2022-11-25
I'm thinking the combo package I want is:
brought back/ghostly flicker/archaeomancer/time warp effects
palinchron/phantasmal image or nykthos/capsize (and maybe one other buyback spell or similar?)



20221109
The core problem I am having is that I want to have board presence and also combo kill. maybe I could mix in the monastery mentor packages? poppet stitcher, monastery mentor, etc.

I think "do stuff at instant speed and make tokens" might be a good design.

What if I just sucked it up and realized this is a spellslinger/combo deck? What would the deck look like? Probably more devastating mastery and stuff?

Alternatively I could move down the beater angle with akroma's will/elesh norn/god eternal oketra/sacred mesa/etc.?

Another approach might be to use all the critters that trigger automatically like saltskitter I guess and try to generate overwhelming CA.

20221108
What if I went to a full on hatebears strategy and cut out all the ETB/ etc. stuff. Could I do that? How would I get dudes out during other people's turns?

20220707
Cut drannith magistrate for scheming fence

20220615
Cut thassa crucible sun scape and restoration of Wigan house
Add displacer kitten archivist of oghma aboleth spawn and deep gnome terramancer

2020/06/06
* in MTGO version:
* sub eidolon of rhetoric -> aven mindcensor
* elesh norn, grand cenobite -> agent of treachery
* salvager of secrets -> selfless squire

2019/05/20
cut terminus and cleansing nova
add force of will and fierce guardianship

2019/05/10
Cut skycloud expanse for sea of clouds

I think i wanna play knight of the white orchid, sunscape familiar, and cartographer hawk. And I'm starting to think about getting a kor cartographer.

2019/05/04
If I'm going to make some cuts and consider de-comboifying a bit, I probably want to cut:
body double
altar of dementia
terminus
hushbringer (since I have no sac outlet)
cleansing nova

Not sure what else? What else would I add, maybe some more counterspells (force of will/fierce guardianship) and maybe some alternate finishers (mnemonic wall? Agent of treachery?).

Knight of the white orchid and boreal charger might be helpful as ways to set up Emeria lock.


2019/01/05
cut mastery of the unseen
add charming prince

2019/10/11
cut elspeth, capsize, hushwing
add hushbringer, ephemerate, brazen borrower

2019/10/06 -
Pending updates:
cut elspeth sun's champion, capsize, hushwing gryff
add hushbringer, ephemerate, brazen borrower

2019/07/15
-sub altar of dementia for blasting station

2019/07/13
Shortest tenure ever for a card with riptide lab. Cut riptide lab for prismatic vista.

2019/07/06
-Cut Venser the SOjourner, add Tidespout Tyrant


2019/07/03
Cut trophy mage, boreas charger
add smothering tithe, windborn muse

2019.06/29
-teferi's protection
+evacuation

I think I might wanna put serra ascendant and maybe ranger of eos back in here. The board control from those guys might be some of what I was missing.

2019/06/17
-austere command
-flickerwisp
-thalia's lancers
+hour of revelation
+soulherder
+winds of abandon

2019/06/10
planned changes
-thalia's lancers (out)
-flickerwisp (in still)
-austere command (out)
+hour of reckoning (in)
+winds of abandon (out)
+soulherder (in, but need foil)

Also want to go
-trophy mage
-oblivion stone
+evacuation
+something else
But not sure yet.

2019/06/10
Thoughts on what to remove for soulherder and winds of abandon:
Flickerwisp -> Soulherder
Sword of Feast and Famine -> Winds of Abandon?
Thalia's lancers -> Hour of Revelation?

Then what do I do to get a foil brainstorm in there? It's possible it's better than mystical tutor, but I dunno. I can just put that off I guess.  Might be better to cut trophy mage for Brainstorm if I can only get blasting station/o-stone, but not sure.

Inventors' Fair definitely needs to come out.

2019/02/27
I think I want to add  brainstorm, and maybe ponder and not sure how to achieve that, esp when ponder foils are so expensive haha :P

2019/02/27
cut lightning greaves, fellwar stone, helm of possession, stoneforge mystic
add mox diamond, monastery mentor, teferi's protection, sensei's divining top

2019/01/29
cut tolaria west for myriad landscape
cut sakashima's student for body double

2018/12/29 notes
potential stoneforge package swap
-sfm
-jitte
-greaves
-sword
+time warp
+teferi's protection
+monastery mentor
+sweeper (terminus? Hour of revelation? Hour of Rev is probably pretty good since it's so cheap, or evacuation?)

Also need to work body double in (sakashima's student or archaeomancer or helm of possession)

2018/12/20
Small round of cuts
-timestream navigator
-cloudstone curio
-aether vial
+tithe
+archaeomancer
+blasting station

2018/12/15
Notes on if I cut the stoneforge package;
Cards that go out
-stoneforge
-sword of feast and famine
-lightning greaves
-timestream navigator (since the combo requires untapping now)
-possibly jitte, but I

Cards that might go still like that as a muddle + thalia's lancers target
in:
Blasting Station (combo! w lark)
teferi's protection
deadeye navigator?
Emeria shepherd?
Boreas charger
Mistmeadow Witch
Archaeomancer
Reflector mage
Stunt Double
clever impersonator
Palinchron (ugh that foil is expensive)
Silumgar Sorcerer
angel of invention
Crovax
Celestial Crusader
Monastery mentor (the foillll)
oketra's monument
Restoration angel
selfless squire
angel of condemnation
bribery
teferi, hero of dominaria

What creatures? Maybe something that pumps the team? Emeria Shepherd maybe?

