Nin, the Pain Artist aka Forking Chaos!
-A Mini-Primer on Chaos Nin-
Before we start:
This primer is written based on a seemingly underpowered chaotic build that focuses on politics while quietly preparing to win the game with excessively splashy card interactions.
There may be plenty of other, or even better ways to play with Nin, but this is the topic of this thread.
Why Nin, the Pain Artist?
Izzet is my favorite guild. I've wanted to build a red blue deck for years. For the style of deck she's perfect because she looks so innocent. The colors allow access to some of the most powerful cards in Magic's history.
Even very experienced players dismiss her because she will make them draw cards if used offensively, and she's only a 1/1. Little do they know...
Deck History:
This deck started as the Political Puppets reconstructed Commander deck. Zedruu the Greathearted was a fun general, but I kept seeing Nin in the deck and lusting after Izzet. Political Puppets played in a similar way to this deck by trying to look mostly innocent while playing the politics of the table until it could take a powerful position and move in for the win. Removing white from the deck allowed the deck to become more focused on that idea and develop into the chaotic and fun deck it is today.
Reasons to play Nin, the Pain Artist:
You enjoy political/control decks
You like a non-zero amount of combo
You like to win in strange ways that really shouldn't work
How to have fun with :symu::symr: and not lose friends. Combos:
I chose not to include any infinite combos in the deck as they just don't feel fun. No one wants to play against Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + Pestermite.
The closest I come to true "combo" would be interactions between the many copies of Twincast, the multiple cards that cause massive card draw, coupled with one of the three creatures that deal damage on card draw. Check out the Win Condition section above for an idea the combos in the deck.
Counters:
None. Zero. Counters just aren't fun to play against. Maybe I'm weird. I do think it helps the political side of the deck as counters draw hate. This isn't to say that playing counters would be wrong, this is just my style. I also don't think there is much room in the deck for many counters.
Politics:
Remember that decks like these rely on politics. Part of playing the the deck means social engineering. Laying low and not drawing too much attention are key to winning the game.
Screwing with the game with things like Wheel of Fortune somehow do not bring a lot of hate or attention to Nin in my experience though. Playing the table politics correctly is key to having fun and winning games with a deck like this.
Another reason I included this section is because there are a lot of cards in the deck that some people can find unfun or even rude. Keeping in mind these things will go a long way to ensuring people don't hate the deck and its pilot.
A prime example of this was a time when I chained 6 turns in a row, then killed the table on my 6th consecutive turn. It was a very long turn and at the end one of my opponents was visibly unhappy and complained about it stating "people around here don't play stupid combo decks like that." He then went on to imply he did not want to play against me in the future and implied that I had moved from my home town because I was so hated because of my deck.
For these reasons I found infinite combos and counterspells to be not fun. EDH is all about big splashy plays and if my opponent has engineered his deck and our game such that he can do something spectacular, then I think he should. I might be able to disrupt it with a Twincast but outright stopping it feels cheap. I think my deck should be able to deal with the results of my opponents big play and still come out on top. It's way more fun and very entertaining to see huge plays.
Basically, be kind to your fellow players and try not to be That Guy, even if your deck has the potential.
Strategy:
Working on it..
Card Choices
I'm going not going to list every card in the deck but I will mention most.
Win Conditions:
Insurrection: This is the only straight forward way the deck wins games.
Psychosis Crawler, Stuffy Doll, Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind: These are the main ways the deck wins. Nearly every game I've won has come on the back of Psychosis Crawler and some form of "draw a ton of cards". More on that below and in the strategy section.
Fork - The main theme of the deck. I currently have every viable functional reprint in the deck. 5 in instant form, and 3 others in the form of Mirari, Chandra, the Firebrand, Uyo, Silent Prophet. These cards effectively act as the counterspells in the deck as counter-counterspells. Copying the opponents critical Cryptic Command and turning it against him feels oh so good.
Redirect: Feels very similar to Fork. It can really screw with an opponents splashy spell or act as an anti-counterspell.
Windfall, Wheel of Fortune, Winds of Change, Molten Psyche, Time Reversal: These cards both refill or recycle our hands, but they also get rid of the opponents good hand they've been sculpting. This adds to the disruption and chaos in the game caused by this deck.
Library of Leng: While it may not exactly be a win condition, it is one of the combo pieces that lets the the deck win. This is very likely the best card in the deck. It's at least my favorite. It may sound silly but the utility the library provides is bonkers. "You have no maximum hand size." This because important to have in most games. "If an effect causes you to discard a card, discard it, but you may put it on top of your library instead of into your graveyard." This is the sexy part. This means I can use Wheel of Fortune and everyone else discards their hand and draws a new one, and I get to discard the cards I don't want, and then put the ones I do want on the top of my library. Then draw 7 cards, including the ones I just put on top. This is also vital to using the combo of casting 6 copies of Windfall without decking myself. Use this in combination with a Psychosis Crawler and you can easily kill the table with damage and/or mill.
Instants and Sorceries:
Sorceries:
Acquire: Much like Fabricate but you have to guess which opponent has the best artifacts. Knowing your opponents plays a part in targeting choices here.
Blatant Thievery: 4 player game = 3 new permanents. Steal their vital land to color screw them. Steal their general, or some splashy creature. Infinite possibilities.
Bribery: Loves Twincast and can pull Eldrazi out on turn 3.
Call to Mind: Recurring something like Time Stretch is occasionally slightly powerful.
Fabricate: Tutors for any of the powerful artifacts in the deck. Frequently targets Caged Sun or Venser's Journal.
Molten Psyche, Time Reversal, Wheel of Fortune, Winds of Change: These cards both refill or recycle our hands, but they also get rid of the opponents good hand they've been sculpting. This adds to the disruption and chaos in the game caused by this deck.
Rite of Replication: Nice Wurmcoil Engine. I'll take 10. Also kills generals and can still get effects from copying legandary creatures with come into play effects.
Time Stretch and Time Warp: Pairs well with Twincast but oppoents tend to dislike watching you take 5 extra turns.
Trade Secrets: This card is always a trap. I usually target the weakest player at the table, who thinks it's a great idea to draw 10-20 cards... while I draw 20-40.
Instants:
Cyclonic Rift: Bouncing all nonland permanents your opponents control at instant speed? This practically wins the game by itself.
Capsize: If you can afford the 6 mana to include Buyback you can really protect yourself or disrupt opponents.
