Red Death was a Legacy deck based on the Suicide Black archetype. It was a deck built around heavy disruption, efficient creatures, and burn spells. This Suicide variant became untenable after the printing of Tarmogoyf. Both the burn spells and the creatures in the deck, specifically Phyrexian Negator and Rotting Giant, became near useless as they were unable to either answer Tarmogoyf or compete with him. It was no longer competitive, and the deck was in need of a serious overhaul if it were ever to compete in a post-Tarmogoyf Legacy.
A full primer on Red Death can be found here.
Creatures (16)
Lands (21)
Spells (23)
Sideboard
The first and simplest change was to simply adopt Tarmogoyf as one of the creatures in Red Death, but to keep the rest of the deck the same. This led to the following list.
Creatures (16)
Lands (21)
Spells (23)
Sideboard
There were several problems with this initial list. First, adding another color to Red Death makes Dark Ritual substantially weaker. An opening hand with Dark Ritual and multiple non-Black spells is a reason to mulligan. Wasteland is also more of a liability for this deck, as it may struggle to get all three colors.
The manabase was not the only problem. Phyrexian Negator and Rotting Giant (Wretched Anurid too) did not make sense in a format where everyone would be playing Tarmogoyf. Phyrexian Negator costs more mana than Tarmogoyf, but it may or may not be bigger than it. Negator’s drawback usually means that he is just worse than Tarmogoyf.
The final problem with this build was that the burn spells, which were reliable ways to answer creatures, couldn’t reliably answer Tarmogoyf. Tarmogoyf is the standard for creatures in this format, and it’s crucial for removal spells to be relevant in this fight.
The next change was to drop Red completely from Red Death and to utilize just Black and Green. The question of what to do with both the Phyrexian Negator slot and the signature burn spells of Red Death was a difficult one. None of the creatures in Black seemed up to the task of both fitting into the strategy of Red Death and still being effective against Tarmogoyf.
Unsure which creature to include, we chose Dark Confidant as a way to generate card advantage to find either more Tarmogoyfs or more removal spells. The burn spells were replaced with Smother and Umezawa’s Jitte. Smother answers Tarmogoyf. Jitte provides more removal without being dead against non-creature decks. It also has the benefit of breaking Tarmogoyf stalemates. The land destruction was also replaced by additional hand disruption and a slightly more consistent manabase. The first version to exclude Red looks like this.
Creatures (17)
Lands (20)
Spells (23)
This deck is a significant improvement over the three-color build. Its manabase is stable. Its creature removal is relevant. Its creatures are either useful against Tarmogoyf or had other relevant abilities (Hypnotic Specter and Dark Confidant). One Tombstalker was included as a finisher. The Tombstalker was very impressive in both testing and in game play, but, with Dark Confidant in the deck, playing more was suicidal. A second Tombstalker was included in a slightly later version of this deck, but the power of this card would not be fully appreciated until the next and latest version.
Tombstalker’s power became apparent every time the card hit play. It also became obvious that the combination of Tombstalker and Dark Ritual made it possible to play it much earlier in the game than one might think. The decision to move to three and eventually four Tombstalkers was a crucial one. In addition to providing another way to combat Tarmogoyf, Tombstalker is a devastating threat that replaced the role Phyrexian Negator used to serve. Four Tombstalkers made playing Dark Confidant too dangerous, so Dark Confidant was cut in favor of Tombstalker and a more aggressive strategy.
These are obviously two different cards, but this design decision highlights the precise trade-off that this deck makes. It relies on taking advantage of the early game by accelerating its own plan and slowing down the plan of its opponent. Tempo advantage is vital to the deck’s strategy. Dark Confidant trades turn 2 for more cards on turn 3 and later. Tombstalker generates an immediate advantage (blocking opposing creatures) and can end the game quickly in the next few turns. Dark Confidant can bury an opponent in card advantage, but this takes time and he often does nothing to generate pressure or hold off other creatures.
The other change to the deck was to improve the removal. Smother is too conditional and often costs too much to be efficient. Umezawa’s Jitte is sometimes dead with only 16 creatures in the deck. Against decks with removal, the card is too much of a liability to keep in the maindeck. Smother was replaced with Snuff Out as a “free spell,” as it could be cast for zero mana, allowing the deck to do more in the early game. Jitte was replaced with Seal of Primordium as a way to effectively deal with artifacts and enchantments.
