Basalt Monolith

Artifact

Basalt Monolith doesn't untap during your untap step.

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: Untap Basalt Monolith.

Discussion (51)

Cyfer on Ib Halfheart, Goblin Sac-tician [PRIMER]

5 hours ago

Wow, thanks for the huge reply. Let me work through this-

Treasure Nabber : so, I did in fact get this idea from an older version of your decklist and I've ran with it ever since. Essentially my deck has turned into IB/artifact tomfoolery as an alternate wincon. I have won quite a few games with the Mycosynth Lattice , Nabber, Blood Moon combo, because my playgroup is heavily non-basic dependent and nothing feels better than saccing my new-found artifact mountains I just stole. Goblin Trashmaster has also came in really clutch with the Lattice and so has Goblin Welder . Hellkite Tyrant also fits into this theme but I haven't had a chance to use it yet, it's my most recent addition to the deck. And of course Daretti, Scrap Savant ties it all nicely together, I've had her emblem out a few times, which is pretty much game winning with a Lattice on board. With all of that said, the Artifact theme in this deck is highly up for debate right now in my mind and people I've asked. I'm very much on the fence about keeping the Lattice and Nabber in myself, and if they go then Hellkite most definitely goes. Also Lattice+ Vandalblast has pulled me out of many lost games and turned them into resounding victories (I also used to run Shattering Spree ).

Goblin Goliath : He is not being used. I have been on the fence about putting him in for a while now. I don't really know what to remove, and he is a lot of mana to utilize if I want to use him (he'd be a fat removal target for my meta, so I'd have to use him ASAP). I definitely want him in though, he's a strong contender.

Vicious Shadows : this is also a new addition. Boggart Shenanigans is great but I've never really made it work too well outside of like, two wins that I can recall. Shadows is expensive, but with Gauntlet of Power , Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx (which I can reliably grab with an Expedition Map , that cost is almost negligible, for a lot more disgusting effect. But like I said, new addition, I don't know if it is worth a crap or not yet. With the cost in mind, I do plan on running an Extraplanar Lens when I upgrade to Snow lands, alongside the Gauntlet and a Shrine to Nyx, high mana costs with very few lands aren't usually much of an issue. But if Shadows falls flat a few times I am definitely putting Shenanigans back in I think. The potential is just too high for both cards.

Raid Bombardment : So I used to run this one. I like it in theory a lot, and I want to find a spot to put it back in, I just haven't seen it with great results usually. Granted, that was with different playgroup then now, where typically me swinging with goblins means they die in vain, whereas I was much more likely to win with a Goblin Bombardment , which is my baby, and I have used with Shenanigans as well to win games.

Glacial Crevasses : it's been on my radar for a long time. It is 100% the next upgrade for my deck, I was just hesitant to spend so much on snow lands for a long time, since I am still not sold on how many I need exactly. Frankly I think I made a mistake holding off on this particular upgrade for so long (like I mentioned, I've been following this decklist for over a year now after I built my first iteration of IB).

Reverberate / Fork / Wild Ricochet : I love the idea, I really do, but I ran them in my deck for a long time and have hardly used them to any meaningful effect. Ricochet is never going back in, but Reverberate and Fork I want to keep/put in, I just noticed they were usually dead in hand. They're near the top of the list of card I'll put back in, it's just finding space for them. I've never drawn into a game winning combo with them unfortunately, but the theory behind keeping them is solid.

Reforge the Soul : I used to run it, then took it out because I just didn't utilize it enough. Memory Jar is one of my more recent upgrades and I am a big fan. I just put Reforge back in because of Vicious Shadows . Time will tell if I keep either, since Slate of Ancestry also usually ended up falling flat for me.

Ancient Tomb : is also scheduled for the next round of upgrades, thanks for the suggestion! Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle does work, and I think I will also be ordering a Bloodstained Mire with it as well.

Chandra, Fire Artisan : Love her, would highly recommend. Cards effects like Commune with Lava are awesome, and have usually always performed well in this deck. Added to that is the fact that I don't have to spend mana for that option past the first turn to cast her, and she is also another target that distracts from myself, and if I can ult her (I haven't been able to yet) then it's just icing on the cake.

Expedition Map : Yeah frankly I think this is kind of a bad pick too, thinking about it now. It's mainly just in there for Nykthos, since Nykthos is a little more critical now that my average curve has gone up a tad bit. Another mana rock would probably suit me better and more consistently. I know you mentioned a Mana Vault , but what else do you think? I am thinking Basalt Monolith , Gilded Lotus , or a Thran Dynamo . Leaning heavily towards the Monolith and Gilded Lotus. Granted, they're more expensive to get out than Vault, but the 4 cost associated with Vault kind of puts me off of it, idk.

