Diabolic Tutor

Sorcery

Search your library for a card and put that card into your hand. Then shuffle your library.

Discussion (48)

allariontalfwyn on CEDH Thrassios

5 days ago

I would personally run Grim Tutor over Diabolic Tutor

seshiro_of_the_orochi on Deck building Help

1 week ago

Seasons Past would've been my suggestion, as well. Jodah seems a fine commander.

You could go for a BIG MANA SORCERY theme with some of the Ultimatums that don't exile themselves on resolution, Apex of Power and Double Vision. Maelstrom Nexus and Maelstrom Archangel would be pretty busted in there, as well. Eerie Ultimatum would be especiall especially nasty when combined with Fraying Omnipotence

Solve the Equation is indeed awesome for that, but Diabolic Tutor, Dark Petition, Mastermind's Acquisition and especially Final Parting are powerful tutors that don't cost much.

Ardees on Teysa Deck

1 week ago

Cheap pick ups

• Falkenrath Noble
• Whisper, Blood Liturgist
• Mentor of the Meek
• Apprentice Necromancer
• Syr Konrad, the Grim
• Welcoming Vampire
• Path to Exile
• Diabolic Tutor
• Teysa, Orzhov Scion
• Sun Titan
• Dark Ritual
• Profane Tutor

Average pick ups

• Reanimate
• Animate Dead
• Anguished Unmaking
• Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• Blind Obedience
• Necromancy

Expensive pick ups

• Demonic Tutor
• Necropotence

Arsalino007 on Chatterfang

1 month ago

I have some questions and some suggestions for you, since i play chatterfang alot myself:

First, you have many not so cheap cards but you have one of the not so good tutors with Diabolic Tutor, why using a cheap 4 mana tutor when you can have a 2 mana tutor Demonic Tutor.

What is the purpose of Nyxbloom Ancient in your deck? he is a 7 mana sink and it can only shine when you pull and play Cryptolith Rite. The chance to perfectly combo those cards is small and not worth it. In my opinion Nyxbloom Ancient is not good in this deck and only worth it if you have many mana dorks and not depends you to pull and play one card.

Why would you use Nevinyrral's Disk? you have many high value enchantments that you would destroy, same with Gaze of Granite, don't destroy your own enchantments. I think Rune-Scarred Demon is too much mana for what it does, it only gives you ETB one tutor and a 6/6 flying body, no synergie with tokens or lifegain/drain etc. for So much mana you can cast 1 Demonic tutor (2 mana) and a Falkenrath Noble for example.

Herd Baloth is a 5 mana useless 4/4 body without Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest or Ivy Lane Denizen to combo. You make yourself jump through so many hoops.

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What i like are cards like Asceticism this is good protection, Attrition is indeed a good card for this deck and Fecundity very nice card draw for this deck.

trippy_mcfly on Mono Black Death Plague

1 month ago

Cool deck. I'm here to offer some suggestions after you pointed me here from your other deck.

Tergrid, God of Fright  ^Flip is a powerful commander and generates insane advantage in 4-player games. Let's take a look at this deck and see what it is doing, and then streamline it. I see three main objectives of this deck:

1 - RAMPING.

This is pretty much a primary objective of any commander deck, since if your only source of mana is playing one land per turn, you're going to fall way behind. Your main ramping plan for this deck is to double lands, using Cabal Coffers, Cabal Stronghold, Caged Sun, Crypt Ghast, Extraplanar Lens, Gauntlet of Power, and Nirkana Revenant. This is super cool and probably a pretty strong plan. We want to try to maximize this plan. How can we do that?

All of these cards want you to load up on basic swamps, which you did. We want to make sure we are playing a basic swamp every turn. Solemn Simulacrum is definitely a worthwhile add. Liliana of the Dark Realms is very helpful and I'm happy to see her in this deck. Often times Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is a worthwhile add for decks with Cabal Coffers. I think it is worth it here. Although you yourself don't have many non-swamps that will benefit from Urborg, you are likely going to be stealing people's lands with Tergrid, and counting those as swamps will be helpful for you.

