Edge of Eternities - Ragost, Deft Gastronaut Deck Tech

<p style="text-align: right;"><em>Kuja, Genome Sorcerer | Art by <a href="https://www.iamag.co/the-art-of-joshua-raphael/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joshua Raphael</a></em></p>
<p>The long-awaited <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/fin"><em>Final Fantasy</em></a> set is on the horizon, and the hype train has already left the station. Even if you aren't the most excited to see cards from this video game series enter <em>Magic</em>, you do have to admit that some of these new designs are incredible. One of the legendary creatures that has taken the internet by storm already is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kuja, Genome Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Kuja, Genome Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>When I was young, my brothers played through <em>Final Fantasy IX</em> and I'll be honest with everyone here: Kuja was terrifying to me... So, it seems only fitting that I would overcome my fear for this villain and bring you fourteen cards for under $14 to help you get started on brewing around this commander on a budget. Strap in, throw <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4AQ7kRcn_A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kuja's awesome theme</a> on, and get ready to bring the house down with your accursed flames!</p>
<h2>What Does Kuja, Genome Sorcerer Do?</h2>
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<p>Coming in straight from my childhood nightmares to terrorize your playgroup, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kuja, Genome Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Kuja, Genome Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. On its front side, you'll be making an 0/1 Wizard on your endstep that pings your opponents when you cast noncreature spells. Then, after you control four or more Wizards, Kuja will flip to his other side, Trance Kuja, Fate Defied, which then doubles the damage any of your Wizards deal from there on out.</p>
<p>Since this commander costs four mana, there's a good chance you'll have a Wizard or two out already by the time you cast him. That means you'll be flipping over to the damage doubling side sooner than most people think. So, with this list I'll be highlighting some great Wizards that pair nicely with that second side of Kuja, as well as some big noncreature spells that can help set you far ahead the rest of the table, especially when paired with those little Wizard tokens.</p>
<p>Let's take a look at the list now.</p>
<h3>Coruscation Mage</h3>
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<p>Our first card this week is a perfect Wizard for this list. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coruscation Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Coruscation Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deals a damage to each opponent when you cast a noncreature spell, which is the main goal of this deck already. It also can come with an offspring token, to add even more fuel to its fire. Once your Kuja flips, you could possibly be dealing four damage to your foes over and over again. Pair this Otter with your small Wizard tokens, and it's time to really deal some pain.</p>
<h3>Gleeful Arsonist</h3>
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<p>This next card fills a similar role to our last entry, and it comes with an added layer of protection. If <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gleeful Arsonist" href="#" target="_blank">Gleeful Arsonist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> happens to get killed as your game goes on, that undying effect is here to bring it right back with a +1/+1 counter on it. Since the Arsonist deals damage to your opponents equal to its power, you'll almost prefer it to get destroyed just so it can come back better than ever! Plus, this card looks like it fits right in with Kuja and his antics...</p>
<h3>Irencrag Pyromancer</h3>
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<p>Decks built around this new commander will most likely be filled with cantrips (spells that have an effect and also draws you a card), to help trigger your Wizard's pinging abilities as often as you can. If your build of the deck goes in that direction, then <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Irencrag Pyromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Irencrag Pyromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is perfect for you. Of course, the ability to double its damage could just end games for you, but even dealing three damage as its base level can clear up your opponents' threats. Dropping this on turn three could just halt a lot of other players' game plans if they're concerned you could just wipe their value pieces off the board.</p>
<h3>Blood Cultist</h3>
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<p>Another great way to keep the board clear of small threats is with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Cultist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Cultist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Tapping to deal one damage isn't too bad, especially when you can ping things down to grow your creature. However, once Kuja has flipped over to his other side, you can then deal two damage to enemy creatures or just swing in with a big beefy Cultist. One way or another, adding this card to your deck will be a thorn in everyone else's sides.</p>
<h3>Basalt Ravager</h3>
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<p>Next up is a card you might want to hold on to until your board is just right. Sure, you can slam <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Basalt Ravager" href="#" target="_blank">Basalt Ravager</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> down before you have double damage and it would probably make a big impact. However, if you wait until the right time and Kuja has been flipped over, you could possibly just take a player out of the game. On top of that burn damage the Ravager offers, it can also swing in to deal eight damage if you put it in the red zone.</p>
<h3>Anathemancer</h3>
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<p>Speaking of game enders, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anathemancer" href="#" target="_blank">Anathemancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can truly take some of the more lavish players at your table out of the game. When it enters, it hits one of your opponents with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Price of Progress" href="#" target="_blank">Price of Progress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-esque effect, which, when paired with a damage doubler, could be backbreaking. This type of spell is great for picking off a player who might be more ahead than the rest of the table, after they fill their board with stacks of specialty lands. Also, even though <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anathemancer" href="#" target="_blank">Anathemancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s unearth is expensive, you could take someone by surprise late in the game to close things out.</p>
