Isleback Spawn
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Legality

Format Legality
1v1 Commander Legal
Archenemy Legal
Block Constructed Legal
Canadian Highlander Legal
Casual Legal
Commander / EDH Legal
Commander: Rule 0 Legal
Custom Legal
Duel Commander Legal
Highlander Legal
Legacy Legal
Leviathan Legal
Limited Legal
Modern Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Planechase Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Isleback Spawn

Creature — Kraken

Shroud

Isleback Spawn gets +4/+8 as long as a library has twenty or fewer cards in it.

multimedia on The Great Dreamer

2 years ago

Hey, interesting version with Dark Suspicions like effects.

Consider cutting some of the lesser sea monsters for more ramp and some more setup for Runo?

Isleback Spawn and Inkwell Leviathan have shroud which prevents them from being targeted by Krothuss to be copied. Lorthos, the Tidemaker, Tromokratis, Charix, the Raging Isle are legendary and copies of them don't give you any value when they're created thus you don't really want to copy them. Even with Sakashima of a Thousand Faces you have better legendary sea monsters here and Krothuss is really the target to be copying when you control Sakashima.

Since not playing any 1/1 creatures then Heartless Summoning is good ramp for sea monsters. Having lots of high CMC sea monsters stuck in your hand/unable to be cast can be a problem. Brainstorm, Frantic Search and Windfall can help when this happens and to setup Runo. Scroll Rack is more expensive price, but has a really helpful repeatable effect.

Another reason other than ramp to add more two drop mana rocks as well as Everflowing Chalice is to have more chances to combo with Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Mox Amber (when you control Krothuss or Runo) are more expensive price mana rocks that combo with Hullbreaker.

Good luck with your deck.

wallisface on

3 years ago

So, from playing a similar deck to this some years back, i have some concerns and thoughts:

  • its important to note with this sort of gameplan, that your opponent is effectively losing no resources, while you’re slowly de-handing yourself to stall them out. If you can’t keep pressure up long term, then you just end up empty handed and they catch up and win.

  • relying on Jace's Archivist for card draw is a bad idea. Most modern decks are likely to be running either bolt, push, or path. They’ll be able to cast these easily and remove your ability to have a hand.

  • ramp is an increasingly big part of modern, but also more-and-more decks can run fine with only 2 lands out. If your opponent has a low curve, or a turn 1 mana dork, you look like you might be in serious trouble.

So, this all sounds kindof grim, but there are some options to make this deck stronger:

  • stalling turn 1 could be done through stuff like Vapor Snag and Unsummon, to make sure board presence stays low.

  • to prevent yourself going empty handed, Howling Mine as well as Isochron Scepter both work wonders. The former keeps your hand healthy, while the latter allows you to Boomerang every turn.

  • lower your mana curve a bit. You have to keep pressure on early and maintain it. If your opponent can keep 2 lands in play for a few turns, you probably lose.

  • using creatures validates your opponents 1-mana killspells, so i think avoid them entirely. As far as being able to actually win the game, maybe run 2x Isleback Spawn - they avoid all removal, and you’re in no hurry to play them (the important thing is to lock the opponent).

  • I get what you’re trying to do with the Wishes, but its just not worth it in this deck, where you have to be very spell-aggressive and unrelenting. It would be better to just have a strong sideboard to deal with your problem matchups (ramp, burn, aggro)

Optimator on Mermaider

3 years ago

All owned:

Shipbreaker Kraken - Diluvian Primordial - Stormtide Leviathan - Tidal Force - Kraken of the Straits - Deep-Sea Kraken - Tromokratis - Great Whale - Colossal Whale - Scourge of Fleets - Inkwell Leviathan - Talrand, Sky Summoner - Aethersquall Ancient - Isleback Spawn - Grozoth - Gearseeker Serpent - Tidal Kraken - Pearl Lake Ancient - Merfolk Looter - Lorthos, the Tidemaker

Camton_01 on Seafood fights back

5 years ago

Personally i'd get rid of: Cloud Manta, Deep-Sea Terror, Deepglow Skate, Boundless Realms, Farseek, Genesis Storm, Nissa's Renewal, Skyshroud Claim, Giant Growth, Glissa's Scorn, Naturalize, Pulse of Murasa, Sweep Away

and replace with things like: Hedron Crab, Tidal Kraken, Serpent of the Endless Sea , Kraken of the Straits, Isleback Spawn, Grozoth, Sealock Monster, Stormsurge Kraken, Benthic Behemoth, Breaching Leviathan, Guard Gomazoa, Gomazoa, Dormant Gomazoa, Broken Bond

babushkasara on All hail the ancient crab

6 years ago

I'm currently procrastinating, so I have more suggestions.

MahBoi100 on

6 years ago

Mind Grind has the potential to mill a lot, especially in the late game!

Sanity Grinding is pretty cool and can screw someone up if you get a lot of blue mana symbols.

Dire Undercurrents, while useless by itself, can quickly become a nuisance if it sticks on the board for multiple turns.

