I've been a pretty big fan of Turn // Burn on my scepter lately. If they attack you with a big scary guy, you make it a 0/1 and block. If nobody does, you get to deal 2 to something.
Counterspell, Boomerang and Dispatch have been some of the most productive cards I've stuck to the Scepter. There was also one game I played it when the deck was headed by Sharuum that Entomb just ran away with.. I won the crap outta that game.
Abeyance is gross. Anything with a decent effect + draw a card is gross.
Manamorphose if you can run it.
Shadow Rift usually reads "Target creature is unblockable until end of turn. Draw a card."
If you have a bunch of sorceries, Quicken can be good. Scout's Warning does the same thing for creatures. (And: Draw a card.)
One guy I know used Bound // Determined to great effect with a Scepter.
I don't love counterspells because it makes it a little easier to play around them, but stuff like Shadow of Doubt, Squelch or Stifle can be gross.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
UUU Talrand, Sky Summoner // (W/U)(W/U)(W/U) Grand Arbiter Augustin IV // RRR Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker // (R/G)(R/G)(R/G) Wort, the Raidmother // URG Riku of Two Reflections // RWU Ruhan of the Fomori
Quote from Mark Rosewater »
In response to your Lightning Blast, I'll eat this burrito.
Quote from slipknot72102 »
This is why I started playing magic in the first place. It wasn't PT aspirations just making noobs cry by doing things that are perfectly fair.
Find a way to Research/Development around 30 maybe 40 times, and win with Battle of Wits
This requires some pretty liberal houserules, as wishes only grab from the sideboard, and sideboards are not normally allowed at all in EDH, and when they are they're limited to 10 cards.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
My Moderator Helpdesk
Currently Playing:
Legacy: Something U/W Controlish EDH Cube
Hypercube! A New EDH Deck Every Week(ish)!
Abeyance is gross. Anything with a decent effect + draw a card is gross.
... Shadow Rift usually reads "Target creature is unblockable until end of turn. Draw a card."
These especially. Getting even a minor ability with a cantrip is amazing on a Scepter.
In this format, it's really amazing. Like you said, with all the mentions of Abeyance and Orim's Chant, it's really surprising the lack of love this card gets.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
Find a way to Research/Development around 30 maybe 40 times, and win with Battle of Wits
This requires some pretty liberal houserules, as wishes only grab from the sideboard, and sideboards are not normally allowed at all in EDH, and when they are they're limited to 10 cards.
Well, no, not really. Wishes only grab cards from sideboards in sanctioned play. On top of that, IIRC (the official EDH page doesn't like to load on my work PC) sideboards in EDH are an optional rule, technically a Wish in EDH should grab any card from outside the game. Really though, wishes fall into the category of cards where you just need to make sure that everyone you're playing with is on the same page.
Split cards and charms are all great with the stick. You can, in fact, imprint Far/Away and use it to cast Away, though you cannot fuse. Memory Lapse is a soft lock and sometimes a hard lock. Remand is also a classic. Diabolic Edict is pretty great as it gets around shroud and the repeatability mitigates a lot of the disadvantages of edict effects. Dash Hopes is a pretty fun option for monoblack decks who want to have fun with the stick. Azorius Charm is probably the best charm to put on the stick in EDH (Other formats might be more friendly to Izzet Charm) but Boros Charm is also great.
Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
If you play 1v1 fairly often Orim's Chant, Abeyance and Silence are some of the best cards. If they're not lucky enough to cast a removal spell quickly (or you can counter it.) you pretty much win instantly. Some decks have no instant speed artifact removal, and thus lose on the spot. (think mono-black and colorless) I've won a few games that way.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
My Decks:
Aggro: WUBRGHorde of Notions Goodstuff, RUBCheesy Aggro, GR Xenagod Gruul Goodstuff
Control: GWBGhave, Guru of Adaptability, UBWrexial, Milling Deep UAzami, Lady of No Infinite Combos GWU Derevi, Tempo Beats
Other: URGRiku of Too Much Mana, WUBRG Sliver Queen Enchantress
Standard
>implying Modern
>implying Legacy UWMiracles/Countertop EDH UUUMemnarch, Steal your grillUUU RWUZedruu, Queen of ChaosRWU GWUBRReaper KingGWUBR My Trades
I was thinking about Doom Blade, Counterspell, Geth's Verdict, Reverberate, Fork, Condemn, Swords to Plowshares, and Twincast.
