Any updates here? I've tweaked my list to accommodate some of your suggestions that playing online has verified. Sadly, Teferi as a creature is not very good. But the Sphinx continues to over-perform for me.
@ LordRewind
Well, since ajacobik is pretty much out, justifiably so, I think it's up to us to continue to the dialogue and development for Teferi! I recently got a foil Chain Veil for this deck exclusively because I enjoy playing it so much. It's the first time I've deliberately bought a foil card because I like playing a specific deck so much.
There's a new Arcum player in my group and from what other people in my playgroup are saying, it's a real beast. I've contemplated adding in more spot removal and or specific hate cards. The ones I've been bouncing around are:
Also, have you been using the Scepter combo? I'm kinda leery towards it since we don't have an immediate way to utilize the infinite mana (I'm spoiled for infinite mana combos having played Memnarch for as long as I have). What are your thoughts?
I like bounce spells like into the roil and boomerang better than kill spells because of their versatility;you could try venser or gilded drake if arcum it's really a problem(ruric thar in my meta was pretty much in every deck coming with choke and other nice stuff) however cursed totem pretty much shut down entire arcum strategy and it's an all star vs hatebear lists.Really enjoying the conversation on the thread about one of my favourite deck.Keep up guys!
I've never been particularly fond of bounce spells in EDH. I'd rather just permanently deal with a problem if at all possible, hence the actual kill spells. I like Gilded Drake a lot, but not so much in this list because it gives an evasive beater for an opponent that and I'm trying to minimize the creature count. I still don't like Pongify and its cousin, but they are cheap answers that up the tax on problematic generals I encounter most frequently whereas bounce spells don't create a tax. I'm already running Cursed Totem in my list, and you're right: it's hella good against most cEDH decks out there. I simply want to add a couple or more pieces of cheap interaction or proactive prevention in order to streamline the deck a little more.
In other news, I find myself not being a fan of Tangle Wire. Does anyone have any experiences with the card? I never tutor for it, I rarely play it when I have it in hand (Stasis and Winter Orb are just so much better than it), and it doesn't seem to impact the game as much as I want it to. What is everyone's preferred Stax pieces to find and cast?
As an update, I wanted to share the success I've been having with Pull from Tomorrow. I really, really don't like the draw-7 effects as a player, so I'm trying to find some good replacements for the card advantage they provide and I currently like Consecrated Sphinx and Pull from Tomorrow.
in a similar vein as C.Sphinx, I have had great success in many decks using Recurring Insight. Like sphinx, it promises cards next turn more so than THIS turn, however, it provides more cards in a shorter time than sphinx. Granted, you lose out on having a 4/6 body that has flying, so it depends on your needs.
in a similar vein as C.Sphinx, I have had great success in many decks using Recurring Insight. Like sphinx, it promises cards next turn more so than THIS turn, however, it provides more cards in a shorter time than sphinx. Granted, you lose out on having a 4/6 body that has flying, so it depends on your needs.
I actually run both of them in my list because I think their value is so good. I like C. Sphinx because it almost guarantees a win if I can resolve it and protect it for a turn cycle. I view as more of a long-term play if I don't have tutors, playing against other Stax lists (where you can just sit on permanents for 2-3 turn cycles), or ways to find The Chain Veil in hand. I would particularly emphasize the Sphinx's power in combating Stax matchups, since it allows you to dig deeper into your library, over the course of the forced-amount of turns that Stax strategies execute, to clear whatever nuisance-Stax piece is stopping you from executing your game plan.
I like the Insight because it offers an explosive 2 turn card advantage payout that ideally finds me every single piece that I need to win. I like using this card against other fast combo decks because it ensures that I can dig deeper and at the cheapest CMC when there's a safe opening to do so (there's usually a critical turn where everyone is either countering the lead player or is tapped out in developing their own board state). The card advantage it then provides usually guarantees that I have the mana rocks, a tutor to find the Veil, AND counter backup.
