Austere Command

Sorcery

Choose two &mdash

• Destroy all artifacts.
• Destroy all enchantments.
• Destroy all creatures with converted mana cost 3 or less.
• Destroy all creatures with converted mana cost 4 or greater.

Discussion (51)

Masterful on Necronomicon | Teysa Karlov | Primer

1 week ago

sub780lime I haven't had many problems with Reflecting Pool or Exotic Orchard's consistency, so I prefer them over the forced life loss from City of Brass and Mana Confluence. In some testing I've done with these painlands, there were instances where the life loss mattered, especially when it came to low-life razaketh/necropotence usage. Ultimately, it doesn't matter much, and I would understand swapping them based on preference. In playgroups that rarely play white and/or black, orchard is bad, and reflecting pool gets worse the less lands we have. For me, they've performed better than the painlands on average.

In terms of Austere Command, everything's a bit hard to trim from. For the sac outlets, unfortunately 5 of them are inconsistent (High Market, Victimize, etc.), and one of them is 8 mana. Additionally, the inconsistent ones are in the deck for reasons other than being sac outlets. The cards I'm considering the most are Victimize, Phyrexian Reclamation, and Living Death, but I'm still not sure I'd want austere command instead of any one of these cards.

Thanks for the input!

sub780lime on Necronomicon | Teysa Karlov | Primer

1 week ago

For Austere Command, the only thing I can think is to drop one of your sac outlets (from 11 to 10). Your current control package seems hard to trim from, especially since your targeting removal is designed to hit any permanent

DemonDragonJ on Double Masters Speculation

2 weeks ago

It is very nice to see further reprints of Sneak Attack, Noble Hierarch, and Voice of Resurgence, to keep their prices low, but I would like to have seen new artwork for those cards.

Another reprint of Austere Command is very nice, so I do hope that the other cards in that cycle are reprinted, as well.

I am very displeased that Cyclonic Rift is being reprinted because that card is such a miserable card when one is affected by it; why must WotC reprint such a blatantly overpowered card?

Azeworai on Life Drain - EDH

3 weeks ago

Alright, I have some suggestions. Now, never have I dipped in the complot of nocent life-gain, but I do see some follies withal the current decklist.

So, ramp and card draw are necessities of any commander strategy. I typically play decks that dump their hands aggressively, thus I have far more draw than normal. Around 34 slots grant me card advantage and 11 slots are for ramp. Here, you have four cards of ramp and five cards of draw. Granted, one of the draw engines is your commander, but that's six-mana afore it does so.

Furthermore, there are plenty of cards in here that just lack reach. Ajani's Sunstriker is horrid to draw turn 8 and onwards. It may be aggressive betime in the match, yet it is outclassed far too quickly.

So, what I'd cut due to card quality: Agent of Masks, Ajani's Sunstriker, Drana's Emissary, Fog Bank, Goldenglow Moth, Grim Guardian, Night Market Lookout, Oreskos Sun Guide, Pride Guardian, Servant of Tymaret, Wall of Essence, Elixir of Immortality, Fountain of Renewal, Narrow Escape, Spell Pierce, and Mana Leak.

Alright, same drill but I wish to offer some substantiation afore I denunciate these.

1. Coastal Piracy is a very potent card in decks possessing cheap, evasive creatures. This deck does not, thence I would advise ablating it; merely too inutile.

2. Sinister Possession and Stab Wound, no matter how much I love the Wound, are easily removed. A sacrifice outlet just negates this effect. The Possession in particular doesn't seem to do anything against certain creatures. Chainer, Dementia Master or Oracle of Mul Daya just don't oft attack or block. Even if, it is a mere two damage. Sure, it may stack quickly, but there are better ways to do so.

3. Condescend is just outclassed so quickly. Counterspells above two mana must do something potent, and this is potentially more. Scrying 2 is fine, but that also doesn't do much.

4. I have never seen Dramatic Rescue ere now, but I know not why it would be run. Just put in a Swords.

5. Dismiss into Dream is sweet, but this deck cannot deem to hent much from it.

Lovely! Now upon what I would add.

Given that the curve is rather high, I'd add Pristine Talisman; Arcane Signet; the talismans of dominance, progress, and hierarchy; Orzhov, Azorius, and Dimir signet; Mind Stone; and Worn Powerstone. This should grant you later plays far earlier in any match.

Unto thee, benison in card draw. Painful Truths is one I much enjoy. Sign in Blood or Night's Whisper are cheap and efficient. Phyrexian Arena and Underworld Connections go in quite a few decks. Well of Lost Dreams is just splendid. Fact or Fiction is never bad. Dawn of Hope is slow but on-theme. Erebos, God of the Dead seems all too perfect due to its static and activated abilities. Dream Trawler is awfully enticing for gameplans such as this. Lastly, Unfulfilled Desires is a hidden gem that I play in any deck that produces blue and black mana.

Of course, just some efficient engines and finishers. Debt to the Deathless and Exsanguinate are each nocent once resolved. K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth could also be fine, but lacking depending on your hand, for it cares only if the cost is black. Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord fetches fallen utility creatures from the yard and proffers much in life-gain. Aetherflux Reservoir does much in murdering everyone, too.

I'd recommend some more wraths in this deck. Fumigate is perfect, Merciless Eviction or Austere Command deal with those pesky artifacts efficiently, Elspeth, Sun's Champion is never bad, Supreme Verdict is fine though pricey, or Kaya's Wrath is always lovely. Take your pick.

