<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive" href="#" target="_blank">Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/vargasni">Randy Vargas</a>)</h6>
<h1>Blocking is for Chumps</h1>
<p>Hello, and welcome back to another installment of <i>Strategic Planning,</i> a column where we goldfish a commander's EDHREC Average Decklist to get a better sense of what works and what doesn’t before brewing them ourselves.</p>
<p>The commander we’ll be building around today is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive" href="#" target="_blank">Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a mono-blue legend from <em>Dominaria</em>, and the 23<sup>rd</sup> most popular mono-blue commander, with 165 decks at the time of this writing. Let’s take a look at what we’re working with.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive"></div></div>
<p>Two mana is easily manageable, even in a color as starved for efficient ramp as mono-blue. We can reasonably count on having our commander available early and often, making a focused build that abuses Tetsuko’s ability much less risky.</p>
<p>She has a powerful build-around unblockability, her 1/3 stats allow it to affect her herself as well. The fact that Tetsuko’s ability affects power <em>or</em> toughness allows us much more versatility. We can emphasize creatures with 1 power and useful on-hit effects, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cephallid Constable" href="#" target="_blank">Cephallid Constable</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and we can also use creatures with 1 toughness and higher power, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ovalchase Dragster" href="#" target="_blank">Ovalchase Dragster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to push more damage through.</p>
<hr />
<h3><u>The Average List:</u></h3>
<p>The EDHREC average list for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive" href="#" target="_blank">Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is as follows:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Tetsuko, Average Fugitive" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Blighted Agent
*1 Cephalid Constable
*1 Chasm Skulker
*1 Daring Saboteur
*1 Eternal of Harsh Truths
*1 Gateway Sneak
*1 Illusory Ambusher
*1 Jhessian Thief
*1 Looter il-Kor
*1 Master of Waves
*1 Mindshrieker
*1 Mistblade Shinobi
*1 Neurok Commando
*1 Nightveil Sprite
*1 Nimble Obstructionist
*1 Phyrexian Digester
*1 Plague Myr
*1 Raven Guild Master
*1 Riptide Entrancer
*1 Riptide Pilferer
*1 Rootwater Thief
*1 Scroll Thief
*1 Siren Stormtamer
*1 Skyship Plunderer
*1 Surrakar Spellblade
*1 Tandem Lookout
*1 Thrummingbird
*1 Wharf Infiltrator
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Aetherize
*1 Aetherspouts
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Counterspell
*1 Cyclonic Rift
*1 Devious Cover-Up
*1 Negate
*1 Rapid Hybridization
*1 Reality Shift
*1 Swan Song
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Arm with Aether
*1 Curse of the Swine
*1 Knowledge Exploitation
*1 Notorious Throng
*1 Stolen Identity
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Bident of Thassa
*1 Bloodforged Battle-Axe
*1 Captain&#039;s Claws
*1 Fireshrieker
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Loxodon Warhammer
*1 Mask of Memory
*1 Ovalchase Dragster
*1 Quietus Spike
*1 Rogue&#039;s Gloves
*1 Sapphire Medallion
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Umezawa&#039;s Jitte
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Coastal Piracy
*1 Military Intelligence
*1 Psychic Corrosion
*1 Sigil of Sleep
*1 Thopter Spy Network
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Desert of the Mindful
*1 Faerie Conclave
*1 Halimar Depths
*1 Lonely Sandbar
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*29 Island
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<p>This list has an average CMC of 2.69 and a retail price of $150.17 through TCGplayer. Let's take it for a spin!</p>
<hr />
<h2><b>Tests Results and Fine Tuning:</b></h2>
<h3><b>1. Getting the engine running</b></h3>
<p>Tetsuko’s cheap cost and the density of cheap creatures with powerful on-hit triggers in the average list meant that many opening hands allowed us to start drawing cards from creatures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Neurok Commando" href="#" target="_blank">Neurok Commando</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scroll Thief" href="#" target="_blank">Scroll Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> early in the game. Opening hands with an on-hit damage effect (and enough lands to cast it) were by far the most reliable, and the snowballing effect of our extra draws often drew us even more on-combat effects. In other words, we could simultaneously develop an impressive board state while maintaining a full hand of cards throughout the early game. Given how powerful this was in testing, and to maximize the power of our card draw creatures, we’ll make sure to include an even higher density of them in our final build, with some new additions like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deepfathom Skulker" href="#" target="_blank">Deepfathom Skulker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coastal Piracy" href="#" target="_blank">Coastal Piracy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tandem Lookout" href="#" target="_blank">Tandem Lookout</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, making sure we draw fistfuls of cards every time we turn our creatures sideways.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rogue’s Gloves"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tandem Lookout"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bident of Thassa"></div></div>