EDIT: Discovered Silent Arbiter for the first time. There are a fair number of decks in my playgroup that rely on creature swarm to kill the table. This thing hinders it greatly. It's a little better than Crawlspace, because two attackers is usually damaging enough to kill Teferi or impact my life total enough to be effective.
Howdy folks. I'm giving Benjameenbear ownership of the thread as I've been away from the deck for a long while. I'll check in every once in a while, but I probably won't be posting much. I hope this thread continues to be a haven for good discussion.
It's really a great Primer start. I will finish it in the same vein that you've started and carry on the discussion of our glorious Stax Lord. I know you mentioned using Isochron Scepter in your list with Reversal for an infinite mana combo.
Howdy folks. I'm giving Benjameenbear ownership of the thread as I've been away from the deck for a long while. I'll check in every once in a while, but I probably won't be posting much. I hope this thread continues to be a haven for good discussion.
It's really a great Primer start. I will finish it in the same vein that you've started and carry on the discussion of our glorious Stax Lord. I know you mentioned using Isochron Scepter in your list with Reversal for an infinite mana combo.
LMK if you ever want some help ben, I have a vested interest in this decklist since i run a very similar version!
@LordRewind
Absolutely. Do you run the draw-7's in your deck? If so, what has been your experience with them? I keep trying to convince myself that giving my opponents new cards is worth the fresh 7, but I can never get past my inner control player.
@LordRewind
Absolutely. Do you run the draw-7's in your deck? If so, what has been your experience with them? I keep trying to convince myself that giving my opponents new cards is worth the fresh 7, but I can never get past my inner control player.
I do not run a lot of the draw 7 effect, though i do run recurring insight as well as windfall. If i had Twister, i'd absolutely run it, but alas, i haven't acquired my copy, yet.
For reference, here is my current list (which I built after reading this thread):
As long as you don't run the draw 7s out there wantonly, there's no reason not to play them. If you can dump a grip full of mana and follow it up with a Twister, you've won the game.
I'll definitely be giving it a serious test in the coming days and weeks. I want this to be my most streamlined and oppressive deck so that way I know I can win and soothe my ego, haha. I'll test the changes that I posted on my own Teferi thread in the coming months and see how they go.
@LordRewind
Absolutely. Do you run the draw-7's in your deck? If so, what has been your experience with them? I keep trying to convince myself that giving my opponents new cards is worth the fresh 7, but I can never get past my inner control player.
I do not run a lot of the draw 7 effect, though i do run recurring insight as well as windfall. If i had Twister, i'd absolutely run it, but alas, i haven't acquired my copy, yet.
For reference, here is my current list (which I built after reading this thread):
Well, it looks super streamlined. How important is spot removal in your meta? Vedalken Shackles is the only card I think I could recommend. Maybe Counterbalance.
Also, it looks like there isn't much need to run the Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter combo. I find myself being able to consistently win via The Chain Veil, so I don't feel like there's a need to add a second infinite combo to the deck. Thoughts?
Azor's Gateway has recently caught my eye as being a card that is highly desirable for me. I think that it is pretty good, but the activation cost is steep. What are people's thoughts about it? I like that it filters draws, and of course the backside is incredible, but I think it might be a trap to try and activate.
my opinion: its a waste. takes 5 turns to flip, and i feel that i will be sorely tempted to try to flip it. I think ultimately, i will get destracted trying to make it work, and my opponents will remove it before i see it flipped, or will waste land it after i manage to flip it. The filter draws are pretty good, but i feel there are better card draw alternatives for all the mana we will keep pumping into it.
The thread has been transferred to my ownership. I'll be doing some minor tweaking to the OP so that the images and coding is current and so the Primer is complete.
@LordRewind
Do you have any recent game reports you can share or insight into the new sets that have been released? The only inclusion I can think of adding to the deck is Spellseeker because it finds literally anything we need in the deck. Tutor effect? Transmute Artifact. Counterspell needed to protect your combo? Pact of Negation. This is a great card, frankly, and I think it definitely deserves a spot in the main list.
