Sylvan Library

Enchantment

At the beginning of your draw step, you may draw two additional cards. If you do, choose two cards in your hand drawn this turn. For each of those cards, pay 4 life or put the card on top of your library.

Discussion (45)

Azeworai on Illuna Apex of Big Boys

1 hour ago

Ah, Illuna is a commander that has become a favourite of mine, for manipulation of the top leads to quite a bit of value.

I am notably bereft of much experience with the Mutate mechanic, as my list has only had a Parcelbeast, which was thusly removed, but I may offer insights upon the top of the library.

Momir Vig, Simic Visionary is quite the terrifying engine for this deck. It is a Mutate target if it must be, and it combos with the commander directly. It tutors for a big idiot to cheat upon the field, whilst working with the rest of the deck most splendidly.

I have found Thassa's Oracle to be a fine value card, oft sieving through the top four cards of the library, only to find a cataclysmic ten-drop. Moreover, Illuna may Mutate unto it.

Dream Cache is a card I used to run, yet shall admit to ablating. It does the job quite well, but was insufficient in the wake of Brainstorm.

Whiles being rather expensive, Scroll Rack, Mirri's Guile, Sensei's Divining Top, and Sylvan Library are each some of the greatest engines in the entire deck. Bother not with questioning their inclusion. If you get ahold of one, use it.

Cavalier of Gales is an extremely efficient flyer and put a big imbecile atop the library.

Prognostic Sphinx grants a deep scry each turn and Hexproof, thence being a fantastic card upon all fronts.

One of the most condign secondary win conditions in my list is Lurking Predators. 'Tis as powerful as it reads.

Perhaps the best card in my entire deck is Future Sight, with a worsened version being Magus of the Future. These provide a heaven-high amount of card advantage. Everything cast from the top essentially draws a card, additionally providing information of when to cast Illuna.

Courser of Kruphix is just a fantastically efficient creature, attributing defensive value and information.

Long-Term Plans grant an instant-speed tutor for the most devasting card in the entire deck. Try it and love it.

Lastly, Dream Eater has become a favourite of mine, being a splendid combat trick and top-of-the-library aid, whereupon always bringing a sense of dint and defense.

That shall be all from me, sire, but I do hope that you would deign to peer upon my list, being as such:

Idoneity's Deliverance

I have become most pleased with it.

Fare thee well, and might the best of fortune betide.

Strangelove on The Voice of Hunger

1 week ago

+1 my dude! @your reddit post,

More lands imo. Also more big ramp... seems like Vorinclex is a big target for removal, so ramping up to 15+ mana a turn seems like the way to go.

I think the biggest problem is that you're splitting themes and trying to jam infect. A lot of seemingly powerful cards don't have synergy with the rest of the deck. Only ~12 cards directly create +1/+1 counters. So (eg.) Hardened Scales really does nothing.

...Cut incidental Infect:

-1Viridian Corrupter, -1Spinebiter

-1Phyrexian Swarmlord... I love this card but, even when you're all in on infect it isn't that good...

(I think the other infect cards with 5+ power as soft, 2-card combos with your commmander are viable).

...Cut fatties with no evasion:

-1Renata, Called to the Hunt... if you're interested in playing "go-wide + pump" this could be good, but not better than Bloodspore Thrinax

-1Rampaging Baloths... incidental 4/4s aren't worthwhile

-1Crowned Ceratok... +1Champion of Lambholt

-1Ulvenwald Hydra... no synergy

-1Primordial Hydra... +1Managorger Hydra

more +1/+1 synergy...

Ivy Lane Denizen

Forgotten Ancient

Renegade Krasis

Swarm Shambler

Mycoloth

Ravenous Gigantotherium

Biogenic Ooze

Fangren Firstborn

Increasing Savagery

Spike Weaver

Sunbringer's Touch

When choosing cards ask yourself: (1) Does it work with my commander? (2) Does it work with my theme? (3) Is it strong enough with no synergy to play 1v3? (eg. Rampant Growth, Sylvan Library, etc.)

Happy brewing!

griffstick on why hasn't this card blown …

2 weeks ago

Blowing up a Sylvan Library with Feed the Swarm feels really good lol.

plakjekaas on Please Enlighten Me

4 weeks ago

The competitive decks I play against will Ad Nauseam for 23 cards on turn 2, piecing together an immediate win from fast mana and very cheap card advantage/combo's, showing at least 2 free counterspells for protection and disruption. If you weren't a blue deck with a counterspell up or a stacks deck that went Sol Ring into Null Rod, you'll have some struggle to answer that.

cEDH decks are built to deal with exactly that, because on a cEDH table, everyone will be trying exactly that. They don't hold up as well in a game mixed in with more casual decks, because they play on an entirely different axis. cEDH decks are built around scary commanders, showing immediately they're a threat, but they pay something like 15 life from lands, Sylvan Library and phyrexian mana spells in a game.

Playing against casual decks that play creatures that actually attack for a bunch, they're not prepared to defend against that. They play less removal, less boardwipes and more counterspells, because they should be stopping non-creature victories while employing their own. That's their gameplan. When they don't get to combo fast on a casual table, the Timmy Plays will easily best them.

A single cEDH deck struggles on an all casual table the same way a single casual deck struggles on a full cEDH table. They're not meant to play in that environment.

stellarnear on Slivo EDH reland

1 month ago

Phyrexian Arena> Sylvan Library

stellarnear on Atraxa Friends Edition

1 month ago

Deploy the Gatewatch > Sylvan Library
Kethis, the Hidden Hand > Vampiric Tutor
Phyrexian Arena > Scroll Rack

Peligrad on Court of Grace, the best …

1 month ago

Guys... we're saying the same thing.

I'm not saying Court of Grace is better than any of the cards I listed. I listed powerful staples of the format that no one with experience in the format is going to say are bad.

A lot of the arguments people are slinging in the forum are exactly what you guys are flaming me for. Our points are exactly the same.

Sylvan Library is a great card. The average value it provides is massive. There are situations where it does nothing, but that is not the average situation.

In the same token, you can't judge Court of Grace by the worst case. There are going to be many times where you don't get hit in one round and you untap with monarch. There are going to be many times where the token you get off Court of Grace enables you to retake monarch and draw the card. More often than not, Court of Grace is going to provide you with multiple card draws and multiple bodies on the field and at least a couple points of damage or damage blocked. The average value of the card is what you need to consider when deciding to put it in your deck list.

That's my point.

MagicMarc on Court of Grace, the best …

1 month ago

I am pretty sure Sylvan Library is never a bad play, never a wasted slot and pretty much guaranteed to appear in any decent green deck pretty much ever.

Its pointless to talk about other cards interaction with it or how much value it provides. A resolved Sylvan Library has to be interacted with or it's value is going to get oppressive on it's opponents.

As much as I like Court of Grace in a casual setting it is certainly no where near the value of Sylvan Library. Though a draw 1 with a condition is not too shabby, a guaranteed draw 2 with life loss to keep the cards is amazing.