Dismal Backwater

Land

Dismal Backwater enters the battlefield tapped.

When Dismal Backwater enters the battlefield, you gain 1 life.

: Gain or .

Discussion (51)

jakeelephant006 on my fav card from oath is back baby

1 week ago

If you're looking for budget options, you could replace Thoughtseize with Duress, Specter's Shriek, Despise, Harsh Scrutiny, Agonizing Remorse, or Divest. Even Brain Maggot or Kitesail Freebooter would work. Those also work as replacements for Thought Erasure. Dig Through Time can be replaced with Treasure Cruise or Drawn from Dreams. Fatal Push could be swapped for Murderous Cut, Doom Blade, Cast Down, Ultimate Price.

For the lands, you can always run cards like Dismal Backwater, Dimir Guildgate, or Submerged Boneyard to replace some of the pricier dual lands and Evolving Wilds or Warped Landscape to take care of Fabled Passage.

xaarvaxus on Muldrotha Rats Commander

2 weeks ago

If you have access to Disallow, I would definitely sub it in for Dismiss, stifling triggers will come in very handy in a lot of cases.

While your commander can recycle lands, without enough outlets to get them into your graveyard, ones like Dismal Backwater are pretty subpar. Fetid Pools is probably a better dual for Muldrotha and Bad River could go fetch it if needed and be a target itself to recur.

Seal of Primordium is more removal on a stick that is a different card type to be recurred each turn so you could conceivably fire off Caterpillar and Seal each turn and really keep the field clear of opposing artifacts and enchantments.

Some more lands that can recur for effect may be good too; Blast Zone, Ghost Quarter or Glacial Chasm could provide extra value.

icionsix on Yuriko 2

2 weeks ago

Hey dad. I think 29 lands is a little crazy, does it work well in testing?

I'm personally not a fan of all the super high CMC cards you've added. With 29 lands and only 6 pieces of mana ramp, you will basically never get to cast them. I don't think the added damage off Yuriko really justifies having dead cards in your hand. Draco especially, you'll never ever be able to cast him and even if you do he's super weak. I'd recommend something with delve, maybe Dig Through Time if you're willing to spend the money, or Murderous Cut.

I was also thinking about it and realized I screwed up the mana base. Cards like Evolving Wilds and Terramorphic Expanse are strictly inferior to Dimir Guildgate and Dismal Backwater, since the deck thinning off a fetchland doesn't matter, and you're not playing any landfall.

My biggest hangup is only playing 29 lands. I'm worried you'll get land screwed way too much.

Rasaru on Dimir mill

3 weeks ago

This first thing I want to say is don't get discouraged. A lot of people underestimate the mill mechanic. Sure, you'll have some bad games, but it makes winning soooo much better! For example, I played my Drawing Dead deck today against against my buddy, who ran his mono red dragon deck, and milled all 100 of his cards at the end of my turn 6.. Victory has never tasted so sweet!

Do you want to keep your deck in the Dimir family (black & blue)? If yes, then let's get started!

1. We definitely need to upgrade your land base. Minus your basic land drops, everything else comes in tapped, which puts you at a huge disadvantage. That's almost 50% of your land drops. Upgrading a card like Dimir Guildgate, to a Sunken Hollow can give you an advantage. In this example, there is absolutely no downside. While your Dimir Guildgate will come in tapped no matter what, your Sunken Hollow has the potential to come in untapped, so you can use it immediately. I believe you can find these for about $1 each, at your local card shop. I'd also consider swapping your Dismal Backwater for something like Choked Estuary. While 1 life could make a difference, I bet you'd rather have that playable land more often. I think those come in around $2 ea. Simple fixes for about $8 bucks.

Are you familiar with how to play Dimir Aqueduct "efficiently"?

*NOTE- I wouldn't recommend purchasing any upgrades until you figure out what others upgrades you want! Your mana needs could change based on the other changes you make.

More to come! I need to head to bed!

multimedia on Ninja Commander

1 month ago

Hey, no deck is jank when it has Top, Rack, Demonic, Drain and Study :)

Baleful Strix isn't a Ninja without Arcane Adaptation , but it has good synergy with Commander Ninjutsu as low mana cost draw. Strix and Yuriko interact as a drawing engine for since Strix has flying and deathtouch it will more than likely attack unblocked. One drop Wingcrafter is good with Yuriko and Ninjutsu because has flying and gives the Soulbound creature flying. It's Soulbound can keep changing since it triggers when a creature ETB and you choose if you want to pair that creature with Wingcrafter.

With the high budget here there's really no reason to play terrible lands such as Submerged Boneyard , Dismal Backwater and Jwar Isle Refuge . Lands that could replace these are Underground River , Darkslick Shores , City of Brass . Mystic Sanctuary is powerful because the card you recur is put on top of your library.

Consider adding Temporal Trespass , Dig Through Time and Treasure Cruise ? More cards that have high CMC for Yuriko's trigger, but you can cast them with delve for much lower CMC. Vampiric Tutor , Lim-Dul's Vault and Insidious Dreams are other instant tutors that put the cards you get on top of your library. Chain of Vapor is good removal spell with Yuriko.