@LordRewind
Do you have any recent game reports you can share or insight into the new sets that have been released? The only inclusion I can think of adding to the deck is Spellseeker because it finds literally anything we need in the deck. Tutor effect? Transmute Artifact. Counterspell needed to protect your combo? Pact of Negation. This is a great card, frankly, and I think it definitely deserves a spot in the main list.
I haven't had a chance to play test Spellseeker in any decks yet. Depends on how competitive you run your list, its a very powerful tutor...but without flash and at 3 cmc, I am not 100% sold that she is a must have tutor effect. I much prefer effects like Mystical Tutor or Merchant Scroll for a cEDH deck. That said, again, I haven't had a chance to test her yet, don't own a copy yet, so I could be under-appreciating the value she brings.
@LordRewind
Do you have any recent game reports you can share or insight into the new sets that have been released? The only inclusion I can think of adding to the deck is Spellseeker because it finds literally anything we need in the deck. Tutor effect? Transmute Artifact. Counterspell needed to protect your combo? Pact of Negation. This is a great card, frankly, and I think it definitely deserves a spot in the main list.
I haven't had a chance to play test Spellseeker in any decks yet. Depends on how competitive you run your list, its a very powerful tutor...but without flash and at 3 cmc, I am not 100% sold that she is a must have tutor effect. I much prefer effects like Mystical Tutor or Merchant Scroll for a cEDH deck. That said, again, I haven't had a chance to test her yet, don't own a copy yet, so I could be under-appreciating the value she brings.
The entire thread is italicized and it makes it hard to read.
Yeah, time to switch from quote to box tags. This happened when the UI shifted for MTGSalv, and the previous thread owner didnt update that.
I've had a chance to test Spellseeker pretty extensively now, and I believe that the results show her to be a worthy inclusion. The versatility in being able to find whatever card you need when you cast her has been great. More often than not, I'm finding a counterspell or a tutor effect and there's been a pretty high correlation between casting her and winning on the following turn. I highly recommend her, even with her weird-ish art. Besides, U is lacking in hard tutors that B has, so I feel it's appropriate to include any and every relevant tutor that directly helps our strategy.
In other news, I've made A LOT of modifications to the OP thread, including changing it away from the italicized text that it was originally coded in. I've fleshed out the Deck Strategy section, added a couple of others, consolidated the decklists, and have generally tried to update the thread with relevant information to make this thread a go-to resource for competitive Commander players.
It's not totally completed, obviously, but it has a goodly portion of it done. I have the Card Choices section to update, match analysis to enter, and then pictures to add to really make the Primer pop. At that point, a Table of Contents should make it a complete Primer ready for the coveted Primer tag.
EDIT: Completed adding in pictures and the Table of Contents. It's starting to look good!
I'm continuing to edit the OP thread with coding and additional information, but it's starting to look polished. The Primer is under review by the Primer Committee, so hopefully I'll be able to secure additional feedback about the decklist and how the Primer can be improved.
In reviewing M19, there are some significant cards that stand out. Whether or not they get a deckslot is less likely, but there are some cards that are definitely worthwhile for purchase/trading.
Nexus of Fate - this will be great in Turns based decks like Edric, but is otherwise too expensive for what it does. Will I pick up a copy for my Edric deck? Definitely.
Tezzeret, Artifice Master - while I love the art and the lore behind this card, it's not better than his original incarnation in Tezzeret the Seeker. Although, we are getting really close to being able to do Tezzeret tribal, haha.
Omniscience - while I'm really glad that they reprinted this card, especially for the Nicol Bolas flavor of M19, this card definitely does NOT have a place in the main decklist. It's far too expensive for what it does and we have no reliable way to cheat it out.
Mistcaller - this is absolutely fantastic as tech against Reanimator strategies, Hermit Druid decks, and Protean Hulk decks because all of them utilize some type of Reanimation effect to get a creature into play. Mistcaller stops them all for their combo turn, which is a pretty sweet way to rattlesnake these kind of decks. I'll be picking up a copy for my Edric deck.
