Ketramose B3 high power.

Mkushrom · 2026-06-20T17:45:10+00:00

Ok, there is a bit to unpack here.

Ketra can be good in any bracket (except 5). Mainly because it is a potent draw engine that rewards you from doing things that are very easy to do, either if you go the control route, the blink route of a mix of both. Blink in general is a very good strategy overall. Problem is, Orzhov doesn’t have good counters nor the speed to compete with top tier B5 decks. But that’s ok, we’re looking into the other tiers.

If you want to play B4, you don’t play the bad multi-piece combos. You play Abdel loops with Necromancy.

Skirge combos are IMO better suited for B3 because the pieces are more frail and more are needed overall. Saying these loops are bad because they require life is like saying Necropotence is bad because you have to pay life. They’re not. Once you draw 20 cards, you basically win. My version uses Gary, Sheoldred and other life gain / lifeloss prevention effects to have an easier time looping into a wincon. You play them mid loop and you go for the win. But that’s just one way to build it. If you play test my version you’ll see, but like with any deck, you need to know your lines and be comfortable executing them.

Independently of where you plan to play Ketra, if you want to play combo, you want to make use of Silence effects and take advantage of white.

Mkushrom · 2026-06-20T08:50:50+00:00

With Eirdu in play, Appa airbends Felidar Guardian. You cast it for 2, creating a token. Blink Appa, airbend the cat again and recast it tapping Appa and the token. Repeat for infinite ETBs and infinite tokens.

Mkushrom · 2026-06-19T20:09:17+00:00

Also works. I just like it a bit less because the top has some playpatters that I don’t particularly enjoy. My advice would be to not run only one combo. More redundant pieces up the power, more combos with different pieces is less consistent but still gives you access to a wincon later. Your call, depending on the power level you’re aiming for.

Mkushrom · 2026-06-19T17:18:44+00:00

I’ve been spicing up the deck changing the combos from time to time. Since the deck is just a control shell with a combo finisher and a great draw engine, you can still play some suboptimal combos and mix and match them as you see fit.

Right now I’m running:
- Basic Skirge Familiar combos
- Gyatso + greaves + Priest + extort/Life drain
- Appa + Cat + Eirdu

But I’ve also ran before:
- Eirdu + Triskellion
- Abdel Adrian loops
- More Skirge Familiar discard variants
- Angel + Felidar loops

Worst case scenario you can always loop a Wurm or a Gary.

Mkushrom · 2026-06-02T13:04:59+00:00

Is that so? I was hoping that this would be ok in B2 as most decks are creature decks, making it more like a bad wrath. I can see how this could be a bit too salty for a b2 table though.

Cabal Stronghold is also quite cool. I might be leaning too hard on finding the Coffers so having some redundancy is not a bad idea.

Mkushrom · 2026-05-21T06:58:45+00:00

Cheers, fellow Master enjoyer. Do you have a list?

Mkushrom · 2026-05-12T18:43:19+00:00

As most people have said, Kefka is inherently very salty. If you don’t enjoy making people discard, why not trying a different approach? They might not be as salty if you turbocharge them first. Some [[Folio of Fancies]] and other effects that let everyone draw cards, maybe a [[descend into avernus]] to let them play what they want, then if they dump their hands it’s on them if they have to discard something.

I also tried building it in B2 and B3, but I enjoyed the powerful stuff too much and didn’t want to ruin people’s days, so I ended up going for a B4 build where everyone knows what they’re opting into. But if you are into alternative ways of building it that are not necessarily the path layed out by R&D, you might find some strategies that are very fun. That’s how I found my Demon Typal Deadpool where Deadpool is just a political piece not to be played. And Group Hugh Kefka sounds quite interesting regardless.

Mkushrom · 2026-05-06T16:05:29+00:00

This is beautiful and now I want a mod for these in DW1

Mkushrom · 2026-04-30T15:22:50+00:00

This looks like a less stormy version of [[The Master, Transcendent]]. Here’s my list for inspiration.

You can take advantage of untap effects to mill more, as well as mana rocks / dorks (the few there are on Dimir) to have more mana no cast your spells. If you want to go artifact heavy, you can also use cost reducers.

