Other People's Decks: Thraximundar, by Sinis

   It's not often that I see another list that captures my attention so thoroughly that I would seek to replicate and play it as one of my own. It's not that I'm such a great deck-builder that I always think I could do it better... I very frequently get input on my decks from all over the Net. It's just that, usually, I prefer to come up with the idea on my own, and then get input to help tune it. Occasionally, though, I do stumble across a decklist that makes me think "Forget what I was going to do, I'm doing that!"

   This might be one of those times. Over at General Damage Control, DJ Catchem has posted his new Thraximundar list as redesigned by contest-winner Imshan, aka Sinis. Those of you that have seen my own Thraxi deck might remember that it was a fairly generic Good-Stuff Control build with a lot of the most powerful spells in the Grixis colors, but it didn't really have much of a theme or any particular synergy. Oh sure, removal spells are quite synergistic with my opponents' creatures, but you know what I mean... It was powerful and fun to play, but pretty generic for the most part.

   I still happen to like my own take on Thraximundar quite well, but Sinis' design manages to push for more of a recognizable theme and some actual, honest-to-God synergy, while still keeping the list mostly in the realm of "Good-Stuff Control". Here, take a look:

General
Thraximundar

Creatures

Shriekmaw
Mulldrifter
Ingot Chewer
Fleshbag Marauder
Bone Shredder
Graveborn Muse
Death Baron
Zombie Master
Augur of Skulls
Withered Wretch
Cemetery Reaper
Solemn Simulacrum
Trinket Mage
Avatar of Woe
Steel Hellkite
Butcher of Malakir
Phyrexian Metamorph
Consecrated Sphinx
Sheoldred, Whispering One
Dimir House Guard
Magus of the Abyss
Braids, Cabal Minion
Tar Fiend
Gatekeeper of Malakir
It That Betrays

Enchantments

Phyrexian Arena
Grave Pact
Rooftop Storm
Mystic Remora

Artifacts
Coalition Relic
Darksteel Ingot
Sol Ring
Sensei’s Divining Top
Nihil Spellbomb

Planeswalkers
Liliana Vess

Sorceries

Innocent Blood
Smallpox
Syphon Flesh
Barter In Blood
Wheel of Fortune
Chainer’s Edict
Consuming Vapors
Curse of the Cabal
Syphon Mind
Demonic Tutor
Damnation
Decree of Pain
Black Sun’s Zenith
Promise of Power
Praetor’s Grasp
Deep Analysis
Opportunity
Rise // Fall

Instants
Grim Harvest
Vampiric Tutor
Fact or Fiction
Blue Sun’s Zenith
Stroke of Genius
Grab the Reins
Geth’s Verdict
Diabolic Edict
Wild Ricochet

Lands
Scalding Tarn
Polluted Delta
Bloodstained Mire
Crumbling Necropolis
Badlands
Underground Sea
Volcanic Island
Watery Grave
Steam Vents
Blood Crypt
High Market
Miren, the Moaning Well
Volrath's Stronghold
Shizo, Death's Storehouse
Minamo, School at Water's Edge
Shinka, The Blood-soaked Keep
Temple of the False God
Academy Ruins
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Phyrexian Tower
Strip Mine
Terramorphic Expanse
Evolving Wilds
Command Tower
Reflecting Pool
Mystifying Maze
Vesuva
Tolaria West
Grixis Panorama
Bojuka Bog 

Halimar Depths

Island x2
Swamp x2
Mountain x2

  
   You can read all about the deck itself here, with comments and explanations by both the designer and owner of the deck, so I won't bother regurgitating their analysis. I will simply say that the list impressed me enough that I wanted to save it here for future reference. Normally, I would just get a notebook and jot down a few of the most interesting bits of tech, and use my own list as the basis, but I really think this version is different enough that I needed to just save the whole list and use it as my starting point, then "season to taste".

   To any readers who happen to follow GDC as well as my blog, my apologies for the redundancy of this content - but I wanted to be absolutely sure I could find this list again later when I finally decided to rebuild Thraxi, and posting it here seemed the most elegant solution.

Enjoy.