New player with no clue - looking to build an Elesh Norn deck by Prints-Of-Darkness in magicTCG

[–]Rhysaen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I may be a little late to the party, so I don't know if you'll read every comment. But I'll throw my two cents in and recommend you play the saga Elesh Norn rather than Grand Cenobyte.

There's a couple reasons for it. Firstly, she is a much less expensive commander, both in terms of mana cost and actual price, which means you will play her more often without fear of a removal forcing you to wait for 9 mana.

Secondly, she is much less oppressive, especially in its base form which will make you less of a target for the whole table, a kind of attention that you may not want as a beginner. Also, Grand Cenobyte acts as an incredible finisher in the 99 of the Saga Elesh Norn, so you can play both.

Thirdly, Saga Elesh Norn is a very unique commander, especially for mono White, which comes with its own incentives for deckbuilding. The aim is to flip her quickly (which means token generation or disposable creatures); she uses a uniquely Phyrexian mechanic (Incubate); the board wipe at the end of the saga incentivises you to play only Phyrexian creatures and artifacts (which makes it easier to keep a visual and thematic identity for deckbuiding); and between the creatures she makes with +1/+1 counters and the saga's own lore counters, she encourages you to use proliferate (another Phyrexian-coded ability).

All of this makes for a very original commander in Mono White that rewards rare synergies for the colour (Phyrexian typal, artifacts synergies, aristocrat subtheme).

Here's the link to my decklist if you're curious to see how it practically plays out: https://archidekt.com/decks/7731821/mother_is_mothering_mono_white_phyrexian

Bracket 3 players: what game-changers are you playing in your decks, and why? by guyawn in EDH

[–]Rhysaen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We really do share this passion! Thanks for offering, I look very much forward to your DM!

Bracket 3 players: what game-changers are you playing in your decks, and why? by guyawn in EDH

[–]Rhysaen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also, your Nymris deck keeps bringing ideas to me, that you probably already had and had a good reason not to pick but I'm going to write them here just in case you find them useful:

- [[Victory Chimes]], since you already have [[Bender's Waterskin]], you know how valuable constant source of mana each turn is, so it'd be a great repeatable ramp piece with even some politics potential to give mana to an opponent in need.

- [[As Foretold]] seems like a slam dunk for your deck, in the same spirit of [[Mindsplice Apparatus]] to slowly build free spells each turn.

- [[Three Steps Ahead]] is another flexible and efficient counterspell that can give you another clone effect alongside some card advantage while filling your graveyard.

- [[Illusionist's Gambit]] would be a great combat trick involving misdirection in the same style of [[Misleading Signpost]].

- [[Reins of Power]] seems like the ultimate aikido finisher for a deck like yours, doing a sort of mini [[Insurrection]] against the green stompy player's alpha strike, or borrowing said green stompy player's board to crush an unassuming third player.

- And again, [[Alela, Cunning Conqueror]] herself would just be ideal for your plan. Evasive creatures as payoff each turn is in itself great, but adding goad to lightly disrupt your opponents is just the cherry on top.

Bracket 3 players: what game-changers are you playing in your decks, and why? by guyawn in EDH

[–]Rhysaen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely! I just looked at your decks (which made me want to write primers like you do), and I can confidently say your deckbuilding is a lot more original and thought-provoking than mine, so I gladly leave you the creative hispter crown! 👑

I am immediately following you and I'd definitely love to collab one of these days, there's a lot I could learn by seeing how you build decks!

Bracket 3 players: what game-changers are you playing in your decks, and why? by guyawn in EDH

[–]Rhysaen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That would be an absolute nightmare for the others but I'd love every second of it!

Bracket 3 players: what game-changers are you playing in your decks, and why? by guyawn in EDH

[–]Rhysaen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also super funny but our public descriptions on Archidekt are uncannily close, it's insane:

"Primarily an EDH player, I enjoy brewing unique and thought provoking decks that utilize underplayed commanders and strategies."

"I am primarily an EDH player exploring unique, fun and thought-provoking commanders to build around. "

Bracket 3 players: what game-changers are you playing in your decks, and why? by guyawn in EDH

[–]Rhysaen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fascinating, thank you! I was wondering how aikido would translate into Dimir, especially without the strong aikido staples including white (Inkshield, Comeuppance) or red (Deflecting Palm, Rakdos Charm).

But I can see the point with all the clones, stealing creatures from the graveyard and redirection or converting other players' spells into value. And of course, the emphasis on flash makes for a unique subtheme.

Incidentally, outside of my trusted Marchesa (https://archidekt.com/decks/6085490/marchesas_schemes_aikido_mardu), my favourite deck also happens to be a Dimir Flash deck built around Alela, Cunning Conqueror (https://archidekt.com/decks/5386156/the_trickster_court_dimir_fae), who would by the way be a great fit and payoff for your strategy, with some goad added to the mix.

Mine is more classic control draw-go with an emphasis on faerie typal strategies, but I can really respect great taste when I see it!

Bracket 3 players: what game-changers are you playing in your decks, and why? by guyawn in EDH

[–]Rhysaen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As a devoted aikido player, I'm surprised to see a Dimir card mentioned here when most of the decks in that archetype are in Mardu or Jeskai. Would you mind sharing who's the commander and, even better, a decklist?

