Fact or Fiction

Instant

Reveal the top five cards of your library. An opponent separates those cards into two piles. Put one pile into your hand and the other into your graveyard.

Discussion (51)

SideBae on Scarab God Reanimator/Control

1 day ago

The deck is in the 'help' section so I'll leave some ideas... I hope I'm not being presumptuous:

1. You may want to consider running all the relevant Zendikar fetches; I see you're missing Marsh Flats, for example. They're expensive, but you're running Underground Sea so I'm assuming budget isn't really a problem. The reason I say you should run them is that a. they'll make your Jace, the Mind Sculptor's Brainstorm ability that much better, and b. they'll let you run ACTUAL Brainstorm effectively. I've found cantrips to be really effective in EDH, and I think in addition to Brainstorm you should run Ponder and Preordain in pretty much any blue deck.

2. I think Murderous Rider is likely better than Hero's Downfall. It does tuck itself when it dies, which means reanimating it could be a little tricky, but having the extra value of being able to cast it as a creature seems a strict upgrade from just an instant.

3. I'm surprised you aren't running Windfall -- it's a discard outlet and a draw spell all-in-one. I think you should run it; same goes for Fact or Fiction and Jace, Vryn's Prodigy  ^Flip.

4. If you do end up running Jace's Archivist from the 'Maybeboard,' consider running Geth's Grimoire, Waste Not and/or Bone Miser. I've always been a fan of the discard subtheme in EDH, and it goes pretty well with reanimation strategies. If you do consider running those cards, it's worth noting Windfall, Liliana of the Veil, Raven's Crime and Words of Waste are also really synergistic with them.

5. I'm surprised you're not running Talisman of Dominance or Mana Vault. They both seem like good ramp for this deck.

6. I don't know if you have a problem with her staxiness, but I think Narset, Parter of Veils is the Cat's PJs. Especially with Windfall.

7. Lastly, I think Graveborn Muse has a spot in this deck. I know you said you aren't looking for zombie tribal, but she's at worst a Phyrexian Arena and you're tangentially making more zombies anyway. I feel like most of the time she'll draw you somewhere between 2 and 4 cards, which seems like it makes her worth it.

Right. That's all I got. Good luck!

SideBae on Yuriko’s Ninja Tricks

2 days ago

So this deck is marked under 'help,' so I'll list my recommendations. Feel free to ignore any/all of them:

1. Some of your choices of countermagic seem questionable. Is there a reason you're running Withering Boon over something like Remove Soul or Essence Scatter? I guess the blue spells can be Pyroblast-ed, but I feel like not having to bolt yourself is worth it for the marginal added risk.

2. You may wish to consider running Preordain in addition to your Brainstorm and Ponder. Like in Legacy Delver decks, it isn't as good since you'd need to top both cards with the scry to guarantee a high CMC flip off Yuriko, but I feel like one-mana cantrips are likely good enough to run regardless.

3. There are some evasive creatures worth running in Yuriko because their ETB effects are good and ninjutsu bounces the creatures. I'm thinking of things like Baleful Strix, Snapcaster Mage (if you want to invest money), Trinket Mage (which can fetch Sensei's Divining Top, Sol Ring and any other 1-cmc artifacts you want to run), Spellseeker... If you want to go deep, Thalakos Seer works well with Ninjutsu, too...

4. You might also consider running Conspiracy or Arcane Adaptation. I like Arcane Adaptation a lot more (it costs less mana) but both are good, and if you need a third version Xenograft works. They'll make things like Gingerbrute trigger your Yuriko.

5. Some 4-cmc instant-speed card-draw seems alright; you leave up mana for a counter, and if you don't need it you get a draw. Consider things like Fact or Fiction, Chemister's Insight, Glimmer of Genius, Frantic Search, Gush, Thirst for Knowledge, Inspiration... They'll ding your opponents off a Yuriko flip and give you something to do with mana you don't need on their end steps.

6. Idk how competitive your meta is, but consider running Narset, Parter of Veils and/or Ashiok, Dream Render. These two hose card-draw and fetches/tutors, which are all very common as you go higher in deck power level. I especially like Narset, Parter of Veils with Windfall or Timetwister, but that'll depend on your particular moral compass.

7. Lastly, if you up the amount of artifact ramp in here you can lower the land count and make flipping a land off Yuriko less common. While it may be dangerous to go lower than 30 lands if you're not running things like Mana Crypt, Mox Diamond or Mox Opal (which you should run if your groups allows proxies), you may have luck running things like Talisman of Dominance, Arcane Signet or Fellwar Stone. If you don't land a turn-two general, these'll ramp you for the later game; and even if you do, flipping them off Yuriko's trigger is better than flipping a land.