<h3>Harmonic Prodigy</h3>
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<p>Alright, since we're midway through the list, it's time to double everything our Wizards are doing with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harmonic Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Harmonic Prodigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! So far, every creature we've talked about has had a triggered ability, which means that when the Prodigy is out, your game plan is going to go up a level. With <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kuja, Genome Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Kuja, Genome Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> flipped, doubling your Wizard's damage, that 0/1 token is dealing four damage whenever you cast a noncreature spell. Which is already crazy, but then you drop something like that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anathemancer" href="#" target="_blank">Anathemancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> we just talked about... That could be game over.</p>
<h3>Harnesser of Storms</h3>
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<p>This deck is already looking to cast as many noncreature spells as possible, so adding a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harnesser of Storms" href="#" target="_blank">Harnesser of Storms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to the list will ensure you're constantly churning through your library. This deck will most likely be an <em>all-in</em> type of strategy, so having an effect to dig deeper into your library while you're progressing through a risky turn will be a big help. Even if this creature only assists you with hitting your land drops each turn, you'll be happy to have it on your team.</p>
<h3>Party Thrasher</h3>
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<p>If you happen to have a lot of those 0/1 tokens sitting around, why not throw a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Party Thrasher" href="#" target="_blank">Party Thrasher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> down and have them help you cast your spells? Giving convoke to all your noncreature spells is a great way to push through that last little bit of damage to the rest of the table, by chaining several powerful spells together on the same turn. Plus, even if you run out of threats to cast, the Thrasher has a way to exile two cards from your library and ensure you can keep this pain train rolling.</p>
<h3>Electrostatic Infantry</h3>
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<p>A majority of the noncreature spells you'll be casting in a deck like this will be instants and sorceries, which is exactly what <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Electrostatic Infantry" href="#" target="_blank">Electrostatic Infantry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> loves to see. Gaining a counter whenever you sling one of those spells is great, especially when you make it to the late game and can double the trampling damage this creature can offer. Given enough time, this could be a way to slam through your opponent's defenses and turn their chump blockers into chump change (I don't even know if that made sense).</p>
<h3>Taurean Mauler</h3>
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<p>Listen, I know this bull thing doesn’t look like a Wizard, but technically <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Taurean Mauler" href="#" target="_blank">Taurean Mauler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a part of that team. Throwing this onto the field in the early game and letting it grow to a massive size just means that you can consistently pressure the boards of the other players at the table. On top of that, the next few spells I'll be talking about on this list work perfectly when you have a big creature like the Mauler, which is just champing at the bit for its damage to be doubled!</p>
<h3>Soul's Fire</h3>
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<p>Next up, we have a spell that's similar to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fling" href="#" target="_blank">Fling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but lets you keep your creature around. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul&#039;s Fire" href="#" target="_blank">Soul&#039;s Fire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows one of your Wizards to deal damage equal to its power to any target. When played in conjunction with the flip side of <span class="edhrecp__link only-back"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kuja, Genome Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Kuja, Genome Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you can deal a big chunk of damage to anything! Think of that with either of our last two cards on the list, and that's a way to wipe one of your foes out of the game completely, at instant speed.</p>
<h3>Chandra's Ignition</h3>
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<p>One of the most impactful spells on the entire list is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chandra&#039;s Ignition" href="#" target="_blank">Chandra&#039;s Ignition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Not only is this spell a board wipe, but when paired with a large Wizard, it could take your opponents' life totals down to single digits; all while clearing the way for your last remaining threat to swing through freely and deal another major blow. This card is a staple in our format, so be sure to snatch one up just in case that price starts to climb higher and higher.</p>
<h3>Surge to Victory</h3>
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<p>We're closing things out this week with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Surge to Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Surge to Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, basically an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overrun" href="#" target="_blank">Overrun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect in this deck. Giving your board a buff to their power based on the mana value of the spell you exile is great for a big swing, especially since those 0/1 Wizard tokens can finally enter into combat. Then, you get to cast a copy of that spell when your creatures hit a player, which just adds insult to injury! Imagine casting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul&#039;s Fire" href="#" target="_blank">Soul&#039;s Fire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> over and over again after a big combat? That's brutal.</p>
