Syphon Mind

Sorcery

Each other player discards a card. You draw a card for each card discarded this way.

Discussion (51)

slashdotdash on We get stronger for each drop of blood

1 month ago

Hey there Johannes,

Since you mentioned card draw I thought I'd leave you a few suggestions. Fortunately, black dominates the card draw scene with sorceries.

• Painful Truths
• Read the Bones
• Syphon Mind
• Ambition's Cost
• Ancient Craving

These may not be flashy, but the ability to draw 3 cards without leaving a draw engine exposed is a boon. You never know when you'll run into a blinky Reclamation Sage or a Cleansing Nova or a Bane of Progress etc. In my experience, 3 cards for 3 or 4 mana is exceptionally helpful.

Also, Phyrexian Arena

Good luck :)

ocannon on Angels & Demons - Kaalia of the Vast

1 month ago

Basically when you attack with Kaalia you want 2 things, that shes not going to die, and that you have 1 big bomb in your hand. Having like 3-4 huge creatures in your hand isn't ideal. Id also consider Crackling Doom because often people have big creatures out.

Also more card draw would be ideal, like Read the Bones, Sign in Blood, Thrill of Possibility, Syphon Mind, Wretched Confluence.

I'd also consider cutting Anya, Angelic skirmisher, Basandra, aegis angel, if you need the space.

Profet93 on Erebos Black Devotion

1 month ago

The archive is used to ensure you don't need to pay as much mana and life into erebos once you are set up. Night's whisper effects are nice, but your commander fills that slot so much better IMO. If you really want burst card draw, Syphon Mind or Read the Bones can put in some work.

U hit the mark on meteor golem, I just thought it was worth mentioning should artifacts/enchantments be more prevalent in your slower meta.

I understand the exile clause. If your meta is slow enough, then thats fine. I just dont like holding up 4 mana.

I'm assuming final parting = Villis + Reanimate for good times? Or are you using the parting to get a dude in the yard to get back with cottage and stronghold?

Yawgmoth's Will - No explanation required

LordBlackblade on Karlov/Sorin Blessed

1 month ago

Well, here's how I would do this deck (since I already did!): Karlov's Tithes

Jokes aside, here's what I would do with your current list:

• For the lands, I would just turn them into basics. I'm sorry if I gave the impression you should actually cut lands, what I meant was run different lands in those slots. In a two color deck like this, fixing shouldn't really be an issue often, if ever.

• Specifically, I would put in three Plains and two Swamp to keep your lands balanced. In addition, I might add maybe two more lands bringing your total to 35. You might be able to get away with 33, but that is a little light for my personal tastes.

Looking at what you want to add, we need to make 12 cuts (which is a lot) but here's what I would cut (starting with the easiest cuts and getting murkier as we go):

• Armillary Sphere - This fixes your colors, but doesn't ramp you. I would personally run any other ramp over this.

• Fountain of Renewal - I get where you're coming from with this; however, it is just too slow.

• Tablet of the Guilds - The issue with this one is how many spells you are going to cast. Orzhov doesn't ramp super well, you're probably going to be casting one, maybe two spells per turn, making this ever so slightly better than Fountain of Renewal.

• Thrull Parasite - See Tablet of the Guilds. My biggest concerns with extort are A) How many spells will you cast each turn? and B) Will you have enough mana to consistently pay for extort.

• Basilica Screecher - See Thrull Parasite.

• Tithe Drinker - See Thrull Parasite.

• Spirit Loop - I also see where you are going with this. For an aura it's not bad, but I also don't think it is as impactful as some of our adds

• Orzhov Cluestone - Just an okay rock. I usually avoid ramp that costs more than two mana

• Hedron Archive - See Orzhov Cluestone. Also your deck is pretty color rich (Orzhov decks usually are), so colorless mana doesn't get you as far as it would in other decks

• Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord - His effect is not bad; however, you will rarely have sufficient boardstate to protect him, in my opinion.

