New deck idea help

[Travis Lannoye]

Hey all,

I'm looking for a new deck idea for EDH. Ideally, I'm looking to try a different color combination than I already have. My current decks are mono-black, mono-green, Esper, and Gruul. So, I'd like to try and stay away from black and green, if possible. Since I already have two mono-colored decks, I'd prefer not to run something mono-colored, but that's not as big of a deal.

I'm also looking for some ideas on what to actually do with said deck. That is, I need a new idea for a theme for this deck. Most of my previous decks involve some sort of graveyard strategy. While I'm not opposed to using my graveyard as a resource again, it's not essential.

Please post any ideas you might have here. Note: I'm still very much opposed to anything that intends to go infinite or do stupid things like Time Stretch or Obliterate.

[Travis Lannoye]

One more note: I do have a large selection of Azorius commanders, including Rasputin, original Isperia, Bruna, Grand Arbiter, and Hanna.

[JediCheese]

Grand Arbiter makes a good lockout deck. I would assume you have all the sphere of resistance cards already. Many EDH decks play lots of lands, but if you start making everything cost 2-3 mana more they will have issues.

[abeckett]

What happened to the UW blink deck you were working on with Rasputin?

[Travis Lannoye]

I built a list, but it seemed like a carbon copy of yours and a few others, and it didn't really impress me at all. To be fair, I do still have it put together, and I never did actually play with it, but it seemed like it wasn't really all that good.

[Travis Lannoye]

Couple of ideas that I'm thinking about include a black/white deck featuring lots of extort cards and "syphon" cards that do bad things to the whole table, and this idea: www.starcitygames.com/magic/commander/23335_You_Did_This_To_Yourself.html

[abeckett]

Black/White deck is next on my list. I had an OG Ghost Council life gain deck at one point. It had some stupid gain a ton of life combos, but nothing infinite. I might take another swing at it, since the original was one of my first decks and tons of new cards are out there now.

EDIT: Tried a draft of a BW extort/gain life deck, and frankly it kind of sucked as a central theme. New Ghost Council provides no real direction and the old is just sub par when compared to Vish Kal. Of course, Vish Kal screams to be built around at least a little bit, so I ended up pushing the life/extort them into the background. Rough draft below:

Creatures - 25
7 Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter
1 Serra Ascendant
2 Bloodghast
2 Disciple of Griselbrand
2 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Vizkopa Guildmage
3 Pilgrim’s Eye
4 Crypt Ghast
4 Disciple of Bolas
4 Rhox Faithmender
4 Sangromancer
4 Solemn Simulacrum
5 Baneslayer Angel
5 Bloodgift Demon
5 Chainer, Dementia Master
5 Divinity of Pride
5 Karmic Guide
5 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
5 Stonehewer Giant
6 Grave Titan
6 Kokusho, the Evening Star
6 Sun Titan
6 Treasury Thrull
7 Angel of Despair
7 Luminate Primordial

Instants - 5
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Swords to Plowshares
3 Mortify
4 Return to Dust
6 Beacon of Immortality

Sorcery - 11
2 Demonic Tutor
3 Vindicate
4 Damnation
4 Wrath of God
5 Increasing Ambition
5 Promise of Power
5 Unburial Rites
6 Austere Command
10 Storm Herd
X Exsanguinate
X Martial Coup

Enchantment - 10
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
2 Blind Obedience
2 Luminarch Ascension
3 Necropotence
3 Phyrexian Arena
4 Gravepact
5 Boon Reflection
5 Sanguine Bond
5 True Conviction
6 Martyr’s Bond

Planeswalkers - 1
4 Elspeth, Knight-Errant

Artifacts - 11
1 Expedition Map
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
2 Armillary Sphere
2 Orzhov Signet
3 Coalition Relic
3 Mimic Vat
3 Sword of Feast and Famine
3 Sword of Light and Shadow
5 Batterskull

Land - 37
Bojuka Bog
Caves of Koilos
Command Tower
Fetid Heath
Godless Shrine
High Market
Isolated Chapel
Marsh Flats
Orzohv Basilica
Orzohv Guildgate
Phyrexian Tower
Reliquary Tower
Scrubland
Vault of the Archangel
Volrath’s Stronhold
Xx basics