Mystifying Maze can get expensive, so unless you can regularly have 4 untapped, I would hesitate to use that. I would also suggest putting in a Plains or Swamp over your Island, just to balance out the color load.
Beacon of Unrest, particularly if you can tutor it up reliably, is a great card for recursion...and not just yours.
Yawgwin, though expensive, is another great recursion card.
Reanimate is great fun, particularly if you sac a creature, bring it back with Adarkar Valkyrie, then Reanimate it, all while abusing it's ETB/LTB triggers...like with Angel of Despair or Ashen Rider? The cost needs to be weighed for that one, though...(Pppssst! I used to be NASTY, and if I had a big beats creature in my opening hand with Reanimate, intentionally not play a land T1 so I discard the beater, then drop a swamp T2, and...:D ).
Phantasmal Image is a GREAT cheap-o clone, but it's prime purpose is to abuse ETB effects...keep that in mind. That it's Sun Titan targetable is another fun thing(TWO Sun Titans? Yes please!)
Finally, depending on if you have someone critter storm out in your meta and splurge a bunch of creatures(token or otherwise) onto the battlefield before hasty swinging, let me introduce you to Mirror Match. And though you're more about cloning than thieving, Gather Specimens is another powerful card for those types of swarm splurges too...
Currently 2 cards are needing replaced. Ice Floe and Koskun Falls. Going to add a Swamp for the land slot. Not sure what to put in for the other yet. Still reviewing choices.
So Homeward Path is now a thing being used against me. Gonna take that swamp I was gonna put in and switch it to Strip Mine. Need to decide if I want to go with a counter and tutor package. The hate is getting real for this deck. And Humility is freaking all star.
Ghost Quarter and Tectonic Edge are both other budget options you might want to consider(if only for redundancy) against Path hate. Be ready for Venser hate too, which might be more difficult to deal with.
Cut things down to go over your Maybe list, as you've requested.
Using the copy effects can be tricky in some instances. I can't begin to count the number of times I've seen someone want to copy one of my creatures from my other decks, only to be denied because of boots or trees or whatever else. Your lighthouse will be even more critical in those instances, which means you should get an Expedition Map or something similar to help you get to that land ASAP.
Now, first and foremost, I would forget about Evil Twin. The very nature of EDH renders it almost powerless, though with the legendary rule change some time ago allowing opponents to have the same legendary on each of their boards does make it popular as a commander killer. At the same time though, you can run Meddling Mage or Nevermore and just lock them out from playing the commander at all.
Dimir Doppelganger doubles as a GY cleaner, AND is a viable target for Sun Titan. Definite include. Coffin Queen is also great for similar reasons, making her arguably more powerful than Merieke.
That makes the rest of the doppelgangers and such effects a little less worth your time. Sure, you get to copy creatures your opponent has, but they still have those creatures. Unless you're planning to stall out the game(maybe for your wincon?), it's better to steal/deny your opponents their creatures while you swing with them.
Merieke can be run a multitude of ways, but *I* feel that she's best run as a thief commander, rather than a copy commander. Your mileage may vary, and Esper is a great wedge to change up a gameplan with. Let me know how it works out for you.
Played several games with Merieke this weekend. Finding myself wanting more non-creature removal or more counters. Dream Tides worked great and has earned its place. Also needing to find two slots for Dimir Doppelganger and Coffin Queen.
After consulting with some friends and other people in the commander community, I've decided to make some changes in preparation for this weekends games.
Got some games in this weekend. Dimir Doppelganger performed well. Didn't draw Mimic Vat, so I have nothing to report about it's performance. Non-creature removal is definitely needed. I'll be going over options to use and what to replace this week. Overall, very happy with the way deck is playing and how it is shaping up.
The coffers/urborg combo really doesn't do anything for me and I'm moving away from the "x" spells, so coffers is the first to go. Haven gives me a "3rd" Maze of Ith, which does me a lot of good.
