Judge Isperia Demands Order

Commander / EDH Casual Control Theme/Gimmick WU (Azorius)

Supplice

Mana Help (11)

• 1x Azorius Cluestone
• 1x Azorius Signet
• 1x Dowsing Dagger  ^Flip
• 1x Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
• 1x Jace's Sanctum
• 1x Kefnet's Monument
• 1x Pyramid of the Pantheon
• 1x Semblance Anvil
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Thaumatic Compass  ^Flip
• 1x Thran Dynamo

Targeted Removal (6)

• 1x Crib Swap
• 1x Imprisoned in the Moon
• 1x Path to Exile
• 1x Prison Term
• 1x Return to Dust
• 1x Swords to Plowshares

Tempo (5)

• 1x Aura of Silence
• 1x Blind Obedience
• 1x Frozen Aether
• 1x Loxodon Gatekeeper
• 1x Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir

Protection (4)

• 1x Avacyn, Angel of Hope
• 1x Eerie Interlude
• 1x Illusionist's Gambit
• 1x Martyr's Bond

Board Wipes (8)

• 1x Angel of the Dire Hour
• 1x Descend upon the Sinful
• 1x Hour of Revelation
• 1x Rout
• 1x Settle the Wreckage
• 1x Supreme Verdict
• 1x Terminus
• 1x Wave of Reckoning

Utility (8)

• 1x Arbiter of the Ideal
• 1x Archaeomancer
• 1x Clever Impersonator
• 1x Isperia the Inscrutable
• 1x Master of Predicaments
• 1x Sakashima the Impostor
• 1x Thassa, God of the Sea
• 1x Thought Vessel

Draw (5)

• 1x Dig Through Time
• 1x Dragonlord Ojutai
• 1x Ephara, God of the Polis
• 1x Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign
• 1x Windreader Sphinx

Hate (3)

• 1x Angel of Jubilation
• 1x Overwhelming Splendor
• 1x Rest in Peace

Commander (1)

Counters (7)

• 1x Confirm Suspicions
• 1x Disallow
• 1x Glen Elendra Archmage
• 1x Nimble Obstructionist
• 1x Scattering Stroke
• 1x Stifle
• 1x Voidmage Husher

Lands (40)

• 1x Glacial Fortress
• 1x Hallowed Fountain
• 19x Island
• 19x Plains

Detainment (1)

• 1x Lavinia of the Tenth

Flickering (1)

• 1x Sudden Disappearance

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Maybeboard

Draw (5)

• 1x Azor's Gateway  ^Flip
• 1x Mercadian Atlas
• 1x Mind's Eye
• 1x Oracle's Vault
• 1x Sphinx's Revelation

Counters (3)

• 1x Dovescape
• 1x Spell Swindle
• 1x Stratus Dancer

Hate (1)

• 1x Aven Mindcensor

Protection (1)

• 1x Ghostway

Utility (1)

• 1x Auramancer

Other (5)

• 1x Azor's Elocutors
• 1x Kindred Discovery
• 1x Prognostic Sphinx
• 1x Ray of Command
• 1x Sphinx Ambassador

Flickering (3)

• 1x Conjurer's Closet
• 1x Crystal Shard
• 1x Mistmeadow Witch

Targeted Removal (1)

• 1x Forsake the Worldly

Tempo (5)

• 1x Frost Titan
• 1x Ghostly Prison
• 1x Guardian of Tazeem
• 1x Propaganda
• 1x Windborn Muse

Detainment (2)

• 1x Lyev Skyknight
• 1x Martial Law

Board Wipes (1)

• 1x Consulate Crackdown

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Tired of being the (unwarranted) target of table? Tired of always getting hated out fast? Then may I introduce to you the latest and greatest in (relatively) affordable controlling technology. This deck is designed to slow the game down as much as possible without stopping it, and without making other players reluctant to play. The deck is relatively low in artifact and enchantment removal, counters, and in targeted creature removal because you will want to avoid getting flooded with answers to uncommon problems. Don't be afraid to use riddles to determine the outcome of things if you want to pretend to be impartial.

