I did an overhaul of the OP Primer page to update the coding, streamline it, and condense it down. I am also testing a few cards at this moment to see how they work in disrupting my opponent's plans. Especially with the rise of Flash Hulk/Breakfast Hulk decks, I've found it important to include a few pieces of hate.
Tezzeret, Artifice Master - this is a really cool card and his ultimate is powerful and flavorful. Sadly, the draw ability is what attracts me to the new Tezzeret and his CMC is a little too expensive and not immediately impactful. For a slower meta or for a more mid-range style of deck, I could see this card being very powerful, particularly in a Stax shell.
Omniscience - we don't have a good way to abuse this card besides casting it, and that's WAY too expensive. While I'm glad they reprinted it, we can't really use it effectively in this deck.
Mystic Archaeologist - it's nice to have another infinite mana outlet stapled to such a low CMC creature, and the fact that he draws more cards than Azure Mage is very attractive. He strengthens draw-go styles of play without committing too many resources to the board. He's a decent option, but we have better ones that are more CMC friendly.
Sai, Master Thopterist - this is a FANTASTIC card in mono-Blue. U finally has a direct payoff for loading up on artifact creatures. I think Sai is going to be awesome in a Stax heavy decklist and the synergy he has alone with Skullclamp makes him worthwhile, nevermind the fact that he creates tokens to make The Antiquities War a relevant pump effect. The applications for this guy are diverse and varied, so I think I'll be picking a copy of him up for my own testing.
One with the Machine - our general is a 7 CMC ARTIFACT general. I'm running this card. You should too. The end.
Exclusion Mage - for versions of the deck that are more creature centric or Wizard themed, this is a natural inclusion as a ETB removal creature.
Scholar of Stars - draw stapled to a body is always welcome, but there are better options for our deck.
Meteor Golem - an excellent card to have been printed, this card should definitely slot into the creature heavy deck or more artifact focused decks. That kind of broad removal is highly valued for mono-color decks, particularly mono-U and mono-B. A great card and I recommend picking up a few copies of him for your removal suite diversification.
Riddlemaster Sphinx - another ETB creature removal spell, it's a little expensive at its CMC for the ability it does. We'll pass, but it's worth mentioning.
Tezzeret, Cruel Machinist - it's weaker than the actual Tezzeret that's printed in this set, but his ultimate is kinda cool. Summoning your hand worth of creatures could swing the game in your favor.
Tezzeret's Gatebreaker - a decent source of card selection, actually. It finds every type of card in our deck, so this is a great budget inclusion for the Budget list, which I will now need to update.
So after getting my board stolen with Hellkite Tyrant for the second time since I made the changes to the deck, I've suddenly remembered why I didn't like that card. And while Power Artifact is useful in decreasing the cost of Memnarch's ability, I've not really found it necessary. I'll be looking around for replacements for these two cards. My thoughts initially go to Unwinding Clock and another piece of removal, but we'll see. All is Dust might make an appearance again.
EDIT: Because I play in a Stax heavy meta, All is Dust is definitely going back in. It's just too useful in getting around shroud, hexproof, and indestructible while hitting multiple permanent types, similar to Ugin, the Spirit Dragon. I've also decided to slot back in Mana Leak because it's effectively another hard counterspell in a Competitive Commander game. Really, it's a placeholder for a better card that gets printed or if I want to add in another draw spell like Dig Through Time.
EDIT 2: I also updated the budget list with some new cards from M19 and Dominaria. It comes in at $132, I believe, and has added in two combos to increase the redundancy of creating infinite mana and winning the game. Those combos are Deadeye Navigator + Peregrine Drake and Archaeomancer + Ghostly Flicker + Peregrine Drake/Gilded Lotus. I also added in a few more Wizard based synergies to maximize the card advantage we can accrue.
With the reprinting of Omniscience, I've decided I'm going to toy around with the deck for a bit and test out Omniscience with Enter the Infinite. It's not a competitive update, but mostly just a way for me to tweak the decklist and keep things fresh. Besides, Memnarch was pretty much the omnipotent dictator of Mirrodin, so it's kind of a flavor win? And if we look at Enter the Infinite as Memnarch's attempts to harvest Glissa's spark, then perhaps this combo is more flavorful than Memnarch wielding an immensely powerful DramaticScepter...
