Now that Jace, the Mindsculptor unbanned, what other cards should i take out? Im definitely gonna replace cunning castaway, but i have no idea how many to run in this deck. Or am I wrong in thinking he has a spot in this deck. I know it sounds stupid, but just curious.
You can put Jace into basically any Blue deck, the card is ridiculously powerful.
It doesn't exactly fit the deck but is an individually powerful card, though less so in a mono-colered deck without fetchlands to maximize the Brainstorm ability.
This thread has neglected Mothdust Changeling. Not the best card ever, but a 1/1 for 1 that pumps krovikan mist and benefits from lords. And contrary to popular thoughts I like fathom seer as my only gas provider. I am also mainboarding muddle the mixture with the possibility to transmute for krovikan, lord of the unreal, phantasmal image, and even a cyclonic rift in a pinch; whichever is most appropriate at the time, but often I keep in hand for specific threats that I know are coming.
Mothdust Changeling is just a 1/1 (with a useless ability) which is way below the curve and not worth a card.
Fathom Seer's morph cost is probably too steep.
I'd rather play Chart a Course for card draw than 3 mana (to cast it face down) and bounce back 2 islands.
I just realized that when i posted the deck i was missing 2 cards. Im trying to figure out the spell line up now. Im thinking
4 remand
3 Vapor Snag
2 Monastery Siege
2 Dismember
that leaves 4 spots, and can't decide on the ratios for Opt and Jace Architect of thought
I think this Jace may have a spot in this deck, but not sure if I should
(A) 3:1 either 3 Jace or 3 Opt
(B) 2:2
(C) 4:0 either 4 Jace or Opt
I've tried serum visions and its a good card, but I like opt better since its an instant
I've been testing this and I still need help. Im not sure if Im not just shuffling enough, but I keep not drawing what I need. Here is a slightly updated list.
For whatever reason, Im missing 1 mutavault so Im down to 2. If I find the 3rd, Ill add it, Im still wanting to find room for 1 Jace, Architect of Thought in the main since I want to run 1 Jace and I can't afford Mind Sculptor. The sieges are working a goof chunk of the time and the dragons usually enter the field as 7/7 or better
Here is an updated after some play testing. The only thing I’m going to change from this eventually is mana leak to cryptic command and cunning castaway to Architect of thought
Cryptic is bad in an aggro deck, the Jace is pretty bad as well (slow and does nothing for deck's plan of aggro'ing out the opponent).
Both are cards for control decks and don't fit in this deck.
It's sad that ever since this tribe became viable because of LotU, there hasn't been any decent illusion printed afterwards. That's 6 years. Spirits already got a great new lord plus other spirits that are very playable while illusions gets a bunch of crap walls and a crap vanilla 2/3.
I recently put this mono blue illusions build together (post 42) with a bit of a budget change (-3 Phantasmal Image, +1 Metallic Mimic, +1 Adaptive Automaton, +1 Meloku, the Clouded Mirror). The card count is wrong in the list and it is short 4 cards. I wasn’t sure what to add so i just shoved 4 mana leaks that were leftover from the event deck.
If D90Dennis14 is around (or anybody else that wants to help), I was wondering what a decent budget oriented sideboard would be for the deck.
When I was ordering the cards I couldn’t afford 3 phantasmal images, but the plan is to add them slowly into the deck as my budget allows for it
The changes I had made were just bandaid solutions (I have a bunch of meloku in my binder from when I used to play, and the mimic and automaton were super cheap) so I would be able to start playing with something a bit better than the vanilla event deck ^^
Unsettled Mariner is ok, but won't stop the illusion clause from triggering. What Illusion really needs is another lord. Instead WOTC makes an alternate art Phantom Warrior then reprints Phantom Warrior the following month lol
It doesn't exactly fit the deck but is an individually powerful card, though less so in a mono-colered deck without fetchlands to maximize the Brainstorm ability.
I can't decide whether I want the Vial or not.
