Blue Morality, Blue Justice. Made to have fun being blue and all the ill-will that implies. A robust counter and removal suite, plenty of ways to copy and steal, some infinite combos to trigger if you get the urge, draw of course, and lots of the other hallmarks and tricks of the color. Have fun!
Number of changes made since I first put this up. I'm also considering doing an alternate build focusing on theft strategies or possibly merfolk tribal. Any ideas or suggestions to this end would be awesome.
2UURRniv mizzet, the firemind endless fiery mind wheels of death 3WRjor kadeen, the prevailer weenies and extra combat forever 3RRzirilan of the claw dragons and damage doublers 4:SymRG::SymRG:wort, the raidmother burn is now EDH viable 2WUkangee, aerie keeper birds 1UBRjeleva, nephalia's scourge spellslinger/storm
here are the mana costs of generals i no longer play: 2BR3BB3UBG4UB:SymUB::SymUB:2URRG3WWU2UU2GGUUBGG
Shouldn't 2 be first? I think Acting Like a Pirate is viable without spell slinging, so it is a viable option even when you're locked in Stax Prison or MLD.
Looking at my own Talrand deck...
I notice for lands you don't have Temple of the False God, which I think you should be able to trigger pretty well with Terrain Generator (which I should really steal from your list).
Stormtide Leviathan gives you solid protection while not hampering your win condition. The only guy you have who couldn't turn sideways is Snappy and Grand Architect, which I'm pretty sure you're not too upset about.
I don't think Grand Architect is necessary, as the +1/+1 is not too crazy of an effect and looking over your Artifacts... I don't see anything worth powering out or operating, such as a Sphinx-Bone Wand, Proteus Staff or Runechanter's Pike. Either add those or get rid of him... I think the easier option is cut the Architect for Gauntlet of Power - does the same but with less baggage.
As for Enchantments, I don't think Leyline of Anticipation does much for you. You do most of your stuff EOT anyway.
As for Sorceries, I don't think Mind's Desire is a good fit. You can't really rely on Storming out something big on your own turn and if you're relying on Leyline to do that on another player's turn, well, perhaps you should've countered some of those spells instead, leaving you without the mana to cast Mind's D.
Remand and Memory Lapse are tempo cards. This is a multiplayer decklist so going tempo is not expected. I don't know if you want your deck to work as a Tempo Talrand or Talrand Control. Its something to consider. If you want to keep Tempo and not care that you haven't 'solved' the card, they're good cards. If you see this deck more of a Control deck, get rid of them because they only hurt your cause.
I like the Commonness of the Chimera but I don't know if its that good. It smooths over draws and helps you dig but is it worth the 3/4 body. I'm running a Proteus Package, so I want all my creatures to be bombs. That's not the case right now, so I think it might be a better stop gap measure.
Curse of the Swine interests me in getting rid of the table's biggest threats; however, I'm giving them equally sized creatures to my own men. How do you find it?
Also, I find the choice of Sunder interesting. Haven't really seen that unless you're going more for Tempo Aggro/Control. Personally, I would use Back to Basics as most players have more money in their land base than I so it would be the ultimate "screw you".
Shouldn't 2 be first? I think Acting Like a Pirate is viable without spell slinging, so it is a viable option even when you're locked in Stax Prison or MLD.
You make a good point. Being a pirate should always come first ;).
Looking at my own Talrand deck...
I notice for lands you don't have Temple of the False God, which I think you should be able to trigger pretty well with Terrain Generator (which I should really steal from your list).
I'm not a fan of Temple, it's not a hard condition to meet but it's still something that has screwed me in the past and that I prefer not trying to play around.
Stormtide Leviathan gives you solid protection while not hampering your win condition. The only guy you have who couldn't turn sideways is Snappy and Grand Architect, which I'm pretty sure you're not too upset about.
I like this. I need a Sea King for the deck and Stormy is a terrific beast, went ahead and added him.
I don't think Grand Architect is necessary, as the +1/+1 is not too crazy of an effect and looking over your Artifacts... I don't see anything worth powering out or operating, such as a Sphinx-Bone Wand, Proteus Staff or Runechanter's Pike. Either add those or get rid of him... I think the easier option is cut the Architect for Gauntlet of Power - does the same but with less baggage.
As for Enchantments, I don't think Leyline of Anticipation does much for you. You do most of your stuff EOT anyway.
As for Sorceries, I don't think Mind's Desire is a good fit. You can't really rely on Storming out something big on your own turn and if you're relying on Leyline to do that on another player's turn, well, perhaps you should've countered some of those spells instead, leaving you without the mana to cast Mind's D.
Remand and Memory Lapse are tempo cards. This is a multiplayer decklist so going tempo is not expected. I don't know if you want your deck to work as a Tempo Talrand or Talrand Control. Its something to consider. If you want to keep Tempo and not care that you haven't 'solved' the card, they're good cards. If you see this deck more of a Control deck, get rid of them because they only hurt your cause.
I like a lot of what you're saying here. A number of the cards were leftovers from the first build of this deck that have since found home in my Melek deck, so cutting them just to make the decks play differently sounds fine to me. I also wanted to run Gauntlet and just wasn't sure what I was going to cut. Thanks for the suggestions, the list above has been updated to reflect your suggestions, I also was reminded of Uncovered Clues from checking your list, so thanks for that as well.
