MTG Salvation

Introduction

Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper

This is a deck with control elements centered around a combo that is aimed at eliminating an opponent in a single attack phase. The deck seeks to establish a firm ground upon which it can assemble its combo by playing a controlling game. It can dig through the deck fast to draw into the combo pieces or tutor up the pieces it needs. The deck can only win through combat steps.

The deck is NOT built to go toe-to-toe with cutthroat decks and should not be treated as such. It is primarily aimed to be fun and frequently succeeds in doing so, though winning frequently is an entirely different question. This deck is for all lovers of jank out there. I hope you'll like it.

Why play this deck?

Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper is one of those unassmuming commanders that does not paint a target at your back. People who usually see him being played are often confused as to why he was chosen as commander.

Reasons to play Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper:

• You enjoy playing a fair game. This deck plays Magic and lets everyone else play Magic (well sometimes not, because Counterspell). There are no "I win" shenanigans with this deck.
• You like to win via combat steps. Making a land large enough and swinging it at opponents is what wins the deck games. Period.
• You like animating lands. Your lands are your beaters. They are the backbone of your army and will win you games. Seeing a gigantic unblockable foil Island swing at an opponent is a glorious scene.
• You like complex timing strategies. The deck relies heavily on the combo to win (around 90% of the time). Without it, it's a slow grind to build another land large enough to be a threat and protecting it with a slew of removals and counterspells. Since the combo is fragile as it is, timing is key to pulling it off successfully. Pull it off too soon and people gang up on you. Pull it off too late and you might lose before it happens.
• You like control. This is a control deck at heart and plays more of a draw-go strategy. Of course not everytime but most of the time. Playing control also opens us up into playing a political game where everyone collectively decides on which threats and you stop that threat. This makes friends. And friends make for a fun game of Magic.
• You like to show off and wow a crowd. The combo already exists somewhere else but this is a deck centered around it. It's one of the awesome jank combos out there that if pulled off puts a smile on anyone's faces. Even at the guy you just swung a 1000/1000 unblockable Griffin Canyon at.

Reasons NOT to play Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper:

• You like winning through combo. Though this deck has a pseudo-infinite combo, it does not win you the game right away. If you like playing "I WIN!" combos like High Tide + Palinchron, you may want to look at other decks.
• You like a lot of creatures. Technically, the deck can have a lot of creatures. However, you are setting yourself up for a potential wipe out if you go that route, so it isn't advisable. Basically, we set-up a single large threat and protect it.
• You don't like interaction. This deck is very interactive. If tapping out on each of your turns is your kind of game, the deck will not work for you.
• You hate pillowfort strategies. The deck has elements of pillowfort for protection. Counterspells only get you so far so the deck protects itself through enchantments.
• You don't like slow games. This deck is SLOW. Like really slow. With the minimal presence of mana rocks and ramp, the deck takes quite a while to take off.

A Brief History

Many years ago, when I was young and Onslaught was the new kid on the block, I started playing MTG. It was a kitchen-table format w/ no banned list and I thoroughly enjoyed it with friends. Come Ravnica (the first one) and I had to leave Magic to catch up with life events. The year 2015 comes and I was reacquainted w/ Magic just after the release of Dragons of Tarkir. I played standard until the early part of 2016 but was put off due to the cost of entry and upkeep in the format. Nevertheless, I was enamored by Magic's ,well, "Magic". I still went to my LGS from time to time to watch games of Modern and Standard. It was during one of those trips trips that some people invited me over to play Commander with them, and boy was I hooked. Seeing the cards of old being played in the decks was very nostalgic to me and I decided to get into the format after a few weeks of playing the format.

At first, I went ahead and purchased the Mizzix of the Izmagnus precon deck and modified it as a Jhoira of the Ghitu deck. It was the usual fair, filled to the brim with cards like Obliterate and It That Betrays. It was a "wipes and eldrazi" deck and it was obnoxious. I tweaked it to cater to Dragonstorm but it was still obscene. Me and my playgroup quickly decided that the deck is no fun at all as each of them always pulls out their own obnoxious commanders (like Narset, Enlightened Master) in response to my deck choice, which we know makes for cutthroat games.

After the fuzz that was Jhoira of the Ghitu, I made a number of decks that cater to different kinds of play - Roon of the Hidden Realm, Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim, Phenax, God of Deception, Omnath, Locus of Rage, and Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper. Of those decks, Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper was the only one with no thought given into it. I gathered up all my leftover on-color instants and sorceries and placed them in the deck. It was a low-level deck, pile of cards sort of speaking...and it was the one deck I unfortunately picked up to bring with me during one of my international travels.