Mystic Archaeologist - a nice infinite mana dump, it allows you to win the game with any type of infinite mana strategy. The fact that the Wizard himself costs only 1U is a definite bonus to the card, allowing you to sneak it in pretty quickly. Sadly, the Wizard doesn't do anything by itself. I see this card fitting into an Azami deck super easy.
With the full C18 spoiler available, it's time to do a quick review of the set and highlight some cards that might be interesting to include.
Commander 2018 Review
Portent - could be a decent cantrip for the deck. That it doesn't draw you a card immediately is its main drawback but it also has the added utility of messing with any top of deck tutors your opponents might have cast.
Echo Storm - this is a really interesting card, especially with our Commander. Because Teferi is going to receive a lot of combat damage and probably die at least once, you will most likely be able to get two copies off this card. This can dramatically increase your mana output and make comboing off with Teferi significantly easier since you can copy a Sol rock to then win. I'm on the fence with this card, but it seems like a really fun card for normal Commander games. Ultimately, I think it's a wash but I could be wrong.
Coveted Jewel - another really fun card that helps us out, it's weakness is only excaberated in this creature-lite decklist. We don't have too many ways to stop opponents from stealing this artifact, and if even a mana dork connects with us we not only lose our mana development and potential combo piece, but we're giving our opponents card advantage and mana advantage as well. While fantastic with more casual decks, this card is poison for this decklist and what it's aiming to accomplish. We're trying to stifle our opponent's resource development, not actively offer them a chance to increase it.
That's really it from the C18 spoilers. I love what they did with this Commander product set, personally, but there's nothing terribly beneficial for Teferi in this new set.
I've put aside Teferi for a bit in favor of testing newer decks, but he's still sleeved and ready to go. I'll try and get a game or two in and try to report it here.
Question, what would be some good substitutes for the most expensive cards in this list such as Timetwister, Tabernacle, and power artifact? The most I'm willing to splurge for this deck right now is a Mana crypt and maybe grim monolith. I don't have Mox diamond either but I think I can either trade an extra city of traitors for it or get a Lotus petal to run instead.
If it helps focus the suggestions a bit, what cards could help tune this deck to better fight aggro strategies? I know they're probably not the most competitive strategies to fight but they are the most dominant locally.
Question, what would be some good substitutes for the most expensive cards in this list such as Timetwister, Tabernacle, and power artifact? The most I'm willing to splurge for this deck right now is a Mana crypt and maybe grim monolith. I don't have Mox diamond either but I think I can either trade an extra city of traitors for it or get a Lotus petal to run instead.
If it helps focus the suggestions a bit, what cards could help tune this deck to better fight aggro strategies? I know they're probably not the most competitive strategies to fight but they are the most dominant locally.
Power Artifact is a lot harder to replace, but instead maybe consider running additional 'sol' permanents since it is an alternative for creating mana for your chain veil combo.
Tabernacle CAN be replaced by Pendrell Mists, but its one of those cards that incredibly difficult to replace. If your objective is to reduce aggro amounts, alternatives like crawlspace might be more affordable / consistent. Or even something like Portcullis depending on your meta.
Can you describe what sorts of aggro decks you are facing? Are you seeing decks like krenko, where tokens are going wide, causing problems, or are you facing more voltron / single attacker decks that create a single game ending threat (Uril, Rafiq, Zur, Narset, etc).
Question, what would be some good substitutes for the most expensive cards in this list such as Timetwister, Tabernacle, and power artifact? The most I'm willing to splurge for this deck right now is a Mana crypt and maybe grim monolith. I don't have Mox diamond either but I think I can either trade an extra city of traitors for it or get a Lotus petal to run instead.
If it helps focus the suggestions a bit, what cards could help tune this deck to better fight aggro strategies? I know they're probably not the most competitive strategies to fight but they are the most dominant locally.
Question, what would be some good substitutes for the most expensive cards in this list such as Timetwister, Tabernacle, and power artifact? The most I'm willing to splurge for this deck right now is a Mana crypt and maybe grim monolith. I don't have Mox diamond either but I think I can either trade an extra city of traitors for it or get a Lotus petal to run instead.