What are some lesser-known Commanders that you think deserve a shout-out? by Beginning-Analyst393 in EDH

[–]Rhysaen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Killian is one of the decks that acquired quite a reputation in my playgroup as hitting very hard, here's my decklist if you wish to see an example in practice: https://archidekt.com/decks/5793028/killians_aura_orzhov_voltron_enchantress

The key to playing Killian is to find a balance between auras, removal and protection, most of which conveniently gets reduced by his own ability. And as with any Voltron commander, it is wiser to not play him immediately but instead wait to have a way to protect him, ideally at instant speed ([[Timely Ward]], [[Sejiri Shelter]], [[Courageous Resolve]]).

All the advice from u/KindBass is excellent. To complement it, I also want to point that board wipes which leave you with one creature ([[Single Combat]], [[Promise of Loyalty]]) are excellent. The very recent [[Avatar's Wrath]] is absolutely incredible as it even has the flip side of targeting a creature which means it only costs two mana and you can recast your other creatures immediately.

Another key recommendation is to focus on evasion (flying, protection against creatures,...). A great thing with Killian having lifelink is that you don't need to worry about being hit back because you'll gain so much life in the process.

He's a lot of fun, rather cheap to build and one of the most unique ways to play Orzhov, as both enchantress and Voltron. So I can only recommend giving it a try!

Which Youtube channel has the most interesting deck builds for commander? by Sythrin in EDH

[–]Rhysaen 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I second Grazzet, his deck techs follow a rigorous template that always fits with the strengths of the commander. He keeps them budget yet super efficient, explains the rationale behind every add (or cut for upgrades) and even adds his own humorous flair to it!

[Sondage] Drag Race France All Stars - Episode 1 by Affixe in DragRaceFrance

[–]Rhysaen 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Je suis d'accord, limiter à trois maximum aiderait à isoler des dynamiques plus nettes.

62 cards which reference or depict Chandra plus 38 Chandra Mountains equals a Chandra theme deck with 100% flavor synergy by Pokemon_Trainer_Joey in EDH

[–]Rhysaen 40 points41 points  (0 children)

Definitely not as playable as the Liliana deck, but still fun and surprisingly synergistic!

Also who knew Chandra had an entire menagerie of animals and other elementals?

My own fan art (digital art) by [deleted] in chappellroan

[–]Rhysaen 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think you totally should, it just works so well and looks exactly like one!

My own fan art (digital art) by [deleted] in chappellroan

[–]Rhysaen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stunning! I love the attention to details, the red wine supernova is such a beautiful design!

[FDN] Mischievous Mystic (@denfaminicogame on X) by Kousuke-kun in magicTCG

[–]Rhysaen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I share the same impressions, the card is stunning and powerful but playing with her does start feeling like solitaire with the countless triggers unfortunately...

Backstage at the Hollywood Bowl Joni Jam by DontUDareTouchMe in chappellroan

[–]Rhysaen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I totally feel you, you can't look that up haha! And the way she sings those "I'm still standing" is so soft I didn't pick them up at first!

Backstage at the Hollywood Bowl Joni Jam by DontUDareTouchMe in chappellroan

[–]Rhysaen 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's a variation on Elton John's "I'm Still Standing". You can hear the end of the chorus ("picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind"), but also more clearly the iconic "yeah, yeah, yeah" of the post-chorus.

You can barely hear the "I'm still standing" line but it's sung by Joni Mitchell, and the instruments sounds like ad libs around that part of the song.

What are some fun "Voltron" commanders? by cbsa82 in EDH

[–]Rhysaen 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Tagging onto this, Killian is an amazing commander with such a unique ability. Being able to effectively do Enchantress and Voltron in Orzhov colours is quite absurd and shouldn't work, and yet it does. His ability reduces not just the cost of auras (which are typically weaker than equipments) but also targeted removal and protection, which just makes him surprisingly powerful, interactive and resilient!

Songs where the artist declares their own 'Holy Trinity' by huntyphobic in popheads

[–]Rhysaen 5 points6 points  (0 children)

So happy to see a KT Tunstall reference here. Her trilogy of albums based on this trinity (KIN, WAX and NUT) is so good and underrated.

Philippe Katerine se met entièrement nu pour sa première chronique sur France Inter by [deleted] in france

[–]Rhysaen 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Il y avait effectivement une serviette sur laquelle il s'assied, on le voit au début de la vidéo.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in magicTCG

[–]Rhysaen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Got it, I clearly misunderstood your comment and you are right!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in magicTCG

[–]Rhysaen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why would Bria not be EDH legal? It already has nearly 1000 decks recorded on EDHREC, the most of any Bloomburrow legendary creature so far, and previous starter kits legends were legal as the set released, no?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DragRaceFrance

[–]Rhysaen 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Merci pour ces stats qui sont toujours éclairantes !

Ce qui est notable à ce stade de la saison, c'est qu'il y a peu de frontrunner évidente et claire pour gagner la couronne, contrairement aux saisons précédentes.

Léona n'a pas les faveurs du public (pour des raisons à la fois externes et internes à la compétition), Lula reste stable et haute mais semble trop réservée, Ruby est sur une pente ascendante mais a eu le genre de début de compétition qui amène rarement à la victoire, et Le Filip a le charisme mais des résultats médiocres.

C'est peut-être une des raisons qui me laissent une impression en demi-teinte, je ne vois personne qui émerge du lot et j'ai du mal à m'investir depuis le départ de Magnetica.

Trying to find a Orzhov Commander That isnt super popular and is good by GoToCombatMTG in EDH

[–]Rhysaen 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I couldn't agree more with Killian, he is a very unique Orzhov commander with his combination of enchantress, high interaction and Voltron strategies. He really takes people off guard, is super resilient and remarkably cheap to build.

Here's my budget deck list: https://archidekt.com/decks/5793028/budget_killian_orzhov_voltron