With these changes decided to go with a couple of more sweepers to shore up on the creature based decks. Swarmers are present in my group so more ways to deal with them if I stall is good. Ixidron is nice tech that I like, it shuts off tribal swarm and just about everything else and gives me a nice size beater to attack with. Possible clone target as well if I'm ahead and can take somebody out. Mana Drain comes in cause I got lucky enough to pack one from Iconic Masters so now I have an extra to put in this deck. There are a few more changes to be made yet. I'm going to try to have them done for this weekend so I can test and see if I was able to shore up some of my weakpoints.
Got quite a few games in this weekend. The changes made were excellent. Have extra sweepers and non creature removal helped soo much. And changing the mana base smoothed out my play really well. I was able to setup almost everytime and control the board states. Very happy with the deck now, it's running the way I was intending to build it. I still have a couple slots I can play with and I am considering some constant card draw. Things like Rhystic Study or Necropotence maybe? Any ideas on would be greatly appreciated.
Posted the current build as well as included a link to the deck builder page for the deck. Basically integrated the two so it is easier to view and can keep discussion on the deck open.
Got some games in this weekend. Rhystic Study worked very well, so it will stay. Still haven't got to play remora,vault or arena yet, so no verdict on those 3 cards yet.
Finally got to see my card draw in action. Everything seems to work really well. Happy with the results. Deck is where I want it for now, and I will be keeping my eyes open for new stuff and other potential additions.
If you're thinking of getting multiple extra turns from Magosi, I don't believe it will work the way you want it to. Part of the activation cost of getting that extra turn is returning Magosi to your hand, which removes all the eon counters you may have stored on it. The only way I could see you pulling something like that off is if you use both Vesuva and Thespian's Stage to copy Magosi twice, and get a loop started with the original and the copies.
Beacon of Unrest, particularly if you can tutor it up reliably, is a great card for recursion...and not just yours.
Yawgwin, though expensive, is another great recursion card.
Reanimate is great fun, particularly if you sac a creature, bring it back with Adarkar Valkyrie, then Reanimate it, all while abusing it's ETB/LTB triggers...like with Angel of Despair or Ashen Rider? The cost needs to be weighed for that one, though...(Pppssst! I used to be NASTY, and if I had a big beats creature in my opening hand with Reanimate, intentionally not play a land T1 so I discard the beater, then drop a swamp T2, and...:D ).
Phantasmal Image is a GREAT cheap-o clone, but it's prime purpose is to abuse ETB effects...keep that in mind. That it's Sun Titan targetable is another fun thing(TWO Sun Titans? Yes please!)
Finally, depending on if you have someone critter storm out in your meta and splurge a bunch of creatures(token or otherwise) onto the battlefield before hasty swinging, let me introduce you to Mirror Match. And though you're more about cloning than thieving, Gather Specimens is another powerful card for those types of swarm splurges too...
EDH decks: 1. RGWMayael's Big BeatsRETIRED!
2. BUWMerieke Ri Berit and the 40 Thieves
3. URNiv's Wheeling and Dealing!
4. BURThe Walking Dead
5. GWSisay's Legends of Tomorrow
6. RWBRise of Markov
7. GElvez and stuffz(W)
8. RCrush your enemies(W)
9. BSign right here...(W)
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
EDH decks: 1. RGWMayael's Big BeatsRETIRED!
2. BUWMerieke Ri Berit and the 40 Thieves
3. URNiv's Wheeling and Dealing!
4. BURThe Walking Dead
5. GWSisay's Legends of Tomorrow
6. RWBRise of Markov
7. GElvez and stuffz(W)
8. RCrush your enemies(W)
9. BSign right here...(W)
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
Cut things down to go over your Maybe list, as you've requested.
Using the copy effects can be tricky in some instances. I can't begin to count the number of times I've seen someone want to copy one of my creatures from my other decks, only to be denied because of boots or trees or whatever else. Your lighthouse will be even more critical in those instances, which means you should get an Expedition Map or something similar to help you get to that land ASAP.
Now, first and foremost, I would forget about Evil Twin. The very nature of EDH renders it almost powerless, though with the legendary rule change some time ago allowing opponents to have the same legendary on each of their boards does make it popular as a commander killer. At the same time though, you can run Meddling Mage or Nevermore and just lock them out from playing the commander at all.
Dimir Doppelganger doubles as a GY cleaner, AND is a viable target for Sun Titan. Definite include. Coffin Queen is also great for similar reasons, making her arguably more powerful than Merieke.
That makes the rest of the doppelgangers and such effects a little less worth your time. Sure, you get to copy creatures your opponent has, but they still have those creatures. Unless you're planning to stall out the game(maybe for your wincon?), it's better to steal/deny your opponents their creatures while you swing with them.
Merieke can be run a multitude of ways, but *I* feel that she's best run as a thief commander, rather than a copy commander. Your mileage may vary, and Esper is a great wedge to change up a gameplan with. Let me know how it works out for you.
EDH decks: 1. RGWMayael's Big BeatsRETIRED!
2. BUWMerieke Ri Berit and the 40 Thieves
3. URNiv's Wheeling and Dealing!
4. BURThe Walking Dead
5. GWSisay's Legends of Tomorrow
6. RWBRise of Markov
7. GElvez and stuffz(W)
8. RCrush your enemies(W)
9. BSign right here...(W)
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
EDH decks: 1. RGWMayael's Big BeatsRETIRED!
2. BUWMerieke Ri Berit and the 40 Thieves
3. URNiv's Wheeling and Dealing!
4. BURThe Walking Dead
5. GWSisay's Legends of Tomorrow
6. RWBRise of Markov
7. GElvez and stuffz(W)
8. RCrush your enemies(W)
9. BSign right here...(W)
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
Out: Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts, Conjurer's Closet
In: Dimir Doppelganger, Mimic Vat
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
Changes to occur when I acquire the cards:
Island ---> Kor Haven
Clone ---> Coffin Queen
Still mulling over my non creature removal options.
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
Island----->Kor Haven
Island----->Swamp
Cabal Coffers----->Swamp
The coffers/urborg combo really doesn't do anything for me and I'm moving away from the "x" spells, so coffers is the first to go. Haven gives me a "3rd" Maze of Ith, which does me a lot of good.
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
Torment of Hailfire----->Damnation
Exsanguinate----->Ixidron
Absorb----->Mana Drain
With these changes decided to go with a couple of more sweepers to shore up on the creature based decks. Swarmers are present in my group so more ways to deal with them if I stall is good. Ixidron is nice tech that I like, it shuts off tribal swarm and just about everything else and gives me a nice size beater to attack with. Possible clone target as well if I'm ahead and can take somebody out. Mana Drain comes in cause I got lucky enough to pack one from Iconic Masters so now I have an extra to put in this deck. There are a few more changes to be made yet. I'm going to try to have them done for this weekend so I can test and see if I was able to shore up some of my weakpoints.
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
Control Magic----->Vindicate
Corrupted Conscience----->Return to Dust
Clone----->Coffin Queen
Vedalken Shackles----->Rite of Replication
Still have a couple more changes to make yet. Don't think I will get them done before Saturday. If I do I will post them.
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
Would really appreciate some feedback about adding those in.
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
GVorinclex, Voice of HungerG
WUBMerieke Ri BeritWUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' VoiceGWUB
EDH decks: 1. RGWMayael's Big BeatsRETIRED!
2. BUWMerieke Ri Berit and the 40 Thieves
3. URNiv's Wheeling and Dealing!
4. BURThe Walking Dead
5. GWSisay's Legends of Tomorrow
6. RWBRise of Markov
7. GElvez and stuffz(W)
8. RCrush your enemies(W)
9. BSign right here...(W)