Sisay has the answers | * Hibernation * | Primer

Commander / EDH PartyJ

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A massive deck update, followed by a primer —Aug. 18, 2017

Hello people,

ever since Paradox Engine was spoiled I knew this was going to have a great impact on a competitive Captain Sisay deck like mine. Pretty quick after he was released I added him to the deck. But this was really all I did...

Would this card face a ban in the upcoming ban announcement for being too brutal in certain builds, well time went by and it didn't face the banhammer (yet). This lead to the moment that I finally stepped up the plate and gave this deck a great overhaul, where Paradox Engine became a true showstopper!

This also made me even more focussed to finally complete a first version of a decent Primer for this deck. There is so much going on, that it should all be well explained for anyone visiting the deck.

I am aware that this primer is just a first rough version, so If you spot any (spelling)errors or inconsistancies. then please let me know. I will keep working on it to make it more complete. Especially the 'Combo's and Synergies' section is very incomplete. If you spot great synergies and interactions which have not yet been posted, then please let me know and I will add them. It has to become a complete work of art for any Sisay player.

Finally I would like to thank all people and players who helped me to get to this point. Without the countless times people helped me by posting comments, starting chats or even called me, this wouldn't have been here at all. The 'Hall of Fame' section in this primer is dedicated to honour the exceptional ones....

Thanks for taking the time to read through all this.... and don't forget to come by and leave a comment. It is ALWAYS appreciated....

Best regards,
PJ

PartyJ says... #1

I have just posted a new update at the top of this page.

Knowing that I was pretty absent many, many weeks I felt that an update would be the least I could do.

Have fun reading and I would like to thank anyone who took the time to write a comment in here. Keep up the good work!

March 3, 2017 5:13 p.m. Edited.

Gleeock says... #2

Haha, geez you read my mind with all the Sisay-whispering

1) I also threw in Talisman of Unity, I keep wondering why I didn't use it before2) I will have to re-examine Inventors' Fair, I can think of a few artifacts I'd like to tutor in... and you can't counter it like you can counter planar bridge, (however you can counter the actual casting of the artifact after... so sortof a tossup for me functionwise)

March 3, 2017 9:48 p.m.

Gleeock says... #3

Hmm, correction to an earlier comment I made about Planar Bridge in my deck. I played a round of emperor with Sisay and decided to do things different so I dropped the bridge on to the battlefield... I tutored Seedborn Muse with PB & now I recall that I did not need to tutor Yeva, Nature's Herald because I could just PB out all my permanents on everyone elses turn at instant speed with no color constraint; it probably will free up Yeva's slot for something else for me given that I do not need that particular redundancy.

Also Game Winning Combo for me was: Selvala, Explorer Returned, Selvala, Heart of the Wilds, Paradox Engine -- pretty much able to drop down any instant negation, lockdown, then haste everything and eat everyone's faces with hundreds of damage + lifelink

March 3, 2017 10:38 p.m.

nibsey says... #4

Great deck! +1

March 6, 2017 6:45 a.m.

Calebthelion says... #5

So I was playtesting your deck for a bit and realized that every time I could've combo-d off with Engine I was short a cheap card to cast after casting Engine. So what I'm getting at is that you need Mox Opal. It will make Engine wins so much more consistent.

March 7, 2017 10:21 a.m.

Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers might not be super-strong, but you can tutor for it and creates a small combat trick. It doesn't even enter tapped, which is great.

Others have suggested this card as well, and I concur; Saffi Eriksdotter needs to find a space in this decklist. She insures you against boardwipes, and can sometimes be used as a combo piece.

Heroes' Podium looks like it could be potentially powerful. A Coat of Arms just for you AND it lets you dig in a pinch (say Sisay gets Nevermore'd or commander tax too high)? Sounds incredible; there's no such thing as too much tutoring in EDH.

You could potentially run Karametra, God of Harvests, but you're not running very many basic lands, and Knight of the Reliquary fills this spot nicely. However, she is tutorable, and her giant indestructible body can be really difficult to remove.

Aura Shards is the one of the best repeatable removal tools your color combination has to offer. Since your deck is heavily creature-based, too, this card has high efficiency.

