Lion's Eye Diamond
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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
Highlander Legal
Legacy Legal
Leviathan Legal
Limited Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Planechase Legal
Premodern Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Tiny Leaders Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Lion's Eye Diamond

Artifact

Sacrifice Lion's Eye Diamond, Discard your hand: Add three mana of any one color to your mana pool. Play this ability only any time you could play an instant.

DreadKhan on EDH Merens Reanimator

3 days ago

The OG Fetches are very good cards in almost any deck, and as I mentioned in my first post, I don't know if it would be easy to improve this deck without either adding Fetchlands or increasing the power level.

The easiest way to increase the power level a deck like yours is to add a combo, but your present power level is high enough that you'd need to add a fairly efficient combo, something like Protean Hulk to find a complete combo (ideally via a single pile), this would leave you at a strong 8, not quite cEDH but it's fairly hard to make Meren a cEDH deck at this point, her ability is too slow/grindy for cEDH games. cEDH Meren lists are likely to make use of something like Razaketh, or possibly a Phyrexian Devourer combo. Razaketh uses something like Life / Death to turn your lands into creatures so you can keep tutoring until you find both your combo of choice as well as the mana to play it. Razaketh decks love stuff like Lion's Eye Diamond, which is extremely pricey and does very little other than combo off. You'd also want Dark Ritual type cards, and possibly things like Lotus Petal and Elvish Spirit Guide. The main problem with Razaketh is getting him out early, but something like Final Parting can get you there by putting Razaketh in the bin and a Reanimate into hand. Similarly, you can reanimate a Protean Hulk (which you then sacrifice) to tutor up a game ending combo, the advantage of Protean Hulk is that it's easier to cast when you're desperate, but the upside of Razaketh is that you can tutor up any cards you want, Razaketh just gives you a new hand in exchange for a few creatures. I think Protean Hulk is the best of the lot, but Phyrexian Devourer isn't a bad option, you use Triskelion with it by getting both into your graveyard, with a Necrotic Ooze on the battlefield, you then just exile cards to put counters on your Devourer, and the only real drawbacks are your limit on individual MV (Devourer dies if it gets too big), and you'll need enough total MV to actually kill everyone (this isn't too hard if you go off fairly early, but it can suck if you take all game to get into position and can't kill everyone because you don't have enough cards left. Another upside to Devourer is that Triskelion also wins the game with Mikaeus (you ping Triskelion with the last counter so it dies (without any counters left) and has Undying). Oh, with Protean Hulk the 'smallest' pile I am familiar with involves Disciple of the Vault, Melira, Sylvok Outcast, Lesser Masticore, and Carrion Feeder/Viscera Seer, with that pile you don't even need Activated Sleeper to nab a second Protean Hulk (with only 3 MV after you account for the Sleeper). The main drawback of this pile is that the cards are individually bad IMHO (I would run Feeder and Seer, but none of the others fit in a generic Meren deck), and the lack of redundancy (Melira and Masticore aren't used in a lot of other combos in Meren decks afaik) makes it less stable than some lists. The final one I feel is worth mention is Demon of Dark Schemes, Mitotic Slime, and Phyrexian Altar nets you infinite mana, ETBs, death triggers, Energy, and all the creatures in each graveyard can be reanimated by you. The nice thing about the Demon is that it's only 6 mana (so technically Hulk can find him), and it can do a lot of work in certain situations since it can wipe small creatures as well as reanimate cards from anyone's graveyard. It's one of the better generic reanimation effects that can go infinite, and it's sheer range of utility makes it worth looking at even if you didn't use Mitotic Slime. The Slime btw is very good in most Meren decks since it offers a plethora of tokens for only 5 mana, while Phyrexian Altar (or Pitiless Plunderer) are both amazing cards in a deck like this.

If you feel like adding a combo, I wouldn't have more than ~2 trees/paths to work with, unless the cards are shared between multiple lists.

I can go into more detail if it would be helpful, I have a Meren deck on here you could take a look at, it's a lot more combo oriented than your list, but it's combos aren't optimal, they're all made with stuff I already had.

Azoth2099 on A WOMAN'S INTUITION (NARSET)

4 months ago

Hypersayia9001

Hey man, thanks for checking out my list!

So this particular iteration is definitely pretty light on rituals as you can see, instead opting for an abundance of low-cost mana rocks along with a few ways to quickly get Dockside Extortionist into your hand - namely Gamble, Imperial Recruiter & Recruiter of the Guard. The curve of the deck is fairly low, and you shouldn't run into too many problems if you play your cards right (lol), but I can definitely see how the lack of rituals could be seen as problematic if we're talking about going fast af. The main reason that I chose to opt for rocks over rituals is the fact that Narset's ability is centered around the combat phase, and it's just more difficult to squeeze value out of rituals in that context than mana rocks, especially since the rocks can also be cast from the graveyard. I do think that something like Storm-Kiln Artist deserves consideration here, though. I've actually been trying to find space for that guy for a few weeks if you have any suggestions on what to cut. If I'm going to slot him in, though, I'd almost rather slot in Birgi, God of Storytelling  Flip so that I can combo with Sensei's Divining Top & Elsha of the Infinite for more sweet, sweet resilience.

