Tribute Mage
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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
Modern Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Planar Constructed Legal
Planechase Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Tiny Leaders Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Tribute Mage

Creature — Human Wizard

When this enters the battlefield, you may search your library for an artifact card with converted mana cost/mana value 2, reveal that card, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.

rckclimber777 on Build a Deck with Me …

1 year ago

Sometimes when I'm deckbuilding, I focus less on the commander and more on an interesting concept/combo that I want to use or exploit. This is the case with one of my favorite decks in my profile and actually one of the first commander decks I ever built. This deck began years ago when Magic finally started caring about the EDH format. It was a more simple time then, Rhystic study was $1.27 (exactly the price I paid for mine over 10 years ago), Cyclonic Rift was a bulk rare, and demonic tutor could be found for $10.

The combo that I was interested in was Palinchron and Deadeye Navigator. The latter was my favorite card at the time and is still one of my favorites. It was a great tool and with all the ETB effects that were out around then it was an underrated and uber powerful card. In fact, the entire blink mechanic was and is a very powerful strategy.

When I built this deck, I played a few times in shops and was quickly told that edh is a casual format and interaction of any kind is not fair (was told this by a land destruction deck...) So this deck is definitely more on the competitive side, but it would be the distant fringe of cedh. Alright with that let's get into it.

Initial thoughts

So we have a combo that we like Palinchron and Deadeye Navigator, but we don't even have a commander yet and going mono-blue seems not great, so we want to figure out what color(s) to add and what commander to choose. In a combo deck, there are generally three things that I like to make sure I include beyond the normal ramp, and card draw. That is redundancy, the ability to tutor up my combo pieces, and ways to protect my combo. So when thinking about tutoring up my combo pieces, I generally like to have the best tutors. Those are in black. So things like Wishclaw Talisman, Demonic Tutor, Vampiric Tutor and Imperial Seal (if you have money to burn or your playgroup is fine with you proxying the best cards so you can obliterate their precons j/k I proxy all my expensive cards and put them in a binder in case someone has an issue).

So we have Blue and Black and we can certainly add another color if we wanted to, but at the time I liked Dralnu, Lich Lord because Snapcaster Mage was in standard and flashback was cool. So I stuck with it when I revamped it, but decided that I wanted something that could ensure I can protect my combo from any threat and then also use it to win if I wanted to. The answer came in the form of Ertai Resurrected. He can counter basically anything from spells to activated abilities (which will come in handy) or he can take a threat on the field at the cost of letting your opponent draw a card.

So now that we have our commander, how to build the deck?

Redundancy

Combo decks need redundancy. If you don't get your two cards or one of them gets exiled, you need a backup plan, or scooping is your only option. Fortunately, there are some great redundancies here. We have Ghostly Flicker and Displace. Both of these will blink your creatures (ghostly flicker will also blink artifacts). Displacer Kitten can be helpful too, but I don't own it and it is a little more chaotic than I need it to be. Palinchron is great because you can return it to your hand and potentially play it again and create infinite mana through the use of High Tide, but a similar combo that has added benefits is Peregrine Drake, Archaeomancer, and Ghostly Flicker. This bounces both the drake and the archaeomancer untapping 5 lands, and returning ghostly flicker to your hand. Rinse and repeat for infinite mana. Archaeomancer also will help in returning key counterspells and tutors to your hand. Nothing like doing double duty. Mnemonic Wall and Great Whale also fit here. The great thing about this combo is that each component is useful in and of itself. Bring out your Great Whale early untap some lands and do some other stuff or play out the rest of your combo with the untapped lands. Cast Archaeomancer to grab a used tutor for another combo piece.

One note here, if you get Peregrine Drake (or one of the other two) paired with Deadeye Navigator and you generate infinite mana you can now draw your deck with Ertai as commander: Step 1: Bounce Deadeye, when he enters don't soulbond with anyone.
Step 2: Cast Ertai, don't choose anything or if you want kill one of your opponent's creatures. It doesn't matter.
Step 3: Soulbond ertai and deadeye. Step 4: Bounce Deadeye and while that is on the stack bounce Ertai. Step 5: Ertai enters the battlefield counter the Deadeye bounce on the stack Draw a card Step 6: Soulbond ertai and deadeye again rinse and repeat. Draw as many cards as you need. Which means draw until you find your wincon.

