[EDH]Gaak-ing (EDH / Commander) [Revision 26]

Deck Description (Moxfield: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/Xt7pCisdvEOYDhO4jE_MeQ)
This deck utilizes Hogaak's unique characteristics (high mana value, high power/toughness for almost free) as an enabler for card draw (Greater Good), tokens (Tend the Pests), ramp (Ruthless Technomancer) life gain (Disciple of Bolas) and life loss (Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord).

The deck plans to aggro out Hogaak as early as turn 3 and be aggressive with it while building board presence. The deck plans to win with the following methods:

• Early/Mid Game: Commander Damage with Hogaak plus aura support from Dragon Shadow and Demonic Embrace for evasion.
• Late Game: Go Wide Strategy with (a) Combat (Return of the Wildspeaker), (b) Life Loss (Gruesome Fate / Jarad, Golggari Lich Lord) or (c) Aristocrats (Syr Konrad, the Grim).

Power Level: 6~7 (Just my assumption, I'll appreciate if someone can give their assessment here.)

Deck Restrictions

• No non-land tutor in any form.
• No game winning combo.
• Budget around $200

Card Summary (Rev.12)

• Land: 36
• Ramp: 10
• Card Draw/Filter: 11 *more than 1 card
• Removal: 15 (2 Board Wipes)
• Self Mill: 14 *more than 1 card
• Recursion: 8 *Graveyard to Play/Hand
• Sac Outlet: 5 *Instant speed
• Token Generator: 8 *produces more than 1 token
  (Moxfield is a better tool to check this stats)

Notable Exclusions

• Worm Harvest / Izoni, Thousand Eyed: Cards that cares for multiple copies of a specific card type in the graveyard. We tend to cast Hogaak as soon and as often as possible thus hard to keep cards in the graveyard, this cards also complicate the delve decision-making.
• Dredge Cards: The deck lacks discard engine to support this type of cards.
• Kessig Cagebreakers, Pathbreaker Ibex: This card requires a turn before triggering and less likely to stay. (will reconsider if can be cheated with haste).
• Altar of Dementia: A good card but doesn't fit the current build of the deck, too few graveyard payoffs and the tendency of the deck to recast Hogaak thru convoke rather than delve. Mill strategy is another wincon for the deck but I chose to lean more on the damage/life loss aspect to capitalize Hogaak’s aggressiveness.

Combo

Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis + Greater Good + Zombie Infestation:
Result: Draw your library.

Requires: All permanents on the battlefield.

Steps: Sacrifice Hogaak to Greater Good, drawing 8 and discarding 3 (net gain of 5 cards), then discard 4 to Zombie Infestation creating 2 black zombie tokens, tap them and exile 5 of the 7 cards you put into the graveyard and cast Hogaak from the graveyard. Repeat until you draw your library.

Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis + Greater Good + Desecrated Tomb + 2 Initial Creatures for Convoke:
Result: Draw your library.

Requires: All permanents on the battlefield.

Steps: Play Hogaak from graveyard by convoking 2 creatures and delving atleast 1 creature card, Desecrated Tomb triggers twice making two Bats (1 from Hogaak leaving graveyard to stack and 1 from delving creature). Sacrifice Hogaak and a tapped Creature (Ex. 1/1 Bat token) for Greater Good, drawing a total of nine, discarding six (ensure to discard atleast 1 creature card). Recast Hogaak and delve atleast 1 creature card. Repeat.

0 Mana Lines from Greater Good Combo

• Flashback Dread Return for Syr Konrad, the Grim then repeat Greater Good combo and get Syr Konrad triggers.
• Flashback Dread Return for Ruthless Technomancer then sacrifice Hogaak for 8 treasure tokens > Activate Ruthless Technomancer targetting Eternal Witness (3 treasure for Activation + 2 treasure for requirement, 3 treasure remaining) > Target Gruesome Fate with Eternal Witness ETB, cast Gruesome Fate using 3 treasure token.
• Flashback Dread Return for Ruthless Technomancer then sacrifice Hogaak for 8 treasure tokens > Activate Ruthless Technomancer targetting Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord (3 treasure for Activation + 2 treasure for requirement, 3 treasure remaining) > Convoke for Hogaak > Activate Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord’s 2nd ability using the remaining 3 treasures and sacrificing Hogaak.

Cutting Down to 7
It is a common occurrence to have a hand in excess of 7 because of our power draws and sometimes it takes time to decide what to discard on clean-up so here's some guideline on what to keep for that 7. (Note: Always consider what's happening on the board.)

• 1~2: Creature Cards for back-up incase of board wipe. (Need to have atleast 2 creature to convoke for Hogaak)
• 2: Interaction
• 1: Card Draw (if card draw engine is not a permanent)
• 1: Land
• 1: Recursion/Wincon

Upgrades

• Yawgmoth, Thran Physician - Card draw and interaction. Priority Upgrade
• Birds of Paradise and Deathrite Shaman - Lower mana cost and can produce both color, one downside of the budget list is the risk of color screw.
• Fetch Lands - Mana Fixing, Delve and land matter effects (Scute Swarm and Crawling Sensation).
• Boseiju, Who Endures - Utility Land
• Shizo Death’s Storehouse - Evasion
• Life from the Loam - Graveyard Enabler and Re-buy utility lands.
• Toxic Deluge - Great boardwipe
• The Meathook Massacre - Boardwipe with Aristocrat wincon.
• Phyrexian Altar - Increase power level of the deck. Infinite Combo

Lessons Learned

• Graveyard card type matter cards are weak in this deck. Hogaak needs to be cast as soon and as often as possible making it hard to accumulate a specific card type in the graveyard.
• Avoid overcommitting, the board is already littered with chump creatures thus it's better to have cards that can accumulate tokens over time vs one-time limited effect (Scute Swarm vs Deep Forest Hermit).

Tested Cards

• Journey to Eternity: Takes too much setup to work.
• MDFC Tapped Land: Most likely to be played as a land because consistently making land drops is better than the flexibility it provides.
• Grist, the Hunger Tide: It's good but less likely to stay on board. Main use is removal and that requires extra creature to use (Current Slot: Ravenous Chupacabra).
• Perpetual Timepiece: I can’t see the value of it’s ability to save the graveyard, I think this card is better in a combo rather than a combat built.
• Deep Forest Hermit: I always find myself holding back cards to avoid overcommitting, the board is usually littered with chump creatures before this goes down. Limited token and there are better cards in the list for reanimation target.
• Altar of Dementia: Mill is another wincon for the deck but I chose to lean more on the damage/life loss aspect to capitalize Hogaak’s aggressiveness.
• Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth: Doesn’t need the extra G. The deck tends to have more green spell in the early turns thus the manabase tend to be more G. B is the much needed color to support due to some activation cost requiring B.
• Avenger of Zendikar: Opportunity to cast is so high and hard to keep interaction up at the same time. Bad reanimation target early game due to land count.
• Crawling Sensation: The deck already has a lot of cheap creatures thus less need for an extra small token generator. The repeatable self-mill is valuable but Sewer Nemesis, Nyx Weaver and Old Rutstein are enough to fill that role.

Good Read/References

• https://www.moxfield.com/decks/3n5RIqMGSEWi3RY4P0EE3w
• https://www.moxfield.com/decks/92bB7b9FNUyzRNdVPKiijQ
• https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/hogaaks-legion/
• https://www.moxfield.com/decks/e83FI-Y1Wk6cpEuUyYnZWQ **
• https://www.moxfield.com/decks/ChIQ1t_2ck27rkQUYarbkQ **
• https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/hogaak-my-favorite-infinite-combo-deck/ **