Lol, so I saw this and instantly new I had to build him. He reminds me of Edric a bit and I really love my edric deck. My issue is though that I have a tough time trying to make decks that are both super general-centric (A requirement for a "good" EDH deck IMO) AND neither OP nor terrible. Talrand seems like the perfect general for this and I'm really excited to play him.
As for the deck, I've decided the way to go (at least for my first round of testing) is to go the cantrip route along with a few key cards that should just take over the game if resolved (mainly Opposition & coastal piracy). Cantrips are nice because cards like Visions from beyond or Ponder go from good to just broken when they add "put a 2/2 flying bear into play" to their oracle text.
I am for sure missing some very good synergies (lol, get there thought reflection), but I couldn't think of anything else off the top of my head (I'm excited to "go off" with Ashnood's Alter / Phyrexian Alter + Skullclamp + cantrips). Please let me know if there's anything obvious I missed!
The only exception to this are those "big spells" that are super synergistic, I'm looking at you Cast Through Time. These, while cute, aren't that good and will not be making an appearance.
The manabase clearly needs some work and I didn't really put any thought into it, but I can deal with that another day / in the morning.
As a couple of side notes:
This is probably not the optimal way to build this deck, Time Warp effects are strong here, as does a more permission heavy build. Caged Sun, and friends are on my to-do list for trying out. While I've never really liked them in my other decks, they might be good here.
lol totally spaced on the Mystical Tutor thing, it's going right in. Also, as a side not, the latter doesn't go so well with Scepter (sorcery thing and all). I would put in a personal tutor, but alas I don't have one
Also, I'm going to try out Coat of Arms as a way to 'get there' much quicker in MP.
With all my 1-2cc cantrips, I should be fine not running my customary 37 lands, so I'm just dropping the total land count down to 35
I looked at Kira, and if I find I can't keep Talrand on the board, she'll definitely be the first card that will find its way into the deck. I'm just betting on there being more important stuff to remove on the board...
@viseur2
Looks good! You should absolutely run Isochron Scepter though. Every time you cast off of it, it triggers talrand. I totally forgot about impulse... lol
Serum Vision is probably better than telling time. Also, Sapphire medallion is always nuts in a mono-blue deck that aims to cast lots of cheap spells... I might cut sea-gate oracle for it (very underwhelming in a deck where every peek variant you run does the same thing - card and a body - for cheaper). Oh and if you're looking for something fun and nutters, Coastal Piracy gets out of hand really quickly.
And I definitely wish I owned enough snow lands, they are just a strict improvement over their normal counterparts.
I already run Isochron Scepter ^^
I dont like a lot Sapphire Medaillon, because it doesn't trigger Talrand, I prefer a High Tide.
Coastal Piracy seems good, but his mana cost is a little bit expensive, I'm not sure to play it.
I'll also try Concentrate, and I thought I can play Arcane Denial too.
Thirst is way better than Concentrate, so is Jace's Ingenuity (being able to cast it at instant speed is really good). Also, Compulsive Research is about the best draw spell you can be casting for 3 mana, as excess land seem to pile up (It's making want to run more land filter cards).
Finally, I made a few changes to my decklist:
added: Impulse - an oops moment spellweaver volute - want to try this out, may be to hokey / mana intensive oona's grace - instant speed way to filter mana for dudes. coat of arms - 'get there' invoke prejudice - best blue card ever printed, always wanted to play with this, uber excited to actually do it
Why does this deck not have a way to take the rest of the turns in a game? Also making the changes to the og decklist would be nice to instead of just posting them.
Some of you may think that you have made great mistakes in your lives, and perhaps you have. But let me ask you this.... did you ever play strip poker with two fat chicks and win?
Are Daze/Force Spike/"counter unless they pay X" spells really doing anything for you?
It seems like you are really focused on keeping your curve to a minimum at the expense of the power level of some of your spells...is that what you were going for?
"Some of the other guys dared me to go out, but I knew it weren't no ordinary giant giga-blasting blaze of unending flames that would scorch the whole world."
