Kykar, Wind’s Fury

[WizardMN]

I got another game in with this deck over the weekend:

It was against Marchesa, the Black Rose, Winota, Joiner of Forces, and Tergrid, God of Fright // Tergrid's Lantern. I was probably least worred about Tergrid since this deck has very few permanents.

I started off with a 3 land hand and Sol Ring. One of the lands was Command Beacon which made the mana awkward as I could cast Kykar with the mana I had even though I had 5 mana in hand.

So, I just started off with Purphoros, God of the Forge and hoped everything else would come together. Winota was doing a fair amount with building up tokens with Legion Warboss and I was basically just trying to get to another white source for Cleansing Nova.

Winota cast their general and hit a Geist-Honored Monk and a Drannith Magistrate and got Tergrid down to 12 on turn 4. Tergrid then cast a Mindslicer and Marchesa ended up wrathing since I couldn't get the right colored mana still. I had the chance to turn off Mindslicer with Mirrorweave but I felt that it was way better for everyone to have nothing in hand.

So, the game slowed to a crawl with Tergrid, along with their Geier Reach Sanitarium taking over a little bit. And, of course, they hit a Jace, Mirror Mage off me. It ended up working out in the end though.

My next turn I drew a Cyclonic Rift which I waited on. Tergrid activated their land again and got my Sensei's Divining Top (again, a good thing). They then attacked me with Hypnotic Specter since I was the only one with a card in hand so I got my Jace and Top. Jace was huge here. I Kicked him and, with Top, was able to draw 2 cards per turn with one always being a land so the Jace with 1 counter never lost that counter.

The main issue here is that I had Ancient Tomb and Fiery Islet eating away at my life total. And I was still really hosed on specific colors as I only had 5 lands. Top and Jace got me more though the next one was Reliquary Tower

I did get a Sea of Clouds right after that though which helped. Winota cast a Silence and Winota, Joiner of Forces on their turn and, while I could counter Silence, I had nothing else to do after that so I let it go and hoped they whiffed on Winota. I was at 9 life at the time so this was a pretty huge turn.

They did whiff so I went to 5. Tergrid then attacked Marchesa luckily and I used [[Sphinx of Revelation to draw cards and get back to 7. It would have been more if I hadn't needed to spend 3 life to activate lands.

I then cast Kykar into a couple Talismans which drained Tergrid thanks to Purphoros. They were at 3 when my turn ended and I was back to 5. But, I had 3 blockers now so I could survive an attack from Winota if they whiff again. Which they did.

I was able to kill Tergrid with Opt into another spell to deal them 4 damage.

From there, I was able to mount enough of an offense and defense to kill Winota and Marchesa. I don't think I ever got myself back above 5 life though I had a Mystic Sanctuary that I was a turn away from being able to use to gain more life. Sword of the Animist was also important during this late stage of the game so I could get more lands and quit taking damage.

I think Jace was really the standout here. I am sure this is more situational but the fact that he basically single-handedly was able to bring me back into this game (I guess Top helped too ) is a testament to him. I ended up drawing around 8-10 cards off the two of them over the rest of the game which I don't think many other cards would have been able to do. Granted, Top fueled this so without that, it would have been 4-5 which still isn't awful. Though, that does get closer to "just use Fact or Fiction" territory as that would let me see the same number of cards.

The other thing worth pointing out was the mana base. It is very painful but I like the Horizon lands for allowing me to draw cards late in the game. I might need to rethink them. It also was disappointing to get all 3 of my colorless lands in the same game. Normally it isn't a big deal to have one or two, but it did make things tough to start with. I don't really know what to do about that though. I am thinking maybe Ancient Tomb isn't that great here since it doesn't really let me cast Kykar quicker (though it helps on subsequent casts) and it does a lot of damage to me which is not ideal. I might try to swap it for something else? I might think on this a little more and think on the Horizon lands just to see if maybe I don't really need them as they are costly in terms of life too.

[pokken]

Ancient tomb signet is what we want ancient tomb for mainly. While it's not perfectly optimal I would think you rarely want to just run kykar out on turn 3 without defense since he's kinda polarizing. So percentage of the time you get to kykar plus countermagic early because of tomb is high.

Reliquary tower seems like one I would cut first. Card is just no good.

[WizardMN]

That is a fair point about Ancient Tomb. I also never got to the point of adding in Arcane Signet and I don't have Boros Signet either. I might want to cut down two of the Talismans and add in those two Signets. I think the 5 rocks, plus Sol Ring is right. I don't think I want all 7 Rocks. And of course the reason for the Signets over Talismans is simply due to the life.

