This is a very general-centric deck....and one of my favorites to date (the longest built deck I own).
Why I was drawn to Barrin
(and you may be too!)
1) Urza's Saga came out when I was 14, and that's when I first began playing constructed (lucky for me), and Barrin has been one of my favorite cards since opening one in a pack all those years ago.
2) His ability is quite unique and offers many possibilities in card interactions.....one of my favorite parts of magic is complicated board states and synergies.
3) Barrin is substantially less degenerate than some other blue generals...(azami, lady of scrolls, arcum dagsson....I'm looking at you) and substantially less exploited in my experience.
Possible suggestions would be to reduce barrin's "cost" through Training Grounds or Heartstone. Or since you run Snow-Covered Island use Extraplanar Lens. Puca's Mischief sounds fun in here. Minion Reflector seems good, although expensive way to abuse your fun creatures.
Other then that this deck looks like it relies on what your opponent plays, I would suggest adding another win con. Infinite mana with Palinchron in blue is easy to achieve and with Barrin + Spine or Blue Sun's Zenith (etc.) can spell game for your opponent.
Hopefully my suggestions help ^^;;; Best of luck to you.
Possible suggestions would be to reduce barrin's "cost" through Training Grounds or Heartstone. Or since you run Snow-Covered Island use Extraplanar Lens. Puca's Mischief sounds fun in here. Minion Reflector seems good, although expensive way to abuse your fun creatures.
Other then that this deck looks like it relies on what your opponent plays, I would suggest adding another win con. Infinite mana with Palinchron in blue is easy to achieve and with Barrin + Spine or Blue Sun's Zenith (etc.) can spell game for your opponent.
Hopefully my suggestions help ^^;;; Best of luck to you.
Thanks for the reply!
I have problems with minion reflector in the same way I have problems with cauldron of souls....I think they kinda function as win more as they don't really do anything on their own. Both were in the deck originally, but got cut as the deck was streamlined more...although I'm still not convinced of their exclusion....what would you cut?
Puca's Mischief seems too fun in multiplayer to ignore...I need to see if I can make a spot for it
I briefly mention palinchron in "the plan" section....I always prefer finite combos over the infinite (at least in a casual setting) I did add an inkwell leviathan to the deck recently as an alternative win condition
The ability cost reducers don't do much on their own...and with artifact acceleration/mana doublers I find barrin's activation pretty reasonable as is.
Extraplanar lens was in the first build as well, but my meta has a lot of disk-effects and I hated being set back a land.
In a deck abusing bounce effect and Enters the Battlefield abilities, Sakashima's Student seems like a fine add.
Oh yeah, I didn't even consider the Student for some reason. I may see if I can squeeze it in place of something with a higher CMC...because the deck is a little too top heavy as it is.
A decent amount of the time....barrin can easily clear the board of all nonshrouded dudes...and most shrouded creatures don't fly.
The nice thing about Sharding Sphinx is that it also generates tokens when any of my artifact creatures connect so it might be my Wurmcoil engine that swings for the fences, any creature with memnarch in play, or tezzeret's ultimate and swinging with the team
And that's one of the main reasons that I've considered adding karn, silver golem in here...animating a spine of ish sah swinging for 7 and generating seven tokens seems good. It would also allow me to duplicant/phyrexian ingester my opponents artifacts or save an artifact by animating and bouncing it. Alright, I just sold myself on it.
I'm really liking this. Wanted to do Barrin at one point, but never thought of Floodgate! I like the interactions you have going here, and Sakashima's Student would be a fine addition.
Also, I would say add Salvaging Station. With your sac engine for permanents with Barrin and the several 1 cost artifacts you run, it'd be fun to be able to recur Tormod's Crypt directly into play, rather than the top of your library with Academy Ruins. Sure, you don't have a lot of creatures going to the graveyard all the time, but I could see that extra utility recursion as a good thing.
Dunno about Grand Architect, however. It's always awesome being able to cast artifacts faster and buff your creatures, unless you reeeeallly abuse Spine of Ish Sah with it or something, it might be win-more. BUT, if you have a way to reliably turn Barrin into an artifact, then it becomes that much better. Tap, add 2, sac, bounce, play, win, etc. etc.
I'm really liking this. Wanted to do Barrin at one point, but never thought of Floodgate! I like the interactions you have going here, and Sakashima's Student would be a fine addition.
Also, I would say add Salvaging Station. With your sac engine for permanents with Barrin and the several 1 cost artifacts you run, it'd be fun to be able to recur Tormod's Crypt directly into play, rather than the top of your library with Academy Ruins. Sure, you don't have a lot of creatures going to the graveyard all the time, but I could see that extra utility recursion as a good thing.
