Artisan of Kozilek

Creature — Eldrazi

When you cast this spell, you may return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

Annihilator 2 (Whenever this creature attacks, defending player sacrifices two permanents.)

Discussion (51)

minisnow on More stuffs

4 days ago

Platinum Emperion Meteor Golem Hedron Crawler Walker of the Wastes Desolation Twin Reality Smasher Warden of Geometries Ugin, the Ineffable Artisan of Kozilek Worn Powerstone Hedron Archive All Is Dust Titan's Presence Geode Golem Void Winnower Palladium Myr It That Betrays Pathrazer of Ulamog Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre Deceiver of Form Spawnsire of Ulamog Crashing Drawbridge Manakin Warping Wail Not of This World Mystic Forge Lightning Greaves Planar Bridge Quicksilver Amulet Mirage Mirror Urza's Incubator The Immortal Sun Helm of the Host Herald's Horn Hedron Matrix Vedalken Orrery Eldrazi Conscription

Lands Shrine of the Forsaken Gods Sanctum of Ugin Eye of Ugin Rogue's Passage Zhalfirin Void Tomb of the Spirit Dragon Spawning Bed Mage-Ring Network Nephalia Academy Sanctum of Eternity Wastes Mirrorpool Mikokoro, Center of the Sea Geier Reach Sanitarium Endless Sands Everflowing Chalice Labyrinth of Skophos

slashdotdash on 5 color no theme deck

1 week ago

Dear Kronhamilton

Golos, Tireless Pilgrim is my favorite commander, and I've been brewing around him ever since he was teased. Let me just say you've chosen an excellent commander.

(I’ve written quite a lot in an attempt to make a sort of guide for you, so if you want the short version, check out the Suggestions panel)

Intro

Golos can be tricky to build around since he can do literally anything pretty well. The easiest way to make an effective Golos deck is to lean into Golos's 7 Mana Rainbow Wheel Of Death. Before getting into that though, we need to cover some EDH deckbuilding basics.

I think the most useful advice I can give someone who is just beginning to explore the deck-building territory of EDH is to structure your deck and mind your Ratios. By this I mean it is useful to categorize the cards in your deck according to the role they fulfill.

We’ll begin by looking at some core categories that you’ll want to make your deck function effectively. Then I’ll present the Ratios (how many of each category of card) you will want to make a generic Golos deck function effectively. Next, I’ll include a detailed (but not totally complete, because I’d be here all day) catalogue of cards within some of those categories. I’ll also offer up some suggestions and input about some of your specific card choices. Lastly, since I’m about to unpack a lot of information, I will include a brief list of suggestions (see the bottom) for a generically good Golos ‘Shell’ that should be able to support most Golos strategies.

Categories

Categories

• Draw

• Ramp

• Removal

• Sweepers

• Threats

• Support

• Land

Draw Show

Draw cards are cards that draw you additional cards. There are two subcategories for Draw cards; Draw Spells and Draw Engines.

• Draw Spells are one-time use cards that immediately get you 2 to 3 cards.

• Draw Engines are cards that might not get you cards immediately but will gradually draw you cards as you play your deck and the game goes longer.

Either variety of Draw card may either be generically powerful or may instead be dependent on synergy (meaning you need to do something specific in order to draw cards). Some cards are hybrids that are generically powerful but get better with additional synergy.

Ramp Show

Ramp cards are cards that increase your capacity to produce mana while also accelerating the pace of your mana production. This is generally done by either the card acting as a permanent that creates mana or by finding a land card from your deck and putting it into play. By definition, a Ramp card should be cast within the first 3 turns of the game in order to allow you to cast more/larger spells sooner in the game. For a Golos deck, you should try to ramp once by turn 3 so that you can cast Golos on turn 4 (this won’t always happen, but your deck should be able to do it regularly – see Ratios for more).

There are 3 main subcategories of Ramp; Ramp Spells, Mana Rocks, and Mana Dorks.

• Ramp Spells are one-time use cards that find a land from your deck and put it into play (usually tapped).

• Mana Rocks are artifacts that produce mana.

• Mana Dorks are creatures that produce mana.

