Yahenni's Expertise

Sorcery

All creatures get -3/-3 until the end of turn.

You may cast a card with converted mana cost 3 or less from your hand without paying its mana cost.

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

Discussion (48)

Nordlys on 8-Rack

11 months ago

Hi there, I have some suggestions to consider, but overall looks pretty good.

Regarding your curve:

You're running Bontu's Last Reckoning instead of Languish or Extinction Event or Yahenni's Expertise which seems to indicate that you want to keep your max mana curve as low as three. But then you have Never / Return which needs 4 mana, Castle Locthwain which means 4 lands in total (including itself) and Hive of the Eye Tyrant which needs 4 extra lands to activate, meaning you would need 5 total lands (including itself) in order to use it.

So your curve is actually maxed at 5. I know your deck doesn't strictly need the 5 lands to work because most of it is topped at 3, but I'd use Mutavault instead of Hive (and add more Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth to mitigate the colorless mana) in order to drop down that curve a bit and make the most of your man-lands. I don't know about you, but my matches are tight and I often need my lands to transform and attack, so Mutavault performs way better than Hive in my case. Hive is graveyard hate -which is always a good thing- but you've already have 4 copies of Go Blank and 2 Never / Return which seems enough for a mainboard.

Another curve related matter is the fact that if you're running 4-land spells and lands, you could perfectly include some Liliana, Waker of the Dead here. Probably not the full set, but I find her much more useful than Davriel, Rogue Shadowmage

Anyways those are my thoughts. You should play your deck as you prefer because, asides from winning, your deck should feel pleasant to you and that's an important aspect of playing and enjoying the game. Hope it helps.

Gidgetimer on Yahenni's Expertise and Soulstinger

1 year ago

The counters can not be put on Ruthless Sniper because it is not on the battlefield to be targeted when the ability goes on the stack (and if something survives so that Soulstinger's ability does have a target, the sniper will not even be on the battlefield when the ability resolves).

Yahenni's Expertise casts a spell, it doesn't put it on the battlefield and it doesn't force it to resolve. Assuming that there is nothing else on the stack and no responses what happens is:

Yahenni's Expertise starts resolving and each creature gets -3/-3. Then you cast Ruthless Sniper and put it on the stack as a spell.

A player would get priority so SBAs are checked. Soulstinger has 0 toughness and is put in the graveyard, triggering its ability.

A SBA was performed, so SBAs are checked again. None are performed, so triggers are put on the stack and targets for them are chosen. (Remember Ruthless Sniper is still a spell on the stack.)

Assuming no targets for the Soulstinger ability, the Ruthless Sniper will be the next thing to resolve and will be put on the battlefield.

If there was a target for the Soulstinger ability there will be more rounds of priority and therefore more SBA and trigger checks before Ruthless Sniper resolves.

Liszt on Yahenni's Expertise and Soulstinger

1 year ago

My opponent casts a Soulstinger and puts two -1/-1 counters on it. I my next turn I cast Yahenni's Expertise and use it to put a Ruthless Sniper into play. I've had this interaction come up on mtgo and know that the counters from Soulstinger can't be put on the sniper. But why?

Technically, he dies before the Sniper enters the battlefield so his trigger would need to resolve in between the two effects of Yahenni's Expertise? But is that even possible? Does that mean the death trigger never happens? I don't understand this interaction.

CJMikey on Tinybones Discard

1 year ago

Recent changes:

OUT: Instant/Sorcery Mind Peel Unmask Horrifying Revelation Tragic Slip Yahenni's Expertise

Enchantment Megrim Shrieking Affliction

Creature Fell Specter Virus Beetle Stronghold Rats

IN: Instant/Sorcery Despise Divest Toxic Deluge Heartless Act Malakir Rebirth  ^Flip

Enchantment Liliana's Caress

Creature Elvish Doomsayer Liliana, Heretical Healer  ^Flip Murderous Rider Rankle, Master of Pranks

tylorlilley on Parnesse Politics

1 year ago

I think Spelltwine doesn't work with your commander, because you are copying the cards and casting them instead of copying the spell. If that's right than Mizzix's Mastery and Arcane Bombardment also wouldn't work, sadly. Maybe they are good enough to keep anyway? Not sure. Cards with the Cipher mechanic are also so close to working but I don't think they do. This is actually kind of hard to brew around! Ugh, God-Eternal Kefnet wouldn't work either, ew.

Immolating Gyre and Volcanic Vision are really good boardwipes in a spells-y deck... as is Cyclonic Rift, which you definitely should still run. In fact, all the overload spells are pretty sweet here, since they only target things you don't control, so if you copy them opponent's can't even pay the 4 life to hit one of your things. Makes Vandalblast and friends possibly worth it.

Radiate is such a fun card that could do some real crazy things here! Shoutout to Radiant Performer as well.

Sublime Epiphany and Volcanic Offering Might not be good enough here.

I really like Narset's Reversal, Split Decision, and the demonstrate cards in this deck! Obviously Twinning Staff is fun here too.

It will be interesting to see if Lithoform Engine or Pyromancer's Goggles will be good enough here (I like Primal Amulet  ^Flip). Maybe more spells that copy spells are better than these chunkier repeatable ones? Things like Galvanic Iteration or Reiterate if you like the buyback better. Or Increasing Vengeance for the beefier flashback. Hell, if its politics Bonus Round could be really fun. Chef's Kiss is a newer one that I forgot about

Maybe this is the kind of deck where Thrilling Encore shines?

Is Stunning Reversal here to try and copy and save other people with?? Seems like it may not be good enough when you have access to blue for card draw/protection anyway.

I've found the expertise cycle (Baral's Expertise, Yahenni's Expertise, maybe not Kari Zev's Expertise) to be really fun with spell copying, since they in turn let you cast more spells themselves.

I wish, as I always do, that Cloven Casting wasn't soooo bad. Or like, any of the cards with Replicate. Those would be so perfect. Maybe Shattering Spree is good enough but I think it isn't. Ugh, that makes me think about how you're definitely supposed to play storm cards in this deck. Are there any storm cards that aren't miserable? Mind's Desire maybe...

Is Charmbreaker Devils good enough?

Wild Ricochet is an oldie but maybe enough of a goodie here with the copying theme?

Harmonic Prodigy since your commander is a wizard isn't a terrible idea...

Humble Defector might be too cute.

Gotta have Rakdos Charm! Honestly there might be other charms that are worth it to like Crosis's Charm, but definitely Rakdos Charm.

Cruel Ultimatum is the ultimate chunky spell and you're even in the right colors for it!

Also Chaos Warp is still good enough as universal instant speed removal and kind of fun/politics-y as well

EpicBox75 on

2 years ago

Hi. I love UB control archetype so I would like to give my 2 cents. So I'll hope that this helps/gives new ideas ^_^

I think your deck at the moment has unnecessary tap lands. Halimar Depths Vivid Marsh and Polluted Mire and Lonely Sandbar. I would recommend trying Mystic Sanctuary, Sunken Ruins, Field of Ruin, Fabled Passage or Castle Vantress. Karakas is also viable option even though it acts like colorless land in UB.

I also need to recommend Search for Azcanta  ^Flip because it can win control mirrors almost by itself. Shark Typhoon and Omen of the Sea are my personal additions usually because both of them are 2 for 1 effects.

For sorcerys I have not been impressed with Yahenni's Expertise and I have played Shadows' Verdict and/or Dead of Winter instead of it. Also Bloodchief's Thirst and Baleful Mastery are cards that I can't stop recommending because they are just that good, the ability to get rid of an creature or planeswalker while being cheap removal if needed is just so good.

For creatures I will recommand Murderous Rider it is another hero's downfall with 2 for 1 thanks to adventure, I have never been impressed by Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir because he usually doesn't do enough for 5 mana. For planeswalkers if your meta has decks that have creatures Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver is surprisingly effective and talking about Ashiok Ashiok, Nightmare Muse is a real game closer because both +1 and -3 are extremely good and an army of 2/3 will win the game at some point.

For instants I will just write recommendations because there are so many: Archmage's Charm just does everything you would want, Commence the Endgame uncounterable threath + card draw and is especially good mirror breaker, Cryptic Command it also does everything, Disallow the stiffle can save games sometimes (like countering planeswalker "ultimate"), Erebos's Intervention I personally like this card very much because it can buy so much time against aggro decks, Hieroglyphic Illumination works as early game can trip and mid/late game divination, Spell Snare on draw this is amazing and usually the best cards are 2-3 costed so this usually hits something important and last but not least Force of Negation because it is another force. I would recommend little bit more targeted removal because edict effects are worse against decks that play mana elfs or other low impact 1 drops.

I personally wouldn't play your artifact package but because I haven't played with artifact package I won't say anything about that because I don't know how good it is.

These are just my recommendations and these aren't absolutes. Here is also list if you would like to compare different building choices

I hope that you found this helpful ^_^

zapyourtumor on Modern UB Shadow (WIP)

2 years ago

Ah I see. Also my all time favorite card to run in Shadow decks is Killing Wave , although it works a lot better in a deck like zazen's 10 rack shadow deck than something like this. I think it might still be worth testing in the sideboard and comparing it with Engineered Explosives / Yahenni's Expertise .

Darkshadow9 on Casual Budget Discard

3 years ago

Thanks for the suggestions! Yahenni's Expertise is a nice Card but unfortunately it would kill my own creatures. Which is why I chose Witch's Vengeance over it. Torment of Scarabs is fine, but I found it a bit boring after a while. But maybe I’ll add another one for Make Obsolete . :)