Why Nin--well, I only play 2 color female generals, and she just made more sense than Jhoira. Nin works better for card advantage, she's pretty quick, and better suited for cards like Charisma. Nin can act as removal if I need to burn a critter off of the table (hopefully stealing it first) and she's got some decent flavor. The idea is pretty basic, what I can't steal and keep, I'll steal and sac. If I can't steal it, I'd like to tuck it. If I can't steal or tuck it, well, I guess there's always bouncing it--or dying to it
I like the deck a lot, so far it's very fun to play, but I've been having some issues with mana (big surprise huh).
What I'd like:
Some recursion would be nice, and obviously more card draw and mana help. There's a good bit of synergy in here, but it isn't quite there yet. There's cards that I thought would work well in here that I'm finding are meh...and a few cards that I want to slot in but can't find a spot for.
I'm pretty dependent on what other people bring to the table, but I'm hoping that I have enough in here with some of the nastier critters to put on the beats and take on opponents as the table gets smaller. If anyone has created a similar deck, and has some suggestions that'd be great.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
No one spoke. There was no need. The threat of the Eldrazi presented a simple choice: lay down your arms and die for nothing, or hold them fast and die for something.
Posting a deck with the deck tag system will help generate feedback. There is a sticky thread in the general EDH forum that will show you how.
I'm not sure I like Leyline of Singularity here. Especially not with Rite of Replication. Having multiple copies of some creatures (like Glen Elendra Archmage) is more valuable then using the Leyline as a form of removal.
I always advocate for more rocks. I like running a minimum of 42 mana sources between rocks, lands and dorks (I count doublers separately).
I like your counter spell package. A good number to insure you have enough without being oppressive. I would consider Dissipate and Faerie Trickery. Having exile on a counter is nice. But only if you want to add a counter. No need to replace the ones you have. They are very good.
Good call on your sac outlet choices.
I prefer Swiftfoot Boots over Greaves if you can't run both. Sure the 0 equip is nice but often the hexproof over shroud negates that benefit.
I would rather run something like Pongify over Polymorph. There are also better choices in red but I'm not the best in the world to make those suggestions.
Finally, I always advocate for more card draw. Obviously Nin can provide some of that but you can't always count on her.
Hey, nice list! It has the potential to be quite good. I second the suggestion of using deck tags and encourage you to even consider writing a primer for Nin since we need one here. It's a lot of work but rewarding in the long run since it helps you improve the deck yourself.
I think the most glaringly obvious improvement to be made is steering the deck away from what I call "opponent dependency". This is where a deck is dependent on its opponents to win. Granted, most commander decks run a fair amount of relevant creatures but some do not and are almost entirely non-creature based. My primer is a pretty good example. The best you could really hope to steal is Niv-Mizzet himself or Consecrated Sphinx which won't be game winning for a deck not designed to abuse them - and I can certainly win without either one of them. What this means is that against a deck that is non-creature based you will lose almost every time because the majority of cards in your deck will be dead draws. And even if your opponents ran a lot of creatures there might not be any worth stealing on the battlefield. Until you shift away a bit from this kind of dependency, you'll be severely handicapped.
The most effective way to accomplish this is to include win conditions that don't depend on your opponents:
You can use Power Artifact and Basalt Monolith to make infinite mana for Nin's ability and force your opponents to draw their libraries. Power Artifact is useless by itself though, so if you include this combo I would also add in Memnarch and Grim Monolith get more mileage with it. It also works nicely with Mimic Vat. I would throw in Muddle the Mixture to tutor for it (and other stuff). Fabricate can be used to grab the artifacts. You'll also want some backups to power artifact. You could try Turnabout, Voltaic Key, Mind Over Matter, Tezzeret the Seeker, or Unwinding Clock. Most of these have some great interaction with other cards in the deck anyway.
Since you are already running Kiki, I would also consider running Splinter Twin, Pestermite, and Deceiver Exarch as well. This will give you a solid win con package that most people won't see coming. What's best is that all of these cards are useful on their own and synergize pretty well with the rest of the deck. For example, Kiki and Splinter Twin generate tokens which you can either sac or ping to death with Nin - or just copy someones Blightsteel and swing. Exarch and Pestermite untap your artifact ramp, utility lands, utility creatures, and Nin herself.
