Sorin, Grim Nemesis: Official Thread

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Comments

  • I was really excited about a life gain deck but no matter how I build, the deck comes out subpar.
  • Avacyn
    Avacyn Posts: 89 Match Maker
    It hard to visit this thread. the disappointment is too strong in here lol.

    I hope things well look up for him after the rework. as it stands now, I feel even the starter walkers are way better then him...and he is the face of the game (when you start up the app).

    yes he gains life. but you better off using cards to get you life then to use his skills. any walker with access to white (or black) cards can get you HP. so if you want to play a life gain deck I feel you're better off using Gideon, his abilities are spammable, his state distribution is waay more flexible, and his got a bigger health pool.

    Fingers cross that the next update would make Sorin viable and fun.
  • Cost to Max Level: 160,720 runes
  • I too have had mixed feelings about this planeswalker. After about 5 deck ideas, and 40 or so cards (and I'm not a power player, I don't have unlimited mythics), this is the build that doesn't have me pulling my hair out after every match. (Means it wins more than 50% of the time, which is still horrible...) I'll explain the choices and possible upcoming changes based on the other posts that I just read thru, after talking about the deck and current cards.

    Creatures (4)
    Thraben Inspector, He's a cheap (5 drop) creature that Investigates when ETB
    Unruly Mob, also cheap (6 drop), gets +1/+1 when another creature you control dies, and trust me, there's plenty of that happening
    Pious Evangel, and his alter ego Wayward Disciple, a very key player in this build, only 8 mana, and on the front side, you gain 1 life when he or another creature ETB. Synergy with previous creature when he filps.
    Hanweir Militia Captain, highest cost at 12, if she flips though, give you a steady stream of 1/1's. Truth be told, I'm not in love with it.

    Spells (3), removal being key
    Grotesque Mutation, gives lifelink and a fairly good power boost for only 4 mana
    To the Slaughter, perhaps my favorite card in the deck, kill anything without hexproof
    Smite the Monstrous, gets rid of the big fatties, and only 8 mana

    Supports (3)
    Murder Investigation, cause things will die
    Call the Bloodline, 1/1 vampires with lifelink come in handy
    Caves of Koilos, cause the manawhite.pngmanablack.png are what gets it done for Sorin

    Alright, so first off, sorry I don't know how to make links to the cards. Secondly, I'm certain you are looking at this list, and making 'meh' noises, just like the earlier posts when we realized how 'meh' Sorin's abilities were.
    I'm with ya, but hear me out. The key to Sorin is the 3rd ability, to make your creatures gain power when you gain life. So getting there is the key. It's almost like saying, "try not to die while setting up your optimal board state". But remember, this is a budget build, so it kinda is just that! Anyhow, 3rd ability most important.

    You want to pump out the smaller creatures and have a Grotesque Mutation waiting to fire off once you can activate that third ability. That is why I tried to maintain every cards cost in this build as low as possible. Control the board with your removal and hope you never see a Runaway Carriage on the other side of the board, because to be honest, that card wrecks us. Especially in a Gideon build. Getting an Evangel early is amazing, and even if he flips he isn't bad. We can use Sorin's 1st ability to gain life at the cost of our smaller creatures when the Wayward Disciple is present. Murder Investigation and the Call the Bloodline help keep them coming.

    End game is similar to the guy with all the mythics, you have giant powered creatures with or without lifelink, but that's how they got there anyhow. And you can kill your supports to add the extra +x/0 to whatever creatures you have to deliver the death blow.

    Looking thru the thread, that Ondu Rising sounds decidedly better than the Grotesque Mutation, so I'll be making that change. I'd love to figure out a replacement for the Hanweir Militia Captain, so if you've got suggestions, please let me know.

