The Song of Phyresis

Commander / EDH Mortlocke

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Ikoria's Ultimatum - Update —April 15, 2020

With the Ultimatum cycle finally being completed it was Emergent that caught my eye - with it, I could get 2 Praetors on board - a "Buy 1, get 1 free" deal at the Praetor Supermarket. With the recent inclusions of more ramp and rocks I think there is a higher likelihood i'll be able to afford the cost of this spell. But i'm also considering Defense of the Heart. A similar spell, but with more restrictions around it's activation. What would be the better option? The previously mentioned or Emergent Ultimatum?

Defense of the Heart has two key "side" effects: when it hits the field early it slows the flow of play for opponents (potentially, unless they're dumb or something and just play creatures anyway), but also gives opponents a chance to delay the conditions being met for Heart to be able to trigger - and it can only trigger during my upkeep. So, it's possible I won't be able to tutor. Emergent Ultimatum's biggest hurdle is the CMC. 7 in three different colors isn't a simple feat to accomplish. As for which praetor (or mono colored permanent) an opponent chooses not to let onto the field that's somewhat irrelevant - at the least, one or two praetors are going to be on the field regardless, and it's Sorcery speed, so in an ideal world my opponents would have to be tapped out, or i'd somehow have to have just enough mana to afford a counterspell - yes, i'm also considering Fierce Guardianship for this deck as well. Can't figure out what to cut though.

For those of you who are interested in this deck list i'd appreciate any opinions/thoughts on this question. And yes, Phyrexian Swarmlord has been replaced. Honestly, I never found it doing much in the deck.