Yep. Honestly wheels.dec worries me. I think it could be a potent multiplayer option if loaded with fast mana, free counters, and draw sevens.
I made a wheels.dec that I thought was going to be fairly casual (I'm playing various Hypnotic Specter effects for fun) and it ended up being way more powerful than I'd planned. Wheels + Megrim + Liliana's Caress + Geth's Grimoire = bad times for opponents. When Waste Not comes out it'll add very nicely to that.
Then you might as well throw in Glistening Oil into that list, then hit with a Caress of Phyrexia for even more Poison counter shenanigans . Oh yeah, Urza's Guilt is pretty funny with Nekusar too.
I'm not too sure about Nekusar, the Mindrazer... I never like giving opponents cards. Symmetrical draws are often not good for your commander. This is like casting Phyrexian Arena for your them...
@Bolas, indeed it is. Or Spiteful Visions - which this is generally - except he'll do a Rick Rolling and "Never gonna ...".
However you're not gonna cast this fellow unless you can force some kind of major damage for the next round: Forced Fruition is actually a nice example. Having Underworld Dreams down. Not to mention that he actually "fuels" Discarding - it would have been hella lot better if it worked like Duskmantle Seer (whoops another card which might be handsome to throw in the lot - no dmg from General but gives cards to discard if you have Words of Waste).
Generally he invites to quite a lot of shenanigans.
I'm not too sure about Nekusar, the Mindrazer... I never like giving opponents cards. Symmetrical draws are often not good for your commander. This is like casting Phyrexian Arena for your them...
The irrational fear of giving your opponents resources is dangerous for sound decisionmaking. This is bottom line 2 damage a turn to them while you get the same amount of cards making you down 0 cards, combine that with mechanical synergy of things like wheel and you have a excellent value proposition as a general.
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Check out the thread for my cube if you have the time, and tell me how terrible it is.
Generals meant to be drafted first in a single pack of 6 cards.
And here is the actual cube, meant to be drafted in 4 regular sized packs. (60 card decks)
I'm not too sure about Nekusar, the Mindrazer... I never like giving opponents cards. Symmetrical draws are often not good for your commander. This is like casting Phyrexian Arena for your them...
If you're scared of that, then run Chains or Notion Thief to ease the pain.
The one thing i'm worried about Nekusar is that he kind of builds himself.
It's no fun if you're playing the same deck as everyone else. ;-;
I wouldn't worry about that. One of the reasons he's so great is that he literally has 10-12 decks that you can build that all play to him. For example:
If you want to give him infect, then you will want to defend him with countermagic and non-targeting effects. You will also want to get proliferate cards so probably best to play more artifact heavy, since they are connected. Also Inexorable tide
If you want to go with card replacement effects, and card draw steals, then you will want tutors for better combo pieces like Possessed Portal, some repeatable bounce effects to keep yourself out of trouble, and backup effects for when one combo piece is dealt with.
If you want, you can also play him politically, granting the bare minimum advantage to your opponents, and actually offering the table symmetrical effects to make their games better. This of course will be backed up with defensive cards, and things like Ivory Tower, Conscripted Sphinx , and Venser's Journal. If a player decides to take you out because he's worried your being sneaky(which with this guy, you are. Kinda obvious), just windfall into a targetted plagiarize on that player, and the other players should get the message.
He only looks like he builds himself. He's effecting one of the core rules of the game, everyone needs to draw cards. He gives you a reason to build around that.
I made a wheels.dec that I thought was going to be fairly casual (I'm playing various Hypnotic Specter effects for fun) and it ended up being way more powerful than I'd planned. Wheels + Megrim + Liliana's Caress + Geth's Grimoire = bad times for opponents. When Waste Not comes out it'll add very nicely to that.
0 Karn
W Darien
U Arcanis
B Geth
R Norin
G Yeva
UW Hanna
RB Olivia
WB Obzedat
UR Melek
BG Glissa
WR Aurelia
GU Kraj
BRU Nicol Bolas
RGB Prossh
BGW Ghave
GUB Mimeoplasm
WUBRG Sliver Overlord
GWU Treva, the Renewer
EDH Spike:
U Azami, Lady of Scrolls
Trades
Well I feel stupid now. Although, it probably doesn't help that I really haven't played any Warcraft since just after the Burning Crusade came out.
-Modern-
WMartyrProcB
BBurnR
-Commander-
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
However you're not gonna cast this fellow unless you can force some kind of major damage for the next round: Forced Fruition is actually a nice example. Having Underworld Dreams down. Not to mention that he actually "fuels" Discarding - it would have been hella lot better if it worked like Duskmantle Seer (whoops another card which might be handsome to throw in the lot - no dmg from General but gives cards to discard if you have Words of Waste).
