Skycloud Expanse

Land

{1}, {T}: Add {W}{U}.

Discussion (48)

jaminfine on ranar

2 months ago

I recommend replacing Conjurer's Closet with Teleportation Circle One less mana for a slightly stronger effect.

I'd also recommend adding Skycloud Expanse as a cheap mana fixing land for Azorius.

Having a Tundra surprises me, as the rest of your mana base seems pretty basic. But if you're willing to spend a bit, I would consider adding Mystic Gate in as well.

I also really like Venser, the Sojourner for this deck as another Conjurer's Closet type effect. If you're okay with infinite combos, I'd recommend you add Peregrine Drake. When combined with Deadeye Navigator, you get infinite mana, ETBs, and LTBs.

DreadKhan on Cheap dragon

3 months ago

Alright, I'll try to keep that in mind and minimize the jargon. One thing I'd say about running lands, it's easy to end up with less than you actually need. The difference between 36 and 38 is extremely minor in terms of how many lands you can draw, so the exact number isn't that important, but if you have a higher cost Commander (Tiamat has a Mana Value of 7, or MV 7), you'll want ramp. A higher cost is usually any Commander requiring more than 4 mana, and/or one that requires more than 2 colours, either makes a Commander harder to cast. I end up on 38 in a deck like Reaper King, but I also use a lot of ramp in that deck to generate the huge mana values that deck can require. This deck probably wants anywhere from 36-42 lands, with 42 being where you want to be if you run relatively few ramp effects, 36 would mean running more of them, at least 10. You should probably run Command Tower. Temple of the False God is a risky land in a deck that isn't running a lot of lands, I hate to run it with less than 40 in a deck unless I have a payoff for a land tapping for 2.

It's worth considering basing your mana base around Green, not because most of the cards will be Green but to use Green ramp spells/mana dorks. I'm guessing you aren't aiming to spend a lot on this, so the cheapest $$$ way to increase your mana available is to use Green spells which can find Basic lands for you. Circuitous Route, Harrow, Roiling Regrowth, Search for Tomorrow, and Dire-Strain Rampage are all very good ramp effects, with most of them being cheap and able to find you colours of mana you might need. Sacrificing a land can be a good thing if you've got several of the same Basic land, which can happen easily. There are a ton of other ramp spells, many quite cheap, especially if you don't mind 3 mana effects. Spells that find land can be much better than artifacts, because artifacts can be blown up very easily compared to lands. I would also look for ones that can find any Basic land compared to ones that can only find a Forest unless you want to raise the budget a bit, as these lands are generally more expensive, but Kaldheim has 10 Snow type dual lands, one for each pair, and they are fairly cheap, and ramping with one of these off of Three Visits or Nature's Lore feels really good, but it'll be more investment. There are a lot of effects that find Forests and can find non-Basic Forests like Breeding Pool or Rimewood Falls, and finding one of those can really help make sure you can cast Tiamat. I would still play cards like Arcane Signet and Sol Ring, and most 2 MV mana artifacts are good cards usually.

A card that should be very useful in Tiamat would be Maskwood Nexus, which makes all creatures, wherever they are (in your hand, library, graveyard, or in play) are all every creature type, including Dragons, so Tiamat can find any 5 creatures. If you end up playing many cards that care about Dragons, this is worth looking at. Silverglade Pathfinder and Dreamscape Artist are pretty helpful some games as creatures that can also ramp you, potentially repeatedly if you are playing Casual games where you have a few more turns.

Interaction to protect your creatures can be very useful, Bolt Bend and Stubborn Denial are interesting options for you in a deck that will often have a power 4 creature out. Disdainful Stroke can stop board wipes, and Saw it Coming can stop anything in it's track, involving only U to cast, I would watch out for counterspells that cost UU (Blue Blue mana) to cast, this can be hard to arrange. You might think of Vindicate and/or Utter End to have removal vs any type of permanent, AFAIK neither is very expensive atm. There are 5 'Signet lands', Darkwater Catacombs, Skycloud Expanse, Shadowblood Ridge, Mossfire Valley and Sungrass Prairie are all very cheap and pretty good dual lands. Ash Barrens is a very good way to find a needed colour, especially Green. The World Tree is getting up there a bit, but it's a card worth looking at in 5 colours, especially if you run plenty of cards that find lands for you. If you have especially good non-Basic lands, IE lands that tap for 2 or more, Crop Rotation, Hour of Promise and Reap and Sow are all worth considering, finding a World Tree or other especially good land can be much stronger than finding a Basic. Faeburrow Elder and Jegantha, the Wellspring are very good ways to generate mana, probably don't run Jegantha as a Companion, just put him in the deck and you have no restrictions from him.

Well, that's what I'm thinking of right now, I'll probably have more later for you. I'll try to think of cards that are cheap and work for your deck, it might be a few posts before I've run out of relevant thoughts.

multimedia on Tricky Flicky

4 months ago

Hey, well done so far on a budget.

Unfortunately, Ranar has been errata to instead say, "Whenever one or more cards are put into exile from your hand or a spell or ability you control exiles one or more permanents from the battlefield, create a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying". This change means Ranar + Samurai of the Pale Curtain + Blasting Station isn't an infinite combo anymore. The act of sacing a Spirit with Station is a cost not a spell or ability. Ranar now cares about the source that originally made the permanent leave the battlefield and the original source has to exile the permanent which Station doesn't do.

Samurai of the Pale Curtain's ability to exile opponent's permanents is also hindered by this errata because now Ranar cares about the source that removed the permanent from the battlefield before Samurai exiles that card. For example, if you destroy an opponent's artifact with Disenchant that permanent is destroyed and then Samurai exiles that permanent when it goes to the graveyard, but you don't create a Spirit by Ranar. The original source that made the permanent leave the battlefield is a spell, Disenchant, but Disenchant doesn't exile and it must to create a Spirit. Swords to Plowshares still works fine since it exiles the creature as the original source doing the exile.

