Araumi of the Dead Applause for Encore

[robort]

Araumi of the Dead Applause for Encore

[NehebTheUnworthy]

I can recommend two fantastic and really low budget options milling:
Ransack the Lab and
Corpse Churn

Also, maybe you should consider running a little bit more Mill with cards like Stitcher's Supplier (staple in such decks) or even Perpetual Timepiece, Codex Shredder to have a constant flow into your Graveyard (they are budget as well).

Gray Merchant of Asphodel is a must-run in this as well, because it can win games on the spot or cause huge life swings.

Finally, I would suggest not to consider cards like Pilgrim's Eye, Skittering Surveyor and Farfinder as ramp, because they don't get you ahead on mana, they just get your your land drop on your hand. So, I would cut some of them since this is a toolbox deck and you don't need 3 cards that do the exact same thing.

EDIT: I forgot to suggest my personal pet-card that is a truly underrated card and would work amazingly in your deck: Ideas Unbound! I think the reason is self-explanatory.

[robort]

Neheb, thank you for those suggestions. The deck of course isn't for a full on self mill type of deck. I am trying to keep as much synergy to the commander as close as possible. Ransack the Lab, Corpse Churn, Stitcher's Supplier, Perpetual Timepiece, Codex Shredder, and Ideas Unbound will help fill up the graveyard so a few may end up in the deck.

 Pilgrim's Eye, Skittering Surveyor and Farfinder agree aren't ramp but they add consistency with getting you 3 lands when used with encore. My playgroup I am always playing against 3 others so more then likely I would get 3 lands. If not they'll end up in exile.

I wanted to stay away from the life drain my opponents so Gray Merchant of Asphodel wasn't included and besides when you encore Gary you are making tokens and that devotion count is void on the tokens. So creating 3 tokens of Gary I am going to need other permanents on the field to help out that devotion. Then it just becomes to running Kokusho, the Evening Star over Gary. The life swing would be much more significant with Kokusho then with Gary.

There is a lot of set up for this deck. The avg casting cost is 3.5 at the moment and while trying to utilize the encore mechanic as much as possible the deck is definately going to need some tweaking to cut that cost down.

[Bazunja]

The way I understand it "normal" tokens, ie tokens like 1/1 soldiers, don´t count towards your devotion to a single color. However, tokens that are copies of actual creatures should count. Not sure if that´s correct though, but a quick google search seems to agree, fx this post on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/1v9r3u/does_a_11_snake_token_count_towards_devotion_to/

EDIT: Also, I would consider running more loot card like Thirst for Knowledge or Thirst for Meaning, since they empty all your encore targets out of your hand AND can be card selection in a pinch. I would also cut Gravebreaker Lamia, since its discount ability doesn't work with encore (you don't cast the creatures). If you're interested, you can give my deck a look: https://deckstats.net/decks/152475/1812025-my-mill-shake-brings-all-the-b

EDIT 2: Last Edit, sorry! I would also check out this video where Joey from the EDHrec podcast goes in depth about Araumis strengths and weaknesses: https://youtu.be/jsyLi9kRkeE

[robort]

Araumi creates tokens of that particular creature not the entire card itself. So encoring Gary will create tokens that aren't cards and only copy Gary not the entire card. So for example if Araumi is the only permanent you have on the field and activate Araumi with Gary in your graveyard. Having 3 oppponents you exile 3 cards and pay 5 mana to cast Gary. The Gary Tokens enter which now they are colorless. All 3 Gary Tokens trigger which only see Araumi has 1 black mana granting you 3 life lost for each opponent and gaining 9. The (3)(B)(B) is the casting cost but isn't Gary the creature itself. So by encoring Gary you won't get your opponents for a life lose 21 while gaining 63. Again pay 1 more mana for Kokusho, the Evening Star instead.

Strengths are Araumi needs creatures in the graveyard and weakness is that casting him on turn 3 while there is nothing in the graveyard so he becomes delayed and you won't be casting him much on turn 3.

The way my deck runs is control of what you put into the graveyard instead of blindly putting stuff into the graveyard.
Per examples Contingency Plan, Taigam's Scheming with these 2 alone I can dump 5 cards including a creature card into the graveyard. Giving Araumi a target with 3 cards to exile to execute aruami's ability.

Bazunja, I am surprised you aren't using this. Magus of the Jar with encore and then sacrificing all 3. You've just milled yourself and your opponents 21 cards.

