[EDH]Gaak-ing (EDH / Commander) [Révision 11]

Deck Description
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) and life gain (Reckoner's Bargain).
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 tokens via (a) Combat (Return of the Wildspeaker / Overwhelming Stampede, (b) Life Loss (Gruesome Fate) 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.8)

• Land: 36
• Ramp: 10
• Card Draw/Filter: 12 *more than 1 card
• Removal: 16 (2 Board Wipes)
• GY Filler: 14 *more than 1 card
• Recursion: 9 *Graveyard to Play/Hand
• Sac Outlet: 6 *Instant speed
• Token Generator: 8 *produces more than 1 token

Notable Exclusions

• Worm Harvest / Izoni, Thousand Eyed: Cards that cares for multiple copies of a specific card type in the graveyard. This cards complicate the delve decision-making.
• Dredge Cards: The deck lacks discard engine to support this type of cards.
• Big Dudes: I chose to go wide rather than go big thus Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord, Lord of Extinction and the likes were absent in this list.
• 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.

Upgrades
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 and Delve
Boseiju, Who Endures - Utility Land
Shizo’s Death Storehouse - Evasion
Life from the Loam - Graveyard Enabler and Re-buy utility lands.
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician - Card draw and interaction.
Toxic Deluge - Great boardwipe

Good Read/References

• https://www.moxfield.com/decks/3n5RIqMGSEWi3RY4P0EE3w
• https://www.moxfield.com/decks/92bB7b9FNUyzRNdVPKiijQ
• https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/hogaaks-legion/
• https://archidekt.com/decks/180442#Hogaak,_Dead_and_Loving_It

Tested Cards

• Journey to Eternity: Takes too much setup to work.
• Hagra Mauling: Too costly, no slot for a 4 cmc single target removal.
• Corpse Churn: Weak self-mill and weak target for recursion. (Grapple with the Past gets a nod due to it’s ability to take land which is crucial early game)
• 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 Chupacambra).
• Perpetual Timepiece: I can’t see the value of it’s ability to save the graveyard, it’s fine for me if they nuke the graveyard using one time effect (Bojuka Bog) but for Rest in Peace type of effect I’d rather have removal for them rather than this card. I think this card will be useful in a combo build 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.