Thraximundar

[BC]

This is my "competitive" EDH deck.  It's as close to a Vintage control deck as you are probably going to get in EDH.  It doesn't have any broken combos or tricks or anything.  It just plays good, powerful cards and finishes with Thraxi.  He's usually enough to win the game.

General:
Thraximundar

32 Land:
3x Mountain
3x Swamp
3x Island
Minamo, School at Water's Edge
Academy Ruins
Crumbling Necropolis
Sulfurous Springs
Watery Grave
Polluted Delta
Vivid Creek
Shivan Reef
Shizo, Death's Storehouse
Bloodstained Mire
Underground Sea
Volcanic Island
Badlands
Blood Crypt
River of Tears
Terramorphic Expanse
Tolarian Academy
Reflecting Pool
Glimmervoid
Underground River
Steam Vents
Seat of the Synod
Flooded Strand

9 Artifact Mana:
Rakdos Signet
Dimir Signet
Izzet Signet
Chrome Mox
Gilded Lotus
Fellwar Stone
Sol Ring
Mana Crypt
Mana Vault

11 Creatures:
Sower of Temptation
Duplicant
Goblin Welder
Triskelion
Flametongue Kavu
Trinket Mage
Dark Confidant
Mulldrifter
Grim Lavamancer
Viashino Heretic
Solemn Simulacrum

2 Planeswalkers
Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
Jace Beleren

7 Other Artifacts:
Pithing Needle
Relic of Progenitus
Vedalken Shackles
Memory Jar
Engineered Explosives
Sensei's Divining Top
Mindslaver

38 Other Spells:
Deep Analysis
Condescend
Grixis Charm
Rack and Ruin
Fact or Fiction
Mana Leak
Remand
Control Magic
Rolling Earthquake
Lim-Dul's Vault
Force of Will
Crosis's Charm
Blatant Thievery
Starstorm
Time Warp
Time Spiral
Demonic Tutor
Negate
Mystical Tutor
Thirst for Knowledge
Vampiric Tutor
Hinder
Night's Whisper
Commandeer
Counterspell
Cryptic Command
Transmute Artifact
Bitterblossom
Ancestral Vision
Bribery
Mystic Remora
Brainstorm
Wheel of Fortune
Cruel Ultimatum
Ponder
Mana Drain
Yawgmoth's Will
Tidings

[Matt]

I'm saddened that there's no particular synergy built in here. I guess Mulldrifter counts. You might as well use any UBR guy here. :/  Crosis in particular is probably better, or possibly Gwendlyn Di Corci.

A Phyrexian Reclamation/Oversold Cemetary/Oath of Ghouls Thraxi deck would be much cooler.

[BC]

I'm saddened that there's no particular synergy built in here. I guess Mulldrifter counts. You might as well use any UBR guy here. :/  Crosis in particular is probably better, or possibly Gwendlyn Di Corci.

A Phyrexian Reclamation/Oversold Cemetary/Oath of Ghouls Thraxi deck would be much cooler.

I kind of see what you're saying, but I think you're missing the point.  This is not a Thraxi combo deck, where I sac a bunch of guys to make him huge or something.  This is a control deck with Thraxi as one component.  His ability is great creature removal, and he can end the game fast.  I don't think the deck needs a gimmicky theme strategy.

Edit: Also, "you're saddened"?  Really? 

I do agree that the general is fairly interchangeable.  I used to have Garza Zol, Plague Queen as the general.  She worked pretty well too.  I have also considered Tetsuo Umezawa.  I think Crosis and Gwendlyn are pretty weak.

[Matt]

I'm saddened to see people play EDH competitively, instead of for fun. It's like the inverse of using kobe steaks in a food fight. :/

[BC]

I'm saddened to see people play EDH competitively, instead of for fun. It's like the inverse of using kobe steaks in a food fight. :/

It's not like that.  I don't play EDH to crush people and make the format unfun.  That's why I put "competitive" in quotations.  Also, your analogy makes no sense.

I would really appreciate some constructive criticism and card suggestions instead of "you should have made a different deck".

[Nefarias]

It saddens me to see that some people feel "competitive" and "fun" cannot go hand-in-hand.

I understand that you're not really a Vintage player Matt, but this is a Vintage website. The vast majority of the users here are Vintage players. And most people play Vintage because they enjoy playing with broken, powerful cards. So it stands to reason that the majority of decks listed in this particular forum would be a bit more powerful than your average EDH deck. This seems like a deck that I would enjoy playing, and I'm sure BC enjoys playing it too.

