1) Analysis of Uril, The Miststalker Uril the miststalker is an efficiently costed creature with built in protection and a build around growth mechanic. A 5/5 body usually comes with a high-mana pricetag or with a drawback; Uril has neither of these. Additionally, the hexproof aspect makes it less likely that opponents can two for one you when you enchant Uril. He's also a yeti (well technically beast); but come on, you know Uril's a yeti!
Uril is one of the most notorious voltron-style commanders. With one or two enchantments, an opponent’s 5 turn clock has come down to a 2 turn clock. (Voltron in Magic refers to enchanting, giving equipment, or other buffs to a single creature and using that creature for one deadly K-O attack). The goal of the deck is to play Uril, put auras on Uril and, attack with Uril. Striking down one foe at a time or creating a series of repeated attack steps for one turn of Uril-based devastation.
2) But why Uril?
So now that you know a little bit about Uril, you’re going to want to ask yourself why you would play this commander. There are many other choices for you to use. Below are some reasons to paly or not play this general. Additionally, I have included a quick reason why Uril is different from other Naya commanders and how Uril differs from other popular voltron commanders.
Reasons to Play...
- You like the idea of having an untargetable commander
- You like the strategy of attacking with one highly powered creature; often multiple times in one turn
- You want to win with commander damage
- You hate players that gain a million life
- You like enchantments
- You want to use enchantments more than artifacts or other buffs to create a one-hit killing creature
- You don't have an undying desire to use tooth and nail, even though you have access to green
- You like Yetis
- You are fine with eliminating one player at a time from each game
Reasons not to Play...
- You don't like putting all your eggs in one basket
- You don't like being hated on just because you revealed your commander
- You have a fear of commander 'tuck' effects and/or edicts
- You don't have access to a tri-color manabase
- You prefer non-combat steps methods of winning
Why not Another Naya General hazezon tamar: Hazezon plays more like a ramp into tokens combo deck. He creates his own army, he does not need to run enchantments and thusly isn't really suited to be a voltron commander. jacques le vert: jacques is costed low enough that he could be a voltron commander, he also buffs himself. however for one more mana uril gains hexproof and a self buff. jacques buff helps not only him, but other creatures. I feel he is better with more smaller creatures/tokens. johan: johan gives a benefit when he doesn't attack. voltron commanders attack, i do not think johan wants to be at the head of our assaults. mayael the anima: mayael is a solid commander, but she is more take charge of all the large fatty creatures. palladia-mors: a hat-tip to one of the original five elder dragons. due to his upkeep cost and already high casting cost, this ancient power does not fit the voltron style. rith, the awakener: another solid naya commander. He like most of the others benefits from large swarms of creatures/tokens. Gahiji, honored one: A great political and aggressive general. I think he is similar to jacques le vert in that you want to attack with more creatures and maximize the attacking bonus. Marath, Will of the Wild: Cheap and efficient. He could easily be substituted as a voltron general due to how fast he comes out and continues to grow over time. However, I feel marath draws the most power in a zoo or combo deck where you can abuse his activated ability.
Why not another similar Voltron General Sigarda, host of herons: Sigarda trades the ability to grow for each enchantment and access to red for flying and protection from sacrifice outlets. This trade off loses some cheap answers to board wipes; boros charm, legion's initiative, etc. It also moves you away from runes of the deus and the ability to have multiple attack phases. Krond the dawn clad : Krond has no self-preservation mechanics. this makes being a commander reliant on attacking more difficult. Additionally, without access to red, you lose some cheap answers to board wipes and it moves you away from runes of the deus and the ability to have multiple attack phases.
Rafiq of the many: even without protection, rafiq is a strong candidate for voltron. However, Uril has built in protection and has access to doublestrike cards. Geist of Saint Traft: has self protection and is cheaper to cast. Plus that whole angel thing. However, blue white does not possess as powerfully hitting auras.
3) History of the Deck
OH NO! Not another Uril, The Miststalker deck. Yes I apologize for adding another version of this powerful general to the enormous list already; however, this was my first commander and I feel like I owe it to the big beast to write out his list. In addition, there are like 40 Uril lists and although most of them are very similar, there are no official multiplayer Primers for the big Yeti. I am hoping to transform this into a Primer or at the very least a well-written Uril-Voltron Guide.
Uril was the first deck I made when I entered into the format. I remember going through my collection and pulling out all the random enchantments that could go on him, digging up my old fetchlands and shocklands. Going out and buying revised dual lands. Things were simpler then; almost every deck i faced was built around a general. None of my friends and I played with combo or stax. We even entered a tournament at the local game store; there were 20 players or so. Split into 4 man pods and we did 3 rounds. I won the event and this was the first time I ever saw a commander deck play a combo.
The combo player probably would have won the event, except in his round 1 he was targeted first not sure why and lost. I remember talking to him after what prompted him to build his deck focused around hive mind/pact combo. His answer was simple; he knew the meta and that no one else was going to play combo or disruption. everyone was still in the mind set of "I want to win with general damage".
After that point, I knew I had to fine tune my deck. I read articles and looked for the strongest cards I could use. I kept playing the deck and finding its weak spots. I moved locations after college and changed gamestores and metas; my deck had some infinite attack combos now. One of the players in the new group didn't like uril and ran mass LD plus edict effects to stop me. I knew my deck had to make another shift.
I added in cards that return all enchantments from graveyard to help rebuild after Uril died and also put in more creatures i could sacrifice instead of Uril. Shortly after, totem armor became a thing and those were added in.
More time passed and primeval titan was removed from the deck. After which, the deck lost alot of its power. I was really confused why I couldn't hold my own at the table like I used to. I took a long look at the deck and realized I had been adding so many utility lands over the years that I had almost no sources of colored lands in the deck. I also had 1 ramp spell. I cut many of the lands that didn't produce color and added in more basics; also cultivate and kodama's reach to ensure uril gets cast. I added in ramp creatures, but still kept away from mana dorks.
4) A Note About this Guide and My Playgroup & Meta
My meta is a group of 4-8 players at my store that get together for saturday games in northern MA. In the early days, we had a lot of group hug and group chaos decks. This pushed stax and counterspell/control decks out. Almost every deck someone plays has one, if not a dozen infinite combos. We are not so cutthroat that we will go for the combo, sometimes letting a warp world resolve when we have mikeaus/triskelion combo on board.
So while I do not have as much need to run defenses against edicts and lockdown defenses or how to get uril and auras into play when all the blue players have islands untapped, I will do my best to write this guide and offer card choices to aid players for all metas.
5) Card Choices for Multiplayer Voltron Uril
In this section, I will outline by card type the many choices you have to make your Uril, the Miststalker deck. I have included other alternative cards that are not in my current list to help players who do not have access to all the cards I list or to show similar function (i.e. path to exile vs swords to plowshares)
If you want to look at just auras for Uril, please see the "Uril's Many Outfits" section below. Auras warrant their own section for this deck.
Utility cavern of souls: shuts down one of the few methods of handling uril. contested cliffs: uril is a beast, this can be used to remove pesky opposing creatures/blockers. strip mine: you never know when an oppponent is going to have a land that stops you or benefits them too much. kessig wolf-run: even if you use x=0, you give uril trample and anymore than that jsut makes him more powerful. slayer's stronghold: buff, vigilance and haste, what's not to love. sunhome, fortress of the legion: repeatable doublestrike. maze of ith: shuts down opponents largest attacker or utility attacker. wasteland: a lesser strip mine. yavimaya hollow: keeps uril alive. hall of the bandit lord: a bit painful, but gives uril the chance to attack immediately. eiganjo castle: helps keep uril alive in case of surprise combat tricks.
Planeswalkers
ajani goldmane: the weakest of the ajani cards for this deck. His -1 ability for a counter and vigilance is still decent though. ajani, caller of the pride: I like this ajani for the deck because his minus ability gives evasion and double strike. ajani vengeant: this version has a powerful set of abilities and a game-ending ultimate. elspeth tirel: you won't gain much life, but she can prevent an edict. elspeth, knight errant: I like elspeth because she gives you a buff with evasion. also creates tokens to prevent edicts. garruk wildspeaker: great for ramp and can ultimate easily. garruk, primal hunter: for one more mana, this version of garruk acts as a multi-faceted harmonize. gideon jura: good for clearing a path for uril. the assassinate ability is nice too. karn liberated: very powerful walker. the deck runs enough ramp that karn could be used reliably. sarkhan vol: his ability to steal is great in multiplayer. giving haste keeps uril a constant threat even when stuck in the command zone.
Artifacts
Ramp sol ring, mana crypt, mana vault: Great for getting explosive starts. The lifeloss doesn't matter much in this format.
signets and talismans: good for ramping into uril and auras. better suited for decks that wipe lands away to keep advantage after clearing everyone's lands. chromatic lantern: this has some potential because it fixes any color screw issues we may have and color is very important in this deck.
keyrunes, cluestones, and other 3 mana artifact rocks: decent budget options.
Equipment sword of feast and famine: one half of the attack step combo with aggravated assault. if you are not building this combo, this sword is still a good choice due to untapping your lands.
other sword of X and Y: fire and ice, war and peace, body and mind, light and shadow; all are good choices. that is the order i would rate them for uril. I think though, auras are better in most cases but these do stick around after a wrath. behemoth sledge: if you don't have armadillo cloak or unflinching courage, this equipment is for you. mage slayer: this is effectively double strike for uril that gets at least half damage around blockers.
Other equipment: For the most part, any equipment would be better as an aura in this deck.
Utility sensei's divining top: I feel like this card is second to sol ring in going into any edh deck.
Instants
Removal path to exile: great removal spell, but ramping opponents can hurt. swords to plowshares: the life gained from this spell doesn't matter since your opponents will lose to general damage. krosan grip: split second removal at its finest. stop many infinite combos. beast within: destroy any permanent and leaves a beast behind. Don't fear the beast, uril is the bigger beast. chaos warp: if any permanent is causing you trouble, chances are that permanents controller would be worse off with any other card. oblation: lands are never really a problem card for uril, so this card can answer any threat we do not want to face. unexpectedly absent: this card may replace oblation, as i feel the drawback is better here. also allows a bit more control.
Utility boros charm: the 4 damage is usually irrelevant, but the indestructible is amazing and the double strike is a beautiful surprise. naya charm: good for stopping a swarm or clearing the way for the final attack. crop rotation: uril has a large amount of specialized lands, this can find them in a pinch. enlightened tutor: it searches for enchantments at instant speed, this is an auto include.
Sorceries
Ramp rampant growth, nature's lore, search for tomorrow: Low costed spells that put one land into play. I prefer the land ramp that grabs 2 lands for this deck, because it helps ensure casting uril by at least turn 5. cultivate and kodama's reach: I feel like these are the most mana efficient ramp spells for this deck. ranger's path and skyshroud claim: a bit mana costly, but are able to put 2 lands into play. Can find forests so you can find 2 dual lands from your deck. great for mana fixing.
Removal winds of rath: for one more mana than wrath of god, we get to keep uril around. day of judgement: wrath that lets you regenerate, thusly allowing uril to live through it. austere command: all purpose removal spell. razia's purification: leaving uril with an enchantment or assemble the legion can be backbreaking. cataclysm: a cheaper mana costed razia's purification. divine reckoning: not much will stand 1-1 with uril. the flashback is nice too. hull breach: you should never be devoid of two targets, but if you are, then you can choose only one or the other. good utility removal at a cheap cost.
Recursion replenish and retether: returns all enchantments (or just auras). great for making uril an instant bomb again. regrowth, restock, creeping renaissance: not as efficient as replenish, but can return specific cards to your hand. It has the benefit of returning more than just enchantments.
Utility green sun's zenith: find almost any one of your creatures. I toy between this and chord of calling. idyllic tutor: With a deck that is a quarter enchantment, this card is good to have. three dreams: This is a bit pricy, but provides such high card advantage. Play uril, play this, next turn uril is unstoppable.
Non-Aura Enchantments
aggravated assault: has the potential to create infinite attacks. also good for creating one additional attack. aura of silence: i like the taxation effect on this card, plus the sac at any time. you can easily run seal of cleansing or seal of primordial over it though. all of which have synergy with sun titan. legion's initiative: new addition that gives a teamwide buff and also prevents a wrath effect. mirari's wake: a teamwide buff with mana doubling to boost. not an essential card but one that i really enjoy having in the deck. mirri's guile: a green mana sensei's divining top. great for smoothing out your draws and making sure you hit the land you need or enchantment to finish the game. oblivion ring: enchantment removal for any permanent. sterling grove: Amazing protection for your enchantments, also tutors. Nothing to not love about this card. Good synergy with sun titan. priveledged position: similar to sterling grove, except for all permanents. sylvan library: White and red have poor consistent draw. Green is not much better, however, the best green draw is at least an enchantment. This makes it easy for us to tutor. The life loss can hurt, so try and balance with a lifelink aura. assemble the legion: This card can take over a game if left unanswered. I have yet to test this out, but it can make a good alternate way to win the game. Even better if you run razia's purification or other mass LD/removal. dueling grounds: great for dealing with a swarm counter attack. Also great for ensuring other players can't gang up on you. It is very meta dependent though. Uril should be able to swing past blockers so limiting them in a non-buff way is not necessary. act of authority: kind of niche, but can remove two potential threats. just make sure to only use the second activation the turn before you destroy the opponent you give it to. Not positive, but you should regain control after you kill them.
Creatures
This will be a list in progress due to the many possible creatures that can fit into the deck as support.
Enchantress argothian enchantress: the original mistress. provides a protected means of card draw for this deck. kor spirit dancer: this is a new addition for me that has been working out better than I expected. She doubles as an alternate win condition. mesa enchantress: a bit more mana intensive than argothian, but still provides consistent card draw. verduran enchantress: a bit more mana intensive than argothian, but still provides consistent card draw. femeref enchantress: good for when uril dies and brings 3 enchantments with him. sadly, that usually happens on a wrath so you lose this creatures as well. I feel she is more reactionary and a meta call. Also if you run auratog, she can be great.
