Archaeomancer

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Mortlocke on water proof deck (v.3.0)

1 month ago

Felipix,

I can see that you are starting a Primer, in case you don't have them I suggest the following resource: Epochalyptik's Do you want to write a primer? I've found it useful and hope you do as well. So, first things first I have some questions:

1. What decks do you intend to play with using this deck? Do you want to play in a High Powered pod with degenerate spells like Mana Drain, Force of Will, Winter Orb and the like? Or is this a pod with lower power?

2. What's the budget with this deck? Is it to be in the same mold as an upgraded precon?

3. How do you want to win?

I saw your comments on the Advertise your deck forum, and I can see that you wish to add more draw and more control. In regards to draw I can see that Rhystic Study was suggested before and you have budgetary concerns - there is always the option to proxy. If your playgroup allows it of course.

Possible subthemes/Wincons to consider outside of Voltron: - A flicker (exile a permanent then return it to the battlefield end of turn) subtheme may be an interesting direction to go with this deck. There are numerous options to go with in blue and including creatures such as Thassa, Deep-Dwelling, Scourge of Fleets, Archaeomancer, Spark Double, and Spellseeker to use and abuse their enter the battlefield effects.

• You could try slotting in Pili-Pala and Grand Architect for infinite mana or run Tunnel Vision and then win using Laboratory Maniac/Thassa's Oracle.

Honorable Mentions for fun Control/Card Advantage effects:

• Aven Courier - this guy helps your commander do more of what it likes to do. You should try and slot him in.
• Stormtide Leviathan - this guy can stop combat damage from reaching you for a time
• Faerie Mastermind - fun little taxing effects like this are great because it guarantees card advantage
• Wavebreak Hippocamp - given your deck has a lot of interaction it's likely you could keep up your tempo with this guy out

Flarhoon13 on Daxos of Meletis, Soldiers of Fortune

4 months ago

Oct 11

Daxos of Meletis, Soldiers of Fortune won a long game with Strixhaven Stadium and Githzerai Monk. Granted, Jared was playing a Gonti, Canny Acquisitor precon and Josh was on pauper commander Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward. Josh threatened to go infinite with Archaeomancer but Jared had interaction, a Smirking Spelljacker for the counter. That gave me time to win through combat and kill Josh with Strixhaven Stadium (thanks, Nitpicking Nerds)

bvowles on Pauper Lands

4 months ago

Thanks for the suggestions! I really like Winding Way especially. Ghostly Flicker I'm not as sure on, but you're absolutely right it would work really well with Coiling Oracle and Archaeomancer, but if I added both I'd turn this into a more familiars type of list with your suggestions and cut back on the lands.

In testing on modo I've found that I almost have too many additional land effects in the deck, so I guess I could start there when looking to fit in Winding Way at least. Do you have any suggestions on cards to cut? It feels tight even though I'm still brewing around with it. While I said earlier that I may have too many additional land effects in the deck, Arboreal Grazer gives me great ground game against red.

JustJohn97 on Pauper Lands

4 months ago

Hi!

This is a neat idea, have you considered adding Winding Way? It might be a good way to dig for more lands or your creatures. Something else to consider might also be flicker effects such as Ghostly Flicker which could allow you to flicker your creature etbs and allow you to add multiple additional lands to the field (it would also work if you decided to add the Coiling Oracle in your maybe board). Maybe add in Archaeomancer while you're at it if that's a style you might want to play.

Again it's a very neat idea, good luck brewing!

Dabsolux on Pauper and PDH combos

9 months ago

I would like to create a list of all Pauper and PDH deck combos. Most of them are created by NateDiggity7 (Moxfield) and PenguinPete (MTG Salvation). Here some:

BG - Golgari

• Ivy Lane Denizen + Rendclaw Trow + Viscera Seer = infinite scry
• Reins of the Vinesteed + Warehouse Tabby = infinite death trigger (need a rat enchanted with Reins of the Vinesteed)
• Basking Broodscale + Sadistic Glee = infinite +1/+1 counter on Basking Broodscale
• Ivy Lane Denizen + Rendclaw Trow + Bloodthrone Vampire = infinite large creature (VARIANT: can use any green creature with persist)
• Ivy Lane Denizen + Rendclaw Trow + Viscera Seer = infinite scry
• Ivy Lane Denizen + Rendclaw Trow + Viscera Seer + Deathgreeter = infinite scry, infinite life
• Ivy Lane Denizen + Rendclaw Trow + Ashnod's Altar + Essence Warden = infinite mana, infinite life

BR - Rakdos

• Ardent Elementalist + Fake Your Own Death + Thermopod = infinite death trigger, infinite ETB, infinite storm count
• First Day of Class + Putrid Goblin + Skirk Prospector = infinite red mana (VARIANT: any creature with persist + Thermopod)