The result was a deck we affectionately call Eva Green. The deck is named for the actress who in 2006 Bond film, Casino Royale, plays a character who, in the end, commits suicide.
Creatures (16)
Lands (21)
Spells (23)
Sideboard
In-Depth Card Analysis
Much like earlier incarnations of Suicide Black, Eva Green needs to play threats that are able to win the game on their own. The disruption suite keeps the early game going as long as possible so that the threats can end the game while your opponent struggles to fight off the disruption. Weaker threats will give your opponent more time to recover, and your window of opportunity to win the game will disappear.
Creatures
Tarmogoyf
The reason for the Green splash. Tarmogoyf essentially does what Phyrexian Negator did in earlier lists, but does it much more effectively: take your opponent from 20 to 0 in short order. Tarmogoyf is the most efficient beater in the game. The disruption suite allows him to grow very quickly. If you plan on winning with this deck, you must play four Tarmogoyfs.
Tombstalker
An extremely powerful card that went overlooked for a surprisingly long time. All of your fetch-lands count as two mana towards his cost, and Dark Ritual counts as four. With all the cards going to your graveyard, his mana cost is essentially 1BB, and sometimes even just BB. It is even possible to power him out on turn 1. He gets around Pernicious Deed, Black-based removal, Engineered Explosives, and he flies. He rarely conflicts with Tarmogoyf, and in some situations lets you have the option of shrinking your opponent’s Tarmogoyfs in a bind. You can delve for more than six cards. Tombstalker is the definition of a good threat. Playing four may seem like too much, but in practice it works out really well.
A consequence of adding Tombstalker is that half of your threats fly, making it very easy to get damage through ground stalls and making it that much more difficult for your opponent to stabilize.
Nantuko Shade
One of the few creatures that can get in a fight with Tarmogoyf and live to tell the tale. Nantuko Shade can end games very quickly and becomes very hard to deal with as the game goes on. An excellent threat and can turn late game Rituals into Giant Growths. Shade has proven his worth time and time again, and gives the deck some added staying power by being able to grow larger than any other creature in Legacy.
Hypnotic Specter
He’s smaller than every other creature in your deck, but he’s still a menace. He helps you lock down combo decks, is bad news for control, and is great against aggro. With Dark Ritual he becomes very dangerous. Hypnotic Specter has to be answered, not because he ends the game quickly but because he leaves your opponent out of resources to fight back, and also allows any follow up threats you play to go unanswered.
Disruption
Thoughtseize
The best Black disruption spell in Magic today: one Black and two life to preemptively answer anything. Duress’s inability to answer creatures makes it significantly worse than Thoughtseize, and subsequently not a suitable replacement for this card. Thoughtseize is a vital part of the disruption that this deck relies upon, and Eva Green cannot function properly without it. No less than four Thoughtseizes should be in the main deck.
Hymn to Tourach
The other hand disruption spell to compliment Thoughtseize, and it’s just as good as it ever was. You can win games with this card alone, and it helps keep your opponent stumbling for answers to your deadly threats instead of playing their own game against you; again, an automatic four- of.
Sinkhole
This card’s role is twofold: steal tempo so you are doing more than your opponent can do or answer in the early game, and shut off your opponent’s answers or threats by branching off a color of mana. Combined with Wasteland and Hymn to Tourach, it is a devastating attack on your opponent’s manabase, and sometimes it can cause complete resource denial. No other land destruction spell compares to Sinkhole. Play four.
Snuff Out
Simply the best removal spell you could ask for in a tempo-driven deck lounging in a format full of big creatures. Snuff Out allows you to play a removal spell and a threat or disruption spell in the same turn as early as turn 1. The life loss is rarely an issue in such an aggressive deck, and this spell can be hard cast later in the game without the drawback. It also has the additional benefit of being able to evade most Counterbalance curves. Your one and only creature removal spell pre-board, and also a four-of.
Seal of Primordium
A debatable slot in the deck but Seal of Primordium has proven itself in testing especially against control decks like Landstill, decks with Counterbalance, and cards like Aether Vial in Goblins or other artifact mana that mitigate your land destruction strategy. This card serves as a general answer to whatever threat (Humility, Solitary Confinement, Vedalken Shackles, etc.) your opponent may have against you. If your opponent plays no artifacts or enchantments Seal of Primordium still at the very least fuels Tombstalker and Tarmogoyf. It is very rarely a dead draw and addresses a traditional weakness of Suicide Black decks: the inability to remove artifacts and enchantments that get through the disruption.