Right. That's all I got -- let me know if you have any questions.

omega1563 on Azami's Wizard Gang

2 days ago

Planned Changes:

• Coming Out:

  • Sphinx of Uthuun: Not a wizard. Already have draw elsewhere.
  • Gather Specimens: Fairly expensive. Most of the time just gets one creature. Feels bad to play against.
  • Clone: Not a wizard (unless we clone one of our wizards)
  • Willbender: Can't use for draw unless face up, at which point it's just a body.
  • Voidmage Apprentice: Can't use for draw unless face up, at which point it's just a body.
  • Deadeye Navigator: Not a wizard. Offers some protection for VIPs and synergy with ETB effects, but we can probably find more utility elsewhere.
  • Thassa, God of the Sea: Not a wizard. Scry is ok, but we have draw elsewhere. Not swinging, so the unblockable component isn't used much.
  • Ixidron: Not a wizard. Hides our wizards. We have other boardwipe options.
  • Skullclamp: We prefer to keep our wizards on the board, and we don't have many tokens to sac to this, so we can get more draw elsewhere.
  • Ancestral Memories: Decent filtering, but we can get more draw and other utility elsewhere.
  • Simic Manipulator: Slow to build up. Not many big bodies to keep him growing.
  • Urza's Bauble: Just filler.
  • Fact or Fiction: We get enough draw elsewhere, we don't really need conditional draw.
  • Treasure Cruise: Potentially cheap draw is good, but we don't fill up our graveyard quickly and we generally want to keep things in there if we can.
  • Guile: Not a wizard. Fairly big body, and synergy with counters, but a bit too threatening. Want to keep a lower profile.

• Going In:

  • Stonybrook Banneret: Make all of our wizards cheaper.
  • Thassa's Oracle: Make draw a win condition
  • Laboratory Maniac: Make draw a win condition.
  • Dakra Mystic: Some group hug to make as a less likely target.
  • Baral, Chief of Compliance: Value without tapping. Synergy with spells and counters.
  • Ertai, Wizard Adept: Counterspells on a stick.
  • Naban, Dean of Iteration: Value without tapping. Synergy with ETB effects.
  • Graceful Adept: Value without tapping. Uncaps hand size.
  • Patron Wizard: All wizards are now cheap counterspells.
  • Portal Mage: Send a big bad away. Synergy with Naban.
  • Sage of Fables: Makes wizards bigger. Allows for more draw, without needing to tap. Synergy with Naban.
  • Glen Elendra Archmage: Repeatable counters when combined with Sage of Fables.
  • Surgespanner: Repeatable bounce when combined with Azami, Lady of Scrolls or Patron Wizard
  • High Tide: Instant speed ramp. Cheap enough to throw on Isochron Scepter
  • Cyclonic Rift: Clear the board. Roughly replaces Ixidron

ToffMcSoft on Blue Fish Urza - cEDH Primer

4 days ago

OP_Sigma appreciate the comment - I've updated the list since your post. Some major changes today.

Dafufu - Major Updates made today.

Drops: Intuition, Trinket Mage, Jace, Wielder of Mysteries, Fact or Fiction & Timetwister

Adds: Rapid Hybridization, Jeweled Amulet, Walking Ballista, Aether Spellbomb, & Thassa's Oracle

Justification: - Rapid Hybridization: With more and more Fish Hulk decks showing up Rapid Hybridization earns a spot for instant speed removal on Thassa's Oracle along with the ability to have that pocket spot removal available.

Jeweled Amulet: Many Urza list have run this since day 1, dropped Trinket Mage for it. Trinket Mage always felt too clunky and was really only in the deck to get Top which was only 1 of 3 piece combo. Grabbing Top with Trinket mage always felt like a step backwards.

Thassa's Oracle, dropped Jace as Thassa's Oracle is just better and offers utility if you do draw the card. Jace was always a dead draw. Now you you do draw Thassa's Oracle you can potentially use it if you're in a dire situation.

Walking Ballista, dropped Fact or Fiction. Out of 50+ Urza matches I've played Fact or Fiction maybe twice. The CMC is too much and very rarely are you in a position unless it's mid-late game to expend the mana on this spell. Every time I have an opening hand with Fact or Fiction I sigh. Walking Ballista has been added an a backup win con but most importantly something another form of spot removal.

Aether Spellbomb, dropped Timetwister as this list doesn't run the Codex Shredder loop. Timetwister had it's fun, half the time you're giving advantage to your opponents. Aether Spellbomb offers potential spot removal, bouncing Urza & bouncing Thassa's Oracle (if played early on). Aether Spellbomb offers utility as well.

@ dingusdingo - Updated List, would love your insights on how else to tune this. In my opinion Recurring Insight is next on the chopping block.

Metachemist on Wrexial Kempo

3 weeks ago

Duskmantle Guildmage is an auto win con against one player with Mindcrank on the board. Or a complete table wipe with Dakra Mystic if all three are on the board.

Memory Erosion is already in the deck but I do like the look of Psychic Corrosion

Trepanation Blade never seems to hit more than 3-4 cards due to deck building trends, I'd be more inclined to put in Shadowspear if I was gonna put another piece of 'tron tech in.

