Intro: This started out as an Arcanis the Omnipotent deck (http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=354830) but it became unfun after a while… Don’t get me wrong, it was a REALY good deck and won; a LOT. But it was so slow and people hated playing against it. *shrug* So I converted into this deck after reading through FireStorm4056’s primer. I took a ton of his suggestions and his basic build and then tweaked it to my own style and meta. I will list my exclusions at the bottom on this thread as well…
Duplicant - Meh; for 2 less, I decided to runboth Clone andPhyrexian Metamorph. I may find I want to add him in later but for now... Man Drain - $150 is a bit steep for one card… while it IS good, I will probably never own one lol Time Twister – See the above reason… No power nine in my collection! Pyroblast / Red Elemental Blast – I really like the idea of these two cards but my meta doesn’t run much blue (a lot of GWB) so I’ll sideboard them for now and maybe switch em in and out as needed… Past in Flames – I tried this card for a few games and it was always dead for me. I always found it to be unkind to me because of the gy/hand recycling. Mindmoil – Ended up just being degenerative. I played it the first two games and it singlehandedly won me both. But I’m trying to stay away from instant wins, the same reason that Curiosity, Ophidian Eye and Mind Over Matter are not in here. Gilded Lotus, Coalition Relic, Izzet Signet,Darksteel Ingot – While these are stable mana rocks, I needed room for other spells. I wanted to include a few more creatures in my build than FireStorm4056’s and these were the easiest cuts. Depending on flow, I may add one or two of these back in, probably starting with Coalition Relic and Izzet Signet.
I don't understand the logic behind passing up on instant win combos, unless the meta you play in is casual with the commander precons you are pretty much neutering your deck by leaving them out.
Most people play EDH because its fun, and when everyone combos out before turn 5 you tend to not want to lay anymore, I have a similar Niv deck and It is still quite competitive without infinite combos.
I would reconsider Mindmoil with no infinite combos this is one of my main wincons in multiplayer. How consistent are you without it?
I love Psychic Possession in my deck it combos very well with the deck and most players don't find it very threatening till you start drawing 14+ off of it hehe.
Magus of the Jar, Phantasmal Image(all star or better then clone at the very least), Psychosis Crawler( amazing win con), Diminished Returns(decent time twister replacement),Molten Psyche(another wincon with any copy effect, and artifacts lands make it easy to metalcraft) in place of some of the counter spells or higher casted enchantments.
Also Fetchlands to replace those vivids land's having a shuffle is to good.
Thanks for the comments y'all. The big enchantments haven't caused me any real problems yet. In a mutiplayer game, i have plenty of time to grow slowly before taking hate and in 1v1 I just recycle my hand and draw something I CAN play if it's early - mid game.
Any other thoughts on Diminishing Returns? I considered it but losing a random 10 cards permanently is kinda scary :\ Also, I think i'll try to find a place for Psychosis Crawler and Molten Psyche
I was gonna suggest Molten Psyche. Its my favorite draw/burn card in Niv-Mizzet. It goes great with Psychosis Crawler as well. I would not run Diminishing Returns if I were you. I would not want to exile 10 cards from my deck at any point and you already have a really strong package of draw 7s.
I would add mana rocks to my deck. Does Primeval Titan not scare you too bad? Its one of the most played cards in my meta so maybe I'm just a little bias but I never want to be the slowest player on mana at the table. You could probably cut Elixer of Immortality for some mana, all your draw spells shuffle stuff back in. Maybe the stealing enchantments could go too. Just some two cents.
I'd say Forbid is better than Double Negative by leaps and bounds imo, even if you only get to use it twice, or even once because you are shuffling your hand it's still better than only getting the option to counter once, and you don't lose much, how often would it be more useful to counter two spells at once? Over all a solid deck cool concept, I noticed you are running Bribery, and Acquire, you are already stealing permanents out of peoples libraries you might as well highjack an instant or sorcery too right? Knowledge Exploitation is a lot of fun, you don't really need it but hey it = board wipe in UR which could be useful, especially if you are replenishing you opponents hands every turn.
I'd say Forbid is better than Double Negative by leaps and bounds imo, even if you only get to use it twice, or even once because you are shuffling your hand it's still better than only getting the option to counter once, and you don't lose much, how often would it be more useful to counter two spells at once? Over all a solid deck cool concept, I noticed you are running Bribery, and Acquire, you are already stealing permanents out of peoples libraries you might as well highjack an instant or sorcery too right? Knowledge Exploitation is a lot of fun, you don't really need it but hey it = board wipe in UR which could be useful, especially if you are replenishing you opponents hands every turn.
Thanks for the comments everyone. I'll try to address them all...
¥: Knowledge Exploitation - It's a great card, but it's pretty spendy mana-wise! I'm trying to keep the curve semi-low. I may try it though down the road. ¥: I switched out Forbid for Double Negative. I like em both, but I see your points. ¥: I changed out Cryptic Command for Trinket Mage mainly because I didn't need another counterspell and the mage lets me fetch mana when I need it. I may try to find a place for Cryptic Command again later.
I thought I posted a comment on how Cryptic Command was a tad better then Spell Crumple but anyway... Cryptic can answer more problems then a Crumple can. I do like Gamble over Crystal Shard. With a million cards in hand Gamble can be a Demonic Tutor.
I also play Niv-Mizzet. It was my first EDH deck and remains my favorite. I'm currently building it in paper.
My two main suggestions will be to add more extra turn cards (really improved this decks power) and also to re-consider artifact mana accel. I have a friend who's deck is like half mana accel and he's pretty much unstoppable (runs a blue red deck).
Consider adding the Reiterate + Inner Fire combo. One of my personal favs. put the mana into mind spring or comet storm for a ton of cards or infinite damage.Interesting. I would LOVE to test our two decks against one another. Would be fun and revealing I think. Do you play on Cockatrice at all
I also love my fetches. I run every one that I can because I want to get my Volcanic Island and Steam Vents every game. They thin the deck and can tutor for the color you need in a pinch.
Basics:
7 Mountain
8 Island
Even though my colors are heavier on blue, I'd rather not lack the red. This balance seems to work pretty well for me.
All red. All great. Generally I prefer the mass removal to spot removal because it's more efficient and I don't have very many of my own creatures to worry about friendly fire. I prefer to give card slots to combo pieces.
Evasion and Misc:
Lightning Greaves - O.o why don't you run boots again? Clout of the Dominus - Cheap spell for Mindmoil. INCREDIBLY efficient to put on Niv. I've won some games through commander damage believe it or not. Haste is very nice for Niv. Basilisk Collar - Holy **** Turns Niv into a god. Psychosis Crawler - Acts as second Niv. Gets damage through pretty reliably. Inner Fire - THIS card is an undiscovered gem. I love it. Whenever I use it to get like 10 to 20 red mana I bask in the oohs and aaahs. Plus it combos infinitely with Reiterate Teferi's Puzzle Box - We're in agreement here. Anvil of Bogardan - Another little gem. I use this instead of spellbook because of the combo potential with sphinx. Turnabout - Utility is really unmatched.
Counters and Anti-counters:
This is where I think you're a little weak. Don't underestimate the power of the counter or the anti counter.
Why not run all these? Not only are they anti-counters but you can use them on your own stuff and other peoples stuff. They are great utility all round.
Duplication
Rite of Replication - O.O Target your phyrexian metamorph, psychosis crawler, or someone elses threat. Sculpting Steel - Nothing like a gilded lotus followed by another gilded lotus Copy Artifact - Copy someone else's sol ring or your stuff. Phyrexian Metamorph - I use this on my A ramp a lot but also great offensively. Sakashima the Impostor - doubles as a second Niv, otherwise great utility
Tutors:
Ethereal Usher - Tutors for Sphinx, Recurring Insight, Time Spiral, Walk the Aeons, and Niv if he get's shuffled. Mystical Tutor - derp Gamble - This has been in and out of the deck so many times. I tend to have bad luck with it but try to cast it with a lot of cards in hand.
