Cards I'm on the Fence About
Myr Sire - I run Epochrasite instead to aid in a Planar Portal lock, but Myr Sire is clearly a strong choice that's probably on equal footing with Epochrasite.
You've inspired me to make an Arcum Deck, same wincons. Slightly more budget variant.
A couple of cards I don't see in your list and am wondering why you chose not to include them just in case I'm missing something: Grand Architect seems like wih all of the abilities to untap things, he can get seriously good with arbitrarily large amounts of mana. Though I'm not quite sure how to make him go infinite him self yet, I'm sure there is a way.
Illusionist's Bracers: rings of brighthearth that can only effect arcum, and costs 0.
Also, in your strategy section - how do you deal with Sigarda in light of the new Legend Rules?
A great meta call card. The interesting thing about Revoker over needle is that it turns off mana abilities.
It has the upside of being able to stop mana abilities (e.g. Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary), but the downside of NOT being able to stop land abilities (e.g. Scrying Sheets).
In competitive play, besides Rofellos, I can't think of any creature-based mana abilities worth Needling. Most of the activated abilities we want to Needle would be certain lands like Scrying Sheets or Eye of Ugin in Azusa, enchantments like Survival of the Fittest, and creature-based non-mana abilities like Azami, Lady of Scrolls, Captain Sisay, and so forth. Combined with the cheaper casting cost of Pithing Needle and the fact that it's a noncreature artifact (i.e. it can be tutored for with Arcum), means that I'd always pick Needle over Revoker as a first choice.
But as Jivan says, it is ultimately a meta call. If you feel you'll really need an extra Pithing Needle, particularly one that can target mana-producers like Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary, you can add Revoker for additional support--but Pithing Needle should always be your go-to, and especially in a meta like the one I described in my "Metagame Tuning for Dummies" section, I would never cut Needle for Revoker.
Not quite 100%, but consider Defense Grid in that regard.
Congratulations on post #100! I had never thought of Defense Grid before now. It's not quite City of Solitude, but against heavy control matchups like MUC and MBC, I'm sure it'll be just as good.
I'll have to tinker around with it myself. I'll add it to the sideboard and an associated section in the primer (I'm already in the process of doing some major restructuring in certain parts of the primer anyway).
So do you think I should cut Future Sight and Magus of the Future? The earliest I can get them out is turn 3 and by then wouldn't I want to have counter magic up? Also if I have a lot of non basics in the beginning of the game that don't tap for U, playing them is going to be difficult.
Also I think I should acquire a Cavern right? Prolly cut a basic for it?
Me personally, I'd cut them. You can't tutor for them and their combo use is pretty meh. When I say "heavy control Arcum builds" I mean those builds that run every counterspell, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Mind Over Matter, and so forth. That's not how my build works.
And yeah, get your hands on a Cavern, and cut an Island for it (it still produces U when we need it to, i.e. when we're casting Arcum, so there's no harm in it).
You've inspired me to make an Arcum Deck, same wincons. Slightly more budget variant.
A couple of cards I don't see in your list and am wondering why you chose not to include them just in case I'm missing something: Grand Architect seems like wih all of the abilities to untap things, he can get seriously good with arbitrarily large amounts of mana. Though I'm not quite sure how to make him go infinite him self yet, I'm sure there is a way.
Illusionist's Bracers: rings of brighthearth that can only effect arcum, and costs 0.
Also, in your strategy section - how do you deal with Sigarda in light of the new Legend Rules?
Thanks in advance
As its written now, my decklist probably totals up to over $2000, so unless your playgroup allows proxies, I wouldn't expect the average player to be able to afford it card-for-card. I've been working on a budget decklist to show that you can preserve the vast majority of Arcum's power without the big money Vintage cards like Mishra's Workshop, Timetwister, and Mana Drain. Don't worry about if you have to make some swaps.
His infinite combos are actually quite limited. Afaik the only one I can find is with Pili-Pala.
