Today’s brew is our third exploration of Sea Gate Stormcaller, this time in a Grixis shell in Pioneer.
Where our previous brews used Stormcaller to assemble game-winning combos or double up massive burn spells, this deck draws inspiration from the Rakdos midrange strategies headlined by Lurrus of the Dream-Den.
Grixis Stormcaller Sacrifice by David Robertson
1 CMC
2 CMC
3 CMC
Lands
Companion
What makes Stormcaller attractive here is the unique properties of copying a spell already on the stack. David explains:
“To maximize Bad Snapcaster, we need to use cards that have part of their cost not in mana, so when we copy it, we get more than we bargained for. Village Rites and Cathartic Reunion are candidates in my opinion; shades of Brad Nelson’s old Pyromancer’s Goggles standard deck.”
To maximize Bad Snapcaster, we need to use cards that have part of their cost not in mana, so when we copy it, we get more than we bargained for.
David Robertson
Because all the spells are cheap, Stormcaller enables some exciting sequences. “Turn 3 doubling up removal or Thoughtseize is just OK; turn 3 drawing 4 cards #feelsgoodman.” David envisions the best opening lines as follows:
Turn 1: Thoughtseize.
Turn 2: Stitcher’s Supplier or Archfiend’s Vessel.
Turn 3: Stormcaller + Village Rites, draw 4.
From there you have enough cards in the bin to escape Kroxa, or follow up with Lurrus and flash back Vessel.
The rest of the list rounds out the sacrifice core with cheap reanimation options. These, too, get more explosive with Stormcaller in the mix. “Claim to Faming an Archfiend’s Vessel is good,” David says, “but Claim to Faming a Stormcaller, then copying another spell is SWEET.”
The final flourish comes from the manabase, where a few well-placed MDFCs help mitigate flooding. Malakir Rebirth finds a nice home as extra ways to protect Lurrus, re-buy Archfiend’s Vessel, or even just return Kroxa cheaply to empty their hand. This card hasn’t seen a lot of success yet, but this sacrifice strategy feels like the perfect home.
