Protean Chromium, Elder Dragon

Commander / EDH Starsky2814

SCORE: 331 | 164 COMMENTS | 35713 VIEWS | IN 118 FOLDERS


Top rank #1 on 07/08/2018 —July 8, 2018

I just caught a glance that Protean Chromium, Elder Dragon took the #1 top ranked spot on 7/8/18. I am honored to be awarded with such an achievement. Thank you to all those who have upvoted and thank you to everyone who has helped with the construction of this build. Huge shoutout to SynergyBuild. Thank you for all the feedback and suggestions! Let’s take this to greater heights!

akselodd says... #1

Only 30 lands?

July 3, 2018 12:30 p.m.

Starsky2814 says... #2

akselodd, I haven’t encountered any issues so far in play testing. When I run a deck loaded with mana rocks or any heavy ramp, I tend to avoid loading up on lands. If I were to run more basic lands, maybe I’d find it worth it to add Land Tax as a safety net. But, no issues with 30 lands here.

July 3, 2018 12:49 p.m.

what about adding Sovereigns of Lost Alara? could then also throw in Eldrazi Conscription.

July 3, 2018 4:02 p.m.

just noticed you already had eldrazi conscription :p

July 3, 2018 4:03 p.m.

Starsky2814 says... #5

Fiftyshotzlater, good call! I’ll make room for Sovereigns of Lost Alara. Thank you!

July 3, 2018 4:06 p.m.

Gadianten says... #6

I like the deck +1. Your description makes it sound like you expect to draw a bunch of cards off Necropotence and then discard the remainder into the graveyard, if that is the case I should mention that Necropotence exiles discarded cards. I also echo akselodd concerns on the low land count and would recommend going up to at least 36 lands. It may also be worth considering Teferi's Protection as it will protect you and your stuff from unexpected problems and even turn your opponents to board wipes into an advantage as it demolishes everyone elses board state instead.

July 4, 2018 2:08 a.m.

Starsky2814 says... #7

Gadianten, thanks for the +1! Honestly, I totally forgot that Necropotence exiles cards that are discarded. I guess I should RTFC lol. Thanks for catching that. I corrected the statement in the description. I might have to find alternate ways to mass draw then. As for lands, I’ve always been comfortable with a lower land base than usual, when running heavy amounts of ramp. I’ll keep in mind, if things go south with mana. Thanks again!

July 4, 2018 9:58 a.m.

SynergyBuild says... #8

Though I'd usually say run Zur the Enchanter as the commander, that is something I think you have thought of. I'd argue for Karmic Justice, Heliod's Pilgrim, Open the Armory, Winds of Rath, Hanna, Ship's Navigator, etc. but I like the deck!

Flickerform + Sage's Reverie is so good!

July 4, 2018 8:44 p.m.

Starsky2814 says... #9

SynergyBuild, since there is a lot of hype built around Nicol Bolas, the Ravager  Flip and Arcades, the Strategist. I wanted to build an elder dragon myself. So the choice I made was Chromium, the Mutable. Yes, Zur the Enchanter, would definitely be the more competitive option in Esper, indeed. But this is for the sake of elder dragon fun.

Karmic Justice, Winds of Rath and Hanna, Ship's Navigator, could potentially earn a spot in the roster. I’m still working out the kinks with the build and I can’t get any true statistics, until I get some games in with my playgroup.

Unfortunately, through making some tough cuts, such cards as, Open the Armory, Heliod's Pilgrim and Three Dreams, did not make it in with the rest of the Tutor spells. I was finding myself tutoring for other things than auras.

As always, thanks for your feedback and suggestions.

July 4, 2018 11:11 p.m. Edited.

Regoober says... #10

I thought all dragon decks with black had Crux of Fate, but maybe it's just a sideboard card here. I really like the idea of discarding auras to bypass paying for them. It seems like a lot of times, Zur just ends up being better, though (speed, evasion by flying, tutoring). You're on to SOMETHING, though... I just don't know what yet!

July 5, 2018 4:01 a.m.

skoobysnackz says... #11

I'm a big fan of this! looks like a lot of fun. Would Taigam, Sidisi's Hand fit in here? He digs three cards deep every turn and puts your auras directly into the graveyard. Search for Azcanta  Flip seems to me like it could fit a similar role too.

July 5, 2018 5:53 p.m.

Starsky2814 says... #12

Regoober, I’ll have to add Crux of Fate to the sideboard for now. I’ll swap stuff around, if there needs to be elementals of removal and control spells. Thanks for checking out the build! Hopefully, I can brew this up to be something big.

skoobysnackz, thanks for the +1. The deck has been extremely fun in a trial base setting, so far. As for Taigam, Sidisi's Hand and Search for Azcanta  Flip. They both have the potential to be added. I like the top deck filtering they both provide and helps put auras in the graveyard. I’ll have to give them a shot. Thanks again!

July 6, 2018 10:11 a.m.

SynergyBuild says... #13

Too bad no green for Vessel of Nascency, Crop Sigil, etc.

July 6, 2018 10:56 a.m.

Starsky2814 says... #14

SynergyBuild, those would definitely fit the bill, if we had a splash of green. Now I feel like I need to add protection for spells like Replenish, Retether and Open the Vaults. I’m thinking along the lines of Grand Abolisher and Boseiju, Who Shelters All. Any thoughts?

July 6, 2018 12:08 p.m.

