Nin, the Pain Artist

Legality

Format Legality
1v1 Commander Legal
Vintage Legal
Pauper Legal
Legacy Legal
Duel Commander Legal
Casual Legal
Commander / EDH Legal

Printings View all

Set Rarity
Commander 2017 Rare
MTG: Commander Rare

Combos Browse all

Nin, the Pain Artist

Legendary Creature — Vedalken Wizard

, : Nin, the Pain Artist deals X damage to target creature. That creature's controller draws X cards.

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Nin, the Pain Artist Discussion

terand42 on Livin' La Vida Locust!

3 days ago

Your Deck has a pretty cute name too.

In terms of land...

I am a big fan of Academy Ruins. Skullclamp is a great card in this deck, and it sucks to have it blown up, milled, or discarded. Academy Ruins fixes this problem, and rescues Ashnod's Altar and Phyrexian Altar which also tend to draw a lot of hate.

I Also Like Strip Mine in almost any deck. It doesn't help you that much, but when somebody gets Gaea's Cradle or The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale you want to blow it up ASAP.

I'm not a huge fan of Temple of the False God. It being a dead card until you have 5 lands just feels too slow to me. I think either of the lands I have suggested would be better.

In terms of artifacts...

I suggest adding Pithing Needle for control. It can easily shut down decks that rely on their commander, like Yisan, the Wanderer Bard or Captain Sisay.

I really like Library of Leng. It let's you keep your hand, which makes your wheel's that more devastating. What is really killer is the second ability, which lets you keep stuff that would otherwise be lost when wheeling. (If you discard more than 1 card you can choose for some cards to go on your library and the rest to go in your graveyard).

For beating people down Coat of Arms is ridiculous. You have to be careful though since it is a universal buff, throw it down for the kill, not when you "Don't have anything else to play for turn". I did that once against a Krenko, Mob Boss and learned my lesson.

Mana Vault is great for getting out your commander out just a little bit earlier.

I would suggest cutting some creatures from your deck to make room for these artifacts, which I will list below.

In terms of creatures...

If you decide to add Pithing Needle, Library of Leng or Mana Vault then Trinket Mage is great utility. You can use him to get all of the above and Sol Ring and Skullclamp and Altar of the Brood. Being able to fix your mana base or get ready to ramp or punish another player is too good to pass.

I haven't used her yet, But Nin, the Pain Artist looks like a good fit. I would bump off Blue Sun's Zenith for her. You can ping locusts to draw, deck out others, and kill opponents utility creatures/mana dorks.

You should consider Cutting some of these creatures:

Psychosis Crawler will sometimes get big, but you'll probably be beating people down with locusts, and the ping damage can easily be replaced by buffing your locusts more or be out-damaged by your other enchantments.

Mindwrack Liege is kinda mana heavy. There are other things that buff better, and his other ability is ok. Not terrible, but not the best either.

Whirlpool Drake and Forgotten Creation suffer the same fate. If they costed a little less and came out a little faster they would be great, but whenever I got them out they where kinda "meh".

terand42 on Locust God, Take The Wheel!

3 days ago

Your Deck has a pretty cute name too.

In terms of land...

I am a big fan of Academy Ruins. Skullclamp is a great card in this deck, and it sucks to have it blown up, milled, or discarded. Academy Ruins fixes this problem, and rescues Ashnod's Altar and Phyrexian Altar which also tend to draw a lot of hate.

I Also Like Strip Mine in almost any deck. It doesn't help you that much, but when somebody gets Gaea's Cradle or The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale you want to blow it up ASAP.

I'm not a huge fan of Temple of the False God. It being a dead card until you have 5 lands just feels too slow to me. I think either of the lands I have suggested would be better.

In terms of artifacts...

I suggest adding Pithing Needle for control. It can easily shut down decks that rely on their commander, like Yisan, the Wanderer Bard or Captain Sisay.

I really like Library of Leng. It let's you keep your hand, which makes your wheel's that more devastating. What is really killer is the second ability, which lets you keep stuff that would otherwise be lost when wheeling. (If you discard more than 1 card you can choose for some cards to go on your library and the rest to go in your graveyard).

For beating people down Coat of Arms is ridiculous. You have to be careful though since it is a universal buff, throw it down for the kill, not when you "Don't have anything else to play for turn". I did that once against a Krenko, Mob Boss and learned my lesson.

Mana Vault is great for getting out your commander out just a little bit earlier.

I would suggest cutting some creatures from your deck to make room for these artifacts, which I will list below.

In terms of creatures...

If you decide to add Pithing Needle, Library of Leng or Mana Vault then Trinket Mage is great utility. You can use him to get all of the above and Sol Ring and Skullclamp and Altar of the Brood. Being able to fix your mana base or get ready to ramp or punish another player is too good to pass.