<h2>In Closing</h2>
<p>Well, there you have it: fourteen cards for under $14 to help get you started on a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kuja, Genome Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Kuja, Genome Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck. I know the <em>Final Fantasy</em> set is still almost a month away, but grabbing these cards for a low price now will help you in the long run.</p>
<p>Let me know what you thought of this list in the comments below. Also, if Kuja scared you as a kid as well, let me know and we can support each other during this scary time. Thank you everyone for reading this far, and I'll see you next week!</p>


Building Kuja, Genome Sorcerer on A Budget - Fourteen Cards Under $14

Building a Rith, Liberated Primeval Dragon Commander Deck

Brew For Your Buck - Neriv Budget Burn

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Visionary" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, Visionary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| art by <a href="https://danscottart.com/">Dan Murayama Scott</a></h6>
<h2><b>Which </b><a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=Niv-Mizzet"><b>Niv-Mizzet</b></a><b> is it?</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hello! Welcome to </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Archetypes of Imagination</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, a brand new series where I'll be building decks based on popular Commander archetypes. I'll be using</span><a href="https://tagger.scryfall.com/"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Scryfall's tagging system</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and</span><a href="https://edhrec.com/tags"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">EDHREC's Tag pages</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to build around a new theme each week.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Scryfall has a really cool way of categorizing cards, where each card has specific labels attached to it for later reference. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the sweeper tag and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirari&#039;s Wake" href="#" target="_blank">Mirari&#039;s Wake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the mana increaser tag. EDHREC's tag system is really cool too, letting users see popular cards associated with a given strategy. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Equipment tag shows users that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Puresteel Paladin" href="#" target="_blank">Puresteel Paladin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works well with the strategy and the Landfall tag does the same for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rampaging Baloths" href="#" target="_blank">Rampaging Baloths</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week, we'll use those two systems to build a Commander deck centered around everybody's favorite 60-card archetype: burn! Burn can sometimes struggle to keep up in a format with three players who each start with 40 life, but I've got some plans that should power this strategy up well. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To that end, I've chosen a super cool commander: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Visionary" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, Visionary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Niv-Mizzet, Visionary"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is Niv's seventh appearance on a </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Magic: The Gathering</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> card, which is quite something. I do think that this version is my favorite so far, and that's coming from someone who played <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Parun" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, Parun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in cEDH for years.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> And, hilariously, this version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Visionary" href="#" target="_blank">Niv</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> goes infinite with two of his previous iterations. Check out these combos from Commander Spellbook, a database with information on over 40,000 EDH combos:</span></p>
<div id="2353-6092" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
<script id="2353-6092" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Niv-Mizzet%2C%20Visionary%22%2C%22Niv-Mizzet%2C%20Parun%22%5D&requires=%5B%5D&produces=%5B%22Near-infinite%20damage%22%2C%22Infinite%20card%20draw%22%2C%22Infinite%20draw%20triggers%22%5D&id=2353-6092&color=UR&extraRequirementCount=1"></script></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="4971-6092" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
<script id="4971-6092" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Niv-Mizzet%2C%20Visionary%22%2C%22Niv-Mizzet%2C%20the%20Firemind%22%5D&requires=%5B%5D&produces=%5B%22Near-infinite%20damage%22%2C%22Infinite%20card%20draw%22%2C%22Infinite%20draw%20triggers%22%5D&id=4971-6092&color=UR&extraRequirementCount=1"></script></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That aside, let's talk about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Visionary" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, Visionary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card wants us to do non-combat damage to our opponents, rewarding us with tons of card draw when we do so. So, I've packed this deck with lots of ways to ping our opponents for little bits of damage, lots of ways to hit them hard with big amounts of damage, and leaned hard into an Izzet spellslinger theme this week. I'm excited to show you what I've come up with, so let's go!</span></p>