Mirari's Wake gives you the extra mana push you need to cast those giant game-finishing Eldrazi quicker, plus it has an Anthem effect stapled to it. Another card that's excellent in Selesnya colors.

Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger is an incredible creature to have out in multiplayer; you will instantly become the target of attention at the table, but the resource difference you have with your opponents will be super crippling in the meantime.

Bow of Nylea is a toolbox legendary artifact that makes attackers more annoying, and comes with an ability that can do whatever you need it to do. The versatility is great; almost like a alternative/budget Umezawa's Jitte.

March 7, 2017 6:20 p.m.

Also, 38 lands alongside 20 ramp spells might be a little much; I could see cutting down to 36 lands, or swapping out Stone-Seeder Hierophant and Voyaging Satyr, or both. Do you often find yourself topdecking lands a lot or dead draws? You might consider a little more card advantage, even though your commander is a tutor on legs.

March 7, 2017 6:24 p.m.

Nomaddc1 says... #8

Thanks for the input on my deck!

This looks pretty awesome!

Green White has always been my favorite combo.The infinite life combos you can create for yourself are very easy to do, and help immensely!

If you're looking to go this route, consider adding Zuran Orb and Fastbondto the ranks to compliment that Crucible of Worlds you already have in there.

I'm also a fan of the Spike Feeder and Archangel of Thune combo if you want to go even further...

Anyway, Cheers!

March 7, 2017 11:41 p.m.

enpc says... #9

Nomaddc1: Fastbond is VERY banned in commander. Very. The issues with infinite life in commander is that unless you can do something with it, it doesn't really mean anything. There are a lot of decks which win from combo and infinite life isn't going to help you there, especailly when an opponent is making your draw your deck.

March 8, 2017 12:58 a.m.

Worx says... #10

You are most welcome Party.... mutual help to ensure we have best decks in our respective metas is ALWAYS the goal :)

I would suggest that you swap out Mistveil Plains for Bow of Nylea ... yes, drop to 37 lands... Think about it.... Bow is another legendary to get, can put back Inventors' Fair or other graveyarded card.... then again who cares when we will win.

I also highly suggest you swap Dust Bowl for Ancient Den and Sunpetal Grove for Tree of Tales (Sunpetal can not be fetched and is one of those you rely on just getting and maybe... maybe with KoR - which itself can't be tutored. Then I also HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend you get Mox Opal as a ZERO drop legendary rock is ESSENTIAL to an easier win for Paradox Engine - seriously mate - a no brainer. In fact I would even drop a land to get in the Opal .. maybe Razorverge Thicket

Now you know my Sissay deck.... mine is more aggressive towards a reliable turn 3/4 Paradox Engine win, so I swapped out the Loyal Retainers, Sun Titan, Safekeeper and Titania for one drop legends, and Selvala, Explorer Returned is just GODLY with the mana and draw ability on EVERY Paradox Engine trigger..... but also maybe if you do go down that route, you may want to consider Concordant Crossroads for the one drop haste for all creatures - who cares if opponents creatures have haste when you are about to win..... another control option that is FAR cheaper than Dromoka is Dosan the Falling Leaf....

But anyway.... you know I respect and appreciate your deck.... I'll not say anymore at moment.... our decks should be mutually helping one another :)

March 11, 2017 5:39 a.m.

PartyJ says... #11

@ Gleeock : Thanks for your comments. Now that the Fair is in, I had to add the Talisman as well. Especially now we have this Paradox Beast. Gheez, I fear the banhammer. I did not see it very often yet in my playgroup. But I can imagine that many, many decks will abuse it. If it gets banned then I got some serious detox program ahead. I can't imagine it being stripped from this build already; It would feel paradoxal xD

March 11, 2017 6:10 p.m.

PartyJ says... #12

@ Calebthelion Thanks for the good suggestion. Since the change with Paradox Engine non-land ramp became far more impactful. Now that I was upping the rocks count already, I think I should try to squeeze this card in. Possibly by replacing it for Sakura Tribe-Elder.

Thanks!

March 11, 2017 6:17 p.m.