Wincon

Since this is an infinite mana combo we need something to use all that mana. Obviously the activated ability on deadeye is great, but we need something to actually win with. I went with Commander's Insight and Blue Sun's Zenith. Both of these cards are useful even when they aren't being used to force your opponents to draw their cards. Blue Sun's Zenith works nicely because once you cast it goes back into your deck, which I showed above you can draw as many cards as you need so you cast it once, put it in your library draw again until you find it, cast it again on the next opponent, then again. You can also tutor them up or bring them back from the graveyard with the tutors or the archaeomancer/mnemonic wall from earlier. I like this more than straight damage, because if you don't have infinite mana these cards will still draw you cards.

Tutors

This is a fairly simple step, we need some good tutors. There are a number of good choices in black so I won't belabor that too much. I don't have some of the standard ones and feel like the deck performs fine with the ones it currently has. I do have a Tribute Mage in the deck because nearly all my mana rocks are 2 mana and so is Wishclaw Talisman. I found that the consistency with the deck is vastly improved by being able to tutor up my ramp. Also with deadeye I can bounce it multiple times and get more rocks or the talisman.

Protecting the combo

So I needed to figure out how to protect my combo and do so in a way that is flexible or can be used as needed. So Counterspell. Honestly, this part was fairly simple, most blue counter magic is here. Only reason Fierce Guardianship isn't here is because I don't have it. Other than that we have the typical cards here Force of Will, Mana Drain, Cyclonic Rift, Force of Negation, Pact of Negation, etc.

I also have a couple other standouts. Venser, Shaper Savant is great here as it can be bounced with Deadeye Navigator to essentially boomerang my opponent's board and all their spells. Ertai Resurrected also protects the combo and with deadeye becomes a nice repeatable counter/removal spell.

glen_elandra_archmage can be bounced when she has her -1/-1 counter allowing her to be used again and again to counter noncreature spells.

Typical stuff

There is a lot of ramp in the deck, so Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, and other mana rocks including some larger ones like Gilded Lotus and Basalt Monolith to really get the ramp going, the sooner you can get to 7-8 mana the sooner you can combo out.

For card draw some key performers here are Rhystic Study, Black Market Connections, Phyrexian Arena, The One Ring. Mystic Remora. In my initial hand I want to have 3 lands, and one of these/tutor to find one or I typically mulligan.

Special notes

A couple other cards deserve mention here. Time Stretch and Time Warp. These are both repeatable with Archaeomancer and Mnemonic Wall and I can honestly say that if I'm able to resolve either of these, it is unlikely that I'm going to lose, especially Time Stretch. With the ramp in the deck or a well timed Dark Ritual/High Tide I can play this fairly early and get a huge advantage.

Lands

Since this deck tends to be fast, you don't want lands that come into play tapped, so this deck uses fetch lands, shock lands, and duals that have the ability to come in untapped. (there are a couple that come into play tapped, but they are fetchable so I fetch them only when I know that I'm not going to be able to use the mana and only on an opponent's turn.)

I've had this deck for a while and it performs far better than any of my other decks. It always presents interesting lines that if followed will lead to surprising victories. As always let me know what you think in the comments and if you have a commander in mind that you want to see me build put it in the chat.

Here is the final decklist: Unlimited Power!

keizerbuns on Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

1 year ago

Thanks ComboCrazy :D

I did already look at Trophy Mage and Tribute Mage and decided to go with Fabricate because it could fetch any mana value artifact, but I didn’t think about adding removal artifacts like Glass Casket. I’ll give that a try.

ComboCrazy on Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

1 year ago

Personally I think of Tribute Mage and Trophy Mage. Maybe add cards like Glass Casket to make the most of their cmc limitations?

Azoth2099 on Animar

2 years ago

OberstHati

Animar, Soul of Elements is the reason I initially got into Temur, love that guy!