I haven't used her yet, But Nin, the Pain Artist looks like a good fit. I would bump off Blue Sun's Zenith for her. You can ping locusts to draw, deck out others, and kill opponents utility creatures/mana dorks.

You should consider Cutting some of these creatures:

Psychosis Crawler will sometimes get big, but you'll probably be beating people down with locusts, and the ping damage can easily be replaced by buffing your locusts more or be out-damaged by your other enchantments.

Mindwrack Liege Just costs too much. There are other things that buff better, and his other ability is so rarely used that it won't be too big of a loss to give him up.

Whirlpool Drake and Forgotten Creation suffer the same fate. If they costed a little less and came out a little faster they would be great, but by the time they come out they are kinda "meh".

cklise on What two commanders without partner ...

1 week ago

Want a terrifying pairing? Nekusar, the Mindrazer + Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer, Kami of the Crescent Moon, Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist, Nin, the Pain Artist, Seizan, Perverter of Truth, or Selvala, Explorer Returned. Never have players hated drawing cards more.

Klancik on The Ten Plagues: Locust God EDH | *PRIMER*

3 weeks ago

Daedalus19876: Would Diminishing Returns be a good one to take out for Nin, the Pain Artist? She's two less mana with her only downside being no haste. Exiling ten cards from the deck isn't too big of a downside in EDH but still a downside.

RowdyMagic18 on can't pick a commander

3 weeks ago

I love the new The Locust God, I think it would be a very fun choice to build around. However if you want more possible choices, I went through and found all the possible options for RU Commanders other then the ones that you have listed.

Nin, the Pain Artist

Jori En, Ruin Diver

Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist

Mizzix of the Izmagnus

Tibor and Lumia

Keranos, God of Storms

Kraum, Ludevic's Opus

Arjun, the Shifting Flame

Melek, Izzet Paragon

Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius

Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind

If you need more help on choosing a commander for your deck, or help building around your commander, I recommend you checking out Tolarian Community College's videos on commander decks, I've found his videos to be very helpful.

Also remember, building a commander deck is all about building around a commander that you love playing.

Hope this helps

Klancik on The Ten Plagues: Locust God EDH | *PRIMER*

3 weeks ago

Daedalus19876: I feel like no one remembers Nin, the Pain Artist anymore. For a deck like this, dealing X damage to a single locust to draw X cards and get X Locust back is ridiculous.

Triton on Jori En vs Arjun! Which ...

1 month ago

Nin, the Pain Artist also is really good for goodstuff if you have her or can get her.

sonnet666 on [List - Multiplayer] EDH Generals by Tier

1 month ago

Stop rushing me guys...

Megacomment inbound:

  • The Locust God - T2.5: We already have a working infinite mana deck made by Gigi. The fact that it needs colored mana limits the deck's options a bit, and makes it a little Glass-Cannon-y. The token it makes are also good fodder for Skullclamp to dig for your combo. T2.5 is a good place.
  • The Scorpion God - T3 - Also an infinite mana game, but needs a bit more setup and is in weaker colors. The fact that he can pick off utility creatures and draw you cards while you set gives him decent utility. Middle of the road in T3.
  • The Scarab God - T3 - Not terribly useful, but is a solid Nooze commander, and is a good finisher if anyone can think up any infinite Zombie combos. Lower end of T3.
  • Djeru the Purified - T4 or 5 - Not sure yet. As merrowMania pointed out, he's a guarantied Karn or Ugin, but that's still a 5 mana tutor in the command zone that doesn't get the PW out right away. He's also in the weakest solo color identity. I feel this is more T5, but I'll leave it up to you guys.
  • Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign - T4 - Draws you cards, changelings and blink effects might round this out a little, and he draws your deck if you go infinite with a sac outlet. Mono-blue is also strong enough to support a mediocre commander.
  • Razaketh, the Foulblooded - T1.5 - I made a deck that wins on turns 3 to 4. Need I say more?
  • Neheb, the Eternal - T3 - I've already seen some decent decklists that turn stuff like Heartless Hidetsugu into massive red X spells. At the very least his Afflict ability means he's a 3 mana ramp spell in the command zone. Seems good for T3. (viperfang4, If you wan't this to go higher you'll have to make a decklist. Krenko, Kiki, and Zada are already good combo decks, and none of them have been able to break out of T3 because of the weaknesses of mono-Red.)
  • Fixed Grenzo link
  • If no one objects, I'm going to add the Rishkar list I made to T3. It came out really nicely I think, and somehow I doubt anyone else is going to brew a Rishkar list anytime soon.
  • Also adding my Lyzolda, the Blood Witch, as I don't think it's likely that anyone else is building her. (There are several high rated Lyzolda decks on T/O, but none are cEDH builds.)
  • I'm going to add this deck I found as our Glissa, the Traitor deck:
    deck chart