Resilience, Speed, and Synergy of Ramp Cards

Ramp Spells are the most Resilient type of Ramp card, as lands are not usually destroyed in EDH. Ramp Spells also trigger Landfall Synergies (Rampaging Baloths, Avenger of Zendikar, Tatyova, Benthic Druid, Omnath, Locus of the Roil, Field of the Dead) which can be incredibly powerful over the course of a longer game. Ramp Spells can also “Color Fix” by finding specific basic lands that you might need to cast a spell or complete the Rainbow to activate Golos’s Rainbow Wheel of Death. However, it should be noted that Ramp Spells are purely slower than Mana Rocks as they almost always bring lands into play tapped.

Mana Rocks are not especially resilient due to the presence of cards that destroy artifacts(Reclamation Sage, Bane of Progress, Acidic Slime, Hellkite Tyrant, Hostage Taker). They do synergize with Artifact themed decks though, making them extremely useful in Artifact-heavy decks (Metalwork Colossus, Shimmer Dragon, Padeem, Consul of Innovation, Sai, Master Thopterist, Inventors' Fair). Mana Rocks also possess a distinct advantage in being the fastest type of Ramp, since most Mana Rocks come into play untapped, allowing you to use them immediately.

Mana Dorks are extremely fragile, as they die to Sweepers (Board Wipes like Wrath of God), Combat, and Combat Triggers (Drakuseth, Maw of Flames, Balefire Dragon, Silumgar, the Drifting Death). That being said, Mana Dorks definitely have a place in Green-Creature-heavy decks that enjoy the effects of Creature synergy (Beast Whisperer, Soul of the Harvest, Pathbreaker Ibex). Without haste, Mana Dorks cannot activate their mana producing abilities the turn they enter the battlefield, making them slow like Ramp Spells. Think of them like fragile lands – very risky to invest in.

Removal Show

Removal spells are Instants that destroy a target (typically a creature). These are essential for survival, as you can defend yourself or dismantle an opponent’s plans at a crucial moment and most often during their turn.

The Importance of Instants

Non-instant spells that destroy creatures are never considered Removal because you cannot count on them to save you if your opponent has an explosive turn (for example, they resolve Ghalta, Primal Hunger with Lightning Greaves on the board and they immediately equip the boots and attack you. Only an Instant could respond to the equipping of the boots and destroy Ghalta before it acquired Haste and Shroud.)

Sweepers Show

Sweepers are spells that destroy or ‘bounce’ (return to hand) all creatures and/or other permanents.

These may also be referred to as ‘Boardwipes’.

Deciding to play Sweepers

The decision to include Sweepers may depend on the state of your playgroup (your Meta). For example, if someone in your playgroup is playing an Ezuri, Renegade Leader deck (or similar) then you will almost definitely need to include Sweepers just to keep the nonsense at bay, because otherwise that opponent will likely overwhelm you with a small mountain of creatures. While that is a fun and powerful strategy, it can be counteracted by the presence of a few Sweepers in your deck. A well-built creature deck with the appropriate amount of Draw will still be able to recover, so this isn’t necessarily going to force your opponent to have a miserable time. Think of Sweepers as a way to buy time against faster, more aggressive decks – something that you’ll need to be wary of since you are playing a 5 color deck with a 5 Converted Mana Cost Commander.

Threats Show

Threats are cards that present a challenge to your opponents, most often in the form of a large creature that is capable of killing them and/or smashing their plans to pieces. Threats may take a different form though, such as enchantments, artifacts, planeswalkers, or even lands.

Golos in particular loves threats because of the simple, spicy fact that he can hit them with his Rainbow Wheel Of Death. This makes building a threat-centric Golos deck both incredibly fun and terrifyingly effective.

Support Show

Support cards are somewhat obscure cards that don’t fulfill any of the usual roles, but instead enhance some aspect of your deck by improving your Engines (such as Draw Engines or other Value Engines like a Token Generator) or Threats.

Generally speaking, support cards are the cards that make your deck go from good to crazy and they often empower you to win the game if uninterrupted.

• An example of a support card is Leyline of Anticipation which allows you to cast your spells at any time, but doesn’t do anything by itself.

• In a Blink deck, Panharmonicon (Yarok, the Desecrated too) makes an appearance as the premium support card, doubling Enter-The-Battlefield effects (ETB’s).