Removal acidic slime: great for dealing with almost any non-creature permanent quasali pridemage: the exalted is a great added bonus for uril scavenging ooze: one of my favorite graveyard hating creatures.
Ramp wood elves: finds a dual land and is costed efficiently. sakura-tribe elder: one of the best chump blockers ever. yavimaya elder: card draw is so limited, so its nice to have dual functions here.
mana dorks: I prefer spells to mana dorks, but if you were to run them, I suggest the creatures that add any color (birds of paradise or the new sylvan caryatid)because you want to ensure hitting Uril early. Similarly, run creatures that add a different color than their cost (avacyn's pilgrim i.e.)
Protection sigarda, host of herons: Stops all edict effects. Also a powerful beater/alternate win con. tajuru preserver: a cheaper sigarda that doesn't beat as well or have built in protection. dauntless escort: saves your entire team. Reusable with sun titan. saffi eriksdotter: saves one creature. Reusable with sun titan.
Utility academy rector: finds any enchantment when she dies. drawback, is that she is hard to get killed. aurelia, the warleader: effective doublestrike for uril. eternal witness: never fear that you lost something to the graveyard. sun titan: rescues creatures and low costed auras. kahmal, fist of krosa: combos with aggrevated assault. can blow up opponents lands in response to a wrath. angel of finality: We don't have much in the way of efficient graveyard removal, this card can be a good aid.
6) Uril's Many Outfits
I want this section to go over all the options you have to enchant Uril. As of m14 there are about 330 enchant creature auras. That's alot of auras and most of them are not really good or relevant. I will try and comment on each, but I may just do the top 25% in the lower mana cost brackets. I will break the list down by converted mana cost. The fraction to the right shows the number of decent auras/total auras in this converted mana cost.
Some notes on how auras are evaluated.
1) The enchantment offers a form of evasion; trample, flying, protection, unblockable, etc
2) The enchantment offers a form of preservation; regeneration, totem armor, etc
3) The enchantment offers a large buff relative to its mana cost (with uril's +2/+2 factored in).
4) The enchantment offers a unique ability or a good utility; card draw, creature production, global buff, etc
One Mana 17/89
The best thing about most one mana auras are that due to the nature of uril, they already give +2/+2 which makes them better for their cost already. There are obviously better ones than others.
bequeathal: A deterrant to killing uril, downside is that he must go to GY to trigger the ability. blessing of the nephilim: for one mana, you can double uril's power and toughness. capashen standard: decent buff and ability to draw later. dragon mantle: cheap draw aura. firebreathing is not the best but can be useful in races. dust corona: buff with a slight form of evasion. ethereal armor: great enchantment that continues to grow into the mid-game. easily good enough on its own too. forced adaptation: good for games where uril won't do much dieing. furor of the bitten: one of the higher buffs for this cost, at the drawback of being forced to attack each turn. hyena umbra: great cheap means for totem armor and decent buff. instill energy: One of my personal favorite enchantments for uril. it's cheap, offers a pseudo-vigilance and is cheap enough to offer haste after uril has died. keen sense: no buff, but card draw is so essential. This is a must have. messenger's speed: this card is great, a red instill energy. it's cheap, offers a pseudo-vigilance and is cheap enough to offer haste after uril has died. one with nature: good for ensuring you will have mana for recasting uril. predatory hunger: no initial bonus, but this could get out of hand and large depending on how creature heavy the meta you play is in. rancor: This is one of the cheapest and most efficient buffs for uril. evasion and buff. it also comes back to hand when uril dies and you can put him in the command zone. MUST HAVE. spider umbra: great cheap means for totem armor and decent buff. spirit link: listed here because it isn't lifelink and stacks with lifelink abilities. wreath of geists: if you run a lot of craetures, this can be a large buff.
Two Mana 22/105
aspect of wolf: with enough dual lands and forests, this may be worth. Typically not though. betrothed in fire: in tokens build this could pack a finishing punch. also prevents theft. bravado: pump effect in a tokens build call to serve: a lesser angelic destiny. gives evasion and pump at a low cost. canopy cover: ok evasion, the hexproof part is unnecessary for us. chosen by heliod: small defense pump and card draw. daybreak coronet: with a slight risk of not allowing it to be the first aura you cast, this aura packs a large buff and large suite of abilities. errantry: decent buff and good for decks that only swing with uril. exoskeletal armor: if each player has a few creatures in the GY, this aura adds a good buff. risky, but potentially good. felidar umbra: cheap totem armor and you can move it around to your other creatures. fists of ironwood: good for dodging edict effects. flickerform: great for saving not only uril, but all the auras attached. very mana involved, but can be worth it to save from bad situations. fortitude: no buff, but a recastable way to regenerate. goblin war paint:it's cheap enough to offer haste after uril has died and gives a buff. inviolability: prevents uril from taking any damage. allows you to run blasphemous act and other damage sweepers. latulla's orders: turns uril into a lesser trygon predator. great for dealing with mana rocks and equipment. madcap skills: high buff and slight evasion. maniacal rage: decent buff and a typically irrelevant drawback. mark of sakiko: can be used in some attack step combos. nimbus wings: ok buff and evasion. ordeal of heliod: the tokens are a nice buff for uril, however losing the aura after 3 attacks is not something we want to do. ordeal of nylea: the tokens are a nice buff for uril, however losing the aura after 3 attacks is not something we want to do. ordeal of purphoros: the tokens are a nice buff for uril, however losing the aura after 3 attacks is not something we want to do. spirit loop: recurs and double stacks with lifelink. spirit mantle: the cheapest of the protection from creatures. a primary method in getting past blockers. also buffs. sun clasp: cheap way to keep uril from dieing, not the best because you still have to recast from hand.
Three Mana 27/91
ancestral mask: doesn't buff alone, but can generate a large boost. armadillo cloak: buff, evasion and a life gain ability that stacks with lifelink. great card, should be an auto-include. asha's favor: great suite of abilities, but no buff. battle mastery: double strike is ridiculous on uril. doesn't offer any buffs or evasion though. bestial fury: draws a card, but other than that it's really only good when you're being blocked. blanchwood armor: with enough dual lands and forests, this may be worth. Typically not though. boar umbra: decent buff and totem armor. destuctive urge: great at keeping players off of lands and thusly playing less threats. elephant guide: decent buff, can make a token if you put uril into GY. feral invocation: flash is nice, but not for just a P/T buff. galvanic arc: not the best as far as auras go, but has the ability to deal with opposing creatures. gift of immortaity: no pump or evasion, but is a master of recursion and self recursion. griffin guide: decent buff, can make a token if you put uril into GY. moldervine cloak: decent buff and is recurring. pariah: combos with indestructibility and other forms of protection. savage silhoutte: buff and regeneration. bit costly to regenerate though. scourge of the nobilis: good buff, less relevant abilities. weakest of the 3 enchantments from this block, still ok. serpent skin: flash into regenerate is cool, small buff. shield of the oversoul: This goes in the deck, enough said. MUST HAVE. sigil of the nayan gods: may be good for token decks, also cycles. snake umbra: a more expensive keen sense with totem armor and a small buff. I like this alot. trollhide: buff and regeneration. bit costly to regenerate though. undying rage: returns to hand and offers a decent buff, drawback of not being able to block. unflinching courage: the lifelink reprint of armadillo cloak. should be included in the deck. unquestioned authority: the middle costing protection from creatures aura. no buff, but draws you a card. vow of duty: can be played offensively or defensively. vow of lightning: can be played offensively or defensively. vow of wildness: can be played offensively or defensively. as an offensive it offers evasion and has a large buff.
Four Mana 8/30
angelic destiny:a beefed up rancor like aura. solid pump and ability suite. sadly you must put uril into the GY to recur the aura. armored ascension: with enough dual lands and plains, this may be worth. Typically not though. bear umbra: A must have for aggravated assault combo uril. even outside of the combo, this is a solid enchantment and the totem armor just puts it over the edge. breath of fury: Good enchantment for another craeture other than uril. in decks that have a token generator and haste enabler you can create infinite attack steps. conclave's blessing: larger creatures are usually better dealt with via a protection from creatures aura and most other toughness based kill spells are not able to target uril or come down after he is a super beast. divine transformation: decent buff but no other ability, not worth. elemental mastery: good in corner-case situations where an opponent has protection from uril or is able to deal with him from attacking. entangler: if uril has vigilance this could be worthwhile, however, uril prefers to attack all the time. faith's fetters: NOT FOR URIL. This aura is just a solid detain spell that can be searched easily for in the deck. gaea's embrace: Amazing aura that provides a good buff, evasion, and regeneration. glacial plating: for decks with all snow lands this can actually grow pretty large, the downside is that there is no initial buff, no evasion, and it is a mana sink. holy mantle: small buff and protection from creatures. This is a the most expensive of the other choices, but is still good. improvised armor: the cycling may be good, aside from that, the buff isn't really worth it. indestructibility: I haven't found this to be very game changing, but i have read a few decklists that really like it. It can also help non-uril cards so that is an added benefit. pattern of rebirth: good for making people not want to kill uril. can enable other combos. predatory urge: good for killing creatures, but prevents you from attacking with uril. uril can kill creatures faster by killing a player. reins of the vinesteed: for a tribal version of the deck, this may be worthwhile. this small recurring buff is not quite enough for voltron though. seeker: this aura provides a unique unblockable, but it probably not worth it because of cheaper none can block cards. serra's embrace: similar to gaea's embrace except different evasion and no regeneration. shiv's embrace: decent pump and evasion. the firebreathing aspect is usually not relevant. sinister strike: bad for killing creatures, but prevents you from attacking with uril. uril can kill creatures faster by killing a player. splinter twin: not really good with url. strength of unity: this gives at most +3/+3, not worth. sunbond: no buff at first, but paired with lifelink makes uril enormous. probably on the win more side of things. uncontrollable anger: flash is good, but buff without evasion is less so. also attacking each turn can be a downside.
Five Mana 3/10
commander's authority: You can do more than one human every one of your upkeeps for this cost. Not worth running. extra arms: Good at removing man utility creatures, but too pricy a cost to do so. gigantiform: If only this were not a singleton format. The buff is good for the cost and has evasion. a cheaper version of mythic proportions. knightly valor: good vs an edict effect. But the buff and ability just aren't worth the cost. mammoth umbra: low buff and not usually relevant ability. Umbra mantle is good, still may be too high for the effects. primal visitation: low buff and if you are using it for haste you are either waiting until turn 10 to cast uril or you are spending alot of mana on his recast. raised by wolves: puts in extra bodies which helps vs edicts. the buff is small, however. maybe in some form of wolf-tribal uril. runes of the deus: This is a must have for all uril-voltron decks. doublestrike and trample, +4/+4 (with uril's natural buff). it's insane. MUST HAVE! soaring hope: It has evasion and can save itself, but it just is not very efficient. Not worth it. verdant embrace: Low buff for the cost, but is great against edict effects.
Six Mana 1/7
celestial mantle: small buff, no evasion, and an effect that is not very relevant given a format with infinite combos and commander damage. perhaps useful in a deck that runs felidar sovereign/test of endurance. epic proportions: The flash could come in handy in certain situations. Having evasion is also nice. Probably the best of the 6 mana auras. indrik umbra: The planechase totem armor. Has a lot of abilities, unfortunately one is all creatures must block if able. We want uril getting through unblocked, we want him eating players not creatures. lightning diadem: high cost, small buff. ability to shock at that stage in the game is too little too late. pollenbright wings: Very expensive enchantment. Great for creating swarms, however for this mana cost you should probably be winning the game not setting up a swarm of tokens. There are cheaper ways to get flying/evasion. shape of the wittigo: Great for decks that use doubling season. Outside of that, not very good. wurmweaver coil: A powerful, yet expensive enchantment. No form of evasion is bad. Ability to create a creature is good versus edict effects.
Seven Mana 0/1
mythic proportions: A powerful, yet expensive enchantment. Some may argue that this card is win-more. The trample offers a good form of evasion. There are more efficient cards for less mana, but definitely flashy!
Eight Mana 1/1
eldrazi conscription: A powerful, yet expensive enchantment. Some may argue that this card is win-more. If you use methods to cheat it onto uril (replenish, academy rector, etc) it can be a blow-out early game. The trample offers a good form of evasion.
Bestow Creatures 2/9
celestial archan: efficient body, but costs too much to use as an aura. heliod's emissary: the tap a creature is hardly relevant and the bestow cost is very high. hopeful eidolon: for four mana you can do much better than this bestow creature. observent alseid: this card is not worth the bestow cost. purphuros's emissary: too much mana to be useful. it's a 7 mana madcap skills. spearpoint oread: very overcosted. boon satyr: no buff or evasion, but does provide some utility in flash. however for 5 mana, we'd rather runes of the deus. this one is possible though. leafcrown dryad: can't say reach is worth the bestow cost. nylea's emissary: gaea's embrace is strictly better.
Honorable Mention
cardboard carapace: If your group allows for unhinged cards, then this could potentially be the single largest buff for uril. start stockpiling now!.
Top 25 (not entirely in order)
1 runes of the deus - practically turns uril into a one-hit killing machine by itself.
2 shield of the oversoul - evasion and indestructible all in one.
3 rancor - one of the best auras ever made.
4 spirit mantle - cheapest form of unblockable; this card is what gets uril through all those pesky blockers.
5 armadillo cloak - evasion and buff. the life gain is icing on the cake.
6 unflinching courage - evasion and buff. the lifelink is icing on the cake.
7 hyena umbra - the cheapness of this totem armor cannot be ignored.
8 flickerform - best way to protect uril and keep your enchantments. in fact it's the only way to keep your enchantments.
