Thalakos Deceiver

Creature — Thalakos Wizard

Shadow (This creature can block or be blocked by only creatures with shadow.)

When Thalakos Deceiver attacks and isn't blocked, you may sacrifice it. If you do, gain control of target creature. (This effect doesn't end at end of turn.)

Combos

• Marchesa, the Black Rose + Thalakos Deceiver
• Mimic Vat + Thalakos Deceiver

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Big Apple Highlander	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Freeform	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
PreDH	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (50)

theNeroTurtle on test

1 month ago

hello

theNeroTurtle on test

1 month ago

...

theNeroTurtle on test

1 month ago

Absolute Virtue

Decree of Silence Nine Lives Rest in Peace Solemnity Web of Inertia

An Offer You Can't Refuse Counterspell Cyclonic RiftGC Dovin's Veto Fierce GuardianshipGC Force of Negation Force of WillGC Mana Drain Oblation Pact of Negation Path to Exile Swords to Plowshares

Lightning Greaves Swiftfoot Boots

Boromir, Warden of the Tower Giver of Runes Grand Arbiter Augustin IVGC Mother of Runes Pippin, Guard of the Citadel Selfless Savior Skrelv, Defector Mite Vexilus Praetor

Academy Ruins Adarkar Wastes Ancient TombGC Command Tower Deserted Beach Flooded Strand Floodfarm Verge Gemstone Caverns Glacial Fortress Hall of Heliod's Generosity Hallowed Fountain Island Kor Haven Mana Confluence Maze of Ith Meteor Crater Mystic Gate Nimbus Maze Plains Prahv, Spires of Order Reflecting Pool Rogue's Passage Sea of Clouds Tundra

Dovin, Grand Arbiter Land Tax Rhystic StudyGC Smothering TitheGC Tithe

Arcane Signet Chrome MoxGC Grim MonolithGC Mana VaultGC Mox Amber Mox DiamondGC Mox Opal Sol Ring

Augur il-Vec Hunted Phantasm Infiltrator il-Kor Invisible Stalker Latch Seeker Looter il-Kor Soltari Champion Soltari Crusader Soltari Foot Soldier Soltari Lancer Soltari Monk Soltari Priest Soltari Trooper Soltari Visionary Spirit en-Dal Thalakos Deceiver Thalakos Dreamsower Thalakos Mistfolk Thalakos Scout Thalakos Seer Thalakos Sentry Zealot il-Vec

Academy Rector Enlightened TutorGC Idyllic Tutor IntuitionGC Mystical TutorGC

theNeroTurtle on

1 month ago

Absolute Virtue

Decree of Silence Nine Lives Rest in Peace Solemnity Web of Inertia

An Offer You Can't Refuse Counterspell Cyclonic RiftGC Dovin's Veto Fierce GuardianshipGC Force of Negation Force of WillGC Mana Drain Oblation Pact of Negation Path to Exile Swords to Plowshares

Lightning Greaves Swiftfoot Boots

Boromir, Warden of the Tower Giver of Runes Grand Arbiter Augustin IVGC Mother of Runes Pippin, Guard of the Citadel Selfless Savior Skrelv, Defector Mite Vexilus Praetor

Academy Ruins Adarkar Wastes Ancient TombGC Command Tower Deserted Beach Flooded Strand Floodfarm Verge Gemstone Caverns Glacial Fortress Hall of Heliod's Generosity Hallowed Fountain Island Kor Haven Mana Confluence Maze of Ith Meteor Crater Mystic Gate Nimbus Maze Plains Prahv, Spires of Order Reflecting Pool Rogue's Passage Sea of Clouds Tundra

Dovin, Grand Arbiter Land Tax Rhystic StudyGC Smothering TitheGC Tithe

Arcane Signet Chrome MoxGC Grim MonolithGC Mana VaultGC Mox Amber Mox DiamondGC Mox Opal Sol Ring

