One thing I do want to point out about Narset is that it is kind of a "build around me" card. Many instants and sorceries don't mean much with rebound: counterspells, global wraths, etc. On the other hand, single target removal, one-sided wraths, time warps, and card draw are better suited.
Other than that, it doesn't look like anything decent for Brago was spoiled.
I feel that rebounded Wraths can sometimes work like Time Walks, unless your opponents don't intend to win with combat of course. But in general, I do agree that so many blue effects won't benefit from Narset's -2. That doesn't make her particularly weak, but it does nudge her away from must-include (which is all the better because she's so expensive from all the hype right now).
Of all the cards, I intend to test Profaner of the Dead for Brago. If you end up sacrificing a golem token, it should be enough to sweep away all most creatures. In a pinch, you can sac Brago himself if you can afford to recast him anyway. It's obviously much stronger with an Elesh Norn in play, but even without, Profaner is still a great answer to a sea of tokens.
I wrote up my own decklist for Brago.
I'm typically a Roon player but I find that I like playing with non creature cards a lot more than creatures and I really want to blink things like Decree of silence and Karn Liberated
That said, I need to cut some cards and I have no idea what to cut. Looking for ideas on cuts and things I may be missing.
The curve is awful here so really looking to narrow down on fat unneeded things
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Hey guys so I've actually moved on from commander on to 60 card decks so I don't have any commander decks.
Anyway I've started my own gameplay channel in which I play games (Magic also)
Why not run strionic resonator and spine of ish sah?
Resonator can be tutored with tezzeret then infinitely blinked with any rocks that give you 2 mana.
With all cloudform and [cards]lightform[/card] you're manifesting every permanent in your library one of which will be the spine, which destroys every targetable permanent your opponents have
Then you can sit back and enjoy a nice warm glass of tears
That sounds extraordinary.
Wouldn't having Karn Liberated though be essentially the same thing though?
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Hey guys so I've actually moved on from commander on to 60 card decks so I don't have any commander decks.
Anyway I've started my own gameplay channel in which I play games (Magic also)
Why not run strionic resonator and spine of ish sah?
Resonator can be tutored with tezzeret then infinitely blinked with any rocks that give you 2 mana.
With all cloudform and [cards]lightform[/card] you're manifesting every permanent in your library one of which will be the spine, which destroys every targetable permanent your opponents have
Then you can sit back and enjoy a nice warm glass of tears
This also works with Rishadan Brigand and his youngersiblings. And is the sort of play that will make everyone in your playgroup sacrifice some slots for more instant-speed spot removal. Congrats on pulling that off and cheers!
After going through the pages and other threads a lot more this is what I came too.
Creatures
Mother of runes
Spellskite
Sun titan
Revalliark
Karmic guide
Venser, shaper savant
Peregrine Drake
Myr Battlesphere
Nevermaker
Master of waves
Clever impersonator
Glen Elendra archmage
Aven Mindcensor
Rishadan Footpad
Rishadan Brigand
Rishadan Cutpurse
Hokori, dust drinker
Conscreated sphinx
Archaeomancer
Grand abolisher
Memnoic wall
Gilded drake
Sower of temption
Artifacts
Lightning greaves
Sol ring
Mana crypt
Mana vault
Grim monolith
Basalt monolith
Azouris signet
Talisman of progress
Tangle wire
Winter orb
Static orb
Gilded lotus
Expedition map
Voltaic key
Scroll rack
strionic resonator
Crystal shard
Enchantments
Parallax tide
Opposition
Stasis
Mystic remora
Parallax wave
Rising waters
Treachery
Reality acid
Steel of the godhead
Act of Authority
Rhystic study
Mastery of the unseen
Cloudform
Lightform
Unquestioned authority
Traveler's Cloak
Instants/Sorceries
Path to exile
Swords to plowshares
Obaliation
Capsize
Armageddon
Time warp
Mystical tutor
Enlightened tutor
Force of will
Hinder
Spell crumble
Ghostly flicker
Savor the moment
Walk the aeons
Arcane denial
Misdirection
Blue sun's zenith
Sphinx's Revalation
Brainstorm
ponder
Walkers
Tamiyo, the moon sage
Tezzeret the seeker
Karn Liberated
Narset, transcendant
Jace, the mind sculptor
Elspeth, sun's champion
Venser the Sojourner
Jace, architect of thought
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Lands:
Tundra
Hallowed fountain
Anicent tomb
Cavern of souls
Command tower
Nimbus maze
Glacial fortress
Rogue's passage
Adakar wastes
Acedemy ruins
Flagstones of Torkair
Dust bowl
Hall of the bandit lord
Temple of enlightenment
Wasteland
Strip Mine
Ideas on cuts?
