Ionize

Instant

Counter target spell. Ionize deals 2 damage to that spell's controller.

Discussion (51)

Titus7007 on Izzet is or Izzet Ain't?

1 day ago

Thanks Sorin_Markov_1947 Yeah, I was trying to pull the gold spells so Lotus Field doesn't disrupt the flow, but I think you're right that The Royal Scions and Ionize are just too good or this deck to leave out. It's tempting to try to please the Algorithm that greades these decks, but in this case I think it's led me astray.

What do you think of Chemister's Insight ? Is it too expensive? Putting back in the Scions may make this expendable.

Sorin_Markov_1947 on Izzet is or Izzet Ain't?

1 day ago

I understand tinkering with the deck, but I think some of the changes you've made aren't good. Ionize is one of the best spells for Izzet colors, and you've replaced it with two less good counterspells ( Negate and Devious Cover-Up ). Ionize is cheaper than cover-up, more flexible than negate, and it deals two easy damage on top of that.

The Royal Scions is a great card for this deck, allowing more card filtering and some combat capabilities, and when you work them up to their ult, with the number of cards you're drawing, that can be a game-ender.

And then a couple of cards I like, but need to be kept low (two or less) in the deck. Thousand-Year Storm is good, but you've got a large mana-curve already. I might even make that a one-of. Pretty much the same with Murmuring Mystic , but two would be fine there. Invade the City is good, giving you a beefy blocker to help you stall, but you aren't likely to play it on turn three, since you only have a few instants/sorceries that come out before that turn.

Now, since you seem to have started to refine the maindeck a little, let's work on the sideboard. Fry is an obvious card, given the amount of burn in the maindeck and how often it's used in sideboards. Two or three of those, probably. Aether Gust and Mystical Dispute are both good here. I like the versatility of Reckless Air Strike , and if your local meta has lifegain in it you might try Tibalt, Rakish Instigator .

Titus7007 on Sarkhan Flame Sweeps 2020

4 days ago

MrBoombastic Thank you very much for the help

Yeah, I think I am going to pull Torbran out of here. As I've fiddled with this, there is less and less for him to do. I liked the idea of him strengthening my threats as larger creatures start to hit the board, but I need to find something easier to play and with more synergy. Though I feel like I could cast him with Lotus Field but those might come out too for more Fabled Passage s anyway. Right now, I'm leaning towards pulling Torbran and Fae of Wishes for 2 x Opportunistic Dragon and 2 x Doom Whisperer . I really miss Nicol Bolas, the Ravager  ^Flip...

As far as Drown in the Loch is concerned, do you think the instants plus Thought Erasure may feed it enough to be strong? I don't believe I'll need it till around turn 4 or 5 anyway. I have a lot of cards for early threats, but not much else now to handle tougher creatures. Should I just go back to Ionize in your opinion?

Skyler1776 on A Royal Pain

6 days ago

I have a thread that you can post this on if you are looking for help with it called Quick, Thoughtful Deck help. As for my own suggestions, I see 15 Instants and 3 Sorceries. A certain card, Arclight Phoenix , seems like a very good choice for your deck as it makes the discards from your Thrills and Scions less awkward. Also, consider taking out the one copy of Ionize and Electrodominance for two copies of either Ral, Izzet Viceroy , Jace's Projection , or even a card like Bag of Holding . Ral can deal with the opponent’s big threats while also letting you filter through your deck, Jace’s Projection can get pretty out of hand with extreme card draw, and Bag keeps your discarded spells able to be returned to you. As for any other advice, Niv-Mizzet, Parun seems pretty okay in here, and Mystic Sanctuary to get back some of your spells doesn’t seem half bad either.

MrBoombastic on Yore Wishes

1 week ago

4 colors seems like an unnecessary stretch here. There are tons of aggro decks floating around. If you haven't been punished on account of awkward lands yet (entering tapped or being the wrong colors), I think that's due to luck. I'd tighten up, find a focus for the deck and cut down to three colors. Red only gives you Ionize , which is very expendable, and The Royal Scions - a fine card, but has no real synergy here. Same thing with God-Eternal Kefnet , he isn't properly utilized, as his ability doesn't work with enchantments, PW's or counterspells. I also think you could cut down to 3 copies of Kefnet without a problem, as you almost never want to find more than just 1.

Esper might be somewhat weak right now, so maybe opting for Jeskai could be the way to go. Then you could add cards like Chandra, Awakened Inferno , Realm-Cloaked Giant and Deafening Clarion .

hydrothermia on Pinball Wizards [ELD]

1 week ago

fffume and BigSaltyJohn: In theory we could just mainboard Niv-Mizzet, Parun and not use Crackling Drake or Wee Dragonauts . There are enough instants and sorceries in the deck to justify that change. That would give two open slots in the sideboard for another type of counterspell like Ionize or other circumstantial spells like Aether Gust .

pistolpeteiii on Izzet Double Draw Tempo

3 weeks ago

I noticed your 9/30/19 update stating that you included Thrill of Possibility to the main deck, however it is still appearing in the maybeboard. Regardless, here are some of my thoughts on the build:

• I would definitely suggest adding both Thrill of Possibility and Chemister's Insight to the main deck if not already included, as they provide a way to trigger your double draw on the opponents turn as well as yours. For these inclusions, I would remove Cavalcade of Calamity and maybe Discovery / Dispersal . The extra few points of damage from Cavalcade of Calamity aren't worth a slot in the deck if it does nothing without Improbable Alliance or Stolen by the Fae .

• Additionally, adding more copies of The Royal Scions allows you to trigger your second draw on your turn without using mana, leaving you able to play more instant speed effects on your opponents turn. Consider main decking spells such as Negate , Quench , or Ionize to benefit that plan. These will be your primary removal sources, with the ability to fall back on instant speed card draw or bounce spells if the opponent decides not to play anything. Keep in mind Run Away Together requires you to have a creature on the board as well, so it may be worth it to try Unsummon instead.

• Finally, Goblin Electromancer is always a solid inclusion in a deck like this. I'd refer you to any Arclight Phoenix decks that capitalize on its ability to play multiple 2 mana spells in a given turn.

I hope these helped, and let me know your thoughts!

Fahrtenklappen on The Lusty Argonian Mage

2 months ago

xander11 thats great advice, ill keep 3 Ionize , toss a niv and Mizzium Mortars and ill use Incinerate for now but im looking into finding a deal on some Lava Spike s or Skullcrack s. Thanks!