Getting to the decks wincons, It's admittedly relying on Intuition to an extreme degree to set up a win by Tutoring up Underworld Breach, Sevinne's Reclamation & Brain Freeze. This strategy relies on the pilot having Lion's Eye Diamond on the board prior, but considering Narset can snatch other people's Tutors from their Graveyards and cast them for free as well as your own, this is actually quite a bit more feasible than it seems at a glance. Remembering that everyone's Graveyards are pretty much yours for the taking is super important here.

Mana Geyser is a timeless banger, but I struggle to find justification for it beyond 2-color builds. There's just not enough room for it compared to other essentials in most 3-color lists within that I've built, unless I'm able to either cast it at instant speed or for a heavily reduced cost, preferably both. My standards for rituals in general may have been ruined by Dark Ritual & Culling the Weak, though...Once you go , ya know...

All of my lists undergo constant editions, though, and I'm sure this one will be no different. I can actually feel the next version brewing in my mind right now lol, thanks for your feedback!

Azoth2099 on Martial Prowess

4 months ago

Hypersayia9001

I'll try to keep this brief with only a few suggestions.

You seem to have a solid grasp of what you're doing with this Commander, so I'm not gonna go on any huge rants lol.

Traumatize is pretty much your Ad Nauseam here. It being Sorcery speed is admittedly a big deal, but the card efficiency is enough of an upside to make that tradeoff very much worth it imho.

Brain Freeze is honestly really great here, even if you're not running Storm. The right moment can net you at least 10 cards, easy. Tolarian Winds, Careful Study, Faithless Looting & Windfall are great card draw here, too.

If your pod is comfortable with proxy, Intuition will pretty much win you the game if you pair it with Underworld Breach, Sevinne's Reclamation & Lion's Eye Diamond. Might as well suggest Wheel of Fortune as well if we're taking it there.

Speaking of Intuition, you need more Tutors for sure. Enlightened Tutor, Solve the Equation, Personal Tutor, Idyllic Tutor, Fabricate & Reckless Handling are all worth it here alongside Mystical Tutor.

Conqueror's Flail is crazy here, Ramping you via Narset's cost reduction while also hitting your opponents with a Silence effect is nuts. You probably want Lightning Greaves to protect her, too, alongside your Swiftfoot Boots.

Lastly, the innocuous Pull from Eternity offers huge consistency here.

Would love your feedback on my own list if you're down; A WOMAN'S INTUITION (NARSET)

Peace!

SufferFromEDHD on All Roads Lead To Hellbent

5 months ago

Ever piloted Lyzolda before? I think her ideal competitive direction would be tokens for endless fodder. I wanted to highlight Hellbent since she was the legend from Dissension.

Lion's Eye Diamond + Rakdos Pit Dragon a simple synergy I have never utilized before.

Rakdos Augermage ever played with this jank? Was a first for me. I think this has potential in EDH. Treat it like Cursed Scroll and use it when you have 1 card. Don't give your opponents a choice (madness, flashback, reanimator, etc) mana cost is funky but first strike is nice.

Null Brooch is the MVP, of course.

ASalesman on Unesh, Ultimate Guide (Tribal)

7 months ago

A controversial substitution perhaps, but deserved

Replacing Omniscience with Moonsilver Key.

Why not Omniscence?

  • Omniscence is too mana intensive in this deck. In your opening hand it is completely a dead card 90% of the time. In the 10% you have a line to play it in your opening hand, you are putting all your eggs into 1 basket. Omniscence is too high risk for the reward. If this spell doesn't resolve (and it likely won't at a cEDH table) you lose the game.
  • Even the times it does resolve in the early game, your hand doesn't always have enough steam to win outright.
  • It is important for all cEDH decks to consider how a card will function in your opening hand as well as later in the game. I'll write more about this topic in the current theory module of the guide. This inconsistency in the opening hand is what makes it bad. It is true that other cards in the deck are similar, but they aren't as mana intensive as omniscience. Omniscence in my opening hand has lost too many games.
  • Omniscence is essentially a combo by itself while Unesh is on the field. It is clunky at best because it doesn't always guarantee you get to the bottom of your deck unlike Rite of Replication. Recent powerful revisions of the deck have led to anti-synergy with this card. Example 1, removal of Long-Term Plans. Example 2, the addition of Palinchron makes infinite mana and storm more attainable than with Omniscence due to the reduced mana cost.

Why Moonsilver Key?

  • I think this card might be as much of a blindside to you as it was to me. I knew Omniscence had to go, so I started researching what I would replace it with. And I found this card. This card is the most opposite of a clunky opening hand card I could find. Rather than having a dead Omniscence in your hand, you can spend your early turns playing this card and getting an important mana rock like Jeweled Lotus & Mana Crypt or an Island.
  • The deck has been short on mana rocks. With a mana rock tutor in this slot combined with Virtue of Knowledge and fetch lands I have noticed a significant uptick in ramp reliability in my opening hands. I have been throwing around ideas like Mox Diamond, Mox Opal, and Mox Amber but none of these cards reliably solve Unesh's problems in the opening hand. I also considered Lion's Eye Diamond which seems a little too high risk IMO, because then your fate relies on the subsequent BFOF from casting Unesh. The runner-up contender was Fellwar Stone, essentially a worse Arcane Signet wouldn't be bad. It is important for Unesh to ramp out ASAP, and having a mana artifact tutor in the early game seems to help with that plan, and it thins the deck.
  • Minor point, it enjoys synergy with the adventure mode of Virtue of Knowledge.

What are your thoughts on this sub? Could I be doing better here?

treeforcorvus on Make this better

7 months ago

Cataclysm can work against you based on opponents' picks and though Enter the Infinite is impressive & works with Omniscience, I don't see Thassa's Oracle or Laboratory Maniac, nor do I see Grapeshot. Consider instead Boros Charm + Armageddon which most people will hate & sometimes outright scoop after.

Mana Vault is more of a risk than you might think without untap mechanics (See Derevi, last paragraph). Consider Thought Vessel or even Library of Leng.

Replace Lion's Eye Diamond with Land Tax. The latter also helps offset the pain from Need for Speed, which is a cool find.

Consider Smothering Tithe instead of Mystic Remora: Remora usually only nets a few cards at beginning, and will often slow you down more than it helps. The former performs MUCH more consistently, and will net you more mana to focus on spells and counters.

Concerning your SB: If you want to go maximum lock-stax, I'd recommend Derevi, Empyrial Tactician. Use Winter Orb, Static Orb & Stasis, use Kismet and Loxodon Gatekeeper, maybe even Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines. Use fetches + basic lands, huge ramp, and Back to Basics just to spite opponents. NB: Mana Vault smacks with Derevi.

Azoth2099 on Narset's Work Out Plan

9 months ago

Bkotz

This version of Narset looks so fun, man!

One thing that I feel is fundamental when remembering Narset, Enlightened Exile's function as a Commander is that her ability gives you Graveyard hate as well as pseudo card draw by giving you access to your opponent's Graveyards as well as your own, meaning that you will always have card advantage as long as you protect your Commander.

That being said, I would definitely find room for Lightning Greaves, Swiftfoot Boots, Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, & an abundance of Counterspells. Personally, I don't like spending more than 1 Mana for a Counterspell these days. Red Elemental Blast, Pyroblast, Dispel, Swan Song & An Offer You Can't Refuse provide a crazy ceiling of value for a single Mana. If you wanted to roll with 2-drops for budget reasons, though, Delay, Arcane Denial, Dovin's Veto & Negate are all easy to cast, & throw a wide net. Misdirection & Bolt Bend are also options here.

Secondly, Narset, Enlightened Exile can only trigger on your own turn, & you need to ensure that everything is going to go as planned. Grand Abolisher & Conqueror's Flail will lock your opponents out of your turn without giving your opponents the same utility like cards like Teferi, Time Raveler & Defense Grid notoriously do. Silence, Revel in Silence  Flip, Abeyance & Orim's Chant can do something similar for 1-2 Mana.

Speaking of Stax, there are a few concise, utilitarian pieces that you may want to consider. Drannith Magistrate, Sanctum Prelate, Archon of Emeria, Lavinia, Azorious Renegade, Boromir, Warden of the Tower, Aven Mindcensor & Containment Priest shut down a LOT of strategies. You'd be surprised how little most decks can do once you take away their ability to cheat stuff in, Tutor and/or cast things for free. Personally, every deck I have is heavily handicapped by all of those pieces. I wouldn't even be able to target them with removal if you played your cards right.

For noncreature Stax, you've got Chalice of the Void, Cursed Totem, Thorn of Amethyst, Deafening Silence, Grafdigger's Cage (which your Commander's ability gets around btw, very strong here), & Rule of Law as a few solid options.

