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| Format | Legality |
| 1v1 Commander | Legal |
| Alchemy | 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 |
| Historic Brawl | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Leviathan | Legal |
| Limited | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Modern Beyond Horizons | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Planar Constructed | Legal |
| Planechase | Legal |
| Pre-release | Legal |
| Quest Magic | Legal |
| Standard | Legal |
| Standard Brawl | Legal |
| Vanguard | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
Archfiend of the Dross
Creature — Phyrexian Demon
Flying
Archfiend of the Dross enters the battlefield with four oil counters on it.
At the beginning of your upkeep, remove an oil counter from Archfiend of the Dross. Then if it has no oil counters on it, you lose the game.
Whenever a creature an opponent controls dies, its controller loses 2 life. (Dying is being put into the graveyard from the battlefield. Tokens enter the graveyard before they cease to exist.)
Flarhoon13 on
Derevi, Empyrial Tactician. No stax!
5 months ago
May 3, 2024 I started a new quest. Having built 52 decks, I endeavoured to play them all, in roughly the same order as I created them.
May 31
Derevi, Empyrial Tactician. No stax! 8-9 Loss, Did get off Pyxis of Pandemonium (I love this card too much to take it out of the deck lol) for 15, possibly could've won but Jon Irenicus, Shattered One foiled my Dismiss into Dream, negating the forced sacrifice. Still, had a couple fetch lands with Retreat to Coralhelm but didn't think to use it--I could have fetched and used the landfall trigger to tap down the potential attacker--this only occurred to me after a Kemba, Kha Regent deck killed me with a massively equipped Archfiend of the Dross, which Jon Irenicus, Shattered One had so kindly donated . .471
Pyxis of Pandemonium won me a couple games. Once, it got me enough attackers to fuel infinite turns via a Magistrate's Scepter. Another game, it undid a Vampiric Tutor. Mike took a couple minutes for his search, too, not realizing that the Pyxis of Pandemonium would exile his card. Hilarious! I held on to win that one!
Vivctius on
Cats In Claws Out
5 months ago
What an amazing performance for the first time with the deck, 2-1-0 on the first local tornament putting it on 3rd from a poll of 8 players. Here is a more indepth analysis of the matches:
1st match (Gates): 2-1 by far the easiest match to go up against even when they sideboarded in Authority of the Consuls and dropped two of them, we still made quick work with our early swarm of cats.
2nd match (Golgari Aggro): 0-2 where to start, I didn't have all the sideboard finished for the deck but holly hell the Banishing Light is a swiss pocket knife for these match ups if you don't have the board wipes or the reanimates. My recomendation for these type of decks is for you to take a more defensive roll on the second and third match, your cats can wait and slowly grow larger, you need to control Unholy Annex / Ritual Chamber and the Archfiend of the Dross which are the biggest threats by far. Really learned a lot with this match up.
3rd match (Golgari Aggro): 2-1 I know it might come as a suprise but you really learn a lot just by one match up. When I was faced again with the same deck I knew what hands to keep, what to sideboard in, the deck really shined from both sides (aggro the first game/control on the other two). I cannot stress this enough Banishing Light is something you want sideboarded to deal with any threat that appears it's supper versatile.
I've done some changes to the sideboard and I'll keep you posted.
Coward_Token on
Joneleth Irenicus - Dimir Donate
1 year ago
AFAIK Archfiend of the Dross doesn't really work as a give-away because when it makes its controller lose, it's given back to you, and unless you can get rid of it on the beginning of your own turn you'll just lose too.
Coward_Token on
Blim: It's just a prank, bro
1 year ago
Fat_old_guy: Haha, I make no promises but I'll try. I'm sad to say there hasn't been much need, because there's been surprisingly few new fun gift cards in the past year. (e.g. Archfiend of the Dross doesn't really work because you'll get it back when its controller loses, and then you'll probably lose yourself on your upkeep.)
Balaam__ on Balaam__
1 year ago
@Angel_Zero I forgot to let u know but I finished that deck based around your Archfiend of the Dross combo. It’s viewable now.
Licecolony on
Goaded With The Sauce
2 years ago
I really like your manifest take on Jon. Consider Dulcet Sirens. It's a clever way to mitigate risk of having those horrible creatures for yourself. I'll definitely be adding Crawlspace and Endless Whispers to my list.
Suggested removals from deck Plague Reaver. While it's a nice card to give away, the turn you play it you'll have to sacrifice Jon Irenicus to Plague Reaver's trigger regardless of which order you put the abilities onto the stack. You'd rather not lose Jon.
Gisa, Glorious Resurrector. It's something you can't give away, which means it's good when you're ahead, but not great when you're behind,. Your mileage may vary, but I think getting something more immediately impactful on the board tends to be best.
Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker. You're not running a mill strategy, you'll only be filling the graveyard of dedicate graveyard decks.
Taniwha. I love this creature and totally understand running it for the memes, but phasing triggers before your upkeep, which means that when you give it away, it'll be phased out for the first turn under your opponent, so they'll keep their lands and you won't draw a card from Jon's ability. The turn cycle has to make two full rounds before Taniwha does anything.
