Rhystic Study
Set Price Alerts

Combos Browse all Suggest

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
Oathbreaker Legal
Pauper Legal
Pauper Duel Commander Legal
Pauper EDH Legal
Planar Constructed Legal
Planechase Legal
Premodern Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Tiny Leaders Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Rhystic Study

Enchantment

Whenever an opponent casts a spell, you may draw a card unless that player pays .

legendofa on The New Commander Brackets Beta

1 month ago

I've been struggling with this for a couple of my decklists recently, and I'm trying to summarize my thoughts here without starting a new thread. So this is semi-stream-of-thought, and I apologize if it gets a little rambly.

There are several criteria being tracked by the current bracket system, including resource generation, speed, reliability, and oppression, and possibly others.

Game changers: A combo like Demonic Consultation/Tainted Pact + Thassa's Oracle gets a key card on the game changers list, because it's fast and reliable, ending a match on turn 3-4. These are speed game changers. Other game changers generate resources just by playing the game, like Rhystic Study or Smothering Tithe. This group often also includes oppression, since a lot of them tax the opponent. Another group is cheap (1-2 mana) tutors, like Vampiric Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, or Survival of the Fittest, that increase a deck's reliability for very little opportunity cost. Most game changers can be sorted into one of these four categories. Ancient Tomb and Gaea's Cradle are speed and resource generation, Drannith Magistrate and Force of Will are oppression, and so on.

Bracket Guidelines: From Gavin Verhey's announcement article, here's what each of the brackets mean and expect. Important to note that the system is still in beta testing, so this is probably going to be different in the future.

  • Bracket 1: Decks with more focus on a gimmick than on winning. "Winning is not the primary goal here, as it's more about showing off something unusual you've made. Villains yelling in the art? Everything has the number four? Oops, all Horses? Those are all fair game!" This bracket doesn't allow extra turns, two-card infinite combos, mass land denial, or game changers, and restricts tutors.

  • Bracket 2: Decks that can win, but are not tightly focused, or slow to develop. "While Bracket 2 decks may not have every perfect card, they have the potential for big, splashy turns, strong engines, and are built in a way that works toward winning the game. While the game is unlikely to end out of nowhere and generally goes nine or more turns, you can expect big swings." This bracket doesn't allow any game changers, mass land denial, two-card infinite combos, or multiple extra turns in a row, and restricts tutors.

  • Bracket 3: Decks that are focused on winning efficiently, but are not optimized. "They are full of carefully selected cards, with work having gone into figuring out the best card for each slot. The games tend to be a little faster as well, ending a turn or two sooner than your Core (Bracket 2) decks." This bracket does not allow mass land denial or multiple extra turns in a row, and restricts game changers and two-card infinite combos, and allows tutors freely.

  • Bracket 4: Decks that are optimized for their strategy. "Bring out your strongest decks and cards... This is high-powered Commander, and games have the potential to end quickly. The focus here is on bringing the best version of the deck you want to play, but not one built around a tournament metagame." This bracket has no restrictions.

  • Bracket 5: Decks that expect to win at the most competitive levels. "There is care paid into following and paying attention to a metagame and tournament structure, and no sacrifices are made in deck building as you try to be the one to win the pod." This brackets has no restrictions.

Deck Analysis 1: The deck I've been struggling most with is Clear Waters. As I listed in another thread, it has an infinite turns combo (Wanderwine Prophets + Deeproot Pilgrimage + Merfolk Sovereign) and mass land denial (Opposition + Seedborn Muse, Quicksilver Fountain), and a selection of tutors to pull these together (Forerunner of the Heralds, Idyllic Tutor, Merrow Harbinger, Seahunter, and Sterling Grove). This should put it squarely into Bracket 4.

My concern is that it's neither high powered nor optimized. On the axes of speed, resource generation, reliability, and oppression, I would score it high on oppression, pretty good on reliability, and low on speed and resources generation. Looking at examples of other Bracket 4 decks around the internet, all four of those criteria need to be high in this bracket. The infinite turns combo is slow and easily removed, and the land denial is optional (Opposition can have other targets) or temporary (Quicksilver Fountain can remove its own effect).

