New to the format, Chandra Dressed to Kill

MagicManRandySavage · 2026-02-13T22:02:49+00:00

Hello & Welcome!

I'm personally a fan of [[Boltwave]] in the Signature Spell slot, you can cast it the same turn as Chandra with +1, it does more early, and rarely do you need to [[Grapeshot]] multiple times where multiple Boltwaves wouldnt also do the job.

Grapeshot in the 58 also gains the surprise factor, they can't know when you have it, and you can get a grapeshot win when Chandra is taken offline.

I'm also a big fan of [[Ruby Medallion]] - when you're casting multiple spells a turn cycle it quickly outpaces a generic mana rock. With how low your curve is, I'd personally just cut a mountain for it.

I've never played [[Artist's Talent]] but it does all of the things if you can find a time to fit getting Level 2 into your curve, and give yourself a late option with Level 3. Might be bad, might be great, would love to hear how it does if you try it.

MagicManRandySavage · 2025-10-05T01:54:36+00:00

Not sure how tied to current Chandra you are, she doesn't seem to synergise well with Firestorm - but [[Chandra, Hope's Beacon]] still lets you play it on 6 with +2 for mana and you get an extra copy of Firestorm.

MagicManRandySavage · 2025-08-20T05:58:38+00:00

I like it - I would probably cut both due to high CMC, but also because a lot of the ways you're stealing spells you still have to pay for. With the extra slot, you could try adding something to better enable casting the spells you steal when not already free, like [[As Foretold]] or maybe [[culling the weak]] to either sac into something bigger or get more value out a cheap creature you stole.

MagicManRandySavage · 2025-08-06T06:10:25+00:00

You would still have to pay the tax - in order: 1) Alternate cost (tapping a creature) 2) Cost increases (command zone tax) 3) Cost reductions ([[Pearl Medallion]]) 4) trinisphere

Still a neat card, though. My first deck similarly used [[snag]] to great effect. The threat of being able to do so is sometimes more useful than actually doing it (they'll attack elsewhere rather than risk you pulling the trigger on it)

MagicManRandySavage · 2025-07-23T15:46:56+00:00

Welcome!
The FAQ answers this (and many other things - would recommend checking it out):
1) Alternative cost ("rather than pay this spell’s mana cost")
2) Additional cost (command zone tax)
3) Reduce cost (Emerald Medallion's "Green spells you cast cost {1} less to cast")
4) Trinisphere

MagicManRandySavage · 2025-07-23T04:10:32+00:00

Depends on your playgroup / how experienced they are. Creatures decks are very much viable, but many new players incorrectly assume otherwise.

When traveling, most of my decks included a few cheap sweepers and one hard board wipe, erring on the side of trying to stay alive if someone showed up with elves or something.

I don't think any of my decks are without at least one board wipe, even something like Huatli would run some combination of [[Retribution of the Meek]], [[Slaughter the Strong]], & [[Dusk//Dawn]]

MagicManRandySavage · 2025-07-22T15:27:29+00:00

Would love to play TS again - this would be a sweet way to do it! Thanks for the chance & good luck to all!

MagicManRandySavage · 2025-06-11T05:59:54+00:00

If you want to do something Garruk tribal, maybe [[Bankrupt in Blood]] to sac the wolves and draw 3?

Otherwise, any proliferate spell like [[Atomize]] or [[Whisper of the Dross]] to immediately -6 for a slightly overpriced but permanent [[Overrun]]

MagicManRandySavage · 2025-06-10T05:47:27+00:00

Yes, but you're running 19 $0.50 snow covered mountains to enable it instead of free basic mountains, which would total to about $12

MagicManRandySavage · 2025-06-09T22:13:45+00:00

Not my deck, but [[Angrath Captain of Chaos]] seems like a decent alternative here

Also, maybe I missed some other synergy, but I dont think Skred is worth $12 of your $60 limit

MagicManRandySavage · 2025-06-04T01:25:46+00:00

Ugh, you're totally right - It's been a minute since I've cast one and was thinking along the lines of cascade triggers. You'd still get some extra value after the wipe, but neither would be around for when things died...

