I think I’ll try the Extraplanar Lens + Snow-Covered Mountains + Scrying Sheet package.
For what concernes the perming strategy, is Voyager Staff good? He’s cheap, but single use...
Other question, is Liquimetal Coating worth including? He’s cheap, tutorable and with Tyrant we can steal what we want for the rest of the game.
And what about Mirage Mirror? Can we exploit it enough?
I agree with you about Atla: it’s cool, but not funny at all to play a Blightsteel Colossus at turn 4... And what I really love of Zirilan is his precision. I think something similar is possible in Atla with Brutalizer Exarch and some blink effect like Eldrazi Displacer, but it’s very fragile and mana expensive. Maybe one day I’ll give her a try...
I guess I’ll make an account on mtgnexus too!
Will you write this primer on nexus too? I have controversial emotion about that because I really love the deck and I want more people to discover Zirilan, but I’m also a bit jealous
I really love your guides, therefore for me was a pleasure to make an account and partecipate.
I think i will replace Mana Crypt with the new incoming card Arcane Signet and Cavern of Souls for a Mountain.
For what concerns Tawnos's Coffin and Gauntlet of Might i have some difficulties choosing an alternative because of the cmc. I don't play tournaments and i don't want to be super-competitive, but i like efficiency and as you say in your guide 5 mana is not an ideal cmc for Zirilan.
For these reasons i think i will replace Tawnos's Coffin with Nim Deathmantle and Gauntlet of Might with Extraplanar Lens (or a safer Dragon's Hoard).
In the case i want to try Extraplanar Lens, what is the minimum number of Mountains?
Another little modification i made is Cranial Archive at the place of Elixir of Immortality because i like its versatility.
I have few off-topic questions:
Why are a lot of user migrating to mtg nexus?
What do you think of the new Commander Atla Palani, Nest Tender?
I think she can play a similar role to zirilan: we trade precision in exchange of a vast selection of creatures that remain on the battlefeld (Avacyn, Angel of Hope, Blightsteel Colossus, ... ). For what concerns precision, green has a lot of instruments to tutor wanted creatures on top of the deck.
Hi everyone,
First of all I would like to thank you DirkGently for this beautiful Zirilan guide (but also the Phelddagrif one is amazing).
I love toolbox decks and i find it very fun to play, what's more all the people i played with found the deck interesting as well.
I have been following this guide for some time now and I have almost finished the recursion deck. I need to complete it Mana Vault, Grim Monolith and Ancient Tomb. As for Mana Crypt, Tawnos's Coffin, Cavern of Souls and Gauntlet of Might unfortunately I have to find an alternative because they are quite expensive.
With which cards do you advise me to replace them?
Is Extraplanar Lens a good alternative to the Gauntlet of Might?
And what about Tawnos's Coffin?
Also I was wondering how this deck answers to the artifact board wipe? Can Worldgorger Dragon be a good solution for that?
What is the version of the deck you are playing and what cards are you testing?
Thanks a lot
1 Zirilan of the Claw
Dragons (11)
1 Changeling Berserker
1 Hoarding Dragon
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Hellkite Tyrant
1 Scourge of the Throne
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Balefire Dragon
1 Bogardan Hellkite
1 Utvara Hellkite
1 Dragon Tyrant
1 Worldgorger Dragon
Engine (6)
1 Illusionist's Bracers
1 Magewright's Stone
1 Thornbite Staff
1 Rings of Brighthearth
1 Thousand-Year Elixir
1 Flameshadow Conjuring
Sac outlets (8)
1 Altar of Dementia
1 Witch's Oven
1 Goblin Bombardment
1 Spawning Pit
1 Ashnod's Altar
1 Phyrexian Altar
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Helm of Possession
1 Sundial of the Infinite
Recursion (6)
1 Conjurer's Bauble
1 Cranial Archive
1 Tel-Jilad Stylus
1 Reito Lantern
1 Soldevi Digger
1 Junktroller
Goodstuff (15)
1 Gamble
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Scroll Rack
1 Chaos Warp
1 Mimic Vat
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Reiterate
1 All is Dust
1 Mirage Mirror
1 Grafted Exoskeleton
1 Ugin, the Ineffable
1 Insurrection
1 Null Brooch
1 Apocalypse
Ramp (13)
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Grim Monolith
1 Mind Stone
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Coalition Relic
1 Unstable Obelisk
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Heraldic Banner
1 Dragon's Hoard
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Expedition Map
1 Ancient Tomb
1 High Market
1 Inventor's Fair
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
1 Myriad Landscape
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
1 Scrying Sheets
31 Snow-covered Mountain
This deck is very similar to your recursion list.