If it helps focus the suggestions a bit, what cards could help tune this deck to better fight aggro strategies? I know they're probably not the most competitive strategies to fight but they are the most dominant locally.
Power Artifact is a lot harder to replace, but instead maybe consider running additional 'sol' permanents since it is an alternative for creating mana for your chain veil combo.
Tabernacle CAN be replaced by Pendrell Mists, but its one of those cards that incredibly difficult to replace. If your objective is to reduce aggro amounts, alternatives like crawlspace might be more affordable / consistent. Or even something like Portcullis depending on your meta.
Can you describe what sorts of aggro decks you are facing? Are you seeing decks like krenko, where tokens are going wide, causing problems, or are you facing more voltron / single attacker decks that create a single game ending threat (Uril, Rafiq, Zur, Narset, etc).
I'll second what LordRewind suggested as well and add my own suggestions. Silent Arbiter can be another deterrent for Aggro based strategies. Some additional board wipe options might be worthwhile for you to consider, such as Evacuation, Aetherize, Engulf the Shore, Whelming Wave, and Aether Tidespouts are decent options for you to consider. And if you really want to wipe the board and clean it up, All is Dust is a fantastic option as well.
If all the Aggro is pointed at you, that can definitely be hard to handle but it IS doable with this particular deck. I would also recommend being just as aggressive in tutoring for your combo as possible.
I see more decks going wide, not so much focusing on buffing 1 dude because removal is very popular here. Both boardwipes and targeted removal get played, but players here figure they might as well go wide and reduce the value of targeted removal rather than losing a big dude to both targeted removal and boardwipes. Out of my collection I have both Silent Arbiter and Propaganda. I don't feel like dropping 20 dollars on what's essentially a 4cmc tabernacle. Maybe I can just run either one or maybe both of those cards.
You'd rather run windfall and not re-use the graveyard than pay 2 extra mana in Time Reversal? Is the 2 extra that big a difference in a scenario where you need to play the card? I know twister is 1000x more expensive than Time reversal for a good reason, but still, it's maybe $2 versus $2000.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Enjoy storming people to death in Legacy!
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Well, since ajacobik is pretty much out, justifiably so, I think it's up to us to continue to the dialogue and development for Teferi! I recently got a foil Chain Veil for this deck exclusively because I enjoy playing it so much. It's the first time I've deliberately bought a foil card because I like playing a specific deck so much.
There's a new Arcum player in my group and from what other people in my playgroup are saying, it's a real beast. I've contemplated adding in more spot removal and or specific hate cards. The ones I've been bouncing around are:
1 Rapid Hybridization
1 Into the Roil
1 Boomerang
1 Pithing Needle
1 Sorcerous Spyglass
Also, have you been using the Scepter combo? I'm kinda leery towards it since we don't have an immediate way to utilize the infinite mana (I'm spoiled for infinite mana combos having played Memnarch for as long as I have). What are your thoughts?
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
I've never been particularly fond of bounce spells in EDH. I'd rather just permanently deal with a problem if at all possible, hence the actual kill spells. I like Gilded Drake a lot, but not so much in this list because it gives an evasive beater for an opponent that and I'm trying to minimize the creature count. I still don't like Pongify and its cousin, but they are cheap answers that up the tax on problematic generals I encounter most frequently whereas bounce spells don't create a tax. I'm already running Cursed Totem in my list, and you're right: it's hella good against most cEDH decks out there. I simply want to add a couple or more pieces of cheap interaction or proactive prevention in order to streamline the deck a little more.
In other news, I find myself not being a fan of Tangle Wire. Does anyone have any experiences with the card? I never tutor for it, I rarely play it when I have it in hand (Stasis and Winter Orb are just so much better than it), and it doesn't seem to impact the game as much as I want it to. What is everyone's preferred Stax pieces to find and cast?