As a longtime brewer of this particular Commander, I'd highly recommend a few cards. Shrieking Drake, Ancestral Statue, Surrak Dragonclaw & Wandering Archaic  Flip are bangers. I'd also recommend running a huge amount of Dorks like Llanowar Elves & Bloom Tender, they offer insane value in conjunction with this particular Commander. If you're not running anti-Artifact Stax like Collector Ouphe, I'd run a few Mana Rocks as well like Sol Ring & Arcane Signet.

If you're really trying to push the power level, cards like Dockside Extortionist, Treasure Nabber, Spellseeker, Imperial Recruiter, Phantasmal Image, Phyrexian Metamorph, Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar, Toski, Bearer of Secrets & Consecrated Sphinx will do just that.

Certain artifacts like Conqueror's Flail, Cloudstone Curio & The Ozolith are also worth thinking about.

Certain other pieces like Trinket Mage, Tribute Mage, Trophy Mage, Goblin Welderfoil & Fauna Shaman can help you quickly Tutor up what you need in a synergistic way, but I'd also recommend Gamble & Worldly Tutor.

multimedia on Rise of the Constructs (Budget)

2 years ago

Hey, for those who are interested, I just made the first Phyrexia ONE upgrades which of course one of them is Encroaching Mycosynth, no explanation needed. Another one is Skrelv, Defector Mite, for more repeatable protection and ways to get more damage in with Urza or a Construct. Skrelv adds a new avenue to winning, poison. It will take a lot of time in game, but poison could now be wincon. The One Commander decks have been revealed and the full ONE set will be revealed this week, then I can get a better idea if any other budget cards are worth adding. I'm keeping my eye on the prices of at least three cards that have potential.

Other big changes have happen, but as a result the deck price has gone up, not much though. Skullclamp has been added because it's very good here with Sword of the Meek + Thopter Foundry, doing everything I want in gameplay: creating flying artifact creatures, repeatable draw, sac outlet for artifacts. The Mages have been added: Tribute Mage and Trinket Mage. They add more budget tutors for artifacts. When I control Encroaching Mycosynth they can be repeatable with Master Transmuter and Anrakyr the Traveller, etc. Tutored for by Sphinx Summoner which then gives me more access to assembling the Sword of the Meek + Thopter Foundry + Time Sieve wincon combo.

Some big cuts have happened, The Flesh is Weak and Vedalken Humiliator are gone. This combo was neat, but Weak not being an artifact is not where I want to be. Encroaching Mycosynth replaces Weak and without Weak I don't like Humiliator. I don't like that Humiliator can't trigger it's ability unless it attacks, consistently he does nothing the turn he ETB, that's not helpful if I'm only playing it for attacking. Encroaching Mycosynth does improves this combo, but I still cut it.

The Flesh is Weak + Vedalken Humiliator combo helped Constructs to attack therefore if cutting it I really should add something else to help combat. Vault of the Archangel is deceptively powerful with Constructs, just having it untapped with enough mana to activate it makes my Constructs essentially unblockable because opponents are not going to risk losing all their blockers to deathtouch + menace. To make it easier to get Vault I added Expedition Map. Another one drop artifact that can be repeatable a number of ways here. If Map isn't getting Vault then it can get an Artifact land Seat of the Synod which is quite good with Master Transmuter or get a sac outlet Phyrexia's Core for Wishclaw Talisman, etc.

burferking on Transmuting Torpor Orb

2 years ago

I wanna swap Dress Down and Dimir Infiltrator for 3 Tribute Mage

WarpedZerghead on Sen Triplets

2 years ago

What I found worked best for a Sen Triplets deck is using blue and white for control so you can have your artifacts do all the work getting combos into play.

Control

Stop players from stopping your fun: the match is yours and they simply haven't realized it yet. Dispatch quickly sets you up for a nasty rebuttal in between whichever counter-spell you choose to deploy. Vindicate, Mortify and Fracture (to name a few..) will help them learn that you mean business.

