I tend to be very thematic when it comes to making Commander decks. It's a hard line to straddle; I want to play competitively, but I also don't want to just cram in every goodstuff card that fits my color theme.
In this particular case, I was looking to build a softer deck, one to bust out against a friend's new brew that needed a lot of work or the guy running 95% of a precon, etc. That said, it doesn't necessarily do newer players any good to play against something terrible, either, so I wanted to build something with a specific set of roadblocks I'd have to force myself to work around that kept the deck power in check while also letting me make something that kept my interest.
There's a lot of cool sphinxes, but aside from Consecrated Sphinx it's kind of hard to slot most into a deck. There's just something better at the same cmc almost every time. So since I had a binder full of these guys with no potential future home I figured why not. I toyed with the idea of going with Sharuum initially, but then everyone just assumes you're that guy. That leaves Isperia 1, Isperia 2 and Medomi, and while Medomi is cool I didn't want to scare off the guy playing a precon by having him assume it was some sort of tricksy extra turn deck (if such a thing with Medomi exists . . .). That left the Isperias Judge and Inscrutable.
01/08/15: Added Mystic Remora, removed Proteus Staff Wanted more draw
01/08/15: Added Rest in Peace, removed Darksteel Mutation Needed some graveyard hate
01/14/15: Added Everflowing Chalice, removed Spin Into Myth Wanted more ramp, Spin is expensive to cast for just creature removal
01/28/15: Added Petra Sphinx, removed Darksteel Ingot Need another warm body
03/02/15: Added Call to the Kindred, removed Mana Web Web annoyed everyone
03/03/15: Added Aetherspouts, removed Cloud Cover Sphinxes are so expensive bouncing them seemed like a bad idea
03/29/15: Added Aetherize, removed Condemn Without commander tuck Condemn just isn't that good
03/29/15: Added Darksteel Mutation, removed Banishing Stroke Without commander tuck Mutation does removal better
03/29/15: Added Fate Forgotten, removed Tunnel Vision Without commander tuck it's hard to Tunnel Vision a win
03/29/15: Added Dissipate, removed Hinder Without commander tuck Dissipate becomes strictly better
03/29/15: Added Swiftfoot Boots, removed Spell Crumple Wanted more protection for expensive Sphinxes
03/29/15: Added Maze of Ith, removed Azorius Guildgate Had a Maze from a disabled deck
03/29/15: Added Island, remvoed Plains Balancing mana with color ratio
04/04/15: Added Strionic Resonator, removed Oblation So many triggers I can copy
04/09/15: Added Terrain Generator, removed Sejiri Refuge Trying TG for a bit of ramp since I have Land Tax, etc. to get lands to hand
04/09/15: Added Wayfarer's Bauble, removed Telepathy Needed more ramp, Telepathy is annoying and hogs board space
04/16/15: Added Vexing Sphinx, removed Petra Sphinx Wanted all fliers
04/18/15: Added Myriad Landscape, removed Mistveil Plains Never used Mistveil Plains, Landscape is slow ramp but ramp none the less
04/27/15: Added Recurring Insight, removed Whispersilk Cloak Had enough evasion, could always use more draw
05/21/15: Added Inundate, removed Everflowing Chalice Hated tapping out for Chalice, Inundate takes advantage of having all blue creatures
05/21/15: Added Oblation, removed Fate Forgotten Oblation hits planeswalkers and creatures, too
In this particular case, I was looking to build a softer deck, one to bust out against a friend's new brew that needed a lot of work or the guy running 95% of a precon, etc. That said, it doesn't necessarily do newer players any good to play against something terrible, either, so I wanted to build something with a specific set of roadblocks I'd have to force myself to work around that kept the deck power in check while also letting me make something that kept my interest.
There's a lot of cool sphinxes, but aside from Consecrated Sphinx it's kind of hard to slot most into a deck. There's just something better at the same cmc almost every time. So since I had a binder full of these guys with no potential future home I figured why not. I toyed with the idea of going with Sharuum initially, but then everyone just assumes you're that guy. That leaves Isperia 1, Isperia 2 and Medomi, and while Medomi is cool I didn't want to scare off the guy playing a precon by having him assume it was some sort of tricksy extra turn deck (if such a thing with Medomi exists . . .). That left the Isperias Judge and Inscrutable.
