend and Hypnotic Specter with efficient removal would be superior, but that really cuts down on the "fun" factor.

Moved to Casual.

[Cavius The Great]

Jacob, did u have to take my word for it? LOL. I had a pretty good discussion going on how to make it competitive.

[SpencerForHire]

You got a point, sever soul really sucks against gobbos. Maybe a combination of Vicious Hunger and Spinning Darkness would help in the gobbos matchup. I just need something with life gain as you already know. Vicious Hunger might be a bomb in the deck cuz it can take out a 2 toughness goblin, nearly 95% of gobbos, and gain you 2 life to boot.

To be honest i really think a deck with Juzam, Faceless Butcher, Mermeric Fiend and Hypnotic Specter with efficient removal would be superior, but that really cuts down on the "fun" factor.

Well unfortunately competitave magic isn't always about the fun factor.  The reason your deck is flawed is because the same deck with Juzam, Faceless Butcher, Mesmeric Fiend and Hyppy is strictly better.  The trick to making a competitive deck is to running the most competitive build of it.  Running slow 2 card combos that mean you win in 4 turns backed by a soft lock isn't going to win games.  I'm sorry, it's rough but it's true.

[Cavius The Great]

This thread really doesnt belong in the casual forum, but whatever.....
Actually, it does belong here. Your goal isn't to build the most competitive black big creature/disruption deck--you're trying to build the best Delraich deck you can, and that's a very casual concept.

[That0neguy]

Im suprised noone pointed this out earlier but what makes this deck better than B/G Chalice oath similar to what Steve posted a few months ago as a budget deck.  Oath is stricktly better since its a 2 card combo that sometimes your opponet plays one of the peices for.
It's better because Oath isn't legal in Legacy
Where does it say this is a legacy decklist?  I skimmed the original post 2x but didn't see it anywhere but if it is in there I apologize.
It was moved here from the Legacy forums. I'll add that back to the original post

Anyways the combo itself really isn't too hot since its also ignoring p negator and j djinn, also in black, and also any of the 5/5s for 4,blastoderm and that red one from mirrodin that requires an artifact to be saced, with drawbacks that have the exact same clock of 4 turns.  There is no advantage to running the 2 card combo over the cards that give you the same clock for much cheaper.

[ROLAND]

Here is my delraich deck.

4x Skulllclamp (or night's whisper for legacy)
4x Diabolic intent
4x Dark Ritual
4x Razorjaw Oni
4x Darkest Hour

4x Delraich
4x Sengir Autocrat
4x Slith Bloodletter
4x Grinning Demon
4x Stone Throwing devils

4x Crystal Vein
16 X Swamp

It needs alot of improvement, but it fun for casual play.

Roland