MTG Salvation

Skittles, Taste the Rainbow is an aggressive 1 vs 1 Commander deck that can leave opponents scratching their head wondering what just happened. It plays a spread of creature and hand control, used primarily to remove or prevent building threats, disruptive creatures and spell. The deck ramps fast and then just hits its opponent. The hope is that you'll have 8 mana when you cast Skittles but, you can get away with 6 depending on what you know is in their hand.

There is a sideboard for this but as of now, it's not posted. I will update is soon. Minor edits will also be made asap! Done for now. The cards banned that are currently in the non-french deck are

• Mana Vault
• Mind Twist
• Necropotence
• Sensei's Divining Top
• Sol Ring
• Strip Mine
• Vampiric Tutor

NON-FRENCH BAN LIST DECK!

FRENCH BAN LIST DECK!

The only card I really can think of removing from this deck is Gilded Lotus. It's a very expensive (CMC) card but it does help with the ramp and black fixing in the deck. If I could I'd add more swamps and an Extraplanar Lens but the tech lands are just too good.

Also, while I have several expensive cards in this deck, things like Imperial Seal, Wasteland and Mana Crypt were intentionally avoided due to their cost. While I would love either, the individual cost is too much for a card that's only being used in a "casual" deck. Also, the french list bans them so why even bother for the cost? This deck is not listed as "BUDGET [$]" despite their exclusion. I also excluded Lion's Eye Diamond because I thought it was banned BUT I probably wouldn't include it now for it's cost and fear of it getting banned again in the near future.

I contribute the inspiration to Drackonn and dawN's deck lists. I posted my older version on their thread with a side and I'm going to bump their thread next with this list. I encourage all players looking to seriously build Skithiryx to check their thread. The evolution and discussion is very valuable.

Many players debate Caress of Phyrexia and while it's good, it's expensive. It's a card I place on the fence and always think of when considering cuts.

You also missed Charcoal Diamond and Coldsteel Heart for "EtB tapped" effects. While it's not exactly untapped, on turn 2 and 3 it's not doing any more good than if it wasn't tapped. The fact that you're torn about a 3cmc that taps for 2 should also leave you torn about 2cmc stones that tap for 1.

Tower of the Magistrate is a bit of a "win-more" but it's not hurting that much while it's still a land. Although (little did you know!) it was one of two lands on my mind to cut for extra swamps.

Peat Bog is better than just in the opening hand. In fact, it's pretty darn good in every draw EXCEPT for when I'm insane and keep a 1 land hand and then draw into it as my turn 2 land (which still that bad since if I need it and miss my turn 3 land, I can produce 3 mana). It's only ever a bad draw on the turn I hit my 6th source to speed into play a skittles (assuming I don't already have the land and stones in play, the conditions aren't right or I'm not holding some other land).

Going all snow with Extraplanar Lens and Scrying Sheets has crossed my mind. I'm just faced with the question of expending mana on scrying sheets, it's success rate and hitting Lens. Lens scares me a little. My biggest issue in this deck is getting to a large sum of mana and not having enough black to do everything. But Lens, takes a land out of my hand to give me a slight advantage if I have enough swamps. Between swamps and non-swamps plus mana-stones, it's more than half in "non-swamps" favor at 23-28. And then what do I do if I don't have a swamp in hand to pitch to lens?

Scrying when I need to do something else is a waste of mana. Countering that point with "but you don't have to scry until EoT" would label sheets as more of a semi-"win more" card. I'd rather have a Tower than a sheets, just in case.

I know this might seem like I'm looking to oppose any suggestions, but I'm not. I really do like your input and more so, want validation that my reasoning is correct (or a discussion about if you don't). If you see that what I've said about your suggestions makes more sense than the suggestions, please let me know. If you disagree, please tell me your side. I WANT TO LEARN!!! T_T

UPDATED. Sorry for the delay by a few minutes. The French list is up. It was more or less thrown together.