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
I actually run both of them in my list because I think their value is so good. I like C. Sphinx because it almost guarantees a win if I can resolve it and protect it for a turn cycle. I view as more of a long-term play if I don't have tutors, playing against other Stax lists (where you can just sit on permanents for 2-3 turn cycles), or ways to find The Chain Veil in hand. I would particularly emphasize the Sphinx's power in combating Stax matchups, since it allows you to dig deeper into your library, over the course of the forced-amount of turns that Stax strategies execute, to clear whatever nuisance-Stax piece is stopping you from executing your game plan.
I like the Insight because it offers an explosive 2 turn card advantage payout that ideally finds me every single piece that I need to win. I like using this card against other fast combo decks because it ensures that I can dig deeper and at the cheapest CMC when there's a safe opening to do so (there's usually a critical turn where everyone is either countering the lead player or is tapped out in developing their own board state). The card advantage it then provides usually guarantees that I have the mana rocks, a tutor to find the Veil, AND counter backup.
EDIT: Discovered Silent Arbiter for the first time. There are a fair number of decks in my playgroup that rely on creature swarm to kill the table. This thing hinders it greatly. It's a little better than Crawlspace, because two attackers is usually damaging enough to kill Teferi or impact my life total enough to be effective.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
It's really a great Primer start. I will finish it in the same vein that you've started and carry on the discussion of our glorious Stax Lord. I know you mentioned using Isochron Scepter in your list with Reversal for an infinite mana combo.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Absolutely. Do you run the draw-7's in your deck? If so, what has been your experience with them? I keep trying to convince myself that giving my opponents new cards is worth the fresh 7, but I can never get past my inner control player.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
I do not run a lot of the draw 7 effect, though i do run recurring insight as well as windfall. If i had Twister, i'd absolutely run it, but alas, i haven't acquired my copy, yet.
For reference, here is my current list (which I built after reading this thread):
1x Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Artifact (24)
1x Basalt Monolith
1x Candelabra of Tawnos
1x Chrome Mox
1x Cursed Totem
1x Everflowing Chalice
1x Gilded Lotus
1x Grim Monolith
1x Lotus Petal
1x Mana Crypt
1x Mana Vault
1x Memory Jar
1x Mind Stone
1x Mox Diamond
1x Mox Opal
1x Rings of Brighthearth
1x Sensei's Divining Top
1x Sol Ring
1x Static Orb
1x Tangle Wire
1x The Chain Veil
1x Thran Dynamo
1x Torpor Orb
1x Voltaic Key
1x Winter Orb
Creature (4)
1x Jace, Vryn's Prodigy Flip
1x Snapcaster Mage
1x Spellskite
1x Trinket Mage
1x Arcane Denial
1x Blue Sun's Zenith
1x Brainstorm
1x Capsize
1x Chain of Vapor
1x Counterspell
1x Cyclonic Rift
1x Dig Through Time
1x Fact or Fiction
1x Force of Will
1x High Tide
1x Hurkyl's Recall
1x Impulse
1x Intuition
1x Mana Drain
1x Mental Misstep
1x Muddle the Mixture
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Negate
1x Pact of Negation
1x Spell Pierce
1x Swan Song
1x Thirst for Knowledge
Enchantment (4)
1x Back to Basics
1x Mystic Remora
1x Rhystic Study
1x Stasis
1x Tezzeret the Seeker
1x Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
Land (32)
1x Academy Ruins
1x Ancient Tomb
1x Blinkmoth Well
1x Cephalid Coliseum
1x Flooded Strand
1x Gemstone Caverns
21x Island
1x Misty Rainforest
1x Polluted Delta
1x Scalding Tarn
1x Tolaria West
1x Urza's Factory
Sorcery (10)
1x Fabricate
1x Gitaxian Probe
1x Merchant Scroll
1x Ponder
1x Preordain
1x Recurring Insight
1x Reshape
1x Time Spiral
1x Transmute Artifact
1x Windfall
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
I'll definitely be giving it a serious test in the coming days and weeks. I want this to be my most streamlined and oppressive deck so that way I know I can win and soothe my ego, haha. I'll test the changes that I posted on my own Teferi thread in the coming months and see how they go.