You're already running Hellkite Tyrant. While it doesn't necessarily synergize with Nin I think we can focus on it as an actual win condition without detracting from the deck's power at all. You can accomplish this by utilizing more artifact ramp and adding in Thada Adel, Acquisitor and Memnarch for additional artifact steals. Combo this with All is Dust and you have another powerful win condition package. Tezzeret the Seeker actually becomes an alternate win condition with this strategy as well. Memnarch can win games by himself.
Vicious Shadows could be a nice win con but it's mana intensive.
Duplicant - I think this can do really well here serving as both removal and duplication (effectively stealing the creature). It adds to our artifact count and can be tutored for with Fabricate or Tezzeret or recurred indefinitely with Academy Ruins.
I'm really surprised to see you aren't running Riptide Laboratory. This is arguably the best way to bounce Venser, Nin, and your other wizards for etb value as well as protecting them from removal. Since Nin is so cheap, you can effectively use Riptide Laboratory to untap her to kill multiple things per turn.
While we're playing around with lands why don't you use Minamo, School at Water's Edge? If you have infinite mana and both Riptide Laboratory and Minamo out you can tap Nin three times to kill everyone!
I think you really need a couple of creatures that actually want to die, especially if you're dead set on the sac outlets. Solemn Simulacrum comes to mind. Alternatively, you could add in a token generator that won't leave you card disadvantaged. Kiki and Splinter Twin can work well for this but you could also try something like Dragonmaster Outcast.
I think Stuffy Doll really should be here. You can copy it with Metamorph or Rite of Replication and then hit them with multiple Blasphemous Acts or use Pyrohemia to really bring the pain.
I've thoroughly enjoyed cheap draw/discard cards in my Niv-Mizzet build. It helps you trade those late game bombs (which you don't need at that moment) for artifact ramp, removal, or lands early in the game. You can recur the discarded card later using Academy Ruins, Snapcaster Mage, Call to Mind, or Archaeomancer or alternatively just cycle them back into your library using Time Spiral or Time Reversal. I'd recommend trying out Faithless Looting, Frantic Search, Compulsive Research, Thirst for Knowledge, Careful Study, Izzet Charm and Careful Consideration. Compulsive Research and Careful Consideration are particularly noteworthy because you can force your opponent to draw. This is nice with Consecrated Sphinx or Runeflare Trap/Cerebral Vortex if you decide to go that route.
If you want this deck to be competitive I would include at least the following:
Other cards that I think are weak in your list are:
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind - I don't think your running enough support to justify his high cmc. without much handcycling or even Curiosity I don't see how you can make much use of him. I would instead put something in that synergizes more with Nin's ability - maybe Psychosis Crawler instead or something else that I mentioned.
Capricious Efreet - I can see how he synergizes but I think for that much mana you want a bigger effect. I think Blasphemous Act would be a great swap here especially with the other cards I've recommended.
Dreamscape Artist - ehh, I've run him before but I think you'd be better off with some solid artifact ramp or Trinket Mage or a Fabricate to get Sol Ring out early.
Aladdin - I can see how he fits the theme but being a creature he's pretty fragile just being a 1/1. He also DOES NOT synergize with board wipe spells which I think this deck really wants. Initially it will take 3RRRR to just steal one artifact. Compare that to Hellkite Tyrant who also gives you a win condition and steals everything from a single player with less mana investment and a big flying body to boot. If you really want to steal artifacts, I would just go with Memnarch who is a much bigger threat and synergizes with All is Dust. Thada Adel, Acquisitor is also great. Both of these cards will go a long way toward helping you actually win using Hellkite Tyrant.
Leyline of Singularity needs to go I agree with bigbearlyke in that is just doesn't synergize with what this deck is trying to do.
Control Magic, Confiscate, Treachery - I think you are going in the right direction using repeatable permanent based thievery such as Charisma, Roil Elemental, Beguiler of Wills, and Helm of Possession. The use once sorceries are a bit risky because they need to have good targets to be used and rather than giving you value (card advantage) over time they are only useful once (1 for 1). I see them being dead cards in your hand a lot of the time. Instead I would try out Vedalken Shackles or maybe cut them for redundancy in other areas of the deck since I think you are actually too focused on theft.
Perilous Research - meh, I would honestly just swap this for Frantic Search or Faithless Looting. You want the vast majority of cards to be useful early, mid, and late game. Perilous Research is bad early and gives you a very minimal effect later.
Spin into Myth, Polymorph, Proteus Staff - removal spells that cost too much and only hit creatures. I would swap these for solid counters, more versatile removal, board wipes, or something else that I suggested. Not all commander decks are creature based (my primer is a good example) so you want something more versatile.
