Painting is a medium through which many people find that their emotions and thoughts can shine through. No previous experience is necessary, and if you've ever taken an art class, even if it was finger painting in elementary school, then you've had an introduction to painting. Jump-start your skills by getting started with Step 1 below!
Disclaimer: This deck is was designed by Brian Weissman and all credit goes to him. I have simply made a few changes to his list because he focuses on 1v1 games and my list will focus on a mulitiplayer build. If you don’t know who Brian is check out him here and here is his youtube where you can witness this deck in action!
Step 1 Consider your goal.
What colors will your deck be focusing on? What goals are you hoping to create? Do you need a lot of time to set up control or do you want to fully finish a game in 5 minutes? Do you have spacious play group of three or more players or do you prefer two players? How much money do you hope to spend on supplies for the deck? These are all important things to consider before committing to painting with Nin, the pain artist.
Step 2 Making choices.
For our supplies today we will be focusing on mainly using blue with a small touch of red. This work of art today is mainly going to be focused on finding and using our opponents creatures as a resource to finish our works of art. This style of play will often take some time and careful consideration, remember one wrong stroke and you could ruin your art!
Step 3 Get quality cards.
Now that we have decided on which color of paint we are going to primarily use in this deck lets go over some of the more quality cards and why they are important.
As a beginning painter you will be tempted to want to purchase or using the cheapest available cards that have similar effects. Remember this is a competitive list so we will use the best cards possible! I have seen people try to use Scattering Stroke instead of Mana Drain. This is a mistake and this work of art cannot afford those!
Step 4 Setting up.
This deck runs a pallet of mostly blue cards with a small splash of red cards and lots of artifacts. Our artifacts are mainly mana rocks. Understanding how good mana is in this format is important and if you notice in games you play that its almost always the person with the most mana who wins games. There is no exception here! We run the best mana rocks available and many ways to copy them. The next most important tool we use for painting is Vedalken shackles, this card is very important as it is one of the best stealing tools in the deck.
Step 5 Start painting!.
It is important to know that Nin, the pain artist is best used when stealing an opponent's creature and using it as a canvas for us to draw many cards. In essence Nin, the pain artist is a Braingeyser that we can repeatedly use. Remember that you can use her to ping her self to insure we get card draw! The other thing is don't just start countering ever spell that goes off. A big one to look for is early disrupt mana ramp spells as most the time people will keep a low mana hand if they have cards in hand to access more. The largest thing to remember is only counter the spells that matter and affect you! So many times I’ve been told that cards like Daze and Mana Leak are bad in Commander games but in reality to a good player they are some of the best counters in the deck. A smart player can utilize this cards. Remember there is a reason these cards are played in other formats!
Step 6 Looking at the big picture.
Now lets take a look at the decklist and card choices in it.
Chrome Mox - Fast mana rock at the cost of a card in your hand.
Gilded Lotus - One of the best big rocks in the format.
Mind Stone - Two mana rock that can tap the turn it comes down as well as can pop for a card!
Everflowing Chalice - This cards best quality is that its a two mana rock that can tap the turn it comes down, it also can grow to tap for more than one but most often will be for one.
Starstorm - Great card as it can be cycled but mainly played because its one of the few red cards that hits fliers.
Dismiss - Four mana counter and draw one, which is most often the two modes people choose on Cryptic Command.
Fact or Fiction - A staple draw spell in this format and a great one at that!
Thirst for Knowledge - Instant speed draw three and we have plenty of artifacts to discard.
Remand - Two mana soft counter that replaces itself.
Cryptic Command - Such a great card it warped the standard it was in.
Mana Leak - Two mana counter that you will be surprised at the number of times your opponent won't leave mana open.
Spell Pierce - For one mana this card is good for counter wars.
Fire // Ice - Ice mode is the main use here but Fire has seen play once a year or so.
Order of Succession - This is a great card that hasnt caught on in the multiplayer scene to much but in the 1v1 its amazing. It grabs things with protection from blue and Hexproof. We also run such a low creature count most of the time they don't get anything from us.
Special Thanks and Deck list suggestions!
