Foreword: This is a control composition. Specifically, the quote from Enter the Infinite, sealed its fate as being dedicated to Niv-Mizzet as a book of "all of the ideas." Generally speaking, Niv-Mizzet is possibly one of the most creative beings in the world of Magic the Gathering. (in my opinion) And I enjoy playing with him in all variations. As such this is based around the Dracogenius.
Purpose: As I might of implied, this is a control deck. Like most control it gains close to "infinite" (not really) card advantage and shuts down things that would be a detriment to the player and create an advantage in more ways then one. The initial idea and theme around this deck was to give Niv-Mizzet a figurative "book" of ideas that he could use at his disposal and amusement. A literal greatest hits of blue and red magic. By and large its to give the player a multitude of ways of dealing with threats in a multiplayer environment.
Sidenote: I think this deck could be used in a 1v1 environment but I specifically tried to create something that I could use in multiplayer.
How it plays: Control for the most part. It's got big fatties removal options and tricks. Not to mention, it has plenty of small guys to give advantage or control the situation. Draw, deck manipulation, hand manipulation, board removal, spot removal etc. are all included with this deck. A control player might be interested in this type of deck because of the variance of spells. This deck plays all the different angles. Its really a small collection of the classics. (No Wildfire though)
Remember you are a control player. You eliminate possible threats to you and play the waiting game while setting up a board position/hand composition. Usually the threats that hurt you, hurt the other players as well so getting rid of that might seem like a good gesture. If you land something big (like Stormtide Leviathan, Hellkite whatever) be prepared to back it up because you probably just made everyone hate you. There are many ways to give favor of the game to yourself in the deck and the best way to play the deck is abuse that aspect. (Mercurial Chemister and Forbid plus Isochron Scepter and Boomerang is fair right?)
Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius as a Commander: He's an overseer. I think hes good at just watching from the command zone as a theme for the deck. But, sometimes he has to come in and resolve problems. Once you have a good hand setup, you can resolve him and shut down anything your opponents bring. (Or bail you out of a pinch) His abilities are pure advantage.
The Deck:
"Don't just have an idea-have all of them."-Niv-Mizzet
-Jushi Apprentice and Mercurial Chemister: During testing against the deck I saw this rip open the flood gates of cards and just spew advantage.
-Deadeye Navigator: Sphinx, Primordial, Titan, Chronarch, Simulacrum, Venser. Take your pick. They all work with this guy. Especially him and Venser.
-Beacon of Destruction: For a deck that likes to draw, alot, this card is pretty good to have around to cast as a instant removal/burn spell that goes back to the deck.
Cards for Consideration: Snapcaster Mage- He is pretty good tech for the deck but maybe just as a finisher or a sideboard in 1v1 scenarios. I might be wrong here and hes just amazing no matter where you put him, like Jace.
Conclusion:
With this deck I hoped to create something that any control player could enjoy without it feeling too bland. And, reflect on all the different things that the red and blue magic types have done. Any comments about the deck are well appreciated.
Possible Burn spells could come into play for a sideboard iteration for a 1v1 situation. I haven't decided yet but I have some ideas.
Some other cards that I have considered running alongside the deck for various circumstances:
I figure this smaller list is somewhat of a condition if you are playing with less then 4 players or a 1v1 situation. Street Spasm might be a consideration for maindeck though, I haven't played with it yet. Warp World is ever fun in multiplayer and I am going to try to cast it one game. Yeah all the burn spells here are really just bonus cards until I can figure out some other options. I mean Isochron Scepter + Bolt or Incinerate is pretty good but, maybe not vs. most Commander decks. Repeatable burn is always handy and Charmbreaker Devils is a card that I might consider.
Apparently after a test match or two I realized that counterspells are needed more then certain things so I added them in. My count of my cards were also wrong in the list so I fixed that as well.
I played around with the cards I had before I and I just decided to cut the burn from it. I don't think its neccessarily what this deck wants to do. Maybe if I was running a Melek deck it would be on that list.
