Twelfth Doctor Spellslinger: Allow Me To Demonstrate...

[Hawk]

Capaldi's run as The Doctor is my favorite, with Heaven Sent as my all-time favorite episode of the show. I'm eager to build a deck around him, even though The Twelfth Doctor is a challenging card to make work imo. They sort of did our good doctor dirty for a few reasons:

- 5 mana is more than I normally like to spend on my commanders, and he has no inbuilt protection or immediate game impact.
- We have to cast a spell from somewhere other than our hand. This is doable, but is a hoop to jump through.
- Demonstrate is usually worse than just copying a spell like, say, Sevinne, the Chronoclasm might as we're giving our opponents something for free. Sevinne is not a bastion of power, but I have a ton of experience with him. That this is in some ways worse than Sevinne is...ominous.
- His other trigger is borderline trinket text.

Add to that that Twelve's three canonical companions (Clara, Nardole, and Bill) are sort of mediocre with him, and we have a lot to deal with to make a functional deck. But, hey, restrictions breed creativity and we're gonna do our best! Here's the skeleton I've carved out:

The Twelfth Doctor

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

Commander: 2

1 The Twelfth Doctor

1 Companion

Sorcery: 19

1 Alrund's Epiphany

1 Ancestral Vision

1 Call the Skybreaker

1 Ecstatic Beauty

1 Faithless Looting

1 Ignite the Future

1 Impending Flux

1 Inspired Tinkering

1 Inspiring Refrain

1 Jeska's Will

1 Mind's Desire

1 Ponder

1 Preordain

1 Quantum Misalignment

1 Rousing Refrain

1 Start the TARDIS

1 Summons of Saruman

1 Throes of Chaos

1 Truth or Consequences

Artifact: 13

1 Arcane Signet

1 Fractured Powerstone

1 Izzet Signet

1 Lotus Bloom

1 Mind Stone

1 Lightning Greaves

1 River Song's Diary

1 Sol Ring

1 Sonic Screwdriver

1 TARDIS

1 Talisman of Creativity

1 Twinning Staff

1 Wayfarer's Bauble

Creatures: 15

1 Archmage Emeritus

1 Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty

1 Cosmos Charger

1 Etherium-Horn Sorcerer

1 Flaming Tyrannosaurus

1 Iraxxa, Empress of Mars

1 Kami of Celebration

1 Nalfeshnee

1 The Tenth Doctor

1 Sage of the Beyond

1 Scalding Viper // Steam Clean

1 Sibylline Soothsayer

1 Storm-Kiln Artist

1 Veyran, Voice of Duality

1 Memory Worm

Instants: 8

1 Behold the Multiverse

1 Chaos Warp

1 Cyclonic Rift

1 Decaying Time Loop

1 Delayed Blast Fireball

1 Galvanic Iteration

1 Increasing Vengeance

1 Reality Shift

Enchantment: 4

1 Heaven Sent

1 Return the Past

1 The Flux

1 Visions of Phyrexia

Planeswalkers: 1

1 Ral, Storm Conduit

Lands: 38

14 Island

17 Mountain

1 Storm-carved Coast

1 Fiery Islet

1 Command Tower

1 Desolate Lighthouse

1 Shivan Reef

1 Steam Vents

1 Sulfur Falls

Approximate Total Cost:

This build is purely Izzet, with a TBD Companion - I think I actually like K-9, Mark I the best, as a way to fish for Voltron kills with the good Doctor, but Yasmin Khan enables the doctor from the command zone which is nice, and I don't hate Martha Jones either; we have a fair few ways to make .

But, we have so many options! I think what I'm wrestling with is whether or not another color adds enough to the deck. Almost any direction would let us run more Doctors which would then make Twice Upon a Time a reality for another demonstrable time walk, so that is alluring. In terms of those colors...

Green: Green opens up all green's great ramp. I don't love our companion choices here - we're looking most likely at Clara Oswald for flavor and to grow the Doctor faster, since we can't really exploit all the food from Graham O'Brien even though we will be triggering him constantly. I actually don't hate Susan Foreman either, just to have guaranteed ramp in the command zone to land 12 a bit sooner. In terms of cards I'd be most excited to add, Green's got:

Temur

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

1 The Thirteenth Doctor

1 Escape to the Wilds

1 Search for Tomorrow

1 Me, The Immortal

1 Spitting Image

1 Bigger on the Inside

1 Tlincalli Hunter

1 Questing Druid

Approximate Total Cost:

White: White offers a lot less. I love Dinosaurs on a Spaceship as much as the next guy but just seems worse than green. I don't think any companion here is that great.

Black: Prosper, Tome-Bound is a go here if I do a black Clara.

[darrenhabib]

I think you need to think in terms of politics and power balancing games when building around 12th Doc.
Who gets the copy? Make deals. Play cards that can effect players who are getting out of hand by directing 3 spells at them (opponent made to cooperate first).

Glorious End kills an opponent. Because their copy will be the first to resolve, the turn will end before your ones resolve.
Pact of Negation, Pact of the Titan, etc are also great ways to catch an opponent with off-colors.

The "once per turn" should also factor in big. Get those instant cantrips and disruption in there. Isochron Scepter and Elite Arcanist can help with that.
It's also a reason why I'd value "end of your next turn" over "end of turn".
Invasion of Kaldheim, Light Up the Stage, March of Reckless Joy, Mishra's Research Desk, Reckless Impulse, Wrenn's Resolve, You Find Some Prisoners.

Eruth, Tormented Prophet looks great especially if you have the instant cantrips.
Magmatic Channeler, Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Professional Face-Breaker are other creatures I'd look at.

Dockside Extortionist when copied will mean that opponent puts treasures into play and then you'll get the additional treasures from theirs (if they don't sacrifice).

Spinerock Knoll, Nivix, Aerie of the Firemind as utility lands.

The versatility of not just copying instants and sorcery, or a particular type that other Commander do is unique.
Mizzix, Replica Rider does it, but permanents have to be sacrificed at end of turn.

Also look at all the adventures that are going to be in your colors
You could get 2x Virtue of Knowledge for example.

[Hawk]

I think you need to think in terms of politics and power balancing games when building around 12th Doc.
Who gets the copy? Make deals. Play cards that can effect players who are getting out of hand by directing 3 spells at them (opponent made to cooperate first).

Glorious End kills an opponent. Because their copy will be the first to resolve, the turn will end before your ones resolve.
Pact of Negation, Pact of the Titan, etc are also great ways to catch an opponent with off-colors.

The "once per turn" should also factor in big. Get those instant cantrips and disruption in there. Isochron Scepter and Elite Arcanist can help with that.
It's also a reason why I'd value "end of your next turn" over "end of turn".
Invasion of Kaldheim, Light Up the Stage, March of Reckless Joy, Mishra's Research Desk, Reckless Impulse, Wrenn's Resolve, You Find Some Prisoners.

Eruth, Tormented Prophet looks great especially if you have the instant cantrips.
Magmatic Channeler, Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Professional Face-Breaker are other creatures I'd look at.

Dockside Extortionist when copied will mean that opponent puts treasures into play and then you'll get the additional treasures from theirs (if they don't sacrifice).

Spinerock Knoll, Nivix, Aerie of the Firemind as utility lands.

The versatility of not just copying instants and sorcery, or a particular type that other Commander do is unique.
Mizzix, Replica Rider does it, but permanents have to be sacrificed at end of turn.

Also look at all the adventures that are going to be in your colors
You could get 2x Virtue of Knowledge for example.

Maybe this is the deck that makes me learn2politics, since I'm pretty bad at it. I actually avoided a lot of demonstrable removal of varying levels of quality (Ravenform, Beacon Bolt, Brazen Borrower // Petty Theft, Horned Loch-Whale // Lagoon Breach, Demon Bolt) out of my fear opponents would just use their copy to kill 12. Scalding Viper // Steam Clean made the cut just due to how low I felt on early game plays especially if I do end up going for Clara as my companion - but of course, if I play my cards right, it doesn't have to be that way.

That's all sinister with Pacts and Glorious End. I worry that's too mean for 12? But it is extremely funny. Glorious End, in particular, feels pretty spicy and I do have a foil copy kicking around.

I feel like my current iteration is "enough" ways to trigger the good doctor. Of my 27 instants and sorceries, 22 have some mechanic that makes them demonstrable (Flashback, Suspend, Adventure, etc.), or they put things into exile for casting. Some do both (Ecstatic Beauty, Ignite the Future, Summons of Saruman). All my enchantments either put cards into exile to cast or cast themselves from there with Heaven Sent. And then I've got a fair few Suspend/Adventure/Cascade effects on my creatures and artifacts. At my initial count something like 39 cards in my deck can help me get my Demonstration on, and if I land on Yasmin Khan as my companion I'll have a reliable way to do it out of my command zone as well. That being said, definitely did think about Isochron Scepter in this deck and may loop back to it, and Light Up the Stage and Invasion of Kaldheim // Pyre of the World Tree were in my maybeboard. I also really toyed with Virtue of Knowledge // Vantress Visions; I don't think my deck has enough triggers for it but it's pretty close.

Good call on those lands. I like Desolate Lighthouse but this may be the only deck in history for which Nivix, Aerie of the Firemind is better.

-------------
We got a new companion previewed today in Vislor Turlough, and he's definitely better than Clara as a sort of "cruel poltics" commander if we want to go black. Knowing the dirty pact tricks makes me intrigued to have access to Slaughter Pact. Definitely something to chew on...

[TheGildedGoose]

We got a new companion previewed today in Vislor Turlough, and he's definitely better than Clara as a sort of "cruel poltics" commander if we want to go black. Knowing the dirty pact tricks makes me intrigued to have access to Slaughter Pact. Definitely something to chew on...

Oooh, I like this idea. Outside of sneaky combo kills, if you can properly assess game states you can discern who the threat is going to be, then gift them Turlough and convince your "allies" to pile on with demonstrated spells. I've always wanted to build a Grixis politics deck and this could be fun, if you decide to go down that route.

[darrenhabib]

Vislor Turlough is interesting because cast from Command Zone you can Demonstrate and you'll end up giving 2 away. If the opponent is smart they will give you their copy, so that your copy will get the legend ruled. You keep and give away the new one so that the original can be kept or given away.
But if the opponent chooses to keep theirs (or give to another opponent) then you can give away both of yours.

If you decide to take the darker path then Opposition Agent can be married with tutors. Say you cast Demonic Tutor, you get to search for 2 cards yourself and search opponents library for a card. Then when you cast that card, you can also double up on it because cast from exile.

Dream Devourer can be an engine.

Virtue of Persistence // Locthwain Scorn would be great because the -3/-3 avoids killing your Commanders and -6/-6 will kill most creatures. 2x Virtue of Persistence going to be nice, but your opponent with a copy is going to get first shot at a creature.

Decadent Dragon // Expensive Taste also looks good.

Battles get cast from exile when they are defeated.
Invasion of Karsus can clear out blockers for 12th Doc and getting 2x Refraction Elemental means that each spell you cast deals 4 damage.
Invasion of Tarkir with 2x Defiant Thundermaw.

Chaos Wand, Wand of Wonder and Synthesis Pod importantly can get triggers outside of your turn.

The Reality Chip, Experimental Frenzy, Future Sight.

If you manage to Demonstrate Spark Double or Sakashima of a Thousand Faces you'll have 3 copies of The Twelfth Doctor which is very powerful. For example casting another clone like Glasspool Mimic will mean that you then have 6x 12th Doc.
Quantum Misalignment even if you just cast it without Demonstrate means you get 2x copy of Doc, then the Rebound can be Demonstrate to get 5x.

I was thinking about the Pacts and that you'll need to be careful because you will need to pay the for both your copies.
The exception is Pact of Negation because you can target it with your copy. Doesn't matter where the opponent sends their one, you'll only have to pay 5.