Alright. MAJOR overhaul here. It turns out that Black with getting in the way of a lot of what I was trying to do. I added a lot more counterspells and artifacts.
I also added some Eldrazi, because the theme of this deck is taking the power of your enemies and using it against them; this, of course, led to the idea of using the power of monsters as old as the universe to fight other monsters as old as the universe... and anyone else who gets in your way.
Eventually, I'll make a sideboard full of Eldrazi cards so that the Spawnsire's ability won't go to waste.
I'm finding my current commander doesn't really fit with the theme of my Grixis control deck, and another would fit perfectly, but is only Blue. Would there be a huge issue with trading them out?
Alright, I've got some counterspells into the Sideboard. Now all I need to do is find a way to fit the cards from the Maybe Board in there. Evil Twin + Conjurer's Closet? Prototype Portal + ANY Mana Rock/Phyrexian Metamorph/Duplicant? Reverberate + Isochron Scepter? I can't just give those up!
You might also want to swap Conjurer's Closet for some piece of equipment, as you don't have a lot of ETB abilities for it to exploit.
Conjurer's Closet isn't for the ETB abilities; it's for keeping what I take control of with temporary spells, as well as having permanent tokens created by Mimic Vat.
One fun way to gain control of everything is with Guile, but you might have to adapt your list too much to include counterspells. if you're interested, though, there are plenty of cool counters on Grixis colors, like Soul Manipulation.
That seems like it would fit in the deck pretty nicely. I think I can find a place for it, and some counterspells.
I just recently got into Magic: the Gathering, and I find that it's a lot of fun. But seeing some videos of tournament play, and hearing the people talk about "net decks" and certain color combinations flat-out dominating don't sound very fun at all.
All of this has me wondering: Can a deck be built that is creative, fun to play, AND competitive in a tournament? Or is attempting something like that considered impractical, or even ineffective?
I think I've got something now. I had to bump the land count down to 35, but I now have 6 mana rocks in addition to the landcycling. I also added the two enchantments that BryanM mentioned, which can get insane if left alone.
I'm more than a little worried about the land count, as many have said that it should be around 37 to 40. Do my artifacts and creatures balance that out, or do I still need to rearrange some things?
I've been a bit unsure about how to fix the mana for my EDH Grixis Control Deck. I've got Solemn Simulacrum and Gem of Becoming for obvious reasons, and Jhessian Zombies, Igneous Pouncer, Chartooth Cougar, and Twisted Abomination for landcycling. I've got all the relevant Signets as well. There's also a land ramp combo to be made with Solemn Simulacrum + Mimic Vat/Rite of Replication... for basic lands anyway.
This deck also has plenty ways of stealing, redirecting, and copying my opponents spells, and by extension their mana accelerating spells and creatures. But I'm looking for ways to do so without stealing, as the aforementioned spells may not always be available.
Some of you may know that my first EDH deck was a little silly, in that it was both Penta-Colored, and very expensive, what with all the rares and mythic rares it would have required. I decided to make something a little more reasonable (though still expensive), but much more tricky at the same time.
This deck will be centered around taking other people's stuff, whether it's through copying, reanimating, redirecting, or just plain old Blatant Thievery ;).
The only things I'm unsure about are if I have the right creatures for copying, and if I have enough mana acceleration, as I've had a bit of trouble finding some non-green mana ramping cards. I was thinking about counterspells too, but what I REALLY want is to never destroy a spell without copying/taking it. To do otherwise would be very wasteful.
Commander: Jhoira of the Ghitu: I finally settled on this commander for her cost and general utility. If I have her on the field, I'll be less likely to lose if I'm consistently drawing expensive cards. She also goes well with a number of other cards, which I will get into later on in this list.
Creatures:
More to come!
Cards I've removed for one reason or another:
Commanders Nicol Bolas: Even in the previous rendition, he didn't really fit with the theme, or mechanics of the deck. He was expensive, and a huge target.
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind: Even with Izzet colors, this felt off. He was too expensive, and while he would give me card advantage, that's all he did.
Creatures: Consecrated Sphinx: Flying with some card advantage is great, but he's really vulnerable to removal, and rather expensive.
Inferno Titan: While he would fit one of the colors of this deck, I felt I could make room for something other than a fancy beat stick. I may bring him back later, but for now, he'll stay out of the deck.
Izzet Guildmage: This is nice card, but I don't have enough 2 CMC instants or sorceries to justify having him in the deck.
I also added some Eldrazi, because the theme of this deck is taking the power of your enemies and using it against them; this, of course, led to the idea of using the power of monsters as old as the universe to fight other monsters as old as the universe... and anyone else who gets in your way.
Eventually, I'll make a sideboard full of Eldrazi cards so that the Spawnsire's ability won't go to waste.
And Guile can do fine in the sideboard actually. If and when I run it, I can replace the copying and redirecting Instants with counterspells.
