I recently tore apart my incredibly fun Braids, Conjurer Adept beatdown deck for a handful of cards and ended up having a bunch of big blue fatties lying around not doing anything. So I figured, Ephara, God of the Polis would make a great aggro commander that can put all these awesome big creatures to use.
So the deck is pretty simple: drop a steady stream of creatures every turn and benefit from what is essentially a four-mana Phyrexian Arena that won't go away. This list is very rough (as in, I just grabbed a bunch of cards lying around until I hit 60 nonlands rough).
Haven't gotten around to getting a game in with this deck yet, but I've already made some adjustments in order to include cards that I realize would work well in this deck:
Basically, fewer draw cards (operating off the assumption my commander will always be in play), more removal, utility, and swingy guys, and a bit of ramp converted from noncreature to creature.
Forum isn't letting me update the OP so I'll just tack the fresh decklist here.
Thanks for Sacred Mesa; I completely forgot about that card.
I'm a little reluctant to add it in however; I've never been a fan of the two-mana tax every turn to keep it active, and I can't see it doing all that much damage over the course of a game compared to some of the bigger things I would much rather be spending my mana on. It would certainly be a great card draw engine that can create blockers and attack for a bit of damage, but I'm still going to operate off the assumption that 50 creatures (meaning a 75% chance that two draws brings at least one creature) is all the draw I need.
If I find myself card-starved while my second assumption (that my general is never going to die enough to cost more than 6 mana) proves true, Sacred Mesa will definitely be on top of my list of cards to add.
Yeah yeah, I know. Top is an amazing staple that should go in almost every deck for it's amazing draw fixing capabilites. Doubly so for any deck running trinket mage. But you know what? I don't think it's all that valuable in this deck. I get plenty of cards already as it is, pretty much the only time the card is of any value to me is when I get it in my opening hand, so I can ensure I get all the lands I could need. So far, any time I draw the card outside that situation, I'm looking for a shuffle effect so I can bury it in my library in exchange for a creature.
I added in Flash because it will allow me to draw multiple cards per round if I need to use it for that purpose, and it will give me a lot more flexibility in utilizing all these ETB utility dudes. Flash + Glory turns into a counterspell/combat trick, Archon of Justice is strong, and any of the big guys is an obviously great play. I could possibly refill my hand with an end-of-turn flash for solemn simulacrum.
So the deck is pretty simple: drop a steady stream of creatures every turn and benefit from what is essentially a four-mana Phyrexian Arena that won't go away. This list is very rough (as in, I just grabbed a bunch of cards lying around until I hit 60 nonlands rough).
01 Expedition Map
02 Relic of Progenitus
03 Sensei's Divining Top
04 Claws of Gix
05 Elixir of Immortality
Removal that ain't a creature:
06 Karn Liberated
07 Aura of Silence
08 Oblivion Stone
09 Planar Cleansing
Nonland Ramp:
10 Mind Stone
11 Coalition Relic
12 Wayfarer's Bauble
13 Sol Ring
14 Everflowing Chalice
15 Darksteel Ingot
Utility stuff
16 Recurring Insight
17 Leyline of Anticipation
18 Akroma's Memorial
19 Journeyer's Kite
20 Vedalkin Orrery
21 Armillary Sphere
22 Pilgrim's Eye
23 Mother of Runes
24 Stonecloaker
25 Glory
26 White Sun's Zenith
27 Serra Ascendant
28 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
29 Trinket Mage
30 Vedalken Plotter
31 Kor Sanctifiers
32 Treasure Mage
33 Hunted Llamasu
34 Blazing Archon
35 Inkwell Leviathan
36 Twilight Shepherd
37 Solemn Simulacrum
38 Archon of Justice
39 World Queller
40 Batterskull
41 Sun Titan
42 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
43 Ixidron
44 Hunted Phantasm
45 Bribery
46 Chancellor of the Spires
47 Quicksilver Gargantuan
48 Kederekt Leviathan
49 Cryptoplasm
50 Vesuvan Shapeshifter
51 Gilded Drake
52 Stormtide Leviathan
53 Sakashima the Imposter
54 Sphinx of Uthuun
55 Tidespout Tyrant
56 Phyrexian Ingester
57 Rite of Replication
58 Duplicant
59 Conundrum Sphinx
60 Body Double
61 Kjeldoran Outpost
62 Luminarch Ascention
Out:
recurring insight
twilight shepherd
sphinx of uthuun
conundrum sphinx
mind stone
everflowing chalice
In:
Burnished Hart
perplexing chimera
scout's warning
Angel of Serenity
diluvian primordial
luminate primordial
Basically, fewer draw cards (operating off the assumption my commander will always be in play), more removal, utility, and swingy guys, and a bit of ramp converted from noncreature to creature.