• For a Reanimation deck, you might see Deadbridge Chant or Debtors' Knell make an appearance.

Almost any Golos deck particularly enjoys the inclusion of incredibly powerful support cards such as Zendikar Resurgent, Mirari's Wake, Nyxbloom Ancient, or other options that increase the amount of mana you can create to use with Golos’s Rainbow Wheel Of Death.

Land Show

Lands are an obvious inclusion for most Magic decks, but I will mention them anyway.

I am familiar with three main categories of lands; Basic Lands, Utility Lands, and Color Fixing Lands.

Basic Lands are always useful in small quantities for decks that play many Ramp Spells (I recommend this for most Golos decks).

Utility Lands may or may not generate colored mana (for our purposes, we will assume they only generate colorless mana) but they come equipped with a powerful ability.

Color Fixing Lands are lands that are nonbasic but allow us to ‘fix’ our colors by providing us with an option of mana to choose from. These are very helpful for most Golos decks.

Cascading Cataracts

I will mention right now that Cascading Cataracts is the ultimate Color Fixing Land because it can be immediately fetched by Golos and it allows you to consistently Spin The Wheel regardless of your color availability (note that you need 7 mana plus the Cascading Cataracts, which often implies you need 8 lands). If you are plan on playing a deck with few color requirements (mostly one or two primary colors) then this card can singlehandedly enable The Wheel.

Ratios

The art of Ratios is all about determining what combination of cards from each category makes your deck run the most smoothly.

Please note that these Ratios will not total to 99 cards. This is because you will invariably have extra flexibility to choose how your deck behaves even after establishing functional Ratios. Also keep in mind that although these Ratios do recommend you adhere to the minimum number of cards in each category, you still can choose which cards will fill those slots. The point is not to restrict your options, but instead to create a ‘Shell’ that is reliable enough to power your Threats cards, Support cards, and other cards. Whatever you do, make sure you have at least the minimum number of Draw and Ramp cards. THE MOST IMPORTANT CARDS IN THE DECK ARE DRAW AND RAMP!!!

While I ultimately suggest Ratios resembling the Basic Golos Shell, I will lay out the Ratios for several different Shells;

• Template: a sort of baseline beginner’s guide which is commonly promoted as a place to start.

• Basic Golos: a modified version of the Template that suites most Golos decks.

• Control: a version tailored for a slower game with many Sweepers.

• Aggro: a version designed to act quickly and deploy Threats before the opponents are prepared.

• Big Mana: a version invested heavily into Ramp with the goal of deploying many end-game Threats.

• Mega Mana: an even more extreme version of Big Mana with extremely expensive Threats.

Template Show

• Ramp – 10-12

• Draw – 10-12

• Removal – 6-8

• Sweepers – 1-3

• Threats – 8-13

• Support – 5-10

• Land – 35-37

Basic Golos Show

• Ramp – 12

• Draw – 13

• Removal – 7

• Sweepers – 2

• Threats – 12

• Support – 7

• Land – 36

Total: 89

Control Show

• Ramp – 8

• Draw – 15

• Removal – 7

• Sweepers – 6

• Threats – 10

• Support – 10

• Land – 36

Total: 92

Aggro Show

• Ramp – 15

• Draw – 8

• Removal – 6

• Sweepers – 0

• Threats – 20

• Support – 8

• Land – 35

Total: 92

Big Mana Show

• Ramp – 14

• Draw – 14

• Removal – 7

• Sweepers – 2

• Threats – 16

• Support – 8

• Land – 36

Total: 97

Mega Mana Show

• Ramp – 20

• Draw – 13

• Removal – 7

• Sweepers – 2

• Threats – 12

• Support – 8

• Land – 36

Total: 98

Catalogue

Draw Show

Generic Draw Spells

• Read the Bones

• Drawn from Dreams

• Urban Evolution

• Harmonize

• Ambition's Cost

• Ancient Craving

• Syphon Mind

• Concentrate

• Ugin's Insight

• Rush of Knowledge

Synergy Draw Spells

(Many Creatures)

• Shamanic Revelation

• Tishana, Voice of Thunder

• Regal Force

• Voice of Many

(Big Creatures)

