Lazav, Dimir Mastermind

Legendary Creature — Shapeshifter

Hexproof

Whenever a creature card is put into an opponent's graveyard from anywhere, you may have Lazav, Dimir Mastermind become a copy of that card, except its name is Lazav, Dimir Mastermind, it's legendary in addition to its other types, and it has hexproof and this ability.

Combos

• Lazav, Dimir Mastermind + Thief of Sanity

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
Modern Beyond Horizons	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (49)

UltimateRoxas40 on Eldritch Captain of the Deep [Lovecraftian Primer]

1 year ago

MistaMint

That's normally the case, but a bunch of cards from this Ravnica Block say 'Reveal X cards from the top of your Library until...'. That reveal condition makes it not technically Mill, which is just put cards from your library into the graveyard.

So it doesn't trigger Zellix, who cares about the Mill Keyword, but it does work for Captain N'ghathrod, who cares about any cards that enter the graveyard from the library (regardless if they pass that 'reveal' zone).

A good rule of thumb if you aren't sure if it's officially Mill or not is to check the Gatherer page. https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Default.aspx

That will have all the updated/errated cards with their official oracle text. Like Archive Trap was errated to say '...Mill 13 cards', but Consuming Aberration doesn't have that change.

I had to change out a bunch of cards that have the Reveal Mill effect when I switched this deck over from Lazav, Dimir Mastermind. It's such a small distinction haha. But I kept Consuming Aberration in this deck because it's still really effective, and it's flavor is on point with my Lovecraftian theme.

UltimateRoxas40 on Lazav Mill n' Kill

1 year ago

Cool deck! I used to run a Lazav, Dimir Mastermind mill deck, but ended up turning it into Captain N'ghathrod. I still have Lazav in it though.

One card that I ran with Lazav is Grinning Totem. It seems innocent enough, but it's effectively a tutor for Lazav. You can pick the best/strongest/biggest creature out of an opponents deck, then either cast it if you want/can, or just wait until the next upkeep, when it goes back to it's owners graveyard. Since Lazavs trigger says 'From anywhere...', he can turn into that creature. Turn him into an Emrakul, the Promised End or Avacyn, Angel of Hope. I've gotten some pretty salty looks after using it haha.

UltimateRoxas40 on Eldritch Captain of the Deep [Lovecraftian Primer]

1 year ago

DeeLight Thanks for taking a look!

I've actually run Mindshrieker before, primarily back when this was helmed by Lazav, Dimir Mastermind. For this deck, if it were also a Horror, I'd include it in an instant, but for now, I don't think it has a place.

Doom Whisperer is a Nightmare Demon. I wish Nightmares and Horrors were the same creature type, there would be several more creatures I could add to this deck. But alas, it's not a Horror, so for now I'm not including it.

Ive thought about adding Lim-Dul's Vault for a while, since its got some good Lovecraftian vibes, but it never jumped out as being essential. What would you suggest I take out to add it in?

I'll be sure to check out your deck!

UltimateRoxas40 on The Horror ... THE HORROR! *PRIMER*

1 year ago

Yeah, Roaming Throne is pretty pricey, since it can be slotted into pretty much any deck that Typal/Tribal or has a commander with great activated abilities, so everyone needs a copy (And this deck has both groups haha).

And that's cool to hear about the Medallions! It's good to know that they've been useful. I might give them another try later on.

If you do end up adding both Roaming Throne and the Everflowing Chalice combo, you can double the triggers when you cast a spell and bounce all your opponents nonland permanents to their hand, thus soft locking them out of the game! It's brutal, but we are here to Mill our opponents, we aren't trying to be gentle haha.

And I hate to say it, but Mind Grind isn't actually Mill. Mill just puts the card in the graveyard. The act of revealing cards until you hit X lands is somehow different enough for WotC, so it wont trigger the Captain or Zellix, Sanity Flayer, who specifically care about the Mill Keyword. I ran Mind Grind in my Mill deck when it was helmed by Lazav, Dimir Mastermind, because he doesn't care how the card enters the graveyard to copy. Once I switched over to the Captain, I was pretty sad that I could keep Mind Grind in, because it was so powerful and flavorful.

legendofa on BBEG Deck Ideas

1 year ago

Summary: If you want a classic and evocative villain, something including {B}{R}. If you want something unique, {G}{U}{R}. If you want something apocalyptic, {W}{U}{B}{R}{G}.

My top five:

O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami

Malfegor

Edgar Markov

Korvold, Fae-Cursed King

Lazav, Dimir Mastermind

legendofa on BBEG Deck Ideas

1 year ago

For my breakdown here, I'm focusing on characters who are villains in their story arc and characters who don't have much specific backstory. Pretty much any legendary creature can be flavored as a villain in front of the right deck. I'm also not focusing on the Forgotten Realms sets, I'm broadening the net.

