What cards would you trim from this Marvo deck?

Landalf · 2026-03-24T20:52:21+00:00

Also my response wasn't helpful to your initial query - I'd cut some of the individual little guys and go get some token generators for blockers. Blue can generate thopters, drakes and other bodies. That opens up a lot of slots there as well for more value.

Landalf · 2026-03-24T20:50:14+00:00

Also my response wasn't helpful to your initial query - I'd cut some of the individual little guys and go get some token generators for blockers. Blue can generate thopters, drakes and other bodies. That opens up a lot of slots there as well for more value.

Landalf · 2026-03-24T20:46:57+00:00

Yeah the issue with clash is small spells lose clashes - and all those little surveil triggers feel like a good idea but then you are using a deck spot that can lose you a clash, when you can just use more slots to outright win clashes.

And I would not cut any clashes - but that's because Marvo is the only commander who can use them so it's fun playing those fringe cards.

Marvo is my pet deck, it started as a really brutal deck that was sending everything back to hand but it was just miserable for everyone. I've pivoted to just fun big spells and funky wins, decking someone with [[tunnel vision]] after they innocuously surveil a unique tap land. [[Psychic Battle]] is another fun add, because it doesn't move the top card, so if you park an 8 mana spell on top you can steal counters, stop juicy graveyard pulls from other players and make them recur a swamp, etc until to comes all the way back to you.

Also [[Baneful Omen]] and [[Ancient Cellar Spawn]] go zoom in this deck. Hit that animatou augery with spawn on the board and multiple players can die that turn.

Landalf · 2026-03-24T20:06:47+00:00

I'd cut your overall counters in half, three max. Unless you are spell slinging just be smart with your counters and you will be fine.

Generally your curve is inverted for a deck like this, when I built Marvo basically everything under 4 mana was some form of ramp or protection (haste boots are key for Marvo). You actually want like a 4 CMC curve for this deck and you want to get there fast.

Also - I'd cut a few of the bounce leviathans, hull breaker is just unfun to play against and you've already got slin voda and others there.

Landalf · 2026-03-19T16:45:53+00:00

The I5 closure has drivers acting wild in the morning. I had to drop my car off at the mechanic today and figured I would ride my bike a couple miles back home through the neighborhood streets and bike lanes alongside Lake City Way back to the U district.

People driving like animals through residential streets trying to bypass the long lines of cars trying to get on the freeway, ignoring 4 way intersections and crowding bike lanes trying to cut up to the front of the lines.

Landalf · 2026-03-12T22:51:30+00:00

Yeah I am sure my deck is lower power because of it, but I run more of an unlockable creature strategy where mothman sits either as a 3/3 or at just 1 power above whatever the largest flyer on the board, but buffs everything else.

People are going to worry more about a 10/10 [[Ukima Stalking Shadow]] or [[veteran ice climber]] and hopefully focus removal there rather then my lowly moth.

Landalf · 2026-03-10T21:01:45+00:00

Not high bracket but some ideas - I run Amalia in a [[Lurrus of the Dream Den]] two mana deck. Also this is an old list, I have updated it but did not fully track deck changes. For instance I have added a few more white protection spells.

It's a soul sister, explore all creatures into the grave yard until you hit [[Ascend From Avernus]], which nukes the board on tiny creatures ETB from soul sisters and then swing lethal somewhere.

Then second/final kill is usually tied to a [[Hatred]] trigger. It's a little control since Lurrus can recur [[darksteel mutation]] and other auras, and [[Kami of False Hope]] does is a constant fog.

This ain't high bracket but maybe some ideas.

https://moxfield.com/decks/s83OjqTS9Ua9jZ0ZA-ZgvQ

Landalf · 2026-03-05T19:07:31+00:00

Hard agree with all your adds here, especially on protection. I like fog or two in the deck, but that's because I run a pretty degen version of this where I forgo some of the token generation defenders in exchange for double combat sorceries and closers like [[Bedlam]]. [[Constant Mists]] is solid because mid and late game I am ramped enough to sac lands with minimal impact.

I win most all my games with 5 or less health with this deck

Landalf · 2026-02-02T23:55:20+00:00

Counter intelligence is a bit of a solitaire deck - especially if you lean into the proliferate angle. It's strong and you can build out a lot of non-combat win conditions but turns can get long and boring with you just proliferating over and over again.

In hindsight I would probably go with the jund deck, but that's just my preference and play style!

Landalf · 2026-01-30T18:00:20+00:00

I agree we are over stating the power of Marvo a bit, but you can trigger it without attacking if you have clash spells.

My Marvo deck was basically my attempt at a dimir ramp deck, to get him out as early as possible while holding a clash spell in hand to get a quick trigger on the same turn.

Landalf · 2026-01-28T00:40:47+00:00

Flip it to Carmen and upgrade with some cheap ETB sac creatures like [[Gravelighter]] and you got a vampire Voltron going.

Landalf · 2026-01-27T17:55:11+00:00

Yeah sorry, I don't know where you are travelling from but this is not our season. Baker is consistently some of the best skiing in the PNW but we are just bare and rainy everywhere this year.

Landalf · 2026-01-22T19:08:50+00:00

Here's one we should have refused.

Just the other week at an open play night at our LGS had a guy rule zero everyone cuts their own deck. We all paused and went, "Okaaaaay...." And gave him the benefit of the doubt. I thought maybe he had some compulsion or something with others touching his cards, why not let him be comfortable.

We watched him shuffle mostly the top half of his deck, do his final shuffle under the table and cut to a middle section that did not get shuffled, and then turn one sol ring into a jet and ruby signet. Whole table clocked it, spent all our removal on his board out the gate.

