So I'm working on my second commander deck after playing my Oona for a few months (enjoying it), and I realize that the list I'm working on with Jevela would be totally wrecked by common board states in my LGS mid and late game (boards that look like the other players are playing too) i.e. I over-focused on what I want to do with my commander and didn't leave room answers that I know I'll need.
So here is my list in progress, I'd love some well thought out feedback on where I am at so far. I'm going for total control over my general, be it attacking and getting through the turn I play her, or saccing her when I want to as well to play and get the effects I'm 'looting' for. There is a minor sub-theme of messing with other decks and topdeck manipulation so I can find what I'm looking for and playing cards for free.
A few more things about the deck, this probably has to do with just preference, but worth noting becuase its hard to pick out the patterns in commander decks sometimes.
Kaho and Elite arcanist: small utility spell sticks, filter out spells I'd rather not exile with Jevela. They are backed up by my redirect spells and can protect jevela and add admittedly risky redundancy with the deck. I don't mind things being perma-exiled when they die (just don't be too greedy with how juicy a target you make them)--it thins the deck ands potency to your general ability later in the game. Along these lines I'm considering Isochron scepter, but I like creatures.
I also opted to go less on the double combat spells--I want to tutor for the effect when I want rather than it be a regular function of the deck, and I like them a lot more than extra turns (which I don't want to play with).
I don't know much about red cards, what removal is worth playing in commander? Are there better haste enablers (I want to play Jevela t3 or 4 w/ haste and get the effect going right away. Also what artifact removal makes the most sense?
I also know I need a few cards for handling the out of control board states that clearly will come up when I only have one or two blockers and am facing down a kresh or rafiq +team. I have damnation and stuff, but I don't know if sweepers is actually where I want to be.
Lastly I'm not sure if my curve is appropriate for commander in general, 33 lands seems right because I have mostly really low cost spells, but I'm afraid the whole deck might end up being underwhelming. I play real magic, so I dont want to end up with a bunch of wasted money buying cards perfect for a strategy that sucks. along those lines, I just like the artifact rings, funny utility voltron on Jevela, who obviously likes jewelry.
-- Rite of Ruin is an interesting card, but I'm not sure it fits in a deck that depend on the general as Jeleva decks will typically: she'll often die from it, which is fine as you don't mind recasting her, except that you might not be able to if you kill 3 lands. In a mana rock-heavy Jeleva deck, choosing 3 creatures, 2 lands and 1 artifact could be pretty good.
-- I like Kaho here but not the arcanist. She tutors and puts Flashback cards in the 'yard (or anything if you have a Spelltwine or Archaeomancer) while the arcanist does neither.
-- Stuff like Insurrection doesn't work off Jeleva because attackers are already declared. Unless you're running a Phyrexian Altar or something.
-- Anger is good. Since my Jeleva deck will be wizard tribal, Corpse Connoisseur will be good for that. Sac lands too. Boots/greaves. Ring of Valkas.
I like reversal because it 'can' work, but mostly because of boobs--good point though on insurrection, ill drop that as a 6.
lame on fury of the horde and seize the day, I only picked them after excluding other types of the same card because those are the only arts that I like.
in general is the structure of the deck pretty 'on'? I think as long as I'm enabling enough of the deck I can do without the extra combats.
@Kahboom, I've seen your deck, is there anything in particular about it you think I should take away from your build? How have your games gone?
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So here is my list in progress, I'd love some well thought out feedback on where I am at so far. I'm going for total control over my general, be it attacking and getting through the turn I play her, or saccing her when I want to as well to play and get the effects I'm 'looting' for. There is a minor sub-theme of messing with other decks and topdeck manipulation so I can find what I'm looking for and playing cards for free.
4 island
4 swamp
6 mountain
1 command tower
1 crumbling necropolis
1 crosis's catacombs
1 blood crypt
1 steam vents
1 watery grave
1 tainted isle
1 tainted peak
1 grixis panorama
1 drowned catacomb
1 dragonskull summit
1 sulfur falls
1 sunken ruins
1 cascade bluffs
1 graven cairns
1 riptide laboratory
1 rogue's passage
1 minamo, school at water's edge
1 shizo, death's storehouse
creatures 15
1 snapcaster mage
1 elite arcanist
1 djinn of wishes
1 sphinx ambassador
1 galvanoth
1 Kaho, Minamo Historian
1 diplomatic escort
1 hydromorph gull
1 anger
1 shipwreck singer
1 flameblast dragon
1 olivia voldaren
1 defiler of souls
1 nightscape familiar
1 terminate
1 dreadbore
1 bituminous blast
1 fireblast
1 soul spike
Control Spells 15
1 snapback
1 clutch of the undercity
1 deny reality
1 grixis charm
1 pyrokinesis
1 rapid hybridization
1 cyclonic rift
1 swerve
1 intervene
1 turn aside
1 memory lapse
1 jaded response
1 envelop
1 hinder
Big Spells (any six, changeable between games)
1 reversal of fortune
1 spelltwine
1 army of the damned
1 cabal conditioning
1 warp world
1 possibility storm
1 rites of ruin
1 insurrection
1 curse of the cabal
1 eternal dominion
1 cruel ultimatum
Double Attack Steps 2
1 seize the day
1 fury of the horde
1 misinformation
1 mystical tutor
1 vampiric tutor
1 gamble
1 insidious dreams
Manipulation 4
1 brainstorm
1 soothsaying
1 mystic speculation
1 Elemental Augury
Unblockablility 3
1 demonic dread
1 shadow rift
1 traitor's clutch
Fixing 3
1 coalition relic
1 gilded lotus
1 obelisk of grixis
Utility/fun/patch effects 10
1 spellweaver volute
1 mana severance
1 chandra, the firebrand
1 liliana Vess
1 expedition map
1 tainted aether
1 damping engine
1 Ring of evos isle
1 Ring of valkas
1 Ring of Xathrid
A few more things about the deck, this probably has to do with just preference, but worth noting becuase its hard to pick out the patterns in commander decks sometimes.