Library of Leng - I used this for a long time in my Niv-Mizzet deck but eventually cut it and similar cards, keeping only Reliquary Tower. If Niv doesn't need it, Nin certainly doesn't.
Phyrexian Altar, Phyrexian Vault, Ashnod's Altar - In a deck with relatively few of its own creatures (that you actually want to sac) and no tokens to speak of, these won't be living up to their potential that they realize in other decks designed to really abuse them. These go a long way towards adding your your "opponent dependency" syndrome. Of the three, I might keep Ashnod's Altar since it's the most powerful and grants you access to some competitive combos.
If I were to build a Nin deck, although it needs more tweaking, this is what I would throw together. It has a lot of overlap with my Niv-Mizzet build but that's because there are a lot of competetive cards that most izzet commander decks will be using. I'd like to squeeze in one or two more counterpells I think. Also, you'll notice that some of the cards I recommended aren't actually in here. That's because I just couldn't find space for them at the moment - they might go in though once I'm able to playtest the deck and see what really works and what doesn't
Gentlemen,
This was some very well thought out, well articulated, and very helpful feed back. Holy cow, I was not expecting so much in the way help. Thank you, very much. I'm dumbstruck. I am working on the deck right now, and have made many of the replacements you've suggested. I'll repost a deck list once i've finalized it.
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Why Nin--well, I only play 2 color female generals, and she just made more sense than Jhoira. Nin works better for card advantage, she's pretty quick, and better suited for cards like Charisma. Nin can act as removal if I need to burn a critter off of the table (hopefully stealing it first) and she's got some decent flavor. The idea is pretty basic, what I can't steal and keep, I'll steal and sac. If I can't steal it, I'd like to tuck it. If I can't steal or tuck it, well, I guess there's always bouncing it--or dying to it
I like the deck a lot, so far it's very fun to play, but I've been having some issues with mana (big surprise huh).
Creatures (21 total)
Utility and Support Critters
• Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker (Kiki serves largely to double up powerful effects of critters I've stolen or cast
• Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind (Niv can bring the beats, but he is mostly here for card draw and Charisma)
• Braids, Conjurer Adept (Braids and the other huggy effects exist to help opponents play things I can steal)
• Capricious Efreet (Great removal)
• Barrin, Master Wizard (a sac outlet for stolen critters as well as bounce)
• Phyrexian Metamorph (Only the best blue critter ever printed)
• Rayne, Academy Chancellor (something to make people think twice about trying to get their critters back)
• Anger (allows me to swing upon acquisition)
• Dreamscape Artist (Blue ramp.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfylJy_nMbM)
• Venser, Shaper Savant (great if I can bounce him)
- Kleptomaniacs (Creatures)
• Aladdin (you ain't never had a friend like me--)
• Beguiler of Wills
• Dominus of Fealty
• Empress Galina
• Roil Elemental
• Hellkite Tyrant
• Keiga, the Tide Star
• Magus of the Unseen
• Gilded Drake
• Sphinx Ambassador
Enchantments/Auras/ (11)
• Chamber of Manipulation
• Charisma
• Control Magic
• Treachery
• Confiscate
• Corrupted Conscience
• Steal Enchantment (with the proliferation of gods out there right now this is so much fun)
- Other enchantments
• Dream Halls
• Mana Flare
• Leyline of Anticipation
• Leyline of Singularity
Instants and Sorceries (20)
Spells of Thievery
• Blatant Thievery
• Dominate
• Desertion (Counter/steal)
• Spelljack (counter/steal)
• Insurrection
• Acquire
• Bribery
• Political Trickery (Oh that's a nice land--let's trade)
- Other spells
• Perilous Research
• Rite of Replication (bomb spell)
Counters/Removal/bounce and general Hate
• Spell Crumple (counter/tuck)
• Hinder (counter/tuck)
• Counterflux
• Cryptic Command
• Curse of the Swine (exile what I can't steal)
• Cyclonic Rift
• Chaos Warp (Tuck)
• Capsize
• Spin into Myth (Tuck)
• Polymorph
Artifacts (12)
Mana Rocks
• Izzet Signet
• Sol Ring
• Gilded Lotus
(more is needed)
- Other artifacts
• Helm of Possession (Sac outlet plus thievery--sure)
• Lightning Greaves
• Mimic Vat (exile)
• Proteus Staff (Tuck)
• Sensei's Divining Top
• Library of Leng
Sac Outlets (allows my stolen critters to be removed if need be)
• Phyrexian Altar
• Phyrexian Vault
• Ashnod's Altar
Lands (36)
• High Market
• Desolate Lighthouse
• Maze of Ith
• Izzet Boilerworks
• Izzet Guildgate
• 10 Snow-Covered Island
• 7 Snow-Covered Mountain
• Steam Vents
• Shivan Reef
• Caldera Lake
• Terramorphic Expanse
• Temple of Epiphany
• Cascade Bluffs
• Evolving Wilds
• Reflecting Pool
• Sulfur Falls
• Academy Ruins
• Thespian's Stage
• Reliquary Tower
• Homeward Path
• Undiscovered Paradise
What I'd like:
Some recursion would be nice, and obviously more card draw and mana help. There's a good bit of synergy in here, but it isn't quite there yet. There's cards that I thought would work well in here that I'm finding are meh...and a few cards that I want to slot in but can't find a spot for.