Some other ideas?
Driving Stick with Isochron Scepter.
Trinkets and Treasure: An Artificer's Toolbox.
Proc Drops: Playing with One Drops.
Deck Primer: Toshiro Umezawa
Fire//Ice Unless they changed the rules you used to be able to imprint Fire and then cast Ice off the activation.
Orim's Chant classic lockdown.
Stifle
Remand
Groyo's Vengence
Undying Evil
Vamperic Tutor
Demonic Consultation
Mana Rituals
Brainstorm
Harm's Way
2-mana Charms
For some more fair, but still powerful options, I would say Lightning Helix is an old favorite, Boros Charm a new one.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
UBRThe MindrazerRBU
UUUSpymaster of TrestGGG
GGGThe South TreeGGG
RRRHuman AscendantRRR
Surprised no one mentioned Silence
Diabolic Edict
Impulse
Bind
Final Fortune on a stick with either Platinum Angel orSundial of the Infinite out is pretty lulz worthy.
5-color Eggs
Manamorphose if you can run it.
Shadow Rift usually reads "Target creature is unblockable until end of turn. Draw a card."
If you have a bunch of sorceries, Quicken can be good. Scout's Warning does the same thing for creatures. (And: Draw a card.)
One guy I know used Bound // Determined to great effect with a Scepter.
I don't love counterspells because it makes it a little easier to play around them, but stuff like Shadow of Doubt, Squelch or Stifle can be gross.
Yup
This requires some pretty liberal houserules, as wishes only grab from the sideboard, and sideboards are not normally allowed at all in EDH, and when they are they're limited to 10 cards.
Currently Playing:
Legacy: Something U/W Controlish
EDH Cube
Hypercube! A New EDH Deck Every Week(ish)!
These especially. Getting even a minor ability with a cantrip is amazing on a Scepter.
In this format, it's really amazing. Like you said, with all the mentions of Abeyance and Orim's Chant, it's really surprising the lack of love this card gets.
—Lim-Dul, the Necromancer
EDH/Commander
WWMichiko Konda, Truth Seeker Mono-White Control
RWBasandra, Battle Seraph Sunforger Shenanigans
GRWZacama Loam & Lands
Cube
Draft my "Classic Border Cube"
WUBRGCheck out some of my older lists and my Type4 Cube!GRBUW
Well, no, not really. Wishes only grab cards from sideboards in sanctioned play. On top of that, IIRC (the official EDH page doesn't like to load on my work PC) sideboards in EDH are an optional rule, technically a Wish in EDH should grab any card from outside the game. Really though, wishes fall into the category of cards where you just need to make sure that everyone you're playing with is on the same page.
W
Orim's Chant, Dawn Charm, Swords to Plowshares, Rootborn Defenses
U
Mana Drain, Rapid Hybridization/Pongify, Boomerang, Into the Roil
B
Geth's Verdict, Doom Blade, Tragic Slip in a sac-based deck.
R
Fork variants
G
Tangle, Evolution Charm
Gold/hybrid/split/etc.
Pit Fight, Fire // Ice, Boros Charm, Rakdos Charm, Stand // Deliver, Bound // Determined (Yes, Bound lets me abuse the fact that it exiles the copy cast by Isochorn Scepter, and the "imprint one side, cast the other" trick.)
On phasing:
Aggro: WUBRGHorde of Notions Goodstuff, RUB Cheesy Aggro, GR Xenagod Gruul Goodstuff
Control: GWBGhave, Guru of Adaptability, UBWrexial, Milling Deep UAzami, Lady of No Infinite Combos GWU Derevi, Tempo Beats
Other: URGRiku of Too Much Mana, WUBRG Sliver Queen Enchantress
>implying
Modern
>implying
Legacy
UWMiracles/Countertop
EDH
UUUMemnarch, Steal your grillUUU
RWUZedruu, Queen of ChaosRWU
GWUBRReaper KingGWUBR
My Trades