    Try this build out, and let me know what you think.
  • Mainloop25
    Mainloop25 Posts: 1,934 Chairperson of the Boards
    Having fun with this deck(keep in mind he's only level 32 with me). Finally started winning once I got him to a level with not the worst mana gains ever (remember pre-buff Koth?) Anyways:

    Creatures:
    Drana, Liberator of Malakir I love her, she's in every black deck of mine
    Bloodbond Vampire believe it or not, she's my main damage dealer. She gets very powerful once my ultimate support is out, and will only get better as I level up.
    Indulgent Aristocrat Mostly here for the lifelink, would replace with Kalitas or War Oracle if I had them. His ability activates every so often.
    Nearheath Chaplain Another one there for the lifelink, but also "RC insurance"
    Serene Steward Helps with buffing Nearheath Chaplain, plus 4/4 for 6 is a good deal.

    Spells:
    Behold The Beyond A staple of every black deck, come on
    Unholy Hunger Currently my best creature removal spell, but the occasional life gain is cool too
    Grotesque Mutation kind of an underrated card, I'll throw it on Drana or Bloodbond Vampire for that extra lifelink, plus it's nice to see Bloodbond Vampire buff herself sometimes

    Supports:
    Shrine Of The Forsaken Gods
    Drownyard Temple Both are good mana gain supports, when they are both out they are great to start every turn with +6 mana especially when you can't match white or black gems.

    Every creature has lifelink or buffs when you gain life (except for Drana, but she buffs herself). He's not at a high enough level yet to put an extra support in (Suppression Bonds most likely, for me) so Serene Steward stays in for now.
    Once they expand his deck options to 10/5/5, I'll stick in an extra spell like Transgress The Mind, maybe.

    Pretty good Walker so far, is gonna get way better when 1.7 drops, so I can't wait!
  • I bought Sorin yesterday and pumped him up to 60, anticipating the changes incoming with 1.7. (lots of QB = lots of crystals)

    Running a vampire deck, the one change I would make that no one has mentioned is Khalitas, Traitor of Ghett (or whatever) for lifetap.

    For supports, I wish I had Corrupted Grafstone and Shrine of the Forsaken. Couple that with Drownyard temple for sweet mana gain.

    I haven't looked, but there are vampire ally creatures, token generation isn't as easy as Gideon 2, but Veteran Warleader could be usable with Oath of Gideon.

    I can't look it up right now, but isn't there a card named Drana's Chosen that gives +3/+0 on landfall and +6/+0 on black landfall? I have that in my deck and it works well.

    Once he goes to 10/5/5 after the patch, you can run two or three removals, and then a Grotesque Mutation or Ondu Rising when you get that 3rd loyalty gem on the board.
  • check your sorin out!
  • can we get this topic deleted and recreated to reflect the new updated Sorin?

    all 4 pages are related to old sorin - like..the last 2 posts
  • To try to get it a little more on-track...what's a good deck build for the new Sorin?

    Debating picking him up as I could really use a replacement for Lilliana as my black PW during events, but don't want to spend the crystals unless I know I have the cards to make him playable/winnable.
  • Reaganstorme
    Reaganstorme Posts: 334 Mover and Shaker
    Beat Avacyn with New-Sorin(TM) quite handily.

    Creatures (4):
    Serene Steward
    Bloodbond Vampire
    Defiant Bloodlord
    Olivia, Mobilized for War

    Spells (4):
    Behold the Beyond
    Grip of Desolation
    To the Slaughter
    Transgress the Mind

    Supports (2):
    Hixus, Prison Warden
    Caves of Koilos

    Hixus is key to locking the opponent's creatures down, but you've got plenty of direct removal until that happens. All the spells and supports are cheap enough to cast directly off Behold the Beyond, so prioritise that if you can.

    Serene Steward and Bloodbond Vampire can work off Sorin's second ability just fine, both triggering twice when they attack and pumping themselves or the other every turn. Defiant Bloodlord just powers the pain to the head every time you gain life. Olivia is expensive, but makes every creature gain life link, and thus helps boost every time.