What's available:

{C}: Eldrazi or artifacts. Most of the artifacts are either hero-aligned or not an independent threat, like Graaz, Unstoppable Juggernaut. If you want a challenge, Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate, but I wouldn't, just for lack of depth.

{W}: Villains are oddly centered on Old Kamigawa. Konda, Lord of Eiganjo is a near-immortal emperor and master duelist. Hokori, Dust Drinker is destroying resources and the land. And, of course, there's the apocalyptic, unrelenting evil that is Hazduhr the Abbot.

{U}: Heidar, Rimewind Master is an elementalist fanatic. The manipulations of Orvar, the All-Form or Kami of the Crescent Moon could cause problems, as could a big sea creature like Tromokratis or Charix, the Raging Isle.

{B}: Pretty much everyone. It's easier to count the people who aren't outright villains.

{R}: Relatively few actual villains, but a bunch of manipulators, dragons, and angry people that could fill the role.

{G}: A bunch of wild animals and nature types. No scheming villains, but a good selection of rampaging monsters. Meng Huo, Barbarian King would be a unique choice (if you're willing to.proxy or drop $150+).

{G}{W}: Polukranos Reborn  ^Flip is the most (only?) villainous character in these colors.

{U}{B}: Lots of options, from the behind-the-scenes manipulation of Lazav, Dimir Mastermind to the illithid Captain N'ghathrod, Gisa and Geralf's necromancer army, whatever Umbris, Fear Manifest is, and a lot more.

{G}{U}: A few options, but lots of depth in them. Insane biologist Momir Vig, Simic Visionary and his magnum opus Experiment Kraj, nature's avenger Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath, or maybe Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait is flooding the area.

{B}{R}: A very deep and wide pool for villains. Vampires, demons, dragons, demon dragons, warlords, torturers...

{B}{G}: Grakmaw, Skyclave Ravager joins the ranks of the big scary monsters. A more calculating BBEG would probably be one of the death lords like Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord. Vhati il-Dal or Old Rutstein or probably more storyline villains than BBEG material.

{G}{W}{U}: A very shallow pool. Storvald, Frost Giant Jarl, Rubinia Soulsinger, and maybe Falco Spara, Pactweaver or Katilda and Lier (mostly because of Lier) are the best options for an Archenemy villain. I'd throw Kros, Defense Contractor in, but goading is kind of limited when you're the Archenemy.

{W}{U}{B}: This color set will probably be either a cold, distant, merciless villain or a manipulative puppet master. Raffine, Scheming Seer and Oloro, Ageless Ascetic fall into the first category, and Sen Triplets and The Ever-Changing 'Dane in the second. Varina, Lich Queen is another option for a zombie army.

{B}{R}{G}: Big, angry, and violent, with some good dragons. Xira, the Golden Sting and Vazi, Keen Negotiator break out of this mold, but they strike me as more lieutenant-types, not arc villains by themselves.

{R}{G}{W}: Not much; these tend to be either heroic or big smashy monsters. Uril, the Miststalker could work.

{R}{W}{B}: Queen Marchesa is a classic, as you mentioned, and Edgar Markov is right there, too. Actually, this color set has some good depth and variety for an Archenemy. Some are more overtly villainous, and some are just very martial. My top picks would be Edgar, Licia, Sanguine Tribune, or Tariel, Reckoner of Souls.

{G}{U}{R}: Mostly either weird esotericism or "nature's avenger" types. I don't think any of these are outright villainous in-story, but most of them have loose or vague stories. With the right deck, this could be a unique and interesting villain. Riku of Two Reflections is my top pick.

Four-color sets in general: Any of them would work, except for a couple of the {R}{G}{W}{U}.

{W}{U}{B}{R}{G}: Use this color set if you want a truly apocalyptic feel. saluma mentioned Tiamat, which is a very good choice, and finding a way to get through Progenitus or O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami is a story of epic scale.

UltimateRoxas40 on Eldritch Captain of the Deep [Lovecraftian Primer]

2 years ago

Yeah, I love the art for Eater of the Dead. The older magic art is great, and there are some really creepy pieces that would fit right in, like the aptly named Cosmic Horror. It's basically a Shoggoth, and is a massive 7/7 Horror, but the upkeep cost is awful haha.

As for Altar of the Brood, I tried running it a while ago when this deck was originally helmed by Lazav, Dimir Mastermind, and it never did enough for me then. But you're right, the flavor/theme is on point. Can't be a good cultist without an altar haha. I'll revisit it again in this deck at some point. What do you think I should take out to put it in?

Flarhoon13 on Lazav and Gyruda (Companion): Doom Mind

2 years ago

Ill-Gotten Gains to enable Animate Dead on It That Betrays enabled this deck to win its first game. March 26th memorably saw Lazav, Dimir Mastermind become a Priest of Titania, tapping for 11 and utilizing a Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy twice (borrowed thanks to our Roil Elemental) to cheat out a Vilis, Broker of Blood and a Geth, Lord of the Vault, only to enable the Duskmantle Guildmage and Mindcrank combo victory.