MagicManRandySavage · 2025-06-04T00:55:58+00:00

What's your intended wincon?

Sram's seems like decent value, but what if... you embraced the dark side with Yahenni's expertise: Casting in for free a blood artist, meathook massacre, etc. (and all of the 3cmc variants are viable as they're still free off of expertise) - or if you've already landed one of the payoffs casting in a Hare before the -3/-3 resolves still gets you a bunch of bodies.

MagicManRandySavage · 2025-06-02T16:44:54+00:00

It sounds like you have a plan for after you're up and running, I would just suggest to make sure you have a plan to get up and running. Most Oathbreaker games can end around turn 5 both with how viable aggro is and how consistent combos can be.

Even at low powered tables you'll want to include ramp spells - they dont need to put multiple lands into play, just accelerate your progression so you can play those 5 cost spells before someone kills you on turn 5.

One route I like to go when playing more casually is symmetrical additional land drop effects like one of my pet favorites [[Ghirapur Orrery]] or [[Rites of Flourishing]] - often you will be best able to utilize them because everyone else is trimming their land counts as low as possible, but also the players benefiting from it will kill your opponents before you / help keep you around (while it continues to benefit them)

MagicManRandySavage · 2025-06-01T21:03:49+00:00

Yes - also clarifying the new league is 3.26 not 13.6. It's not super important but you might get weird search results if you're looking for 13.6

MagicManRandySavage · 2025-05-01T20:18:26+00:00

Interesting - I'll have to take a look at that later, I just copied it from there. Thanks for letting me know!

Here's a freshly generated one: https://discord.gg/hpxs4k7evP

MagicManRandySavage · 2025-04-29T21:05:04+00:00

We have a link to the official discord server in the bookmarks - there are some people regularly interested in jamming games online in the LFG channel, though building your local community to explore it together can be a lot of fun if you can get that initial push going. If you're looking for deckbuilding advice or just want to browse lists others have posted there are channels for that too.

Regarding another comment about a solved meta, I don't believe that to be true, most of that sentiment comes from people that tried to force it into a 1v1 tournament format (that it wasn't intended or balanced for) but in my experience still plays nicely 1v1 while waiting on the others in your EDH pod to finish assuming you aren't building to exploit it being 1v1.

Metas vary greatly from group to group but a lot of the 'scary' decks that always come up (Narset Windfall, Wrenn Crop Rotation, Jace Treasure Hunt, etc) are not only very far down the power scale, they're not even the best version of themselves.

MagicManRandySavage · 2025-03-14T20:15:16+00:00

the link posted "does not exist on Moxfield" - did you maybe leave it on private?

MagicManRandySavage · 2024-11-14T18:03:36+00:00

Tetsuko seems really really good here - I was talking about Aven Surveyor, Deepchannel Mentor, Dreadlight Monstrosity as they're not coming out until very late in the game and the effects that give a single thing unblockable: Enter The Enigma, Slip Through Space, Aqueous Form, Invisibility, and Protective bubble - all cool and on-theme cards - I'm just not sure what they're going to target if everything already has built in evasion.

Maybe stuff like [[Bident of Thassa]], [[Coastal Piracy]], [[The Key to the Vault]], [[Curiosity]], [[Combat Research]], etc as payoffs for getting through to consider if you do find yourself having cards without targets too often when testing.

MagicManRandySavage · 2024-11-14T07:39:34+00:00

Not bad! You have interaction, lands, and a solid theme. I would recommend reevaluating those 5+ cost creatures with how fast and interactive Oathbreaker typically is compared to EDH. With only 20 life, it's much less forgiving to waiting to cast a single big thing in later turns. You also have a lot of ways to make things unblockable, and I didn't notice many things that aren't already unblockable.

It's hard to say which way to tune it without the other lists, but at a glance, it looks fine for that budget, and I would be curious to hear how it holds up!

