"Chaos is a friend of mine"

Commander / EDH* Mono-Red Multiplayer Primer Theme/Gimmick

AngelsDevilsandSquid

Sorcery (15)

• 1x Burning Wish
• 1x Fiery Gambit
• 1x Gamble
• 1x Game of Chaos
• 1x Goblin Game
• 1x Illicit Auction
• 1x Kaboom!
• 1x Mana Clash
• 1x Molten Birth
• 1x Molten Rain
• 1x Scrambleverse
• 1x Stronghold Gambit
• 1x Thieves' Auction
• 1x Warp World
• 1x Whims of the Fates

Artifact (14)

• 1x Boompile
• 1x Bottle of Suleiman
• 1x Caged Sun
• 1x Fire Diamond
• 1x Foriysian Totem
• 1x Genesis Chamber
• 1x Knowledge Pool
• 1x Krark's Thumb
• 1x Pyxis of Pandemonium
• 1x Ruby Medallion
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Soul Conduit
• 1x Timesifter
• 1x Wirefly Hive

Creature (15)

• 1x Bearer of the Heavens
• 1x Capricious Efreet
• 1x Chaotic Goo
• 1x Emberwilde Djinn
• 1x Fickle Efreet
• 1x Goblin Kaboomist
• 1x Goblin Welder
• 1x Heartless Hidetsugu
• 1x Iron Myr
• 1x Mijae Djinn
• 1x Molten Firebird
• 1x Molten Primordial
• 1x Molten Sentry
• 1x Norin the Wary
• 1x Wild Wurm

Land (36)

• 1x Balduvian Trading Post
• 1x Contested War Zone
• 1x Dormant Volcano
• 1x Dwarven Hold
• 1x Flamekin Village
• 1x Hellion Crucible
• 1x Homeward Path
• 1x Madblind Mountain
• 1x Mercadian Bazaar
• 26x Mountain
• 1x Rainbow Vale

Commander (1)

Enchantment (14)

• 1x Chance Encounter
• 1x Chaos Moon
• 1x Chaosphere
• 1x Confusion in the Ranks
• 1x Goblin Bomb
• 1x Grip of Chaos
• 1x Impulsive Maneuvers
• 1x Mana Cache
• 1x Pandemonium
• 1x Planar Chaos
• 1x Possibility Storm
• 1x Risky Move
• 1x Tide of War
• 1x Wild Evocation

Instant (5)

• 1x Chaos Warp
• 1x Desperate Gambit
• 1x Mages' Contest
• 1x Puppet's Verdict
• 1x Wild Ricochet

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Maybeboard

Sorcery (1)

• 1x Worldfire

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"Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit". - Henry Smith

Too often players of magic are bogged down in the endless question, "how do I take every element of this game, and put it under my control?". This quest for perfection, however, often chokes the game. The search for consistency sires stagnation and homogeneity. The search for control over your opponent's plays leads to hostility.

While this quest for perfection has its place, the allure of victory has bled into places it should not have. Our concerns for our "win conditions" in many places, have begun to overshadow the largest win condition of all: Having fun.

So.. "Let us "Introduce a little Anarchy"

What we are trying to accomplish

"Oh, God, why don't I remember that a little chaos is good for the soul?" - Marilyn French

The goal of this deck is simple. Utilize every resource at your disposal to send the boardstate into chaos. The goal is to prevent any player from simply playing the game as they would normally.

This principle is comparable to a typical "Stax" deck, (That is, a deck that attempts to disrupt opponents ability to play the game effectively, using cards such as Smokestack and Grand Arbiter Augustin IV ). However, while a stax deck typical has the overt goal of neutering opponents to make some win condition on their part simpler.. this deck has the goal of throwing ALL plans out the window. The playing field is leveled, by leveling everyone's carefully tilled fields.

A core set of cards in this deck affect each player on the field in a fundamental way, swapping around permanents, exchanging creatures, and Polymorph like effects are common. The idea is to put a card of this nature into play, and attempt to benefit in the fallout.

