In Pioneer, Izzet Phoenix and Greasefang Combo have long been the go-to graveyard strategies. This isn’t too shocking, as the consistency and power these archetypes provide is through the roof. Yet, this past weekend, a new graveyard-based competitor has emerged out of nowhere. Making the top 8 of back-to-back Magic Online Pioneer Challenges, this new Dredge-esque deck is worth taking seriously.
Abusing Self-Mill
Like traditional Dredge decklists, this archetype is focused on utilizing self-Mill to its advantage. While literal Dredge cards aren’t legal in Pioneer, cards like Otherworldly Gaze and Breaking // Entering are fully capable of filling your graveyard in short order. This deck even gets to make use of the recently printed Exhibition Tidecaller, which leads to your most explosive draws if left unchecked.
As you continue Milling yourself, the goal is to hit recursive creatures like Narcomoeba and Bloodghast, which trigger your Prized Amalgams with little effort. Even though none of these creatures are big on their own, when combined with four copies of Creeping Chill, you don’t need much to assemble lethal.
In the event these creatures do struggle to cross the finish line, however, you have access to a sort of late game combo finish. Once three copies of Say Its Name are in your graveyard, you’re free to put the massive Altanak, the Thrice-Called into play. When combined with Practiced Offense, this Insect can attack for 20 in one shot!
Consistent but Fragile
As a whole, this graveyard-centric strategy gets its biggest edge from its consistency. With so much self-Mill, it’s hard to run out of ways to fuel your graveyard. The presence of Creeping Chill as a life buffer makes it trivial to survive versus aggro, while your recursive creatures line up perfectly versus removal-heavy midrange decks.
Unfortunately, though, this deck suffers a lot against hate cards like Rest in Peace. Even with Witherbloom Command and Assassin’s Trophy as answers, recovering from this enchantment can be almost impossible. As if this wasn’t bad enough, this deck’s speed often means it’s outpaced by combo decks like Abzan Greasefang and Four-Color Scapeshift.
Despite all of these weaknesses, though, this Pioneer archetype has already proven successful. Its glass cannon nature is certainly concerning, but perhaps this brew has what it takes to keep putting up results in the future.
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