Combos Browse all Suggest
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 |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Leviathan | Legal |
| Limited | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Planechase | Legal |
| Quest Magic | Legal |
| Vanguard | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
Illusionist's Stratagem
Instant
Exile up to two target creatures you control, then return those cards to the battlefield under their owner's control.
Draw a card.
KongMing on
Wizard101 | FREE Download | Play Now!
9 months ago
Great question Frostfire524. There are a couple infinite combos (and a few power combos/cards) that win you the game.
Galecaster Colossus can be enough to lock opponents (even multiple opponents) out of the game with mass bounce. If someone tries to remove it, counterspell.
Cyclonic Rift is in a similar boat, and can be retrieved from the graveyard by cards like Archaeomancer and Mystic Sanctuary. Clone Legion is another great card that can make the game one-sided.
Stormtide Leviathan is a big beater that can finish games if opponents have been swinging at each other a bit and don't have many fliers. Just yesterday I used Rite of Replication on the Stormtide the turn after casting it - six 8/8s with Islandwalk are pretty good at winning the game.
Ultimately though, the goal for the deck is to hold off the opponents until it is ready to draw/mill itself out and win. Jace, Wielder of Mysteries and Laboratory Maniac allow you to win when you deck yourself. Those are obvious, how do you get there? We have a few options.
First, the mill. This deck has a LOT of scry, but not much shuffle. That is a very intentional design decision. You want to remember what your bottom card is at all times, because the spell Tunnel Vision will let you throw all the rest of your library into your graveyard, leaving only that card on top. So you go from having 70-80 cards in library to 1.
This strategy can also target the opponent. Our spells Hinder, Spell Crumple, and Vendilion Clique all let us put cards on the bottom of an opponent's library. Now we can target them with Tunnel Vision! Much fun ensues.
Now for drawing yourself out. This is accomplished through infinite bounce triggers. The card Naru Meha, Master Wizard goes infinite with bounce spells like Ghostly Flicker, Freed from the Real, Displace, and Illusionist's Stratagem. This can let you bounce another Wizard that lets you draw cards, or use other output cards like Kindred Discovery or Sage's Row Denizen to knock out libraries. There's lot of others combos too, like being able to use Naru Meha and Ghostly Flicker with Sunscorched Desert to ping opponents to death.
KongMing on
Unesh Sphinx Tribal
1 year ago
Maybe you could take advantage of the Changeling mechanic a bit. Stuff like Birthing Boughs and Maskwood Nexus (so you can make an ETB at Instant Speed). Bloodline Pretender gives you a slow build if cast early, and only costs if Unesh is already on the field.
Sphinx Ambassador is a card that can make people ragequit on the spot, especially with all the counterspell backup you have. Stormtide Leviathan is terrible in most decks, but amazing in this one.
Also, with all the ETB abilities you have here, I really recommend Ghostly Flicker, Displace, and Illusionist's Stratagem because they give your sphinxes some evasion while also doubling up on their ETBs.
A bit more reduction could really do you well. Maybe Warden of Evos Isle and/or Thryx, the Sudden Storm?
QuantumHeil on
Naru Meha Mill
1 year ago
As well as my previous suggestion of Docent of Perfection Flip, which is just a good addition to give alternatives to milling. May I recommend replacing Sinister Sabotage, Wizard's Retort, and/or Select for Inspection with a combination of Displace, Illusionist's Stratagem, and/or Planar Incision to help get better odds for the combo going off.
thefiresoflurve on
You Can't Flicker Your Friend's Nose
1 year ago
Peregrine Drake along with an Archaeomancer type effect goes infinite with Ghostly Flicker if you're into that. Peregrine Drake can also generate a ton of mana over time with Soulherder / Flickerwisp / Oji. Also, Illusionist's Stratagem may be worth considering in place of Ghostly Flicker - If you're hitting your infinite combo with Ghostly Flicker, it can feel bad to not actually win with it. I run both instants in my Esper blink deck, so I can draw into the Ghostly Flicker and then cease casting Stratagem and thus avoid self-mill.
Aminatou, the Fateshifter goes infinite with Felidar Guardian, and also is itself a cheap flicker-er.
thefiresoflurve on
1 year ago
Nice brew! I find Lavinia of the Tenth does a ton of work in my Esper blink deck - maybe test it out in place of Exclusion Mage, or Barrin?
Also, what do you think of Cavalier of Dawn to replace Meteor Golem? It works well enough for me in Esper, so I would think would be easy enough to cast in dual color. IME, giving someone a 3/3 body is 100% worth saving the 2 mana.
And finally - Ghostly Flicker and/or Illusionist's Stratagem could be solid includes if you want to change up how your "value" works: Since you have lots of creatures that return instants/sorceries, it goes from with Momentary Blink to , but repeatable as long as you have Archaeomancer or friends out. These also fill a different role than Semester's End since they return the targets to the field immediately, and not at the next end step. (Can also go infinite mana/draw with Peregrine Drake as the second target).
Lastly... (I promise, lol) how well do you find Mind Flayer works in blink, out of curiosity? I run Agent of Treachery and I find if it isn't immediately removed after casting, I pretty much win.
Happy blinking!
WhatInTheWhoNow on
This is How Democracy Dies (Tivit EDH)
1 year ago
For your combos containing Ghostly Flicker, you can also use Displace and Illusionist's Stratagem.
BozoJoker on
Evelyn
1 year ago
Predators' Hour, Damnation, Twilight Prophet, Drana, Liberator of Malakir, Blasphemous Act, Mind Stone, Fire Diamond, Call the Bloodline, Flameshadow Conjuring, Vampire of the Dire Moon, Reflections of Littjara, Feed the Swarm, Thassa, Deep-Dwelling, Nullpriest of Oblivion, Champion of Dusk, Ghostly Flicker, Essence Flux, Displace, Bedevil, Rakdos Charm, Malakir Rebirth Flip, Teferi's Time Twist, Reality Shift, Pongify, Hurl Through Hell, Illusionist's Stratagem, Olivia's Wrath, Kindred Dominance
kimosabe on
Accidental Esper?
2 years ago
I'm an esper enthusiast, and no stranger to the ETB/Flicker game play. Consider the following:
Instant flickers: Ghostly Flicker, Teferi's Time Twist, Illusionist's Stratagem
ETB value engines: Conjurer's Closet, Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
Please feel free to critique my decks. Good luck