Supporting these are a secondary group of spells with random effects. while potentially powerful, the primary function of this group of cards is to introduce variety and flavor into the game. These cards are especially under the effects of core spells like Knowledge Pool . Nothing is more satisfying than seeing a player used to consistent, reliable power, succumb to the temptation to attempt a Fiery Gambit .

While the most hardcore of combo decks will easily outpace your ability to introduce chaos, this deck is not built for those arenas, and has little place there.

Your ultimate goal will be to hopefully, neutralize some of the toxin of order overdose in a more casual setting. Personally, most players I have played with had the same sort of reaction to a spell like Scrambleverse , at first it is shock and anger, and surprise. How dare you disturb their well built boards with this nonsense? Then, as they play the most interesting game of the night, using tools foreign to them, laughter and smiles creep into the air.

That is why we play with chaos.

The Anarchist's Spellbook

"I think frankly when it comes to chaos you ain't seen nothing yet" - Nigel Farage

There is no need to panic, even in the grip of chaos, there is your goal and a plan. Enclosed are brief explanations of the tools we will use, and how we intend to apply with them.

At full power, this deck both creates and navigates a sea of chaos. Here is how.

"The Man in the glass"

"For it isn’t your father, or mother, or wife Whose judgment upon you must pass The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life Is the one staring back from the glass.." - Peter Dale Wimbrow Sr.

As a planeswalker, you command the absolute loyalty of the beings you summon to fight at your side.

Except for "Mean ol' Mister Starke", that is.

Starke of Rath Beautifully exemplifies the principles this deck is built on right from the command zone. Starke, like the rest of the chaos in this deck, answers to nobody but himself.

Starke will happily remove a problematic artifact or creature from your opponents board, at the the small price of joining them himself. Hey, chaos is fair? Right?

This removal is invaluable early, as it can slow down much faster ramp decks, stall down an aggro with an annoying creature, kill an unfortunate sol ring, etc.

On top of this command zone accessible utility, Starke's board hopping journeys often soften up more hardline players to the idea of the more radical chaos on its way. Johnny type players will wonder how to abuse it. Spikes see a free blocker or removal tool. Maybe chaos isn't so bad.

The change in gameplay you create starts as early as turn two. While everyone else is deploying chump blockers, you are playing a board hopping, assassinating, self-acclaiming marvel.

Of course, we have included a way to exploit Starke. Homeward Path turns Starke from a lowly traitor to a horrifying killing machine. Use with caution.

Eye of the storm: Core spells

"There are methods to creating a mayhem that sounds different from your usual mayhem." - Nick Cave

These spells are the bread and butter of the deck. Mostly sorceries and enchantments, they are characterized by fundamentally changing the field of the game for ALL players. Many require luck, saviness, or a combination of the two to navigate successfully.

Prime Anarchy Introducers

Scrambleverse : The prototypical card for any chaos based deck. Swaps about all permanents on the board at random. Is almost impossible to abuse or plan around, as both the board state when it drops and the state it will create are highly variable. Hold on for the ride.

Thieves' Auction : One less mana than scrambleverse, but allows players to pick and choose from permanents on the board. You get to pick first, an enormous advantage. Reading out the text is often enough to make a Blightsteel Colossus player cry.

Warp World : Far less chaotic, but still a complete game-changer. will favor permanent heavy decks and token decks to a large extent. This will likely bring out a large number of annoying enchantments and creatures from your deck, while ending synergies and tucking important combo pieces across the field. Chaos is chaos.

Illicit Auction : Remember Blightsteel guy? lets see just how bad he wants to keep his golem compared to the Oloro, Ageless Ascetic player.

Stronghold Gambit : Good headscratching here. Politics, deception, truces, lies, all of it and more across the table for two mana. Elecit rage from all other players with Norin the Wary .

Goblin Game : More prisoner's dilemma style fun. Seeing the disgruntled members of your table grudgingly hide counters and dice is well worth the play.