4 Mothdust Changeling
4 Jace's Phantasm
4 Phantasmal Bear
4 Krovikan Mist
4 Phantasmal Image
4 Lord of the Unreal
4 Fathom Seer
4 Vapor Snag
4 Muddle the Mixture
2 Cyclonic Rift
22 Island
Fathom Seer's morph cost is probably too steep.
I'd rather play Chart a Course for card draw than 3 mana (to cast it face down) and bounce back 2 islands.
With 22x lands and no mana acceleration you're unlikely to overload Cyclonic Rift so any other bounce spell can be potentially better.
Echoing Truth, Boomerang, Into the Roil or Repeal,
4 remand
3 Vapor Snag
2 Monastery Siege
2 Dismember
that leaves 4 spots, and can't decide on the ratios for Opt and Jace Architect of thought
I think this Jace may have a spot in this deck, but not sure if I should
(A) 3:1 either 3 Jace or 3 Opt
(B) 2:2
(C) 4:0 either 4 Jace or Opt
I've tried serum visions and its a good card, but I like opt better since its an instant
4 Phantasmal Bear
4 Jace's Phantasm
4 Lord of the Unreal
4 Phantasmal Image
4 Krovikan Mist
3 Grand Architect
2 Phantasmal Dragon
4 Remand
3 Vapor Snag
2 Dismember
2 Monastery Siege
3 Opt
1 Arcane Adaptation
18 Islands
2 Mutavault
For whatever reason, Im missing 1 mutavault so Im down to 2. If I find the 3rd, Ill add it, Im still wanting to find room for 1 Jace, Architect of Thought in the main since I want to run 1 Jace and I can't afford Mind Sculptor. The sieges are working a goof chunk of the time and the dragons usually enter the field as 7/7 or better
4 Phantasmal Bear
4 Jace's Phantasm
4 Lord of the Unreal
4 Phantasmal Image
4 Krovikan Mist
3 Grand Architect
4 Remand
4 Opt
3 Vapor Snag
2 Dismember
2 Mana Leak
2 Jace, Cunning Castaway
14 Islands
3 Mutavault
3 Ghost Quarter
Both are cards for control decks and don't fit in this deck.
Adaptive Automaton (or Metallic Mimic) is better in the deck than Grand Architect (because of Lord of the Unreal and Krovikan Mist).
Opt isn't better than Serum Visions here as the deck plays in sorcery speed anyway.
Jace and Architect should be Mimic and Automaton imho.
Another good option for the deck is a couple of Smuggler's Copter.
3 architect becomes 3 automaton
2 Jace becomes 2 Smuggler’s
For mimic, I’ve tried it and I found automaton better imo. Or I could do 2 mimic rather than coptor
If D90Dennis14 is around (or anybody else that wants to help), I was wondering what a decent budget oriented sideboard would be for the deck.
And you really need 4x Phantasmal Image as it is one of reasons to play the deck (which is a worse version of Merfolk/Spirits as it is).
When I was ordering the cards I couldn’t afford 3 phantasmal images, but the plan is to add them slowly into the deck as my budget allows for it
The changes I had made were just bandaid solutions (I have a bunch of meloku in my binder from when I used to play, and the mimic and automaton were super cheap) so I would be able to start playing with something a bit better than the vanilla event deck ^^
The deck is still a much worse version Spirits though.
4 phantasmal bear
4 krovikan mist
4 lord of the unreal
4 phantasmal image
2 metallic mimic
4 unsettled mariner
4 mirror entity
2 illusory angel
4 path to exile
4 flooded strand
4 polluted delta
2 island
1 hallowed fountain
4 seachrome coast
4 waterlogged grove
1 fiery islet
4 rest in peace
2 grafdigger's cage
3 damping sphere
4 deprive
2 stony silence
Elves || GSpirits G || Spirits || Fish
Pauper
GElvesG || CAffinityC
Commander
G Roon (and the Hidden Realms) G
3x Thalia over 2x Mirror Entity and 1x Unsettled Mariner and 4x Spells over I.Angel and M.Mimic which can be either more removal (Vapor Snag/Declaration in Stone) or countermagic (Remand/Mana Leak/Prohibit).
I also have a more creature-heavy SB to better take advantage of Aether Vial.