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Hey guys so I've actually moved on from commander on to 60 card decks so I don't have any commander decks.
Anyway I've started my own gameplay channel in which I play games (Magic also)
You can certainly close a game very quickly if you get one out followed by a Brago blink. Be careful, though, because the pirates are quite bad if you can't dependably blink them.
So I've been compiling a Brago list now. Being W/U I'm tempted to go more the control route, but I have a Nekusaur deck that covers this sort of thing so I thought I'd go more with the whole flickering thing. But after reading through this forum I'm now starting to think Winter Orb,Static Orb, Stasis, and Tangle Wire should be auto-included since relying on Brago's blink ability isn't the greatest idea. I also have Frozen Æther, Aura of Silence, Meekstone and Kismet just not in the deck currently. Just wondering if I should try using/abusing loads of ETB permanents that bounce, exile or destroy which sounds fun but perhaps unreliable or go the control "Stasis" route. I'm having trouble cutting cards with ETB effects so if I need to add these control elements I think I might cry lol. Storage Matrix may also be useful here but I suppose if Stasis is in play you won't want to give them any options to untap.
It wouldn't be a blink deck without Venser, the sojourner and his friend gilded drake. It's abusable because venser blinks a permanent you "own" not "control".
That's probably why I personally opted Venser, the Sojourner out of my list. The way he blinks stuff is different from Brago, and so he has different card synergies. There's certainly no reason to exclude either card for this reason, since they are each quite powerful on their own, but they would be there more because of the fact that they are individually powerful rather than being effective with Brago.
This becomes even more true with the recent ruling that neuters tuck effects against commanders, as we can expect Brago to be a bit more consistently present.
I have a list that is close to Pinguis but I am running the Rishidan suite. The deck is very fast if you have a mana rock in opening hand. You can lock people down on turn 3 or 4.
I need to create a less competitive deck to play casually. People rage when reality acid hits the board on turn 3 with Brago's engine in effect. I also found boots are pretty important for haste and hex proof.
This deck is very fun to play and the manifest I have added is a new way to punish people for playing against you.
I have only lost 2 games(2nd place) out of the 5 I have played. The losses came in 2nd match when I was ganged up on by the board.
Detritus I would not run any counters and they are a waste of mana. If you are going to do the lockdown strat then I would focus just on that because people aren't going to be able to cast anything anyway.
I was on the play
Today, turn 1 sol ring to lightning greaves
Turn two Brago, blink, top, activate top and see the resonator
turn 3 Rishidan Footpad, activate top
turn 4 resonator win, had one person rage quit on turn 3.
Does anyone have suggestion for new commander that is more casual.
Here is my current list for Brago. It is largely budget and some obvious choices might not be included due to availability in my area like Venser, Shaper Savant (Brago was extremely hard to find as well). My meta frowns on infinite combos so I've left them out (Strionic Resonator I've left in though to at least copy his ability twice). Mainly it comes down to whether or not to add/remove all counters or add/remove more stax elements like Dream Tides.
have you thought about Neurok Stealthsuit instead of swiftfoot boots? You would lose the haste but can equip at instant speed for 2U... great deck, would love to make it
Total agreement regarding the Boots. Or Greaves, really. The advantage of the Stealthsuit is you can potentially "counter" as many targeted removal spells as you have mana available. First of all, you may not have that mana, but more importantly, haste is just so much more important for Brago. One turn that he's not attacking can represent so much value lost on your end.