Pyxis of Pandemonium : most players will keep you alive for seven turns to get their cards back. They are often not ready for what will happen when a full suite of ten permanents from this deck gets dropped on the table, along with forty of theirs. Great fun if it fishes up Confusion in the Ranks

Confusion in the Ranks : Swap nonland permanents whenever one is played, what's not to love? (Cousin Norin the Wary loves this card)

Whims of the Fates : causes much deliberation, sometimes ragequits. Is a good ex-machina if your opponents have prepared strong board presences.

Soul Conduit : A great upsetter of order. Nightmare of aggro and pillowfort decks alike.

Timesifter : Throws turns out of order, Benefiting disproportionately decks with higher average CMCs. Makes players with low curves scream.

Knowledge Pool : A champion derailer. Any spells that would be played go into the pool, trading out for one already there. Essentially, this allows (and almost forces) players to use cards from other player's decks. Slows down combos, and wrecks synergy players. Fun times all around.

Genesis Chamber : Myr for everybody, has a disgusting synergy with Norin the Wary . The Myr armada also increases the degeneracy of cards like Warp World and Scrambleverse

Contested War Zone : This card baits attackers at whoever possesses it, take the initial hit, and use the storm of swords going on to distract from your growing hoard of chaotic implements.

Emberwilde Djinn : The table now has a shiny 5/4 to fight over, paying mana or life for the privilege of this traitorous djinn's presence.

Chaosphere : Any player with flying creatures will be displeased.

Grip of Chaos : This effectively makes targeted spells a crapshoot. Hilarious if the rest of the table has accepted the chaos at this point, and proceeds to cast spells anyway.

Impulsive Maneuvers : All attacks are either twice as effective or completely worthless. (With Krark's Thumb , you even get a limited ability to pick.)

Mana Cache : encourages players to tap out, or alternatively politic. Shenanigans ensue either way.

Pandemonium : adds a lethal edge to any spell that alternates permanents around at random (like Warp World ). Norin the Wary and Genesis Chamber get a lot more threatening with this in play.

Planar Chaos : Counters spells at random normally. (With Krark's Thumb becomes an absolutely evil stax element.)

Possibility Storm : Blightsteel Colossus ? Don't you mean Ornithopter ?

Risky Move : An excellent swip-swapping enchantment that is somewhat steerable with Krark's Thumb .

Tide of War : Randomly punishes attacking or defending (seriously that thumb is really useful.)

Wild Evocation : Timmy laughs as his huge creature gets played for free, johnny sulks as his Ad Nauseam got dropped too early.

Homeward Path : A tempting offer to be placed into random pools for cards like Thieves' Auction . The real cruelty comes with Molten Rain . (also super secret evil battle tech for Starke of Rath )

(Secret tech - not for the faint of heart) Show

Burning Wish : If your need be great enough, and your play-group lenient enough, it is possible to wish for a spell of legendary power; Worldfire , ender of games. Only a true madman would play such a card, let alone with tools to back up its play. The mere suggestion that this card is in your hand can makes tables cry. Most groups ban it.

This is the ultimate leveler and the ultimate equalizer. Chaos perfected and concentrated into one spell. Use it at your own peril

These cards are the core tools used to sculpt the board, and by sculpt, we mean paint like a Pollock. Apply them well.

Up in the air: Secondary spells

"I am still making order out of chaos by reinvention." -John le Carre

Enclosed here are a collection of tools to help get to the gamechanging core spells. Tools, ramp, utility, etc. Many of these cards have a random component. While powerful, very few will can win you the game without the chaos generated by core spells.

Chance Encounter : This deck didn't need an internally built win condition, that kind of defeats the spirit. However, nothing is more satisfying that seeing some spike squirming while you win a game of magic by calling coin flips. Krark's Thumb is invaluable for this condition.

Krark's Thumb : This may be one of the most powerful cards in this deck. Most random effects in this deck utilize coinflips, and now you get to sway these outcomes by a huge margin. okay effects turn into gamechangers. Never underestimate the thumb.

