<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yue, the Moon Spirit" href="#" target="_blank">Yue, the Moon Spirit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Illustrated by </em><a href="https://www.yuumeiart.com/"><em>Yuumei</em></a></p>
<h2>This is the Show With the Arrow Guy, Right?</h2>
<p>Well, we're in the spoiler season for yet another <em>Universes Beyond</em> set, and once again, it's a theme I know nothing about. When I first heard that there was gonna be an <em>Avatar</em> set, my mind immediately jumped to tall blue aliens, and then I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I was quite wrong. Thank goodness! I can't even imagine how lame a <em>Magic: The Gathering</em> set based on a non-fantasy film franchise would be. <em>Cough cough, Spider-Man. </em>Luckily we're talking about <em>Avatar: The Last Airbender</em>, an imaginative world full of spells and iconic characters.</p>
<p>Today we're gonna be building a deck for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yue, the Moon Spirit" href="#" target="_blank">Yue, the Moon Spirit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a card that's not particularly unique but that presents a fun deckbuilding challenge. Let's see. We can pay five and tap her to cast any noncreature spell for free, but we can tap creatures and artifacts to pay that five mana as if that spell had convoke and improvise. Essentially, if we have five artifacts or creatures, we can cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time Stretch" href="#" target="_blank">Time Stretch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for free. Not bad!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yue, the Moon Spirit"></div></div>
<p>Well, okay, it is actually pretty bad. This card is nearly identical in concept to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Piper" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Piper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a card that I thought was incredible when I just started playing <em>Magic</em>. You can put any creature onto the battlefield for one mana? That's insane! Right? Well, not exactly. You have to cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Piper" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Piper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for four mana first, and then you just hope it sticks around, despite very clearly being a threat. 90% of the time, it's just a way to lure out removal.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elvish Piper"></div></div>
<h2>Patching the Weaknesses</h2>
<p>Yue is exactly the same. We're gonna cast her, and our opponents are gonna remove her well before we can activate her ability. It's not gonna be great. Buuut, let's not assume this deck is gonna flop immediately. After all, we have Yue in the command zone, and that gives us 99 cards we can use to defend her. Not to mention, we're in blue, the color of protection spells! Let's throw in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mizzium Skin" href="#" target="_blank">Mizzium Skin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shore Up" href="#" target="_blank">Shore Up</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slip Out the Back" href="#" target="_blank">Slip Out the Back</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Time Twist" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Time Twist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Just some super easy ways to make sure Yue doesn't die to removal.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mizzium Skin"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shore Up"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Slip Out the Back"></div></div>
<p>Then, while we're in the business of protecting our stuff, we can add some counterspells, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse" href="#" target="_blank">An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Negate" href="#" target="_blank">Negate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and good ol' <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterspell" href="#" target="_blank">Counterspell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Two untapped <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Island" href="#" target="_blank">Island</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s will do twice the work they normally do, by protecting our commander and threatening our opponents' spells.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Negate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Counterspell"></div></div>
<p>But to really make sure we're getting our due from Yue, we should give her haste. Even if we pay four mana to cast her and only get to use her once, that's still a huge discount on something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enter the Infinite" href="#" target="_blank">Enter the Infinite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Obviously <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> are gonna be some of the best cards in the deck for both the haste and the protection. Even better, however, might be <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thousand-Year Elixir" href="#" target="_blank">Thousand-Year Elixir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which lets us use Yue twice on the turn we play her. We can tap her immediately thanks to the psuedo-haste that the Elixir grants, and then we can untap her with its activated ability and do it again. If we've got enough artifacts on that turn, we could cast two huge spells.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swiftfoot Boots"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lightning Greaves"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thousand-Year Elixir"></div></div>
<h2>Winning the Game, MORE!</h2>
<p>Hey, using Yue twice in a turn is pretty great. I mean, the only thing better than one big spell is two, right? So let's find some more ways to untap her.</p>
<p>The best way to do this is with creatures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vizier of Tumbling Sands" href="#" target="_blank">Vizier of Tumbling Sands</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kelpie Guide" href="#" target="_blank">Kelpie Guide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clever Conjurer" href="#" target="_blank">Clever Conjurer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These guys are absolutely fantastic because they can act as ramp, tap to pay Yue's cost, and, of course, untap her. I love these cards in so many decks because of how versatile they are, and this is another perfect home for them.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vizier of Tumbling Sands"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kelpie Guide"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Clever Conjurer"></div></div>
<h2>The Meat of the Deck</h2>