    All in all, goes best when you can get Olivia out early, preceded or followed by Behold the Beyond to catch back up with tempo.

    You can replace Olivia with another Lifelink creature such as War Oracle, Kalitas, or Enlightened Ascetic, Transgress the Mind with Infinite Obliteration, and Caves of Koilos with Shrine of the Forgotten Gods or Drownyard Temple, if you have them.
  • Chavez303
    Chavez303 Posts: 42 Just Dropped In
    This is my updated Sorin Deck. Its been trampling just about anything. The only time i've lost is when i cant seem to pull any creatures or i'm just outpaced on mana gen (ie. Koth)

    Creatures (5/10):
    Linvala, The preserver (W18)
    Farbog Revenant (B10)
    Olivia, Mobilized for War (B20)
    Knight of the White Orchid (W16)
    Defiant Bloodlord (B14)

    Spells (2/5):
    Ruinous Path (B5)
    Grip of Desolation (B5)

    Supports (3/5):
    Shrine of the Forsaken Gods (5)
    Drownyard Temple (9)
    Call the Bloodline (B6)

    I was trying to find a way to speed this up. Bloodbond Vampire could be good, but i like the idea of having flyers not relying on Olivia. KotWO is in there because he's got first strike and defender....and if the white gems show up right, i can get some great mana gen off it too. i recently put Call of the Bloodline in there but its been great. The only thing i'm not so sure on is Linvala. She's all around great but expensive. the only upside is her +4 regen.

    Any thoughts/improvements?
  • His abilities have been changed and are amazing! Im currently running with Serene Steward, Malakir familiar, Nearheath Chaplain and Blood cursed Knight. With vampiric power up sernene steward malakir familiar combo is devastating. I use Retreat to Hagra, Shrine of the Forsaken Gods and Drownyard Temple as my supports and Grip of Desolation, Healing Hands and Enshrouding Mist as my spells. Id like to eventually add a Defiant Bloodlord cause 5 dmg every heal seems a pretty good fit icon_e_biggrin.gif maybe add a Drana as well for good measure. What good supports or spells could i run with that may synergize better with what im running than what im currently using?
  • Shadow-Mage
    Shadow-Mage Posts: 31 Just Dropped In
    Hello,

    I had just reformulated my Sorin deck since his update. I must say that I am loving his new abilities. I hadn't played him at all with his old abilities because I wasn't at all sure how to use him properly.

    Mind you my Sorin is only level 30 (which by my standards is just barely usable). Yet in each of the QBs I used him in he ended things very quickly. In fact he ended things so quick I only got to throw out his final ability twice so far. Below is what I am running and why.

    Creatures

    Olivia, Mobilized for War: If you get her out as a first creature every other creature you pump out gets ridiculous as long as you can discard.
    War oracle: quick life gain to pump Sorin's 3rd ability when out
    Serene Steward: Beef up your creatures with life gain, all around good with all 3 of Sorin's abilities
    Drana, Liberator of Malakir: Beef up your forces and boost life gain

    Spells
    Declaration in Stone: Quick creature removal (not the best option but I don't have any other better removal at the moment)
    Grotesque Mutation: Back up plan in case I get stuck with just a Serene steward on the field. Otherwise just beef up your creatures even more.

    Supports
    Mirrorpool: I run this in all my decks because who doesn't like taking a creature and making it monstrous. Get it out with Olivia and you create a monster on the field.
    Call the Bloodline: Back up summoning for tight spots. Life gain to pump the 3rd ability
    Corrupted Grafstone: Mana booster
    Shadows of the Past: Pump the 3rd ability while hitting your opponent on their turn for added effect.

    I lack a lot of cards that could boost this deck even higher but it is fast and I love how it builds.