—Norin the Wary
Why does this deck not have a way to take the rest of the turns in a game? Also making the changes to the op decklist would be nice to instead of just posting them.
lol, oops I forgot to update the list!! I think I'm going to add a few of the timewalk effects (time warp, time stop, and (my personal favorite) walk the aeons). (can't afford the portal time warps...)
Are Daze/Force Spike/"counter unless they pay X" spells really doing anything for you?
It seems like you are really focused on keeping your curve to a minimum at the expense of the power level of some of your spells...is that what you were going for?
Force Spike (and daze) are good cards btw. In the early game it's often a 1cc hard counter, it's great in the midgame (people are usually tapping out for their second spell), and still not terrible in the late game. How many people do you know who don't tap out for genesis wave, or any x casting cost spell for that matter? Two of the many cards to make room for. Them and Stifle...
As for the low cc of the spells, being able to cast 3x cantrips in a turn both a) ensures I hit my land drops (and lets me run fewer of the lands) b) get full use of my general c) find the cards I really care about (counterspells and bounce) and d) let me get use out of my general whilest leaving countermagic open.
Gitaxian probe, peek and friends are great because they replaces themselves while giving yourself valuable information about your opponents hand, all for almost no cost. While not all the cards are the most powerful blue spells, they (for the most part) all replace themselves to help me dig for the counterspells.
As for the powerlevel of the cards, I think I have all the best blue cards (let me know some of the ones I'm missing) besides the creatures (though I don't really want to be tapping out at sorcery speed for a dude that just gets wrathed away (along with all of my tokens and the general). Vendillion Clique and Kira are the two cards I probably should add... (I think I'm going to make room for the latter though)
Helm of Awakening - Helping my opponents spells is really bad, it makes my tempo spells worse, and is the same reason why I didn't put Aluren into my Edric list.
Leering Emblem / Runechanter's Pike - They're both really strong, I might test the latter, I've tried to stay away from the equipment though.
Arcane Melee - meh, an extra three mana for a second Sapphire Medallion seems not the strongest. Plus I don't want to tap out once Talrand is in play until I have counter backup (meaning I won't be casting this until turn 7ish, far too slow).
Anyway changes to the decklist, I'm not sure getting rid of my cantrips for 5+cc cards is a good idea, but I'm going to test this for a week or two (though skullclamp is getting cut for good either way):
- Skullclamp (without the Alters, it got a lot worse)
- Sorcerous Sight, Peek (I'm just going to test without these, they've been very good for me though whenever I've drawn them - knowing how your opponent is going to play their next 3-4 turns is very nice, I just don't know what to cut at this point)
- Portent (slowtrip is sadtrip - but sadly still good)
huh, I've been trying to brew up a talrand list, and so far I've been trying out cards like Lunar Mystic, and Sakashima, the Imposter. Mystic seems like a straight upgrade to eyes of the watcher if you run only a few choice sorcs and Sakashima copies talrand for double drakes and copies trinket mage/archaeomancer for exploitable fetch/recursion etc. Not sure how well my list compares, but these have been good for me in my games.
Actualy traded a Talrand last week, so was planning on making a deck with it as wel...
Have no clue how good my list wil be, I am missing alot of the good power cards for blue, and in general most likely my deck would be underwhelming compared to the list you are running....
Also I like that Mass Polimorph Idea that was suggested..
think I might have a Lunar Mystic.... so prolly wil add that as wel...
(have no snapcaster... :() but do have a few other pretty good wizard stuff I could add.....
have some of the 'good' counter spells.... and some of the bounce needed I think..
(wil have to see what I can make... wil post a link once I got something...)
Btw, is 35 land working out nicely, cause to me it seems a bit to low....
(although I dont have any mox cards or anything like that... :()
Also here some card ideas/suggestions ~ or cards I might wanna use, but not sure if they are good enough??
