Deck # 2: The 13th House (EDH / Commander) [Revision 105]

"Astrology has no thirteenth house back home in England, Mother Pharika. It stops at twelve. So I turned to the tarot, and the thirteenth card of the tarot is Death."

I simply decided to just collect only the cards I actually wanted to play. The cards that I felt were the spirit of this deck. Though I had to reduce my anti-artifact spells and creatures, I believe I've managed to hit most of what I was going for. Vraska, Pestilence Demon, Rite of Passage, Defiant Bloodlord, and Exquisite Blood are in this deck again, and staying in it. This is their home.

Dr. Kylie Moriarty intercedes when her clone of Avacyn is attacked by a vengeful Vraska. Vraska kidnaps Kylie and brings her to Theros, planning to destroy her in her clone of Avacyn's stead. To both of their surprise, Vivien, who has been following, intervenes and stops the battle. Once the fight is over, Kylie begins treating Vraska's wounds and reveals her discoveries about the ecological damage the planeswalkers are doing, and that planeswalkers are too dangerous to be free. Kylie's treatment of Vraska is soon discovered by Pharika, God of Affliction.

Kylie's medical knowledge outstrips even Pharika's, and so she invites the Brit to teach her all her surgical secrets, in return for being granted all of Pharika's knowledge of Theros medicine. The exchange of knowledge goes quite well, to the point where Pharika becomes the only deity Kylie considers to be real and worthy of worship.

 Pharika has a prophecy that an attack is coming.  Vraska challenges the two healers that all their medical mastery won't be of any use against an attacker. 

 Kylie and Pharika begin crafting clones, which attracts the attention of Erebos and Nylea.  They come intending to challenge, only to find they willingly allow Kylie to clone them and send their clones in to help.  She also produced clones of Bontu the Glorified, Rhonas the Indomitable, Nylea Keen-Eyed, and Erebos the Bleak-Hearted.  These god clones were to distract and control the coming invader until the work was finished.  

 Kylie's medical mastery brings forth powerful healing, complete with a clone of Defiant Bloodlord and several ways to bring the whole graveyard back.  With Vivien's help, she also creates a Helix Pinnacle.  Pharika, with help from Vraska, prepares a squadron of demon clones who provide knowledge in exchange for service.  Qasali Slingers loves this, because draw from the demons means cat tokens from Jolrael.  And at last, Kylie tells the lot that they should just prepare for a sneaky defense, making ready with anti-artifact creatures and spells.  Thus making good use of Liquimetal Coating, a clone of Qasali Slingers and Jolrael, and creatures and spells to work against newly metal-coated creatures in an emergency:  Kylie realized Skullwinder would allow her to regain access to any of the cards that suited her.  Revel in Riches is Vivien's idea, recognizing the possibilities of these anti-artifact cards substituting for removal and promising Kylie and Pharika that all three (herself included) might become rich beyond even Erebos' dreams.    

It is Mirrorpool and Selesnya Eulogist that prove to be this deck's real power.  While Mirrorpool sacrifices itself to make clones of any creature I have, from Farhaven Elf to Verdant Sun's Avatar, from Acidic Slime to Skullwinder, the real fun is when I make a clone of Rune-Scarred Demon or the production of even one cat token.  Once I have one clone, populate means I can have whatever amount I need at the time, which can erase an army that's attacking me (or at least erase the threats my gods can't block away) or let me go looking, first for the Archetype, then for whatever else is most helpful in the moment.  Making clones of creatures that I can populate isn't a problem thanks to Nightmare Shepherd.  

Lifecraft Awakening works with Liquimetal Coating to turn an enchantment into a creature, allowing instant protection for Epic Struggle, Rite of Passage, Revel in Riches, Death's Presence, or any of the artifacts (Helix Pinnacle does not need such protection). Mind you, it only works when the Archetype is in play.

Pestilence Demon and Rite of Passage call this deck home and have a right to belong in it. So does Vraska, who counts as her own win condition, especially if aided by Nylea. P. Demon can destroy all creatures if I pay enough black, and so it's worth doing - but slowly, allowing each point of damage to resolve. Why? Because with Rite of Passage, my army survives and gets a +1/+1 counter for each single time I use his power. In a big rush, half my creatures are dead. But one at a time kills enemy creatures just as effectively while letting my army toughen up. Then they'll be big enough for him to let it go without fear.

And finally, I have air control with tokens. Angels, Harpies, and dangerous demons all wait to serve as guards - or if need be, a swarm of air attackers. The cat tokens compliment Qasali Slinger, and any token produced of any species is one more card for the Epic Struggle.

 Let the 13th House rise.  This will be the final revision.