I can completely relate to this kind of tweak for the deck. I recently turned my list into a "secret" Memnarch deck (I got the idea from the command zone a long time ago). I switch between having Kami of the Crescent Moon and the Memdaddy at the helm depending on my mood. My version of the deck spits mana rocks out quite fast so I do not have to always play Kami turn two. He is usually used as a last resort when I have nothing to play. It also works great against unsuspecting opponents. They see Mochi (Yup, Kami's real name in the lore) and think I am piloting a grouphug/combo deck. The deck can make infinite mana so easily that by using draw X spell or something like Staff of Domination I can still win with Memnarch at any time. It has been a blast to play. My personal favorite thing to do is play the deck back to back, one with Mochi at the helm and if they beat him they get a chance at the Memdaddy himself.
Yes, I've been enjoying the change quite a bit actually. I played a 1v1 game with my wife last night and, via Paradox Engine, I was able to hard-cast Enter the Infinite. It's been a little silly to have a 10 mana enchantment in hand doing nothing sometimes, but when I can cast Omniscience I feel much more excited about life than if I were casting Isochron Scepter. I think I'm actually going to create a Tier 2 list that includes a stronger Wizard theme and caters more to a Battle-Cruiser style of Commander deck. If I enjoy this list, it will eventually replace the OP list and I'll archive the current OP list as a Tier 1.5 deck.
I've seen Coveted Jewel in action now a few times and I must say that the card draw stapled to a Gilded Lotus effect is much more powerful than I originally anticipated. I can see where, during an Engine turn, that card draw could mean the difference between fizzling out or continuing to chain spells together and net mana to dump into Memnarch's ability. I think I'm going to try it in this Tier 2 list and include a small Treasure Mage package. It might be a little less competitive overall, but it could be much more fun to play. We shall see.
EDIT 2: Having proxied up Timetwister and playing Time Spiral in place of Padeem and C. Sphinx, I think it makes the deck faster and more combo-esque. I think that these changes will be made in the OP decklist permanent since I didn't really miss either of those creatures.
I have been having WAY more fun with the previously posted Tier 2-ish list and the synergies it has. While not nearly as fast or consistent as the OP list currently I've been having many more enjoyable games. Once I get a couple more games with this new version and determine how I feel about it, I might make the Tier 2 list the OP decklist.
Coveted Jewel has been one of the cards I've most enjoyed. While there have been games where the Jewel makes its rounds about the table, the fact that I can draw cards off of a mana rock has proven to be INVALUABLE for several combo lines I've had come up. The best thing I've done with it is to cast it off of Grand Architect and then Transmute Artifact it away into a Paradox Engine. This card has perhaps single-handedly renewed my interest in Memnarch and I now tutor for it pretty frequently.
Glad to hear it. I still have yet to slot in Paradox Engine. I'm going to have to sooner or later. Good to hear you are enjoying the list with the Jewel. Its nice to take a break from the cut throat list and play a list we enjoy. I have been running one of my favorite cards of all time, Dominating Licid. It's slow, but goddamn that card embodies what I like in MTG.
Yup, it's official. The Tier 2 list I've posted will become the new and official decklist. I'll still preserve the streamlined and optimized decklist as an option, but I'm having way more fun with this list than the cEDH one. I've won some games and always felt like I had something to do, even in the games I lost (Kaalia's newly acquired Stony Silence is ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE TO PLAY AGAINST, by the way...).
I'll be updating the OP list at some point to reflect this change of decklist, philosophy, and card choices. I'll also be adding a section about how to evaluate your opponent's plays so that you can know when to react and when to let it go. I think it will help highlight the power of Memnarch as a card, since he changes the way you evaluate your opponents' plays in an interesting way.
I'll also be doing a set review for Guilds of Ravnica shortly. Lots to do!
EDIT: After further thinking, I've decided to simply add a section for the Tier 2 list that I'm playing instead of revamping the whole Primer. Mostly because I want to make sure that a reader can see the optimized playlist first and THEN see alternate decklists that suit their preferences/budget.