Tower probably should go. It felt like it wasn't needed when I added but the idea was simply "I have so much colored mana; this won't hurt much" but it might be worth taking that back out.

[pokken]

Y'know I think you could straight up cut command beacon for serum visions too. This feels like a 35 land deck to be honestly but 37 with visions ought to be really safe.

Possible faithless looting is better also. I really like the red draw spells you can pay for with spirits also, e.g. Thrill of possibility.

[MeowZeDung]

I'm not big on tomb in kykar myself because of the pain and color hungry nature of the deck. T1 Signet is great to have mana open after kykar ofcourse, but I've been surprised by how often I'm fine just running kykar out on t3, especially since the printing of Flawless Maneuver and Fierce Guardianship. Having mentors in my build gives me a bit more flexibility here since I can lead with one of them. (By the way, have you given Riptide Laboratory a go?)

So, lifegain. I used to run Honor the Fallen and I've considered Jeskai Charm many times before. I've encountered similar situations as you did that game where some incidental lifegain would be clutch. Rev helped you a bit, but I feel like we're still waiting for just the right card with a lifegain cherry on top of an otherwise good effect. Authority of the Consuls and Blind Obedience's siren songs have certainly been singing to me for that reason.

There's also Pulse of the Fields, but I think it's just cute and not good.

I don't know if it would have helped your mana issues that game, but in the wrath department I've been considering Citywide Bust. Slaughter the Strong may still be better, and iirc you've favored the more genetically powerful wraths like nova and verdict, but some of those synergy wraths mana discounts could tip the scale. Food for thought.

Top, kykar, and JMM is sick. That had to have felt good. Sweet game. I think you navigated it well.

[WizardMN]

Y'know I think you could straight up cut command beacon for serum visions too. This feels like a 35 land deck to be honestly but 37 with visions ought to be really safe.

Possible faithless looting is better also. I really like the red draw spells you can pay for with spirits also, e.g. Thrill of possibility.

That is a fair point. I really have been keeping Command Beacon because this deck is exceptionally reliant on Kykar to actually win. That is, if I don't have access to him I don't think there is any way to win a game so if he gets too expensive to cast I am dead in the water. With that being said, I have never actually activated it though.

Regarding the land count, you might be right but this deck, in comparison to all my others, seems to have the worst luck when it comes to lands. Too few lands and I get screwed. But add in one or two and all of a sudden I get flooded. In the game above, when I cast Rev, I drew 4 lands in those 5 cards. But I also had to really work to get land drops before that. It is just weird.

I should probably try 35 with adding in Serum Visions again and potentially Faithless Looting. It feels bad to get screwed early but it feels absolutely devastating to flood out in the late game when I need gas. Visions and Looting can both help mitigate that.

I can see the appeal of the red draw spells as well. I will have to think a bit more on them but Faithless Looting might make sense just for being "free" with Kykar.

I'm not big on tomb in kykar myself because of the pain and color hungry nature of the deck. T1 Signet is great to have mana open after kykar ofcourse, but I've been surprised by how often I'm fine just running kykar out on t3, especially since the printing of Flawless Maneuver and Fierce Guardianship. Having mentors in my build gives me a bit more flexibility here since I can lead with one of them. (By the way, have you given Riptide Laboratory a go?)

I think this is where I am at with Tomb as well. It is certainly nice, and I think pokken's comments on signets is still valid in general, but you are absolutely right that this is a very color hungry deck. More so than I think any other of my decks.

And no, I have not thought of Laboratory. Maybe that is a better option than Command Beacon. It costs 2 more mana which is a pain, and has a very tight window for us, but is repeatable. As mentioned, since I don't think I have ever activated Beacon, it is probably an easy swap to see if it makes more sense.

So, lifegain. I used to run Honor the Fallen and I've considered Jeskai Charm many times before. I've encountered similar situations as you did that game where some incidental lifegain would be clutch. Rev helped you a bit, but I feel like we're still waiting for just the right card with a lifegain cherry on top of an otherwise good effect. Authority of the Consuls and Blind Obedience's siren songs have certainly been singing to me for that reason.

There's also Pulse of the Fields, but I think it's just cute and not good.

I know I picked up Honor the Fallen (almost a year ago now....) just in case I felt I needed more life gain. I am still not entirely sure I am there yet as I think cutting back on the painful mana base might be a better solution for now. But, I still have that card waiting in case I need it.

Otherwise, I have Akroma's Will, Azorius Charm, Jeskai Charm, and Sphinx's Revelation for life gain. 3 obviously rely on having a board which might not always be present so adding another one I can cast on an empty board might not be a bad idea.