9 snake umbra - the totem armor protection plus the card draw is an incredible package.
10 gaea's embrace - huge buff, regeneration and trample. this card has 3 of our 4 aspects we want in an enchantment.
11 vow of wilderness - similar to the above except this aura is cheaper to cast but loses regeneration. it can also be used defenseively.
12 unquestioned authority - similar to spirit mantle, but with no natural buff. we do get to draw off of it which is nice.
13 madcap skills - large buff, and unique form of near unblockable.
14 angelic destiny - large buff, evasion, possiblity to recur.
15 spirit loop - no boost and life gain isn't the most important aspect for uril, but it's a cheap enchantment that returns to hand when it goes to the graveyard.
16 ethereal armor - one of the few growing enchantments that are cheap enough to be good on their own.
17 bear umbra - good size boost with built in protection. Untapping lands can be extremely relevant and it also works for a good combo with uril.
18 keen sense - cheaper than snake umbra but no totem armor.
19 battle mastery - Nowhere near as good as the double strike from runes, but double strike is too good not to include.
20 instill energy - Haste and vigilance in green, at a cheap cost. This card has surprised alot of opponents who didn't anticipate the attack immediately after recasting uril.
21 daybreak coronet - can be win-more, but you won't get that many abilities with the buff for that cheap. the clause of being enchanted is near-irrelevant with the game plan.
22 eldrazi conscription - the highest mana cost enchantment. it borders win-more and annihilator is worth it.
23 serpent skin - similar to gaea's embrace. for less mana has less boost, but has flash which could be great for surprise regeneration.
24 blessing of the nephilim - the best power/toughness boost for the mana cost.
25 furor of the bitten - second best power/toughness boost for the mana cost.
8) How To Pilot
I’d like to go over what your mindset and strategy during each stage of the game should be focused around. Below the strategies are synergies, combos, and problem cards/counter-strategies.
Opening Hand and Early Game
Ok, you just shuffled up and drew your opening 7 cards. How can you tell if it's worth keeping? A hand with a couple lands and a ramp spell is good. The ramp spells in the deck are designed to ensure Uril gets cast by turn 5. Any hand that can get Uril onto the battlefield earlier is typically worth keeping. Just note that against blue decks you need to play around counterspells so that fast ramp into Uril may be met with sadness. Similarly, against black or white decks. If you ramp into Uril, they may have a sacrifice effect or a wrath the board.
In addition to ramp spells, also check for auras or aura tutors. This is how we win, so it's important to have some or have some way to have them in hand by the time we cast Uril. As far as removal goes, that is always good to have. In our early stages we are more the aggressor so we don't typically need our removal here.
The early game is all about getting ready to get Uril onto the battlefield. In most cases, we want to land Uril as early as we can. However, we need to do so correctly. If we don't have any auras in hand then it is better to hold off. The reason is because beating for 5 is fine, but Uril will get removed in some way and we do not want to increase the commander tax if we can avoid it. The early game is also a good time to set up some save Uril effects, like legion's initiative or saffi eriksdotter. When you cast Uril, you are leaving the early game and moving to mid-game.
ATTITUDE: Early game is typically more defensive in the sense that we want to be setting up our resources in preparation for Uril. Playing too aggressively and forcing uril into play early can have negative impact for us if we do not have enough to protect him from a luck top-deck terminus or diabolic edict. If you can, it's usually smart to get an enchantress into play before you cast uril so you can benefit from the card draw.
Mid-Game Plan
For this deck, the mid-game is defined as the turn after you cast Uril (or the turn you cast him if he has haste). In this stage, you know your first target. The player you need to eliminate first. You should also have a way to preserve uril, totem armor, blink effect, indestructible, etc. After you cast Uril, your next turn is devoted to putting 1-3 auras on him and attacking your priority target. If this doesn't kill them, your next turn should be spent removing them from the game. *Unless the course of events has given rise to a larger threat.*
You do not want to overly enchant Uril either. Sure having a 30/30 creature is fun. But be conservative and smart with your enchantments. Use only what you need because in this part of the game, Uril is going to head to the command zone. Your opponents will not let you have a kill button attack. You may say to yourself, oh well I have a way to protect Uril. I'm fine. Well, you may be able to stop one opponents wrath; but not the next player's.
Things to look for in this part of the game are preservation effects, replenish, and an evasion aura and a protection from creatures aura. three dreams can be amazing here, search up runes of the deus, spirit mantle, and any other aura (i like to go with a one-mana or totem armor).
When a player dies to one of Uril's attacks or when Uril dies and has 3+ big auras into the graveyard, you have entered the late-game.
ATTITUDE: In the mid-game you should be aggressive. Your turns should involve uril turning sideways. You should be enchanting Uril with auras and making his power lethal. You are not so aggressive you over extend.
Late Game Finish
At this point in the game, you have either killed off one player and the remaining players are looking to shut you down quick for fear of being the next target. If not, then Uril has died and lost some key auras.
If the former is true, try and ride Uril as far as you can. Target the next player that has the most likely chance to stop uril (wrath, edict, combo, lethal damage, etc). If you can search and get aggrevated assault in play, go for it. This card will be essential to ending the game quickly and with Uril on top. winds of rath also shines well at this stage of the game.
If the latter was true, or you were eventually shut down then we need to prepare for Uril recover down time. Most players, when stopped get a turn or two to rebuild forces and make another attack. This is often not the case with Uril, as opponents will often kill you while you are down. If that happens, try and clear the board with your own wrath.
If getting uril back out there is impossible, switch to plan B; Kor Spiritdancer. She can carry enchantments as weill as uril, just without hexproof. If she isn't around let any other creature carry an enchantment until you can cast Uril again.
Assuming you stave off your opponents long enough to get Uril back out there, the next thing you will want to do is find replenish. We don't really have a way to do this tutor-wise, though. Since we can't tutor it, we need to go with any other enchantments we have. We also gain more usage out of our lands in this stage. slayer's stronghold and sunhome are great for getting haste and extra damage in.
ATTITUDE: Aggressive. We want to be attacking and finishing games with Uril. When stopped, we want to recast and apply pressure again.
Synergies and Combos
Three Dreams: Getting any three auras is a game finisher for us.
'Infinite Attacks': This combo works off aggravated assault and either sword of feast and famine or bear umbra. You also need 5 lands, 2 of which produce red mana. The concept is to attack (and deal damage if using sword) and untap your lands from the triggers. Then activate aggravated assault for another attack step. Rinse and repeat until the table has been defeated. Note that I used to use hellkite charger as a backup aggrevated assault and also nature's will as another sword of feast and famine like effect to run this combo, but have since taken them out to focus more on fair beat down. Also had kahmal, fist of krosa in the deck to turn my lands into creatures to untap with aggrevated assault to repeat the process.
'Gift to the Sun': This synergy works off the interaction between saffi eriksdotter or angelic renewal and sun titan. While my deck does not use this to win or create an abusable infinite loop, you could easily add in goblin bombardment, blasting station, or any other sacrifice outlet to create an infinite loop. Can be done similarly with goblin bombardment, fiend hunter and sun titan.
'Out of my Way': If there are restrictions to blocking like with dueling grounds and you enchant Uril with madcap skills, he becomes unblockable.
'Choice of Words': Lifelink and "whenever this creature deals damage gain that much life" allow for double lifelink. This is useful when searching up enchantments to try and double up when you can (i.e. unflinching courage vs armadillo cloak).
'Nom Noms': This combo involves auratog, any enchantress effect, and either spirit loop or rancor. Use the auratog to eat the enchantment, which returns to hand due to its graveyard trigger. Recast the aura which will trigger the enchantress to draw a card. Continue to make a big auratof or refill your hand. (thanks azn_cbc_1992).
Disaster Cards or Tactics and How to Deal With Them
2) Aura Shards and other enchantment removal - Uril isn't very scary as a 5/5 hexproof with no outfits. save removal against GW players as they may hold back their own aura shards until you cast uril. Otherwise, destroy it as soon as possible, preferably remove from the game. Other removal is typically single targeted so you should only be losing one aura; or it comes in the form of austere command/bane of progress/mass enchantment removal. To avoid blowouts, don't overextend. You can also run replenish and retether. Most aura removal will be found in white and green decks.
3) Edicts - Uril often stands alone which makes him a prime target to be sacrificed. There are two edict effects to watch out for; the black ones that say target player or all players must sacrifice a creature and the white edicts that make a player sacrifice an attacking/blocking creature. Edicts get around Uril's hexproof and these need to be played around. Keep other creatures on the field. tajuru preserver or sigarda, host of herons are amazing cards that will keep you safe. You can also try and avoid being targeted by them by giving yourself hexproof; leyline of sanctity, imperial mask, dawn charm can also stop you from being target by most edict effects. These effects will be found in white and black decks.
4) Bruna, light of alabaster - I never thought much of this card until it swung with haste and took all the enchantments i had on uril. This is bad because then we not only have to deal with a powerful, and probably out of our removal's reach, creature but we also do not get those auras back. If Bruna is an opposing commander, strike first. If she is part of the 99, hope that you aren't caught by surprise like I was.
5) Creature Swarms or Archenemy Status - As mentioned above in, Uril often stands alone. He can only block one creature at a time. A tokens swarm can overrun Uril and drop your life fast. Alternatively, Uril is notorious and each player may send all of their hate at you. ghostly prison or sphere of resistance can help stop many attackers. Your lifegaining enchantments will save your neck here too.
6) Tuck Effects - The single target spells don't affect Uril, but the mass ones hallowed burial and terminus can be devastating. creature search spells like green sun's zenith or wordly tutor get uril back. Or you can try and go voltron with another creature; kor spirit dancer or sigarda work best. Watch the white players for how much mana they have to not extend into these spells; although a miracle terminus is pretty much unavoidable. Flickerform is a good blink effect to dodge these.
7) Insurrection - Most theft is negated by Uril's hexproof, however, insurrection gets by this. If that happens, you will most likely die to you own commander. High market or using your own removal before an opponent gains control are ways around this. Keeping uril at 11 power and having an activated means of double strike can also help with not being killed when an opponent steals Uril.
Serra's Sanctum: We run so many enchantments, how could this be bad? Well, I think it comes down to needing specific colored mana and that we want the biggest burst of mana after uril hits play and we don't get the burst until after we enchant uril. or we need the boost to cast uril after he has met an early demise (but if that is the case, all of our auras are in the GY).
greater auramancy/lightning greaves: This card protects my enchantments. The other gives haste, faster damage clock. Ya but then Uril has shroud and we can't make him beefy. Uril has hexproof, that's good enough.
Unfortunately, basically all the edits from before i started posting on mtgsalvation are lost to my memory. edits and reasonings should be listed (although not always in best of detail) in comments.
7/27/2012 modified to make the deck 1-1 legal by removing sol ring, sensei's, and a few other cards
11/6/2012 modified the deck to multiplayer because i never played the deck 1-1; not did i intend to
11/6/2012
- shadowmoor block filter lands; unsure of what specifically was removed
+ basic lands; enchantress package; cultivate and kodama's reach
5/16/2013
-serra's sanctum; ajani, caller of the pride; genesis; duplicant; spellbreaker behemoth; mage slayer
+vitu-ghazi, the city-tree
+ madcap skills; enchantress's presence; legion's initiative; unflinching courage; aurelia, the warleader; boros charm
7/25/2013
- riftstone portal; hellkite charger; skyshroud claim
+ wood elves; sol ring; ajani, caller of the pride
8/13/2013
-enchantress's presence; faith's fetters; open the vaults; primal command; kamahl, fist of krosa; chord of calling; return to dust; beast within; behemoth sledge; wasteland; reliquary tower; vitu-ghazi, the city tree; rith's grove; kor haven; clifftop retreat; rootbound crag; sunpetal grove
+ battle mastery; hyena umbra; kor spirit dancer; dauntless escort; sakura-tribe elder; green sun's zenith; swords to plowshares; crop rotation; mana crypt; eiganjo castle; cavern of souls; 6 fetchlands
9/22/2013
-green sun's zenith, mesa enchantress, verduran enchantress, swords to plowshares, academy rector, angelic destiny, crop rotation
+chord of calling, oblation, beast within, chaos warp, messenger's speed, gift of immortality, mirri's guile
if anything just put some 1v1 replacements in sleeves and keep them handy if you run into someone who plays with the duel commander list. thats what i do.
are french rules really that popular, I have not met anyone IRL that uses them.
so to make it french legal; would have to remove
sol ring
mana crypt
strip mine
serra ascendent
sensei's divining top
Well it's really the only 1on1 banlist, but if you just play casually with friends and random people at your LGS it's likely they'll just play with their normal multiplayer EDH deck. Not that a multiplayer deck is likely to beat a deck tuned for 1on1 even with those 5 cards, but some people might call foul on your Griselbrand or so.
Don't pay too much attention to Beefarew though, he just posted that in every thread in this forum and then got banned.
Uril functions way better if it is enchantment heavy and low on creatures. Have no idea what above poster was talking about. I've played Uril for two years and I run a handful of utility creatures and Uril. Zoo is a terrible plan, why waste time with little threats when the idea of a Uril deck is to finish them with Uril and quickly?
I am happy for you, if playing light creatures works for you, but I play competitive, and Uril is toast by himself, hexproof just means they have to tutor for a different card, buys you one extra turn at best.
This looks very slow versus control, you have a lot of high drops and few ways to accelerate into them. You also have a lot of auras(almost twenty) which can lead to some awkward draws where you have an aura but Uril isn't ready yet.
I would recommend you add some one drop mana dorks(Birds of Paradise, Skyshroud Elf, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Quirion Elves, Druid of the Anima, and the best of the bunch for Uril, Orcish Lumberjack[it enables t2! Uril]). As an aside, these also help protect you from edicts(which are Uril's only true weakness). In this vein, consider Tajuru Preserver and Sigarda, Host of Herons to do this for you as well. Academy Rector is also a fantastic card that should be in here(great rattlesnake that your opponent must play around, lest you just randomly win. Also consider Triumph of Ferocity as Uril will always be the biggest guy on the table, so +1 CA a turn will win(maybe even win-more, as with Uril on board you're already winning).
