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Isperia: was surprisingly good, for how bad she looks, She is a large flying creature that doesn't seem like much of a threat until she is beating you to death.
GAAIV: you reveal your commander, everyone hates you. He is a hard combo commander as far as I am concerned because playing him makes everyone else miserable and they will kill you just to not to have to deal with him.
Brago: Another very combo centric commander, a million different ways to break him. As such you pain a target on your head. It didn't work for me due to the nature of my deck design but it is certainly a good card. It just seems like using walkers is a waste of his potential when you could be doing things that are much more powerful.
Medomai: Unlike the above two Medomai wont get you killed but it will get medomai killed on sight every game over and over. I felt like I had to add too much into my deck to try to keep him alive and hitting. I eventually switched back to Isperia and my deck seemed to be better... somehow.
Dragonlord Ojutai: In my experience this is the best option for my plainswalker control deck. The trick with control in commander is that you have to have a plan for a quick kill of your opponents. Because unless you are combo control... there is always a higher power.... someone always a bigger haymaker or some insane recursion engine making it almost impossible to exhaust your opponent of resources. I learnt this trying to play the smaller UW generals and its why Isperia actually works at all as a commander.
Dragonlord Ojutai is both a quick clock and a card advantage engine. You do have to invest some cards into giving him vigilance but a lot of them a great cards on their own. e.g Batterskull, Minamo, School at Water's Edge, Heliod, god of the sun and Ajani steadfast. The other trick is that if an opponent wants to get rid of him they have to wrath the board, which you as a planeswalker deck want to happen.
Ojutai is threat, card draw and forces your opponent to answer in a way that helps with your other plans.
Apparently LSV is a big fan. Which certainly makes me reconsider my dismissing of it. It might be due to the relative speed of the dominaria set though.
Unfortunately sideboard slots are too tight :|. The opportunity cost is low for colourless land in the deck. I have tried a bunch of other lands in that slot this one is the most impactful.
Apparently I have an issue with the "still got all these" issue. Talking about how great my draws were and how lucky I am. Talking (agonising) about some minor decision I made in game when I just stomped someone. Taking forever on something relatively trivial when I am so far ahead in the game (This seems to trigger rage quits a lot).
The only time I really get mad is when I am hungry... hangry... I hate it when there are tournaments with no goddamn lunch breaks. Well typically only get petulant but not all out angry. I'll get mana screwed and I'll put aside all the cards in my hand i can't cast then I just super obviously looking at the top card for lands. Oh okay sure another scarab god after it took all my everything to get rid of the first.
I finally had a good result after a bit of adapting to the new meta.
This is my current set up. Its a bit of a mix of Shoks deck and ideas from others. I have been championing the talismans the whole time. Gifts ungiven makes my head hurt :/... I tried playing gifts storm but it was hard work to try to work out the best cards to get in each situation.
3-0 LGS
2-1 vs Scapeshift.
I find this match up extremely close and always a great match
2-0 vs Lantern
Its a good match up.. just takes forever. I don't need to attack to win and I can instant speed cantrip. Pithing needle is key on both sides of this match up.
2-0 vs Humans
Turn 3 tron both games.. better lucky than good. He didn't quite have enough pressure to stop me.
Game 1 I landed Platinum angel and lived in fear of reflector mage but he didn't find it before I found mindslaver lock. Game 2: He flooded a bit and couldn't deal with all of my wraths post board. (he still got me to 6). Humans is hard work..
Match 1 vs GW. 2-1
I lost to steel leaf champion game 1 but my opponent never had a chance in the other matches.
Match 2 vs Sultai.
Opponent could probably actually match me in power with Muldrotha and yawmoth's dark offering. But I managed to have removal for Muldrotha on a critical turn and fly over. Game 2 opponent got mana screwed and I took advantage.
Match 3 vs GW 2-0
Game 1 Insane starting hand. Raff into flash a legend in every turn. Game 2 opponent mulled to 5 then I play Aryel and she just won the game on her own.