<p><b>Burn, baby! Burn!</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck is focused heavily on instants and sorceries, having a total of 32 cards that fall into those categories. And, out of those cards, 11 of them can deal damage directly to our opponents. My favorite from this sub-group is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Confluence" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Confluence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can act as a board wipe, a way to hit our opponents in the face, and even some targeted artifact removal. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cave-In" href="#" target="_blank">Cave-In</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is from all the way back in 1999's </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mercadian Masques</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and can draw us a total of 6 cards for free if we cast it with our commander on the field. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wheel of Misfortune" href="#" target="_blank">Wheel of Misfortune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is extremely interesting too, adding even more complexity to its already-difficult mini-game by punishing our opponents who pick a high number. If one of our opponents wants to outbid us so that they can draw a full seven-card hand, then we'll be be drawing a ton of extra cards.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fiery Confluence"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cave-In"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wheel of Misfortune"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, with all the instants and sorceries we'll be casting, there's some sweet payoffs to let us draw even more cards. My favorite pinger in the deck is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coruscation Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Coruscation Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, acting as a typical two-mana one-damage pinger with the option to become a four-mana two-damage pinger if we cast it later in the game. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I think <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch" href="#" target="_blank">Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another fantastic card, both pinging our opponents whenever we cast a spell and rebuying a card at random on each of our turns. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, as a pretty cool storm enabler, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urabrask" href="#" target="_blank">Urabrask</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is here too. This Praetor will ping our opponents, as most of the creatures in this deck do, while also providing us some extra mana to keep slinging spells. And, should we choose to, he can flip into a saga that synergizes perfectly with our deck.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Coruscation Mage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urabrask"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, I hear you asking, what if we run out of instants and sorceries to cast? Well, I hope that never happens. But, in case it does, there's a few other ways to deal noncombat damage to our opponents.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> One of my favorite cards from last year, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Razorkin Needlehead" href="#" target="_blank">Razorkin Needlehead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will ensure at least one point of noncombat damage on each of our opponents' turns, and will usually provide even more pings as they inevitably take game actions. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I also love <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scalding Viper" href="#" target="_blank">Scalding Viper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a creature that can hit our opponents pretty easily combined with a (somewhat lackluster) removal spell. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While neither half of this card is absolutely stunning, the two halves combine to make a pretty good whole. Lastly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Descent into Avernus" href="#" target="_blank">Descent into Avernus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a slot here too.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> This card can speed up the game drastically, lowering life totals and raising the amount of mana available to players. We break parity on this card easily, drawing a boatload of cards once we have our commander and this card on the board together</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Razorkin Needlehead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scalding Viper"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Descent into Avernus"></div></div></span></p>
<p><b>Now that's a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gut Shot" href="#" target="_blank">Gut Shot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So, we'll be dealing a lot of noncombat damage to everyone at the table. But, most of that damage is coming in small increments (usually in ones). Let's see what we can do to bump those numbers up. </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Foundations</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">' <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Twinflame Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Twinflame Tyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an awesome card, doubling damage dealt to our opponents and providing a combat-relevant 3/5 flying creature all for just five mana! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Not to sound like a broken record, but this is yet another of my favorite cards from the past year. There's another damage doubler here too: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solphim, Mayhem Dominus" href="#" target="_blank">Solphim, Mayhem Dominus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Again, this creature can double damage while also acting as a pretty big 5/4 creature. Plus, this one can defend itself from removal at the low cost of discarding two cards, paying four life, and paying one mana. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lastly, there's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might" href="#" target="_blank">Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card is fantastic, usually quadrupling the damage that we'll be dealing to our opponents. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, much like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solphim, Mayhem Dominus" href="#" target="_blank">Solphim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this card is quite hard for our opponents to get rid of permanently.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Twinflame Tyrant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Solphim, Mayhem Dominus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here's the full decklist:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Archetypes of Imagination - Burn" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Niv-Mizzet, Visionary
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 Archmage Emeritus
*1 Archmage of Runes
*1 Ashling, Flame Dancer
*1 Chandra&#039;s Incinerator
*1 Coruscation Mage
*1 Electrostatic Field
*1 Erebor Flamesmith
*1 Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch
*1 Firebrand Archer
*1 Goblin Electromancer
*1 Guttersnipe
*1 Harmonic Prodigy
*1 Kessig Flamebreather
*1 Laboratory Maniac
*1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
*1 Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
*1 Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might // Temple of Power