Kaho and Elite arcanist: small utility spell sticks, filter out spells I'd rather not exile with Jevela. They are backed up by my redirect spells and can protect jevela and add admittedly risky redundancy with the deck. I don't mind things being perma-exiled when they die (just don't be too greedy with how juicy a target you make them)--it thins the deck ands potency to your general ability later in the game. Along these lines I'm considering Isochron scepter, but I like creatures.
I also opted to go less on the double combat spells--I want to tutor for the effect when I want rather than it be a regular function of the deck, and I like them a lot more than extra turns (which I don't want to play with).
I don't know much about red cards, what removal is worth playing in commander? Are there better haste enablers (I want to play Jevela t3 or 4 w/ haste and get the effect going right away. Also what artifact removal makes the most sense?
I also know I need a few cards for handling the out of control board states that clearly will come up when I only have one or two blockers and am facing down a kresh or rafiq +team. I have damnation and stuff, but I don't know if sweepers is actually where I want to be.
Lastly I'm not sure if my curve is appropriate for commander in general, 33 lands seems right because I have mostly really low cost spells, but I'm afraid the whole deck might end up being underwhelming. I play real magic, so I dont want to end up with a bunch of wasted money buying cards perfect for a strategy that sucks. along those lines, I just like the artifact rings, funny utility voltron on Jevela, who obviously likes jewelry.
Any advice would be great!
1 urabrask the hidden
1 crimson mage
1 spontaneous combustion
1 rakdos charm
1 meddle
1 cauldron dance
1 repay in kind
1 aggravated assault
1 savage beating
1 Tahngarth's glare
1 painful memories
1 second sight
1 lantern of insight
1 heretic's punishment
1 stolen goods
1 long-term plans
1 merchant scroll
1 ponder
1 scroll rack
1 ancestral knowledge
1 hatred
1 awesome presence
1 dauthi embrace
1 in the web of war
1 chromatic lantern
1 darksteel ingot
1 ischron scepter
1 ghostly flame
1 phyrexian tyranny
1 corrosion
1 ward of bones
1 lightning greaves
1 spellbinder
1 opportunity
1 bereavement
1 vile requiem
1 twincast
1 reiterate
1 shattering pulse
1 painful memories
1 distant memories
1 filth
1 backlash
1 need for speed
1 alluring siren
1 arc slogger
1 haze of rage
1 cavern harpy
1 death match
1 recoup
1 anarchist
1 mnemonic wall
1 shrouded lore
1 relearn
1 archaeomancer
1 mystic retrieval
1 surreal memoir
1 struggle for sanity
1 tamiyo, the moon sage
1 hearth charm
1 ultimate price
1 blood frenzy
1 petals of insight
1 chancellor of the spires
1 aven fateshaper
1 parallel thoughts
1 ransack
1 call to the kindred
-- Reversal of Fortune sucks. Whiffs most of the time.
-- Rite of Ruin is an interesting card, but I'm not sure it fits in a deck that depend on the general as Jeleva decks will typically: she'll often die from it, which is fine as you don't mind recasting her, except that you might not be able to if you kill 3 lands. In a mana rock-heavy Jeleva deck, choosing 3 creatures, 2 lands and 1 artifact could be pretty good.
-- I like Kaho here but not the arcanist. She tutors and puts Flashback cards in the 'yard (or anything if you have a Spelltwine or Archaeomancer) while the arcanist does neither.
-- Stuff like Insurrection doesn't work off Jeleva because attackers are already declared. Unless you're running a Phyrexian Altar or something.
-- Anger is good. Since my Jeleva deck will be wizard tribal, Corpse Connoisseur will be good for that. Sac lands too. Boots/greaves. Ring of Valkas.
Playtesting | Karador, Ghost Chieftain | Narset, Enlightened Master | Ephara, God of the Polis
Established | Gahiji, Honored One | Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker | Opal-Eye, Konda's Yojimbo | Rubinia Soulsinger
Retired | Medomai the Ageless | Diaochan, Artful Beauty
Also Seize the Day is errata to only be cast on your main phase.
lame on fury of the horde and seize the day, I only picked them after excluding other types of the same card because those are the only arts that I like.
in general is the structure of the deck pretty 'on'? I think as long as I'm enabling enough of the deck I can do without the extra combats.
@Kahboom, I've seen your deck, is there anything in particular about it you think I should take away from your build? How have your games gone?