Augur il-Vec Hunted Phantasm Infiltrator il-Kor Invisible Stalker Latch Seeker Looter il-Kor Soltari Champion Soltari Crusader Soltari Foot Soldier Soltari Lancer Soltari Monk Soltari Priest Soltari Trooper Soltari Visionary Spirit en-Dal Thalakos Deceiver Thalakos Dreamsower Thalakos Mistfolk Thalakos Scout Thalakos Seer Thalakos Sentry Zealot il-Vec

Academy Rector Enlightened TutorGC Idyllic Tutor IntuitionGC Mystical TutorGC

DreadKhan on Cowgirl Communism

1 year ago

Neat deck idea, but I feel like you probably want more mana sources, definitely some more lands (I'd aim for 36-40 for a 4 mana Esper Commander that you 'need' to have out for your deck to work), and possibly some of the Talismans (some or all of Talisman of Dominance, Talisman of Hierarchy, and Talisman of Progress would be obvious options to consider that help with fixing). My issue is that it's pretty easy to just kill your Commander, at which point you've got a bunch of auras that do very little. You can also throw in some cards to help protect your Commander, more of those could also shave off recasting, but remember something like Swiftfoot Boots needs adds an effective mana to the cost of your Commander (where Lightning Greaves does not), effectively adding 1 to her cost.

You're also pretty light on interaction of some sorts, but I'm guessing you're really, really counting on having your Commander out and stealing the problem creatures, but not everything is a creature in my experience! In White you have access to Generous Gift and Stroke of Midnight, this kind of card can solve a lot of stuff if you're desperate, regardless of the card's type. Maybe removal could be 'Secret Police', ie those who make problems 'go away' forever? I guess you could have Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker in charge?

Eldrazi Conscription can steal something bigger for you, and make it a HUGE problem fwiw.

Weird idea, but have you thought about some cards that can steal creatures for you regardless of the creature's scale? Sower of Temptation, Callous Oppressor, and Thalakos Deceiver are pretty cheap for what they do. You might also try something like Rite of Replication or Cryptoplasm, copying something like a Blightsteel Colossus can also solve the issue, at least for you.

Optimator on Roses of May -- (Marchesa Threaten)

2 years ago

I'm glad you love the deck elliotmward97!! I've had her for many years and I love her dearly. I even love Marchesa enough to have a five-color "Secret Marchesa" deck: Special Snowflakes. My playgroup ranges from precons and upgraded precons to "powerful casual" and this deck seems to hang with their stronger decks very well. It's certainly not cEDH, nor would I really want it to be. One of the reasons I kept the Threaten subtheme going string from it's budget days.

As far as "very little" card draw...

Bloodtracker, Braids, Arisen Nightmare, Grim Haruspex, River Kelpie, Sage of Fables, Scorn-Blade Berserker, Yawgmoth, Thran Physician, Phyrexian Arena, Jeska's Will, Syphon Mind, and Skullclamp are all card draw. That's eleven.

Phyrexian Reclamation is big-time card advantage if my goons keep getting whacked, Viscera Seer is decent card selection when the engine is running, and the non-Treaten theft cards could even be viewed as card-advantage if you squint (looping Thalakos Deceiver and Puppeteer Clique and Keiga, the Tide Star, Zara, Renegade Recruiter getting lucky a few times, Grave Betrayal sticking, etc).

Actually seems above-average to me, elliotmward97.

Perhaps it's light in more pure Concentrate- and Tidings-style draw, but I like the creature-based draw that synergizes with Marchesa. Makes the deck feel like it has more character, and the ceiling is quite high when the engine is rolling. Lower floor, perhaps. I've thought about including more draw effects like Bident of Thassa, Reconnaissance Mission, and Coastal Piracy since the deck swings out so much, but I like where things are right now.

Caeruleus on Murders and Acquisitions (Marchesa Superiority)

2 years ago

Hiya! I played a Black Rose deck for 6 and half years, and here are some of my observations:

(1) If you want to run some more unusual creatures, Thalakos Deceiver is exceptional, as is Goblin Grenadiers.