As for your aura package, Three Dreams is a great tutour here(which I see you do run) which can find any three of the SHM hybrid auras(Runes, Shield, and Scourge of the Nobilis(which helps you race other aggressive decks) which you can then combine with Rancor, Armadillo Cloak, and something to ensure unblockability, like Unquestioned Authority. When you add in cards like Replenish and Retether you should have more than enough auras. Remember, Uril doesn't need much to make him lethal. Just one aura will turn him into a three turn clock(or two, in the case of Runes), that is already hard to answer.
This looks very slow versus control, you have a lot of high drops and few ways to accelerate into them. You also have a lot of auras(almost twenty) which can lead to some awkward draws where you have an aura but Uril isn't ready yet.
I would recommend you add some one drop mana dorks(Birds of Paradise, Skyshroud Elf, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Quirion Elves, Druid of the Anima, and the best of the bunch for Uril, Orcish Lumberjack[it enables t2! Uril]). As an aside, these also help protect you from edicts(which are Uril's only true weakness). In this vein, consider Tajuru Preserver and Sigarda, Host of Herons to do this for you as well. Academy Rector is also a fantastic card that should be in here(great rattlesnake that your opponent must play around, lest you just randomly win. Also consider Triumph of Ferocity as Uril will always be the biggest guy on the table, so +1 CA a turn will win(maybe even win-more, as with Uril on board you're already winning).
As for your aura package, Three Dreams is a great tutour here(which I see you do run) which can find any three of the SHM hybrid auras(Runes, Shield, and Scourge of the Nobilis(which helps you race other aggressive decks) which you can then combine with Rancor, Armadillo Cloak, and something to ensure unblockability, like Unquestioned Authority. When you add in cards like Replenish and Retether you should have more than enough auras. Remember, Uril doesn't need much to make him lethal. Just one aura will turn him into a three turn clock(or two, in the case of Runes), that is already hard to answer.
It is slow against most decks. I have been looking at it more closely and I am very cramped in the creature slot at 6 mana. I also saw alot of problems with my mana base; either coming into play tapped lands and colorless utility lands.
Uril was my first commander and over time I have just added in good stuff but not really looked at the damage it's done (I've noticed a severe lack in threatability this deck has been bringing when I play it).
In fairness too, I should have posted this to multiplayer, as that is all i typically play. I posted here as uril is one of those decks I felt is better suited 1-1 (oh how wrong I found I am after reading some of the lists here).
I will post some of my changes after the GP this weekend, but it improves on the mana base and adds a little more ramp and card draw. I have 12 auras; i can probably cut 2 as well.
It is slow against most decks. I have been looking at it more closely and I am very cramped in the creature slot at 6 mana. I also saw alot of problems with my mana base; either coming into play tapped lands and colorless utility lands.
Uril was my first commander and over time I have just added in good stuff but not really looked at the damage it's done (I've noticed a severe lack in threatability this deck has been bringing when I play it).
In fairness too, I should have posted this to multiplayer, as that is all i typically play. I posted here as uril is one of those decks I felt is better suited 1-1 (oh how wrong I found I am after reading some of the lists here).
I will post some of my changes after the GP this weekend, but it improves on the mana base and adds a little more ramp and card draw. I have 12 auras; i can probably cut 2 as well.
also not sure why i never considered rector.
Cool, I look forward to seeing the changes you make.
I never play this 1-1 so I reposted as the list i play in group; I modified so that it's more enchantress based midrange. No longer has a tokens sub-theme.
removed tooth and nail for serra's sanctum
removing daybreak coronet for mageslayer
Good call on removing Daybreak Coronet... I have never had any luck with that aura. Let us know how Mage Slayer works out for you, considered it myself.
Good luck on Serra's Sanctum. I took that card out of my Uril build due to insufficiency.
I would highly recommend you add the following lands... Exotic Orchard: Chances are extremely high that one of your opponents will be able to produce R/G/W... Reflecting Pool: This has great synergy with your Dual lands AND your Command Tower. Vesuva: You can copy your own Command Tower OR your opponents. Copy your duals, copy, copy, copy.... Could also destroy a Legendary Land, should it be necessary.
Great card!
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I have mixed thoughts on serra's sanctum. Terrible early, win more late game. Would be good to recast uril once he dies... but usually he brings all the enchantments with him on death, so doesn't seem to actually give any benefit.
I just traded for it and thought i would try it out.
vesuva would be nice, just wary due to ETBT; trying to avoid as many as i can.
mageslayer is an addition i am excited to try, i got the idea from reading the debate on allowing general damage to be any source. so figured i could drop it before uril hit play, then equip with some enchantments the next turn. perhaps SFM would be a good addition to search that up as well, could add another kind of sword of X and Y too.
Then run utility creatures and cards like flickerform to get around this. Don't turn Uril into a zoo deck lacking the threats that make uril a major threat. I run these creatures only and they all have a specific purpose. Ramp, Removal, Etc.
I may add Sigarrda to this list as she is yet another great way to deal with this, but outside of these 10 creatures all mostly utility. Uril should be Aura heavy.
Originally Posted by hopefulhawkeye
Then run utility creatures and cards like flickerform to get around this. Don't turn Uril into a zoo deck lacking the threats that make uril a major threat. I run these creatures only and they all have a specific purpose. Ramp, Removal, Etc.
I was quite surprised to see Oversoul of Dusk on your list as he doesn't seem to be a utility creature... I thought I might have been the only one running this guy, lol. In my decklist I have always considered Oversoul of Dusk and Sigarda as "alternates" in case Uril gets tucked or costs too much to recast.
hopefullhawkeye... How valuable is Oversoul of Dusk in your Uril build... I am actually considering replacing mine for more utility such as Dauntless Escort.
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I took out Oversoul of Dusk actually. Found the restrictive mana requirement to be a major issue and ultimately there are better cards for the slot.
Interesting... took this out of mine as well as he just seemed to sit in my hand most of the time. Finally included Flametounge Kavu as some utility/creature hate.
Aside from Sigarda, Host of Herons and Sun Titan all of my creatures now cost 4 or less to cast. That way, I have critters to dot the battlefield until I get 5 mana.
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i was going to add in gruul warchant, then realized that the only creature that ever really attacks in this deck is uril. i decided to go with madcap skills for this reason.
additionally, i cut ajani, caller of the pride. he was kind of just a lesser elspeth. i am trying legion's initiative when i can get a copy.
serra's sanctum just wasn't reliable enough for me. i switched to vitu to get some more late game value; although it's probably just worth it to run another basic.
changes (looks like i didn't change some of the previous ones in the OP)
-1 rugged prairie (this should have already been out)
-1 serra's sanctum
-1 daybreak coronet
-1 ajani, caller of the pride
-1 genesis (i didn't really run enough other creatures to warrant him)
-1 duplicant
-1 spellbreaker behemoth
-1 mage slayer
i was going to add in gruul warchant, then realized that the only creature that ever really attacks in this deck is uril. i decided to go with madcap skills for this reason.
additionally, i cut ajani, caller of the pride. he was kind of just a lesser elspeth. i am trying legion's initiative when i can get a copy.
serra's sanctum just wasn't reliable enough for me. i switched to vitu to get some more late game value; although it's probably just worth it to run another basic.
changes (looks like i didn't change some of the previous ones in the OP)
-1 rugged prairie (this should have already been out)
-1 serra's sanctum
-1 daybreak coronet
-1 ajani, caller of the pride
-1 genesis (i didn't really run enough other creatures to warrant him)
-1 duplicant
-1 spellbreaker behemoth
-1 mage slayer
unquestioned replaces itself but offers no additional p/t buff
spirit mantle gives small p/t but is great for mana cost
holy mantle gives a little more p/t but costs too much (imo)
madcap skills offers good power but risks being blocked
now that i list these out like that, i am liking spirit mantle more lol
maybe madcap being red will someday be relevant.. like if someone ever casts chaotic backlash
removed riftstone portal and skyshroud claim to add in wood elves and sol ring. riftstone portal would never spend time in my graveyard and often times just color screwed me instead of fix me. Since this deck is not a 1-1 duel commander adding sol ring back in made sense. with the additional ramp, it made sense to cut the midrange ramp spell.
removed hellkite charger for ajani, caller of the pride. The combo of hellkite plus sword of feast and famine was fun, but ultimately not how i wanted to have fun with this deck. giving uril double strike (and yes putting more eggs into one basket) is more how i want to play this deck. Also, i had planned to cut ajani as of my last cuts. I lent the deck to someone to learn EDH before i actually took him out and was crushed every game ajani was in play.
also, retooled the decklist to be in alphabetical order under each card type section for ease of reading/making changes.
So... how are things in the future... September 25th? Does Theros have a lot of good auras for Uril??? Lol...
In all seriousness, though. How is your Uril deck performing in 1v1? Have you noticed a difference since M14 rules? Myself, my Uril build was very competitive before and even more dominating since the rule change... It's nice to pull off a god-draw and have turn 2 or 3 Uril without having him "popped" by Phantasmal Image.
Wood Elves is a fantastic choice, they won't disappoint. However, I am curious on seeing Kamahl in your list? What is his role in your strategy? Also curious as to your abundance of Planeswalkers - instead of casting these guys, why not concentrate on dropping auras onto Uril?
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So... how are things in the future... September 25th? Does Theros have a lot of good auras for Uril??? Lol...
In all seriousness, though. How is your Uril deck performing in 1v1? Have you noticed a difference since M14 rules? Myself, my Uril build was very competitive before and even more dominating since the rule change... It's nice to pull off a god-draw and have turn 2 or 3 Uril without having him "popped" by Phantasmal Image.
Wood Elves is a fantastic choice, they won't disappoint. However, I am curious on seeing Kamahl in your list? What is his role in your strategy? Also curious as to your abundance of Planeswalkers - instead of casting these guys, why not concentrate on dropping auras onto Uril?
man you'd think at my age i could tell how to record the date.... i did that for like 5 of my deck updates lol.
my meta never played too many clones, so i haven't seen too much change. I didn't find really any cards from m14 that went into the deck.
it's been performing well, but it's almost all multiplayer games. the few 1-1 games i play; it's been against rhys elfball and i either swing with pro creatures into the win or get swarmed.
the walkers and kahmal are all in there because you get good value out of them in group.
kahmal helps with aggravated assault combo as a back up and also nukes lands to a wrath effect.
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*update - ToC is linked now
Uril the miststalker is an efficiently costed creature with built in protection and a build around growth mechanic. A 5/5 body usually comes with a high-mana pricetag or with a drawback; Uril has neither of these. Additionally, the hexproof aspect makes it less likely that opponents can two for one you when you enchant Uril. He's also a yeti (well technically beast); but come on, you know Uril's a yeti!
Uril is one of the most notorious voltron-style commanders. With one or two enchantments, an opponent’s 5 turn clock has come down to a 2 turn clock. (Voltron in Magic refers to enchanting, giving equipment, or other buffs to a single creature and using that creature for one deadly K-O attack). The goal of the deck is to play Uril, put auras on Uril and, attack with Uril. Striking down one foe at a time or creating a series of repeated attack steps for one turn of Uril-based devastation.
2) But why Uril?
So now that you know a little bit about Uril, you’re going to want to ask yourself why you would play this commander. There are many other choices for you to use. Below are some reasons to paly or not play this general. Additionally, I have included a quick reason why Uril is different from other Naya commanders and how Uril differs from other popular voltron commanders.
- You like the idea of having an untargetable commander
- You like the strategy of attacking with one highly powered creature; often multiple times in one turn
- You want to win with commander damage
- You hate players that gain a million life
- You like enchantments
- You want to use enchantments more than artifacts or other buffs to create a one-hit killing creature
- You don't have an undying desire to use tooth and nail, even though you have access to green
- You like Yetis
- You are fine with eliminating one player at a time from each game
- You don't like putting all your eggs in one basket
- You don't like being hated on just because you revealed your commander
- You have a fear of commander 'tuck' effects and/or edicts
- You don't have access to a tri-color manabase
- You prefer non-combat steps methods of winning
hazezon tamar: Hazezon plays more like a ramp into tokens combo deck. He creates his own army, he does not need to run enchantments and thusly isn't really suited to be a voltron commander.
jacques le vert: jacques is costed low enough that he could be a voltron commander, he also buffs himself. however for one more mana uril gains hexproof and a self buff. jacques buff helps not only him, but other creatures. I feel he is better with more smaller creatures/tokens.
johan: johan gives a benefit when he doesn't attack. voltron commanders attack, i do not think johan wants to be at the head of our assaults.
mayael the anima: mayael is a solid commander, but she is more take charge of all the large fatty creatures.
palladia-mors: a hat-tip to one of the original five elder dragons. due to his upkeep cost and already high casting cost, this ancient power does not fit the voltron style.
rith, the awakener: another solid naya commander. He like most of the others benefits from large swarms of creatures/tokens.
Gahiji, honored one: A great political and aggressive general. I think he is similar to jacques le vert in that you want to attack with more creatures and maximize the attacking bonus.
Marath, Will of the Wild: Cheap and efficient. He could easily be substituted as a voltron general due to how fast he comes out and continues to grow over time. However, I feel marath draws the most power in a zoo or combo deck where you can abuse his activated ability.
Sigarda, host of herons: Sigarda trades the ability to grow for each enchantment and access to red for flying and protection from sacrifice outlets. This trade off loses some cheap answers to board wipes; boros charm, legion's initiative, etc. It also moves you away from runes of the deus and the ability to have multiple attack phases.