It would be easy to simply add a big pile of game changers to improve all of these facets. Right now, it has one game changer in Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, and that one's not essential to the deck. That's not the direction I want to go with the deck, though--I want to keep it reasonably budget, and even adding the three least expensive of the game changers I'm considering would basically double the deck's cost.

I know that people in brackets under 4 want to be able to play their deck, and the infinite turns and land denial shut that down. These are clearly stated in the announcement article -"A single extra-turn spell can be fun and splashy. However, extra-turn spells take a ton of time away from other players and their ability to play the game and tend to be unfun when repeated."- that's why they're forced into brackets 4 and 5. But if a deck isn't able to compete against high power, optimized Bracket 4 decks, can it be considered Bracket 4?

Deck Analysis 2: Another deck that I've been struggling with is an enchantment deck, Do Not Mistake Peace For Passivity. The point of concern for this deck is land denial. Blood Moon is classic mass land denial, and the deck is designed to play around it with Abundant Growth, Fertile Ground, Prismatic Omen, and similar cards. It also has a combo that doesn't directly deny lands, but punishes their play and use: Manabarbs + Citadel of Pain. Otherwise, the deck fits all the criteria of a Bracket 2 deck--no game changers, no infinite combos, few tutors, and no extra turns.

This deck can be converted into a pure Bracket 2 deck without much effort by replacing Blood Moon and Manabarbs. But as it stands, a single card pushes the deck up two brackets, according to the guidelines. Again, I don't feel the deck is high powered or optimized, and would not be able to compete in a Bracket 4 match. It could probably survive in Bracket 3, since it's highly synergistic, but nothing any higher.

In this case, adding a bunch of game changers and power cards would somewhat dilute how the deck functions. A few, like Smothering Tithe or Trouble in Pairs, could slot in, but most others would be more gratuitous.

Conclusion: To quote the article again, "There's some wiggle room, and while playing against decks that are all inside your bracket is ideal, you can usually wiggle within one bracket away from you safely." "You should play where you think you belong based on the descriptions." All of this can be discussed in a Rule 0 talk. I strongly believe the brackets are intended to help this conversation, not replace it. As an example, for the Clear Waters deck, I would say that the deck is not optimized to Bracket 4, and I think it fits best into Bracket 3, but it's controlling and has a potential three-card infinite turns combo. I'm willing to announce when the combo is assembled and ready to start, to give everyone a turn cycle to react, and reduce the use of Opposition to creatures and artifacts.

I feel like the current setup is a little too restrictive of the kind of combo-control decks I like. I can have fun smashing big creatures into each other and outmaneuvering everyone else, but I will enjoy locking down the board and establishing my inevitability, and I'm having a harder time trying to find ways to do that in lower brackets. Some people have already offered me excellent feedback and suggestions that I'm taking into consideration, but I'd also like to see how people are responding to the bracket system so far.

For comparison, here's a few more of my decklists:

legendofa on Testing brackets with Merfolk combos

1 month ago

Rhystic Study, Smothering Tithe, Enlightened Tutor, Fierce Guardianship, Force of Will, Survival of the Fittest, Tundra, Tropical Island... Even without the lands, that's a few hundred dollars' worth of optimization to not change the bracket.

Andramalech on I Have A Dragon

1 month ago

In my best Kaiba impression- you're a third rate duelist using a FOURTH rate deck! it's not bad, I'm just joking. I like what you have here! If you want to push into bracket 4 territory I recommend the following:

.. all of these to get your draws and hand in a row. I see you've already taken up Three Visits so just increase your count of all those spells like Thirsting Roots and even Farseek to capitalize on that ramp capability. The newly released Temur Devotee is a nice committed mana-fixer.

Otherwise, consider lower cost removal spells such as Pongify and Rapid Hybridization, even Swan Song and Strix Serenade. The most efficient way to break into the higher bracket is to do things at their most efficient capability. In this case, you'll have tons of high cost dragons. Right? So use a formula. turn 1 dork, turn 2 ramp, etc., etc. whatever works for your playstyle. Just have one in mind!