Tergrid, God of Fright Flip. Unlike Sheoldred, Tergrid doesn't make the opponent do either of its effects. It's another creature you don't want to give away, and Jon makes cards unsacrificeable. It just won't trigger much unless you're against a sacrifice deck.
Ensnaring Bridge. The creatures you donate will often be quite big. Ensnaring bridge will prevent them from attacking your opponents and deny you card draw.
Chromatic Lantern. It's only good if you need the mana fixing. You don't need the mana fixing. Try something like Thought Vessel or Decanter of Endless Water or Midnight Clock instead.
Assault Suit doesn't goad the creatures itself. Often they'll swing at you if possible.
Dissipation Field. Not as good as it looks. Doubles ETB triggers. Anti synergy with cards like Endless Whispers.
No Mercy Jon just has better options for this slot. If you can replace a non-creature with a creature in this deck, you usually want to.
Grave Betrayal. That's 7 mana for a card that could ruin your game by forcing you to revive bad cards you do not want.
Diplomatic Immunity. You want instant speed protection and protection from board wipes. Something like March of Swirling Mist is more versatile offensively and defensively.
Dark Ritual. I'm uncertain what you're trying to ramp into so quickly that you would need this. Maybe I'm wrong.
Countersquall. You may as well play the one mana version in An Offer You Can't Refuse.
Redirect may be bested by Narset's Reversal? That's a matter of opinion.
AEtherize risks bouncing creatures attacking other opponents such as those you've goaded but want them to keep. Try replacing this with a more versatile effect like Reins of Power or a more aggressive effect in Illusionist's Gambit.
Damnation. Jon prefers sacrifice board wipes so that your opponents keep their shit creatures.
Overall I think you could run less counter-magic in favor of more proactive effects.
Cards to Consider Creatures Generally I want to focus on adding creatures that you can give away and then steal back later to win the game.
With Jon, you often want cheap evasive creatures to give out for early card draw with his ability. Right now you have 1 two-drop creature. Throwing in a Changeling Outcast or a Slither Blade can mean you can give a creature away for cheap and still hold up mana for other things. Slither blade wouldn't die to Heartless Summoning too.
In the two-drop slot, you can run creatures that are more defensive like Baleful Strix, or give you card draw like Sygg, River Cutthroat or just more powerful creatures like Flesh Reaver which is a goaded 6/6 that can deal 12 damage a turn or Wretched Anurid. Heck, you can even add a versatile two-drop in Dimir Infiltrator which can be given away in the early game or used as a tutor in the late-game.
In the three drop slot, I think your idea of adding Steel Golem is a great one to make sure the only creatures your opponent has are the ones you're giving them. It's a brutal card. Rotting Regisaur is a card you don't mind giving away early, and can take back later to win. Phyrexian Soulgorger can be donated to an opponent as a goaded 10/10. They won't have to pay the upkeep, but that's a great body to give someone as a political tool. Cephalid Facetaker is also worth consideration though I personally don't run it.
In the four-drop slot, like you mentioned, Grid Monitor is a proactive creature counter. Abyssal Persecutor can save you from death. Archfiend of the Dross is risky but fun (it comes back to your control after the opponent dies).
In the 5-drop slot, both of the evil-eye cards are absolute ALL STARS. They work so well every game I've drawn them. They can also replace some of your weaker defenses like No Mercy and Dissipation Field
As a sidenote, I also like Deep-Sea Kraken as an unblockable 8/8 that can win you the game with homeward path.
Removal I recommend running more sacrifice-based removal since it'll mean your opponents keep the crap you give them. Things like Tergrid's Shadow or Vona's Hunger or All is Dust (one of my favorites) or Killing Wave. I also prefer Toxic Deluge to some of your other removal since it goes through hexproof. Curse of the Swine is also an exile effect that can be selective and works really well. You can also run single-target removal like Reality Shift or Pongify if you'd rather instant speed interaction. Feed the Swarm is quality. If you really don't care about cruelty, you can run Torment of Hailfire, but that card is honestly always too boring for me to want in my decks.
Card Draw Jon has access to some great card draw that most decks can't take advantage of. Fateful Handoff is a card draw spell that also donates (though does not goad). Sygg, River Cutthroat works well with evasive threats you give away (though should not be donated). Verity Circle works great with Jon's ability since it donates the creature first, and then taps it down. Teferi's Ageless Insight allows you to double your draw triggers from Jon.
Equipment Remember that you can donate creatures while they're equipped and you still control the equipment so they can't re-equip it. Pact Weapon makes the attacking creature bigger, while ensuring you can't die, and will draw you another card whenever the donated creature attacks. Dowsing Dagger Flip works effectively on evasive creature to get you ramped. Vorpal Sword is a win condition on your unblockable evasive creatures.
Goad Dulcet Sirens, Bloodthirsty Blade.
Misc Graveyard removal is king. Throw in a Scavenger Grounds. My favorite card to run is Reality Shift. Make an Avenger of Zendikar spawn a dozen Wretched Anurids. It's not GREAT, but it is always funny. Cultural Exchange is a fun time too with all your manifest and shitty creatures.
That is all. Hope it was helpful.
RDorothy on
Blue Devotion Blink
2 years ago
I will also test Cemetery Protector in place of Archfiend of the Dross.
Murderous Rider can be bounced with Aether Channeler and gets ride of 5+ planeswalkers.