Krond the dawn clad : Krond has no self-preservation mechanics. this makes being a commander reliant on attacking more difficult. Additionally, without access to red, you lose some cheap answers to board wipes and it moves you away from runes of the deus and the ability to have multiple attack phases.
Rafiq of the many: even without protection, rafiq is a strong candidate for voltron. However, Uril has built in protection and has access to doublestrike cards.
Geist of Saint Traft: has self protection and is cheaper to cast. Plus that whole angel thing. However, blue white does not possess as powerfully hitting auras.
OH NO! Not another Uril, The Miststalker deck. Yes I apologize for adding another version of this powerful general to the enormous list already; however, this was my first commander and I feel like I owe it to the big beast to write out his list. In addition, there are like 40 Uril lists and although most of them are very similar, there are no official multiplayer Primers for the big Yeti. I am hoping to transform this into a Primer or at the very least a well-written Uril-Voltron Guide.
Uril was the first deck I made when I entered into the format. I remember going through my collection and pulling out all the random enchantments that could go on him, digging up my old fetchlands and shocklands. Going out and buying revised dual lands. Things were simpler then; almost every deck i faced was built around a general. None of my friends and I played with combo or stax. We even entered a tournament at the local game store; there were 20 players or so. Split into 4 man pods and we did 3 rounds. I won the event and this was the first time I ever saw a commander deck play a combo.
The combo player probably would have won the event, except in his round 1 he was targeted first not sure why and lost. I remember talking to him after what prompted him to build his deck focused around hive mind/pact combo. His answer was simple; he knew the meta and that no one else was going to play combo or disruption. everyone was still in the mind set of "I want to win with general damage".
After that point, I knew I had to fine tune my deck. I read articles and looked for the strongest cards I could use. I kept playing the deck and finding its weak spots. I moved locations after college and changed gamestores and metas; my deck had some infinite attack combos now. One of the players in the new group didn't like uril and ran mass LD plus edict effects to stop me. I knew my deck had to make another shift.
I added in cards that return all enchantments from graveyard to help rebuild after Uril died and also put in more creatures i could sacrifice instead of Uril. Shortly after, totem armor became a thing and those were added in.
More time passed and primeval titan was removed from the deck. After which, the deck lost alot of its power. I was really confused why I couldn't hold my own at the table like I used to. I took a long look at the deck and realized I had been adding so many utility lands over the years that I had almost no sources of colored lands in the deck. I also had 1 ramp spell. I cut many of the lands that didn't produce color and added in more basics; also cultivate and kodama's reach to ensure uril gets cast. I added in ramp creatures, but still kept away from mana dorks.
this basically brings us to now.
My meta is a group of 4-8 players at my store that get together for saturday games in northern MA. In the early days, we had a lot of group hug and group chaos decks. This pushed stax and counterspell/control decks out. Almost every deck someone plays has one, if not a dozen infinite combos. We are not so cutthroat that we will go for the combo, sometimes letting a warp world resolve when we have mikeaus/triskelion combo on board.
So while I do not have as much need to run defenses against edicts and lockdown defenses or how to get uril and auras into play when all the blue players have islands untapped, I will do my best to write this guide and offer card choices to aid players for all metas.
In this section, I will outline by card type the many choices you have to make your Uril, the Miststalker deck. I have included other alternative cards that are not in my current list to help players who do not have access to all the cards I list or to show similar function (i.e. path to exile vs swords to plowshares)
If you want to look at just auras for Uril, please see the "Uril's Many Outfits" section below. Auras warrant their own section for this deck.
Lands
Colored Sources and Fetches
savannah, taiga, plateau: The original duals. Uril is a color-greedy deck. These lands are essential.
temple garden, stomping ground, sacred foundry: The younger generation of dual lands. More easy to obtain and just as essential.
sunpetal grove, rootbound crag, clifftop retreat: If you aren't running many fetchlands, these can help fix colors with typically no drawback.
wooded bastion, fire-lit thicket, rugged prairie: Help with color fixing, however, add to the number of non-color producing lands.
Fetchlands: There are 9 fetchlands from the onslaught and zendikar sets you can run. (ex. arid mesa) I would recommend all 9.
krosan verge: a slow fetch, but gets two duals.
jungle shrine, rith's grove, city of brass, command tower: all of your commander's colors with little to no drawback.
Utility
cavern of souls: shuts down one of the few methods of handling uril.
contested cliffs: uril is a beast, this can be used to remove pesky opposing creatures/blockers.
strip mine: you never know when an oppponent is going to have a land that stops you or benefits them too much.
kessig wolf-run: even if you use x=0, you give uril trample and anymore than that jsut makes him more powerful.
slayer's stronghold: buff, vigilance and haste, what's not to love.
sunhome, fortress of the legion: repeatable doublestrike.
maze of ith: shuts down opponents largest attacker or utility attacker.
wasteland: a lesser strip mine.
yavimaya hollow: keeps uril alive.
hall of the bandit lord: a bit painful, but gives uril the chance to attack immediately.
eiganjo castle: helps keep uril alive in case of surprise combat tricks.
Planeswalkers
ajani, caller of the pride: I like this ajani for the deck because his minus ability gives evasion and double strike.
ajani vengeant: this version has a powerful set of abilities and a game-ending ultimate.
elspeth tirel: you won't gain much life, but she can prevent an edict.
elspeth, knight errant: I like elspeth because she gives you a buff with evasion. also creates tokens to prevent edicts.
garruk wildspeaker: great for ramp and can ultimate easily.
garruk, primal hunter: for one more mana, this version of garruk acts as a multi-faceted harmonize.
gideon jura: good for clearing a path for uril. the assassinate ability is nice too.
karn liberated: very powerful walker. the deck runs enough ramp that karn could be used reliably.
sarkhan vol: his ability to steal is great in multiplayer. giving haste keeps uril a constant threat even when stuck in the command zone.
Artifacts
Ramp
sol ring, mana crypt, mana vault: Great for getting explosive starts. The lifeloss doesn't matter much in this format.
signets and talismans: good for ramping into uril and auras. better suited for decks that wipe lands away to keep advantage after clearing everyone's lands.
chromatic lantern: this has some potential because it fixes any color screw issues we may have and color is very important in this deck.
keyrunes, cluestones, and other 3 mana artifact rocks: decent budget options.
Equipment
sword of feast and famine: one half of the attack step combo with aggravated assault. if you are not building this combo, this sword is still a good choice due to untapping your lands.
other sword of X and Y: fire and ice, war and peace, body and mind, light and shadow; all are good choices. that is the order i would rate them for uril. I think though, auras are better in most cases but these do stick around after a wrath.
behemoth sledge: if you don't have armadillo cloak or unflinching courage, this equipment is for you.
mage slayer: this is effectively double strike for uril that gets at least half damage around blockers.
Other equipment: For the most part, any equipment would be better as an aura in this deck.
Utility
sensei's divining top: I feel like this card is second to sol ring in going into any edh deck.
Instants
Removal
path to exile: great removal spell, but ramping opponents can hurt.
swords to plowshares: the life gained from this spell doesn't matter since your opponents will lose to general damage.
krosan grip: split second removal at its finest. stop many infinite combos.
beast within: destroy any permanent and leaves a beast behind. Don't fear the beast, uril is the bigger beast.
chaos warp: if any permanent is causing you trouble, chances are that permanents controller would be worse off with any other card.
oblation: lands are never really a problem card for uril, so this card can answer any threat we do not want to face.
unexpectedly absent: this card may replace oblation, as i feel the drawback is better here. also allows a bit more control.
Utility
boros charm: the 4 damage is usually irrelevant, but the indestructible is amazing and the double strike is a beautiful surprise.
naya charm: good for stopping a swarm or clearing the way for the final attack.
crop rotation: uril has a large amount of specialized lands, this can find them in a pinch.
enlightened tutor: it searches for enchantments at instant speed, this is an auto include.
Sorceries
Ramp
rampant growth, nature's lore, search for tomorrow: Low costed spells that put one land into play. I prefer the land ramp that grabs 2 lands for this deck, because it helps ensure casting uril by at least turn 5.
cultivate and kodama's reach: I feel like these are the most mana efficient ramp spells for this deck.
ranger's path and skyshroud claim: a bit mana costly, but are able to put 2 lands into play. Can find forests so you can find 2 dual lands from your deck. great for mana fixing.
Removal
winds of rath: for one more mana than wrath of god, we get to keep uril around.
day of judgement: wrath that lets you regenerate, thusly allowing uril to live through it.
austere command: all purpose removal spell.
razia's purification: leaving uril with an enchantment or assemble the legion can be backbreaking.
cataclysm: a cheaper mana costed razia's purification.
divine reckoning: not much will stand 1-1 with uril. the flashback is nice too.
hull breach: you should never be devoid of two targets, but if you are, then you can choose only one or the other. good utility removal at a cheap cost.
Recursion
replenish and retether: returns all enchantments (or just auras). great for making uril an instant bomb again.
regrowth, restock, creeping renaissance: not as efficient as replenish, but can return specific cards to your hand. It has the benefit of returning more than just enchantments.
Utility
green sun's zenith: find almost any one of your creatures. I toy between this and chord of calling.
idyllic tutor: With a deck that is a quarter enchantment, this card is good to have.
three dreams: This is a bit pricy, but provides such high card advantage. Play uril, play this, next turn uril is unstoppable.
Non-Aura Enchantments
aggravated assault: has the potential to create infinite attacks. also good for creating one additional attack.
aura of silence: i like the taxation effect on this card, plus the sac at any time. you can easily run seal of cleansing or seal of primordial over it though. all of which have synergy with sun titan.
legion's initiative: new addition that gives a teamwide buff and also prevents a wrath effect.
mirari's wake: a teamwide buff with mana doubling to boost. not an essential card but one that i really enjoy having in the deck.
mirri's guile: a green mana sensei's divining top. great for smoothing out your draws and making sure you hit the land you need or enchantment to finish the game.
oblivion ring: enchantment removal for any permanent.
sterling grove: Amazing protection for your enchantments, also tutors. Nothing to not love about this card. Good synergy with sun titan.
priveledged position: similar to sterling grove, except for all permanents.
sylvan library: White and red have poor consistent draw. Green is not much better, however, the best green draw is at least an enchantment. This makes it easy for us to tutor. The life loss can hurt, so try and balance with a lifelink aura.
assemble the legion: This card can take over a game if left unanswered. I have yet to test this out, but it can make a good alternate way to win the game. Even better if you run razia's purification or other mass LD/removal.
dueling grounds: great for dealing with a swarm counter attack. Also great for ensuring other players can't gang up on you. It is very meta dependent though. Uril should be able to swing past blockers so limiting them in a non-buff way is not necessary.
act of authority: kind of niche, but can remove two potential threats. just make sure to only use the second activation the turn before you destroy the opponent you give it to. Not positive, but you should regain control after you kill them.
Creatures
This will be a list in progress due to the many possible creatures that can fit into the deck as support.
Enchantress
argothian enchantress: the original mistress. provides a protected means of card draw for this deck.
kor spirit dancer: this is a new addition for me that has been working out better than I expected. She doubles as an alternate win condition.
mesa enchantress: a bit more mana intensive than argothian, but still provides consistent card draw.
verduran enchantress: a bit more mana intensive than argothian, but still provides consistent card draw.
femeref enchantress: good for when uril dies and brings 3 enchantments with him. sadly, that usually happens on a wrath so you lose this creatures as well. I feel she is more reactionary and a meta call. Also if you run auratog, she can be great.
Removal
acidic slime: great for dealing with almost any non-creature permanent
quasali pridemage: the exalted is a great added bonus for uril
scavenging ooze: one of my favorite graveyard hating creatures.
Ramp
wood elves: finds a dual land and is costed efficiently.
sakura-tribe elder: one of the best chump blockers ever.
yavimaya elder: card draw is so limited, so its nice to have dual functions here.
mana dorks: I prefer spells to mana dorks, but if you were to run them, I suggest the creatures that add any color (birds of paradise or the new sylvan caryatid)because you want to ensure hitting Uril early. Similarly, run creatures that add a different color than their cost (avacyn's pilgrim i.e.)
Protection
sigarda, host of herons: Stops all edict effects. Also a powerful beater/alternate win con.
tajuru preserver: a cheaper sigarda that doesn't beat as well or have built in protection.
dauntless escort: saves your entire team. Reusable with sun titan.
saffi eriksdotter: saves one creature. Reusable with sun titan.
Utility
academy rector: finds any enchantment when she dies. drawback, is that she is hard to get killed.
aurelia, the warleader: effective doublestrike for uril.
eternal witness: never fear that you lost something to the graveyard.
sun titan: rescues creatures and low costed auras.
kahmal, fist of krosa: combos with aggrevated assault. can blow up opponents lands in response to a wrath.
angel of finality: We don't have much in the way of efficient graveyard removal, this card can be a good aid.
6) Uril's Many Outfits
I want this section to go over all the options you have to enchant Uril. As of m14 there are about 330 enchant creature auras. That's alot of auras and most of them are not really good or relevant. I will try and comment on each, but I may just do the top 25% in the lower mana cost brackets. I will break the list down by converted mana cost. The fraction to the right shows the number of decent auras/total auras in this converted mana cost.
Some notes on how auras are evaluated.
1) The enchantment offers a form of evasion; trample, flying, protection, unblockable, etc
2) The enchantment offers a form of preservation; regeneration, totem armor, etc
3) The enchantment offers a large buff relative to its mana cost (with uril's +2/+2 factored in).
