Ponder

Sorcery

Look at the top three cards of your library, then put them back in any order. You may shuffle your library.

Draw a card.

Discussion (46)

azja on Yuriko (Optimized) Primer

4 days ago

Hey Snake57, sorry about the very late reply! My playgroup has been the same 3-4 people in the past couple of months due to covid, so I've been messing around with some new decks for more variety in our games. Don't worry, I still absolutely love Yuriko, but I haven't made any changes to the list lately!

Ponder vs Otherworldly Gaze: Ponder wins this one for me because it acts as topdeck manipulation and a cantrip. With Otherworldly Gaze you get to see more cards, but you also go down a card in the process.

Personal Tutor: Although I'm still not a huge fan of this card, I've been playing with it in favour of Insidious Dreams. Insidious Dreams is more powerful in the right situation, but quite mana intensive, and brutal if it gets countered.

Dauthi Voidwalker: Love this card so far. I mostly keep it untapped as a threat rather than an enabler, but the shadow is a nice plus!

Opposition Agent: I'm also split on this card. Most times it just steals a fetchland and then gets removed, which makes it feel kind of underwhelming. But the upside of stealing an actual tutor could be worth it.

Abjure and Boon of the Wish-Giver: I have both of these in my binder but I haven't tried them myself. How have they panned out for you?

Enter the Infinite: I also agree that raising the overall cmc is better than playing this card. I think 2 is the perfect number of cards in the "high cmc but useless" category (Draco and Blinkmoth Infusion). Like you said, delve cards or big cards that cycle seem like a better solution.

Have you made any changes in your list? Let me know!

Also, any thoughts on neon dynasty so far?

I think Kaito Shizuki looks quite powerful and, for once, I'm looking forward to trying out a planeswalker in Yuriko!

As for Satoru Umezawa, it seems too mana intensive for this deck. But I'm excited to see another ninjutsu commander with a different spin!

midget_overlord on Svyelun of Sea and Sky

1 month ago

First things first. Add 22 Island to get up to the card minimum, and round out your lands. You want to cut at least 300$ based on what you've said, so getting rid of Kindred Discovery, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Oboro, Palace in the Clouds, Cavern of Souls, Sapphire Medallion, Rhystic Study, Cyclonic Rift, and Aether Vial would cut about 335$ off your deck cost. I'd replace 4 or 5 of those cards with islands again to keep your land count where it should be. Don't get me wrong, they're all fantastic, and with a few exceptions would greatly power up the deck from their inclusion. The only ones that I don't think justify their costs in this deck are sapphire medallion, oboro, and aether vial.

Your deck is also a little light on finishers. I personally really like Rite of Replication to suddenly build a huge board, some other great alternatives (at varying price points) are Blatant Thievery or my personal favorite Expropriate.

This is a bit more up to personal choice, but I'm really not a fan of cantrips in a deck like this. If it were me, I'd cut Ponder, Preordain, and Brainstorm for things that are a bit more impactful. You're drawing a lot of cards anyway, so card selection isn't as important as raw draw power. I'd consider something like Overflowing Insight or even something simpler like Weave Fate.

I have no doubt more refinements will become apparent as you playtest, but I hope that helps!

BOXES_O_MOXES on Ardenn-Esior Caw Blade [Pauper EDH] "Contest Deck"

1 month ago

MillerBrewing,

Thanks for the reply. I'm confused though. There is quite a bit of card draw and tutoring in the deck. Granted, this is an older build that hasn't underwent any changes since Commander Legends. This was a contest deck built solely for that purpose with what I believed to be at the time the best cards for this deck in specific.

When you note, "I don't see a lot of draw in this". I'm wondering if you really looked the deck over. I noted in early playtesting that it was lacking draw so I added as much as I could without concentrating solely on drawing cards. Examples below.

