Hidden Strings

Sorcery

You may tap or untap target permanent, then you may tap or untap another target permanent.

Cipher (Then you may exile this spell card encoded on a creature you control. Whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player, its controller may cast a copy of the encoded card without paying its mana cost.)

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Pauper Duel Commander	Legal
Pauper EDH	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (47)

DreadKhan on The Friendmaker | Talrand, Sky Summoner [PRIMER]

5 days ago

I did some fiddling around with my Talrand and Proteus Staff, I found that I preferred it to Polymorph because I could throw a Sphinx of the Second Sun in, and if Proteus Staff hits Sphinx first it's amazing because I get to untap and draw an extra card before I hit my end step, meaning I can likely Staff again to get Jin just in time (and still have mana up for interaction). I guess it boiled down to me trying to raise the ceiling on Jin, and that was the best I could come up with! The other nice thing about an artifact plan is Blue has tons of relevant tutors, and if you clear all of the creatures out of your deck and Proteus Staff away another Drake you get to put your library in whatever order you want... meaning Jin can then draw you the actual 7 cards you want most. It's very, very degenerate when it works, but I was aiming for a budget cEDH list rather than something suitable for casual play.

I'm not sure if you need blockers, but Metallurgic Summonings can generate a bunch of them for you, and Shark Typhoon can generate attackers (or flying blockers if you're desperate), they're handy if your playgroup likes to 'deal with' Talrand, these Enchantments tend to be very sticky, people neglect Enchantment removal in my experience.

If you're aiming for a more casual Talrand, I might have a few ideas for you that are budget to boot! Hands of Binding and Hidden Strings offer two very low to the ground repeatable spells that can generate Drakes if you can Cipher them onto something evasive and get in, Hidden Strings can untap your stuff fwiw, and Hands of Binding can lock down the most problematic thing if you want. Last Thoughts isn't as good IMHO, but repeated card draw tends to be very good if you don't need to input more resources. Stolen Identity can be a solid win con, if what you take has evasion you can keep getting in and getting copies, it can get pretty out of hand, even as a 6 MV spell.

If you like politics and/or combat tricks I might have a few that are worth looking into, Mass Diminish is a true budget gem, the effect lasts long enough to be truly crippling late game, and it has Flashback for no discernable reason, very good at making one opponent dead, and then another opponent dead because their board is tiny. Polymorphist's Jest is much more of a surprise since it's an instant, but the effect can turn an opportunistic attack into a bloodbath (in either direction).

In any deck that's not in the ideal colours for removal I often end up looking hard at Transmogrifying Wand, this can deal with 3 creatures if it sticks around, 2/4s are basically trash vs your 2/2s in the air. Even if all you do is force someone with a low MV Commander to keep recasting to raise the tax it's very little resources to do it.

It's not a nice thing to do to someone, but I've always thought of Talrand as a real man of culture, perhaps you'd want to send some Drakes on a Cultural Exchange?

Best of luck, hope some of these ideas are relevant

9-lives on Tetsuko Umezawa and Prosthetic Injector

3 weeks ago

Does Ghostly Touch and Hidden Strings let me tap/untap my opponent's lands? It would be occurring during the combat phase, so I'm wondering if it would be useful to tap my opponent's lands? If not, I could always tap creatures and untap my own lands.

9-lives on Void Shatter's Thousand Virulent Cuts

3 weeks ago

Does Ghostly Touch and Hidden Strings let me tap/untap my opponent's lands? It would be occurring during the combat phase, so I'm wondering if it would be useful to tap my opponent's lands? If not, I could always tap creatures and untap my own lands.

austintayshus on Boot Scootin' Booger - Felix Five Boots

1 month ago

yeah the only ones i'd really consider are Hidden Strings and Stolen Identity

IHATENAMES on Ever Watchful

2 months ago

Cool deck i love the commander! Overall looks like it can hold down the board but has trouble finishing games. So I would suggest looking into more wincons.

Perhaps the instant sorcery make a token permanents like Monastery Mentor Docent of Perfection  ^Flip Talrand, Sky Summoner

Candlekeep Inspiration blue over run effect. With all of the instant/sorcerys

Unique not from hand cast cards maybe worth considering some are better then others.

Hidden Strings

Future Sight

Spelltwine

Synthesis Pod

Mind's Desire

Chaos Wand

Isochron Scepter

distantfreedom on Spell Sear

4 months ago

ViscountVonSausageRoll is right. Cast Hidden Strings while Sprite Dragon is on the field and let it resolve, then use the Cipher keyword to encode it on Sprite Dragon and you'll get to cast a copy if it deals combat damage to a player. That free cast of Hidden Strings triggers Sprite Dragon's ability, Aria of Flame's effect, and Thermo-Alchemist's ability, which is everything I could ask for in this deck. For free? No way am I passing that up.

ViscountVonSausageRoll on Spell Sear

4 months ago

I think what our friendly Planeswalker distantfreedom is referring to is: If Hidden Strings is on Sprite Dragon then every time it deals combat damage to an opponent it free-casts a spell, thusly triggering Sprite Dragon's ability and giving it a +1/+1 counter.

The tap/untap effect of the spell would be used presumably for either Thermo-Alchemist or two of our Islands.

Balaam__ on Spell Sear

4 months ago

Maybe I’m just missing something obvious, but how does Hidden Strings combo with Sprite Dragon?