Magic The Gathering Thread XXIII: Modern is Dead, Long Live Modern

[Fable Wright]

... Do you mean if its bounced? I can just recast it again then right? Beside, if they waste their bounce on that card, they are in for some surprises later on. I can just Proliferate to get some more lol

But of course, I could replace "Sigil of Disctinction" with " Unity in Purpose ". Getting two +1/+1 counter as well as allowing me to untap two creature with +1/+1 counter on them could be useful.

Sigil of Distinction is much better than Unity in Purpose. I am saying that if you have bounce effects in your deck, that you use on your own Sigil of Distinction, then Sigil becomes much better.

For example, let's say you cast Sigil of Distinction for X = 5. You then have a creature getting +4/+4, then another one +3/+3. A +2/+2 is less useful, and at that point, Sigil of Distinction does very little on the field. However, if you were able to, say, use Into The Roil at the end of someone else's turn, then cast Sigil of Distinction for X = 7, you get quite a lot of use out of the card for relatively little investment. Or using Repeal to reset it for 1 mana and no card lost.

With what kinds of cards then? Saying it like that is merely a opinion, not a advice.

Once upon a time, I had a B/U/G commander deck that was all about drawing my entire deck. The color that drew me the most cards? Undeniably Green, from Greater Good, Garruk Primal Hunter, and Soul's Majesty. Prime Speaker Zegana is also a large source of card draw, especially when Lord of Extinction was lying around. Man that was a silly deck. Drawing 50 cards in one turn was pretty normal, which was GG if Psychosis Crawler was out.

6) Added Bioshift. Its very useful and a good target for Isochron Scepter. But removed Unity to Purpose for it, it was a bit costly to cast anyway for what it gave in my book.

Bioshift is weak with scepter, and terrible without it. Especially given how few creatures you run and how few sources of +1/+1 counters you have. My biggest concern with the deck is the lack of sustainable card draw. A Jace Beleren, for example, is card draw most turns after you play it. Mind's Eye, Consecrated Sphinx, and Mystic Remora are pretty good card draw. Exploration is a card that I learned, from my big-hand deck, can be pretty good. Turn 1, it lets you quickly accelerate to 3 lands; when the card draw engine is in full swing, on the other hand, in a 4-person game, it gives you open mana for counterspells and lets you cast your big spells pretty darn quickly.

Incidentally, Voidslime is probably the best counterspell you could get, just to deal with activated abilities that kill your Laboratory Maniac.

[Emmerlaus]

I have Otherworld Atlas as constant card engine already but I get your point.

I will remove Bioshift then... and See Beyond, for the cards below.

I can add Temple Bell for now as your solution are too costly for me at the moment.

And I'll add Voltaic Key for good mesure. It can trigger a lot more artefact that I own, including my draw engines.

-1 Bioshift
-1 See Beyond

+1 Voltaic Key
+1 Temple Bell


PS: I like the idea I can pretend to be a group hug deck with cards that make everyone draw. I might get a Jace Beleren later down the road but for now, Temple Bell and Voltaic Key works for me.

EDIT: I am removing Curious Homonculus because while its a good 2 mana drop, I cant use it to his full potential in this deck. I was considering putting back Crawlspace Or maybe Psychic Spiral... but I think I'll put Capsize instead. More useful in the long run and can bounce back a card of mine to save it if needed

+1 Capsize
-1 Curious Homunculous

EDIT 2 : I'll replace Stuffy Doll by Kefnet the Mindful. Less costly mana cost, able to put a drawing engine on the field that is indestructable...

-1 Stuffy Doll
+1 Kefnet the Mindful

And changed this too:

-1 Eyes of the Watcher
+1 Sigil of Distinction

-1 Countervailing Winds
+1 Sphinx's Tutelage

[Emmerlaus]

Ok, Im satisfied with THAT deck above... Now I have a second deck to work with and that one requiere a lot more work:

Isperia the Unscrutable (Blue/white commander)

Be mindful this it was supposed to be a fun, casual commander deck. I do not know how to make it powerful anyway but any suggestions is appreciated.

As a reminder. the commander ability is to be able to go search the library for flying creature cards everytime she does damage to the opponent.