Forum isn't letting me update the OP so I'll just tack the fresh decklist here.
01 Expedition Map
02 Relic of Progenitus
03 Sensei's Divining Top
04 Claws of Gix
05 Elixir of Immortality
Removal that ain't a creature:
06 Karn Liberated
07 Aura of Silence
08 Oblivion Stone
09 Planar Cleansing
Nonland Ramp:
11 Coalition Relic
12 Wayfarer's Bauble
13 Sol Ring
15 Darksteel Ingot
Utility stuff
17 Leyline of Anticipation
18 Akroma's Memorial
19 Journeyer's Kite
20 Vedalkin Orrery
21 Armillary Sphere
Creatures! (and things that make 'em)
22 Pilgrim's Eye
23 Mother of Runes
24 Stonecloaker
25 Glory
26 White Sun's Zenith
27 Serra Ascendant
28 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
29 Trinket Mage
30 Vedalken Plotter
31 Kor Sanctifiers
32 Treasure Mage
33 Hunted Lammasu
34 Blazing Archon
35 Inkwell Leviathan
37 Solemn Simulacrum
38 Archon of Justice
39 World Queller
40 Batterskull
41 Sun Titan
42 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
43 Ixidron
44 Hunted Phantasm
45 Bribery
46 Chancellor of the Spires
47 Quicksilver Gargantuan
48 Kederekt Leviathan
49 Cryptoplasm
50 Vesuvan Shapeshifter
51 Gilded Drake
52 Stormtide Leviathan
53 Sakashima, the Imposter
55 Tidespout Tyrant
56 Phyrexian Ingester
57 Rite of Replication
58 Duplicant
60 Body Double
61 Kjeldoran Outpost
62 Luminarch Ascention
Modified stuff:
10 Burnished Hart
14 Perplexing Chimera
16 Scout's Warning
36 Angel of Serenity
54 Luminate Primordial
59 Diluvian Primordial
It lets you put creatures into play on opponent's turn and your turn guaranteed for 2 mana. So you'll be drawing 3 cards off Ephara every turn round.
C Kozilek C
GB Gitrog GB
G Titania G
WU Brago WU
GB MerenGB
Duel Commander Decks
UR Keranos UR
BRG Jund BRG
GR Tron GR GW Tron GW
C Eldrazi Tron (SB) C
BG Lantern Control BG
UW Control (SB) UW
I'm a little reluctant to add it in however; I've never been a fan of the two-mana tax every turn to keep it active, and I can't see it doing all that much damage over the course of a game compared to some of the bigger things I would much rather be spending my mana on. It would certainly be a great card draw engine that can create blockers and attack for a bit of damage, but I'm still going to operate off the assumption that 50 creatures (meaning a 75% chance that two draws brings at least one creature) is all the draw I need.
If I find myself card-starved while my second assumption (that my general is never going to die enough to cost more than 6 mana) proves true, Sacred Mesa will definitely be on top of my list of cards to add.
Yeah yeah, I know. Top is an amazing staple that should go in almost every deck for it's amazing draw fixing capabilites. Doubly so for any deck running trinket mage. But you know what? I don't think it's all that valuable in this deck. I get plenty of cards already as it is, pretty much the only time the card is of any value to me is when I get it in my opening hand, so I can ensure I get all the lands I could need. So far, any time I draw the card outside that situation, I'm looking for a shuffle effect so I can bury it in my library in exchange for a creature.
I added in Flash because it will allow me to draw multiple cards per round if I need to use it for that purpose, and it will give me a lot more flexibility in utilizing all these ETB utility dudes. Flash + Glory turns into a counterspell/combat trick, Archon of Justice is strong, and any of the big guys is an obviously great play. I could possibly refill my hand with an end-of-turn flash for solemn simulacrum.