Rites of Initiation

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Legality

Format Legality
1v1 Commander Legal
Archenemy Legal
Canadian Highlander Legal
Casual Legal
Commander / EDH Legal
Commander: Rule 0 Legal
Custom Legal
Duel Commander Legal
Highlander Legal
Legacy Legal
Leviathan Legal
Limited Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Pauper Legal
Pauper Duel Commander Legal
Pauper EDH Legal
Planechase Legal
Premodern Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Tiny Leaders Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Rites of Initiation

Instant

Discard any number of cards at random. Creatures you control get +1/+0 until end of turn for each card discarded this way.

BRAZATO on Locust God EDH

1 year ago

Hi, I'm also another Locust God player!

I'll recommend some key cards of my deck. (I know some of them are not very budget friendly, but just giving ideas)

  • I play Rites of Initiation in my deck. When you have drawn a lot of cards, playing that card discarding (for example) 9 spare cards can seal the game, making all your locust tokens 10/1. Very explosive!, similar in effect to Shared animosity you already play.

  • Another powerful card is Mana Geyser. If nobody responds, you'll win that turn with all the mana it generates.

  • Sorcerer Class is also awesome in this deck. Draws you some cards, and then transforms all your locust tokens in mana generators.

  • I also recommend some other darw/wheel cards like Winds of Change, Echo of Eons or Whirlpool Warrior

  • Finally, as this decks usually discard tons of cards, Underworld Breach can also seal games when you get access to some of your combos in graveyard.

*Here you have my deck if you are interested: "FOCUS THE LOCUST"

SueMe on Not-Quite-Kobold Flood

2 years ago

@BruhYouFarted

Woah there, haha, looks like you're looking for an entirely different list!

If I cut Deadly Dispute and Mortician Beetle, then I may as well cut Village Rites, at which point, I'll be playing mono-red with some zero-drops that are only useful for Rites of Initiation; I may as well be playing burn and cut the kobold theme entirely.

Speaking of Rites, I've actually tried it out in an earlier version, and from what I've gathered (from my "Playtest" experience, to be sure), it seems to be a dead card a lot of the time, because it's all or nothing. If you use it in any situation other than for winning on the spot, then you just lose the game due to card disadvantage (remember, the turn after we cast Rites, all our Kobolds become useless). It get's worse if you add in cards like Faithless Looting, which, unlike Village Rites or Deadly Dispute, is also card disadvantage.

I'll also have you know that Springleaf Drum is what makes this deck; I love Springleaf Drum. Think of it as a zero-drop (it pays for itself after tapping a kobold), that gets your Gathan Raiders out on turn 2, filters for the mana you need at any time, and can be sacked to Deadly Dispute/Kuldotha Rebirth as soon as it isn't useful.

But hey, I always appreciate suggestions. Thanks for the upvote, and checking out my deck!

BruhYouFarted on Not-Quite-Kobold Flood

2 years ago

Please cut Gathan Raiders for a card like Rites of Initiation. Also cut Springleaf Drum. It is too set-uppy/durdle-y for a deck like this. Just please replace one of the two for Rites. It kills your opponent for 1 mana with a easy set up. Deadly Dispute gets outclassed in a deck like this to Faithless Looting; and with the abstance of Deadly Dispute also cut Mortician Beetle. For a idea like Kobolds, my advise would be to go aggro or go home.

BRAZATO on

3 years ago

Hi! Nice version of the Locust God, xhatredsucksx. I like many of your ideas like the storm cards, the red mana generating spells, the Flux or the Isochron Scepter, I'll keep them in mind.

I've also been playing The Locust God, since it came out. Things I think could help you:

  • 29 lands is a bit low, even with your mana rocks, red mana spells and low CMC curve. I have 35 lands in my version (38 if I count the dual modal face spells like Valakut Awakening  Flip, for example), and 10 ramp/mana generating cards. And even so, even with all the card draw this commander grants, sometimes is not enough mana to go fast.

  • Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer rocks in his proper deck, but in yours, you don't have any big or powerful token to transform your locusts in (only Cackling Counterpart but not enough). In your current build he will only be a 6 mana body that generates you a 2/1 each of your turns.

  • Cavalcade of Calamity and Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive are nice, but be careful as if you play cards like Ogre Battledriver , Shared Animosity or Favorable Winds for example, you'll be countering yourself. In my opinion, better the Ogre, the shared animosity and the favorable winds than the first ones.

Card I recommend:

Mana Geyser in front of a tapped table will give you the game in one turn by generating enough mana to draw much cards to find a combo or just creating enough locust to kill everyone. I've won many times with it.

Ashnod's Altar will combo with your Locust God and your Skullclamp, granting infinite Locusts / colorless Mana / Card draw.

Rites of Initiation also win games by discarding a lot of cards and making your locusts something like a 20/1 for example. Again, like mana geyser, is a card to use against unawared opponents or when you have enough counterspells in hand.

Goblin Bombardment is a powerful sac outlet to respond a Mass removal or end the game. It will deal serve as a direct damage way to win against people who use cards like Propaganda and will prevent your enemies of wiping the board without receiving tons of damage.

Cards like Bident of Thassa , Coastal Piracy and Reconnaissance Mission will give you lot of card draw, when your locusts attack.

BRAZATO on "FOCUS THE LOCUST"

3 years ago

Hi Hardhitta7!

Thanks for commenting! I've seen your Locust God too, nice!

Yes, Rites of Initiation you'll see is destructive. I usually win games with them, discarding 10-20 cards after a wheel/card draw party, and attacking with tons of 20/1 locusts. Only one red mana spare after the engine and boom. You will enjoy, and people usually don't know that card ;)

You are right I should add more low cmc draw spells like Preordain or Ponder ! And I have them in home, I have to calibrate the deck to add them. The Serum Visions are here mainly because is the art version with Gin-Gitaxias and the inkmoth's serum, loved that lore.

And I didn't notice Channeled Force when Ikoria came out! I coul try it... In many game I could discard tons of cards just to create more and more Locust, not only for the burn part of that spell, thanks for the suggestion. Also is an instant, thing that many wheels are not.

About Niv-Mizzet, Parun is awesome, as Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind , (I've played both of them in this deck in the past) and I love him as character, but my playgroup nows well this deck, and it attracts so much hate (I admit they act well). So in my personal case, to play big permanent cards like Niv-Mizzet never shine too much as they got removed, or I simply win much faster with one of the locust combos. Also in my playgroup I'm more the Golgari player hahaha, Niv-Mizzet is more the pet card of one of my friends, the truly Izzet one of my group, and I usually let him have the exclusive use of it.

But this is my case, I'm totally secure that anyone can build a more-control / battlecruiser Locust God deck where the Niv-Mizzets shine.

Thanks for the comment man!

Hardhitta7 on "FOCUS THE LOCUST"

3 years ago

Nice deck! I’m in the process of building The Locust God , I forgot that Rites of Initiation existed, definitely gonna add that to my list.

Have you considered Niv-Mizzet, Parun ? And I would recommend Ponder or Preordain over Serum Visions .

Also Channeled Force is a cool card if you’re like me and just like Izzet cards.

Boza on Build around cards

3 years ago

Tortured Existence is the ultimate pauper build-around card. You can build any colors of deck around it.

Barring the established decks, there are tons of fun to be had:

Pestilence is very fun to build around.

Briarhorn + Mortician Beetle.

heck, I have even made a deck around Erratic Explosion.

Keep Watch + Rites of Initiation + tokens.

Madness decks with something like Arrogant Wurm.

Spell_Slam on Izzet Considered Abuse if They Like It?

3 years ago

I have a deck very similar to this one. I play Rites of Initiation as my main finisher. It works well with goblin hordes and with lots of cards in hand, which your deck does well. Fits pretty well with your theme, too.

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