Creatures:22

1x Selfless Spirit =
2x Vendillon Clique =
4x Argent Sphinx =
5x Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker =
6x Soulcatcher =
7x Stonecloaker =
8x Thunderclap Wyvern =
9x Angelic Field Marshal =
10x Indomitable Archangel =
11x Pride of the Clouds =
12x Windborn Muse =
13x Linvala, Keeper of Silence =
14x Drift of Phantasms =
14x Steel Hellkite =
15x Spirit Noble =
16x Adarkar Valkyrie =
17x High Sentinels of Arashin =
18x Thopter Assembly =
19x Angel of Jubilation =
20x Cyclone Sire
21x Cloudchaser Kestrel
22x Emeria Angel

Enchantements: (14)

22x Cloud Cover
23x Spirit Bonds
24x Steel of the Godhead
25x Invocation of Saint Traft
26x Bident of Thassa
27x Telepathy
28x Gravity Shift
29x Equilibrium
30x Planeswalker's Mischief
31x Ghostly Prison
32x Propaganda
33x Duelist's Heritage
34x Reconnaissance
35x Gift of Immortality


Instant // Sorcery (11)

37x Swords to Plowshares
38x Dismantling Blow
39x Terminus
40x Azorius Charm
41x Crib Swap
42x Terminus
43x Swan Song
44x Cyclonic Rift
45x Hindering light
46x Switcharoo
47x Supreme Verdict


Artefacts: (13)

48x Elixir of Immortality
49x Soul Foundry
50x Proteus Staff
51x Whispersilk Cloak
52X Moonsilver Spear
53x Azorius Keyrune
54x Azorius Cluestone
55x Azorius Signet
56x Mind Stone
57x Thran Dynamo
58x Glasses of Urza
59x Sol RIng
60x Hydron Archive



Lands: (39)

(how many basic plains and islands should I put?)

Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
Field of Ruin
Gargoyle Castle
Moorland Haunt
Command Tower
Vivid Meadow
Vivid Creek

I also have no idea what kind of planeswalker would fit in such a deck

=======

Carte a transferer:

1- Propaganda
1-

[Dhavaer]

Yes! I won my store championship! This is substantially less impressive than it sounds, as I was one of only six players, but still, I now have my first ever playmat. I played Esper Approach against Boros equipment (2-0), Azorius Cycling (2-1), and Esper Control (2-0). The first game against Esper went at least 40 minutes before I got my Approach off, it was a marathon.

[Brother Oni]

I was wondering if somebody could help me with a rules question: Can I cast Clockspinning on a creature like Setessan Oathsworn which doesn't currently have any counters?

It's mentioned in the Oracle rulings that if there isn't a counter on the card by the time Clockspinning resolves, it does nothing, but if the Heroic trigger in response to the Clockspinning resolves first (thus putting counters on the Oathsworn), then by the time Clockspinning resolves, there's a counter to manipulate.

I'm just not sure whether a counterless Setessan Oathsworn is a valid target for Clockspinning in the first place.

[Androgeus]

I was wondering if somebody could help me with a rules question: Can I cast Clockspinning on a creature like Setessan Oathsworn which doesn't currently have any counters?

It's mentioned in the Oracle rulings that if there isn't a counter on the card by the time Clockspinning resolves, it does nothing, but if the Heroic trigger in response to the Clockspinning resolves first (thus putting counters on the Oathsworn), then by the time Clockspinning resolves, there's a counter to manipulate.

I'm just not sure whether a counterless Setessan Oathsworn is a valid target for Clockspinning in the first place.

Yes. You don’t need any counters on the target to target it with clockspinning.

[Ninjaman]

I was wondering if somebody could help me with a rules question: Can I cast Clockspinning on a creature like Setessan Oathsworn which doesn't currently have any counters?

It's mentioned in the Oracle rulings that if there isn't a counter on the card by the time Clockspinning resolves, it does nothing, but if the Heroic trigger in response to the Clockspinning resolves first (thus putting counters on the Oathsworn), then by the time Clockspinning resolves, there's a counter to manipulate.

I'm just not sure whether a counterless Setessan Oathsworn is a valid target for Clockspinning in the first place.

Yes, because the counter, and the choice of whether to add or remove, aren't decided until resolution.

[Emmerlaus]

I posted before a mostly blue deck with " Toothy, Imaginary Friend " as a deck themed after the movie " Inside Out" (especially Bing Bong).

I was reluctant to include its partner but after accepting his partner as a black verion of Ryley (the main character of the movie), I decide to give it a try and make a decklist...

I would like some advices/imput:

EDIT: Should I add:

- Krosan Grip?
- Managorger Hydra ?
- Prophet Of Kruphix instead of Murkfiend Liege ?

