MTG Salvation

• Quest for Renewal
  
• Merrow Commerce
  
• Throne of the God-Pharaoh
  
• Murkfiend Liege
  
• Seedborn Muse
  
• Benefactor's Draught
  
• Dramatic Reversal
  
• Vitalize
  
• Opposition
  
• Triton Tactics
  
• Fallowsage
  
• Surgespanner
  
• Kiora's Follower
  
• Merfolk Looter
  
• Awakening
  
• Enclave Cryptologist
  
• Curse of Bounty
  
• Paradox Engine
  

Kess, Dissident Mage is a legendary Human Wizard with a mana cost of 1UBR. She has flying and is a 3/4. Kess, Dissident Mage has respectable evasive body with a reasonable converted mana cost. UBR are excellent colors for control based decks offering spot removal, mass removal, card advantage and land destruction. The main reason to run Kess, Dissident Mage is her unique ability:

During each of your turns, you may cast an instant or sorcery card from your graveyard.

If a card cast this way would be put into your graveyard this turn, exile it instead.

Chain Lightning becomes Inferno Jet or Spitebellows.

This is a very powerful ability that is somewhat comparable to Dralnu, Lich Lord, another spell based legendary creature that enables recursion of spells from the graveyard. While Kess, Dissident Mage can only use her ability to cast spells during our turn, in nearly every other way she is better than Dralnu, Lich Lord. She costs less mana, has better stats, offers an additional color and her ability isn't an activated ability so she can reuse a spell the same turn you cast her.

Our commander's ability allows us to have access to selected card advantage from the command zone. This is a huge deal and offers numerous benefits. Her ability allows us to push our spells further, for example we can cast a Lightning Bolt from our hand and then in the same turn recast Lightning Bolt with Kess to allow us to remove a Sun Titan for RR. Alternatively we can cast Lightning Bolt on turn two to destroy a Elvish Mystic. By the time it is turn three or four, our opponent may be wary about casting Yisan, the Wanderer Bard or Selvala, Heart of the Wilds fearing that we could use Kess, Dissident Mage to recast our Lightning Bolt and remove their commander. Low converted mana cost spells like Flame Slash, Preordain, Fatal Push and Pryoclasm are very useful early game, but when reused they become even more powerful.

Perhaps the best part about Kess, Dissident Mage is her ability specifically allows us to cast an instant or sorcery from our graveyard rather than the spell gaining flashback. This allows us to pay for Overload abilities this way (i.e. Cyclonic Rift, Vandalblast) and use Buyback from the graveyard (Capsize) along with Kicker (Rite of Replication).

You should play Controlling Dissidents if:

• You enjoy playing with instant and sorcery spells more than creature spells.
• You like having many options and making decisions.
• You like being able to control the board.
• You like playing a deck that has good synergy with its commander without needing to rely on it to win.

Controlling Dissidents might not be for you if:

• You like to win through commander damage.
• You prefer to play a linear deck that is easy to pilot.
• You prefer to play a deck that doesn't rely on its graveyard.
• You prefer playing with nonland permanents over instant and sorcery spells.

Card Advantage

An Impulse variant that fuels Kess, Dissident Mage.

Opt is a slightly weaker but instant speed Preordain. It's a great early game play that feels wonderful to play when we have Lightning Bolt in our hand but there are no good targets for it.

Ponder needs little introduction and is widely regarded as one of the best card manipulation spells in the format. Ponder helps us smooth our draws and dig for mana fixing or answers. It is especially useful early game.

Preordain is already one of the best cantrips in the format. Being able copy it with Kess, Dissident Mage essentially allows us to Foresee for UU.

Sleight of Hand is another strong cantrip that is tremendously helpful in the beginning of the game by helping us hit our land drops. Late game it helps us dig for answers or win conditions.

Forbidden Alchemy is a Impulse variant that helps us dig for answers while also fueling our graveyard for Kess, Dissident Mage. It's a solid spell on its own, but being able to recast it for 2U instead of 6B makes it incredibly efficient.

Fact or Fiction is one of the most mana efficient card advantage spells in Controlling Dissidents. The choice our opponent has to make becomes incredibly difficult when considering value for Kess, Dissident Mage.

