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| 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 |
| Planechase | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Quest Magic | Legal |
| Tiny Leaders | Legal |
| Vanguard | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
Vodalian Illusionist
Creature — Merfolk Wizard
(Blue)(Blue), Tap: Target creature phases out.
PaulMuadDib on
Judge tower
2 weeks ago
I pulled a few from manaless dredge because they can be confusing.
Narcomoeba -- This is a good one to watch for with the mill effects you have
Salvage Titan -- recurrence from graveyard, could easily be missed
Vengevine -- another classic recurrence from graveyard
Prized Amalgam -- could be easy to miss it leaving graveyard with these other graveyard creatures
Sword of the Meek -- ditto
Raging River -- confusing attack enchantment
Launch the Fleet -- strive targeting effect
Well of Knowledge -- conditional effect plus card draw
Night Soil -- this one exiles the two creatures as a cost, might be worth weirdness
Hoarder's Greed -- choice + draw cards
Vodalian Illusionist -- phasing
Shimmering Efreet -- more phasing
Chandra, Pyromaster -- I noticed you didn't add any planeswalkers, here's a random suggestion
Yawgmoth's Will -- more recurrence from graveyard
Balduvian Shaman -- turns a white enchantment to colorshift and add cumulative upkeep
Tombstone Stairwell -- creates creatures to aid in confusing rules
Panglacial Wurm -- classic judge's tower card, once you search a library you have to cast it
Hexdrinker -- slightly confusing level up ability plus possible "protection from everything" ability
CamraMaan on Interaction between Araumi of the …
7 months ago
Sorry, to clarify, I'm using the Vodalian Illusionists as a response to the sacrifice triggers going onto the stack from encore.
CamraMaan on Interaction between Araumi of the …
7 months ago
Say I use Araumi of the Dead Tide to encore Vodalian Illusionist and come to the end of the turn triggers going onto the stack, I use each Vodalian Illusionist to target another one, in response to each other, to phase each other out and avoid being sacrificed. Will they all successfully phase out, or will one be left behind from targeting issues...?
Thanks in advance! (And sorry for all the questions! Araumi creates some interesting interactions)
NTakamura on Advice for protection for izzet …
1 year ago
I have a Dragon tribal deck that has Renari, Merchant of Marvels and Dragon Cultist as my commander and background. I recently played a few games with it and once I had 2 dragons they became a target. I know this is what comes with big creatures. So my question is what are some way to protect them? The deck theme is around casting dragons at instant speed and blinking them for extra value. I can see the blinking as somewhat of Protection. But so fat I have; Deadeye Navigator, Displacer Kitten, Essence Flux, Ghostly Flicker, March of Swirling Mist, Planar Incision, Teferi's Time Twist, Vanishing, Vodalian Illusionist. Let no if I am missing something in the blink category or if there are other forms of protect I can use. Here is a link to my decklist.
multimedia on
Braids & her Interdimensional Friends
1 year ago
Hey, thanks for all the upvotes at my decks.
Nice start for mono blue and interesting Commander who I don't see played much. You have 101 cards, Desolation Twin could be cut to make 100. It's a much worse Eldrazi then the others.
Your deck could be less price, it's not overpriced garbage, but you could cut the price in half and it would be just as good. Three of the most expensive price cards here are Blightsteel, Ulamog and Betrays, but without more protection, counterspells and some more haste these creatures can be subpar to cheat with Braids because they don't give you value unless they can attack. Each of these creatures is a must kill by opponents. If you don't get to attack the first turn you give your opponents an entire cycle of turns to find an answer which in multiplayer Commander is a lot time. Treasure Mage is another creature who can tutor for Blightsteel.
Consider some more lower mana cost hard counterspells such as Arcane Denial and some creatures who can protect such as Spellskite? Protecting Braids is not as important as protecting what you cheat onto the battlefield because opponents are getting value from Braids too. More one mana instant protection is helpful such as Stubborn Denial and Slip Out the Back which is phasing and it's powerful with Braids.
Swiftfoot Boots is a lesser Greaves, but still fine and wanted in blue that doesn't have haste options. Akroma's Memorial is more price, but it's a big artifact to cheat with Braids that helps to setup other big creatures since it gives haste as well as other attacking abilities. Might also want to play Tribute Mage because can tutor for Greaves.
If you play Blightsteel, Ulamog and Betrays also consider playing some big creatures who give you value without attacking such as Hullbreaker Horror and Tidespout Tyrant? Each are much less price and can pack a punch without attacking. With Braids you'll have mana open to cast spells after your upkeep, use this mana for protection while also getting value from each spell you cast.
Bounce the permanents that your opponents cheat with Braids because the first turns cycle opponents get to trigger Braids before you. Bounce your own clones to clone something else or them. Both of these creatures when you control two them can infinite combo with Sol Ring. Bounce your own creatures who draw to cast or cheat them to draw again. Bouncing Braids can be a smart strategy because sometimes you don't want to give opponents the upkeep trigger and maybe you don't need the trigger.
Phasing, when you can control when a creature phases out is a busted effect with Braids. Vanishing can repeatedly protect Braids if you need that or deny your opponents her trigger because of how phasing works, only phasing in at your untap step. With Vanishing you can phase out Braids at any time or after your upkeep trigger which skips all your opponents upkeeps. It also protects her from opponent's sorcery board wipes which are plentiful in multiplayer Commander. You don't have to phase out Braids, but having the option can be helpful and you can politic with it by letting one opponent have the upkeep trigger and skipping the rest.
