MTG Salvation

Hullo all. I am still a bit new to EDH/Commander and have a few of the decks Wizards put out, but have built my own, w/ Oona as my General. Currently much of the deck is made up of proxies. I would welcome suggestions as to improving the deck. Once it begins to perform well, I shall start replacing the proxies with 'real' cards; however, I really do not want to spend over say $25-30 or so on a single card (excepting maybe JMA), preferably not over about $20. With that in mind, here is what I already have. I am sorry if I am not supposed to be showing a deck w/ him in it, I was not aware of that.



I only started playing magic @ 5 yrs ago, and so I am not familiar with many cards that I probably should be playing here. Also, I wouldn't mind adding some more faeries (espec faerie wizards) if possible. Additionally, I would like to possibly have a few more counters, or creatures that counter in here; but am not sure if that is feasible. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
-The Doctor

Rings of Brighthearth + Basalt Monolith = Infinite colorless mana to kill the whole table with Oona (you copy the untap ability).

Without hitting a huge Oona ability, you're almost never going to mill an opponent with the small suite of mill cards you've got devoted to it, and even if you do, you've probably got 2 or more opponents left to deal with. You'd be much better off using those cards slots for other things. You could use those slots for tutors to get the infinite mana pieces to mill them with oona.

Expedition Map goes in nearly any deck. It gets any land.

Spellstutter is too small and you won't have enough fae on board to counter much.

A good beater or two would be welcome like Inkwell Leviathan and/or Stormtide Leviathan.

Hero's Demise - Why limit yourself to legendaries? For 1 more mana, Rend Flesh kills most creatures.

Coalition Relic > Armillary Sphere

A few other staple cards for UB:

• Memory Plunder
  
• Desertion
  
• Spin Into Myth
  
• Gilded Drake
  
• Rite of Replication
  
• Exsanguinate

So, should I get rid of all my milling cards to make room for other cards? Also I am uncertain how the Rings of Brightearth/ Basalt Monolith combo works. Thanks.

Spell Crumple is essentially a second Hinder.

Tunnel Vision allows for a 2 card kill with either of those, but is usually useless otherwise... Unless someone unwisely puts a card on the bottom of their deck.

Quote from thedoctor81877

So, should I get rid of all my milling cards to make room for other cards? Also I am uncertain how the Rings of Brightearth/ Basalt Monolith combo works. Thanks.

Tap the Basalt Monolith for 3 colorless, pay the untap ability, Rings triggers and you pay an additional 2 to copy its untap ability. First untap happens, then you tap it for 3 mana, second untap happens, tap for 3 mana. Pay 3 to untap, then 2 to copy it. Net mana = 1 colorless. At least, i'm pretty sure that is how it works.

Quote from thedoctor81877

So, should I get rid of all my milling cards to make room for other cards? Also I am uncertain how the Rings of Brightearth/ Basalt Monolith combo works. Thanks.

Statue of Ages is correct about the infimana combo.
And Rings can copy a lot of stuff - Planeswalker Abilities, Land abilities like Strip Mine, Artifact abilities like Mimic Vat, and lots of good creature abilities. As long as it's activated, not triggered.

I would get rid of all the mill cards, they're taking up space much better used by other things (beaters, draw, removal, counters). Unless you're going all out for mill (which is really hard in edh) or have some specific use for cards in your opponents graveyards, milling "some" is useless. In fact, it often works against you as a lot of decks like to have cards in the yard (most of mine do).

Milling has always been an "iffy" prospect, even with 60 card decks against a single opponent. Doing it against multiple opponents with 100 card decks is crazy tough, especially now since a single Eldrazi creature that gets shuffled back in like Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, ruins all your plans. It's much easier with an infimana combo using Oona, and she exiles the cards instead of letting them hit the gy, so Eldrazi won't kill your plans.

oona is most effective if you can use her mill ability via infinite mana killing all opponents at once.

in my build i mainly use four combo routes: (a) grim monolith + power artifact, (b) basalt monolith + power artifact, (c) basalt monolith + rings of brighthearth, (d) palinchron + cabal coffers + urborg, tomb of yawgmoth.

the mana stones are good by themselves, as it helps you accelerate into the deck. rings of brightheart is a useful artifact that can double your other activated abilities: the planeswalkers, oona herself, fetch lands, draws via sensei divining top, and a lot more. the palinchron combo is an alternate that somehow goes under the radar because the other pieces are both lands.

all the other cards in my deck focuses on resolving the above combo. they are either tutors (mystical, vampiric, demonic, diabolic, beseech the queen, liliana vess, tezzeret the seeker, lim-dul's vault, transmute with muddle the mixture and shred memory) and card draws (phyrexian arena, shadowmage infiltrator, the two jaces, fact or fiction, decree of pain, sensei's divining top).

well, hope that helps.

@Blackjack68: Do you think I should also get rid of my milling creatures, (x of course for Oona herself) as well? If so, should I replace them with creatures, or spells (counters, draw spells, arts, tutors) or some of each? Are there any particular cards of those types I listed [including creatures]; you would recommend I add [I am definitely going to add the Rings of Brighthearth and the Basalt Monolith? Thanks for your and everyone's help. Soon, I shall be coming up with an updated list.

Quote from thedoctor81877

@Blackjack68: Do you think I should also get rid of my milling creatures, (x of course for Oona herself) as well? If so, should I replace them with creatures, or spells (counters, draw spells, arts, tutors) or some of each? Are there any particular cards of those types I listed [including creatures]; you would recommend I add [I am definitely going to add the Rings of Brighthearth and the Basalt Monolith? Thanks for your and everyone's help. Soon, I shall be coming up with an updated list.

You could easily find more dangerous creatures/cards than the millers, yeah, I'd replace them. Since you'll be trying to make big mana, pumpers like Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief and Steel Hellkite get really scary, plus their abilities are great Rings Copy targets.


If there is such a thing, you may be too heavy on counters and draw already, and you're very light on creatures.

You might look to up the power level of some of the draw/counter stuff and put them on creatures where you can:
Desertion
Draining Whelk
Consecrated Sphinx
Phyrexian Arena

And I'd seriously consider Phyrexian Metamorph and Rite of Replication. I can't really imagine running blue without them.

Has somebody thought about Oblivion Sower yet. I think after a few times using Oonas ability you're gonna get a log of lands.