Chaos Warp: Another bounce spell, but this one loves to hit generals.
Whirlpool Whelm: Similar to Chaos Warp but you have to clash for the tuck effect.
Fog Bank and Guard Gomazoa: These guys seem weak but they very often provide some needed defense. Very often an opponent will just not attack because it would do nothing.
Goblin Electromancer: I haven't had enough play testing with this little guy in the deck yet to determine if he's worth the card slot. I have to assume he is.
Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur: The end all be all card to draw all the hate on the table. The upside is that most of the time those 7 extra cards end up allowing us to win.
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth: I chose Kozilek over Ulamog because he is not indestructible. If someone steals my Kozilek with a Bribery effect he is able to be cleaned up by any player with any old creature kill spell rather than needing some form of bounce effect. The 4 cards are pretty great too.
Trinket Mage: This guy gets us Library or a Sol Ring and provides a chump blocker.
Urabrask the Hidden: Usually an extremely aggressive card, but in our case he plays the defensive role with his second ability.
Uyo, Silent Prophet: One of the ways the deck can go all in and win. She is also another functional Fork.
Artifacts and Enchantments:
Artifacts:
Caged Sun: The mana doubling is really handy when you need to do things like triple twincasting Time Stretch. I almost always choose blue due to the heavier blue split in available mana.
Darksteel Plate: Nin may be a lady but she loves to wear armor. This is a great way to dump your extra mana every turn by having Nin shoot herself and draw you tons of cards.
Library of Leng: See win conditions section. This card is amazing.
Mimic Vat: Draws some hate due to its power level but it can do some great things if you can snag a solid creature.
Venser's Journal: Another way to have infinite hand size and the life gain can be relevant.
Enchantments:
Propaganda: Very very useful protection. This with one of the fog creatures is a pretty effective way to get opponents to attack each other and not you.
Rhystic Study: This almost always ends up being 3 mana for 5+ cards. No one every wants to pay for it.
Treachery: One of several ways to steal things from other people to help our cause. Often used to steal something huge and scary.
Bad cards that do funny things:
These cards are included in the deck because they are just way too much fun. Sometimes they have a strategic purpose, but often they are mostly for entertainment value.
Cast Through Time: For some reason people hate this card and I don't seem to get it cast or get it to stick often. It can be good but is probably one of the weaker cards in the deck surprisingly.
Eye of the Storm: This is the chaos card. Throw in a bunch of spells and watch as people's brains melt out their ear. It is an extremely complex card, so be sure you read up on how to use it. It generally does not do anything to further the cause of actually winning the game, but it will more than likely wreck the game state and by the time it's finally destroyed the game will be completely different. Sometimes I choose not to cast it if I can just win with some splashy interaction with the same amount of mana though.
Eternal Dominion: This card is what enabled the deck to "live the dream." And by that I mean usually die horribly in a hilarious fashion. You would think casting 9 copies of this would probably be a game ender and allow you to just straight up win, but virtually every time I play this I end up dying horribly before the my third time around. It's probably a terrible card but it's just too fun to cut.
Wishlist and Maybeboard:
Diluvian Primordial: Is it powerful enough? Enter the Infinite: This might replace Cast Through Time or Eye of the Storm as a more useful card as it can one-shot the table with a Crawler out. Omniscience: I'm terrified of actually playing this card. It may let me slam the "I Win" button, but it may just as easily kill me. Rapid Hybridization: Some days I feel the deck needs more spot removal. This may sneak into the 99 soon. Reins of Power: A popular card in similar decks. It just came out and is warming the bench currently. Thieves' Auction: I've been staring at a foil copy of this card for months but I'm having a hard time finding a spot for something that is more flavor than function. Turnabout: This card will go in the deck as soon as I can get my hands on one.
edit: PS. Mods please let me know if the red text is not okay and I'll find a new color.
edit2: Thanks for the answer about the text ISBPathfinder. Maroon was an excellent suggestion and I think it actually looks better.
I'm afraid I don't see how those two loop or work well together at all
Can you expand on the idea and benefit?
Well near infinite based on if you get enough for the reiterate with buyback.
Hear is how it works.
Cast ww
Copy with reiterate with buyback
Copy resovles and ideally 6+lands enter
The original is still on the stack so you can copy again.
This can make infinite mana aswell.
Well near infinite based on if you get enough for the reiterate with buyback.
Hear is how it works.
Cast ww
Copy without reiterate with buyback
Copy resovles and ideally 6+lands enter
The original is still on the stack so you can copy again.
This can make infinite mana aswell.
Ahh I see it now!
One problem: each time Warp World resolves some number of non-permanent cards will likely be drawn. Each iteration of Warp World that resolves after the first has a high likelihood of returning fewer and fewer permanents to the battlefield.
With 30 non-permanent cards that means each resolution should yield ~30% fewer permanents than the last. If the first copy resolves with 20 permanents on my side, I should statistically draw 14 permanents. Then next resolution 9.8, then 7, etc.
I'm planning on running it in nin at least once in awhile, I took a different rout but still have a high non permanent count. I just want to win off the mana it produces.
I'm planning on running it in nin at least once in awhile, I took a different rout but still have a high non permanent count. I just want to win off the mana it produces.
I would have to respectfully disagree with running very few non-permanent cards in Blue and Red. I feel like playing almost all permanents in these colors makes you miss out on some of the most powerful cards in history.
I may have miss maid my point, I run a majority of the permanent but i was saying about the reason your not running warp. On theme radiate is perfect for your deck on theme. I am also working on a primer type thread for nin but more of a theft infinite mana type deck.
Hello! I'm upping this thread because I'm currently playing a similar deck and... well... it's *****ing awesome! I feel like this is the true Izzet deck (sorry Melek :tongue:) because it's all about big draws, crazy plays, and toying with your opponents' best cards
Evil_Spork, your deck is really interesting. Is the lifegain from Venser's Journal relevant? I'm not playing it actually because I find it a bit heavy on mana, and I can have the same effect (without the lifegain obviously) for 0 or 1 mana.
This is my current brew. I've just made some changes, cutting cards I wasn't happy to see. I didn't play so many games, but I've won most of them, always on the back of Psychosis Crawler or Rite of Replication (you know, when you get 5 Grave Titans and you have a counter for the wrath, opponents are not so happy).
I usually play 4-players multiplayer or 2HG (with 40 life).