• Rishkar's Expertise

• Return of the Wildspeaker

• Soul's Majesty

• Keruga, the Macrosage

(Blink – using effects like Ephemerate to ‘Blink’ or ‘Flicker’ cards for enter-the-battlefield [ETB] effects)

• Mulldrifter (if you cast an Ephemerate after Mulldrifter ETB’s but before it sacrifices itself, you can stop it from dying and draw four cards)

• Cloudblazer

• Cavalier of Gales

• Wall of Blossoms

• Wall of Omens

• Elvish Visionary

• Watcher for Tomorrow

• Generous Patron (I promise you, the two cards is worth giving away two counters)

(Tribal – Many creatures of one type, such as elementals or goblins)

• Risen Reef

• Distant Melody

Generic Draw Engines

• Underworld Connections

• Phyrexian Arena

• Bringer of the Blue Dawn

• Vilis, Broker of Blood

• Mind Unbound

• The Magic Mirror

• Thought Reflection

• Damia, Sage of Stone

• The Ur-Dragon

Synergy Draw Engines

(Many Creatures)

• Beast Whisperer

• Primordial Sage

• Soul of the Harvest

• Guardian Project

• Chulane, Teller of Tales

(Big Creatures)

• Elemental Bond

• Temur Ascendancy

• Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner

• Garruk, Primal Hunter

• Colossal Majesty

• Drumhunter

(Combat Matters)

• Reconnaissance Mission

• Bident of Thassa

• Ohran Viper

• Ohran Frostfang

• Keeper of Fables

• Oakhame Adversary

• Cold-Eyed Selkie

• Coastal Piracy

Ramp Show

Ramp Spells

• Rampant Growth

• Farseek

• Into the North

• Nature's Lore

• Search for Tomorrow

• Sakura-Tribe Elder

• Growth Spasm

• Beanstalk Giant

• Far Wanderings

• Harrow

• Cultivate

• Kodama's Reach

• Explosive Vegetation

• Skyshroud Claim

• Migration Path

• Circuitous Route

• Wood Elves

• Springbloom Druid

• Yavimaya Dryad

• Farhaven Elf

Mana Rocks

• Sol Ring

• Fellwar Stone

• Arcane Signet

• Simic Signet (also see signets for: Azorius, Rakdos, Gruul, Golgari, Dimir, Boros, Izzet, Selesnya, Orzhov)

• Everflowing Chalice

• Mind Stone

• Chromatic Lantern

Mana Dorks

• Birds of Paradise

• Arbor Elf

• Llanowar Elves

• Llanowar Tribe

• Faeburrow Elder

• Elvish Mystic

• Paradise Druid

• Sylvan Caryatid

• Ilysian Caryatid

• Leafkin Druid

• Leyline Prowler

Removal Show

• Swords to Plowshares

• Dire Tactics

• Heartless Act

• Rapid Hybridization

• Pongify

• Terminate

• Despark

• Putrefy

• Mortify

• Price of Fame

• Path to Exile

• Utter End

Sweepers Show

• Wrath of God

• Day of Judgment

• Fumigate

• Supreme Verdict

• Flood of Tears

• Sublime Exhalation

• Coastal Breach

• Time Wipe

• Duneblast

• In Garruk's Wake

• Plague Wind

• Cataclysmic Gearhulk

• Mythos of Snapdax

• Massacre Girl

Threats Show

• Quartzwood Crasher

• Avenger of Zendikar

• Rampaging Baloths

• Artisan of Kozilek

• Kogla, the Titan Ape

• Tendershoot Dryad

• Many, many, many more…

Support Show

• Zendikar Resurgent

• Nyxbloom Ancient

• Mirari's Wake

• Sunbird's Invocation

• Maelstrom Nexus

• Support cards often depend on the deck…

Land Show

Utility Lands

• Field of the Dead

• Reliquary Tower (only if you expect to draw a billion cards)