Creatures : (23)

1x Prime Speaker Zegana
2x Drift of Phantasms
3x Laboratory Maniac
4x Murkfiend Liege
5x Solemn Simulacrum
6x Zameck Guildmage
7x Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
8x Trygon Predator
9x Endless One
10x Chasm Skulker
11x Consecrated Sphinx
12x Plaxcaster Frogling
13x Burnished Hart
14x Archetype of Imagination
15x Tuskguard Captain
16x Vorel of the Hull Clade
17x Temur Sabertooth
18x Overbeing of Myth
19x Avatar of the Resolute
20x Gyre Sage
21x Psychosis Crawler
22x Spike Weaver
23x Fertilid
24x Wickerbough Elder

Enchantements : (4)

25x Archmage Ascension
26x Propaganda
27x As Foretold
28x Sylvan library

Instant/Sorcery (19)

29x Muddle the Mixture
30x Dream Fracture
31x Capsize
32x Triumph of the hordes
33x Simic Charm
34x Arcane Denial
35x Windfall
36x Inspiring Call
37x Swan Song
38x Cyclonic Rift
39x Tezzeret's Gambit
40x Fuel for the Cause
41x Stubborn Denial
42x Emerald Charm
43x Curse of the Swine
44x Arachnogenesis
45x Momentous Fall


Artefacts : (13)


46x Otherworld Atlas
47x Thran Dynamo
48x Everflowing Chalice
49x Sol Ring
50x Hedron Archive
51x Crawlspace
52x Library of Leng
53x Whispersilk Cloak
54x Swiftfoot Boots
55x Thought Vessel
56x Cauldron of Souls
57x Voltaic Key

Planewalkers (1)

58x Nissa, Steward of Elements

Lands: (39)

1x Reliquary Tower
1x Field of Ruin
1x Myriad Landspace
1x Halimar Depths
1x Command Tower
1x Vivid Grove
1x Vivid Creek

[Mystic Muse]

Prophet of Kruphix is banned in commander.

[Fable Wright]

Prime. Speaker. Zegana. Better than Skyrider Patrol.

Let's say you have a Temur Sabertooth on the field. Now, as a sorcery, you can choose to pay 8 mana to draw 5+ cards. Let's say that your Toothy is a 1/1 when this starts. The first time you cast Zegana, he'll go up to a 6/6. The second time, you'll draw 7 cards, and he'll go up to a 13/13. The third time, you draw 14 cards and he goes up to a 27/27.

I will reiterate that, for much the same reasons, I believe that Soul's Majesty will be worthwhile. Optional tricks to make this card engine sillier are Masumaro, First to Live; Greater Good; and Garruk, Primal Hunter.

A creature you may consider, regardless of this, is Psychosis Crawler, as it can turn your drawing into a win condition. If Toothy dying means you drawing 20 cards and your opponents losing 20 life, you are likely to cause someone to go to 0.

[Emmerlaus]

Thank you both for your advices!

Psychosis Crawler is a good idea! I was considering Sturmgeist instead but Psychosis Crawler is definitly better.

I have to consider the mana cost of everything and Im having trouble with that... Prime Speaker Zegana is DEFINITLY better but also VERY costly.

Althought my strategy is to draw lots of cards, Im considering cards that let me go search my library for more land cards. Any suggestions? Something that say " draw" on it for boosting my synergy would be awesome...

From your suggestions, what I did:

+1 Psychosis Crawler
-1 Heroic Intervention

+1 Prime Speaker Zegana
-1 Skyrider Patrol

EDIT: I also changed quite a few cards as I realized I dont have enough effects that give +1/+1 counters AND I needed a way to put a lot of creatures without risking to reduce my hand size too much:

+1 Arachnogenesis
+1 Unity of Purpose
+1 Spike Weaver
+1 Sylvan Library

-1 Sigil of Disctinction
-1 Hurkyl's Recall
-1 Temple Bell
-1 Land
-1 Brainstorm

I changed Brainstorm for Sylvan Library. More consistant draws and starting EVERY TURN with a Brainstorm is awesome. Sure its not instant speed but I feel its a small sacrifice.

EDIT 2: CHanged my planewalker for Kiora, Master of the Depths.

+1 Kiora, Master of the Depths
- 1 Jace, Memory Adept

[thorgrim29]

Hey everyone, I've been trying to build a BW token deck for modern and I think I'm approaching something playable though I'm sure I'm making some terrible mistakes. I say modern sort of by default since it's built around Amonketh cards and I don't think it's worth the effort to make it standard for a few months, but anyway I'm pretty sure I won't take it to anything else than friendly games, I don't intend this to be competitive, mostly something that I can have fun with.

