Locations
Welcome back again for another article of budget discussion! Today, I'm going to go over some cards from Gatecrash (a part of my favorite block) and I'll also be tossing in some cards from Ixalan. These cards, like others in past articles, need to be in your trade binders or budget brews!
The ability to counter a spell with it is nothing to scoff at either. Since we discussed wiping the board, why not counter your opponent's board wipe with this? Yes, our opponents have an opportunity to pay three colorless to negate it. However, in most situations, we are going to use this when they do not have the resources available. This one has potential to creep up to the $5.00 range over time.
We can also use this as a jank complimentary win con in decks that utilize buffs or big creatures. My mind always drifts to Golgari (Green and Black) as a starting point. Here is an example of a meta deck that could put this ability to use.
Golgari Traverse | Pioneer | Ventustpd Mtg@Home First Place
- Creatures (17)
- 1 Courser of Kruphix
- 1 Elder Gorgon
- 1 Emrakul, The Promised End
- 1 Ishkanah, Grafwidow
- 1 Toski, Bearer of Secrets
- 2 Murderous Rider
- 2 Tireless Tracker
- 4 Grim Flayer
- 4 Satyr Wayfinder
- Planeswalkers (3)
- 1 Liliana, the Last Hope
- 2 Vraska, Golgari Queen
- Instants (8)
- 2 Abrupt Decay
- 2 Assassin's Trophy
- 4 Fatal Push
- Sorceries (9)
- 1 Bloodchief's Thirst
- 4 Thoughtseize
- 4 Traverse the Ulvenwald
Looking a little further into how we can abuse this card, we are going to discuss buffing and sacrificing. In Golgari, it is feasible to use temporary buffs to not only deal extra combat damage, but then potentially deal lethal by sacrificing the creature Dying Wish is attached to. Putting this either on a creature that can sacrifice itself or having cards that allow you to sacrifice other creatures for free or cheap is the route to go. Just imagine dealing combat damage and then sacrificing for the win!
The most optimal scenario to start with would be to buff, attack, and sacrifice the enchanted creature. Not saying we must sacrifice the creature, but if it makes sense based on the board state, then we should consider it. Having cards that make use of both "enter the battlefield" effects or "when a creature dies" is another route to maximize Murder Investigation. On a budget side of things, a boggles brew might be able to leverage this card. Hexproof creatures dodge targeted spells, making them harder to remove without a board wipe. Even then, we have enough opportunities to buff the creature(s) before a control deck would be able to wipe the board. For a budget card with win con capabilities, you should consider picking up a playset to have on hand.
Simic Aggro | Pioneer | Hodortimebaby, MTGO Pioneer Preliminary
- Creatures (27)
- 1 Yorvo, Lord of Garenbrig
- 2 Garruk's Harbinger
- 2 Rhonas the Indomitable
- 2 Scavenging Ooze
- 4 Barkhide Troll
- 4 Elvish Mystic
- 4 Llanowar Elves
- 4 Old-Growth Troll
- 4 Steel Leaf Champion
- Instants (10)
- 2 Primal Might
- 4 Aspect of Hydra
- 4 Collected Company
- Artifacts (1)
- 1 Heart of Kiran
- Lands (22)
- 7 Forest
- 1 Yavimaya Coast
- 2 Harshep Oasis
- 4 Barchannel Pathway
- 4 Botanical Sanctum
- 4 Breeding Pool
- Sideboard (15)
- 2 Garruk's Harbinger
- 2 Primal Might
- 2 Vivian, Arkbow Ranger
- 3 Back to Nature
- 3 Disdainful Stroke
- 3 Stubborn Denial
Given this list, one could easily put Shapers' Sanctuary in either the mainboard or sideboard. Personally, I could see 2 in the mainboard and/or 1 in the sideboard depending on your opponent's deck. There are options such as Collected Company and Garruk's Harbinger to garner us creature plays, but this can gain us card advantage for just sitting there. If Garruk's Harbinger get removed, and we do not have any Collected Company cards in hand, this gives us another option to continue churning out creatures.