• Westvale Abbey  ^Flip

• Kessig Wolf Run

• Slayers' Stronghold

• Vault of the Archangel

• Alchemist's Refuge

• Temple of the False God

• Halimar Depths

Color Fixing Lands

• Command Tower

• Evolving Wilds

• Terramorphic Expanse

• Ash Barrens

• Exotic Orchard

• Krosan Verge

• Sandsteppe Citadel

• Savage Lands

• Seaside Citadel

• Opulent Palace

• Nomad Outpost

• Crumbling Necropolis

• Arcane Sanctum

• Jungle Shrine

• Mystic Monastery

• Frontier Bivouac

• Indatha Triome

• Ketria Triome

• Raugrin Triome

• Zagoth Triome

• Savai Triome

• Cinder Glade

• Canopy Vista

• Prairie Stream

• Sunken Hollow

• Smoldering Marsh

• Fabled Passage

Suggestions

Please remember that any suggestions I make are because I am trying to help. Ultimately, the choices you make with your deck are up to you, and I can only provide constructive criticism based on my own experience and opinions.

Good luck :)

Ratio Fixing

The most effective change to your deck would probably be adjusting the Ratios, especially with regard to your Draw cards. Applying the most basic Template Shell, you want to have at least these three quantities nailed down for a smoother and reasonably powerful deck;

• Lands – 36 --> You have 40 Lands (Cut 4 Lands)

• Ramp – 10 --> You have 5 true Ramp cards (Add 5 to 8 Ramp cards)

• Draw – 10 --> You have 3 true Draw cards (Add 7 to 10 Draw cards)

Ramp & Draw Additions Show

Ramp

• 1 Rampant Growth

• 2 Farseek

• 3 Sakura-Tribe Elder

• 4 Sol Ring

• 5 Cultivate

• 6 Kodama's Reach

• 7 Springbloom Druid

• 8 Search for Tomorrow

Draw

• 1 Read the Bones

• 2 Harmonize

• 3 Drawn from Dreams

• 4 Syphon Mind

• 5 Ugin's Insight

• 6 Ambition's Cost

• 7 Ancient Craving

• 8 Underworld Connections

• 9 Elemental Bond

• 10 Urban Evolution

What I counted in your deck Show

Under the Ramp category I counted:

• Humble Naturalist

• Fertilid

• Dimir Locket

• Ketria Crystal

• Raugrin Crystal

These cards are NOT Ramp cards:

• Farfinder

• Dryad of the Ilysian Grove (fantastic Support card)

• Migratory Greathorn

• Parcelbeast

• Adventurous Impulse

Under the Draw category I counted:

• Reconnaissance Mission

• Chevill, Bane of Monsters (this is not a good Draw card)

• Dreamtail Heron (well, maybe)

These cards are NOT Draw cards:

• Farfinder

• Adventurous Impulse

• Cathartic Reunion

• Channeled Force

• and others

I see a few cards that Recover cards from the graveyard and that is fine but it is not Draw.

Cycling cards are not Draw cards if we define Draw cards as being able to find you 2 or 3 cards and thus help refill your hand.

Mutate

Depending on how strong your Mutate subtheme is, some of your Mutate inclusions may act as engines. However, I must state that Mutate is a VERY risky and even fragile strategy since your Mutate ‘Pile’ of creatures will all be destroyed at once if your opponent uses a Removal spell or a Sweeper. For that reason, I recommend leaning out of the Mutate theme (unless the Mutate card is just straight-up insane, as in the example of Nethroi, Apex of Death).

With that said, playing a Mutate theme is your decision and I totally respect that and if you want to stick to a Mutate theme then by all means do so. I just want to be sure you know that Mutate is a risky strategy that you cannot depend on to fulfill your Ramp and Draw slots (so you’ll just need to supplement it with other cards).

Cut or Include?

At a glance your deck seems like something you have created using just your collection – and that’s great! However, if you want to incrementally upgrade your deck, then I recommend replacing most of the cards in your deck with more powerful options over time.

Here is a list of cards you should probably keep playing: - Barrier Breach (Removal, because exiling 3 enchantments is helpful in some situations)

• Reconnaissance Mission (Draw, especially if you plan on attacking constantly)

• Ruinous Ultimatum (Sweeper)

• Mythos of Illuna (Other, sometimes Removal)

• Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger (Threat)

• Klothys, God of Destiny (Support)

• Dryad of the Ilysian Grove (Support)

• Drakuseth, Maw of Flames (Threat)

• Extinction Event (Sweeper)

• Titanoth Rex (Threat)

In my opinion, there are other, better options for all of the other nonland cards in the deck, however it is up to you to decide on how you would like to proceed so I won’t intrude.

