Judge's Familiar

Creature — Bird

Flying

Sacrifice Judge's Familiar: Counter target instant or sorcery spell unless its controller pays {1}

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
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)

dongle_the_great on For the Birds

7 months ago

Hey DreadKhan thanks for commenting. I did have Judge's Familiar, Soulcatcher, and Soulcatchers' Aerie in the deck originally. It was sort of a bird/token sacrifice deck, but it took too long to get feather counters. I like the idea of shapeshifters and will look into adding those to the deck.

DreadKhan on For the Birds

7 months ago

I'm not sure if it'd be crossing the line or not, but I feel like Falco Spara Bird typal probably likes Bloodline Pretender, maybe it could be an honourary Bird? Mirror Entity is another interesting way to improve the base power of your birds, and is itself a bird and soldier. You might be able to get some mileage out of an Aven Mimeomancer, this can make your small stuff bigger or let you cast stuff with Falco, maybe a x1? It can also heavily nerf your opponent's creatures, and it works with Bower Passage so a creature can't block your flyers if you use it aggressively to shrink a threat. Not sure if Soulcatcher is a good fit potentially, it offers you a way to get some counters on things while also synergizing with cards that care about bird soldiers.

Welp, I was searching Scryfall and came upon what must be a new card, and I don't think it's an Un-card? Anyways, she's The Goose Mother, and the funny part was that I wondered if I should suggest Hydroid Krasis, but this is even a Bird! I'm not saying you should run this card, but I would be remiss to say the least if I didn't at least bring it your attention. Forgive me if you already knew about it (I still can't believe it's not an Un card)!

If you ever want to look at a sideboard something like Judge's Familiar would probably work very well to hassle people running board wipes. Not sure if Birds would really care about Elephant Grass, but I think it might be another good sideboard card, you can use Falco to get rid of age counters if it's been out for a bit. I don't know if people play Freyalise's Radiance is another card that is backbreaking vs some decks, and Falco can strip counters as needed. Maybe Mind Harness, that's really situational, but when it's good it's really good.

If you wanted to upgrade your deck a bit, you could easily keep up a Mystic Remora if you have Falco out, I guess it depends if most people play creature heavy decks in your area. Many higher power decks use less creatures, and paying 4 is not realistic for most decks.

Darsul on Thought and Talon

10 months ago

Is Opposition Agent better than Aven Mindcensor? (aven is more evasive tho)

depends on what you want, Aven is a better beater but, Agent is card advantage.

Make a cut for Teferi's Ageless Insight (I cut Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite. Archfiend of Ifnir is a good one sided wipe in this deck)

Serra Paragon<Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, Norn helps the go wide

More 1 drop creature and more legendary creature suggestions are welcome. (legendary creatures take advantage of Gold-Forged Thopteryx etc).

Iron Apprentice, Krydle of Baldur's Gate, Benthic Biomancer, Cosi's Trickster, Judge's Familiar

Less counter spells required due to many protection spells in deck.

Glen Elendra Archmage w/connive you can keep her online

Consider Rhystic Study (slows my creature attack strat. But op... Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor in its place for now)

Rhystic Study gains table aggro, Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor gets your opponents to look at each other

Weak to oppo swing back. Solutions include war tax effects and vigilance.

Darkness, Holy Day

GH HF

DreadKhan on Into the Sharknado

1 year ago

I gather you are looking for suggestions in the area of counterspells? I suspect you might consider whether you usually need to counter creature or non-creature spells, as there are Negate and Essence Scatter at 1U, as well as An Offer You Can't Refuse for a mere U. As you're in mono-Blue, if you didn't mind upping the budget a bit there is Counterspell, which is a fine card in many ways if not really suited to more competitive arenas.

Pretty out there, but Spiketail Hatchling, Spiketail Drakeling, and Spiketail Drake can all be sacrificed to counter an opponent using fairly large spells/effects, especially stuff like wipes. There is also Judge's Familiar to help with this, but it's more narrow. You mainly use these guys to protect something more important, including to counter an opponent's board wipe.

If your games tend to go pretty long, Gargoyle Castle can be useful, a 3/4 flyer trumps a Delver. The key is that it uses a land slot to be potentially a very solid body. There is also Mishra's Factory that can offer you a body, with Mishra's Factory being very hard to deal with as it's only a creature on your turn, and you don't have to summon it, so it blanks a lot of solutions and saw play in control decks historically for these reasons. I mention these two because you run a decent number of lands, perhaps you wouldn't notice having some colourless lands with so many Islands, and could benefit from some situational bodies.

Delphen7 on Viability - mono blue wincons

1 year ago

I ran a mono blue aggro list for a very long time that's decently powerful, the win con was Nivmagus Elemental. It involved lots of free spells like Snapback, March of Swirling Mist, Disrupting Shoal and Flusterstorm to grow Blistercoil out of nowhere and some other aggressive critters. Judge's Familiar, Thing in the Ice  ^Flip, and Delver of Secrets  ^Flip are the most notable of those

kamarupa on Protect the kingdom

1 year ago

more counterspells, add draw card/scry/tutor, and remove some creatures or use your creatures for better utility abilities like counterspell, draw card, removal, etc. Defenders can't protect your Azor's Elocutors from removal and by turn 5, you're likely to have used any Counterspells you've drawn.

Send Wingcrafter to the sideboard.

Wall of Omens seems to fit your theme of defensive creatures and it cantrips, which you definitely want to help cycle through the deck to get to your wincon. I don't think this is a great direction to go, but I think it's better than at least one of the defenders you're already including.

Judge's Familiar (maybeboard) won't be good unless you can pump it.

Cut Ring of Three Wishes, as its MV to cast and activate are just way too high.

Some of these spells and their ilk would be good here: Blustersquall, Mana Leak, Serum Visions, Delver of Secrets  ^Flip.

Saccox on Fly with Pezzent Air-lines! (10/12 Euro/$)

1 year ago

Balaam__ it's a strong card but i want draw cards with the creatures,put it in the maybeboard.

YodaVoda Sephara, Sky's Blade it's over budget. Lofty Denial i don't want counters in this deck. Judge's Familiar and Thunderclap Wyvern are interesting,put in the maybeboard.

Exogino for me,it's more strong Cryptic Caves. the ability cost only 2 mana,in the same turn i can draw and play a spell. I could put 2 Skybridge Towers instead of 2 Tranquil Cove

thanks all for the help ^^

YodaVoda on Fly with Pezzent Air-lines! (10/12 Euro/$)

1 year ago

nice deck. maybe try Lofty Denial, Judge's Familiar, Sephara, Sky's Blade or Thunderclap Wyvern