Things I'm not sure of:
- recursion for instants/sorcery: is it worth it? Most of the time I would like to recur artifacts or creatures, as they are key to my gameplay, while I have plenty of wheels and copy effects. Maybe I could switch to 1 Call to Mind and 1 Trash for Treasure (because they are tutorables), o strip the whole package
- big steal spells: Gather Specimens, Spelljack, Blatant Thievery. They're soooo funny, but sometimes clunky. One game I Bribery'd, grabbing Sheoldred, The Whispering One, but she was killed on the spot. Later her owner tried to reanimate her, I played Gather Specimens, reanimating Consecrated Sphinx and killing the table next turn.
- too many counters? Cutting Pact of Negation?
- too many copy spells? Cutting Reverberate?
Things I'd like to add:
- creatures, maybe big finishers, or good utility creatures that can block, too. I usually feel really vulnerable in the early game. Politic rules
- pillows! Fog Bank, Guard Gomazoa, Gomazoa, Void Stalker, Propaganda, Dissipation Field, Meishin, The Mind Cage. With 5-6 of these cards I'd be safe, but they're awful topdecks lategame (this deck goes to topdeck? Really? :tongue:)
- more spot removals and unsummons, like Turn/Burn and Capsize.
- more funny but useful cards, like Dominus of Fealty and Ixidron.
Any kind of help or suggestion is really appreciated
Evil_Spork, your deck is really interesting. Is the lifegain from Venser's Journal relevant? I'm not playing it actually because I find it a bit heavy on mana, and I can have the same effect (without the lifegain obviously) for 0 or 1 mana.
I've found the life gain helps to keep me alive a bit longer and soak up damage while everyone fights. Having a Spellbook instead might be a better idea as the journal is hard to cast. I'd say the Journal is on the chopping block and Spellbook would be the replacement.
Things I'm not sure of:
- recursion for instants/sorcery: is it worth it? Most of the time I would like to recur artifacts or creatures, as they are key to my gameplay, while I have plenty of wheels and copy effects. Maybe I could switch to 1 Call to Mind and 1 Trash for Treasure (because they are tutorables), o strip the whole package
It most certainly is. While it can be annoying to take a ton of turns in a row I've found recurring things like Time Stretch can win games. I've liked having one Snapcaster Mage and one Call to Mind.
Due to how many Forks I play I really get a lot out of things like Blatant Thievery. It may not be right for everyone's deck but it has gotten me out of some bad situations by removing the threat. (I'm lookin at you Eldrazi)
I personally don't play any counterspells because I like really stupid things to happen in EDH and counters stop that. Having no counters also helps with politics as I'm not stopping anyone from playing spells directly and thus not drawing as much hate for playing blue. Partially a playstyle choice, partially a strategy choice.
I use every copy spell ever printed. I LOVE them. I don't need to play counterspells because I can simply use Redirect or Twincast to Negate (see what I did there? lol) any counters that I don't want happening.
I've actually had my Fog Bank and Guard Gomazoa provide more value than I ever imagined. People tend to just ignore me as someone to attack due to them when they could be doing damage. They often block multiple times before eating some sort of expensive removal spell because someone really wants them gone. They seem really bad but so great things!
I definitely feel like I need a bit more spot removal for both creatures and other troublesome permanents. Cyclonic Rift has helped a lot in this area but I'd like to add one or two more eventually.
Capsize has been pretty good for me so far.
I used to run Dominus of Fealty but he eventually got cut. He's insane on paper but he often didn't do anything or didn't live long enough to matter. YMMV.
Lastly I need to add that by FAR the best card in my deck right now is POSSIBILITY STORM.
Every time I've played it, it has single highhandedly won the game for me. I'm able to disrupt the game SO much that no one can function and I just cherry pick my spells by recycling my hand with sorceries and leaving instants available to try to flip into a twincast. Who doesn't want to pay 3 mana for a Time Stretch + Reverberate. I love love love LOVE Possibility Storm.
Oh my god, I forgot to add Possibility Storm! Awesome card in this deck, and it really improves the chaos output
I guess Venser's Journal is relevant in 2HG but not so much in multiplayer unless you have plenty of pillows, because players tend to attack the player with the highest life total to stay political and not to hate random players.
My counters are mainly against generals (I love tucking them :rolleyes:) and Armageddon effects, which are played by every single white (or even red) deck in my meta. Since the table is always unhappy to lose to land denial, I act like the Silent Arbiter at the table, since blue is played by very few players (and often with no counters).
Two things if think you're missing: Echo Mage if you want more high-quality copy spells (two extra turns? Nah, I'll take six), and Mystic Retrieval, which I think is strictly better than Call to Mind. I guess I'm going to add them, too
Oh my god, I forgot to add Possibility Storm! Awesome card in this deck, and it really improves the chaos output
I guess Venser's Journal is relevant in 2HG but not so much in multiplayer unless you have plenty of pillows, because players tend to attack the player with the highest life total to stay political and not to hate random players.
My counters are mainly against generals (I love tucking them :rolleyes:) and Armageddon effects, which are played by every single white (or even red) deck in my meta. Since the table is always unhappy to lose to land denial, I act like the Silent Arbiter at the table, since blue is played by very few players (and often with no counters).
Two things if think you're missing: Echo Mage if you want more high-quality copy spells (two extra turns? Nah, I'll take six), and Mystic Retrieval, which I think is strictly better than Call to Mind. I guess I'm going to add them, too
I feel like I need ways to tutor for Possibility Storm. It's really that good.
I've only had experience with Uyo, Silent Prophet and Urabrask, The Hidden but both have been quite good. Urabrask is definitely the better of the two though.
I use a mix of the pillows, and the utility guys and it works decently. More focus might be better, or might be worse. I used to run more creatures and more utility dudes but I found they just weren't that good.
Echo Mage is a good example. I have one sitting in my sideboard/deck bits box and he's been in there for months. He would always level up and eat up a ton of mana, then before I could actually use him someone would snipe him and I would be out a ton of mana. He became a huge liability and drew a LOT of hate. As always, YMMV but I couldn't get him to work with the way my deck is set up. Perhaps a few counters like you have would make him work?
On the subject of counters, it sounds like your ~5 are exactly correct for your meta. Counters are not wrong, I'm just weird and like games to be fun and splashy even if that means I die horribly. Armageddon, however, is not fun. Counter that crap every time.
