Baleful Strix

Artifact Creature — Bird

Flying, deathtouch

When Baleful Strix enters the battlefield, draw a card.

Discussion (49)

BrassLord on Happily Ever Reborn - 5C Control

3 weeks ago

Awesome! Baleful Strix is an oldie and a goodie, it acts like a psychological wall that no one really wants to attack into! It's a fine line with Niv-Mizzet Reborn and multicolor things, don't let it discourage you TOO much from running solid mono color cards. Drawing the needed cards consistently is just as good as drawing ALL the cards!

Good luck finding your fairytale happy ending (of your opponents)! XD

BrassLord on Happily Ever Reborn - 5C Control

3 weeks ago

Ah another fan of Happily Ever After !

Flicker effects also really work with your commander, things like Cloudshift , Soulherder , Thassa, Deep-Dwelling . Flicker of Fate in particular, as you can activate Happily Ever After again if it's on the field

I see you run a lot of cards that are multiple types! Another good one would be Baleful Strix . And really any of the multicolored gods from Theros would work, as they're hard to interact with once they hit the board. Since your primary goal is Happily Ever After with a fall back of control Zur the Enchanter could fit your bill. You have a few other targets in your current build for it as well, with a weird fun one being Klothys, God of Destiny .

azja on Yuriko (Optimized) Primer

1 month ago

@Snake57 Sounds like you've got a good plan!

• If your group is okay with proxies, then I would definitely add Mana Crypt , Mana Drain and all of the zendikar fetches. If not, I would actually prioritize getting the fetches first. They drastically improve the cards Sage Owl , Spire Owl , Scroll Rack , Sensei's Divining Top , Brainstorm (and probably even more that I'm forgetting!) because you can fetch to shuffle away cards that aren't useful.

• Also, I think Yuriko is no longer a ninja once she's enchanted by Song of the Dryads , so Walker of Secret Ways wouldn't be able to bounce her. Although I still agree that you can cut Azra Smokeshaper for it.

• Abjure seems really spicy. I've been thinking about trying it out soon, as well as Divert . I love one mana counterspells, so I want to add more of them eventually.

• Mystic Reflection seems pretty strong. Like you mentioned, it turns an enabler into one of your ninjas, or the next best creature on the board.

• I'm a bit skeptical about Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire . It has to survive at least one turn around the table to attack and costs a combined 5 mana. I would suggest Cruel Tutor instead if you feel like you're lacking topdeck manipulation.

• Hullbreacher is insanely powerful, especially if your playgroup plays a lot of wheels. I still have to get my hands on one, but the even harder part is what to cut for it :')

• Maskwood Nexus definitely replaces Conspiracy and Xenograft for any Yuriko lists who have them. But like you said, 4 mana is pretty slow. Plus it isn't blue, so you can't pitch it to Force of Will like Arcane Adaptation or Unnatural Selection .

• I've never tried out Nether Traitor , but I'm hesitant to add any more 2 mana enablers. I would probably add Baleful Strix first, if you need stronger enablers.

• I think Karn's Temporal Sundering is stronger than Alrund's Epiphany because it costs one (or two) less mana and bounces a potential blocker. Plus if you foretell it, it's not in your hand to pitch to Force of Will effects. And if your playgroup is familiar with your deck, they know exactly which card you foretold.

Thanks again for the feedback and suggestions! I really appreciate talking Yuriko with someone else who's super invested!

PorygonDust on Mmm Chrome

3 months ago

I would remove Cancel for Dovin's Veto, Crux of Fate for Torment of Hailfire, Diabolic Tutor for Beseech the Queen, Diabolic Edict for Go for the Throat, Personal Tutor for Lim-Dul's Vault, Laboratory Maniac for Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, Graceful Adept for Archon of Emeria, Blood Seeker for Judge's Familiar, Strionic Resonator for Isochron Scepter, Baleful Strix for Windfall, Nadier's Nightblade for Dramatic Reversal, and Revel in Riches for Basalt Monolith

TrueSharinganx on Damia, Eye Contact Communication Specialist

3 months ago

Cuts:

Helm of Obedience if not going combo route

Arisen Gorgon Too dependant on Liliana being on the field

Gorgon Recluse Too high CMC for what you do

Infernal Medusa Medusa /= Gorgon

Keepsake Gorgon Too high mana for one and done

Korozda Gorgon Too high CMC && not running heavy +1+1 Presence

Ohran Viper As you are in blue, you have better options for card draw, especially because this one means you have to deal damage to player first.