Land Fetch

Utilizing Esper colors, Black is the tutor-for-all, Blue is great artifact tutoring and White for some artifact but also enchantments. Good enchantments to have on hand are Paradox Haze (which you have) and Artificer's Intuition. Intuition is good because you can use it to get a Sol Ring in hand, another cost artifact you might have, or, any of the following "artifacts that cost :

This cards makes for great and tutoring in a non-green deck as it can be used again and again and there are quite a few you can fetch. Another option is Tezzeret the Seeker that can get you your lands by using the -X ability for 0 to put them into play, unless you want to get a different combo/ramp artifact instead.

Artifact Tutor

Besides the obvious Vampiric Tutor an Demonic Tutor for your get-anything option, there are many options still available for finding the cards you need that are artifact type.

If you are ok with losing a few artifacts, Kuldotha Forgemaster is the ticket as I will sometimes even sac my artifact lands to get better beef on the ground. Otherwise, Sphinx Summoner will get you something in hand and provide you with a flier and a card. Some new cards that play well alongside the Trinket Mage are the Tribute Mage and Trophy Mage cards. Trinket gets you your Sol Ring or another artifact where Tribute and Trophy get you and , respectively.
Artifact-related lands you want to look into are Inventors' Fair for artifact tutoring and Buried Ruin to get something back into your hand from the graveyard.

Ramp Boost

With such a vast array of artifact-type cards - especially mana ramp - you'll want an Unwinding Clock to be sure to keep everyone on edge.

Combo

Combos? We've got combos!
This is my new favorite infinite trigger set using Dross Scorpion + Myr Turbine + any of the following sacrifice outlets:



Steal their Kool Aid

Your Commander will lock a player out of your turn but it also allows you to play their hands. This is a good time to drop any lands they might have in their hands to keep them starved and likewise cast their good ramp spells to get you ahead or continue to lock them out. In the event they finally are able to cast something, you can respond with a Desertion counter-spell (mana permitting) and stick whatever creature/artifact they were trying to cast back in their Vault of Whispers. Thada Adel, Acquisitor and Daxos of Meletis are also nasty foes that puts an opponents deck against themselves. Bribery and Acquire are a malicious and personal jab that should only be used at every chance you get assert your dominance on the board and your opponents deck.

Conclusion

All these cards stand alone from what you can do to further abuse you opponents with just your commanders abilities: it is a multi-pronged deck that throws multiple threats at your enemies making them scramble to deal with one thing while still getting overrun by another.


Have fun...

multimedia on Braids & her Interdimensional Friends

2 years ago

Hey, thanks for all the upvotes at my decks.

Nice start for mono blue and interesting Commander who I don't see played much. You have 101 cards, Desolation Twin could be cut to make 100. It's a much worse Eldrazi then the others.

Your deck could be less price, it's not overpriced garbage, but you could cut the price in half and it would be just as good. Three of the most expensive price cards here are Blightsteel, Ulamog and Betrays, but without more protection, counterspells and some more haste these creatures can be subpar to cheat with Braids because they don't give you value unless they can attack. Each of these creatures is a must kill by opponents. If you don't get to attack the first turn you give your opponents an entire cycle of turns to find an answer which in multiplayer Commander is a lot time. Treasure Mage is another creature who can tutor for Blightsteel.

Consider some more lower mana cost hard counterspells such as Arcane Denial and some creatures who can protect such as Spellskite? Protecting Braids is not as important as protecting what you cheat onto the battlefield because opponents are getting value from Braids too. More one mana instant protection is helpful such as Stubborn Denial and Slip Out the Back which is phasing and it's powerful with Braids.

Swiftfoot Boots is a lesser Greaves, but still fine and wanted in blue that doesn't have haste options. Akroma's Memorial is more price, but it's a big artifact to cheat with Braids that helps to setup other big creatures since it gives haste as well as other attacking abilities. Might also want to play Tribute Mage because can tutor for Greaves.