C - Colorless

• Ashnod's Altar + Foundry Inspector + Myr Retriever + Workshop Assistant = infinite colorless mana

G - Green

• Careful Cultivation + Pili-Pala = infinite mana
• Ashnod's Altar + Pili-Pala + Presence of Gond = infinite mana
• Devoted Druid + Ivy Lane Denizen + Presence of Gond = infinite elf token
• Ivy Lane Denizen + Aerie Ouphes = infinite damage on flying creature, infinite ETB

RG - Gruul

• Hangar Scrounger + Seeker of Skybreak = infinite scry (only when Hangar Scrounger ETB)
• Sprout Swarm + Blisterspit Gremlin + Thermo-Alchemist + Thunderscape Familiar + Unruly Catapult = infinite saproling token (VARIANT: any ETB untap, any spell reduction cost, any untap on cast)

UBG - Sultai

• Freed from the Real + Karametra's Favor + Servant of Tymaret = infinite life drain

UB - Dimir

• Freed from the Real + Dimir Aqueduct + Wind Zendikon = infinite black mana (VARIANT: use any two mana land provinding blue and any turn to creature effect)
• Disciple of the Vault + Undercity Scrounger + Freed from the Real = infinite life loss (Morbid required)

UG - Simic

• Arbor Elf + Utopia Sprawl + Freed from the Real = infinite mana
• Freed from the Real + Axebane Guardian + Steel Wall = infinite mana (VARIANT: may use any defender instead of Steel Wall)
• Freed from the Real + Krosan Restorer = infinite mana
• Freed from the Real + Lifespark Spellbomb + Simic Growth Chamber = infinite green mana
• Freed from the Real + Axebane Guardian + Steel Wall + Viridian Longbow = infinite damage
• Freed from the Real + Karametra's Favor + Deepwater Hypnotist = infinite fog
• Freed from the Real + Karametra's Favor + Sphinx's Disciple = infinite draw
• Elvish Aberration + Energy Refractor + Freed from the Real = Infinite mana
• Axebane Guardian + Steel Wall + Vigean Graftmage + Excavated Wall = infinite mana

URG - Temur

• Freed from the Real + Orochi Leafcaller + Zhur-Taa Druid = infinite damage
• Morselhoarder + Sinking Feeling + Viridian Longbow = infinite damage

U - Blue

• Archaeomancer + Ghostly Flicker + Peregrine Drake = infinite mana NOT LEGAL
• Archaeomancer + High Tide + Snap = infinite ETB, infinite storm count NOT LEGAL
• Banishing Knack + Battered Golem + Lotus Petal = infinite ETB, infinite storm count (VARIANT: Retraction Helix,Mirran Spy, any 0 mana artifact add Golem Foundry for infinite golem token)
• Retraction Helix + Zephyr Scribe + Spidersilk Net + Elusive Spellfist = infinitely large unblockable creature

WB - Orzhov

• Ashnod's Altar + Disciple of the Sun + Kaya's Ghostform = infinite colorless mana (VARIANT: Viscera Seer infinite scry)
• Spirit en-Kor + Daru Spiritualist + Severed Strands = Infinite life (VARIANT: Nomads en-Kor)

WG - Selesnya

• Midnight Guard + Presence of Gond = infinite elf token
• Presence of Gond + Devoted Druid + Sigil of the Nayan Gods = infinite elf token

WR - Boros

• Crown of Flames + Mogg War Marshal + Tethmos High Priest + Skirk Prospector = infinite goblin token

WUB - Esper

• Songs of the Damned + Mnemonic Wall + Energy Refractor + Cavern Harpy + God-Pharaoh's Faithful = Infinite mana (need 11 creatures in gy)
• Songs of the Damned + Mnemonic Wall + Energy Refractor + Cavern Harpy + Basilica Screecher = infinite life loss (need 11 creatures in gy)

WU - Azorius

• Retraction Helix + Midnight Guard + Soul's Attendant + Ornithopter = infinite life
• Retraction Helix + Stonybrook Schoolmaster + Mirran Spy + Ornithopter = infinite merfolk token
• Retraction Helix + Stonybrook Schoolmaster + Mirran Spy + Ornithopter + Sage's Row Denizen = infinite merfolk token, infinite mill
• Retraction Helix + Stonybrook Schoolmaster + Mirran Spy + Ornithopter + Judge of Currents = infinite merfolk token, infinite life

ONLY PDH

BR - Rakdos

• Ashnod's Altar + First Day of Class + Murderous Redcap = infinite damage, infinite colorless mana