Dunno about Grand Architect, however. It's always awesome being able to cast artifacts faster and buff your creatures, unless you reeeeallly abuse Spine of Ish Sah with it or something, it might be win-more. BUT, if you have a way to reliably turn Barrin into an artifact, then it becomes that much better. Tap, add 2, sac, bounce, play, win, etc. etc.
I had Salvaging Station in here initially then took it out for some reason...I actually tend to have a lot of graveyard triggers with various tokens dying. Now that I have the artifact lands back in, they offer a lot of shenanigans with the Station
Commandeer is a really great card, but I don't always have two blue cards that I want to exile...and it's not terribly easy to hard-cast.
Ingester is a strong card, but between all of the creature stealing and sacrificing...it seems a little redundant. The ability to recur and tutor for Duplicant makes it leagues better...and Ingester just costs a ton.
What do you think?
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This is a very general-centric deck....and one of my favorites to date (the longest built deck I own).
(and you may be too!)
2) His ability is quite unique and offers many possibilities in card interactions.....one of my favorite parts of magic is complicated board states and synergies.
3) Barrin is substantially less degenerate than some other blue generals...(azami, lady of scrolls, arcum dagsson....I'm looking at you) and substantially less exploited in my experience.
4) Floodgate.
5) He counts as a Wizard.
1 Barrin, Master Wizard
Creatures (27)
1 Gilded Drake
1 Myr Retriever
1 Vedalken Aethermage
1 Junk Diver
1 Treasure Mage
1 Trinket Mage
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Arcum Dagsson
1 Floodgate
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Slithermuse
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Ixidron
1 Karn, Silver Golem
1 Magus of the Future
1 Mulldrifter
1 Duplicant
1 Deadeye Navigator
1 Sharding Sphinx
1 Sphinx of Uthuun
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Memnarch
1 Myr Battlesphere
1 Phyrexian Ingester
1 Hatching Plans
1 Reality Acid
Artifacts (22)
1 Claws of Gix
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Expedition Map
1 Orochi Hatchery
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
1 Genesis Chamber
1 Ichor Wellspring
1 Mind Stone
1 Mycosynth Wellspring
1 Nim Deathmantle
1 Sapphire Medallion
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Mimic Vat
1 Sculpting Steel
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Vedalken Shackles
1 Trading Post
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Caged Sun
1 Spine of Ish Sah
Instant (6)
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Cryptic Command
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Reins of Power
1 Commandeer
1 Time Stop
1 Fabricate
1 Rite of Replication
1 All is Dust
Planeswalkers (1)
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
Lands (38)
1 Academy Ruins
1 Buried Ruin
1 Darksteel Citadel
1 Gods’ Eye, Gate to the Reikai
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Riptide Laboratory
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Dust Bowl
1 Terrain Generator
1 Tolaria West
1 Winding Canyons
1 Springjack Pasture
26 Island
Card Selection:
Currently Considering:
Strategy:
Changelog:
-1 Body Double, +1 Karn, Silver Golem
8/4/12:
-1 Overtaker, +1 Reins of Power
-1 Strip Mine, +1 Dust Bowl
-1 Windfall, +1 Thirst for Knowledge
-1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea, +1 Winding Canyons
-1 Scrying Sheets, +1 Seat of the Synod
-1 Island, +1 Darksteel Citadel
-1 Island, +1 Springjack Pasture
-1 Relic of Progenitus, +1 Tormod's Crypt
-1 Avarice Totem, +1 Expedition Map
-1 Impulse, +1 Wayfarer's Bauble
-1 Inundate, +1 All is Dust
-1 Thada Adel, Acquisitor, +1 Vedalken Shackles
-1 Aura Thief, +1 Trading Post
-1 False Demise, +1 Time Stop
-1 Pilgrim’s Eye, +1 Myr Battlesphere
-1 Fool’s Demise, +1 Cryptic Command
-1 Keiga, the Tide Star, +1 Deadeye Navigator
-1 Dreamstone Hedron, +1 Vendilion Clique
-1 Roil Elemental, +1 Arcum Dagsson
Thanks for reading! Comments and suggestions are appreciated!
Possible suggestions would be to reduce barrin's "cost" through Training Grounds or Heartstone. Or since you run Snow-Covered Island use Extraplanar Lens. Puca's Mischief sounds fun in here. Minion Reflector seems good, although expensive way to abuse your fun creatures.