Generally he invites to quite a lot of shenanigans.
The irrational fear of giving your opponents resources is dangerous for sound decisionmaking. This is bottom line 2 damage a turn to them while you get the same amount of cards making you down 0 cards, combine that with mechanical synergy of things like wheel and you have a excellent value proposition as a general.
Generals meant to be drafted first in a single pack of 6 cards.
And here is the actual cube, meant to be drafted in 4 regular sized packs. (60 card decks)
If you're scared of that, then run Chains or Notion Thief to ease the pain.
Nekusar is a deck I'd build just on art alone.
meat's Trade Corner
Notion Thief is interesting here, as it cuts the damage back while netting you a lot of cards. If you want to keep a useful player alive, or if you want people to question whether they should even kill the notion thief.
Card replacement effects can net you entire combos, and also make your draw overall better, a nice thing to have since you are using symmetrical draw.
Tomorrow, Azami's Familiar
Archmage's Ascension
Dredgers
Parallel Thoughts
Thought Reflection
Forbidden crypt
Words of Waste
Words of Wind
Words of War
You could also take advantage of opposing draws:
aforementioned Notion thief
Consecrated Sphinx
Kederekt Parasite
Mind's Eye
Plagiarism
Here's some other random considerations:
Wight of Precinct Six
Mortivore
Nighthowler
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Psychosis Crawler
Sword of War and Peace
Adamaro, First to Desire
Gaze of Adamaro
Kagemaro, First to Suffer
Descendant of soramaro
Sudden Impact
Laboratory Maniac
Psychic Spiral
Any card that has an effect through damage is also game:
Grafted Exoskeleton
Phyresis
Glistening Oil
Corrupted Conscience
Elder Mastery
Neko-Te
Sigil of Sleep
Mark of the Vampire
Whip of Erebos
Helm of the Ghastlord
Keeping opponent's hands down is also a brilliant play, and their are some very cruel things to do to make this clock all the nastier on that front.
To begin with you can stop draws altogether(especially good with card draw replacement effects):
Possessed Portal
Uba Mask
Zur's Weirding
And then cards that force discards in addition too:
Bottomless Pit
Chains of Mephistopheles
Gibbering Decent
Honden of Night's Reach(and play the other 2 as well, they work awesome together.)
Necrogen Mists
Oppression
Painful Quandary
Putrefaction
Liliana of the Veil
Liliana Vess
Decent into Madness
Warped Devotion
Also cards that gain advantage at discard:
The new YMTC when it comes out would be great here.
Megrim
Liliana's Caress
Telekinetic Bond
Also, opposing deck manipulation is good:
Curse of the Cabal
Bitter Ordeal
Denying Wind
Jester's Cap
Extract
Nightmare Incursion
Sadistic Sacrament
Rootwater Thief
Slaughter Games
Proper use of such cards also lets you know your opponent's decks and thus who is the biggest threat to watch out for. The more I think of it, the more mindrazer is a giant *******.
It's no fun if you're playing the same deck as everyone else. ;-;
Level 1 Judge
I write flavor articles for RoxieCards.
I play and judge at Giga Bites Cafein Marietta, Georgia.
I wouldn't worry about that. One of the reasons he's so great is that he literally has 10-12 decks that you can build that all play to him. For example:
If you want to give him infect, then you will want to defend him with countermagic and non-targeting effects. You will also want to get proliferate cards so probably best to play more artifact heavy, since they are connected. Also Inexorable tide
If you want to go with card replacement effects, and card draw steals, then you will want tutors for better combo pieces like Possessed Portal, some repeatable bounce effects to keep yourself out of trouble, and backup effects for when one combo piece is dealt with.
If you want, you can also play him politically, granting the bare minimum advantage to your opponents, and actually offering the table symmetrical effects to make their games better. This of course will be backed up with defensive cards, and things like Ivory Tower, Conscripted Sphinx , and Venser's Journal. If a player decides to take you out because he's worried your being sneaky(which with this guy, you are. Kinda obvious), just windfall into a targetted plagiarize on that player, and the other players should get the message.
He only looks like he builds himself. He's effecting one of the core rules of the game, everyone needs to draw cards. He gives you a reason to build around that.
Decks
Future EDH
BRGAdun OakenshieldG[MANA]R[/MANA]B
When it escaped, the experimenters hesitated. It would cause untold havoc, yet they wished to see it in action.
Thanks for the mental image. As if I needed yet another reason to build a deck for Nekusar.