Meet the partners of the Jeskai-colored Timeless Wisdom deck:
Brallin, Skyshark Rider 3R
Legendary Creature- Human Shaman
Partner with Shabraz, the Skyshark
Whenever you discard a card, put a +1/+1 counter on Brallin, Skyshark Rider and it deals 1 damage to each opponent. R: Target Shark gains trample until end of turn.
3/3
Shabraz, the Skyshark 3WU
Legendary Creature- Shark Bird
Partner with Brallin, Skyshark Rider
Flying
Whenever you draw a card, put a +1/+1 counter on Shabraz, the Skyshark and you gain 1 life. (W/U): Target Human gains flying until end of turn.
3/3
Source: The Command Zone
ATTACHMENTS
Brallin, Skyshark Rider & Shabraz, the Skyshark
I kinda like Shabraz on its own. I have a WU deck focused on flying, it'd be a great addition as it attacks as a 4/4 at least, usually a 5/5 or 6/6, and just gets bigger from there. Great finisher for that deck.
ETA: And I realized that I like Brallin better on his own, too. I have a a BR Madness deck that will thoroughly enjoy him. Neat!
Hilarious that I'm most excited for the cycling commander deck and I'm more keen to pull these two right out of it and separate them. Oh well.
I really like how the card both parallel each other and play great in both the cycling decks and flying decks with are seeing with RWU. I hope the other partners with are similar designed.
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“There are no weak Jews. I am descended from those who wrestle angels and kill giants. We were chosen by God. You were chosen by a pathetic little man who can't seem to grow a full mustache"
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
I kinda like Shabraz on its own. I have a WU deck focused on flying, it'd be a great addition as it attacks as a 4/4 at least, usually a 5/5 or 6/6, and just gets bigger from there. Great finisher for that deck.
ETA: And I realized that I like Brallin better on his own, too. I have a a BR Madness deck that will thoroughly enjoy him. Neat!
Hilarious that I'm most excited for the cycling commander deck and I'm more keen to pull these two right out of it and separate them. Oh well.
I was just taking apart my red/black Chainer, Nightmare Adept deck, but now I kind of want to keep it around and put Brallin in it.
Very cool combo of cards and I like that each is decently strong enough on its own too.
i've seen it mentioned a few times, but i dunno, just because these cards are depicting sharks i don't think it necessarily means the game has jumped the shark. the godzilla promos, that i'd consider more of a shark jump than a shark typhoon and bird shark - which both feel VERY magic given that we've had squirrel wranglers (was also full of clamor about being a jump the shark moment) beebles, giant ghost dragon planeswalkers, and all sorts of other magical crap.
I figured this would be a good a post as any to talk about my favorite mechanic, cycling. Its been my baby I tried to make work in commander for years with varying success.
Cycling is like clues that have an invisible presence while they sit in your hand instead of the board.
Cycling should be your bread and butter for these two as it will help you get to your other pieces and act as a mana sink when you have nothing better to do. Teferi's Puzzlebox will help put unwanted things like extra lands on the bottom of your deck. Wheel effects should be used to either help dig for New Perspectives / Fluculator or Astral Slide / Astral Drift. If you got one of each, then wheels should be used as haymakers. Winds of Change doesn't discard but it will help you get a more fresh hand and trigger other effects that notice you drawing. Reliquary Tower isn't desirable as you want to be able to discard cards to trigger Brallin. Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind with Curiosity is desirable as it can help take down other players. Rhystic Study and Smothering Tithe are desirable if you are forcing your opponents to draw. Of the team, Brallin is more valuable than Shabraz as Brallin is more akin to Nekusar, the Mindrazer and benefits off of similar tricks shared in UR.
Herald of the Forgotten is less of a beatstick and more of a haymaker when used with Fluculator or New Perspectives.
Drake Haven and Lightning Rift are each useful in their own ways but should really be only utilized when used in tandem with Flux or Perspectives as the extra 1 will be too taxing for your turn to turn plays on average.
Don't bother with companions for Brallin & Shabraz as aside from Lutri, the Spellchaser which got super banned, none of the other companions fit due to having B or G in their color identity.
