MTG Salvation

Diaochan, Artful Beauty
Earthquake Control

About the Deck
People who have played with me know I love playing red, which is why almost every Commander deck I have is red. Diaochan, Artful Beauty is my second off-beat mono red deck and is meant to operate in opposition to aggressive decks and Marton Stromgald in particular. I don't like playing the best general in a given colour very often and Diaochan is part of that goal, she is not the powerhouses that are Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Krenko, Mob Boss or Purphoros, God of the Forge, let alone former stars like Godo, Bandit Warlord or even Urabrask the Hidden. Diaochan is a very conditional Avatar of Woe, without the huge body and evasion, but that is why she is fun. This deck is built to focus on control and not attacking at all if possible outside Hellkite Tyrant, using the very red type of card, Earthquake.


Note: Include Burning Wish if you want to run the sideboard. Whatever card you dislike most can be the replacement, but ideally it should be an instant or sorcery.


Card Choices
Intentional Omissions
Mana Advantage at Cost of Life Loss:
- Ancient Tomb: This cost is too much for something that will be used multiple times. If aiming to kill quickly it is usable, but the desired strategy does not need a lightning quick win.
- Mana Crypt: The crypt is almost playable as life loss is not guaranteed, however currently I am erring on the side of caution.

Change Log

Strategy
1. Glacial Chasm + Molten Disaster or Heartless Hidetsugu or Pyrohemia or damage in general, ensures no damage when you do decide to deal damage to each player. This deck does not care about attacking outside two or three creatures, in fact there are only 10 non-Commander creatures.

2. Protecting and Preserving Glacial Chasm - Glacial Chasm is one of the key parts to the more fun strategy of the deck and can be preserved by using Crucible of Worlds, Petrified Field or tactically using Thespian Stage to safeguard Glacial Chasm and reduce the cumulative upkeep for a turn. The cost is steep, so do not be afraid to let chasm die and bring it back with Crucible or alternatively let some lands die, then gain advantage from Surveyor's Scope.

3. Staff of Domination Combo and Utility - This is simple, just achieve infinite mana with Basalt Monolith and Rings of Brighthearth and then you can more or less draw whole deck and gain as much life as you like with Staff of Domination. Staff also works with letting general be reused if not shrouded, meaning it has protection from red to negate Diaochan being able to target herself and gaining life to mitigate damage the deck will inflict.

4. The Stuffy Doll Rattlesnake and Repercussion - Stuffy Doll has the helpful ability of redirecting all damage dealt to it, elsewhere, namely an opponent who you choose when it enters the battlefield. It is also indestructable, which means Diaochan, Artful Beauty can't kill it. This works very nicely with any damage dealing spell, but especially Blasphemous Act, Star Storm, Comet Storm, Molten Disaster and Pyrohemia. This can only be used to destroy one opponent unless Stuffy Doll dies and is recurred or is returned to your hand. Repercussion inflicts this on every creature, even your own, however Akroma's Memorial can mitigate the damage from this. This also makes Stuffy Doll situationally risky as it will deal the damage taken to you, use carefully.

5. Artifact Advantage - Mycosynth Lattice makes every permanent an artifact even your opponents. This works well when opposing certain decks or strategies and is taken advantage of with Diaochan, by using Vandalblast in overload mode and Hellkite Tyrant. Both cards can quickly turn the game in your favour, which the rest of the deck can assist in maintaining.

The deck aims to control the field and destroy multiple players or lower them all at once. It can operate like voltron due to the number of equipments, but really just getting a pro-red sword will put you in good stead regardless.

I am interested in opinions and feedback.

Currently Considering: Sculpting Steel, Eye of Doom and Aftershock.

First off, name's spelled wrong in the title.

I like the pro-red overlap between Diaochan and Earthquake-like effects. I run a similar theme in my Gisela deck.

Etched Champion is a nice pro-everything dude to carry your weapons and survive damage-based board wipe in an artifact-heavy deck.

Kuldotha Phoenix is a nice creature in decks with lots of artifacts and board wipe.

Mogg Maniac is a mini-Spitemare.

Squee, Goblin Nabob combos with Rummaging Goblin, Chandra, Gamble, etc.

Minor tips, though, as your list looks pretty good as-is.

I'm not sure Etched Champion does enough, besides just not dying to damage. The other three are pretty great though, with Squee, Goblin Nabob having most relevance, followed by Mogg Maniac. I'll see if anything doesn't perform and consider those if so.