A phased out creature also phases out all auras/equipment that's attached to it, Vanishing is protected from removal when Braids is phased out. Vodalian Illusionist can also repeatedly phase out Braids. Combine phase out with Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir to protect during your turn especially any hasty creatures you cheat with Braids. If you can get Teferi down before you cast Braids then you can flash Braids in before your upkeep to trigger her before your opponents.
Consider more draw especially from creatures such as Nezahal, Primal Tide or artifacts such as The Magic Mirror that Braids can cheat? Nezahal is Mystic Remora which is excellent in multiplayer Commander with a big body who can protect itself. With Mirror you can stack the upkeep triggers to draw before Braids trigger. Mulldrifter is a budget creature for draw who can also be easily cast and is a nice target to clone/create token or bounce.
Braids is a Wizard you could take advantage of some Wizard only effects such as Azami, Lady of Scrolls can repeatedly draw two cards by tapping her and Braids. Galecaster Colossus can repeatedly bounce two nonland permanents opponents cheated with Braids. Riptide Laboratory can repeatedly bounce Braids. Combine this effect with Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir to deny your opponents Braids triggers by flash cast her at last opponent's end step and then after your upkeep bounce her with Riptide. Teferi is also a Wizard.
Vedalken AEthermage can Wizardcycle to get any Wizard including Orvar, the All-Form who does count as a Wizard while in your library/hand/graveyard. Vodalian Illusionist is also a Wizard. Wizard's Retort is Counterspell with Braids.
I like the secondary strategy of cloning your own or opponents permanents and/or gaining control of your opponents permanents that they cheat with Braids. You could expand on this strategy with Agent of Treachery, who is more price, but he can gain control of any permanent. He's also not legendary making him an excellent clone/create token target since the more of him you have the easier to control three permanents you don't own to then repeatedly draw. He's a good target to bounce because you don't lose the permanent you gained control of. Clever Impersonator can clone any nonland permanent.
Instants with buyback that target such as Mind Games and Capsize are good with Orvar, the All-Form to repeatedly trigger it. Capsize can be a win condition when you create infinite blue mana which mono blue is quite good at doing. If you want go this route you wouldn't have to add very many cards. In fact Orvar + Peregrine Drake + any buyback instant that targets is a combo for infinite blue mana from Islands as well as infinite Drake tokens as a potential win condition.
Consider more ramp? You're playing a lot of high CMC spells that you're counting on Braids to cheat them, but if you don't control Braids then more ramp could help to cast these spells. More ramp can also help to be able to cast Braids and have mana up for instant interaction the turn you play her.
High Tide is a favorite of mono blue since it's only one mana and playing so many Islands. Caged Sun with or without Braids can help to repeatedly cast almost any spell. Combine Tide/Sun with a draw spell such as Pull from Tomorrow or Blue Sun's Zenith to draw a lot of cards at instant speed, giving you a lot of options of permanents to cheat with Braids.
Good luck with your deck.
GrimlockVIII on
Grolnok, the Budgetvore
1 year ago
I would try and find more ways to protect Grolnok besides Swiftfoot Boots if you can. The dude's too important for your strategy, amd if he gets blown up, you're set back by quite a lot.
Starlit Mantle and Cradle of Safety are good instant speed hexproof granters.
Vodalian Illusionist and Vanishing are pretty neat for phasing Grolnok out against a board wipe.
Serpent Skin and Jolrael's Favor are good regenerators.
Tsal on
I Invited My Big Brother is That Ok?
3 years ago
So taking another look at the list, your four major Braids combo pieces are:
Paradox Haze and Strionic Resonator to get multiple Braids triggers per turn. The resonator is also great because you can double your annihilator triggers off of eldrazi.
Vanishing and Vodalian Illusionist do the phasing tricks I mentioned earlier.
Between those four cards, you have CMC 1-3. The only real tutors to those things in blue come in the form of transmute effects. I already mentioned Drift of Phantasms which covers CMC 3. (Technically Fabricate can get you the resonator as well but it's a little more pricey)
If you want more consistent access to your CMC 1 and 2 spells, there's also Dizzy Spell and Muddle the Mixture
Tsal on
I Invited My Big Brother is That Ok?
3 years ago
Overall, it looks like the deck has all the major Braids targets for budget play.
The first thing I recommend is to put in Drift of Phantasms as a second copy of Paradox Haze which is the best card in your deck.
The second thing I highly recommend is Vanishing and Vodalian Illusionist. You can use them defensively to protect your commander at instant speed. You can use them pro-actively - phasing out Braids, Conjurer Adept near the end of your own turn to ensure your opponents don't get her upkeep trigger. She'll phase back in before your untap step so you will get her triggers. You can also use these cards offensively to remove a single major threat that is causing you grief.
High Tide can push a turn past the limit when you need it to.
If you find you're low on draw power, Howling Mine and Kami of the Crescent Moon are "group hug" draw power. Hopefully you make better use of the extra cards than your opponent.
Windfall can be situational but if there's a player who's drawing too many cards, you can take advantage of their excess while also milling them pretty badly. Rush of Knowledge is arguably less situational since your deck churns out CMC + like it's its job.
Finally, Riptide Laboratory can be good in a pinch if your opponent is a jerk and targets Braids, Conjurer Adept for a nasty effect.