Deck Changes:
-Dissipate, +Electrolyze I decided to put Dissipate to my sideboard (and my Electrolyze in) due to my overabundance of counterspell I had initially. (Which I had around 8 or 9. Yikes) 5 Solid Counterspells (including Cryptic Command) and one conditional with Muddle the Mixture (thats more of a tutor) I feel is fine in most multiplayer situations.
-Electrolyze, -Muddle the Mixture, +Dissipate, +Rewind. After some games, more legitimate counterspells were actually needed. Losing the tutor is kinda not what I want to do probably will try to fit it back into the deck somehow.
-Island, +Cathedral of War. Since I have alot of big creatures and probably not that many on the field at one time it makes sense to have something to pump my creature that attacks.
-Izzet Keyrune, +Jace's Arcivist My color fixing seems okay and I need something to fix my hand. I also don't like tapping out on 3 mana to get a ramp going.
-Sturmgeist, +Aetherling The guy seems good though having it take a 5 slot and not a 6 seems rash but I don't really want to lose anything in my 6 drop for him. I might consider dropping Keiga to put Sturmgeist back in.
[card=Dismal Failure]"Two magi could trade spells all day and never crown a victor.
The real battle is not one of power but of will.
If your confidence breaks, so too shall you." —Venser[/card]
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Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius: A Compendium of Magic
Purpose: As I might of implied, this is a control deck. Like most control it gains close to "infinite" (not really) card advantage and shuts down things that would be a detriment to the player and create an advantage in more ways then one. The initial idea and theme around this deck was to give Niv-Mizzet a figurative "book" of ideas that he could use at his disposal and amusement. A literal greatest hits of blue and red magic. By and large its to give the player a multitude of ways of dealing with threats in a multiplayer environment.
Sidenote: I think this deck could be used in a 1v1 environment but I specifically tried to create something that I could use in multiplayer.
How it plays: Control for the most part. It's got big fatties removal options and tricks. Not to mention, it has plenty of small guys to give advantage or control the situation. Draw, deck manipulation, hand manipulation, board removal, spot removal etc. are all included with this deck. A control player might be interested in this type of deck because of the variance of spells. This deck plays all the different angles. Its really a small collection of the classics. (No Wildfire though)
Remember you are a control player. You eliminate possible threats to you and play the waiting game while setting up a board position/hand composition. Usually the threats that hurt you, hurt the other players as well so getting rid of that might seem like a good gesture. If you land something big (like Stormtide Leviathan, Hellkite whatever) be prepared to back it up because you probably just made everyone hate you. There are many ways to give favor of the game to yourself in the deck and the best way to play the deck is abuse that aspect. (Mercurial Chemister and Forbid plus Isochron Scepter and Boomerang is fair right?)
Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius as a Commander: He's an overseer. I think hes good at just watching from the command zone as a theme for the deck. But, sometimes he has to come in and resolve problems. Once you have a good hand setup, you can resolve him and shut down anything your opponents bring. (Or bail you out of a pinch) His abilities are pure advantage.