There are some really cool cards in this set that make me applaud the direction Wizards is going. Although I don't like it, Assassin's Trophy is a great card to help regulate the Modern and Legacy formats while also being super useful in Commander. And the flavor that's in this set is absolutely delightful. There's a dearth of Artifact supported cards, which I'm not terribly surprised about, so the review will be fairly short.
Mission Briefing - yeah, version 2.0 of Snapcaster Mage is here. Probably one of the few cards that's actually worth trying out, I like that it helps to scukpt your topdecks AND recurring an instant/sorcery in the 'yard. And since we're playing mono-U, we don't mind the casting cost so much. A definite card to test out, I like it.
Dream Eater - a pretty cool card with a relevant ETB ability. I think that this card also deserves a test or two because it has Flash and sculpts the topdecks. Get rid of unnecessary lands so you draw into business or dig deep to find a mana source, the Sphinx offers a great deal of flexibility. I wish it actually drew a card after Surveiling... Oh well.
Chemister's Insight/Radical Idea - I think the Jump-Start cards are a great way to turn excess lands into valuable spells, so I applaud Wizards for creating a good mechanic. It doesn't compete with FAct or Fiction, but it's still a decent card and probably worth including in the Budget decklist if anything.
Omnispell Adept - wow, a really cool card that is actually an enabler for Enter the Infinite! And it gets absolutely broken with Paradox Engine (as most things do), allowing you to chain spells together for a fraction of their CMC. Another cool card that is worth looking into. Too bad the CMC of the Wizard is 5.
Murmuring Mystic - while we're not really a Spellslinger deck, I like the idea of generating a horde of Birds to try and kill the table with. Alfred Hitchcock would be proud.
Sinister Sabotage - a decent counterspell effect that acts very similarly to Dissolve. Decent, but we have better cards available.
In an effort to make the Primer more complete and extensive, I added a 'How to Play Control in Commander Section' to the Primer. It's located as a spoiler in the Deck Philosophy section of the Primer and provides a good series of questions that you can ask yourself when playing.
I hope all Memnarch players have a happy Thanksgiving. I will be picking up a foil Mox Diamond and a GP promo Chrome Mox this Friday during TCGplayer.com's big sale. I will finally have the full list of rocks complete.
Just a brief update on Ultimate Masters. First, there's a ton of cool art in the new set. I'm inclined to buy some of the cards simply because of the art upgrade. But, a quick set review for Ultimate Masters for Memnarch. And the sheer number of relevant reprints is awesome.
Ultimate Masters Review
Glen Elendra Archmage - a very desperately needed reprint, this Wizard is fantastic in Commander. She counters two spells for the low price of U and can occasionally block fliers. Get yours today! It has great Wizard synergies too.
Temporal Manipulation - wow, I never thought that they would reprint this except as a Judge Foil. Strictly better than Time Warp since it doesn't target players explicitly and can therefore NOT be redirected. If you wanted to focus on extra turns for your Memnarch deck, this is a great pickup.
Back to Basics - probably the most relevant reprint for cEDH decks, this card is fantastic. Get one if you can while the prices are low.
Snapcaster Mage - yup, still one of the best creatures in all of MTG. Makes sense it got reprinted.
Dig Through Time - a very effective Draw spell for Commander. The price for this card is probably bottomed out now, so pick up a few copies of this card. It's a super effective draw spell in the mid-late game.
Mana Vault - probably the other super important reprint for this deck, the new Art is totally worth it. My brother and I are pooling our monies together and this and Back to Basics are the cards I most want to see.
All is Dust - another awesome reprint, this card hits multiple different permanent types while minimally affecting ours. A decent Wrath option if you're looking for one.
Karn Liberated - the OG Metal-Man in MTG. Not terribly effective in Commander, but still a decent effect.
Well, hot damn, Lavinia, Azorius Renegade is absolutely broken for the cEDH scene. It single-handedly stops nearly every competitive Combo deck in this format as long as she's in play and she has a massively attractive mana cost. This card spells Doom for fast Combo decks, and I know I'll personally be building a Control deck built around her. Ad Nauseam decks will cry for dayz. Teferi Chain Veil is halted right in its tracks until it can find a removal spell. Any deck that depends on non-creature spells and doesn't use mana-dorks is going to really be in a bind. And even if they DO use mana dorks, there's no guarantee that they'll be able to play their game.