• Underworld Connections - Card draw is good. That said, experience has taught me that burst card draw a la Syphon Mind trumps incremental advantage in a wide variety of cases

• Heliod's Intervention - I like the versatility and instant speed of this. I considered it for my own deck at one point. Unfortunately in EDH you can't run everything so sometimes you have to cut decent cards to make room for more decent cards!

Roo182 on Karlov/Sorin Blessed

1 month ago

So LordBlackblade - in summary:

• How do I remove those 5 remaining lands and what should come in their stead?
• Some potential cuts include Ranger of Eos / Night's Whisper / Hedron Archive / Solemn Simulacrum
• I REALLY want to get Syphon Mind in this deck

Also: There is a myriad of creatures I need to find ways of adding:

• Combo Bois - Blood Artist / Deathgreeter / Cliffhaven Vampire // Suture Priest // Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim

• Swol Bois - Divinity of Pride / Serra Ascendant / Walking Ballista

• Protection Bois - Mother of Runes

• Draw Bois = Ruin Raider // Dark Tutelage

If you were me, what would you do? :D

LordBlackblade on Karlov/Sorin Blessed

2 months ago

And it looks like spoilers don't work in comments, at least not for me! So much for keeping things neat. Anyway, here's what I wanted to say:

Cuts

Lands

• Esper Panorama - Seems unnecessary in a two color deck. If you build it right, color fixing should never be a problem

• Geier Reach Sanitarium - You have access to better card draw effects in black

• Kabira Crossroads - One time life gain doesn't make up for coming in tapped

• Memorial to Folly - This one is just okay. The effect is alright, probably not worth losing a land for in my opinion

• Orzhov Guildgate - I personally avoid tap lands like the plague, they slow you down to much in my opinion

• Radiant Fountain - One time life gain doesn't make up for this not producing colored mana

• Scoured Barrens - See Kabira Crossroads

Enchantments

• Curse of Fool's Wisdom - This really screws over one opponent, but what you should be shooting for is stuff that does "splash damage" so to speak, remember, you will usually have three or more opponents in a game.

Artifacts

• Armillary Sphere - This one is just okay. Ensures you hit land drops, but doesn't boost you

• Bontu's Monument - I don't feel like you're running enough creatures for this effect to pay off

• Fountain of Renewal - "On your upkeep" effects seem really powerful, but on a multiplayer format, your upkeep happens less often relatively speaking. It's not terrible for the cost, but I'm sure we can do better

Sorceries

• Final Parting - I don't think you have enough graveyard interaction to make this better than other tutors

Creatures

• Drana's Emissary - See Fountain of Renewal

• Ranger of Eos - This can only snag four of your creatures. Granted those creatures are pretty good for your strategey, but I personally don't think it is worth it

Instants

• Murder - There are definitely better kill spells we can find

• Ray of Distortion - Not bad, you're definitely getting that choice is key in EDH; however, I think there are a couple better options to choose from

Adds

Enchantments

• Ashes of the Abhorrent - Deathgreeter in enchantment form. Also hoses some graveyard strategies

Artifacts

• Sun Droplet - This card is a sleeper! Not that it says each upkeep, helping you stack those sweet, sweet Karlov triggers

• Talisman of Hierarchy - I love the talismans. Great rocks in any multicolor EDH deck in my opinion

Sorceries

• Read the Bones - One of my favorite black draw spells. Card selection plus draw is generally very powerful

• Syphon Mind - A critically underplayed draw spell in my opinion. Puts you up quite a few cards on each opponent

Creatures

• Blood Artist - This guy does work in so many situations. Usually an auto-target in most metas, that just goes to show how powerful the effect is

• Cliffhaven Vampire - If you're going to run Sanguine Bond, you should consider this guy too

• Deathgreeter - A lower-aggro Blood Artist. Most people won't mind the life gain, and Karlov can get swol

• Divinity of Pride - Similar to Serra Ascendant, big beater for cheap plus lifelink!

