At the core of my nature both as a Magic player, and an individual, I am centered in Blue in terms of what color best capture's my essence. My favorite flavor in magic is the use of Chronomancy, or Time Magic. So, when searching for a General on magiccards.info, filtering for Mono Blue Legends, I came across an artwork and creature type that caught my eye! Barrin, Master Wizard. I knew when I saw this card that it was going to be my general. Much to my enjoyment, after I did a quick wiki search on his character from the story, I came to find he was both involved in helping Urza create a TIME machine, and was headmaster of the Tolarian Academy! In addition to time magic, Wizards are my favorite tribe in the game, and I honestly just am not a fan of Azami. (Both because she's already too popular and because Barrin looks much cooler.)
So, after some extensive research and refining of the overall play strategy that Barrin brings to the table, I was able to conjure up what looks like a seriously competitive (And Expensive) decklist that I'm hoping to sleeve up, bring to my local card shop and call my own.
i personally think chronozoa is too slow and clunky and i'm not a fan of ringskipper....jace, the mindsculptor doesn't really feel needed here...i think trying to minimize the non-bounceable/recurrable permanents in this deck is important.
i prefer oblivion stone to nevinyrall's disk as it can be activated the same turn it's played and can potentially spare some of your own permanents (which are many)
i like cauldron of souls in theory, but i was never excited to actually see it in my hand....i ended up taking it out of my list, but let me know if it proves it's worth
i think treachery could potentially go...since it's a one shot effect....and i find that i'm never lacking in ways to deal with creatures
good call on the hatching plans....i complete forgot about it in my deck
! Thanks for all of that really helpful feedback. I actually havn't had a chance to sit down and play with the cards yet, nor have I even played an EDH match before, so I am hoping to sleeve Barrin up as my first commander. Its good to get input from someone who's played with the cards before though.
Here's the changes I've made based on looking at the cards a bit more:
- Sea Gate Oracle
- Jace, the Mind Sculptor
- Nevinyrral's Disk
- Ringskipper
- Chronozoa
- Clone Shell
- Cauldron of Souls
- Treachery
- Thada Adel, Acquisitor
- Lifeline
- Cryptic Command
- Snow-Covered Island
- Kederekt Leviathan
- Sensei's Divining Top
Re-did entire deck and its win conditions. Updated original post, will be continually adding more information such as sample hands and more detailed accounts of each card interaction.
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I'd love some feedback from other who are interested in maybe giving Barrin a shot. One of the things that I'm complaisant about the list is its choice in creatures. currently 18 of them, I'm wanting some outside opinion on what 18 they should actually be or if this selection of them is point on and ready to be sleeved up!
This deck looks really fun! Combo blue. I was thinking.. as long as you're doing the infinite mana thing, and you're in blue, did you ever consider Memnarch? You could steal every permanent on the table with that combo. Maybe not totally on theme for your deck, but it's one more way to win, with just one more card...
Barrin is sick. This deck looks awesome! I used to have a Barrin deck but then changed it to a GAA4 deck when Tolarian Academy was banned. Anyways, if you're going to run an infinite turn combo, why don't you run Beacon of Tomorrows with planar portal. It costs less to cast and shuffles it self back Ito your deck to be searched for and played on you next turn. It seems mana intensive but it's easy with all the mana your deck can make. I run that combo along side time stretch and it wins me the game pretty much every time I cast it. Anyways, great deck!
I've done another rehaul again today, I'll try to get the newest change log up later. But the list has been updated so that the deck pushes to open up its combos as fast as possible.
Another new combo for this build is Barrin, Master Wizard + Spine of Ish Sah. If you can go infinite with Palinchron, you can keep sacing the Spine to Barrin and then bounce Palinchron. You'll be able to recast both of them and repeat until you destroy everything!
Also, I think you should keep Time Warp in, it's just too powerful. There are other cards you should remove instead.
Lets do
- Long-Term Plans
+ Time Warp
And I'm considering the Crucible and Gods' eye combo, though that specific roll in terms of repeated sac outlets is already occupied by Salvaging Station and Flayer Husk which are both Tutorable by Trinket/Treasure Mage.
Introduction/Histroy
At the core of my nature both as a Magic player, and an individual, I am centered in Blue in terms of what color best capture's my essence. My favorite flavor in magic is the use of Chronomancy, or Time Magic. So, when searching for a General on magiccards.info, filtering for Mono Blue Legends, I came across an artwork and creature type that caught my eye! Barrin, Master Wizard. I knew when I saw this card that it was going to be my general. Much to my enjoyment, after I did a quick wiki search on his character from the story, I came to find he was both involved in helping Urza create a TIME machine, and was headmaster of the Tolarian Academy! In addition to time magic, Wizards are my favorite tribe in the game, and I honestly just am not a fan of Azami. (Both because she's already too popular and because Barrin looks much cooler.)
So, after some extensive research and refining of the overall play strategy that Barrin brings to the table, I was able to conjure up what looks like a seriously competitive (And Expensive) decklist that I'm hoping to sleeve up, bring to my local card shop and call my own.
Deck List
1 Barrin, Master Wizard
Wincons:
1 Lighthouse Chronologist
1 Beacon of Tomorrows
1 Blatant Thievery
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Temple Bell
1 Time Stretch
1 Mind Over Matter
Tutoring:
1 Drift of Phantasms
1 Trinket Mage
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Expedition Map
1 Fabricate
1 Intuition
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Planar Portal
1 Transmute Artifact
Barrin Fodder:
1 Hatching Plans
1 Spine of Ish Sah
1 Gilded Drake
1 Floodgate
Mana Accel:
1 Cloud Key
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Grim Monolith
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Sapphire Medallion
1 Sol Ring
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Magus of the Future
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Future Sight
1 Mind's Eye
1 Rhystic Study
1 Scroll Rack
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Time Spiral
1 Timetwister
Counter Magic:
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Cryptic Command
1 Desertion
1 Force of Will
1 Hinder
1 Mana Drain
1 Pact of Negation
1 Spell Crumple
1 Time Stop
Utility:
1 Palinchron
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Vedalken Shackles
1 Bribery
1 Power Artifact
1 Spin Into Myth
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Time Warp
1 Evacuation
1 All Is Dust
Land:
1 Academy Ruins
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Flooded Strand
21 Island
1 Maze of Ith
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Mystifying Maze
1 Polluted Delta
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Riptide Laboratory
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Strip Mine
1 Temple of the False God
1 Thawing Glaciers
1 Tolaria West
1 Vesuva
1 Wasteland
Avalon: The Legend Begins :: Pirate Set :: Babel: The Æther Wars
Favorite Magic Card: Fowl Play
[Primer] [Barrin's Tome]: A Master Wizard's Spellbook.
there are a few cards that have been particularly helpful in my own barrin deck:
and of course skullclamp
i've used overtaker with mixed results
i personally think chronozoa is too slow and clunky and i'm not a fan of ringskipper....jace, the mindsculptor doesn't really feel needed here...i think trying to minimize the non-bounceable/recurrable permanents in this deck is important.
i prefer oblivion stone to nevinyrall's disk as it can be activated the same turn it's played and can potentially spare some of your own permanents (which are many)
i like cauldron of souls in theory, but i was never excited to actually see it in my hand....i ended up taking it out of my list, but let me know if it proves it's worth
i think treachery could potentially go...since it's a one shot effect....and i find that i'm never lacking in ways to deal with creatures
good call on the hatching plans....i complete forgot about it in my deck
Here's the changes I've made based on looking at the cards a bit more:
- Sea Gate Oracle
- Jace, the Mind Sculptor
- Nevinyrral's Disk
- Ringskipper
- Chronozoa
- Clone Shell
- Cauldron of Souls
- Treachery
- Thada Adel, Acquisitor
- Lifeline
- Cryptic Command
- Snow-Covered Island
- Kederekt Leviathan
- Sensei's Divining Top
+ Venser, Shaper Savant
+ Artisan of Kozilek
+ Duplicant
+ Glend, Elendra Archmage
+ Master Thief
+ Vedalken Aethermage
+ High Tide
+ Flow of Ideas
+ Oblivion Stone
+ Skullclamp
+ Wurmcoil Engine
+ Phyrexian Ingester
+ Darksteel Citadel
+ Darksteel Ingot
Avalon: The Legend Begins :: Pirate Set :: Babel: The Æther Wars
Favorite Magic Card: Fowl Play
[Primer] [Barrin's Tome]: A Master Wizard's Spellbook.
Avalon: The Legend Begins :: Pirate Set :: Babel: The Æther Wars
Favorite Magic Card: Fowl Play
[Primer] [Barrin's Tome]: A Master Wizard's Spellbook.
===
I'd love some feedback from other who are interested in maybe giving Barrin a shot. One of the things that I'm complaisant about the list is its choice in creatures. currently 18 of them, I'm wanting some outside opinion on what 18 they should actually be or if this selection of them is point on and ready to be sleeved up!
Avalon: The Legend Begins :: Pirate Set :: Babel: The Æther Wars
Favorite Magic Card: Fowl Play
[Primer] [Barrin's Tome]: A Master Wizard's Spellbook.
:symu::symr::symg:Riku of Two Reflections (ETB toolbox)
:symw::symb::symr:Kaalia of the Vast Reanimator
:symw::symu::symb::symr::symg:Karona's Proliferating Allies
Teferi, mage of Zhalfir
I've done another rehaul again today, I'll try to get the newest change log up later. But the list has been updated so that the deck pushes to open up its combos as fast as possible.
Another new combo for this build is Barrin, Master Wizard + Spine of Ish Sah. If you can go infinite with Palinchron, you can keep sacing the Spine to Barrin and then bounce Palinchron. You'll be able to recast both of them and repeat until you destroy everything!
Avalon: The Legend Begins :: Pirate Set :: Babel: The Æther Wars
Favorite Magic Card: Fowl Play
[Primer] [Barrin's Tome]: A Master Wizard's Spellbook.
Lets do
- Long-Term Plans
+ Time Warp
And I'm considering the Crucible and Gods' eye combo, though that specific roll in terms of repeated sac outlets is already occupied by Salvaging Station and Flayer Husk which are both Tutorable by Trinket/Treasure Mage.
Avalon: The Legend Begins :: Pirate Set :: Babel: The Æther Wars
Favorite Magic Card: Fowl Play
[Primer] [Barrin's Tome]: A Master Wizard's Spellbook.