Ghirapur Orrery : I think you have this mixed up with Vedalken Orrery . Ghirapur is super value for me, letting me sac two lands, then play those two lands with Crucible of Worlds , and I'm also frequently out of cards in hand. I'd be willing to remove it for a similar effect though, if I knew one that existed.

Curse of Opulence : I like it, great suggestion.

Rings of Brighthearth : I've wanted this card for ages and kept putting it off because of price, and now it's even more expensive. RIP. I do want to add it asap. Not sure what I would do with Sculpting Steel

Spine of Ish Sah : I want to change this but I can't justify it. It just combos with Welder too well. But Scour from Existence has been on my mind for a long time now solely for the exiling. Haphazard Bombardment seems awesome tbh, that might get picked up by me eventually.

I thought more about it, and you're right, I think Damping Engine is the superior option. It will probably be going in. How do you feel about Door of Destinies ?

Sundial of the Infinite : My meta runs a lot of board wipes, but tbh thinking about it, they don't often cast them on my turn, so this is probably largely useless for me.

Meekstone has always hindered me more than helped me, and not super useful in my meta, but I think it's high time Crawlspace made a return. Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs is actually insane, that may beat out Crawlspace for me. Wow.

Bottom line is I am heavily thinking about scrapping the heavy artifact theme and going with a more focused deck. I'm just hesitant because the cards in question have won me many games.

atingtdm on [Primer] Urza's Mox Factory!

1 day ago

You should use Muddle the Mixture

BTW, Trophy Mage can tutor only 3cmc. Try Basalt Monolith + Rings of Brighthearth

Lanzo493 on WU Budget Blinky-boi (WIP)

2 days ago

I’ve also played Brago and there are 2 very good budget things you can do with this deck. 1, ramp. 2, draw. Brago basically doubles your mana from mana rocks, so if you have a lot of mana and a lot of draw, that is powerful. That’s why Rhystic Study and Smothering Tithe cost so much.

Let’s start with ramp. He can blink mana rocks so your mana rocks need to enter untapped. No Fieldmist Borderpost effects. Instead, you have Mana Geode , Darksteel Ingot , Prismatic Lens , Hedron Archive , Basalt Monolith , Peregrine Drake (he’s fun), and anything else you have. Sol Ring and what not.

Now draw. Mystic Remora is definitely worth the price. It’ll draw you a ton of cards and Brago will keep the upkeep cost to . Other good draw is Trial of Knowledge , Sea Gate Oracle , Unquestioned Authority , Traveler's Cloak , Pentarch Ward , Curator's Ward (you draw cards and can trenchant your commander!) Heliod's Pilgrim , and more. There are always permanents that help you draw.

Shoutout to Cloudform and Lightform for cheating everything into play. Should you want to keep your manifested a creature a 2/2 instead of blinking it (for example, it’s an instant) you only need to blink the ~~~~form enchantment. Also, Reality Acid and Nevermaker do great.

Also, planeswalkers. Add them if you’ve got them. Like Narset, Parter of Veils . She’s good.

Swiftfoot Boots and Lightning Greaves . You’ll need to protect your commander. Most people target Brago.

Those are my suggestions anyway. Now if you’re to take any cards out, I’d start with Serra's Blessing . Your commander can blink itself and all your creatures so they have pseudo-vigilance. I’d also remove instants and sorcerers from your deck that can be easily replaced with a blinkable permanent with the same effect ( Unsummon —> Nevermaker ).

dingusdingo on Urza, Lord High Artificer cEDH *Primer*

3 days ago

Okay lets break down the justifications you gave, because I still think they merit changing.

Choosing not to run Mishra's Workshop in a deck that combos and staxs with artifacts is just silly. The problem is far more with your deck building choices of running 20 artifacts in an artifact commander oriented deck than the card itself. I shouldn't have to explain the value of 3 extra mana going towards your paradox engine or a stax piece like trinisphere, but apparently I do. Getting to winning pieces faster is better, run it. You also have the luxury of a mulligan on hands when its dead, similar to how Gaea's Cradle is a great card but dead in some hands.

Seat of the Synod combos with Mox Opal Transmute Artifact Inventors' Fair Reshape Unwinding Clock and is pullable for X=0 from Tezzeret the Seeker or Whir of Invention , meaning you can ramp in mono blue. Also recoverable from GY with Academy Ruins . Meanwhile, it nonbos with Back to Basics . Do some cost/benefit analysis and come back to me on that one.