Well, it looks super streamlined. How important is spot removal in your meta? Vedalken Shackles is the only card I think I could recommend. Maybe Counterbalance.
Also, it looks like there isn't much need to run the Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter combo. I find myself being able to consistently win via The Chain Veil, so I don't feel like there's a need to add a second infinite combo to the deck. Thoughts?
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
@LordRewind
Do you have any recent game reports you can share or insight into the new sets that have been released? The only inclusion I can think of adding to the deck is Spellseeker because it finds literally anything we need in the deck. Tutor effect? Transmute Artifact. Counterspell needed to protect your combo? Pact of Negation. This is a great card, frankly, and I think it definitely deserves a spot in the main list.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
Yeah, time to switch from quote to box tags. This happened when the UI shifted for MTGSalv, and the previous thread owner didnt update that.
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
I've had a chance to test Spellseeker pretty extensively now, and I believe that the results show her to be a worthy inclusion. The versatility in being able to find whatever card you need when you cast her has been great. More often than not, I'm finding a counterspell or a tutor effect and there's been a pretty high correlation between casting her and winning on the following turn. I highly recommend her, even with her weird-ish art. Besides, U is lacking in hard tutors that B has, so I feel it's appropriate to include any and every relevant tutor that directly helps our strategy.
In other news, I've made A LOT of modifications to the OP thread, including changing it away from the italicized text that it was originally coded in. I've fleshed out the Deck Strategy section, added a couple of others, consolidated the decklists, and have generally tried to update the thread with relevant information to make this thread a go-to resource for competitive Commander players.
It's not totally completed, obviously, but it has a goodly portion of it done. I have the Card Choices section to update, match analysis to enter, and then pictures to add to really make the Primer pop. At that point, a Table of Contents should make it a complete Primer ready for the coveted Primer tag.
EDIT: Completed adding in pictures and the Table of Contents. It's starting to look good!
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
In reviewing M19, there are some significant cards that stand out. Whether or not they get a deckslot is less likely, but there are some cards that are definitely worthwhile for purchase/trading.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Commander 2018 Review
That's really it from the C18 spoilers. I love what they did with this Commander product set, personally, but there's nothing terribly beneficial for Teferi in this new set.
I've put aside Teferi for a bit in favor of testing newer decks, but he's still sleeved and ready to go. I'll try and get a game or two in and try to report it here.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
If it helps focus the suggestions a bit, what cards could help tune this deck to better fight aggro strategies? I know they're probably not the most competitive strategies to fight but they are the most dominant locally.
Timetwister can be replaced to some degree by Windfall.
Power Artifact is a lot harder to replace, but instead maybe consider running additional 'sol' permanents since it is an alternative for creating mana for your chain veil combo.
Tabernacle CAN be replaced by Pendrell Mists, but its one of those cards that incredibly difficult to replace. If your objective is to reduce aggro amounts, alternatives like crawlspace might be more affordable / consistent. Or even something like Portcullis depending on your meta.
Can you describe what sorts of aggro decks you are facing? Are you seeing decks like krenko, where tokens are going wide, causing problems, or are you facing more voltron / single attacker decks that create a single game ending threat (Uril, Rafiq, Zur, Narset, etc).
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
I'll second what LordRewind suggested as well and add my own suggestions. Silent Arbiter can be another deterrent for Aggro based strategies. Some additional board wipe options might be worthwhile for you to consider, such as Evacuation, Aetherize, Engulf the Shore, Whelming Wave, and Aether Tidespouts are decent options for you to consider. And if you really want to wipe the board and clean it up, All is Dust is a fantastic option as well.
If all the Aggro is pointed at you, that can definitely be hard to handle but it IS doable with this particular deck. I would also recommend being just as aggressive in tutoring for your combo as possible.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
You'd rather run windfall and not re-use the graveyard than pay 2 extra mana in Time Reversal? Is the 2 extra that big a difference in a scenario where you need to play the card? I know twister is 1000x more expensive than Time reversal for a good reason, but still, it's maybe $2 versus $2000.