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The Mind-Razing Monarch

Commander / EDH* Bracket 5 Goodstuff Group Hug Group Slug Infect Theme/Gimmick UBR (Grixis) Wheels

Andramalech

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Land (33)

Enchantment (3)

Instant (23)

Artifact (11)

Commander (1)

Commander: Nekusar, the Mindrazer

Creature (18)

Sorcery (11)

Sideboard

Creature (6)

Instant (4)

Sorcery (1)

Maybeboard

Sorcery (1)

The following is a Blue, Black and Red (Grixis)-colored () construction meant to utilize Nekusar, the Mindrazer as the commander.

A Story Forgotten, A Legend Yet Untold

The Lich King

So I have a bit of an obsession for Nekusar, and this deck helps me kind of express that passion for him and my crazy conspiracies in a somewhat positive way. I guess that depends on your opinion of what 'Group Hug' should mean. Anyways, here's my headcanon:

(taken from the Fandom Wiki page)

'Nekusar, the Mindrazer is a legendary zombie wizard from an unknown plane..'

..who has long been theorized (albeit shoddily) to have been from the plane of Fiora.

If you accredit the fact that..

'Nekusar is a former king who schemed to retain his power even after death. In life, he was an unpopular ruler with many enemies and was obsessed with the machinations of his court and threats to his reign..'

..the description we're given by WoTC is that Fiora is a devious plane, resembling New Capenna among a royal setting.

'His enemies speculate that his brutal death and subsequent rebirth have been Nekusar's plan all along.'

And if this is the case, then it's a definitive flavor win if he's from the plane of Fiora.

(I guess a tinfoil hat could be considered a crown..)

I Wheel-y tried to have Fun

This deck has gone through a couple different iterations and in that time the power scale has been as low as / and as high as fringe competition for cedh. I've had input from NoobNoob275 and a few others like Savage_savior6 and SaskiaKnight711. I think right now the deck will remain comfortably at a / on the power scale.

This deck is constructed following playing with a high-power variant, and my intention is to focus on some super cool proxy-art I have found on mpcfill.com. A few different artists have uploaded really cool Dnd Module based artwork and frames, so I intend to make that the focus of the deck.

Over time, the list has gone through so many changes that I barely recognize some of the original, very poorly chosen pieces that no longer sit in any of my main roster builds. Why? They were simply too slow.. and we're here to do hurtful, brutally savage things to our opponents. Right?

I have previously built Nekusar with mill, discard, and damage trigger themes. It wasn't a very competitive deck and it was one of my earliest Commander decks. I featured stuff like Fraying Sanity, Glimpse the Unthinkable, and Shadow Kin. While this was a lot of fun in terms of early-developed deck ideas, I have grown to recognize that I want to utilize Nekusar in many different facets.

Most of the ways I want to use Nekusar were not really that competitive, so again.. I had to learn how to be most efficient with my moves.

Using Spells to reach Greatness, at any cost..

The Lich 01

I had also used this deck where it was built to a competitive meta. The deck (aimed) to have access to a turn two win, through cards like Lion's Eye Diamond and Underworld Breach, Thassa's Oracle and Demonic Consultation, Tainted Pact, etc. I did appreciate the concept of being able to end a game effectively before it ever truly began, but the likelihood of lining up these pieces was there, however anti-climactic it made me feel. Personally, I felt as though the intellect required for such plays was above the level where I had the most fun.

This deck was requested by NoobNoob275 so that I might have a more competitively tuned deck, in light of the fact that our playgroup has recently acquired much stronger archetypes. I mean, infinite mill with Brain Freeze was arguably the least I could do to try and hang. I think rather than continue to follow in these antics, I can commit myself to having a lot more fun in the deck's current iteration.

Let's get Chaotic

Unlike my previous frame-work for Nekusar as a deck, I'm returning to a more casual play-style with less focus on actually winning and more focus on being chaotic, countering spells, interfering with winning turns, etc.

I have an idea for some really cool, thematic engagement where Nekusar is painted in a light of a completely book-savoring, voracious for knowledge type of character that pours over old tomes, scriptures, anything involving magic in order to further his own goals. I pitch that Nekusar is a gorgeous example of madness encompassing your every move after throwing your soul to the power.

I have previously described this deck as '..(Nekusar) is a legs kicked up, hanging out kind of commander for me. So I will be using him for a good time that occasionally might win when the wheels (no pun intended) fall off..' so I think this will be the main inspiration for how I rebuild my list.

Continuously looking for feedback on this deck, as I have not yet given up hope that Nekusar will be further explored in another set. I'm happy to talk and discuss any tactics that people might think are fun or I have possibly overlooked, but my logic is this:

If characters such as Kaervek the Merciless can see relevance and a return to the spotlight (not just once as nod in a core set like with Kaervek, the Spiteful but then again with Kaervek, the Punisher) then I do believe that it's certainly possible that we could see another variant of Nekusar, and not just one that is a reprint of his former iteration.

Regardless of how or why you have a passion or hatred for Nekusar, please feel free to drop me an upvote and discuss your passion or beef with my favorite insane skeleton sorceror!

Suggestions

Updates Add

Mainboard Updates v.4 — July 3, 2025
Edit

The following are mostly mechanical changes to help the deck succeed more consistently. Most of these changes were influenced by the input of SufferFromEDHD.

  • Baleful Mastery was the chef's kiss removal spell and should be considered here, but I haven't found the shimmy room quite yet. I think the card to remove is Lore Broker but the capability to repeat the draw is alluring- maybe instead this replaces Whispering Madness.

  • Witch's Clinic helps offset the long list of life-draining spells this deck uses. Greatness comes at a steep cost, and giving anything we have a recurring ability like Lifelink will keep me in the game for an annoyingly longer amount of time. It is for this reason that Riveteers Overlook is coming out of the mainboard.

  • Urza's Saga does in fact fetch the Top easily, and that's really the only reason I need to have to include the land. Other targets include the low cost cast in the mainboard, like Mana Vault and Sol Ring, Chrome Mox, etc.

  • Sensei's Divining Top is being added because unbeknownst to Suffer, this happens to be one of if not my favorite artifacts of all time (sorry Mox Opal). So this card is being added back because as they pointed out, it helps feature the use of the Dark Confidant with more success, and piggybacks the same effect style as Ripples of Undeath, where we're just trying to find our combo piece.

  • Then comes the question of arguably the coolest addition to the main roster, someone I've already been familiar with. Very wild stuff indeed, SufferFromEDHD- I am adding Lier, Disciple of the Drowned to the mainboard. Due to the fact I have Minds Aglow in the mainboard, I'll be removing Prosperity.

Another great addition and a few more successfully revised cards! Glad to have the interaction with SufferFromEDHD and the commentary from FormOverFunction.

The Mad King's Court — June 2, 2025
Edit
Banned & Restricted Announcement: 2025 — April 26, 2025
Edit
Mainboard Updates v.3 — Feb. 27, 2025
Edit
Mainboard Updates v.2 — June 10, 2024
Edit
Mainboard Updates v.1 — Feb. 23, 2024
Edit

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Casual

97% Competitive

Revision 31 See all

(22 hours ago)

+1 Samut, Tyrant of Naktamun side