Expedition Map is tutor density, which is your single biggest problem. If you are in a creature heavy meta, it functions as Tabernacle #2, why would you not run it? The value engine with Academy Ruins is icing on the cake. It's also part of a tutor chain using Inventors' Fair which leads to winning lines. Calling it cute without realizing it gives you more consistency with another winning line that also grinds value is just ignorant. Similar to Seat of the Synod , look at your own cards before rejecting inclusions.

Legacy's Allure is 100% a bad card. Assuming you somehow land that on turn 1, it still isn't anywhere close to live until turn 3. Unless the opposing creature is already on the board turn 1, your opponent will remove it before they play whatever creature they need that you would steal anyways, and if the creature is on the board turn 1 you should remove it before turn 3 anyways. Many stax creatures are symmetrical, so stealing one does nothing because those decks are designed to work around the effects. Also Gitrog is a 6/6 so assuming turn 1 Allure it still won't be live until turn 7, at which point Gitrog has already won. You can make the argument for proliferate, but you aren't running any. Aether Spellbomb is faster, combos with your commander, can turn itself into a cantrip if there aren't good creature targets, synergizes with that giant list of cards I talked about with Seat of the Synod, and is less color intensive. If you really need another theft effect, Vedalken Shackles is significantly better and combos all the same ways.

Howling Mine grinds values in longer games. Even if you give your opponent 1 or 2 cards, if you end up drawing 6 or 7 cards from it you are getting a better advantage. It works better in a stax build over a combo build, but then that leads to my next point. If you're really scared run Blinkmoth Well

You should build this as a stax deck. Compare this to an Arcum Dagson deck. The reason that is able to be a fast combo deck is because it has a tutor in the command zone that leads to winning lines. Meanwhile, Urza generates mana and expensive card advantage from the command zone, which benefits you when games go longer. Why would anyone build this deck with these pieces when Arcum does the same thing but better? They are the same CMC, but Dagson is less color intensive so its easier to ramp into with mono blue.

Even if you are trying to run this as fast combo, you aren't making good choices. Why are you running Fact or Fiction and not Frantic Search ? Why is your counterspell density so high when you should be tutoring or drawing to win? 13 counterspells with the meme new Narset spell for 14? Why? The card advantage your deck generates isn't high enough to sustain a package that big. If you're trying to fast combo why are you focusing on playing defensive? You don't need that many counterspells to protect your own combo.

Why are you running Power Artifact but not Basalt Monolith ? Otherwise power artifact is literally a dead draw if Grim Monolith is gone or unavailable. It opens up more options to get infinite and win with Urza

Cut Future Sight . Focus on assembling infinite mana to use Urza as an outlet. Not a single cEDH list runs it for a reason, expensive and slow. If you have infinite mana to plow through your deck with Future Sight you can just do the same with Urza. Wasted slot.

Running Isochron Scepter Dramatic Reversal and Copy Artifact but you aren't running Winds of Rebuke . It has high value outside combo, and high value inside combo. Currently you only have one method of drawing deck outside Urza (Paradox + Voltaic Key + Sensei's Top), which means you are very liable to be hit with Meddling Mage or Pithing Needle or Phyrexian Revoker or Cursed Totem , all of which see play and make your Jace and Labman into dead draws. You should also consider Blue Sun's Zenith for similar reasons, gives an outlet for infinite mana if Urza is turned off or unavailable.

dingusdingo on Excuse me while I Kess this guy

3 days ago

Here are my thoughts, in no particular order

Your land base is just 1 card away from running Tainted Pact for use with Labman lines. You should ditch that 2x island and run it. Also run the new Jace as a back up.

Omniscience + Show and Tell should be cut. Replace with Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter . Its a more compact win, doesn't have the opportunity to blow up in your face, combos with Top and Copy Artifact, and both pieces have higher quality than the pieces they are replacing.

You run a lot of large CMC junk cards that will either end as dead draws or don't win upon resolving. Consecrated Sphinx should be put into play with reanimation, but since you don't run you should cut. Bolas's Citadel is just a bad Ad Nauseum. The handful of wheel cards over 3 CMC should be cut. Why spend that time giving your opponents cards on a soft combo when you could be tutoring and winning with the very easy A + B of Labman + pact? Specifically, Time Spiral Wheel and Deal Reforge the Soul Whispering Madness . Replace those cards with more format staple counterspells and removal. Swan Song Dispel Flusterstorm Red Elemental Blast Abrade Shattering Spree .

Really not wild about Molten Psyche or Winds of Change either. You are losing card advantage on both (-1 to be precise). Notion Thief and Waste Not are both strong when used with a wheel, but it isn't worth devoting that many deck slots to combos that don't explicitly win. You would be better off running tutors instead, which will help you get whichever A or B part of the Notion Wheel combo you don't have in your hand.