4) The enchantment offers a unique ability or a good utility; card draw, creature production, global buff, etc
One Mana 17/89
The best thing about most one mana auras are that due to the nature of uril, they already give +2/+2 which makes them better for their cost already. There are obviously better ones than others.
bequeathal: A deterrant to killing uril, downside is that he must go to GY to trigger the ability.
blessing of the nephilim: for one mana, you can double uril's power and toughness.
capashen standard: decent buff and ability to draw later.
dragon mantle: cheap draw aura. firebreathing is not the best but can be useful in races.
dust corona: buff with a slight form of evasion.
ethereal armor: great enchantment that continues to grow into the mid-game. easily good enough on its own too.
forced adaptation: good for games where uril won't do much dieing.
furor of the bitten: one of the higher buffs for this cost, at the drawback of being forced to attack each turn.
hyena umbra: great cheap means for totem armor and decent buff.
instill energy: One of my personal favorite enchantments for uril. it's cheap, offers a pseudo-vigilance and is cheap enough to offer haste after uril has died.
keen sense: no buff, but card draw is so essential. This is a must have.
messenger's speed: this card is great, a red instill energy. it's cheap, offers a pseudo-vigilance and is cheap enough to offer haste after uril has died.
one with nature: good for ensuring you will have mana for recasting uril.
predatory hunger: no initial bonus, but this could get out of hand and large depending on how creature heavy the meta you play is in.
rancor: This is one of the cheapest and most efficient buffs for uril. evasion and buff. it also comes back to hand when uril dies and you can put him in the command zone. MUST HAVE.
spider umbra: great cheap means for totem armor and decent buff.
spirit link: listed here because it isn't lifelink and stacks with lifelink abilities.
wreath of geists: if you run a lot of craetures, this can be a large buff.
Two Mana 22/105
aspect of wolf: with enough dual lands and forests, this may be worth. Typically not though.
betrothed in fire: in tokens build this could pack a finishing punch. also prevents theft.
bravado: pump effect in a tokens build
call to serve: a lesser angelic destiny. gives evasion and pump at a low cost.
canopy cover: ok evasion, the hexproof part is unnecessary for us.
chosen by heliod: small defense pump and card draw.
daybreak coronet: with a slight risk of not allowing it to be the first aura you cast, this aura packs a large buff and large suite of abilities.
errantry: decent buff and good for decks that only swing with uril.
exoskeletal armor: if each player has a few creatures in the GY, this aura adds a good buff. risky, but potentially good.
felidar umbra: cheap totem armor and you can move it around to your other creatures.
fists of ironwood: good for dodging edict effects.
flickerform: great for saving not only uril, but all the auras attached. very mana involved, but can be worth it to save from bad situations.
fortitude: no buff, but a recastable way to regenerate.
goblin war paint:it's cheap enough to offer haste after uril has died and gives a buff.
inviolability: prevents uril from taking any damage. allows you to run blasphemous act and other damage sweepers.
latulla's orders: turns uril into a lesser trygon predator. great for dealing with mana rocks and equipment.
madcap skills: high buff and slight evasion.
maniacal rage: decent buff and a typically irrelevant drawback.
mark of sakiko: can be used in some attack step combos.
nimbus wings: ok buff and evasion.
ordeal of heliod: the tokens are a nice buff for uril, however losing the aura after 3 attacks is not something we want to do.
ordeal of nylea: the tokens are a nice buff for uril, however losing the aura after 3 attacks is not something we want to do.
ordeal of purphoros: the tokens are a nice buff for uril, however losing the aura after 3 attacks is not something we want to do.
spirit loop: recurs and double stacks with lifelink.
spirit mantle: the cheapest of the protection from creatures. a primary method in getting past blockers. also buffs.
sun clasp: cheap way to keep uril from dieing, not the best because you still have to recast from hand.
Three Mana 27/91
ancestral mask: doesn't buff alone, but can generate a large boost.
armadillo cloak: buff, evasion and a life gain ability that stacks with lifelink. great card, should be an auto-include.
asha's favor: great suite of abilities, but no buff.
battle mastery: double strike is ridiculous on uril. doesn't offer any buffs or evasion though.
bestial fury: draws a card, but other than that it's really only good when you're being blocked.
blanchwood armor: with enough dual lands and forests, this may be worth. Typically not though.
boar umbra: decent buff and totem armor.
destuctive urge: great at keeping players off of lands and thusly playing less threats.
elephant guide: decent buff, can make a token if you put uril into GY.
feral invocation: flash is nice, but not for just a P/T buff.
galvanic arc: not the best as far as auras go, but has the ability to deal with opposing creatures.
gift of immortaity: no pump or evasion, but is a master of recursion and self recursion.
griffin guide: decent buff, can make a token if you put uril into GY.
moldervine cloak: decent buff and is recurring.
pariah: combos with indestructibility and other forms of protection.
savage silhoutte: buff and regeneration. bit costly to regenerate though.
scourge of the nobilis: good buff, less relevant abilities. weakest of the 3 enchantments from this block, still ok.
serpent skin: flash into regenerate is cool, small buff.
shield of the oversoul: This goes in the deck, enough said. MUST HAVE.
sigil of the nayan gods: may be good for token decks, also cycles.
snake umbra: a more expensive keen sense with totem armor and a small buff. I like this alot.
trollhide: buff and regeneration. bit costly to regenerate though.
undying rage: returns to hand and offers a decent buff, drawback of not being able to block.
unflinching courage: the lifelink reprint of armadillo cloak. should be included in the deck.
unquestioned authority: the middle costing protection from creatures aura. no buff, but draws you a card.
vow of duty: can be played offensively or defensively.
vow of lightning: can be played offensively or defensively.
vow of wildness: can be played offensively or defensively. as an offensive it offers evasion and has a large buff.
Four Mana 8/30
angelic destiny:a beefed up rancor like aura. solid pump and ability suite. sadly you must put uril into the GY to recur the aura.
armored ascension: with enough dual lands and plains, this may be worth. Typically not though.
bear umbra: A must have for aggravated assault combo uril. even outside of the combo, this is a solid enchantment and the totem armor just puts it over the edge.
breath of fury: Good enchantment for another craeture other than uril. in decks that have a token generator and haste enabler you can create infinite attack steps.
conclave's blessing: larger creatures are usually better dealt with via a protection from creatures aura and most other toughness based kill spells are not able to target uril or come down after he is a super beast.
divine transformation: decent buff but no other ability, not worth.
elemental mastery: good in corner-case situations where an opponent has protection from uril or is able to deal with him from attacking.
entangler: if uril has vigilance this could be worthwhile, however, uril prefers to attack all the time.
faith's fetters: NOT FOR URIL. This aura is just a solid detain spell that can be searched easily for in the deck.
gaea's embrace: Amazing aura that provides a good buff, evasion, and regeneration.
glacial plating: for decks with all snow lands this can actually grow pretty large, the downside is that there is no initial buff, no evasion, and it is a mana sink.
holy mantle: small buff and protection from creatures. This is a the most expensive of the other choices, but is still good.
improvised armor: the cycling may be good, aside from that, the buff isn't really worth it.
indestructibility: I haven't found this to be very game changing, but i have read a few decklists that really like it. It can also help non-uril cards so that is an added benefit.
pattern of rebirth: good for making people not want to kill uril. can enable other combos.
predatory urge: good for killing creatures, but prevents you from attacking with uril. uril can kill creatures faster by killing a player.
reins of the vinesteed: for a tribal version of the deck, this may be worthwhile. this small recurring buff is not quite enough for voltron though.
seeker: this aura provides a unique unblockable, but it probably not worth it because of cheaper none can block cards.
serra's embrace: similar to gaea's embrace except different evasion and no regeneration.
shiv's embrace: decent pump and evasion. the firebreathing aspect is usually not relevant.
sinister strike: bad for killing creatures, but prevents you from attacking with uril. uril can kill creatures faster by killing a player.
splinter twin: not really good with url.
strength of unity: this gives at most +3/+3, not worth.
sunbond: no buff at first, but paired with lifelink makes uril enormous. probably on the win more side of things.
uncontrollable anger: flash is good, but buff without evasion is less so. also attacking each turn can be a downside.
Five Mana 3/10
commander's authority: You can do more than one human every one of your upkeeps for this cost. Not worth running.
extra arms: Good at removing man utility creatures, but too pricy a cost to do so.
gigantiform: If only this were not a singleton format. The buff is good for the cost and has evasion. a cheaper version of mythic proportions.
knightly valor: good vs an edict effect. But the buff and ability just aren't worth the cost.
mammoth umbra: low buff and not usually relevant ability. Umbra mantle is good, still may be too high for the effects.
primal visitation: low buff and if you are using it for haste you are either waiting until turn 10 to cast uril or you are spending alot of mana on his recast.
raised by wolves: puts in extra bodies which helps vs edicts. the buff is small, however. maybe in some form of wolf-tribal uril.
runes of the deus: This is a must have for all uril-voltron decks. doublestrike and trample, +4/+4 (with uril's natural buff). it's insane. MUST HAVE!
soaring hope: It has evasion and can save itself, but it just is not very efficient. Not worth it.
verdant embrace: Low buff for the cost, but is great against edict effects.
Six Mana 1/7
epic proportions: The flash could come in handy in certain situations. Having evasion is also nice. Probably the best of the 6 mana auras.
indrik umbra: The planechase totem armor. Has a lot of abilities, unfortunately one is all creatures must block if able. We want uril getting through unblocked, we want him eating players not creatures.
lightning diadem: high cost, small buff. ability to shock at that stage in the game is too little too late.
pollenbright wings: Very expensive enchantment. Great for creating swarms, however for this mana cost you should probably be winning the game not setting up a swarm of tokens. There are cheaper ways to get flying/evasion.
shape of the wittigo: Great for decks that use doubling season. Outside of that, not very good.
wurmweaver coil: A powerful, yet expensive enchantment. No form of evasion is bad. Ability to create a creature is good versus edict effects.
Seven Mana 0/1
Eight Mana 1/1
Bestow Creatures 2/9
heliod's emissary: the tap a creature is hardly relevant and the bestow cost is very high.
hopeful eidolon: for four mana you can do much better than this bestow creature.
observent alseid: this card is not worth the bestow cost.
purphuros's emissary: too much mana to be useful. it's a 7 mana madcap skills.
spearpoint oread: very overcosted.
boon satyr: no buff or evasion, but does provide some utility in flash. however for 5 mana, we'd rather runes of the deus. this one is possible though.
leafcrown dryad: can't say reach is worth the bestow cost.
nylea's emissary: gaea's embrace is strictly better.
Honorable Mention
Top 25 (not entirely in order)
1 runes of the deus - practically turns uril into a one-hit killing machine by itself.
2 shield of the oversoul - evasion and indestructible all in one.
3 rancor - one of the best auras ever made.
4 spirit mantle - cheapest form of unblockable; this card is what gets uril through all those pesky blockers.
5 armadillo cloak - evasion and buff. the life gain is icing on the cake.
6 unflinching courage - evasion and buff. the lifelink is icing on the cake.
7 hyena umbra - the cheapness of this totem armor cannot be ignored.
8 flickerform - best way to protect uril and keep your enchantments. in fact it's the only way to keep your enchantments.
9 snake umbra - the totem armor protection plus the card draw is an incredible package.
10 gaea's embrace - huge buff, regeneration and trample. this card has 3 of our 4 aspects we want in an enchantment.
11 vow of wilderness - similar to the above except this aura is cheaper to cast but loses regeneration. it can also be used defenseively.
12 unquestioned authority - similar to spirit mantle, but with no natural buff. we do get to draw off of it which is nice.
13 madcap skills - large buff, and unique form of near unblockable.
14 angelic destiny - large buff, evasion, possiblity to recur.
15 spirit loop - no boost and life gain isn't the most important aspect for uril, but it's a cheap enchantment that returns to hand when it goes to the graveyard.
16 ethereal armor - one of the few growing enchantments that are cheap enough to be good on their own.
17 bear umbra - good size boost with built in protection. Untapping lands can be extremely relevant and it also works for a good combo with uril.
18 keen sense - cheaper than snake umbra but no totem armor.
19 battle mastery - Nowhere near as good as the double strike from runes, but double strike is too good not to include.
20 instill energy - Haste and vigilance in green, at a cheap cost. This card has surprised alot of opponents who didn't anticipate the attack immediately after recasting uril.
21 daybreak coronet - can be win-more, but you won't get that many abilities with the buff for that cheap. the clause of being enchanted is near-irrelevant with the game plan.
22 eldrazi conscription - the highest mana cost enchantment. it borders win-more and annihilator is worth it.
23 serpent skin - similar to gaea's embrace. for less mana has less boost, but has flash which could be great for surprise regeneration.
24 blessing of the nephilim - the best power/toughness boost for the mana cost.
25 furor of the bitten - second best power/toughness boost for the mana cost.
Alright, here is the part many of you came here for. My current decklist as of 12/2/2013
1 Uril, the miststalker
Land - 37
1 arid mesa
1 bloodstained mire
1 cavern of souls
1 city of brass
1 command tower
1 contested cliffs
1 eiganjo castle
1 flooded strand
1 hall of the bandit lord
1 jungle shrine
1 kessig wolf run
1 marsh flats
1 maze of ith
1 misty rainforest
1 plateau
1 sacred foundry
1 savannah
1 scalding tarn
1 slayer's stronghold
1 stomping ground
1 strip mine
1 sunhome, fortress of the legion
1 taiga
1 temple garden
1 verdant catacombs
1 windswept heath
1 wooded foothills
1 yavimaya hollow
4 forest
3 plains
2 mountain
1 aggravated assault
1 armadillo cloak
1 aura of silence
1 battle mastery
1 bear umbra
1 gift of immortality
1 hyena umbra
1 instill energy
1 legion's initiative
1 madcap skills
1 messenger's speed
1 mirari's wake
1 mirri's guile
1 oblivion ring
1 rancor
1 runes of the deus
1 shield of the oversoul
1 snake umbra
1 spirit loop
1 spirit mantle
1 sterling grove
1 sylvan library
1 unflinching courage
1 unquestioned authority
1 vow of wilderness
Planeswalkers -4
1 ajani, caller of the pride
1 elspeth, knight errant
1 garruk primal hunter
1 garruk wildspeaker
Creatures - 14
1 acidic slime
1 argothian enchantress
1 aurelia, the warleader
1 dauntless escort
1 eternal witness
1 kor spirit dancer
1 quasali pridemage
1 saffi eriksdotter
1 sakura-tribe elder
1 scavenging ooze
1 sigarda, host of herons
1 sun titan
1 wood elves
1 yavimaya elder
1 mana crypt
1 sensei's divining top
1 sol ring
1 sword of feast and famine
Instant - 8
1 beast within
1 boros charm
1 chaos warp
1 chord of calling
1 enlightened tutor
1 krosan grip
1 naya charm
1 oblation
Sorcery - 7
1 cultivate
1 day of judgement
1 idyllic tutor
1 kodama's reach
1 replenish
1 three dreams
1 winds of rath
I’d like to go over what your mindset and strategy during each stage of the game should be focused around. Below the strategies are synergies, combos, and problem cards/counter-strategies.