BG - Golgari

• Devoted Druid + Quillspike = Quillspike with infinite strenght and toughness

U - Blue

• Freed from the Real + Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator + Viridian Longbow = infinite damage
• Energy Refractor + Freed from the Real + Vhal, Candlekeep Researcher + Viridian Longbow = infinite damage

UR - Izzet

• Alena, Kessig Trapper + Energy Refractor + Freed from the Real = Infinite mana (need a creature with powet at least 3 that entered the battlefield this turn, need a blue partner commander)

G - Green

• Essence Warden + Lurking Roper + Presence of Gond = infinite life, infinite elf token
• Ivy Lane Denizen + Scurry Oak = infinite counter on Scurry Oak, infinite squirrel token

UG - Simic

• Freed from the Real + Gyre Engineer = infinite green mana
• Freed from the Real + Ley Weaver = infinite mana (need at least a land that add for blue and another land)

W - White

• Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward + Journey to Nowhere + Oblivion Ring = infinite soldier token (VARIANT: add any nonland permanent with ETB effect )

WG - Selesnya

• Ashnod's Altar + Ivy Lane Denizen + Kitchen Finks = infinite life, infinite colorless mana (VARIANT: Master Chef)

Izzetaura on Fun EDH cards

10 months ago

I recommend Aura Graft, Mirari, Divert, and Redirect. Redirect is my favorite card of all time, and it pairs well with Archaeomancer.

rckclimber777 on Build a Deck with Me …

10 months ago

Sometimes when I'm deckbuilding, I focus less on the commander and more on an interesting concept/combo that I want to use or exploit. This is the case with one of my favorite decks in my profile and actually one of the first commander decks I ever built. This deck began years ago when Magic finally started caring about the EDH format. It was a more simple time then, Rhystic study was $1.27 (exactly the price I paid for mine over 10 years ago), Cyclonic Rift was a bulk rare, and demonic tutor could be found for $10.

The combo that I was interested in was Palinchron and Deadeye Navigator. The latter was my favorite card at the time and is still one of my favorites. It was a great tool and with all the ETB effects that were out around then it was an underrated and uber powerful card. In fact, the entire blink mechanic was and is a very powerful strategy.

When I built this deck, I played a few times in shops and was quickly told that edh is a casual format and interaction of any kind is not fair (was told this by a land destruction deck...) So this deck is definitely more on the competitive side, but it would be the distant fringe of cedh. Alright with that let's get into it.

Initial thoughts

So we have a combo that we like Palinchron and Deadeye Navigator, but we don't even have a commander yet and going mono-blue seems not great, so we want to figure out what color(s) to add and what commander to choose. In a combo deck, there are generally three things that I like to make sure I include beyond the normal ramp, and card draw. That is redundancy, the ability to tutor up my combo pieces, and ways to protect my combo. So when thinking about tutoring up my combo pieces, I generally like to have the best tutors. Those are in black. So things like Wishclaw Talisman, Demonic Tutor, Vampiric Tutor and Imperial Seal (if you have money to burn or your playgroup is fine with you proxying the best cards so you can obliterate their precons j/k I proxy all my expensive cards and put them in a binder in case someone has an issue).

So we have Blue and Black and we can certainly add another color if we wanted to, but at the time I liked Dralnu, Lich Lord because Snapcaster Mage was in standard and flashback was cool. So I stuck with it when I revamped it, but decided that I wanted something that could ensure I can protect my combo from any threat and then also use it to win if I wanted to. The answer came in the form of Ertai Resurrected. He can counter basically anything from spells to activated abilities (which will come in handy) or he can take a threat on the field at the cost of letting your opponent draw a card.

So now that we have our commander, how to build the deck?

Redundancy

Combo decks need redundancy. If you don't get your two cards or one of them gets exiled, you need a backup plan, or scooping is your only option. Fortunately, there are some great redundancies here. We have Ghostly Flicker and Displace. Both of these will blink your creatures (ghostly flicker will also blink artifacts). Displacer Kitten can be helpful too, but I don't own it and it is a little more chaotic than I need it to be. Palinchron is great because you can return it to your hand and potentially play it again and create infinite mana through the use of High Tide, but a similar combo that has added benefits is Peregrine Drake, Archaeomancer, and Ghostly Flicker. This bounces both the drake and the archaeomancer untapping 5 lands, and returning ghostly flicker to your hand. Rinse and repeat for infinite mana. Archaeomancer also will help in returning key counterspells and tutors to your hand. Nothing like doing double duty. Mnemonic Wall and Great Whale also fit here. The great thing about this combo is that each component is useful in and of itself. Bring out your Great Whale early untap some lands and do some other stuff or play out the rest of your combo with the untapped lands. Cast Archaeomancer to grab a used tutor for another combo piece.

