That Ain't Legal: The Legend of the Arena

[Gashnaw]

Legend of the Arena
1URW
Legendary Enchantmnet - Saga
I, II: Put a 2/1 red human wizard creature token onto the battlefield. Spells you cast this turn cost 1 less for each wizard you control)
III: Search your libray for a planeswalker and put in onto the battlefield, it nters with and addition X loyalty counter equal to teh amount of wizards you control)

So Sheldon has gone on record to state that cards created by wizards that can function as a commander can be a commander, for the person who owns it. Of course Sheldon also does not allow proxies, but we will ignore that for now.

So i printed out a proxy of The arena (I am also going to be doing M'odo, the Gnarled Oracle) And i am hoping to get some help on building a relatively budget friendly deck. I like teh ability mke my things cost less and superfriends.. The reason i want this to be budget friendly is so my playgorup doesn't get too sour. (The will probably still get salty, but I am playing with a legal commander, if I owned the card i would bring it in myself. just to prove i have the card, and then use the proxy anyway) (I have a lot of PWs so that cost is gone.)

I think proliferate and ways to reduce costs are important. I would like to play my commander and then proliferate get two wizards, reduce cost by 3 (Since chapter I and II are in effect,) In addition to any other wizards i may have)
Hopefully proliferate again, Get my PW recast my general (Since it am reducing the Commander tax. And basically just go ham. Drawing cards will also be nice so my reduced spell costs are useful. (Blue sun's zenith with a reduction by 5...
So yes it will be wizard tribal. I have played Wizard tribal before (Azami, Lady of scrolls, which will be in this deck too) so i know that i can do wizard tribal quite well. The issue with Arena is the fact that is is easy to get rid of with all enchantment destruction, My goal is to just overwhelm my opponents with spells and hopefully get a few Ultimate off with my PWs. (Narset, Dack, Tamyo, Teferi, Venser, Elspeth, Kenrith twins, Jace, Maybe tezz. (I am thinking maybe about 11-13 PWs) Massive amount of wizards, along with Counter spells and draw power. I think the main focus will be blue, so most lands will produce Blue in addition to to other colors.

so looking for help.


PS: The image I originally had was huge, which is why i sadly have the bad quality one)

[DirkGently]

If someone at my LGS sat down and said "I built a deck around a custom card, is that cool?" I'd say "idk, depends on the card, let's see it."

And then if they pulled this out, I'd tell them they were out of their mind.

Have you gotten the OK to play this? It looks beyond broken. I can't imagine anyone allowing it.

It doesn't really make sense flavourfully as a commander either.

[Gashnaw]

If someone at my LGS sat down and said "I built a deck around a custom card, is that cool?" I'd say "idk, depends on the card, let's see it."

And then if they pulled this out, I'd tell them they were out of their mind.

Have you gotten the OK to play this? It looks beyond broken. I can't imagine anyone allowing it.

It doesn't really make sense flavourfully as a commander either.

Well technically it is not a fake card and Sheldon has stated that they are okay to play. I think his thought process is "Only one person has the card so no big deal"

the only reason i can't play it because I do not own the card.

My playgroup is pretty chill though, I have used fake cards a few times (I had a 4 horseman of the apocalypse deck) The deck was legit aside form having 4 commanders in it.

These are at least real cards. And If i have someone say no. I do have 4 other decks i play regularly.

[darrenhabib]

Yeah I agree with DirkGently on this one, its just too busted. Like the minute you use it to search for Narset Transcendent with 3 Wizard in play, you're going to be dragged off into the parking lot and beaten to death.

So the only way to make the deck is by specifically choosing non-broken planeswalkers.

The cost reduction is obviously bonkers as well.

Honestly I wouldn't let you play it unless you proved you had a very janky theme to compliment it.
I think a group hug deck would be one of the only ways you are ever going to be allowed to play it twice.

Your first planeswalker pull can be Jace, Architect of Thought, getting Homeward Path and some not too threatening but decent creatures for your opponents to enjoy, so that it sets the tone.

Jace, Memory Adept to draw everybody twenty cards. Jace Beleren as well.

Then maybe other planeswalkers are to simply pillow-fort yourself.
Ajani Steadfast, Elspeth, Knight-Errant, Gideon of the Trials, Serra the Benevolent, Teyo, the Shieldmage, The Wanderer.
The idea is that you get an Elspeth, Knight-Errant emblem and sit behind your Wizards with Serra the Benevolent emblem as well.

As far as Wizards, its easy to make a threatening and busted selection of them, so again you'd want to actually go for hug combinations.
Arbiter of Knollridge, Aven Mimeomancer, Braids, Conjurer Adept, Dakra Mystic, Jace's Archivist, Lore Weaver, Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist, Magus of the Jar, Magus of the Wheel, Meletis Charlatan, Nin, the Pain Artist, Jushi Apprentice.

[Random Scrub]

If someone at my LGS sat down and said "I built a deck around a custom card, is that cool?" I'd say "idk, depends on the card, let's see it."