Still, suggestions are welcome:

Spoiler: deck

Show

Creature (15)
2x Anointer Priest
1x Aryel, Knight of Windgrace
2x Doomed Dissenter
1x Josu Vess, Lich Knight
1x Lord of the Accursed
2x Oketra the True
1x Shalai, Voice of Plenty
2x Trueheart Duelist
2x Undead Warchief
1x Wayward Servant

Planeswalker (1)
1x Liliana, Death's Majesty

Sorcery (7)
1x Call the Cavalry
1x Final Parting
1x Grind
1x Never
1x Settle the Score
2x Stir the Sands

Enchantment (6)
3x Anointed Procession
1x Cartouche of Solidarity
1x The Eldest Reborn
1x Trespasser's Curse

Artifact (6)
1x Forebear's Blade
1x Gilded Lotus
2x Oketra's Monument
1x Pyramid of the Pantheon
1x Throne of the God-Pharaoh
Instant (5)
1x Blessed Reversal
2x Quiet Purity
1x Time to Reflect
1x Turn the Tables

Land (20)
12x Plains
8x Swamp

And here is the tappedout link: https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/30-0...?cb=1530381956

[Fable Wright]

Althought my strategy is to draw lots of cards, Im considering cards that let me go search my library for more land cards. Any suggestions? Something that say " draw" on it for boosting my synergy would be awesome...

While it isn't necessarily land FETCH, one of the better cards in my 'draw everything' deck was Burgeoning. I would often have a 20-60 card hand, and not enough lands to do anything with it. Burgeoning gave me more than a few extra lands per turn to make the most of my options. Also, it was amazing turn 1.

If you want dedicated hand growth + draw, Yavimaya Elder is the way to go. Often times, he'll be 5 mana, draw a card, search out two lands. Other times, he'll be more value than that.

Hey everyone, I've been trying to build a BW token deck for modern and I think I'm approaching something playable though I'm sure I'm making some terrible mistakes. I say modern sort of by default since it's built around Amonketh cards and I don't think it's worth the effort to make it standard for a few months, but anyway I'm pretty sure I won't take it to anything else than friendly games, I don't intend this to be competitive, mostly something that I can have fun with.

Still, suggestions are welcome:

You're telling me that this is a Black/White Tokens deck, without Intangible Virtue or Lingering Souls.

Also, 'casual' is a perfectly fine format descriptor; 'Modern' implies competitive.

[tgva8889]

You're telling me that this is a Black/White Tokens deck, without Intangible Virtue or Lingering Souls.

Also, 'casual' is a perfectly fine format descriptor; 'Modern' implies competitive.

He said it's based on what's currently Standard-legal, you can't blame him for not having cards printed before then. Given the list of cards, it looks like "I had these cards so this is what I made." Nothing wrong with that.

If you want to focus hard on tokens, you should investigate those cards certainly. You could actually make a Standard version of this deck if you want to play at Friday Night Magic pretty reasonably; tokens is a common strategy, and there's certainly a lot of cards in Ixalan that make Vampire tokens that can help you out.

You should definitely play more lands; I'd suggest around 24 lands, probably. If you're worried about having too many lands and not enough to do, you can play lands like Cradle of the Accursed or Memorial to Glory that you can convert into tokens if you draw too many. You are also probably very interested in Legion's Landing, which gets your tokens started earlier and gives you a way to keep them going late in the game.

[Jurai]

So, I have a Commander deck: Warrior Tribal starring Najeela, the Blade-Blossom.

Spoiler: Deck List

Show

Spoiler: Basic Lands

Show

• Plains, six.
• Island, six.
• Swamp, six.
• Mountain, six.
• Forest, six.

Spoiler: Non-basic Lands

Show

1. Ghitu Encampment
2. Vivid Grove
3. Unstable Frontier
4. Haunted Fengraf
5. Slayer's Stronghold
6. Dragonskull Summit
7. Nomad Outpost
8. Mystic Monastery
9. Sandsteppe Citadel
10. Opulent Palace

Spoiler: Creatures

Show

1. Alesha, Who Smiles at Death
2. Rhox Brute
3. Relentless Hunter
4. Hellhole Flailer
5. Cliffhaven Vampire
6. Archetype of Aggression
7. Goblin Wardriver
8. Voldaren Duelist
9. Ahn-Crop Champion
10. Bloodshot Trainee
11. Deadeye Harpooner
12. Wolfir Avenger
13. Aven Wind Guide
14. Gorehorn Minotaurs
15. Chief of the Edge
16. Chief of the Scale
17. Aven Skirmisher
18. Brighthearth Banneret
19. Kin-Tree Warden
20. Carrion Thrash
21. Qasali Ambusher
22. Herald of Dromoka
23. Goblin Deathraiders
24. Carnage Gladiator
25. Fanatic of Xenagos
26. Zurgo Helmsmasher
27. Gaea's Protector
28. Bloodrage Brawler
29. Grisly Survivor
30. Khenra Eternal