One note here, if you get Peregrine Drake (or one of the other two) paired with Deadeye Navigator and you generate infinite mana you can now draw your deck with Ertai as commander: Step 1: Bounce Deadeye, when he enters don't soulbond with anyone.
Step 2: Cast Ertai, don't choose anything or if you want kill one of your opponent's creatures. It doesn't matter.
Step 3: Soulbond ertai and deadeye. Step 4: Bounce Deadeye and while that is on the stack bounce Ertai. Step 5: Ertai enters the battlefield counter the Deadeye bounce on the stack Draw a card Step 6: Soulbond ertai and deadeye again rinse and repeat. Draw as many cards as you need. Which means draw until you find your wincon.

Wincon

Since this is an infinite mana combo we need something to use all that mana. Obviously the activated ability on deadeye is great, but we need something to actually win with. I went with Commander's Insight and Blue Sun's Zenith. Both of these cards are useful even when they aren't being used to force your opponents to draw their cards. Blue Sun's Zenith works nicely because once you cast it goes back into your deck, which I showed above you can draw as many cards as you need so you cast it once, put it in your library draw again until you find it, cast it again on the next opponent, then again. You can also tutor them up or bring them back from the graveyard with the tutors or the archaeomancer/mnemonic wall from earlier. I like this more than straight damage, because if you don't have infinite mana these cards will still draw you cards.

Tutors

This is a fairly simple step, we need some good tutors. There are a number of good choices in black so I won't belabor that too much. I don't have some of the standard ones and feel like the deck performs fine with the ones it currently has. I do have a Tribute Mage in the deck because nearly all my mana rocks are 2 mana and so is Wishclaw Talisman. I found that the consistency with the deck is vastly improved by being able to tutor up my ramp. Also with deadeye I can bounce it multiple times and get more rocks or the talisman.

Protecting the combo

So I needed to figure out how to protect my combo and do so in a way that is flexible or can be used as needed. So Counterspell. Honestly, this part was fairly simple, most blue counter magic is here. Only reason Fierce Guardianship isn't here is because I don't have it. Other than that we have the typical cards here Force of Will, Mana Drain, Cyclonic Rift, Force of Negation, Pact of Negation, etc.

I also have a couple other standouts. Venser, Shaper Savant is great here as it can be bounced with Deadeye Navigator to essentially boomerang my opponent's board and all their spells. Ertai Resurrected also protects the combo and with deadeye becomes a nice repeatable counter/removal spell.

glen_elandra_archmage can be bounced when she has her -1/-1 counter allowing her to be used again and again to counter noncreature spells.

Typical stuff

There is a lot of ramp in the deck, so Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, and other mana rocks including some larger ones like Gilded Lotus and Basalt Monolith to really get the ramp going, the sooner you can get to 7-8 mana the sooner you can combo out.

For card draw some key performers here are Rhystic Study, Black Market Connections, Phyrexian Arena, The One Ring. Mystic Remora. In my initial hand I want to have 3 lands, and one of these/tutor to find one or I typically mulligan.

Special notes

A couple other cards deserve mention here. Time Stretch and Time Warp. These are both repeatable with Archaeomancer and Mnemonic Wall and I can honestly say that if I'm able to resolve either of these, it is unlikely that I'm going to lose, especially Time Stretch. With the ramp in the deck or a well timed Dark Ritual/High Tide I can play this fairly early and get a huge advantage.

Lands

Since this deck tends to be fast, you don't want lands that come into play tapped, so this deck uses fetch lands, shock lands, and duals that have the ability to come in untapped. (there are a couple that come into play tapped, but they are fetchable so I fetch them only when I know that I'm not going to be able to use the mana and only on an opponent's turn.)

I've had this deck for a while and it performs far better than any of my other decks. It always presents interesting lines that if followed will lead to surprising victories. As always let me know what you think in the comments and if you have a commander in mind that you want to see me build put it in the chat.

Here is the final decklist: Unlimited Power!

Azoth2099 on Davros, Dragon's Approach

1 year ago

Ok hear me out!

I feel like a sub theme of reanimator leveraging cards like Scholar of the Ages, Archaeomancer & Snapcaster Mage could take your Dragon's Approach strategy to huge heights, especially if you can reduce the cost of each burn with something like Vadrik, Astral Archmage. Since you're already running Birgi, God of Storytelling  ^Flip, it would be super easy to go infinite with Scholar of the Ages & Burnt Offering if you tie it all together with a trigger doubler like Harmonic Prodigy or Naban, Dean of Iteration.

This strategy would also help you remove a lot of cards that - while synergistic - should eventually be replaced by things that will drastically increase the core strength & resiliency of your deck like Demonic Tutor & Vampiric Tutor in a new, more powerful form.