Match 1 vs GB 2-1
They had so many large larges that I struggled to remove them. then he reanimated them. But then the combination of On Serra's Wings + Uraz's Ruinous Blast punished his over extension. The other game was the same.
Match 2 vs GW 2-1
Okay I don't remember but it was the same On serra's Wings on Danitha trick that won me the match. My opponent gave me trouble with forebears blade one game.
Match 3 vs BR historic burn 2-0
Game 1 Opponent got stuck on 3 lands and died to my pumped knights from history of benalia.
Game 2 Opponent had plenty of removal as you'd expect for BR that it was hard for me to stick a creature but eventually they ran out and they didn't have enough pressure on me.
Match 4 vs GW 0-2
Game 1: The literal stupidest game I have ever played. It was the Blackblade reforged mirror match... and I flooded hard.. but that was helping me.. He first equipped Danitha went up to 40 life and I answered with On serra's wings on Serra Disciple which was a stalemate.. then I found eviscerate. Then I whacked him back down to 12 (and myself back up to 26). Then he answered with On serra's wings on a creature.. then his critical card was Bloodtallow Candle which would prevent me from blocking his blackbladed creature with my (first striking one) and he just slowly beat me down while I was just trying to live long enough to find an answer I only found lands... he ended the game on 73 life.
Game 2: Not as much of a tussle. he managed to get the advantage and I couldn't fight back.
Time of ice impressed me but I don't think it talrand's invocation level impressed me.
I am looking if there is some I can cut for it. I am still concerned about how slow it is.
I had no such woes.
Although my pull was pretty incredable. (I'll post a pic). Just a pile of ledgendaries, either 4/4-5 for 4 or huge flyiers.... i just flew right over the green mid range decks.
Skittering surveyor was pretty key to my deck functioning and had two and drew them regularly.
Typically I run redundancy when it is possible. Cards that do things that are similar to what my commander does so that my deck can still function if they are too expensive to cast.
In the deck that is most reliant on my commander I go very hard on the ramp so that I can repeatedly recast them and/or cast them only if I can get immediate value out of them. But I also have lightning greaves and other protection cards.
Burn maybe? Needs to have enough instants and sorceries that it's not dead but not so many that you don't get what you want. So you either need to have redundancy or have all of them being very impactful. I think it can see niche play. Its competing with Past in Flames, Mizzix's Mastery and recoup and you'll probably want all of them first.
Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive.
Power and/or Toughness :D.
This is probably the card I am most hyped for in this set. (In peasant cube)
Now its a little hard to abuse in mono blue but you still have a bunch of tools. Have the power to switch power and toughness, you can use prowess to pump after you go unblocked there are some blue pump spells and of course you have synergy with equipment (Although you can't use it on Tetsuko).
As one of the 99 she is really strong you can make an army of 1/1s unblockable then you can easily pump at instant speed in other colours, or use Cranial plating.
I went through a whole bunch of UW commanders trying to find the right choice for my UW plainswalker control deck. Including Isperia, Supreme judge, Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, Brago, King eternal and Medomai the ageless.
Isperia: was surprisingly good, for how bad she looks, She is a large flying creature that doesn't seem like much of a threat until she is beating you to death.
GAAIV: you reveal your commander, everyone hates you. He is a hard combo commander as far as I am concerned because playing him makes everyone else miserable and they will kill you just to not to have to deal with him.
Brago: Another very combo centric commander, a million different ways to break him. As such you pain a target on your head. It didn't work for me due to the nature of my deck design but it is certainly a good card. It just seems like using walkers is a waste of his potential when you could be doing things that are much more powerful.
Medomai: Unlike the above two Medomai wont get you killed but it will get medomai killed on sight every game over and over. I felt like I had to add too much into my deck to try to keep him alive and hitting. I eventually switched back to Isperia and my deck seemed to be better... somehow.