<p>Another powerful effect that was often able to generate value in the first few turns came in the form of our 1-power or 1-toughness creatures with on-hit disruption effects. Creatures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Riptide Pilferer" href="#" target="_blank">Riptide Pilferer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mistblade Shinobi" href="#" target="_blank">Mistblade Shinobi</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help to ensure none of our opponents get too explosive a start, and creature theft on combat damage like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thalakos Deceiver" href="#" target="_blank">Thalakos Deceiver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Riptide Entrancer" href="#" target="_blank">Riptide Entrancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help us defend ourselves from counterattack by stealing beefy creatures, or sabotage our opponents strategies by stealing a commander. Enchantments that add this disruption are helpful too, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil of Sleep" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil of Sleep</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, so they'll definitely make the final build.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cephalid Constable"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Riptide Entrancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sigil of Sleep"></div></div>
<hr />
<h3><b>2. Keeping the engine running</b></h3>
<p>Though the average list was reliably able to construct a card advantage engine from its opening hand, simulated board wipes and to a lesser extent targeted removal hit us hard and were sometimes difficult to recover from. To ensure the creatures we stick on the field will generate as much value as possible while they’re out, we’ll be including a suite of Equipment that can turn even a single unblockable weenie into a must-answer threat.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quietus Spike"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Umezawa’s Jitte"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bloodforged Battle-Axe"></div></div>
<p>Some of the strongest performers from our Equipment suite are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fireshrieker" href="#" target="_blank">Fireshrieker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which allows us to double up on any of our combat damage triggers, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quietus Spike" href="#" target="_blank">Quietus Spike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which allows any of our weenies to do a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Virtus the Veiled" href="#" target="_blank">Virtus the Veiled</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> impression, and the self-copying <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodforged Battle-Axe" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodforged Battle-Axe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which we can use to buff the power of our 1-toughness creatures without them losing unblockability. We’ll also include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Whispersilk Cloak" href="#" target="_blank">Whispersilk Cloak</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to provide protection for key creatures, and to ensure we can still attack with at least one unblockable creature if our commander is offline. To ensure we have access to these Equipment, we’ll also include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trinket Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Trinket Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trophy Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Trophy Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadeye Quartermaster" href="#" target="_blank">Deadeye Quartermaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in our final brew. Trinket Mage also comes with the added utility of being able to fetch <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meekstone" href="#" target="_blank">Meekstone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, an effect that misses nearly every creature we’re running while causing serious problems for our opponents.</p>
<p>Given our commander, one of the most versatile and flavorful Equipment we could run is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Umezawa’s Jitte" href="#" target="_blank">Umezawa’s Jitte</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It can stockpile charge counters to buff our equipped creature, snipe down our opponents' utility creatures, or in a pinch, bolster our own life totals.</p>
<p>Another effect made much more powerful by Tetsuko’s unblockability is <i>Cipher</i>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stolen Identity" href="#" target="_blank">Stolen Identity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to either copy our own creatures for even more damage triggers or fashion ourselves a copy of the biggest threat on the board. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hidden Strings" href="#" target="_blank">Hidden Strings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can tap down our opponents' problematic permanents or provide pseudo ramp in blue by untapping our own lands or mana rocks.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stolen Identity"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hidden Strings"></div></div>
<hr />
<h3><b>3. Closing out the game</b></h3>
