I have been playing Atraxa around experience counters; using Daxos, Ezuri, and Meren. It runs cards like abzan acendency, apprentice necromancer, and eidolon of blossoms that intersect multiple of the sub-commanders. It falls back to +1/+1 counter synergy as well.
It's not the most powerful deck, but I have never seen another atraxa that plays quite like it.
I've updated the first post with my current list and some small commentary changes. I also linked DementedKirby's budget post from when we had been planning more of a primer, to keep that work accessible to newer players that may not read the whole thread.
I can say confidently now that runaway steam-kin is nuts as a mana source, and reality scramble is better than through the breach, at least for my build. Resolving it on the non-tokens (excluding Zada) first, typically throws all my creatures into play. I may test abbot of keral keep again to improve consistency.
Maximize Velocity supports the self damaging spells well, and deserves to be added. We're approaching a critical mass of toughness boosts. Runaway Steam Kin is also interesting as a potential, reusable mana source. It also scales well with twinflame effects.
Meanwhile, Ghave had tried to combo a couple times and been held of with counters and bounce by Nezahal. While I only had 6 lands, the other players had 10-15 mana each. Ghave has a phyrexian altar that came back after the last mass bounce. Nezahal has magus of the unseen to steal it and distrupt if needed.
Ghave managed to resolve Mikaus, the unhallowed, with some protection, noting that he was a mana short. Nezahal and I are concerned, and draw/pass to have responses. Notably, I have resolved edgewalker, letting me get to 6 apostles with lands untapped. Triskelion is cast, resolves, and I ask for each activation to be put onto the stack instead of short-cutting.
Three damage to players and a sacrifice for mana later, we have moved to the undying trigger. I respond by activating shadowborn apostle, but I know that all my removal is in my hand, too expensive to be cast. Instead, I put demon of dark schemes onto the battlefield. The EtB trigger kills edgewalker, birds of paradise, magus of the unseen, and pestermite, getting 4 energy. I use the energy to reaminate triskellion, then removal all three counters to finish killing Mikaus.
Several turns later, after attacking with a couple demons and reanimating edgewalker, opposing life totals are 18 and 20. At the end of Nezahal's turn, I use 8 energy to reanimate birds of paradise and magus of the unseen. I use those to steal phyrexian altar. I sacrifice 7 apostles for mana, and target Nezahal (at 20 life) with all 7 Athreos triggers. He spends 18 life and I return one apostle. Nezahal can no longer pay 3 life to stop the combo as I cast apostles for free and loop for mana and energy. Razaketh, the foulblooded finds debt to the deathless for the win off of three opponents cards.
Fanatical Devotion is another great card I do not see played very often. It protects your more valuable dudes, and is an unconditional sac outlet in white. Great card all around.
To be fair though, the whole cycle is kinda specific. Not all commanders go wide or run creatures they don't mind saccing.
Both of those also prevent damage from a source without targeting, which means that they can keep you alive through a voltron commander, no matter how many lightning greaves are used.
Fanatical Devotion is another great card I do not see played very often. It protects your more valuable dudes, and is an unconditional sac outlet in white. Great card all around.
I have had twin decks for Riku of two Reflections, built around each half of his ability to copy for the better part of four years. One of them is built around warp world/genesis wave, while the other wins with eye of the storm and epic experiment. The overall concepts are the same: ramp -> exploded and copy it, but the effect in game is different.
Ghalta, Primal Hunger costs less for the power the battlefield. Assuming I understand the order of casting a spell, then it can be cast for XGG, where X is 12 - total power on the casters battlefield. While Ghalta is being cast, first X is determined to find the cost, then costs are paid.
Assuming all of this to be correct, then mana abilities that modify this total power would not modify the required cost to be paid, as the cost is paid at a subsequent step in the process of casting. The cards relevant to my question are: Omnath, Locus of Mana, food chain, phyrexian altar and ashnod's altar.
In the case of each of these, if there is 10 power on the battlefield as Ghalta is cast, then each of those creatures that sum to 10 power are sacrificed or exiled for mana abilities, is the total cost paid for the spell still GG?
Similarly, if there is 9x G floating on Omnath, does the change in power altered the required cost paid for Ghalta?
As far as I understand, Ghalta could be cast with only a 1 cost 10/10 being exiled to food chain to generate GG and no other mana paid or creatures on the battlefield. Is this correct?
Sorry about the general lack of response on my own part, I have been taking on more responsibility at work.
So far this year's sets have given us rile and I had some fun with Hazoret's Monument in a slower build and may be worth it for you. I am still working on a version that creates fewer tokens via spells and plays 25-30 creatures. In that version, I am testing wily goblin.
I've never serously tested Aetherflux reservoir in Zada, but I expect that it could be less effective win condition to psychosis crawler. It also has some serious synergy with treasonous ogre as mana production via life gain. To answer your question: I definitely cast 10-20 spells when I am going off optimally, but these days my playgroup just scoops when I hit critical mass.
Field of Ruin has one niche use over Strip Mine - it shuffles your opponents libraries. Since its not a 'may' clause, I'm going to consider it. Being able to shuffle away tutored targets in any deck can be a really useful tool. I like to run a lot of LD anyway.
I had missed that this was non-optional and can be added to the relatively short list of ways to force triggers from Ob Nixilis, Unshackled. Forced search effects for everyone are effective there.
That doesn't actually work, because life loss is not damage that can be doubled. Also, Havoc festival does round up so doubling the life loss is lethal no matter what the starting life total is. You can swap to wound reflection and it works.