I could see you looking at it from the standpoint of the opposing player, how it might not be fun for them. Well, I've played against BC playing this deck and I had more fun than I would have playing against like, a Godo, Bandit Warlord or [insert Elder Dragon Legend] deck because it was actually interactive. From what I saw, his playgroup has mostly competitive decks (I saw at least an Arcum and a Rofellos), so as long as everyone is on the same playing field, it can be just as fun if not moreso to play with actual good cards. As Type 1 players we can accept the fact that sometimes we'll get blown out, as long as we have an equal chance of doing it ourselves.

[Matt]

I guess Liliana Vess? My point is that there's not a lot to talk about when the 'theme' is, "random good cards." The most interesting EDH discussions revolve around finding hidden gems that get overlooked.

Do you play multiplayer usually? Reins of Power is very strong in multiplayer. As is Dismiss.

I understand that you're not really a Vintage player Matt, but this is a Vintage website.

And this is an EDH forum. I don't know if you've realized this, but EDH is not the same format as Vintage! We also have a casual forum, an Extended/Standard/Limited forum, and the remains of a Legacy forum. In none of these does the site's primary format matter at all.

I'm pretty sure you don't understand my objection. It has nothing to do with the power level of the cards. It has to do with the fact that a generic "good stuff" list isn't clever, and thus is boring to talk about. Power level has nothing at all to do with it. (I can see why you think this though. Upon review, my last post did come off sounding like I was against being competitive, so I apologize for that.)

[BC]

I'm pretty sure you don't understand my objection. It has nothing to do with the power level of the cards. It has to do with the fact that a generic "good stuff" list isn't clever, and thus is boring to talk about.

I hear you.  I agree with you to a certain extent as well.  I posted this list because I thought the Vintage players might find it interesting, since it has many of the cards they know and love.  I do have other decks that fit better with the "deck built around a general" concept.  Maybe I'll post them later.

[Nefarias]

I guess Liliana Vess? My point is that there's not a lot to talk about when the 'theme' is, "random good cards." The most interesting EDH discussions revolve around finding hidden gems that get overlooked.

Do you play multiplayer usually? Reins of Power is very strong in multiplayer. As is Dismiss.

I understand that you're not really a Vintage player Matt, but this is a Vintage website.

And this is an EDH forum. I don't know if you've realized this, but EDH is not the same format as Vintage! We also have a casual forum, an Extended/Standard/Limited forum, and the remains of a Legacy forum. In none of these does the site's primary format matter at all.

I'm pretty sure you don't understand my objection. It has nothing to do with the power level of the cards. It has to do with the fact that a generic "good stuff" list isn't clever, and thus is boring to talk about. Power level has nothing at all to do with it. (I can see why you think this though. Upon review, my last post did come off sounding like I was against being competitive, so I apologize for that.)

First, let me mention that I posted my original retort after you posted this, at which time I was responding to:

I'm saddened to see people play EDH competitively, instead of for fun.

After you posted your most recent comment, your objection became much clearer. But based on the "competitive" comment, I don't think I'm at fault to think that your objection was with power level.

Second, I don't think you understood my point. Do we have a Casual Forum? Yes, but if you look at some of the more recent posts, you'll notice a trend. For one, the primary discussion involves Type 4, a format defined by broken effects. As far as "casual" deck discussion goes, in the month of September alone there's a non-Ichorid Dredge list, an Ichorid list, and a discussion about winning on Turn Zero. I don't think any of this would constitute casual around most kitchen tables, but this is how Vintage players do casual.

Likewise, making strong, competitive decks is how Vintage players do EDH. So yes, this is an EDH forum, but it's on a website compromised of 95% Vintage players. Someone from mtgsalvation or mtgnews is not going to come here for EDH discussion. And this is evidenced by the fact that nobody came from those forums to post in the basically dead Extended/Standard/Limited Forum, and by the fact that the Legacy Forum DID die.

But I'm still arguing with a point that you didn't actually make, so I'll stop now.

Sorry to hijack your thread Blaine. And yes, I do find the deck interesting.

[Matt]

I should note, this deck is probably plenty fun to play, I just don't think it's fun to talk about.

[policehq]

This forum is obviously going places.

[Anusien]

I would strongly recommend Darksteel Ingot (goes in every EDH deck I run) and Coalition Relic.  In my Garza Zol, I also had Worn Powerstone.

I had a lot of fun casting Intuition with Recoup in my Garza Zol.  Also, my deck was "built" around Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth + Cabal Coffers; it's pretty easy to dig up with all the draw plus Tolaria West.  I found Crucible really good, especially because I could cycle a land, replay it, bounce it with a bounceland and replay it.  I did that with Tolaria West too.

[Matt]

I second the use of Ingot. It's pretty durable, unlike the Signets. We tend to get a lot Disk/OStone/Glissa around here, which is why I lean away from all but the best artifact mana (Gilded Lotus, Thran Dynamo, Dingot, Fellwar Stone, Sol Ring).