I decided to cut the "Theft" cards (except Insurrection), Tawnos's Coffin (too much $$$), Goblin Welder and Feldon of the Third Path (but i'm not sure about this two exclusions).
I added: Grafted Exoskeleton, Mirage Mirror, Ugin, the Ineffable, Null Brooch, Worldgorger Dragon, Apocalypse and Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle.
Grafted Exoskeleton - Is it a good answer to the players with a lot of life or just to end a game more quickly ?
Mirage Mirror - I tried it and it always turns out to be very useful.
Ugin, the Ineffable - I'm very hesitant: he destroy permanents, creates 2/2 we can easily sacrifice to draw the card, and he makes cost less all our spells, but the CC is a bit in contrast with zirilan... Do you think he's good enought?
Null Brooch - It can be really good.
Worldgorger Dragon, Apocalypse and Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle - I don't play in a meta full of insta-removals, and i like a lot its potential, so i decided to play it and add Valakut and Apocalypse to maximize its power.
These are the other substitution:
Mana Crypt -> Dragon's Hoard
Vessel of Endless Rest -> Heraldic Banner
Gauntlet of Might -> Extraplanar Lens ( + Snow-covered Mountain + Scrying Sheets)
Culling Dais -> Witch's Oven
What do you think about this changes?
And about the last expansions?
Fires of Invention can be a good card...
For what concernes the perming strategy, is Voyager Staff good? He’s cheap, but single use...
Other question, is Liquimetal Coating worth including? He’s cheap, tutorable and with Tyrant we can steal what we want for the rest of the game.
And what about Mirage Mirror? Can we exploit it enough?
I agree with you about Atla: it’s cool, but not funny at all to play a Blightsteel Colossus at turn 4... And what I really love of Zirilan is his precision. I think something similar is possible in Atla with Brutalizer Exarch and some blink effect like Eldrazi Displacer, but it’s very fragile and mana expensive. Maybe one day I’ll give her a try...
I guess I’ll make an account on mtgnexus too!
Will you write this primer on nexus too? I have controversial emotion about that because I really love the deck and I want more people to discover Zirilan, but I’m also a bit jealous
I hope you’re having good times in azerbaijan!
I think i will replace Mana Crypt with the new incoming card Arcane Signet and Cavern of Souls for a Mountain.
For what concerns Tawnos's Coffin and Gauntlet of Might i have some difficulties choosing an alternative because of the cmc. I don't play tournaments and i don't want to be super-competitive, but i like efficiency and as you say in your guide 5 mana is not an ideal cmc for Zirilan.
For these reasons i think i will replace Tawnos's Coffin with Nim Deathmantle and Gauntlet of Might with Extraplanar Lens (or a safer Dragon's Hoard).
In the case i want to try Extraplanar Lens, what is the minimum number of Mountains?
Another little modification i made is Cranial Archive at the place of Elixir of Immortality because i like its versatility.
I have few off-topic questions:
Why are a lot of user migrating to mtg nexus?
What do you think of the new Commander Atla Palani, Nest Tender?
I think she can play a similar role to zirilan: we trade precision in exchange of a vast selection of creatures that remain on the battlefeld (Avacyn, Angel of Hope, Blightsteel Colossus, ... ). For what concerns precision, green has a lot of instruments to tutor wanted creatures on top of the deck.
First of all I would like to thank you DirkGently for this beautiful Zirilan guide (but also the Phelddagrif one is amazing).
I love toolbox decks and i find it very fun to play, what's more all the people i played with found the deck interesting as well.
I have been following this guide for some time now and I have almost finished the recursion deck. I need to complete it Mana Vault, Grim Monolith and Ancient Tomb. As for Mana Crypt, Tawnos's Coffin, Cavern of Souls and Gauntlet of Might unfortunately I have to find an alternative because they are quite expensive.
With which cards do you advise me to replace them?
Is Extraplanar Lens a good alternative to the Gauntlet of Might?
And what about Tawnos's Coffin?
Also I was wondering how this deck answers to the artifact board wipe? Can Worldgorger Dragon be a good solution for that?
What is the version of the deck you are playing and what cards are you testing?
Thanks a lot