You really don't need to run Mission Briefing if you are running Snapcaster AND yawgill AND past in flames.

You should highly consider Chain of Vapor as well as Hurkyl's Recall . Both allow you to gain mana and storm when combined with the mana positive rocks, which feeds into your Aetherflux Reservoir line. They also double as removal and can combo break opponents who are trying to win.

You should include Mana Vault , its much better than Basalt Monolith . Thought Vessel should also be cut, even Prismatic Lens is better. The no maximum hand size will literally never be relevant, because if you are drawing that many cards you should be able to win instead of passing the turn. If you do have to discard down to 7, just keep the 7 that allow you to win and protect the win. You should also run Chrome Mox because of the high card advantage you generate.

28 lands means you're in danger of getting staxed out, very easily. Any artifact hate with early taxes means you're caught and discarding cards for multiple turns. The land base you're running could also use a tune up. You should include the painlands Underground River etc. as they enter untapped and provide color diversity without extra requirements. The two-or-more-opponents lands I'm not a fan of, but playing in a pod means they'll be live. The two-or-fewer-lands lands I'm not a fan of, and firmly believe you should cut. Checklands are fine, but replaceable long term. You should also run more rainbowlands, specifically Forbidden Orchard Gemstone Caverns Tarnished Citadel . If you are running Tolaria West as a 0 drop tutor, don't count it as a land towards your total, if you're running it as an island, it comes out tapped so cut it.

You should get a creature sweeper. Earthquake is great and can double as a wincon if you're above opponents in life, also ignores Kess. Pyroclasm clears opposing mana dorks for very cheap.

Your cantrips are a bit goofy too. Thought Scour should be replaced with Sleight of Hand , which gives you more flexibility about the card you get as well as gets around draw restrictions such as Alms Collector or Spirit of the Labyrinth . Fact or Fiction is simply too much CMC. I'm personally not a fan of Scroll Rack but that's entirely your call.

Terminate should be Pongify or Rapid Hybridization . Its 1 cmc cheaper and less color intensive, and if you lose to a 3/3 token you were going to lose anyways. Notably, Kess can kill the token by blocking.

TheNocholas on Pir&Toothy, Best Friends for Eternity

4 days ago

Idk what your budget is but Basalt Monolith and Mesmeric Orb combo to mill exactly the amount you want to. I run them in Sidisi's Milkshake

helldanno on Kess Storm [Small Primer]

4 days ago

inGtSToRm thanks for answering my questions and your opinion on the topics. Let's discuss this more in detail:

1. My deck seems to be stucked between Consultation and Storm. I run Isochron Scepter + Dramatic Reversal and Paradox Engine + Mana Rocks and as a pay off/win con Aetherflux Reservoir and Capsize , and one Consultation win con: Jace, Wielder of Mysteries + Tainted Pact . That's why I only run 1 Island and 1 Snow Covered Island (those Full Arts from Modern Horizons are going to be awesome). With the ABUR Duals + Shock Duals I have a total count of 6 Islands, which seems to me too few Islands to run High Tide ?

2. I do own a Wheel of Fortune but no Timetwister . But whith Time Spiral , Wheel of Fortune and Windfall there are 3 very good Wheel Effects, and there's Whispering Madness . A Turn 2 Narset, Parter of Veils followed by Turn 3 Wheel seems a to be a very good line, and this is why I am mentioning Whispering Madness . I will try Narset and give feedback after some rounds. As this is a sort of soft win con for the deck: how many slots should the Kess Deck or a cEDH in general sacrifice for wincons?

3. Basalt Monolith is somehow the third version for a colorless Ritual effect. Could you imagine a situation where you want Basalt Monolith turn 2-3 to enable an ad nauseum a turn later? Right now I have Gilded Lotus in my deck and if it stays for one turn, it really helps to go off that next turn.

I appreciate the discussion.

LeonSpires on Urza, Lord High Artificer cEDH *Primer*

4 days ago

What about Metalworker ? He can definitely put in work especially if the game goes long and you need to attempt to cast Urza, Lord High Artificer multiple times. Also Basalt Monolith gives you another Power Artifact target and if your running Rings of Brighthearth gives a back up infinite mana combo other then Isochron Scepter + Dramatic Reversal .

On a different note: I know this would be too slow for cEDH but I think it would be hilarious to get out Mycosynth Lattice use Power Artifact on Urza, Lord High Artificer and play Training Grounds to reduce Urza, Lord High Artificer 's activated ability to . Now if only Training Grounds was an artifact...