Ghastlord of Fugue gets in whether your opponents like it or not. In addition to hitting for at least 4 a turn, you get to unconditionally exile the best cards in your opponents' hands.

Lich Lord of Unx gets pretty good as a mana sink in the late game. In the early game, he can sit back and spawn chump blockers. This card might not be the best in your current deck though, as it requires a focus on Zombies to become good. But I mentioned it anyway so that you know that this card exists.

Nightveil Specter works in a similar manner to Mirko. However you can actually play the cards exiled with it. Note that you can't spend mana as it was of any color to cast the exiled cards!

Oona, Queen of the Fae is dumb and people are going to hate you forever if you play her. The hate is justified though, as she has a really strong milling ability and can clog up the board with tokens. Hated or not, she is very strong!

Perplex might not be the best counterspell out there, but it can trip an opponent up. It also has the strange but useful Transmute ability that lets you tutor for a card with the same CMC as Perplex. Note that while this card is an Instant in itself, you can only Transmute as a sorcery!

Memory Plunder lets you cast any instant or sorcery in your opponents' graveyards. It even is a spell that lets you cast sorceries at instant speed! Imagine having access to free, instant speed In Garruk's Wake or Time Stretch!

Isleback Spawn is a bomb, no doubt about that! If your milling plan is going as it should be, this Kraken becomes a gigantic 8/16 for 7 mana! It even has Shroud to protect itself. This card is one of Phenax's best friends, especially when its toughness is 16.

Sire of Stagnation is a very good creature for these kind of decks. It doesn't even really need to do anything, it just sits there and diminishes your opponents' decks two cards at a time. In the worst case, it eats a removal spell or a counterspell. Its nice toughness is appreciated by Phenax. Note that the draw ability is not a "may"! You may find yourself having to discard if it gets out of hand. Should this card seem interesting to you, then it might be a good idea to include cards that alter your hand size, such as Reliquary Tower.

There you go! ;)

MahBoi100 on Phenax's Deception

6 years ago

A really cool list! As far as reccomendation goes, I've made a list of cards I would consider when making a Dimir Mill deck. I've included a short explanation to all the cards to express my opinion on them!

Mind Grind has the potential to mill a lot, especially in the late game!

Sanity Grinding is pretty cool and can screw someone up if you get a lot of blue mana symbols.

Dire Undercurrents, while useless by itself, can quickly become a nuisance if it sticks on the board for multiple turns.

Ghastlord of Fugue gets in whether your opponents like it or not. In addition to hitting for at least 4 a turn, you get to unconditionally exile the best cards in your opponents' hands.

Lich Lord of Unx gets pretty good as a mana sink in the late game. In the early game, he can sit back and spawn chump blockers. This card might not be the best in your current deck though, as it requires a focus on Zombies to become good. But I mentioned it anyway so that you know that this card exists.

Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker is pretty good when he gets in. He doesn't have the most impressive body, but he mills at least 4 cards upon dealing combat damage to a player.

Nightveil Specter works in a similar manner to Mirko. However you can actually play the cards exiled with it. Note that you can't spend mana as it was of any color to cast the exiled cards!

Oona, Queen of the Fae is dumb and people are going to hate you forever if you play her. The hate is justified though, as she has a really strong milling ability and can clog up the board with tokens. Hated or not, she is very strong!

Perplex might not be the best counterspell out there, but it can trip an opponent up. It also has the strange but useful Transmute ability that lets you tutor for a card with the same CMC as Perplex. Note that while this card is an Instant in itself, you can only Transmute as a Sorcery!

Memory Plunder lets you cast any instant or sorcery in your opponents' graveyards. It even is a spell that lets you cast sorceries at instant speed! Imagine having access to instant speed In Garruk's Wake and Time Stretch!

Havengul Lich allows you to cast creatures from any graveyard and copies their activated abilities until end of turn. Just imagine reanimating a Helldozer and suddenly being able to kill all the lands! Note that just like Nightveil Specter, you can't spend mana as if it was of any color to cast the creatures!

Isleback Spawn is a bomb, no doubt about that! If your milling plan is going as it should be, this Kraken becomes a gigantic 8/16 for 7 mana! It even has Shroud to protect itself. This card is one of Phenax's best friends, especially when its toughness is 16.

Sire of Stagnation is a very good creature for these kind of decks. It doesn't even really need to do anything, it just sits there and diminishes your opponents' decks two cards at a time. In the worst case, it eats a removal spell or a counterspell. Its nice toughness is appreciated by Phenax. Note that the draw ability is not a "may"! You may find yourself having to discard if it gets out of hand. Should this card seem interesting to you, then it might be a good idea to include cards that increase your hand size, such as Reliquary Tower

Lastly Tree of Perdition has the power to put an opponent within kill range. Is your opponent playing lifegain and sitting safely on a three digit life total? Not anymore! In addition, it combos really well with Phenax, God of Deception!

I hope some of these cards seem interesting and that they help you with your deck! :)

Icbrgr on

7 years ago

maybe Isleback Spawn? +1 from me

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