I strongly recommend cutting the Planeswalkers though – Calix, Destiny's Hand doesn’t seem to synergize much with the deck and I feel that Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast is not very potent.

Lands

Just as a recommendation, I would suggest the following spread of Basic Lands;

• 8 Basic Forests

• 3 of each other Basic Land

The remainder of your lands could be either more basics (which is really, really, risky if you don’t have tons of Ramp – think like 15 Ramp cards and about 12 Basic Forests) or Color Fixing Lands (see the Catalogue for more options). It is rough to have your lands enter the battlefield tapped, but unless you want to either lean into Green or spend a lot of money on lands, you will just have to live with it (I play around 5-10 tapped lands in a normal Golos deck and it isn’t really that bad).

Shell

In this section, I will list out an example of the Basic Golos Shell complete with the necessary Ratios and some examples of good/fun cards in each category. I’ll try to keep it relatively Budget sensitive and most of these cards will be relatively random – this won’t be based on any particular theme so don’t expect it to be optimal.

As a reminder:

Basic Golos Show

• Ramp – 12

• Draw – 13

• Removal – 7

• Sweepers – 2

• Threats – 12

• Support – 7

• Land – 36

Total: 89

The Shell

Ramp – 12

• Farseek

• Rampant Growth

• Springbloom Druid

• Wood Elves

• Sakura-Tribe Elder

• Cultivate

• Farseek

• Sol Ring

• Search for Tomorrow

• Paradise Druid

• Into the North

• Migration Path

Draw – 13

• Harmonize

• Read the Bones

• Syphon Mind

• Ancient Craving

• Ambition's Cost

• Drawn from Dreams

• Ugin's Insight

• Rush of Knowledge

• Urban Evolution

• Elemental Bond

• Underworld Connections

• Kumena's Awakening

• Concentrate

Removal – 7

• Dire Tactics

• Heartless Act

• Despark

• Beast Within

• Terminate

• Price of Fame

• Reality Shift

Sweepers – 2

• Ruinous Ultimatum

• Plague Wind

Threats – 12

• Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger

• Quartzwood Crasher

• Kogla, the Titan Ape

• Artisan of Kozilek

• Drakuseth, Maw of Flames

• Sephara, Sky's Blade

• Vilis, Broker of Blood

• Tyrant's Familiar

• Teneb, the Harvester

• Scute Mob

• Blood Tyrant

• Rampaging Baloths

Support – 7

• Klothys, God of Destiny

• Dryad of the Ilysian Grove

• Inspired Ultimatum

• Genesis Ultimatum

• Emergent Ultimatum

• Eerie Ultimatum

• Brainstorm

Land – 36

• Command Tower

• Ash Barrens

• Exotic Orchard

• Krosan Verge

• Terramorphic Expanse

• Evolving Wilds

• Sandsteppe Citadel

• Savage Lands

• Jungle Shrine

• Frontier Bivouac

• Opulent Palace

• Temple of the False God

• 4 Forest

• 2Snow-Covered Forest

• 1 Plains

• 2 Snow-Covered Plains

• 1 Mountain

• 2 Snow-Covered Mountain

• 1 Swamp

• 2 Snow-Covered Swamp

• Cinder Glade

• Scattered Groves

• Prairie Stream

• Smoldering Marsh

• Sunken Hollow

• Nomad Outpost

• Mystic Monastery

• Crumbling Necropolis

• Cascading Cataracts

Good Luck :)

-Slashdotdash

Stardragon on Your death is not in the stars today

2 weeks ago

multimedia

Thxs for advice i was also iffy on 31 lands but wasn't sure what to cut. And the ideas you gave me were awesome. Im going to be cutting Artisan of Kozilek, Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni and Chancellor of the Annex for sure Im not sure if I should cut Abhorrent Overlord as he's not great but being able to always at least two extra bodies to the table at minimum he has a decent floor and a nice ceiling as there are only 3 mono white permanents in the deck, however bringing extra bodies is all he does besides being a 6/6 flying beatstick so he could be chopped

anubis1ra1 on Lokotor's Cube

3 weeks ago

too strong:

