Trinkets For Cheap

Pauper EDH Mono-Blue

ClockworkSwordfish

Instant (19)

• 1x AEther Tradewinds
• 1x Brainstorm
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Devious Cover-Up
• 1x Displace
• 1x Dizzy Spell
• 1x Downsize
• 1x Ghostly Flicker
• 1x Hysterical Blindness
• 1x Keep Watch
• 1x Lethargy Trap
• 1x Muddle the Mixture
• 1x Peel from Reality
• 1x Put Away
• 1x Repulse
• 1x Run Away Together
• 1x Select for Inspection
• 1x Teferi's Time Twist
• 1x Voyage's End

Sorcery (9)

• 1x Drafna's Restoration
• 1x Dream Cache
• 1x Of One Mind
• 1x Read the Tides
• 1x Rush of Knowledge
• 1x Theft of Dreams
• 1x Treasure Cruise
• 1x Treasure Hunt
• 1x Unexplained Vision

Enchantment (5)

• 1x Aqueous Form
• 1x Essence Flare
• 1x Fate Foretold
• 1x Jace's Erasure
• 1x Mana Chains

Creature (17)

• 1x Archaeomancer
• 1x Canal Courier
• 1x Deranged Assistant
• 1x Dreamscape Artist
• 1x Drift of Phantasms
• 1x Havengul Skaab
• 1x Jace's Phantasm
• 1x Marchesa's Emissary
• 1x Ornithopter
• 1x Prescient Chimera
• 1x Sage's Row Denizen
• 1x Scrivener
• 1x Sigiled Starfish
• 1x Soul of the Rapids
• 1x Sphinx's Disciple
• 1x Spined Megalodon
• 1x Stormbound Geist

Land (33)

• 1x Ash Barrens
• 1x Bant Panorama
• 1x Darksteel Citadel
• 1x Desert of the Mindful
• 1x Esper Panorama
• 1x Evolving Wilds
• 1x Grixis Panorama
• 20x Island
• 1x Lonely Sandbar
• 1x Mystic Sanctuary
• 1x Seat of the Synod
• 1x Skyline Cascade
• 1x Terramorphic Expanse
• 1x Warped Landscape

Commander (1)

Artifact (16)

• 1x Conjurer's Bauble
• 1x Darksteel Pendant
• 1x Explorer's Scope
• 1x Feldon's Cane
• 1x Flayer Husk
• 1x Golem-Skin Gauntlets
• 1x Lens of Clarity
• 1x Prismatic Lens
• 1x Prying Blade
• 1x Seer's Lantern
• 1x Shard of Broken Glass
• 1x Spidersilk Net
• 1x Springleaf Drum
• 1x Tormod's Crypt
• 1x Universal Solvent
• 1x Witching Well

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Maybeboard

Artifact (1)

• 1x Wayfarer's Bauble

Creature (1)

• 1x Workshop Assistant

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As anyone who has played against a blue EDH player knows, Trinket Mage is a four mana Sol Ring that comes with a free 2/2. In Pauper EDH, however, we don't have a Sol Ring. So, what does Trinket Mage do in Pauper EDH?

Options

If you're a traditionalist, you could do worse than fetching Springleaf Drum . At common, it's a mini-Sol Ring that can get you ahead on mana. Having access to that level of ramp in a blue deck's command zone certainly isn't a bad play. Other mana options including Prying Blade , Darksteel Citadel and Seat of the Synod . Each one has potential depending on what's in your hand and how late in the game you're casting your Trinket Mage.

It's always important to have tutorable options that solve problems: Ornithopter comes down turn three to block flyers, Tormod's Crypt can sabotage graveyard-based decks, and Universal Solvent can... universally solve anything.

The First Pick

Though there are many options, perhaps the most interesting option is a trinket that gets no love: Lens of Clarity !

Now I know what you're thinking - it's a lousy card. And you're right... in theory. In practice, however, it can do a lot more than you'd ever guess. If Springleaf Drum is like a mini- Sol Ring , then you can maybe think of the Lens as a mini- Sensei's Divining Top . Sure, the Top is a far better card, but the Lens can do some handy things the Top could never dream of. The fact that it takes no mana to look at the top of your library may not seem significant, but trust me - if you're spending your mana wisely, it really is.

How To Use the Lens

Something very important to know about the Lens is that it doesn't use The Stack... at all. You can look at the top card of your library at any time regardless of priority or restriction, even mid-resolution. To see how this is significant, consider its interaction with Jace's Erasure . We are all conditioned to believe that when an ability triggers, the first thing that needs to happen is that the triggering player assigns targets. This is pretty much universally true, except when it isn't. Lens of Clarity represent one of those extremely rare exceptions to the rule: because it has no use for the stack, before assigning a target, you can freely look at the top card of your library. So every time you draw a card, you can see whether you want to keep your topdeck or mill it. That's insane!

Effects on Scry

Normally you can think of scry effects as a sort of half-card draw: they give us card selection. But why waste cards and mana on scry effects when we know what the top card of your library is? Instead, you can time your scrying effects more effectively by using them when you know you want to remove the top card. Take Spined Megalodon , for instance - having the Lens out means you already know when you want to keep a card or not. As a result, you know whether you should cast Treasure Cruise on the precombat main phase to draw it and potentially scry something else away, or scry away an unneeded card with Megalodon then cast Treasure Cruise on the second main phase. You can also know whether to resolve the Megalodon's scry trigger before or after Explorer's Scope - another tutorable artifact! In essence, Lens of Clarity can magnify any scry effect.

Shuffle Effects

In addition to scry, there are a variety of ways to change your topdeck. Milling and surveil effects are pretty handy, but shuffling often has little downside to include it as they're side-effects to another, desirable effect. Dreamscape Artist is a powerful card, but having the ability to shuffle at instant speed with Lens of Clarity out means you can make strategic choices of when to tutor for lands. This could mean shuffling before a draw or it could mean waiting if you have a choice topdeck. Other instant speed shuffling effects include Ash Barrens , Bant Panorama , Esper Panorama , Evolving Wilds , Grixis Panorama , Terramorphic Expanse or even Warped Landscape . All of these can be included with minimal interruption and their cost (often tapping a land) is mitigated by the fact that you don't have to pay mana to use the Lens. Dizzy Spell , Muddle the Mixture and Drift of Phantasms are popular for their tutoring ability, but the Lens can also help get rid of a sub-optimal topdeck while they're at it.

Summary

Lens of Clarity offers a ton of versatility and deck manipulation options for a single mana. Is it good enough to build around? Maybe and maybe not. However, many of the effects that make the Lens good in pauper EDH (and even traditional EDH!) are effects that you may already be playing or that have a low cost to include (such as fetch lands.) That said, it looks unassuming enough that it can fly under the radar as the "hidden commander" - try it out!

Date added	3 years
Last updated	3 years
Legality	This deck is Pauper EDH legal.
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.58
Tokens	Phyrexian Germ 0/0 B, Monarch Emblem, Treasure