Machinations of the Draconian

Commander / EDH MrAwesomeSocks

SCORE: 663 | 706 COMMENTS | 115713 VIEWS | IN 268 FOLDERS


No Post:OGW and a small update. —Jan. 24, 2016

Sorry everyone, there's not going to be a Post: Oath of the Gatewatch. Nothing in this set really contributes to the deck, not even close.

Just a couple side notes. Sorry for the lack of replies recently. Lately, after I get off work, I just crash and go to sleep. I promise I'll try to be better at replying to comments. Thanks to everyone who have been answering questions for me in my absence.

Second thing, I have 8 of the 22 Zendikar Expeditions I want! Still missing 3 of the Fetchlands, 9 of the Shocklands, Mana Confluencefoil, and Ancient Tombfoil. Working towards it though.

MrAwesomeSocks says... #1

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm back! Sorry about that one month hiatus. Life takes priority, I'm afraid. I completely missed the 2015 Commander decks, so if anyone has some suggestions from those decks, I'm all ears!

January 3, 2016 11:40 a.m.

Unfortunately, C15 didn't really give us much in the way of dragons. Scourge of Nel Toth is basically the best dragon from the set, and I'm not entirely sure if it's the best fit for this deck apart from it being, you know, a dragon.

January 3, 2016 11:47 a.m.

MrAwesomeSocks says... #3

canterlotguardian: Thanks for the comment! It doesn't have to be just Dragons. Support cards work well too!

January 3, 2016 11:55 a.m.

Kinpa6Ansatsu says... #4

I think the only thing that I would consider would be the confluences, but other than that there is nothing really worth it.

January 3, 2016 3:03 p.m.

Pheardemons says... #5

Glad your back man. Hope your kicking life back in the butt as well.

Did have a question for you. How has Exploration played for you? With all of the signets do you feel like it is needed?

Would you consider cards like Boseiju, Who Shelters All against counter decks? Also another land that did come in the C15 decks was Command Beacon. Does Scion of the Ur-Dragon die too often when people realize your deck is combo? I would assume Command Beacon would seriously help if that is the case.

January 3, 2016 10:34 p.m.

Marenkai says... #6

He's right, Command Beacon is the only C15 addition worth a slot in youe deck.

When people think you're out of the game (say, Scion died twice and they destroyed your signets), a Command Beacon top deck can basically save the day and win you the game.

January 4, 2016 12:13 a.m.

MorgsJ says... #7

With the Savage Ventmaw combo, do the creatures toughness return to the number written on the card, or do they remain at a lower toughness for the next combat phase in the turn?

Also have you considered Debtors' Knell? Since all the cards will be going into your graveyard it would be good to bring them back.

January 4, 2016 3:51 a.m.

Zer0w says... #8

Damage stays on creatures until the turn is over. so if you cast Languish in your first main phase and then attack, and then cast Pyroclasm in your second main phase and then Lightning Bolt in your end step all of that will add up to kill big creatures. so for the Ventmaw combo to work there can be only limited flying blockers. but if there is just one open player it also potentally generates lots of mana to hard cast some dragons. so it is a very cool combo.

January 4, 2016 11:13 a.m.

MorgsJ says... #9

Zer0w - Thanks, that's what I thought was the case.

January 4, 2016 11:34 a.m.

Manbeast75 says... #10

Couple of things from my time running a Scion edh.

Training Grounds is great. Teneb, the Harvester is great. Sheoldred, Whispering One is fantastic. Burgeoning is fantastic. Reflecting Pool is fantastic.

January 4, 2016 1:07 p.m.

VexenX says... #11

This might be a bad question, but what about Animate Dead + Shivan Hellkite + Worldgorger Dragon gives you infinite mana?

January 6, 2016 9:32 a.m.

Marenkai says... #12

Haha, you must be the 10th person to ask this question xD

So I'll just quote my long gone comment (2 updates ago):

=> Wolrdgorger in the graveyard and animate in your hand.