(2) you can spike the power and create significant annoyance with Dauthi Voidwalker. Remember the void counters track between instances, so you can really can just smack with it until you need it, and then it remembers all the cards its exiled over its whole life span.

(3) In your land base, take out some of the slower lands for Threshold Cycle Cabal Pit, Cephalid Coliseum and Barbarian Ring. The neat trick is you wait til you've filled up your bin with stuff (before her Ladyship brings them back), and activate them then. Otherwise they are painlands which enter untapped and add coloured mana.

(4) The last cute trick is Trinket Mage. Now, if the Ozolith and the Skull Clamp weren't good enough reasons... Consider Myr Scrapling and Hope of Ghirapur, both of which are exceptional utility creatures of the deck. If you want to be extra spicy, you can even add some artifact lands so you use the mage to mana fix

DreadKhan on The Quackening

2 years ago

I have a Quest for Ula's Temple deck which does some similar things, I liked Dreamscape Artist because it can reshuffle your library as needed, incase you don't have a relevant creature to work with on top. It's technically only 1 mana and a card to Harrow (you get back 2 untapped lands, so it can also helping mana fixing) Blue, and I could be wrong but I think your Commander wants the odd Discard outlet too. A worse (but still potentially useful) piece of Blue ramp is Apprentice Wizard, it's not as good as Dreamscape, it's like Worn Powerstone, which is a good rock if you want bigger ramp to potentially cast a big creature a bit sooner. Thran Dynamo and Gilded Lotus are big ramp rocks with decent ratios. Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and Cabal Coffers are pretty good together, if you have a lot of devotion to a colour Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx can help, Deserted Temple can untap any land that makes extra mana. Less rampy and more of a big Scry effect, Soothsaying is a neat card if you care about your deck order. Scroll Rack is better but costs more.

Just a general idea, you might throw in things like Reconnaissance Mission, Bident of Thassa, and Coastal Piracy along with some Unblockable or Shadow creatures (Thalakos and Dauthi are the Blue and Black tribes). You can also throw in stuff like Sword of the Animist, Dowsing Dagger  ^Flip, Prying Blade, Goldvein Pick, Grim Hireling, and any other attack payoffs you can find to generate more value over time. I understand you want a sea-monster theme, but you might want a way to draw some cards/get in some chip damage to soften people up. The only drawback to Shadows is that they can't chump block. If you really want your evasive creatures to be able to chump, there are some small flyers like Spectral Sailor and Thousand-Faced Shadow that have other upsides, these are risk free but are way less evasive than Shadows.

On that note, if you're worried about getting attacked you might look at Propaganda, War Tax, Flood, and Fatespinner are all great ways to make you hard to attack. Mass Diminish, Polymorphist's Jest, Sudden Spoiling, AEtherize, Aetherspouts are all great cards for people to fear.

Callous Oppressor is a funny repeatable theft effect, Ritual of the Machine and Helm of Possession can both steal stuff and are great with tokens, Thieving Skydiver can steal an artifact creature fwiw, Sower of Temptation is a so-so theft effect that shines bright if you can flicker or bounce it, Thalakos Deceiver is probably way better since he permanently steals whatever and can be reanimated, Inevitable Betrayal and Bribery are both pretty sweet.

The biggest (and perhaps best) theft effects are Mass Manipulation and Cultural Exchange, exchange requires bodies but can also be used aggressively to just ruin two players' boards.

Inkwell Leviathan, Lochmere Serpent, Spawning Kraken, Stormtide Leviathan, and Wrexial, the Risen Deep are some relevant creatures I use, some are better than others but there is nothing as bad as Sea Serpent or Bog Serpent, both cards I love but don't use.

If you like Whelming Wave, you might like Spectral Deluge as well.

Hope some of this helps, Big Dimir is a fun deck!