Combos Browse all Suggest
Legality
| Format | Legality |
| 1v1 Commander | Legal |
| Archenemy | Legal |
| Block Constructed | Legal |
| Canadian Highlander | Legal |
| Casual | Legal |
| Commander / EDH | Legal |
| Commander: Rule 0 | Legal |
| Custom | Legal |
| Highlander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Leviathan | Legal |
| Limited | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Planar Constructed | Legal |
| Planechase | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Quest Magic | Legal |
| Tiny Leaders | Legal |
| Vanguard | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
Back to Basics
Enchantment
Nonbasic lands don't untap during their controllers' untap steps.
BlondieN8 on
Mindskinning and Deck Thinning
1 month ago
DreadKhan, first of all, I must compliment on your detailed response that many users tend leave out. Allow me to answer your deck concerns with the following:
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Inquisitor's Flail (IF), I have thought about this artifact, but decided to cut it in earlier drafts due to more counterspells. Later on, I may incorperate "IF" into the deck depending on my card draw functions.
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Propaganda (P) & Fatespinner (FS), are both wonderful suggestions Crawlspace was intended to be a cheap hate card, enabling the preservation of mana for counterspells—"P" may take triumph and take it's place. "FS" would be an interesting card added into the mix. I would need a some time to tinker around with new cards. MTG has taken a little backseat while I work on studies.
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Resculpt, will not be added to this deck due to the playstyle around counter spells. I tried to keep my curve low enough to allow room for counterspells on problematic itmes. If all else fails with the counters, I can always bump up a commanders tax over and over.
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Dress Down (DD), does have an interesting ability, but It would involve removing another hate card or counterspell. "DD" has potential so I will add it into the maybe list for later tinkering.
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Sunder (S), Static Orb (SO), and Rising Waters (RW). To start, "S" is already above the curve and not particularly impressive compared to other high-costing cards. "S"' is detrimental to our board, especially regarding mana artifacts and creatures with tap abilities. While I might consider "SO" eventually, it will not be included at this time. As for "RW," I already have several hate cards that do not cause self-harm. My current land hate cards include Winter Moon, Back to Basics, Field of Ruin, Ghost Quarter, Strip Mine, and Wasteland. "RW" also inpacts my own ability to cast counterspells. This is also closely related to lack of self-mill cards fund in this deck. Every card has been chosen to benefit me whilst disrupting opponents.
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Jace is used for card drawing and moving opponents' cards from the top. I have also included Jace as another permanent for players to worry about, but with your comment, I may consider switching it out.
Thanks again for your help; if you have any additional suggestions or concerns, feel free to comment. Changes to this deck will come eventually.
CrazyDanPsycho on
Melek, Spellcaster Extraordinaire
1 month ago
treeforcorvus: Thanks for the ideas. I appreciate your advice.
Brittle Blast is an online card only. This is an irl deck. But it is a cool card.
Dismiss into Dream triggers off of anyone's spells, not just mine. It can prevent buff spells, and makes -any- removal a little bit better.
I agree and have swapped out Cloud Key for Rowan, Scholar of Sparks Flip, as well as the addition of Ral, Storm Conduit. I'm not entirely sure about Koth, but I may aquire one at some point to give it a little test. Jaya, however, would be a good addition, and a card I would likero get my hands on soon.
My meta is competitive, but I'm not sure if it's Back to Basics or Blood Moon brutal. (lol) As for the fetchlands, I think they are unfortunately a bit out of my price range...
I'd have to playtest the deck a while to see how your other suggestions would work. Again, thanks very much for your time.
kamarupa on
Balaam__'s Challenge: Get Twisted
2 months ago
I know High Tide is a bit, let's say, "conditional" but I like that it only costs 1 to cast, which allows it to be [marginally] useful to cast counterspells in a pinch. Which I know Extraplanar Lens would too, except on the turn I cast Extraplanar Lens, which would presumably be as early as possible, but that's also often the most critical time to have mana available to counterspell. Does that make sense?
I'm certainly not in love with Ponder and Fabricate
- so maybe it makes sense to drop at least a copy or two of those in favor of something like Blue Sun's Zenith? Do you have other draw card/tutor spells that would help me get Eon Hub + Reality Twist + Back to Basics into play?
Perhaps it makes sense to have 1-2 copies of High Tide and 1-3 copies of Extraplanar Lens?
kamarupa on
Balaam__'s Challenge: Get Twisted
2 months ago
Thanks for the advice, psionictemplar! I'm a bit hesitant to add too many non-basic lands because of Back to Basics, but i might switch Academy Ruins for Mystic Sanctuary.
I'm fairly married to keeping High Tide because it not only helps get Eon Hub out, it also combos with Rewind and helps Overload Cyclonic Rift. With Rift, we can eliminate opponent's creatures, which enables us to actually hit opponents with one or two Phyrexian Soulgorgers.
I did consider Snapcaster Mage - any thoughts on that?
kamarupa on
Balaam__'s Challenge: Get Twisted
2 months ago
Thanks so much for the +1, approval, and thoughtful critique, Balaam__. I agree wholeheartedly.
My thoughts were: There's a not a lot of room for card draw and the deck has too many needs to be as narrow as Fabricate is, but there with no narrow enchantment tutors or broad any-card tutors, the deck has to make do with what is available. To some degree, the deck has to rely on the control spells to carry it through until it hits what it needs. Whether Ponder and Fabricate are the right combination - I have little faith they are - but a bit more faith the numbers (7 total) are in the right ballpark.
Similarly, Fog Bank isn't really what I wanted either. I actually would have preferred just a plain old Fog but no such spell exists for blue that I'm aware of or could find.
It's true that Back to Basics interferes with Academy Ruins, but I don't think that's actually a [major] problem - Back to Basics should make it a lot harder for opponents to remove Eon Hub. And, if some opponents are having too much success, there's always Illusionary Terrain in the sideboard to further flummox their land base.
I think a big part of this deck's problem - I did some playtesting to tune it and judge efficacy, etc - is that it has a lot of parts - decks such as this tend to be finicky and even with a lot of coaxing will sometimes just refuse to cooperate. Given the spell I was working with, I'd say I was successful, but if I were to grade the deck objectively, it's probably a C+.
Balaam__ on
Balaam__'s Challenge: Get Twisted
2 months ago
I am tentatively in love with this.
Bypassing everything bad about Reality Twist is a stroke of genius—I foolishly kept trying to build within its confines and never got anywhere. The Eon Hub+mono approach is definitely the right one. You get all the best countermagic and ‘stall for time’ cards, it interacts wonderfully with artifacts, and Reality Twist itself leaves you unaffected.
My only real concern would be the odds of reliably finding the Enchantment. I’m wondering if Ponder by its lonesome is enough; maybe some decent draw power is worth including? At least you’re in the right color for it.
Back to Basics interferes with Academy Ruins, and Fog Bank seems like there’s probably something better to occupy those slots, but the rest feels like you’re on the right track.
I don’t think this is the deck’s true ‘Final Form’, but with the right iterations over time I can see this being the most convoluted nightmare for anyone out there sitting across the table. Well done!
Flarhoon13 on
Zur the enchanter
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. This was my first commander deck. Zur the Enchanter *f-etch* won May 3, everyone hated it. Ethan was on a new insect brew. The other two players, Blaine and Jesse, were just shut down by Back to Basics. It was a blowout and Blaine especially was pissed off, haranguing me for enjoying making my opponents miserable. 1-0