I'm pretty dependent on what other people bring to the table, but I'm hoping that I have enough in here with some of the nastier critters to put on the beats and take on opponents as the table gets smaller. If anyone has created a similar deck, and has some suggestions that'd be great.
I'm not sure I like Leyline of Singularity here. Especially not with Rite of Replication. Having multiple copies of some creatures (like Glen Elendra Archmage) is more valuable then using the Leyline as a form of removal.
I always advocate for more rocks. I like running a minimum of 42 mana sources between rocks, lands and dorks (I count doublers separately).
I like your counter spell package. A good number to insure you have enough without being oppressive. I would consider Dissipate and Faerie Trickery. Having exile on a counter is nice. But only if you want to add a counter. No need to replace the ones you have. They are very good.
Good call on your sac outlet choices.
I prefer Swiftfoot Boots over Greaves if you can't run both. Sure the 0 equip is nice but often the hexproof over shroud negates that benefit.
I would rather run something like Pongify over Polymorph. There are also better choices in red but I'm not the best in the world to make those suggestions.
Finally, I always advocate for more card draw. Obviously Nin can provide some of that but you can't always count on her.
EDH Decks:
WUBOloro, Combo ControlWUB
UBOona Reanimator ComboUB
BRGProssh, Eater of the Blue MageBRG
UBRGrixis StormUBR
Rebuilding Jenara (stealyourstuff.dec)
Pauper Deck:
UBInspired SirenUB
I think the most glaringly obvious improvement to be made is steering the deck away from what I call "opponent dependency". This is where a deck is dependent on its opponents to win. Granted, most commander decks run a fair amount of relevant creatures but some do not and are almost entirely non-creature based. My primer is a pretty good example. The best you could really hope to steal is Niv-Mizzet himself or Consecrated Sphinx which won't be game winning for a deck not designed to abuse them - and I can certainly win without either one of them. What this means is that against a deck that is non-creature based you will lose almost every time because the majority of cards in your deck will be dead draws. And even if your opponents ran a lot of creatures there might not be any worth stealing on the battlefield. Until you shift away a bit from this kind of dependency, you'll be severely handicapped.
The most effective way to accomplish this is to include win conditions that don't depend on your opponents:
You can use Power Artifact and Basalt Monolith to make infinite mana for Nin's ability and force your opponents to draw their libraries. Power Artifact is useless by itself though, so if you include this combo I would also add in Memnarch and Grim Monolith get more mileage with it. It also works nicely with Mimic Vat. I would throw in Muddle the Mixture to tutor for it (and other stuff). Fabricate can be used to grab the artifacts. You'll also want some backups to power artifact. You could try Turnabout, Voltaic Key, Mind Over Matter, Tezzeret the Seeker, or Unwinding Clock. Most of these have some great interaction with other cards in the deck anyway.
Laboratory Maniac is an option here as well if you have reliable ways to draw your library (i.e. infinite mana or maybe Enter the Infinite or Consecrated Sphinx and some handcycling)
Since you are already running Kiki, I would also consider running Splinter Twin, Pestermite, and Deceiver Exarch as well. This will give you a solid win con package that most people won't see coming. What's best is that all of these cards are useful on their own and synergize pretty well with the rest of the deck. For example, Kiki and Splinter Twin generate tokens which you can either sac or ping to death with Nin - or just copy someones Blightsteel and swing. Exarch and Pestermite untap your artifact ramp, utility lands, utility creatures, and Nin herself.