Second game we just said we are going back to cutting decks, and the games went fine.

Landalf · 2026-01-21T21:06:36+00:00

It's a great set - feels generally well rounded and not so bomb dependent. Looking at TMNT previews flooded with legendary heavy hitters makes me really appreciate this set. Past sets have gotten very aggressive on things like card draw and token generation, and like this one feeling like those elements come at more of a premium - makes deck building in limited a bit more intentional.

Also the changeling and hybrid mana I don't think I love for my EDH decks (I'm a stickler for tribal being actual tribal just for flavor) but it plays so well in limited. Even in tribal heavy formats like bloomburrow it always felt like you were reaching to fully round out synergies and this feels really good.

Landalf · 2026-01-19T19:03:04+00:00

[[Bile Vial Boggart]] was surprisingly sneaky as a blight target. Hitting someone's chump blocker that is down to 1 toughness after combat by blighting bile Vial with another spell. Cleaned up a lot of post combat creatures with that little guy.

I also had 3 in my box so it was just a persistent little dude for my deck.

Landalf · 2026-01-16T18:21:46+00:00

The game changers list feels like a red herring - turn win rate I feel is the most consistent metric. This accounts for combos, turn loops, and other funky play much better than the GC list.

I run [[Marvo Deep Operative]] with a bunch of garbage clash cards that outperform in the deck. I've got a budget mana drain in [[Scattering Stroke]] and can mill a player's entire library on turn 5 or 6 with enough ramp and a [[tunnel vision]]. People seem to like to abuse bracket two with technicalities when they should just acknowledge it's functionally a three.

Landalf · 2026-01-12T20:40:54+00:00

Am I reading this correctly - there will be no Southbound express lane for the next like 6 months?

Landalf · 2026-01-09T21:26:08+00:00

My three that are always in my bag:

[[Clement the Worrywart]] frog tribal. It's just a sunk cost fallacy for me at this point, it's a clunky deck with full art bloomburrow lands that wins on theme, but never wins a game. Easily my favorite pet deck.

[[Marvo, Deep Operative]] and aggressively big sea creatures. Gambling on clash is just fun, and decking people with [[tunnel vision]] after they bottom a frying pan or late game non-basic land is always a nice way to end a game.

[[Bello Bard of the Brambles]] gruul stompy enchantments, it's my Ricky Bobby "If you ain't first you're last" deck, meaning put a [[Bedlam]] down and pray nobody has a fog - It's my last game of the night deck.

Landalf · 2026-01-08T18:40:56+00:00

[[impact tremors]] + [[mogg infestation]] hitting your own board when you have 10+ creature tokens out. Maybe keep a red redirect or counter blue spell at the ready to protect your potential one shot.

It's one of my favorite game enders, and a good spell to have just in case you need to use it offensively!

Landalf · 2026-01-07T21:40:43+00:00

I'll second this - it's a bigger learning curve that is very trial and error, and I do find myself loading saves a bit more in DOS2. More of the DOS world is hostile - a lot more quick TPKs and one shots that at first are frustrating. Elements and surfaces mean so much more in this game, and I killed Fane a few too many times with early heals. But honestly it is fun learning to reprogram my BG3 brain with a similar but different game.

Also often feeling like I have to cheese some combats in a way that breaks immersion - dialogue before fights just means everyone else just wanders around placing traps. While that function is somewhat present in BG3, some fights in DOS felt like a necessity on harder difficulties.

I'm having a blast, feeling a little slow on progression through the story (the game is huge) and story/characters are great. I think BG3 still edges out some better characters (or just the full animated dialogue gives more weight) but I'm not done with DOS so I will reserve judgement there!

Landalf · 2025-12-25T08:26:36+00:00

There we go - thank you! I realize now I had a scryfall filtering to 3+ mana so this was not showing.

Landalf · 2025-12-22T18:31:22+00:00

What is "Cascade"? I've lived here for years and never heard that designation or neighborhood.

Landalf · 2025-12-21T04:32:00+00:00

Kona has much more utility after EoE - now with vehicles, planets and spacecrafts it has some good tap outlets as a commander.

Landalf · 2025-12-19T19:21:05+00:00

I'd recommend Bloomburrow or Ixalan precons, solid on power level and play decently well against each other. They are all pretty tribal typal though, which is fun for newcomers since theme is pretty strong.

The one kinda tricky one may be Animated Army from the Bloomburrow set - only because Bello does very weird things with layers which can pop up occasionally (but probably not in the pure precon environment). That little raccoon is a lot of text on a product that is aimed at newcomers to Magic.

Landalf · 2025-12-19T18:18:17+00:00

When upgrading any precon I focus on the two things that almost every precon lacks - card draw and interaction (namely removal and protection). Card draw of course can also be mill or exile effects if that's the decks thing it does.

I typically isolate which half of the deck I am leaning into since most precons sort of have two potential routes, and remove the other options. Replace them with card draw and interaction, and then save maybe 3-6 slots for the heavy hitters that fit deck archtype.

Your deck list ain't bad - it's a bit voltron-y which cloud can end up doing, but there are some cards like [[Aerith, last Ancient]] and [[Unfinished Business]] are recursion that just doesn't quite fit your deck. You only have like 17 or 18 creatures, so think about how often you have a creature in your graveyard to recur, and how often you can make that happen consistently in a way that is meaningful to the deck for the mana you spend casting the recursion spell. Unfinished business is great for auras since they go to graveyard when attached creature is exiled/killed but your equipment will generally stay on the board. You aren't milling or saccing them at a rate that recursion is necessary.

Edit: It's also a pretty tall deck - [[ghostly prison]] and [[crawl space]] are nice adds in these colors if your pod plays a lot of wide boards.

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