My Roon of the Hidden Realm is eldrazi tribal with blink and processor synergies. Flavor wise I consider Roon the Silver Surfer to the Eldrazi Galactus with the hidden realm being the blind eternities.
If you go into colorless mana (C) requirements it's basically a 4 color manabase, so I would caution against going beyond three colors.
I am definitely in favor of the current color identity rules. As others before me have mentioned, it is primarily because of the creative options that have to be explored to delve into lesser explored strategies in various colors. Additionally, I will almost invariably build along a theme to restrict the deck in addition to color identity. A change like this would only impact a fraction of my own decks. A deck like my take on Zada, Hedron Grinder would not change under this ruleset because its theme is "mono-red, arcane storm", which is a tag-line that I very much enjoy in concept and execution. Conversely, a deck built around a more nebulous theme such as Tasigur "police into politics into monarchy" would be more likely to pick up more cards like utter end or swords to plowshares.
The problem that I would have with this change is a likely reduced variety from my opponents. While I don't expect everyone to agree with me, I dislike that I would not see a the more creative deck ideas as often. While hybrid would likely have minimal impact on decks, completely removing the restriction makes it less likely that I be as excited by my opponent's decks and their more strange synergies and obscure/corner case cards. I would be disappointed to see more goodstuff or generic cards displace less typical options that are used now.
The fact that both new cantrip/scry are instant helps added flexibility between mana cost and responsiveness. Weaving scry and cantrips becomes easier
It's not the most powerful deck, but I have never seen another atraxa that plays quite like it.
I can say confidently now that runaway steam-kin is nuts as a mana source, and reality scramble is better than through the breach, at least for my build. Resolving it on the non-tokens (excluding Zada) first, typically throws all my creatures into play. I may test abbot of keral keep again to improve consistency.
Meanwhile, Ghave had tried to combo a couple times and been held of with counters and bounce by Nezahal. While I only had 6 lands, the other players had 10-15 mana each. Ghave has a phyrexian altar that came back after the last mass bounce. Nezahal has magus of the unseen to steal it and distrupt if needed.
Ghave managed to resolve Mikaus, the unhallowed, with some protection, noting that he was a mana short. Nezahal and I are concerned, and draw/pass to have responses. Notably, I have resolved edgewalker, letting me get to 6 apostles with lands untapped. Triskelion is cast, resolves, and I ask for each activation to be put onto the stack instead of short-cutting.
Three damage to players and a sacrifice for mana later, we have moved to the undying trigger. I respond by activating shadowborn apostle, but I know that all my removal is in my hand, too expensive to be cast. Instead, I put demon of dark schemes onto the battlefield. The EtB trigger kills edgewalker, birds of paradise, magus of the unseen, and pestermite, getting 4 energy. I use the energy to reaminate triskellion, then removal all three counters to finish killing Mikaus.
Several turns later, after attacking with a couple demons and reanimating edgewalker, opposing life totals are 18 and 20. At the end of Nezahal's turn, I use 8 energy to reanimate birds of paradise and magus of the unseen. I use those to steal phyrexian altar. I sacrifice 7 apostles for mana, and target Nezahal (at 20 life) with all 7 Athreos triggers. He spends 18 life and I return one apostle. Nezahal can no longer pay 3 life to stop the combo as I cast apostles for free and loop for mana and energy. Razaketh, the foulblooded finds debt to the deathless for the win off of three opponents cards.
Both of those also prevent damage from a source without targeting, which means that they can keep you alive through a voltron commander, no matter how many lightning greaves are used.
Assuming all of this to be correct, then mana abilities that modify this total power would not modify the required cost to be paid, as the cost is paid at a subsequent step in the process of casting. The cards relevant to my question are: Omnath, Locus of Mana, food chain, phyrexian altar and ashnod's altar.
In the case of each of these, if there is 10 power on the battlefield as Ghalta is cast, then each of those creatures that sum to 10 power are sacrificed or exiled for mana abilities, is the total cost paid for the spell still GG?
Similarly, if there is 9x G floating on Omnath, does the change in power altered the required cost paid for Ghalta?
As far as I understand, Ghalta could be cast with only a 1 cost 10/10 being exiled to food chain to generate GG and no other mana paid or creatures on the battlefield. Is this correct?
So far this year's sets have given us rile and I had some fun with Hazoret's Monument in a slower build and may be worth it for you. I am still working on a version that creates fewer tokens via spells and plays 25-30 creatures. In that version, I am testing wily goblin.
I've never serously tested Aetherflux reservoir in Zada, but I expect that it could be less effective win condition to psychosis crawler. It also has some serious synergy with treasonous ogre as mana production via life gain. To answer your question: I definitely cast 10-20 spells when I am going off optimally, but these days my playgroup just scoops when I hit critical mass.
I had missed that this was non-optional and can be added to the relatively short list of ways to force triggers from Ob Nixilis, Unshackled. Forced search effects for everyone are effective there.
That doesn't actually work, because life loss is not damage that can be doubled. Also, Havoc festival does round up so doubling the life loss is lethal no matter what the starting life total is. You can swap to wound reflection and it works.
BR Havoc Festival + Wound reflection = Each opponent loses at their end step.
If you go into colorless mana (C) requirements it's basically a 4 color manabase, so I would caution against going beyond three colors.
The problem that I would have with this change is a likely reduced variety from my opponents. While I don't expect everyone to agree with me, I dislike that I would not see a the more creative deck ideas as often. While hybrid would likely have minimal impact on decks, completely removing the restriction makes it less likely that I be as excited by my opponent's decks and their more strange synergies and obscure/corner case cards. I would be disappointed to see more goodstuff or generic cards displace less typical options that are used now.