<p>While the two or three combat damage dealt to our opponents every turn does start to add up faster than you’d expect, in a four player format where victory via combat requires us to do 120 points of damage across the table, combat damage isn’t a particularly viable win condition unless we’re able to prey on opponents who’ve already taken large chunks of damage from other sources. Since we can’t count on that, we’re going to steer into the infamous <i>Infect</i> mechanic to finish our opponents off before they have time to stop us. Since our commander turns every <em>Infect</em> creature with 1 power or toughness into a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blighted Agent" href="#" target="_blank">Blighted Agent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we have a good number of options, and we’ll be running most of them in our final brew.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blighted Agent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Digester"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Viral Drake"></div></div>
<p>These creatures have the added bonus of being excellent candidates for our Equipment suite; an <em>Infect</em> creature with double strike from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fireshrieker" href="#" target="_blank">Fireshrieker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or a power boost from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodforged Battleaxe" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodforged Battleaxe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Umezawa’s Jitte" href="#" target="_blank">Umezawa’s Jitte</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> puts our opponents on a very short clock.</p>
<hr />
<h2><b>Our final results:</b></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Tetsuko’s Infectious Good Mood" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Blighted Agent
*1 Cephalid Constable
*1 Chasm Skulker
*1 Deadeye Quartermaster
*1 Deepfathom Skulker
*1 Eternal of Harsh Truths
*1 Gateway Sneak
*1 Ichorclaw Myr
*1 Looter il-Kor
*1 Marchesa’s Infiltrator
*1 Mistblade Shinobi
*1 Necropede
*1 Neurok Commando
*1 Ophidian
*1 Phyrexian Digester
*1 Plague Myr
*1 Riptide Pilferer
*1 Scroll Thief
*1 Silver Myr
*1 Siren Stormtamer
*1 Surrakar Spellblade
*1 Tandem Lookout
*1 Thalakos Deceiver
*1 Thrummingbird
*1 Trinket Mage
*1 Viral Drake
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Aetherize
*1 Counterspell
*1 Dissolve
*1 Reality Shift
*1 Sinister Sabotage
*1 Spell Swindle
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Arm with Aether
*1 Curse of the Swine
*1 Hidden Strings
*1 Notorious Throng
*1 Rite of Replication
*1 Stolen Identity
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Bident of Thassa
*1 Bloodforged Battle-Axe
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Explorer&#039;s Scope
*1 Fireshrieker
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mask of Memory
*1 Meekstone
*1 Mind stone
*1 Ovalchase Dragster
*1 Quietus Spike
*1 Rogue&#039;s Gloves
*1 Sapphire Medallion
*1 Sky Diamond
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Umezawa&#039;s Jitte
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
*1 Whispersilk Cloak
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Coastal Piracy
*1 Curiosity
*1 Sigil of Sleep
*1 Thopter Spy Network
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Jace, Cunning Castaway
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Coral Atoll
*1 Desert of the Mindful
*27 Island
*1 Lonely Sandbar
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Remote Isle
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Terrain Generator
*1 Throne of the High City
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>At an average CMC of 2.66 and a TCGPlayer retail price of $138.48, we’ve cut down a bit on our mana cost and how much money we’ll have to spend to achieve our dream of losing all our friends with mono-blue <em>Infect</em> aggro.</p>
<p>While goldfishing our revised brew I was pleased with the added consistency our Equipment tutors added to our threat production. Also of note, our higher density of <em>Infect</em> creatures increased our chances of being able to suit one up and swing in with it before our opponents realized how much trouble they’re in. Don’t expect to swing in for five unblockable <em>Infect</em> damage by turn 6 without cementing yourself as the archenemy of the table for the rest of the game - that's inadvisable unless you think you can finish the other three players in short order - but with careful planning and threat assessment, we can find our opponents in a moment of weakness and use Tetsuko to sneak ourselves to victory.</p>
<p>That’s it for this week! Please let me know in the comments if you think there’s anything I missed or if there’s a particular commander you’d like to see on a future installment of <i>Strategic Planning!</i></p>


Strategic Planning - Mono Blue Aggro

Strategic Planning - Sacrifice Builds Character

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Melek, Izzet Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Melek, Izzet Paragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.jasonchanart.com/">Jason Chan</a>)</h6>
<h1 style="text-align: left;" align="center">Let's Get Weird</h1>
<p style="text-align: left;" align="center">Hello, and welcome to the first ever <i>Strategic Planning</i>, a column where we’ll goldfish a commander’s EDHREC Average Decklist list in order to get a better feeling for their strengths and weaknesses before brewing them ourselves! Let's get to it!</p>
<p>First, some notes about goldfishing. 'Goldfishing' is the process of testing out a deck by piloting it against an opponent (the goldfish) who does nothing. You might also call it 'solitaire.' Goldfishing can help you get an idea of how fast a given list can produce threats and find combo pieces, but it’s also useful for familiarizing yourself with how individual cards fit in to the larger engine of the deck, demonstrating which cards aren’t pulling their weight, and giving a better sense of what hands are actually safe to keep given the density of our draw and ramp effects.</p>