Consecrated Sphinx needs no introduction and is perhaps the most efficient draw engine in the format. While it is a traditional "good stuff" card, with all of the spell slinging in Controlling Dissidents, it is especially powerful. If Consecrated Sphinx goes unanswered, the game is essentially ours.

Sphinx of Uthuun is Fact or Fiction on a respectable body. It is a wonderful addition for any Kess, Dissident Mage deck that will cause just as much agony for our opponents as its instant spell counter part.

Cruel Ultimatum creates card advantage for us while also inflicting card disadvantage against our opponent. The life gain is also nice to have in a deck with 11 lands that cause us to lose life (3 fetches, 3 shocks, 3 pain lands + City of Brass and Mana Confluence). While it is a card advantage spell, it is a major bomb and one of the best targets for Kess, Dissident Mage to recast assuming we have the available mana.

Mass Removal

Maybe the best damage based board wipe in the format.

Pyroclasm is excellent early game board wipe but also functions in the mid and late game. It answers all of the staple mana dorks (Elvish Mystic, Llanowar Elves, Birds of Paradise, etc.), utility creatures like Fauna Shaman, Burnished Hart, Oracle of Mul Daya, Baleful Strix, and Sylvan Safekeeper. Pyroclasm also removes powerful commanders (i.e. Geist of Saint Taft, Azami, Lady of Scrolls). Additionally it is a strong answer to token based decks like Goblins and answers token generators like Avenger of Zendikar.

Whipflare essentially functions as a second copy of Pyroclasm. Redundancy is good here, particularly in token based metas with a high rate of low toughness creatures. The drawback of avoiding nonartifact creatures is hardly relevant.

Anger of the Gods is one of the best damage based board wipes in the format. Due to the higher toughness of Kess, Dissident Mage, we can cast this card while our commander is on the battlefield. It answers everything Pyroclasm answers plus additional creatures and the exile effect is icing on the cake, particularly against graveyard based value decks (i.e. Karador, Ghost Chieftain, Alesha, Who Smiles at Death).

Mizzium Mortars is practically a strictly better Roast. Early game it answers most creatures in the format, late game it's a one sided board wipe.

Radiant Flames usually will function as a less red intense 3 damage board wipe. In rare instances we may want to cast it with only two colors to function as a Pyroclasm if Kess, Dissident Mage was already dealt damage earlier in the turn.

Slagstorm is an Anger of the Gods variant that doesn't exile but has a modal option to Lava Spike each player. We will seldom use this mode, but there are instances where we would choose this option and redirect the damage to a planeswalker.

Toxic Deluge is a very powerful creature board wipe that gets around indestructible and regeneration. The alternate cost of life can be steep at times but it is a drawback that is worth looking past because of the benefits this spell offers.

Cyclonic Rift needs no introduction. It instantly bounces every nonland permanent that isn't ours. Seriously. The fact that it is instant is insane. If cast during the late game it means we can force an opponent to discard a bunch of permanents at their end step. Cyclonic Rift is one of the best cards in the format right now and it can flat out steal games. To make matters better, with Kess, Dissident Mage we can cast it a second time for its Overload cost!

Damnation is an unconditional wrath effect for 2BB. Not much else to say here other than a very strong card for any deck with control elements.

Curse of the Swine is scale based board wipe that exiles creatures. Unfortunately it targets so it can't answer creatures with hexproof or shroud but it answers everything else. Giving our opponents 2/2 tokens is hardly a drawback at all, especially with all of our damage based board wipes we are running like Anger of the Gods and Whipflare.

Spot Removal

Ridiculous synergy with Kess, Dissident Mage

Chain Lightning frequently functions as a sorcery speed Lightning Bolt, especially against decks that aren't running red. It's a great spot removal spell and when used twice in the same turn with Kess, Dissident Mage is answers nearly everything.

Lightning Bolt needs no introduction. It is widely regarded as the best red spell in the game. It may not be as useful in EDH thanks to higher life totals and bigger creatures but it still is criminally underplayed in the format. Excellent early game to answer mana dorks, but hits most utility creatures and many commanders. Lightning Bolt can also target planeswalkers.