*1 Pink Horror
*1 Psychosis Crawler
*1 Razorkin Needlehead
*1 Scalding Viper // Steam Clean
*1 Solphim, Mayhem Dominus
*1 Stormcatch Mentor
*1 The Locust God
*1 Thermo-Alchemist
*1 Twinflame Tyrant
*1 Unruly Catapult
*1 Urabrask // The Great Work
*1 Veyran, Voice of Duality
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Brainstorm
*1 Desperate Ritual
*1 Fierce Guardianship
*1 Flame of Anor
*1 Frantic Search
*1 Ghostfire Slice
*1 Gut Shot
*1 Into the Flood Maw
*1 Lightning Bolt
*1 Opt
*1 Pongify
*1 Pyretic Ritual
*1 Rush of Inspiration // Crackling Falls
*1 Seething Song
*1 Untimely Malfunction
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Sorceries]
*1 Boltwave
*1 Cave-In
*1 End the Festivities
*1 Fiery Confluence
*1 Flame Rift
*1 Gitaxian Probe
*1 Inner Fire
*1 Jeska&#039;s Will
*1 Mana Geyser
*1 Ponder
*1 Rite of Flame
*1 Season of Weaving
*1 Slagstorm
*1 Tectonic Hazard
*1 Wheel of Misfortune
[/Sorceries]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Descent into Avernus
*1 Ominous Seas
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Cascade Bluffs
*1 Command Tower
*1 Ferrous Lake
*1 Fiery Islet
*12 Island
*11 Mountain
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Riverglide Pathway // Lavaglide Pathway
*1 Riverpyre Verge
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Stormcarved Coast
*1 Sulfur Falls
*1 Training Center
[/Lands]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Thought Vessel
[/Artifacts]
&nbsp;"></span></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some of you may notice upon looking at this list that there's very few mana rocks. This is on purpose, I promise! For a spellslinger deck, I much prefer to run rituals. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mana Geyser" href="#" target="_blank">Mana Geyser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has much more synergy with the rest of this deck than something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Izzet Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Izzet Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Plus, I get to run some super cool, powerful rituals like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inner Fire" href="#" target="_blank">Inner Fire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that can provide enough mana to end the game outright.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mana Geyser"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Izzet Signet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Inner Fire"></div></div></span></p>
<h2><b><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Finish" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Finish</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thanks for reading this week's edition of </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Archetypes of Imagination</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">! Before you go, I wanted to talk about a few of my favorite cards in the deck. I like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archmage Emeritus" href="#" target="_blank">Archmage Emeritus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but I love <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archmage of Runes" href="#" target="_blank">Archmage of Runes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's exactly the kind of big, dumb five-mana creature that I think commander is all about. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I think that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chandra&#039;s Incinerator" href="#" target="_blank">Chandra&#039;s Incinerator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great in this deck too, both as an easy-to-cast big creature and as a payoff for all the noncombat damage we'll be dishing out. Finally, I also wanted to shoutout <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashling, Flame Dancer" href="#" target="_blank">Ashling, Flame Dancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> This card does everything that this deck wants out of a creature: it adds mana, burns our opponents, and even provides card selection.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archmage of Runes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chandra&#039;s Incinerator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashling, Flame Dancer"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I'll see you all next week, when I build another EDH deck centered around cantrips!</span></p>


Archetypes of Imagination - Making a Burn Deck

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda and Lier" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda and Lier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/justynadura">Justyna Dura </a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>Today's episode is inspired by Saffron Olive over at MTGGoldfish - more specifically, inspired around a list he built for an episode of Commander Clash. The list itself seems strange, but he tried to sell it as "simic burn", and that gave me an idea.</p>
<p>Looking at the "burn" theme in EDHREC, to no one's surprise, Mono-red is the most popular color combination (with a whopping 22,000 decks!).</p>
<p>I really scraped the "bottom of the barrel" for this one because the least played color combination has 5 decks! Bant (green, white, and blue) is the least played color combination for the "burn" theme, and that makes a lot of sense. These three colors don't really care about dealing direct damage at all.</p>
<p>I'm sure you're wondering, "how can you build burn without red??"</p>
<p>Well, let me show you!</p>
<p>For our "burn without red" strategy, we will be enlisting the help of Katilda and Lier.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Katilda and Lier"></div></div>
<p>Katilda and Lier is a relatively overlooked commander from <em>March of the Machine</em>, and I can see why. The card itself asks for the player to focus equally on Humans AND instant and sorcery spells, which can be kind of tricky.</p>
<p>For today's deck, our major sources of burn are cards that we can flashback with Katilda and Lier in the late game, so this seemed like the perfect choice!</p>
<p>Unlike our usual explorations into the "bottom of the barrel", today's categories start with 3 specific gameplans with their own unique finishers.</p>
<h2>Category #1: "Swamps"</h2>
<p>When searching for cards that dealt damage, I came across a ridiculous card with a great name: Karma.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karma"></div></div>
<p>Karma made me think about committing a cardinal sin in commander (in my eyes, anyway): running Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth in a deck that <em>doesn't have black.</em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth"></div></div>
