I want Ink-Treader Nephilim to be a commander so hard that it keeps me awake at night. I scream "How can a loving god allow this injustice!?" until 4 AM when my neighbor calls the cops. When they come they tell me stories about a functional reprint as a legend in next year's commander product until I calm down, and then they tuck me into bed and give me a nice kiss on the cheek. Not weird, just a friendly kiss. It's very French. Anyway.
So I'm working my way through making a commander for all the combinations I haven't done, and I figured, even if it's not exactly legal, why not take a stab at the nephilim? But mostly just ink-treader. Because all the rest are but the shadows of dying leaves in his glorious light.
Step 1: Get out ink-treader. Hopefully by turn 2-3. If you have to cast cantrips early, go for it. Anything so you're not slowed down a turn.
Step 2: Make a ton of tokens. Or, alternatively, have some helpful opponents play creatures for you, thus freeing you up to do important things, such as winning the game very quickly.
Step 3: Cast a bunch of cantrip stuff targeting ink-treader to draw approximately infinity cards. Try to drop spellbook or reliquary tower to avoid hitting max hand size. There's lots of tapdown instants/sorceries so you can draw cards while keeping the enemy hordes at bay.
Step 4: Endgame. Generally you want to use a theft effect as a cheap insurrection to deal massive damage. Keep in mind it'll frequently be he safest call to sacrifice ink-treader with the trigger on the stack, so your opponents can't use him to kill the board without your permission.
My favorite part about this deck? How freaking amazing nivmagus elemental is here. You can target nephy with, say, jeskai charm, then exile the copies targeting all your creatures, while wiping your opponents' boards and clogging up their draws for many turns. And note that, even if your opponent casts terminate on your commander, nivmagus can counter all the copies except the one targeting ink-treader itself, if you so choose, while getting absurdly huge in the process.
So I'm working my way through making a commander for all the combinations I haven't done, and I figured, even if it's not exactly legal, why not take a stab at the nephilim? But mostly just ink-treader. Because all the rest are but the shadows of dying leaves in his glorious light.
1 Ink-Treader Nephilim
token producers (10)
1 spawning breath
1 akroan horse
1 alliance of arms
1 dovescape
1 genesis chamber
1 hunted troll
1 hunted phantasm
1 tempt with reflections
1 spitting image
1 tempt with vengeance
sac outlets (3)
1 phyrexian altar
1 fanatical devotion
1 spawning pit
target-controlling creatures (3)
1 nivmagus elemental
1 spellskite
1 battlefield thaumaturge
instants and sorceries (35)
cantrips
1 bandage
1 cerulean wisps
1 cloak of feathers
1 crimson wisps
1 defiant strike
1 fleeting distraction
1 heal
1 irresistible prey
1 leap
1 niveous wisps
1 panic
1 shadow rift
1 twisted image
1 viridescent wisps
1 fire/ice
1 enervate
1 crippling chill
1 refresh
1 repel the darkness
1 repulse
1 jolt
1 twitch
1 traitorous instinct
1 grab the reins
1 word of seizing
1 act of aggression
1 jeskai charm
1 unexpectedly absent
1 swords to plowshares
1 telekinesis
1 into the roil
1 god's willing
1 shelter
1 simic charm
max hand size is for losers (4)
1 spellbook
1 sylvan scrying
1 crop rotation
1 expedition map
ramp (11)
1 sylvan caryatid
1 chrome mox
1 birds of paradise
1 noble hierarch
1 avacyn's pilgrim
1 fellwar stone
1 utopia tree
1 lotus cobra
1 manaweft sliver
1 exploration
1 burgeoning
1 reliquary tower
1 cavern of souls
1 high market
1 gaea's cradle
1 forbidden orchard
10 fetches
6 duals
6 shocks
3 ody filters
4 basics
The deck works like so, roughly.
Step 1: Get out ink-treader. Hopefully by turn 2-3. If you have to cast cantrips early, go for it. Anything so you're not slowed down a turn.
Step 2: Make a ton of tokens. Or, alternatively, have some helpful opponents play creatures for you, thus freeing you up to do important things, such as winning the game very quickly.
Step 3: Cast a bunch of cantrip stuff targeting ink-treader to draw approximately infinity cards. Try to drop spellbook or reliquary tower to avoid hitting max hand size. There's lots of tapdown instants/sorceries so you can draw cards while keeping the enemy hordes at bay.
Step 4: Endgame. Generally you want to use a theft effect as a cheap insurrection to deal massive damage. Keep in mind it'll frequently be he safest call to sacrifice ink-treader with the trigger on the stack, so your opponents can't use him to kill the board without your permission.
My favorite part about this deck? How freaking amazing nivmagus elemental is here. You can target nephy with, say, jeskai charm, then exile the copies targeting all your creatures, while wiping your opponents' boards and clogging up their draws for many turns. And note that, even if your opponent casts terminate on your commander, nivmagus can counter all the copies except the one targeting ink-treader itself, if you so choose, while getting absurdly huge in the process.
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6