Title fixed, thank you.

Just as an FYI if you don't already know: Swiftfoot Boots (and hexproof in general) don't work with Diaochan - she can always target herself.

Quote from Davran

Just as an FYI if you don't already know: Swiftfoot Boots (and hexproof in general) don't work with Diaochan - she can always target herself.

She can't target herself if pro-red fortunately, but yes, I can see how hexproof is no shield if I control the effect. Thank you.

Whispersilk Cloak will replace Swiftfoot Boots and Chain Reaction is being replaced by All is Dust.

What about Aftershock?

Quote from SaraceenPsycho

What about Aftershock?

I don't think it does enough, it's not a bad card for sure and if I include Burning Wish, it would be part of the ten card sideboard, but it just kills one thing. Also life is very precious in this deck and I don't want to make myself lower too much than my opponents if I can avoid it. It is a great card though and thanks for the suggestion.

Diaochan really likes Akroma's Memorial, since you have so much acceleration. (In fact, I think it would be more than safe to replace, say, Worn Powerstone with one of the above-mentioned. Plus I really don't like Extraplanar Lens, especially without Snow-Covereds.)

You might be right on that, I'll try acquire one for that express purpose.

Staff of Domination now added due to unbanning, it should work like a charm due to large mana I can generate.

Also, Dragon's Maze added nothing new to this deck.

The revised deck worked well in two games I had, Diaochan with Lightning Greaves was better than Avatar of Woe when I had no creatures. Planeswalker kill, via a Koth emblem, was handy and may be worth pursuing to focus on as a strategy. The second game I lost to a storm deck, but I was holding up well, land destruction may be needed as a response.

Jaya Ballad was a disappointment, but I'll see if I need to replace her.

I am also considered running Petrified Field since when it did come out, Glacial Chasm worked very well.

Please feel free to shoot down this idea but have you considered possibly running Scuttlemutt?

Seems a little strange, but with the subtheme of protection from colours you have going on, it can be relevant to swap a permanent's colours.

Secondly it an also turn Jaya Ballard, into a one mana, discard a card to vindicate - much better than usual.

Not only that it ramps you in mana and comes with a small body that can do some blocking to keep you into the late game so you can drop one of your infamous earthquake effects.

Just a suggestion.

Wow, interesting deck. Very nice.

Dunno if they are too cute, but Terrain Generator and Vesuva might be worth including. The Generator is good at getting extra basics into play after a Wheel effect. Vesuva can copy Glacial Chasm to re-set the cumulative upkeep if necessary.

How difficult is it to find Chasm?

Quote from insertsarcasticname

Please feel free to shoot down this idea but have you considered possibly running Scuttlemutt?

Seems a little strange, but with the subtheme of protection from colours you have going on, it can be relevant to swap a permanent's colours.

Secondly it an also turn Jaya Ballard, into a one mana, discard a card to vindicate - much better than usual.

Not only that it ramps you in mana and comes with a small body that can do some blocking to keep you into the late game so you can drop one of your infamous earthquake effects.

Just a suggestion.

I only just noticed I had comments, this deck gave me nightmares so I ignored it until now. I'm just going to remove jaya entirely, but were she still in it that's a great idea. I'm going to more or less glass-cannon it out by removing some, but not all of the utility, such as Jaya, SoFaF and Steel Hellkite. I'll see if Scuttlemut has a role after a revised test run (and the prayer that it can beat a competitive deck if it also runs combos).

Quote from Tarasco

Wow, interesting deck. Very nice.

Dunno if they are too cute, but Terrain Generator and Vesuva might be worth including. The Generator is good at getting extra basics into play after a Wheel effect. Vesuva can copy Glacial Chasm to re-set the cumulative upkeep if necessary.

How difficult is it to find Chasm?

Glacial Chasm does need some help admittedly, so not always garranteed to get it, I'm debating Planar Portal to make it possible or Hoarding Dragon, I've added in Mad Prophet to assist in card filtering too, when you go infinite with new build you can set up turn of staff because you can, draw most of or all of deck and gain a lot of life, then molten disaster.

OR if you can't quite go infinite, but still have a lot, either use staff to make it easier then Karn- exile land if there is one if you want, use map to get chasm or Repercussion, then sweep or quake. I'll be testing this later on, but it should be a bit more competitive than previous version and newst Chandra would fit in well.