    Building Perfection (EDH Stax Primer)

    Commander / EDH* Perfect_Phyrexia

    SCORE: 79 | 48 COMMENTS | 18404 VIEWS | IN 48 FOLDERS

    I don't think it's 100% optimized, but it's very close, and it has a lovely primer that goes over the fundamentals of Stax. (Also, having a Glissa list by somebody named Perfect_Phyrexia is to flavorful to pass up.)
  • Added Gigi's Locust God list. Masterful also posted a list that was a good contender, but I felt it was a little too muddled in extra win conditions, and Gigi's seemed more straightforward.
  • My Razaketh deck is about as perfect as I can make it. I can add it to the deckles section, but I'd like to get people's approval first. I know other people are trying this one, and as NarejED pointed out a while back, it's unhealthy for this project if the people who run it are overrepresented in its resources.
  • Added DiabolicEsper's Scorpion God list.
  • Added Gigi's more suped up Kozilek, Butcher of Truth list. He had the primer ready to go and everything. Im surprised he didn't put this up sooner.
  • Added HezTheGod's Braids list.

Not sure if anyone's noticed (Nvrm, you noticed), but I added a TierBanned decklists section. I thought it would be neat to be able to show people what the banned commanders' decks might look like if we were allowed to play them. So far it only contains thegigibeast's Griselbrand storm list and Lilbrudder's old Leovold list, but anyone who wants to make a hypothetical decklist is welcome to.

The only rule is you can't use other banned cards in the 99, because that would be unrealistic compared to the other decklists in the description. The point is to see how the banned commanders would stack up as cEDH commanders, not how broken it's possible make the format with no banlist. There isn't much competition on cEDH decklists for banned commanders, so if you think you can make a good one then have at it. (Dibs on Rofellos.)

I've also added a new tier. As I'm sure you're all aware, we're going to be getting a new Un-set soon, Unstable. In preparation for the momentous occasion, I have added TierInsanity to the list! It fits right below TierBanned, so the layout of the list won't be affected. Since they are not legal in commander Un-legendary decklists can also fit in the TierBanned section. I will be adding lists for them as soon as I find people crazy enough to make them. (I found a funny Richard Garfield, Ph.D. deck floating around this site already, but I'd be happy with a new submission that actually tries to optimize the deck. Interestingly, an optimized Richard seems like it would actually need to play a lot of expensive cards, since you need to make it to 5 mana before you can use his ability.)

Also, a few pieces useful information on the un-commanders you should use if you're going to make a decklist:

  • Frankie Peanuts cannot keep a player from conceding or force them to concede. Players can concede an any time, and this is outside of all game rules, Un or otherwise. Maro has specified this. Multiple times.
  • Frankie Peanuts also does not force a player to reveal hidden information, or use hidden information to abide by the answer given. Source
  • Richard Garfield can't let you cast cards as if they were cards that are banned in commander. Source
  • For now at least, lets say that all of the cards in the 99 have to be black border. It would be too confusing otherwise.

Ohthenoises pointed out in comment that it might be worthwhile to consolidate a list of every commander that can be used to win the game as a outlet for infinite mana. I went through the list and here are the results:

T1

T1.5

T2

T2.5:

T3

T4

T5

Interesting things to note about the results here:

  • There are far more of them than I expected in the lower tiers, specifically T4. I'm probably going to make some adjustments based on this.

  • "With a sac outlet" just means some way to remove the commander so you can recast it. Food Chain counts.

  • "Colorless" commanders mean you only need an unlimited amount of colorless mana to win. This is always going to be an edge for that commander, since making infinite colorless mana is possible in every color identity, and is a lower barrier to entry.

  • A lot of the commanders in the upper tiers have more effecient strategies that make infinite mana game plans unnecessary. For instance, it doesn't really matter that infinite mana wins you the game with Sidisi, Undead Vizier.

Based on evaluating commanders off of infinite mana gamelans, and my review of the lower tiers, I've decided to make some general upkeep adjustments to the lower tiers.

From T5:

  • Melira, Sylvok Outcast, Moved to T4: She has a combo that blows up all non-creature permanents and is tutorable in her color. Not great, but better than useless.

  • Sakiko, Mother of Summer Moved to T4: That's a lot of ramp. I'm sure there are some green shenanigans that can capitalize on that. CMC 6 is a little hefty for the effect, but she's not uncastable.