Conjurer's Closet isn't for the ETB abilities; it's for keeping what I take control of with temporary spells, as well as having permanent tokens created by Mimic Vat.
That seems like it would fit in the deck pretty nicely. I think I can find a place for it, and some counterspells.
All of this has me wondering: Can a deck be built that is creative, fun to play, AND competitive in a tournament? Or is attempting something like that considered impractical, or even ineffective?
I'm more than a little worried about the land count, as many have said that it should be around 37 to 40. Do my artifacts and creatures balance that out, or do I still need to rearrange some things?
Thanks.
This deck also has plenty ways of stealing, redirecting, and copying my opponents spells, and by extension their mana accelerating spells and creatures. But I'm looking for ways to do so without stealing, as the aforementioned spells may not always be available.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
EDIT: And of course I have the Sol Ring.
This deck will be centered around taking other people's stuff, whether it's through copying, reanimating, redirecting, or just plain old Blatant Thievery ;).
The only things I'm unsure about are if I have the right creatures for copying, and if I have enough mana acceleration, as I've had a bit of trouble finding some non-green mana ramping cards. I was thinking about counterspells too, but what I REALLY want is to never destroy a spell without copying/taking it. To do otherwise would be very wasteful.
Anyway. That's enough talking, here's the deck.
1 Jhoira of the Ghitu
Card Draw:
1 Aeon Chronicler
1 Spellbound Dragon
Stealing & Copying:
1 Cryptoplasm
1 Duplicant
1 Memnarch
1 Thada Adel, Acquisitor
1 Mindclaw Shaman
1 Echo Mage
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Sakashima the Impostor
1 Sakashima's Student
1 Dominus of Fealty
1 Djinn Illuminatus
1 Guile
1 Sphinx Ambassador
General Utility:
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
1 Draining Whelk
1 Gelectrode
1 Etherium-Horn Sorcerer
Eldrazi:
1 It That Betrays
Mana Acceleration:
1 Solemn Simulacrum
Planeswalkers:
1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Chandra, the Firebrand
Sorceries:
1 Stitch in Time
1 Deep Analysis
1 Acquire
1 Insurrection
1 Knowledge Exploitation
1 Rite of Replication
1 Act of Treason
1 Bribery
1 All Is Dust
Instants:
1 Wild Ricochet
1 Redirect
1 Word of Seizing
1 Reverberate
1 Grab the Reins
1 Dissipate
1 Hinder
1 Cryptic Command
1 Spell Crumple
1 Remand
1 Clockspinning
1 Traumatic Visions
1 Fiery Fall
1 Corrupted Conscience
1 Confiscate
1 Leyline of Anticipation
1 Braid of Fire
Artifacts:
1 Mindslaver
1 Conjurer's Closet
1 Sol Ring
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Mimic Vat
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Planar Portal
1 Izzet Signet
1 Expedition Map
1 Isochron Scepter
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Mirari
1 Voltaic Key
1 Prototype Portal
Lands:
1 Ghitu Encampment
1 Faerie Conclave
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 Vivid Crag
1 Vivid Creek
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Rupture Spire
1 Command Tower
1 Mirrodin's Core
1 Academy Ruins
1 Steam Vents
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Vesuva
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
1 Maze of Ith
1 Forgotten Cave
1 Lonely Sandbar
1 Mystifying Maze
1 Dark Depths
5 Islands
5 Mountains
1 Gather Specimens
1 Blatant Thievery
1 Treachery
1 Rewind
1 Delay
1 Chancellor of the Spires
1 Jhoira's Timebug
1 Detritivore
1 Spelltwine
1 Omniscience
Why Is This Card Here?:
Commander:
Jhoira of the Ghitu: I finally settled on this commander for her cost and general utility. If I have her on the field, I'll be less likely to lose if I'm consistently drawing expensive cards. She also goes well with a number of other cards, which I will get into later on in this list.
Creatures:
More to come!
Cards I've removed for one reason or another:
Commanders
Nicol Bolas: Even in the previous rendition, he didn't really fit with the theme, or mechanics of the deck. He was expensive, and a huge target.
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind: Even with Izzet colors, this felt off. He was too expensive, and while he would give me card advantage, that's all he did.
Creatures:
Consecrated Sphinx: Flying with some card advantage is great, but he's really vulnerable to removal, and rather expensive.
Inferno Titan: While he would fit one of the colors of this deck, I felt I could make room for something other than a fancy beat stick. I may bring him back later, but for now, he'll stay out of the deck.
Izzet Guildmage: This is nice card, but I don't have enough 2 CMC instants or sorceries to justify having him in the deck.
Artisan of Kozilek: This was a really difficult decision, but I needed to make room for Sphinx Ambassador.
Enchantments
Mind Control: Why did I ever choose this over Confiscate?
More to come!