<p>Simply put, our opponents are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unexpectedly Absent" href="#" target="_blank">Unexpectedly Absent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> while we conduct our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Epic Experiment" href="#" target="_blank">Epic Experiment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unexpectedly Absent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Epic Experiment"></div></div>
<p>Don't forget to throw yourself some curveballs! In addition to being a good way to learn the mechanics of a deck’s operation, goldfishing can be an opportunity to see how a deck handles removal or sweepers. Once a list is tuned enough that it can reliably get its engine started while goldfishing, I like to start throwing disruption at it to see how well it can bounce back. Though the specifics are largely meta-dependent, some threats are very unlikely to go unanswered in a four player format for very long. Simulating that can give you a better idea of how resilient your list is once it makes itself a target for the rest of the table, and how difficult it will be to rebuild if you’re punished for overextending.</p>
<hr />
<h3>The Weird World of Melek, Spellslinger</h3>
<p>For today’s exercise in applied goldfishing, we’re going to look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Melek, Izzet Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Melek, Izzet Paragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who hails from the plane of Ravnica and is currently the fourth most popular Izzet commander on EDHREC with 1,148 decks at the time of this writing.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Melek, Izzet Paragon"></div></div>
<p>Six mana in blue and red is a hefty investment, and commander tax can easily render Melek unplayably expensive. We’ll have to keep this in mind while evaluating the rest of our brew.</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><strong>“Play with the top card of your library revealed.”</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>This effect is difficult to evaluate as the extra information given to our opponents can help them play around our upcoming cards, but by the same token, so can we.</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><strong>“You may cast the top card of your library if it’s an instant or sorcery card.”</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Though more limited than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Future Sight" href="#" target="_blank">Future Sight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this line of text can provide very powerful card advantage in a build with a high enough spell density.</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><strong>“Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell from your library, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.”</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>This is a big payoff. Anyone who’s ever untapped with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swarm Intelligence" href="#" target="_blank">Swarm Intelligence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> knows that if an instant or sorcery effect is good enough to want once, it’s even better when you can get it twice. The strength of Melek’s ability combined with his high mana investment means that he will almost certainly be a lightning rod for removal, so protecting him is a high priority.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Average List</h2>
<p>The average list for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Melek, Izzet Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Melek, Izzet Paragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on EDHREC is as follows:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Melek, Average Paragon" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Melek, Izzet Paragon
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 Blue Sun&#039;s Zenith
*1 Brainstorm
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Comet Storm
*1 Counterflux
*1 Counterspell
*1 Cyclonic Rift
*1 Fact or Fiction
*1 Firemind&#039;s Foresight
*1 Frantic Search
*1 High Tide
*1 Increasing Vengeance
*1 Insidious Will
*1 Izzet Charm
*1 Lightning Bolt
*1 Mystical Tutor
*1 Reiterate
*1 Reverberate
*1 Seething Song
*1 Turnabout
*1 Twincast
[/Instants]
[Creatures]
*1 Baral, Chief of Compliance
*1 Bloodwater Entity
*1 Charmbreaker Devils
*1 Docent of Perfection
*1 Galvanoth
*1 Goblin Electromancer
*1 Guttersnipe
*1 Hypersonic Dragon
*1 Izzet Chemister
*1 Talrand, Sky Summoner
*1 Young Pyromancer
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Darksteel Ingot
*1 Gilded Lotus
*1 Izzet Signet
*1 Primal Amulet
*1 Pyromancer&#039;s Goggles
*1 Sensei&#039;s Divining Top
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Sphinx-Bone Wand
*1 Thought Vessel
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Bonus Round
*1 Doublecast
*1 Epic Experiment
*1 Jaya&#039;s Immolating Inferno
*1 Mana Geyser
*1 Merchant Scroll
*1 Mind&#039;s Desire
*1 Mizzium Mortars
*1 Mizzix&#039;s Mastery
*1 Mystic Retrieval
*1 Past in Flames
*1 Ponder
*1 Preordain
*1 Rite of Replication
*1 Spelltwine
*1 Treasure Cruise
*1 Vandalblast
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Jace&#039;s Sanctum
*1 Swarm Intelligence
*1 The Mirari Conjecture
*1 Thousand-Year Storm
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Jaya Ballard
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Command Tower
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Halimar Depths
*1 Izzet Boilerworks
*1 Izzet Guildgate
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Steam Vents
*1 Swiftwater Cliffs
*1 Temple of Epiphany
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*12 Island
*12 Mountain
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>This list has an average converted mana cost of 3.48 and a retail price from TCGplayer of $175. Let’s take it for a spin!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Test Results and Fine-Tuning</h2>