Wasteland
Wasteland is considered a disruption spell because its secondary role as a mana producer is less important. It compliments Sinkhole and Hymn to Tourach to round out your attack on your opponent’s mana. It is generally uncounterable and allows you to punish decks for needing multiple colors to function properly. Many decks in Legacy can shrug off a single land destruction effect. But those same decks will very often wilt when 2 or 3 of their lands are blown up early in the game. This card also allows you to attack the manabase of Threshold decks more effectively, as Daze is a “free” hard counter for Sinkhole. Playing 4 Wastelands in Eva Green is not negotiable. Wasteland even generates mana from the graveyard when casting Tombstalker.
Mana
Eight fetchlands is key to having enough cards in your graveyard to support early Tombstalkers. The minimum number of permanent black sources is 17 in order to reach double black consistently. Four Dark Rituals round out the manabase and allows the deck to generate tempo and make unbelievable plays such as landing an early Tombstalker.
Sideboard
The sideboard for Eva Green, and for any deck in Magic for that matter, is by no means set in stone. But this particular configuration should address many of the other decks in Legacy:
Engineered Plague
This card is powerful against Goblins, Cephalid Breakfast, or Empty the Warrens. It is a general answer to a great deal of things that show up at a large Legacy tournament.
Leyline of the Void
Not only is it uncounterable, but it also works when you are on the draw. One of the most effective graveyard hosers ever printed. It also has the side benefit of allowing Tombstalker to shrink Tarmogoyfs to mere 0/1’s, which can be an effective strategy for decks that rely too heavily on them as win conditions or blockers. Leyline attacks a wide variety of decks like Aggro Loam, Ichorid, Cephalid Breakfast, Fetchland Tendrils, The Epic Storm (TES), and Survival decks .
Choke
With so many Legacy decks playing Blue, and with Counterbalance and Sensei’s Divining Top becoming more prevalent, Choke becomes a very powerful sideboard card against a large percentage of the format. Potentially game-breaking against Threshold and Landstill, and another benefit of the Green splash.
Umezawa’s Jitte
Jitte wins games but it also opens you up to removal and tends to be a bit slow. That being said it can dominate against most aggro decks and is a versatile sideboard card. This is probably the most debatable slot in the board, but it is still a solid choice.
Playing Eva Green
One thing you need to remember when you play Eva Green is that you are trying to hamper your opponent’s strategy while accelerating your own. You need to hammer your opponent hard and fast in order to successfully execute your strategy. Your opening seven cards are a lot more important than those of other decks that have manipulation or card drawing ability. The game will often be decided with the decisions you make in the first few turns. A few things to consider about your opening seven:
Do I have two permanent Black sources, or enough of a fast start with Dark Ritual(s)?
Does my hand represent a good mixture of threats and disruption?
Do I have access to Green mana?
If you answer No to any of these questions, you probably want to consider taking a mulligan.
Do not be afraid to mulligan aggressively with Eva Green. This deck will not win most games by having more cards in its hand than its opponent. The ability to play more of your cards faster than your opponent is the objective. Limit your opponent’s options while expanding your own, and take advantage of the time to win while your opponent is unable to do anything in the window that you have given yourself. Having seven cards in hand is not going to do your opponent any good if they can’t cast any of them, or if they are dead before they can start to execute their own strategy.
Do as much as possible on any given turn. You do not want to play reactively. Make your opponent answer your threats and keep on swinging if they are unable to. Play your disruption intelligently and use your life total as a resource. Sometimes using that Snuff Out on a Birds of Paradise is a very good call when you have a Sinkhole or Wasteland to back it up. Sometimes it is not the best idea, for example when a Thoughtseize reveals a mana heavy hand with little to no threats or blockers. Determining which of your opponent’s resources is in short supply is the first step in making the most of your disruption. Playing Eva Green properly takes some practice, but the deck is very powerful and its disruptive strategy is intriguing.
Next time we’ll examine how Eva Green stacks up against the better Legacy decks.
This article was a joint effort by Dan Signorini and Anwar Ahmad.
Dan Signorini
nitewolf9 on The Source
Anwar Ahmad
AnwarA101 on The Source and StarCityGames Forums