PartyJ says... #13

@ Austin_Smith_of_Cards : Thanks for your indepth comments. It's very appreciated. Let me walk though your suggestions.

I prefer not to play Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers as it does not do a whole lot extra. I need all the mana to keep my pace up for threats entering the battlefield. This land can only be found by Sisay most of the time and Sisay needs to grab threats. I also need cards which are plains and forest for tutors and Knight of the Reliquary.

Saffi Eriksdotter is a card that was once in this deck, but playing aggro I needed the spot for other dedicated cards which supported my build. Now that so much has changed since that call was made to remove him, I could possibly review this card. I will add this card to the maybeboard , as others mentioned as well. It never hurst to give it a look again.... Thanks for the good reminder!

Heroes' Podium feels like it's just a win-more card. I can see it come solid/threatening in certain situations. But those situations I tend to stay ahead of. As this is why is play so agressive.

Karametra, God of Harvests does not fit my ramp approach, as all ramp has been optimized to get Sisay on the battlefield asap. The indestructible is nice, but Avacyn, Angel of Hope covers this role already for the whole battlefield. It just doesn't fit in my aggro build well enough to justify a place.

Aura Shards is a card that is harder to find and with Enlightened Tutor I would not select this card. For consistency reasons it is not here and the few artifacts/enchantments that get pesky, I can answer with other means. The trouble in this build is that all cards should serve a role within the current tactic. If I would grab this card in my opening hand, then it would slow down the ramp suit to get Sisay out asap. More threatening options are then at hand. Basically it is just a great card, but not when you want to outpace your opponents like I try to accomplish. It would be a great sideboard card, if I would run a sideboard.

Mirari's Wake is mostly a card that I look at like my story above; it's great but not that needed atm for my build. For ramp I do have better options, which I can tutor with Sisay, like Selvala, Heart of the Wilds which really gets out of control soon after it lands.

Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger played this card in the past and in a multilayer environment I instantly became the most hated guy at the table for shutting down everybodies game. Meaning that all hate came instantly towards me. Very unpolitical if you still have several opponents waiting to be slaughtered, each on thier given time. But this card gives me 3 red dots on my front head. I prefer not to draw the attention of the whole table all at once.

Bow of Nylea : It's versatile, but it's not game changing, so I never got to use it in a way that it gave me more edge in a game. Other options proved to be more valid at those times, so eventually it was removed a few months ago. Having Sisay means you have an array of threats at your disposal. This just isn't one that will stand out in this build. This card is great in more stax/toolbox style of play Sisay.

Stone-Seeder Hierophant and Voyaging Satyr both untap with Paradox Engine. My precious Gaea's Cradle loves both creatues for giving me so much mana. They are great mana dorks which fulfill an important role early- and midgame.

I know it is hard to suggest cards, as this build is pretty well tuned over the year it now excists. But I really appreciate your efforts in helping me. If you have solid points, then I will always try to answer them and playtest them if it feels promising.

Have a great day sir!

March 11, 2017 7:16 p.m.

PartyJ says... #14

@ Worx : Always glad to see you pop up again :)

The current landcounts feels pretty much optimal. So I am not hapy to tweak this total. But I do see your point about Plains vs. the bow. But I think I do not ever use Sisay for him, knowing I have so many other frightening options to choose from. While the mistveil plains I could fetch using other means if really nessesary. But again, you are the second to point me to this bow. As Austin_Smith_of_Cards recently also did. Let me overthink this futhermore...

The artifact lands are indeed a great addition, now that we know that Mox Opal will be here soon xD I know it's a no-brainer. But I just totally forgot about this mox since this build was relatively low on artifacts until the recent changes.

Sunpetal Grove - - > Tree of Tales

Dust Bowl - - > Ancient Den

I will remove Sakura-Tribe Elder for the Mox Opal as I feel the current ramp package is good and gets even faster now.

I have been testing with Reki as it's an ok card, so i was looking into upgrading his slot to a more powerful route. And it looks like great minds think alike, as I bought a foil Selvala a few days ago and was waiting to get it delivered. Today I got it and I am also going to enjoy the godly interactions you already had the pleasure to play with.

