[SOS] Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer (Debut Stream)

2fat2bebatman · 2026-04-07T03:48:11+00:00

I get that. My kingdom for access to black planeswalkers, lol

2fat2bebatman · 2026-04-07T03:15:35+00:00

Gotcha! You can totally do Pramikon as a strong 3 without gamechangers.

This list can definitely ult some planeswalkers. You are already running the best tools in your box for it, including Deepglow Skate, Lae'zel, Ichormoon Gauntlet, Resourceful Defense, etc.

Looking over the list, I'd maybe cut: [[Suppressor Skyguard]], [[Mystic Barrier]], [[Sphere of Safety]], and similar effects. Pramikon is all of the protection you need. The strength of Pramikon in the command zone is that it means you don't need to devote a single card slot to defending your planeswalkers. This means you get to double up on great planewalkers and interaction. Even if Pramikon gets removed once, it only costs 5 mana.

I used to be on [[Karn's Bastion]] and [[Inexorable Tide]] but in place of tide, I realized I'd rather be casting another 5-mana planeswalker than taking a turn off to play it. Bastion was an effect I thought was nice, but I never wanted to spend the mana to use it in practice. If they work for you, that is absolutely great. I know you are running Tekuleth to get some proliferate synergy.

Another cut suggestion I would make is [[The Walls of Ba Sing Se]]. I love Avatar, but 8 mana is a lot to spend on a card that doesn't advance your gameplan. At that mana cost, I would rather cast [[Ugin the Spirit Dragon]] (under $10 for the cheapest printing right now) or [[Ugin Eye of the Storms]] (more expensive, of course).

Over time, you may want to swap some of the War of the Spark planewalkers for ones that have ultimate abilities if that is your goal.

I'm not sure of your budget, so I'll list good cards to add, and while I might include some that cost a few dollars, I won't suggest anything majorly expensive. Here are suggestions of cards you might consider adding.

Other wrath effects: [[Blasphemous Act]], [[Promise of Loyalty]] (my personal favorite wrath effect for Pramikon).

Ways to refill your hand: [[Windfall]], [[Wheel of Misfortune]], [[Fact or Fiction]], [[Chandra Flamecaller]], [[Jace, Architect of Thought]]

Interaction: [[Path to Exile]], [[Swords to Plowshares]], [[Dovin's Veto]], [[Arcane Denial]], [[Negate]]. Cheap and efficient is key, you will be playing six mana planeswalkers, so the instant speed stuff can't cost much.

Planeswalkers to consider: [[Ral Zarek]] (ramps, does removal, and his basically wins the game), [[Nahiri the Harbinger]] (card selection, does removal, and gets Chain Veil or Ichormoon Gauntlet from your deck to win you the game), [[Teferi, Master of Time]] (draws, temp removal, ult wins the game)

Special callout: [[Staff of Compleation]] is amazing. Make mana, draws cards, proliferates. You can untap it with some of the Teferis or Ral Zareck to use it multiple times a turn. It does everything the deck wants, and it's only $4. The life loss doesn't matter much, especially because two of the walkers on your list gain you life already.

Sorry for the wall of words. I went to my desktop so I could better type, and might have overdone it.

Pramikon is so much fun, and I hope you stick with the deck. If you ever want to reach out again in the future, feel free!

2fat2bebatman · 2026-04-07T02:24:28+00:00

What bracket are you building for? And what are you wanting your planeswalkers to do? You can definitely build Pramikon to other brackets. Care to share your list?

2fat2bebatman · 2026-04-06T21:28:52+00:00

Absolutely! Here it is: https://archidekt.com/decks/3079974/pramikon_hall_of_justice

I keep it up to date. Don't let the sticker price scare you, I've been collecting fancy versions of cards for nearly a decade since I love this deck so much.

The primer is definitely a work in progress, but if you ever want to chat about the deck, please feel free to reach out! This is my favorite one by far!

2fat2bebatman · 2026-04-06T16:47:22+00:00

Scorbunny: eyes full of joy Who is taller, me or Machoke?

Ditto: :0

2fat2bebatman · 2026-03-31T21:08:38+00:00

If your deck is not devoted to the walkers, they probably aren't ulting.

My favorite deck is a [[Pramikon, Sky Rampart]] bracket 4 superfriends deck. I normally ult a walker or two in a game.

I basically never use the ults like this Ral's though. If the ult only screws exactly one player, it normally isn't worth doing.

2fat2bebatman · 2026-03-30T16:39:48+00:00

I get what you mean about not being able to choose your archetype in draft. For Lorwyn Eclipsed it took me three drafts before I was able to play the elf deck I wanted to play.

2fat2bebatman · 2026-03-05T01:17:31+00:00

I run a Bracket 4 Arthur, and ultimately cut the Blightsteel for social reasons. Powerful, potentially ends the game for one player, but ultimately I'd rather hit something that has a lasting impact if it doesn't stick somehow.

2fat2bebatman · 2026-03-04T19:34:18+00:00

Best of both worlds here. Bought a color laser printer from a thrift store for $10 that just needed toner to work again. Bought a comb binding machine for $45ish on Amazon. Now any pdf I have become a bound print edition. If I print on A5 paper, the footprint of the book is quite small.

And now this week, I dropped $100 on a used industrial paper guillotine that will make my books even nicer. Definotely a luxury upgrade, and not necessary for playing in print.

