Increasing Ambition

Sorcery

Search your library for a card and put that card into your hand. If Increasing Ambition was cast from a graveyard, instead search your library for two cards and put those cards into your hand. Then shuffle your library.

Flashback {{7}}{{B}} (You may cast this spell from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Freeform	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Historic Brawl	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Modern Beyond Horizons	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (49)

SufferFromEDHD on the other Neheb

1 week ago

<3 Null Brooch <3

Squee, Goblin Nabob is crucial in discard strategies

Cursed Scroll consistent damage from a colorless source

GambleGC + Increasing Ambition tutors that fit within the theme

Mutavault solid minotaur

capwner on One-card wins

1 month ago

So here's an idea you may be familiar with...a one-card win: That is, a card that wins the game or initiates a winning line by itself without needing any other pieces. Just cast that one card and boom, you're in a position to win. This seems very OP because a 1 card combo is of course easier to assemble than 2-or-more card combos, and besides being easy to assemble I think it improves your resilience because it's easy to recur or topdeck a single card, and initial card investment is lower so you have more potential space in hand for interaction or a backup plan. The downside would be a lot of these either cost a lot of mana or require a lot of build around, or both. So some obvious examples of this would be cards like Tooth and Nail that tutor up multiple parts of a 2-part combo. Shared Summons is another card that, given enough mana, can win by itself say by assembling Heliod, Sun-Crowned + Walking Ballista. These double tutor cards are especially sweet because they can also find protection if you already have part of the combo or other tutors. I think Hoarding Broodlord is similar because it tutors for Saw in Half to find more combo pieces, so this wins by itself too. By extension, in the decks that have these, regular Demonic TutorGC or Solve the Equation become a 1-card wins as well! Next there are some weirder ones...there's straight up Enter the Infinite which if resolved should certainly give you the ability to win on the spot with a million counterspell backups. On the opposite end of the curve, Doomsday initiates a combo line by itself but is slower; you either need to pass the turn or have a means of drawing a card to continue comboing. Similarly, Selective Memory in an all-spells deck can exile your whole deck besides Thoracle, then draw her and win next turn. Of course in the all-spells camp there's also Balustrade Spy, Undercity Informer and Goblin Charbelcher which can win on the spot, these are probably the best and actually competitively played archetypes, and Hermit Druid combos similarly. Hmm.... what else, I guess there are tons of 1-card combos with commanders, like Etali + Food Chain, Niv Mizzet + Curiosity, and so on. Those are pretty close to 1-card wins but I would say a different genre of combo than the ones I am discussing. Another card I think fits is Timesifter, with the right build this card can very likely result in a win by itself, though it is totally non-deterministic! I think as a 5 drop artifact, compared with the mana demands of some of the other cards mentioned, this is a very competitive option for a potentially game-ending effect on a single card. I love Timesifter lol. What else? Other tutors like IntuitionGC and Gifts UngivenGC can assemble breach combo by themselves in Jeskai decks with Sevinne's Reclamation. Ad NauseamGC and other mass-draw effects scoop up huge portions of the deck and win from there. Anything that can tutor multiple times like Increasing Ambition or Razaketh, the Foulblooded can win by itself. Goblin Recruiter I'm pretty sure sets up Conspicuous Snoop combo by itself, maybe that's a win next turn one. Approach of the Second Sun but that's REALLY slow by itself. This far down the line I'm tempted to even say Stoneforge Mystic and/or Stonehewer Giant because you can play a line where you get Sword of Hearth and Home to flicker her, get Kaldra Compleat then get Worldslayer and that's baaasically a win 2 turns later from just a Stoneforge. On that topic, MLD spells in general come pretty close to being 1-card wins IMO by relying more on overall deck construction to out-recover opponents, so similar to a Timesifter resolving a Jokulhaups should usually win it for the MLD player if they built their deck right, and if nobody has Tef Pro <- another 1 card win here lol.

I feel like I've blabbed enough, I'd like to know which cards I've missed and what your favorite 1-card wins are? Or even cool Commander + 1 wins if you know of some lesser-known ones. Hey I guess Magda, Brazen Outlaw and Godo, Bandit Wardlord both win by themselves too, right? But kind of slowly, Godo needs haste and Magda needs dwarves/treasures. Also for commanders, I think both Captain Sisay and Sisay, Weatherlight Captain can assemble wins by themselves, slowly. Also Yisan, Wanderer Bard.