Stuck with the Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper deck, I was not sure how to go about it. I hated control at that time as I was a hardcore midrange player. Nevertheless, I took it for a spin. It was stomped so I decided to play the political game, making friends with people, controlling the board and combos, and not trying to win. A few weeks later, I came across the Griffin Canyon combo. It was in an obscure thread and I thought of including it just for laughs and giggles. Little did I know, the said combo became the centerpiece of this deck in time. I wanted to add a "fun" dimension to an otherwise boring control deck. I want it to employ something obscure as its main weapon.

The first iterations of the deck focused on having the maximum number of instants/sorceries to abuse Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper's triggered ability. However, that strategy proved too random and unreliable. I started including tutors (Tolaria West, Expedition Map, Muddle the Mixture, Long-Term Plans) and the Griffin Canyon combo was more achievable. I played and won many games and thought that the deck was fine as it is. Then came a slew of games where Griffin Canyon was exiled and I find myself having no way of winning. I also noticed that aggro decks tend to get me before I even start tutoring for the combo. Something was wrong with my strategy and the deck needed some tweaking.

To address the concern of aggro decks and creature-based decks in general, I added in some pillowfort elements (Crawlspace, Propaganda, etc.). As for the other issue (Griffin Canyon being exiled), I added in some large hard-to-deal-with beaters such as Darksteel Citadel, Cascading Cataracts, Blinkmoth Nexus and Faerie Conclave.

Another issue I encountered was the lack of colored sources. Considering that the deck has a lot of cantrips, I went down to 34 lands and replaced some colorless lands with fetches. I also included some form of ramp in Oreskos Explorer and Gift of Estates to address this issue. After that, the deck performed quite smoothly.

I play the deck from time to time and I still get that thrill of pulling off the combo and getting the "nod of approval" from the table when I eliminate an opponent with it. It always brings a smile to my face.

Decklist

meowCat1234's DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
Land (37) 1x Adarkar Wastes 1x Blinkmoth Nexus 1x Cascading CataractsFoil 1x Command Tower 1x Darksteel CitadelFoil 1x Encroaching WastesFoil 1x Faerie ConclaveFoil 1x Flooded Strand 1x Geier Reach Sanitarium 1x Ghost Quarter 1x Glacial Fortress 1x Griffin Canyon 1x Halimar Depths 1x Hallowed Fountain 1x Irrigated Farmland 6x IslandFoil 1x Mikokoro, Center of the Sea 1x Plains 5x PlainsFoil 1x Port Town 1x Prairie Stream 1x Reliquary Tower 1x Sejiri Refuge 1x Temple of Enlightenment 1x Temple of the False God 1x Tolaria WestFoil 1x Tranquil CoveFoil 1x Windswept Heath Creature (5) 1x Baral, Chief of ComplianceFoil 1x Cataclysmic GearhulkFoil 1x Sun TitanFoil 1x Thassa, God of the Sea	Instant (27) 1x AnticipateFoil 1x Arcane Denial 1x Azorius CharmFoil 1x Brainstorm 1x Capsize 1x Commit // Memory 1x Counterspell 1x Cyclonic Rift 1x Delay 1x Dig Through Time 1x Disallow 1x Dizzy Spell 1x Fact or FictionFoil 1x Forbid 1x Frantic Search 1x ImpulseFoil 1x Long-Term Plans 1x Muddle the Mixture 1x Mystic Confluence 1x Path to ExileFoil 1x Render SilentFoil 1x Shields of Velis VelFoil 1x Swan Song 1x Swords to Plowshares 1x View from AboveFoil 1x Wings of Velis VelFoil 1x Words of WisdomFoil Artifact (9) 1x Azorius SignetFoil 1x Commander's Sphere 1x Crawlspace 1x Expedition Map 1x Hedron Archive 1x Isochron Scepter 1x Sapphire Medallion 1x Sol Ring 1x Thought Vessel	Commander 1x Noyan Dar, Roil ShaperFoil Sorcery (12) 1x Artful DodgeFoil 1x Day's Undoing 1x Deep AnalysisFoil 1x Fabricate 1x Mystic Speculation 1x Planar CleansingFoil 1x Planar OutburstFoil 1x Ponder 1x Preordain 1x Serum VisionsFoil 1x Time Reversal 1x Tragic ArroganceFoil Enchantment (10) 1x Banishing Light Foil 1x Detention Sphere 1x Grasp of Fate 1x Monastery SiegeFoil 1x Mystic Remora 1x Propaganda 1x Rhystic Study 1x Sphere of Safety 1x Terra EternalFoil 1x Unnatural SelectionFoil

