This is, by far, my oldest EDH deck. I have even begun hunting the best, coolest and foil-iest cards I can for this deck. I really like the strong card advantage and the sorcery-based control style it plays, and you will probably notice a few staples are not included (details listed below). Definitely stoked now for the big number of Bolas-y cards being rumored for M13!
First off, some of the fundamentals:
-No infinity and beyond: I like recurring stuff and really getting mileage out of my cards, but infinity just doesn't go well with the group.
-Cool vs. Perfection: I don't play this as the best, most perfect Grixis control deck. I play it because it is fun, shows off a lot of powerful cards and really can compete with a variety of decks.
mana with so many shuffle effects, no other real use. Manabase is solid enough
-Elixir of Immortality: Never needed to search this out, insignificant board effect
-Crosis's Charm: Always been meh, not really flavorful
-Crucible of Worlds: Drawn out unnecessary hate from tables, only real synergy was with
fetchlands
-Fact or Fiction: Replaced with a 4cc draw spell with NB in the art
-Evacuation: Opponents could recover faster than I can with it
-Word of Seizing: Felt like too mana intensive for the effect, may re-add if
planeswalker decks become popular again
-Blue Sun's Zenith: Too mana intensive
-Starstorm: Too mana intensive, usually was a 3cc cantrip
-Fire // Ice: Not enought board impact
-Merchant Scroll and Mystical Teachings: I hate showing the tutor target, and I was stretching so many slots on two toolboxes (Trinket Mage) I couldn't run better cards. I have trimmed the Trinket package a ton, and cut this one altogether. -Vampiric Tutor and Mystical Tutor: Did not give me the target, and had them milled/Bribery'd/etc too many times. I tend to hold the tutor until the last minute I can or use when I can easily recur it, so they were just not doing it for me.
-Sower of Temptation: Good, but a 'walker activation is better. Bribery is better. I've considered Treachery, but I took it out once with the dumb amount of artifact mana I had. Might be worth reconsideration, but creature versions are just so frail.
-Psychatog: Let's face it, he is horrid card disadvantage in a place where tempo just does not cut it much. I have a great love of Dr. Teeth, but he wants his own deck. Funny enough, he was replaced by Phyrexian Arena, to do the opposite of what he does.
Intentional Non-Inclusions:
-Desertion: I don't like leaving five mana untapped and passing the turn. I am OK with things like Mana Drain, but this is mostly played in a tap-out sorcery-based control. Counters have to be cheap (if not free)
-Treachery: Enchantment removal is becoming more and more plentiful, so I have been more focused on steal effects that do not end at end of turn/with enchantment removal (much like NB planeswalker does himself)
-Off-color fetches (like March Flats: Doesn't feel right in the deck. Same reason I've not foiled the Reflecting Pool
-Sword of Fire and Ice: I don't run a lot of creatures, thus not much to equipment it to. Plus, it disappointed me when I seen SoFaI deals the damage and doesn't trigger the discard-awesomeness of Nicol Bolas.
Some of the cards I have in mind to add: Black Sun's Zenith - Auditioning currently, but I don't want to get too Wrath-heavy (thinking 3-4 is the right number) Chaos Warp - Seems really good, and is nice permanent removal, still considering Spell Crumple - It will either be this or Hinder, but probably not both. I think Hinder is easier to recur, but I don't usually grab Hinder when I am recurring blue instants. Seems like Crumple could be there and I wouldn't even notice, and can improve my chances of drawing nonland.
Potential things to cut:
-Gilded Lotus: REALLY tired of tapping out 3rd-5th turn for a manafact, only to see it find an Acidic Slime or something.
-Phyrexian Arena: This may have to become Bitterblossom, as I have really strong card-draw already, and it's instantaneous.
-Sphinx of Uthuun: Expensive fatty that could be better. Consecrated Sphinx is just too much stronger, for less.