<p>Urborg turns on Karma, which is one of the funniest interactions I have ever seen. Leaning into this idea, I added cards to find Urborg in many different ways (Expedition Map, Sylvan Scrying, and Pir's Whim are the main examples of this).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Expedition Map"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sylvan Scrying"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pir&#039;s Whim"></div></div>
<p>Alongside Karma, Stern Judge does something similar, but we need to be very careful that we don't accidentally die from activating its ability.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stern Judge"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: Deserts</h2>
<p>This category is inspired by Saffron Olive, especially because we are focusing on 3 deserts in particular: Lonely Arroyo, Lush Oasis, and Creosote Heath.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lonely Arroyo"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lush Oasis"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Creosote Heath"></div></div>
<p>When these deserts enter, they deal 1 damage to an opponent, which is not nearly enough to win the game. This is why we are running every possible "copy land" effect that we can!</p>
<p>Doppelgang lets us pump our mana into copying any problematic permanent our opponents' may control, as well as copy our deserts; Replication Technique lets us copy any permanent we control and demonstrate it to make friends at the table.</p>
<p>Orvar, the All Form turns any "target" spells into ways to copy any of our permanents; Moritte of the Frost can copy any permanent we control.</p>
<p>For the Common Good allows to copy any tokens we already control (this is particularly great after a huge Doppelgang!); and Copy Land, well, copies a land.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doppelgang"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Replication Technique"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Orvar, the All-Form"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Moritte of the Frost"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="For the Common Good"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Copy Land"></div></div>
<p>One of the best cards to enhance our "desert" strategy is Ancient Greenwarden, as it doubles the ETB effects of all lands we control while letting us recur any lands that go to our graveyard.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Greenwarden"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: "General" Burn</h2>
<p>In order for us to have any chance of winning outside of our first 2 gameplans, we need to deal damage in unique ways. For this reason, I am including cards like Scrawling Crawler to deal damage when our opponents draw cards; Storm Seeker to punish any greedy blue players; Ankh of Mishra to deal damage when lands enter the battlefield (be careful with this one!); and Jinxed Choker and Squallmonger to provide excellent mana sinks.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrawling Crawler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Storm Seeker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ankh of Mishra"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jinxed Choker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Squallmonger"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: Recursion</h2>
<p>Recursion is necessary to our strategy, as our pieces are mostly single-use spells or easily-destroyed permanents. With this in mind, I included things like Skullwinder to get something back while currying favor with an opponent; The Mirari Conjecture to get back instants and sorceries while providing an amazing way to copy a haymaker; Archaeomancer to pull double duty, as it gets back a spell while triggering our commander's ability; Lier, Disciple of the Drowned to give every instant or sorcery flashback <em>and</em> turn off unwanted counterspells; and Bala Ged Recovery to recur anything while acting as a land in a pinch.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skullwinder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Mirari Conjecture"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archaeomancer"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lier, Disciple of the Drowned"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bala Ged Recovery"></div></div>
<h2>Category #5: "Secret Spice" = Our Finishers</h2>
<p>If you look at my decklist below, you'll notice that I have <em>filled</em> this deck with ramp spells, as well as a staggering 40 lands. This is because of the deck's main finishers, and today's "secret spice": Hurricane, Squall Line, and Borrowing the East Wind.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hurricane"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Squall Line"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Borrowing the East Wind"></div></div>
<p>These are green's version of the "X Mana Burn Spells", but they aren't nearly as good because they damage <em>each player</em>. These spells really feel like we're "playing with fire" with this deck, and if that doesn't capture the spirit of burn, what does?</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Overall, this deck was a really fun thought experiment that turned into one of my jankiest brews yet! I can't wait to see the reactions from the table when I pull out a "non-red burn deck"!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our fifth edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of burn!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Katilda and Lier" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Katilda and Lier
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Ancient Greenwarden
*1 Archaeomancer
*1 Cathar Commando
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
*1 Moritte of the Frost
*1 Nyxbloom Ancient
*1 Orvar, the All-Form
*1 Scrawling Crawler
*1 Shefet Monitor
*1 Skullwinder
*1 Snapcaster Mage
*1 Spellseeker
*1 Squallmonger
*1 Stern Judge
*1 Venser, Shaper Savant
*1 Wizards of Thay
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary
*1 Borrowing the East Wind
*1 Dance of the Tumbleweeds
*1 Doppelgang
*1 Explore
*1 Farseek
*1 For the Common Good
*1 Hour of Promise
*1 Hurricane
*1 Map the Frontier
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Open the Way
*1 Pir&#039;s Whim
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Replication Technique
*1 Rootcast Apprenticeship
*1 Solve the Equation
*1 Sylvan Scrying
*1 Three Visits
*1 Urban Evolution
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Beast Within
*1 Cyclonic Rift
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Growth Spiral
*1 Mystical Tutor
*1 Obscuring Haze
*1 Planar Genesis
*1 Squall Line
*1 Storm Seeker
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Amulet of Vigor
*1 Ankh of Mishra
*1 Expedition Map
*1 Jinxed Choker
*1 Shadowspear
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Copy Land
