Keen Duelist
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Legality

Format Legality
1v1 Commander Legal
Archenemy 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
Oathbreaker Legal
Planechase Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Tiny Leaders Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Keen Duelist

Creature — Human Wizard

At the beginning of your upkeep, you and target opponent each reveal the top card of their respective libraries. You each lose life equal to the converted mana cost/mana value of the card revealed by the other player. You each put the card you revealed into your hand.

Spell_Slam on This Is Going To Hurt

1 month ago

Good list! I got some ideas for my own, so thanks!

In terms of enablers, Keen Duelist and Descent into Avernus are quite strong. Walking Ballista (and to a lesser extent Hangarback Walker) also makes a great enabler in the early game or a giant threat in the mid/late game. Cryptolith Fragment  Flip is great as a ramp spell that fixes and also enables casting Rakdos. I am also playing Insolent Neonate, which has worked out surprisingly well, though there may be better options out there. I see you're not running Heartless Hidetsugu, which I think is a must-have for this deck. It makes dumping out your hand and killing every opponent trivially easy.

When it comes to payoffs, I really like playing as many colourless cards as possible to really take advantage of Rakdos. I see you're missing Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger and Emrakul, the Promised End in your top-end. In terms of other colourless cards, I like Duplicant as a potentially free removal spell, Wurmcoil Engine for the value, Myr Battlesphere for early damage output and Steel Hellkite as a flying threat that can wipe out huge chunks of the board.

When it comes to coloured payoffs, I stopped playing cards that cost more than or in their costs, as they wouldn't play well with the Rakdos discount. I do like Sheoldred, Whispering One, Knollspine Dragon and Balefire Dragon.

With Whip of Erebos and Exquisite Blood in the deck, is seems like Sanguine Bond would be a great include as a combo finisher.

In terms of cuts, Lightning Bolt seems like an easy one to let go. I stopped playing haste-givers because I found myself playing creatures post-combat most of the time anyways, so something like Rising of the Day could be an easy cut. Read the Bones seems like a really weak card that could be replaced with better card draw or recursion (Necropotence?). I see the combo with Tectonic Hazard and Death-rattle Oni, but that seems pretty niche otherwise and could be replaced with more reliable/repeatable enablers instead. Spawn of Mayhem seems pretty awkward in this deck, as you'll rarely be able to cast it before turn 4 even with Spectacle (and we know what turn 4 is for! :) ). The triple-black on Bloodletter of Aclazotz and Dread Cacodemon are pretty restricting, in my opinion. Indulgent Tormenter seems very unreliable and probably not worth the cost.

Jet Medallion and Ruby Medallion are not at their best here, as they reduce colourless costs instead of adding mana, which means that with Rakdos out they may not even do anything.

DemonDragonJ on Mind Over Matter

4 months ago

I have replaced Helm of the Ghastlord and Steel of the Godhead with Blind Obedience and Keen Duelist, which reduced this deck's average converted mana cost from 3.94 to 3.89, which is very nice, because the latter cards far better match the theme of this deck than did the former cards.

ghostfire86 on Kaalia's Bounce House

11 months ago

I use to run a land destruction version of Kaalia years ago. Since then she’s move to faster kills by bleeding the opposition. Ravages of War is another mass land d card but will cost you $.

I’m surprised you’re not running Dragon Mage as a wonder wheel draw effect. Keen Duelist helps kill your opponents due to your higher cmc while offering increased draw.

Dragon Tempest is a staple for Kaalia and abused by incorporating Utvara Hellkite and Ancient Gold Dragon, amplified with running Terror of the Peaks. I don’t run a ton of dragons so I chose to keep out Utvara as it’s more situational in my deck.

You might find use in Mudslide and Circle of Flame. I run Mudslide and Moat.

Talismans > Signets, try hitting about 10-11 mana rocks. In Archenemy games where you’re the threat, Kaalia is just the decoy for removal while you more easily hard cast your threats. Quicksilver Amulet and Sneak Attack are good avenues around losing Kaalia as well, but have you considered Sundial of the Infinite which gets rid of sneak attacks drawback and opens combat combos and infinite turns to your arsenal? Maybe too much of you want to keep casual.

The Sanguine Bond and Exquisite Blood aren’t honestly needed in here. Archfiend of Depravity, Wound Reflection, Sower of Discord, Scourge of the Skyclaves, Gisela, Blade of Goldnight,and Heartless Hidetsugu are functionally better choices to utilize and synergize/combo.

griffstick on Creatures that do Damage Over …

1 year ago

multimedia on Rakdos, Lord of Riots Demon Tribal

1 year ago

Hey, with Rakdos as Commander then consider some effects that make an opponent lose life without attacking? Rakdos can't be cast without first an opponent losing life and effects that cost no additional mana as well as being repeatable are nice since you want to use your mana on your turn to cast Demons or draw. Get repeatable value while also making your opponent or each opponent lose life.

Cryptolith Fragment  Flip is ramp and an enabler for Rakdos. Plague Spitter is a hidden gem, repeatable 1 damage to each creature at your upkeep can wreck opponent token strategies especially Spirits who are flying blockers against Demons and opponent's green mana dorks. Lower mana cost options, less than 4 mana, are better since they can potentially be cast before Rakdos.

