Messages

I don't know enough about Lavaz ability. I understand when a creature goes to the graveyard he may becomes a copy of it. I don't believe he can be a copy of multiple cards at once but I can see him screwing with reanimator. Mill creatures that say "whenever this creature enters the battlefield do x" that would be fun but I don't think it'll win games.

I'd like to see a deck list you are considering but yeah, figure out the four color mana situation and I'm sure we can help with enchantment hate.

I bumped the land up to 23 lands, am thinking about replacing lazav with the {havengul lich}

I would, lazav doesn't seem like a great mainboard to me. Maybe sideboard?

Psychic spiral seems kind of pointless, it doesn't mill any extra cards

It's a combo with {whispering madness}. Play {whispering madness} discard cards and get a new hand cipher onto an unblockable. Attack with unblockable use cipher and get a new hand and when you pull {psychic spiral} you get to mill them for everything in your graveyard. Just a suggestion though, it is slow.

Also {whispering madness} can get through your deck quickly while destroying your opponent's and add {psychic spiral} for some serious damage mid to late game. The two cards together can be devastating. It's an idea I've been working on.

You need more land otherwise you will be doing a lot of mulligans. I suggest 22-24

I've seen and read that aggro creature decks are the most common. I'd say start there. {blind obedience} comes to mind to slow the attacks. But is only really effective against decks utilizing haste. Also check out the door decks. They basically wipe the field and get planswalkers to control/win until they pull {door to nothingness} as a win con.

This is a similar idea to what I want to do and you just showed me how. {psychic spiral} is the card I needed to end games but I couldn't think of it. Only difference I see between your deck and mine is I'm running a cipher spell 2ub (discard hands and draw cards equal to highest amount discarded). Sorry don't know the name but I'm planning to use it on an unblockable to draw win cons. I post a list one of these days. Anyway nice deck.

Thanks a lot guys, clearly I was thinking about this the wrong way. As far as strategies I enjoy playing... I tend to play more combo decks or tribals. For instance {shape anew} into a {blightsteel} was one of my favorites and I used to use a "bouncing" spirit deck that abused "whenever spirit or arcane enter the field do...." So the one piece advise that's standing out is that commanders need to be complementing to the deck but not a staple. That would mean me rocking omnath could be a doubled edged sword without specific cards to help him?

Found in EDH/commander tournament near my house and want to try but I don't know how to structure my deck. Still torn on which commanders to use but my best idea is {omnath, locus of mana}. My questions are what goals and strategies do you use? Is it better to use your commander as utility, main source of damage, or a piece of a combo? I know the rules so don't worry about posting those. Thanks in advance for any help and I'll add the other commanders I'm thinking about when I get my break.
Edit: commander list
{omnath, locus of mana} mana ramp and beat down using hydras and {scute mob}
{Olivia volderan} vampire tribal deck
{jor kadeen, the prevailer} for metal craft and equip
{sen triplets} for pure artifacts

{parallel lives} and I agree with adding {cloud shift}. nothing more annoying then a flickering {thrag tusk}.

Basically how I would build it. Did you consider {duress} for removing annoying spells or plainswalkers from their hand?

{Shrieking Affliction} doesn't affect you. Just your opponents.

Ah, touché. I still argue for {altar's reap} though :P

Yeah basically.... Also {altar's reap} so you avoid burning yourself with {screeching affliction} and I'd sideboard {curse of oblivion} it's not really needed unless your meta calls for it. {mutilate} is a fun card in mono black with death effects, board wipe empty their hand and drop a demon for a GG. {vampire nighthawk} {disentomb} {undying evil} {tragic slip} also decent cards to look at.

{altar's reap} over {cremate} because you can sac your black cat for two cards and your opponent discards. {liliana of the veil} fits this theme if you've got her. Also I'd suggest a better win condition, I assume you are going for {pack rat} or that enchantment (forgot which one) to take all their life, but in discard decks, get you're opponent top decking and beat them sinceless with someone like {desacretion demon} or {neforax, overlord of grixis}.