Flame Slash is a one mana Mizzium Mortars. It is a very efficient spot removal and answers most threats that aren't outright bombs.

Fatal Push answers many utility creatures and legends at instant speed even for one mana without Revolt which can be enabled by our fetch lands in our mana base. It is an excellent early game play.

Cut // Ribbons is Flame Slash for 1R. Late game we can cast it from our graveyard to take a significant hit at our opponents' life totals.

Dreadbore functions as unconditional creature or planeswalker removal for two mana. It is an incredibly efficient spell and is one of our best spells to reuse with Kess, Dissident Mage.

Go for the Throat removes the vast majority of creatures regardless of their size (even against artifact based decks) for 1B. It also is an instant speed answer.

Reality Shift is one of the most underrated removal spells in the format. It exiles any creature and the drawback is hardly relevant, especially because an opponent statistically more likely to manifest a land or noncreature spell. Regardless, Controlling Dissidents has no trouble answering 2/2 creature tokens!

Snap is a fantastic tempo spell. It functions as a "free" Unsummon. It allows for plays such as Snap and keeping mana open for Counterspell or Snap into Rakdos Signet. The possibilities are endless. It's also a great spell to recast with Kess, Dissident Mage, because you can gain value from her ability, but still play at the top of your mana curve.

Terminate is perhaps the best nonwhite spot removal spell in the format. Terminate provides instant speed unconditional creature destruction that prevents regeneration for two mana.

Burning Vengeance is a wonderful hidden gem that feels like it was made just for Controlling Dissidents. It allows us to get a free Shock every time we use our commander's ability. This may sound underwhelming at first glance, but it's so much value. It can help keep planeswalkers at bay, remove utility creatures, stack with other burn spells to remove larger creatures and even poke away at our opponents' life totals

Dismember is another very powerful instant speed removal spell. For 1 and 4 life , 1B and 2 life or 1BB we get an instant speed Roast that can hit fliers and creatures with indestructible.

Noncreature removal

Choose two: Disentomb, Skull Fracture, Shatter, Shock.

Void Snare is an excellent tempo play that can bounce any nonland permanent. It can bounce a planeswalker the turn before it uses its ultimate ability, bounce a Birds or Paradise on turn 2, bounce a Phyrexian Arena or turn 4 or just clear the path of blockers. Void Snare is a very versatile spell.

Counterspell is Counterspell. Sometimes we don’t need a fancy flashy counter. Instead Counterspell allows us to pay UU to reliably counter any spell. Controlling Dissidents doesn't run a lot of counter magic, but permission based magic is one of our few true answers to enchantment spells.

Countersquall answers noncreature spells which we are often more concerned about because of the large amount of creature removal the deck runs. It's easier to cast than Counterspell and also pings an opponent for 2 life.

Negate functions as a less mana intensive Countersquall. It is an excellent permission spell and can be recast by Kess, Dissident Mage on our turn to protect our combat step.

Pillage is one of our best answers to backbreaking lands like Eye of Ugin and Maze of Ith. It is a great target for Kess, Dissident Mage to recast and can also answer any artifact.

Capsize is one of the best blue spells in the format. It traditionally functions as a reusable Boomerang for 4UU. With Kess, Dissident Mage, Capsize is even better because we can cast it for 1UU and use Buyback later with our commander's ability!

Kolaghan's Command is an extremely versatile instant speed spell. Shock an Oracle of Mul Daya and blow up a Sol Ring. Return Inferno Titan to our hand from the graveyard and make an opponent discard their only card in their hand. Kolaghan's Command is one of the best spells Controlling Dissidents has to offer.

Vandalblast is a red EDH staple that is arguably the best artifact removal spell in the format. Vandalblast allows us to destroy all artifacts that we don't control for 4R. With Kess, Dissident Mage we can recast it for it's Overload cost, so it's okay to cast it early game to remove a Sol Ring or Lightning Greaves.

Protection

Spellskite is an excellent way to protect Kess, Dissident Mage and our win conditions from spot removal. It also can steal pump spells and auras that voltron oriented decks enjoy to play.