How much you need to protect Brago will depend on your play group, but you will likely need to add more measures as your group wises up to how important it is to deal with him. Of course, counterspells are some of the best ways you can manage this because they can also solve any problematic spell in a pinch. Of course, with the recent tuck rule changes, you can compensate with artifact ramp instead, which isn't a bad plan either, since etb triggers just get better with higher mana costs and blinking Gilded Lotus or Thran Dynamo is quite juicy.
There's no reason to not add Pact of Negation. As you can tell, Brago decks tend to rely on the general going unmolested, so having free counters available is always nice. The only issue with putting a Pact of Negation in your deck would be the card you could have in its place. The same is true for Misdirection and Force of Will, obviously.
On the equipment side, the haste boots are more than fine. Most of the Swords of Whatever and Whatever are fine, but you will gravitate towards Sword of Feast and Famine. Sword of Fire and Ice threatens a damage and card draw loop with Strionic Resonator and some mana rocks, aside from being a generally excellent equipment card in a deck with a lot of creatures. Light and Shadow has a lot of creatures to recur and can loop infinite life with the resonator. These things are great, but in the end, you can stick with the haste boots, really, especially if you have budget concerns. Sword of Vengeance, maybe?
I have considered Well of Ideas, but ultimately decided that it is too expensive. There are more efficient ways to draw cards. If there's anything you'll learn running this deck, it's to not be blind to more efficient card choices, even if you can potentially replace them with a card that has potential for blink value.
I put Pact of Negation in. I'll try it for a while to see how I like it; I also have Tolaria West in the deck for some added situational synergy. I'm playing a fair share of ramp artifacts (and Tezzeret and Teferi for nasty untap tricks) so I hope that'll help too.
Sword of Vengeance doesn't seem that great. I have the swords in another deck which is a bit more tuned, and I'm trying to build Brago as a cheap fun deck for less competitive games. I think I might go with some auras instead (Heliod's Pilgrim is like 1/10000 of the cost of a Stoneforge lol), even though they are more susceptible to sweepers.
And you're probably right about the well.
Sun Titan or Auramancer can easily fetch the auras that get tossed into the bin. You could go a stax/lockdown route like what Jvizz mentioned earlier. I was only running 3 counters but decided to cut them for things like Opposition and Stasis (my decklist above has been revised). You'll need at least 5 to reliably see one or two during a game. Not saying counters aren't useful, they are, especially in a Brago deck. I just couldn't think of more cuts to make room without hindering what I had going on. With all the stax effects along with the likes of Winter Orb, Static Orb, Dream Tides, Rishadan trio (Rishadan Cutpurse, Rishadan Footpad, Rishadan Brigand), ect., ect. it'll become harder for opponents to cast things anyways.
Yep you can actually go for a kinda-janky stax build with etb token generators like Cloudgoat Ranger and use those to lock people down with Opposition or to stay ahead with Smokestack.
I put Pact of Negation in. I'll try it for a while to see how I like it; I also have Tolaria West in the deck for some added situational synergy. I'm playing a fair share of ramp artifacts (and Tezzeret and Teferi for nasty untap tricks) so I hope that'll help too.
Sword of Vengeance doesn't seem that great. I have the swords in another deck which is a bit more tuned, and I'm trying to build Brago as a cheap fun deck for less competitive games. I think I might go with some auras instead (Heliod's Pilgrim is like 1/10000 of the cost of a Stoneforge lol), even though they are more susceptible to sweepers.
And you're probably right about the well.
