[EDH] - Teysa Karlov - improvement suggestions please

[archonkain]

I am working on an aristocrats style EDH deck helmed by Teysa Karlov. My intended plan is to get some sort of sacrifice fodder out, a sacrifice outlet, and a payoff card or few and simply repeat. I would appreciate some feedback and thoughts on how to improve the deck so it is consistent and fun to play with/against.  I am hoping for a target power level of around a 7, and hopefully not exceedingly pricey in dollars.

Thank you

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[CleanBelwas]

Hey man,

Sweet deck. This is exactly the kind of deck I like.

First of all, you're already doing great by including Ashnod's Altar. Best sac outlet in my opinion. On the subject of which, all the best sac outlets let you activate them for free and at instant speed. Things like Thallid Soothsayer aren't too bad because they give you cards, but I'm not sure things like Plagued Rusalka are worth it. If you're paying to sacrifice, then the effect needs to be worth it. -1/-1 isn't that significant unless you're doing it multiple times, but that means a decent amount of mana and you're already packing a decent removal suite. Some sac outlets that I'm personally a huge fan of are Carrion Feeder and Fallen Angel. With enough fodder, these can kill out of nowhere if they're left unblocked. As well as that, Yahenni, Undying Partisan and Spawning Pit. Yahenni is the commander of my personal favourite deck so I'm very bias, but I especially think Spawning Pit is great pick for this deck. A free sac outlet you can activate at instant speed that you can use to create more tokens (again at instant speed) to sac (and of course with Teysa tokens have vigilance and lifelink). In my opinion spawning pit is a hugely underrated card in EDH, and it doesn't break the bank either.

I'd also personally be inclined to include a little more ramp. 5 ramp pieces isn't all that many and you'll likely miss them as often as hit them, which will mean you stand a chance of being left behind. I'd be inclined to up this to about 10. Sol Ring, Prismatic Lens, Fractured Powerstone, Fellwar Stone are all good options at 2 mana or under that enter untapped and are budget friendly. Wayfarer's Bauble is also a decent shout. If you've got the money to spend, there are of course many more options, so that's up to you. In my experience playing Tesya, she gets hated of the board quite a lot and so the more mana you have, the less the commander tax will shut you down.

Also, on the same subject, including a little protection for Tesya isn't a terrible idea either. Anything that can give her hexproof or indestructible, of which there are many options to suit many budgets.

I'd also be inclined to include more repeatable card draw. Skullclamp seems like a perfect fit here. I'm also personally a huge fan of Greed. Life is a resource after all.

The meat of the deck all seems good. Token generation, removal and sac fodder are all decent enough. I'd be tempted to include Falkenrath Noble, simply to have the complete set of aristocrat payoffs creatures. While it is the worst one, having more options is pretty good with EDH being a singleton format.

Land base seems very nice. All the staple lands are there. All the duals that don't have to come in untapped.

All in all the deck looks sweet. I love aristocrat decks so it's my cup of tea. I think a little more ramp and a little more repeatable card draw should help improve consistency and get that power level up a little.

I hope this has helped a bit. Let us know how it goes. Cheers.

[WizardSpartan]

Here's some suggestions I have for ramp:
Solemn Simulacrum (I know it's about $5, but it is more than worth it)
Sol Ring (Deserves a place in most EDH decks in general, especially in Teysa because it can power her out on t2 if need be)
Fellwar Stone (this in particular is fantastic, like cleanbelwas said)
Pitiless Plunderer (works with tokens dying, not just nontoken creatures)

Here's some suggestions for card advantage:
Viscera Seer (very cheap both $ wise and mana wise, he's an instant-speed, unconditional sac outlet that can sift through your library for the cards you need)
Krav, the Unredeemed & Regna, the Redeemer (These 2 are absolutely fantastic. They are cheap to buy, and they make a very easy engine. For example, pair any drainer like Blood Artist with a sac outlet like Viscera Seer and with Regna on the board, you can scry 1, drain 1, and net a token every turn. Krav can get out of hand quickly, too.
Smothering Abomination (fantastic draw that still works with tokens, just be careful and make sure you have plenty of fodder before you play it)
Midnight Reaper, Grim Haruspex, etc. (there's a lot of creatures like these 2 and they are ok, just make sure you have plenty of nontoken creatures to pair with them)

Cards I feel eh about in your deck:
Corrupted Grafstone - Enters tapped and only provides mana when conditions are met. In my opinion, Fellwar Stone is much more consistent and faster.
Vilis, Broker of Blood - You are gaining a lot more life than you are losing, not to mention he's 8 mana. That's a lot. You're in Orzhov, a color combination not known for its ramping capabilities.
A lot of your sac outlets might want to be re evaluated. Look for sac outlets that are cost free, instant speed, repeatable, and provide a useful benefit. CleanBelwas has already mentioned most of the ones I like. I too wish to extoll the virtues of Spawning Pit. It's a really nice sac outlet that meets all the necessary conditions, and it can provide some more tokens, which is especially good here. Imagine your board getting wiped, you sac all your creatures in response, get a bunch of charge counters, and then activate pit for a bunch of tokens, all at instant speed.

Overall, you have a nice basis, you just need a little more ramp and consistent card draw like CleanBelwas said.

[Xaarvaxus]

One Thousand Lashes isn't going to lock down an opposing commander through a typical boardwipe.  Darksteel Mutation is probably more what you're looking for.

Phyrexian Reclamation is repeatable recursion and combos with your Vilis [if you're looking to keep him in the deck]

[PhiSt]

I have a similar deck but with more focus on tokens and protecting my commander. I have checked your deck and have stolen some card ideas - maybe you can find some in my deck, too. https://deckstats.net/decks/66228/1240163-teysa-token

[archonkain]

I made a few changes based upon the feedback here. I also replaced corrupted grafstone with a commander's sphere, I know it is CMC 3 instead of CMC 2, but I think in a 2color deck I prefer it to the felwar stone, because I am certain to have the colors I need. I would like to replace the Midnight Reaper with a Grim Haruspex, I just need to get one.

Thank you very much. Do y'all have any other thoughts?

Revision 3

Added/removed cards:
-1 Arguel's Blood Fast
-1 Doomed Traveler
-1 Dutiful Attendant
-1 Fumigate
-1 Ghost Council of Orzhova
-1 Hanweir Militia Captain
-1 Legion's Landing
-1 Mortify
-1 Plagued Rusalka
-1 Profane Procession
-1 Slaughter the Strong
-1 Sorin, Grim Nemesis
-1 Thallid Soothsayer
-1 Vilis, Broker of Blood
+1 Black Market
+1 Butcher of Malakir
+1 Carrion Feeder
+1 Command Tower
+1 Falkenrath Noble
+1 Fallen Angel
+1 Lightning Greaves
+1 Mask of Avacyn
+1 Midnight Reaper
+1 New Benalia
+1 Pawn of Ulamog
+1 Silent Clearing
+1 Skullclamp
+1 Sol Ring
+1 Swiftfoot Boots
+1 Vindictive Vampire
+1 Viscera Seer
+1 (SB) Helm of the Host

Changed amounts:
-2 Plains
-1 Swamp