Should I Make these Changes to My Riku Deck?
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Aug. 22, 2020, 9:09 a.m. by DemonDragonJ
I am contemplating making two changes to my Riku of Two Reflections EDH deck, but I wish to ask for feedback, before I make those changes.
First, I am considering replacing Flameblade Angel with Dualcaster Mage, because the mage would obviously work very well with this deck, and also would lower its mana curve. However, the only reason for which I have not yet done so is that the mage is useful only once, whereas the angel is continuously useful, plus, this deck already has plenty of methods for copying spells. If the mage at least had haste or first strike, or another continuous effect, it would be an easy decision to put it into the deck.
Second, I really would like to put Genesis Ultimatum into this deck, and Comet Storm is card that I would be most likely to replace; the ultimatum is very expensive, but I likely would need to spend at least seven mana on Comet Storm, anyway, to achieve a significant effect with it.
What does everyone else say about this? Should I make these changes to my Riku deck?
DemonDragonJ says... #3
DragonSliver9001, that is a good idea; I do not play every day, or even every week, but, the next time that I am playing, I shall use my deck both as it currently is and with the new cards, to see how well it works.
August 22, 2020 9:31 a.m.
Looking at the dekc and descriptions, the biggerst question that comes to mind is: what are you trying to achieve with the deck?> how do you want it to play and how do you want it to win?
It looks like while you have some biog spells, you're still primarily focusing on creatures to actually close out games. The biggest selling point for the Flameblade Angel is actually the fact that it's a 4/4 flier, not the ability. On the side of the Dualcaster Mage, I don't think that you have enough value spells to copy. Which is two points in favour of the Angel. Though realistically, I would be looking for something more combat heavy than the angel to swap in.
On the Comet Storm vs Genesis Ultimatum - I don't think you have enough ramp/burst mana spells to make Comet Storm work. Your curve is pretty heavy and there's not a lot of ramp in general. So in this case, ultimatum will do more work for you.
August 22, 2020 10:32 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #5
enpc, the purpose of this deck is to copy both spells and creature with Riku's abilities, and I am certain that you noticed that nearly every creature in this deck has either an "enters the battlefield" ability or a static ability that is cumulative. If you read the comments that I made, you should notice that I previously had many cards in this deck that did not at all work with Riku's abilities, so exchanging them for creatures that do work with Riku was a wise decision. As for the angel, I also noticed that it will trigger the ability of Temur Ascendancy, whereas the mage will not, so that is yet another point in favor of the angel. I have contemplated replacing Temur Ascendancy with Song of Creation, but the final ability of the song is too dangerous; there is no guarantee that I shall be able to empty my hand before my turn is over, and, thus, avoid being hurt by the ability.
Actually, I just realized that Fable of Wolf and Owl, while an excellent card in its own right, does not work with Riku's abilities, and, therefore, is not a good match for this deck, so it would be better to replace that card with Genesis Ultimatum; what does everyone else say about that?
August 22, 2020 3:41 p.m.
RNR_Gaming says... #6
enpc Dualcaster Mage can hit your opponents spells. Could you imagine copying an Expropriate twice
August 22, 2020 4:11 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #7
RNR_Gaming, that would be very nice, but it is also very situational, and I could actually copy the spell three times, if I had sufficient mana: once from Riku, once from the mage, and once from Riku copying the mage.
August 22, 2020 4:13 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #8
RNR_Gaming, I am sorry, I actually realized that that combo works only with a spell that Riku's controller has cast; for spells that other players have cast, they can, indeed, copy them only twice (which is still very awesome).
August 22, 2020 4:14 p.m.
RNR_Gaming says... #10
I feel the mage is just a neat utility to have access too. Even on the low end copying a ramp spell or Tutor your opponents cast at instant speed would be super strong.
August 22, 2020 4:18 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #11
RNR_Gaming, I actually am keeping the angel, for the reasons that have already been discussed, but I still will put both of those cards in my Riku deck. I shall remove Comet Storm in favor of Genesis Ultimatum and Fable of Wolf and Owl in favor of Dualcaster Mage; I was contemplating putting Double Vision in the deck, but five mana is a high cost for such an effect, and the mage can allow for insane shenanigans when it is copied.
August 22, 2020 5:40 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #12
As long as we are discussing the ultimatums, why is is Genesis Ultimatum the only ultimatum that exiles itself? Would it be too powerful if it did not do that?
August 23, 2020 3:15 p.m.
RNR_Gaming says... #13
If certain cards were able to be reccured easily like Eldritch Evolution itd be format warping. This is kinda the same but with a much more restrictive
August 23, 2020 5:38 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #14
RNR_Gaming, that makes sense, and I presume that that is also the reason for which Vengeful Rebirth, Magus of the Will, and most "extra turn" cards exile themselves?
DragonSliver9001 says... #2
test and decide for yourself
August 22, 2020 9:12 a.m.