Okay, now for some other upgrades on the basics of the deck. Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Abolish, Return to Dust, Murderous Rider, Anguished Unmaking, Despark, Hero's Downfall, Reality Shift, Generous Gift, Pongify, Rapid Hybridization, and Heliod's Intervention all remove permanents efficiently and at instant speed. Vindicate is fine but a sorcery.

As options for better counterspells, Absorb, Counterspell, Negate, Countersquall, and Dovin's Veto are all cheap whiles bearing value at all moments in the game.

Finally, some more life gain payoffs as consideration: Authority of the Consuls has oft shut down my strategies, Ajani's Pridemate gets far too large, Blind Obedience does something similar, Divinity of Pride and Serra Ascendant are giant threats in their own right, Bloodthirsty Aerialist does the same, Propaganda and Ghostly Prison make opponents pay to deal damage, Soul Warden and Soul's Attendant are early drops that allow for quite a bit of life to be gained, Archangel of Thune is always potent, Vona, Butcher of Magan is spicey, Angel of Vitality bolsters your engine, Boon Reflection doubles it, Twilight Prophet can get out of hand, Beacon of Immortality puts you heavensly ahead, Ajani, Strength of the Pride can win games on its own, and Felidar Sovereign demands an immediate answer.

That's all from me! Have a lovely day.

Oh, and I suppose I'll put a deck of my own here. Let the Nightmare Go On.. is a constant favourite of mine and The Lands Restored offers commensurate enjoyment.

Thank you and farewell.

Ahdor on Edgar Markov - Blood on the Table [EDH]

4 weeks ago

Change Notes:

Out: Oversold Cemetery
In: Phyrexian Reclamation
More often then not I feel like Oversold Cemetery is a dead card in my head, cause it's way to conditional.
I think the flexibilty and the lack of conditions which needs to be fullfilled when playing Phyrexian Reclamation is worth the mana and life.

Out: Champion of Dusk
In: Vanquisher's Banner
Champion of Dusk is great, but he often hurt myself more then he helps.
If I can't play my card draw card, because I will loose like over 10 life and my opponents then going to be able to kill me, I'm doing something wrong.
Vanquisher's Banner also buffs your whole team, while letting you draw cards without dieing.

Out: Expedition Map
In: Arcane Signet
It was a big mistake from my side to count Expedition Map as ramp. Because it doesn't ramp you in most cases.
It just tutors a land to your hand. If you got one from the Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth or Cabal Coffers combo already and use Expedition Map to get the other one, it's probably going to ramp you.
But in any other cases, it's just mana fixing and helps to make sure, you hit your land drops.
That's why I want to replace it with Arcane Signet, since that card actually ramps you and is nuts in most edh decks.

Out: Cathars' Crusade
In: Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
This one kinda hurts. I really like Cathars' Crusade, since it buffs your whole board whenever you play a vampire by 2.
The problem is, it is an 5 mana enchantment which doesn't do anything when it hits the board, it has 0 impact by itself.
I try to cut down such cards, therefor it has to go for now, but I will put it into the Maybeboard.
Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose is a totally new card. He doesn't cost much mana and has the potential to deal quite some damage on top of what I'm already doing anyway.
He also can go infinite with Exquisite Blood, which I already ran before. I want to test him out.

Out: Vandalblast
In: Vona, Butcher of Magan
Vandalblast is one of the best cards in red to me, because it can do so much. But there isn't a ton of artifact decks in my current meta.
And even if I need to wipe artifacts, I still got some options with Merciless Eviction and Austere Command.
Vona, Butcher of Magan on the other hand can repeatable destroy nonland permanents, as long as I have enough life.
She can also gain me life. And she is a vampire. Removal on sticks are pretty damn good for Edgar Markov, at least in my book.

Out: Utter End
In: Despark
Not much to add here. Want to test out if Despark is better then Utter End.
There are some cards which I won't be able to remove and I'll be sad, like for example Blood Artist.
But the reduced cost of 2 mana is just insane. Especially in this deck, you don't want to keep 4 mana up to be able to cast Utter End.
However you should be able to have 2 for Despark.

TypicalTimmy on Parhelion II as Commander?

1 month ago

What's really nice is that, since it isn't a Creature until I Crew it, it is effectively wrath-proof.

Wrath of God, Austere Command, Cleansing Nova, Kirtar's Wrath, Realm-Cloaked Giant (Cast Off adventure sorcery), Day of Judgment, End Hostilities...

There's a good density of wraths in mono-white. So, if I wrath before I crew, my Commander is safe.

Then, if it does die, I have 36 or so cards to return artifacts from my graveyard to my hand. Granted, paying 8 mana to cast it, followed by 3 or 4 to recur it, plus 8 more to re-cast it is a very taxing process. However, it beats having to pay 16, 18 or 20 mana if it is blown up multiple times over. Plus, it means I don't need all mana at once. I can return it to my hand this turn and cast it next turn.

Malsorn on Omnislash v5

1 month ago

Looks like fun! Few thoughts: Savai Triome over Nomad Outpost. My meta is also very graveyard heavy, so if you're in a similar situation, Scavenger Grounds can play a good Bojuka Bog impression as a land slot. May want some more sweepers, Cleansing Nova is surprisingly value in my opinion, with Austere Command as a similar effect. Winds of Abandon has also won me games, especially with its one-sided nature, and it punishes players that go too heavy on non-basics. Usually best right before an alpha strike. Vindicate and Anguished Unmaking are both great in decks with black/white. Sram, Senior Edificer helps get more draws going, same with Puresteel Paladin.

DarkHero on Nine Luls

1 month ago

SIKE! It has Hexproof so it doesn't die to removal. Aside from Austere Command It's janky and I love it.