No doubt his ability is very strong, but I'm not quite certain it'll synergize as well as you're thinking. I suppose I'll have to do some testing to be sure.
re: Illusionist's Bracers, remember that our first priority is to get some protection on Arcum, and that protection will almost always come in the form of Shroud like Lightning Greaves and Neurok Stealthsuit, at which point Arcum can't be targeted by other equipment (remember "Equip" is a targeted ability). Rings of Brighthearth still works with a shrouded Arcum because it doesn't target anything, it just makes copies.
re: Sigarda, Host of Herons, the new rules on clones certainly give her a big resilience boost. A few things to keep in mind:
Her steely resilience is made up for by her lack of power. She's harder to kill, but at the same time she doesn't swing in for 21 general damage nearly as quickly as more offensive voltrons like Uril, Rafiq, and Skittles. More often than not, you can simply outpace her to a victory; your tempo is faster.
Possessed Portal might not force her to sac permanents, but it DOES prevent her from drawing cards, and since WG is pretty bad at card advantage anyway (that is to say, she goes into goldfish mode pretty fast), it's still a crippling piece.
Ensnaring Bridge still works, as it does against any aggro strategy.
Hope this helps. Currently in the process of editing the primer, but I'll still be responding to questions while I'm at it.
TheTrueNub, what do you think is stronger Cyclonic Rift or Evacuation? Evacuations is arguably easier to play, but Cyclonic Rift doesn't hit anything I own, bounces everything, and if I need to I can bounce a single target.
The Fett Man: I hope you dont mind me chiming in. I think you answered your own question right there but there are a few other things to take into account:
With the number of mana rocks and fast mana the deck runs, it actually might be easier to cast cyclonic rift as it requires only U and not UU. Also the versatility of cyclonic rift makes it a great inclusion.
However, evacuation does allow you to protect your own board in case of arrest type effects, or board wipes and can set up a soft lock with archaeomancer, which might be able to buy you time to find an answer.
Ok I'll roll with rift and sideboard the evacuation. I am cutting solemn simulacrum . Don't know if I am leaving that slot for sideboarding in the things or gonna add a more permanent solution.
EDIT: Is there a non creature artifact that returns artifacts from your graveyard to your hand?
EDIT 2: How does infinite untaps work with clock of omens and myr turbine?
TheTrueNub, what do you think is stronger Cyclonic Rift or Evacuation? Evacuations is arguably easier to play, but Cyclonic Rift doesn't hit anything I own, bounces everything, and if I need to I can bounce a single target.
In my playgroup, I wouldn't run either Cyclonic Rift nor Evacuation, becaue my meta is combo heavy, not aggro heavy, and for all the effort it takes me just to stick Arcum, it'd hurt me more than it would help me to reset the board.
If you want to run just a generic bounce effect, Capsize would be my first choice, because it hits all permanents and it can be used as an alt wincon (infinite bounce when you have rings + basalt + lattice).
All that said, if I had to choose between those two, I'd probably roll with Evacuation (particularly if your meta is more aggro heavy), because working up 6U to pay for an overloaded Cyclonic Rift actually isn't easy for us without a godhand full of mana rocks or without going infinite (in either case, we'd simply be winning the game, not casting Rift).
Ultimately, though, I can't make a more educated statement unless I knew more about your meta. Like I said, in my meta most decks don't throw down more than one or two creatures at a time (Azami's the only one who likes to pile up on wizards, but by the time she's got that many wizards out ofc she's already controlling the board anyway with her massive CA and Patron Wizard).
Ok I'll roll with rift and sideboard the evacuation. I am cutting solemn simulacrum . Don't know if I am leaving that slot for sideboarding in the things or gonna add a more permanent solution.
As for sideboards vs permanent solutions, it's again all about your playgroup. Some playgroups don't let you use boards. I'd put whatever sideboard cards you think will be the most useful in the majority of your matches in your mainboard and the rest on the side.
EDIT: Is there a non creature artifact that returns artifacts from your graveyard to your hand?
Trading Post is about as good as it gets, and it's pretty slow. Like I said in the primer, the graveyard is not our friend. If you really want something in the grave, your best options are either use Myr Retriever/Junk Diver or tutor Elixir of Immortality with Arcum and pop it to return your GY to your library (so Arcum can reach the cards).
EDIT 2: How does infinite untaps work with clock of omens and myr turbine?
Take a look at the Clock of Omens stuff in the "Create an Engine" section of the primer.
The real idea is that you start with Turbine and Clock and spend that turn using them to produce several tokens (since Turbine produces artifact tokens, so two tokens can be tapped to untap Turbine), then on the next turn you tutor out Mycosynth Lattice. Now, this would normally be an extremely risky play since Lattice has no protection--but then, at instant speed (i.e. people can't respond, you just keep comboing off), you keep using Clock and the hefty number of permanents you generated on the previous turn to untap Arcum over and over again, saccing tokens to assemble Rings of Brighthearth + Basalt Monolith + Grim Monolith, and NOW you have infinite untaps of any permanent, which means infinite mana, infinite tutor with Arcum, infinite counterspell with Null Brooch, and so forth.
Note how this chain doesn't require Staff of Domination or Sensei's Divining Top, unlike the other engine. That's the whole point--even if Staff and Top are Jester's Capped away or otherwise unavailable, we can still win the game just as easily out of a Myr Turbine opening.
OK here is my updated list.
Significant Changes
Cut Darksteel Reactor(sadly), replaced Stroke of Genius with Blue Sun's Zenith(can draw the whole deck, cast it, put it back in the deck, draw it, rinse and repeat to kill everyone else at the table). Added Myr Sire and added some counterspell related stuff(Glen Elendra and Null Brooch). Found space for Cyclonic Rift and Transmute Artifact.
OK here is my updated list.
Significant Changes
Cut Darksteel Reactor(sadly), replaced Stroke of Genius with Blue Sun's Zenith(can draw the whole deck, cast it, put it back in the deck, draw it, rinse and repeat to kill everyone else at the table). Added Myr Sire and added some counterspell related stuff(Glen Elendra and Null Brooch). Found space for Cyclonic Rift and Transmute Artifact.
What decks should I sideboard in Defense Grid for? I am guessing Zur and Azami?
Same question for Winter Orb.
Also how good is Memory Jar? When my friend used to play it, that card always ended up pissing me off.
Glen Eledra doesn't synergize well with anything we play, but yanno she's good enough on her own that you can probably still get good mileage out of her if you really feel you need more countermagic in your meta. Null Brooch is however outstanding anywhere mid- to late-game.
Defense Grid and Winter Orb (though you obviously have to be more careful when using Winter Orb) are for when you're playing against very, very heavy control, for example MUC like Azami, Lady of Scrolls who can easily and consistently cast multiple counterspells a turn, or MBC like Maga, Traitor to Mortals who runs every black removal spell in the game. Zur the Enchanter doesn't always run heavy control, but he often does, so I'd be wary of him too.
re: Memory Jar, its strength comes from the fact that you can pop it during your main phase and essentially get a temporary draw 7 while your opponents merely mill 7 (especially true if they don't run many instants). In much rarer circumstances I've been able to mess up my opponents' hand sculpting by popping Jar on their turn (like, for example, Azami transmutes Ethereal Usher into her game-winning Mind Over Matter, in response I tutor and pop Jar, her transmute resolves and MoM goes into her temporary hand, and if she can't cast it that same turn it's discarded EoT when Jar's effect ends, which delays her victory by forcing her to fish it out of the GY.
What are your thoughts on the newly spoiled Resonator? Do you think it has enough value to consider with Arcum?
Hello cryogen.
I think Strionic Resonator is a solid card with potentially killer applications in decks that make significant use of exceedingly powerful ETB effects and don't have many ways to reuse them, like Azusa, Maga, and Godo.
All that said, unless I'm missing something big, I don't think it's an appropriate card for Arcum. ~5 cards in my deck have triggered abilities that are even remotely worth copying (ofc I can't speak for every Arcum list out there, but most of the ones I've seen run about that many also), and even then in most of those cases it's not worth it to pay 2 for the copy anyway (e.g. you can copy Myr Moonvessel's on-death ability if you really wanted :p).
Relatedly, I include Torpor Orb mainboard in my list because it's such an incredibly strong hoser against so many combo decks/troublesome singletons in the competitive lineup (Sharuum, Riku, Ghave, Aura Shards, and more). The flip side of why Torpor Orb is so good in my deck is that it barely hurts me because I run so few creature ETB triggers or moreover triggers in general; all I lose is, what, Trinket Mage?
Who knows, though--maybe someone will figure out some ridiculous combo and I'll suddenly be illuminated to its greatness. Doesn't seem likely, though, since unlike its brother Rings of Brighthearth, the Resonator actually has to tap to be used.
I added a budget decklist section to the primer that I endeavored to make as competitive as the maindecklist--or at least, as competitive as possible without as many money cards.
At around $200, it's under a tenth of the price of the main decklist, but I'm sure it's still a pretty hefty pricetag for someone who doesn't own any of the cards, so I'm still looking for ways to refine it. I think that'll be my next project.
Does the initial game plan vary with out opening hand? For example, say we only have one dude to pitch to arcum and do not have any tutors in your hand. Should we search for Myr Turbine first and then continue to set up our combo? Or should we mull down to six(seven if your play group usually allows a gentlemen's mulligan)?
Also, how early should we drop our silver bullets? My meta is HEAVILY graveyard based with a strong splash of enter the battlefield triggers. Should I pull Torpor Orb or Graftdigger's Cage before the combo or after?
Also(2x), does my choice of lock depend on who am I playing? Like if I am playing heavy control should I go for Possessed Portal/Turbine/Unwinding Clock over Forge/Lattice/Disk? Is the Possessed Portal lock for only when they f up our main combo?
Also(3x), I can't afford a Mana Crypt right now. What should be in its place until I can get one? I like Worn Powerstone, but it comes into play tapped. Thran Dynamo seems like a decent replacement, but costs 4. Anything I am missing, like are there better options?
For example, say we only have one dude to pitch to arcum and do not have any tutors in your hand. Should we search for Myr Turbine first and then continue to set up our combo?
Short answer, yes.
It takes 3 dorks to tutor out Rings + Basalt + Staff. Once in a while, on a god hand or with solid draws, you'll be able to cast all 3 dorks from your hand. Chances are, though, that won't happen, particularly if you have to sac one of your in-hand dorks to fetch Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots or Lifeline or something just to stick Arcum. Thus, in the majority of cases, Myr Turbine will be your first tutor target, since:
It provides all the Arcum fodder you'll need for the rest of the match (for tutoring out Rings/Basalt/Staff or silver bullets or whatever else).
It's a combo piece with Clock of Omens and can generate infinite tokens for an aggro wincon if we need it.
It's simply an outstanding opener. We can go so many different ways while it's on the field if something of ours gets exiled or if the gamestate shifts.
Or should we mull down to six (seven if your play group usually allows a gentlemen's mulligan)?
Mulligan only when you have to. Scenarios like:
No land hand.
Too many lands.
No dorks whatsoever.
and so forth.
You'll get the hang of taking mulligans properly with practice. You can even just playtest the deck solitaire and get a good grasp of what hands to stick with.
Also, how early should we drop our silver bullets? My meta is HEAVILY graveyard based with a strong splash of enter the battlefield triggers. Should I pull Torpor Orb or Graftdigger's Cage before the combo or after?
Ideally you'll actually want to do both at the same time (for example, using your Arcum tutors to fetch combo pieces while using Fabricate, Trinket Mage, and other hand tutors to fetch and then hardcast silver bullets). Of course if you don't draw any hand tutors that game then this isn't possible.
To answer your question, though, generally it's better to get the silver bullets on the field first, particularly if they're strong hosers like Torpor Orb is to Sharuum or Grafdigger's Cage is to Karador. This forces those decks to waste time and resources getting rid of those silver bullets, thereby providing "cover fire" (if you will) for your combo.
I say generally because sometimes you'll just have a really strong opening hand that you can tell right away you'll be able to combo off by T6 or even T5, and in these cases, it might be better to simply outpace your opponents and win before they can do anything. But that's a judgment call that you'll have to make on a game-by-game basis, since only you know your opponents' decks and their tempo, and only you can assess your opening hand each game.
Also(2x), does my choice of lock depend on who am I playing? Like if I am playing heavy control should I go for Possessed Portal/Turbine/Unwinding Clock over Forge/Lattice/Disk? Is the Possessed Portal lock for only when they f up our main combo?
It does depend on who you're playing. It's another judgment call that you'll have to make on a game-by-game basis.
Portal/Turbine/Unwinding Clock can work either as a Plan B when your Plan A gets effed up or as an alternate Plan A if you think it'll win you the game faster or more securely.
For example, versus big-mana G decks like Azusa, Lost but Seeking, Omnath, Locus of Mana, Kamahl, Fist of Krosa, etc., I might use the Possessed Portal lock as a Plan A, since mono-G decks usually throw down all their lands + ramp right away and hit goldfish mode very, very early, so any effect that says "you can't draw cards" can be game-ending all by itself.
Also(3x), I can't afford a Mana Crypt right now. What should be in its place until I can get one? I like Worn Powerstone, but it comes into play tapped. Thran Dynamo seems like a decent replacement, but costs 4. Anything I am missing, like are there better options?
There's a reason Mana Crypt is so expensive--it's unique at what it does. It costs 0, it gives 2, and unlike Mana Vault you can use it each turn. The self-damage "drawback" is practically irrelevant. When you do save up the money for it, I guarantee you it'll be worth the buy; it's pretty much like Sol Ring insofar that it fits in just about every EDH deck you'll ever build.
I'd go for the smaller rocks rather than the larger ones to replace Mana Crypt, like 2CMC or lower. Mind Stone, for example, or Fellwar Stone instead if any of your opponents play U.
Well I have one, aquiring a second is the problem haha.
If possible, you should move it to your Arcum deck for when you're playing competitively. It really is a staple, like I said, on the level of cards like Sol Ring and Sensei's Divining Top.
If not, I think probably Fellwar Stone seems like an OK replacement if you have sufficient blue in your meta. As I've already explained to you, the ability to produce U is not to be underestimated in a deck like ours where we're maxed out on fast--but only colorless--mana.
Defense Grid is nearly as good as far as combo protection.
you mean possessed portal not planar portal
A couple of cards I don't see in your list and am wondering why you chose not to include them just in case I'm missing something:
Grand Architect seems like wih all of the abilities to untap things, he can get seriously good with arbitrarily large amounts of mana. Though I'm not quite sure how to make him go infinite him self yet, I'm sure there is a way.
Illusionist's Bracers: rings of brighthearth that can only effect arcum, and costs 0.
Also, in your strategy section - how do you deal with Sigarda in light of the new Legend Rules?
Thanks in advance
It has the upside of being able to stop mana abilities (e.g. Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary), but the downside of NOT being able to stop land abilities (e.g. Scrying Sheets).
In competitive play, besides Rofellos, I can't think of any creature-based mana abilities worth Needling. Most of the activated abilities we want to Needle would be certain lands like Scrying Sheets or Eye of Ugin in Azusa, enchantments like Survival of the Fittest, and creature-based non-mana abilities like Azami, Lady of Scrolls, Captain Sisay, and so forth. Combined with the cheaper casting cost of Pithing Needle and the fact that it's a noncreature artifact (i.e. it can be tutored for with Arcum), means that I'd always pick Needle over Revoker as a first choice.
But as Jivan says, it is ultimately a meta call. If you feel you'll really need an extra Pithing Needle, particularly one that can target mana-producers like Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary, you can add Revoker for additional support--but Pithing Needle should always be your go-to, and especially in a meta like the one I described in my "Metagame Tuning for Dummies" section, I would never cut Needle for Revoker.
Congratulations on post #100! I had never thought of Defense Grid before now. It's not quite City of Solitude, but against heavy control matchups like MUC and MBC, I'm sure it'll be just as good.
I'll have to tinker around with it myself. I'll add it to the sideboard and an associated section in the primer (I'm already in the process of doing some major restructuring in certain parts of the primer anyway).
Me personally, I'd cut them. You can't tutor for them and their combo use is pretty meh. When I say "heavy control Arcum builds" I mean those builds that run every counterspell, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Mind Over Matter, and so forth. That's not how my build works.
And yeah, get your hands on a Cavern, and cut an Island for it (it still produces U when we need it to, i.e. when we're casting Arcum, so there's no harm in it).
Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
As its written now, my decklist probably totals up to over $2000, so unless your playgroup allows proxies, I wouldn't expect the average player to be able to afford it card-for-card. I've been working on a budget decklist to show that you can preserve the vast majority of Arcum's power without the big money Vintage cards like Mishra's Workshop, Timetwister, and Mana Drain. Don't worry about if you have to make some swaps.
There's a few key problems with Grand Architect:
re: Illusionist's Bracers, remember that our first priority is to get some protection on Arcum, and that protection will almost always come in the form of Shroud like Lightning Greaves and Neurok Stealthsuit, at which point Arcum can't be targeted by other equipment (remember "Equip" is a targeted ability). Rings of Brighthearth still works with a shrouded Arcum because it doesn't target anything, it just makes copies.
re: Sigarda, Host of Herons, the new rules on clones certainly give her a big resilience boost. A few things to keep in mind:
Hope this helps. Currently in the process of editing the primer, but I'll still be responding to questions while I'm at it.
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths
Didn't know about pilli-palla either. I might need that combo for my build as an alternate infinite mana source.
I'll let you know my final deck list and any comments/criticism would be welcome.
With the number of mana rocks and fast mana the deck runs, it actually might be easier to cast cyclonic rift as it requires only U and not UU. Also the versatility of cyclonic rift makes it a great inclusion.
However, evacuation does allow you to protect your own board in case of arrest type effects, or board wipes and can set up a soft lock with archaeomancer, which might be able to buy you time to find an answer.
EDIT: Is there a non creature artifact that returns artifacts from your graveyard to your hand?
EDIT 2: How does infinite untaps work with clock of omens and myr turbine?
In my playgroup, I wouldn't run either Cyclonic Rift nor Evacuation, becaue my meta is combo heavy, not aggro heavy, and for all the effort it takes me just to stick Arcum, it'd hurt me more than it would help me to reset the board.
If you want to run just a generic bounce effect, Capsize would be my first choice, because it hits all permanents and it can be used as an alt wincon (infinite bounce when you have rings + basalt + lattice).
All that said, if I had to choose between those two, I'd probably roll with Evacuation (particularly if your meta is more aggro heavy), because working up 6U to pay for an overloaded Cyclonic Rift actually isn't easy for us without a godhand full of mana rocks or without going infinite (in either case, we'd simply be winning the game, not casting Rift).
Ultimately, though, I can't make a more educated statement unless I knew more about your meta. Like I said, in my meta most decks don't throw down more than one or two creatures at a time (Azami's the only one who likes to pile up on wizards, but by the time she's got that many wizards out ofc she's already controlling the board anyway with her massive CA and Patron Wizard).
As for sideboards vs permanent solutions, it's again all about your playgroup. Some playgroups don't let you use boards. I'd put whatever sideboard cards you think will be the most useful in the majority of your matches in your mainboard and the rest on the side.
Trading Post is about as good as it gets, and it's pretty slow. Like I said in the primer, the graveyard is not our friend. If you really want something in the grave, your best options are either use Myr Retriever/Junk Diver or tutor Elixir of Immortality with Arcum and pop it to return your GY to your library (so Arcum can reach the cards).
Take a look at the Clock of Omens stuff in the "Create an Engine" section of the primer.
The real idea is that you start with Turbine and Clock and spend that turn using them to produce several tokens (since Turbine produces artifact tokens, so two tokens can be tapped to untap Turbine), then on the next turn you tutor out Mycosynth Lattice. Now, this would normally be an extremely risky play since Lattice has no protection--but then, at instant speed (i.e. people can't respond, you just keep comboing off), you keep using Clock and the hefty number of permanents you generated on the previous turn to untap Arcum over and over again, saccing tokens to assemble Rings of Brighthearth + Basalt Monolith + Grim Monolith, and NOW you have infinite untaps of any permanent, which means infinite mana, infinite tutor with Arcum, infinite counterspell with Null Brooch, and so forth.
Note how this chain doesn't require Staff of Domination or Sensei's Divining Top, unlike the other engine. That's the whole point--even if Staff and Top are Jester's Capped away or otherwise unavailable, we can still win the game just as easily out of a Myr Turbine opening.
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths
Significant Changes
Cut Darksteel Reactor(sadly), replaced Stroke of Genius with Blue Sun's Zenith(can draw the whole deck, cast it, put it back in the deck, draw it, rinse and repeat to kill everyone else at the table). Added Myr Sire and added some counterspell related stuff(Glen Elendra and Null Brooch). Found space for Cyclonic Rift and Transmute Artifact.
Here it is:
1 Arcum Dagsson
Counters, 10
1 Counterspell
1 Spell Crumple
1 Hinder
1 Rewind
1 Cryptic Command
1 Pact of Negation
1 Dissipate
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Null Brooch
Win Conditions, 2
1 Karn Silver Golem
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
Mana Rocks, 7
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Grim Monolith (?)
1 Worn Powerstorne (gonna be Mana Crypt)
1 Cloud Key
1 Lotus Petal
Artifact Creatures, 9
1 Silver Myr
1 Alloy Myr
1 Plague Myr
1 Manakin
1 Myr Moonvessel
1 Palladium Myr
1 Etherium Sculptor
1 Epochrasite
1 Myr Sire
Tutors,Draw, and CA, 14
1 Fabricate
1 Staff of Domination
1 Trinket Mage
1 Master Transmuter
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Memory Jar
1 Expedition Map
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Myr Retriever
1 Junk Diver
1 Transmute Artifact
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Rings of Brighthearth
1 Pithing Needle
1 Spine of Ish Sah
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Sculpting Steel
1 Duplicant
1 Elixir of Immortality
Locks, 9
1 Mycosynth Lattice
1 Darksteel Forge
1 Nev’s Disk
1 Myr Turbine
1 Voltaic Key
1 Clock of Omens
1 Possessed Portal
1 Unwinding Clock
1 Crucible of Worlds
Lands, 40
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Magosi, the Waterveil
1 Academy Ruins
1 Buried Ruin
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Blinkmoth nexus
1 Mishra’s Factory
1 Phyrexia’s Core
1 Tolaria West
1 Strip Mine
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Petrified Fields
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Crystal Vein
1 Torpor Orb
1 Evacuation
1 Jester's Cap
1 Witchbane Orb
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Mindslaver
1 Champion's Helm
1 Neurok Stealthsuit
1 Winter Orb
1 Defense Grid
What decks should I sideboard in Defense Grid for? I am guessing Zur and Azami?
Same question for Winter Orb.
Also how good is Memory Jar? When my friend used to play it, that card always ended up pissing me off.
Glen Eledra doesn't synergize well with anything we play, but yanno she's good enough on her own that you can probably still get good mileage out of her if you really feel you need more countermagic in your meta. Null Brooch is however outstanding anywhere mid- to late-game.
Defense Grid and Winter Orb (though you obviously have to be more careful when using Winter Orb) are for when you're playing against very, very heavy control, for example MUC like Azami, Lady of Scrolls who can easily and consistently cast multiple counterspells a turn, or MBC like Maga, Traitor to Mortals who runs every black removal spell in the game. Zur the Enchanter doesn't always run heavy control, but he often does, so I'd be wary of him too.
re: Memory Jar, its strength comes from the fact that you can pop it during your main phase and essentially get a temporary draw 7 while your opponents merely mill 7 (especially true if they don't run many instants). In much rarer circumstances I've been able to mess up my opponents' hand sculpting by popping Jar on their turn (like, for example, Azami transmutes Ethereal Usher into her game-winning Mind Over Matter, in response I tutor and pop Jar, her transmute resolves and MoM goes into her temporary hand, and if she can't cast it that same turn it's discarded EoT when Jar's effect ends, which delays her victory by forcing her to fish it out of the GY.
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths
Misc. EDH Stuff: Commander Cube | Zombies (Horde)
Resources:Commander Rulings FAQ | Commander Deckbuilding Guide
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Hello cryogen.
I think Strionic Resonator is a solid card with potentially killer applications in decks that make significant use of exceedingly powerful ETB effects and don't have many ways to reuse them, like Azusa, Maga, and Godo.
All that said, unless I'm missing something big, I don't think it's an appropriate card for Arcum. ~5 cards in my deck have triggered abilities that are even remotely worth copying (ofc I can't speak for every Arcum list out there, but most of the ones I've seen run about that many also), and even then in most of those cases it's not worth it to pay 2 for the copy anyway (e.g. you can copy Myr Moonvessel's on-death ability if you really wanted :p).
Relatedly, I include Torpor Orb mainboard in my list because it's such an incredibly strong hoser against so many combo decks/troublesome singletons in the competitive lineup (Sharuum, Riku, Ghave, Aura Shards, and more). The flip side of why Torpor Orb is so good in my deck is that it barely hurts me because I run so few creature ETB triggers or moreover triggers in general; all I lose is, what, Trinket Mage?
Who knows, though--maybe someone will figure out some ridiculous combo and I'll suddenly be illuminated to its greatness. Doesn't seem likely, though, since unlike its brother Rings of Brighthearth, the Resonator actually has to tap to be used.
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths
At around $200, it's under a tenth of the price of the main decklist, but I'm sure it's still a pretty hefty pricetag for someone who doesn't own any of the cards, so I'm still looking for ways to refine it. I think that'll be my next project.
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths
Also, how early should we drop our silver bullets? My meta is HEAVILY graveyard based with a strong splash of enter the battlefield triggers. Should I pull Torpor Orb or Graftdigger's Cage before the combo or after?
Also(2x), does my choice of lock depend on who am I playing? Like if I am playing heavy control should I go for Possessed Portal/Turbine/Unwinding Clock over Forge/Lattice/Disk? Is the Possessed Portal lock for only when they f up our main combo?
Also(3x), I can't afford a Mana Crypt right now. What should be in its place until I can get one? I like Worn Powerstone, but it comes into play tapped. Thran Dynamo seems like a decent replacement, but costs 4. Anything I am missing, like are there better options?
Short answer, yes.
It takes 3 dorks to tutor out Rings + Basalt + Staff. Once in a while, on a god hand or with solid draws, you'll be able to cast all 3 dorks from your hand. Chances are, though, that won't happen, particularly if you have to sac one of your in-hand dorks to fetch Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots or Lifeline or something just to stick Arcum. Thus, in the majority of cases, Myr Turbine will be your first tutor target, since:
It's simply an outstanding opener. We can go so many different ways while it's on the field if something of ours gets exiled or if the gamestate shifts.
Mulligan only when you have to. Scenarios like:
and so forth.
You'll get the hang of taking mulligans properly with practice. You can even just playtest the deck solitaire and get a good grasp of what hands to stick with.
Ideally you'll actually want to do both at the same time (for example, using your Arcum tutors to fetch combo pieces while using Fabricate, Trinket Mage, and other hand tutors to fetch and then hardcast silver bullets). Of course if you don't draw any hand tutors that game then this isn't possible.
To answer your question, though, generally it's better to get the silver bullets on the field first, particularly if they're strong hosers like Torpor Orb is to Sharuum or Grafdigger's Cage is to Karador. This forces those decks to waste time and resources getting rid of those silver bullets, thereby providing "cover fire" (if you will) for your combo.
I say generally because sometimes you'll just have a really strong opening hand that you can tell right away you'll be able to combo off by T6 or even T5, and in these cases, it might be better to simply outpace your opponents and win before they can do anything. But that's a judgment call that you'll have to make on a game-by-game basis, since only you know your opponents' decks and their tempo, and only you can assess your opening hand each game.
It does depend on who you're playing. It's another judgment call that you'll have to make on a game-by-game basis.
Portal/Turbine/Unwinding Clock can work either as a Plan B when your Plan A gets effed up or as an alternate Plan A if you think it'll win you the game faster or more securely.
For example, versus big-mana G decks like Azusa, Lost but Seeking, Omnath, Locus of Mana, Kamahl, Fist of Krosa, etc., I might use the Possessed Portal lock as a Plan A, since mono-G decks usually throw down all their lands + ramp right away and hit goldfish mode very, very early, so any effect that says "you can't draw cards" can be game-ending all by itself.
There's a reason Mana Crypt is so expensive--it's unique at what it does. It costs 0, it gives 2, and unlike Mana Vault you can use it each turn. The self-damage "drawback" is practically irrelevant. When you do save up the money for it, I guarantee you it'll be worth the buy; it's pretty much like Sol Ring insofar that it fits in just about every EDH deck you'll ever build.
I'd go for the smaller rocks rather than the larger ones to replace Mana Crypt, like 2CMC or lower. Mind Stone, for example, or Fellwar Stone instead if any of your opponents play U.
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths
If possible, you should move it to your Arcum deck for when you're playing competitively. It really is a staple, like I said, on the level of cards like Sol Ring and Sensei's Divining Top.
If not, I think probably Fellwar Stone seems like an OK replacement if you have sufficient blue in your meta. As I've already explained to you, the ability to produce U is not to be underestimated in a deck like ours where we're maxed out on fast--but only colorless--mana.
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths