Captive Audience

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Tokens

Legality

Format Legality
1v1 Commander Legal
Archenemy Legal
Arena Legal
Block Constructed Legal
Canadian Highlander Legal
Casual Legal
Commander / EDH Legal
Commander: Rule 0 Legal
Custom Legal
Duel Commander Legal
Gladiator Legal
Highlander Legal
Historic Legal
Legacy Legal
Leviathan Legal
Limited Legal
Modern Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Pioneer Legal
Planechase Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Captive Audience

Enchantment

Captive Audience enters the battlefield under the control of an opponent of your choice.

At the beginning of your upkeep, choose one that hasn't been chosen:

  • Your Life total becomes 4.
  • Discard your Hand.
  • Each opponent creates five 2/2 black Zombie creature tokens.

tjt on Ghen, Arcanum Weaver

7 months ago

sick deck, bro

you have a Captive Audience to leave you opponents with a Baffling End in a Ghostly Prison

wink wink, nod nod

FormOverFunction on Rakdos the Defil-Loving, Kind, Salt …

8 months ago

I don’t know if this will work, but it’s worth a shot: https://scryfall.com/search?as=gridℴ=name&q=commander%3ABR+%28game%3Apaper%29+legal%3Acommander+%28set%3Arna+OR+set%3Agrn+OR+set%3Adgm%29+is%3Awatermark

I looked briefly at page one and saw Captive Audience, which could be a catastrophe if you’ve got a well-timed blood artist. Lots of good stuff. Eventually you may end up where I’m at, where you just do a search for “green” or something and scroll through all 3800 cards one by one... trolling for a new deck idea... ;p

DreadKhan on tBZ_Garna-Bloodfist

1 year ago

I suspect cards like Rite of the Raging Storm would probably work in here, you'd either get in for 5 each turn or get a card, and nobody else can swing at you with the tokens/changelings. Since you can also use Goblin Bombardment after a creature has dealt damage, you can kill any creature before combat actually ends, so you'd still get the card even if they let the creatures hit them. Any token generator that would ever be worth using is probably good in here too, even Orochi Hatchery could draw a lot of cards if people have to block. The best way to force people to block would be any kind of power buff that is global, I like Berserkers' Onslaught in Red, double damage also works well with any other buffs you can add. I guess there is stuff like Judith, the Scourge Diva too. The effect is pretty clunky, but with your Commander Captive Audience looks a lot better, those tokens are much more valuable, and it still usually a death sentence for one player.

Zulaport Cutthroat is a great Aristocrat to look at, I usually don't bother with it but at your budget maybe Butcher of Malakir can be a real nuisance, as can Ogre Slumlord if you're losing lots of non-tokens. If you find yourself running more wipes/removal, Sangromancer can generate a lot of life.

Not sure if they're within your budget, but Fire Covenant and Phyrexian Purge can both clear a ton of other people's stuff. Make an Example might be the best sorcery speed removal effect ever printed, it's non-targeted and uses sacrifice, but you choose the piles that die so you always hit what you need to hit with it. Ashes to Ashes/Reckless Spite can clear a couple bodies. In Rakdos I feel like you want some of the following, Feed the Swarm, Chaos Warp and Wild Magic Surge to deal with awkward permanent types.

DreadKhan on unthinkable apocalypse

1 year ago

I'm not certain the Commander has enough explosive power to consistently win vs 2 decks, but I have very good results in 1 v 1 with my Rakdos deck, and it often has spare cards by the end of the game, be it wipe or removal, because the deck just runs so much of those, with lots of the removal hitting more than 1 target (I love stuff like Phyrexian Purge, Fire Covenant, Make an Example, and Volcanic Offering can each be a terror of a card, and a deck running all of them has lots of pinpoint removal that will clear lots of stuff out. Ashes to Ashes and Reckless Spite also exist fwiw, and if you aren't certain you'll have creatures out, Tergrid's Shadow can do a bit of work, as can Plaguecrafter or Demon's Disciple, cards Sedris can recur for 2B even. Another value card is Dredge the Mire, which can cheat in the 3 worst creatures in people's graveyards, note certain creatures will kill you if you control them, so check before playing! Necromantic Selection not only clears the field, it also gives you back the best thing, this is extra juicy if you use some sort of Indestructible creature(s) that won't die. If you consistently have a fairly big creature, or one with Deathtouch and Lifelink, Chandra's Ignition is one sided by definition, one of many cards that shines brightly with Basilisk Collar (which is also very good with Jaya Ballard, Task Mage or even good old Banshee, Jaya's 6 damage wipe really is amazing if you've got Collar on her, though it'll kill her too). If you expect to have multiple opponents, Goad is a very strong effect, Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant is potentially pretty solid, lots of card draw. There is also Kardur, Doomscourge that will force everyone's hand. Spectacular Showdown is a great card if you've actually got a board of your own to finish people off, keep in mind that on your next turn, you not only won't have been attacked by any pre-existing creature, everyone else will have swung for the fences with Double Strike, and they will likely have nothing left to defend with, making your Double Strikers very effective. Another Goad source that is great with a creature heavy board is Agitator Ant, which is hilarious a lot of the time. If you're using Goad effects, War Tax can let an opponent have a way around them, if there is a tax to attack Goad fails, and War Cadence is absolutely devastating with Goad, even a tax of 1 to block can make blocking impossible for weenie decks, and you can use either on anyone's turn.