With Rakdos as Commander and playing Demons you need less ramp because he's a source of ramp for Demons. For this reason I would make draw more important then ramp. Still play some ramp, but more draw lets you draw Demons to cast using Rakdos mana cost reduction.

For more draw my advice is make cards with repeatable effects a priory for upgrades. Draw spells that are a single effect are fine too, having both is best. Seize the Spoils, Big Score and Unexpected Windfall is loot (draw and discard) and ramp with treasures, that's really helpful for Demons to get three effects with one card.

If you're interested I offer more advice in another comment. Would you like more advice?

multimedia on Liesa, Liesa, they so flying...

1 year ago

Hey, you're welcome. Nice, those are good changes to make :)

Think bigger when it comes to your gameplan and card quality? Gideon's Avenger and Vampire Scrivener are low power level creatures who need other cards to make them good and to fit with the deck's strategy. Their game impact is very low. Vampire Scrivener being a five drop 2/2 flier is worse because it doesn't do anything for five mana. Which is not good when you have other five drops like Liesa, Stinging Study, Liesa, Forgotten Archangel, casting + equipping Sword of Feast and Famine, etc. can impact the game for five mana right away.

Your best attacker and life gaining is Liesa since she has flying, lifelink and she's your Commander meaning she does Commander damage. If you need a blocker then give Liesa vigilance which is what Loyal Unicorn does and it's a good card to keep for this reason. I don't think attacking with lots of creatures or building creatures to be attackers should be your game plan here. Liesa as attacker yes, but instead the creatures you play should support the life gaining strategy for value, draw, protect Liesa, make Liesa a better attacker, be sacrificed to keep Leisa alive, etc. Creatures with lifelink are preferred since if they get to attack they might gain life, but think of that as a bonus.

Liesa, Forgotten Archangel is your second best attacker/life gaining and her other abilities are excellent. Markov Purifier is a good example of a quality budget support creature with Liesa since he can be repeatable draw and if you get to attack with him then he might gain life, but you really play him because of his repeatable draw not because he may do combat damage to gain life.

You have a lot of budget filler creatures here who you don't need to play because they aren't helping gameplay enough to take up a deck spot. As a lesson in Commander deck building try to limit to only quality creatures here. This is not about adding/upgrading creatures, except a few that are in the precon, but instead about choosing only the quality creatures you're currently playing.

What we are looking for in creatures is how they interact or support with the deck strategy. If they're good enough support keep them, but if not then cut them. Even budget filler creatures such as Infantry Veteran can be quality, Veteran is not quality.

This list I've made below is not a knock on your deck building, you're using cards you have available to you, that's great and everyone has this same start. This advice is to how to improve the cards that you play to fill in the rest of the deck spots to have a full deck. Filler cards can also be quality, but you first have to know which cards are not as good as others so that you can improve them within budget.

I have reduced the creature base down to 11 of the quality creatures your currently playing. We are looking for good impact from creatures to make when they are played the first turn which means they have some kind of helpful abilities. Less high end creatures because both Liesa are your best high end creatures who are five drops.

If you're still interested I can continue with advice in another comment. Shall I continue?

ThinMargin on Liesa, Liesa, they so flying...

1 year ago

multimedia great feedback! All of those cards were on the maybe list for me for sure. The deck was feeling a little creature heavy.

There are a few mechanics I would like to keep though. I am using Gideon's Avenger and the Vampire Scrivener to counter up and give them life link with one of the 3 enchants I have for that. Makes them good blockers or attackers and a tempting removal burn to keep Liesa out longer. They fit in line with the punishment theme of Liesa. If I had something that did both, that would be better. If Liesa is out, each combo costs me 4 life. It is a side road I need to consider if I can get my Loyal Unicorn out and haven't found my Victory's Herald .

Also, it pains me to let go of my infi-chump blocker. Blinking Spirit is one of my favorite cards for watching peoples heads explode, it probably should have been blue, really. But I can see the sense in getting rid of a recasting creature in a Liesa deck. Good call.

What do you think of this:

I appreciate the help! Cheers!

multimedia on Liesa, Liesa, they so flying...

1 year ago

Hey, good start at using/upgrading the precon on a budget, nice Sword of Feast and Famine. Some improvements to consider for gameplay is getting more value especially draw from gaining or using life such as Greed. Pay 4 mana to get Greed on the battlefield then it's repeatable draw a card for 1 mana + 2 life as many times as you want.

Some cards that are in the precon to consider adding:

Usually if a card in the precon is more expensive price then others then it's a good card that's worth an extra look and a playest. You're pretty safe to include all the expensive price cards in a precon in your upgraded version. Stinging Study is instant draw five cards for 5 mana + 5 life which is a good return and uses extra life your gaining to draw cards.

Keen Duelist can be repeatable draw using life for no additional mana cost. Yes, opponent also gets to draw, but that's a price you have to pay because of lower budget. Inkshield is powerful effect to protect yourself from combat and potentially create a ton of fliers. Orzhov Signet can do a lot more for gameplay than many creatures here because it can help to cast Liesa.

A nice guide for casual Commander deck building is to include at least 10 ramp sources and at least 10 draw sources. I would include more of each, but start with 10. More ramp and draw can be examples of quality filler cards and that's where you should consider starting for upgrades.

If you're interested I offer more advice in another comment. Would you like more advice?

Good luck with your deck.

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