Lightning Greaves needs no introduction. Haste and shroud on an equipment with a converted mana cost of two is very strong. The zero equip cost really seals the deal. Lightning Greaves protects Kess, Dissident Mage. Additionally it gives our major bombs and win conditions a protection and lets them attack the turn they enter the battlefield.

Win Conditions

Backbreaking and brutal. It must be answered.

Dack's Duplicate is a clone effect with haste and dethrone. While it may seem underwhelming at first glance, it is especially powerful because granting haste on huge threats can be ridiculous (i.e. Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre, Sun Titan, O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami)

Frost Titan is perhaps the most underrated out of the titan cycle. It can lock down any problematic offensive creature along with pesky lands like Maze of Ith, Eye of Ugin and Dust Bowl. The pseudo hexproof is also nice and often very relevant.

Inferno Titan provides us a free Arc Lightning whenever it enters the battlefield or attacks. What else is there to say? Inferno Titan is incredibly brutal in tandem with Lightning Greaves and is a token deck's worst nightmare. The fire breathing ability is so powerful, if Inferno Titan isn't blocked he can inflict a devastating if not lethal amount of combat damage to an opponent.

Massacre Wurm is creature board wipe that is an Infest on entry. It does a fantastic job at wrecking token strategies along with smaller tribes like goblins and elves and can cause massive life loss for creature based decks.

Noxious Gearhulk is one of the few sources of life gain Controlling Dissidents has to offer. It can unconditionally destroy any creature and also is an evasive beater.

Sire of Stagnation is a very scary alternate Consecrated Sphinx. It has very respectable stats and an ability that make opponents that use fetch lands or ramp spells cringe. Sire of Stagnation will draw us a lot of cards or encourage players to skip their land drops. He is brutal if he enters the field early or mid game but is always relevant.

Wurmcoil Engine is an excellent source of life gain and a resilient threat against destruction effects. Every time it deals combat damage to a player it creates a 12 point life swing. Wurmcoil Engine is one of the most efficient beaters in the format.

Thraximundar is an incredibly aggressive beater that forces the defending player to sacrifice a creature while getting bigger in the process. The haste really helps apply the pressure here by forcing the defending player to answer it or face encounter tremendous consequences. Thraximundar also passive hoses decks with sacrifice sub themes.

Sphinx of Uthuun functions as a Fact or Fiction on a 5/6 flying body. Generally a strong card but with Kess, Dissident Mage this card becomes even more powerful. Card advantage is a midrange control deck's best friend.

Blatant Thievery is a an excellent huge bomb that steals utility lands, win conditions, enchantments or anything else. Incredibly powerful when recurred with Kess, Dissident Mage and very versatile.

Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker destroys artifacts, enchantments and lands and is able to answer creatures by stealing them! Nicol Bolas protects himself so well and just being able to activate its abilities twice in a single game is incredibly valuable. If is able to achieve his ultimate, the game is practically ours for the taking!

Rite of Replication is an old Commander staple that sees less play than it used to but it still is incredibly powerful. With Kess, Dissident Mage, we can extraordinary value by casting it early game for 2UU to copy something like an Oracle of Mul Daya or Acidic Slime and later cast it for its kicker cost targeting something like Avenger of Zendikar or Inferno Titan. It is an amazing spell that creates tremendous value.

Ramp/Mana Fixing

Sol Ring needs no introduction due to the fact that it is the most played nonlands card in the format.

Dimir Signet is a standard mana work. Good early game play, accelerates and fixes our mana.

Fellwar Stone is a great mana rock. It functions as a mana rock that taps for all of our colors in most multiplayer games. It also comes into play untapped.

Izzet Signet is the UR version of Dimir Signet.

Rakdos Signet is the BR version of Dimir Signet.

Talisman of Dominance functions like the signets but comes into play untapped. It is a very good mana rock.

Talisman of Indulgence is from the same cycle as Talisman of Dominance but it makes BR instead.

