Ephara - A Cornucopia of Cards
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Table of Contents
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Deck Overview
Ephara, God of the Polis started out as a weird idea:
I always admired Gaka's famous Norin list, but disliked the randomness involved. But what if I could match the constant triggering with something more controlling, something blinky? And what if I could build this within a UW control shell, somehting that was missing from my portfolio of decks for years? Then a certain wurm skittered and wiggled its way into my brain. Thus, Ephara was born!
The main idea of this deck is to trigger Ephara on every player's turn to drown my opponents in card advantage. Mainly this is accomplished by cards like Saltskitter, Whitemane Lion, and Nadir Kraken. If I was playing on other player's turns, using a suite of flash creatures was the obvious idea. Tampering with Flash and ETBs lead to the inclusion of more blink enablers, with Thassa, Deep-Dwelling and Soulherder being the greatest powerhouses. Finally, Thassa and my neverending love for enchantments made the inclusion of another sub-theme an obvious choice.
Ephara needs some setup to really get going, so casting her early becomes a high priority. Once we reach the midgame she amasses so many resources that the deck becomes quite inevitable. Drawing up to 4 additional cards a turn is no joke. With all that card draw she seldom misses land drops and manages to keep on pace with green-based decks, sometimes she even outramps them. All in all, Ephara is highly interactive force with a really sticky Commandress. If she gets to the endgame, she typically dominates the table.
One of her bigger problems was closing the game, but with the last additions this became more manageable. Sometimes chip damage can be problematic, too: Even if I managed to stabilise, being on a low life total bears great danger to the beloved Goddess of the Polis. I don't have a solution to this problem atm, so any suggestions are welcome!
By now, Ephara is one of my signature decks. I really love the way she gives me something to do at every other turn. At the same time she lets me play with obscure cards like Saltskitter, Nadir Kraken, and Fleeting Spirit! This is not your stereotypical blink deck, but something greater!
The constant flickering and blinking and the logistical annoyances to mark the cards that are in exile until end of turn made me craft some cute little marker. I use the doublesided "AWOL/I'm back, suckers" counter you can see at the top to mark the cards that are absent without leave. If you don't know the great, but unfortunately discontinued webcomic Lotus Cobra is Evil, give it a look! It inspired the skittering, wiggling snake at the front of the token.
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Current Decklist
Decklist
Approximate Total Cost:
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Deck Strategy
So, how exactly does Ephara play her game? The main goal is to keep being busy, to trigger Ephara as often as possible. With this in mind the deck dedicates quite a lot of slots creatures that can enter the battlefield on any turn or repeatedly churn out tokens on other players turns. The bread-and-buter-creatures for this strategy are Whitemane Lion, Stonecloaker, Fleeting Spirit, and Venser, Shaper Savant. Having one of them at hand, especially the Lion or the Spirit, keep the cards flowing, while providing some extras like Stonecloaker. Saltskitter and Faerie Artisans are triggered by my opponents actions. While not as good as the self-bouncing creatures, they do a great job in keeping the machine alive. Nadir Kraken, Keeper of the Accord and Sacred Mesa don't require much setup, either. The Kraken and the Mesa are excellent lategame options, too! At the moment I'm testing The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration, but I'm pretty sure, this won't make the cut in the long run.
Tapping into Flash and Blinking lead to the inclusion of some other engines. Thassa, Deep-Dwelling, Soulherder, and Venser, the Sojourner guarantee that a creature enters the battlefield on each of my turns thus drawing me a card in the next player's upkeep. Eldrazi Displacer does something similar, but let's me do it at any time. Ephemerate, Restoration Angel, Charming Prince, and Sword of Hearth and Home present some one- (or two-) time actions with additional value tacked onto them.
Finally, after using my hand and exile to trigger ETBs, the graveyard is the last zone I use to get my triggers. Sun Titan and Reveillark are some of my all-time favourites, which can recur most of my important cards. Emeria, the Sky Ruin is suprisingly consistent with all the plains searching and pseudo-ramping this deck is capable of. It has won me more than a few games.
With all that Blinking and Flickering the deck is in dire need of some targets. These range from old reliables like Solemn Simulacrum to some removal options (Cavalier of Dawn and Skyclave Apparition) and straight up win conditions such as Agent of Treachery or Sower of Temptation.
Finally, Ephara includes some of the finest enchantments Azorius has to offer. In fact some are so good that their presence brings us nearer to our inevitable victory. While Rhystic Study and Smothering Tithe are really great and somewhat oppressive resource producers, Thassa, Deep-Dwelling is a straight up gamewinner that needs to be handled immediately. The power of these cards (and my undying love for UW Enchantments) justifies the inclusion of Academy Rector, Enlightened Tutor, and Dance of the Manse.
The rest of the deck is filled with removal (Hour of Revelation, Swords to Plowshares), counters with upsides (Sublime Epiphany, Overcharged Amalgam), some ramp (Land Tax, Stormscape Familiar) and game-winning spells (Finale of Glory, Rite of Replication).
Early Game
As described above, Ephara needs some setup. So in the early stages of the game you want to cast her as soon as possible. In many games she should come down as early as turn three via a mana stone or Stormscape Familiar. At the same time you want to gum up the game quite a bit. This can be achieved by protecting yourself with Meekstone and Ghostly Prison or resetting the board via Vanquish the Horde or Hour of Revelation. A disruptive counterspell or removal to your opponents key creatures works wonders, too.At the same time, you want to have something to get your engine going, a follow-up play to Ephara. This could be something small like Fleeting Spirit or maybe something to set up the next turns like Nadir Kraken.
A great hand to keep would look something like the following. It provides the means to cast Ephara early, while giving you the means to disrupt your opponents early plays. With Whitemane Lion you even get a great follow-up play and a flexible slot with Stunt Double.
Mid-Game
Once you hit the mid-game Ephara really shines. At this point you should have a small engine running, netting you some cards. By now you should be able to draw 2-3 additional cards each turn cycle via Whitemane Lion or Nadir Kraken, while keeping your mana open for some instant speed interaction. By now you should hit all of your land drops easily. It is time to get your bigger engines rolling. Getting something like Thassa, Deep-Dwelling or Faerie Artisans online gives you plenty of value, while the card draw from Ephara provides you with your control pieces. Wrath the board, if necessary!Late-Game
You established baord control and are still alive? Great! Not it's time to end the game. Thassa, Deep-Dwelling and Cavalier of Dawn or Agent of Treachery will get you a slow and steady victory. Getting Emeria, the Sky Ruin online works just as fine. If you prefer something more explosive, try Rite of Replication, Finale of Glory, or Dance of the Manse!At the same time you need to have a look at your opponents. Don't be greedy, keep your counter mana open. Nothing ruins your day like a Craterhoof Behemoth with a counterspell in hand but only tapped lands, because you wanted to draw more cards...
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Card Choice Discussion
The Self-bouncing Five
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These are the bread-and-butter-creatures, they keep Ephara trigger-happy and let the cards flow. Bouncing a value or removal creature like Overcharged Amalgam is no joke, either.
- Whitemane Lion - The gold standard.
- Stonecloaker - Sometimes a bit expensive, but nontheless a great card.
- Venser, Shaper Savant - Ephara-trigger and control tool in one flashy package. What's not to love?
- Fleeting Spirit - The newest inclusion. He let's me trigger Ephara without any mana investment. It's nearly unkillable, too! This little spirit made me reconsider Land Tax.
- Saltskitter - The reason this deck exists.
Token spewers
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Ephara doens't care, if you are a token or if you are represented by an actual card.
- Nadir Kraken - A force that needs to be answered. One of the best follow-ups to Ephara.
- Keeper of the Accord - There is always some token deck at my table.
- Faerie Artisans - Even if this needs your opponents to do something, getting a copy of their value creatures is worth a slot.
- Sacred Mesa - Casting and protecting the pegasoi-spewing mountain of a card won me so many games. Great at triggering Ephara and drowning your opponents in flying horses.
Blink Engines
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We gain so much value from creatures entering the battlefield. So let's go down that rabbit hole even further!
- Soulherder - Soulherder and Thassa generate so much value, its not even funny. Triggering cards like Skyclave Apparition or Agent of Treachery again and again is a great way to ensure victory.
- Thassa, Deep-Dwelling - Being an indestructible enchantment makes this really hard to interact with. Typically this is the target I search for with Academy Rector.
- Venser, the Sojourner - Still a fun card, but in no way as strong as the other two options.
- Eldrazi Displacer - I play a Wastes to have a searchable land to support this little guy.
- Sword of Hearth and Home - Brobably not the best deck for a sword given that my creatures regularly leave the battlefield. Nontheless this has proven itself again and again.
- Ephemerate - Instant speed blink, probably the best in slot.
- Charming Prince - So much flexibility in one card! Wish, he had flash, though.
- Restoration Angel - Flash, great body, supports the gameplan. Yes, please!
- Crystal Shard - Not really a blink engine, but it gets the job done. So many opponents forget about this until I bounce their creatures unexpectedly.
Graveyard Shenanigans
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I'm a sucker for graveyard strategies so is Ephara. These cards give me some resiliance and a the same time help me trigger Ephara.
- Emeria, the Sky Ruin - Suprisingly I get Emeria online quite often. I have a soft spot for the Modern Emeria Control shell, so yeah. It works.
- Sun Titan - One of my all-time favourites, I play this in nearly every white deck. It recurs so many important cards and sometimes dominates the board.
- Reveillark - Maybe this is questionable, but sometimes this great elemental brings me back into a game I thought was lost.
- Dance of the Manse - With so many important enchantments the Dance does some serious work and doubles as a finisher.
Blink Targets
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With all the blink engines, some blink targets are ... well ... necessary, I guess.
- Solemn Simulacrum - Ol' reliable.
- Agent of Treachery - Pairing this with one of our blink engines typically ensures our victory.
- Sower of Temptation - The Agent is so good that I chose to include this significantly worse faerie. And it's still good enough.
- Cavalier of Dawn - Does everything one can ever dream of. Solid card.
- Skyclave Apparition - Wanted to try this for years. Replaces Amphin Mutineer.
- Overcharged Amalgam - I just want a U/UW Mystic Snake. Is this too much to ask for?
Card Advantage and Tutors
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- Enlightened Tutor - Tutoring to the top of my library is not a problem with the amount of cards we're drawing.
- Academy Rector - Typically finds Thassa and is a great rattlesnake.
- Rhystic Study - Yeah, what should I say? Do you pay the one??
Removal and Counters
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For now I will only cover my weirder choices.
Single Target
Single Target
- Aura of Silence - Single-handely hoses some strategies. Tutorable, recourable.
- Detention Sphere - Tutorable, recourable.
- Generous Gift
- Reality Shift - I'm torn between this and Path to Exile. The land from PtE is a problem sometimes, but RS costs 2 mana. Needs further testing.
- Swords to Plowshares
- Council's Judgment - I really like the political aspect.
- Cathar Commando - Flash creature! Yeah!
- Remorseful Cleric - Again, I'm not sure. This used to be Angel of Finality, which is more abuseable but costs 4 mana. Needs further testing.
- Oblivion Stone
- Hour of Revelation
- Vanquish the Horde
- Rout - Further digs into the instant speed interaction of Ephara.
- Cyclonic Rift
- Counterspell
- Narset's Reversal
- Glen Elendra Archmage - Easily resettable, protects my board.
- Sublime Epiphany - This is really a jack of all trades! Expensive, but it does so. much. stuff!
Finishers
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Earlier versions struggled to finish the game, so I added some more traditional big mana finishers.
- Finale of Glory
- Rite of Replication
- God-Eternal Oketra - This used to be better. I'm not sure, if the God-Eternal still is the right choice for this deck.
Miscellaneous
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Some cards that don't fit into other categories.
- The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration - At first I was excited about the potential of this card ... but at the moment I'm looking for a replacement.
- Meekstone - Gum up the board.
- Ghostly Prison - Gum up the board.
- Stunt Double - I really like the flexibility of a flash clone. Havving another copy of one of your creatures or copying your opponents strongest feels great!
Ramp
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This deck could probably use another mana stone, but on the other hand I'm quite satisfied.
- Sol Ring
- Azorius Signet
- Talisman of Progress
- Stormscape Familiar
- Land Tax - Added synergy with Fleeting Spirit.
- Weathered Wayfarer - Searches for Emeria, the Sky Ruin and other lands.
- Deep Gnome Terramancer
- Smothering Tithe
Lands
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I won't cover the mana producing lands, because, well, they produce mana. Which is necessary, to make the deck work. Kinda. We're not playing Dredge, do we?
- Emeria, the Sky Ruin - One of my all-time favourite lands. Look at the strategy section for some thoughts!
- Terrain Generator - Drawing cards means drawing lands. The Generator helps us to deploy these to the battlefield.
- Reliquary Tower
- Scavenger Grounds
- Ghost Quarter
- Mystic Sanctuary
- Hall of Heliod's Generosity
- Kor Haven
- Otawara, Soaring City
Further Considerations
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No decklist is every finished. These are some cards I'm considering at the moment.
- Selfless Squire - Sometimes Ephara struggles with alpha strikes. The squire could fill this role.
- Ephara needs her time to stabilize, so a way to gain some life, would be great. But atm I have no idea, what card could fill that role. Any suggestion is welcome.
- Teleportation Circle - Thassa is great, so having another slightly worse copy could do some work. Not sure, if this is really necessary though.
- Aether Channeler - Looks a lot like the highly flexible Charming Prince. Does anybody have any experience with the wizard?
- Cloudblazer - Expensive, but draws cards, gains life and is a flyer. The scout flies in and out of my decklist.
- Aboleth Spawn - Could be great, could be trash, but has flash. If I can get my hands on a copy, I will test it. Any input is greatly appreciated!
- Stenn, Paranoid Partisan - He could fill the role of another mana stone that ramps into Ephara and doubles as an engine. Further testing needed.
- Recruiter of the Guard - Yeah. I want to add the recruiter since its printing, but it's price is just out of my comfort zone. Great card, nontheless. She finds nearly every relevant creature.
Notable Excludes
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- Fast Mana - Not a fan of either Mana Crypt nor Jeweled Lotus. They are not on par with my groups power level either.
- Combos - Not the game I want to play.
- Expensive cards - Hm, while I play some more expensive cards, I traded for most of them or got them, when they were cheap. I like to keep it that way.
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Credit & Thanks
This deck wouldn't exist without the constant help and playtests of some of my oldest friends. Shout-out to more than 14 years of Magic!
Same goes for WizardMN and pokken and their great primers on Ephara. Even if I'm more of a lurker, your work, your ideas, and your passion for Ephara are greatly appreciated!
Credit for this Primer Template belongs to all members of the Primer Committee. Thank you!
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Change Log
Old decklists
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This is the first decklist I posted online, which tracks the revisions from the last few years, even if the deck is much older: https://deckstats.net/decks/180546/2063838-edh-ephara
2022-12-21
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2023-12-04
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Decklist
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2023-12-11
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