I need to update my changelog and decklist in my OP as I changed a few cards as of Dragon's Maze. I'm swapping a few things around here and there. For example I have a (foil!)Thieves Auction in the deck at the moment. It sounded so deliciously chaotic, but every time I draw it I wish it was any other card. I never actually want to cast it.
edit: Mystic Retrieval might be better than Call to Mind, but the higher initial mana cost could also be an issue. It's worth checking out.
Well, you're usually not casting Call to Mind in the early game, so not having enough mana is not an issue (well you have less mana to do other things though), but the 2x1 should make it. And even better, you can discard it to a wheel and still use it
Too many good cards for this deck! I'm still brewing but I need to add creatures, since I have only 7 and going down to 6! Not so good I guess, since it's not a control deck I'll test Mind Unbound and try to deck myself without an Eldrazi
The most important cut is Leyline of Anticipation: it's one of the best blue cards, but I feel like it's not well suited for this deck, as we have little to no problems for playing at sorcery speed. My counters are against generals or sweepers, so most of the time I can tell when they're going to play them, and an 'EOT: draw a bunch of cards' with Nin is always welcome, and often the best play available.
Another doubt is Mindmoil vs Mind Unbound: the first one is really good in this deck but sometimes I find myself not playing it because I'm sculpting my hand for the win. Mind Unbound is better in a vacuum and provides serious card advantage, while drawing way more hate, but I don't know if this is good or bad because if they kill it other strong enchantments will stick.
Now I want to add one of these two packages to fix my lack of creatures (either attackers or blockers):
I'm thinking about the latter because all creatures can be good beaters (or either steal good beaters), but I'll test both. Now I need to cut five cards, and I'm thinking of:
- Phyrexian Metamorph, mainly because of the new legendary rule
- Fellwar Stone, because I guess that I have enough manarocks
- Gather Specimens or Spelljack, I don't know which one but it depends on the meta (Gather is better against creatures and tokens but does nothing against other spells)
What else? Two more cards to cut. Is the 'Armory' really needed in this deck? Darksteel Plate is awesome on Nin and I need some ways to protect my creature wincons...
I am surprised there is not a Cerebral Vortex in the OP's list considering how all the wheel effets.
I've tested it too, but most of the time I ended up drawing two cards. The main problem is that it targets a single player, and it's difficult to copy it more than once in the turn you cast 2+ wheel effects, so it's only effective in the late late game (when some players are already dead). Don't get me wrong it's a really good card, but most of the time it's not the card you want in your hand. And I don't feel confortable casting half of my hand for killing a single player, unless he's clearly going to kill me next turn...
New idea: Goblin Welder could be useful in this deck, given the number of useful artifacts, and mainly for Psychosis Crawler which draws a lot of hate, especially when he's like 15/15 and you're going off next turn... I played it for a long time in my Norin, The Wary deck and it ended up being one of the best cards in the deck, even when used to remove troublesome artifacts ('Blightsteel Colossus attacking me? Nah, grab your Expedition Map instead').
I've tested it too, but most of the time I ended up drawing two cards. The main problem is that it targets a single player, and it's difficult to copy it more than once in the turn you cast 2+ wheel effects, so it's only effective in the late late game (when some players are already dead).
That summed up my thoughts pretty well. I'd want it to do more to the table. If this deck were focused more on 1v1 that would be an awesome addition!
I feel like I would too often end up with it being a Sign in Blood that costs more and hurts more.
New idea: Goblin Welder could be useful in this deck, given the number of useful artifacts, and mainly for Psychosis Crawler which draws a lot of hate, especially when he's like 15/15 and you're going off next turn... I played it for a long time in my Norin, The Wary deck and it ended up being one of the best cards in the deck, even when used to remove troublesome artifacts ('Blightsteel Colossus attacking me? Nah, grab your Expedition Map instead').
That's not a half bad idea! I might have to try that out.. I do run a ton of artifacts that would enable some useful swapping. Turning that Everflowing Chalice with one counter on it into a Caged Sun? Yes please!
That's not a half bad idea! I might have to try that out.. I do run a ton of artifacts that would enable some useful swapping. Turning that Everflowing Chalice with one counter on it into a Caged Sun? Yes please!
And don't forget to add artifact lands such as Seat of the Synod and Great Furnace, which you can tutor with Trinket Mage or Tezzeret, The Seeker too! Another great addition with Goblin Welder would be Memory Jar, a delayed pseudo-wheel effect, really notable because you can pay for it in a 'dead' turn and use the ability later, and then get it back FOR FREE with Goblin Welder for a 'draw 14' effect
I think I'm sadly going to cut Cast Through Time, great card but it really shines only with extra turn effects, tutors and so on, while I'd prefer to copy my spells in the same turn (Djinn Illuminatus could be a thing, but I'm not a big fan of him).
-A Mini-Primer on Chaos Nin-
Before we start:
This primer is written based on a seemingly underpowered chaotic build that focuses on politics while quietly preparing to win the game with excessively splashy card interactions.
There may be plenty of other, or even better ways to play with Nin, but this is the topic of this thread.
Why Nin, the Pain Artist?
Izzet is my favorite guild. I've wanted to build a red blue deck for years. For the style of deck she's perfect because she looks so innocent. The colors allow access to some of the most powerful cards in Magic's history.
Even very experienced players dismiss her because she will make them draw cards if used offensively, and she's only a 1/1. Little do they know...
Deck History:
This deck started as the Political Puppets reconstructed Commander deck. Zedruu the Greathearted was a fun general, but I kept seeing Nin in the deck and lusting after Izzet. Political Puppets played in a similar way to this deck by trying to look mostly innocent while playing the politics of the table until it could take a powerful position and move in for the win. Removing white from the deck allowed the deck to become more focused on that idea and develop into the chaotic and fun deck it is today.