-Avatar of Woe: Doesn't really synergize with the deck at all, and for some reason draws lots of attention
-Shadowmage Infiltrator: Never really exciting[/c]
-Beacon of Unrest: Same as infiltrator, doesn't really serve a big role in the deck
I've noticed that the deck really can slug away, for a long time, but it really has a difficult time actually ending the game. It can grind away really well, but decks like Karador do a better grind job, and without infinite comboes it relies on winning via stolen wincons or beating in the red-zone with really sub-par creatures. Suggestions and comments welcome!
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
-C.S. Lewis
Creatures:
1 Nightscape Familiar (F)
1 Trinket Mage (F)
1 Bone Shredder (F)
1 Nightscape Battlemage (F)
1 Shadowmage Infiltrator
1 Thalakos Deceiver
1 Phyrexian Metamorph (F original art)
1 Trench Wurm (F)
1 Flame-Tongue Kavu (Commander art)
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Body Double (F)
1 Mnemonic Wall (F)
1 Mulldrifter (FNM)
1 Izzet Chronarch
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Grave Titan (Promo)
1 Crater Hellion
1 Nucklavee
1 Rune-Scarred Demon (F)
1 Sphinx of Uthuun (F)
1 Avatar of Woe (F Timeshifted)
Spells:
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Diamond (FTV)
1 Tormod's Crypt (FNM)
1 Brainstorm
1 Sensei's Divining Top (FTV)
1 Sol Ring (FTV)
1 Echoing Truth (F)
1 Mana Drain
1 Demonic Tutor (JP)
1 Countersquall (AvNB)
1 Dimir Signet
1 Rakdos Signet (F)
1 Izzet Signet (F)
1 Forbidden Alchemy (F)
1 Hinder (F)
1 Yawgmoth's Will (JP)
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Wheel of Fortune (JP)
1 Crystal Shard (F)
1 Darksteel Ingot (Promo)
1 Deep Analysis (AvNB)
1 No Mercy (F)
1 Diabolic Tutor (8th Foil)
1 Damnation (Player Rewards)
1 Grab the Reins (F)
1 Past in Flames (F)
1 Grimoire of the Dead
1 Bribery
1 Force of Will
1 Beacon of Unrest (F original)
1 Slave of Bolas (F original)
1 Gilded Lotus (F)
1 Blatant Thievery (F)
1 Cruel Ultimatum (F)
1 All is Dust (F)
1 Decree of Pain (F foreign)
1 Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker (F Conflux print)
1 Blasphemous Act (F)
1 Read the Runes (F)
1 Ensanguinate (F)
1 Maze of Ith (JP)
1 Temple of the False God (F)
1 Reliquary Tower (F)
1 Tolaria West (F)
1 Halimar Depths (F)
1 Bojuka Bog (F)
1 Tainted Isle (F)
1 Tainted Peak (F)
1 Drowned Catacombs (F)
1 Dragonskull Summit (F)
1 Sulfur Falls (F)
1 Crosis's Catacombs
1 Crumbling Necropolis (F)
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Command Tower
1 Underground Sea
1 Badlands
1 Volcanic Island
1 Watery Grave
1 Blood Crypt
1 Steam Vents (F)
1 Underground River
1 Sulfurous Springs
1 Shivan Reef (F)
1 Polluted Delta (JP)
1 Bloodstained Mire (JP)
1 Scalding Tarn (F)
3 Island
5 Swamp
3 Mountain
First off, some of the fundamentals:
-No infinity and beyond: I like recurring stuff and really getting mileage out of my cards, but infinity just doesn't go well with the group.
-Cool vs. Perfection: I don't play this as the best, most perfect Grixis control deck. I play it because it is fun, shows off a lot of powerful cards and really can compete with a variety of decks.