[Slyvester12]

Araumi creates tokens of that particular creature not the entire card itself. So encoring Gary will create tokens that aren't cards and only copy Gary not the entire card. So for example if Araumi is the only permanent you have on the field and activate Araumi with Gary in your graveyard. Having 3 oppponents you exile 3 cards and pay 5 mana to cast Gary. The Gary Tokens enter which now they are colorless. All 3 Gary Tokens trigger which only see Araumi has 1 black mana granting you 3 life lost for each opponent and gaining 9. The (3)(B)(B) is the casting cost but isn't Gary the creature itself. So by encoring Gary you won't get your opponents for a life lose 21 while gaining 63. Again pay 1 more mana for Kokusho, the Evening Star instead.

Unless I'm missing something weird about the encore mechanic, this is wrong. The reminder text on Araumi says that it creates a "token copy" of the creature. A copy copies all copiable characteristics of the target, including CMC and color. So, each of the Gary tokens would be black and have a CMC of 3BB. Which means that, upon entering, each of the tokens would see a devotion to black of seven, assuming Araumi is the only other card with a black pip. So, there would be three triggers for seven.

The relevant rules are:
706.2. When copying an object, the copy acquires the copiable values of the original object’s characteristics and, for an object on the stack, choices made when casting or activating it (mode, targets, the value of X, whether it was kicked, how it will affect multiple targets, and so on). The copiable values are the values derived from the text printed on the object (that text being name, mana cost, color indicator, card type, subtype, supertype, rules text, power, toughness, and/or loyalty), as modified by other copy effects, by its face-down status, and by “as . . . enters the battlefield” and “as . . . is turned face up” abilities that set power and toughness (and may also set additional characteristics). Other effects (including type-changing and text-changing effects), status, and counters are not copied.

706.2a A copy acquires the color of the object it’s copying because that value is derived from its mana cost or color indicator. A copy acquires the abilities of the object it’s copying because those values are derived from its rules text. A copy doesn’t wind up with two values of each ability (that is, it doesn’t copy the object’s abilities and its rules text, then have that rules text define a new set of abilities).

[ApothecaryGeist]

Yes.  Color and mana cost are copiable values.  Copies of permanents that are created have color and mana cost.  If Arumi is out.  And encores Gary.  With 3 opponents, the devotion to black is at least 7.  1 from Arumi and 2 from each Gary.

[Bazunja]

Bazunja, I am surprised you aren't using this. Magus of the Jar with encore and then sacrificing all 3. You've just milled yourself and your opponents 21 cards.

That IS some nice spice! However, I don't like filling my opponents graveyards, since there are a lot of reanimator decks in my meta.

[robort]

Araumi creates tokens of that particular creature not the entire card itself. So encoring Gary will create tokens that aren't cards and only copy Gary not the entire card. So for example if Araumi is the only permanent you have on the field and activate Araumi with Gary in your graveyard. Having 3 oppponents you exile 3 cards and pay 5 mana to cast Gary. The Gary Tokens enter which now they are colorless. All 3 Gary Tokens trigger which only see Araumi has 1 black mana granting you 3 life lost for each opponent and gaining 9. The (3)(B)(B) is the casting cost but isn't Gary the creature itself. So by encoring Gary you won't get your opponents for a life lose 21 while gaining 63. Again pay 1 more mana for Kokusho, the Evening Star instead.

Unless I'm missing something weird about the encore mechanic, this is wrong. The reminder text on Araumi says that it creates a "token copy" of the creature. A copy copies all copiable characteristics of the target, including CMC and color. So, each of the Gary tokens would be black and have a CMC of 3BB. Which means that, upon entering, each of the tokens would see a devotion to black of seven, assuming Araumi is the only other card with a black pip. So, there would be three triggers for seven.

The relevant rules are:
706.2. When copying an object, the copy acquires the copiable values of the original object’s characteristics and, for an object on the stack, choices made when casting or activating it (mode, targets, the value of X, whether it was kicked, how it will affect multiple targets, and so on). The copiable values are the values derived from the text printed on the object (that text being name, mana cost, color indicator, card type, subtype, supertype, rules text, power, toughness, and/or loyalty), as modified by other copy effects, by its face-down status, and by “as . . . enters the battlefield” and “as . . . is turned face up” abilities that set power and toughness (and may also set additional characteristics). Other effects (including type-changing and text-changing effects), status, and counters are not copied.

706.2a A copy acquires the color of the object it’s copying because that value is derived from its mana cost or color indicator. A copy acquires the abilities of the object it’s copying because those values are derived from its rules text. A copy doesn’t wind up with two values of each ability (that is, it doesn’t copy the object’s abilities and its rules text, then have that rules text define a new set of abilities).

Thank you and my apologies. I had tokens tokens tokens on the brain not copying mechanic instead.

[robort]

Bazunja, I am surprised you aren't using this. Magus of the Jar with encore and then sacrificing all 3. You've just milled yourself and your opponents 21 cards.