Reasons to play Nin, the Pain Artist:
Reasons not to play Nin, the Pain Artist:
1x Blatant Thievery
1x Bribery
1x Call to Mind
1x Compulsive Research
1x Fabricate
1x Insurrection
1x Molten Psyche
1x Rite of Replication
1x Time Reversal
1x Time Stretch
1x Time Warp
1x Wheel of Fortune
1x Windfall
1x Winds of Change
1x Blue Sun's Zenith
1x Capsize
1x Chaos Warp
1x Cyclonic Rift
1x Fork
1x Into the Roil
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Redirect
1x Reiterate
1x Repulse
1x Reverberate
1x Twincast
1x Whirlpool Whelm
1x Wild Ricochet
1x Fog Bank
1x Goblin Electromancer
1x Goblin Flectomancer
1x Guard Gomazoa
1x Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
1x Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1x Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
1x Psychosis Crawler
1x Snapcaster Mage
1x Solemn Simulacrum
1x Stuffy Doll
1x Trinket Mage
1x Urabrask the Hidden
1x Uyo, Silent Prophet
1x Cast Through Time
1x Eye of the Storm
1x Propaganda
1x Possibility Storm
1x Rhystic Study
1x Treachery
1x Chandra, the Firebrand
1x Caged Sun
1x Coalition Relic
1x Darksteel Plate
1x Everflowing Chalice
1x Howling Mine
1x Library of Leng
1x Mimic Vat
1x Mirari
1x Sol Ring
1x Venser's Journal
1x Command Tower
13x Island
1x Izzet Boilerworks
1x Minamo, School at Water's Edge
10x Mountain
1x Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
1x Reliquary Tower
1x Scalding Tarn
1x Shivan Reef
1x Spinerock Knoll
1x Steam Vents
1x Strip Mine
1x Sulfur Falls
1x Tectonic Edge
1x Temple of the False God
1x Volcanic Island
How to have fun with :symu::symr: and not lose friends.
Combos:
I chose not to include any infinite combos in the deck as they just don't feel fun. No one wants to play against Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + Pestermite.
The closest I come to true "combo" would be interactions between the many copies of Twincast, the multiple cards that cause massive card draw, coupled with one of the three creatures that deal damage on card draw. Check out the Win Condition section above for an idea the combos in the deck.
Counters:
None. Zero. Counters just aren't fun to play against. Maybe I'm weird. I do think it helps the political side of the deck as counters draw hate. This isn't to say that playing counters would be wrong, this is just my style. I also don't think there is much room in the deck for many counters.
Politics:
Remember that decks like these rely on politics. Part of playing the the deck means social engineering. Laying low and not drawing too much attention are key to winning the game.
Screwing with the game with things like Wheel of Fortune somehow do not bring a lot of hate or attention to Nin in my experience though. Playing the table politics correctly is key to having fun and winning games with a deck like this.
Another reason I included this section is because there are a lot of cards in the deck that some people can find unfun or even rude. Keeping in mind these things will go a long way to ensuring people don't hate the deck and its pilot.
A prime example of this was a time when I chained 6 turns in a row, then killed the table on my 6th consecutive turn. It was a very long turn and at the end one of my opponents was visibly unhappy and complained about it stating "people around here don't play stupid combo decks like that." He then went on to imply he did not want to play against me in the future and implied that I had moved from my home town because I was so hated because of my deck.
For these reasons I found infinite combos and counterspells to be not fun. EDH is all about big splashy plays and if my opponent has engineered his deck and our game such that he can do something spectacular, then I think he should. I might be able to disrupt it with a Twincast but outright stopping it feels cheap. I think my deck should be able to deal with the results of my opponents big play and still come out on top. It's way more fun and very entertaining to see huge plays.
Basically, be kind to your fellow players and try not to be That Guy, even if your deck has the potential.
Strategy:
Working on it..
I'm going not going to list every card in the deck but I will mention most.
Win Conditions:
Insurrection: This is the only straight forward way the deck wins games.
Psychosis Crawler, Stuffy Doll, Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind: These are the main ways the deck wins. Nearly every game I've won has come on the back of Psychosis Crawler and some form of "draw a ton of cards". More on that below and in the strategy section.
Fork - The main theme of the deck. I currently have every viable functional reprint in the deck. 5 in instant form, and 3 others in the form of Mirari, Chandra, the Firebrand, Uyo, Silent Prophet. These cards effectively act as the counterspells in the deck as counter-counterspells. Copying the opponents critical Cryptic Command and turning it against him feels oh so good.
Redirect: Feels very similar to Fork. It can really screw with an opponents splashy spell or act as an anti-counterspell.
Windfall, Wheel of Fortune, Winds of Change, Molten Psyche, Time Reversal: These cards both refill or recycle our hands, but they also get rid of the opponents good hand they've been sculpting. This adds to the disruption and chaos in the game caused by this deck.
Library of Leng: While it may not exactly be a win condition, it is one of the combo pieces that lets the the deck win. This is very likely the best card in the deck. It's at least my favorite. It may sound silly but the utility the library provides is bonkers. "You have no maximum hand size." This because important to have in most games. "If an effect causes you to discard a card, discard it, but you may put it on top of your library instead of into your graveyard." This is the sexy part. This means I can use Wheel of Fortune and everyone else discards their hand and draws a new one, and I get to discard the cards I don't want, and then put the ones I do want on the top of my library. Then draw 7 cards, including the ones I just put on top. This is also vital to using the combo of casting 6 copies of Windfall without decking myself. Use this in combination with a Psychosis Crawler and you can easily kill the table with damage and/or mill.
Instants and Sorceries:
Sorceries:
Acquire: Much like Fabricate but you have to guess which opponent has the best artifacts. Knowing your opponents plays a part in targeting choices here.
Blatant Thievery: 4 player game = 3 new permanents. Steal their vital land to color screw them. Steal their general, or some splashy creature. Infinite possibilities.
Bribery: Loves Twincast and can pull Eldrazi out on turn 3.
Call to Mind: Recurring something like Time Stretch is occasionally slightly powerful.
Fabricate: Tutors for any of the powerful artifacts in the deck. Frequently targets Caged Sun or Venser's Journal.
Molten Psyche, Time Reversal, Wheel of Fortune, Winds of Change: These cards both refill or recycle our hands, but they also get rid of the opponents good hand they've been sculpting. This adds to the disruption and chaos in the game caused by this deck.
Rite of Replication: Nice Wurmcoil Engine. I'll take 10. Also kills generals and can still get effects from copying legandary creatures with come into play effects.
Time Stretch and Time Warp: Pairs well with Twincast but oppoents tend to dislike watching you take 5 extra turns.
Trade Secrets: This card is always a trap. I usually target the weakest player at the table, who thinks it's a great idea to draw 10-20 cards... while I draw 20-40.
Instants:
Cyclonic Rift: Bouncing all nonland permanents your opponents control at instant speed? This practically wins the game by itself.
Capsize: If you can afford the 6 mana to include Buyback you can really protect yourself or disrupt opponents.
Chaos Warp: Another bounce spell, but this one loves to hit generals.
Whirlpool Whelm: Similar to Chaos Warp but you have to clash for the tuck effect.