meowCat1234's DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
Commander 1x Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper Foil Land (34) 1x Adarkar Wastes 1x Bad River 1x Blinkmoth Nexus 1x Cascading Cataracts Foil 1x Command Tower 1x Darksteel Citadel Foil 1x Encroaching Wastes Foil 1x Faerie Conclave Foil 1x Flood Plain 1x Flooded Strand 1x Ghost Quarter 1x Glacial Fortress Foil 1x Griffin Canyon 1x Halimar Depths 1x Hallowed Fountain 1x Irrigated Farmland 4x Island Foil 1x Mikokoro, Center of the Sea 4x Plains Foil 1x Port Town 1x Prairie Stream 1x Reliquary Tower 1x Sejiri Refuge 1x Temple of Enlightenment 1x Tolaria West Foil 1x Tranquil Cove Foil 1x Windswept Heath Creature (6) 1x Baral, Chief of Compliance Foil 1x Cataclysmic Gearhulk Foil 1x Oreskos Explorer 1x Sun Titan 1x Taigam, Ojutai Master 1x Thassa, God of the Sea	Instant (25) 1x Arcane Denial 1x Azorius Charm Foil 1x Brainstorm 1x Capsize 1x Commit // Memory 1x Counterspell 1x Cyclonic Rift 1x Delay 1x Dig Through Time 1x Disallow 1x Fact or Fiction Foil 1x Forbid 1x Frantic Search 1x Impulse Foil 1x Long-Term Plans 1x Muddle the Mixture 1x Mystic Confluence 1x Mystical Tutor 1x Path to Exile Foil 1x Render Silent Foil 1x Swan Song 1x Swords to Plowshares 1x View from Above Foil 1x Wings of Velis Vel Foil 1x Words of Wisdom Foil Artifact (9) 1x Azorius Signet Foil 1x Commander's Sphere 1x Crawlspace 1x Expedition Map 1x Isochron Scepter 1x Lightning Greaves 1x Sapphire Medallion 1x Sol Ring 1x Thought Vessel	Sorcery (13) 1x Artful Dodge Foil 1x Day's Undoing 1x Deep Analysis Foil 1x Fabricate 1x Gift of Estates 1x Hour of Revelation 1x Mystic Speculation 1x Planar Cleansing Foil 1x Planar Outburst Foil 1x Ponder 1x Preordain 1x Serum Visions Foil 1x Tragic Arrogance Foil Enchantment (10) 1x Arcane Adaptation 1x Detention Sphere 1x Grasp of Fate 1x Monastery Siege Foil 1x Mystic Remora 1x Propaganda 1x Rhystic Study 1x Sphere of Safety 1x Terra Eternal Foil 1x Unnatural Selection Foil Planeswalker (2) 1x Elspeth, Knight-Errant 1x Jace, Architect of Thought Foil

Current VersionMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
Commander 1x Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper Foil 1x Adarkar Wastes 1x Bad River 1x Blinkmoth Nexus 1x Cascading Cataracts Foil 1x Command Tower 1x Darksteel Citadel Foil 1x Faerie Conclave Foil 1x Flood Plain 1x Flooded Strand 1x Glacial Fortress Foil 1x Griffin Canyon 1x Halimar Depths 1x Hallowed Fountain 1x Irrigated Farmland 5x Island Foil 1x Mikokoro, Center of the Sea 1x Nimbus Maze 4x Plains Foil 1x Plains Foil 1x Polluted Delta 1x Prairie Stream 1x Reliquary Tower 1x Temple of Enlightenment 1x Thespian's Stage 1x Tolaria West Foil 1x Tranquil Cove 1x Windswept Heath Creature (4) 1x Baral, Chief of Compliance Foil 1x Cataclysmic Gearhulk Foil 1x Sun Titan Foil 1x Thassa, God of the Sea	Planeswalker (1) 1x Elspeth, Knight-Errant Instant (25) 1x Anticipate Foil 1x Arcane Denial 1x Azorius Charm Foil 1x Brainstorm 1x Capsize 1x Commit // Memory 1x Counterspell 1x Cyclonic Rift 1x Dig Through Time 1x Disallow 1x Fact or Fiction Foil 1x Forbid 1x Frantic Search 1x Impulse Foil 1x Long-Term Plans 1x Muddle the Mixture 1x Mystic Confluence 1x Mystical Tutor Foil 1x Path to Exile Foil 1x Render Silent Foil 1x Swan Song 1x Swords to Plowshares 1x View from Above Foil 1x Wings of Velis Vel Foil 1x Words of Wisdom Foil Artifact (11) 1x Azorius Cluestone 1x Azorius Signet Foil 1x Commander's Sphere 1x Crawlspace 1x Expedition Map 1x Fellwar Stone 1x Norn's Annex 1x Runed Stalactite Foil 1x Sapphire Medallion 1x Sol Ring 1x Thought Vessel	Enchantment (13) 1x Arcane Adaptation 1x Collective Restraint 1x Detention Sphere 1x Ghostly Prison 1x Grasp of Fate 1x Monastery Siege Foil 1x Mystic Remora 1x Propaganda 1x Rhystic Study 1x Sphere of Safety 1x Terra Eternal Foil 1x Unnatural Selection Foil 1x Wind Zendikon Foil Sorcery (11) 1x Artful Dodge Foil 1x Day's Undoing 1x Deep Analysis Foil 1x Gift of Estates 1x Hour of Revelation 1x Mystic Speculation 1x Planar Outburst Foil 1x Ponder 1x Preordain 1x Serum Visions Foil 1x Tragic Arrogance Foil

