MTGNexus

Crazy Monkey wrote: ↑

2 years ago

On topic, have you had a chance to try fitting Bull's Strength in here yet? I was somewhat surprised it didn't make the initial cut on release, but it does make sense based on mana cost. I am also somewhat curious on your experience with Leonin Lightscribe and Sudden Breakthrough. I've been starting to get a brainworm for 3 color Zada and those are in my maybe pile.

Off topic, I was updating my Zada thread and realized that my mention of multicolor Zada support does not yet include a link to this thread. Are you alright with me adding that link and mention?

Yea feel free to add it. I love both Leonin Lightscribe and Sudden break through. Break through makes combo turns unstoppable which is amazing while Leonin is a house and a half that closes games out quickly.

Bull's Strength is a card I keep forgetting exists when I order cards.

Hi Ulka -- here's a rough version for a 5-color Zada list with cEDH in mind -- would appreciate any feedback/thoughts you're willing to share!

https://www.moxfield.com/decks/9KO-Sh8duE6hrDNKyQlS7A

On a quick glance at your list I would want more Countermagic and free removal for opponents. Stuff like Force of Will, Force of Negation, and Force of Vigor are all ones I would look into. Additional cards such as Noxious Revival.

One card I really like in your list is Scale the Heights. I never really thought about this before and am going to find one at home and slot that in ASAP. I also quite like Crypsis and Honestly I forgot it existed so that's one I may need to look into.

My biggest advice from playing this list is keep your additional combos down a bit. having 2-3 additional combos such as food chain and Witherbloom combo or a heat vision's combo is fine but I'd reduce the amount of them so that way they don't dilute the deck too much.

I appreciate the suggestions very much!!

It's funny...I initially started out with probably 8-10 counterspells (all the good "free" ones and a few other 1 CMCs) and probably 4-6 removal pieces (Swords to Plowshares, Snap, Chain of Vapor, Abrade, Chaos Warp, and Force of Vigor).

The more I kept thinking about it and goldfishing earlier builds of the deck, the more I kept coming back to wanting/needing ever more draw cantrips. You and Crazy Monkey called it right I think....the insanity that is Zada is that she turns any random 1-2 drop cantrip into <insert # here> Ancestral Recalls over and over again. Adding every color to the toolbox ends up stapling that ridiculous draw to a pretty wide variety of tricks ranging from combat stuff to token generation to evasion to untapping to counters, etc akin to your original 4-color Zada list. Additionally, Zada's ability effectively neuters a lot of the bog standard staple-type cEDH countermagic except for niche stuff like Stifle/Tale's End or stuff that basically counters everything at once like Whirlwind Denial (which i've never seen in a game ever) or Glorious End.

I love the "play an extra land this turn" cantrips....with Quandrix Apprentice live and any board of 5+ critters you're talking about massive ramp that just kinda comes out of nowhere.

I'm about 97% sure that the Food Chain line is getting chopped b/c frankly it was just really difficult to pull off if the cards didn't show up in the first couple of cantrips and building around all-in FC combo takes up too many slots when all I want is more draw cantrips. I feel like the draw engine is so strong with a decent opener that by the time I normally got to food chain + a cast from exile critter, most of the time i'd already have 30+ cards in hand and the potential to end the game without having to jump through all the FC combo hoops. I think the main win cons will most likely end up being LabMan, Thoracle, and Witherbloom Apprentice.

I keep waffling on Impact Tremors or something in that sphere given the ridiculous amount of stuff this deck can vomit on the board with a few decent draws via Orvar or the token maker cantrips. In my heart of hearts, I want to include Psychosis Crawler but I feel like that is too slow for my goal of making this build fringe cEDH-ish.

if you want something to feel like Psychosis Crawler for cedh fringe I'd look at Wild Defiance. It turns out it quickly turns those draw/cantrips into crazy damage.

Yes -- it is a wonderful effect! You still run it in your 4-color deck, right?

I run basically 4 color (black only added for Ignoble Hierarch, Sedgemoor Witch and Deathrite Shaman.

My current list is as follows:

I am currently considering what I need to cut for Swell of Growth as its another card to force the combo forward.

Hi Ulka -- I've been reworking the list this past week to make it faster/leaner with some more countermagic -- would appreciate any feedback! Thank you in advance

https://www.moxfield.com/decks/9KO-Sh8duE6hrDNKyQlS7A

Gale, Waterdeep Prodigy from Legends 2 is made for this list; there are also a couple of cantrips from the latest Dominaria set that be worth considering....Timely Interference for draw and Shore Up for hexproof+buff+untap.

Third Path Iconoclast from BRO is looking like a nice cheap body generator for 5C Zada -- i'm pretty pumped about this one!

Oh yea Im super excited about the iconoclast! I have a few things with the deck that I need to post as an update soon.

Ulka wrote: ↑

1 year ago

Oh yea Im super excited about the iconoclast! I have a few things with the deck that I need to post as an update soon.

Can't wait to see it!

Hey Ulka -- any 2023 updates for this list?? :D I'm on pins and needles over here!

Hithlain Knots from the new LOTR set is straight up bonkers…..scry 1 + draw a card for 2 mana at instant speed

Updates will be upcoming soon. I need to sit down and review

Assuming the spoilers so far are correct, "Legolas's Quick Reflexes" could make for a nice, well costed alternative protection piece (a la Tamiyo's Safekeeping or Loran's Escape) at instant speed that also enables pseudo boardwipes/creature-based stax removal for the whole team with Zada on board.

Sorry I have really touched this deck in a few months as I have been limited to 1-2 games per month currently.

The cards I'm looking at testing out are the following:
Loran's Escape over Turn Aside: this effectively is a counterspell for what I need it to be.

Shore Up this already has replaced Verdant Rebirth as I found the rebirth often not mattering outside drawing cards.

Third Path Iconoclast was a quick add. It replaced Quandrix Apprentice .



I am looking at testing Gale, Storm Conduit but currently haven't tried any game with him yet. Other testing cards include Escape from Orthanc and Flick a Coin.

Wow...another 2CMC instant from WOE that gives scry + draw (akin to Hithlain Knots from LOTR)

Plunge into Winter

New cheap board doubler via Rat Out

Just got another copy of Sudden Breakthrough from Ixalan...Ancestors' Aid

Daring Discovery is a smidge expensive at 5 CMC but can probably turn into a complete banger if you have more than 5 creatures to radiate across.

The cascade effect is great but can also function as backdoor card advantage if we had an abundance of mana available that gets around anti-draw effects like Orcish Bowmasters, Notion Thief, or Spirit of the Labyrinth. (I think, may need judge interpretation)