*1 Desert Warfare
*1 Karma
*1 Mirari&#039;s Wake
*1 Psychic Possession
*1 Spelunking
*1 The Mirari Conjecture
*1 Unbound Flourishing
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Arid Archway
*1 Bountiful Promenade
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 Command Tower
*1 Conduit Pylons
*1 Creosote Heath
*1 Desert of the Indomitable
*1 Desert of the Mindful
*1 Desert of the True
*1 Echoing Deeps
*1 Field of the Dead
*5 Forest
*1 Guildless Commons
*1 Hashep Oasis
*1 Ipnu Rivulet
*3 Island
*1 Lazotep Quarry
*1 Littjara Mirrorlake
*1 Lonely Arroyo
*1 Lush Oasis
*1 Maze of Ith
*1 Mirrorpool
*2 Plains
*1 Rejuvenating Springs
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Shefet Dunes
*1 Spara&#039;s Headquarters
*1 Sunscorched Desert
*1 Temple Garden
*1 Thespian&#039;s Stage
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*1 Urza&#039;s Cave
*1 Vesuva
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Bottom of the Barrel - Katilda and Lier

Top 10 Burn Spells

Brew For Your Buck - Arabella, Arabudget

Rally the Ancestors - Ogrekill

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atsushi, the Blazing Sky" href="#" target="_blank">Atsushi, the Blazing Sky</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/victoradameart">Victor Adame Minguez</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo, and this is <em>Epic Experiment</em>, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.</p>
<p>Let's take a look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atsushi, the Blazing Sky" href="#" target="_blank">Atsushi, the Blazing Sky</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Atsushi, the Blazing Sky"></div></div>
<p>Atsushi suffers from being a better card in the 99 than as a commander. While the commander death rule change made it a lot easier to use commanders with these types of abilities, we still have to deal with an ever-increasing commander tax without any of the proper tools to deal with it. This goes double for pure-value-based commanders such as Atsushi, since we want to trigger them as often as possible.</p>
<p>That being said, once we accept our commander's shortcomings, we have a powerhouse of a tool for mono-red. Both modes on Atsushi's death trigger are solid, providing either mana or card draw, two things that mono-red always looks for.</p>
<p>While red won't be the best color to support a detah trigger commander, there are still plenty of good clone effects to copy our commander, forcing the copy to die to the legend rule. Bear in mind that these cards should be used mainly as support or a secondary theme, since it would be awkward to spend resources just to get more resources.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Ingredients</h2>
<p>So, how will we give this Dragon a brand new twist?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wrathful Red Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blazing Sunsteel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blasphemous Act"></div></div>
<p>One of the biggest challenges when using the '<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects + gigantic damage spell' interaction is, of course, choosing the right commander. These strategies often get stuck in a situation where they need to deal tons of damage to the whole table to trigger <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> cards, which of course kills their own commander, making it impossible to choose a ocmmander that you rely upon for help with that game plan. Atsushi negates this problem altogether! Our commander's death will only bring rewards! Atsushi's trigger is exactly what we need to either rebuild with a quick bump of extra mana to help replay our threats, to use the pseudo-draw to help us find them.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrathful Red Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Wrathful Red Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an impressive addition to our deck, as the tribal synergies with our commander could certainly be the difference between whether we can OHKO an opponent or not. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brash Taunter" href="#" target="_blank">Brash Taunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a more flexible <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and is an all-star in our list for its reliability, and for being so easily tutorable. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blazing Sunsteel" href="#" target="_blank">Blazing Sunsteel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a versatile card that makes any creature into a Stuffy Doll, turns our commander into a decent Voltron threat, and goes infinite with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brash Taunter" href="#" target="_blank">Brash Taunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toralf, God of Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Toralf, God of Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Repercussion" href="#" target="_blank">Repercussion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are excellent at punishing people for having too wide of a board.</p>
<p>The other part of our 'combo' is filled with some common red board wipes. This is a big upside when playing this type of strategy: we're able to fill both the interaction and synergy slots with cards that we'd want to play anyway, which opens up a lot in terms of deck slot economy. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blasphemous Act" href="#" target="_blank">Blasphemous Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the benchmark effect, as it's cheap and does a lot of damage. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Stroke" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Stroke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is very consistent in a mono-red deck and does a lot of damage, with or without our creatures on the board. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shatterskull Smashing" href="#" target="_blank">Shatterskull Smashing</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> goes even further on the versatility, working as either a combo piece, a removal spell, or a land.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sulfuric Vortex"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Burning Earth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ankh of Mishra"></div></div>