Again a lot of credit for this deck goes to Brian Weissman, he designed the deck and has helped me with my list though a couple conversations. I would also like to thank a friend of mine Jether Dodd who brought a couple of cards to my attention that I would have otherwise not considered! Though I do not mind card suggestions I am very happy with the list and I am mainly posting this to share it with you guys. Suggestions are welcome but I'm not looking to change the deck!
I don't see Stuffy Doll in here, seems like an excellent fit for this deck. It nets you cards AND converts creature damage into player damage, indestructible to boot
I don't see Stuffy Doll in here, seems like an excellent fit for this deck. It nets you cards AND converts creature damage into player damage, indestructible to boot
Stuffy doll has been tested and just isn't necessary. All it can really do is sit there and wait for nin to try and stick around. If you watch some of the game play videos I linked in the OP you will see that she really only gets to sit for a turn or two as most players target her pretty hard.
Thanks though for the suggestion!
EDIT: Just wanted to point out I am not looking to change the deck Suggestions are welcome but I am pretty happy with the deck design and mainly just wanted to share with the mtgsalvation community! But like I said suggestions are welcome!
I am wondering if Keranos will stay in. After emailing with Brian the card seems good but there are much better cards at that mana cost that would do more for the deck. Still not enough testing has been done.
Also I will be soon posting Matches from my local group in the second post.
Also Also Dr. Zoidberg I know we have chatted before on your Nin thread but if you would like msg me and I can send you the list that Brian is using currently as of last week.
Disclaimer: This deck is was designed by Brian Weissman and all credit goes to him. I have simply made a few changes to his list because he focuses on 1v1 games and my list will focus on a mulitiplayer build. If you don’t know who Brian is check out him here and here is his youtube where you can witness this deck in action!
Step 1 Consider your goal.
What colors will your deck be focusing on? What goals are you hoping to create? Do you need a lot of time to set up control or do you want to fully finish a game in 5 minutes? Do you have spacious play group of three or more players or do you prefer two players? How much money do you hope to spend on supplies for the deck? These are all important things to consider before committing to painting with Nin, the pain artist.
Step 2 Making choices.
For our supplies today we will be focusing on mainly using blue with a small touch of red. This work of art today is mainly going to be focused on finding and using our opponents creatures as a resource to finish our works of art. This style of play will often take some time and careful consideration, remember one wrong stroke and you could ruin your art!
Step 3 Get quality cards.
Now that we have decided on which color of paint we are going to primarily use in this deck lets go over some of the more quality cards and why they are important.
As a beginning painter you will be tempted to want to purchase or using the cheapest available cards that have similar effects. Remember this is a competitive list so we will use the best cards possible! I have seen people try to use Scattering Stroke instead of Mana Drain. This is a mistake and this work of art cannot afford those!
Step 4 Setting up.
This deck runs a pallet of mostly blue cards with a small splash of red cards and lots of artifacts. Our artifacts are mainly mana rocks. Understanding how good mana is in this format is important and if you notice in games you play that its almost always the person with the most mana who wins games. There is no exception here! We run the best mana rocks available and many ways to copy them. The next most important tool we use for painting is Vedalken shackles, this card is very important as it is one of the best stealing tools in the deck.
Step 5 Start painting!.
It is important to know that Nin, the pain artist is best used when stealing an opponent's creature and using it as a canvas for us to draw many cards. In essence Nin, the pain artist is a Braingeyser that we can repeatedly use. Remember that you can use her to ping her self to insure we get card draw! The other thing is don't just start countering ever spell that goes off. A big one to look for is early disrupt mana ramp spells as most the time people will keep a low mana hand if they have cards in hand to access more. The largest thing to remember is only counter the spells that matter and affect you! So many times I’ve been told that cards like Daze and Mana Leak are bad in Commander games but in reality to a good player they are some of the best counters in the deck. A smart player can utilize this cards. Remember there is a reason these cards are played in other formats!
Step 6 Looking at the big picture.
Now lets take a look at the decklist and card choices in it.