[CARD]
Psionic Blast
[/CARD]
[CARD]
Gather Specimens
[/CARD]
[CARD]
Kaho, Minamo Historian
[/CARD]
[CARD]
Voidmage Prodigy
[/CARD]
Ehmm that's it for now.... (have to search mah cards... and wel they are unsorted, so might be a while before I figure out what I have and dont have...)
Psionic Blast is decent if you need to burn 4 points of damage, but in Multiplayer EDH it's not that relevant. If you need a kill spell, try Pongify. It's Isochron Scepter -able and a 3/3 is kinda funny.
I'd also argue against Voidmage Prodigy because it's not a straight counterspell.
As a couple of side notes:
This is probably not the optimal way to build this deck, Time Warp effects are strong here, as does a more permission heavy build. Caged Sun, and friends are on my to-do list for trying out. While I've never really liked them in my other decks, they might be good here.
Changelog:
+ Coat of Arms
+ Mystical Tutor
- 2x Island
with all my cantrips I don't need to play 37 lands
+ Telling Time
- Clairvoyance
This is my 3rd version of the same card, and Telling Time is better
+ Meekstone
- Pognify
Meekstone seems like a better alternative for cheap "removal"
+ Think Twice
- Spinny Top
Top is terrible in this deck
Edric | Skithiryx | Merieke | Talrand
--------------------------
Well except for pauper EDH
Garruk's Packleader | Inkfathom Witch | Gelectrode | Sigil Captain | Glider Barin | Sludge Strider | Paragon of the Ameshsa
Also, I'm going to try out Coat of Arms as a way to 'get there' much quicker in MP.
With all my 1-2cc cantrips, I should be fine not running my customary 37 lands, so I'm just dropping the total land count down to 35
Edric | Skithiryx | Merieke | Talrand
--------------------------
Well except for pauper EDH
Garruk's Packleader | Inkfathom Witch | Gelectrode | Sigil Captain | Glider Barin | Sludge Strider | Paragon of the Ameshsa
BRWC Mardu Shops - Tymna and Akiri Artifacts BRWC
I looked at Kira, and if I find I can't keep Talrand on the board, she'll definitely be the first card that will find its way into the deck. I'm just betting on there being more important stuff to remove on the board...
Edric | Skithiryx | Merieke | Talrand
--------------------------
Well except for pauper EDH
Garruk's Packleader | Inkfathom Witch | Gelectrode | Sigil Captain | Glider Barin | Sludge Strider | Paragon of the Ameshsa
Looks good! You should absolutely run Isochron Scepter though. Every time you cast off of it, it triggers talrand. I totally forgot about impulse... lol
Serum Vision is probably better than telling time. Also, Sapphire medallion is always nuts in a mono-blue deck that aims to cast lots of cheap spells... I might cut sea-gate oracle for it (very underwhelming in a deck where every peek variant you run does the same thing - card and a body - for cheaper). Oh and if you're looking for something fun and nutters, Coastal Piracy gets out of hand really quickly.
And I definitely wish I owned enough snow lands, they are just a strict improvement over their normal counterparts.
Edric | Skithiryx | Merieke | Talrand
--------------------------
Well except for pauper EDH
Garruk's Packleader | Inkfathom Witch | Gelectrode | Sigil Captain | Glider Barin | Sludge Strider | Paragon of the Ameshsa
Thirst is way better than Concentrate, so is Jace's Ingenuity (being able to cast it at instant speed is really good). Also, Compulsive Research is about the best draw spell you can be casting for 3 mana, as excess land seem to pile up (It's making want to run more land filter cards).
Finally, I made a few changes to my decklist:
added:
Impulse - an oops moment
spellweaver volute - want to try this out, may be to hokey / mana intensive
oona's grace - instant speed way to filter mana for dudes.
coat of arms - 'get there'
invoke prejudice - best blue card ever printed, always wanted to play with this, uber excited to actually do it
Cut:
Jace Beleren - unsynergistic, and better draw 3 for 3 mana out there. Also it dies...
Eldrazi Monument - had a game with Monument and meekstone in my hand. I hate dead cards and the latter is better
Ashnod's Alter / Phyrexian Alter - only cool with them and skullclamp in play. was unimpressed.