Combo! Combo! Combo!

The deck is built around the Griffin Canyon combo. Listed below are the requirements for the combo and how it works. Also included is a Plan B for when the combo fails.

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Combo Requirements

The Land - the central piece of the combo needed to close out games

1. Griffin Canyon - this is our gigantic land monster

Changeling - to give Griffin Canyon the "Griffin" creature type

1. Arcane Adaptation
2. Wings of Velis Vel
3. Unnatural Selection

Evasion - optional items just so our monstrous Griffin Canyon can swing at ease

1. View from Above - can be used repeatedly that can be used multiple times in a single turn
2. Artful Dodge - flashback really helps this one shine
3. Thassa, God of the Sea - repeatable unblockable engine that enables us to freely scry 1 on upkeep is a very good addition to the deck, props for being a hard to remove enchantment

The main wincon for this deck is to get Griffin Canyon out, animate it with Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper's ability, give it Changeling with Shields of Velis Vel and the like, make it big and swing.

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Combo Time!

1. Animate Griffin Canyon - it becomes a creature (an elemental) with haste
2. Give it Changeling so it gets the Griffin creature type
3. Tap Griffin Canyon using its ability targetting itself (it's a Griffin now), untapping it and giving it +1/+1 in the process
4. Repeat step 3 to make a very large Griffin Canyon, give it evasion and swing!
5. Profit!!!

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Contingency Plan

Well we can always go down with the beatdown route using Darksteel Citadel/Cascading Cataracts/Blinkmoth Nexus/Faerie Conclave or just a plain old Island. With the number of cheap instants and sorceries in the deck, we can build up any land fron 0/0 to 15/15 (or larger) in a single turn!

Card Choices

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Counterspells

I'm picking up mostly 2-mana counterspells since the deck can go hungry with mana to dig deeper into the deck

1. Counterspell - the most basic and one of the cheapest counterspells in the game
2. Forbid - a counterspell with buyback, very good in the mid-late game
3. Arcane Denial - feel-good counterspell
4. Delay - delay a wipe/bomb and try to win before then or have the other players do it for you
5. Disallow - best mono counterspell at the moment
6. Swan Song - hits most of the relevant threats at , much better than Negate
7. Muddle the Mixture - a worse Counterspell but it makes up for it by being a tutor itself
8. Mystic Confluence - a worse Cryptic Command but also more forgiving on the mana base
9. Render Silent - to stop hardcore combo players
10. Commit // Memory - a soft counter that also serves as a second Day's Undoing once in the yard

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Protection

We need to protect our manland/s and ourself from external factors. These cards aim to do just those. (plus the counterspells of course)

1. Terra Eternal - all our lands are wrath-proof (except for exile effects), which means we can wrath to our heart's content
2. Propaganda - a huge "don't attack me" sign
3. Sphere of Safety - a more expensive Propaganda
4. Crawlspace - my favorite of the bunch
5. Jace, Architect of Thought - a soft addition to our pillowfort strategy that also doubles as a repeatable source of card advantage
6. Taigam, Ojutai Master - provides our spells with uncounterability and sometimes double up our spells. Works well with Elspeth, Knight-Errant for the evasion

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Tutors

This deck is very dependent on the Griffin Canyon combo, so we need to have tutors to get our combo pieces in place. Since straight-up tutors are rather expensive, I chose the next best thing to have - Transmute.