Dragonlord Ojutai: In my experience this is the best option for my plainswalker control deck. The trick with control in commander is that you have to have a plan for a quick kill of your opponents. Because unless you are combo control... there is always a higher power.... someone always a bigger haymaker or some insane recursion engine making it almost impossible to exhaust your opponent of resources. I learnt this trying to play the smaller UW generals and its why Isperia actually works at all as a commander.
Dragonlord Ojutai is both a quick clock and a card advantage engine. You do have to invest some cards into giving him vigilance but a lot of them a great cards on their own. e.g Batterskull, Minamo, School at Water's Edge, Heliod, god of the sun and Ajani steadfast. The other trick is that if an opponent wants to get rid of him they have to wrath the board, which you as a planeswalker deck want to happen.
Ojutai is threat, card draw and forces your opponent to answer in a way that helps with your other plans.
Apparently LSV is a big fan. Which certainly makes me reconsider my dismissing of it. It might be due to the relative speed of the dominaria set though.
The only time I really get mad is when I am hungry... hangry... I hate it when there are tournaments with no goddamn lunch breaks. Well typically only get petulant but not all out angry. I'll get mana screwed and I'll put aside all the cards in my hand i can't cast then I just super obviously looking at the top card for lands. Oh okay sure another scarab god after it took all my everything to get rid of the first.
one of your counters... you have sooooo many.
This is my current set up. Its a bit of a mix of Shoks deck and ideas from others. I have been championing the talismans the whole time.
Gifts ungiven makes my head hurt :/... I tried playing gifts storm but it was hard work to try to work out the best cards to get in each situation.
1 Academy Ruins
1 Gemstone Caverns
6 Island
1 River of Tears
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Field of Ruin
4 Urza's Mine
4 Urza's Power Plant
4 Urza's Tower
Spells = 19
4 Condescend
1 Cyclonic Rift
2 Spatial Contortion
1 Consign//memory
3 Remand
2 Repeal
2 Supreme Will
4 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Chalice of the Void
4 Expedition Map
1 Mindslaver
1 Oblivion Stone
2 Talisman of Dominance
Creatures = 9
1 Platinum Angel
2 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Sundering Titan
1 Treasure Mage
1 Trinket Mage
1 Walking Ballista
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Torrential gearhulk
Planeswalkers = 1
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Grafdiggers Cage
1 Pithing Needle
2 Dismember
2 Negate
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Filigree Familiar
1 Aetherize
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Mindslaver
1 Ugin, the spirit dragon
3-0 LGS
2-1 vs Scapeshift.
I find this match up extremely close and always a great match
2-0 vs Lantern
Its a good match up.. just takes forever. I don't need to attack to win and I can instant speed cantrip. Pithing needle is key on both sides of this match up.
2-0 vs Humans
Turn 3 tron both games.. better lucky than good. He didn't quite have enough pressure to stop me.
Game 1 I landed Platinum angel and lived in fear of reflector mage but he didn't find it before I found mindslaver lock. Game 2: He flooded a bit and couldn't deal with all of my wraths post board. (he still got me to 6). Humans is hard work..
Deck 1
1 Stronghold confessor
2 Skittering Surveyor
2 Academy Drake
1 Aven sentry
1 Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle
1 Whisper, blood Liturgist
1 Josu Vess, Lich Lord
1 Raff Capashen, Ship's mage
1 Aryel, Knight of Windgrace
1 Serra Angel
1 Arvad the cursed
1 Zahid, Dijinn of the lamp
1 Demonlord Belzenlock
2 Gideons reproach
1 Vicious offering
1 Time of Ice
1 Dark bargain
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Settle the score
1 Primveal's Glorious Rebirth
Lands
1 Memorial to Folly
6 Plains
6 Swamp
4 islands
Match 1 vs GW. 2-1
I lost to steel leaf champion game 1 but my opponent never had a chance in the other matches.
Match 2 vs Sultai.