Consecrated Sphinx - Basically a win condition in itself. Should probably be banned. Recurring Insight - The rebound on this is what makes it great. Mind Spring Braingeyser Trade Secrets - ALWAYS target the newb. better than you think. At the VERY least it's four cards into a hand that knows how to use em. Stroke of Genius - only one blue in cost Invoke the Firemind - swapped for blue sun's zenith. zenith was too heavy on blue. invoke can do damage in a pinch without niv
For a deck that wants cards in hand, these seemed very obvious choices to me. They aren't necessarily the most efficient way to draw cards, but they are reliable.
The extra turns really upped this deck's game to the next level.
Possible Inclusion:
Ivory Tower - in the event you can't combo out but people see you are about to, life loss can be an issue. This cheap card can counter that somewhat, but otherwise somewhat weak. Pyroblast Red Elemental Blast - this and the above DO seem like good additions. I love adding useful red stuff, but again there is the situational issue. I'm afraid of them being dead cards. Kozilek, Butcher of Truth - I DO tend to ALMOST deck myself or lose Time Spiral to the graveyard. + its a big fatty in a deck that otherwise doesn't have any. Diviner's Wand - purely for fun. a bit spendy to use though Capture of Jingzhou - very good extra turn card, but artwork is LAME!! Warrior's Oath, Last Chance - considering these other red do or die extra turn cards. Seem powerful but dead in early game. Want to test Final Fortune some more. Whirlpool Warrior - double windfall with shuffling. very efficient. doubles as a chump blocker.... i honestly don't know why I'm not including it, maybe because I don't like the artwork? Double Negative - hard to resist putting this in for flavor alone. can be good if used wisely Past in Flames - seems good since I tend to run a lot of instants and sorceries Winds of Change - extremely cheap and RED yay Invoke the Firemind - OMG flavor!!! can do damage without Niv in play Thought Reflection - a bit steep for my mana curve but cards in hand is cards in hand.
Explanations for Notable Exclusions:
Arcanis the Omnipotent - 6 cmc is high IMO. He's awesome yes, but really benefits from things like Pemmin's Aura and Freed from the Real which I haven't included yet. Tends to draw hate. Generally I try to minimize the number of creatures in the deck so won't be afraid to use my mass removal. Clone - Yes it's good, but I prefer metamorph in this slot Duplicant - too high of cmc Laboratory Maniac - damage is my win condition Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir - draws hate. is creature. Jace, the Mind Sculptor - ugh. boring. also expensive to purchase. Brainstorm - since I have mana, I rather dump it into getting a full hand with mind spring, zenith, etc
[CARD]Insurrection
[/CARD] - people will try to get their revenge on you for stealing their critters if you can't kill them. Also high cmc. Timetwister - too expensive to purchase Dream Halls - dangerous card. this deck isn't built around it Future Sight - why would I want to play the top card of my library if it's already in my hand? heavy blue cost. I don't run top. Rhystic Study - annoying as all hell. Sensei's Divining Top - again, pretty annoying and time consuming. also, I don't really need it. Boseiju, Who Shelters All Although it's good, I run a lot of counters already. Also I try to minimize my colorless lands. City of Brass - not needed in a 2 color deck. I run all the fetches I can. I prefer to take 1 damage once for a fetch rather than 1 damage whenever I tap the land. Izzet Boilerworks - bad loss of tempo. Screaming for a strip mine. These lands are really bad IMO Mana Crypt - 3 damage is just too high of a cost for a deck with no life gain. I'd rather use the moxes.
As always, Comments and Suggestions are welcome!