Oona's Blackguard Cut unless you are rogue heavy

Pitiless Gorgon All your snakes will typically have deathtouch or be able to gain it, at 3 mana this should do more.

Venomous Hierophant Currently you aren't running much recursion cards I.E Reanimate

Night's Whisper not too useful, in blue if you need card draw, maybe a Blue Sun's Zenith or something

Maybe:

Gaze of the Gorgon A little too high mana but hilarious at the same time.

Killing Glare not bad spot removal, however, it may be more impactful to consider something like Doom Blade which is cheaper, and works on all but white.

Vraska, Relic Seeker Might be better for pirate deck, it's not on flavor at all here, and not in line with or as powerful as your other walkers.

Vraska, Swarm's Eminence This is useful however high mana for what it does, totally up to you, this could go either way.

Adds:

Chromatic Lantern To ensure you make colors. Given you're going heavy black we may need to revise this item.

Eternal Witness , Maybe cut Pharika's Mender for this, as it is 2 less CMC for almost the same thing.

Chevill, Bane of Monsters super value at 2 cmc

Baleful Strix Super value at 2cmc, fly, dedtouch, card draw

Fathom Feeder value town, and if you yank combo pieces this can help facilitate a win with it's ability

Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons 2cmc, high high values and makes SNEKS!!!!

Hythonia the Cruel Yeet cannons all non-gorgon creatures + big creature

Seshiro the Anointed SNEK SNEK +2+2 to all SNEKS! Draw card wen snek do damage!

Kaseto, Orochi Archmage Unblockable +2+2 SNEKS!

Prowling Serpopard Make's your Sneks and Gorgon's Un-Counterable

Stonecoil Serpent cool snek, but I think you might already have cooler in deck & on list

Orochi Hatchery Funny stuff this one, totally up to you

Bow of Nylea all creatures get deathtouch + more check this one out

Ohran Frostfang Gives attacking creatures you control ded touch and when your creatures damage a player, draw a card.

Kodama's Reach Mana Ramp

Search for Tomorrow Mana Ramp

Three Visits Mana Ramp

Perfect_Phyrexia on [PEDH] Gary's Rat Emporium

4 months ago

Don't know if its already been said but if you are running snow swamps then Gangrenous Zombies could be solid here. Same with Ashes to Ashes with the gray merchant lifegain unless everyone is running Baleful Strix

VietMoneys on ErTai Chi, Ultimate Master

4 months ago

Big changes by the standards of this old deck! Incorporating some fun new cards and moving in a more enchantmentcheavy direction now that Golos el Goloso scratches my ETB creature itch so effectively.

OUT:

Sword of Feast and Famine

Sword of Fire and Ice

Stoneforge Mystic

Baleful Strix

Karmic Guide

Reveillark

Recruiter of the Guard

IN

Mana Vault

Alela, Artful Provocateur

Arcane Signet

Demonic Lore

Kaya's Wrath

Ghostly Flicker

Renounce

I'm splitting the cut cards between Hazezon Muad'Dib: DUNE-Inspired EDH and my aforementioned Golos deck. Of the new additions, Alela seems the most questionable, but I had one laying around and I like that the deck now has THREE alternate commanders hiding in the 99.

MagicMarc on LIFE GAIN DOES MATER

5 months ago

I think you could replace spell pierce with a solid counterspell. Like Counterspell. Same thing with Negate. Its too narrow for commander I think given it's mana cost. I agree about cutting Blood Tribute but not because you don't have many vampires. It doesnt seem strong enough to change a game and it really doesnt do much for you. It's much weaker than your other sorceries and you have other, better cards that do what it does. I also think Serra Avatar is overrated. It doesnt have evasion and doesnt do anything other than keep coming back. I would just cut it. Even when it's a crazy high power, it's too vanilla without other cards. If you like that it keeps coming back, at least swap it for something like Purity or similar which does something for you besides being a body.

I would suggest trying out the following straight cuts; -1 Blood Tribute, -1 Baleful Strix, -1 Serra Avatar. Not sure where else to cut for the remaining 2.