Isperia, Supreme Judge
2 Azorius Signet
3 Darksteel Plate
0 Everflowing Chalice
5 Gilded Lotus
2 Lightning Greaves
2 Scroll Rack
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
2 Swiftfoot Boots
2 Talisman of Progress
4 Thran Dynamo
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
CREATURE: 20
6 Arbiter of the Ideal
4 Argent Sphinx
7 Chancellor of the Spires
6 Consecrated Sphinx
4 Conundrum Sphinx
7 Goliath Sphinx
5 Guardian of Tazeem
5 Isperia the Inscrutable
4 Jelenn Sphinx
5 Master of Predicaments
6 Medomi the Ageless
5 Prognostic Sphinx
6 Sharding Sphinx
7 Sphinx Ambassador
6 Sphinx of Jwar Isle
6 Sphinx of Magosi
7 Sphinx of the Final Word
7 Sphinx of Uthuun
3 Vexing Sphinx
7 Windreader Sphinx
2 Darksteel Mutation
3 Detention Sphere
5 Gravitational Shift
1 Land Tax
4 Leyline of Anticipation
1 Mystic Remora
2 Rest in Peace
3 Rhystic Study
6 True Conviction
INSTANT: 14
4 Ætherize
5 Ætherspouts
1 Brainstorm
2 Counterspell
2 Cyclonic Rift
3 Dissipate
4 Fact or Fiction
3 Oblation
6 Overwhelming Intellect
1 Path to Exile
3 Render Silent
4 Return to Dust
3 Sphinx's Revelation
1 Swords to Plowshares
SORCERY: 8
6 Austere Command
3 Council's Judgement
2 Curse of the Swine
3 Harsh Mercy
6 Inundate
6 Recurring Insight
4 Supreme Verdict
6 Terminus
0 Adarkar Wastes
0 Azorius Chancery
0 Blighted Cataract
0 Cavern of Souls
0 Command Tower
0 Glacial Fortress
0 Halimar Depths
0 Hallowed Fountain
0 Homeward Path
0 Island x7
0 Kor Haven
0 Maze of Ith
0 Myriad Landscape
0 Nimbus Maze
0 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
0 Plains x5
0 Prairie Stream
0 Reliquary Tower
0 Seachrome Coast
0 Skycloud Expanse
0 Strip Mine
0 Tectonic Edge
0 Temple of Enlightenment
0 Temple of the False god
0 Terrain Generator
0 Thespian's Stage
Changelog:
01/08/15: Added Mystic Remora, removed Proteus Staff Wanted more draw
01/08/15: Added Rest in Peace, removed Darksteel Mutation Needed some graveyard hate
01/14/15: Added Everflowing Chalice, removed Spin Into Myth Wanted more ramp, Spin is expensive to cast for just creature removal
01/28/15: Added Petra Sphinx, removed Darksteel Ingot Need another warm body
03/02/15: Added Call to the Kindred, removed Mana Web Web annoyed everyone
03/03/15: Added Aetherspouts, removed Cloud Cover Sphinxes are so expensive bouncing them seemed like a bad idea
03/29/15: Added Aetherize, removed Condemn Without commander tuck Condemn just isn't that good
03/29/15: Added Darksteel Mutation, removed Banishing Stroke Without commander tuck Mutation does removal better
03/29/15: Added Fate Forgotten, removed Tunnel Vision Without commander tuck it's hard to Tunnel Vision a win
03/29/15: Added Dissipate, removed Hinder Without commander tuck Dissipate becomes strictly better
03/29/15: Added Swiftfoot Boots, removed Spell Crumple Wanted more protection for expensive Sphinxes
03/29/15: Added Maze of Ith, removed Azorius Guildgate Had a Maze from a disabled deck
03/29/15: Added Island, remvoed Plains Balancing mana with color ratio
04/04/15: Added Strionic Resonator, removed Oblation So many triggers I can copy
04/09/15: Added Terrain Generator, removed Sejiri Refuge Trying TG for a bit of ramp since I have Land Tax, etc. to get lands to hand
04/09/15: Added Wayfarer's Bauble, removed Telepathy Needed more ramp, Telepathy is annoying and hogs board space
04/16/15: Added Vexing Sphinx, removed Petra Sphinx Wanted all fliers
04/18/15: Added Myriad Landscape, removed Mistveil Plains Never used Mistveil Plains, Landscape is slow ramp but ramp none the less
04/27/15: Added Recurring Insight, removed Whispersilk Cloak Had enough evasion, could always use more draw
05/21/15: Added Inundate, removed Everflowing Chalice Hated tapping out for Chalice, Inundate takes advantage of having all blue creatures
05/21/15: Added Oblation, removed Fate Forgotten Oblation hits planeswalkers and creatures, too
GReki, the History of Kamigawa Legendfall
UGEdric, Spymaster of Trest Drawmaster of Trest | GBGlissa the Traitor A Touch of Death | WBTeysa, Orzhov Scion Spinning in Graves
UWIsperia, Supreme Judge A Riddles of Sphinxes | RG Mena and Denn, Wildborn Beware Falling Rocks | GWSigarda, Host of Hurons The Enchantress
WRGRith the Awakener Superfriendly Tokens