Spoiler: Sorceries

Show

1. Fury of the Horde
2. Overwhelming Stampede
3. Beneath the Sands
4. Sylvan Scrying
5. Distant Melody
6. Creeping Renaissance
7. Rush of Batte

Spoiler: Instants

Show

1. Valorous Stance
2. Wild Onslaught
3. Harsh Sustenance
4. Tragic Slip
5. Offering to Asha
6. Take Up Arms
7. Without Weakness
8. Dark Temper
9. Mardu Charm
10. Gideon's Reproach
11. Fate Forgotten

Spoiler: Enchantments

Show

1. Campaign of Vengeance
2. Gleam of Battle
3. Suspension Field
4. Beastmaster Ascension
5. Fires of Yavimaya
6. Dictate of the Twin Gods

Spoiler: Artifacts

Show

1. Oketra's Monument
2. Elixir of a Million Copies Immortality
3. Pyramid of the Pantheon
4. Oracle's Vault
5. Wayfarer's Bauble

I want to fit Combat Celebrant, Cyclonic Rift, Vesuva, Cavern of Souls, Reflecting Pool, Druids' Repository, and City of Brass in, and I'm at a loss where to switch things out. My play group uses a lot of tricky decks, with mine being the most aggressive and straight up, with another friend running a Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive deck in a close second.

[thorgrim29]

Yeah... I basically stopped playing 10 years ago, bought a bunch of amonketh/hour of devastation boosters, stopped playing for a year, and then bought a bunch of Dominaria boosters. This is the result.

I bought a few cards in there with store credit from selling a divining top and an into the breach but everything else is from those packs. I said modern because that's what it ended up being, not because it's the intention.

That said I'd be willing to spend maybe 20$ more to make that deck playable in standard, anything over that and I'd feel dumb when Amonketh cycles out in a few months

[Ninjaman]

Hey everyone, I've been trying to build a BW token deck for modern and I think I'm approaching something playable though I'm sure I'm making some terrible mistakes. I say modern sort of by default since it's built around Amonketh cards and I don't think it's worth the effort to make it standard for a few months, but anyway I'm pretty sure I won't take it to anything else than friendly games, I don't intend this to be competitive, mostly something that I can have fun with.

Still, suggestions are welcome:

Spoiler: deck

Show

Creature (15)
2x Anointer Priest
1x Aryel, Knight of Windgrace
2x Doomed Dissenter
1x Josu Vess, Lich Knight
1x Lord of the Accursed
2x Oketra the True
1x Shalai, Voice of Plenty
2x Trueheart Duelist
2x Undead Warchief
1x Wayward Servant

Planeswalker (1)
1x Liliana, Death's Majesty

Sorcery (7)
1x Call the Cavalry
1x Final Parting
1x Grind
1x Never
1x Settle the Score
2x Stir the Sands

Enchantment (6)
3x Anointed Procession
1x Cartouche of Solidarity
1x The Eldest Reborn
1x Trespasser's Curse

Artifact (6)
1x Forebear's Blade
1x Gilded Lotus
2x Oketra's Monument
1x Pyramid of the Pantheon
1x Throne of the God-Pharaoh
Instant (5)
1x Blessed Reversal
2x Quiet Purity
1x Time to Reflect
1x Turn the Tables

Land (20)
12x Plains
8x Swamp

And here is the tappedout link: https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/30-0...?cb=1530381956

Number 1 advice to casual decks is usually, you're playing too many different cards, figure out which of your cards are the best, and then play four of each of them. Of course there are good cards that you might only want to play 1 to 3 of, but generally you want to play a lot of your good cards, for both higher general power and probably more importantly, more consistency.

[Emmerlaus]

I especially want to thank Fable Wright for his advices. Thank you for your kindness and wisdom!

I found out a better planeswalker for my deck above: Nissa, Steward of Elements!


Scrying is awesome, she cost very low to cast, allow me to play a card from my deck if needed without reducing my hand size or get me some sweet elemental creature for one turn in case of a board wipe!

It kinda pains me to never use the +20 card dawing ability of Jace Memory Adept though lol! SHould I replace one card with it? Or my deck look solid now?

I was considering Fertilid for mana and +1/+1 counter synergy... I'll get that instead but Im not sure what to remove in my deck... Should I go with only 37 mana? Im scared of lacking mana in the game

[enderlord99]

What is that word that I can only assume is pronounced "Goweler?"

[Gauntlet]

Welp, they banned Deathrite and Probe in legacy. Format is completely unsolved once again, it seems.