I don't know if it would have helped your mana issues that game, but in the wrath department I've been considering Citywide Bust. Slaughter the Strong may still be better, and iirc you've favored the more genetically powerful wraths like nova and verdict, but some of those synergy wraths mana discounts could tip the scale. Food for thought.

Top, kykar, and JMM is sick. That had to have felt good. Sweet game. I think you navigated it well.

I have thought of Slaughter the Strong and being cheaper is important. I don't think either would have made a difference in the most recent game since I didn't get to double white until much later, but having them as options can be good. As you said, Nova and Verdict are top right now due to the former's flexibility and the latter's inability to be countered. They are still good suggestions though so I will have to remember them.

And yeah, it was pretty good. I liked it best simply because my opponent stealing them is what allowed me to get them back Had they just been discarded, they would have been out of reach for the rest of the game.

[pokken]

I think I'd try to run like Aetherspouts before any additional sorcery speed sweepers. Might not be perfect but this deck has so many instants I'd really want to try to keep to that.

I totally feel you on the land thing. It's really hard to get the balance right with cantrip decks. I do think with all your pip demands that shaving the colorless lands for more cheap draw/velocity effects is probably the right thing to do.

Honestly, I'm a big Ancient Tomb guy but I definitely could see cutting it in this deck. As good as it is to hit a signet with it, getting stuck with it early and having to tap it 7 times is awful. I find that bothering me even in Ephara, God of the Polis sometimes.

[WizardMN]

I think I'd try to run like Aetherspouts before any additional sorcery speed sweepers. Might not be perfect but this deck has so many instants I'd really want to try to keep to that.

Honestly, I'm a big Ancient Tomb guy but I definitely could see cutting it in this deck. As good as it is to hit a signet with it, getting stuck with it early and having to tap it 7 times is awful. I find that bothering me even in Ephara, God of the Polis sometimes.

Not a bad idea on the Aetherspouts suggestion, but I want to keep the curve as low as I can. I don't think I am looking for a new sweeper so I will have to see how games go to see what makes sense. And Slaughter the Strong lets me keep Kykar while clearing most people's boards; Aetherspouts only affects creatures in combat which can be hit or miss.

And I feel the same with Ephara but the creature count is high enough to get some early blocking to offset it there I think. Which is probably the big thing against it in this deck: I have literally no creatures in the deck. While Kykar makes them, he is vulnerable so it is possible to be taking early potshots that I wouldn't be with other decks.

With all of this being said, and the conversations above, I think I am going to try this:

02/17/2021

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

CUTS

1 Talisman of Conviction

1 Talisman of Creativity

1 Ancient Tomb

1 Reliquary Tower

1 Command Beacon

1 The Raven's Warning

1 Mistveil Plains

1 Whirlwind of Thought

1 Blue Sun's Zenith

ADDS

1 Serum Visions

1 Faithless Looting

1 Mystic Gate

1 Rugged Prairie

1 Arcane Signet

1 Boros Signet

1 Reconnaissance Mission

1 Riptide Laboratory

1 Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge

Approximate Total Cost:

The idea here is to try to "fix" two different issues I have been seeing: a painful mana base and the heavy color requirements of the deck. As such, this cuts all colorless lands (and does add a new one) plus it removes 2 Talismans due to their damage and replaces them with Signets. And I am adding in the rest of the Filter lands in an attempt to ensure I have the right colors at the right time.

As part of this overhaul, I am also going down to 35 lands. Sort of. I already have Silundi Vision // Silundi Isle and I am adding Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge which give me a couple "emergency" lands if I need them so technically I am still at 37 counting those two. Awakening also does a little more with some card draw options. Mistveil Plains is being cut as the "extra" land due to it entering tapped and the fact I rarely have 2 white permanents anyway meant I felt it was acceptable.

Adding in Serum Visions again gives me the 1 mana cantrips that do a few things in this deck and help ensure land drops. Or help ensure I miss lands later in the game. Faithless Looting is the same.

The Raven's Warning and Recon Mission are straight swaps and technically ones I made last time based on @MeowZeDung's suggestion. I just never updated anything to say that is what I did so here it is now.

Blue Sun's Zenith is just expensive and I have been finding I don't really need/want a ton of X spells. With the overhauls being made over the last year and the focus on cantrips or smaller draw effects, a mass draw effect like this is less important. It is still good, but I have Pull from Tomorrow and Sphinx's Revelation as the better options.

The questionable cut is definitely Whirlwind of Thought but I came to this based on a couple things. First, it basically always gets destroyed right away and investing 4 mana into something that is not my general only to get very little use out of it is frustrating. And second, in the game above I had it in hand but both never got a chance to cast it and also never needed to. It is a great card for this *type* of deck, but I don't think it is really need for this deck specifically. I wouldn't go as far as to say it is win-more but I think I can do without it.

