Baleful Strix

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Legality

Format Legality
1v1 Commander Legal
Alchemy Legal
Archenemy Legal
Arena Legal
Canadian Highlander Legal
Casual Legal
Commander / EDH Legal
Commander: Rule 0 Legal
Custom Legal
Duel Commander Legal
Gladiator Legal
Highlander Legal
Historic Legal
Legacy Legal
Leviathan Legal
Limited Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Planechase Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Tiny Leaders Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Rules Q&A

Baleful Strix

Artifact Creature — Bird

Flying, deathtouch

When Baleful Strix enters the battlefield, draw a card.

azja on yuriko edh 500

7 months ago

Hey thanks again for your comments on my primer :)

A few suggestions I have:

  1. Replace 2 mana enablers with weak/no abilities (such as Dimir Infiltrator and Gurmag Swiftwing) with 1 mana enablers (like Gudul Lurker) or stronger 2 mana enablers (i.e., Baleful Strix, Augury Owl).

  2. Replace 3 mana ramp (like Basalt Monolith, Dimir Locket) with 2 mana ramp (i.e., Dimir Signet or Talisman of Dominance).

  3. Soft permission spells such as Spell Pierce and Mana Leak are usually weak in budget/lower-powered pods because the games go longer. Some potential replacements could be Misdirection, Drown in the Loch.

  4. Cancel, Murder, Hero's Downfall, Perplex, Connive / Concoct and Rite of Undoing seem quite weak to me. Some budget-friendly cards I like that you might want to play are Curtains' Call, Portent, Far / Away, Discovery / Dispersal, Submerge, and Murderous Cut.

Good luck in your tournament!

Crow_Umbra on Favorite mtg art

7 months ago

So many cards have "pet card" status for their art, but I'm always glad to see them in my binders. I'd say I'm definitely a sucker for foil versions of Red cards; I just love how the flames pop. A few favorites off the top of my head in no particular order:

scotchtapedsleeves on Marchy March and the Funky Bunch

7 months ago

You've changed my mind on Faerie Artisans, good call!

I've never seen the Preatorian, that looks great! I'll be running both. Deathtouch is fantastic in Marchesa, Baleful Strix is an auto include I forgot to mention

Rakdos Cackler is there as an easy target for any exploit cards (Fell Stinger mentioned above) or just as a body. Gotta have some synergistic one drops. Helps with The Ozolith too

Thran Vigil Triggers once per creature, since creatures entering off of Marchesa enter one after another, not all at once. A +1/+1 counter per creature is pretty good, even if it is just on your turn.

Canoptek Tomb Sentinel is a great alternative to chupacabra

ZVCKK on Guild Tribal Superfriends

8 months ago

Udpate 18-07-2023: Trying to lean into more two colour for the theme. also d=trying to lower curve, focus on protecting PWs to actually get ultimates off, as the deck struggles to close games. Idea before was almost that any of the good stuff I find can run away with the game (assemble the legion and narset), but I don't think winning that way will be as satisfying. I think it would be good if I can get a PW out, get them to ult, and if that fails, niv to refresh hand and then give it another go.

Reliquarian on Dread Stompy

8 months ago

I have considered Vault Skirge! not so much Cranial Plating (though I should try it out) but with skirge that could be a nice combo. Currently my slot for 1 mana threats is being filled by Stonecoil Serpent since it is evasive and is flexible enough to be a late game threat off of a couple sol lands (it also combos nicely with The Ozolith, and has protection from troublesome cards like Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath and Baleful Strix). I know traditionally skirge is a staple in steel stompy, and I may try it out in this list since the lifegain can matter a lot, especially with all of the life loss in longer games from Ancient Tomb, and being a flyer that you can pump is great too. Thanks for the suggestions!

nuperokaso on Ninjas and Rogues

9 months ago
  • Disciple of Deceit This seems to have anti-synergy with Ninjutsu. Since you return an attacker, you are not going to untap it. Overall people seem to overestimate this card. It looks like a tutor, but it's rather quite bad.
  • Inkrise Infiltrator, Vedalken Infiltrator Power one for two mana mana is not worth it.
  • Kotose, the Silent Spider This costs too much for a 4/4 with no evasion and no immediate board effect.
  • Okiba Reckoner Raid  Flip At the start of the game, you can't use it as an attacker. In late game, Menace is not that effective. Overall Changeling Outcast is a more reliable creature for one black mana, and even that isn't exactly a premium card.
  • Twisted Embrace 4 mana is too much for this.

Other cards to add:

  • Shriekmaw - At worst it's a mediocre 2 mana sorcery removal spell, which is not bad. In longer game, you'll get a 3/2 unblockable create to close the game, which further works with nunjutsu. If you can manage to evoke it with Feign Death or Undying Evil...
  • Baleful Strix This is a two mana removal which draws a card. And with Ninjutsu, it you can draw additional card.
  • Siren Stormtamer This is an early ninjutsu enabler, which also protects your better creatures. Unlike say Negate, it can also proactively attack.
  • Sleeper's Robe Ensures unblockability of your ninjas with a card advatage just for 2 mana.
  • Clearwater Pathway  Flip Yet another untapped dual land.

Licecolony on Goaded With The Sauce

11 months 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.

Crow_Umbra on Salty Commanders!

11 months ago

Hi grumbledore, I know you have plenty on your plate from things we've all been reporting to you, but I wanted to bring a few more things to your attention:

  • Decks with Maybeboards that are from Archidekt seem to have the Maybeboard factored/calculated in as if they were a part of the 99 for that deck.

  • Aggravated Assault was listed as a Ramp card, and not an Aggro card.

I know you made an update to categorize more cards a couple days ago, but in addition to other Uncategorized I previously mentioned, the following also lack categories:

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