You're already running Hellkite Tyrant. While it doesn't necessarily synergize with Nin I think we can focus on it as an actual win condition without detracting from the deck's power at all. You can accomplish this by utilizing more artifact ramp and adding in Thada Adel, Acquisitor and Memnarch for additional artifact steals. Combo this with All is Dust and you have another powerful win condition package. Tezzeret the Seeker actually becomes an alternate win condition with this strategy as well. Memnarch can win games by himself.
Some more suggestions:
I think this deck wants Psychic Possession, Plagiarize, and Consecrated Sphinx, with Sphinx actually being mandatory IMO since it's downright amazing even by itself (and imagine hitting it with a kicked Rite of Replication O.o). You can swap out for some of the weaker theft spells like Political Trickery, Dominate, and Chamber of Manipulation. Why do this? Not only will these additions circumvent the need for theft but they synergize nicely with handcycling effects such as Molten Psyche, Windfall, and Wheel of Fortune which I also think should be included.
Vicious Shadows could be a nice win con but it's mana intensive.
Duplicant - I think this can do really well here serving as both removal and duplication (effectively stealing the creature). It adds to our artifact count and can be tutored for with Fabricate or Tezzeret or recurred indefinitely with Academy Ruins.
I'm really surprised to see you aren't running Riptide Laboratory. This is arguably the best way to bounce Venser, Nin, and your other wizards for etb value as well as protecting them from removal. Since Nin is so cheap, you can effectively use Riptide Laboratory to untap her to kill multiple things per turn.
While we're playing around with lands why don't you use Minamo, School at Water's Edge? If you have infinite mana and both Riptide Laboratory and Minamo out you can tap Nin three times to kill everyone!
Instead of Curse of the Swine try another solid board wipe like All is Dust, Evacuation, or Devastation Tide.
I think you really need a couple of creatures that actually want to die, especially if you're dead set on the sac outlets. Solemn Simulacrum comes to mind. Alternatively, you could add in a token generator that won't leave you card disadvantaged. Kiki and Splinter Twin can work well for this but you could also try something like Dragonmaster Outcast.
I think Stuffy Doll really should be here. You can copy it with Metamorph or Rite of Replication and then hit them with multiple Blasphemous Acts or use Pyrohemia to really bring the pain.
I've thoroughly enjoyed cheap draw/discard cards in my Niv-Mizzet build. It helps you trade those late game bombs (which you don't need at that moment) for artifact ramp, removal, or lands early in the game. You can recur the discarded card later using Academy Ruins, Snapcaster Mage, Call to Mind, or Archaeomancer or alternatively just cycle them back into your library using Time Spiral or Time Reversal. I'd recommend trying out Faithless Looting, Frantic Search, Compulsive Research, Thirst for Knowledge, Careful Study, Izzet Charm and Careful Consideration. Compulsive Research and Careful Consideration are particularly noteworthy because you can force your opponent to draw. This is nice with Consecrated Sphinx or Runeflare Trap/Cerebral Vortex if you decide to go that route.
If you want this deck to be competitive I would include at least the following:
The moxen are more my preference - you could use other things like Fellwar Stone, Coldsteel Heart, and Worn Powerstone if you don't like the moxen or can't afford them.
Other cards that I think are weak in your list are:
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind - I don't think your running enough support to justify his high cmc. without much handcycling or even Curiosity I don't see how you can make much use of him. I would instead put something in that synergizes more with Nin's ability - maybe Psychosis Crawler instead or something else that I mentioned.
Capricious Efreet - I can see how he synergizes but I think for that much mana you want a bigger effect. I think Blasphemous Act would be a great swap here especially with the other cards I've recommended.
Dreamscape Artist - ehh, I've run him before but I think you'd be better off with some solid artifact ramp or Trinket Mage or a Fabricate to get Sol Ring out early.
Aladdin - I can see how he fits the theme but being a creature he's pretty fragile just being a 1/1. He also DOES NOT synergize with board wipe spells which I think this deck really wants. Initially it will take 3RRRR to just steal one artifact. Compare that to Hellkite Tyrant who also gives you a win condition and steals everything from a single player with less mana investment and a big flying body to boot. If you really want to steal artifacts, I would just go with Memnarch who is a much bigger threat and synergizes with All is Dust. Thada Adel, Acquisitor is also great. Both of these cards will go a long way toward helping you actually win using Hellkite Tyrant.