Az
1 Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
Planeswalkers (1):
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Creatures (14):
1 Arcanis the Omnipotent
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Gilded Drake
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Jace’s Archivist
1 Magus of the Jar
1 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Psychosis Crawler
1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
1 Trinket Mage
1 Whirlpool Warrior
Non-Creature Artifacts (9):
1 Coalition Relic
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Izzet Signet
1 Memory Jar
1 Mirari
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
1 Teferi’s Puzzle Box
1 Thran Dynamo
Enchantments (6):
1 Confiscate
1 Dream Halls
1 Future Sight
1 Leyline of Anticipation
1 Rhystic Study
1 Treachery
1 Brainstorm
1 Capsize
1 Counterspell
1 Dissipate
1 Evacuation
1 Forbid
1 Force of Will
1 Frantic Search
1 Hinder
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Quicken
1 Rewind
1 Spell Crumple
1 Spin into Myth
1 Starstorm
1 Twincast
Sorceries (16):
1 Acquire
1 Bribery
1 Fabricate
1 Gamble
1 Insurrection
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Molten Psyche
1 Personal Tutor
1 Rite of Replication
1 Shattering Spree
1 Time Reversal
1 Time Spiral
1 Time Warp
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Windfall
1 Winds of Change
8 Island
5 Mountain
1 Academy Ruins
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 City of Brass
1 Command Tower
1 Great Furnace
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Maze of Ith
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Minamo, School at Water’s Edge
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Riptide Laboratory
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Shivan Reef
1 Steam Vents
1 Strip Mine
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Tolaria West
1 Wasteland
Exclusions:
Duplicant - Meh; for 2 less, I decided to run
both Clone andPhyrexian Metamorph. I may find I want to add him in later but for now...Man Drain - $150 is a bit steep for one card… while it IS good, I will probably never own one lol
Time Twister – See the above reason… No power nine in my collection!
Pyroblast / Red Elemental Blast – I really like the idea of these two cards but my meta doesn’t run much blue (a lot of GWB) so I’ll sideboard them for now and maybe switch em in and out as needed…
Past in Flames – I tried this card for a few games and it was always dead for me. I always found it to be unkind to me because of the gy/hand recycling.
Mindmoil – Ended up just being degenerative. I played it the first two games and it singlehandedly won me both. But I’m trying to stay away from instant wins, the same reason that Curiosity, Ophidian Eye and Mind Over Matter are not in here.
Gilded Lotus,
Coalition Relic, Izzet Signet,Darksteel Ingot – While these are stable mana rocks, I needed room for other spells. I wanted to include a few more creatures in my build than FireStorm4056’s and these were the easiest cuts.Depending on flow, I may add one or two of these back in, probably starting with Coalition Relic and Izzet Signet.*Updates/Changes*
-1 Clone +1 Phantasmal Image
-1 Venser, Shaper Savant +1 Psychosis Crawler (Not sure about this trade-out yet; we'll see!)
-1 Vivid Crag +1 Arid Mesa
-1 Vivid Creek +1 Polluted Delta
-1 Island +1 Expedition Map
-1 Island +1 Darksteel Citadel
-1 Cryptic Command +1 Trinket Mage
-1 Thought Reflection +1 Molten Psyche
-1 Blatant Thievery +1 Magus of the Jar
-1 Cast Through Time +1 Izzet Signet
-1 Forbid +1 Coalition Relic
-1 Double Negative +1 Forbid
-1 Crystal Shard +1 Gamble
-1 Beacon of Tomorrows +1 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
WUB Sharuum the Hegemon, the Destroyer of Darksteel
BGW Teneb, the Harvester, my Pimped Out Reanimator
GUB The Mimeoplasm Ooze-Mill
GWU Rafiq the Exalted
WUB Sharuum the Hegemon, the Destroyer of Darksteel
BGW Teneb, the Harvester, my Pimped Out Reanimator
GUB The Mimeoplasm Ooze-Mill
GWU Rafiq the Exalted
How do you find your big mana enchantments? Thought Reflection Cast Through Time Confiscate without a lot of ramp I had trouble using these for any real value.
I would reconsider Mindmoil with no infinite combos this is one of my main wincons in multiplayer. How consistent are you without it?
I love Psychic Possession in my deck it combos very well with the deck and most players don't find it very threatening till you start drawing 14+ off of it hehe.
Magus of the Jar, Phantasmal Image(all star or better then clone at the very least), Psychosis Crawler( amazing win con), Diminished Returns(decent time twister replacement),Molten Psyche(another wincon with any copy effect, and artifacts lands make it easy to metalcraft) in place of some of the counter spells or higher casted enchantments.
Also Fetchlands to replace those vivids land's having a shuffle is to good.