Acceleration and Fixing: Piloting a midrange control deck with a three color commander means that having access to all of your colors and being able to play your mana curve is incredibly important. Controlling Dissidents has a great mana base that only includes 11 basic lands. Additionally the deck includes a handful of spells that ramp, mana fix or both. Some of the highlights include Sol Ring, Fellwar Stone and Dimir Signet. (7/10)

Card Advantage: Controlling Dissidents includes several card advantage and card manipulation spells. The deck also includes mana efficient cantrips like Sleight of Hand and Preordain which are very useful when used back to back with Kess, Dissident Mage. Additionally, we run larger spells that generate more significant card advantage like Fact or Fiction or Cruel Ultimatum. Most importantly, Kess Dissident Mage allows us to recast any spell from our graveyard. 10/10

Control: This deck has multiple ways to answer various threats. It should not a surprise that a UBR deck that can recur spells can eliminate threats and keep in the board in check. Spot removal spells verify across the spectrum from Lightning Bolt to Dreadbore. (9/10)

Permission: The deck only runs a small handful of counters but they are some of the best counter spells in the format and are very efficient. Controlling Dissidents doesn't need to run too many counter spells because the deck is so good at controlling opponents in other ways. (5/10)

Mass Removal: Controlling Dissidents runs several spells that can remove multiple creatures including mana efficient damage based board wipes like Slagstorm and Pyroclasm along with larger impacting board wipes that get around indestructible and regeneration (i.e. Cyclonic Rift, Toxic Deluge). The conditional board wipes on creatures like Massacre Wurm are especially powerful because they include additional abilities. (8/10)

Tutoring: Controlling Dissidents doesn't run tutors. No Demonic Tutor, no Fabricate, no Gamble. Personally I feel tutors violate the spirit of a singleton format and with enough card advantage they aren't necessary to win in most metas. The only exception to this rule are fetch lands like Bloodstained Mire. This deck could easily amended to have a very strong tutor package. (1/10)

A versatile Pyroclasm with a small drawback.

Archfiend of Depravity is an evasive threat that prevents opponents from going wide. However it seems like it may be potential overkill in a deck with so much removal.

Breath of Darigaaz is a respectable damage based wrath that scales as the game progresses but it doesn't hit Birds of Paradise. It also can deal 4 damage to us which is significant considering the limited number of life gain spells we run.

Sweltering Suns is an alternate choice to Slagstorm if you aren't worried about planeswalkeras as much. The cycling cost is steep but still can be relevant.

Kokusho, the Evening Star is a respectable evasive beater with an excellent "when this creature dies" trigger. However with all of the exile in the format, it seems like a risky card to rely on without sacrifice outlets.

Kraum, Ludevic's Opus is a hasty evasive beater that will draw us extra cards over the course of a game, but its stats are a little underwhelming for 5 mana.

Balefire Dragon gives us a free double Slagstorm if it successfully connects with a player. Unfortunately against metas with flying creatures makes Balefire Dragon an underwhelming 6/6 with flying for 5RR. In a meta with limited flying creatures, it is a very worthwhile addition.

Ob Nixilis, Unshackled has underwhelming stats at first glance but gets huge very quickly. Hating on search can be really powerful against many deck type even in towards the mid and late game.

Rough // Tumble is a Pyroclasm effect that has an alternate mode. Unfortunately Rough doesn't hit Birds of Paradise and other small fliers, while Tumble removes Kess, Dissident Mage and most of our win conditions.

Scarab Feast is a solid graveyard hate spell that can also be cycled and then cast with Kess, Dissident Mage.

Increasing Vengeance may become a signature card for Kess, Dissident Mage because we can play it from our graveyard without paying the high flashback cost, but it requires an additional spell to be used. Additionally many of our spells we don't want to duplicate.

Fantastic anti-Eldrazi technology.

Slave of Bolas answers any creature while also creating excellent tempo. It is an excellent answer to mythic eldrazi creatures but 5 mana to answer one creature is a little steep.

Swan Song is a great option if you are looking for more permission based magic. A great answer for enchantments and the token it provides the opponent is great fodder for our damage based board wipes.

Serum Visions is a popular cantrip but doesn't dig at all the turn you use it so early game it doesn't help us make necessary land drops.

Thought Scour is a decent cantrip that can potentially fuel Kess, Dissident Mage. In a pinch it can be used against our opponent as technology against cards like Vampiric Tutor and Mystical Tutor

Windfall and similar wheel effects provide us card advantage and fodder for Kess, Dissident Mage but offering card advantage to our opponents can have negative consequences.