The biggest issue your deck has is that you have next to NO one drop spells. Minion of the Mighty exists and so does Elvish Mystic, and Llanowar Elves. You absolutely need to make use of your first turn beyond just putting down a land and passing.

And if you are intent on holding up that one mana on your first and doing a land down, go - you HAVE to increase the number of instants you leave yourself access to. 6 simply is nowhere near enough. Arguably, more than 2 per hand is preferred. Stuff like Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile are so popular and effective because they can be used on that first turn. I mean, you might be a card down for it.. but it'd be better than sitting on your hands for the first turn.

I would recommend using that newly printed red dork that was at 2 mana, because I like your 2 mana package in green colors. The hard issue after wards is probably how much has to happen at 3 mana rather than happening at one mana. Consider stuff like Burgeoning, Exploration.

All of this to say I hope your deck building process is easier with the feedback, please feel free to reach out if you have questions- I happen to really like what you've acquired here and want to see you succeed. Good luck, and +1!

jsnrice on Atraxa, Grand Unifier

1 month ago

Deck Title: Ascension Through Unity – Atraxa cEDH Food Chain

Commander

Atraxa, Grand Unifier
Color Identity:

Introduction

Welcome to Ascension Through Unity, a competitive EDH build centered around Atraxa, Grand Unifier, the ultimate value engine and a uniquely powerful commander that bridges midrange resilience with combo potential. This list leverages the raw card advantage of Atraxa’s ETB trigger to dig for win conditions, interaction, and fast mana — all while supporting a Food Chain combo core.

This deck is tuned for high-level pods and aims to win fast, interact precisely, and grind smart when necessary.

Win Conditions

Primary Wincon:
- Food Chain + Eternal Scourge / Misthollow Griffin / Flesh Duplicate
Infinite creature mana via Food Chain and one of the exile-recurring creatures.
→ Cast Atraxa, Grand Unifier, dig for Thassa's Oracle or Tainted Pact / Demonic Consultation combo.

Backup Wincons:
- Thassa's Oracle + Tainted Pact / Demonic Consultation
- Finale of Devastation for lethal with infinite mana
- Displacer Kitten combos with The One Ring, Teferi, Time Raveler, or mana rocks for infinite value/actions

Notable Synergies

Staples and Interaction

This deck plays nearly every blue interaction spell you’d expect: - Free Countermagic: Force of Will, Force of Negation, Pact of Negation, Mindbreak Trap, Flusterstormfoil
- Removal: Swords to Plowshares, Abrupt Decay, Chain of Vapor, Toxic Deluge, Culling Ritual
- Tutors: Vampiric Tutor, Demonic Tutor, Worldly Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Imperial Seal

And it runs every relevant fast mana: - Mana Crypt, Lotus Petal, Chrome Mox, Mox Diamond, Mox Opal, Mana Vault, Ancient Tomb

Why Atraxa?

While many commanders offer value, Atraxa’s Grand Unifier trigger is uniquely broken in a deck like this. With a proper build, she can hit: - A creature (e.g. Eternal Scourge, Deathrite Shaman)
- A non-creature spell (e.g. Demonic Consultation)
- An instant (e.g. Swan Song, An Offer You Can't Refuse)
- A sorcery (e.g. Finale of Devastation)
- An artifact (e.g. Sol Ring)
- An enchantment (e.g. Rhystic Study)
- A planeswalker (e.g. Teferi, Time Raveler)

This makes Atraxa a one-card value engine that refills your hand and pivots you into a win turn with proper sequencing.

Power Level & Goals

This deck is firmly cEDH (power level 9.5–10). It’s built for pods where interaction is heavy, turns are fast, and wins are clean.