Balance

Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis

Pathrazer of Ulamog

Artisan of Kozilek

Lodestone Golem

Daze

Contract from Below (ummm... what?? this is too strong and the ante doesnt exist to balance it)

Hymn to Tourach

Animate Dead

Channel

concerning:

Feather, the Redeemed

Winding Constrictor

Manifold Key

Ulamog's Crusher

Ichorclaw Myr (colorless infect)

Myr Galvanizer

Bounding Krasis

Unburial Rites

Mother of Runes

Archetype of Courage

Village Bell-Ringer

Sun Titan (probably fine)

Porcelain Legionnaire (cheap first strike, hard to kill in reasonable time without using removal spell on a 2 drop)

Battle Screech (or Lingering Souls/Spectral Procession) too many of this effect (too many flying tokens I think)

Winds of Abandon game ending 1 sided wrath (probably just too strong)

Mana Tithe fine card, but not sure why white has counter spells

Peregrine Drake probably fine, but just worth watching for overly easy infinites

Etherium Sculptor potentially too many artifact synergy cards like this in the cube (artifacts might be one of the most well supported archetypes)

Brain Freeze (not really supported?)

Snap again potential infinite mana

Exhume

Tainted Strike/Phyresis Infect is potentially too strong

Feldon of the Third Path potentially degenerate?

Flameshadow Conjuring (goes infinite with multiple creatures with an iron myr)

Golgari Grave-Troll maybe fine

Sprout Swarm (I've seen this card be silly, but its probably fine)

Groundswell/Scale Up (with infect)

anubis1ra1 on Lokotor's Cube

3 weeks ago

Flood of Recollection -> Mission Briefing

Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis is too strong Artisan of Kozilek is concerning with green ramp Channel NEEDS to be cut, you can't have that and any fireball effect, or eldrazi with annihilator

Bounding Krasis is concerning. What is its role?

Infect in general seems really strong

Reanimator seems strong as well given the top end creatures that exists, but hard to say relative to everything else

Blue feels like most cards exists to punish other archetypes, but it doesn't do much on its own

Red feels about right to me at a glance.

What is the intended power level? This seems to range from vintage cube to standard in power level. I would expect Channel with moxen and well supported a storm archetype, not Ayula, Queen Among Bears.

Lodestone Golem along with the artifact cost reducers, untappers and such could potentially be oppressive.

Vulnoth on Turbo Aggro Grind Time

2 months ago

It's not a bad start, but there are some clear ways to take the deck in a better direction. Firstly, keep in mind your playgroup and the ever-present specter that ruins people, "play group politics". When approaching a deck, always consider how certain cards and interactions will affect the playgroup. Some people will not particularly care until you just dome someone out of nowhere, while other people may just act when they see things they dislike. Playing to politics isn't something Rakdos does well, but the ideal way to approach is through "minimal" bad stuff that helps you keep the target off your back. It's always fun to talk about how oppressive a deck or strategy can be, but once people grow aware and start countering you, the tables will indeed table against you.

But that said, onto the said ways to better this little carnival cruiseliner of doom.

Chonk

Let's start with the fun stuff. The whole point here is to play every Big Chungus for minimal cost. You should be looking for either beefy dudes to beat your opponents with or high end utility cards that aren't literal neanderthals.

• Akroma, Angel of Fury: Not the most exciting of cards, but in a W/U heavy meta, she'll put in work.

• Vilis, Broker of Blood: A beefy fella that keeps the machine movin', or dare I say, schmoovin'.

• Maga, Traitor to Mortals: Ever slap someone with this guy for 87? It never gets old.

• Artisan of Kozilek: Recursion plus Annihilator. It's self-explanatory.

• Ulamog's Crusher: A useful ape.

• Demon of Death's Gate: Not the most elegant of chonkers, but never underestimate a good old fashioned ass whoopin'.

• Drakuseth, Maw of Flames: Burninate the countryside. Burninate the peasants.

• Grave Titan: Generates free board presence while applying pressure.

• Pathrazer of Ulamog - Annihilator 3 that demands lots of stuff to be thrown under the bus.