1. Mystic Confluence - Wings of Velis Vel, Muddle the Mixture, board wipes, card draw
2. Muddle the Mixture - Wings of Velis Vel/Unnatural Selection/etc., also doubles as a Counterspell
3. Tolaria West/Expedition Map - Griffin Canyon/any utility land
4. Fabricate - Expedition Map/Sol Ring/Cataclysmic Gearhulk
5. Long-Term Plans - anything needed

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Board Wipes

Since this is a slow deck, board wipes are more than a necessity if we want to survive until later in the game. However, we don't want to load up on a gazillion board wipes, so I included some that will be more advantageous to us than the opponents, effectively making almost everything a 1-sided wrath.

1. Cyclonic Rift - one-sided board wipe is always welcome
2. Planar Cleansing - destroys everything except our manlands
3. Tragic Arrogance - my favorite board wipe, can be used politically most of the time
4. Cataclysmic Gearhulk - a worse Tragic Arrogance in that the opponent can choose which permanents remain on their board
5. Planar Outburst - a worse Planar Cleansing that only kills creatures, still spares our manlands though
6. Hour of Revelation - a better version of Planar Cleansing in that it becomes cheaper. I was thinking of cutting Planar Cleansing out but some people wanted me to keep both in, so I'm keeping them in for now

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Evasion

We'd like to be able to swing without hindrance when we get our Griffin Canyon to a gigantic size

1. Artful Dodge - two spells in one card for unconditional evasion
2. Wings of Velis Vel - enables the combo and gives flying
3. View from Above - gives flying, and is a repeatable one to boot
4. Thassa, God of the Sea - Scry tacked on to an indestructible body is really nice. Couple it with a repeatable source of evasion and we're golden.
5. Elspeth, Knight-Errant - can make dudes, give +3/+3 and flying, with an ult that serves as the ultimate form of protection for our board. Can also give Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper flying, and gigantic flying merfolk are a sight to behold

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Removal

The way we survive to execute our gameplan. The removals are chosen based on their ability to deal with nonland permanents. Some of these are soft removal but they help us with the game anyway.

1. Detention Sphere - can deal with token strategies quite well
2. Capsize - repeatable removal that can bounce problematic permanents such as Maze of Ith
3. Commit // Memory - soft removal that acts as multiple cards in one
4. Mystic Confluence - has a myriad of modes available depending on the board state
5. Path to Exile - cheap creature exile removal to be used for the most problematic of creatures
6. Swords to Plowshares - see Path to Exile
7. Azorius Charm - soft removal with multiple options, trades raw power for versatility
8. Grasp of Fate - deals with the most problematic nonland permanent controlled by each player

Playing with the Deck

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Opening Hand

The deck wants as much lands as it can have during the first few turns of the game. As such, opening hands should contain no less than 3 lands and some number of cantrips. Your major concern in the early game is not to control the board nor is it to combo off. It is to establish your side of the board such that you can safely tutor up for the combo and go off. If a hand has multiple cheap source of card draw and/or filtering, a 2 maybe 1 lander can be kept. However, these cantrips have to be the 1-cmc type (Brainstorm, Serum Visions, Ponder, Preordain) so be wary of keeping it.

Preferred Opening:

1. 3 Lands, 1-2 card draw
2. 2 Lands, 1-2 Mana Rocks/Ramp, at least 1 card draw
3. 1 Land (must generate U), 1-2 Mana Rocks/Ramp, at least 2 1-cmc cantrips (Brainstorm, Serum Visions, Ponder, Preordain)
4. 4-5 Lands, at least 2 card draw

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Early Game

The early game is ideally spent ramping up your land/mana count and deploying our pillowfort.

Preferred Plays:

1. Mana Rocks - Sol Ring, Commander's Sphere, Thought Vessel
2. Ramp - Gift of Estates, Oreskos Explorer
3. Cantrips - Brainstorm, Serum Visions, Preordain
4. Protection - Propaganda, Crawlspace

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Mid Game

By mid game, the deck should have already established a "safe haven" for it to go and tutor up for the Griffin Canyon combo pieces. It is also during this time that the opponents are likely to try and pull off a win so playing it safe and politically is strongly advised. Hold up mana for counterspells, but counter only the spells that outright wins games or makes life miserable for the table. Spells like Cyclonic Rift, Humility, Dovescape, various board wipes, and various stax effects are high-priority targets. Make friends and the combination of your pillowfort and counterspells will deter people from making you their top priority. Lay back and draw a lot of cards. While tempting, refrain from getting Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper to the battlefield. You'll only be needing him once the coast is clear. The last thing you want is paying a lot for your commander, which is essential for your combo. Dig for the combo pieces little by little and try to amass card advantage from doing so.