I also want to cut Aether vial for tithe at some point I think

2018/12/x
-cut mother of runes for remorseful cleric

2018/10/31
stuff i might consider cutting
potential cuts
mother of runes
snapcaster mage --> Archaeomancer
flickerwisp
aether vial
sakashima's student

stoneforge/jitte/lightning greaves

as foretold
land tax


2018/10/27
get foil archaeomancer, remorseful cleric, body double

2018/06/10
I need to get a foil body double and try it out in this deck

2017/09/07
-heliod
+as foretold

2016/12/4
-bribery
-aven mindcensor
+loyal retainers
+faerie artisans


2016/09/21 - I should really consider a springleaf drum in this deck. Man thats' a good idea.

2016/08/22 update
Notes on what I think I want to do to support recruiter/sanctum prelate
+whitemane lion
+sanctum prelate
+recruiter of the guard
+aether vial

-oreskos explorer (meh)
-walking atlas (meh)
-vendilion clique (been awful)
-identity thief (been really awful)


2016/07/25 update
-voidmage husher -- just the only 4 drop cut I could think of, gotten a little slow in my meta.
-mana drain -- I traded mine off so time to cut it.

+spell queller - yeah.
+identity thief - I think this card is going to be insane. I hope I'm right. It's certainly bonkers with gilded drake, but not sure what else it's good for yet. Maybe I'll get to live the blightsteel colossus dream :)

6/3
Once my bribery shows up I want to
-archangel of thune
-skullclamp
+muddle the mixture
+bribery

5/24 change
-restoration angel
+linvala, keeper of silence

5/10 change
remove
kor haven
anafenza, kin-tree spirit
rune-tail, kitsune ascendant

add
island
plains
gold myr


5/4 notes
* Cut Flagstones of Trokair for an Island
* Cut 1 plains for 1 Island


3/27

If I want to competitively tune this up, cards I'd play:
Palinchron (goes in for er, something)
Deadeye Navigator (replaces Aetherling)
Body Double (replaces Archangel of Thune)
Karmic Guide (replaces...??)
Intuition (no idea)
Mirror Entity (some lower cmc dude)

Most likely -- intuition for body double/karmic guide/reveillark is a really strong win con.


2/9 - maybe replace something with cloudstone curio.

2/7/2015
-Replace Angel of the Dire Hour, Thalia, and maybe Containnment Priest with vendillion clique, vedalken aethermage, and sower of temptation.

1/8/2015
Next moves
-replace mirran crusader with thraben doomsayer
-replace whitemane lion with that new manifest enchantment
-replace thassa and clever impersonator with something else that's more fun. Maybe a bit more blinky? Maybe academy rector or enlightened tutor? Maybe just a couple more answers?
-Replace winding canyons with another land!!

12/5
Current cutlist:
Thassa
Whitemane Lion
Mirran Crusader


12/1
I actually think I want to cut Saltskitter. It's...really a donothing card. Trying cutting Saltskitter for Dust Elemental. Also could put Brimaz back in, or Intuition, or sakashima the Impostor.

11/17
Probably cut Catastrophe for Angel of the Dire Hour, and Austere Command for? Or Death or Glory? Or thousand winds? False prophet?

Brimaz and Thassa might be good cuts for more 2 drops or 3 drops. Maybe Sygg River Guide and eight-and-a-half tails?

11/16
Potential new cuts:
0 cmc
1 plains
3 cmc
Brimaz, King of Oreskos (probably not the best 3cmc beater)
Thassa, God of the Sea (can't make devotion often)
4 cmc
Heliod, God of the Sun
6 cmc
Catastrophe
Austere Command
Sun Titan


11/15
Cut geist, grand arbiter, leonin arbiter, and meddling mage for
mirran crusader, ranger of eos, mother of runes, and clever impersonator

Still unsure about clever impersonator/mirran crusader

11/13
-cut solemn for luminarch ascension
-cut pearl medallion for stormscape familiar--little more vulnerable but does a lot more (swings, triggers ephara, flies!!).

I really want to find room for my perplexing chimera in this deck. All the flicker and bounce is epic.


I really should be playing Luminarch Ascension.
Angel of the Dire Hour seems good but a little sluggish costwise
And maybe think about Elesh Norn.

Cards I'm questionable on
Meddling Mage (not fun)
Leonin Arbiter (needs wings)
Geist of St. Traft (requires equipment to be good)
Solemn Simulacrum (too expensive ramp slot)
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV (needs wings, not fun)

Other stuff I might like:
CMC 1
Scout's Warning
Dakra Mystic (maybe add to ranger of Eos package)
Soul Warden (Maybe add to ranger of Eos package)
CMC 2
Umezawa's Jitte
Deputy of Aquittals
Eight-and-a-Half-Tails
Puresteel Paladin
Precinct Captain
CMC 3
Thada Adel, Acquisitor
Eidolon of Rhetoric
Mirran Crusader
CMC 4
Kor Sanctifiers (sometimes 3)
Dust Elemental
Hero of Bladehold
Clever Impersonator
Sakashima the Impostor
CMC 5
Dictate of Heliod
Cathars' Crusade
Perplexing Chimera

Big elspeth has been such ridiculous value with Venser/flickerwisp shenanigans.

I think it might be good to adjust those for some other kind of CA.
Maybe some more flash creatures or bounce creatures. Maybe a Thistledown liege since it's awesome.