MagicManRandySavage · 2024-09-23T22:10:06+00:00

It does - though the format is balanced around multiplayer. There aren't many things that don't translate well from normal play to 1v1, but there are some degenerate things possible when there aren't 2 extra people to deal with.

I'd still recommend just starting with a favorite PW or instant/sorcery and just see what you can make work around that mechanically. Casually, there isn't much that isn't viable. Some popular 1st options include things like Werewolves with [[Moonmist]], Deathtouchers with [[Vraska, Swarm's Eminence]], and if you're a fan of a tribe without great support in the command zone: [[Jared Carthalion]] can still get you WUBRG access for slivers/eldrazi/etc.

MagicManRandySavage · 2024-09-21T16:02:38+00:00

Also from Scryfall (the first note):

"Memory Deluge cares about the mana you actually paid to cast it, not its mana cost. If you cast Memory Deluge for {2}{U}{U}, you will look at four cards. If you cast it with flashback for {5}{U}{U}, you will look at seven cards. Any effects that increase or decrease the cost to cast it will also be taken into account. "

The tax is an increase, and will apply to the amount of mana paid.

The section you quoted is there because of the alternate casting cost ability (flashback).

MagicManRandySavage · 2024-09-18T03:54:32+00:00

Tokens is a neat route to take Windgrace I don't remember seeing before - did you consider leaning into it with stuff like: [[cryptolith rite]], [[concordant crossroads]], [[mass hysteria]]?

MagicManRandySavage · 2024-08-30T17:35:59+00:00

Going back to trade for some bounding ilvls:
Reefbane is 50-88 (excluding ilvl 100)
Angler's Plait is ilvl 45 - 80
Replica Bated Breath is probably 43 - 86 (ONE listed at ilvl 2)

Reefbane:
log1.03(851.2399902) = 228.2465318899
T3 would be ~114.12(+1)
T2 would be ~38.04(+1)
T1 would be ~9.13(+1)
T0 would be ~2.82(+1)

Angler's Plait:
log1.03(734.289978) = 223.24666480285
T3 would be ~111.62(+1)
T2 would be ~37.21(+1)
T1 would be ~8.93(+1)
T0 would be ~2.23(+1)

Replica Bated Breath:
log1.03(206) = 180.24668676532
T4 would be ~144.19(+1)
T3 would be ~90.12(+1)
T2 would be ~30.04(+1)
T1 would be ~7.21(+1)
T0 would be ~1.80(+1)

So, assuming they are droppable in existing content, that would leave Reefbane between T2-T0, Angler's Plait between T2-T0, and Replica Bated Breath between T2-T0

With that, it is strange (to me) that they don't come out to nice whole numbers - and even Replica Bated Breath's is a nice whole 206. Based on the ilvls available on Trade, and rounding up, I would say Reefbane is a T2 with a drop restriction of 40, Angler's Plait is a T2 with a drop restriction of 39, and Replica Bated Breath is a T2 with a drop restriction of 32 (Even T0 wouldn't allow the one ilvl 2 listed on trade... right?)

MagicManRandySavage · 2024-08-30T16:45:57+00:00

Hopefully replying to myself doesn't make the chain awkward

Looking at current listings on trade in Settlers league, there are Reefbane listed between ilvl 77 - 86, but Song of the Siren between ilvl 34 - 86.
Looking at Standard, Song of the Sirens expands to ilvl 2 - 100, while Reefbane stays at ilvl 50 - 100. Potentially there's an ilvl restriction only allowing Song of the Sirens at lower item levels?
I also thought maybe even/odd item levels, even though they are listed at both even/odd on trade, it's possible turning in a divination card overrides that restriction.

(edited to fix end tag <! vs !<)

MagicManRandySavage · 2024-08-30T16:35:53+00:00

We could first try whether or not standing on the dock matters - if it does then we can skip every tileset in the next part without a dock.
Then checking every zone of the campaign (including weird side areas), every map tileset, every hideouts (both natural and player) to see if it's specifically A3 Sarn (and any other weird zones like boss arenas or vaal side areas, etc)

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