<ol>
<li><b>Getting the engine running</b></li>
</ol>
<p>The first thing I noticed while goldfishing this average list was how many unkeepable starting hands it produced. Thanks to the high CMC of the commander and our bigger, high-impact spells, many games left us in the 'feels bad' position of spending multiple turns playing nothing with a handful of powerful cards that were too expensive to cast. The hands that allowed us to get the engine up and running before turn seven or eight usually contained at least one peice of low-CMC ramp and card draw to help us to hit our land drops.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sky Diamond"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fire Diamond"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Palladium Myr"></div></div>
<p>To tighten this up, our final brew should contain much cheaper artifact ramp, with an emphasis on two-mana cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sky Diamond" href="#" target="_blank">Sky Diamond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire Diamond" href="#" target="_blank">Fire Diamond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and the efficiently scalable <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Everflowing Chalice" href="#" target="_blank">Everflowing Chalice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This increases our chances of having ramp that we can afford to cast off the lands in our opening hand, which was often the deciding factor in whether the engine could get running quickly, or couldn't get running at all. Both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worn Powerstone" href="#" target="_blank">Worn Powerstone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Palladium Myr" href="#" target="_blank">Palladium Myr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are also strong inclusions, as playing one on turn three can allow us to drop our commander as early as turn four.</p>
<p>One suite of cards in particular that made an opening hand significantly more likely to get the deck’s engine running were the cheap cantrips.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brainstorm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ponder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Telling Time"></div></div>
<p>In addition to saving opening hands, cantrips can be played to dig through our deck when there isn’t a good target for Melek on top of the library, and these particular cantrips also provide us the ability to put something specific on the top of the deck ourselves. Cantrips also generate exceptional card advantage for their mana cost when doublecast with Melek, and can often chain several of themselves together in one turn. Because of this, we’re going to emphasize cantrips in our final brew, which will hopefully add some consistency to our openers and help us dig into relevant interaction and protection in the mid to late game.</p>
<p>One final effect that proved invaluable was repeatable top deck manipulation, which often ended up being the difference between getting a large chain of spells out of Melek or fizzling out and being stuck staring at a top deck <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Island" href="#" target="_blank">Island</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. When goldfishing a revised brew, I was consistently impressed how much work cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Merfolk Looter" href="#" target="_blank">Merfolk Looter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enclave Cryptologist" href="#" target="_blank">Enclave Cryptologist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crystal Ball" href="#" target="_blank">Crystal Ball</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> did in allowing us to take full advantage of Melek’s ability or to smooth out our draws in the early game. Though <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sensei&#039;s Divining Top" href="#" target="_blank">Sensei&#039;s Divining Top</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another popular top deck manipulation effect, I chose not to include it in our list as I’ve yet to see a table that doesn't let out a collective groan when it hits the field. If, however, you think you can use it without it taking up too much of everybody’s time, it’s another strong option.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Enclave Cryptologist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Merfolk Looter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crystal Ball"></div></div>
<hr />
<p><b>2. Keeping the engine running</b></p>
<p>Once Melek was out, especially with a way to dig through our topdeck for instants and sorceries, the value generated was explosive, but vulnerable to disruption. Simulated board wipes or creature removal while goldfishing often left us with no board state and few or no cards in hand. To try to mitigate this problem, we’ll be including several more pieces of protection for our commander, including the pair of ever-popular <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swiftfoot Boots" href="#" target="_blank">Swiftfoot Boots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Greaves" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Greaves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as well as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diplomatic Immunity" href="#" target="_blank">Diplomatic Immunity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vanishing" href="#" target="_blank">Vanishing</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This protection along with a suite of counterspells will hopefully be enough for us to stick Melek long enough to get some value.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Diplomatic Immunity"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vanishing"></div></div>
