Faithless Brewing, Episode 48: Woe Strider
Few things in Magic are more powerful than the ability to sacrifice your own permanents. Look no further than Krark-Clan Ironworks or the more recent Grinding Station Breach decks in Modern: if it doesn’t cost mana, and you can do it repeatedly, the sky is the limit for sacrifice combo. On the creature side of things, sacrifice outlets have an equally distinguished pedigree. From the Standard Mardu Aristocrats deck that won Pro Tour Gatecrash, to Four-Color Rally the Ancestors, to Hogaak Bridgevine or Yawgmoth Undying combo, even stretching back as far as Zombie Bombardment in Legacy, it seems that every kind of sacrifice deck has found some competitive success.
Aristocrats as a strategy has been on a temporary hiatus, with contemporary design philosophy dictating that sacrifice should cost mana, or only happen at fixed moments in the turn. But Theros: Beyond Death has flipped the script, with the printing of Woe Strider putting sacrifice decks back on the menu in Pioneer and even Standard. Combined with the 2019 additions to the Modern card pool of Carrion Feeder, Altar of Dementia, and Yawgmoth, Thran Physician, there has never been a better time to start eating your own permanents for fun and profit. Let’s get sacrificing!
Flashback: Brew Review Testing
Modern
Dimir Trap Control (Dan): 1-4 league
Original List: Dimir Trap Control by Soren W
Soul Sisters (Damon): 3-2 league
Original list: Soul Sisters by Paimon
Pioneer
Grixis Kroxa (David): 3-2 league
Rakdos Kroxa (David): 4-1 league
Original list: Rakdos Kroxa by illsicknasty
Spaghetti Flash (Damon): 3-2 league
Original list: Spaghetti Flash by nonstripedzebra
Imminent Doom Control (Dan): 3-2 league
Original list: Here Comes the Doom by KilgoreTrout503
“DOOM!… DOOM!” by James Earl Jones
Brew Session: Woe Strider
Pioneer
Sketch 1: Golgari Company
Sketch 2: 4c Rally Strider
Sketch 3: Abzan Double Combo
Sketch 4: Bishop of Wings Combo
Sketch 5: Rakdos Sacrifice
Reference lists:
Pioneer
BG Gruesome Company (Baymax, 5-0 league)
4c Vannifar Combo (Kurusu, 5-0 league)
4c Rally (Jhang Jhengyu, PT Nagoya, record unknown)
Rakdos Sacrifice (Troels Munk, PT Brussels, 2-3)
Mono-B Devotion (gloomy5200, 5-0 league)
Abzan Rallistocrats (Uniq, 5-0 league x2)
Modern
Jund Aristocrats (kortero, 5-0 league)
Standard
Rakdos Aristocrats (Theros Beyond Death era)
Mardu Aristocrats (Tom Martell, ISD/RTR era)
Legacy
Zombie Bombardment (Legacy, Sam Black)
Contact Us If you like our show, be sure to join our Patreon and leave us an Apple Podcasts review. Thank you for your support!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/faithlessbrewing
Twitter: @FaithlessMTG
Email: faithless.brewing@gmail.com
Homepage: faithlessbrewing.podbean.com
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