Anyways thanks for reading if you did, hopefully you got something useful out of this wincon rant. One-card wins are a big principle I try to use in my deckbuilding especially at higher powers and I think trying to enable the wackier ones provides some fun deckbuilding challenge and is really rewarding when you can pull it off.

capwner on Competitive card Draw in Mono …

1 month ago

Phyrexian Arena and Greed are classic {B} card draw, Insatiable Avarice is decent and I am a big fan of Increasing Ambition though it is a little slower. Peer into the Abyss also slower but basically ad naus #2...these effects are typically paired with a lot of fast mana like Chrome MoxGC Lotus Petal Mox Opal etc. which are cheap and explosive after casting Ad NauseamGC <-- this card usually takes some build around. IDK if that's better here vs. Skullclamp which provides repeatable card draw for cheap. If you have a lot of life loss effects, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse is a good hedge which fits your beatdown strat and hates on opposing card draw. Maybe also Phyrexian Altar and Ashnod's Altar to juice those rat tokens.

Epidilius on Infinite Rulings

11 months ago

Sorry, wasn't trying to come off as dismissive of the whole reason for the post. But, well, even those rules you've listed now are vague. Even just the "No MLD" rules brings up a ton of questions. Does that include Bearer of the Heavens, or Life and Limb + Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth + Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, or even just a bunch of "You get an extra land drop" cards + Crucible of Worlds + Ghost Quarter?

Trying to change the fundamentals of Magic gameplay is complicated. The MTG comp rules is 905 "main" rules (plus who knows how many sub-rules) for a reason haha.

If I were asked to write the rules for this tournament, I would say

"We want battlecruisery and unoptimized Magic, like we played when we first started. This is the spirit of what we are aiming for. No efficient tutors, no fast mana, no MLD, and combos can only trigger once per turn. Here some decks that showcase the level of power we are aiming for (each with a different archetype):

• Example Deck 1
• Example Deck 2
• Example Deck 3

If you are unsure if something crosses the line (eg, Farseek, Increasing Ambition, etc), ask and the entire playgroup can weigh in. If something comes up during a game, we'll figure it out then."

But even with all that, these rules wouldn't affect one of my close friend's Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder deck. It doesn't combo, doesn't have tutors, doesn't have Mana VaultGC, but it can get a quick Ydris into play and start generating tons of value pretty early, by casting multiple expensive spells every turn cycle. It violates the spirit of the ask, but unless I write a multi page document it won't violate the rules as written. Unless, of course, he were to play in good faith and say "I know this deck meets the rules as written but not as intended," which I believe he would.

SufferFromEDHD on Vohar - Reanimator

1 year ago

Nice deck. A bit heavy on creatures? You need a few more Dimir tricks.

Ideas Unbound, Windfall and/or Dark Deal big card draw

Deep Analysis little card draw

Increasing Ambition big tutor

Mystical Teachings little tutor

Dark Withering great removal

Circular Logic great counterspell

Forbid and/or Demonic Collusion forever

Null Brooch > Negate

TheForsakenOne on K'rrik, Blatant Cheater

1 year ago

Profet93

The Budget for this deck is really weird. It's basically "Whatever I can get my hands on". I used to have Razaketh's Rite in here but I got seduced by the Timmy prospect of the double tutor with Increasing Ambition, I need to replace that soon.

I could see Stinging Study being put in for a flatter power curve. If I get a chance I'll probably replace either Sanguimancy or one of the big demons with it.

TijuanaBachelorParty on Date Night with Phage

2 years ago

Thanks for the suggestions capwner. Tutors are always helpful and of the two, Increasing Ambition could be a good fit since the 5 drop slot is slim and could be a great outlet for mana.

As for the omission of Gauntlet of Power, the idea is keeping mana doubling to my side of the battlefield and since going wide is not a part of the strategy, it is often more harmful than helpful. Extraplanar Lens on the other hand is closer to an include, though with as many non-swamp lands as the deck I have not given it a try yet.

capwner on Date Night with Phage

2 years ago

Very sweet and well put together list. Absolutely love it. Only thing I could think of is maybe running more tutors, such as Grim Tutor, and I personally am a fan of Increasing Ambition especially when on swamp synergy. Speaking of which I'm guessing you're aware of Extraplanar Lens and Gauntlet of Power and have specific reasons for avoiding these... Very cool deck +1