<p>Woah, we're getting a little distracted. We've got all the support we need, but what about the fundamentals? We've got to find some artifacts and creatures to pay for our commander's cost. Now given that this is the hot new set that's coming out, there's already quite a few decks built for The Moon Spirit, but I think a lot of them are doing this part wrong. On EDHREC, I see a ton of zero- and one-mana artifacts that just sit and do nothing. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Memnite" href="#" target="_blank">Memnite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ornithopter" href="#" target="_blank">Ornithopter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Relic" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Relic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?! Seriously? I don't want to draw an opening hand with artifacts that literally do jack until I play my commander on turn four. I'd much rather spend two mana on a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nimblewright Schematic" href="#" target="_blank">Nimblewright Schematic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that will make a blocker/attacker, then reduce Yue's cost by two than reduce the cost and my hand size by one with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mishra&#039;s Bauble" href="#" target="_blank">Mishra&#039;s Bauble</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Memnite"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ornithopter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Relic"></div></div>
<p>Making Yue's activated ability cost a mana less is simply not worth having one less card in hand, so instead, we're gonna play slightly more expensive cards that actually do something. All the two-cost mana rocks are great here, even if they're redundant when it comes to reducing the ability cost, but we'll also play a bunch of spells that make tokens, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prized Statue" href="#" target="_blank">Prized Statue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gilded Pinions" href="#" target="_blank">Gilded Pinions</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hard Evidence" href="#" target="_blank">Hard Evidence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If we play an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on turn two, plus a <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> and a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prized Statue" href="#" target="_blank">Prized Statue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on turn three, by turn four, we can cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aminatou&#039;s Augury" href="#" target="_blank">Aminatou&#039;s Augury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and that's not even a best case scenario!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arcane Signet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Prized Statue"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hard Evidence"></div></div>
<p>Then, for a bit of redundancy, we're gonna include cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chief Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Chief Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inspiring Statuary" href="#" target="_blank">Inspiring Statuary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> so that our abundance of artifacts and creatures don't go to waste when Yue isn't on the board. Plus, our deck ramps pretty well because of how many artifacts we're playing, so hard-casting some of the bigger spells in here isn't out of the question.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chief Engineer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Inspiring Statuary"></div></div>
<p>Finally, let's talk about all the big exciting spells we're gonna cast. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clone Legion" href="#" target="_blank">Clone Legion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, Boom! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Omniscience" href="#" target="_blank">Omniscience</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, Boom! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alrund&#039;s Epiphany" href="#" target="_blank">Alrund&#039;s Epiphany</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time Stretch" href="#" target="_blank">Time Stretch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, Boom! Yeah, there's really not much to it. If it costs a lot of mana and looks like it does something cool, I put it in here. I did stick with a self-imposed budget of $100, however, so you won't be seeing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Expropriate" href="#" target="_blank">Expropriate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or anything that extravagant, but other than that, I just tossed in whatever I thought would win the game. We've got crazy card draw in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Magic Mirror" href="#" target="_blank">The Magic Mirror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, ways to make huge creatures in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shark Typhoon" href="#" target="_blank">Shark Typhoon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and ways to win more than we already are in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cast Through Time" href="#" target="_blank">Cast Through Time</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Clone Legion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Magic Mirror"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shark Typhoon"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Yue, the Moon Spirit" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Yue, the Moon Spirit
[/Commander]
[Sorceries]
*1 Alrund&#039;s Epiphany
*1 Aminatou&#039;s Augury
*1 Blatant Thievery
*1 Clone Legion
*1 Enter the Infinite
*1 Hard Evidence
*1 Preordain
*1 Sorcerous Squall
*1 Time Stretch
*1 Will of the Temur
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse
*1 Brainstorm
*1 Counterspell
*1 Dive Down
*1 Dramatic Reversal
*1 Frantic Search
*1 High Tide
*1 Meeting of Minds
*1 Mizzium Skin
*1 Negate
*1 Occult Epiphany
*1 Rapid Hybridization
*1 Reality Shift
*1 Shore Up
*1 Slip Out the Back
*1 Sublime Epiphany
*1 Teferi&#039;s Time Twist
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Cast Through Time
*1 Efficient Construction
*1 Extravagant Replication
*1 Imprisoned in the Moon
*1 Mind&#039;s Dilation
*1 Omniscience
*1 One with the Multiverse
*1 Shark Typhoon
*1 Thopter Spy Network
*1 Thought Reflection
*1 Well of Ideas
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Gilded Pinions
*1 Inspiring Statuary
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mindslaver
*1 Myr Turbine
*1 Mystic Forge
*1 Nimblewright Schematic
*1 Prized Statue
*1 Sapphire Medallion
*1 Servo Schematic
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Staff of Nin
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 The Magic Mirror
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Thousand-Year Elixir
*1 Tormod&#039;s Crypt
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Chief Engineer
*1 Clever Conjurer
*1 Kelpie Guide
*1 Omen Hawker
*1 Ornithopter of Paradise
*1 Psychosis Crawler
*1 Sai, Master Thopterist
*1 Sharding Sphinx
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Vizier of Tumbling Sands
[/Creatures]
[Lands]
*1 Archway of Innovation
*29 Island
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Seat of the Synod
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<p>And that's how you build <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Piper" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Piper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in mono-blue. To be honest, this deck turned out way better than I thought it would given how much I've learnt to avoid <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Piper" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Piper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I suppose when you can build around it, the card becomes way better. Also, we're in mono-blue, a color known for defending itself well. Maybe too well. Either way, mission success!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


yue the moon spirit

Yue, The Moon Spirit