The Deck:
"Don't just have an idea-have all of them."-Niv-Mizzet
6 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
Creatures (23):
2 Jushi Apprentice
3 Serendib Sorcerer
3 Goblin Flectomancer
3 Jace's Archivist
4 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Clone
4 Venser, Shaper Savant
5 Meloku the Clouded Mirror
5 Body Double
5 Izzet Chronarch
5 Mercurial Chemister
5 Spellbound Dragon
6 Aetherling
6 Steel Hellkite
6 Keiga the Tide Star
6 Deadeye Navigator
6 Frost Titan
6 Flameblast Dragon
6 Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
7 Diluvian Primordial
7 Sphinx of Uthuun
8 Stormtide Leviathan
8 Akroma, Angel of Fury
Planeswalkers (2):
4 Jace, Architect of Thought
5 Jace, Memory Adept
Enchantments (2):
3 Rhystic Study
7 Take Possession
1 Brainstorm
2 Ovinize
2 Cyclonic Rift
2 Boomerang
2 Counterspell
3 Wipe Away
3 Dissipate
3 Hinder
3 Forbid
3 Conterflux
4 Cryptic Command
4 Rewind
4 Wild Ricochet
5 Spin into Myth
5 Turn // Burn
5 Evacuation
5 Beacon of Destruction
Sorceries (8):
1 Ponder
1 Vandalblast
2 Mizzium Mortars
3 Compulsive Research
3x Invoke the Firemind
4 Wash Out
5 Time Reversal
5 Reforge the Soul
Artifacts (9):
1 Sensei's Diving Top
1 Pithing Needle
1 Elixir of Immortality
2 Swiftfoot Boots
2 Isochron Scepter
2 Izzet Signet
3 Chromatic Lantern
3 Mizzium Transreliquat
4 Icy Manipulator
0 Evolving Wilds
0 Terramorphic Expanse
0 Ghost Quarter
0 Buried Ruin
0 Academy Ruins
0 Rogue's Passage
0 Cavern of Souls
0 Mystifying Maze
0 Urza's Factory
0 Reliquary Tower
0 Desolate Lighthouse
0 Smoldering Crater
0 Forgotten Cave
0 Lonely Sandbar
0 Faerie Conclave
0 Steam Vents
0 Sulfur Falls
0 Izzet Guildgate
0 Transguild Promendade
0 Izzet Boilerworks
0 Shivan Reef
0 Cathedral of War
Basic Land (16):
8x Islands
8x Mountain
-Jushi Apprentice and Mercurial Chemister: During testing against the deck I saw this rip open the flood gates of cards and just spew advantage.
-Deadeye Navigator: Sphinx, Primordial, Titan, Chronarch, Simulacrum, Venser. Take your pick. They all work with this guy. Especially him and Venser.
-Beacon of Destruction: For a deck that likes to draw, alot, this card is pretty good to have around to cast as a instant removal/burn spell that goes back to the deck.
-Stormtide Leviathan and Body Double: I heard Moat was good back in old magic. He is a house. I am surprised he actually was printed.
Cards for Consideration:
Snapcaster Mage- He is pretty good tech for the deck but maybe just as a finisher or a sideboard in 1v1 scenarios. I might be wrong here and hes just amazing no matter where you put him, like Jace.
Psychic Spiral- Another shuffle effect plus mill at a late game point. Considerable interaction with Jace, Memory Adept and Tomoya the Revealer. Maybe a sideboard for 1v1 play?
Conclusion:
With this deck I hoped to create something that any control player could enjoy without it feeling too bland. And, reflect on all the different things that the red and blue magic types have done. Any comments about the deck are well appreciated.
1x Jace's Archivist
1x Oona's Grace
1x Psychic Spiral
1x Rewind
1x Snapcaster Mage
1x Reduce to Dreams
1x Electrolyze
1x Street Spasm
1x Char
1x Incinerate
1x Lightning Bolt
1x Pyroblast
1x Warp World
1x Platinum Angel
1x Snapcaster Mage
1x Psychic Spiral
1x Platinum Angel
1x Oona's Grace
1x Magus of the Jar
1x Pyroblast
1x Hydroblast
1x Warp World
1x Reduce to Dreams
Deck Changes:
-Island, +Cathedral of War. Since I have alot of big creatures and probably not that many on the field at one time it makes sense to have something to pump my creature that attacks.
-Izzet Keyrune, +Jace's Arcivist My color fixing seems okay and I need something to fix my hand. I also don't like tapping out on 3 mana to get a ramp going.
-Sturmgeist, +Aetherling The guy seems good though having it take a 5 slot and not a 6 seems rash but I don't really want to lose anything in my 6 drop for him. I might consider dropping Keiga to put Sturmgeist back in.
:symr::symu: Reality Bites
:symr::symu: Delver Cyclops
:symr::symu: Niv Control EDH
:symg::symw: Sigarda EDH
The real battle is not one of power but of will.
If your confidence breaks, so too shall you."
—Venser[/card]