As for gma, I've already pulled aside 26 snow swamps and a caress to evaluate. I somewhat agree with you on Tower but I would like to evaluate what threatening artifacts exist before I do or don't exchange the tower for a swamp. If I go the sheets route, I'll be adding more swamps (maybe taking out 1 or 2 EtB tapped artifacts?) just to help supplement it and help with consistent land drops.

I have won games missing more than 1 land drop and painfully fast speeds but it doesn't happen every game (even if it does happen a lot) and I would like a little more consistency.

I'm still sold on Bog and I think the twice used excel is worth it. By the time it's gone, it's acceleration has been surpassed or you've won the game. The price you pay with it coming into play is overlooked by varying removal spells. On turn 2 is probably the only time it's hurting me AND if I have no other choice than to play peat on turn 2, then I must have kept a bad hand (drew into is as my only 2nd drop) or I misplayed (didn't play it turn 1 or hold it back for a turn 3 play).

I also disagree with your logic on Tower vs Sheets but I agree that Tower isn't as powerful as something else or even a basic land. Sheets is much more useful in snow but it also begs for excess mana that you just shouldn't have. If everything is going according to plan you won't need either land and both will still tap for 1. If something isn't going according to plan, one scrys (and maybe hits a land) while the other protects from an odd angle. On paper, sheets is better. IN practice, tower is.

Also, sheets does see main phase play when you miss a drop and need a land + you did something last turn and have nothing to do that turn.

And when I said

I WANT TO LEARN!!! T_T

I meant that I wanted to understand why you made the choices you made. What influenced your decision making process and why would mine be flawed in comparison to yours (if it was).

My friend plays this deck, and the one card that really stands out (that I think you should be running) is Nether void

Quote from Arcane_Fox

My friend plays this deck, and the one card that really stands out (that I think you should be running) is Nether void

Nethervoid is one of those spells that costs $75. While it's not an auto include in this deck, it has also crossed my mind. But if I'm going to spend $75 on a spell that counters everything I think I'm also going to spend $1120 on the other money cards first (which isn't going to happen).

As pointed out in some idol banter 19% of my deck is foil and 10% can never be foil. I'm also 97% black bordered missing Mind Twist, Demonic Tutor and Phyrexian Arena. I'll pick up foils as I go but I never intend to totally foil out my deck. I do however intend to totally black border it. I just don't feel like spending ~$25 on Demonic and FBB Twist. Arena is a victim of laziness.

I'm actually looking forward to some large events next year to see if I can trade for them rather then buy them.

Also, my "pimp" in the deck (IMO) is my foil All is Dust, foil Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon, foil 8th Diabolic Tutor (although I would LOVE the original foil), foil Ambition's Cost, Portal Ancient Craving and FBB Portuguese Mana Vault. I'll add that pimp to the pimp thread later.

FOR THE DECK
I've been deeply considering adding Snow lands and Scrying sheets (picked up a sheets for < $1). I have them all put aside as we speak and I might add them prior to friday . The deck has won 2-0 against a 5 color deck and 2-0 against a Dust Drinker deck.

MAJOR MISSED UPDATE
Well, I solved a mystery. There was a missing card in the deck before I uploaded it and while I don't know what I replaced it with, I know what it is.

INKMOTH NEXUS

I doubt it was filled with a swamp because I distinctly remember uping the count to 36 and feeling 35 was wrong every time I counted. I was thinking about replacing Gilded Lotus with it since I've been considering taking out the expensive (cmc) artifact.

Anyone else feel like helping with some input on this?


Also, I'm officially at 100% black bordered so I'll be posting pictures on here and on the "PIMP" thread as soon as the cards show up in the mail. The deck is also 34% foil but can be 35-38% easily. Also, I've been considering adding foil basic lands but I LOVE the art I have now.

I would love to hear some opinions on this matter as well. This is the land I currently use because I like the art a lot.