EDIT: This is a comment I posted in my Tasigur Primer about Lavinia, and I think it's worth repeating here for the sake of this Primer.
I think you're 100% correct when evaluating the card from a more casual approach. I happily admit that there are many ways to play Commander, and I personally prefer playing more competitively. That being said, here's how I see the new Lavinia:
Lavinia's power is directly proportional to the type of decks your opponents are playing. For me and my playgroup, and the cEDH meta generally, mana rocks are king, especially the ones costing 2 and under. Lavinia causes mana rocks to be non-beneficial sources of mana advantage since she restricts your opponents' casting of spells to their land size. Check out my Memnarch and Teferi Primers. You see the relatively low land counts? More often than not, I only have 2-3 lands in play but a bunch of artifact mana that powers out MORE sources of mana advantage and card advantage. Very few of these effects WHEN I CAST THEM are ever proportional to the number of actual lands I have in play! Lavinia makes this type of mana advantage a liability for these types of decks since they no longer contribute directly to developing your board presence for the important non-creature spells that are played. There are too many playlines and gamestates to describe where the ability of my mana rocks to generate mana that can be used to cast non-creature spells ahead of their casting cost is absolutely crucial.
In my playgroup, it's very frequent that you'll see someone trying to jam a T1 Mana Rock into some sort of T2 non-creature spell (more often than not some sort of Wheel effect). This is almost 100% the consistent playline that I see and Lavinia stops that super effectively. Additionally, cEDH decks run a VERY low land count. This means that the non-creature spells that cost any more than 2+ mana have a real possibility of being unable to be cast with Lavinia in play. Hell, she even stops the earliest, most effective Wrath effect from going off UNTIL T3. If they even get to 3 actual lands in play in order to cast it. This is a very significant tempo loss for your opponents since they now HAVE to depend on land as their primary mana sources in order to unlock their spells.
Lavinia doesn't just shut down "large X spells" or Tooth and Nail type of cards. She causes legitimate tempo loss for optimized decks that run low land counts and the most powerful non-creature spells available. Ad Nauseam decks will NEVER get off the ground as long as Lavinia is in play until AT LEAST T5. Do you see how Lavinia shuts down any type of Dark Ritual effect? What about High Tide? Fast Combo decks that aren't Flash Hulk decks can no longer chain their spells together on time until they have the correct number of lands in play. Assuming they even hit their land drops every turn. Teferi Chain Veil decks now have to up their removal count because there's NO WAY that they can cast a T2 or T3 Teferi with Lavinia in play. Even Food Chain[/CARD} decks will stumble (not as signficantly as Storm or Teferi Chain Veil) because their most common line of play is T1 mana dork or tutor -> T2 double mana dork or tutor -> T3 Food Chain, often seeing rarely seeing their 3rd land since they depend on mana dorks to power out an early Food Chain line. Even Flash Hulk type of decks have to be careful since they can still possibly jam a T2 Flash but now have to be careful about what kind of protection they have for their combo. And her 2nd ability shuts down the new Arcum Dagsson decks that depend on different variants of Ornithopter in order to keep triggering Paradox Engine.
All of this discussion is relevant because Lavinia is a Legendary creature. That means she can be cast on T2 EVERY game and even on T1 with a MASSIVE degree of consistency. Because her effects are also ASYMMETRICAL, you don't disrupt your own combo lines at all. She's like a one-sided Gaddock Teeg.
So, to conclude my rant/explanation, Lavinia is significant and a very important card for the cEDH scene. For any other type of play, she's just a cool 2/2 Hate-Bear that enforces everyone to play fairly or depend on the inherently slower land-based ramp effects available.
Sadly, it doesn't seem like there's been a ton of good cards for Memnarch in the new Ravnica set. The only one that looks mildly interesting so far is Verity Circle. Precognitive Perception is a pretty cool card too, but I think it's just a little too expensive CMC wise to really get the inclusion in this deck. I suppose you could go for Mass Manipulation for the flavor win (since this is what Memnarch did throughout the whole Mirrodin block), but that's about it.