[Tvtyrant]

Welp, they banned Deathrite and Probe in legacy. Format is completely unsolved once again, it seems.

I am betting dredge flies up in the vacuum, then reanimator, and finally Stoneblade returns to prominence pushing them back out.

[Spore]

So I basically got into the MTG Arena beta and - against my initial decision to start spending money on it once it releases - have invested 100$ into it. I've managed to netdeck:

A decent R/G Dinosaur Tribal deck, that gets shut down HARD by heavy creature removal (curse you black!) or infuriating stuff like countering key creature spells (kudos to anyone pulling off playing blue but damn is that frustrating, I understand the memes now). but in itself, the deck plays a bit blandly. Either curve into killing the enemy or die.

Spoiler: Dinosaurs! RAWR!

Show

4x Commune with Dinosaurs
2x Lightning Strike
2x Otepec Huntsmaster (guides advice to make this 4 instead of Forerunners, but how do I draw then?)
4x Drover of the Mighty
4x Thunderherd Migration
4x Ranging Raptors (maybe cut some? after turn 4-5 I drown in mana but lack creatures)
4x Savage Stomp (if I could put more of these in, I would, I considered 2x Cartouche of Strength)
1x Trashing Brontodon (guides tell me this is a one-off but it's stat line is nice and honestly I feel I need artifact destruction in a Dominaria meta)
4x Forerunner of the Empire (this is insanely good removal/draw, problem is, it's clunky and easily removed, guides throw it out completely)
2x Needletooth Raptor (guides would like to see this at 4, I would too, but I often lack ways to activate it but I can see a board state where blocking this might be the only option which then leads to creatures dying)
1x Ripjaw Raptor (this is budget but honestly that thing looks like it'd replace Forerunner if played on curve)
1x Raging Swordtooth (yes, this looks like the activator and it's about as quick as Forerunner (triggering on turn 4-5 the earliest)
1x Regisaur Alpha (basically the "general" card, giving new cards Haste and thus cntral into pushing)
1x Burning Sun's Avatar (this is clunky but you can search your deck for it if you need it, it falls short often because 3 damage is not very much)
1x Ghalta, Primal Hunger (a win condition on its own, I've already seen a full board blocking it, guides advice 4 but I feel that is a LITTLE overkill, maybe 2-3)
8x Mountain
12x Forest (maybe Hashep Oasis for better trades?)
4x Timber Gorge

A weird and terrible Spellweaving deck (30 spells, 10 creatures) that gets shut down HARD by removal. the goal is to dump instants into the graveyard and then use Enigma Drakes for massive damage/Cryptic Serpent is in there for tempo.

Spoiler: Spellweaving ho!

Show

4x Opt
3x Magma Spray (sometimes vital, often underwhelming)
1x Censor
4x Essence Scatter (I've 'won' games from people tilting when I counter their first creature)
1x Search for Azcanta (this looks like a good candidate for 4 of)
2x Seeker of Insight (more cycling)
4x Strategic Planning (the more I play this deck, the more I realize you play this one as much for the draw as you do for the dumping)
1x Abrade (singular artifact destruction is a bit meager, even with that much draw, I'd like 2)
1x Fling (just throw that 12/4 Enigma Drake into your opponent's face)
4x Lightning Strike (the times this saved me...)
2x Secrets of the Golden City (thing is, I usually draw this ways before I get the city's blessing, is it still worth?)
1x Supreme Will (I am sooo luke-warm on this card)
4x Enigma Drake
4x Cryptic Servant
14x Island
6x Mountain
4x Highland Lake

The meta defining deck currently imho. almost mono red artifact aggro Dominaria...thing. I don't need tips on that, because that very much looks and feels like a deck worthy of tournament play.

Spoiler: Behold Fire and Robots!

Show

4x Bomat Courier (how this is not in EVERY RED DECK EVER I cannot fathom)
2x Soul-Scar Mage
4x Scrap Scrounger (why is its mana cost black? It should be green, because the crap gets recycled all the time!)
2x Abrade
2x Kari Zev, Skyship Raider (summon monkey swarm!)
2x Lightning Strike
3x Heart of Kiran (never used that one, but I've played like 3 games with that deck so far)
4x Goblin Chainwhirler (removal, solid stats, face damage)
2x Pia Nalaar (her power is used without tapping, that feels a tad OP)
2x Unlicensed Disintegration (killin' it with lasers)
3x Chandra, Torch of Defiance (slowly loosing to Planeswalker cards is painful, quickly loosing to them is bearable)
3x Hazoret the Fervent (3 off might be a bit much tbh but it comes with a discard function that lets it attack)
2x Glorybringer (removal on a BIG stick, I love it)
1x Swamp
14x Mountain
4x Canyon Slough
4x Dragonskull Summit
2x Aether Hub

How do I improve my odds with the dinosaur deck? Do you think the Spellweaving deck is viable? Should I change it up? And can you point me in the direction how to learn to build my own decks (or at least understand deck ideas better?). I am a bit bored after netdecking for years in Hearthstone where at the last, Brian Kibler showed me that fun and competitive decks are not mutually exclusive.

