Wizard's Retort

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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
Tiny Leaders Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Wizard's Retort

Instant

This spell costs less to cast if you control a Wizard.

Counter target spell.

QuantumHeil on Naru Meha Mill

1 year ago

As well as my previous suggestion of Docent of Perfection  Flip, which is just a good addition to give alternatives to milling. May I recommend replacing Sinister Sabotage, Wizard's Retort, and/or Select for Inspection with a combination of Displace, Illusionist's Stratagem, and/or Planar Incision to help get better odds for the combo going off.

Blackgate on The Leftovers (Dimir Zombie)

1 year ago

Hello Iehovah, Wizard's Retort is a good idea, I didn’t realize how many Wizards I had in the deck! Thank you!

HerrDexter on Jungle Merfolks

1 year ago

Also, good suggestion with Wizard's Retort - I totally forgot there are so many wizards in this deck (didn't pay attention to that :P).

stevezsiga on Jungle Merfolks

1 year ago

Great build! Have you considered a similar build using Mist-Cloaked Herald or Triton Shorestalker or River Sneak?

For a board, I think Merfolk Trickster, Harbinger of the Tides, Kopala, Warden of Waves, Wizard's Retort, and Witness Protection are all great options.

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.

DreadKhan on Budget Talrand EDH

1 year ago

You might take a look at Treasure Cruise and Dig Through Time, both are potentially very strong on a budget. Two cards I like that are budget atm I think are Aetherspouts and AEtherize, you might not need both but one is a pretty nasty surprise for an aggro deck. Abjure is a nice counter for Talrand decks, to counter a spell and sacrifice a replaceable Drake is pretty nice. Saw it Coming and Wizard's Retort are also good counters to look at. I love seeing Talrand decks built on a budget, Talrand is a very solid budget option, and lots of fun to play!

Guerric on Fish are friends

2 years ago

I see more counter-spells going in! When trying to pick out which ones are good, the 3cmc ones that do one random other thing are usually not worth it. You want to focus on 2cmc or less and when going over 2cmc you want modal spells that give us flexibility to do other things. This will especially be good in Braids if you are leaving a lot of mana open. So rather than cards like Didn't Say Please and Broken Concentration which are just glorified Cancel spells, instead go for Mystic Confluence, Sublime Epiphany, and Insidious Will, which give us other fun options when we don't need to counter. Muddle the Mixture is also an excellent counterspell which can also be used to tutor any 2cmc instant or sorcery you want. If we are in the 3cmc non-modal space, you should prioritize Spell Crumple and Hinder, which tuck the spell safely away on the bottom of your opponent's library rather than their graveyard where they can sometimes recur it. Also, Wizard's Retort is basically a second Counterspell with your commander, so I'd go for that!

9-lives on

2 years ago

Many thanks, forneyt!

You don't think that I'll destroy myself with Eidolon of the Great Revel?! With 4x Guttersnipe and 4x Electrostatic Field I can really see myself winning quite fast with burn of low mana cost, or losing really fast as well, haha. How about Shock, and/or, what about Illusory Wrappings and/or Slither Blade and Lightning Strike? 4x Boros Reckoner is one of my favorite cards, and would be far more useful than Monastery Mentor, no? When I reach three mana, I want to have at least casted one or two, three at most, burn spells, and a Boros Reckoner is a good 3 mana for 3 or more damage, which I'm counting on my opponent to do more than, so I'd like to have it as a sort of hidden advantage, just as with my Deflecting Palm, which both I will use later in the game when I know they're pulling out their big ones if I cannot finish them off early. Nearly all of my burn cards will be used early in the game, of course, so these sorts of hidden gems will be useful; also, no matter what, the opponent will not want to speed up his/her death with Boros Reckoner, especially if they have a very powerful card. I think some draw cards would make this deck far more useful, as I'm at least 12/60 chance of drawing a nice burn card out of 4x Boros Charm, 4x Lightning Bolt, and 4x Lightning Helix. And Ionize is one of the best counter spells, which I'm wary of facing, besides Wizard's Retort and Counterspell, but I understand that it is a 3 drop for 1 counter and 2 damage; best to keep in sideboard, I guess. I think winning on at most turn 6 is what I'm aiming for, and I think with the Skullcrack and Eidolon of the Great Revel it will increase my advantage. Soulfire Grand Master is kinda what I plan on getting with the package of Eidolon of the Great Revel, but I'll try the latter without the former, first.

So here's what I've done: removed 3x Galvanic Iteration and added 3x Eidolon of the Great Revel; removed 2x Ionize and added 2x Shock; removed 1x Boros Reckoner and added 1x Lightning Strike. Perhaps this is much better?

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