Any other thoughts on Diminishing Returns? I considered it but losing a random 10 cards permanently is kinda scary :\ Also, I think i'll try to find a place for Psychosis Crawler and Molten Psyche
WUB Sharuum the Hegemon, the Destroyer of Darksteel
BGW Teneb, the Harvester, my Pimped Out Reanimator
GUB The Mimeoplasm Ooze-Mill
GWU Rafiq the Exalted
I would add mana rocks to my deck. Does Primeval Titan not scare you too bad? Its one of the most played cards in my meta so maybe I'm just a little bias but I never want to be the slowest player on mana at the table. You could probably cut Elixer of Immortality for some mana, all your draw spells shuffle stuff back in. Maybe the stealing enchantments could go too. Just some two cents.
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
-1 Clone +1 Phantasmal Image
-1 Venser, Shaper Savant +1 Psychosis Crawler (Not sure about this trade-out yet; we'll see!
-1 Vivid Crag +1 Arid Mesa
-1 Vivid Creek +1 Polluted Delta
-1 Island +1 Expedition Map
-1 Island +1 Darksteel Citadel
-1 Cryptic Command +1 Trinket Mage
-1 Thought Reflection +1 Molten Psyche
-1 Blatant Thievery +1 Magus of the Jar (Not sure, seems like it could work really well though)
-1 Cast Through Time +1 Izzet Signet
-1 Forbid +1 Coalition Relic (I really didn't want to lose Forbid but it seemed like the easiest card to lose. I might try to switch it back in for Double Negative later.)
-1 Double Negative +1 Forbid
WUB Sharuum the Hegemon, the Destroyer of Darksteel
BGW Teneb, the Harvester, my Pimped Out Reanimator
GUB The Mimeoplasm Ooze-Mill
GWU Rafiq the Exalted
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
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WPL Epic WorldGo ahead and run, you'll only die tired.
Those who might never meet are pooled together
Thanks for the comments everyone. I'll try to address them all...
¥: Knowledge Exploitation - It's a great card, but it's pretty spendy mana-wise! I'm trying to keep the curve semi-low. I may try it though down the road.
¥: I switched out Forbid for Double Negative. I like em both, but I see your points.
¥: I changed out Cryptic Command for Trinket Mage mainly because I didn't need another counterspell and the mage lets me fetch mana when I need it. I may try to find a place for Cryptic Command again later.
WUB Sharuum the Hegemon, the Destroyer of Darksteel
BGW Teneb, the Harvester, my Pimped Out Reanimator
GUB The Mimeoplasm Ooze-Mill
GWU Rafiq the Exalted
WUB Sharuum the Hegemon, the Destroyer of Darksteel
BGW Teneb, the Harvester, my Pimped Out Reanimator
GUB The Mimeoplasm Ooze-Mill
GWU Rafiq the Exalted
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
My two main suggestions will be to add more extra turn cards (really improved this decks power) and also to re-consider artifact mana accel. I have a friend who's deck is like half mana accel and he's pretty much unstoppable (runs a blue red deck).
Consider adding the Reiterate + Inner Fire combo. One of my personal favs. put the mana into mind spring or comet storm for a ton of cards or infinite damage.Interesting. I would LOVE to test our two decks against one another. Would be fun and revealing I think. Do you play on Cockatrice at all
Decklist:
1 Sol Ring
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Izzet Signet
1 Chrome Mox
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mox Opal
1 Coalition Relic
1 Volcanic Island
1 Steam Vents
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Academy Ruins
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Vesuva
1 Command Tower
7 Mountain
8 Island
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolaria West
1 Mishra's Workshop
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Arid Mesa
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Shivan Reef
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Chaos Warp
1 Chain Reaction
1 Comet Storm
1 Earthquake
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Clout of the Dominus
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Psychosis Crawler
1 Inner Fire
1 Teferi's Puzzle Box
1 Anvil of Bogardan
1 Turnabout
1 Counterspell
1 Hinder
1 Spell Crumple
1 Force of Will
1 Reverberate
1 Swerve
1 Dream Fracture
1 Last Word
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Forbid
1 Reiterate
1 Twincast
1 Wild Ricochet
1 Rite of Replication
1 Ethereal Usher
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Sculpting Steel
1 Copy Artifact
1 Gamble
1 Sakashima the Impostor
1 Time Spiral
1 Molten Psyche
1 Jace's Archivist
1 Incendiary Command
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Windfall
1 Time Reversal
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Recurring Insight
1 Mind Spring
1 Braingeyser
1 Trade Secrets
1 Stroke of Genius
1 Invoke the Firemind
1 Walk the Aeons
1 Stitch in Time
1 Time Warp
1 Temporal Manipulation
1 Final Fortune
Card Choices:
^ All standard A ramp
I run the moxes for a couple reasons:
Lands:
Love my duals. I am never color screwed.