Sun Titan or Auramancer can easily fetch the auras that get tossed into the bin. You could go a stax/lockdown route like what Jvizz mentioned earlier. I was only running 3 counters but decided to cut them for things like Opposition and Stasis (my decklist above has been revised). You'll need at least 5 to reliably see one or two during a game. Not saying counters aren't useful, they are, especially in a Brago deck. I just couldn't think of more cuts to make room without hindering what I had going on. With all the stax effects along with the likes of Winter Orb, Static Orb, Dream Tides, Rishadan trio (Rishadan Cutpurse, Rishadan Footpad, Rishadan Brigand), ect., ect. it'll become harder for opponents to cast things anyways.
I approve of the the cut. While counter is truly powerful tool, STAX is much more suitable for Brago since you want to tapout most of the time.
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I'm sorry this post is so long, I didn't have time to make it shorter.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Would post it here but I'm donating plasma atm.
I find some of your choice questionable. I doubt the effectiveness of Blade Splicer, but i suppose she doesn't cost much. Geist-Honoured Monk and Winged Splicer, however, seem to demand too much mana for such abilities. I would replace them with spot removal. I also find it puzzling that you don't use any haste enabler.
Very interested in this deck. Is it more suited for duel or multi-player EDH?
I believe that mine is at its best in a small pod. Duel is too fast for Brago's attrition style. Brago can win a big pod with time magic but we can simply beat them up if the pod is not too big.
so i've been playing about with my brago list for a while now, and have found a piece of often forgotten tech in stonecloaker. what do you guys think of replacing tormod's with him, as he's bouncable card draw, instant speed, and can bounce one of your other creatures all at the same time to save them from untimely removal, all for the price of only targeting one card in your opponents grave (which most of the time i find is enough. He's been a real superstar of my list so far. i'm also finding that having planeswalkers on the board gain you so much momentum, especially if you get the double activation the turn you play them.
in terms of what i'm still looking to find space for in it. one or two land wraths to join crucible strip mine, an finding space for a stoneforge, when i get my hands on another one (probably replacing jitte as of now, but jitte has also been performing admirably)
mana crypt would also be nice, but i havnt been able to find one whatsoever, and so i'm not getting my hopes up
From my experience, Stonecloaker is too slow if you're facing a fast combo deck. It also demands you to hold back your mana to remove something immediately.
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I'm sorry this post is so long, I didn't have time to make it shorter.
Obviously, these two don't have any synergy whatsoever with the deck. However, they are so powerful on their own. They can end game or at least turn the table around. Kozilek can draw us cards while Ulamog can ruin someone's else game. As a bonus, they can safeguard us against mill deck.
I consider them because we have a lot of mana. It's relatively easy for us to reach 10+ mana with rocks, Tezzeret and Teferi.
What do you think?
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I'm sorry this post is so long, I didn't have time to make it shorter.
Obviously, these two don't have any synergy whatsoever with the deck. However, they are so powerful on their own. They can end game or at least turn the table around. Kozilek can draw us cards while Ulamog can ruin someone's else game. As a bonus, they can safeguard us against mill deck.
I consider them because we have a lot of mana. It's relatively easy for us to reach 10+ mana with rocks, Tezzeret and Teferi.
Hello everyone.
The problem with my Brago is that it feels like I am missing a win condition. I went with the token iteration on the first go with Master of Waves and some of the white soldier producing creatures.
I am thinking adding an enchantment package, with a voltron aproach. Specifically Heliod's Pilgrim as tutor with these targets:
A hidden gem is Sage's Reverie, Cloudform and Lightform count as Auras on the battlefield as well. Almost all of the above have the "Draw a card" line so they can't be that bad. I also want to add Plea for Guidance for my enchantments.
What do you think?
While I think Sage's Reverie is a brilliant find, I don't think that these auras will solve your problem. You need bigger auras (which are vulnerable.) If I were you, I will either include time magics to enhance combat damage and other values or enhance the tokens. My new list is doing both.