You do need quite a bit more card draw, though. Scroll Rack & Sensei's Divining Top are obviously great, but the level of toolbox utility they actually give you in practice is even better than it seems! Archivist of Oghma, Faerie Mastermind & Ledger Shredder all give you card draw that scales with what your opponents are doing, which is fantastic. Other things like Deep Gnome Terramancer & Wandering Archaic  Flip do the same thing, though they technically aren't card draw. Hell, might as well throw Monologue Tax out there too since I'm talking about scaling.

There's also Careful Study, Frantic Search, Tolarian Winds, Faithless Looting, Cathartic Reunion, Burning Inquiry, Thrill of Possibility & Dragon's Rage Channeler, which are great synergy here!

Speaking of synergy, let's get into that! The foremost synergies for Narset, Enlightened Exile imho is Underworld Breach + Lion's Eye Diamond + Brain Freeze & Intuition, and much of the deck should be geared towards maximizing on that. They're all very easy to Tutor up via cards like Enlightened Tutor, Mystical Tutor, Idyllic Tutor, Solve the Equation, Fabricate, Reshape, Transmute Artifact, Reckless Handling, Goblin Engineer & Gamble, in addition to being easy to recur via your Commander's ability. It's actually absurd, truly busted. I wouldn't recommend throwing Wheels like Wheel of Fortune or Windfall into the mix, though. They're very overrated, & you can just run Brain Freeze for the combo instead. No need to give all of your opponents a bunch of cards for free if you don't have to! Queen Kayla bin-Kroog is for sure worth consideration, though, if you choose to run Artifact Stax.

Maximizing on Underworld Breach, however, means running Storm. I'd recommend Birgi, God of Storytelling  Flip, Storm-Kiln Artist, Urabrask  Flip, Desperate Ritual, Pyretic Ritual & Seething Song to keep your Storm engine from shutting off. I personally don't condone Runaway Steam-Kin, as it's just too freaking slow & conditional compared to other options.

Additional Combat Phases would also be of great use here as opposed to trigger doublers like Strionic Resonator or something. Aggravated Assault, Waves of Aggression, World at War & Seize the Day are the only ones I'd consider running, though. You don't wanna load up on too many synergy effects when you can just Tutor for the best of them when the time's right, ya know?

Since you're running Dockside Extortionist, I'd also consider Cloudstone Curio. With one other Creature (like Spellseeker for example), you can produce infinite Treasures & ETBs with little effort, which is usually more than enough to get you to the finish line.

Your ramp package is looking solid enough, but I'd include 2 more Rocks as well as the rituals I named previously. Fellwar Stone is, functionally, a 5-color Rock for 2 Mana, which is absurd. I tend to not condone 3-drop rocks, with the exception of Chromatic Lantern, which was just reprinted recently and is currently super cheap.

Oh man, now that I think of it Isochron Scepter + Dramatic Reversal gives your whole team infinite power and toughness via your Commander, as well as giving you infinite Mana if you have enough Rocks on the field. Maybe consider it lol.

Monastery Mentor seems to fit like glove here as well, offering some much needed redundancy and a surprising amount of board presence. It's kind of like Deep Gnome Terramancer or Wandering Archaic  Flip in the sense that it just provides waaaay more value while playtesting than you thought it was going to!

Also, consider giving yourself Hexproof with stuff like Witchbane Orb to protect your own Graveyard.

To summarize, I really think your best bet with this one is building a system that gets to either an Underworld Breach + Lion's Eye Diamond + Brain Freeze combo win or an Intuition win as quickly as possible, with other combos like Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter being strong potentialities on the way.

Cheers!

sylvannos on Hoax Storm v2

1 year ago

To start with, there's a few cards that have better Vintage equivalents. Overmaster and Spell Pierce should be the 3rd. and 4th. copies of Force of Will. Leftover space from cutting those can be Red Elemental Blast, Pyroblast, or Flusterstorm. You don't need Faithless Looting because we have Paradoxical Outcome, Sensei's Divining Top, Gush, Dig Through Time, Treasure Cruise, and Brainstorm to choose from. Merchant Scroll also belongs in here, because you can use it to grab Ancestral Recall at the very least. Usually you want it to make sure you have protection in hand by grabbing countermagic.

Library of Alexandria isn't good in this deck. And you're not the type that needs 8x sources, so Steam Vents can go, along with a few copies of Volcanic Island (1 or 2). Replace all of these with four copies of Scalding Tarn and basic lands. Or even just play 6x fetches. You need to be able to shuffle after using Brainstorm, Ponder,and Sensei's Divining Top.

From here, you have a solid U/R Storm shell. However, I wouldn't play straight "Modern U/R Storm, but Power 9" dot dec. 2 mana is a lot for Goblin Electromancer, there are easier ways of winning than Grapeshot, and so on. The question then becomes "Where to go from here?"

Hope this helps! Welcome to MtG's oldest and greatest format.

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