Bonder's Ornament

Cartouche of Knowledge

Fall from Favor

Ophidian Eye

Pentarch Ward

Anticipate

Dizzy Spell

Impulse

Muddle the Mixture

Merchant Scroll

Ponder

Preordain

Azure Fleet Admiral

Drift of Phantasms

Mulldrifter

Pondering Mage

Sea Gate Oracle

Staunch Throneguard

And on top of these, Flicker effects can blink Archaeomancer or Mnemonic Wall to get you back your Ghostly Flicker plus an Anticipate, Impulse, Ponder, Preordain etc over and over.

So I mean, There's plenty of draw and pseudo "draw" with transmute and tutor effects. There have been some other cards printed since that should probably be reviewed but I didn't intend on this being a deck I would really spend a lot of my time on. It was built primarily to showcase partner commanders. Especially those being newly released.

I'd be more than happy to hear out any changes that you think should be made. As far as I can tell the best pauper draw spells that are in this deck's color pie are already included in the deck. (Providing they were available for use when CMDR Legends was released).

multimedia on I Blink So

1 month ago

Hey, well done so far, but you forgot Command Tower.

One advantage of Bargo's blink to consider expanding on is blinking noncreature nonland permanents especially enchantments such as Reality Acid and Omen of the Sea. The advantage of more noncreature permanents is they're harder to remove than creatures and they survive creature board wipes. For artifacts, Strionic Resonator gives you another Bargo trigger to blink all your nonland permanents again. Basalt Monolith is good ramp because blink can untap it.

Some cuts to consider to add the card suggestions above are Ponder could be cut for Omen of the Sea since with blink Omen gives you a repeatable Ponder-like effect. Saw it Coming could be cut for Reality Acid since you have many other counterspells, but not permanent removal. Mistmeadow Witch could be cut for Strionic Resonator since you have other better creatures who can blink. Burnished Hart could be cut for Basalt Monolith to improve ramp.

Some budget land upgrades to consider:

• Command Tower --> Azorius Guildgate
• Prairie Stream --> Meandering River
• Port Town --> Sejiri Refuge
• Skycloud Expanse --> Tranquil Cove
• Temple of Enlightenment --> 1x Plains
• Rogue's Passage --> 1x Plains

Good luck with your deck.

Coop_Thom on Deep Blue River (Mono-U Tempo)

1 month ago

Gattison, I finally tried out Winged Words a bit, so I figured I'd report back with my results.

I think my concerns were caused by piloting errors. I found the issues I was having with Tandem Lookout largely go away if I prioritize land drops more when I am using my Ponders and Preordains. Tandem Lookout hitting the field and turning a 1/1 faerie into an evasive card draw engine while also enabling Of One Mind is something I was undervaluing in my initial playtesting.

Thanks for the suggestion, I really appreciated it!

Mana_Mythic_Legendary on Pursuing Perfection, Part 13: Izzet …

2 months ago

According to an old myth, a king once posed his advisors an awkward problem: how to prove whether a crown was pure gold. The guy who figured it out was stumped until he took a bath. As he sank into the water he noticed his body was displacing it, and in a moment of epiphany he realized this was a method to check the crown. Evidently, this was such a stimulating realization that he jumped clean out of the bathhouse and took off down the street, buck-ass nude and shouting “I’ve got it!”

You’ve probably heard this story, and know the point I’m making: the Izzet League, Guild of Engineers and Magewrights, can best be described as a pack of over-caffeinated nerds hell-bent on chasing moments just like that. Coincidentally, this parallels the experience many magic players pursue in a given match. While you can have those moments doing anything, if you’re looking to thematically mimic Archimedes at the moment of streaking epiphany, preferably laying aside public indecency, Izzet the place to be. Today, we’re discussing commanders tied to three prevailing Blue-Red themes: Storm, Chance, and Gunslinging. As always, please bear in mind that our focus here is not necessarily competitive but rather on thematic, archetypical commanders.

