Alesha, Who Smiles at Death (EDH / Commander) [Revision 43]

I've been playing & tweaking this deck for a while, and I love where it's at now. Suprisingly competitve & resilient. I initially built Alesha as more of an aristocrats-with-some-combo's build...but have since pivoted to a strictly combo/control-stax strategy, and the deck is much stronger for it. There are a number of T2 & 3 possible wins, but it can also survive in grindier games thanks to all of the stax & reanimation/recursion. It's also very strong against counterspell-tribal type players thanks to that reanimation...if you suspect you're playing against a player or two like that, instead of quickly & proactively looting a bunch of targets into the yard and trying to reanimate them...hard cast them instead, and let your opponents waste all their counterspells on them that way, putting them into the graveyard...which is where you want them anyway. Skyclave Apparition, a recent addition from Zendikar Rising, has been a HUGE new weapon for Alesha...that card can get straight up evil. As can looping Rubble Riders & Fulminator Mage...so make sure you're sitting at a competitve to casually-competitve table with this deck. This version of Alesha is a real toolbox & has answers for almost anything, the exception being your GY getting wiped...that can hurt. Cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void are our worst enemy, so if you suspect any of that might be at the table, play accordingly (don't rush to fill your yard too quickly, hold up removal for those pieces). Otherwise, this deck is very strong & also a lot of fun to pilot...with the main strategy here being that of a fast & low to the ground tool-boxy control deck until you assemble one of your combo or one shot kills, which are:

• Master of Cruelties one shot kill. There are a number of different opening hands (thanks to all of our loot/draw cards & GY tutors) that allow us to pull this off T2 & 3.

• Anafenza Kin-Tree Spirit + Murderous Redcap + any sac outlet. Infinite damage to the face thanks to Anafenza bolstering the Redcap when it comes back from undying.

• Animate Dead + Leonin Relic Warder + Altar of Dementia (or) Goblin Bombardment (or) any free sac outlet with an aristocrat damage piece on the board (Blood Artist, Judith the Scourge Diva, Bastion of Remembrance).

• Karmic Guide + Reveillark + Goblin Bombardment (or) Bastion of Remembrance (or) Altar of Dementia. Infinite damage or mill.

• Karmic Guide + Reveillark + Gonti, Lord of Luxury + any free sac outlet. Infinite library exile.