Leyline of Singularity needs to go
Control Magic, Confiscate, Treachery - I think you are going in the right direction using repeatable permanent based thievery such as Charisma, Roil Elemental, Beguiler of Wills, and Helm of Possession. The use once sorceries are a bit risky because they need to have good targets to be used and rather than giving you value (card advantage) over time they are only useful once (1 for 1). I see them being dead cards in your hand a lot of the time. Instead I would try out Vedalken Shackles or maybe cut them for redundancy in other areas of the deck since I think you are actually too focused on theft.
Perilous Research - meh, I would honestly just swap this for Frantic Search or Faithless Looting. You want the vast majority of cards to be useful early, mid, and late game. Perilous Research is bad early and gives you a very minimal effect later.
Spin into Myth, Polymorph, Proteus Staff - removal spells that cost too much and only hit creatures. I would swap these for solid counters, more versatile removal, board wipes, or something else that I suggested. Not all commander decks are creature based (my primer is a good example) so you want something more versatile.
Library of Leng - I used this for a long time in my Niv-Mizzet deck but eventually cut it and similar cards, keeping only Reliquary Tower. If Niv doesn't need it, Nin certainly doesn't.
Phyrexian Altar, Phyrexian Vault, Ashnod's Altar - In a deck with relatively few of its own creatures (that you actually want to sac) and no tokens to speak of, these won't be living up to their potential that they realize in other decks designed to really abuse them. These go a long way towards adding your your "opponent dependency" syndrome. Of the three, I might keep Ashnod's Altar since it's the most powerful and grants you access to some competitive combos.
Izzet Boilerworks should be cut for a cheapish dual land that you are missing such as Command Tower, Mana Confluence, or City of Brass. If Boilerworks gets Strip Mined or Boomeranged early, you might as well scoop. The fact that it comes into play tapped just makes it downright terrible IMO.
If I were to build a Nin deck, although it needs more tweaking, this is what I would throw together. It has a lot of overlap with my Niv-Mizzet build but that's because there are a lot of competetive cards that most izzet commander decks will be using. I'd like to squeeze in one or two more counterpells I think. Also, you'll notice that some of the cards I recommended aren't actually in here. That's because I just couldn't find space for them at the moment - they might go in though once I'm able to playtest the deck and see what really works and what doesn't
RAMP
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Mana Vault
1 Grim Monolith
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Opal
1 Sol Ring
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Chrome Mox
1 Mox Diamond
DUAL LANDS
0 Volcanic Island
1 Steam Vents
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 Command Tower
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Shivan Reef
UTILITY LANDS
1 High Market
1 City of Brass
1 Strip Mine
1 Riptide Laboratory
1 Academy Ruins
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Cephalid Coliseum
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Tolaria West
BASIC LANDS
3 Mountain
7 Island
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Arid Mesa
1 Misty Rainforest
CONTROL
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Pact of Negation
1 Force of Will
1 Counterspell
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Desertion
1 Commandeer
REMOVAL
1 Blasphemous Act
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Chaos Warp
DRAW/CARD ADVANTAGE
1 Plagiarize
1 Faithless Looting
1 Compulsive Research
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Frantic Search
1 Careful Consideration
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Molten Psyche
1 Time Spiral
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Windfall
DUPLICATION/RECURSION
1 Archaeomancer
1 Mimic Vat
1 Rite of Replication
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Roil Elemental
1 Blatant Thievery
1 Sphinx Ambassador
1 Bribery
1 Acquire
1 Charisma
1 Insurrection
UTILITY SPELLS/MISC
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Show and Tell
1 Stuffy Doll
1 Laboratory Maniac
1 Power Artifact
1 Izzet Charm
1 Turnabout
1 Dream Halls
TUTORS
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Trinket Mage
1 Fabricate
ARTIFACT WIN PACKAGE
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Thada Adel, Acquisitor
1 Hellkite Tyrant
1 Memnarch
1 All is Dust
INFINITE CREATURES WIN PACKAGE
1 Deceiver Exarch
1 Splinter Twin
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Pestermite
MY PRIMER ON NIV-MIZZET, THE FIREMIND, MY CUSTOM CARDS ON DEVIANTART
My other decks:
Kaalia of the Vast: Certified Air Raid Material
Prossh, Skyraider of Kher: NOM NOM NOM!
Aurelia, the Warleader: Warclamp
This was some very well thought out, well articulated, and very helpful feed back. Holy cow, I was not expecting so much in the way help. Thank you, very much. I'm dumbstruck. I am working on the deck right now, and have made many of the replacements you've suggested. I'll repost a deck list once i've finalized it.