  • Triad of Fates, Moved to T4: There's actually a surprising amount of ways to speed up this ability, from Thousand-Year Elixir to Illusionist's Bracers and Oblivion Stone to Eye of Doom. With a black/white color identity it's reasonable to have enough tutors to se them every game, and then you have a draw engine / creature removal option that can help you dig for combos. Not the greatest, but I think T4 is a better fit.

  • Obzedat, Ghost Council and Ghost Council of Orzhova, Both moved to T4: I'm a bit hesitant on these guys, since a while back I vehemently argued that they should stay right where they are, but if you look at them from an infinite mana perspective, and not as incremental life drain engines, then they suddenly become a lot less janky. They have a lot of hoops to jump through, needing both infinite colored mana AND a sacrifice outlet to remove themselves, but seeing as the best infinite mana combos in Black/White tend to use sac outlets already, it's probably enough to bump these two to T4.

  • Kumano, Master Yamabushi, Possible move to T4: Not sure on this one. On one hand, infinite mana is a guaranteed win. On the other, few combos in mono-Red, almost 0 tutors, and he's completely useless outside of the combo. Could be T4? Maybe? Tell me what you think guys.

From T4:

  • Ambassador Laquatus, Moved to T3: Blue is one of the best infinite mana colors right now, with Basalt/Rings, Dramatic/Scepter, and Pili/Architect all being searchable by artifact tutors. Laquatus was in T4 mostly for being looked at as "Oona without black," but I think he's probably the best infinite mana commander in mono-Blue, and deserves a spot in T3.

  • Erebos, God of the Dead, Moved to T3: People have been clamoring for it. and while I still haven't seen a decklist that's cEDH worthy, I can't deny that refilling your hand from the command zone is good enough for T3

  • Ghoulcaller Gisa, Moved to T3: She's a competent Stax commander, and mono-black has good enough ramp to offset her 5 CMC.

  • Ishkanah, Grafwidow, Moved to T3. A G/B infinite mana sink is nothing to scoff at. I think we put her in T4 originally as a way to denote she was worse than other options of the same deck, like Tasigur. But now that that archetype has branched out into multiple decks due to Thrasios gabbing the top spot, it's a little unrealistic to act like only one commander can represent the infinite mana plan. Not having blue definitely hurts her, but G/B is a solid color identity, and the fact that she herself is a piece in Nim Deathmantle gives her a leg up as well.

  • Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius, Moved to T3: He's not as combo-y as his counterpart, but Infinite mana with him is still infinite draw and a guarantied win. If The Locust God can do it, so can he.

  • Ulasht, the Hate Seed, Moved to T3: Red/Green's only infinite mana commander that doesn't need extra set up. Omnath, Locus of Rage is already in T3, so...

  • Vela the Night-Clad, Moved to T3: Vela has always been a weird fringe deck that people don't know what to do with. The problem is mostly that her abilities seem contradictory. Do you want to focus on attacking with creatures, or do you want to make creatures leave play? It's a bit murky what strategy fits her best, but now that I've taken a look at her from an infinite mana combo, I think her best strategy is probably to look for an infinite mana combo with a sac outlet, and infinite LTB combo (Deadeye combo probs), or bomb with Blade of Selves/Rite of Replication. (Not to mention, a certain card that may or may not be coming out next set forms a 2 card combo with her.)

  • Lyzolda, the Blood Witch, Moved to T3: I already made a decklist on this. Infinite mana is a guarantied win.

From T3:

  • Jazal Goldmane Moved to T4: I defended Jazal for quite some time, as his unusual tiny creature aggro strategy can often deal 40 damage to a player on turn 4 or 5. However, with the increasing power level that recent card printings have pushed onto tiers 1 through 3, it's becoming quite clear that the ability to take out just one player quickly is better relegated to T4, as most voltron commanders are already.

The leaked commanders' placements so far. Not linking them, you can look them up if you want to.

Commander 2017:

  • Ur-Dragon - T5
  • Ramos - T2.5 maybe 3
  • O-Kagachi - T4
  • Wasitora - T4 maybe 3
  • Taigam - T3 maybe 2.5 (I think we've been going about this guy the wrong way so far. Everyone's been building storm, but rebound doesn't really help storm. Something interesting I just came across is the idea of using him for turns instead. Rebound makes every Time Warp into a Time Stretch instead. Add in a little spell recursion and you could easily take 10+ turns in row. Tamiyo, the Moon Sage's ult would then turn that into infinite turns.

Ixilan:

  • Mynea Frian, Dark Apostle - T5
  • Kopala, Warden of Waves - T4
  • Admiral Beckett Brass - T4 maybe 3
  • Gishark, Sun's Avatar - T5 maybe 4
  • Tiehana, Voice of Thunder - T?
  • Captain Lannery Storm - T5
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