• Vizkopa Guildmage - See Cliffhaven Vampire

Instants

• Return to Dust - Gives you options and can snag two cards for one. Considered a staple in some circles

(I've been on this site a long time and I still haven't figured out the quirks of coding on here all that well!)

LordBlackblade on Karlov/Sorin Blessed

2 months ago

I took a gander. Honestly, not bad for you first list!

Here are some adds that might be worth considering. I know multimedia already recommended some of these, but here is my take:

Adds Show

Enchantments

• Ashes of the Abhorrent - Deathgreeter in enchantment form. Also hoses some graveyard strategies

Artifacts

• Sun Droplet - This card is a sleeper! Not that it says each upkeep, helping you stack those sweet, sweet Karlov triggers

• Talisman of Hierarchy - I love the talismans. Great rocks in any multicolor EDH deck in my opinion

Sorceries

• Read the Bones - One of my favorite black draw spells. Card selection plus draw is generally very powerful

• Syphon Mind - A critically underplayed draw spell in my opinion. Puts you up quite a few cards on each opponent

Creatures

• Blood Artist - This guy does work in so many situations. Usually an auto-target in most metas, that just goes to show how powerful the effect is

• Cliffhaven Vampire - If you're going to run Sanguine Bond, you should consider this guy too

• Deathgreeter - A lower-aggro Blood Artist. Most people won't mind the life gain, and Karlov can get swol

• Divinity of Pride - Similar to Serra Ascendant, big beater for cheap plus lifelink!

• Vizkopa Guildmage - See Cliffhaven Vampire

Instants

• Return to Dust - Gives you options and can snag two cards for one. Considered a staple in some circles

Here are my cut recommendations to make room for upgrades/changes:

Cuts Show

Lands

• Esper Panorama - Seems unnecessary in a two color deck. If you build it right, color fixing should never be a problem

• Geier Reach Sanitarium - You have access to better card draw effects in black

• Kabira Crossroads - One time life gain doesn't make up for coming in tapped

• Memorial to Folly - This one is just okay. The effect is alright, probably not worth losing a land for in my opinion

• Orzhov Guildgate - I personally avoid tap lands like the plague, they slow you down to much in my opinion

• Radiant Fountain - One time life gain doesn't make up for this not producing colored mana

• Scoured Barrens - See Kabira Crossroads

Enchantments

• Curse of Fool's Wisdom - This really screws over one opponent, but what you should be shooting for is stuff that does "splash damage" so to speak, remember, you will usually have three or more opponents in a game.

Artifacts

• Armillary Sphere - This one is just okay. Ensures you hit land drops, but doesn't boost you

• Bontu's Monument - I don't feel like you're running enough creatures for this effect to pay off

• Fountain of Renewal - "On your upkeep" effects seem really powerful, but on a multiplayer format, your upkeep happens less often relatively speaking. It's not terrible for the cost, but I'm sure we can do better

Sorceries

• Final Parting - I don't think you have enough graveyard interaction to make this better than other tutors

Creatures

• Drana's Emissary - See Fountain of Renewal

• Ranger of Eos - This can only snag four of your creatures. Granted those creatures are pretty good for your strategey, but I personally don't think it is worth it

Instants

• Murder - There are definitely better kill spells we can find

• Ray of Distortion - Not bad, you're definitely getting that choice is key in EDH; however, I think there are a couple better options to choose from

slashdotdash on Ramos The Sparkle Dragon

2 months ago

Hi there West,

As a player who specializes in WUBRG big mana, I'd like to add a few suggestions.

Board Wipes

First off, let's look at a robust boardwipe package. I recommend 3 to 6 Sweepers total for a big, slower deck like this.

Disclaimer - while boardwipes can be a big feel bad for some, they are often extremely helpful to prevent slower decks from getting #WREKT by faster, lighter decks. Just make sure your playgroup is okay with you leaning into a slower playstyle that uses boardwipes to keep the nonsense at bay (this will really depend on your meta). Keep in mind boardwipes also help you get in for Voltron damage, assuming you sequence your plays correctly.