Ranar + Blasting Station + Restoration Angel + Felidar Guardian is still a win condition infinite combo since the errata to Ranar doesn't change it's effect with blinking permanents.

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30 lands is a low amount with only 5 sources of ramp. Consider 5 more budget lands and ramp?

• Nimbus Maze
• Port Town
• Skycloud Expanse
• 1x Island
• 1x Plains
• Stoic Farmer
• Strixhaven Stadium: can be a win condition with lots of attacking flying Spirits and Spirits can defend to not lose point counters.
• Azorius Signet
• Heraldic Banner: could replace another anthem since this one is also ramp.

A excellent budget interaction with blink is Palace Jailer since when Jailer is blinked the exiled creature doesn't return to the battlefield, that only happens when you lose the monarch not when Jailer leaves the battlefield. This makes Jailer when blinked an engine to exile opponent's creatures which also creates Spirit tokens by Ranar. Jailer also gives you the monarch when it's blinked for a repeatable draw source at your end step. Spirit tokens help to defend as blockers to keep the monarch since the only way you lose the monarch is by an opponent doing combat damage to you or an opponent plays a card that makes them the monarch.

If interested I offer more advice including cuts to consider. Good luck with your deck.

DreadKhan on Mei's Alela, Artful Provocateur

4 months ago

You should probably consider upgrading to untapped lands a priority, it generally seems like quite a good deck otherwise. If you don't want to buy more expensive lands, Ash Barrens is a nice cheap mana fixing land, and always comes in untapped in a pinch. Similarly, Darkwater Catacombs and Skycloud Expanse offer a cheap dual, as is Caves of Koilos. Unfortunately Adarkar Wastes is fairly pricey, as is Underground River, and there isn't a WB version of the filters. I also like Pathway lands, which can be either colour (but only 1 or the other after being played), Brightclimb Pathway  ^Flip Clearwater Pathway  ^Flip and Hengegate Pathway  ^Flip aren't too bad of a price. There are many other options, and you might find some cheaper than these, but I find these ones are fairly strong for their price, especially the Signet-like filter lands. I'm not sure if your deck would have enough mana fixing, IE you might not always have the right mana for your spells, so if you don't want to add untapped duals, I'd keep the tapped ones over basics, 3 colours without Green ramp is very tough on basics.

Spear of Heliod is a nice dual-purpose card, but it's hardly needed. If you want a strong attack discouragement card, you could try No Mercy, which is very tough to play around if you can't remove it.

multimedia on I Blink So

5 months 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.

LinkOpensChest_wav on Kwain Digs Further Down The Hole

5 months ago

Prairie Stream, Skycloud Expanse, and Port Town are less than $0.50 right now and could replace some of your taplands

Likewise, Nimbus Maze is less than $0.75

I'd recommend trying to get those now, while they're still cheap

DreadKhan on

9 months ago

Darkwater Catacombs and Skycloud Expanse tend to play very well for me, low budget or not tbh. War Tax is a solid pillow-fort effect. Slow Motion is a really good budget card, since you keep getting it back. Contempt might be worth casting. Fool's Demise Mark of Eviction are also interesting, mostly as repeatably castable enchantments that can hinder opponents.

multimedia on Ranar the Ever-watchful by Silmeon

9 months ago

Hey, good budget upgrade of the precon.

You're best line of play here is Ranar + Felidar Guardian + Restoration Angel which equals infinite 1/1 Spirits. Guardian and Restoration infinite blink each other and each time one of them blinks it's one instance of exile to trigger Ranar. Because Restoration has flash then you can do this combo at instant speed on your last opponent's turn to create infinite Spirits to then attack with them on your next turn as a win condition.

Flickerwisp also combos with Restoration Angel and this combo is different since it's delayed. At each player's end step Ranar + Flickerwisp + Restoration creates two Spirits. With Flickerwisp in your control blink it with Restoration; Flickerwisp ETB and blinks Restoration. Restoration doesn't return to the battlefield from exile until the next player's end step. At the end step Restoration ETB to blink Flickerwisp, Flickerwisp ETB to blink Restoration and repeat on the next player's end step. At each end step you get two separate exiles for two triggers of Ranar.

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Reconnaissance Mission is good repeatable draw with 1/1 flying Spirits since each one that does combat damage to an opponent you draw a card. Mentor of the Meek can trigger to draw for one mana each time a 1/1 Spirit or 2/2 Spirit is created.

Palace Jailer is powerful repeatable opponent creature exile with blink especially with Soulherder . When Jailer ETB you become the monarch which is at your end step you draw a card. Only one player can be the monarch at one time and how a player becomes the monarch is they do combat damage to the player who's the monarch or they play a card that makes them the monarch.

What makes Jailer powerful with blink is that creatures he exiles don't return to their owners unless you lose the monarch to an opponent. When Jailer leaves the battlefield from being blinked all the creatures he has exiled stay exiled. Then when Jailer ETB you become the monarch which makes it difficult to lose the monarch. 1/1 Spirits are also good flying blockers to help you to keep the monarch as well as Ghostly Prison and other cards like it make it more difficult for an opponent to attack you to do combat damage to you.

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Nimbus Maze , Port Town , Prairie Stream , Skycloud Expanse , Temple of Enlightenment , Irrigated Farmland , Ash Barrens are some budget land upgrades that could replace some basic lands, Azorius Guildgate and Meandering River .

Good luck with your deck.