[Fable Wright]

I want to fit Combat Celebrant, Cyclonic Rift, Vesuva, Cavern of Souls, Reflecting Pool, Druids' Repository, and City of Brass in, and I'm at a loss where to switch things out. My play group uses a lot of tricky decks, with mine being the most aggressive and straight up, with another friend running a Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive deck in a close second.

My advice would to be to swap in the four color-fixing lands and Druid's Repository in for 5 basics. Going down to 39 lands in an aggressive deck is probably safe.

Combat Celebrand and Cyclonic Rift could easily find a place to slot in over Kenra Eternal, Rhox Brute, Relentless Hunter, Voldaren Duelist, Gorehorn Minotaurs, Aven Skirmisher, and/or Goblin Deathraiders,

You might consider Bramblewood Paragon (surprised he's not in there), Nath of the Gilt-Leaf, Brion Stoutarm, Rhys the Redeemed, Hamletback Goliath, Imperious Perfect, Bloodmark Mentor, and Winnower Patrol in for some of those other slots. Synergy > vanilla beatsticks.

I was considering Fertilid for mana and +1/+1 counter synergy... I'll get that instead but Im not sure what to remove in my deck... Should I go with only 37 mana? Im scared of lacking mana in the game

Sentinel Totem is on the weaker side of cards, as is Corrupted Conscience. You don't quite have the land searching effects to go down to 37; you'd want Kodama's Reach and Cultivate in addition to Fertilid before risking going down that low.

[Emmerlaus]

Sentinel Totem is on the weaker side of cards, as is Corrupted Conscience. You don't quite have the land searching effects to go down to 37; you'd want Kodama's Reach and Cultivate in addition to Fertilid before risking going down that low.

Interesting... I love Corrupted Conscience because it was well, thematic of "Sadness" in Inside Out... but its true that its a very costly card. I didnt consider it before... I wanted to compensate with that with Nissa, Steward of Elements and As Foretold but its commander format and I need more synergy...

But in the same time... I need something against graveyard deck. SOOOO I found THIS card: Game Plan

Game Plan allow me to shuffle ALL graveyards and hands in the library THEN draws 7 cards. Sure it cost a lot but with Assist, a other player with a empty hand can help me pay for the mana needed! It's one of those cards that can be worth it to the right circonstance. It involve game politics as well, which is part of the fun of commander with the right group.


I changed quite a few cards now... I added Emerald Charm for exemple, replacing Unity of Purpose. Less +1/+1 counter but more versatility AND a answer against flying creatures, which my deck lack a bit.

Here the decklist now, with 39 lands for mana...

Please tell me how good the deck is from 1 to 10, 1 being horrible and 10 being competitive level.

Spoiler: The deck

Show

Creatures : (24)

1x Prime Speaker Zegana
2x Drift of Phantasms
3x Laboratory Maniac
4x Murkfiend Liege
5x Solemn Simulacrum
6x Zameck Guildmage
7x Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
8x Trygon Predator
9x Endless One
10x Chasm Skulker
11x Plaxcaster Frogling
12x Burnished Hart
13x Archetype of Imagination
14x Thassa, God of the sea
15x Vorel of the Hull Clade
16x Temur Sabertooth
17x Overbeing of Myth
18x Gyre Sage
19x Psychosis Crawler
20x Spike Weaver
21x Fertilid
22x Wickerbough Elder
23x Aeon Chronicler
24x Forgotten Ancient

Enchantements : (5)

25x Propaganda
26x As Foretold
27x Sylvan library
28x Hadana's scale
29x Arcane Laboratory

Instant/Sorcery (16)

30x Muddle the Mixture
31x Dream Fracture
32x Game Plan
33x Triumph of the hordes
34x Simic Charm
35x Arcane Denial
36x Windfall
37x Inspiring Call
38x Swan Song
39x Cyclonic Rift
40x Tezzeret's Gambit
41x Fuel for the Cause
42x Stubborn Denial
43x Curse of the Swine
44x Keep Watch
45x Momentous Fall


Artefacts : (12)

46x Bow of Nylea
47x Otherworld Atlas
48x Thran Dynamo
49x Everflowing Chalice
50x Sol Ring
51x Hedron Archive
52x Crawlspace
53x Whispersilk Cloak
54x Swiftfoot Boots
55x Thought Vessel
56x Cauldron of Souls
57x Mind's Eye

Planewalkers (2)

58x Jace, Unraveler of Secrets
59x Nissa, Steward of Elements

Lands: (39)

1x Reliquary Tower
1x Field of Ruin
1x Myriad Landspace
1x Halimar Depths
1x Command Tower
1x Vivid Grove
1x Vivid Creek

[Fable Wright]

Here the decklist now, with 39 lands for mana...