Into the Roil and Repulse: Bounce spell with card draw.
Creatures:
Fog Bank and Guard Gomazoa: These guys seem weak but they very often provide some needed defense. Very often an opponent will just not attack because it would do nothing.
Goblin Electromancer: I haven't had enough play testing with this little guy in the deck yet to determine if he's worth the card slot. I have to assume he is.
Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur: The end all be all card to draw all the hate on the table. The upside is that most of the time those 7 extra cards end up allowing us to win.
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth: I chose Kozilek over Ulamog because he is not indestructible. If someone steals my Kozilek with a Bribery effect he is able to be cleaned up by any player with any old creature kill spell rather than needing some form of bounce effect. The 4 cards are pretty great too.
Trinket Mage: This guy gets us Library or a Sol Ring and provides a chump blocker.
Urabrask the Hidden: Usually an extremely aggressive card, but in our case he plays the defensive role with his second ability.
Uyo, Silent Prophet: One of the ways the deck can go all in and win. She is also another functional Fork.
Artifacts and Enchantments:
Artifacts:
Caged Sun: The mana doubling is really handy when you need to do things like triple twincasting Time Stretch. I almost always choose blue due to the heavier blue split in available mana.
Coalition Relic, Everflowing Chalice, and Sol Ring: Mana rocks for the deck.
Darksteel Plate: Nin may be a lady but she loves to wear armor. This is a great way to dump your extra mana every turn by having Nin shoot herself and draw you tons of cards.
Library of Leng: See win conditions section. This card is amazing.
Mimic Vat: Draws some hate due to its power level but it can do some great things if you can snag a solid creature.
Mirari: Another form of Twincast... On a stick!
Venser's Journal: Another way to have infinite hand size and the life gain can be relevant.
Enchantments:
Propaganda: Very very useful protection. This with one of the fog creatures is a pretty effective way to get opponents to attack each other and not you.
Rhystic Study: This almost always ends up being 3 mana for 5+ cards. No one every wants to pay for it.
Treachery: One of several ways to steal things from other people to help our cause. Often used to steal something huge and scary.
Bad cards that do funny things:
These cards are included in the deck because they are just way too much fun. Sometimes they have a strategic purpose, but often they are mostly for entertainment value.
Cast Through Time: For some reason people hate this card and I don't seem to get it cast or get it to stick often. It can be good but is probably one of the weaker cards in the deck surprisingly.
Eye of the Storm: This is the chaos card. Throw in a bunch of spells and watch as people's brains melt out their ear. It is an extremely complex card, so be sure you read up on how to use it. It generally does not do anything to further the cause of actually winning the game, but it will more than likely wreck the game state and by the time it's finally destroyed the game will be completely different. Sometimes I choose not to cast it if I can just win with some splashy interaction with the same amount of mana though.
Eternal Dominion: This card is what enabled the deck to "live the dream." And by that I mean usually die horribly in a hilarious fashion. You would think casting 9 copies of this would probably be a game ender and allow you to just straight up win, but virtually every time I play this I end up dying horribly before the my third time around. It's probably a terrible card but it's just too fun to cut.
Wishlist and Maybeboard:
Diluvian Primordial: Is it powerful enough?
Enter the Infinite: This might replace Cast Through Time or Eye of the Storm as a more useful card as it can one-shot the table with a Crawler out.
Omniscience: I'm terrified of actually playing this card. It may let me slam the "I Win" button, but it may just as easily kill me.
Rapid Hybridization: Some days I feel the deck needs more spot removal. This may sneak into the 99 soon.
Reins of Power: A popular card in similar decks. It just came out and is warming the bench currently.
Thieves' Auction: I've been staring at a foil copy of this card for months but I'm having a hard time finding a spot for something that is more flavor than function.
Turnabout: This card will go in the deck as soon as I can get my hands on one.
Change Log:
Adds:
Possibility Storm: Best. Card. Ever.
Cuts:
Trade Secrets: It was banned and thus removed
edit: PS. Mods please let me know if the red text is not okay and I'll find a new color.
edit2: Thanks for the answer about the text ISBPathfinder. Maroon was an excellent suggestion and I think it actually looks better.
Nin's theft
Mill all decks
bruna blink
I'm afraid I don't see how those two loop or work well together at all
Can you expand on the idea and benefit?
Well near infinite based on if you get enough for the reiterate with buyback.
Hear is how it works.
Cast ww
Copy with reiterate with buyback
Copy resovles and ideally 6+lands enter
The original is still on the stack so you can copy again.
This can make infinite mana aswell.
Nin's theft
Mill all decks
bruna blink
Ahh I see it now!
One problem: each time Warp World resolves some number of non-permanent cards will likely be drawn. Each iteration of Warp World that resolves after the first has a high likelihood of returning fewer and fewer permanents to the battlefield.
With 30 non-permanent cards that means each resolution should yield ~30% fewer permanents than the last. If the first copy resolves with 20 permanents on my side, I should statistically draw 14 permanents. Then next resolution 9.8, then 7, etc.
Nin's theft
Mill all decks
bruna blink
I would have to respectfully disagree with running very few non-permanent cards in Blue and Red. I feel like playing almost all permanents in these colors makes you miss out on some of the most powerful cards in history.
Nin's theft
Mill all decks
bruna blink
Please post if you have some unique ideas!
Evil_Spork, your deck is really interesting. Is the lifegain from Venser's Journal relevant? I'm not playing it actually because I find it a bit heavy on mana, and I can have the same effect (without the lifegain obviously) for 0 or 1 mana.
This is my current brew. I've just made some changes, cutting cards I wasn't happy to see. I didn't play so many games, but I've won most of them, always on the back of Psychosis Crawler or Rite of Replication (you know, when you get 5 Grave Titans and you have a counter for the wrath, opponents are not so happy).
I usually play 4-players multiplayer or 2HG (with 40 life).