<hr />
<p><b>3. Closing out the game</b></p>
<p>Now that we can get our engine running, it’s time to generate enough value to pull out ahead and win. To best mesh with what we’re already doing, our spellslinger payoff cards are going to focus on netting us extra value from every spell we cast. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Metallurgic Summonings" href="#" target="_blank">Metallurgic Summonings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Talrand, Sky Summoner" href="#" target="_blank">Talrand, Sky Summoner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Docent of Perfection" href="#" target="_blank">Docent of Perfection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help us overwhelm the board with tokens.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Metallurgic Summonings"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thousand-Year Storm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Runechanter&#039;s Pike"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sphinx Bone Wand" href="#" target="_blank">Sphinx Bone Wand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherflux Reservoir" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherflux Reservoir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Firemind’s Research" href="#" target="_blank">Firemind’s Research</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> each tie some additional incremental benefit to our spells. Meanwhile, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swarm Intelligence" href="#" target="_blank">Swarm Intelligence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thousand-Year Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Thousand-Year Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> turn our cantrips up to 11. We also have two payoffs that scale based on the total number of instants and sorceries in the graveyard: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rise from the Tides" href="#" target="_blank">Rise from the Tides</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Runechanter’s Pike" href="#" target="_blank">Runechanter’s Pike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The former can produce serious board presence late game, and the latter can turn our humble 2/4 into a beefy combat threat.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Our Final Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Weird Science" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Melek, Izzet Paragon
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Charmbreaker Devils
*1 Docent of Perfection
*1 Enclave Cryptologist
*1 Goblin Electromancer
*1 Iron Myr
*1 Merfolk Looter
*1 Palladium Myr
*1 Silver Myr
*1 Talrand, Sky Summoner
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Anticipate
*1 Brainstorm
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Counterspell
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Fact or Fiction
*1 Frantic Search
*1 Impulse
*1 Mystic Confluence
*1 Mystical Tutor
*1 Opt
*1 Pull from Tomorrow
*1 Reality Shift
*1 Spell Swindle
*1 Telling Time
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Dream Cache
*1 Foresee
*1 Jaya&#039;s Immolating Inferno
*1 Knowledge Exploitation
*1 Mystic Speculation
*1 Ponder
*1 Portent
*1 Pull from the Deep
*1 Rise from the Tides
*1 Rite of Replication
*1 Serum Visions
*1 Spelltwine
*1 Treasure Cruise
*1 Volcanic Vision
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Aetherflux Reservoir
*1 Crystal Ball
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Fire Diamond
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Izzet Signet
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Primal Amulet
*1 Runechanter&#039;s Pike
*1 Seal of the Guildpact
*1 Sky Diamond
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Sphinx-Bone Wand
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Worn Powerstone
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Diplomatic Immunity
*1 Firemind&#039;s Research
*1 Jace&#039;s Sanctum
*1 Swarm Intelligence
*1 Thousand-Year Storm
*1 Vanishing
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Command Tower
*1 Desolate Lighthouse
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Forgotten Cave
*1 Ghost Quarter
*1 Halimar Depths
*14 Island
*1 Isolated Watchtower
*1 Izzet Boilerworks
*1 Lonely Sandbar
*10 Mountain
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Remote Isle
*1 Smoldering Crater
*1 Temple of Epiphany
*1 Zhalfirin Void
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>At an average converted mana cost of 3.18 and a TCGplayer estimated price of ~$80, our finished brew has cut down its cost in both mana curve and dollar amount! However, can it succeed where the average lists have failed?</p>
<p>While playtesting this list I was pleasantly surprised at how much of a difference in consistency and resilience the focus on early ramp and cantrips made. I was often able to get a large chunk of value out of Melek on the turn he came out by being able to cast spells that same turn, which made a simulated board wipe after passing priority a much smaller tempo loss. Though the deck still needs to be judicious about committing Melek to the battlefield, it was easier to get him there, easier to get him back out again if necessary, and easier to make sure his ability had a useful target by holding up cantrips to dig further in our top deck.</p>
<p>That’s it for this week! Please let me know in the comments if you think there’s anything I missed or if there’s a particular commander you’d like to see on a future installment of <em>Strategic Planning.</em></p>


Caleb Freeberg

Caleb Freeberg

Strategic Planning - Mono Blue Aggro

Strategic Planning - Sacrifice Builds Character

Strategic Planning - Weird Science, Featuring Melek