Chaos Warp : powerful enough to be viable in regular decks. Tuck an annoying creature, small chance you get something worse. Good utility AND good entertainment, it deserves the spot.

Boompile : Your emergency panic button, is often taken less seriously than other wraths on sticks because of the random component.

Caged Sun : Pure utility here, doubles our mountains and buffs our creatures. can be used for a surpise turn six or seven Warp World

Fire Diamond : On color ramp. Even insane fools like pretty gems.

Foriysian Totem : Is a rock when we don't need it, a staunch defender in a pinch. Good if your tidings of chaos have made a couple of enemies.

Ruby Medallion : Can sometimes sneak under the radar, as it requires no tapping. Gives us all our non-artifact goodies faster.

Sol Ring : There is almost no deck in magic that would not be made more efficient with inclusion of sol rings. more fuel for the fires of chaos.

Cerebral Eruption : A scry effect, that you can use on your enemies, with added pain. How fun.

Fiery Gambit : Are you feeling lucky? Is either nothing, a crummy Lightning Bolt , a Lava Axe +1 to every opponent, or three Ancestral Recall s and an untap of all lands you control. may or may not be one of the best cards in the deck when paired with Krark's Thumb .

Game of Chaos : Begs the user to ask "are you feeling lucky punk?". cool effect, usually net zero for everyone involved.

Kaboom! : scrys. Filters land off the top of the library and zaps the table for an average of 4. Is hilarious to scry into a Scrambleverse with.

Mana Clash : averages out to about a lightning bolt normally. Drop this with the thumb in play, and this becomes "why is this allowed?" tier annoying.

Molten Rain : Exists for the cruelest plays in existence. Torch a Contested War Zone , Rainbow Vale , or for maximum over-evil, your own Homeward Path right before a Scrambleverse . AHAHAHAHA

Chaos Moon : a sufficiently weird High Tide in red, on an enchantment.. causes much annoyance and confusion on the table.

Goblin Bomb : It may never get to five.. but then again, chaos is fickle. Especially terrifying is when this thing is at three counters and Heartless Hidetsugu shows up.

Desperate Gambit : We run a lot of creatures that hit really hard in here, and no-one expects that crummy three mana djinn to come in swinging for 12. Heartless Hidetsugu becomes instant death if you call the coin.

Mages' Contest : A red counterspell that initiates life bidding... Watch the blue player lose their mind as you up the ante against their Omniscience or Counterspell .

Gamble : Fishes up something awful from the core list.

Puppet's Verdict : A red wrath for three mana. If you can call the coin, you can even spare some creatures of your choice, (Including your capricious general!).

Wild Ricochet : "You're running three counterspells.. in mono-red?!" - Blue mage, upon having his Wall of Frost hit by his own Turn to Frog

"Legions" of chaos

"Chaos does not mean total disorder. Chaos means a multiplicity of possibilities. Chaos is from the ancient Greek words that means a thing that is birthed from the void. And it was about that which is possible, not about disorder". -Jok Church

Mean ol' Mister Starke will spend most of his time on opponents boards. This means our various minions of chaos will have to fill in the defensive role for him. (And be expendible enough to not get murdered immediately. almost all serve to increase the insanity happening on the board.

Molten Birth : makes tokens, coin flips to repeat. I'm sold.

Bottle of Suleiman : A classic, either we get a neato 5/5 djinn, or eat five damage.

Wirefly Hive : On flavor, makes flying tokens, and interacts in weird ways with our creature exchanges.

Bearer of the Heavens : This deck's resident big guy. Insulates the board from wraths under the threat of a hard reset, even on other peoples boards. That white player toting Wrath of God may be less eager when it means his land goes too.

Capricious Efreet : hits hard, and kills things at random. he's an all star

Chaotic Goo : An okay creature, that turns into a psuedo-hydra with the thumb on table.

Emberwilde Djinn : jumps around the board. fun times.

