MTG Salvation

I am sold on Derevi as my new commander, but it's hard to find a focus for him. Sure, one could go Bant Flicker shenanigans, but that's too obvious and Roon of the Hidden Realm is better at the job. STAX is an obvious direction, but I don't hate my playgroup that much (nor do I want them to hate me). As I was pondering and commenting around the forums, I found an old card and it hit me how I wanted to build Derevi...

Voidmage Prodigy


Kai Budde's oft-forgotten invitational card is really good with Derevi, offering eternal access to an effectively uncounterable counterspell for :1mana::symw::symu::symu::symu::symg:. Expensive, sure, but doable in Commander...especially with a little help from Prophet of Kruphix, or Gilded Lotus, or sufficiently ramped lands that Derevi can untap every time he flashes back in. And if we're also running other wizard tribal effects, like Azami, Lady of Scrolls? We get a card out of the deal too.

From there I quickly had a list up and running, although I'm still ~16 cards shy. I am having a hard time figuring out what else I want in here. I know my primary themes are "Wizard Tribal" and "D&D Batman Wizard - Prepared for Anything", but there's a lot of durdly subtheme stuff that would be great and I just don't know where to go with it.



The Gameplan:
This deck wants to be prepared for anything, answering threats and playing defense. The keyword to me is adapatability: this deck runs a bunch of "charms" (Bant, Simic, Cryptic Command, etc.) alongside a Trinket Mage package, allowing it to adapt to any sort of situation and answer any sort of board state. Need to hose a graveyard? Relic of Progenitus!. Need to save your team from a wave of nasty targetted removal? Simic Charm can grant them hexproof! Facing down a Terminus instead? At least charm can bounce a key creature.

The early game will of course be spent ramping, defending yourself, and countering or tucking opposing cards when necessary. Hopefully you can play "referee" in the game, dissuading early aggression with the threat of counters, lockdown, or tucks. Your job will get A LOT easier if you can land Prophet of Kruphix, Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir, Murkfiend Liege, or a combination of such cards, as this will allow you to always hold some mana up for a trick while still developing your board position, but Derevi alone can also do the job with a few fellow attackers to untap lands or mana rocks.

Eventually, this deck wants to set up its durdly endgame. It has access to several interactions which lead to an effective "soft lock":

Glen Elendra Archmage/Venser, Shaper Savant + Riptide Laboratory/Crystal Shard
Glen Elendra Archmage + Sage of Fables
Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Voidmage Prodigy
Eternal Witness/Archaeomancer + Crystal Shard + a counter/removal spell in the 'yard.
Auriok Salvagers + Aether Spellbomb (bounce all the creatures!)
Auriok Salvagers + Sunbeam Spellbomb (gain tons of life)

Many of these engines are expensive to run (for instance, the 'bomb loops are four mana per kick), so this deck runs a decent amount of ramp to help. Derevi's ability to untap lands after dealing combat damage can also grant extra mana to use these abilities.

If opponents are fighting through the lock, or at least not scooping to it, you should eventually build up enough mana and cards to just dump a ton of mana into one of these decks guild-magi to alphastrike for the kill, although you also have a few big fatties and access to the mighty Rite of Replication as some solid haymakers to end a match.

So, what do you guys think? Please feel free to recommend cards that aren't currently on my maybeboard, with a few caveats:

1) I don't want to build a STAX deck. I feel like unlimited counters is already gonna get me the evil eye. I don't really need to ruin everyone's manabase with Winter Orb and Tangle Wire while I'm at it
2) If there's an obvious staple missing and it costs more than $7, it's probably not on there because I don't own it and can't afford to acquire it. It's still a helpful suggestion, but it isn't the most helpful suggestion.
3) I am trying to avoid outright infinite combos. I'm well aware that I have all the right stuff to abuse Basalt Monolith in here, but I have a Karn deck for that sort of nonsense already.

I finished the deck on my own, and it's now a full 100 card list. Any suggestions on how I can improve it?

I do think it needs a bit more focus.
you have a lot of great spells but they aren't really pointed at a central game plan.

I feel like you have too much ramp actually and not really enough to spend it on. most of your guys are low cost. I think you should focus more on getting a critical mass of wizards then doing something rediclous.

I am building the bird tribal version.. with some wizards.. and in testing.. it draws soooo many cards whille still hitting for a ton. Playing a tempo game.

This is a nice bant good stuff deck I guess... *shrug*.

I have my own wizard tribal deck that I run that is a little more control based but my primary recommendations would be to add a Patron Wizard and MistMeadow Witch. I know you dont want the flicker shenanigans, but Witch can really come in useful when it comes to board wipes or other removal. Also Coat of Arms usually works, unless it is Slivers. But I dont usually come up against other tribal decks often.

a few cards I highly recommend Vedalken AEthermage, Karmic Guide, Reveillark, aura shards, Mirari's Wake, wargate, Oracle of Mul Daya, and lotus cobra. All good cards that help with mana and returning what you need, and or finding it. I typically always use wargate to get birthing pod, as the wizard tribe seems to curve so well, nothing better than hitting glen getting her back, and a awesome 5 drop like prophet then hit glen again for karmic or reveillark. You know because wizards believe in the value train.