It's a Heroes of the Realm card: celebration cards rewarded to a few Wizards of the Coast employees. They're real cards but since they weren't made with the idea that someone might actually play them they're use at your own risk.

https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Heroes_of_the_Realm

[Gashnaw]

If someone at my LGS sat down and said "I built a deck around a custom card, is that cool?" I'd say "idk, depends on the card, let's see it."

It's a Heroes of the Realm card: celebration cards rewarded to a few Wizards of the Coast employees. They're real cards but since they weren't made with the idea that someone might actually play them they're use at your own risk.

https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Heroes_of_the_Realm

Plus they are all oversized.

[cryogen]

I don't think that Gashnaw is questioning the overall legality of the card, or just how broken it can be. Maybe focus on the bulk of his question: building the deck in a fair manner?

[DirkGently]

If someone at my LGS sat down and said "I built a deck around a custom card, is that cool?" I'd say "idk, depends on the card, let's see it."

It's a Heroes of the Realm card: celebration cards rewarded to a few Wizards of the Coast employees. They're real cards but since they weren't made with the idea that someone might actually play them they're use at your own risk.

https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Heroes_of_the_Realm

Ah, ok. There were some parts of the OP that sounded like it was a semi-real card but I figured I was reading too much into it.

I'd still be very unlikely to let anyone play with this, though.

Looking back at the 2016-2018 sets, wotc was pretty reasonable (even underpowered, tbh) with 2016. Then idk what happened, balance went right out the window. The ur dragon pw is absurd too.

[materpillar]

I think proliferate and ways to reduce costs are important. I would like to play my commander and then proliferate get two wizards, reduce cost by 3 (Since chapter I and II are in effect,) In addition to any other wizards i may have)
Hopefully proliferate again, Get my PW recast my general (Since it am reducing the Commander tax. And basically just go ham. Drawing cards will also be nice so my reduced spell costs are useful. (Blue sun's zenith with a reduction by 5...
So yes it will be wizard tribal. I have played Wizard tribal before (Azami, Lady of scrolls, which will be in this deck too) so i know that i can do wizard tribal quite well. The issue with Arena is the fact that is is easy to get rid of with all enchantment destruction, My goal is to just overwhelm my opponents with spells and hopefully get a few Ultimate off with my PWs. (Narset, Dack, Tamyo, Teferi, Venser, Elspeth, Kenrith twins, Jace, Maybe tezz. (I am thinking maybe about 11-13 PWs) Massive amount of wizards, along with Counter spells and draw power. I think the main focus will be blue, so most lands will produce Blue in addition to to other colors.

so looking for help.

So, if you ever want to play this deck more than once. The deck you brainstormed, don't build it. This card is ridiculously insanely powerful to a absolutely absurd degree. Unless your metagame is playing close to cEDH, if you build the deck you described you will play the deck maybe once before the table rage-quits. Personally if you asked me if you could play this card, after reading it I'd first ask what the first planeswalker you tutor for every game is. If you answered any of the planeswalkers you listed, I would refuse to play against you. I think darrenhabib summed up the situation perfectly.

Yeah I agree with DirkGently on this one, its just too busted. Like the minute you use it to search for Narset Transcendent with 3 Wizard in play, you're going to be dragged off into the parking lot and beaten to death.

Let me describe this card to you. For four mana, you immediately get a 2/1. The next turn you get two Sapphire Medallions, two Pearl Medallions, and two ruby medallions. The following turn you get a planeswalker that either immediately ultimates or threatens an ultimate next turn. I really don't want to play against a deck that reliably ults Ugin, the Spirit Dragon or Jace, Unraveler of Secrets turn 5.

I'd probably be willing to play against you if you did Chandra tribal? Obvious flavor fail with your general choice, but probably not aggressively busted.
https://edhrec.com/commanders/chandra-fire-of-kaladesh

[Gashnaw]

I have a Chandra tribal deck. I guess I could play less absurd PWs (like tamiyo is pretty good, but she doesn't the hurt other players, just gives you a good advantage of never running out of spells.)
I won't run JTMS
I will also make an attempt to win without always tutoring a PW to ult with. (Lotus god maybe)

The PWs I listed are not game winners, just fun police. I think if I don't play fun police, I can get away with a big more.

[materpillar]

I have a Chandra tribal deck. I guess I could play less absurd PWs (like tamiyo is pretty good, but she doesn't the hurt other players, just gives you a good advantage of never running out of spells.)
I won't run JTMS
I will also make an attempt to win without always tutoring a PW to ult with. (Lotus god maybe)

The PWs I listed are not game winners, just fun police. I think if I don't play fun police, I can get away with a big more.

I think your card strength analysis is very very incorrect. If you used this to tutor for Jace, the Mind Sculptor I would be extremely relieved. Planeswalker ultimates are designed to win the game almost immediately, JTMS only kills 1 person and tutoring for him would only end up with him 3-4 turns away from ultimating as opposed to Tamiyo who you'd ultimate a turn later at most. I'm going to have to assume you've never seen a successfully ultimated Tamiyo. It's almost impossible to lose after ulting her if the boardstate is anywhere near parity. Normal strong cards become absolutely back breaking. You like counterspell? It's pretty hard for your opponents to fight through endless counterspells and that's a tame card. I hope your opponents didn't need creatures the moment you find swords to plowshares. Heaven forbid you draw cyclonic rift, so they never get a boardstate ever again. That's just normal interaction spells, not even anything that randomly goes infinite like Time Warp.

Another problem with this card is that there will always be a best planeswalker to tutor for. This means your games are likely to feel extremely similar and repetitive.

Seriously though, three extremely experienced magic players are telling you this card is incredibly busted. Be very very very very cautious trying to build a deck around it if you want to play that deck with your friends more than once. Most of the planeswalker ultimates you stated aren't merely "fun police" they're incredibly massive advantages if not straight game ending if you spend even the most minimal time building your deck around them.

[Gashnaw]

I'm going to have to assume you've never seen a successfully ultimated Tamiyo.

Yes I have, in fact i have ulted her many times myself. She is not the one that got players to scoop. If you do not have a counterspell (Or similar in hand) or a time warp you are not going to get as much use out of her as you would with a Narset. With JTMS chances are I would go for him if i have more wizards on the field. In fact most would be based on Wizard count. If there is a board wipe just before my turn, that means i will have no wizards. The royal scions seems to be a much better fit when you might not get to ult a big guy. Of course I could always tweak the power level.

My playgroup however has a good chunk of destruction in terms of artifact and Enchantments. i am not exactly safe. in fact creature removal is more limited, with exile being the favored attempt. (if it is destruction, it is mainly a permanent or nonland permanent. Assassin's trophy, Beast within (And its white counterpart) Cards that target more than just creatures. Sword and Path may only target creature, but they exile. No one is going to play Doom blade. (but taht is also due to the vast majority of decks (at my LGS) running at least some form of black. So it ends up being a dead card 9/10 times.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

I wouldn't want to play against this. By the time it hits chapter 3, you have enough mana (assuming you hit your lands/ramp) to recast it immediately. Plus, Docent of Perfection and flux channeler alone make the whole deck miserable.

[Gashnaw]

I wouldn't want to play against this. By the time it hits chapter 3, you have enough mana (assuming you hit your lands/ramp) to recast it immediately. Plus, Docent of Perfection and flux channeler alone make the whole deck miserable.

Oooo, spicy.

[Sinis]

As others have said, this card is pretty bonkers powerful.

Depending on the number of wizards you cast in addition to the two you get from the Saga (and those wizards will be discounted by the Saga as well), I would be sorely tempted to just fetch and ult Ral Zarek, and then do whatever I wanted with roughly 2.5 extra turns, up to and including playing The Legend of the Arena again, proliferating it with spells, and fetching the next walker to ult... let's imagine Narset Transcendant or Dovin 'The Static Orb Ult' Baan.

Part of it is that all your spells are reduced by the number of wizards you have, and that's going to potentially mean free stuff, or things with trivial costs, and also probably means that the third trigger is always going to be some walker ult. And walker Ults from the command zone... are... uh...

[Gashnaw]

As others have said, this card is pretty bonkers powerful.

Depending on the number of wizards you cast in addition to the two you get from the Saga (and those wizards will be discounted by the Saga as well), I would be sorely tempted to just fetch and ult Ral Zarek, and then do whatever I wanted with roughly 2.5 extra turns, up to and including playing The Legend of the Arena again, proliferating it with spells, and fetching the next walker to ult... let's imagine Narset Transcendant or Dovin 'The Static Orb Ult' Baan.

Part of it is that all your spells are reduced by the number of wizards you have, and that's going to potentially mean free stuff, or things with trivial costs, and also probably means that the third trigger is always going to be some walker ult. And walker Ults from the command zone... are... uh...

yeah, i am kind of the point where i wish to punish my playgroup for saying yes. But at the same time, i would like to be able to use it more often than once.

[hyalopterouslemur]

I don't think that Gashnaw is questioning the overall legality of the card, or just how broken it can be. Maybe focus on the bulk of his question: building the deck in a fair manner?

Your planeswalkers would be things like Jace Beleren (One card per turn for three mana is pretty mediocre, and the mill is useless without Bloodchief Ascension.) and Chandra Nalaar. Chandra Ablaze could be a problem, though; that -7 is basically a YawgWin, provided they're red spells (i.e., instants and sorceries), but that easily reaches 40 damage, for free, excluding x spells like Earthquake of course, and now at doesn't have a downside.

[Gashnaw]

I don't think that Gashnaw is questioning the overall legality of the card, or just how broken it can be. Maybe focus on the bulk of his question: building the deck in a fair manner?

Your planeswalkers would be things like Jace Beleren (One card per turn for three mana is pretty mediocre, and the mill is useless without Bloodchief Ascension.) and Chandra Nalaar. Chandra Ablaze could be a problem, though; that -7 is basically a YawgWin, provided they're red spells (i.e., instants and sorceries), but that easily reaches 40 damage, for free, excluding x spells like Earthquake of course, and now at doesn't have a downside.

Yea the bulk of my deck is blue right now. Not by choice but by the best spells and wizards are in blue.