Kess, Dissident Mage

Legendary Creature — Human Wizard

Flying

Once during each of your turns, you may cast an instant or sorcery card from your graveyard. If a spell cast this way would be put into your graveyard, exile it instead.

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
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Historic Brawl	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (50)

Unlife on Kess Combos

1 month ago

A while back I was playing around with a Kess, Dissident Mage deck using adventure spells when I had the idea to make a DnD Adventuring party, one for each class, plus a few bad guys to round everything out. I've been testing them, and haven't been happy with the Kess deck, specifically the wincons.

It's currently built around casting spells and pinging opponents, but my sorcerer deck does that better. I decided to put one or two combos in the deck as wincons, but I could use some advice for combos that are flavorful. Sure, I could put in Thassa's Oracle and Tainted Pact/Demonic Consultation, but I'm hoping for something that fits with the idea of a wizard learning and casting spells. I don't mind if its 3-4 cards either.

Advice and Recommendations are appreciated, thanks in advance. Decklist is below.

Kess the Adventurer

hootsnag on SufferFromEDHD

1 month ago

Almost all of those are super heavy on mana cost. I may make the deck Red/Blue/Black instead for better commander options. I was looking at Cormela, Glamour Thief or Kess, Dissident Mage. Thoughts?

Made_Compleat on Davros, Dragon's Approach

9 months ago

Rasaru, for the purposes of your Spellweaver Helix + Worldfire combo, have you considered Final Parting? It sets everything up perfectly by giving you Spellweaver Helix and dumping Worldfire in the graveyard.

Also, Azoth2099, that's a really cool take on a more graveyard-focused Dragon's Approach deck. I have my own version of this deck Daleks & Dragons [[Davros EDH]] and you've inspired me to add Kess, Dissident Mage. While I don't think I can maintain my deck while pivoting strategies as you've described, I really want to see how you would make a more graveyard focused Approach deck with Kess or maybe Inalla, Archmage Ritualist. If you build that deck, please show me!

Azoth2099 on Davros, Dragon's Approach

9 months ago

One more thing! You should consider either adding Kess, Dissident Mage to the 99, or running her as the commander in a revamped version of the deck should you choose to explore the aforementioned strategy.

Cheers!

DreadKhan on unthinkable apocalypse

1 year ago

I'm not certain the Commander has enough explosive power to consistently win vs 2 decks, but I have very good results in 1 v 1 with my Rakdos deck, and it often has spare cards by the end of the game, be it wipe or removal, because the deck just runs so much of those, with lots of the removal hitting more than 1 target (I love stuff like Phyrexian Purge, Fire Covenant, Make an Example, and Volcanic Offering can each be a terror of a card, and a deck running all of them has lots of pinpoint removal that will clear lots of stuff out. Ashes to Ashes and Reckless Spite also exist fwiw, and if you aren't certain you'll have creatures out, Tergrid's Shadow can do a bit of work, as can Plaguecrafter or Demon's Disciple, cards Sedris can recur for 2B even. Another value card is Dredge the Mire, which can cheat in the 3 worst creatures in people's graveyards, note certain creatures will kill you if you control them, so check before playing! Necromantic Selection not only clears the field, it also gives you back the best thing, this is extra juicy if you use some sort of Indestructible creature(s) that won't die. If you consistently have a fairly big creature, or one with Deathtouch and Lifelink, Chandra's Ignition is one sided by definition, one of many cards that shines brightly with Basilisk Collar (which is also very good with Jaya Ballard, Task Mage or even good old Banshee, Jaya's 6 damage wipe really is amazing if you've got Collar on her, though it'll kill her too). If you expect to have multiple opponents, Goad is a very strong effect, Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant is potentially pretty solid, lots of card draw. There is also Kardur, Doomscourge that will force everyone's hand. Spectacular Showdown is a great card if you've actually got a board of your own to finish people off, keep in mind that on your next turn, you not only won't have been attacked by any pre-existing creature, everyone else will have swung for the fences with Double Strike, and they will likely have nothing left to defend with, making your Double Strikers very effective. Another Goad source that is great with a creature heavy board is Agitator Ant, which is hilarious a lot of the time. If you're using Goad effects, War Tax can let an opponent have a way around them, if there is a tax to attack Goad fails, and War Cadence is absolutely devastating with Goad, even a tax of 1 to block can make blocking impossible for weenie decks, and you can use either on anyone's turn.