Geth, Lord of the Vault is pretty cool but I like the Thief and the Specter over him just due to their low CMC, 3 is a lot more attainable than 6.

Tormod's Crypt probably wouldn't be a bad idea but I've got a bit of a rep for always running it as a "pet" card so I was trying to avoid it so as not to be predictable. Elixir of Immortality is a classic and I'll probably play test it.

I think you're correct about Fraying Sanity it's not bad a closer but honestly I've got the Commander kill win con built in as a late game closer as it stands. Fact or Fiction is a tough one, if nothing else it always creates tension at the table and can lead to good politicking but I think there are better options for sure.

Archaeomancer was left on the cutting room floor due to barely having a dozen viable targets for it. I'd rather spend the 4 mana elsewhere, especially in a deck with no bounce/ETB abuse

Sphinx's Tutelage now that has some solid potential, especially as another infinite mana dump that leads to crushing the whole table.

Thanks for the suggestions!

greatdevourer on Wrexial Kempo

3 weeks ago

Here are my thoughts:

Out: Thief of Sanity, Nightveil Specter, Duskmantle Guildmage, Fact or Fiction, Fraying Sanity
The Thief of Sanity and Nightveil Specter both require combat damage to get the effect and you have a lot of other creatures doing the same things. I know it is a theme of the deck, and I'm not saying to take both of them out, but consider one or both depending on the other cards recommended. Duskmantle Guildmage requires a lot of mana and just feels kinda weak. Fact or Fiction is a good card but I think you would be better served with other options. Fraying Sanity only targets a specific player and you have no way to reset. I know it allows you to target "that player" but something just feels off about it.

Consider: Geth, Lord of the Vault, Archaeomancer, Psychic Corrosion, Memory Erosion, Sphinx's Tutelage, Tormod's Crypt, Trepanation Blade and Elixir of Immortality.

Let me know what you think.

SideBae on The Sea Summoning (Cthulhu inspired and help!)

4 weeks ago

I mean, I think the easiest way you could improve the deck is through including more ramp. I've personally always been a fan of Ancient Tomb in mono-colored decks, and it's especially good if you can use it to land a turn one Mind Stone, Sapphire Medallion etc. While those are good two-drops, you might want to consider running other ones in addition to the ones you already have: consider Sky Diamond, Coldsteel Heart, Arcane Signet, Prismatic Lens... Being able to add {u} is generally a big upgrade. Also Sol Ring. Also consider running Castle Vantress to use up the mana you don't need at the end of your OP's turn.

I see you're running Brainstorm and Preordain, which I think are simply absurd cards that should be in any blue deck. I think you should also be running Ponder. Additionally, you should (if you have the budget) consider running land-based shuffle effects to pair with your Brainstorm. Flooded Strand, Misty Rainforest, Prismatic Vista etc. allow you to shuffle away any cards you put on top so you don't have to redraw them. Also, if you choose to include Mystic Sanctuary, you can fetch it out to redraw a Cyclonic Rift or Engulf the Shore when you need to.

Card-draw is good. Consider cards like Windfall, Fact or Fiction, Chart a Course...

KingFedorHolz on Xenagos, God of Beatdown

4 weeks ago

TypicalTimmy, Playing xenagos quickly is integral to this deck working. A single Counterspell sets us back 2 turns and allows people to set up their Rhystic Study, Fact or Fiction, and other big draw spells, digging for more answers and keeping us from resolving our game plan. You’ll find Cavern of Souls in hypercompetitive The Gitrog Monster decks for this same reason.

Profet93 I think you’re going about solving your meta in a less efficient way. If removal is your issue, I would double down on protecting your 1 big threat, not trying to throw more 5-10 mana threats at 1-2 mana spot removal, this is a battle they are going to win. Try things like Blossoming Defense, Vines of Vastwood, etc. if counterspells are your issues, then Red Elemental Blast, Reverberate, Prowling Serpopard, Domri, Anarch of Bolas are your friends.

With respect to your creature suggestions: yes you can run Kozilek, and other Hydra Friends, but to win consistently, you want T3 Xenagos, and T4 Beater. Past T6, this deck gets a lot worse and if you are stuck with a Kozilek as your only threat in hand for T4-7, you lost your battle. Hydras are the similar, they are CRAZY good when you sink 12+ mana into them, but eh when you have 3 lands and a Sol Ring. We need things that swing the fences for 6 mana every time, like Godo, Malignus, and the Infect creatures. Also Godo+Embercleave takes and extra combat with Godo’s ability. It’s the best beater with Xenagos.

I ran a Tooth and Nail package in my Xenagos for a while but dropped it because of the 9 cmc to play it. If Xenagos was out, I went for Archetype of Endurance and Blightsteel Colossus for a auto kill. Without xenagos it was blightsteel and Urabrask. But that leaves us with 3 cards that are too expensive and one that is good but not great for the deck. Not saying you can’t do it, but I chose against it.