• Hateflayer: Wither makes for an all around strong option when slapping something for 5 damage.

• Magmatic Force: Lightning Bolt every upkeep. Need I say more?

• It That Betrays: "This is mine now" the card.

Utility Dudes

Here I'll go over more miscellaneous creatures. You mostly are going to want creatures that either fulfill Rakdos's requirement or are general good stuff.

• Nirkana Revenant: Old fashioned mana ramp that can go super Chonk.

• Crypt Ghast: Ironically, the church will help the demon. Extort puts life loss on board while opening up mana.

• Pontiff of Blight/Basilica Screecher: Extort all the things.

• Goblin Fireslinger/Spear Spewer/Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh  ^Flip/Vulshok Sorcerer: All random pingers that can get Rakdos available for little effort.

I'll address the deck further another day as I'm getting tired.

Kukkakaali on Tuhmeliinit Cube

2 months ago

Version 2.1. Mystery booster draft best picks. -Moldervine Reclamation, +Kin-Tree Invocation // -Bedeck / Bedazzle, +Azra Oddsmaker // -Ethereal Absolution, +Zealous Persecution // -Castle Embereth, +Artisan of Kozilek // -Gate Colossus, +Renegade Map // -Clockwork Servant, +Sigil of Valor // -Diamond Knight,+ Bomat Bazaar Barge // -Griffin Protector, +Cast Out // -Shining Aerosaur, +Dictate of Heliod // -Battlefield Promotion, +Cartouche of Solidarity // -Terror, +Skeletal Scrying // -Raging Goblin, +Ghitu Lavarunner // -Ancient Hellkite, +Flametongue Kavu // -Overgrowth, +Grapple with the Past // -Unsummon, +Man-o'-War // -Chillbringer, +The Mirari Conjecture // -Thunder Drake, +Sigiled Starfish

Aliensibob on Jarad and the Lhurgoyf

4 months ago

My suggestions using only cards in your maybeboard.

Creatures

Out: Bane of the Living, Glissa, the Traitor, Glowspore Shaman, Magus of the Will In: Butcher of Malakir, Kokusho, the Evening Star, Savra, Queen of the Golgari, The Gitrog Monster

Land

Out: 2x Swamp In: Bojuka Bog, Crypt of Agadeem

Instant

Out: Gnaw to the Bone In: Krosan GripHarrow

Planeswalker

Out: Garruk Relentless  ^Flip He's difficult to flip and most games you won't see his ult.

Sorcery

Out: Living Death(the chance that this backfires is too high), Treasured Find In: Casualties of War, Finale of Eternity, Splendid Reclamation

Artifact

Out: Loxodon Warhammer- too clunky here, Talisman of Resilience

If Ob Nixilis Reignited's only purpose is card draw, out for Guardian Project

That's 1 more out than in so you should be down to 99.

Ugrades using cards not in maybeboard.

Make you ramp safer ie. lands, not artifacts.

Kodama's Reach in for Golgari Signet, Circuitous Route in for Fellwar Stone, Far Wanderings in for Wayfarer's Bauble - net same mana without threshold, but with it a lot better.

Value

Solemn Simulacrum in for Artisan of Kozilek- Artisan is nice but so expensive, while the sad robot is ramp, card draw, and sac fodder.

Death's Presence in for Nyx Weaver - You don't lose any power for sacking your creatures.

Crucible of Worlds in for Whispersilk Cloak

Make Jarad - Lethal

Illusionist's Bracers in for Elbrus, the Binding Blade  ^Flip, Archfiend of Despair in for Boneyard Wurm- have to cut one of this effect at this point, Wound Reflection in for Liliana, Death's Majesty - could take out the other Lily, but her best case scenario is better.

These three cards together with Jarad allow you to sac a 5 power creature to deal 40 damage. Activate Jarac(sac creature is a cost)+Bracers double = 10 to each opponent. Archfiend and Reflection trigger, first deals 10, second 20 for 40 total damage.

Tips and Tricks

Be careful about putting the Cauldron out too early, since it prevents Death Triggers.

Underrealm Lich + Gitrog = draw almost entire deck, since they trigger off each other.

Underrealm Lich will prevent you from decking as it replaces the card draw.