Please tell me how good the deck is from 1 to 10, 1 being horrible and 10 being competitive level.

Defining the scale:

Spoiler

Show

10: This is the kind of degenerate deck that shows why EDH is not a competitive format.
8: This is a deck that will win most games, is hard to shut down, and increasingly unfun to play against
5: A forgettable deck that will do moderately well in most games
3: A pile of decent with an inconsistent theme and little synergy
1: This is a pile of random cards

This deck is around the 5.5-6 range. It has a clear identity of what it wants to be, but will require actual play to tune the results—there is little redundancy, ability to search the library, mana smoothing and ramp, and it may lack the critical density of synergistic effects to reliably get the effect you want. On the other hand, it's rarely going to leave you unable to do ANYTHING, and it has plenty of room to grow.

I strongly suspect that as time goes on, you're likely to get annoyed at an inconsistent mana base and eventually feel like Library of Leng, Archmage Ascension, Whispersilk Cloak, Voltaic Key, Archetype of Imagination, Tuskguard Captain, Emerald Charm, Arachnogenesis, and some of the Transmute cards are going to feel like they're not pulling their weight. Game Plan might be better replaced with Time Spiral, which is effectively free to cast after a point; Flood of Recollection is a worse Eternal Witness that exiles itself rather than it recurrable; Pongify, Rapid Hybridization, and Beast Within are likely better flying (and non-flying) creature removal than Emerald Charm. I suspect that you might eventually like to have a lategame engine to draw cards that don't require board presence, like Yavimaya Elder + Genesis, or even Whispers of the Muse. But by the time you begin to feel the cards lacking, you'll have a better grasp on the deck's strengths and limitations, and be able to pick cards that fine tune it more.

It can definitely, given time to mature, get into the 7 range of able to win while being fun to play against. But it'll require a few games with the deck to really get a feel for the deck's unaddressed needs.

Also, please consider putting your decklist in a spoiler, to make page-scrolling easier.

[Emmerlaus]

Good advice and analysis again, thanks!

I'll take Game Plan for now, less costly. Im not paying above 10$ for a card unless necessary lol!

+1 Bow of Nylea
-1 Flood of Recollection

Your advice was well heard. I discovered Bow of Nylea today and it give me a lot synergy with what Im doing.

+1 Thassa, God of the sea
-1 Tuskguard Captain

It give me more for what I wanted. Being unblockable is better then Trample and the card is indestructable.

=======

For the rest, it will have to wait until I try out the deck, just like you said...

[Dhavaer]

Did an M19 pre-release today, and got an absurd pool. Not absurdly good or bad, just absurd.

The deck I ended up with was:

1x Shock
1x Banefire
2x Highland Game
1x Goblin Instigator
1x Dryad Greenseeker
1x Marauder's Axe
1x Onakke Ogre
1x Elvish Rejuvenator
1x Dragon Egg
3x Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma (!!!)
1x Giant Spider
1x Hostile Minotaur
1x Vine Mare
1x Volley Veteran
1x Electrify
1x Rhox Oracle
1x Vigilant Baloth
1x Prodigious Growth
1x Palladia-Mors, the Ruiner
10x Forest
7x Mountain
1x Plains

I was also one of three people to open a promo Crucible of Worlds.

Dryad Greenseeker was great, drawing me a lot of extra cards and fixing my mana. Prodigious Growth on Vine Mare is completely broken. Goreclaw is very powerful, curving it into Baloth + Vine Mare feels great.

[thorgrim29]

Did anybody get into the Arena beta? It looks pretty fun.

[Emmerlaus]

Did anybody get into the Arena beta? It looks pretty fun.

It looks awesome! I tried to register but I didn’t receive a confirmation yet. On a sidenote, I finally have all my cards for my commander deck and will be trying it for the first time next Wednesday. I can’t wait, I’m so looking forward to it!

[Turalisj]

Did anybody get into the Arena beta? It looks pretty fun.

It's currently control winter. I'm staying away until they put commander in and add support for phones.