Pest Rest by jonc

Format: Commander

Commander: Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest

Bracket: 2

DeckCheck Threat Index: 30

Deck overview

This Golgari deck uses Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest to transform standard Aristocrats sacrifice loops into an overwhelming board-wide combat threat. The primary game plan develops early recursive creatures (Reassembling Skeleton, Nether Traitor) and token creators (Send in the Pest, Essenceknit Scholar) alongside versatile sacrifice outlets like Phyrexian Altar and Priest of Forgotten Gods. Once Mazirek enters the battlefield on Turn 5, every sacrifice trigger pumps the entire team with +1/+1 counters, quickly turning modest tokens into lethal attackers. Direct life-drain effects from Zulaport Cutthroat, Dina, Soul Steeper, and Arnyn, Deathbloom Botanist whittle down opponent life totals while keeping your own life buffer high. The deck features deep graveyard recursion through Victimize and Dread Return, allowing it to recover quickly from board wipes. While it lacks fast combo finishes and stack protection, its compounding board presence and resilient attrition create steady, inevitable pressure.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Additive Evolution
  • 1 Apprentice Necromancer
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Arnyn, Deathbloom Botanist
  • 1 Beamsaw Prospector
  • 1 Beast Within
  • 1 Biosynthic Burst
  • 1 Bitter Triumph
  • 1 Blighted Woodland
  • 1 Bloodsoaked Champion
  • 1 Bogwater Lumaret
  • 1 Bojuka Bog
  • 1 Bontu the Glorified
  • 1 Bontu's Monument
  • 1 Braids, Arisen Nightmare
  • 1 Broken Bond
  • 1 Buried Alive
  • 1 Butcher of Malakir
  • 1 Cauldron of Essence
  • 1 Comforting Counsel
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Crowded Crypt
  • 1 Cryptic Caves
  • 1 Dina, Soul Steeper
  • 1 Dismember
  • 1 Dread Return
  • 1 Drix Fatemaker
  • 1 Entomb
  • 1 Essenceknit Scholar
  • 1 Eternal Witness
  • 1 Eumidian Hatchery
  • 1 Evolution Sage
  • 1 Evolving Wilds
  • 1 Forgotten Ancient
  • 1 Forum Necroscribe
  • 1 Grapple with Death
  • 1 Grave Researcher // Reanimate
  • 1 Jaddi Offshoot
  • 1 Jund Panorama
  • 1 Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest
  • 1 Melancholic Poet
  • 1 Merciless Executioner
  • 1 Nether Traitor
  • 1 Pest Mascot
  • 1 Pestbrood Sloth
  • 1 Phyrexian Altar
  • 1 Pick Your Poison
  • 1 Priest of Forgotten Gods
  • 1 Pull Through the Weft
  • 1 Pull from the Grave
  • 1 Ramunap Excavator
  • 1 Reassembling Skeleton
  • 1 Reclamation Sage
  • 1 Regrowth
  • 1 Retreat to Hagra
  • 1 Retreat to Kazandu
  • 1 Root Manipulation
  • 1 Scathing Shadelock // Venomous Words
  • 1 Seedship Broodtender
  • 1 Send in the Pest
  • 1 Shopkeeper's Bane
  • 1 Skullclamp
  • 11 Snow-Covered Forest
  • 11 Snow-Covered Swamp
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Stitch Together
  • 1 Swiftfoot Boots
  • 1 Teacher's Pest
  • 1 Terramorphic Expanse
  • 1 Timeline Culler
  • 1 Titan's Grave
  • 1 Uurg, Spawn of Turg
  • 1 Vampiric Rites
  • 1 Vernal Fen
  • 1 Victimize
  • 1 Viridescent Bog
  • 1 Westvale Abbey // Ormendahl, Profane Prince
  • 1 Whisper, Blood Liturgist
  • 1 Witherbloom Charm
  • 1 Zulaport Cutthroat