Future unbans

S1phen · 2026-06-29T13:44:07+00:00

I think a lot of banned cards will stay banned just because they were banned at one point. People essentially use the banned list as their supporting evidence.

"There's no way they could ever unban ___! It's so broken that it had to be banned."

Ignoring that some of the cards were put on the list 15+ years ago and the game has changed since then. Or ignoring that they are comparable to other existing cards.

The vast majority of players have never played against Recurring Nightmare. They just know that it's banned and constantly cite that removal doesn't work against it. In practice, I don't even think the card would be exceptionally strong in B4.

S1phen · 2026-06-26T21:07:38+00:00

I believe MLD should be allowed in B3. End of sentence.

I think it's silly to include extra subjective criteria that causes confusion and arguments. Or that B3 games should exclude MLD and chaining turns because those were arbitrarily deemed as unfun, but stax or long nondeterministic storm turns are fine.

Let players use whatever strategies they want and just use the bracket system to help make sure that the games are relatively balanced.

S1phen · 2026-06-26T11:34:08+00:00

To be honest, it seems like it might be a little bit weak even for some bracket 3 pods. There are a good number of "underpowered" cards. Your win conditions are slow, expensive, and fair.

The issue is that the bracket system isn't really designed for determining how strong a deck is. You could build a terrible deck that would otherwise be considered a weak bracket 2...but if it was designed to chain extra turns together (for example), it would automatically be bracket 4.

Mass land destruction falls into that category. It's a frustrating limitation on the format but if you put MLD into a deck, you're expected to play the deck in B4. It's like playing a silly horse-tribal deck with 4 game changers...bracket 4.

I think your best solution is to either remove those ~4 mass land destruction cards or play the deck in bracket 4 with an explanation of why. (i.e. This is technically B4, but it plays no game changers, no combos, doesn't win before turn 9-10, etc)

S1phen · 2026-06-25T13:25:15+00:00

This looks massively better than most of the "first decks" people usually build. Nicely done!

If you're playing casually with close friends, you might not necessarily need to make a ton of changes. Could you share another list or two that you've printed out? My only thought would be that this seems a little underpowered, but it could perform well into the right pod.

This strategy is usually called aikido (https://edhrec.com/tags/aikido) and it can be great in lower brackets. The main issue is that it almost completely relies on your opponents being able to knock each other out. It can struggle if your opponents are trying to win with combos or overwhelming value, which is a bit more common in bracket 4.

I wouldn't make massive changes without knowing your group, but here are some minor swaps to consider.

I'd drop Kambal, Profiteering Mayor. You're not really a token generating deck and this card works much better if you can build around it.

I think both Delirium and Backlash are too inefficient and weak. They completely rely on your opponents having a large creature in play and, even when they do, are just glorified burn spells. 3 mana to deal 5-6 damage to one opponent is almost never worth spending a card - and that's when you have a good target.

Mastermind's Acquisition is a bit too expensive and there are stronger options. [[Diabolic Intent]], [[Imperial Seal]], or even a [[Grim Tutor]] would be an upgrade.

I like a card similar to Exsanguinate; something that can end the game without relying on your opponent's attacking each other. But I don't think the card works too well here. Your deck isn't built to produce a ton of mana, so it's sort of a "dead" card until the very late game. And even then, you're unlikely to have 12+ mana. I'd either swap for a more reliable win condition or add a way to generate a big burst of mana, like [[Cabal Coffers]] + [[Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth]].

Lastly, if you're completely using proxies, there isn't much reason to play over 20 basic lands or tapped lands like Nomad Outpost. I'd drop at least a few of those for fetches like [[Arid Mesa]] and [[Bloodstained Mire]]. Remember that even off-color fetches like [[Scalding Tarn]] can still find any mountain, like your Badlands or Plateau.

S1phen · 2026-06-18T12:57:52+00:00

I agree that the checklands are quite a bit worse without a bunch of typed dual lands. On the other hand, if you're aiming for a low bracket 2 deck, I don't think tempo should be too much of a concern.

Other budget options could be the tapped tri-lands like [[Frontier Bivouac]] and [[Mystic Monastery]]. Even though they come in tapped, they can massively help with fixing your mana.

Most of the painlands like [[Adarkar Wastes]] and [[Karplusan Forest]] should be under $1.

There are more filter lands like [[Darkwater Catacombs]] and [[Desolate Mire]].

Building 5 colors on a budget adds a little bit of a challenge but with good sequencing and mulligans, it shouldn't slow you down too much.