Preferred Plays:

1. Tutors - Expedition Map, Muddle the Mixture, Mystical Tutor
2. Counterspells - Counterspell, Render Silent, Arcane Denial
3. Removal - Detention Sphere, Grasp of Fate, Path to Exile, Swords to Plowshares
4. Deck Digging - Dig Through Time, Deep Analysis, Monastery Siege

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Late Game

Late game is where the deck starts to shine. There may already be one or two casualties along the way so the board is somewhat easier to control by now. The combo should already have been assembled in your hand and Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper is in your command zone. Get your Changeling enchantment (Unnatural Selection/Arcane Adaptation) out but don't pull the combo off until a turn later. After doing the combo once, Noyan Dar is not needed anymore so we do what we can to protect our Griffin Canyon, letting the Commander die if it can't be helped. We should be able to easily eliminate a player or two with the combo if we don't win the game outright. If somehow our Griffin Canyon gets dealt with, make use of our other high priority lands (Blinkmoth Nexus, Faerie Conclave, Cascading Cataracts, Darksteel Citadel) and turn them into attackers. We should easily be able to make them large enough and become a force to reckon with.

Preferred Plays:

1. Combo! - Griffin Canyon, Wings of Velis Vel
2. Grindy Game - Blinkmoth Nexus, Faerie Conclave, Cascading Cataracts, Darksteel Citadel

Moving Forward

This is a work-in-progress deck and I am actively looking for ways to improve it.

Future Considerations - These are the cards I look forward to obtaining and eventually putting in the deck.

1. Inkmoth Nexus - the super cute wincon for Noyan decks, would be nice to have one
2. Polluted Delta/Marsh Flats/etc. - fetches are always welcome
3. Weathered Wayfarer - can search for any land to help us win faster
4. Nimbus Maze - awesome lands that come in untapped to help us with our colors. Will definitely replace some basics or other duals that come into play tapped
5. Talrand, Sky Summoner - a potent Plan C in case things don't get so well

Exclusions - With all these cards above and all the jankiness there is in Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper, there are some obvious card choices that I am staying away from right now. Here are they and the reasons they are exlcluded:

1. Land Tax - while it is a very nice card, it is one very expensive card. I'm looking forward to trading into one though
2. Teferi's Response - while only Noyan Dar can make this card work, it doesn't protect our manland from boardwipes, hence its exclusion
3. Sacred Ground/Equinox - I have tried these cards before but they seem to be lackluster to me. They just sit there and don't do much. I'd rather go on the offensive rather than the defensive.

I'd also like to include some planeswalkers but no idea which ones to.

Comments and suggestions welcome. Thanks!

This is one of the coolest combos I've ever heard of

that said it seems pretty fragile since it depends on connecting with a creature, and even that creature takes a lot of work to make it into play. if you were able to find a way to get green in on the deck you could make use of land tutors (Crop Rotation at the end of someone's turn for a surprise griffin). although you'd lose easy land-animation, there are numerous other effects you could use (animate land for example)

that might be a bit too far in another direction though so i understand if you opt not to

Personally I found a Inkmoth Nexus or Rune-chanters Pike with a body to be more than sufficient win conditions in my Noyan Dar list. Also Monestary Mentor can be a very potent plan B.

Quote from aslidsiksoraksi »

This is one of the coolest combos I've ever heard of

that said it seems pretty fragile since it depends on connecting with a creature, and even that creature takes a lot of work to make it into play. if you were able to find a way to get green in on the deck you could make use of land tutors (Crop Rotation at the end of someone's turn for a surprise griffin). although you'd lose easy land-animation, there are numerous other effects you could use (animate land for example)

that might be a bit too far in another direction though so i understand if you opt not to

Thanks! I opt not to go green since that would mean I would be able to use my lovely commander.
There is always the monstrous Island or Plains or Darksteel Citadel to go for in case our Griffin Canyon gets blown up. The deck likes playing instants and sorceries so we can get them to be very big lands very fast. I played last night and got a 36/36 Island from 12/12 in a single turn.

Quote from BunnyInATux »

Personally I found a Inkmoth Nexus or Rune-chanters Pike with a body to be more than sufficient win conditions in my Noyan Dar list. Also Monestary Mentor can be a very potent plan B.

I don't like Inkmoth Nexus since it is a very cheesy win and it takes away the spirit of fun somehow. My playgroup hates infect, all iterations of it. I have also tried Runechanter's Pike but I just don't seem to like it. I have had it in my hand a couple of times but I seemingly don't want to cast it. Same thing happens with Talrand, Sky Summoner and Planar Outburst. I have no idea why though. It just felt like there are more fun things to do in the turn than those. LOL

Looks like Kefnet the Mindful would be a good fit here for both reusing lands and draws. What do you think of Drake Haven with all your discard, and As Foretold for support?