If you play Blightsteel, Ulamog and Betrays also consider playing some big creatures who give you value without attacking such as Hullbreaker Horror and Tidespout Tyrant? Each are much less price and can pack a punch without attacking. With Braids you'll have mana open to cast spells after your upkeep, use this mana for protection while also getting value from each spell you cast.

Bounce the permanents that your opponents cheat with Braids because the first turns cycle opponents get to trigger Braids before you. Bounce your own clones to clone something else or them. Both of these creatures when you control two them can infinite combo with Sol Ring. Bounce your own creatures who draw to cast or cheat them to draw again. Bouncing Braids can be a smart strategy because sometimes you don't want to give opponents the upkeep trigger and maybe you don't need the trigger.

Phasing, when you can control when a creature phases out is a busted effect with Braids. Vanishing can repeatedly protect Braids if you need that or deny your opponents her trigger because of how phasing works, only phasing in at your untap step. With Vanishing you can phase out Braids at any time or after your upkeep trigger which skips all your opponents upkeeps. It also protects her from opponent's sorcery board wipes which are plentiful in multiplayer Commander. You don't have to phase out Braids, but having the option can be helpful and you can politic with it by letting one opponent have the upkeep trigger and skipping the rest.

A phased out creature also phases out all auras/equipment that's attached to it, Vanishing is protected from removal when Braids is phased out. Vodalian Illusionist can also repeatedly phase out Braids. Combine phase out with Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir to protect during your turn especially any hasty creatures you cheat with Braids. If you can get Teferi down before you cast Braids then you can flash Braids in before your upkeep to trigger her before your opponents.

Consider more draw especially from creatures such as Nezahal, Primal Tide or artifacts such as The Magic Mirror that Braids can cheat? Nezahal is Mystic Remora which is excellent in multiplayer Commander with a big body who can protect itself. With Mirror you can stack the upkeep triggers to draw before Braids trigger. Mulldrifter is a budget creature for draw who can also be easily cast and is a nice target to clone/create token or bounce.

Braids is a Wizard you could take advantage of some Wizard only effects such as Azami, Lady of Scrolls can repeatedly draw two cards by tapping her and Braids. Galecaster Colossus can repeatedly bounce two nonland permanents opponents cheated with Braids. Riptide Laboratory can repeatedly bounce Braids. Combine this effect with Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir to deny your opponents Braids triggers by flash cast her at last opponent's end step and then after your upkeep bounce her with Riptide. Teferi is also a Wizard.

Vedalken AEthermage can Wizardcycle to get any Wizard including Orvar, the All-Form who does count as a Wizard while in your library/hand/graveyard. Vodalian Illusionist is also a Wizard. Wizard's Retort is Counterspell with Braids.

I like the secondary strategy of cloning your own or opponents permanents and/or gaining control of your opponents permanents that they cheat with Braids. You could expand on this strategy with Agent of Treachery, who is more price, but he can gain control of any permanent. He's also not legendary making him an excellent clone/create token target since the more of him you have the easier to control three permanents you don't own to then repeatedly draw. He's a good target to bounce because you don't lose the permanent you gained control of. Clever Impersonator can clone any nonland permanent.

Instants with buyback that target such as Mind Games and Capsize are good with Orvar, the All-Form to repeatedly trigger it. Capsize can be a win condition when you create infinite blue mana which mono blue is quite good at doing. If you want go this route you wouldn't have to add very many cards. In fact Orvar + Peregrine Drake + any buyback instant that targets is a combo for infinite blue mana from Islands as well as infinite Drake tokens as a potential win condition.

Consider more ramp? You're playing a lot of high CMC spells that you're counting on Braids to cheat them, but if you don't control Braids then more ramp could help to cast these spells. More ramp can also help to be able to cast Braids and have mana up for instant interaction the turn you play her.

High Tide is a favorite of mono blue since it's only one mana and playing so many Islands. Caged Sun with or without Braids can help to repeatedly cast almost any spell. Combine Tide/Sun with a draw spell such as Pull from Tomorrow or Blue Sun's Zenith to draw a lot of cards at instant speed, giving you a lot of options of permanents to cheat with Braids.

Good luck with your deck.

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