Other then that this deck looks like it relies on what your opponent plays, I would suggest adding another win con. Infinite mana with Palinchron in blue is easy to achieve and with Barrin + Spine or Blue Sun's Zenith (etc.) can spell game for your opponent.
Hopefully my suggestions help ^^;;; Best of luck to you.
Thanks for the reply!
I have problems with minion reflector in the same way I have problems with cauldron of souls....I think they kinda function as win more as they don't really do anything on their own. Both were in the deck originally, but got cut as the deck was streamlined more...although I'm still not convinced of their exclusion....what would you cut?
Puca's Mischief seems too fun in multiplayer to ignore...I need to see if I can make a spot for it
I briefly mention palinchron in "the plan" section....I always prefer finite combos over the infinite (at least in a casual setting) I did add an inkwell leviathan to the deck recently as an alternative win condition
The ability cost reducers don't do much on their own...and with artifact acceleration/mana doublers I find barrin's activation pretty reasonable as is.
Extraplanar lens was in the first build as well, but my meta has a lot of disk-effects and I hated being set back a land.
-1 Overtaker, +1 Reins of Power
-1 Strip Mine, +1 Dust Bowl
-1 Windfall, +1 Thirst for Knowledge
-1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea, +1 Winding Canyons
-1 Scrying Sheets, +1 Seat of the Synod
-1 Island, +1 Darksteel Citadel
-1 Island, +1 Springjack Pasture
-1 Relic of Progenitus, +1 Tormod's Crypt
-1 Avarice Totem, +1 Expedition Map
-1 Impulse, +1 Wayfarer's Bauble
-1 Inundate, +1 All is Dust
-1 Thada Adel, Acquisitor, +1 Vedalken Shackles
-1 Aura Thief, +1 Trading Post
-1 False Demise, +1 Time Stop
-1 Pilgrim’s Eye, +1 Myr Battlesphere
-1 Fool’s Demise, +1 Cryptic Command
-1 Keiga, the Tide Star, +1 Deadeye Navigator
-1 Dreamstone Hedron, +1 Vendilion Clique
-1 Roil Elemental, +1 Arcum Dagsson
I'm thinking about working this into a primer, and I'd really appreciate any comments and criticisms!
Oh yeah, I didn't even consider the Student for some reason. I may see if I can squeeze it in place of something with a higher CMC...because the deck is a little too top heavy as it is.
(U/B)(U/B)(U/B) JUMP IN THE LINE, ROCK YOUR BODY IN TIME
(R/W)(R/W)(R/W) RISING FROM THE NEON GLOOM, SHINING LIKE A CRAZY MOON
(U/R)(R/G)(G/U) STEALIN' WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUYIN'
A decent amount of the time....barrin can easily clear the board of all nonshrouded dudes...and most shrouded creatures don't fly.
The nice thing about Sharding Sphinx is that it also generates tokens when any of my artifact creatures connect so it might be my Wurmcoil engine that swings for the fences, any creature with memnarch in play, or tezzeret's ultimate and swinging with the team
And that's one of the main reasons that I've considered adding karn, silver golem in here...animating a spine of ish sah swinging for 7 and generating seven tokens seems good. It would also allow me to duplicant/phyrexian ingester my opponents artifacts or save an artifact by animating and bouncing it. Alright, I just sold myself on it.
Also, I would say add Salvaging Station. With your sac engine for permanents with Barrin and the several 1 cost artifacts you run, it'd be fun to be able to recur Tormod's Crypt directly into play, rather than the top of your library with Academy Ruins. Sure, you don't have a lot of creatures going to the graveyard all the time, but I could see that extra utility recursion as a good thing.
Dunno about Grand Architect, however. It's always awesome being able to cast artifacts faster and buff your creatures, unless you reeeeallly abuse Spine of Ish Sah with it or something, it might be win-more. BUT, if you have a way to reliably turn Barrin into an artifact, then it becomes that much better. Tap, add 2, sac, bounce, play, win, etc. etc.
Alters done! Check often for additions.
I had Salvaging Station in here initially then took it out for some reason...I actually tend to have a lot of graveyard triggers with various tokens dying. Now that I have the artifact lands back in, they offer a lot of shenanigans with the Station
I'm thinking about dropping Commandeer and Phyrexian Ingester for Sakashima's Student and Salvaging Station.
Commandeer is a really great card, but I don't always have two blue cards that I want to exile...and it's not terribly easy to hard-cast.
Ingester is a strong card, but between all of the creature stealing and sacrificing...it seems a little redundant. The ability to recur and tutor for Duplicant makes it leagues better...and Ingester just costs a ton.
What do you think?