Do you think you could elaborate on how the deck plays? I'm curious to hear what the aim of the deck is on a turn-by-turn basis, or on a earlygame, midgame and lategame structure.

I love your take on this unique general, is all.

Quote from Popengton

Do you think you could elaborate on how the deck plays? I'm curious to hear what the aim of the deck is on a turn-by-turn basis, or on a earlygame, midgame and lategame structure.

I love your take on this unique general, is all.

Apologies on the extreme delay, my lists get very few comments! I'll give you a brief run through here and strive to do more detail once exams are over.

The deck is meant to be semi-competitive. More hindering artifacts or enchantments may make it more competitive.

The goal is to get out Glacial Chasm ideally and then try use symetrical spells that won't harm you, ie. Molten Disaster, which also can't be countered with kicker.

This deck runs the Basalt Monolith/Rings of Brighthearth infinite mana combo to assist with this, but it can generate a lot of mana without it. Staff of Domination is also part of this, but a bit of a cop out really. The staff does work with letting you reuse the general also to wipe a field, but it is risky if Diaochan is shrouded and that needs to be removed.

Stuffy Doll is also included as that functions well with high damage spells, such as Earthquake types and its partner card, Blasphemous Act.

The deck is meant to be a control deck and would access against creature reliant decks, but due to general not being well-known could work against midrange or other control decks.

Also - some updates, including trying new Surveyor's Scope. The Eye of Doom isn't bad for this either, as is new description spell, but Ruination is new in itself, so that will be used for now.

A small update, so that at least one Diaochan list has some recent update. I will be getting a new Sarkhan and a Magus of the Moon to improve this deck, at the cost of Burning Wish and Vicious Shadows. For obvious reasons on wish and Vicious Shadows doesn't always do enough compared to ruining everyone's mana case. New Sarkhan is also incredible in mono red (as most planeswalkers are). It will be done within the week and updated.

It seems I'm still the most active Diaochan thread, that is pure awesome.

In anycase I have 5 changes, these are coming off delayed experience and experimentation with making what is here more consistent.
Mountain -> Arcane Lighthouse - this exposes them to Diaochan's ability.
Vicious Shadows -> Daretti Scrap Savant - I really run a lot of artifacts.
Mana Geyser -> Ruby Medallion - Both work, but medallion works with artifact theme and isn't reliant on opponents.
Burning Wish -> Magus of the Moon - This wrecks certain decks, although can be anti-synergistic at times.
Koth of the Hammer -> Dualcaster Mage - This is change I am most uncertain about and will have to assess.
Surveyor's Scope -> Scroll Rack - Rack should've always been here and scope is less good than hoped for.

I am considering running 23 snow lands, Scrying Sheets and Sunstone, but need to get the snow-lands first. I know I never get responses, but opinions are always fun. Sarkhan was decided as not the best planeswalker to add compared to how useful Daretti is.

Quote from Backejacke »

How did the snow lands work out? Im tinking about running them in the list im working on.

I am playing Snow-Covered Mountain along with the usual suspects (Scrying Sheets, Extraplanar Lens, etc,) and they have been doing great.

This is the list I am currently running. A few combos in there but what I really wanted this list to do is operate with hateful enchantments. I think I may want to find room for Swords of X and Y. I would also like a Mana Crypt...but uh....kinda pricey. I will get one someday though. So far she has been a great commander I can mix things up with. Lots of fun indeed.



Some of the things I have noticed when playing Diaochan with my group:

1.) Although she is great at controlling the creature board state...she is nowhere near powerful enough to close out a game by herself. She requires a small amount of politics, which I definitely enjoy. See #2.

2.) Without going full stax (which may end up where I go with her...but most likely not) I think her most competitive route would to include some number of the hateful enchantments I have in my list. Mono red doesn't have an enormous amount of control cards and I think these are some of the best ways to hate out blue lists. These cards let us drop a big burn for the win and just overall hate/punish land bases

3.) Too many times I have drawn creatures when Diaochan is out and have sandbagged them knowing they would be targeted with her own effect. I feel like 10 or less creatures is a good number.

4.) Burning people out is definitely a difficult task, but it is doable.

These are just some of my observations.

Anyone consider Price of Progress?

Yeah, unfortunately this thread is pretty much dead. I would really like to see a Diaochan primer. In my most recent update I just put in a Smoke and a Price of Progress. I took out Coalition Relic and Koth of the Hammer

I'd be interested if you tried.