1 Nin, the Pain Artist
Armory (2)
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Darksteel Plate
Pain (5)
1 Psychosis Crawler
1 Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
1 Stuffy Doll
1 Repercussion
1 Vicious Shadows
Theft (4)
1 Acquire
1 Bribery
1 Gather Specimens
1 Spelljack
1 Blatant Thievery
Tutors (4)
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Fabricate
1 Trinket Mage
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
Recursion (2)
1 Archaeomancer
1 Izzet Chronarch
Counters (5)
1 Pact of Negation
1 Counterspell
1 Hinder
1 Spell Crumple
1 Desertion
Removal (6)
1 Blasphemous Act
1 Chain Reaction
1 Shattering Spree
1 Chaos Warp
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Devastation Tide
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Rite of Replication
Fork (6)
1 Twincast
1 Reverberate
1 Reiterate
1 Wild Ricochet
1 Mirari
1 Chandra, the Firebrand
Time (1)
1 Time Warp
Chaos (2)
1 Eye of the Storm
1 Cast Through Time
Misc (2)
1 Leyline of Anticipation
1 Sensei's Divining Top
Wheels (6)
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Windfall
1 Molten Psyche
1 Time Reversal
1 Reforge the Soul
1 Mindmoil
Draw (6)
1 Library of Leng
1 Rhystic Study
1 Psychic Possession
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Recurring Insight
1 Thought Reflection
Ramp (9)
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Sol Ring
1 Izzet Signet
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Coalition Relic
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Izzet Guildgate
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Steam Vents
1 Command Tower
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Shivan Reef
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Thespian's Stage
1 Tolaria West
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Terramorphic Expanse
11 Island
7 Mountain
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Great Furnace
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Kher Keep
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Riptide Laboratory
Things I'm not sure of:
- recursion for instants/sorcery: is it worth it? Most of the time I would like to recur artifacts or creatures, as they are key to my gameplay, while I have plenty of wheels and copy effects. Maybe I could switch to 1 Call to Mind and 1 Trash for Treasure (because they are tutorables), o strip the whole package
- big steal spells: Gather Specimens, Spelljack, Blatant Thievery. They're soooo funny, but sometimes clunky. One game I Bribery'd, grabbing Sheoldred, The Whispering One, but she was killed on the spot. Later her owner tried to reanimate her, I played Gather Specimens, reanimating Consecrated Sphinx and killing the table next turn.
- too many counters? Cutting Pact of Negation?
- too many copy spells? Cutting Reverberate?
Things I'd like to add:
- creatures, maybe big finishers, or good utility creatures that can block, too. I usually feel really vulnerable in the early game. Politic rules
- pillows! Fog Bank, Guard Gomazoa, Gomazoa, Void Stalker, Propaganda, Dissipation Field, Meishin, The Mind Cage. With 5-6 of these cards I'd be safe, but they're awful topdecks lategame (this deck goes to topdeck? Really? :tongue:)
- more spot removals and unsummons, like Turn/Burn and Capsize.
- more funny but useful cards, like Dominus of Fealty and Ixidron.
Any kind of help or suggestion is really appreciated
Nin's theft
Mill all decks
bruna blink
I've found the life gain helps to keep me alive a bit longer and soak up damage while everyone fights. Having a Spellbook instead might be a better idea as the journal is hard to cast. I'd say the Journal is on the chopping block and Spellbook would be the replacement.
I'm almost always playing this deck with 4 players.
It most certainly is. While it can be annoying to take a ton of turns in a row I've found recurring things like Time Stretch can win games. I've liked having one Snapcaster Mage and one Call to Mind.
Due to how many Forks I play I really get a lot out of things like Blatant Thievery. It may not be right for everyone's deck but it has gotten me out of some bad situations by removing the threat. (I'm lookin at you Eldrazi)
I personally don't play any counterspells because I like really stupid things to happen in EDH and counters stop that. Having no counters also helps with politics as I'm not stopping anyone from playing spells directly and thus not drawing as much hate for playing blue. Partially a playstyle choice, partially a strategy choice.
I use every copy spell ever printed. I LOVE them. I don't need to play counterspells because I can simply use Redirect or Twincast to Negate (see what I did there? lol) any counters that I don't want happening.
I've actually had my Fog Bank and Guard Gomazoa provide more value than I ever imagined. People tend to just ignore me as someone to attack due to them when they could be doing damage. They often block multiple times before eating some sort of expensive removal spell because someone really wants them gone. They seem really bad but so great things!
I definitely feel like I need a bit more spot removal for both creatures and other troublesome permanents. Cyclonic Rift has helped a lot in this area but I'd like to add one or two more eventually.
Capsize has been pretty good for me so far.
I used to run Dominus of Fealty but he eventually got cut. He's insane on paper but he often didn't do anything or didn't live long enough to matter. YMMV.
Lastly I need to add that by FAR the best card in my deck right now is POSSIBILITY STORM.
Every time I've played it, it has single highhandedly won the game for me. I'm able to disrupt the game SO much that no one can function and I just cherry pick my spells by recycling my hand with sorceries and leaving instants available to try to flip into a twincast. Who doesn't want to pay 3 mana for a Time Stretch + Reverberate.
I love love love LOVE Possibility Storm.
I guess Venser's Journal is relevant in 2HG but not so much in multiplayer unless you have plenty of pillows, because players tend to attack the player with the highest life total to stay political and not to hate random players.
My counters are mainly against generals (I love tucking them :rolleyes:) and Armageddon effects, which are played by every single white (or even red) deck in my meta. Since the table is always unhappy to lose to land denial, I act like the Silent Arbiter at the table, since blue is played by very few players (and often with no counters).
Two things if think you're missing: Echo Mage if you want more high-quality copy spells (two extra turns? Nah, I'll take six), and Mystic Retrieval, which I think is strictly better than Call to Mind. I guess I'm going to add them, too
I think I need more creatures in this deck. Which is better, the pillows package (Fog Bank, Guard Gomazoa, Gomazoa, Void Stalker, Propaganda) to play politically or the 'value creatures with a body' package (like Dominus of Fealty, Arcanis the Omnipotent, Nucklavee, Uyo, Silent Prophet, Urabrask, The Hidden)? While the former helps me to get into lategame (which could be a problem especially in 2HG), the latter adds big value and can also block small creatures or swing for the game.
Other good cards are Whirlpool Warrior, bringing one, no wait TWO more wheel effects, and Mind Unbound, because Phyrexian Arena is for kids
Still, the big problem is: what to cut?
I feel like I need ways to tutor for Possibility Storm. It's really that good.
I've only had experience with Uyo, Silent Prophet and Urabrask, The Hidden but both have been quite good. Urabrask is definitely the better of the two though.
I use a mix of the pillows, and the utility guys and it works decently. More focus might be better, or might be worse. I used to run more creatures and more utility dudes but I found they just weren't that good.