That IS some nice spice! However, I don't like filling my opponents graveyards, since there are a lot of reanimator decks in my meta.

You are running Jace's Archivist so it shouldn't matter and Panharmonicon is ok but you are running a little light for creatures that have etb triggers. That is why I didn't put it into my deck

[Bazunja]

Bazunja, I am surprised you aren't using this. Magus of the Jar with encore and then sacrificing all 3. You've just milled yourself and your opponents 21 cards.

That IS some nice spice! However, I don't like filling my opponents graveyards, since there are a lot of reanimator decks in my meta.

You are running Jace's Archivist so it shouldn't matter and Panharmonicon is ok but you are running a little light for creatures that have etb triggers. That is why I didn't put it into my deck

That's what so nice about caring more about the volume of the graveyard than caring about putting one or two specific targets in: Your graveyard becomes a swiss army knife of stuff, since you'll always have something relevant in there. I've never had a situation where Panharmonicon didn't have a relevant target since I mill myself at such a rapid pace; there's just always an ETB target, since half of my deck is in the grave  Also, Panharmonicon with Gary, one of the primordials or Massacre Wurm is usually enough to finish off a couple of players while sometimes outright winning the game on the spot depending on the board state/what people have in their graveyards.

[robort]

Revision 5

Added/removed cards:
+1 Culling the Weak
+1 Priest of Gix
+1 Sacrifice
+1 Soldevi Adnate
+1 Songs of the Damned
+1 (SB) Dreamscape Artist
+1 (SB) God-Eternal Kefnet
+1 (SB) Impaler Shrike
+1 (SB) Lightning Greaves
+1 (SB) Reef Worm
+1 (SB) Sidisi, Undead Vizier
+1 (SB) Victimize

Changed amounts:
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Agent of Treachery
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Farfinder
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Gravebreaker Lamia
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Pilgrim's Eye
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Quicksilver Elemental
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Skittering Surveyor

[robort]

Revision 12

Added/removed cards:
+1 Ashiok, Dream Render
+1 Curate
+1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
+1 Inga Rune-Eyes
+1 Looter il-Kor
+1 Mindslicer
+1 Notion Rain
+1 Winds of Rebuke
+1 (SB) Careful Consideration
+1 (SB) Compulsive Research
+1 (SB) Corpse Churn
+1 (SB) Dihada's Ploy
+1 (SB) Ransack the Lab
+1 (SB) Severed Strands
+1 (SB) Stitcher's Supplier
+1 (SB) Strategic Planning
+1 (SB) Thirst for Discovery
+1 (SB) Thirst for Knowledge
+1 (SB) Thirst for Meaning
+1 (SB) Zur's Weirding

Changed amounts:
+1 (Main) -1 (SB) Abhorrent Overlord
+1 (Main) -1 (SB) Agent of Treachery
+1 (Main) -1 (SB) Archon of Cruelty
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Ashiok, Nightmare Muse
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Bane of Bala Ged
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Banshee of the Dread Choir
+1 (Main) -1 (SB) Bazaar Trademage
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Broodbirth Viper
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Dark Deal
+1 (Main) -1 (SB) Dire Fleet Ravager
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Discontinuity
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Fiend of the Shadows
+1 (Main) -1 (SB) Grave Titan
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Illusionist's Bracers
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Lithoform Engine
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Lord of the Void
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Magus of the Jar
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Mystic Reflection
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Nascent Metamorph
+1 (Main) -1 (SB) Otherworldly Gaze
+1 (Main) -1 (SB) Panharmonicon
+1 (Main) -1 (SB) Priest of the Blood Rite
+1 (Main) -1 (SB) Puppeteer Clique
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Quasiduplicate
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Renegade Doppelganger
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Sacrifice
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Sakashima of a Thousand Faces
+1 (Main) -1 (SB) Sidisi, Undead Vizier
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Songs of the Damned
+1 (Main) -1 (SB) Sower of Discord
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Spark Double
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Sundial of the Infinite
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Thief of Sanity
+1 (Main) -1 (SB) Tomebound Lich
+1 (Main) -1 (SB) Victimize
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Windfall

[Mynus]

In my experience Dredge works really well with Araumi. Golgari Thug has worked really well in my Araumi deck.

Also having a few untappers can be helpful so you can activate Araumi more than once has worked well for me.

While completely unoriginal, Thassa's Oracle is a simple wincon that works well with Araumi strategy.

My Araumi deck is not designed to be super competitive, but more for funsies. It is basically a copy of WizardSpartan's deck with a few minor changes. - https://deckstats.net/decks/154132/1806615-araumi-encore-etb-edh