Opening Hand and Early Game
Ok, you just shuffled up and drew your opening 7 cards. How can you tell if it's worth keeping? A hand with a couple lands and a ramp spell is good. The ramp spells in the deck are designed to ensure Uril gets cast by turn 5. Any hand that can get Uril onto the battlefield earlier is typically worth keeping. Just note that against blue decks you need to play around counterspells so that fast ramp into Uril may be met with sadness. Similarly, against black or white decks. If you ramp into Uril, they may have a sacrifice effect or a wrath the board.
In addition to ramp spells, also check for auras or aura tutors. This is how we win, so it's important to have some or have some way to have them in hand by the time we cast Uril. As far as removal goes, that is always good to have. In our early stages we are more the aggressor so we don't typically need our removal here.
The early game is all about getting ready to get Uril onto the battlefield. In most cases, we want to land Uril as early as we can. However, we need to do so correctly. If we don't have any auras in hand then it is better to hold off. The reason is because beating for 5 is fine, but Uril will get removed in some way and we do not want to increase the commander tax if we can avoid it. The early game is also a good time to set up some save Uril effects, like legion's initiative or saffi eriksdotter. When you cast Uril, you are leaving the early game and moving to mid-game.
ATTITUDE: Early game is typically more defensive in the sense that we want to be setting up our resources in preparation for Uril. Playing too aggressively and forcing uril into play early can have negative impact for us if we do not have enough to protect him from a luck top-deck terminus or diabolic edict. If you can, it's usually smart to get an enchantress into play before you cast uril so you can benefit from the card draw.
Mid-Game Plan
For this deck, the mid-game is defined as the turn after you cast Uril (or the turn you cast him if he has haste). In this stage, you know your first target. The player you need to eliminate first. You should also have a way to preserve uril, totem armor, blink effect, indestructible, etc. After you cast Uril, your next turn is devoted to putting 1-3 auras on him and attacking your priority target. If this doesn't kill them, your next turn should be spent removing them from the game. *Unless the course of events has given rise to a larger threat.*
You do not want to overly enchant Uril either. Sure having a 30/30 creature is fun. But be conservative and smart with your enchantments. Use only what you need because in this part of the game, Uril is going to head to the command zone. Your opponents will not let you have a kill button attack. You may say to yourself, oh well I have a way to protect Uril. I'm fine. Well, you may be able to stop one opponents wrath; but not the next player's.
Things to look for in this part of the game are preservation effects, replenish, and an evasion aura and a protection from creatures aura. three dreams can be amazing here, search up runes of the deus, spirit mantle, and any other aura (i like to go with a one-mana or totem armor).
When a player dies to one of Uril's attacks or when Uril dies and has 3+ big auras into the graveyard, you have entered the late-game.
ATTITUDE: In the mid-game you should be aggressive. Your turns should involve uril turning sideways. You should be enchanting Uril with auras and making his power lethal. You are not so aggressive you over extend.
Late Game Finish
At this point in the game, you have either killed off one player and the remaining players are looking to shut you down quick for fear of being the next target. If not, then Uril has died and lost some key auras.
If the former is true, try and ride Uril as far as you can. Target the next player that has the most likely chance to stop uril (wrath, edict, combo, lethal damage, etc). If you can search and get aggrevated assault in play, go for it. This card will be essential to ending the game quickly and with Uril on top. winds of rath also shines well at this stage of the game.
If the latter was true, or you were eventually shut down then we need to prepare for Uril recover down time. Most players, when stopped get a turn or two to rebuild forces and make another attack. This is often not the case with Uril, as opponents will often kill you while you are down. If that happens, try and clear the board with your own wrath.
If getting uril back out there is impossible, switch to plan B; Kor Spiritdancer. She can carry enchantments as weill as uril, just without hexproof. If she isn't around let any other creature carry an enchantment until you can cast Uril again.
Assuming you stave off your opponents long enough to get Uril back out there, the next thing you will want to do is find replenish. We don't really have a way to do this tutor-wise, though. Since we can't tutor it, we need to go with any other enchantments we have. We also gain more usage out of our lands in this stage. slayer's stronghold and sunhome are great for getting haste and extra damage in.
ATTITUDE: Aggressive. We want to be attacking and finishing games with Uril. When stopped, we want to recast and apply pressure again.
Synergies and Combos
Three Dreams: Getting any three auras is a game finisher for us.
'Infinite Attacks': This combo works off aggravated assault and either sword of feast and famine or bear umbra. You also need 5 lands, 2 of which produce red mana. The concept is to attack (and deal damage if using sword) and untap your lands from the triggers. Then activate aggravated assault for another attack step. Rinse and repeat until the table has been defeated. Note that I used to use hellkite charger as a backup aggrevated assault and also nature's will as another sword of feast and famine like effect to run this combo, but have since taken them out to focus more on fair beat down. Also had kahmal, fist of krosa in the deck to turn my lands into creatures to untap with aggrevated assault to repeat the process.
'Gift to the Sun': This synergy works off the interaction between saffi eriksdotter or angelic renewal and sun titan. While my deck does not use this to win or create an abusable infinite loop, you could easily add in goblin bombardment, blasting station, or any other sacrifice outlet to create an infinite loop. Can be done similarly with goblin bombardment, fiend hunter and sun titan.
'Out of my Way': If there are restrictions to blocking like with dueling grounds and you enchant Uril with madcap skills, he becomes unblockable.
'Choice of Words': Lifelink and "whenever this creature deals damage gain that much life" allow for double lifelink. This is useful when searching up enchantments to try and double up when you can (i.e. unflinching courage vs armadillo cloak).
'Nom Noms': This combo involves auratog, any enchantress effect, and either spirit loop or rancor. Use the auratog to eat the enchantment, which returns to hand due to its graveyard trigger. Recast the aura which will trigger the enchantress to draw a card. Continue to make a big auratof or refill your hand. (thanks azn_cbc_1992).
Disaster Cards or Tactics and How to Deal With Them
1) Counterspells - The first obstacle any Uril deck faces is making sure Uril gets into play. You cannot be a savage killing machine if you are stuck in the command zone. Fortunately, we have many options to say haha to counterspells: cavern of souls, vexing shusher, dosan, the falling leaf, city of solitude, spellbreaker behemoth, price of glory or, grand abolisher to name a few choices. Rarely seen outside of blue decks.
2) Aura Shards and other enchantment removal - Uril isn't very scary as a 5/5 hexproof with no outfits. save removal against GW players as they may hold back their own aura shards until you cast uril. Otherwise, destroy it as soon as possible, preferably remove from the game. Other removal is typically single targeted so you should only be losing one aura; or it comes in the form of austere command/bane of progress/mass enchantment removal. To avoid blowouts, don't overextend. You can also run replenish and retether. Most aura removal will be found in white and green decks.
3) Edicts - Uril often stands alone which makes him a prime target to be sacrificed. There are two edict effects to watch out for; the black ones that say target player or all players must sacrifice a creature and the white edicts that make a player sacrifice an attacking/blocking creature. Edicts get around Uril's hexproof and these need to be played around. Keep other creatures on the field. tajuru preserver or sigarda, host of herons are amazing cards that will keep you safe. You can also try and avoid being targeted by them by giving yourself hexproof; leyline of sanctity, imperial mask, dawn charm can also stop you from being target by most edict effects. These effects will be found in white and black decks.
4) Bruna, light of alabaster - I never thought much of this card until it swung with haste and took all the enchantments i had on uril. This is bad because then we not only have to deal with a powerful, and probably out of our removal's reach, creature but we also do not get those auras back. If Bruna is an opposing commander, strike first. If she is part of the 99, hope that you aren't caught by surprise like I was.
5) Creature Swarms or Archenemy Status - As mentioned above in, Uril often stands alone. He can only block one creature at a time. A tokens swarm can overrun Uril and drop your life fast. Alternatively, Uril is notorious and each player may send all of their hate at you. ghostly prison or sphere of resistance can help stop many attackers. Your lifegaining enchantments will save your neck here too.
6) Tuck Effects - The single target spells don't affect Uril, but the mass ones hallowed burial and terminus can be devastating. creature search spells like green sun's zenith or wordly tutor get uril back. Or you can try and go voltron with another creature; kor spirit dancer or sigarda work best. Watch the white players for how much mana they have to not extend into these spells; although a miracle terminus is pretty much unavoidable. Flickerform is a good blink effect to dodge these.
7) Insurrection - Most theft is negated by Uril's hexproof, however, insurrection gets by this. If that happens, you will most likely die to you own commander. High market or using your own removal before an opponent gains control are ways around this. Keeping uril at 11 power and having an activated means of double strike can also help with not being killed when an opponent steals Uril.
Serra's Sanctum: We run so many enchantments, how could this be bad? Well, I think it comes down to needing specific colored mana and that we want the biggest burst of mana after uril hits play and we don't get the burst until after we enchant uril. or we need the boost to cast uril after he has met an early demise (but if that is the case, all of our auras are in the GY).
greater auramancy/lightning greaves: This card protects my enchantments. The other gives haste, faster damage clock. Ya but then Uril has shroud and we can't make him beefy. Uril has hexproof, that's good enough.
The lists below are decks that offer other ways to build uril
Donald's Urilgeddon
wtwlf123's Uril's Enchantresses
WallyD's 1v1 Primer
Unfortunately, basically all the edits from before i started posting on mtgsalvation are lost to my memory. edits and reasonings should be listed (although not always in best of detail) in comments.
7/4/2012
- nomad mythmaker; privileged position; treetop village
+ replenish; aggravated assault; reliquary tower
7/27/2012 modified to make the deck 1-1 legal by removing sol ring, sensei's, and a few other cards
11/6/2012 modified the deck to multiplayer because i never played the deck 1-1; not did i intend to
11/6/2012
- shadowmoor block filter lands; unsure of what specifically was removed
+ basic lands; enchantress package; cultivate and kodama's reach
12/2/2012
- tooth and nail; daybreak coronet
+ mageslayer; serra's sanctum
5/16/2013
-serra's sanctum; ajani, caller of the pride; genesis; duplicant; spellbreaker behemoth; mage slayer
+vitu-ghazi, the city-tree
+ madcap skills; enchantress's presence; legion's initiative; unflinching courage; aurelia, the warleader; boros charm
7/25/2013
- riftstone portal; hellkite charger; skyshroud claim
+ wood elves; sol ring; ajani, caller of the pride
8/13/2013
-enchantress's presence; faith's fetters; open the vaults; primal command; kamahl, fist of krosa; chord of calling; return to dust; beast within; behemoth sledge; wasteland; reliquary tower; vitu-ghazi, the city tree; rith's grove; kor haven; clifftop retreat; rootbound crag; sunpetal grove
+ battle mastery; hyena umbra; kor spirit dancer; dauntless escort; sakura-tribe elder; green sun's zenith; swords to plowshares; crop rotation; mana crypt; eiganjo castle; cavern of souls; 6 fetchlands
9/22/2013
-green sun's zenith, mesa enchantress, verduran enchantress, swords to plowshares, academy rector, angelic destiny, crop rotation
+chord of calling, oblation, beast within, chaos warp, messenger's speed, gift of immortality, mirri's guile
My Blog - contains my decklists
Uril, The Miststalker
Frankie Peanuts - needs to move to multiplayer.
-1 nomad mythmaker
+1 replenish
-1 privileged position
+1 aggravated assault
-1 treetop village
+1 reliquary tower
also added in sideboard
My Blog - contains my decklists
Uril, The Miststalker
Frankie Peanuts - needs to move to multiplayer.
so to make it french legal; would have to remove
sol ring
mana crypt
strip mine
serra ascendent
sensei's divining top
My Blog - contains my decklists
Uril, The Miststalker
Frankie Peanuts - needs to move to multiplayer.
Uril functions better with less enchantments and more creatures. Think zoo, not voltron.
EDH:
RNorin the WaryR <-Link! (Primer - Mono Red Control)
GUEdric, Spymaster of TrestUG <- Link! (Mini-Primer - Dredge)
Duel Commander:
WUGeist of Saint TraftUW <- Link! (Aggro-Control)
BGSkullbriar, the Walking GraveGB <- Link! (Aggro)
BUGDamia, Sage of StoneGUB <- Link! (Extinction Control)
Church of the Wary
1v1 Headquarters
Sliver Overlord (MP, Retired)
Talrand, Sky Summoner (1v1, Budget)
Sygg, River Cutthroat (1v1, Competitive)
My Blog - contains my decklists
Uril, The Miststalker
Frankie Peanuts - needs to move to multiplayer.
Well it's really the only 1on1 banlist, but if you just play casually with friends and random people at your LGS it's likely they'll just play with their normal multiplayer EDH deck. Not that a multiplayer deck is likely to beat a deck tuned for 1on1 even with those 5 cards, but some people might call foul on your Griselbrand or so.
Don't pay too much attention to Beefarew though, he just posted that in every thread in this forum and then got banned.