Reasoning

Why This Deck?

That's really as good a question as any to lead with. I built this deck because I didn't like how my meta at the time often resulted in a great imbalance at the table. I wanted a solution to other people's lack of interest in board-growth control. I would often identify the turning point(s) in a game but either not have enough answers to properly deal with it, or turn the board against myself trying to stop one player from getting the easy win. Unable to shake the reputation of being a scorched earth enthusiast, I decided to embrace the roll of being the arbiter of games with this deck. When I originally assembled it, it had a heavy detainment, and non-lethal theme which proved to be not impactful enough. So, I removed the detain, and upped the board wiping. Over time, I have adjusted it a number of times to match the state of my meta. I have so far not kept in an explicit win condition because I found this deck to be a little too consistent at stalling out wins in my meta; it's meant to feel like a bureaucracy - slow and grating - not a doomsday clock.

Why This Commander?

That's also a very reasonable question. I'm sure many might wonder why I chose not to use Grand Arbiter Augustin IV for a deck thats meant to play a grinding tempo game. The reason I chose to use Isperia, Supreme Judge instead is because she's much less obviously problematic, and because she actually allows me to benefit from other players wanting to attack because I'm frustrating them. But there's more to it than just that: Isperia does another thing effectively that Augustin can't readily do, and that's apply aggressive pressure. I know that the deck is supposed to grindy, but sometimes whacking someone for 6 commander really helps to pressure them into taking action. Furthermore, being less obviously problematic means that she's not often the first choice of anyone with targeted removal. The card advantage that Isperia, Supreme Judge generates synergies exceptionally well with instant-speed board wipes; you draw when attackers are declared meaning that even if you don't currently have an answer in hand, you can draw one to use immediately. Wiping the opponents after they trigger Isperia does two things: it slows them down, and helps you maintain card and board advantage.

Tuning

How can you adjust this to fit your meta?

• Add Cyclonic Rift Seriously. The only reason it's not in there is to prove that it's not necessary for the deck's success. It has good synergy with our commander, and is difficult to recover from

• Don't be afraid to add hate if necessary. The main threat in my meta was reanimation which is why I have Angel of Jubilation and Rest in Peace in there.

• Up the counter game. I wouldn't recommend having too many more counters but you may want to swap out things like Scattering Stroke and Confirm Suspicions for more powerful counters.

-Tweak the land base. I have a lot of Blood Moon action in my meta, so I prefer to have a largely basic mana base but if that's less of risk for you feel free to play with that. In fact, this applies to ramp in general: if you can ramp better, don't be afraid to reduce the land count a little.

• Removal. While I strongly recommend against removing any of the board wiping options, you may find that you need more artifact and enchantment removal. If that is the case try and find other area's that you can cut from before going to adjust the mass removal cards.

Strategy

This is one that I would love to expand upon but find that I can't really guide anyone. The deck plays so fluidly that there's almost no real strategy guidance I can give beyond what I've already said about it. Your goal is to punish players who attack you, and obstruct players from assembling their wincons. How you do it depends on what you're up against. Be conservative in your use of answers because if you use those resources too soon, you won't have them when you really need the ability to act. Read your opponents, understand what they want to do, identify the keystones to their decks. Don't be afraid to ramp hard; with enough mana you'll be able to stop everyone nearly all the time if you play your cards right. Make deals with opponents. Play things close to your chest to keep the other players from knowing when your defences are actually down. Play this deck true to the spirit of Azorius as best as you can, and you'll probably be fine. You want to assemble a soft-lock: something that lets the opponents keep playing but only on your conditions. This deck operates very consistently when players attack you, and struggles a bit if no one takes direct action against you. Politics are very important to this deck.

Date added	6 years
Last updated	5 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	11 - 0 Mythic Rares 34 - 0 Rares 13 - 0 Uncommons 3 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	4.07
Tokens	Angel 4/4 W, Clue, Plant 0/2 G, Shapeshifter 1/1 C