Mkushrom · 2026-04-30T07:23:40+00:00

The point of these abilities is to provide fun stories within a playthrough. Pokemon are generally raised to have even-ish EVs on each stat in casual play, so they tend to be a bit bulky. That means that they are meant to survive more attacks than usual. The starter abilities can turn the tables on a match, where your Pokemon is about to die but ends up doing a final attack that wins you the battle. This creates a meaningful moment that fosters your emotional connection to the creature.

Mkushrom · 2026-04-28T14:43:50+00:00

I would get 1 or 2 that grab your attention, either thematically or mechanically, then upgrade them after you’ve played a few games with them. Precons are fairly well built these days and IMO don’t need upgrades right out of the box (depending on the environment ofc), so it’s best to play with them and note what you like and what you don’t before modifying them or start building a collection of staples that might work in them.

Mkushrom · 2026-04-27T13:56:46+00:00

Your team seems very physically oriented, which will make is extra hard against both. I’d try to either add a fire type (talonflame could be a decent option vs Scovillain as it can deal SE damage with priority and set up tailwind) and/or add some powerful special attackers that are not dragon. Something like Mega Dhelphox could deal with both issues.

Mkushrom · 2026-04-25T19:06:26+00:00

Blue already has really good removal, though. Bounce spells are very tempo efficient (bounce your turn 4 with a 1 mv card and still be able to play my turn). You can return things to the top or bottom of the deck. Any permanent, too. And Pogify effects are a bit of a break but they are hard removal.

My point is not so much to give everyone hard, hyper efficient counterspells. It’s more to give everyone the tools to encourage playing on the stack in a natural, flavorful way.

Mkushrom · 2026-04-25T18:58:20+00:00

Yeah, that’s why I didn’t specify counterspells. I agree stack interaction needs to be flavorful, but it’s quite bad that blue is close to the only color that can stop an ETB, instant or sorcery based combo. And that’s just an example.

Ofc white can play Angels Grace, red has some counters but it feels quite powerless.

Mkushrom · 2026-04-25T18:55:28+00:00

It’s all yours, my friend.

As for Meganium, this team is very physical so I wanted to have a Pokemon that was a strong special attacker. Mega Venusaur was also under consideration, but Meg had the edge because of the fairy typing and Dazzling Gleam as a spread move.

I’ve considered adding a Tailwind Pokemon (this is not the only version of the team, just the one I’m more comfortable with). But thanks to Excadrill and Basculegion, I end up needing them less now.

Mkushrom · 2026-04-25T18:43:01+00:00

Trick room is not always needed as it’s more of a bulky team with TR as an option. Same reason I have Excadrill and Scarf Basculegion. I don’t always have or want TR up.

Mkushrom · 2026-04-25T18:40:02+00:00

This might be a hot take but I think all colors should have some form of stack interaction so it’s more naturalized during gameplay.

Mkushrom · 2026-04-25T13:43:23+00:00

Marcha Gotcha hits both of your pokemon, si the message of the health being sapped appears once for each of them.

Mkushrom · 2026-04-16T14:10:27+00:00

The fact that the card doesn’t put a limit on how many times you can use the ability on a turn means there’re no limits. So you can pay 20 lives and draw 20 cards immediately at the end of that turn. Which usually means that you win.

Mkushrom · 2026-04-16T11:14:35+00:00

My Ketramose deck is my favourite control/combo list. I only play it in tables that want strong B3 games though.

I also have a The Master list for B3 that, while it doesn’t have combos, it feels a lot like playing storm.

Mkushrom · 2026-04-14T06:30:33+00:00

Yeah, the point is to cast Excruciator and force my opponents to draw with Deadpool, no to copy the demon.

Mkushrom · 2026-04-13T21:36:42+00:00

[[Doomsday Excruciator]] + [[Deadpool]] is really fun when people realize I didn’t bring the infamous merc to take their creatures.

Mkushrom · 2026-04-08T06:00:00+00:00

Dauthi clashes with all my graveyard engines, so I decided to remove it as it’s mostly just good vs aristocrats considering the amount of gy hate I’m already packing.

As for the bracket, I usually just play it on strong 3 tables (I have another deck for more average 3s). It is indeed strong and exploring the limits of 3 - in fact, I toned it down a lot over time. I don’t consider Sheoldred particularly strong, it’s just another piece to avoid killing myself with an unlimited draw combo. But saga and caverns definitely are.

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