[shermanido37]

The very first instant speed wrath that should be played in this deck is Settle the Wreckage, since that card can be played with Sunforger.

Ancient Tomb probably wants most to be in a deck with a lot of artifacts and generic mana costs. I'm building an Alela, Artful Provocateur stax deck to abuse it along with a bunch of other cards.

I actually like the pulse cycle in this deck. since the token generators can really benefit from buyback spells. Both Pulse of the Fields and Pulse of the Grid seem like they can be consistently bought back, and they do so at a reasonable price, even if not incredible.

Strong, strong disagree on cutting the Talismans. It's true that they can be a bit of a pain sometimes (pardon the pun) but they are truly irreplacable in terms of mana fixing and ramp. I also strongly disagree with cutting Whirlwind of Thought, but in fact I'd rather it be cut than the talismans. Instead, let me offer up some other suggestions:

Ephara, God of the Polis - I am obviously in love with the card, but I don't think it belongs here. Ephara's uses are her consistent draw engine, that you might not even want since you're looking for more burst-y draw, her ability to hit like a truck, which will not be relevant since animating her takes 7 devotion and most of your deck is in nonpermanent spells, and her ability to survive almost everything, which isn't any good if you don't benefit from any of her other uses.
So, in short, a 4 mana maybe-draw-some-cards-later feels much worse than a 1 mana cantrip in your deck.

Ionize - 3 mana counterspells are not really the place to be if you're looking to be aggressive. 2 HPis practically nothing, so I see this a Cancel with some flavor text. Definitely worse than a cantrip.

Forsake the Worldly - decent, but certainly not up to par. If you're not playing against Theros gods, I firmly believe you can let this card go, since it will replace itself for 2 mana most of the time, without triggering Kykar. Certainly worse than a cantrip.

Ajani's Presence - you currently have 5 group protection spells and 5 targeted protection spells. Of all of those, this card seems the least flexible and most likely to get stuck in your hand, or maybe just be a 1/1 flying spirit for 1. And if the last is what it becomes a part of the time, at least spend that 1 mana getting through your deck.

[MeowZeDung]

RIP Whirlwind. I understand the logic, but man is that thing a house if it sticks for even a couple of spells. I won't try to talk you out of it per se, but I will note that your build is already much heavier on enablers than payoffs (apart from the bird in the room), and WoT is a doozy of a payoff.

I was going to make a similar remark about the talismans as mana neutral plays that keep spells chaining together, but the value definitely shifts with fewer permanents and token generators, so every spirit reeeeally matters for you.

Xpost with sherm. Also agree that settle > spouts if you are looking for a wrath. Much more flexibility.

[pokken]

Given the access to bomb card draw spells I don't see any huge desire to put destructible enchantments onboard. Stuff like Fact or Fiction etc.

I also 100% disagree with the assessment of Ephara. This deck has Kykar and 38 instants with super low CMCs. The absolute worst case for Ephara most of the time is an indestructible personal Howling Mine and the deck is set up to turn her into +4 cards a turn.

[WizardMN]

Ajani's Presence - you currently have 5 group protection spells and 5 targeted protection spells. Of all of those, this card seems the least flexible and most likely to get stuck in your hand, or maybe just be a 1/1 flying spirit for 1. And if the last is what it becomes a part of the time, at least spend that 1 mana getting through your deck.

This has been on the chopping block a number of times and I just wanted to hang onto it a little longer since it is a 1 mana protection spell. It likely gets cut eventually.

RIP Whirlwind. I understand the logic, but man is that thing a house if it sticks for even a couple of spells. I won't try to talk you out of it per se, but I will note that your build is already much heavier on enablers than payoffs (apart from the bird in the room), and WoT is a doozy of a payoff.

While I mentioned this is questionable, I think the play styles of our decks are different enough to warrant the cut here vs in your deck. Specifically, I play this as a control deck which means I rarely cast more than 1 or 2 spells a turn. Which means Ephara does the same thing. I will still lament the loss of the card since it can be better than Ephara in obvious situations, but sometimes tough cuts need to be made to test out other things.

I was going to make a similar remark about the talismans as mana neutral plays that keep spells chaining together, but the value definitely shifts with fewer permanents and token generators, so every spirit reeeeally matters for you.

In enough cases for this deck, the Talismans and Signets are identical. Obviously not when they are first played, but I want to try this out to see if that ever really matters. I think saving on life, and the fact that I don't tend to chain spells together (see the comment on Whirlwind) means it becomes less of a factor.

Given the access to bomb card draw spells I don't see any huge desire to put destructible enchantments onboard. Stuff like Fact or Fiction etc.