I'll be doing a formal set review eventually, but these are my initial thoughts. It does feel like they're prepping for some sort of Artifact block though, based on what's being printed and some of the language being used (does Bedevil REALLY need to hit Artifacts in order to be good?)
Shimmer of Possibility - we'll take all the Impulse variations we can get. Sadly, it's sorcery speed, but that's just fine for being able to dig so deeply.
Verity Circle - this card's power level is VERY meta dependent. Surrounded by mana dork based decks? This card is probably going to overperform for you. Mana rock heavy meta? This card is lame. I'd pick up a copy simply for the option to tweak your deck based on what's good.
Mass Mainpulation - I think I'm going to try this card simply for the sheer Vorthos aspect of it. This card is exactly what Memnarch did TO A WHOLE PLANE, basically. I'm going to try this card and see how it goes. It's probably terrible, but I can't say I care too much at this moment, heh.
My LGS has a Shuffle Hulk and a couple of Storm decks now and Counterbalance is really well-positioned currently. I'll be updating the OP list shortly.
Game Report
5 Man - Gishath Stompy, Rakdos Storm, Brago Combo, Zo-Zu LD, Memnarch Combo
I apologize if this has been mentioned elsewhere, but I realized that you can get another infinite mana combo with Isochron Scepter + Paradox Engine and any set of mana rocks that gets you more than two colorless mana. Not as great as Scepter + Dramatic Reversal but it does allow you to put something like High Tide or Cyclonic Rift for additional value.
Hi there Nsolarz! Welcome to the Memnarch Primer, comrade!
I don't know if I explicitly mention this interaction that you've identified in the Primer, but it's actually a pretty important one. I've had a few games where I've won because I imprinted a Reality Shift on a Scepter with Engine and a Sol Ring out. Engine enables so many broken things and I'm really happy that they printed a powerful card like it. Seems like Wizards has been shying away from super powerful cards in recent Standard sets.
Good eyes for pointing it out though!
EDIT: I've been able to squeeze a few more games in, and I'm going to be updating the Primer OP list. The current configuration has adapted to include my favorite parts about my Tier 2 list but in a more competitive fashion. Dramatic Scepter is coming back in and Enter the Infinite is actually making the cut. I'll try and post the updates later today.
Ok, the OP list is finally updated to reflect the correct decklist that I'm running at this moment in time, with the exception of one change.
Instead of playing Time Spiral, I'm playing Enter the Infinite. Getting to its casting cost is really quite easy in this deck during the Paradox Engine turn and its resolution guarantees a win with the Engine in play. I've been pretty pleased with it in goldfishing games.
The card that I'm currently keeping an eye is the inclusion of Mystic Confluence. I like its utility and the fact that it can draw cards, but it just might be too expensive for this deck. If that's the case, then I expect it to be replaced with a cheaper counterspell or Cryptic Command, for nostalgia's sake.
The card that I'm currently keeping an eye is the inclusion of Mystic Confluence. I like its utility and the fact that it can draw cards, but it just might be too expensive for this deck. If that's the case, then I expect it to be replaced with a cheaper counterspell or Cryptic Command, for nostalgia's sake.
I can support this move. Although it does have utility, I like being able to interact faster in this deck.
I cut down my counter suite to be below 2 mana in order to abuse Isochron Scepter better when I don't have the combo. My latest cut was Misdirection for Negate (full art...yum). Obviously I kept Force of Will.
Not as frequently as I'd like. I am going to try and arrange to play games on a monthly basis with a group that's closer to where I live rather than the LGS that my friend owns. Driving 30 minutes isn't something I can reasonably do with a young family. 15 minutes is.
I was finally able to play with the Memdaddy this weekend. I'll try and share the game reports from what I remember.
4 Man Game: Yisan, Tasigur Control, Memnarch, Tazri Food Chain/T&T Shuffle Hulk
The details are hazy on this game, but I know that I attempted to set up for a Combo on my end step via one of the test cards I was trying: Shimmer Myr. I've a feeling that it will find its way into the maindeck.