1- You play animate dead targetting worldgorger.

2- When the dragon hits the board, he exiles all your permanents including animate dead.

3- Animate dead is not on board anymore so Gorger goes to the grave.

4- Then all your permanents come back from exile including animate dead.

5- Tap your lands for mana, target gorger again and repeat the process.

January 6, 2016 12:40 p.m.

dooomsdae says... #13

@VexenX Animate Dead is itself a permanent targeted by Worldgorger Dragon's etb ability along with all of your lands. This creates an interesting interaction when worldgorger enters, everything exiles, which means you sacrifice worldgorger because Animate Dead leaves the battlefield. This can loop ad infinitum if you so choose. Every time your lands enter the battlefield once again, they are untapped, which means in between the steps of the loop, you can tap them for mana, and they float in your mana pool. If Shivan Hellkite is another card in your graveyard during this combo, you can end the loop by targeting that card with Animate Dead and then use all of that floating mana to burn everyone for lethal as per the ability.

It was absolutely not a dumb question--it is one of the most difficult interactions to wrap your brain around when you dont actually have the cards to demonstrate.

(someone please correct me if i said something incorrectly!)

January 6, 2016 12:44 p.m.

Marenkai says... #14

@dooomsdae: I assure you that this combo is well understood when you explain it once... People tend to be more surprised by the Moltensteel Dragon + Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon combo, not understanting why Scion keeps the buff.

January 6, 2016 12:48 p.m. Edited.

dooomsdae says... #15

@Marenkai part of the reason I responded was to solidify my own understanding of the interaction by putting it into my own words. It is absolutely a notorious combo, but it did take me more than one explanation :p I'd say we both did it justice.

January 6, 2016 12:57 p.m.

Killoginet says... #16

Two questions:

Why did you take out the Dack's Duplicate + Enduring Scalelord combo?

And why do you have Putrid Imp in there?

January 11, 2016 1:08 p.m.

Zer0w says... #17

maybe he put it in because it's foil. that is all I can think of.

January 11, 2016 2:17 p.m.

MrEM4N says... #18

A subtheme of this deck is reanimator which makes putrid imp a great choice.

January 11, 2016 8:58 p.m.

carpecanum says... #19

Rites of Spring is one of my cards to put things into my graveyard early but you don't play any basics =(

The Mimeoplasm works in my Scion deck also, with any number of dragons

January 12, 2016 1:02 a.m.

VexenX says... #20

Killoginet: I am thinking that the imp is in there to put combo dragons from his hand into the grave yard.

January 12, 2016 9:28 a.m.

@Marenkai I am incredibly confused by the Moltensteel Dragon + Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon combo because you can't copy two different things with Scion at the same time. I would much appreciate it if someone would please explain this to me.

January 12, 2016 9:04 p.m.

SomeDipshit says... #22

Use the stack, Luke

January 12, 2016 9:08 p.m.

enpc says... #23

Zachattack_5972: you put Scion's ability on the stack twice. From here you let the first one resolve, making him a copy of Moltensteel Dragon. You then can respond to the second "become a dragon" (the one that's still on the stack) by pumping a bunch of life/red mana into the firebreathing ability. Then let them resolve. Now Scion's ability resolves again and make him become Skittles.

January 12, 2016 10:11 p.m. Edited.

Marenkai says... #24

And may I add that Scion keeps the pump while becoming Skittles because of the rule:

706.11 : If an effect refers to a permanent by name, the effect still tracks that permanent even if it changes names or becomes a copy of something else.

January 13, 2016 4:09 a.m.

Zer0w says... #25

This makes me laugh, how often this combo is questioned. Indeed it is a bit confusing until it's properly explained. Maybe we should all save the best explanation we can find to our desktops and just paste it whenever this question comes up. save some time :)

January 13, 2016 8:18 a.m.