<p>While our deck wants to 'combo' off, we lack the consistency to make it our primary win condition. Enter the group slug package. <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/group-slug">Group slug</a> is a perfect theme to complement our strategy because it helps us lower everyone's life total low enough that our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blasphemous Act" href="#" target="_blank">Blasphemous Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combination will actually threaten lethal damage. Our deck is very mana-hungry, so having a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Descent into Avernus" href="#" target="_blank">Descent into Avernus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that can both ramp us and deal damage is very good, even if the ramp is symmetrical. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Manabarbs" href="#" target="_blank">Manabarbs</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burning Earth" href="#" target="_blank">Burning Earth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spellshock" href="#" target="_blank">Spellshock</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> punish players for casting spells in one way or another, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Moon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magus of the Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Magus of the Moon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> punish players for being too greedy with their mana base.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Atsushi Piñata" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Atsushi, the Blazing Sky
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Goblin Engineer
*Mogg Maniac
*Goblin Matron
*Imperial Recruiter
*Magus of the Moon
*Spiteful Sliver
*Defiler of Instinct
*Ill-Tempered Loner
*Jaxis, the Troublemaker
*Toralf, God of Fury
*Brash Taunter
*Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs
*Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
*Stuffy Doll
*Wrathful Red Dragon
*Coalhauler Swine
[/Creature]
[Sorcery]
*Earthquake
*Faithless Looting
*Magmatic Insight
*Rolling Earthquake
*Shattering Spree
*Vandalblast
*Crackle with Power
*Shatterskull Smashing
*Seize the Spoils
*Chain Reaction
*Shivan Meteor
*Star of Extinction
*Sundering Stroke
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Instant]
*Price of Progress
*Thrill of Possibility
*Wild Magic Surge
*Arcbond
*Chaos Warp
*Valakut Awakening
*Big Score
*Unexpected Windfall
[/Instant]
[Enchantment]
*Roiling Vortex
*Blood Moon
*Descent into Avernus
*Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
*Repercussion
*Spellshock
*Sulfuric Vortex
*Burning Earth
*Furnace of Rath
*Manabarbs
*Dictate of the Twin Gods
*Fiery Emancipation
[/Enchantment]
[Artifact]
*Everflowing Chalice
*Sol Ring
*Ankh of Mishra
*Blade of Selves
*Blazing Sunsteel
*Fellwar Stone
*Mind Stone
*Ruby Medallion
*Cursed Mirror
*Skyclave Relic
*Sword of Light and Shadow
*Hedron Archive
*Caged Sun
[/Artifact]
[Land]
*Tectonic Edge
*Ghost Quarter
*34 Mountain
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>We've assembled a decent tutor suite for mono-red. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can grab <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blazing Sunsteel" href="#" target="_blank">Blazing Sunsteel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if we want to go off even without a proper <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> creature, or it can grab <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Light and Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Light and Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if we want to rebuild after combing off, or even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cursed Mirror" href="#" target="_blank">Cursed Mirror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can be great in the right circumstances. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Matron" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Matron</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can fetch our key creatures, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brash Taunter" href="#" target="_blank">Brash Taunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mogg Maniac" href="#" target="_blank">Mogg Maniac</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, can grab enablers, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker" href="#" target="_blank">Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or it can chain tutors together by getting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. My favorite one, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imperial Recruiter" href="#" target="_blank">Imperial Recruiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is more flexible than the Matron, being able to tutor for any Goblin and even some of our cheaper non-Goblin 'combo' creatures, plus some heavy hitters like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magus of the Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Magus of the Moon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jaxis, the Troublemaker" href="#" target="_blank">Jaxis, the Troublemaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Engineer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Matron"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Imperial Recruiter"></div></div>
<p>Oh, and did I mention? Damage multiplier effects are great here because a <em>lot</em> of our cards deal a <em>lot </em>of damage. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Emancipation" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Emancipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> goes buck wild, tripling our own damage to our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brash Taunter" href="#" target="_blank">Brash Taunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which then deal an <em>additional </em>triple damage to an opponent! Bear in mind that these types of cards take extra time to get into play, and attract a lot of attention, so opponents may gang up on us to remove them. To create a big explosion, we have to time the ignition just right.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>Our early game strategy should focus more on building a reliable foundation, rather than trying to goldfish our way through the game. As such, we should prioritize hands that offer early board interaction or mana. Our commander is a good failsafe for when we're lacking relevant plays. The mid-game is where we start tutoring to get our key pieces ready. This telegraphs our plan, but flexible deck searches will set us up quickly, and once we land a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with a big blowout damage spell, our opponents might not be able to survive the initial blast.</p>
<p>If they do survive, that's no problem - our late game is pretty good, and that's where the group slug cards come in handy! Life totals will be low, so even if our damage multipliers didn't secure the win, we can nickel and dime our way to victory... or set up for another explosion! Even games where we don't set up very well can end with a combination of damage multipliers and burn spells.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think of this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>