• Crux of Fate
• Ixidron: Looks strange, acts stranger. This thing is in my top 5 for favorite creatures, as it deals a crippling blow to most enemy decks.
• Cataclysmic Gearhulk: Thins the board without killing your best things. Beware, the opponent will still have stuff, but you're betting that Ramos can take 'em.
• Sublime Exhalation
• Day of Judgment
• Wrath of God
• Phyrexian Rebirth: If your deck is ramping enough (I think your deck can probably do it) then this spell is bananas.
• Flood of Tears: It is easy to overlook the second sentence...
• Time Wipe: A bit meh with Ramos himself, but keep in mind you can utilize this before Ramos even comes out to save your best creature while clearing the way for big mana spells.
• Phyrexian Scriptures: DANGER!!! This one is so slow that it can straight-up get you killed. It might be okay with Ramos, but it could also aggro everybody. I only include it because it synergizes a little bit with Ramos.

Card Draw

So one reason your deck might be "sputtering", as you put it, is simply the lack of Card Draw. With about 12 Card Draw sources you should be more able to keep yourself going and avoid sputtering.

Generically good card draw happens to be mostly black. Don't worry about life loss here, especially if you do end up adding board wipes.

• Syphon Mind
• Painful Truths
• Read the Bones
• Ambition's Cost
• Ancient Craving
• Underworld Connections
• Harmonize
• Urban Evolution
• Recurring Insight
• Phyrexian Arena
• Kumena's Awakening

Removal

Your removal package is one of the strong things I see here. My only comment is that Vindicate looks good but its sorcery speed, so a Beast Within or Generous Gift is better in my opinion. Nice job on this section though :D

It's a Trap!!!

Alright, so I'd like to help you identify the "trap" cards. My playgroup calls a card a trap if it looks good in the deck in theory but is actually quite bad in practice.

I strongly recommend against Morophon, the Boundless because you will be getting at best one or two creatures from him. I don't believe your deck is (or should be) tribal enough to take advantage of him.

Ponder and Preordain are unlikely to do as much work as real card draw spells, at least from what I gather skimming over your list. Your deck is going to be naturally slower (and that's fine if you have enough Removal and Sweepers to keep yourself alive) so don't sweat cutting the 1-drops for card draw spells. I would instantly run Painful Truths and Read the Bones in place of these.

Voltron: This is just an opinion, but your Voltron section looks too big. I think the best thing about Ramos as a Voltron commander is his ability to naturally acquire a threatening amount of power as a side effect of you playing a really good Rainbow deck! Lean into that. I know it feels bad to cut some of the artifacts, but you may find it better to have other threats or support for your threats, instead of relying on your commander (who is already a bit of a priority target if I'm being honest). Now granted I am not sure that you've got too much Voltron stuff, but my instincts tell me to avoid committing too much to Voltron. I have seen it end terribly many times and this deck has the luxury of Incidental Voltron, so I would take advantage of what your commander is already doing.

Also, just a general trap for big mana decks is choosing too many "Payload" cards (like Maelstrom Wanderer, Nicol Bolas, etc) while not including enough support for them. I don't think you've got an issue with that, but stay vigliant - you're the only one who can stop you from going overboard.

Other Quick Additions

Kessig Wolf Run: Supports the Voltron, lets you sink that excess mana, and only takes a land slot to boot! Simply a great card for the Voltron portion of your strategy.

Wrap Up

Overall, this is an interesting deck design though I do think it could benefit from a more focused game plan.

Don't get me wrong, this is good stuff - I think you've created a nice first version. Please don't take my criticism of your card choices personally, these are after all just my opinions and I am very passionate about making WUBRG work well. That doesn't mean I know best, though I'm trying to share what tips I can on the topic. At the end of the day choose the cards you want, but please do add more draw spells ;)

Cool deck and nice first draft.

Cheers and have fun :D