SynergyBuild says... #15

City of Solitude is in green ;-;

Autumn's Veil? Wait no... ;-;

--

Silence?, Grand Abolisher is sweet, use Worldly Tutor, Chord of Calling, Sylvan Tutor, or Eladamri's Call to fetch it up. ;-; (No green)

I guess you can run Recruiter of the Guard though. Nice synergy with the enchantress effects like Mesa Enchantress, Sram, Senior Edificer, Kor Spiritdancer, it also hits Eidolon of Countless Battles, Hero of Iroas, Nomad Mythmaker, and Snapcaster Mage.

Otherwise you can run Defense Grid, not great, but not the worst, and I guess more counterspells can help stop them countering your stuff. Seedtime is also fun... DANG IT NO GREEN ;-;

July 6, 2018 12:17 p.m.

Inanity says... #16

I love this. It looks much closer to where I am wanting to go with my own Chromium deck, except much more focused. As I look into it, I'll probably be more focused on auras, given the playability with Replenish, Retether, and Open the Vaults.

I agree with your protection ideas, since they are essentially crucial spells. Boseiju, Who Shelters All and Grand Abolisher are both solid choices, as would be Conqueror's Flail. The one interaction I see that could be troubling is with Open the Vaults being global. Maybe you might think about Leyline of the Void?

July 6, 2018 8:33 p.m.

Starsky2814 says... #17

SynergyBuild, I definitely like the idea of adding Recruiter of the Guard, along with Grand Abolisher. I would also like to make room for Conqueror's Flail, as mentioned by Inanity. It’s getting hard to make room for these additions. I don’t want to deviate from the heavy aura overload. I suppose, something has to give.

Inanity, have you had any success stories with your build? What seems to be working? I keep hearing that I “NEED” to build Chromium, the Mutable as control/stax, first, and any other flavor to be secondary choice. But I’m such an aggro player at heart, it only made sense to me, to have a Voltron build. I love the heavy aura approach. It’s so much fun!

July 6, 2018 10:43 p.m.

Inanity says... #18

I've only had one game so far, and it went pretty well. The game I played involved: Gaddock Teeg, Sliver Overlord, Edgar Markov, and Phenax, God of Deception. To be honest, the Phenax player pretty much won me the game by milling so much of my deck. They didn't see anything coming until I Replenished everything after a Cyclonic Rift and Eldrazi Chromium took out two players in a row, thanks to Karn's Temporal Sundering. The other two scooped after saccing four lands to Annihilator while I still had a fully stacked Chromium.

My meta involves a lot more aggro though, whereas yours looks like it spans the spectrum. I can't say I disagree with the premise, which is why there is still plenty of control in my Chromium deck. I don't play blue and white without making sure that I control the tempo of the game. :-D I still want to tweak it though. There's nothing wrong with an Auratron Aggro/control deck, you just have to find the right balance for your meta.

July 7, 2018 1:06 a.m.

SynergyBuild says... #19

I feel like this list t=should try to be mroe toolboxy in nature.

By running a whole bunch of tutors, you could fetch a Traumatize followed by a Replenish, and then obliterate face, or fetch up a Necropotence and a Library of Leng, so you can draw 20+ cards, and have enough answers to control the board.

I'll build up a list for this, and I will most likely though an easy combo in the deck that can be tutored for as well.

July 7, 2018 9:19 a.m.

Starsky2814 says... #20

SynergyBuild, the combo I thought about adding was Ad Nauseam + Angel's Grace and wrap it up with Sickening Dreams. I definitely would need a control build to protect that combo. Though I am so glad you mentioned Traumatize. That spell sounds perfect in addition to a follow up of a Replenish, Retether, or Open the Vaults. Inanity, would you agree that Traumatize is a must add? After your success with being milled and dropping a bomb like Replenish that sounds like part of the strategy we are looking for.

July 7, 2018 9:53 a.m.

Starsky2814 says... #21

Tunnel Vision, could be another option at milling ourselves, while tutoring for the bomb we need. Just need a way to draw it afterwards.

July 7, 2018 10:08 a.m. Edited.

SynergyBuild says... #22

Below is my toolbox list.

The landbase, and a lot of the deck is the same, except we run 22 tutors.

Otherwise, a the deck is more controlling, and runs the Parallax Wave/Opalescence Combo, as it fits with the enchantment theme, and runs ~9 pieces of enchantment-based removal.

The goal of all of the Grasp of Fate/Imprisoned in the Moon effects is so that Replenish becomes a blowout, with a near assured win. I decided to not go for the Traumatize, and instead Entomb our way to victory. Otherwise, I have found that by running the amount of draw that we do, discarding the bombs naturally actually works out very well.

Other combos to consider: Decree of Silence+Solemnity, Phyrexian Unlife+Solemnity, Enchanted Evening+Aura Thief


Chromium Toolbox

Commander / EDH* SynergyBuild

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July 7, 2018 10:39 a.m.

Starsky2814 says... #23

Great work SynergyBuild! It runs similar to my old Oloro, Ageless Ascetic deck. So I’m no stranger on how to pilot the toolbox build. With all of the tutors included, it looks like it should perform very quickly, and hit a WinCon.

July 7, 2018 11:56 a.m.

SynergyBuild says... #24

Cool I thought that it was cool that Fleshwrither (The only card to use the keyword Transfigure), could fetch Zur the Enchanter. If you want some more tutors on a budget for Zur the Enchanter, Fleshwrither, Dimir House Guard, and Clutch of the Undercity all work, and the transmutes also fetch Replenish/Retether

July 7, 2018 12:17 p.m.

lonely1 says... #25

i thought you couldn't put lands like Verdant Catacombs in a commander deck like this.

July 7, 2018 4:34 p.m.