So I kept a slower hand of Island, Island, Shimmer Myr, Dramatic Reversal, Sol Ring, Ponder, and Isochron Scepter, trusting that I would draw into a payoff card that would enable my Dramatic Scepter combo to actually fire off. We played draw go for a bit, where I drew into a Scalding Tarn. I attempt a T1 Sol Ring but the Tasigur player Mental Missteped it. Gah! With my T1 play foiled, I simply tried to bide my time. I EOT flashed in Shimmer Myr before my T3, after drawing Sensei's Top on my T2. I untapped on my T3 and drew into Basalt Monolith. Ah yeah! My plan was to flash it in at the end of Tasigur's turn and dump Sensei's Top And Dramatic Scepter so that I could draw my deck on my turn with infinite colorless mana to eventually play my deck. Tasigur plays a mana dork and passes with 3 mana up, and I attempt to execute my plan. The Monolith resolves, the Top resolves, but the Scepter eats a Counterspell from the Tasigur player. I had reasoned that it was a fairly good window to attempt to combo off since the Yisan player and the Tazri player were both tapped out. Ah well. I untap, draw a card, and pass the turn to Tazri. Who then proceeds to do Food Chain things and win. Actually, it might have been T&T Shuffle Hulk. I can't remember. Either way, Steely Dan won after I was foiled in my own attempt to do so.
4 Man: Yisan, Tasigur, Memnarch, Tazri/T&T Shuffle Hulk
This was a fairly interesting game where Tasigur was doing a GREAT job of controlling the game and board state. He had all the mana sources and control elements (the dreaded CounterTop!) but no blockers. So Yisan's Pathbreaker Ibex was taking huge chunks out of his life and he wasn't able to draw a Wrath or spot removal effect for the Ibex. Tasigur was doing a great job of keeping the Tazri/T&T player under control and I was having fun with EOT draw spells like Fact or Fiction. Yisan eventually killed Tasigur with beats. In my previous turn, I was able to [CARD}Whir of Invention[/CARD] Engine into play, so I was netting mana with most of the spells I was casting, but was unable to combo off because I was short on colored mana sources for the Engine. On my turn, after Tasigur died, I cast an Intuition, selecting Gilded Lotus, Grand Architect, and Coveted Jewel. I had a ton of cards in hand, and had conveniently drawn into Pili-Pala at the beginning of my turn. Reasoning that it was unlikely that I had Pili-Pala in hand, my opponents gave me the Architect. I proceeded to make infinite mana, cast an overloaded Cyclonic Rift to get the Lignify off of Memnarch that had been cast earlier in the game, and proceeded to steel all the permanents for the rest of the game.
1x Pithing Needle
1x Grafdigger's Cage
4x Mindlock Orb
4x Lodestone Golem
2x Power Artifact
6x Mycosynth Lattice
4x One with the Machine
3x Thirst for Knowledge
2x Aphetto Alchemist
2x Illusionist's Bracers
8x Dig Through Time
7x All is Dust
6x Recurring Insight
2x Snapcaster Mage
5x Mystic Confluence
1x Pongify
Also, here's my review of the M19 set!
M19 Review
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
EDIT: Because I play in a Stax heavy meta, All is Dust is definitely going back in. It's just too useful in getting around shroud, hexproof, and indestructible while hitting multiple permanent types, similar to Ugin, the Spirit Dragon. I've also decided to slot back in Mana Leak because it's effectively another hard counterspell in a Competitive Commander game. Really, it's a placeholder for a better card that gets printed or if I want to add in another draw spell like Dig Through Time.
EDIT 2: I also updated the budget list with some new cards from M19 and Dominaria. It comes in at $132, I believe, and has added in two combos to increase the redundancy of creating infinite mana and winning the game. Those combos are Deadeye Navigator + Peregrine Drake and Archaeomancer + Ghostly Flicker + Peregrine Drake/Gilded Lotus. I also added in a few more Wizard based synergies to maximize the card advantage we can accrue.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
In
+ Omniscience
+ Enter the Infinite
- Isochron Scepter
- Dramatic Reversal
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
I've seen Coveted Jewel in action now a few times and I must say that the card draw stapled to a Gilded Lotus effect is much more powerful than I originally anticipated. I can see where, during an Engine turn, that card draw could mean the difference between fizzling out or continuing to chain spells together and net mana to dump into Memnarch's ability. I think I'm going to try it in this Tier 2 list and include a small Treasure Mage package. It might be a little less competitive overall, but it could be much more fun to play. We shall see.