How else can we keep getting swamps onto the battlefield to power up this strategy? Card draw. The more cards in your hand the higher the chance you will have a swamp to play every turn. Night's Whisper and Sign in Blood are great for this. Disciple of Bolas is solid too. Dread Presence loves swamps and is a must-add. I would add Phyrexian Arena, which is great card draw for you. Necropotence, one of the craziest cards in the game, is also a worthwhile addition. Not as good but worth consideration are Yawgmoth's Bargain and Null Profusion. Two other well-known card draw machines in black are Dark Confidant and Bolas's Citadel. You have some costly spells in your deck, so they might be a bit of a liability. If you want to include them, Sensei's Divining Top pairs very well with them.

Just because you are mainly ramping with land doubling doesn't mean there isn't room for other ramping as well. You have Black Market, which I have never personally tested, but is probably decent. Black has some explosive, single-turn ramp with Dark Ritual, Cabal Ritual, and Culling the Weak. These cards would do well in letting you get out expensive plays ahead of schedule, mainly Tergrid. Artifact ramp is also great in any deck. I would add Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, Jeweled Lotus, and Jet Medallion. I would consider adding even more artifact ramp as well. Getting down Tergrid as early as turn 1 or 2 is just so good.

2 - SACRIFICE AND DISCARD.

Once you have Tergrid out, sacrifice and discard become powerful effects that let you take control of your opponent's permanents. This is insane advantage and if left unchecked for very long will win you the game. Syphon Mind while Tergrid is in play not only puts you up 4 cards in comparison to each opponent (since they each went down 1 and you went up 3), but also could net you 3 more cards if they discard permanents that then go onto your field. That's insane. Let's take a look at all the cards you have that enable Tergrid:

SACRIFICE:

Archfiend of Depravity - A one-sided, almost board wipe that repeats every turn? Pretty solid. Getting the creatures onto your field with Tergrid? That is nuts. The one issue is that some commander decks won't have that many more than 2 creatures on the field when this comes down, and if they do, then this card and/or Tergrid become a big target, but if you survive the turn, this and your commander will put you ahead so far.

Butcher of Malakir - Similar to Archfiend. If this guy sticks around for a bit, you're going to be at such an advantage. It costs 7 which is a bit high and very vulnerable to something like Mana Drain, so I wouldn't be super upset if you cut it, but it is great with Tergrid.

Gatekeeper of Malakir - This guy only costs three and steals a creature if Tergrid is on the field. Love it.

Phyrexian Obliterator - If someone is dumb enough to deal damage to this guy, then you're getting a lot of their permanents! I don't love this card for you. People will just leave it alone and then you just hit someone for 5 each turn or leave up a blocker, which is a bit slow.

Sheoldred, Whispering One - Similar to Archfiend. If this guy sticks around for a bit, you're going to be at such an advantage. It costs 7 which is a bit high and very vulnerable to something like Mana Drain, so I wouldn't be super upset if you cut it, but it is great with Tergrid.

Torment of Hailfire - Expensive and liable to be countered but if it resolves then you will get a ton of value!

Dictate of Erebos - I like it. Let's say you have 10 mana. Cast Tergrid, then somebody goes to kill him. Flash this card in. Now, you at least get 3 of your opponents creatures on the way out!

Grave Pact - I like this as well. You can't flash it in, but if you put this card on the field, then people will have to kill this before Tergrid comes down or else end up giving you their creatures.

The Eldest Reborn - Immediate impact with Tergrid on the field, pretty good value on its own. Definitely a keep.

DISCARD:

Liliana, Defiant Necromancer - You need to flip her first, but once flipped she is great.

Syphon Mind - Great.

Torment of Hailfire - Expensive and liable to be countered but if it resolves then you will get a ton of value!

The Eldest Reborn - Immediate impact with Tergrid on the field, pretty good value on its own. Definitely a keep.

... and that's it. We need more cards that are busted with Tergrid! The following would be great adds to your deck: Smallpox, Dark Deal, Liliana's Triumph, Plaguecrafter, Soul Shatter, Mire in Misery, Innocent Blood, Vona's Hunger, Death Cloud, Burglar Rat, Demon's Disciple, Fleshbag Marauder, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana, Waker of the Dead, Bottomless Pit, Fraying Omnipotence, Rotting Rats, Cunning Lethemancer, Merciless Executioner, and a personal favorite: Smokestack.

Notice that all of these cards are typically even trades (ex: I play Elderfang Disciple, going down 1 card, everyone else goes down 1 card.) These aren't great on their own since it costs you mana to do so, and, in the case of discard and sacrifice, the opponent gets to choose an asset that they are least upset to get rid of, making them actually below-even trades. However, they become insanely busted with Tergrid. (ex: I play Elderfang Disciple, going down 1 card in hand for a measly 1/1. But, I get a Carpet of Flowers, basic plains, and Birds of Paradise on my field? Now that's an amazing play). Therefore, the ones that are recurring are better, since they give you more chances to make sure they resolve while Tergrid is on the field. (ex: I play Cunning Lethemancer and my opponent kills Tergrid. Later in the turn I play Tergrid again, albeit for 7 mana now due to commander tax. Next turn, with the Lethemancer trigger, I get some great value!)

Here are some other cards that work well with Tergrid, although they only target one opponent: Sudden Edict, Hellish Rebuke, Pharika's Libation, Diabolic Edict, Duress, Thoughtseize, Hymn to Tourach, Chain of Smog, Despise, and Divest.

Notice that in the absence of Tergrid, these cards are negative trades. They set you and an opponent back by putting you both down one card. The other two opponents are left untouched. Seeing them early in the game is not particularly helpful since you'd rather spend the early game ramping. They are great and slowing down whoever is winning, but at the expense of your own board. There is a trade-off here, since these can be leveraged politically. "Each opponent discards a card"" can give you tons of value with Tergrid on the field but makes you 3 enemies. "Target opponent discards a card"" gives you not as much value in general but you can leverage this to make someone else the common enemy or make a deal with a player ("if you don't attack me next turn I won't target you with my Duress"). Things like Duress can also target specific cards, which is an added benefit for you and an added detriment to the opponent.

I would run some from each category, probably with an emphasis on maximizing Tergrid value.

3 - DRAIN AND GAIN.

Blood Artist and other cards gain you one life and drain your opponent one life. This is cool and certainly an interesting archetype of a deck. It doesn't synergize with Tergrid particularly well. I personally would not use this strategy at all in this deck and maximize the Tergrid plan. However, Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond is an awesome combo and an unexpected way to finish the game for you while people are busy dealing with Tergrid. If you want to keep this, I would trim some of the other cards, such as Exsanguinate and maybe Underworld Dreams.

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So, now that we know what the 3 objectives are, and have maybe cut the third, we have a bit more of a plan. I've suggested adding some card draw and mana rocks for ramp, and tons more Tergrid synergy. What are the cuts? I would say anything that doesn't fit in with the objectives, so basically any card I haven't mentioned already, unless it gives great value on its own. I'll go through some:

Demonic Tutor and Vampiric Tutor are incredible cards and provide great value. Diabolic Tutor, Scheming Symmetry, and Shrouded Lore are worse tutor effects and should probably be moved to the maybe board. Sudden Spoiling is interesting and stops somebody from comboing off on their turn so is probably worth it. Reanimate is good value and should probably stay, same with Animate Dead. Demonic Vigor protects creatures but not Tergrid, unless you want him going to your hand. This is risky but probably fine. I could see him getting countered and then removed from your graveyard which puts you back majorly, but I could also see you avoiding commander tax. Worth looking into. Undying Evil is strictly better since it has instant speed and keeps him on the field. We might also want to protect him with Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots

Coffin Queen is too expensive and vulnerable. Drana, Liberator of Malakir is cool for aggressive strategies and can help you close out the game but is out of place in this deck. Falkenrath Noble is an overcosted Blood Artist. Gonti, Lord of Luxury is a value creature that if you can get his ETB many times, which your deck can't really do. Grave Titan isn't worth it in this deck. Gravedigger is fine but might be a bit slow. Helldozer is probably not worth it unless you want to pick on somebody lol. Korlash, Heir to Blackblade is not worth it. Massacre Wurm might not be worth it. Nighthowler isn't worth it. Opposition Agent is always a good add. Phage the Untouchable is too slow and vulnerable. Sepulchral Primordial might not be worth it. Skirsdag High Priest is probably not worth it. Syr Konrad, the Grim is not worth it. Wight of Precinct Six is not worth it. Tainted Strike is not worth it. Lashwrithe is not worth it. That's about 15 cuts right there.

Props to you for building Tergrid and having an interesting ramp strategy. I think if you go more in on the Tergrid plan by cutting unrelated cards for cards that ramp or are good with Tergrid then your deck will be a lot more reliable. After all, the most fun part of this deck is going off with Tergrid!

Hope this helps.

LandoLRodriguez on The Lost Art(ifact) of Keeping a Secret

2 months ago

Changes, 02Nov2021 continued:

In:

Improved mana rocks!: (Mana Vault, Mana Crypt, Chromatic Orrery, Mox Opal, Voltaic Key). Little explanation needed here. The key can do more than be a mana rock, but considering how many of my rocks can now make 2+ mana per tapping, that's gonna be a lot of its purpose.

More turns: (Time Sieve, Expropriate). Seems like a better theme to splash in than pillow fort, and both of these cards are also about my main themes: artifact love and theft. Speaking of which...

Artifact love/recursion: (Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge, Tezzeret, Artifice Master, Sai, Master Thopterist, Emry, Lurker of the Loch, Dakkon, Shadow Slayer). This deck loves artifacts. It kinda has to love Tezzeret too as a result.

Your stuff is mine now: (Thief of Sanity, Nightveil Specter, Opposition Agent, Xanathar, Guild Kingpin, Empress Galina). I wanna take your stuff. All of your stuff. And not "until this card leaves the battlefield", either. Once I take it, it's mine. Bonus points for denying you access to them in the first place before making them mine.

Improved Lands: (Urza's Saga, Exotic Orchard, Glimmervoid). Urza's Saga is pretty much the card that made me realize I needed to update this deck.

Other: Fabricate is better than Diabolic Tutor by just about every measure. The only drawback being that it can only get artifacts is practically a moot point in this deck. Lithoform Engine just seems really good in here. I can't wait til I can copy an Expropriate with it... Finally, Paradox Haze cuz I love the way it can interact with not only The Ladies themselves but with Xanathar as well.

LandoLRodriguez on The Lost Art(ifact) of Keeping a Secret

2 months ago

Changes, 02Nov2021:

Normally I like to go through the changes I make as one-for-one tradeouts, providing a rationale for why I'm taking this card out and putting this other one in. In this case, however - being that I haven't updated this deck in years - I'm changing out nearly a quarter of the deck, so making those one-for-one explanations doesn't make a ton of sense. This was the first commander deck that I ever attempted to build, and looking back at the original build, I think I spread myself a little thin on the the themes I wanted to run, so this overhaul is mostly about becoming more focused in what I want to accomplish, so instead of looking at individual switches, these are more-or-less the themes I'm either trying to drop vs. the ones I'm trying to reinforce.

Out:

Counter-magic/tempo: (Counterspell, Render Silent, Jace, Unraveler of Secrets, Capsize). Targeted removal (Utter End, Vindicate, Ethersworn Adjudicator). The overall idea here is going to be that I don't want to stop you from playing your cards. I don't want to kill your nice stuff. I want you to get your cards into play. That way I can take them.

Pillow Fort: (Ghostly Prison, Propaganda). This is a theme that wants entire decks built around, not just a couple of its cards sprinkled into another archetype altogether.

Inferior mana rocks: (Manalith, Darksteel Ingot, Thran Dynamo). These aren't bad cards really, but I can do better

Big creatures that first-time-commander-deck-builder me wanted to include just cuz they're Esper: (Sphinx of the Steel Wind, Sphinx Sovereign). Again, not bad cards really, but they're expensive and not entirely on-theme.

Inferior lands: (Temple of Deceit, Temple of Enlightenment, Temple of Silence, Dromar's Cavern, Esper Panorama). The temples I felt were the weakest of the dual lands I'm running. Between the lands that are going in, the fact that all these changes are bring my average mana value down 0.2 points, and the amount of mana rocks I'll be running, not only am I improving some of these lands slots, but I'm also running 2 fewer lands.

Other: Diabolic Tutor to be replaced by a better tutor effect for this deck. Merciless Eviction because while I still like board wipes, I don't wanna exile everything. Leyline of Anticipation. This one pains me a little, I may try to find a spot to get this back in sometime in the future. Acquire because there's not a guarantee that there'll be a good target for this. I'd hate to spend the mana just to steal someone's Sol Ring.

ze0n on SQUIRREL(S)?

2 months ago

just added Heroic Intervention and Demonic Tutor in place of Diabolic Tutor and Golgari Charm