Diabolic Edict+Snapcaster Mage, thats why.
I am happy for you, if playing light creatures works for you, but I play competitive, and Uril is toast by himself, hexproof just means they have to tutor for a different card, buys you one extra turn at best.
..
Azusa - Derevi - Glissa - Mizzix - Sharuum - Wanderer - Wort
I would recommend you add some one drop mana dorks(Birds of Paradise, Skyshroud Elf, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Quirion Elves, Druid of the Anima, and the best of the bunch for Uril, Orcish Lumberjack[it enables t2! Uril]). As an aside, these also help protect you from edicts(which are Uril's only true weakness). In this vein, consider Tajuru Preserver and Sigarda, Host of Herons to do this for you as well. Academy Rector is also a fantastic card that should be in here(great rattlesnake that your opponent must play around, lest you just randomly win. Also consider Triumph of Ferocity as Uril will always be the biggest guy on the table, so +1 CA a turn will win(maybe even win-more, as with Uril on board you're already winning).
As for your aura package, Three Dreams is a great tutour here(which I see you do run) which can find any three of the SHM hybrid auras(Runes, Shield, and Scourge of the Nobilis(which helps you race other aggressive decks) which you can then combine with Rancor, Armadillo Cloak, and something to ensure unblockability, like Unquestioned Authority. When you add in cards like Replenish and Retether you should have more than enough auras. Remember, Uril doesn't need much to make him lethal. Just one aura will turn him into a three turn clock(or two, in the case of Runes), that is already hard to answer.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
It is slow against most decks. I have been looking at it more closely and I am very cramped in the creature slot at 6 mana. I also saw alot of problems with my mana base; either coming into play tapped lands and colorless utility lands.
Uril was my first commander and over time I have just added in good stuff but not really looked at the damage it's done (I've noticed a severe lack in threatability this deck has been bringing when I play it).
In fairness too, I should have posted this to multiplayer, as that is all i typically play. I posted here as uril is one of those decks I felt is better suited 1-1 (oh how wrong I found I am after reading some of the lists here).
I will post some of my changes after the GP this weekend, but it improves on the mana base and adds a little more ramp and card draw. I have 12 auras; i can probably cut 2 as well.
also not sure why i never considered rector.
My Blog - contains my decklists
Uril, The Miststalker
Frankie Peanuts - needs to move to multiplayer.
Cool, I look forward to seeing the changes you make.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
My Blog - contains my decklists
Uril, The Miststalker
Frankie Peanuts - needs to move to multiplayer.
lots less utility land has made this more consistent.
My Blog - contains my decklists
Uril, The Miststalker
Frankie Peanuts - needs to move to multiplayer.
removing daybreak coronet for mageslayer
My Blog - contains my decklists
Uril, The Miststalker
Frankie Peanuts - needs to move to multiplayer.
Good call on removing Daybreak Coronet... I have never had any luck with that aura. Let us know how Mage Slayer works out for you, considered it myself.
You should add a Stoneforge Mystic so you can tutor for Sword of Feast and Famine or one of your other equipment pieces.
Good luck on Serra's Sanctum. I took that card out of my Uril build due to insufficiency.
I would highly recommend you add the following lands...
Exotic Orchard: Chances are extremely high that one of your opponents will be able to produce R/G/W...
Reflecting Pool: This has great synergy with your Dual lands AND your Command Tower.
Vesuva: You can copy your own Command Tower OR your opponents. Copy your duals, copy, copy, copy.... Could also destroy a Legendary Land, should it be necessary.
Great card!
I write EDH articles on EDHREC and MTGCasualPlay. I hope you like them!
EDH DECKLISTS
RGWUril, the Miststalker WBRKaalia of the Vast Sunforger WUBOloro, Ageless AsceticWUGDerevi, Empyrial TacticianWUBRGSliver Queen EDH
UB Wrexial, the Risen DeepWU Hanna, Ship's NavigatorWGSigarda, Host of Herons EnchantressWULavinia, of the Tenth
RRPurphoros, God of the ForgeBBChainer, Dementia MasterWWEight-and-a-Half TailsUUMuzzio, Visionary ArchitectGGJolrael, Empress of Beasts
BGVhati il-DalRWTajic, Blade of the LegionUBRZurgo HelmsmasherUBDaxos the ReturnedWBKarlov of the Ghost CouncilWUBruna, Light of Alabaster
RWAurelia Angel Tribal URJhoira Chaos Deck UGVorel +1 Counters BRGProssh Tokens
UBRGwendlyn Discard EDH URG Surrak Dragonclaw UBLazav Mill EDH WUBrago Flicker EDH Deck
I just traded for it and thought i would try it out.
vesuva would be nice, just wary due to ETBT; trying to avoid as many as i can.
mageslayer is an addition i am excited to try, i got the idea from reading the debate on allowing general damage to be any source. so figured i could drop it before uril hit play, then equip with some enchantments the next turn. perhaps SFM would be a good addition to search that up as well, could add another kind of sword of X and Y too.
My Blog - contains my decklists
Uril, The Miststalker
Frankie Peanuts - needs to move to multiplayer.
Crop Rotation into Khalni Garden seems like it'd be a cute way to answer an Edict.
I was quite surprised to see Oversoul of Dusk on your list as he doesn't seem to be a utility creature... I thought I might have been the only one running this guy, lol. In my decklist I have always considered Oversoul of Dusk and Sigarda as "alternates" in case Uril gets tucked or costs too much to recast.
hopefullhawkeye... How valuable is Oversoul of Dusk in your Uril build... I am actually considering replacing mine for more utility such as Dauntless Escort.
I write EDH articles on EDHREC and MTGCasualPlay. I hope you like them!
EDH DECKLISTS
RGWUril, the Miststalker WBRKaalia of the Vast Sunforger WUBOloro, Ageless AsceticWUGDerevi, Empyrial TacticianWUBRGSliver Queen EDH
UB Wrexial, the Risen DeepWU Hanna, Ship's NavigatorWGSigarda, Host of Herons EnchantressWULavinia, of the Tenth
RRPurphoros, God of the ForgeBBChainer, Dementia MasterWWEight-and-a-Half TailsUUMuzzio, Visionary ArchitectGGJolrael, Empress of Beasts
BGVhati il-DalRWTajic, Blade of the LegionUBRZurgo HelmsmasherUBDaxos the ReturnedWBKarlov of the Ghost CouncilWUBruna, Light of Alabaster
RWAurelia Angel Tribal URJhoira Chaos Deck UGVorel +1 Counters BRGProssh Tokens
UBRGwendlyn Discard EDH URG Surrak Dragonclaw UBLazav Mill EDH WUBrago Flicker EDH Deck
Interesting... took this out of mine as well as he just seemed to sit in my hand most of the time. Finally included Flametounge Kavu as some utility/creature hate.
Aside from Sigarda, Host of Herons and Sun Titan all of my creatures now cost 4 or less to cast. That way, I have critters to dot the battlefield until I get 5 mana.
I write EDH articles on EDHREC and MTGCasualPlay. I hope you like them!
EDH DECKLISTS
RGWUril, the Miststalker WBRKaalia of the Vast Sunforger WUBOloro, Ageless AsceticWUGDerevi, Empyrial TacticianWUBRGSliver Queen EDH
UB Wrexial, the Risen DeepWU Hanna, Ship's NavigatorWGSigarda, Host of Herons EnchantressWULavinia, of the Tenth
RRPurphoros, God of the ForgeBBChainer, Dementia MasterWWEight-and-a-Half TailsUUMuzzio, Visionary ArchitectGGJolrael, Empress of Beasts
BGVhati il-DalRWTajic, Blade of the LegionUBRZurgo HelmsmasherUBDaxos the ReturnedWBKarlov of the Ghost CouncilWUBruna, Light of Alabaster
RWAurelia Angel Tribal URJhoira Chaos Deck UGVorel +1 Counters BRGProssh Tokens
UBRGwendlyn Discard EDH URG Surrak Dragonclaw UBLazav Mill EDH WUBrago Flicker EDH Deck
i was going to add in gruul warchant, then realized that the only creature that ever really attacks in this deck is uril. i decided to go with madcap skills for this reason.
additionally, i cut ajani, caller of the pride. he was kind of just a lesser elspeth. i am trying legion's initiative when i can get a copy.
serra's sanctum just wasn't reliable enough for me. i switched to vitu to get some more late game value; although it's probably just worth it to run another basic.
changes (looks like i didn't change some of the previous ones in the OP)
-1 rugged prairie (this should have already been out)
-1 serra's sanctum
-1 daybreak coronet
-1 ajani, caller of the pride
-1 genesis (i didn't really run enough other creatures to warrant him)
-1 duplicant
-1 spellbreaker behemoth
-1 mage slayer
+1 vitu-ghazi, the city-tree
+1 madcap skills
+1 enchantress's presence
+1 legion's initiative
+1 unflinching courage
+1 aurelia, the warleader
+1 boros charm
My Blog - contains my decklists
Uril, The Miststalker
Frankie Peanuts - needs to move to multiplayer.
Let us know how Madcap Skills works out for you. This is one I have really been contemplating about using.
I write EDH articles on EDHREC and MTGCasualPlay. I hope you like them!
EDH DECKLISTS
RGWUril, the Miststalker WBRKaalia of the Vast Sunforger WUBOloro, Ageless AsceticWUGDerevi, Empyrial TacticianWUBRGSliver Queen EDH
UB Wrexial, the Risen DeepWU Hanna, Ship's NavigatorWGSigarda, Host of Herons EnchantressWULavinia, of the Tenth
RRPurphoros, God of the ForgeBBChainer, Dementia MasterWWEight-and-a-Half TailsUUMuzzio, Visionary ArchitectGGJolrael, Empress of Beasts
BGVhati il-DalRWTajic, Blade of the LegionUBRZurgo HelmsmasherUBDaxos the ReturnedWBKarlov of the Ghost CouncilWUBruna, Light of Alabaster
RWAurelia Angel Tribal URJhoira Chaos Deck UGVorel +1 Counters BRGProssh Tokens
UBRGwendlyn Discard EDH URG Surrak Dragonclaw UBLazav Mill EDH WUBrago Flicker EDH Deck
i feel like it performs the same function is spirit mantle, holy mantle, unquestioned authority.
unquestioned replaces itself but offers no additional p/t buff
spirit mantle gives small p/t but is great for mana cost
holy mantle gives a little more p/t but costs too much (imo)
madcap skills offers good power but risks being blocked
now that i list these out like that, i am liking spirit mantle more lol
maybe madcap being red will someday be relevant.. like if someone ever casts chaotic backlash
My Blog - contains my decklists
Uril, The Miststalker
Frankie Peanuts - needs to move to multiplayer.
removed riftstone portal and skyshroud claim to add in wood elves and sol ring. riftstone portal would never spend time in my graveyard and often times just color screwed me instead of fix me. Since this deck is not a 1-1 duel commander adding sol ring back in made sense. with the additional ramp, it made sense to cut the midrange ramp spell.
removed hellkite charger for ajani, caller of the pride. The combo of hellkite plus sword of feast and famine was fun, but ultimately not how i wanted to have fun with this deck. giving uril double strike (and yes putting more eggs into one basket) is more how i want to play this deck. Also, i had planned to cut ajani as of my last cuts. I lent the deck to someone to learn EDH before i actually took him out and was crushed every game ajani was in play.
also, retooled the decklist to be in alphabetical order under each card type section for ease of reading/making changes.
My Blog - contains my decklists
Uril, The Miststalker
Frankie Peanuts - needs to move to multiplayer.
So... how are things in the future... September 25th? Does Theros have a lot of good auras for Uril??? Lol...
In all seriousness, though. How is your Uril deck performing in 1v1? Have you noticed a difference since M14 rules? Myself, my Uril build was very competitive before and even more dominating since the rule change... It's nice to pull off a god-draw and have turn 2 or 3 Uril without having him "popped" by Phantasmal Image.
Wood Elves is a fantastic choice, they won't disappoint. However, I am curious on seeing Kamahl in your list? What is his role in your strategy? Also curious as to your abundance of Planeswalkers - instead of casting these guys, why not concentrate on dropping auras onto Uril?
I write EDH articles on EDHREC and MTGCasualPlay. I hope you like them!
EDH DECKLISTS
RGWUril, the Miststalker WBRKaalia of the Vast Sunforger WUBOloro, Ageless AsceticWUGDerevi, Empyrial TacticianWUBRGSliver Queen EDH
UB Wrexial, the Risen DeepWU Hanna, Ship's NavigatorWGSigarda, Host of Herons EnchantressWULavinia, of the Tenth
RRPurphoros, God of the ForgeBBChainer, Dementia MasterWWEight-and-a-Half TailsUUMuzzio, Visionary ArchitectGGJolrael, Empress of Beasts
BGVhati il-DalRWTajic, Blade of the LegionUBRZurgo HelmsmasherUBDaxos the ReturnedWBKarlov of the Ghost CouncilWUBruna, Light of Alabaster
RWAurelia Angel Tribal URJhoira Chaos Deck UGVorel +1 Counters BRGProssh Tokens
UBRGwendlyn Discard EDH URG Surrak Dragonclaw UBLazav Mill EDH WUBrago Flicker EDH Deck
man you'd think at my age i could tell how to record the date.... i did that for like 5 of my deck updates lol.
my meta never played too many clones, so i haven't seen too much change. I didn't find really any cards from m14 that went into the deck.
it's been performing well, but it's almost all multiplayer games. the few 1-1 games i play; it's been against rhys elfball and i either swing with pro creatures into the win or get swarmed.
the walkers and kahmal are all in there because you get good value out of them in group.
kahmal helps with aggravated assault combo as a back up and also nukes lands to a wrath effect.
My Blog - contains my decklists
Uril, The Miststalker
Frankie Peanuts - needs to move to multiplayer.