Utility:
Colorless (utility):
Academy Ruins
Reliquary Tower - I hate taking the time to discard stuff. With this deck having as many cards in hand as possible is the goal.
Strip Mine
Mishra's Workshop - spendy to purchase, will probably swap for basic land in paper
Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
I really try to limit my colorless lands. Nothing quite as sucky as being color screwed.
Fetches:
I also love my fetches. I run every one that I can because I want to get my Volcanic Island and Steam Vents every game. They thin the deck and can tutor for the color you need in a pinch.
Basics:
7 Mountain
8 Island
Even though my colors are heavier on blue, I'd rather not lack the red. This balance seems to work pretty well for me.
Removal:
Chaos Warp - Love this card. Any permanent? Yes please. Only backfires like 5% of the time.
Chain Reaction - I'm fairly paranoid about creatures. They can damage me
Comet Storm Good mana sink for Inner Fire + Reiterate
Earthquake - Perfect mass removal in combo with Niv
All red. All great. Generally I prefer the mass removal to spot removal because it's more efficient and I don't have very many of my own creatures to worry about friendly fire. I prefer to give card slots to combo pieces.
Evasion and Misc:
Clout of the Dominus - Cheap spell for Mindmoil. INCREDIBLY efficient to put on Niv. I've won some games through commander damage believe it or not. Haste is very nice for Niv.
Basilisk Collar - Holy **** Turns Niv into a god.
Psychosis Crawler - Acts as second Niv. Gets damage through pretty reliably.
Inner Fire - THIS card is an undiscovered gem. I love it. Whenever I use it to get like 10 to 20 red mana I bask in the oohs and aaahs.
Teferi's Puzzle Box - We're in agreement here.
Anvil of Bogardan - Another little gem. I use this instead of spellbook because of the combo potential with sphinx.
Turnabout - Utility is really unmatched.
Counters and Anti-counters:
Counters:
Counterspell
Hinder
Spell Crumple - how you don't use cards from the commander set?
Force of Will
Dream Fracture - Love this with sphinx in play.
Last Word
Muddle the Mixture - doubles as a tutor for boots, anvil, signet, counterspell, and a few other things.
Forbid
Swerve:
Swerve is awesome. I have a foily.
Shenanigans:
Why not run all these? Not only are they anti-counters but you can use them on your own stuff and other peoples stuff. They are great utility all round.
Duplication
Rite of Replication - O.O Target your phyrexian metamorph, psychosis crawler, or someone elses threat.
Sculpting Steel - Nothing like a gilded lotus followed by another gilded lotus
Copy Artifact - Copy someone else's sol ring or your stuff.
Phyrexian Metamorph - I use this on my A ramp a lot but also great offensively.
Sakashima the Impostor - doubles as a second Niv, otherwise great utility
Tutors:
Mystical Tutor - derp
Gamble - This has been in and out of the deck so many times. I tend to have bad luck with it but try to cast it with a lot of cards in hand.
Mindmoil and Time Spiral type effects:
Mindmoil - derp
Time Spiral - derp
Molten Psyche - okay, this seems like the most obvious inclusion for you. I know someone who uses it as his primary win condition.
Jace's Archivist - can become pretty nuts
Incendiary Command - great utility
Wheel of Fortune - derp
Windfall - derp
Time Reversal - because I'll never afford Timetwister :/
Recurring Insight - The rebound on this is what makes it great.