You’ll thrive if: - You can protect Atraxa, Grand Unifier for at least one trigger
- You pilot your combo lines efficiently
- You mulligan aggressively for interaction or ramp

Mulligan Strategy

Look for: - Turn 1–2 dorks/rocks + tutor
- Food Chain + exile creature opener
- Strong card draw pieces + interaction
- Always mull away clunky high-CMC hands

Weaknesses

  • Susceptible to Drannith Magistrate (unless we remove it)
  • Hate for graveyard/exile recursion (Rest in Peace, etc.)
  • Heavy counterspell matchups if we stumble on mana

Closing Thoughts

Atraxa, Grand Unifier doesn’t just unify card types — she unifies power, control, and combo under one elegantly devastating package. Whether you’re tutoring with efficiency or slamming a turn 4 Food Chain win, this deck rewards mastery and punishes hesitation. Perfect for cEDH players who love versatility and inevitability.

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you want a sideboard package or metagame tweaks.

Andramalech on Y'Shtola's Arcane Arsenal

2 months ago

Potential 3-mana or more spells to consider:

Maybe also consider some really classic three cost spells that revolve around some of magic's oldest reprinted spells. etc. Cancel, Generous Gift, stuff like that.

Other stuff to consider would be ways to replace creatures within your list with 3+ cmc spells that hold up the same keywords/wording/etc.

Good luck!

Andramalech on The Mind-Razing Monarch

2 months ago

Necramus in terms of original commanders, this guy takes the cake for me. I'll always enjoy the truly wizard-like philosophy of "I didn't ask about your Rhystic Study, I didn't ask about your Smothering Tithe, I said Winds of Change." Let's throw it all in a pile and douse it with kerosene, then ignite a blunt with a sparkler that's stuck in a twizzler like a limp candy wand. It's time to get wild.

Niko9 on Infinite Rulings

2 months ago

If it was me, I'd prioritize making the rules easy and clear rather than trying to fit every situation. There are two ways that I can think of that might be fun to play out:

One that I've done is having a combat damage wincon tourney. Something like mindslaver or infinite tokens would still be legal in combat damage only, but at the same time players know what to expect and can prepare. You don't need Force of Will when you know threats will be most often permeants, and can run lots of flexible removal instead. I don't even think Mindslaver would be a problem because more players would have space in their decks for artifact removal if they know they don't need to worry about instant speed combos.

Or maybe having a limit to how many times cards can resolve per turn cycle. I'm sure it would cause a ton of interactions to change, and I don't really know how it would look, but say, you can still resolve Rhystic Study but the effect can only trigger 2 times before your next upkeep. It's still a broken card, but there would be a more finite light at the end of the tunnel. Again, this might drastically alter some commanders/playstyles, but I think overall having a 2 trigger limit for every card name per 4 player turn cycle could bust 99% of infinite grossness.

Mortlocke on water proof deck (v.3.0)

3 months ago

Felipix,

I can see that you are starting a Primer, in case you don't have them I suggest the following resource: Epochalyptik's Do you want to write a primer? I've found it useful and hope you do as well. So, first things first I have some questions:

  1. What decks do you intend to play with using this deck? Do you want to play in a High Powered pod with degenerate spells like Mana Drain, Force of Will, Winter Orb and the like? Or is this a pod with lower power?

  2. What's the budget with this deck? Is it to be in the same mold as an upgraded precon?

  3. How do you want to win?

I saw your comments on the Advertise your deck forum, and I can see that you wish to add more draw and more control. In regards to draw I can see that Rhystic Study was suggested before and you have budgetary concerns - there is always the option to proxy. If your playgroup allows it of course.

Possible subthemes/Wincons to consider outside of Voltron: - A flicker (exile a permanent then return it to the battlefield end of turn) subtheme may be an interesting direction to go with this deck. There are numerous options to go with in blue and including creatures such as Thassa, Deep-Dwelling, Scourge of Fleets, Archaeomancer, Spark Double, and Spellseeker to use and abuse their enter the battlefield effects.

Honorable Mentions for fun Control/Card Advantage effects:

  • Aven Courier - this guy helps your commander do more of what it likes to do. You should try and slot him in.
  • Stormtide Leviathan - this guy can stop combat damage from reaching you for a time
  • Faerie Mastermind - fun little taxing effects like this are great because it guarantees card advantage
  • Wavebreak Hippocamp - given your deck has a lot of interaction it's likely you could keep up your tempo with this guy out
Load more