I don't add foils to the deck unless I already have them, pick them up easily or find them cheap. The goal was 100% BB, not 90% foil (10% of the deck cannot be made foil). Foils at this point are just icing on the cake.

+1 to zendikar full-arts. I like the depth of the art more than unhinged/unglued full-arts, and there are very few "normal" basics that I like art-wise.

Interesting that that's your favourite basic. It's my least favourite of the Zendikar Swamps.

I'd have to say that this is my favourite

Quote from DramaTurtle

Interesting that that's your favourite basic. It's my least favourite of the Zendikar Swamps.

I'd have to say that this is my favourite

I like purple a lot and the landscape of the swamp reminds me a lot of Mirrodin and of Skithiryx's landscape. It's not my favorite swamp (that going to a tie between Unhinged and Unglued) but it's my favorite one that I could get besides those. There's an 8th edition art swamp I like a lot that I would get foil if I upgraded the deck's foils.



That's mainly because one of my local LGS's have a lot of it in stock AND I like the art. It's obviously not my first pick.

Added a Mana Crypt because I came across a NM book promo for cheap. It goes against what I said but it works and I didn't go looking for trouble to pick it up.

I'm still NEVER going to fit an imperial seal into the deck unless I pull a "Mana Crypt" on that one and now I'm kinda considering seeking a wasteland for the finishing touch.

I personally don't want to run Lion's Eye Diamond.

CUT - Gilded Lotus
ADD - Mana Crypt

The deck is also 39% foil now (non french) and that's not including basics. I've never double sleeved anything in magic and after receiving one of my cards in the mail in a perfect fit, I'm considering it.

Also, it's 100% Black Bordered in case I didn't already mention that. I'll upload pictures as soon as 2 foil cards show up in the mail.

I guess more of a heads up/clarification. I noticed you were saying you lose a land in your hand for the lens. That's wrong. You lose a land in play. Was that a typo?
Other then that I like the deck. I've been in the process of deciding to finish building mine for a while but am undecided as we generally play multiplayer.

Quote from WeaponX

I guess more of a heads up/clarification. I noticed you were saying you lose a land in your hand for the lens. That's wrong. You lose a land in play. Was that a typo?
Other then that I like the deck. I've been in the process of deciding to finish building mine for a while but am undecided as we generally play multiplayer.

That was an epic typo. I had never read extra planar lens and just assumed it did what I thought it did. I had gotten some other imprint cards confused with it's imprint (here's looking at you Chrome Mox). I was force to read the card a few months ago and realized I had to "face palm" my self.

Remember kids... RTFC.

I posted my FRENCH list in the previous Skittles thread, but the thread vanished...

Here it is! I am still testing removing some creatures for removal, but at 10poison win, having a lot of creatures really helps me overwhelm quickly.
Also, the SB is being worked on...

Quote from gma

One card seems to be missing.

which?
or you mean im at 99? i counted it twice, weird...

I've been looking to rework my skithiryx into a more aggressive and commutative deck and all thought I like the look of yours I'm trepidatious to completely commit to a skithiryx as my only way to win.

I was wondering how well you are able to deal with tuck effects, or permanent loss of your general to a stifled mystifying maze trigger or the like, witch admittedly is avoidable if you know about it, but would require you to return your general to the command zone every time it got temporally exiled.

Quote from Chris00010010

I've been looking to rework my skithiryx into a more aggressive and commutative deck and all thought I like the look of yours I'm trepidatious to completely commit to a skithiryx as my only way to win.

I was wondering how well you are able to deal with tuck effects, or permanent loss of your general to a stifled mystifying maze trigger or the like, witch admittedly is avoidable if you know about it, but would require you to return your general to the command zone every time it got temporally exiled.

that's exactly why I run other creatures/artifacts to pump more counters through. I hate seeing Skittles get tucked (who doesnt) but I can deal with it fairly easily.