Vadrok, Apex of Thunder

Legendary Creature — Elemental Dinosaur Cat

Mutate {1}{WU}{R}{R} (If you cast this spell for its mutate cost, put it ontop or underneath target non-Human creature you own. They mutate into the creature that is on top and that creature has all the abilities of every card that is underneath it.)

Flying, first strike

Whenever this creature mutates, you may cast target noncreature card with converted mana cost 3 or less from your graveyard without paying its mana cost.

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
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (40)

Gidgetimer on Mutate, Mutate, Mutate, Mutate

7 months ago

When you loop Vadrok, Apex of Thunder via Double Major you only cast a creature with mutate once. The copies made with Double Major are created on the stack and are not cast. Having Pollywog Symbiote on the battlefield allows you to have the non-creature spell card in your hand or on top of your library in addition to already being in the graveyard. However; it does not allow you to loot through your deck.

G1ngr on Mutate, Mutate, Mutate, Mutate

7 months ago

Ooooohhhh also, thank you for explaining the mechanism of the Vadrok, Apex of Thunder Double Major interaction. I was completely lost on the order of operations in it! I do think my selections of instants are slightly silly given the mechanism involved in the combo, also wouldn't Pollywog Symbiote let you do this combo without needing to have played any instants earlier? If it's on the board while this combo happens it makes you draw + discard infinite cards?

Gidgetimer on Mutate, Mutate, Mutate, Mutate

7 months ago

On the subject of Vadrok + Double major, it does give infinite mutate triggers (assuming you have a non-human creature on the battlefield). With any of the non-creature cards not named Double Major in the graveyard it gives infinite damage.

1. Cast Vadrok, Apex of Thunder via mutate targeting the non-human.
2. Cast Double Major targeting Vadrok
3. Double Major resolves making a copy of the Vadrok spell targeting the non-human and going to the graveyard.
4. Copy Vadrok resolves giving mutate triggers.
5. Steps 2-4 ad infinitum. You now will get multiple copies of Vadrok's mutate trigger and can cast the other non-creature spell between double major casts.

The way each other non-creature spell gives infinite damage is:

• Igneous Inspiration and Prismari Command deal damage.
• Solve the Equation fetches Prismari Command. Brings the mana needed up to 9.
• Field Trip learns getting Start from Scratch out of the sideboard. Then learns on the next loop allowing you to discard Start from Scratch.

The combo isn't really competitive Modern viable. But the tags say this is a casual deck, so it is a fun interaction.

G1ngr on Mutate, Mutate, Mutate, Mutate

7 months ago

Some minor counter-notes. Paradise Druid (less so than polly( and Pollywog Symbiote can easily combo with Migratory Greathorn and double major for fast(ish), 8 mana(over first 3/4 turns) for 6 or so lands, so you'd be up ~4 lands in most context. If I were to refine this deck I'd probably focus on that aspect, since this ideally would be a hard ramp deck into auspicious starixx and high cost other cards and ramp cards.

Auspicious starixx with double major is worth playing (play ur whole deck!)

also, while pretty complicated and kind of non-functional, Double Major with Vadrok, Apex of Thunder and a damaging spell, possibly Lightning Bolt or Lava Spike (probably lightning bold cuz cheap removal) can easily finish games or one shot depending on circumstance. The interaction here with the stack is pretty archaic, and the sources I drew from when building this were to say the least, unreliable (I was told you could infinite with Vadrok + Double major)

I do agree on moving focus away from my ramp sorc. tap lands, and tutors, since this deck could play early really well with some 1 cost instants and creatures. Also, draw is a problem for this deck as it is. If you don't pull a ramp combo or winning combo you basically just lose. I struggle to figure out how the heck draw and card management spells work, just as a being, so if you want to help more thank you.

ClockworkSwordfish on Good Cards That You Just …

2 years ago

I have a real loathing for all the "kitchen sink" cards that have been cropping up more and more lately - the type that give you a ton of fiddly little incremental advantages. Strixhaven was especially bad for this. Things like Magma Opus, Culmination of Studies, Multiple Choice, Pestilent Cauldron  ^Flip, Scale the Heights... there's being versatile, then there's being overdesigned and obnoxious.

The same goes for creatures with a number of "might as well" abilities that are likely to never come up in actual gameplay. Questing Beast is perhaps the worst offender, but Moritte of the Frost, Vadrok, Apex of Thunder, Koma, Cosmos Serpent, Graveyard Trespasser  ^Flip, Orvar, the All-Form, any double-sided creature... these things aren't even fun to read.

Crow_Umbra on [retired] Brokkos Buried in this Jungle

2 years ago

Thank you for the suggestions ClockworkSwordfish. I do like River Kelpie a bit more, mostly because it can trigger off of other people's stuff, and isn't as dependent on my own triggers like Secrets of the Dead. I used Secrets of the Dead for a bit in a Vadrok, Apex of Thunder build I used to run, but it felt too inconsistent.

Progenitor Mimic is pretty cool. I used to run it in an Adrix and Nev, Twincasters deck I had. I think I might've had it in an early version of Brokkos, but removed it because I wanted to keep my Creature CMC peak at 5. I didn't really want many other creatures competing with Brokkos in terms of CMC.

Neotrup on Vadrok and Lore Drakkis Mutate …

2 years ago

When you Vadrok, Apex of Thunder mutates onto/under Lore Drakkis, both abilities go on the stack, in either order, and must target. If Lightning Axe is the only card in your graveyard, both will have to target it. If Vadrok's ability resolves first, you may choose whether or not to case Lightning Axe (discarding Lightning Bolt to do so), and it will resolve before Lore Drakkis's ability. While Lightning Axe will be back in your graveyard before the ability resolves, it will be a new object and no longer the target of the ability, so Lore Drakkis's ability will fizzle and both Lightning Bolt and Lightning Axe will be in your graveyard. If you either choose not to case Lightning Axe or let Lore Drakkis's ability resolve first, Lightning Axe and Lightning Bolt will both end up in your hand.

TanhelNet on Vadrok and Lore Drakkis Mutate …

2 years ago

Could someone explain me the possibilities with Vadrok, Apex of Thunder when i mutate it on (or under) Lore Drakkis? I had a difficult situation with Lightning Axe in my graveyard, where i didn't knew if i could cast the spell with Vadrok or get it back on my hand because of Drakkis's ability. In addition, i'd like to know if, in any way, the following combo would be possible:

Lightning Axe in my graveyard, Lightning Bolt on my hand.

Mutate either Vadrok, Apex of Thunder on/under Lore Drakkis or vice versa, to cast Lightning Axe for free from the graveyard, discarding Lightning Bolt as additional cost and return Lightning Bolt with Lore Drakkis ability.

Thank you very much for the answer.