Hymn to Tourach and other discard effects like Duress and Thoughtseize help answer enchantments along with other problems. These cards become much more powerful with Kess, Dissident Mage, for example, paying BBBB to make an opponent essentially discard their hand. Keep in mind that target player discard spells often are frowned upon in multiplayer environments.

Metallurgic Summonings can generate several tokens for us but they have bad synergy with the high rate of damage based board wipes. Additionally, the activated ability is less valuable because Kess, Dissident Mage exiles many of our spells from our graveyard.

Chaos Maw is Slagstorm on a 6/6 body but it seems underwhelming considering it has no additional abilities and cost 5RR.

Torment of Hailfire is a great spell to cast late game to close games out or force opponents that are ahead to make very difficult decisions. It also can be incredibly oppressive if cast again the following turn, however it is very mana intensive to get significant value out of and it gives the opponent multiple options to work around the life loss.

Late game this card will steal games.

Exsanguinate is a classic black win condition that provides life gain but it requires a massive amount of mana to do significant damage.

Time Warp and Time Stretch are excellent spells to recast for obvious reasons if you are interested in running a competitive list instead of a semi competitive list. The same could also be said about Bribery.

Sudden Spoiling is a split second tool that has many uses. We can use it during combat to make trades more favorable, we can use it in response to triggered abilities and perhaps best of all it has synergy with our damaged based board wipes like Pyroclasm. Sudden Spoiling is a criminally underplayed spell but at times can feel niche.

Insurrection is perhaps the most powerful non land destruction mono red spell in the format. The amount of value this spell is able to offer is often absurd. Under the right conditions Insurrection can eliminate players if not flat out win the game. It is an excellent target to Kess, Dissident Mage but has negative synergy in a control deck with numerous removal spells and ways to keep the board cleared.

Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh may not be as good as Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker, but its +1 ability (exile Mind Rot to each opponent) is devastating. All the other abilities are useful and relevant regardless of the board state. Be aware the plus can miss against blue decks if it hits something like a Counterspell.

Karn Liberated needs little introduction and is obviously an amazing threat. In a pinch we can play him to answer exile threat, not even Mother of Runes can protect what Karn Liberated wants to remove. His plus ability is very strong, not only because it eats at our opponents’ hands but it gives him so much loyalty. We should not reset the game with his ultimate very often, instead, using his plus ability a couple times followed by his minus can ensure he sticks around for long time. Karn Liberated is a great addition to Controlling Dissidents, especially in enchantment heavy metas.

Quote from CatParty »

I assume only one person can have the blessing at a time. So a spell with ascend can give you the City's Blessing, but that means another player loses it if they have it. Likewise, if another player plays a card with ascend after this, you lose the blessing.

"If you control ten or more permanents, you get the city's blessing for the rest of the game."

Quote from Acrocalypse »

Quote from Honor Basquiat »

Not good for Edh.

Kess doesn't want it but she might if it could play lands.

I don't think so, I'm sure any Izzet deck can flip this accidentally, and then you've got a land that throws out lightning bolts, yes it's for 3 mana, but that's not a bad price to pay to keep dishing out lightning bolts. I know burn doesn't typically scale well in EDH, but 3 damage is enough to knock out most of the more popular utility dorks that often populate the board, as well as constantly beating down any Planeswalkers.

Quote from CadaverousBl00m »

Quote from Honor Basquiat »

How much should we expect these to cost for foils?

The current value of the gorgeous Unhinged ones should be a pretty good guide.
They currently vary between about $40-80 a copy, dependent on which one you're after (with the Island naturally at the $80 end and the Mountain at the $40 end, as per usual).

Quote from user_938036 »

Why doesn't Udrona have p/t? I like the playing with mana in your mana pool idea but this will confuse the heck out of the average player. Probably fine.

A three mana deathtoucher is fairly reasonable even with additional keywords, but why align this ability to Bant? Just curious no real critique.

For colorless to destroy/exile any permanent it should probably cost 7 like the previous examples. Skipping your turn feels like a reasonable balance to hitting an additional permanent.