Echo Mage is a good example. I have one sitting in my sideboard/deck bits box and he's been in there for months. He would always level up and eat up a ton of mana, then before I could actually use him someone would snipe him and I would be out a ton of mana. He became a huge liability and drew a LOT of hate. As always, YMMV but I couldn't get him to work with the way my deck is set up. Perhaps a few counters like you have would make him work?
On the subject of counters, it sounds like your ~5 are exactly correct for your meta. Counters are not wrong, I'm just weird and like games to be fun and splashy even if that means I die horribly. Armageddon, however, is not fun. Counter that crap every time.
I need to update my changelog and decklist in my OP as I changed a few cards as of Dragon's Maze. I'm swapping a few things around here and there. For example I have a (foil!)Thieves Auction in the deck at the moment. It sounded so deliciously chaotic, but every time I draw it I wish it was any other card. I never actually want to cast it.
edit: Mystic Retrieval might be better than Call to Mind, but the higher initial mana cost could also be an issue. It's worth checking out.
The problem of Echo Mage is the same of Lighthouse Chronologist: a very big target on him as soon as he starts leveling
Too many good cards for this deck! I'm still brewing but I need to add creatures, since I have only 7 and going down to 6! Not so good I guess, since it's not a control deck
1 Nin, the Pain Artist
Armory (2)
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Darksteel Plate
Pain (5)
1 Psychosis Crawler
1 Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
1 Stuffy Doll
1 Repercussion
1 Vicious Shadows
Theft (4)
1 Acquire
1 Bribery
1 Gather Specimens
1 Blatant Thievery
Tutors (4)
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Fabricate
1 Trinket Mage
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
Recursion (1)
1 Mystic Retrieval
Counters (6)
1 Pact of Negation
1 Counterspell
1 Hinder
1 Spell Crumple
1 Desertion
1 Spelljack
Removal (6)
1 Blasphemous Act
1 Chain Reaction
1 Shattering Spree
1 Chaos Warp
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Devastation Tide
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Rite of Replication
Fork (6)
1 Twincast
1 Reverberate
1 Reiterate
1 Wild Ricochet
1 Mirari
1 Chandra, the Firebrand
Time (2)
1 Time Warp
1 Time Stretch
Chaos (3)
1 Possibility Storm
1 Eye of the Storm
1 Cast Through Time
Wheels (6)
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Windfall
1 Molten Psyche
1 Time Reversal
1 Reforge the Soul
1 Mindmoil
Draw (5)
1 Rhystic Study
1 Psychic Possession
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Recurring Insight
1 Thought Reflection
Topdeck (2)
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Library of Leng
Ramp (9)
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Sol Ring
1 Izzet Signet
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Coalition Relic
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Izzet Guildgate
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Steam Vents
1 Command Tower
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 Shivan Reef
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Tolaria West
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Terramorphic Expanse
10 Island
6 Mountain
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Great Furnace
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Kher Keep
1 Academy Ruins
1 Riptide Laboratory
1 Temple of the False God
1 Thespian's Stage
1 Vesuva
The most important cut is Leyline of Anticipation: it's one of the best blue cards, but I feel like it's not well suited for this deck, as we have little to no problems for playing at sorcery speed. My counters are against generals or sweepers, so most of the time I can tell when they're going to play them, and an 'EOT: draw a bunch of cards' with Nin is always welcome, and often the best play available.
Another doubt is Mindmoil vs Mind Unbound: the first one is really good in this deck but sometimes I find myself not playing it because I'm sculpting my hand for the win. Mind Unbound is better in a vacuum and provides serious card advantage, while drawing way more hate, but I don't know if this is good or bad because if they kill it other strong enchantments will stick.
Now I want to add one of these two packages to fix my lack of creatures (either attackers or blockers):
1 Guard Gomazoa
1 Gomazoa
1 Void Stalker
1 Proganda
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Dominus of Fealty
1 Hellkite Tyrant
1 Memnarch
I'm thinking about the latter because all creatures can be good beaters (or either steal good beaters), but I'll test both. Now I need to cut five cards, and I'm thinking of:
- Phyrexian Metamorph, mainly because of the new legendary rule
- Fellwar Stone, because I guess that I have enough manarocks
- Gather Specimens or Spelljack, I don't know which one but it depends on the meta (Gather is better against creatures and tokens but does nothing against other spells)
What else? Two more cards to cut. Is the 'Armory' really needed in this deck? Darksteel Plate is awesome on Nin and I need some ways to protect my creature wincons...
I've tested it too, but most of the time I ended up drawing two cards. The main problem is that it targets a single player, and it's difficult to copy it more than once in the turn you cast 2+ wheel effects, so it's only effective in the late late game (when some players are already dead). Don't get me wrong it's a really good card, but most of the time it's not the card you want in your hand. And I don't feel confortable casting half of my hand for killing a single player, unless he's clearly going to kill me next turn...
New idea: Goblin Welder could be useful in this deck, given the number of useful artifacts, and mainly for Psychosis Crawler which draws a lot of hate, especially when he's like 15/15 and you're going off next turn... I played it for a long time in my Norin, The Wary deck and it ended up being one of the best cards in the deck, even when used to remove troublesome artifacts ('Blightsteel Colossus attacking me? Nah, grab your Expedition Map instead').
That summed up my thoughts pretty well. I'd want it to do more to the table. If this deck were focused more on 1v1 that would be an awesome addition!
I feel like I would too often end up with it being a Sign in Blood that costs more and hurts more.
That's not a half bad idea! I might have to try that out.. I do run a ton of artifacts that would enable some useful swapping. Turning that Everflowing Chalice with one counter on it into a Caged Sun? Yes please!
And don't forget to add artifact lands such as Seat of the Synod and Great Furnace, which you can tutor with Trinket Mage or Tezzeret, The Seeker too! Another great addition with Goblin Welder would be Memory Jar, a delayed pseudo-wheel effect, really notable because you can pay for it in a 'dead' turn and use the ability later, and then get it back FOR FREE with Goblin Welder for a 'draw 14' effect
I think I'm sadly going to cut Cast Through Time, great card but it really shines only with extra turn effects, tutors and so on, while I'd prefer to copy my spells in the same turn (Djinn Illuminatus could be a thing, but I'm not a big fan of him).
At this point I'm considering Knowledge Pool as a 'chaos' card, it gives a choice but you're never going to cast what you wanted. And the presence of both Knowledge Pool and Possibility Storm screams for the Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir lock, maybe with a dedicated tutor like Vedalken AEthermage. Not so friendly but maybe I'll test this setup one day