Haven't updated the list here in a while. The deck has undergone quite a lot of changes here and there. I'll update it later today. Overall, I feel very confident with the deck and it is a blast to play.

Quote from cyberium_neo »

Looks like Kefnet the Mindful would be a good fit here for both reusing lands and draws. What do you think of Drake Haven with all your discard, and As Foretold for support?

As Foretold is one of the cards I am very much eager to get from the set. As to what I will replace with in the deck, I don't know yet. The things I find really useful from this set are Irrigated Farmland and Cascading Cataracts (which is bonkers, while being mediocre at the same time).

Decklist updated 6/27/17

Did a lot of changes from last month's version. Took it out for a spin and was still having a lot of fun. The infinite combo is quite easy to assemble.

Man do I always love seeing some sweet jank! That's the kind of jank that I'd use to flavor my ribs at a BBQ. Sweet!

Have you considered adding Hour of Revelation as a second, potentially easier to cast, Planar Cleansing?

Quote from DementedKirby »

Man do I always love seeing some sweet jank! That's the kind of jank that I'd use to flavor my ribs at a BBQ. Sweet!

Have you considered adding Hour of Revelation as a second, potentially easier to cast, Planar Cleansing?

Thanks! I'm glad you like the list. The combo idea is not originally mine (I've seen it floating around) but nobody bothered to build a deck around it. So here it is.

As to Hour of Revelation, I'd actually like to slot that in. I don't know whether I should add it as a 6th board wipe or just replace Planar Cleansing with it. Anyhow, I'll get a foil as soon as I can. I love the deck so I'm trying to foil it out.

A card I'm very much interested in is Commit // Memory. I know it's quite expensive mana-wise but it's a versatile spell that has a variety of uses. No idea what I should take out from the deck though. I love playing it as-is for now.

Quote from meowCat1234 »

Quote from DementedKirby »

Man do I always love seeing some sweet jank! That's the kind of jank that I'd use to flavor my ribs at a BBQ. Sweet!

Have you considered adding Hour of Revelation as a second, potentially easier to cast, Planar Cleansing?

Thanks! I'm glad you like the list. The combo idea is not originally mine (I've seen it floating around) but nobody bothered to build a deck around it. So here it is.

As to Hour of Revelation, I'd actually like to slot that in. I don't know whether I should add it as a 6th board wipe or just replace Planar Cleansing with it. Anyhow, I'll get a foil as soon as I can. I love the deck so I'm trying to foil it out.

A card I'm very much interested in is Commit // Memory. I know it's quite expensive mana-wise but it's a versatile spell that has a variety of uses. No idea what I should take out from the deck though. I love playing it as-is for now.

Since the deck already has some nice jank all while being efficient, I don't think you should add cards just for adding them. I think that cards that would be added should be merely to fine tune the deck. If it's great as is, just add things later on that streamline it better. As for Hour of Revelation, I don't think it should be a swap but an addition. It's great because it only leaves lands in play, which are technically creatures in your case.

That actually makes sense. Do you have any suggestions as to which card should be taken out for Hour of Revelation?

Just a side note, I would very much like to add Ghostly Prison in place of Detention Sphere.

I would also try to find space for Darksteel Mutation and Imprisoned in the Moon. So far those are the definitive ways to get rid of opposing commanders (in your colors, at least).

Sorry on my phone so no tags.

I have been playing the same deck for a while including the combo, and altough we play a lot of similar cards, mine is not really there yet so I will be comparing your list to mine.

As for the Griffin Canyon combo, maybe adding Altar of Dementia could provide an alternative win condition? You make the Canyon 99/99 then mill them out. Of course, you would need somerhing to remove cards from a library like Jesters Cap to remove any Eldrazi if they have it, or use Tormods Crypt or Relic of Progenitus to exile the graveyard in response to the reshuffling triggers.

That or Approach of the Second Sun.

How do you feel about Ghirapur Orrery? It has some chance to backfire because it can give your opponents cards sometimes, but this deck in particular can really use the extra land drop.

One more thing: you run almost no protection for Noyan while he is crucial to your deck. In my experience, one he is killed for the second time this deck is really struggling. Don't you have this problem? You do focus more on the combo, So maybe Awaken is your savior?

I can see how those would help me get rid of problematic commanders. Now the question is what to replace? Do I shed some layers of protection off the few I have to accommodate these? Or do I go and replace some card draw with these? I'm quite clueless when it comes to these kinds of choices. Lol

One thing I have in mind that's ripe for replacement is Whir of Invention. I have never used it for its intended purpose (tutor up Expedition Map).