EDIT: Quick list off the top of my head.
7x Memnarch
Mana Sources (16)
0x Mana Crypt
0x Mox Opal
0x Everflowing Chalice
1x Sol Ring
1x Mana Vault
2x Coldsteel Heart
2x Silver Myr
2x Grim Monolith
3x Basalt Monolith
3x Grand Architect
4x Thran Dynamo
4x Solemn Simulacrum
4x Phyrexian Metamorph
5x Gilded Lotus
6x Caged Sun
6x Coveted Jewel
Combo Pieces (8)
2x Pili-Pala
3x Ghostly Flicker
4x Archaeomancer
5x Paradox Engine
6x Deadeye Navigator
7x Palinchron
10x Omniscience
12x Enter the Infinite
Win Conditions (2)
3x Blue Sun’s Zenith
4x Aetherflux Reservoir
1x Mystical Tutor
2x Reshape
2x Transmute Artifact
3x Whir of Invention
3x Intuition
3x Fabricate
3x Trinket Mage
3x Treasure Mage
3x Spellseeker
Card Draw/Advantage (12)
1x Sensei’s Divining Top
1x Brainstorm
1x Preordain
2x Impulse
2x Pull from Tomorrow
3x Sea Gate Oracle
4x One with the Machine
4x Fact or Fiction
5x Azami, Lady of Scrolls
5x Future Sight
6x Recurring Insight
8x Dig Through Time
Removal (12)
1x Chain of Vapor
1x Rapid Hybridization
2x Reality Shift
2x Cyclonic Rift
2x Gilded Drake
3x Vedalken Shackles
3x Capsize
4x Sower of Temptation
4x Venser, Shaper Savant
5x Beguiler of Wills
7x Meteor Golem
8x Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
0x Pact of Negation
2x Arcane Denial
2x Mana Drain
2x Counterspell
5x Force of Will
5x Mystic Confluence
Lands (34)
1x Academy Ruins
1x Buried Ruin
1x Cavern of Souls
1x Ancient Tomb
1x Inventors’ Fair
1x Myriad Landscape
1x Scalding Tarn
1x Misty Rainforest
1x Polluted Delta
1x Flooded Strand
1x Seat of the Synod
23x Island
EDIT 2: Having proxied up Timetwister and playing Time Spiral in place of Padeem and C. Sphinx, I think it makes the deck faster and more combo-esque. I think that these changes will be made in the OP decklist permanent since I didn't really miss either of those creatures.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Coveted Jewel has been one of the cards I've most enjoyed. While there have been games where the Jewel makes its rounds about the table, the fact that I can draw cards off of a mana rock has proven to be INVALUABLE for several combo lines I've had come up. The best thing I've done with it is to cast it off of Grand Architect and then Transmute Artifact it away into a Paradox Engine. This card has perhaps single-handedly renewed my interest in Memnarch and I now tutor for it pretty frequently.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
I'll be updating the OP list at some point to reflect this change of decklist, philosophy, and card choices. I'll also be adding a section about how to evaluate your opponent's plays so that you can know when to react and when to let it go. I think it will help highlight the power of Memnarch as a card, since he changes the way you evaluate your opponents' plays in an interesting way.
I'll also be doing a set review for Guilds of Ravnica shortly. Lots to do!
EDIT: After further thinking, I've decided to simply add a section for the Tier 2 list that I'm playing instead of revamping the whole Primer. Mostly because I want to make sure that a reader can see the optimized playlist first and THEN see alternate decklists that suit their preferences/budget.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
There are some really cool cards in this set that make me applaud the direction Wizards is going. Although I don't like it, Assassin's Trophy is a great card to help regulate the Modern and Legacy formats while also being super useful in Commander. And the flavor that's in this set is absolutely delightful. There's a dearth of Artifact supported cards, which I'm not terribly surprised about, so the review will be fairly short.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Noice. It's a pretty great feeling of having the complete mana rocks package to be able to slot into a deck at will.