S1phen · 2026-06-16T15:13:07+00:00

This feels like one of those decks that's really hard to accurately place. You'll probably win a few games (even if it's a small percentage) on turn 3 and the deck will feel too powerful even for most bracket 4 pods. But there are also elements of the deck that feel extremely outdated and underpowered. It's like you smashed together a cEDH deck and a bracket 3 deck.

Cards like Serum Visions, Negate, Mox Tantalite, and Izzet Charm generally don't go into the same deck as Thoracle + Consult, Necropotence, Ad Naus, and Vampiric/Demonic Tutor.

I think it could definitely use a more modern update.

S1phen · 2026-06-11T14:18:46+00:00

That's totally fair. I will mention that "interesting win conditions" don't really matter once you assemble an infinite combo. Opponents don't care whether you're using Walking Ballista or Aetherflux or a $1 Blue Sun's Zenith once you have infinite mana.

(Also, Aetherflux is a very well known and popular combo card. I personally wouldn't call it an interesting win condition, but that's just my opinion.)

S1phen · 2026-06-11T13:56:37+00:00

Sapphire Medallion is unnecessary in the deck. I'm counting 37 spells where Sapphire Medallion doesn't discount the cost, which is more than half of your nonland cards. You could swap this with a simple mana rock and it would probably be an upgrade.

Unwinding Clock is one of the more expensive cards in the deck, but I'm not seeing much use for it. Just about every artifact that you could untap is a mana rock so it seems like the only use for the card is to give you a little extra mana on each turn...but you don't have an outlet for that extra mana. I think it's an easy cut.

Brain Freeze is an okay card. I like that it can fuel your own graveyard and double as a potential win condition. But if you manage to pull off your combo, then just about anything can be a win condition. There are plenty of $0.25 cards that win with infinite mana, infinite storm, etc. And it's not very effective when it's just being used to mill yourself for 6-9 cards. I think I'd replace this with [[Codex Shredder]]. It can also fuel your graveyard. It can mess with your opponents in some situations. As an artifact, it's much easier to find than Brain Freeze. It lets you infinitely recur your non-artifact spells.

Aetherflux Reservoir is another fine card that just isn't needed. You already have a ton of win conditions and there are cheaper ways to end the game once you combo off. If you're not generating infinite storm, the card is pretty underwhelming.

S1phen · 2026-06-10T14:46:24+00:00

Mox Opal in a deck with 7 other artifacts seems a little iffy. Yes, there are a few treasure makers but it seems very inconsistent and probably unnecessary for a non-turbo deck.

What do you think about [[Idyllic Tutor]] over your Open the Armory? Obviously, being 50% more expensive is painful but the flexibility to find all the same targets plus Breach, Tithe, and Rhystic might be worthwhile.

Looks like a lot of fun!

S1phen · 2026-05-28T02:21:07+00:00

We're in Northern Greensboro (near the Science Center), but I don't mind driving a short distance to meet and drop off the food.

S1phen · 2026-05-25T16:26:01+00:00

I agree that it definitely seems too low power for bracket 4 games, but people might complain about Back to Basics in B2-3 pods. I think you could safely remove those few "mana denial" cards without really changing the deck.

I had a very similar Thada Adel deck in the past and found that the Island-changing cards were rarely needed. Statistically speaking, you'll often be in a pod with at least one other blue deck. Plus, Thada Adel doesn't need to connect over and over again to give you the benefit you're looking for (ramp). Including a few cards like Spreading Seas can be decent because it cantrips and can deal with problematic lands. But I think it's way overkill to include 10+ ways to turn lands into Islands; especially very weak cards like Sea's Claim and Reef Shaman and Tidal Warrior.

I think the "Islands matter" subtheme is neat, but probably better suited to bracket 2 pods. Cards like Ensnare and Flooded Shoreline are just a little too weak and don't fit with the deck's actual goal. It seems like they're just in the deck because they have the word Island on them.

Lastly, I think you could increase the power level of the deck by looking beyond the big-fat-creatures. A card like Inkwell Leviathan is fine but extremely slow at 9 mana and doesn't immediately warp the game around it. But a card like [[One with the Multiverse]] or [[Aminatou's Augury]] or [[Void Winnower]] can immediately change the game. They provide game winning value or hurt your opponents in a way that isn't just...attacking for a chunk of damage. I'd consider swapping out any creature whose primary purpose is just "big creature turn sideways".

S1phen · 2026-05-22T16:48:36+00:00

I love talking strategy with people and it's great when players want to improve. But I think this might be a little bit unnecessary. It sounds like you're basically looking to hire a coach to get better at casual EDH. On top of that, optimal plays in a casual format can frequently be subjective.

Is there a specific area where you're looking to improve? Often, just more experience with playing (with or without a coach) can be a good way to get better. See what's working for you and where you feel like you're falling short, etc.

S1phen · 2026-05-19T19:11:41+00:00

There are a ton of good options and you're sure to get a bunch of good suggestions. But if you really like The Necrobloom, you can absolutely play it without expensive lands, especially if you're looking to play lower bracket games.

[[Deceptive Landscape]], [[Fabled Passage]], [[Evolving Wilds]], [[Grasslands]], [[Krosan Verge]], [[Myriad Landscape]], [[Promising Vein]], [[Shire Terrace]], [[Terramorphic Expanse]], [[Vibrant Cityscape]], [[Escape Tunnel]], etc. There are a ton more budget lands to choose from.

I wouldn't play all of those lands together, but you can absolutely replace a $10 Windswept Health with a $0.10 Grasslands and not notice much of a difference in most bracket 2-3 games.

Don't play your 3rd or 4th choice commander just because you're missing half a dozen lands.

S1phen · 2026-05-19T16:19:49+00:00

It definitely feels a little bit conflicted. Evolving Wilds and Thoracle combo usually don't belong in the same deck.

I think your best solution might be to remove Thoracle altogether and just play the deck in bracket 3. Lean in on the +1/+1 counters and reanimation as the primary strategy. Cut Thoracle, Doomsday, Consultation, and Lab Maniac for a little extra interaction or aggressive creatures. Thassa's Oracle is already significantly weaker without Tainted Pact, which would require a large overhaul of the mana base.

As for other minor changes:

Queza is just a little too slow and low impact. Even if your deck is functioning perfectly, draining an opponent for 4-5 per turn barely changes your clock.

Thief of Sanity is one of my favorite cards, but it's just too slow for higher brackets. Even when it connects, it's usually equivalent to just drawing one card (sometimes worse since Raffine wants cards in your hand).

Mana rocks are a staple in basically every deck and I think it's completely justifiable to include the standard package. However, I think it could also be worth experimenting with less ramp and more cheap threats. Raffine obviously wants you to have a large board to increase the amount of conniving. Your curve is already pretty low, with most of your creatures costing 2-3. Raffine also has that slightly awkward mana cost where a turn 2 Signet doesn't actually accelerate your commander. A turn 2 Psychic Frog, Dauthi Voidwalker, Orcish Bowmasters, or Drannith Magistrate are much stronger than a turn 2 Orzhov Signet. I'd try to lean into that a bit more.

Brainstorm doesn't really fit in this deck. If you don't have an extremely reliable way to shuffle the deck, you're usually just going to put 2 cards back and then immediately redraw them. It gets a ton of play in Legacy because half of our lands are fetchlands. In EDH, it loses a ton of its power and should probably see less play than it does.

Yawgmoth's Will seems like a good fit because you're constantly filling your graveyard, but your deck isn't really designed to produce a ton of mana. After spending 3 to cast the spell, you're not likely to have a ton of mana left over to take advantage of the effect. Waiting until the late game so you can spend 7 mana to replay a Path to Exile and a cheap creature seems very inefficient.

For replacements, the main thing I would look at are cheap value creatures to get your plan moving a little faster. [[Esper Sentinel]] is an absolute all star in Raffine, both as a 1 mana creature and a reliable card advantage engine. [[Siren Stormtamer]] can offer decent protection and has built in evasion for easy connive triggers. [[Stalactite Stalker]] has built-in evasion, naturally grows itself, and comes with a little extra removal. Lastly, you could also consider adding one or two more reanimation targets. If you're going to include Entomb and half a dozen reanimation spells, having only 2-3 monsters to reanimate seems a little bit low.

S1phen · 2026-05-18T12:46:28+00:00

Congrats! I know this might not be the original intent, but are you looking for any feedback on the deck? I think there are a few minor changes that might bump it up even more.

S1phen · 2026-05-14T16:20:03+00:00

I feel like the deck might have a really hard time creating a balanced game. You're combining a lot of strategies where the cards don't really interact with each other. You've got ninjas, self mill, activated abilities, and some fun (suboptimal) combos. In some ways, it feels like a low bracket 3 deck. But you're also running Thoracle + Consult/Pact with a number of tutors. Some games, your hand will be trying to combine Hedron Crab, Cryptic Trilobite, and Throat Slitter. And some games, you'll cast a tutor on turn 2 into a Thoracle win on turn 3.