You can save some cards by simply running Xenograft; it can make all your creatures griffin.

Quote from Ertai Planeswalker »

One more thing: you run almost no protection for Noyan while he is crucial to your deck. In my experience, one he is killed for the second time this deck is really struggling. Don't you have this problem? You do focus more on the combo, So maybe Awaken is your savior?

Oh yeah. About that... I run no protection for him because I mostly only get him out when I'm about to combo off. So I sit down behind my wall of enchantments and counterspells and wait for the opportunity to combo off. Most of the time, Noyan Dar is just sitting in the sidelines watching. A probable plan B would be to add Talrand, Sky Summoner in the deck. He's a removal magnet same as Noyan Dar and he just gives out advantage when he's out in the field.

I used to have Altar of Dementia when I first played the deck. However, it becomes a rather parasitic card without the gigantic griffin so I took it out. I don't know about Orrery though. It's advantageous for the deck but I don't run things like Land Tax or Tithe to take advantage of it. Besides, we rarely get to have an empty hand with all the card draw the deck has. I think the potential to backfire outweighs its benefits.

The deck's really not for the competitive scene. Just seeing people's faces marvel at the combo and how janky it is. It's one of the few "infinite" combos that are not frowned upon by people.

Quote from DementedKirby »

You can save some cards by simply running Xenograft; it can make all your creatures griffin.

But there is no way to fetch it with the other cards in the deck. That is why I'm not using Xenograft. I did cut a lot of the "changeling" cards down to 3 just to make sure I don't have a lot of them at any given time.

I would like to include Mirror Entity once more and maybe include Talrand just for the synergy. That could be a potent plan B in case Noyan Dar is put out of commission.

Time to dust off this deck and make some changes. Haven't played it in a while due to real-life reasons but now that the holidays are approaching, I sure as hell will play this deck again. Recently got myself a foil Glacial Fortress so it got me looking at this deck again.

Some interesting cards:

• Hour of Revelation
  
• Drift of Phantasms
  
• Arcane Adaptation
  
• Lightning Greaves
  
• Swiftfoot Boots
  
• Neurok Stealthsuit
  
• Talrand, Sky Summoner
  
• Docent of Perfection
  

Have to protect Noyan somehow... I also need more angles of attack to win games. Relying 100% on the Griffin combo is nice, but it makes the deck a lot more fragile than it needs to be.

Modified quite a lot of things in the main post. Included sections on how the deck came to be and what the ideal plays are at different stages of the game. Would be nice to have some input from interested/curious parties. Thanks!

Recently got some spare time on my hands. Going to modify the deck quite a bit and see how it goes. For now, the general direction would be to add some more mana rocks so the deck can do more things earlier.

Since the last update, I've acquired the following:

• Polluted Delta
  
• Nimbus Maze
  
• Thespian's Stage
  

...and some other cards

Found out about the following cards which helps us with the deck's gameplan:

• Wind Zendikon
  
• Runed Stalactite
  

So the following tutors will have to be added in for more consistency:

• Trinket Mage
  
• Open the Armory
  

Propaganda is on the chopping block for use in my Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain deck but it will be replaced with Norn's Annex.
Fabricate is on the chopping block as well and will be pulled out to be used in Jhoira.

I'll need some time for the modifications to reflect on the main post.

I haven't been playing the deck much. Got too busy IRL and just recently revisited the deck. I made the changes a long while back but just got the chance to update the decklist here now.

From my experience, I think what the deck wants to do is to lay down some pillowfort effects in the early-mid game. I also think that 6 counterspells are enough and that 4 or 5 board wipes should work. I think what the deck needs to improve on is ramping mana and draw lots of cards. I don't think the likes of Blue Sun's Zenith and its ilk are the ones needed though.

After a lot of games with the deck, I realized that the following are somewhat weak cards:

1. Detention Sphere/Grasp of Fate - while it's true that both cards can deal with multiple permanents, they are clunky and slow. They might have to be replaced with instant-speed removal
2. Hour of Revelation - while the potential to cost a lot cheaper is nice, the WWW in its mana cost becomes too prohibitive at times
3. Forbid - most of the time it just sits in my hand and rots eventually
4. View from Above - sure it's great with a cost reduction effect on the battlefield, but do we really need this guy? I'm a bit on the fence for this one.

This being a combo deck, I want to make it faster so I think cards like Windfall and some other form of ramp would help. Maybe Chromatic Lantern and Mindstone? What do you think?