Experience with Aetherflux Reservoir
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on April 29, 2022, 10:04 a.m. by NTakamura
I am thinking about making room for Aetherflux Reservoir for a deck I am working on. The only thing that gives me pause is the pay 50 life ability. I know it great but I feel I might become archenemy if I play this card. What are some of your experiences play with it and against it.
TypicalTimmy says... #3
It's the same as Child of Alara and Door to Nothingness; a nuclear option. You use it for threats and intimidation. But you need to be prepared to use it because once the table finds you don't have the spine to end the game for someone, they will come at you full-force.
April 29, 2022 10:23 a.m.
plakjekaas says... #4
You kill the player who plays it, because it's not a lifegain card, it's a finish-the-game card. If you want to gain life with every spell you cast, and not to be the target for destruction, look into Prism Ring and cards like it. Ofc the effect is a lot worse, but it triggers every lifegain synergy and it doesn't get you killed like the Reservoir does.
April 29, 2022 11:58 a.m.
It really depends what kind of deck you are running and what power level you want your deck to be/the power level of your playgroup
April 29, 2022 12:01 p.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #6
In my personal experience sitting across from one, and from seeing videos of people using it online, and from being in LGSs with it on field, what I have generally found is this; It generally falls into two broad categories: Those who are actively seeking to stop someone who has slighted them, or those who are actively trying to stall the game out.
Sometimes, a player will use it as the ultimate F-U to someone who has had a history with them, be it a traditional history or something that was happening that game or afternoon. I've heard of players dropping this only to immediately take someone off the census. In that case, it's more of a power move to try and assert dominance within the game because somehow laying a piece of cardstock on the table and paying an imaginary cost to cause someone to lose an imaginary game has weight and merit.
Otherwise, the more typical use seems to be threads of intimidation. There really isn't a reason to use it, so it just sits there. It becomes a bargaining chip for people to dance around. The funny thing is when someone is having a ton of fun and doesn't care if they win or lose so they throw everything they've got just to make that player deposit 50 life into the void. You may have lost the game but you did what essentially amounts to 50 damage on the way out so it really can't be considered an L.
If your intention is to use AR as a wincon, I mean good luck. You're going to need to gain somewhere between 100 - 150 life at minimum and likely more as everyone starts assaulting you like it was mid-2020.
Honestly, there's really no reason to play a card like this. As fun as it may be, fighting the entire game to 70 life just to willing drop yourself to 20 which puts you in God's reach is kind of silly. Once you're ahead, you should stay ahead and do everything you can to ensure you don't move from there. With that much life, you'd be better off using other cards such as Test of Endurance which is going to be hella hard on your opponents because enchantment removal tends to be the least prominent kind of removal. Just yeet yourself out for a minute and win the game.
April 29, 2022 12:11 p.m.
Gidgetimer says... #7
It is a win-con card plain and simple. You don't just play Aetherflux Reservoir out for value. It draws entirely too much heat.
If people are using it as a spite move or to try to stall the game they are playing the card incorrectly. You either gain up to 51+ in an esper control deck and use Aetherflux Reservoir to shoot the table down by giving it lifelink with Sydri, Galvanic Genius or you play it to fuel paying life into Bolas's Citadel with either Necropotence or Sensei's Divining Top out to remove lands from your topdeck.
April 29, 2022 12:29 p.m.
plakjekaas says... #8
Top is not to remove lands in that combo, you can repeatedly cast Top for 1 life, gain more than 1 from the Reservoir, activate Top, put it on top of your library, cast it again and gain even more life. You'll draw your deck and gain much more life than any table needs to be finished of with Aetherflux activations.
April 29, 2022 12:52 p.m.
Gidgetimer says... #9
In Top + Citadel, Top is to remove lands. True that once you get Reservoir with the other two pieces you can transition to just casting Top repeatedly for life gain. But it doesn't change the fact that Citadel + Necro/Top uses Necro/Top as interchangeable pieces to remove lands and that Reservoir can be used to extend the combo by gaining life.
April 29, 2022 12:58 p.m.
I play Aetherflux Reservoir in a combo deck that can kill any number of players with it in a single turn because it goes infinite life with repeatable spells and uses the reservoir to gain the life to power it's activations. So I don't put it out and leave it out. I play it on my "combo and win" turn. Its a combo piece and needs to be treated that way. It is not like an anthem or similar card you want to get out early and take advantage of turn by turn. It finishes games.
I have not seen the combos Gidgetimer mentioned but those would be solid ways to win with it too. I like the top - citadel one because in a deck like that the Aetherflux Reservoir won't be your only win con or only major win con. Playing your whole deck wins games too.
April 29, 2022 1:31 p.m.
While I would echo much of what is said here about it being a win con, I feel like it is best in certain strategies that are able to use it for value and bargaining as well as part of a win con. My Teysa, Orzhov Scion deck has a lifegain theme, but I do not play reservoir because I would take unneccessary heat in a control-combo deck, don't get that much value out of the life gain, and it doesn't synergize with Teysa's gameplan. I do put it in storm style decks like Feather, the Redeemed, where it performs really well. Since I'm constantly getting mana our of 1cmc cantrip I'll gain tons of life even in one turn around the table, and if all I get is value it will have been worth the cost. In the meantime, my opponents have to play carefully around it, and I rarely lack for blockers or interaction in the deck. If I do take out a single player with it that's a plus, but I don't need to. I've also thought about putting it in my Mizzix of the Izmagnus deck which employs a similar storm style, and is super controlling so as to keep heat off of me. Lifegain is great in that deck since I don't have lots of blockers, so this could be a good call. I definitely wouldn't bother playing it in a goodstuff deck, as a salt card, or as a value piece where you are regularly paying more than one mana to cast your spells.
May 5, 2022 11:40 a.m.
golgarigirl says... #12
I have run Reservoir in both an Oloro lifegain deck (too slow), and a Prosper spells deck. It works better in Prosper, but I either have to be prepared to use it same turn, or defend myself heavily until I can. In some groups, like mine, Reservoir does not turn you into an instant Archenemy, just a noteworthy threat. In others, it may.
Ultimately, do be aware that it is a card that the only counterplay people may have available to is to keep your life total low enough that you can't use it. And instead of keeping a lid on your life total that will keep going back up, taking you out might be the preferred option.
DrukenReaps says... #2
Number 1 suggestion is to not even think about playing it until you are a decent amount over 50 life. Think of it like a sorcery rather than a permanent. Yes you will be archenemy with it but you can instant speed remove target player so yeah lol.
April 29, 2022 10:16 a.m. Edited.