As you've got access to Blue, there are a few non-Rakdos tricks you can use, the most hilarious I know of is Mass Diminish, note that it lasts until your next turn and have a good laugh. There is also Sudden Spoiling, which is powerful but lasts for that turn, or Polymorphist's Jest, which is similarly a 1 turn solution. I use Mass Diminish more aggressively, to make a player hyper-vulnerable to attackers (and make them unable to counter attack), getting two casts is just savage. Visions of Duplicity can create some chaos with it's two casts, Cultural Exchange is obscene if someone else has better creatures. Bident of Thassa is glorious if you want both of it's effects, forcing people to attack is incredibly mean, and this doesn't require you to run a weenie like Goblin Diplomats, but that's also a fun card fwiw. If you're going to run Oriq Loremage, you might slip in a huge creature to Unearth, something like Dragon Tyrant can be huge and not break the bank, Double Strike and Firebreathing are really good together, and you won't have to pay the upkeep with Unearth, he's dead before that matters.

I was looking at your land count and average Mana Value and I think you probably are running too few lands at this point, it's very tempting to cut them, but 30 is probably too few for a MV that is over 2.5. You might get away with adding 2 mana ramp, but I'd still aim for at least 36 lands (or MDFCs that count as a land, you probably already have the best two MDFCs in those colours, but people also run Malakir Rebirth  ^Flip) to ensure you can consistently cast stuff. There is a smattering of ways you can run less lands/ramp, but these all come with downsides, but in Grixis you can run 4 solid Bounce Lands, Dimir Aqueduct and Guildless Commons should be in here as well if you want a lower land count, these let you hit another land drop when you draw them. You might also run stuff like Thran Dynamo or Worn Powerstone to help you hit higher MVs sooner, ramping by only 1 mana feels bad compared to hitting a land drop most of the time, there is also Gilded Lotus, but hitting 5 mana can be rough. Coalition Relic can charge for 1 turn, Skyclave Relic is super versatile/rugged, and Everflowing Chalice can be huge if you want, 6-10 mana is absurd but sometimes comes up. Cantrips like Ponder and Preordain are also good at digging for a land, but I know in Talrand it stings pretty bad when you Preordain and don't find a land and I needed one. As for some cards to remove, I'll take a look, but if I'm trying to build a deck that can handle attention, I look first at cards that will hurt only 1 player, unless that card will almost certainly end that player, either right away or in a few turns.

A few to consider removing (I may be missing why you have them in, so user discretion is advised or something): Archive Trap, Outpost Siege, Palace Siege, Ponder, Preordain, Haunting Echoes, Cruel Ultimatum (this seems insanely hard to cast, and hits only 1 player, unless you can copy it I'd run Captive Audience if I want to hose one player hard), Cranial Extraction, Cormela, Glamour Thief, Kess, Dissident Mage, Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger, Lobber Crew, Loyal Subordinate, Nekusar, the Mindrazer, Obeka, Brute Chronologist, Phenax, God of Deception, Runo Stromkirk  ^Flip, Spear Spewer, and Thermo-Alchemist.Some maybe cards include Angrath, Captain of Chaos, and Cryptolith Fragment  ^Flip (for another land, maybe a better rock, there is Thought Vessel, but fixing is sweet in Grixis).

Hope some of this is helpful!

Jett2112 on Kess, Dissident Midrange

2 years ago

I love your support creatures but I feel like you should bring in a Snapcaster Mage. That and Mission Briefing will help to recur counterspells and removal on opponents turn since Kess, Dissident Mage can't do it.

This deck as shown now seems more "turbo" than "control" to me with that Ad Nauseam, Simian Spirit Guide, Grim Monolith etc. If you want to lean in to the turbo storm line consider Baral, Chief of Compliance, Archmage Emeritus and Yawgmoth's Will

Baral, Chief of Compliance + Lotus Petal + Brain Freeze + Underworld Breach = storm off till your own deck is gone and then usually have enough Brain Freeze copys to mill all opponents.

There are ways to make a storm or magecraft win with Archmage Emeritus, Storm-Kiln Artist and Underworld Breach but that would mean raising the curve and running cards that are bad topdeck by themselves.

+1 this is a proper cedh deck! Check out my "cruel control" version of Kess cedh Pox Diamond to see what I mean about the difference between "turbo/storm" and "control". Also I have a pretty extensive maybe board there that might have some spice edhrec won't show you.

Jett2112 on spells spells and more spells

2 years ago

The first step to improving this deck I think is to add 1 drop instants and sorceries to max out the potential to play a spell from the graveyard every turn with Kess, Dissident Mage. Brainstorm Lightning Bolt Thoughtseize etc.

Jett2112 on Kess

2 years ago

I like Mental Note a lot! 1 mana draw spells are really powerful in Kess, Dissident Mage decks. have you considered Thought Scour? It's a strictly better version since you can hit an opponents top deck when they Vampiric Tutor