Storm

I don’t necessarily mean the keyword, though Thousand-Year Storm is admittedly a favorite: I mean instants and sorceries as an overall theme. Bear with me on this: If I were to assign a card type to each color…

White: Enchantments

Blue: Instants

Black: Creatures

Red: Sorceries

Green: Lands

Understand that my suggestion here isn’t that any color has the best of the associated card type, but rather that each card type is among the color’s primary thematic interactions. Green has the closest relationship with lands, Black kills/resurrects/abuses creatures, etc. Sorceries, being generally cruder but also more powerful than instants, tie in thematically with Red, which is cruder and... not more powerful, but definitely more direct than Blue, a subtle and minimalist color.

Izzet, then, has a primary interaction with both instants and sorceries, focusing on non-permanent spells in order to capture the thematic essence of spellcraft. If you want to rock the hell out of the game by wizarding it up, I have some commanders for you to Ponder!

Simple, potent, and tasty. A copy of any given spell is welcome, and firing from the hip off the top deck is quite thematic, quasi-literally throwing ideas at your opponents, technically before you even have them.

This is very pretty art, and while maybe not the best choice for slamming down massive X drops, for raining down a pile of cantrips Veyran’s your best friend. Who would say no to getting bigger whenever you cast a spell AND doubling both the card’s own effect and that of any accompanying triggers, like Archmage Emeritus, Aria of Flame, and Firemind's Research? With a potential for solid command damage AND a great doubling effect, this is a fantastic commander.

Or, if you think cantrips are for wusses, Vadrik is probably more your speed. Power him up with, say, the Runechanter's Pike, wheel a few times, and unleash all manner of insanities by slamming down a hideously overpowered Banefire or Blue Sun's Zenith. Heck, go for broke and play Epic Experiment while having Thousand-Year Storm out as well. If anyone’s still alive after your thirty-minute turn, they’ll probably have lost all will to go on anyway.

Chance

Just as this is the pairing of inspiration, Izzet is also about boom-bust gameplay. There’s an element of chaos to it, yes, but rather than inflicting lunacy on everyone Izzet also has the potential to ride a private brainwave straight across the finish line, whether in control or not. Sometimes your plan will go off like an atom bomb. Sometimes it will fizzle, wheeze, and grind to a sad little halt. Regardless, that type of gameplay will be a LOT of fun.

and

I did promise to talk about a coin deck back in the Red article. Okaun is potentially (unreasonably) large, Zndrsplt occasionally supportive. Seeing them together is worrisome: three lucky tosses and Whispersilk Cloak or something like will kill an opponent, and it’s not unlikely. Add Krark's Thumb and you’ll probably overstock your hand, break a thousand P/T on a single creature, and strike a blow for gamblers everywhere. Bring mana rocks, bring evasion, and above all… bring Fling.

Wheeling is a mechanic that clearly illustrates chaos in magic, both for good and for bad. Doing it every time you cast a spell? Glorious. No plans. No guarantees. Just making like a leaf on the wind. Any win you get out of this commander is EARNED.

Nekusar, the Mindrazer, the sphinx-that-shall-not-be-named, or Smothering Tithe ruining the local meta? Have I got a solution for you! Jump across that fuzzy line of lunacy Izzet players so love to skip along and never draw a card again. This is neat, completely sidestepping a fundamental mechanic of the game. Throw in a few permanents that draw at instant speed, wizards are good like that, and tot up options as needed. I am very, very excited to see decks built around this.

Gunslinging

This is wordplay at its worst, and I apologize. Again, I don’t necessarily mean commanders that ping you to death. Rather, I mean commanders that are trigger-happy on the draw, or vice versa. The act of drawing is, in metaphorical terms, new ideas coming to you over the course of your wizardly duel, and ideas are very much in the provenance of Izzet. It’s only appropriate that a few commanders in this pairing either reward you for having lots of ideas or ensure you have lots of them. Obligatory mention of buggy rewards from The Locust God and Kindred Discovery goes here.