I also 100% disagree with the assessment of Ephara. This deck has Kykar and 38 instants with super low CMCs. The absolute worst case for Ephara most of the time is an indestructible personal Howling Mine and the deck is set up to turn her into +4 cards a turn.

This. I alluded to it above regarding Whirlwind, but Ephara has far more often actually done stuff for me and kept the cards coming in. Whirlwind has a far higher ceiling, there is no denying that. But Ephara is far more resilient.

[MeowZeDung]

@WizardMN - Good points about the differences in playstyle. Your approach is more attrition/control, and Ephara is the better draw engine in that case vs. the more explosive, storm approach my list takes.

@pokken - You make a salient point about Whirlwind of Thought being a destructible enchantment, but for the same cmc as a FoF (perhaps one or two more if I don't already have a couple spirits in play) I have had that sucker draw me 5+ on the turn it was played more often than not. The key point is that it is almost never resolved when you don't have a follow up available, so it can be dead if it's the last card in hand or a topdeck for sure. That leads to a much broader discussion about levels of optimization and how willing one is to embrace the variance of a high ceiling, low-floor card like whirlwind vs a rock solid, almost-always-good-but-not-explosive-in-a-potentially-game-ending-sense spell like FoF (I run both FWIW). I dig it because the ceiling is through the roof, to mix turns of phrase poorly. All that said, I think Ephara is the better option for a deck looking to play control and interact with the board on a turn by turn basis wherever possible over a long game rather than having 1-2 bombastic turns.

[pokken]

Yeah I can understand the desire to storm off. Personally I think you're better off with instant speed stuff. Firemind's Foresight or Fact or Fiction or Epiphany at the Drownyard or Sphinx's Revelation or even Stroke of Genius if you must But it's really a matter of taste. I'm kinda anti-engine-enchantment these days.

The X spells in particular are near and dear to my heart since you can turn a board of 7 spirits into draw 7 in response to a sweeper. This deck runs Pull from Tomorrow and Sphinx's Revelation which are cool.

If I built an instant-heavy kykar it'd almost surely play Firemind's Foresight for Reset and Reiterate and Brainstorm but I'm kind of a goon.

[shermanido37]

I also 100% disagree with the assessment of Ephara. This deck has Kykar and 38 instants with super low CMCs. The absolute worst case for Ephara most of the time is an indestructible personal Howling Mine and the deck is set up to turn her into +4 cards a turn.

The absolute worst cast scenario is that Kykar can't be put on your field, having been Imprisoned in the Moon, Mind Controlled, or hated out of the game (i.e. Meddling Mage). In which Ephara is a 4 mana do nothing.
Also, WizardMN, you define your deck as aggro-control, in contrast to a more constricting control approach (i.e. Forbid). I stand by my assessment that Ephara does not fit that kind of deck.
Since this is how you say she actually works out:

This. I alluded to it above regarding Whirlwind, but Ephara has far more often actually done stuff for me and kept the cards coming in. Whirlwind has a far higher ceiling, there is no denying that. But Ephara is far more resilient.

The conclusion is that it isn't really that aggro-control deck.

[MeowZeDung]

Yeah I can understand the desire to storm off. Personally I think you're better off with instant speed stuff. Firemind's Foresight or Fact or Fiction or Epiphany at the Drownyard or Sphinx's Revelation or even Stroke of Genius if you must

*insert age old discussion of goodstuff vs synergy here* You're absolutely right in a vacuum, but I'm approaching this from the context of a deck that goes absolutely ham with an engine like Faithless Looting/Frantic Search + Underworld Breach, and whirlwind can pretty easily turn that into "draw your deck". Perhaps that's win-more (everything is with breach tbh), but it's only one example of how whirlwind can make your library your hand. But, I willingly take my own medicine here and acknowledge the context of Wizard's deck where that synergy does not exist nearly as heavily because his list has other objectives, which is great. I'll never stop saying it: Kykar is my favorite commander precisely because it can be built 17 bajillion ways and strikes me as one of the least on-rails commander ever printed.

I love your point about the X draw spells though, and I run Expansion // Explosion at least in part for the wrath insurance draw. I've come close to adding Stroke of Genius for the same reason (and b/c it's the least color hungry of the batch). Mystic Reflection's printing has me giving Secure the Wastes another look too.

If I built an instant-heavy kykar it'd almost surely play Firemind's Foresight for Reset and Reiterate and Brainstorm but I'm kind of a goon.