Thanks for yet another great review!

March 11, 2017 7:40 p.m. Edited.

enpc says... #15

I wouldn't recommend cutting Dromoka for Dosan. While Dosan is cheaper, you have to play him combo turn otherwise you can potentially set up an opponent. Dromoka can be played turns earlier and generates value as a lifelinking beater up until combo turn.

March 11, 2017 8:11 p.m.

Emzed says... #16

If you want more artifact ramp, Chrome Mox is another decent option. While it's card disadvantage (similar to Mox Diamond), it enables fast starts and your commander generates so much value that investing cards into landing it early seems very much worth it.

March 11, 2017 8:31 p.m.

Aph1d says... #17

Your commander is really cool!

March 31, 2017 4:33 p.m.

budlaorf says... #18

Hey, I love the deck! Have you considered adding in Defense of the Heart? In just one upkeep, you can play two of your combo creatures.

April 6, 2017 10:52 p.m.

Abhinav7354 says... #19

I think running Karakas might help protect your legendary creatures from spot removal. I would link the card but I don't know how to. Hope this helped.

April 16, 2017 3:45 p.m.

Emzed says... #20

Karakas is banned in EDH.

April 16, 2017 6:29 p.m.

Daedalus19876 says... #21

(Rightfully so, I may add.)

April 16, 2017 6:52 p.m.

Abhinav7354 says... #22

Oh, sorry, I didn't check the legality. My bad.

April 16, 2017 9:29 p.m.

Daedalus19876 says... #23

I think you do need to add Living Plane (or any of the several other enchantments that do the same). The combos with Linvala, Keeper of Silence and Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite are just too perfect, and it gives redundancy for Kamahl, Fist of Krosa.

I know this was previously in the list, but I'd usually want Command Beacon over Winding Canyons, if you're not willing to cut a color-producing land.

Are you going to pick up the new Invocation Loyal Retainers? It's super pretty, I saw someone open one :)

I'm looking through the Amonkhet setlist to see if anything fits, and not much is coming to mind. Maybe Harvest Season to kickstart your ramp? With Avacyn's Pilgrim, Voyaging Satyr, etc it could easily ramp 3 lands on T3. Perhaps one of the monuments? Tutorable cost reduction is nice I guess. Scattered Groves is another dual-land for Knight of the Reliquary. If Oracle's Vault were legendary, it would be neat with Paradox Engine but unfortunately it's not :(

Now that Protean Hulk is unbanned you might find a slot. Can't be tutored, but when it dies you should be able to immediately win.

Hope this helps a bit!

April 25, 2017 4:30 p.m.

Kozilek, the Great Distortion refills the hand and turns Sisay into Tap: Counter Target Spell.

Implore you to reconsider Honor-Worn Shaku and Earthcraft. You're already running a Paradox Engine. Storm your heart out.

I haven't tested Throne of the God-Pharaoh but I'm sure it warrants consideration.

April 25, 2017 7:09 p.m.

Worx says... #25

G'day again mate

I've been tinkering with the new set and modifying my Competitive Captain Sisay deck. Thought I'd report my findings and offer suggestions.

There are four cards that leap to my attention; Prowling Serpopard for that nice protection against counters, plus cheap on a 4/3 body which is good for Selvala, Heart of the Wilds mana count.The cheap LEGENDARY artifacts that make our creatures cheaper AND give bonuses - including creating free creatures on cast of others (more later); Oketra's Monument and Rhonas's Monument. And lastly the other Legendary Wincon; Throne of the God-Pharaoh for that LOSS OF LIFE you give your opponents if they are tricky.... EASY to get all your creatures tapped....

Which brings me onto my next huge find that is just GOLD..... Earthcraft You know you have a lot of those creatures that you wished tapped for mana... well they do - sort of, by untapping your BASIC LANDS, you can potentially have infinite mana.... But yes you run just a few.

My Competitive Captain Sisay is ultra competitive even with disgustingly nasty top tier decks.

OHH.... I'm also loving the shenanigans I can get with Aetherflux Reservoir and Crovax, Ascendant Hero ;)

For your consideration buddy :)

May 7, 2017 2:47 p.m.