Cycling lands to run should be Ash Barrens, Blasted Landscape, Desert of the Fervent, Desert of the Mindful, Desert of the True, Drifting Meadow, Forgotten Cave, Irrigated Farmland, Lonely Sandbar, Remote Isle, and Secluded Steppe. Part of the reason to run cycling cards with colored mana cycling costs is that they often tend to be on par or cheaper than a normal cycling cost and can still have their overall cost reduced to 0 with Perspective, while Flux can at least lower their colorless cost to 0. Also that the cycling lands do enter tapped, but its also a way to get rid of excess land in your hand when its not needed, and its a way to be lower on the radar compared to someone else who is trying to go off faster. Also while its tempting to run an Amulet of Vigor to offset the etbt, its more likely to be a dead card in your hand as you are not performing Amulet Bloom tricks.
Gavi, Nest Warden is alright to include in a Brallin deck, she can act as a once per turn New Perspectives for something like a Dismantling Wave and can make a chump body if needed. However in terms of dig value: Perspectives > Flux > Gavi.
Crystalline Resonance is a safe include in any cycling deck as it will never be an artifact or enchantment when it comes to Dismantling Wave or removal from opponents. The closest comparison is that its Mirage Mirror but better as it still retains its shapeshifting ability and its invisible activation cost can be 0 or one colored mana. It can also copy planeswalkers, something that mirror can't do, so if you wanted to, you could use a Nesting Grounds to put loyalty counters onto it. Since it still retains its shapeshifting ability, if it were to be attacked or removed you could cycle a card in response to turn it into a land and as a land it could be used to help pay for the next cycling cost to shapeshift again.
Ominous Seas can be cycled, but its other important usage is as an instant-speed rattlesnake that deters your opponents from attacking you or destroying the enchantment itself while it has seven or more counters on it.
Meet the partners of the Jeskai-colored Timeless Wisdom deck:
Brallin, Skyshark Rider 3R
Legendary Creature- Human Shaman
Partner with Shabraz, the Skyshark
Whenever you discard a card, put a +1/+1 counter on Brallin, Skyshark Rider and it deals 1 damage to each opponent.
R: Target Shark gains trample until end of turn.
3/3
Shabraz, the Skyshark 3WU
Legendary Creature- Shark Bird
Partner with Brallin, Skyshark Rider
Flying
Whenever you draw a card, put a +1/+1 counter on Shabraz, the Skyshark and you gain 1 life.
(W/U): Target Human gains flying until end of turn.
3/3
Source: The Command Zone
ETA: And I realized that I like Brallin better on his own, too. I have a a BR Madness deck that will thoroughly enjoy him. Neat!
Hilarious that I'm most excited for the cycling commander deck and I'm more keen to pull these two right out of it and separate them. Oh well.
Archatmos
Excellion
Fracture: Israfiel (WBR), Wujal (URG), Valedon (GUB), Amduat (BGW), Paladris (RWU)
Collision (Set Two of the Fracture Block)
Quest for the Forsaken (Set Two of the Excellion Block)
Katingal: Plane of Chains
very strong together, and very fun
edit: also madmartigan on a flying shark? sign me up.
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
Only con is G is missing due to the simic guild making sharks
But however I call this a jeskai version of nekusaur together
but with planeswalker commanders again
Like Gideon Jura with a partner like Trusted Pegasus
Chandra partnered with her Chandra's Phoenix
and Sarkhan with Sarkhan's Whelp
I was just taking apart my red/black Chainer, Nightmare Adept deck, but now I kind of want to keep it around and put Brallin in it.
Very cool combo of cards and I like that each is decently strong enough on its own too.
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jump-the-shark
i've seen it mentioned a few times, but i dunno, just because these cards are depicting sharks i don't think it necessarily means the game has jumped the shark. the godzilla promos, that i'd consider more of a shark jump than a shark typhoon and bird shark - which both feel VERY magic given that we've had squirrel wranglers (was also full of clamor about being a jump the shark moment) beebles, giant ghost dragon planeswalkers, and all sorts of other magical crap.