    Let me know any suggestions you may have or your thoughts.
  • Nibiru
    Nibiru Posts: 2
    Here is my Sorin Deck

    Creatures:
    Olivia, Mobilized for War
    Defiant Bloodlord

    Spells:
    Infinite Obliteration
    Behold The Beyond
    To The Slaughter
    From Under The Floorboards

    Support:
    Caves Of Koilos
    Hixus, Prison Warden
    Shadows of the Past
    Campaign of Vengeance

    Defiant Bloodlord is really powerful with all the life gain and sorin second ability.

    All the life gain is also useful for sorin's third ability.

    Olivia making lifelink creatures makes the previous even more powerful.

    I'm still trying to find a better card for Caves of Koilos. I don't like the convert 1 of each color, which screws up gems with each other.
  • Stormbringer0
    Stormbringer0 Posts: 190 Tile Toppler
    Screenshot_2016-10-20-08-53-25.png

    Right now I'm playing my Sorin like this. I try to get Defiant Bloodlord since Sorin's out, but no such luck.

    It works pretty well and especially Campaign for Vengeance makes any Sorin deck absurd. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. icon_e_wink.gif
  • This is my Sorin build I've been messing around with, any helpful input would be greatly appreciated.

    Creatures:
    Defiant Bloodlord
    Olivia, Mobilized for War
    Guul Draz Overseer
    Archangel Avacyn
    Drana, Liberator of Malakir

    Spells:
    Healing Hands

    Supports:
    Always Watching
    Sword of the Animist
    Corrupted Grafstone
    Silverstrike

    I'm sort of new to the MtG universe, slowly starting to understand the mechanics of the cards and stuff, but any tips again would be greatly appreciated
  • Reaganstorme
    Reaganstorme Posts: 334 Mover and Shaker
    Hey Vakarian,

    I bet you're finding that you're waiting to play your creatures a lot and struggle with mana often? You have a lot of expensive creatures and supports there. Olivia + Defiant Bloodlord + 2 other cheaper creatures will suit you well enough. A great new addition is the EMN uncommon Lone Rider. Consider some of the other usual pump on lifegain creatures too, Serene Steward and Bloodbond Vampire.

    Corrupted Grafstone is great for single coloured PWs but can often break potential matches for dual-colour PWs. Consider Shrine of the Forsaken Gods or Drownyard Temple for more consistent mana gain.

    Hope these thoughts help.
  • My deck is simple but quite effective. I build on alliance creatures and life give power theory. It is slow, but i usually wins. Like 30-40 win Streaks... it also quite easy to get. But with more mythics, it can improve. I do love Sorin...

    Creatures:
    lantern scout (rare)
    Serene stewart (uc)
    Bloodbound vampire (uc)

    Spells:
    Grip of desolation (uc)
    Unholy hunger (rare)
    Dark petition (rare)

    Support
    Hixus prison warden (myth)
    Shambling vent (myth)
    Mirrorpool (myth)
    Drownyard temple (rare)
  • Nitymp
    Nitymp Posts: 320 Mover and Shaker
    Zentuan wrote:
    Shambling vent (myth)

    Vent is rare icon_e_smile.gif
  • Ciotog
    Ciotog Posts: 77 Match Maker
    After seeing Yunnnn's Nahiri zoo deck, I decided to try and make a Sorin version. This is what I came up with and am quite happy with its performance. It isn't the same speed because Nahiri's abilities are a bit better for speed, plus Sorin's abilities come with some animation delays. But I actually enjoy playing this version more because the cards combo together more:

    Creatures:
    Olivia, Mobilized for War (only gets used in maybe half of games, makes the difference between winning and winning+)
    Drana, Liberator of Malakir (pump all creatures +1/+1 per turn)
    Serene Steward (+1/+1 to 1st creature every time you gain life)
    Lone Rider (Life Link / First Strike)
    War Oracle (Life Link)
    Bloodbond Vampire (+1/+1 every time you gain life)
    Defiant Bloodlord (5 damage every time you gain life)

    Spells:
    Healing Hands (+5 life, Draw 1)
    Grip of Desolation/To the Slaughter

    Support:
    Campaign of Vengeance