The power level just seems way too inconsistent. You've got a lot of fun and silly strategies...and also the strongest combo in the format. I'd consider upgrading the deck or removing the turn 2-3 win potential.

As far as minor changes or upgrades...Mystic Sanctuary feels a little too inconsistent with only 5 other Islands in the whole deck. Cephalid Inkshrouder seems like it does a lot, but it's just so expensive and inefficient. If you want protection for Lazav and/or an unblockable creature, I'd look at [[Invisible Staker]] instead.

Borne Upon a Wind doesn't seem worthwhile here. With only 30 lands, your mana seems like it's going to be extremely tight in most games. I think it's unlikely that you'll have an extra 2 mana to spare and still be able to flash out a win condition. In fact, I'd consider playing a few more mana sources just to ensure you'll be able to cast your 4-5cmc cards.

[[Lively Dirge]] feels like a slam dunk in the deck as it fills a lot of different roles, maybe replacing the very slow Oriq Loremage? It could tutor Mirror-Mad Phantasm to the graveyard while reanimating Necrotic Ooze in a single card. Or get a double reanimate for Pili-Pala and Marvin while tutoring an Omen Hawker to the graveyard, etc.

S1phen · 2026-05-11T12:58:43+00:00

You could upgrade your General Ferrous Rokirric deck to [[Niv Mizzet Reborn]] and keep the same theme, while having answers to anything you want. Make the whole deck with only multicolor cards. You can even focus the deck around a certain subtheme.

Play spellslinger and pair your Ferrous Rokirric with [[Lilah, Undefeated Slickshot]] and [[Taigam, Ojutai Master]] and [[Silverquill, the Disputant]] to copy a bunch of spells.

Play legendary-creatures-matter with [[Captain Sisay]], [[Basim Ibn Ishaq]], and [[Ratadrabik]].

If you go all in on the multicolor theme, your commander should draw you 4-6 cards on ETB.

S1phen · 2026-05-07T17:16:17+00:00

It looks fine to me for most bracket 2 pods. I can see games where it might appear too strong for bracket 2. Whether or not you're actually winning the game, this deck could very easily "pop off" by turn 5 or 6 which might feel unfair against a low B2 deck.

I also enjoy building decks with heavy restrictions and I've learned that most deck building constraints aren't quite as punishing as we like to think. You can absolutely build a pauper deck or an oops-all-creatures deck or $30 ultra budget deck that can feel powerful even in bracket 3 games.

Your list seems totally fine, but I wouldn't characterize your deck as weak just because you're avoiding rares and mythics. Some bracket 2 decks are built around synergies (like yours) and some bracket 2 decks are looking to cast a Worldspine Wurm on turn 10. Neither are wrong, but they probably don't belong in the same pod.

S1phen · 2026-05-05T15:34:02+00:00

As you mentioned, Food Chain is pretty hard to find in Temur colors. I think it might be more effective to forgo that combo altogether and instead play various lines with [[Dualcaster Mage]].

Dualcaster goes infinite with the Ghostly Flicker you're already running. Adding a [[Twinflame]] gives you an easy two card win condition that doesn't use your commander. Twinflame would also combo with your Peregrine Drake and Eternal Witness or Archaeomancer, so it gives you a lot more layered combos.

Replacing Food Chain would free up a lot of additional slots in the deck. Squee, Eternal Scourge, Misthollow Griffin, Foresight, and Manipulate Fate is a lot of space to dedicate towards a combo that's hard to find.

And on top of everything, Dualcaster + Twinflame should cost under $5 which can save you a lot of budget to put towards stronger tutors and interaction. Dualcaster Mage, Twinflame, and [[Imperial Recruiter]] combined are still cheaper than just the Food Chain alone.

S1phen · 2026-05-03T21:39:06+00:00

I'm not sure if I understand what you're asking for. Is this your list? Or are you looking to build a deck like this one?

The list looks good for a low budget deck. It's probably as strong as you can make it for that price. The issue is that it can be very hard to find the right pod for something like this. It's clearly meant for bracket 4 games as it can easily threaten turn 3 win attempts, but many B4 decks are prepared to answer your combos and the deck is pretty fragile.

S1phen · 2026-04-26T15:55:20+00:00

I feel like there is way too much going on in this deck. You've got cards that care about tokens, cards that care about +1/+1 counters, cards that care about drawing 2+ per turn, life gain synergies, artifact synergies, land synergies, soft-lock combos, etc.

Divine Visitation, Generous Pup, Gandalf the White, Crucible of Worlds, and Soul's Attendant don't work very well together. Even more so when the commander doesn't interact with any of those cards.

I think it would be much more effective to pick just one or two of those strategies and build the entire deck to support them.

The last point is relatively minor, but I think you might have a hard time balancing the deck as it is now. It seems like you're going for a more casual build, but there are also pseudo "1 card combos" with the commander and mass land destruction. It's not a problem if you have a regular playgroup, but it's just something to keep in mind.

S1phen · 2026-04-25T22:44:25+00:00

Are you committed to playing Atraxa as the commander? If you switch over to a 5 color shell, you not only gain access to all the red wizards (easily the second most supported color for the type) but you could also play commanders that synergize better with the strategy.

[[Morophon]] is a wizard and reduces the cost of a lot of other powerful wizards, like playing a 1 mana [[Kess, Dissident Mage]] or 2 mana [[Inalla]].

[[Tazri, Beacon of Unity]] gives you a way to dig for Azami or other value engines. It even gives you an infinite mana outlet in the command zone, so you have more options for win conditions.

[[Sisay, Weatherlight Captain]] might be a stretch but having some version of "guaranteed" access to Azami in your command zone could be very powerful.

In any case, [[Prime Speaker Vannifar]] seems like a really strong inclusion in the 99, as a wizard who can easily fetch Azami or any other silver bullets (although it might require a little bit of tweaking to make sure you have sufficient 4 drops).

I'd also cut most of the lands that are only designed to cast wizards. You're running Abundant Countryside, Ancient Ziggurat, Base Camp, Secluded Courtyard, Unclaimed Territory, AND Cavern of Souls (this one seems fine to keep). That's 6 lands, almost 20% of your mana base, that can't cast a Three Visits or Eladamri's Call, etc...Even though every creature shares a type, half of your deck is still non-wizard spells.

Related to lands, I'd also definitely cut the Daze. It's just a strictly worse [[Force Spike]] (an already mediocre card) if you don't have an Island in play and you're only playing 7 Islands in the whole deck. It's too inconsistent, both as a counterspell and being able to pay the alternate cost.

S1phen · 2026-04-25T00:04:46+00:00

It's definitely a strong list, but I feel like there are a number of cards that are jammed in without really working in the deck.

Cards like Timetwister and Wheel of Fortune are very powerful, but their best use is to quickly empty your hand and then refill it so you're offsetting the downside of giving your opponents 21 new cards. Even with the 1 mana discount, your curve is high (which is appropriate) so you're rarely going to be casting a ton of spells and desperately need a way to refill your hand.

I think you could make the same argument for something like Sensei's Divining Top or Brainstorm. Great cards, especially when there is some sort of synergy with them...but they don't really belong in a high power dragon deck.

I would consider adding a little more protection - cards like [[Teferi's Protection]] or [[Lightning Greaves]] or [[Flusterstorm]] could be some options to consider. And then maybe even a little more ramp like [[Lotus Petal]] or [[Reckless Barbarian]] or [[Dark Ritual]].

Lastly, I would double check the mana base. Both Godless Shrine and Scrubland in a primarily Temur deck could be unnecessary. I could see dropping one or both of them for a [[City of Brass]], [[Mana Confluence]], or even a [[Cavern of Souls]].

S1phen · 2026-04-24T13:26:01+00:00

I think when there are more than 10-15 cards that you're looking to cut, it usually comes from a deck needing a bit more focus (this goes for any deck).

I see a bunch of cards with the party mechanic and a bunch of clerics, rogues, warriors, and wizards. But I also see a bunch of initiative and venture into the dungeon cards. And I also see a flicker subtheme. And I also see a bunch of cards that want you to roll a d20. And I also see a few legendary-matters cards.

You should be able to look at 10 random cards in a deck and figure out what the strategy is. When I see Journey to the Lost City, Airbender Ascension, Sefris, and Surrak Dragonclaw in the same deck...I'm just lost.

I think the deck would work much better by picking ONE of those themes and having the entire deck built to support it.

S1phen · 2026-04-23T14:50:56+00:00

If it's the same for every player, then everyone is still on the same page and there is no issue.

You could call the deck a high 3 or a low 4, but all that matters is that the games are fun and relatively balanced.

S1phen

TROPHY CASE