As you've got access to Blue, there are a few non-Rakdos tricks you can use, the most hilarious I know of is Mass Diminish, note that it lasts until your next turn and have a good laugh. There is also Sudden Spoiling, which is powerful but lasts for that turn, or Polymorphist's Jest, which is similarly a 1 turn solution. I use Mass Diminish more aggressively, to make a player hyper-vulnerable to attackers (and make them unable to counter attack), getting two casts is just savage. Visions of Duplicity can create some chaos with it's two casts, Cultural Exchange is obscene if someone else has better creatures. Bident of Thassa is glorious if you want both of it's effects, forcing people to attack is incredibly mean, and this doesn't require you to run a weenie like Goblin Diplomats, but that's also a fun card fwiw. If you're going to run Oriq Loremage, you might slip in a huge creature to Unearth, something like Dragon Tyrant can be huge and not break the bank, Double Strike and Firebreathing are really good together, and you won't have to pay the upkeep with Unearth, he's dead before that matters.

I was looking at your land count and average Mana Value and I think you probably are running too few lands at this point, it's very tempting to cut them, but 30 is probably too few for a MV that is over 2.5. You might get away with adding 2 mana ramp, but I'd still aim for at least 36 lands (or MDFCs that count as a land, you probably already have the best two MDFCs in those colours, but people also run Malakir Rebirth  Flip) to ensure you can consistently cast stuff. There is a smattering of ways you can run less lands/ramp, but these all come with downsides, but in Grixis you can run 4 solid Bounce Lands, Dimir Aqueduct and Guildless Commons should be in here as well if you want a lower land count, these let you hit another land drop when you draw them. You might also run stuff like Thran Dynamo or Worn Powerstone to help you hit higher MVs sooner, ramping by only 1 mana feels bad compared to hitting a land drop most of the time, there is also Gilded Lotus, but hitting 5 mana can be rough. Coalition Relic can charge for 1 turn, Skyclave Relic is super versatile/rugged, and Everflowing Chalice can be huge if you want, 6-10 mana is absurd but sometimes comes up. Cantrips like Ponder and Preordain are also good at digging for a land, but I know in Talrand it stings pretty bad when you Preordain and don't find a land and I needed one. As for some cards to remove, I'll take a look, but if I'm trying to build a deck that can handle attention, I look first at cards that will hurt only 1 player, unless that card will almost certainly end that player, either right away or in a few turns.

A few to consider removing (I may be missing why you have them in, so user discretion is advised or something): Archive Trap, Outpost Siege, Palace Siege, Ponder, Preordain, Haunting Echoes, Cruel Ultimatum (this seems insanely hard to cast, and hits only 1 player, unless you can copy it I'd run Captive Audience if I want to hose one player hard), Cranial Extraction, Cormela, Glamour Thief, Kess, Dissident Mage, Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger, Lobber Crew, Loyal Subordinate, Nekusar, the Mindrazer, Obeka, Brute Chronologist, Phenax, God of Deception, Runo Stromkirk  Flip, Spear Spewer, and Thermo-Alchemist.Some maybe cards include Angrath, Captain of Chaos, and Cryptolith Fragment  Flip (for another land, maybe a better rock, there is Thought Vessel, but fixing is sweet in Grixis).

Hope some of this is helpful!

Pheardemons on Mishra's Relentless Horde

1 year ago

Gleeock - I see where Captive Audience could work, but I don't think I'm going to include it in this list. Despite how much I love that card in a different deck I have. I forgot all about Calculating Lich and I think I own one. I'll definitely look into that. Bitterblossom and Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs were both cards I was looking at taking out because Bitterblossom is so slow and Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs relies on my opponents. Most likely they won't attack me until they can pay or get rid of it. I'll keep that in mind as I playtest as well. Shiny Impetusand Curse of Opulence were both considered but I thought they were a bit too slow for the slow. I might do Professional Face-Breaker if I decide to add in some more ramp in that form.

Gleeock on Mishra's Relentless Horde

1 year ago

Maybe Captive Audience. Calculating Lich for political redundancy. Though, mana value is still an issue. Shiny Impetus is a pretty aggressive ramp, that works as pseudo problem-removal. Curse of Opulence is more of the same.

Gleeock on Why are people calling for …

1 year ago

I don't see it. Since it is target player (not the entire table), it is Captive Audience-esque in that regard... but more recurrable. Either it will be: "better him/her than me" or it becomes archenemy & the game balances out. I'm seeing the same kinds of comments it seems with increasing regularity now. This is a problem with a regulatory body in a casual format that should be governed by the players. Twitch reaction to aggressive abilities on cards have gotten out of control as well... I've seen the same kind of "ban it" "you'll be hated" comments with every other commander now, to me if some of these "you'll be hated" players have such a low threshold for "you'll be hated" they may be playing the wrong game.

Gleeock on Streets of New Capenna

2 years ago

TheoryCrafter That is a really good thought doesn't need the sole lease on the payment pip for extort I suppose.

A massacre type card would make a lot of sense... Maybe something that mechanically "makes an example" and somehow closes off certain retaliatory options against you after the boardwipe/some aftermath type of ability.

I would hope for more multimodal 'bad choice' cards for opponents like Captive Audience, except not so backbreaking on the CMC front - I love the audience, but it is an extreme cost for something that doesn't immediately do anything & punishes someone instead of advancing your boardstate (5 zombies you could argue does that).

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