Barrin, Master Wizard - meh
Edric | Skithiryx | Merieke | Talrand
--------------------------
Well except for pauper EDH
Garruk's Packleader | Inkfathom Witch | Gelectrode | Sigil Captain | Glider Barin | Sludge Strider | Paragon of the Ameshsa
Currently playing
WE DEMAND A SACRIFICE
Night Shift
Karrthus, Tyrant of Dragons
Some of you may think that you have made great mistakes in your lives, and perhaps you have. But let me ask you this.... did you ever play strip poker with two fat chicks and win?
Cockatrice name: Ninja Nate
Are Daze/Force Spike/"counter unless they pay X" spells really doing anything for you?
It seems like you are really focused on keeping your curve to a minimum at the expense of the power level of some of your spells...is that what you were going for?
Helm of Awakening
Leering Emblem
Runechanter's Pike
Arcane Melee
Cockatrice Username: seriph0
lol, oops
Force Spike (and daze) are good cards btw. In the early game it's often a 1cc hard counter, it's great in the midgame (people are usually tapping out for their second spell), and still not terrible in the late game. How many people do you know who don't tap out for genesis wave, or any x casting cost spell for that matter? Two of the many cards to make room for. Them and Stifle...
As for the low cc of the spells, being able to cast 3x cantrips in a turn both a) ensures I hit my land drops (and lets me run fewer of the lands) b) get full use of my general c) find the cards I really care about (counterspells and bounce) and d) let me get use out of my general whilest leaving countermagic open.
Gitaxian probe, peek and friends are great because they replaces themselves while giving yourself valuable information about your opponents hand, all for almost no cost. While not all the cards are the most powerful blue spells, they (for the most part) all replace themselves to help me dig for the counterspells.
As for the powerlevel of the cards, I think I have all the best blue cards (let me know some of the ones I'm missing) besides the creatures (though I don't really want to be tapping out at sorcery speed for a dude that just gets wrathed away (along with all of my tokens and the general). Vendillion Clique and Kira are the two cards I probably should add... (I think I'm going to make room for the latter though)
Helm of Awakening - Helping my opponents spells is really bad, it makes my tempo spells worse, and is the same reason why I didn't put Aluren into my Edric list.
Leering Emblem / Runechanter's Pike - They're both really strong, I might test the latter, I've tried to stay away from the equipment though.
Arcane Melee - meh, an extra three mana for a second Sapphire Medallion seems not the strongest. Plus I don't want to tap out once Talrand is in play until I have counter backup (meaning I won't be casting this until turn 7ish, far too slow).
-------------------------------------------------------------
Anyway changes to the decklist, I'm not sure getting rid of my cantrips for 5+cc cards is a good idea, but I'm going to test this for a week or two (though skullclamp is getting cut for good either way):
+ Kira, Great Glass Spinner
+ Time Warp
+ Time Stop
+ Walk the Aeons
- Skullclamp (without the Alters, it got a lot worse)
- Sorcerous Sight, Peek (I'm just going to test without these, they've been very good for me though whenever I've drawn them - knowing how your opponent is going to play their next 3-4 turns is very nice, I just don't know what to cut at this point)
- Portent (slowtrip is sadtrip - but sadly still good)
Edric | Skithiryx | Merieke | Talrand
--------------------------
Well except for pauper EDH
Garruk's Packleader | Inkfathom Witch | Gelectrode | Sigil Captain | Glider Barin | Sludge Strider | Paragon of the Ameshsa
http://officeofstrategicinfluence.com/spam/ <---- kills spam, fyi.
Psionic Blast is decent if you need to burn 4 points of damage, but in Multiplayer EDH it's not that relevant. If you need a kill spell, try Pongify. It's Isochron Scepter -able and a 3/3 is kinda funny.
I'd also argue against Voidmage Prodigy because it's not a straight counterspell.
I would, however, suggest a low amount of creature spells and Proteus Staff. How would you like turning a drake into Tidespout Tyrant or Consecrated Sphinx?