Didja Pay the 1? cEDH (GAAIV)

Commander / EDH Control Counterspell Stax Tap/Untap WU (Azorius)

Necramus

Land (29)

• 1x Adarkar Wastes
• 1x Ancient TombGC
• 1x Arid Mesa
• 1x Cephalid Coliseum
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 1x Glacial Fortress
• 1x Hallowed Fountain
• 1x Hengegate Pathway  ^Flip
• 6x Island
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Mystic Sanctuary
• 1x Otawara, Soaring City
• 1x Plains
• 1x Plains
• 1x Plains
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Prismatic Vista
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 1x Tundra
• 1x Urza's Saga
• 1x Windswept Heath

Sorcery (9)

• 1x Gitaxian Probe
• 1x Ponder
• 1x Idyllic Tutor
• 1x Search for Glory
• 1x Solve the Equation
• 1x Windfall
• 1x Armageddon
• 1x Emeria's Call  ^Flip
• 1x Sea Gate Restoration  ^Flip

Planeswalker (4)

• 1x Narset, Parter of VeilsGC
• 1x Teferi, Master of Time
• 1x Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
• 1x Tezzeret the Seeker

Instant (20)

• 1x Brainstorm
• 1x Enlightened TutorGC
• 1x Flusterstorm
• 1x Mental Misstep
• 1x Mystical TutorGC
• 1x Silence
• 1x Spell Pierce
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Cyclonic RiftGC
• 1x Delay
• 1x Dovin's Veto
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Mana Leak
• 1x Muddle the Mixture
• 1x Narset's Reversal
• 1x Negate
• 1x Fierce GuardianshipGC
• 1x Force of Negation
• 1x Sphinx's Revelation
• 1x Force of WillGC

Creature (12)

• 1x Esper Sentinel
• 1x Archivist of Oghma
• 1x Deep Gnome Terramancer
• 1x Drannith MagistrateGC
• 1x Gilded Drake
• 1x Lion Sash
• 1x Malevolent Hermit  ^Flip
• 1x Stoneforge Mystic
• 1x The Reality Chip
• 1x Aven Mindcensor
• 1x Recruiter of the Guard
• 1x Phyrexian Metamorph

Commander (1)

Artifact (17)

• 1x Chrome MoxGC
• 1x Jeweled Lotus
• 1x Lotus Petal
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Mox DiamondGC
• 1x Mana VaultGC
• 1x Sensei's Divining Top
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Azorius Signet
• 1x Damping Sphere
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Grim MonolithGC
• 1x Imposter Mech
• 1x Talisman of Progress
• 1x Helm of Obedience
• 1x Helm of the Host

Enchantment (8)

• 1x Mystic Remora
• 1x Copy Artifact
• 1x Counterbalance
• 1x Dress Down
• 1x Rest in Peace
• 1x Stasis
• 1x Rhystic StudyGC
• 1x Smothering TitheGC

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Sideboard

Enchantment (4)

• 1x Steal Enchantment
• 1x Aura of Silence
• 1x Thought Lash
• 1x Future Sight

Sorcery (3)

• 1x Paradigm Shift
• 1x Reshape
• 1x Bribery

Creature (3)

• 1x Snapcaster Mage
• 1x Thassa's OracleGC
• 1x Magus of the Future

Artifact (2)

• 1x Manifold Key
• 1x Cursed Totem

Instant (3)

• 1x Lose Focus
• 1x Teferi's ProtectionGC
• 1x Whir of Invention *f-pre*

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Emphasis on casting GAAIV on turn 1/2, deploying stax pieces, breaking parity, abusing artifacts, and generating as much card advantage as possible while we -in best Teferi voice- "slow things down."

Counterbalance + Sensei's Divining Top

Helm of Obedience + Rest in Peace

Smothering Tithe + Stasis

Grand Arbiter Augustin IV + Helm of the Host

The goal of this deck is to thrive in the top deck portion of the game. While we seek to disrupt our opponents' combos, we're deploying stax to create an uneven playing field for our own advantage through things like Stasis and Teferi, Hero of Dominaria or Tezzeret the Seeker + mana rocks. We can keep people from digging back out from under us with things like Armageddon and Narset, Parter of Veils + Windfall. Sensei's Divining Top + Counterbalance can help us keep our opponents from just winning the game while we're waiting to draw the next bomb or once we've emptied our hand of counterspells (sidenote- be sure to keep a fetch on tap for the shuffle effect during this particular boardstate.) This deck was largely influenced by the "Smothering Arbiter" build on the cEDH database. Since it has now been retired, I'm seeking to keep the spirit of that deck intact through my own adventures in the cEDH environment. All feedback and suggestions are welcome! I'm currently eyeballing Emergency Powers as a budget alternative to Timetwister, though I'm certain I'll end up acquiring one at some point.

Baldur's Gate Update 06/09/2022:

Archivist of Oghma in for Cursed Totem. Totem turns off the newly added Lion Sash and The Reality Chip, which have both proven to be absolute houses.

Deep Gnome Terramancer in for Snapcaster Mage. Snappy boi was largely in the deck in lieu of another counter spell effect, but was very often a dead draw that sat in hand. This slot is definitely a test slot. Terramancer can enable a T2 GAAIV, but I'm actively testing to get a feel for the ceiling/floor on this guy.

Thanks for checking out the deck!

-Necramus

Top Ranked	Achieved #38 position overall 3 years ago Achieved #30 position in Commander / EDH 3 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH WU (Azorius) 3 years ago
Date added	4 years
Last updated	1 year
Key combos	Helm of Obedience + Rest in Peace Counterbalance + Sensei's Divining Top Smothering Tithe + Stasis Grand Arbiter Augustin IV + Helm of the Host
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	15 - 2 Mythic Rares 49 - 9 Rares 16 - 2 Uncommons 10 - 1 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.27
Tokens	Angel Warrior 4/4 W, Construct 0/0 C, Copy Clone, Emblem Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, Treasure
Folders	B and a half decks, My friends are tryhards and so then must I, Possible Future Builds, GRAND ARBITER AUGUSTIN IV, May Use, Grand Arbiter $TAX, Neat Lists, future builds, Retired