Cycling is like clues that have an invisible presence while they sit in your hand instead of the board.
Cycling should be your bread and butter for these two as it will help you get to your other pieces and act as a mana sink when you have nothing better to do. Teferi's Puzzlebox will help put unwanted things like extra lands on the bottom of your deck. Wheel effects should be used to either help dig for New Perspectives / Fluculator or Astral Slide / Astral Drift. If you got one of each, then wheels should be used as haymakers. Winds of Change doesn't discard but it will help you get a more fresh hand and trigger other effects that notice you drawing. Reliquary Tower isn't desirable as you want to be able to discard cards to trigger Brallin. Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind with Curiosity is desirable as it can help take down other players. Rhystic Study and Smothering Tithe are desirable if you are forcing your opponents to draw. Of the team, Brallin is more valuable than Shabraz as Brallin is more akin to Nekusar, the Mindrazer and benefits off of similar tricks shared in UR.
Herald of the Forgotten is less of a beatstick and more of a haymaker when used with Fluculator or New Perspectives.
Abandoned Sarcophagus is an okay card, but its mostly used to give cycle-triggered cards a second go such as Complicate.
Drake Haven and Lightning Rift are each useful in their own ways but should really be only utilized when used in tandem with Flux or Perspectives as the extra 1 will be too taxing for your turn to turn plays on average.
Don't bother with companions for Brallin & Shabraz as aside from Lutri, the Spellchaser which got super banned, none of the other companions fit due to having B or G in their color identity.
Cycling lands to run should be Ash Barrens, Blasted Landscape, Desert of the Fervent, Desert of the Mindful, Desert of the True, Drifting Meadow, Forgotten Cave, Irrigated Farmland, Lonely Sandbar, Remote Isle, and Secluded Steppe. Part of the reason to run cycling cards with colored mana cycling costs is that they often tend to be on par or cheaper than a normal cycling cost and can still have their overall cost reduced to 0 with Perspective, while Flux can at least lower their colorless cost to 0. Also that the cycling lands do enter tapped, but its also a way to get rid of excess land in your hand when its not needed, and its a way to be lower on the radar compared to someone else who is trying to go off faster. Also while its tempting to run an Amulet of Vigor to offset the etbt, its more likely to be a dead card in your hand as you are not performing Amulet Bloom tricks.
The best cards to cycle are Astral Drift if you already got Slide out, Complicate, Decree of Annihilation, Decree of Justice, Decree of Silence, Dismantling Wave, Nimble Obstructionist, Shark Typhoon, Yidaro, Wandering Monster. This is because, aside from replacing itself through card draw, you also get an additional effect that is very hard to counter unless your opponent used a Stifle or Stabilizer, with Stabilizer being far less likely unless its guaranteed to see some use each game at some playgroup with friends.
Gavi, Nest Warden is alright to include in a Brallin deck, she can act as a once per turn New Perspectives for something like a Dismantling Wave and can make a chump body if needed. However in terms of dig value: Perspectives > Flux > Gavi.
Crystalline Resonance is a safe include in any cycling deck as it will never be an artifact or enchantment when it comes to Dismantling Wave or removal from opponents. The closest comparison is that its Mirage Mirror but better as it still retains its shapeshifting ability and its invisible activation cost can be 0 or one colored mana. It can also copy planeswalkers, something that mirror can't do, so if you wanted to, you could use a Nesting Grounds to put loyalty counters onto it. Since it still retains its shapeshifting ability, if it were to be attacked or removed you could cycle a card in response to turn it into a land and as a land it could be used to help pay for the next cycling cost to shapeshift again.
Ominous Seas can be cycled, but its other important usage is as an instant-speed rattlesnake that deters your opponents from attacking you or destroying the enchantment itself while it has seven or more counters on it.
Other cards to consider when it comes to cycling is Flourishing Fox, Boon of the Wish-Giver, Drannith Stinger, and Footfall Crater as they cost 1 to cycle instead of the standard 2 which is fairly huge and unprecedented.