Cards to consider cutting:

• Spellbook
• Folio of Fancies
• Erratic Portal
• Venser's Journal
• Downsize
• Drowned Secrets
• Price of Knowledge

Good luck with your deck.

nascentbodhi on Yuriko... because who needs friends anyway?

1 month ago

Since $500 isn't reasonable for everyone, I thought it may be good to include some substitutions to allow a lower budget. See below for a few changes to consider that will decrease the cost while maintaining the basic strategy the deck. Please note that prices are current and will likely change.

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Creatures:

Remove: (~$57.00) Brazen Borrower , Sakashima the Impostor

Substitute: (~$0.34) Universal Automaton , Wingcrafter

Lands:

Remove: (~$110.00) Drowned Catacomb , Morphic Pool , Mutavault , Polluted Delta , Shizo, Death's Storehouse , Watery Grave

Substitute: (~$5.50) Ash Barrens , Dismal Backwater , Exotic Orchard , Fetid Pools , Mystic Sanctuary , Rogue's Passage , Salt Marsh

Enchantments:

Remove: (~$38.25) Bitterblossom

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These changes will reduce the cost by $200... for deeper cuts, things to look at would be:

Remove: (~$85.00) Lotus Petal , Mox Amber and Scroll Rack

Substitute: (~$14.00) Arcane Signet , Dimir Signet , Ponder

---

Cost with all changes: $230

multimedia on Alela EDH

3 months ago

Hey, good job for your first Commander deck. Nice Tezzeret the Seeker :)

When on a budget for the manabase it's better to rely on basic lands and dual lands that have interaction with basic lands. These can replace dual lands that will always ETB (enter the battlefield) tapped such as Azorius Guildgate and Dismal Backwater . The Guildgates and Life lands are not better than a basic land.

Lands within the budget to consider adding:

• Caves of Koilos
• Spire of Industry
• Arcane Sanctum
• Ash Barrens
• Sunken Hollow
• Prairie Stream
• Port Town
• Choked Estuary
• Buried Ruin

Land to consider cutting:

• Azorius Guildgate
• Dimir Guildgate
• Dismal Backwater
• Scoured Barrens
• Tranquil Cove
• Jwar Isle Refuge
• Vivid Creek
• Dimir Aqueduct
• Temple of Deceit
• Temple of Silence

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I see too many creatures that don't interact with Alela. Nonartifact/enchantment creatures don't have much interaction with Alela. My advice is cut a lot of these creatures for more artifacts, artifact creatures and enchantments. You have Tezzeret that's a good reason to expand on artifacts.

Lots of mana rocks are good with Alela because they can be used to make ramp to play her faster and then after she's on the battlefield they can create Faeries. I see you have the Signets already which is great, but consider more budget mana rocks?

• Sol Ring
• Talisman of Hierarchy
• Talisman of Dominance
• Mind Stone
• Everflowing Chalice
• Prismatic Lens

Three drop mana rocks such as Coalition Relic which you have are fine, but if you can replace a three drop mana rock such as Obelisk of Esper , Mana Geode with a one or two drop mana rock then this will help your deck.

Consider cutting the creature base down to only a few? Keep: Strix, Architect, Shimmer Myr, Simulacrum, Assembly, Master, Seer, Rider, Titan? Can then replace the other creatures with more artifacts/enchantments to make more interaction with Alela.

Cards within the budget to consider adding:

• Etherium Sculptor
• Foundry Inspector
• Silver Myr
• Sai, Master Thopterist
• Bident of Thassa
• Throne of the God-Pharaoh
• Cranial Plating
• Mirrodin Besieged
• Mirrormade
• Scrap Trawler
• Junk Diver
• Sharuum the Hegemon
• Nihil Spellbomb
• Wayfarer's Bauble
• Conjurer's Bauble
• Manifold Key

Etherium Sculptor and Foundry Inspector are good as low mana cost artifacts that reduce the mana cost of all other artifacts you cast. CMC artifacts are free for you to cast with one of these on the battlefield which can help to chain cast artifacts and make a lot of Faeries. Casting two drop mana rocks for is also good. Sai, Master Thopterist and Mirrodin Besieged are three drops that any artifact you cast after creates an artifact creature token.

If you're wanting to attack with a large Faerie/Thopter army then Bident of Thassa and Cranial Plating are cards that you want. Bident can be busted repeatable draw with attacking flying creatures. Cranial is good to equip to Alela since she has flying and the damage she does to a player is Commander damage. Throne of the God-Pharaoh is a deceptively powerful two drop artifact with Faeries. The life loss this can do will add up fast since it's repeatable at your end step making all your opponents lose life not just one.

Good luck with your deck.

aaronhusted on KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE

4 months ago

Arcane Sanctum

Dismal Backwater or Jwar Isle Refuge

Scoured Barrens

Sejiri Refuge or Tranquil Cove