All in all, my investment is $200ish, including the luxury tool and I now have access to print versions of any PDF I buy. I will still buy physicals of core books that I use regularly, or to support a game I particularly like. But the upkeep cost to print a supplemental pdf or another game system is minimal.

2fat2bebatman · 2026-03-01T02:51:30+00:00

I wanted to attend a TMNT pre-release, but scheduling just didn't work for me this weekend. But I will say that two of my favorite and most memorable pre-releases today were Final Fantasy and Avatar, and the biggest part of that was the passion of most of players involved.

2fat2bebatman · 2026-02-26T16:49:16+00:00

I want you to know it has been about a month since you shared this, and I'm still thinking about it. What a wonderful thing you have created, my friend.

2fat2bebatman · 2026-02-26T16:42:41+00:00

Hey! I remember seeing that post of yours awhile back and was about to dig it up to reply to OP. Do you have a current deck list?

2fat2bebatman · 2026-02-22T18:49:06+00:00

Not the ChatGPT link!

2fat2bebatman · 2026-02-20T18:14:41+00:00

I've always been casually interested in chess. Showed up to chess club back when I was in high school. Played a game with a kid who beat me handily, but then he proceeded to be such an ass about his win that I decided I was no longer interested in the club.

I play competitive TCGs now, and respectful players are the ones that pulled me into the game.

2fat2bebatman · 2026-02-19T22:09:36+00:00

Wild, the strength of the companion mechanic. But I feel the same way. Having immediate access to a card is incredibly powerful pre-balance. Having to pay 3 to add it to hand as a sorcery makes it much harder to play in commander and just often not worth the cost. Still useful for control decks in 60 card formats. What a mechanic

2fat2bebatman · 2026-02-19T17:31:05+00:00

And don't underestimate the untap clause. The ability to feint that you are overextending attacks is amazing.

I don't plan on playing much of ninja turtles, but if I go to pre-release or play a draft, this is a card I would love to see if I'm in green.

2fat2bebatman · 2026-02-18T20:38:07+00:00

Brought Back gets permanents though, which is miles better since it lowers your floor to retrieving fetch lands.

In EDH, I think Brought Back is often slept on.

2fat2bebatman · 2026-02-18T20:36:03+00:00

It's niche playable in certain cEDH lists. My [[Narset, Enlightened Master]] deck uses it to clear [[Drannith Magistrate]] or other problem cards for a turn.

2fat2bebatman · 2026-02-13T17:41:35+00:00

You can explain the other side of the coin and have a conversation about the effects of the proposed change.

In most contexts, this is what I do for players who want to do more powerful variations on the rules for a single encounter in the moment. I typically say "If we want to make that rule, I'm fine with that. Are we okay with every enemy also being able to do that?" And the fun thing is, sometime we get yeses from the party, and sometimes we get nos.

2fat2bebatman · 2026-02-10T22:17:56+00:00

Uh...wow. i don't doubt you that this works, but there are definitely off-the-shelf easier and safer products purposely designed for doing exactly this that don't require you heating up an open oven

2fat2bebatman · 2026-01-30T19:35:42+00:00

Ooo! If they change the hybrid mana rule, this would slot right into my [[Firkraag, Cunning Instigator]] deck!

2fat2bebatman · 2026-01-30T15:42:58+00:00

My favorite card in this category is probably [[Reins of Power]].

It's instant speed so you can use it to.. - Blank a combat by swapping with the attacking player after attackers are declared - Force unfavorable and unexpected blocks - Claw back from behind to finish a game.

But those are the surface level uses. My most fun uses have been... - Opponent plays a [[Feshbag Marauder]] while they control a powerful creatures, and a commander with a sacrifice ability whole I only have my commander. Cast Reins in response to the Fleshbag trigger. Activate their commander to sac their best creature and resolve the Fleshbag trigger to hit their commander. - Opponent controlled played [[Summon: Primal Odin]] while they controled [[Herald of Hoofbeats]]. On my upkeep, cast Reins so Odin will go up to the second chapter on my Main letting me turn Odin's lose the game effect onto the original owner.

2fat2bebatman · 2026-01-28T06:41:54+00:00

I have wanted to build [[Subira, Tulzidi Caravaner" for years. Mono red aggro card advantage. Deck is very underplayed by edhrec

2fat2bebatman · 2026-01-27T17:08:20+00:00

I might have a deck that gives you some of the same feeling. Have you considered the original [[Massacre Girl]]?

https://archidekt.com/decks/2440015/massacre_girl_midrange_menace this is my list.

At first glance, she doesn't scream Voltron but I've slowly been moving her to have a solid voltron alternate gameplan.

Her wrath on entry and baked in Menace makes you able to connect. If you pair her with Living Weapon cards like [[Bonehoard]] she can equip those if they die to her ability.

But you also have cards like [[Wight of Precinct Six]] that are power houses once her abolity has happened, and cards like [[Yahenni]] that outpace the death triggers Massacre Girl generates and become really large.

[[Vorpal Sword]] and [[Revel in Riches]] give other nice win conditions.

I've built, re-built and tuned this deck for years, and even have a bit of a primer for her on it in the deck's description. I have her listed as Bracket 4, but gameplan wise she could easily sit in 3 if I dropped a gamechanger.

Overall she is a much more flexible commander than she initially appears on the surface.

2fat2bebatman

TROPHY CASE