Mind Spring
Braingeyser
Trade Secrets - ALWAYS target the newb. better than you think. At the VERY least it's four cards into a hand that knows how to use em.
Stroke of Genius - only one blue in cost
Invoke the Firemind - swapped for blue sun's zenith. zenith was too heavy on blue. invoke can do damage in a pinch without niv
For a deck that wants cards in hand, these seemed very obvious choices to me. They aren't necessarily the most efficient way to draw cards, but they are reliable.
Extra Turns:
Walk the Aeons
Stitch in Time
Time Warp
Temporal Manipulation
Final Fortune
The extra turns really upped this deck's game to the next level.
Possible Inclusion:
Pyroblast
Red Elemental Blast - this and the above DO seem like good additions. I love adding useful red stuff, but again there is the situational issue. I'm afraid of them being dead cards.
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth - I DO tend to ALMOST deck myself or lose Time Spiral to the graveyard. + its a big fatty in a deck that otherwise doesn't have any.
Diviner's Wand - purely for fun. a bit spendy to use though
Capture of Jingzhou - very good extra turn card, but artwork is LAME!!
Warrior's Oath, Last Chance - considering these other red do or die extra turn cards. Seem powerful but dead in early game. Want to test Final Fortune some more.
Whirlpool Warrior - double windfall with shuffling. very efficient. doubles as a chump blocker.... i honestly don't know why I'm not including it, maybe because I don't like the artwork?
Double Negative - hard to resist putting this in for flavor alone. can be good if used wisely
Past in Flames - seems good since I tend to run a lot of instants and sorceries
Winds of Change - extremely cheap and RED yay
Invoke the Firemind - OMG flavor!!! can do damage without Niv in play
Thought Reflection - a bit steep for my mana curve but cards in hand is cards in hand.
Explanations for Notable Exclusions:
Arcanis the Omnipotent - 6 cmc is high IMO. He's awesome yes, but really benefits from things like Pemmin's Aura and Freed from the Real which I haven't included yet. Tends to draw hate. Generally I try to minimize the number of creatures in the deck so won't be afraid to use my mass removal.
Clone - Yes it's good, but I prefer metamorph in this slot
Duplicant - too high of cmc
Laboratory Maniac - damage is my win condition
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir - draws hate. is creature.
Jace, the Mind Sculptor - ugh. boring. also expensive to purchase.
Brainstorm - since I have mana, I rather dump it into getting a full hand with mind spring, zenith, etc
[CARD]Insurrection
[/CARD] - people will try to get their revenge on you for stealing their critters if you can't kill them. Also high cmc.
Timetwister - too expensive to purchase
Dream Halls - dangerous card. this deck isn't built around it
Future Sight - why would I want to play the top card of my library if it's already in my hand? heavy blue cost. I don't run top.
Rhystic Study - annoying as all hell.
Sensei's Divining Top - again, pretty annoying and time consuming. also, I don't really need it.
Boseiju, Who Shelters All Although it's good, I run a lot of counters already. Also I try to minimize my colorless lands.
City of Brass - not needed in a 2 color deck. I run all the fetches I can. I prefer to take 1 damage once for a fetch rather than 1 damage whenever I tap the land.
Izzet Boilerworks - bad loss of tempo. Screaming for a strip mine. These lands are really bad IMO
Mana Crypt - 3 damage is just too high of a cost for a deck with no life gain. I'd rather use the moxes.
MY PRIMER ON NIV-MIZZET, THE FIREMIND, MY CUSTOM CARDS ON DEVIANTART
My other decks:
Kaalia of the Vast: Certified Air Raid Material
Prossh, Skyraider of Kher: NOM NOM NOM!
Aurelia, the Warleader: Warclamp
I've been looking for a card to cut for the new Niv and finally decided on Beacon. While beacon is a great card, it is used in limited situations.
WUB Sharuum the Hegemon, the Destroyer of Darksteel
BGW Teneb, the Harvester, my Pimped Out Reanimator
GUB The Mimeoplasm Ooze-Mill
GWU Rafiq the Exalted