Niv-Mizzet's Fine Art Gallery

Commander / EDH* Counterspell Scry UR (Izzet) Wizards

Snowday

Spell Counters (14)

• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Cryptic Command
• 1x Desertion
• 1x Disallow
• 1x Flusterstorm
• 1x Forbid
• 1x Force of Will
• 1x Glen Elendra Archmage
• 1x Last Word
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Mindbreak Trap
• 1x Pact of Negation
• 1x Spell Crumple
• 1x Voidmage Prodigy

Creatures (8)

• 1x Arcanis the Omnipotent
• 1x Baral, Chief of Compliance
• 1x Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
• 1x Laboratory Maniac
• 1x Snapcaster Mage
• 1x Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
• 1x Vendilion Clique
• 1x Venser, Shaper Savant

Mana Ramp (6)

• 1x Extraplanar Lens
• 1x Grim Monolith
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Mana Vault
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Tezzeret the Seeker

Mass Removal (2)

• 1x All is Dust
• 1x Cyclonic Rift

Win Condition (2)

• 1x Curiosity
• 1x Ophidian Eye

Lands (32)

• 1x Academy Ruins
• 1x Cascade Bluffs
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 1x Maze of Ith
• 1x Minamo, School at Water's Edge
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Riptide Laboratory
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 20x Snow-Covered Island
• 1x Steam Vents
• 1x Volcanic Island

Utility (9)

• 1x Isochron Scepter
• 1x Jace, the Mind Sculptor
• 1x Mind Over Matter
• 1x Omniscience
• 1x Phyrexian Metamorph
• 1x Sapphire Medallion
• 1x Show and Tell
• 1x Stasis
• 1x Tunnel Vision

Ability Counters (3)

• 1x Stifle
• 1x Time Stop
• 1x Trickbind

Theft (3)

• 1x Bribery
• 1x Commandeer
• 1x Misdirection

Tutoring (2)

• 1x Drift of Phantasms
• 1x Mystical Tutor

Commander (1)

Fishing (10)

• 1x Brainstorm
• 1x Fact or Fiction
• 1x Gitaxian Probe
• 1x Jace Beleren
• 1x Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
• 1x Ponder
• 1x Preordain
• 1x Rhystic Study
• 1x Sensei's Divining Top
• 1x Serum Visions

Extra Turns (6)

• 1x Lighthouse Chronologist
• 1x Part the Waterveil
• 1x Temporal Manipulation
• 1x Temporal Mastery
• 1x Time Stretch
• 1x Time Warp

Reset (2)

• 1x Time Spiral
• 1x Timetwister

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Sideboard

Other (1)

• 1x Melek, Izzet Paragon

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Maybeboard

Utility (11)

• 1x Blightsteel Colossus
• 1x Dream Halls
• 1x Leveler
• 1x Leyline of Anticipation
• 1x Master Transmuter
• 1x Mystic Remora
• 1x Paradox Haze
• 1x Stasis
• 1x Tandem Lookout
• 1x Torrential Gearhulk
• 1x Vedalken Orrery

Reset (3)

• 1x Echo of Eons
• 1x Time Reversal
• 1x Whirlpool Warrior

Spot Removal (2)

• 1x Pongify
• 1x Rapid Hybridization

Mana Ramp (9)

• 1x Chrome Mox
• 1x Gauntlet of Power
• 1x Jeweled Lotus
• 1x Lotus Petal
• 1x Mox Tantalite
• 1x Palinchron
• 1x Sceptre of Eternal Glory
• 1x Sol Talisman
• 1x Timeless Lotus

Tutors (4)

• 1x Dizzy Spell
• 1x Fabricate
• 1x Intuition
• 1x Merchant Scroll

Mass Removal (1)

• 1x Evacuation

Fishing (8)

• 1x Ancestral Vision
• 1x Consecrated Sphinx
• 1x Enter the Infinite
• 1x Impulse
• 1x Memory Jar
• 1x Scroll Rack
• 1x Teferi's Ageless Insight
• 1x Teferi's Puzzle Box

Spell Counters (7)

• 1x An Offer You Can't Refuse
• 1x Arcane Denial
• 1x Archmage's Charm
• 1x Force of Negation
• 1x Rewind
• 1x Spelljack
• 1x Swan Song

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Background

When I first got into M:tG, what drew me in was the art. For over a decade I owned a sizeable collection of cards, but didn't play the game; instead I would just look at the artwork and be enthralled by the wonderful imagery, gathering cards here and there to admire all sorts of art that I thought was beautiful or sublime. Many years of collecting later I decided to finally play the game proper, and have had much enjoyment from it, but my main interest is still the vivid artworks printed on each of the cards. Blue has a certain abstraction to it that feels other worldly, like some sort of surrealist dreamscape that is imaginative and hard to place. My favorite illustration on any card is Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind. After opening a correspondence with the artist Todd Lockwood, he was kind enough to autograph the card for me, and ever since then I had the idea to make my main deck more or less an art gallery for some of the most interesting pieces I could think of while also maintaining some sort of functionality in the deck so that it is also viable in a game. It's been a long time coming, but I think once every last card has been autographed by their respective artist, it will have been worth it (as far in as my own interest in the deck/gallery is concerned, others may disagree but to each their own). There are certainly more robust deck lists out there with more strategy or consistency, but it's not quite as much about it being a competitive deck list as it is being a portable museum for art that I think looks amazing.

Combos

Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind + Curiosity/Ophidian Eye: An obvious combo that speaks for itself. Most of the deck is either to fish for the necessary pieces or to buy time until you get them out. This is your bread and butter.

Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind + Curiosity/Ophidian Eye + Laboratory Maniac: Alternative version of the main win condition, in the event that you're playing against multiple opponents or the life total of your singular opponent is too high to deal lethal damage with Niv. Sometimes your wheel cards get exiled so this expands on the original combo to grant you options. Again, nothing innovative, this isn't exactly a world class decklist.

Stasis + Mind Over Matter: Locks down the board so that you're the only one playing spells. The name of the game is protecting yourself and buying time, a plethora of counterspells help with that but it's always good to have a proactive means of defense.

Tunnel Vision + Spell Crumple/Vendilion Clique: For decking out the most problematic player sooner rather than later in a multiplayer game, or simply an alternative win condition in a two player game.

Tunnel Vision + Spell Crumple/Vendilion Clique + Laboratory Maniac: Using a slightly modified version of the previous setup on yourself helps you win the game without needing to rely on Niv. Red sources aren't always available, so it never hurts to have options.

Kozilek, Butcher of Truth + Maze of Ith: Let's you swing with Kozilek to trigger his annhiliator ability while keeping him safe from damage incase opponents either have enough total power to kill him with blockers or he attacks into a player whose creatures have deathtouch.

Extraplanar Lens + Snow-Covered Island: Normally using the Lens is a double edged sword, letting you ramp while also letting your opponents ramp. Using snow-basics gets around this drawback. Snow-lands are considered their own unique card type, so even sharing the word island doesn't matter since "basic land - island" and "basic snow land - island" are two entirely different cards, meaning that any player who does not play snow-lands will be put at a strict disadvantage.

Date added	1 year
Last updated	4 months
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	20 - 0 Mythic Rares 46 - 1 Rares 7 - 0 Uncommons 7 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.63
Tokens	Morph 2/2 C