Goblin Welder : An all around nuisance. Recurs annoying artifacts and messes with everyone else. If mr. blightsteel hasn't walked away from the table yet, this guy ought to do it.

Goblin Kaboomist : The ability is actually really useful in setting up defenses. With Caged Sun or Chaos Moon becomes a lot more versatile.

Heartless Hidetsugu : An absolute monster, provides an attractive target for enemy removal, has his way with everyone's life totals if he stays. Likes Desperate Gambit .

Iron Myr : resident mana dork. One day hopes to be cool like his uncle Norin or Mister Starke

Mijae Djinn : Hits like a truck, you just need to call your flip.

Molten Firebird : Seems like a crummy card, until it gets traded away, when it dies, it steals their next draw, and comes back to you. I like to imagine Starke has it sit on his shoulder like a pirate. Allies in enemy territory.

Molten Primordial : a bomb to Chaos Warp into, provides a combat win condition. Chaos in the "war never changes" variety.

Molten Sentry : good value on either side of the flip.

Wild Wurm : Eventually it has to stay; legend has it the wild wurm has a taste for thumbs.

Norin the Wary : The biggest baller next to Starke himself, Uncle Norin is immune to most removal, and all combat death, provides oodles of triggers for Confusion in the Ranks , Pandemonium and Genesis Chamber . Without the tools to use him, Norin isn't much help though, which means your friends will likely be ungrateful when he comes to visit.

With this army of chaos, nothing should stop you unleashing your magic. You're a real chaos mage now.

Know the territory

"Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist in creating out of void, but out of chaos." -Mary Shelley

Lands are the foundation of any magic deck. This deck does not break the mold here. special lands we are using, however, are worth mentioning.

Balduvian Trading Post : A sac-land that helps defend against angry spike players.

Contested War Zone : Buff our own creatures. Allow attacks to go through, and cause problems on other people's boards.

Dormant Volcano : A red karoo.. we need that there mana.

Dwarven Hold : Storage land, bide time for an early drop of a bomb sorcery or enchantment.

Mercadian Bazaar : same principle as Dwarven Hold

Flamekin Village : Only one card in the whole deck to trigger the tribal, but we weren't a rush deck anyways, haste enabler.

Hellion Crucible : Often forgotten, can surprise an opponent, give you a random creature to trade for something better, or fend of that nasty Darksteel Colossus for one more round.

Homeward Path : ray of hope for the board (to be smashed! hahaha), combos with Starke of Rath for lots of destruction.

Madblind Mountain : Shuffling can be handy, not always the best option, but can shuffle away crud cards, or annoy that one guy playing Jace, the Mind Sculptor .

Rainbow Vale : Group hug type land, good for convincing people to lay off of you.

These lands will assist you in your chaos sowing.

With these tools, you will be capable of causing chaos on a massive scale within nearly any playgroup. Hopefully the levity these tools bring will be well worth the headache that surely accompanies.

Conclusion

"Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence." -Buddha

Magic is fundamentally a game about overcoming chaos. We fight against the random cards we draw from our deck, against the random player, and random plays we must win against. The game is striving against chaos, and yet when the chaos is thoroughly beaten down, the game ceases to be.

This deck represents a philosophy about the game, all pretentiousness aside - That chaos is an integral part of the game, and its exclusion through our own clever skills of deckbuilding and play is slowly killing our hobby.

If you choose to play cards from this list, follow advice from this primer, or incorporate this philosophy into new decks of your own, then, at least to me, you are helping to keep this game we enjoy interesting and fun for everyone involved.

And that too is striving against chaos. Keep striving.

Date added	7 years
Last updated	4 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	59 - 0 Rares 11 - 0 Uncommons 4 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.89
Tokens	5/5 C Artifact Creature Djinn, Elemental 1/1 R, Hellion 4/4 R, Insect 1/1 C w/ Flying, Land Mine, Myr 1/1 C
Folders	Ideas, These, Favorites to play (Need to buy), Chaos, recommended, EDH, Good ideas, Things to Try, Lewd Collection, Cool Decks