Cuts:
-Spellskite: Not really useful/proven himself since added
-Igneous Pouncer, Jhessian Zombies, Twisted Abomination: Annoying to fix
mana with so many shuffle effects, no other real use. Manabase is solid enough
-Elixir of Immortality: Never needed to search this out, insignificant board effect
-Crosis's Charm: Always been meh, not really flavorful
-Crucible of Worlds: Drawn out unnecessary hate from tables, only real synergy was with
fetchlands
-Fact or Fiction: Replaced with a 4cc draw spell with NB in the art
-Evacuation: Opponents could recover faster than I can with it
-Word of Seizing: Felt like too mana intensive for the effect, may re-add if
planeswalker decks become popular again
-Blue Sun's Zenith: Too mana intensive
-Starstorm: Too mana intensive, usually was a 3cc cantrip
-Fire // Ice: Not enought board impact
-Merchant Scroll and Mystical Teachings: I hate showing the tutor target, and I was stretching so many slots on two toolboxes (Trinket Mage) I couldn't run better cards. I have trimmed the Trinket package a ton, and cut this one altogether. -Vampiric Tutor and Mystical Tutor: Did not give me the target, and had them milled/Bribery'd/etc too many times. I tend to hold the tutor until the last minute I can or use when I can easily recur it, so they were just not doing it for me.
-Sower of Temptation: Good, but a 'walker activation is better. Bribery is better. I've considered Treachery, but I took it out once with the dumb amount of artifact mana I had. Might be worth reconsideration, but creature versions are just so frail.
-Psychatog: Let's face it, he is horrid card disadvantage in a place where tempo just does not cut it much. I have a great love of Dr. Teeth, but he wants his own deck. Funny enough, he was replaced by Phyrexian Arena, to do the opposite of what he does.
Intentional Non-Inclusions:
-Desertion: I don't like leaving five mana untapped and passing the turn. I am OK with things like Mana Drain, but this is mostly played in a tap-out sorcery-based control. Counters have to be cheap (if not free)
-Treachery: Enchantment removal is becoming more and more plentiful, so I have been more focused on steal effects that do not end at end of turn/with enchantment removal (much like NB planeswalker does himself)
-Off-color fetches (like March Flats: Doesn't feel right in the deck. Same reason I've not foiled the Reflecting Pool
-Sword of Fire and Ice: I don't run a lot of creatures, thus not much to equipment it to. Plus, it disappointed me when I seen SoFaI deals the damage and doesn't trigger the discard-awesomeness of Nicol Bolas.
Some of the cards I have in mind to add:
Black Sun's Zenith - Auditioning currently, but I don't want to get too Wrath-heavy (thinking 3-4 is the right number)
Chaos Warp - Seems really good, and is nice permanent removal, still considering
Spell Crumple - It will either be this or Hinder, but probably not both. I think Hinder is easier to recur, but I don't usually grab Hinder when I am recurring blue instants. Seems like Crumple could be there and I wouldn't even notice, and can improve my chances of drawing nonland.
Potential things to cut:
-Gilded Lotus: REALLY tired of tapping out 3rd-5th turn for a manafact, only to see it find an Acidic Slime or something.
-Phyrexian Arena: This may have to become Bitterblossom, as I have really strong card-draw already, and it's instantaneous.
-Sphinx of Uthuun: Expensive fatty that could be better. Consecrated Sphinx is just too much stronger, for less.
-Avatar of Woe: Doesn't really synergize with the deck at all, and for some reason draws lots of attention
-Shadowmage Infiltrator: Never really exciting[/c]
-Beacon of Unrest: Same as infiltrator, doesn't really serve a big role in the deck
I've noticed that the deck really can slug away, for a long time, but it really has a difficult time actually ending the game. It can grind away really well, but decks like Karador do a better grind job, and without infinite comboes it relies on winning via stolen wincons or beating in the red-zone with really sub-par creatures. Suggestions and comments welcome!
-C.S. Lewis
EDH
Obzedat - Still Alive
Retired - Nicol Bolas