EDH - Nicol Bolas, the Ravager

Commander / EDH* Control Creatureless Theme/Gimmick UBR (Grixis)

Tarzanovic

Mana (46)

• 1x Blightstep Pathway  ^Flip
• 1x Blood Crypt
• 1x Canyon Slough
• 1x Cascade Bluffs
• 1x Choked Estuary
• 1x Clearwater Pathway  ^Flip
• 1x Coalition Relic
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Commander's Sphere
• 1x Crumbling Necropolis
• 1x Dimir Signet
• 1x Dragonskull Summit
• 1x Drowned Catacomb
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Fetid Pools
• 1x Gem of Becoming
• 1x Graven Cairns
• 3x Island
• 1x Izzet Signet
• 1x Luxury Suite
• 1x Mirrorpool
• 1x Morphic Pool
• 2x Mountain
• 1x Rakdos Signet
• 1x Reflecting Pool
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Riverglide Pathway  ^Flip
• 1x Smoldering Marsh
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Steam Vents
• 1x Sulfur Falls
• 1x Sunken Hollow
• 1x Sunken Ruins
• 3x Swamp
• 1x Temple of Deceit
• 1x Temple of Epiphany
• 1x Temple of Malice
• 1x Temple of the False God
• 1x Training Center
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Watery Grave

Control (12)

• 1x AEtherize
• 1x Crosis's Charm
• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x In Bolas's Clutches
• 1x Insurrection
• 1x Macabre Mockery
• 1x Memory Plunder
• 1x Praetor's Grasp
• 1x Reins of Power
• 1x Rise of the Dark Realms
• 1x Slave of Bolas
• 1x The Scarab God

Knowledge (8)

• 1x Dark Petition
• 1x Deep Analysis
• 1x Deliver Unto Evil
• 1x Finale of Revelation
• 1x Increasing Ambition
• 1x Mastermind's Acquisition
• 1x Mystical Tutor
• 1x Rhystic Study

Death (6)

• 1x Bedevil
• 1x Dark Intimations
• 1x Terminate
• 1x The Elderspell *f-pp*
• 1x The Eldest Reborn
• 1x Torment of Hailfire

Destruction (5)

• 1x Blasphemous Act
• 1x Crux of Fate
• 1x Damnation
• 1x Hour of Devastation
• 1x Vandalblast

Clone (2)

• 1x Clever Impersonator
• 1x Phyrexian Metamorph

Commander (1)

 ^Flip

Manipulate (9)

• 1x As Foretold
• 1x Bolas's Citadel
• 1x Expropriate
• 1x Leyline of Anticipation
• 1x Mirage Mirror
• 1x Omniscience
• 1x Patient Rebuilding
• 1x Propaganda
• 1x Vedalken Orrery

Counter (7)

• 1x Arcane Denial
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Countersquall
• 1x Cryptic Command
• 1x Disallow
• 1x Ionize
• 1x Soul Manipulation

Power (4)

• 1x Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God
• 1x Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh
• 1x Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
• 1x Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver

---

As I desire, so it shall be.

The Second Sun, Forever Serpent, the Horned One, God-Pharaoh... The Mind-Ripper, the Deathbringer, the winged dark that terrifies your dreams... Or Simply Nicol Bolas.

I have been wanting to make a bolas themes deck for quite a while, just never really saw a good start. With the release of Nicol Bolas, the Ravager  , I thought this the perfect opportunity! So here goes:

The Theme and the Commander

Theme: This deck is meant to BE Bolas. He's not just the Commander... he is YOU!

Everything this deck does embodies his power:

Counter, Control, Manipulation, Knowledge, Death, and Destruction... Power itself!

As such, the deck contains basically no "true" creatures but Bolas himself, but do you really need more?

(Sure, technically there is The Scarab God, but lets face it, he's more useful for his abilities than as a creature!)

All of your creatures will depend on what the opponent is playing, and you should aim to use it best to your advantage.

Commander: Nicol Bolas, the Ravager   drops down as a 4/4 with flying and an upside. I'd never put it down turn 4 without a really advantageous position... wait to have some basic protection in the form of a Counterspell at the ready. After all we want to keep him around long enough to flip him over...

Nicol Bolas, the Arisen   - Card draw, removal, Control... really the whole package! Keeping him alive might be an issue if he has no one to protect him, which is where the rest of the deck comes in...

Counter and Control

Counter: Cards like Arcane Denial, Counterspell, Countersquall and the like all serve to keep your opponents in check. Since you don't have (m)any creatures of your own, this is your protection.

You cant really control the entire table all the time, so focus on things that will present a problem for you. Unless you can take them for yourself, some things are just better off in the graveyard...

Control: Of course, your opponents are also your best tool. Yawgmoth's Vile Offering, In Bolas's Clutches and Slave of Bolas let you use their own summons against them, while Cyclonic Rift, Chaos Warp and Crosis's Charm serve to remove those big threats if needed.

Manipulation and Knowledge

Manipulation: Why play fair when you can have it your way? Omniscience, Leyline of Anticipation, Vedalken Orrery, As Foretold... these let you do what you want when you want it. Keep them safe!

Knowledge: All that power means nothing if you cant use it. Card draw and tutors are essential! Damnable Pact and Pull from Tomorrow can dig deep for answers, while Mystical Tutor, Increasing Ambition and Dark Petition let you find the ones you need most!

Death and Destruction

Death: Targeted removal to get rid of any troublemakers. Great for big dumb creatures you cant control. Some of it is direct targeting like Terminate or Dreadbore, while other let you opponents choose what dies... Torment of Hailfire, The Eldest Reborn and Dark Intimations.

Destruction: Sometimes one by one is not enough, and you have to bring out the big guns... Damnation, Hour of Devastation, Crux of Fate... Let them know none survive!

Power {U}{B}{R}

And finally, Bolas's true form!

Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver Nicol Bolas, the Arisen  

Simply put, these abilities are overwhelming. Of course, getting them to stick on the board is a challenge, but it wouldn't be much fun if it was easy... Use them wisely, and watch your enemies suffer!!

So, that being said, if you like it, give it a +1.

Special thanks to the Commander VS team, since they gave me the basis for this deck. I just improved it to my liking. :)

Suggestions to improve it are welcome! Just keep in mind that the theme is Bolas, so it has to reflect his nature! If you make a suggestion to add a card, please also add which card to replace!

Date added	5 years
Last updated	11 months
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	14 - 0 Mythic Rares 52 - 0 Rares 15 - 0 Uncommons 11 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	4.05
Tokens	Copy Clone
Folders	Cool Stuff, Good Stuff, Interesting, Sample Decks, stuff i wanna buy, Cool Decks, saved