Deck Name: Eternal Flicker

Format: Legacy
Deck Type: Mechanic-Based Control
Deck Theme: Flicker & ETB Value Engine
Colors: White-Blue (Azorius)

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Description

Eternal Flicker is a Legacy mechanic-based control deck that builds long-term advantage through the use of flicker effects and powerful ETB (Enter the Battlefield) triggers. It doesn’t aim to win with a one-turn combo, but rather through patient recursion, soft locks, and overwhelming value.

Creatures like Elite Guardmage, Charming Prince, and Peacekeeper provide incremental advantage or stall tactics, while Soulherder, Thassa, Deep-Dwelling, and Brago, King Eternal enable a continuous flicker engine. Each flicker cycle can draw cards, gain life, exile threats, or soft-lock the board.

This deck rewards deep sequencing and control mindset, thriving in grindy matchups, especially in multiplayer or 1v1 Legacy environments that are not hyper-speed combo metas.

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How to Play

Early Game:
Develop a stable mana base using Azorius Chancery, Flooded Strand, and Omen of the Sea.
Deploy cheap value creatures like Charming Prince for scry/lifegain or Elite Guardmage for draw and stabilization.
Use Reality Acid to target problematic permanents early — even if it takes time to resolve, it applies pressure.
Set up board presence and maintain tempo with Teferi, Time Raveler.

Mid-Game:
Start looping value with Soulherder or Thassa, Deep-Dwelling to flicker creatures at the end of each turn.
Play Ranar, the Ever-Watchful to generate Spirit tokens as a side benefit of flicker and exile effects.
Remove multiple threats or reset the battlefield with Time Wipe or Ondu Inversion if behind.
Use Brago, King Eternal strategically to flicker key permanents after dealing combat damage — including Reality Acid, Peacekeeper, or Elspeth Conquers Death.

Late Game:
Deploy Sun Titan to bring back key 3-mana permanents like Soulherder, Omen of the Sea, or even lands.
Lock combat down with Peacekeeper, flickering it out when you want to attack and bringing it back right after.
Loop Elspeth Conquers Death with flicker and recursion to continuously exile threats and return planeswalkers or titans.
Keep your graveyard stocked for Titan recursion — your battlefield becomes recursive and self-sustaining.

Ideal Opening Hand:
2 lands (preferably 1 white, 1 blue source)
1 early value creature (Charming Prince or Elite Guardmage)
1 removal/control spell (Reality Acid or Teferi)
1 flicker engine card (Soulherder, Thassa, or Ephemerate is ideal)

Mulligan aggressively if you lack early interaction or mana stability.

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How the Flicker Mechanic Works

Value Through Looping ETB Effects:
Flickering means exiling and returning a permanent — usually a creature — which re-triggers its ETB effect.
Soulherder and Thassa allow this once per turn at end step.
Ephemerate provides instant-speed flickering with a built-in rebound for free reuse on your next turn.

Example Flicker Targets:
Elite Guardmage → draw a card + gain 3 life
Charming Prince → scry 2 / gain 3 life / flicker another creature
Reality Acid → when flickered, re-attaches to a new target, triggering delayed destruction again
Peacekeeper → lock combat until you’re ready to swing

Multi-Flicker Interactions:
Brago, King Eternal can flicker multiple nonland permanents after combat damage. Use him to reset enchantments, ETB creatures, or even Omen of the Sea.
Sun Titan + Soulherder creates loops where you can recur flicker enablers and re-trigger ETB each turn.
Elspeth Conquers Death can be reset with Brago, or recovered with Titan for looping disruption.

Flickering isn't just value — it's a recursive machine.

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Sideboard Strategy

Against Aggro Decks:
Settle the Wreckage: Removes wide boards with no setup cost.
Timely Reinforcements: Recovers life and adds blockers.

Against Control Decks:
Dovin’s Veto: Counters planeswalkers, sweepers, and combo pieces.
Mystical Dispute: Efficient counter against blue decks and tempo lists.

Against Combo Decks:
Pithing Needle: Shuts down key activated abilities or walkers.
Containment Priest: Stops reanimation, blink-combos, and cheating creatures into play.
Rest in Peace: Graveyard hate for reanimator, dredge, or Titan loops.

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Skill Level and Playability

Eternal Flicker is designed for players who enjoy incremental value engines and deep board manipulation. It rewards patience, awareness, and mastery over multiple triggers. You won’t win fast, but you’ll win hard.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Playstyle: Reactive control with an evolving recursive engine
Best For: Legacy multiplayer or mid-speed 1v1 play

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Competitive Profile and Ratings

Power Level ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)
Gains massive advantage over time; resilient and flexible.

Speed ⭐⭐☆☆☆ (2.5/5)
Slow to establish, but snowballs once the engine is live.

Resilience ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)
Recovers from wipes via recursion and layering triggers.

Complexity ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)
Demands mastery of stack, timing, and value prioritization.

Mechanic-Based vs Control Ratio 70% Mechanic-Based / 30% Control
Primary identity lies in flicker loops, supported by a solid control shell.

Best Format Fit
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ 1v1 Legacy
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Multiplayer
Best in interactive metas; not optimized for ultra-fast combo environments.

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Play Like a Pro – 5 Tips for Mastering the Deck

Choose the right flicker target — don’t just flicker to flicker.
Think about the game state: do you need to draw? gain life? exile something? Make each blink count.

Brago is not just a combat trick — he’s a flicker engine.
Use him to reset Reality Acid, Omen of the Sea, Peacekeeper, or even Thassa triggers for bigger impact.

Don’t underestimate Peacekeeper control.
Lock combat when you're on the back foot. Flicker it out when it's time to swing, then bring it right back to lock your opponents again.

Sun Titan isn’t just recursion — he’s your loop extender.
Use him to return Soulherder, Omen, or even fetch lands. When flickered, he can re-trigger everything you’re looping.

Your end step is where the real action happens.
Always leave mana up. Your end step is where Thassa, Soulherder, and Ephemerate deliver their value. Think of it as your second main phase — but stronger.

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Quote:
"Reality is but a fleeting moment, dancing between existence and nothingness."

Last Update: 04/06/2025