I didn't do it in Kykar, but when I have run Firemind's Foresight in the past it was always for Whir of Invention, Dramatic Reversal, and Swan Song in order to set up and protect Dramatic Scepter combo. High goonery indeed

[pokken]

The absolute worst cast scenario is that Kykar can't be put on your field, having been Imprisoned in the Moon, Mind Controlled, or hated out of the game (i.e. Meddling Mage). In which Ephara is a 4 mana do nothing.

This deck has a backup plan of Saheeli, Sublime Artificer which coincidentally also works with Ephara

But realistically if you look at the design this deck is not winning without Kykar 99% of the time. He's pretty much all in on the bird wizard

I'll never stop saying it: Kykar is my favorite commander precisely because it can be built 17 bajillion ways and strikes me as one of the least on-rails commander ever printed.

Kykar is pretty flexible like that. It's one of the reasons I love Ephara so much too, just so many synergy angles that you don't have to get lockedin.

I've personally built and shelved 4 different Kykar decks so I can definitely dig that.

[MeowZeDung]

Kykar is pretty flexible like that. It's one of the reasons I love Ephara so much too, just so many synergy angles that you don't have to get lockedin.

I've personally built and shelved 4 different Kykar decks so I can definitely dig that.

+1 to Ephara's flexibility too. I ran a Whitemane Lion tribal flicker version, then a Sacred Mesa/Luminarch Ascension variant, then the artifact variant you tuned me into. Flexible generals with sweet synergies kind of rock my socks off.

[WizardMN]

The conclusion is that it isn't really that aggro-control deck.

That is absolutely true. That descriptor was either poor at first or, through the evolution of the deck, has shown to no longer be accurate.

[WizardMN]

Now with Strixhaven and Commander 21 being fully revealed, here are the cards I want to talk about for this deck. As I have been doing lately, this includes both sets together. Worthy of note: there are a lot of cards I want to mention here and there are even more that make a ton of sense in a deck that runs creatures. Since this one doesn't, I chose not to comment on them. I encourage anyone concerned about some of those to look at @MeowZeDung's list as he went over some of them in his thread.

White Cards

Archaeomancer's Map - One of the biggest complaints I have had about this deck is just the sheer number of lands I end up with in hand. And there isn't even a good reason for it I don't run that many. But, for some reason, it just tends to happen. Map both allows me to keep up and put those lands on the field and allows for to search for lands if I am running dry in hand. The main issue ends up being that I need basic Plains and I only have 1 as it is. So, this would require a little re-tooling of the mana base to add at least 2 more basic Plains. I think it would be worth it though.

Devastating Mastery - I don't mind giving the player in last place 2 of their things back and I think this ends up being way better than Cleansing Nova. Sure, I can't save my noncreature stuff but I don't often commit much to the board as it is so it should be fine. I think a straight swap there makes sense.

Excavation Technique - I like the idea of this card but I just can't imagine when I would prefer this over a plethora of other removal spells. I think I am going to pass on this for now.

Reduce to Memory - The same applies here. Exile is good but Sorcery timing is not so this is yet another easy pass.

Blue Cards

Curate - Another Ponder/Preordain variant but since I am not doing a ton with the graveyard, I would rather just stick with Deliberate.

Ingenious Mastery - I don't think this is an awful card, but I think it is fairly down the totem pole in terms of draw spells. I think there are a few others I would try before this in this deck.

Inspiring Refrain - I actually like this one too though it is still probably not that great. 2 extra cards every 3 turns isn't the worst, especially since it costs no mana (after the first Suspend) but if I really need to get out of a bind, 6 mana is just far too much. I might try it anyway, but I am not really enamored with it.

Mentor's Guidance - Since Kykar is a Wizard, and the deck is really reliant on him being out anyway, this could quite often be Scry 1, Draw 1, Scry 1, Draw 1. Which, for 3 mana isn't too bad as it potentially allows 4 cards to be seen. But, again, there are other options I would look at before this.

Multiple Choice - I don't think I want to cast this for anything other than X=1 or X=4. 2 mana Scry 1, Draw 1 isn't the best rate. 5 mana to do all isn't exactly screaming out at me as a game changer either. I like the design but the effect is just too little.

Muse Vortex - Similar to Sygg, I don't have mana Instants or Sorceries I would be fine with just firing off so the rest of the effect is what I would want and for that it is no better than an X card draw spell. Pass on this.

Perplexing Test - Being able to bounce most creatures but leave me an army of tokens sounds pretty good. I would certainly play this over Evacuation. But, I am not playing that card now so I am not sure it is better than anything else I currently have in terms of wraths. And since my list isn't that focused on swarming super aggressively, it doesn't even help as much as an offensive tool,

Solve the Equation - It gets me a bunch of answers potentially without having to find a way to draw the answer such as when I use Mystical Tutor. There might be a spot in the deck for something like this.

