The name of the game is straight card draw. There are a lot of spells in this deck dedicated to doing just that, and what better color to do it in than mono-Blue? We have access to cards like Rhystic Study, Mind Over Matter + Temple Bell, and Aeon Chronicler to fuel our thirst for knowledge.
So that brings us to the general himself: Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur. Talk about a card-draw ability, and on a legendary creature, no less. I'd been thinking about building Arcanis for some time just as a gimmicky card draw deck, but Jin-Gitaxis serves such a greater purpose: he makes life really hard for your opponents when you couple him with bounce. The threat of putting all your opponents in topdeck mode is frightening, leaving them only with the resources they have to stop you.
So this is the list. It's essentially straight MUC, using counterspells to keep the board under control, a few wrath effects, and lots of ways to amass card advantage.
All in all, it's a very fun list. Very classic permission control, with a few hard locks on the board to straight up win the game. Can be somewhat annoying to play against, but I always enjoy a challenge at a big table.
+1 Psychosis Crawler
-1 Jace Beleren
-1 Glen Elendra Archmage
-1 Force of Will
-1 Arcanis, the Omnipotent
-1 Thought Reflection
-1 Body Double
-1 Lightning Greaves
-1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
-1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
+1 Dreamstone Hedron
+1 Everflowing Chalice
+1 Gilded Lotus
+1 Mana Vault
+1 Sol Ring
+1 Voltaic Key
+3 Snow-Covered Island
I highly reccomend Psychosis crawler for this deck. You're drawing SO many cards, you might as well gain an extra benefit from that. If you want an infinite combo throw in curiosity as well.
Edit: NM, the wording doesn't quite work out for that infinite combo. Still, it seems like psychosis crawler would be good here.
That's actually not a bad idea. I'm digging through the list to see who should get cut, and I think Jace Beleren is the prime target. His -1 is lackluster given all the other draw I have, and Temple Bell is his +2, plus is tutorable with Fabricate.
Honestly if you want to use Jin to his potential you will absolutely NEED more mana ramp. It's expensive as hell but if you can afford good ramp you could play him as early as turn 3:
And since you're running crucible, adding fabricate to tutor for it and Scorched Ruins or Lotus Vale Might not be a bad idea, unless your meta has lots of LD. Voltaic Key is also amazing with mana rocks and your Nev's Disk, and can be tutored with Trinket Mage.
I highly reccomend Psychosis crawler for this deck. You're drawing SO many cards, you might as well gain an extra benefit from that. If you want an infinite combo throw in curiosity as well.
Not actually infinite. Loss of life does not equal damage. That's Niv Mizzet.
I would run Pact of negation if you had one. Protecting Jin for that one turn seems pretty crucial. Foil would also work as a Force of Will sustitute.
I used to run Force of Will, but decided that the free counter wasn't all that important. Usually, Jinny doesn't come down until I establish a fair amount of control. Optimally, he comes down the same turn as Sunder, so that my opponents have no lands in play to deal with him.
How do you find the early game to be? I would imagine it to be difficult to keep people off your back for 5+ turns. Have you considered War Tax? I really dig your build.
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So that brings us to the general himself: Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur. Talk about a card-draw ability, and on a legendary creature, no less. I'd been thinking about building Arcanis for some time just as a gimmicky card draw deck, but Jin-Gitaxis serves such a greater purpose: he makes life really hard for your opponents when you couple him with bounce. The threat of putting all your opponents in topdeck mode is frightening, leaving them only with the resources they have to stop you.
So this is the list. It's essentially straight MUC, using counterspells to keep the board under control, a few wrath effects, and lots of ways to amass card advantage.
1 Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
Countermagic (10):
1 Draining Whelk
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Counterspell
1 Cryptic Command
1 Faerie Trickery
1 Forbid
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Remand
1 Stoic Rebuttal
1 Time Stop
Card drawing/Filtering/Tutors (14):
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Temple Bell
1 Aeon Chronicler
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Mulldrifter
1 Trinket Mage
1 Future Sight
1 Mind Over Matter
1 Rhystic Study
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Fabricate
1 Caged Sun
1 Coalition Relic
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Dreamstone Hedron
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Solemn Simulacrum
Thief Effects (5):
1 Memnarch
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Treachery
1 Bribery
1 Rite of Replication
Removal (11):
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Duplicant
1 Kederekt Leviathan
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Sundering Titan
1 Tidespout Tyrant
1 Evacuation
1 Spin into Myth
1 Sunder
1 All is Dust
1 Brine Elemental
1 Vesuvan Shapeshifter
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Psychosis Crawler
1 Time Spiral
1 Time Stretch
Miscellaneous Utility (4):
1 Vedalken Orrery
1 Venser's Journal
1 Voltaic Key
1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Lands (38):
1 Academy Ruins
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Scrying Sheets
1 Strip Mine
1 Terramorphic Expanse
32 Snow-Covered Island
There are a few ways to be truly evil with this deck. Kederekt Leviathan + Jin-Gitaxis puts all opponents into topdeck mode with no permanents in play. Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir gives all my creatures flash and locks other players to their own turns. Brine Elemental + Vesuvan Shapeshifter is a hard lockdown on the board. Not to mention Mind Over Matter + Temple Bell to draw your entire library, with Kozilek, Butcher of Truth and Time Spiral keeping you from exhausting yourself.
All in all, it's a very fun list. Very classic permission control, with a few hard locks on the board to straight up win the game. Can be somewhat annoying to play against, but I always enjoy a challenge at a big table.
-1 Jace Beleren
-1 Force of Will
-1 Arcanis, the Omnipotent
-1 Thought Reflection
-1 Body Double
-1 Lightning Greaves
-1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
-1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
+1 Dreamstone Hedron
+1 Everflowing Chalice
+1 Gilded Lotus
+1 Mana Vault
+1 Sol Ring
+1 Voltaic Key
+3 Snow-Covered Island
(apparently I was only running 98 cards :x)
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
Edit: NM, the wording doesn't quite work out for that infinite combo. Still, it seems like psychosis crawler would be good here.
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
And since you're running crucible, adding fabricate to tutor for it and Scorched Ruins or Lotus Vale Might not be a bad idea, unless your meta has lots of LD. Voltaic Key is also amazing with mana rocks and your Nev's Disk, and can be tutored with Trinket Mage.
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
Not actually infinite. Loss of life does not equal damage. That's Niv Mizzet.
I would run Pact of negation if you had one. Protecting Jin for that one turn seems pretty crucial. Foil would also work as a Force of Will sustitute.
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG