I didn't want to put in 8 fetches because I Probe all day long for 2 life.
The point of this deck is to over commit and then refill your hand 1-2 times per turn with Jace's Archivist. Using a phantasmal image on an Archivist is actually a really good idea.
I like probe in illusions because it lets you know if your lord is safe, if you have to play the control aspect the next turn, or if you can ove commit without fear of a board wipe. which is what this deck has over elves.
Monument very much can be a win-more. Its spot is kinda there and I have seen myself just dumping it with Archivist.
I didn't want to go the semi-artifact route with Grand Architect but I am keeping my eye on those builds anyways.
Let me know what you guys think
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Oona, Queen of the Fae UGMomir Vig, Simic VisionaryGU GRBorborygmos EnragedRG GBGRhys the ExiledGBG URG Intet, the Dreamer GRU
I'm surprised more people aren't going with the red splash......
Red has a weaker mana base then B or W, and I don't see what red brings that W or B doesn't already do without a weaker base. We have fliers to give us reach, or Masticore if thats your thing.
MAYBE Arc Trail would be worth splashing for, but that would really only be to combat some sort of aggro deck. If you are concerned by aggro in your meta, go the Architect route and drop a T3 Wurmcoil.
Red has a weaker mana base then B or W, and I don't see what red brings that W or B doesn't already do without a weaker base. We have fliers to give us reach, or Masticore if thats your thing.
MAYBE Arc Trail would be worth splashing for, but that would really only be to combat some sort of aggro deck. If you are concerned by aggro in your meta, go the Architect route and drop a T3 Wurmcoil.
Well, Grim Lavamancer is a very good way to gain reach. But U/R "Mirage" is vastly different from Mono U, U/w, U/b, or Grand Architect illusions. It's much more of a U/r midrange control deck, that relies on forcing the enemy to 1-1 undercosted beaters, then dropping relatively safe wincons (noticably Lavamancer). Dangerous(ly overcosted), but not our thing.
Red has a weaker mana base then B or W, and I don't see what red brings that W or B doesn't already do without a weaker base. We have fliers to give us reach, or Masticore if thats your thing.
MAYBE Arc Trail would be worth splashing for, but that would really only be to combat some sort of aggro deck. If you are concerned by aggro in your meta, go the Architect route and drop a T3 Wurmcoil.
Trust me, one fetch a mana base does not make. B/W doesn't work, mostly due to the unstable mana base. U/G probably would have done better if it had a more stable mana base. U/R has to be carefully built to accommodate the weak mana base, whereas Ally colors (W and B) can be confined to 8 Duals, and maybe 3 basics.
I'd go 4 GA to 2 Wurm, with a Mindslaver or Steel Hellkite thrown in for lulz. Also; SadRobots, not sure if they should stay boarded though.
Adaptive Automaton is so easy to work into any build. It's just nice to have overall. Maybe as a 3 of if space is tight. If space is TOO tight, you might consider cutting it (though your list should probably be loosened up for easier boarding).
EDIT: Black Splash is up in the Primer. I'll be digging through all the U/r lists to see if it's worth including as a splash, or if I should just say it's a completely different deck that differs too wildly from what most lists are doing.
Trust me, one fetch a mana base does not make. B/W doesn't work, mostly due to the unstable mana base. U/G probably would have done better if it had a more stable mana base. U/R has to be carefully built to accommodate the weak mana base, whereas Ally colors (W and B) can be confined to 8 Duals, and maybe 3 basics.
12 red spells...
11 red mana sources
3cc curve
my mana base is perfectly fine... 1 mountain is all i need out
not to mention, none of my mana comes into play tapped or even has a chance to come in tapped
The problem with playing non-blue dual sources, in my mind, is that it lowers the chance of a T2 lord of the unreal, which we want out ASAP to protect the rest of the deck. U/r makes you choose between early lord or early removal, U/allied does not punish as harshly.
my mana base is perfectly fine... 1 mountain is all i need out
not to mention, none of my mana comes into play tapped or even has a chance to come in tapped
I sorta don't have your list, so I wouldn't know.
See: carefully built. (Nothing with RR, and a tendency to go for a low curve). I would have to see your list to say much tbh.
Sure it's cutesy, but this is an Illusion deck afterall lol. Seems fun if nothing else. I'll run it at FNM not this Friday, but next. I'll let you know how it goes.
Sure it's cutesy, but this is an Illusion deck afterall lol. Seems fun if nothing else. I'll run it at FNM not this Friday, but next. I'll let you know how it goes.
I would turn your Phantasmal Dragons into a Mindslaver and a Steel Hellkite. You are running Treasure mage and GA, after all.
Your counter package looks pretty weak, I think 4 Mana Leaks would work better. If you somehow found space, 4 Mana Leaks and 2 Spell Pierce would be a good deal stronger- but space is always tight.
Mental Misstep is a must in the Sideboard. It's pretty much the only way to make the RDW matchup winnable.
Sure it's cutesy, but this is an Illusion deck afterall lol. Seems fun if nothing else. I'll run it at FNM not this Friday, but next. I'll let you know how it goes.
I don't like CiPT lands like Creeping Tar Pit at all, no matter how awesome those manlands are. Unless you purposely want to play slower, but that's a personal decision. The mana cost to activate them is quite steep as well I feel.
I also feel like you aren't taking full advantage of Black for the investment in the mana base. Duress is the card that makes me strongly consider Black. Its hard for your opponent to target your creatures with a spell when its sitting in their discard pile, after all. I'd run a playset of Duress, and switch the Tar Pits for swamps.
Mental Misstep against UW? The only 1-drop in UW is Ponder and / or Preordain.
Against UB, perhaps. Stops T1 Inquisition of Kozilek, Duress and Despise.
I meant for putting them into U/w Illusions build, not for a UW matchup. Sorry for the confusion.
I meant for putting them into U/w Illusions build, not for a UW matchup. Sorry for the confusion.
I use it in my U/w list, yeah. It's just so strong, it hits L-Bolt, Guide, IOK, Some counters, so on. 4 of in the board is ideal, 3 of I would call mandatory.
Hero of Bladehold is awesome, and if you have more creatures out, it just gets better.
Thoughts on the deck?
(Some day, I want to be able to say "Play Adaptive Automaton, naming Humans" the turn after I play Hero, then swing for 10 from nowhere. Or maybe more, if I have the Lord out.)
(And "Play a Sun Titan, I'll take Image from the graveyard, copying Sun Titan, who'll get another Image, copying Sun Titan, then he'll get Lord of the Unreal. Enjoy my 2 7/7 and Hexproof Sun Titans.)
Blue-ssion Aggro
4 Phantasmal Bear
4 Lord Of the Unreal
4 Phantasmal Image
4 Jace's Archivist
2 Adaptive Automaton
2 Phantasmal Dragon
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Mana Leak
2 Ponder
4 Vapor Snag
2 Eldrazi Monument
4 Scalding Tarn
20 Islands
I didn't want to put in 8 fetches because I Probe all day long for 2 life.
The point of this deck is to over commit and then refill your hand 1-2 times per turn with Jace's Archivist. Using a phantasmal image on an Archivist is actually a really good idea.
I like probe in illusions because it lets you know if your lord is safe, if you have to play the control aspect the next turn, or if you can ove commit without fear of a board wipe. which is what this deck has over elves.
Monument very much can be a win-more. Its spot is kinda there and I have seen myself just dumping it with Archivist.
I didn't want to go the semi-artifact route with Grand Architect but I am keeping my eye on those builds anyways.
Let me know what you guys think
UGMomir Vig, Simic VisionaryGU
GRBorborygmos EnragedRG
GBGRhys the ExiledGBG
URG Intet, the Dreamer GRU
(i'd like to squeeze in more fetches to benefit with the lavamancers)
Lands (22):
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Tectonic Edge
10 Island
6 Mountain
Creatures (22):
4 Phantasmal Bear
4 Lord of the Unreal
3 Phantasmal Image
4 AEther Figment
3 Adaptive Automaton
4 Grim Lavamancer
Draw Spells (4):
4 Ponder
Counterspells (4):
4 Mana Leak
Other Spells (8):
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Incinerate
I'm surprised more people aren't going with the red splash......
...... I will also be looking at testing with the black splash as the mana base seems really strong !!!!!!
4 Lord of the Unreal
4 Phantasmal Image
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Adaptive Automaton
4 Vapor Snag
4 Grand Architect
2 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Contagion Engine
1 Mindslaver
4 Treasure Mage
2 Aether Adept
22 Island
Something I can up with in like 5 min, plus I like the idea of a backup plan with Grand Architect + Big fat artifact.
Red has a weaker mana base then B or W, and I don't see what red brings that W or B doesn't already do without a weaker base. We have fliers to give us reach, or Masticore if thats your thing.
MAYBE Arc Trail would be worth splashing for, but that would really only be to combat some sort of aggro deck. If you are concerned by aggro in your meta, go the Architect route and drop a T3 Wurmcoil.
Well, Grim Lavamancer is a very good way to gain reach. But U/R "Mirage" is vastly different from Mono U, U/w, U/b, or Grand Architect illusions. It's much more of a U/r midrange control deck, that relies on forcing the enemy to 1-1 undercosted beaters, then dropping relatively safe wincons (noticably Lavamancer). Dangerous(ly overcosted), but not our thing.
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scalding tarn does seem weak...:rolleyes:
Trust me, one fetch a mana base does not make. B/W doesn't work, mostly due to the unstable mana base. U/G probably would have done better if it had a more stable mana base. U/R has to be carefully built to accommodate the weak mana base, whereas Ally colors (W and B) can be confined to 8 Duals, and maybe 3 basics.
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EDH: Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Wurmcoil Engine. All the way.
What's the ratio for Wurm to Grand Architect? I was thinking 4 GA to 3 Wurm? What about Adaptives?
EDH: Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Adaptive Automaton is so easy to work into any build. It's just nice to have overall. Maybe as a 3 of if space is tight. If space is TOO tight, you might consider cutting it (though your list should probably be loosened up for easier boarding).
EDIT: Black Splash is up in the Primer. I'll be digging through all the U/r lists to see if it's worth including as a splash, or if I should just say it's a completely different deck that differs too wildly from what most lists are doing.
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12 red spells...
11 red mana sources
3cc curve
my mana base is perfectly fine... 1 mountain is all i need out
not to mention, none of my mana comes into play tapped or even has a chance to come in tapped
I sorta don't have your list, so I wouldn't know.
See: carefully built. (Nothing with RR, and a tendency to go for a low curve). I would have to see your list to say much tbh.
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Windfall is an awesome ability in a deck that can simply dump its hand...
UGMomir Vig, Simic VisionaryGU
GRBorborygmos EnragedRG
GBGRhys the ExiledGBG
URG Intet, the Dreamer GRU
Creatures:
4x Phantasmal Bear
4x Lord of the Unreal
4x Phantasmal Image
4x Adaptive Automaton
4x Grand Architect
Spells:
4x Mana Leak
2x Negate
4x Ponder
4x Go for the Throat
4x Despise
Lands:
4x Darkslick Shores
4x Drowned Catacomb
2x Contested War Zone
12x Island
Sideboard:
4x Surgical Extraction
4x Flashfreeze
4x Hex Parasite
3x Dismember
What do you guys think?
If you go with Grand Architect you may want to have a couple Wurmcoils and or a Molten Tail Masticore in there
UGMomir Vig, Simic VisionaryGU
GRBorborygmos EnragedRG
GBGRhys the ExiledGBG
URG Intet, the Dreamer GRU
Tell me how hard it fails
But really, I'm not sure it's anything but cute (or if it's meant to be anything but cute).
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4 Adaptive Automaton
4 Grand Architect
4 Lord of the Unreal
4 Phantasmal Bear
2 Phantasmal Dragon
4 Phantasmal Image
2 Treasure Mage
2 Wurmcoil Engine
4 Go for the Throat
2 Mana Leak
4 Preordain
2 Spell Pierce
Land:
4 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Darkslick Shores
4 Drowned Catacomb
10 Island
1 Contagion Engine
4 Disfigure
2 Dismember
1 Doom Blade
4 Flashfreeze
3 Memoricide
Sure it's cutesy, but this is an Illusion deck afterall lol. Seems fun if nothing else. I'll run it at FNM not this Friday, but next. I'll let you know how it goes.
I would turn your Phantasmal Dragons into a Mindslaver and a Steel Hellkite. You are running Treasure mage and GA, after all.
Your counter package looks pretty weak, I think 4 Mana Leaks would work better. If you somehow found space, 4 Mana Leaks and 2 Spell Pierce would be a good deal stronger- but space is always tight.
Mental Misstep is a must in the Sideboard. It's pretty much the only way to make the RDW matchup winnable.
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I don't like CiPT lands like Creeping Tar Pit at all, no matter how awesome those manlands are. Unless you purposely want to play slower, but that's a personal decision. The mana cost to activate them is quite steep as well I feel.
I also feel like you aren't taking full advantage of Black for the investment in the mana base. Duress is the card that makes me strongly consider Black. Its hard for your opponent to target your creatures with a spell when its sitting in their discard pile, after all. I'd run a playset of Duress, and switch the Tar Pits for swamps.
Are you thinking a full playset of Misstep? Would you put them in a U/w Illusions sideboard?
I meant for putting them into U/w Illusions build, not for a UW matchup. Sorry for the confusion.
I use it in my U/w list, yeah. It's just so strong, it hits L-Bolt, Guide, IOK, Some counters, so on. 4 of in the board is ideal, 3 of I would call mandatory.
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4 Phantasmal Bear
4 Phantasmal Image
4 Lord of the Unreal
3 Adaptive Automaton
2 Neurok Commm
2 Hero of Bladehold
2 Sun Titan
Counters/Answers
4 Spell Pierce
3 Mana Leak
3 Oblivion Ring
4 Preordain
2 Jace's Ingenuity
Lands
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Seachrome Coast
11 Island
4 Plains
2 Celestial Purge (black, Splintertwin)
3 Unified Will (countermagic against control)
3 Dismember (twin, killing stuff in general)
3 Mental Misstep (Zelderex seems to have a point)
2 Timely Reinforcements
2 Flashfreeze (help for valakut, Big Red)
Hero of Bladehold is awesome, and if you have more creatures out, it just gets better.
Thoughts on the deck?
(Some day, I want to be able to say "Play Adaptive Automaton, naming Humans" the turn after I play Hero, then swing for 10 from nowhere. Or maybe more, if I have the Lord out.)
(And "Play a Sun Titan, I'll take Image from the graveyard, copying Sun Titan, who'll get another Image, copying Sun Titan, then he'll get Lord of the Unreal. Enjoy my 2 7/7 and Hexproof Sun Titans.)