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I'm sorry this post is so long, I didn't have time to make it shorter.
Augustin, Rasputin, Bruna, Brago, Ojutai
Other than that, it doesn't look like anything decent for Brago was spoiled.
C Kozilek C
GB Gitrog GB
G Titania G
WU Brago WU
GB MerenGB
Duel Commander Decks
UR Keranos UR
BRG Jund BRG
GR Tron GR GW Tron GW
C Eldrazi Tron (SB) C
BG Lantern Control BG
UW Control (SB) UW
Of all the cards, I intend to test Profaner of the Dead for Brago. If you end up sacrificing a golem token, it should be enough to sweep away all most creatures. In a pinch, you can sac Brago himself if you can afford to recast him anyway. It's obviously much stronger with an Elesh Norn in play, but even without, Profaner is still a great answer to a sea of tokens.
Augustin, Rasputin, Bruna, Brago, Ojutai
I'm typically a Roon player but I find that I like playing with non creature cards a lot more than creatures and I really want to blink things like Decree of silence and Karn Liberated
That said, I need to cut some cards and I have no idea what to cut. Looking for ideas on cuts and things I may be missing.
Thanks gents!
1 Mother of runes
2 Spellskite
2 Grand abolisher
2 Stoneforge mystic
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Trinket Mage
3 Rishadan Cutpurse
4 Clever impersonator
4 Glen Elendra archmage
4 Rishadan Footpad
4 Hokori, dust drinker
4 Archaeomancer
4 Venser, shaper savant
4 Nevermaker
4 Master of waves
5 Revalliark
5 Karmic guide
5 peregrine Drake
5 Lavinia of the Tenth
5 Body double
5 Rishadan Brigand
6 Conscreated sphinx
6 Sun titan
7 Myr Battlesphere
Sorceries and instants
1 Path to exile
1 Swords to plowshares
1 Mystical tutor
1 Enlightened tutor
2 Mana drain
2 Arcane denial
3 Obaliation
3 Capsize
3 Hinder
3 Spell crumble
3 Ghostly flicker
3 Savor the moment
3 Blue sun's zenith
3 Sphinx's Revelation
4 Armageddon
4 Return to dust
5 Time warp
5 Force of will
5 Misdirection
6 Walk the aeons
0 Mana crypt
1 Mana vault
1 Voltaic key
1 Sol ring
1 Expedition map
2 Lightning greaves
2 Azouris signet
2 Talisman of progress
2 Neurok Stealthsuit
2 Grim monolith
2 Winter orb
3 Basalt monolith
3 Tangle wire
3 Static orb
5 Gilded lotus
Enchantments
1 Mystic remora
2 Stasis
3 Reality acid
3 Steel of the godhead
3 Act of Authority
3 Rhystic study
4 Parallax tide
4 Opposition
4 Parallax wave
4 Rising waters
5 Treachery
8 Decree of silence
Walkers
4 Narset, transcendant
4 Jace, the mind sculptor
4 Jace, architect of thought
5 Tamiyo, the moon sage
5 Tezzeret the seeker
5 Venser the Sojourner
6 Elspeth, sun's champion
6 Teferi, Temporal Archmage
7 Karn Liberated
1 Tundra
1 Hallowed fountain
1 Ancient tomb
1 Cavern of souls
1 Command tower
1 Nimbus maze
1 Glacial fortress
1 Rogue's passage
1 Adakar wastes
1 Acedemy ruins
1 Flagstones of Torkair
1 Temple of enlightenment
1 Dust bowl
12 Island
9 Plains
The curve is awful here so really looking to narrow down on fat unneeded things
Anyway I've started my own gameplay channel in which I play games (Magic also)
Twitch:
https://www.twitch.tv/dies_to_doom_blade
Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/UpsidedownHandshake
That sounds extraordinary.
Wouldn't having Karn Liberated though be essentially the same thing though?
Anyway I've started my own gameplay channel in which I play games (Magic also)
Twitch:
https://www.twitch.tv/dies_to_doom_blade
Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/UpsidedownHandshake
C Kozilek C
GB Gitrog GB
G Titania G
WU Brago WU
GB MerenGB
Duel Commander Decks
UR Keranos UR
BRG Jund BRG
GR Tron GR GW Tron GW
C Eldrazi Tron (SB) C
BG Lantern Control BG
UW Control (SB) UW
This also works with Rishadan Brigand and his younger siblings. And is the sort of play that will make everyone in your playgroup sacrifice some slots for more instant-speed spot removal. Congrats on pulling that off and cheers!
Augustin, Rasputin, Bruna, Brago, Ojutai
Creatures
Mother of runes
Spellskite
Sun titan
Revalliark
Karmic guide
Venser, shaper savant
Peregrine Drake
Myr Battlesphere
Nevermaker
Master of waves
Clever impersonator
Glen Elendra archmage
Aven Mindcensor
Rishadan Footpad
Rishadan Brigand
Rishadan Cutpurse
Hokori, dust drinker
Conscreated sphinx
Archaeomancer
Grand abolisher
Memnoic wall
Gilded drake
Sower of temption
Artifacts
Lightning greaves
Sol ring
Mana crypt
Mana vault
Grim monolith
Basalt monolith
Azouris signet
Talisman of progress
Tangle wire
Winter orb
Static orb
Gilded lotus
Expedition map
Voltaic key
Scroll rack
strionic resonator
Crystal shard
Enchantments
Parallax tide
Opposition
Stasis
Mystic remora
Parallax wave
Rising waters
Treachery
Reality acid
Steel of the godhead
Act of Authority
Rhystic study
Mastery of the unseen
Cloudform
Lightform
Unquestioned authority
Traveler's Cloak
Instants/Sorceries
Path to exile
Swords to plowshares
Obaliation
Capsize
Armageddon
Time warp
Mystical tutor
Enlightened tutor
Force of will
Hinder
Spell crumble
Ghostly flicker
Savor the moment
Walk the aeons
Arcane denial
Misdirection
Blue sun's zenith
Sphinx's Revalation
Brainstorm
ponder
Walkers
Tamiyo, the moon sage
Tezzeret the seeker
Karn Liberated
Narset, transcendant
Jace, the mind sculptor
Elspeth, sun's champion
Venser the Sojourner
Jace, architect of thought
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Lands:
Tundra
Hallowed fountain
Anicent tomb
Cavern of souls
Command tower
Nimbus maze
Glacial fortress
Rogue's passage
Adakar wastes
Acedemy ruins
Flagstones of Torkair
Dust bowl
Hall of the bandit lord
Temple of enlightenment
Wasteland
Strip Mine
Ideas on cuts?
Anyway I've started my own gameplay channel in which I play games (Magic also)
Twitch:
https://www.twitch.tv/dies_to_doom_blade
Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/UpsidedownHandshake
Augustin, Rasputin, Bruna, Brago, Ojutai
Also wondering if anyone has used Eldrazi Conscription or Quietus Spike to quickly end games with Brago. As of right now I'm using a fair amount of enchant creature cards like Traveler's Cloak and Steel of the Godhead to give card advantage or let Brago glide past defenses. Heliod's Pilgrim can tutor up any aura and Auramancer can resurrect any of our love enchantments that get inevitably destroyed. Pilgrim can also tutor for Eldrazi Conscription which is just scary and Tezzeret the Seeker can tutor for Quietus Spike. I haven't seen a list here that is running Cyclonic Rift especially with the likes of Archaeomancer. Just seems like the two would be lovely together.
Are ETB token triggers still an amazing route to go? I picked up Urbis Protector,Knight-Captain of Eos, Captain of the Watch, Evangel of Heliod and then there's Spirit Bonds. Are any of these worth running? I realize that all of the Elspeth pwr's do the same thing but this is more of a budget issue.
One last question, how many counter spells would you guys recommend?
This becomes even more true with the recent ruling that neuters tuck effects against commanders, as we can expect Brago to be a bit more consistently present.
Augustin, Rasputin, Bruna, Brago, Ojutai
I need to create a less competitive deck to play casually. People rage when reality acid hits the board on turn 3 with Brago's engine in effect. I also found boots are pretty important for haste and hex proof.
This deck is very fun to play and the manifest I have added is a new way to punish people for playing against you.
I have only lost 2 games(2nd place) out of the 5 I have played. The losses came in 2nd match when I was ganged up on by the board.
Detritus I would not run any counters and they are a waste of mana. If you are going to do the lockdown strat then I would focus just on that because people aren't going to be able to cast anything anyway.
I was on the play
Today, turn 1 sol ring to lightning greaves
Turn two Brago, blink, top, activate top and see the resonator
turn 3 Rishidan Footpad, activate top
turn 4 resonator win, had one person rage quit on turn 3.
Does anyone have suggestion for new commander that is more casual.
1 Angel of Finality
1 Angel of Serenity
1 Blade Splicer
1 Clever Impersonator
1 Clone
1 Deadeye Navigator
1 Frost Titan
1 Geist-Honored Monk
1 Heliod's Pilgrim
1 Karmic Guide
1 Lavinia of the Tenth
1 Master Splicer
1 Medomai the Ageless
1 Mulldrifter
1 Nevermaker
1 Peregrine Drake
1 Phyrexian Ingester
1 Resolute Archangel
1 Reveillark
1 Riftwing Cloudskate
1 Sensor Splicer
1 Stonehorn Dignitary
1 Sun Titan
1 Sunblast Angel
1 Wing Splicer
1 Counterspell
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Dissipate
1 Render Silent
Planeswalkers
1 Venser, the Sojourner
Artifacts
1 Azorius Cluestone
1 Azorius Keyrune
1 Azorius Signet
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Conjurer's Closet
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Mycosynth Wellspring
1 Quietus Spike
1 Seashell Cameo
1 Sol Ring
1 Spine of Ish Sah
1 Static Orb
1 Strionic Resonator
1 Talisman of Progress
1 Thought Prison
1 Whispersilk Cloak
1 Winter Orb
Enchantments
1 Act of Authority
1 Cloud Cover
1 Detention Sphere
1 Eldrazi Conscription
1 Exclusion Ritual
1 Kismet
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Parallax Tide
1 Pentarch Ward
1 Reality Acid
1 Spreading Seas
1 Stasis
1 Steel of the Godhead
1 Traveler's Cloak
1 Unquestioned Authority
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Azorius Guildgate
1 Boreal Shelf
1 Command Tower
1 Glacial Fortress
13 Island
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
14 Plains
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Sejiri Refuge
1 Temple of the False God
[EDH In Development] Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis | Trostani, Selesnya's Voice | Queen Marchesa | Ruhan of the Fomori | Yahenni, Undying Partisan
[EDH Retired] Ertai, The Corrupted | Sigarda, Host of Herons | Tariel, Reckoner of Souls | Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
[Modern] Stuffy Doll Combo Burn | Demigod of Revenge
How much you need to protect Brago will depend on your play group, but you will likely need to add more measures as your group wises up to how important it is to deal with him. Of course, counterspells are some of the best ways you can manage this because they can also solve any problematic spell in a pinch. Of course, with the recent tuck rule changes, you can compensate with artifact ramp instead, which isn't a bad plan either, since etb triggers just get better with higher mana costs and blinking Gilded Lotus or Thran Dynamo is quite juicy.
There's no reason to not add Pact of Negation. As you can tell, Brago decks tend to rely on the general going unmolested, so having free counters available is always nice. The only issue with putting a Pact of Negation in your deck would be the card you could have in its place. The same is true for Misdirection and Force of Will, obviously.
On the equipment side, the haste boots are more than fine. Most of the Swords of Whatever and Whatever are fine, but you will gravitate towards Sword of Feast and Famine. Sword of Fire and Ice threatens a damage and card draw loop with Strionic Resonator and some mana rocks, aside from being a generally excellent equipment card in a deck with a lot of creatures. Light and Shadow has a lot of creatures to recur and can loop infinite life with the resonator. These things are great, but in the end, you can stick with the haste boots, really, especially if you have budget concerns. Sword of Vengeance, maybe?
I have considered Well of Ideas, but ultimately decided that it is too expensive. There are more efficient ways to draw cards. If there's anything you'll learn running this deck, it's to not be blind to more efficient card choices, even if you can potentially replace them with a card that has potential for blink value.
Augustin, Rasputin, Bruna, Brago, Ojutai
Sun Titan or Auramancer can easily fetch the auras that get tossed into the bin. You could go a stax/lockdown route like what Jvizz mentioned earlier. I was only running 3 counters but decided to cut them for things like Opposition and Stasis (my decklist above has been revised). You'll need at least 5 to reliably see one or two during a game. Not saying counters aren't useful, they are, especially in a Brago deck. I just couldn't think of more cuts to make room without hindering what I had going on. With all the stax effects along with the likes of Winter Orb, Static Orb, Dream Tides, Rishadan trio (Rishadan Cutpurse, Rishadan Footpad, Rishadan Brigand), ect., ect. it'll become harder for opponents to cast things anyways.
Augustin, Rasputin, Bruna, Brago, Ojutai
I approve of the the cut. While counter is truly powerful tool, STAX is much more suitable for Brago since you want to tapout most of the time.
This deck has been featured in Gathering Magic by Carlos Gutierrez
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/29-03-15-brago-king-of-blinkage-deck/
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Would post it here but I'm donating plasma atm.
I find some of your choice questionable. I doubt the effectiveness of Blade Splicer, but i suppose she doesn't cost much. Geist-Honoured Monk and Winged Splicer, however, seem to demand too much mana for such abilities. I would replace them with spot removal. I also find it puzzling that you don't use any haste enabler.
I believe that mine is at its best in a small pod. Duel is too fast for Brago's attrition style. Brago can win a big pod with time magic but we can simply beat them up if the pod is not too big.
From my experience, Stonecloaker is too slow if you're facing a fast combo deck. It also demands you to hold back your mana to remove something immediately.
This deck has been featured in Gathering Magic by Carlos Gutierrez
Obviously, these two don't have any synergy whatsoever with the deck. However, they are so powerful on their own. They can end game or at least turn the table around. Kozilek can draw us cards while Ulamog can ruin someone's else game. As a bonus, they can safeguard us against mill deck.
I consider them because we have a lot of mana. It's relatively easy for us to reach 10+ mana with rocks, Tezzeret and Teferi.
What do you think?
This deck has been featured in Gathering Magic by Carlos Gutierrez
In the version with rocks, I'd say yes.
C Kozilek C
GB Gitrog GB
G Titania G
WU Brago WU
GB MerenGB
Duel Commander Decks
UR Keranos UR
BRG Jund BRG
GR Tron GR GW Tron GW
C Eldrazi Tron (SB) C
BG Lantern Control BG
UW Control (SB) UW
They are awesome!
I can reliably cast them on turn 7 and often faster. It will eventually be answered, but that is alright.
I'm happy with this current list (probably will post it tomorrow.) I think I'll write the official primer the day after that.
While I think Sage's Reverie is a brilliant find, I don't think that these auras will solve your problem. You need bigger auras (which are vulnerable.) If I were you, I will either include time magics to enhance combat damage and other values or enhance the tokens. My new list is doing both.
This deck has been featured in Gathering Magic by Carlos Gutierrez