Theoretical Duplication - I am really getting into the idea of being able to "steal" my opponent's strategy with things like this or Mirrorweave. Even Mystic Reflection is sort of growing on me for that. I am not sure I add these yet, but I am keeping them in the back of my mind for now and will just rely on Mirrorweave for those types of shenanigans.

Multicolor Cards

Expressive Iteration - This is a "look at 3, draw 2" (more or less" sort of effect. While the exiled card has a short window to be played, it can help with land drops. I like the card enough that I might try to find room for it.

Lorehold Command - I really do like this command but 5 mana is just far too much.

Prismari Command - This one, on the other hand, does quite a bit. It gives me a 3 mana play that potentially allows me to cast Kykar the following turn with an extra mana backup. It lets me filter my hand (for when I get all those lands in hand) and can deal with some problematic permanents. I think I will try this out.

Reconstruct History - This has the potential to get me 5 different cards to refill my hand. My guess is that, most often, it will get me 2: an Instant and a Sorcery. I wonder if that is enough at a floor to be worth it? It doesn't seem like but I might think on it some more.

Reinterpret - This has the same problem as the Muse above: there often isn't enough I want to just fire off. Granted, this allows for more than just Instants and Sorceries which can allow for some interesting interactions. I might look at this as a possible card later, but I don't really think I care about it now since I think I will most often just counter something inconsequential just to get a free cast of something and I never like doing that.

Thrilling Discovery - A better Cathartic Reunion but, again, I am not sure I need much more for card draw/filtering. I will pass on this for now but 2 mana is enticing and can really help in the later game to dig deep for an answer.

[MeowZeDung]

I think we agree on a lot here.

The only real "disagreements" - I'm more hyped on Perplexing Test and Lorehold Command than you are. At first I was like "whyyyyy doesn't wizard like these as much?", but you make a good point that you aren't really looking to swarm the same way I am. Different gameplans really do change the evaluation of these cards. It also explains why you didn't bring up the card I'm probably most excited about from STX, which is First Day of Class. Haste, pump, and card selection at instant speed, all for two mana with only red pips. *chef's kiss*

I was a little slower to pick up on Archaeomancer's Map, but I got there for the same reasons you did. The velocity of this deck leaves us with lands in hand way more than one might expect.

I think Expressive Iteration is a windmill slam. I'm excited about that one.

I'm also really excited about Reinterpret as a Sunforger target that hard counters with upside. Yeah, sometimes there won't be anything in hand to get value out of it with, but when you want a hard counter it's there for you. Sunforger fetchable really sells it for me though.

BTW, I love that you have enough decklists in the forum that at the end of every spoiler season when you do your updates, the forum is just a wall of WizardMN threads. Makes me smile every time

[WizardMN]

I think we agree on a lot here.

The only real "disagreements" - I'm more hyped on Perplexing Test and Lorehold Command than you are. At first I was like "whyyyyy doesn't wizard like these as much?", but you make a good point that you aren't really looking to swarm the same way I am. Different gameplans really do change the evaluation of these cards. It also explains why you didn't bring up the card I'm probably most excited about from STX, which is First Day of Class. Haste, pump, and card selection at instant speed, all for two mana with only red pips. *chef's kiss*

I will be watching your thread to see what your experience with Test and Command are. At least Command anyway as I think there is still work it could do in my list.

But yeah, First Day of Class becomes far less impressive when I am only making 1 or 2 tokens a turn and they are mostly on other players' turns

I'm also really excited about Reinterpret as a Sunforger target that hard counters with upside. Yeah, sometimes there won't be anything in hand to get value out of it with, but when you want a hard counter it's there for you. Sunforger fetchable really sells it for me though.

That can change the evaluation for sure. My list has a number of counterspells in here based a lot on the fact that they are red or white. It might be right to swap Ionize with Reinterpret. The 2 damage is often irrelevant and the upside of the additional mana can be pretty big. That might lean me into slotting it in....

BTW, I love that you have enough decklists in the forum that at the end of every spoiler season when you do your updates, the forum is just a wall of WizardMN threads. Makes me smile every time

I am glad someone doesn't think it is too obnoxious I try to get mine done all at the same time mostly so new posts can quickly move all mine to the bottom so people don't have to stare at them too long :laugh:

[WizardMN]

With the recent review, I have decided on trying the following changes:

4/12/2021

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

CUTS

1 Adarkar Wastes

1 Battlefield Forge

1 Shivan Reef

1 Silundi Vision|Silundi Isle

1 Deliberate

1 Portent

1 Jeskai Charm

1 Jace, Mirror Mage

1 Ionize

1 Cleansing Nova

1 Ajani's Presence

ADDS

1 Idol of Oblivion

1 Archaeomancer's Map

1 Devastating Mastery

1 Mystic Reflection

1 Theoretical Duplication

1 Expressive Iteration

1 Prismari Command

1 Reinterpret

3 Plains

Approximate Total Cost:

Most additions were mentioned above so there isn't much need to re-hash those reasons. The only new ones are Idol of Oblivion and Mystic Reflection. MeowZeDung mentioned both in his thread and I think they have a reasonable place in the deck. Idol draws an extra card per turn cycle and is innocuous enough that it is unlikely to eat a removal spell and Reflection can help get some more power on the field if opponents are trying to do something.