1 Nin, the Pain Artist
Lands
1 Academy Ruins
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Strip Mine
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 Volcanic Island
1 Wasteland
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Command Tower
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Steam Vents
16 Snow-Covered Island
2 Snow-Covered Mountain
Artifact
1 Chrome Mox
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Mind Stone
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Coalition Relic
1 Sol Ring
1 Izzet Signet
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Voltaic Key
1 Mana Vault
1 Grim Monolith
1 Expedition Map
1 Vedalken Shackles
1 Sculpting Steel
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Trinket Mage
1 Flametongue Kavu
Enchantments
1 Future Sight
1 Copy Artifact
1 Treachery
1 Keranos, God of Storms
Instants
1 Spell Crumple
1 Brainstorm
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Mana Drain
1 Rewind
1 Negate
1 Memory Lapse
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Pact of Negation
1 Condescend
1 Dissolve
1 Counterspell
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Forbid
1 Into the Roil
1 Force of Will
1 Daze
1 Impulse
1 Hinder
1 Starstorm
1 Dismiss
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Remand
1 Cryptic Command
1 Mana Leak
1 Spell Pierce
1 Fire // Ice
1 Order of Succession
1 Preordain
1 Amnesia
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Ponder
1 Fabricate
1 Bribery
1 Vandalblast
1 All Is Dust
Planeswalkers
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
Step 7 Which brushes to use.
Chrome Mox - Fast mana rock at the cost of a card in your hand.
Gilded Lotus - One of the best big rocks in the format.
Mind Stone - Two mana rock that can tap the turn it comes down as well as can pop for a card!
Everflowing Chalice - This cards best quality is that its a two mana rock that can tap the turn it comes down, it also can grow to tap for more than one but most often will be for one.
Crucible of Worlds - A way to replay our fetches and utility lands.
Coalition Relic - Taps for two mana every other turn.
Sol Ring - Card is just broken play it.
Izzet Signet - Two mana rock that fixes colors.
Worn Powerstone - Three mana rock that taps for two, shame it comes down tapped.
Basalt Monolith - Three mana rock that taps for three, its very good on it own and gets better with our next card.
Voltaic Key - Untaps all our big mana cheap rocks.
Mana Vault - One mana and taps for three? Lets rock this rock.
Grim Monolith - Two mana for three but this one doesnt hurt if we don't untap.
Expedition Map - Grabs our utility lands so we can get rid of Homeward Path or other troublesome lands.
Vedalken Shackles - Steals creatures and can be repeatedly used, a key card in the deck.
Sculpting Steel - Copies our rocks, an opponent's threat or gives us another pair of Vedalken Shackles.
Mana Crypt - Free mana rock that hurts us based on luck.
Sensei's Divining Top - this card is just too good, it lets you dig through your top cards and works well with Future Sight.
Fellwar Stone - Two mana rock that can tap for color.
Thran Dynamo - Four mana rock that taps for three when it comes down, reason this card is an expensive uncommon.
Wayfarer's Bauble - Great card because it grabs us an Island and puts it into play.
Remember that we can shoot our own creatures when we have to!
Solemn Simulacrum - Grabs a land when he comes down and draws us a card when he leaves, what a house guest!
Phyrexian Metamorph - Copies a creature or becomes a mana rock or another shackles for us.
Snapcaster Mage - Lets us replay a spell from the yard and can be a surprise blocker in a pinch.
Trinket Mage - Grabs our important artifacts.
Flametongue Kavu - The value of this guys is insane, he kills a creature when he comes down and then has 4 power.
Future Sight - Effectively gives us another card in hand.
Copy Artifact - See Sculpting Steel.
Treachery - Steals a creature for “Free”. *Terms and conditions may apply*
Keranos, God of Storms - This guy is neat as he insures you will always have fuel unless you have two lands on top your deck.
Spell Crumple - Three mana counterspell that can tuck a Commander not to mention it puts itself on the bottom too.
Brainstorm - One of the best draw spells ever printed.
Muddle the Mixture - Decent counter on its own but mostly is used for its transmute.
Mana Drain - Probably the best counter in existence and rivals Force of Will.
Rewind - Basically a free counter if you have four lands in play.
Negate - Two mana counter that only misses one type of card.
Memory Lapse - Two mana counter that also denies them their next draw, so good!
Cyclonic Rift - Such a blow out when overloaded. Remember its just as good without the overload!
Pact of Negation - Force of Wills little brother. Make sure you have the five mana to pay at next upkeep!
Condescend - Great counter that lets us dig through the top two cards of our deck.
