In terms of the lore aspect of MTG, Nicol Bolas has always been one of my favorites, always lurking out of sight, subtly scheming for more power. Here is my interpretation of a deck themed around him. I've decided to avoid making the strategy focus on getting Bolas out as soon as possible, as his high mana cost makes that difficult already and it ties in thematically with Bolas rarely entering combat himself, instead relying more upon his servants.
Augur of Bolas and Disciple of Bolas help with cycling through the deck, the latter card having the additional effect of restoring my life.
Mindclaw Shaman
, while slow to get out, allows for potential hand disruption, since some players have a tendency to preserve their more useful instants/sorceries for more desirable circumstances.
Grixis Grimblade
provides some early creature plays, while also making for a good blocker en masse via deathtouch.
Sedraxis Specter
allows for some hand destruction, while past experience has shown that is a strong enough lure for harmful spells. Lastly,
Fire-Field Ogre
, while not threatening beyond it's Unearth effect, can make for an ok blocker and a useful target for the Disciples effect.
Tormenting Voice allows for some early draw power while as clearing the hand of any dead draws. Terminate and Countersquall make for great ways to stop harmful creatures and spells respectively.
Pain Magnification
works great at hand destruction while combined with the Specter, and
Blood Reckoning
can, in some cases, slow down constant attacks against myself or Nicol Bolas. Cruel Ultimatum, if it successfully goes off, can be devastating.
Please feel free to leave any comments, thoughts on the deck, or card suggestions.