And, of course, this is where Wattles the Wizened himself comes into the conversation, being exactly what the theme sounds like. Draw cards, give him deathtouch, and torch the board. Go for broke on this moldy old cheese and attach Ophidian Eye. It’s not exactly creative, but it’s certainly effective. You know, compared to Jhoira of the Ghitu this is practically calm, but people don’t really respond to her that way. I’d like to profess ignorance as to why that might be, but having built several artifact combo decks I really can’t. She’s a solid choice, not that offensive in and of herself, and I recommend her to anyone not willing to go full Breya, Etherium Shaper. This is one I wouldn’t immediately recommend to anyone angling to compete, insomuch as one can in a casual format. However, as the literal god of insight and inspiration (and smiting Zeus-style), he’s thematically perfect. Depending on what you draw, you either get another card or a Lightning Bolt. On an indestructible, sometime 6/5 creature, that’s pretty nice. If your deck is of a caliber where it doesn’t depend on its commander, this is a very innocuous choice that’s going to mislead a lot of people and yet still get you a lot of utility.

And, for my personal favorite… She tried to replace my Okaun/Zndrsplt deck. She tried, and failed, but I still have a great deal of affection for her. This is a commander made to wheel all day who has the color access to nearly every instance of that mechanic. Fill that graveyard with ephemeral goodness, sprinkle a few evasion cantrips for flavor, and tag opponents HARD with a sweet old lady. Then bake them cookies, just to rub it in. Seriously, someone teach their grandmother magic and have her play Rielle. You’ll break the internet.

That's it for this round. Thoughts and questions are welcome. I hope you enjoyed it, and will come back soon for an old favorite, Golgari!

Orzhov

Simic

Selesnya

Gruul

Rakdos

Dimir

Azorius

Green, with links to the other mono-colors

Snake57 on Yuriko (Optimized) Primer

2 months ago

Hey Azja! As always thanks for getting back to me :)

Great to hear Gingerbrute is working out for you, I've definitely have good experiences with the card since adding it. I was actually considering to purchase Personal Tutor, but looks like I can spend that money somewhere else then. In regards to Consider, I actually mixed my cards up. I meant Otherworldly Gaze from the same set. which seemed pretty good to me as it also fuels the graveyard when necessary and can be cast at instant speed (twice). Not sure it beats out Ponder though? I'm unsure if I can fit both in the deck.

I've just ordered a few copies of Dauthi Voidwalker so I am looking forward to giving that card a try, do you end up using it as an enabler often? I'd assume it just sits on the board for as long as possible.

For me I'm really split on Opposition Agent, I feel like if I can get it out early it completely screws up my opponents early land plays giving them issues playing fetchlands (of which there are a good amount in the pods I play Yuriko in). Later in the game i'll likely have the mana open to flash it out as well, but it may take some time to find the right moment, it also feels like somewhat of a removal magnet as it needs to be dealt with before tutoring for a wincon for example. However it doesn't really further my own strategy directly, and is unlikely to be used as an enabler. I'm genuinely having a hard time with this one.

I've just added Street Wraith to my main deck so I'm curious to see how it performs for me, I didn't think of the interaction with Temporal Mastery, seems good! Also, I've added Abjure and it really has felt like a decent addition to the counterspell package as the downside tends to be manageable (and sometimes adds more delve-fodder)

I'll see if I can get ahold of Boon of the Wish-Giver, to me the card just seems to make sense in Yuriko. I'm currently running 32 lands with a ton of fetches and I still feel like I've been hitting lands way too often (maybe I've just been unlucky recently) But it makes me consider cutting a Land for the card as it can be cycled as well.

You are right, Scion of Draco probably isn't the right choice, Enter the Infinite is definitely an option, however I feel it may be better to raise the CMC of my deck across the board a little. I'm looking into adding more delve cards and cards that synergise with that. Maybe Murderous Cut, Otherworldly Gaze, Frantic Search, Treasure Cruise. Perhaps I could add cards that untap lands as well, a Treachery, Cloud of Faeries, Time Spiral is what I'm looking at currently.

Maybe I've just had a few - not so great games recently and I should give it more games before I rush to change things around that much.

I am very curious to see what what the new Kamigawa Set will bring, here's hoping there will be some good additions for Yuriko.

iRidetheTvan on A Dozen Miracles (Help Needed)

2 months ago

Ponder