Dissolve - Three mana hard counter that digs the top card.
Counterspell - Its counterspell....
Mystical Tutor - Grabs any of our instants or sorceries great card.
Forbid - A good card on its own because of its buyback but great here because we can fuel it with Nin.
Into the Roil - Two mana bounce with four mana bounce and draw.
Force of Will - Reason this card is expensive is its good.
Daze - Great card early or in a counter war.
Impulse - Digs through the top of the deck.
Hinder - Tucks a general.
Starstorm - Great card as it can be cycled but mainly played because its one of the few red cards that hits fliers.
Dismiss - Four mana counter and draw one, which is most often the two modes people choose on Cryptic Command.
Fact or Fiction - A staple draw spell in this format and a great one at that!
Thirst for Knowledge - Instant speed draw three and we have plenty of artifacts to discard.
Remand - Two mana soft counter that replaces itself.
Cryptic Command - Such a great card it warped the standard it was in.
Mana Leak - Two mana counter that you will be surprised at the number of times your opponent won't leave mana open.
Spell Pierce - For one mana this card is good for counter wars.
Fire // Ice - Ice mode is the main use here but Fire has seen play once a year or so.
Order of Succession - This is a great card that hasnt caught on in the multiplayer scene to much but in the 1v1 its amazing. It grabs things with protection from blue and Hexproof. We also run such a low creature count most of the time they don't get anything from us.
Preordain - One mana dig for two and draw a card.
Amnesia - Six mana to disable a player is just amazing.
Merchant Scroll - Grabs cards we need when we need them.
Ponder - One mana dig for 3 or shuffles our deck great card.
Fabricate - Grabs our Shackles.
Bribery - This card is bonkers, it teaches people to not run Eldrazi.
Vandalblast - Overload mode is what makes this card.
All Is Dust - Great thing is you get to keep most your stuff.
Jace, the Mind Sculptor - This card was an admitted mistake by wizards of the coast. Play it.
Tezzeret the Seeker - Grabs Shackles or mana rocks.
Academy Ruins - Grabs Artifacts back from the graveyard.
Scalding Tarn - Fetchland.
Strip Mine - Deals with problem lands like Homeward Path.
Sulfur Falls - Color Fixing.
Cascade Bluffs - Color Fixing.
Volcanic Island - Color Fixing.
Wasteland - Deals with problem lands.
Ancient Tomb - Taps for two which is amazing.
Command Tower - Color Fixing.
Misty Rainforest - Fetchland.
Wooded Foothills - Fetchland.
Steam Vents - Color Fixing thats also an Island.
Snow-Covered Island - Snow is the better basic in most cases.
Snow-Covered Mountain - Snow is the better basic in most cases.
Special Thanks and Deck list suggestions!
Again a lot of credit for this deck goes to Brian Weissman, he designed the deck and has helped me with my list though a couple conversations. I would also like to thank a friend of mine Jether Dodd who brought a couple of cards to my attention that I would have otherwise not considered! Though I do not mind card suggestions I am very happy with the list and I am mainly posting this to share it with you guys. Suggestions are welcome but I'm not looking to change the deck!
URThe Joy of Painting with Nin, the Pain Artist!UR
URThe Joy of Painting with Nin, the Pain Artist!UR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
Stuffy doll has been tested and just isn't necessary. All it can really do is sit there and wait for nin to try and stick around. If you watch some of the game play videos I linked in the OP you will see that she really only gets to sit for a turn or two as most players target her pretty hard.
Thanks though for the suggestion!
EDIT: Just wanted to point out I am not looking to change the deck Suggestions are welcome but I am pretty happy with the deck design and mainly just wanted to share with the mtgsalvation community! But like I said suggestions are welcome!
URThe Joy of Painting with Nin, the Pain Artist!UR
This "love" intrigues me. Teach me to fake it.
UR Nin, the Pain Artist
WUB Zur the Enchanter (Retired)
UB Oona, Queen of the Fae (Pseudo-Retired)
Also I will be soon posting Matches from my local group in the second post.
Also Also Dr. Zoidberg I know we have chatted before on your Nin thread but if you would like msg me and I can send you the list that Brian is using currently as of last week.
URThe Joy of Painting with Nin, the Pain Artist!UR