And, indeed, a Happy Thanksgiving to ya'll! I hope your Turkey day was thoughtful, thankful, and delicious.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Ultimate Masters Review
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
EDIT: This is a comment I posted in my Tasigur Primer about Lavinia, and I think it's worth repeating here for the sake of this Primer.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
I'll be doing a formal set review eventually, but these are my initial thoughts. It does feel like they're prepping for some sort of Artifact block though, based on what's being printed and some of the language being used (does Bedevil REALLY need to hit Artifacts in order to be good?)
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
- Arcane Denial
- Mana Leak
+ Counterbalance
+ Flusterstorm
My LGS has a Shuffle Hulk and a couple of Storm decks now and Counterbalance is really well-positioned currently. I'll be updating the OP list shortly.
Game Report
5 Man - Gishath Stompy, Rakdos Storm, Brago Combo, Zo-Zu LD, Memnarch Combo
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
I don't know if I explicitly mention this interaction that you've identified in the Primer, but it's actually a pretty important one. I've had a few games where I've won because I imprinted a Reality Shift on a Scepter with Engine and a Sol Ring out. Engine enables so many broken things and I'm really happy that they printed a powerful card like it. Seems like Wizards has been shying away from super powerful cards in recent Standard sets.
Good eyes for pointing it out though!
EDIT: I've been able to squeeze a few more games in, and I'm going to be updating the Primer OP list. The current configuration has adapted to include my favorite parts about my Tier 2 list but in a more competitive fashion. Dramatic Scepter is coming back in and Enter the Infinite is actually making the cut. I'll try and post the updates later today.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Instead of playing Time Spiral, I'm playing Enter the Infinite. Getting to its casting cost is really quite easy in this deck during the Paradox Engine turn and its resolution guarantees a win with the Engine in play. I've been pretty pleased with it in goldfishing games.
The card that I'm currently keeping an eye is the inclusion of Mystic Confluence. I like its utility and the fact that it can draw cards, but it just might be too expensive for this deck. If that's the case, then I expect it to be replaced with a cheaper counterspell or Cryptic Command, for nostalgia's sake.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
I can support this move. Although it does have utility, I like being able to interact faster in this deck.
I cut down my counter suite to be below 2 mana in order to abuse Isochron Scepter better when I don't have the combo. My latest cut was Misdirection for Negate (full art...yum). Obviously I kept Force of Will.
How often do you get to play this deck, Bear?
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
4 Man Game: Yisan, Tasigur Control, Memnarch, Tazri Food Chain/T&T Shuffle Hulk
So I kept a slower hand of Island, Island, Shimmer Myr, Dramatic Reversal, Sol Ring, Ponder, and Isochron Scepter, trusting that I would draw into a payoff card that would enable my Dramatic Scepter combo to actually fire off. We played draw go for a bit, where I drew into a Scalding Tarn. I attempt a T1 Sol Ring but the Tasigur player Mental Missteped it. Gah! With my T1 play foiled, I simply tried to bide my time. I EOT flashed in Shimmer Myr before my T3, after drawing Sensei's Top on my T2. I untapped on my T3 and drew into Basalt Monolith. Ah yeah! My plan was to flash it in at the end of Tasigur's turn and dump Sensei's Top And Dramatic Scepter so that I could draw my deck on my turn with infinite colorless mana to eventually play my deck. Tasigur plays a mana dork and passes with 3 mana up, and I attempt to execute my plan. The Monolith resolves, the Top resolves, but the Scepter eats a Counterspell from the Tasigur player. I had reasoned that it was a fairly good window to attempt to combo off since the Yisan player and the Tazri player were both tapped out. Ah well. I untap, draw a card, and pass the turn to Tazri. Who then proceeds to do Food Chain things and win. Actually, it might have been T&T Shuffle Hulk. I can't remember. Either way, Steely Dan won after I was foiled in my own attempt to do so.
4 Man: Yisan, Tasigur, Memnarch, Tazri/T&T Shuffle Hulk
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager