Bow to Bolas - S.P.E.C.T.R.E.

Commander / EDH Control Discard Group Slug Multiplayer Theme/Gimmick UBR (Grixis)

GobboE

Land (37)

• 1x Blood Crypt
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Crosis's Catacombs
• 1x Crumbling Necropolis
• 1x Darkwater Catacombs
• 1x Dimir Guildgate
• 1x Dismal Backwater
• 1x Evolving Wilds
• 1x Ghost Quarter
• 1x Grand Coliseum
• 1x Graven Cairns
• 1x Grixis Panorama
• 2x Island
• 1x Jwar Isle Refuge
• 2x Mountain
• 1x River of Tears
• 1x Rix Maadi, Dungeon Palace
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Rupture Spire
• 1x Shivan Reef
• 1x Steam Vents
• 1x Strip Mine
• 6x Swamp
• 1x Swiftwater Cliffs
• 1x Tectonic Edge
• 1x Terramorphic Expanse
• 1x Transguild Promenade
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Watery Grave

Planeswalker (2)

• 1x Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh
• 1x Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker

Instant (1)

• 1x Illusionist's Gambit

Creature (24)

• 1x Abyssal Specter
• 1x Big Game Hunter
• 1x Blazing Specter
• 1x Blizzard Specter
• 1x Crosis, the Purger
• 1x Cunning Lethemancer
• 1x Dimir Cutpurse
• 1x Dinrova Horror
• 1x Guul Draz Specter
• 1x Hellfire Mongrel
• 1x Hollow Specter
• 1x Hypnotic Specter
• 1x Lavaborn Muse
• 1x Myojin of Night's Reach
• 1x Nezumi Shortfang  ^Flip
• 1x Order of Yawgmoth
• 1x Rackling
• 1x Scythe Specter
• 1x Sedraxis Specter
• 1x Shimian Specter
• 1x Silent Specter
• 1x Sire Of Insanity
• 1x Squee, Goblin Nabob
• 1x Stronghold Rats

Artifact (11)

• 1x Armillary Sphere
• 1x Chromatic Lantern
• 1x Commander's Sphere
• 1x Crucible of Worlds
• 1x Darksteel Ingot
• 1x Expedition Map
• 1x Geth's Grimoire
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Thran Dynamo
• 1x Wheel of Torture
• 1x Whispersilk Cloak

Commander (1)

Enchantment (15)

• 1x Bloodchief Ascension
• 1x Bottomless Pit
• 1x Dire Undercurrents
• 1x Dragon Tempest
• 1x Gibbering Descent
• 1x Liliana's Caress
• 1x Megrim
• 1x Necrogen Mists
• 1x Oppression
• 1x Pain Magnification
• 1x Painful Quandary
• 1x Quest for the Nihil Stone
• 1x Shrieking Affliction
• 1x Warstorm Surge
• 1x Waste Not

Sorcery (9)

• 1x Black Sun's Zenith
• 1x Cruel Ultimatum
• 1x Crux of Fate
• 1x Damnation
• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Rakdos's Return
• 1x Rise of the Dark Realms
• 1x Syphon Mind
• 1x Void

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Sideboard

Artifact (4)

• 1x Elixir of Immortality
• 1x Mask of Riddles
• 1x Nevinyrral's Disk
• 1x Portcullis

Enchantment (1)

• 1x Elemental Augury

Sorcery (2)

• 1x Cabal Conditioning
• 1x River's Grasp

Instant (1)

• 1x Recoil

Creature (2)

• 1x Liliana's Specter
• 1x Nightscape Familiar

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"Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair!", Nicol Bolas roared. "Really?", he paced casually, as though he was strutting a Ravnikan Street instead."You have the audacity to challenge me like that?", he turned to the quivering man, who lay on his knees before him. The man bowed his head even deeper, fearing the approaching Bolas. "Well, I've got some news for you, KING, return and behold what is left of your works!"

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This is a deck of a supervillain. So Be ready to wage a war of attrition. For this is not a friendly deck, and atypical of what I normally build. Normally I create decks that can swing all sides, as that is the sort of game I normally prefer, since it adds to the joy, fun and excitement to play a game to can change from second to second.

But this is a control Nicol Bolas deck, the master of manipulation and destruction, with a sub theme of Specters. The deck has been designed for multiplayer purposes, so no Mind Twist or Mind Shatter . You need to take on all players at once, since you will be drawing hate, and you cannot afford to let any player build up an army against you. The deck does feature the aforesaid Nicol Bolas, and Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker as the evil genius.

So get ready to bluff, attack, and retaliate, for when you play this deck the game can quickly descent into a game of archenemy.

The specters are the main assault battery, making them unblockable with Whispersilk Cloak or Rogue's Passage is the way to go. You will never have many creatures, and unless Bolas himself hits the table most players won't see you as a big threat.

Meanwhile play cards that diminish the cards in each hand, so be prepared to discard cards. Bottomless Pit, Gibbering Descent, and others work great with Squee, Goblin Nabob and you can discard land, which you can retrieve via Crucible of Worlds. The effect of this is dual, your opponents will hate you for letting them discard a card, but since you've also discarded a card there is a chance they won't retaliate so hard, so far they've got other things to worry about.

Then, it's time to play on the synergy and combo's in this deck.

• Any Specter and Liliana's Caress,

• Megrim + Sire Of Insanity or Quest for the Nihil Stone + Sire Of Insanity

• Rackling , Lavaborn Muse or Wheel of Torture and the discard effects

• Bloodchief Ascension + Hypnotic Specter or Bloodchief Ascension + Syphon Mind

• Crucible of Worlds + Strip Mine - I do not prefer to play this. But it is in here, and I must say I only use it to destroy particular pesky lands such as Maze of Ith and the like

• Guul Draz Specter + Waste Not and the specters, or global effects such as Necrogen Mists and Cunning Lethemancer: the basis restock and refuel engine

• Geth's Grimoire and any discard such as Bottomless Pit + Geth's Grimoire will allow you to draw cards while discarding them

• Liliana's Caress + Painful Quandary : Want to play a spell? Well, discard and take 2 damage, or don't and take 5 damage

• Big Game Hunter + Gibbering Descent , discard and kill a creature at the same time? wow.

• Pain Magnification is a great example of mind manipulation. It not only goes for opponents only, but if anyone (!) deals three damage to an opponent that player also discards a card. Any player hit will most likely retaliate against the attacking player, not against you (unless you are the attacking player).

If you opponents cast big creatures, play Damnation, Void , Cruel Ultimatum

Finishers include Rakdos's Return, an unblockable Nicol Bolas, or his baby brother and lieutenant Crosis, the Purger, or Rise of the Dark Realms.

Note on the sideboard cards:

Cabal Conditioning Nice card, but slow and dependent on my board position.

Nightscape Familiar : I do not play enough red or blue spells to benifit from this, I would only put it in here for my commander

Feedback is welcomed, as always. And yes the title is a blatant referral to my other Bond deck: The Name's Bond, James Bond :)

Date added	8 years
Last updated	6 years
Key combos	Crucible of Worlds + Strip Mine Megrim + Sire Of Insanity Quest for the Nihil Stone + Sire Of Insanity Bloodchief Ascension + Hypnotic Specter Bloodchief Ascension + Syphon Mind Guul Draz Specter + Waste Not Bottomless Pit + Geth's Grimoire Liliana's Caress + Painful Quandary Big Game Hunter + Gibbering Descent
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	5 - 0 Mythic Rares 43 - 4 Rares 30 - 3 Uncommons 10 - 3 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.84
Tokens	Morph 2/2 C, Zombie 2/2 B