As for the Cuts:
The three lands I cut were to make room for Plains. This helps Map actually function. I probably only need 3 plains total (this puts me to 4) but I would rather just cut the 3 pain lands entirely.

Silundi Vision and Portent are just to make room for Command and Expressive Iteration. Portent is slightly slow and I think Iteration is potentially better than Vision. I do lose the land, sort of, but I don't think that is a huge deal with the rest of the card filtering. I also cut Deliberate as part of this because I needed room somewhere.

Ionize is a straight swap for Reinterpret and Mastery is a swap for Cleansing Nova. Both were discussed above.

Ajani's Presence has been on the chopping block and I want to see if the deck can function without this 1 mana protection spell. The deck is pretty all-in on Kykar so losing this might be detrimental but I have wanted to cut it a few times and this seems like a reasonable time to just get rid of it.

Charm is good to help gain life and get some extra damage in, as well as a removal spell, but I needed to make room and this seems like one of the least impactful spells still in the deck since I don't tend to build up a huge army.

And, finally, Jace was always questionable and this seems like a good time to step away from him. I did like what he did when I got him on the field so I might revisit him later, but for now I think the additions can cover from the loss of him.

[WizardMN]

I played this deck on Friday and it didn't go too well. It took me too long to get a board presence as I needed to wait for turn 5 so I could protect Kykar and one of my opponents was Torbran, Thane of Red Fell so they were just going pretty fast. I was able to sort of stabilize around 8 life but then Zurgo Helmsmasher cast Chandra's Ignition and killed me.

I did end up copying Torbran's Angrath's Marauders with Mystic Reflection and another spell to get me a token, and it was cool to do, but in the end it just didn't matter enough. I needed a wrath and I just couldn't get to it in time. The deck still performed well with using tokens for fodder for mana to keep strings of spells going but even then it just was never quite enough.

One awful situation was casting Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge to discard 4 cards (3 lands and a Ponder/Preordain) and then drawing 5 lands. This deck just absolutely hates me sometimes I am glad I was able to get through that land clump as going 5 turns to get through it would have been even more awful but damn, I just wanted some gas. I think I was left with one spell in a hand of 6.

The only thing potentially worth commenting more on is Reflection and, by association, Theoretical Duplication. These are fun cards but take the exact right scenario to be good that I am not sure my build is right for them. I think @MeowZeDung has tried them in his but his is a bit more aggressive than mine since mine is meant to be more controlling and these just might not be good enough in the deck. I will continue to monitor for now.

[MeowZeDung]

The only thing potentially worth commenting more on is Reflection and, by association, Theoretical Duplication. These are fun cards but take the exact right scenario to be good that I am not sure my build is right for them.

I view Mystic Reflection as spot removal or a weird counterspell more than anything - particularly effective against commanders since they still ETB (without any triggers of their own) and it isn't an aura they can remove or anything. Their commander is just a spirit or some other worthless thing now.

Is there an "exact right scenario" for it? Yeah, and that is the exact moment my own Secure the Wastes is resolving. . . and voila - now I own 8 Monastery Mentors or what have you. But - and it's a very important but - the card is almost never dead because nasty opposing creatures ETB all the time in commander.

As for Theoretical Duplication, there is no amenable "almost never dead" clause to it. It's either being awesome and copying a Blightsteel Colossus, or it sucks. I like the card, I just don't think it has enough versatility for us. I think it's a toy for Adrix and Nev, Twincasters or Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer.

We've both noted that the way Kykar plays out tends to lend itself to a glut of lands in hand (though that Valakut Awakening was just a real bad beat). Archaeomancer's Map should be a good help moving forward, and Jeskai Ascendancy and Faithless Looting do help. That said, I wonder if it might be worth considering Tectonic Reformation, Seismic Assault, Channeled Force, Leave // Chance, or even the smaller red rummagers a la Cathartic Reunion and Thrill of Possibility. I know some of those can lead to big blowouts if someone wants to counter it, but if you already have a grip of five lands, are you really upset if they "get" you and cause you to discard what was already dead in hand?