Golgari - Pharika's Strength V1 (Modern)

Summary

A build around deck for Pharika, God of Affliction and Strength from the Fallen. Nearly all of our creatures are enchantments, and combined with our cheap enchantment package and Pharika producing enchantment tokens, we can easily trigger Strength from the Fallen multiple times in a single turn, turning our trample creatures game ending threats.

Card Breakdown

Early Setup

Step one is both to get a good number of creatures into the graveyard whilst also reliably finding the core pieces we need to setup our mid/late game.

• Satyr Wayfinder - Pretty much the perfect T2 play. Satyr can find us the land we might need whilst also filling the graveyard to enable our mid and Late game cards. Also a creature we have no problem chump blocking with early if we need to add to the creature count in the graveyard.

• Commune with the Gods - Allows us to look for anything we might want from all of our creatures and enchantments whilst also filling the graveyard with creatures. We can use this to find a Strength from the Fallen, or a Pharika, God of Affliction to enable the Strength if we already have one.

• Grisly Salvage - Similar to commune, although with slightly less good hits as it cannot find us enchantments. Unlike Commune though, it can find us a land we might need which could be very helpful considering some of our difficult early game mana costs. The instant speed can also catch people off guard, allowing us to add creatures to the graveyard to pump our creatures to push through extra damage or to kill an attacking creature whilst blocking.

Strength Synergies

Step two is having enough enchantments in which we can use to get triggers from Strength from the Fallen

• Strength from the Fallen - One of the two build around cards of the deck, it can lead to some very explosive turns if we have a good setup. We have a large number of enchantment creatures and other cheap enchantments, enabling us to get several triggers in a single turn. We can use these to win with our trample creatures, or Jarad, Golgari Lichlord can sacrifice the creature we pump to kill the opponent on the spot.

• Rancor - A cheap enchantment to trigger Strength, it can also give trample to a huge creature that we've pumped, making it very difficult to block. Given that it comes back to hand if the creature it is on is killed, we can replay it on the same turn, which can combo nicely with Erebos sacrificing creatures, and then either reanimating them with Nightmare Shepard, or creating a token with Pharika.
  -- Have Erebos + either Shepard or Pharika out, play Scarhide, play Rancor, sacrifice Scarhide, reanimate or make a token, replay Rancor. 4 triggers for only 3 mana.

• Gnarled Scarhide - Very versatile creature for the deck. A solid early game beater, a creature we have no problems putting in the graveyard with commune or salvage, a cheap enchantment to proc Strength and a good target for Erebos, Shepard and Pharika.

Value Creatures

These creatures all provide high value in their own ways, Erebos + shepard in particular play nicely together, as do Pharika and Strength.

• Pharika, God of Afflication - Can provide a very large swarm of enchantment creatures to proc strength, whilst also being able to exile crucial cards from the opponents graveyards. Being a 5/5 indestructable enchantment creature is also not something that can be ignored for too long.

• Erebos, Bleak-Hearted - An enchantment creature, a solid sacrifice outlet for putting creatures into the GY and a good source of card draw and removal. Plays well with Shepard, as Erebos can sacrifice creatures which Shepard can then reanimate to have multiple enchantment creatures enter in the same turn.

• Nightmare Shepard - Also an enchantment creature, Shepard gives us very good insurance against both single target or board wipe removal, and reanimating enchantment creatures can proc strength extra times.

Win Conditions

The bombs that we use to end the games.

• Lotleth Troll - Lotleth troll is pretty much the perfect win condition for the deck. He can fill the graveyard for us whilst growing for the privilege, has trample built in to make the most out of the strength buffs whilst also having a way to protect itself. Perfect recipient for both strength buffs and a Nighthowler bestow.

• Nighthowler - Once we have a filled GY, Bestowing a Nighthowler turns any creature into a threat, especially if they have trample. Also, even if the creature it is bestowed onto is killed, it turns into a threat on its own.

• Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord - Given how large we can make a single creature, if we aren't able to win through combat, we can just sacrifice the big creature to Jarad to one-shot the opponent.

• Westvale Abbey // Ormendahl, Profane Prince - Given how many disposable creatures we have (Gnarled Scarhide, tokens from Pharika, God of Affliction, Satyr Wayfinder), we shouldn't have too much trouble generating the 5 creatures we need to bring out Ormendahl, who can quickly win games on his own.