Opponent could probably actually match me in power with Muldrotha and yawmoth's dark offering. But I managed to have removal for Muldrotha on a critical turn and fly over. Game 2 opponent got mana screwed and I took advantage.
Match 3 vs GW 2-0
Game 1 Insane starting hand. Raff into flash a legend in every turn. Game 2 opponent mulled to 5 then I play Aryel and she just won the game on her own.
Deck 2
1 Stronghold confessor
1 Dauntless bodyguard
1 Benalish honor guard
1 Mesa unicorn
1 Serras disciple
1 Knight of Malice
1 Danitha Capashen, Paragon
1 Pegasus courser
2 Aven Sentry
1 Skittering Surveyor
1 Braid, steward of Argive
1 Cabal Paladin
1 Short sword
1 Vicious offering
1 Gideon's reproach
1 Blackblade Reforged
1 History of Benalia
1 Eviscerate
1 Call the Cavalry
1 On Serra's Wings
1 Urza's Ruinous Blast
1 Fall of the Thran
11 Plains
5 Swamp
No where near as good but I had a similar result
Match 1 vs GB 2-1
They had so many large larges that I struggled to remove them. then he reanimated them. But then the combination of On Serra's Wings + Uraz's Ruinous Blast punished his over extension. The other game was the same.
Match 2 vs GW 2-1
Okay I don't remember but it was the same On serra's Wings on Danitha trick that won me the match. My opponent gave me trouble with forebears blade one game.
Match 3 vs BR historic burn 2-0
Game 1 Opponent got stuck on 3 lands and died to my pumped knights from history of benalia.
Game 2 Opponent had plenty of removal as you'd expect for BR that it was hard for me to stick a creature but eventually they ran out and they didn't have enough pressure on me.
Match 4 vs GW 0-2
Game 1: The literal stupidest game I have ever played. It was the Blackblade reforged mirror match... and I flooded hard.. but that was helping me.. He first equipped Danitha went up to 40 life and I answered with On serra's wings on Serra Disciple which was a stalemate.. then I found eviscerate. Then I whacked him back down to 12 (and myself back up to 26). Then he answered with On serra's wings on a creature.. then his critical card was Bloodtallow Candle which would prevent me from blocking his blackbladed creature with my (first striking one) and he just slowly beat me down while I was just trying to live long enough to find an answer I only found lands... he ended the game on 73 life.
Game 2: Not as much of a tussle. he managed to get the advantage and I couldn't fight back.
I am looking if there is some I can cut for it. I am still concerned about how slow it is.
Although my pull was pretty incredable. (I'll post a pic). Just a pile of ledgendaries, either 4/4-5 for 4 or huge flyiers.... i just flew right over the green mid range decks.
Skittering surveyor was pretty key to my deck functioning and had two and drew them regularly.
edit:
In the deck that is most reliant on my commander I go very hard on the ramp so that I can repeatedly recast them and/or cast them only if I can get immediate value out of them. But I also have lightning greaves and other protection cards.
I feel like there are a bunch of random high mana cost cards that are just red good stuff and not actually good cards here.
As for things to add I think you want extra attack step cards in there to double up the number of tokens for the turn.
It depends on your meta but you might also want to use the damage doubling effects to just knock people out of the game.
Riddleform and maybe.... Spellweaver Eternal... i know its seems bad but its a wizard.
Spell piece is bad as along as fatal push remains in the format... its great on Arena though.
Unsummon and dive down seem better to me... you can bounce your own creatures.
Power and/or Toughness :D.
This is probably the card I am most hyped for in this set. (In peasant cube)
Now its a little hard to abuse in mono blue but you still have a bunch of tools. Have the power to switch power and toughness, you can use prowess to pump after you go unblocked there are some blue pump spells and of course you have synergy with equipment (Although you can't use it on Tetsuko).
As one of the 99 she is really strong you can make an army of 1/1s unblockable then you can easily pump at instant speed in other colours, or use Cranial plating.