I like the Commonness of the Chimera but I don't know if its that good. It smooths over draws and helps you dig but is it worth the 3/4 body. I'm running a Proteus Package, so I want all my creatures to be bombs. That's not the case right now, so I think it might be a better stop gap measure.
Curse of the Swine interests me in getting rid of the table's biggest threats; however, I'm giving them equally sized creatures to my own men. How do you find it?
Chimera took Lunar Mystic's spot and I've really enjoyed him so far for the exact reasons you already mentioned, I'd recommend at least giving him a try. Curse is a bomb. Yeah, they get some 2/2's, but they also don't have flying so it's pretty inconsequential compared with getting rid of multiple scary things in a pretty permanent fashion. I don't think you'd be disappointed with it.
Also, I find the choice of Sunder interesting. Haven't really seen that unless you're going more for Tempo Aggro/Control. Personally, I would use Back to Basics as most players have more money in their land base than I so it would be the ultimate "screw you".
Sunder generally wins the game for me when I pop it (and yes, I play this list in a pretty aggressive manner). However, I forgot Back to Basics exists which I also like quite a bit, so I went ahead and added it as well.
Once again, thanks for taking the time to peruse and comment, very much appreciated.
Could Rings of Brighthearth type effects be used for more 2/2s? Since it's multiplayer and all it doesn't hurt to produce more creature tokens. I know there's an equipment around somewhere that mimics Rings' effect, forgot its name or if it can even be used w/Talrand's ability though.
Could Rings of Brighthearth type effects be used for more 2/2s? Since it's multiplayer and all it doesn't hurt to produce more creature tokens. I know there's an equipment around somewhere that mimics Rings' effect, forgot its name or if it can even be used w/Talrand's ability though.
Illusionist's Bracers is the equipment you're thinking of, but Rings effects don't work with Talrand, his is a triggered ability. Strionic Reasonator would work but I'm not too keen on running it here.
I needed a change of pace from working on Gahiji so I decided to retool this list again which has been sitting idle for a few months. I wanted it to be less reliant on Talrand, make use of a number of cards I've got sitting around fretting with nothing to do (Invoke Prejudice, Eldrazi, etc.) and generally just be a pain to play against.
How's Nykthos working for you? It doesn't seem like it ramps a lot, it helps late game I guess but I'd mulligan it away if I could.
Try Overburden for an additional tempo booster, although I guess you do run a few creatures so it may not be as useful...
You could also run Crystal Shard for another infinite combo with Archaeomancer and any extra turn spell.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
EDH
BGJumpin' JaradsGB BB Furry Rat Lady: The Deck BB UU I Don't Ever Want To Explain How Knowledge Pool Works Ever Again UU RR This Is My Suika Cosplay Lightning Bolt Deck RR WW Mangara exiles both permanents and friends RWG Marath Sunforger RWG WUBRG Cromat and Friends WUBRG
--
How's Nykthos working for you? It doesn't seem like it ramps a lot, it helps late game I guess but I'd mulligan it away if I could.
I have no idea, I've yet to draw it. However, having 5 to 7 devotion onboard is pretty common so I think it's worth me trying. If not, its easy to swap.
Try Overburden for an additional tempo booster, although I guess you do run a few creatures so it may not be as useful...
You could also run Crystal Shard for another infinite combo with Archaeomancer and any extra turn spell.
Overburden is an interesting idea, at one point I considered Roil Elemental which could be fun to try with it. Shard will go in eventually, I just haven't decided what to cut.
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx doesn't look like it would do you much good. Also I don't think the deck needs those combo pieces and can win using spells and the tokens created. Long-Term Plans is great for tutoring up any card, including a tucked Talrand. I'd also recommend Favorable Winds and Eldrazi Monument!
Another deck brought up to code with current bans and cardpools. Blue being blue thru and thru. Enjoy!
Edit: Forgot to mention (thanks booze) that this list and my Yeva list are going to be paired up frequently for 2HG games so any suggestions in that vein are also welcome!
Close to two years without an update. Not bad. LOTS of fun cards have been printed recently for blue and I just needed to play them. So, I brought out my old buddy Talrand and set to work getting the old ship into shape. Actually pretty happy with the results so far.
Out of curiosity, is there a reason why you aren't running Myriad Landscape? Seems to be a good fit for getting more lands into play. Or Scrying Sheets for that matter? Or is your mana that tied up?
Ship's Manifest
1 Talrand, Sky Summoner
Swashbuckling's (26)
1 Brainstorm
1 High Tide
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Pongify
1 Rapid Hybridization
1 Anticipate
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Impulse
1 Mana Drain
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Reality Shift
1 Unsubstantiate
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Capsize
1 Intuition
1 Cryptic Command
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Insidious Will
1 Summary Dismissal
1 Turnabout
1 Ætherspouts
1 Evacuation
1 Force of Will
1 Mystic Confluence
1 Æthersnatch
1 Time Stop
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Ponder
1 Curse of the Swine
1 Fabricate
1 Timetwister
1 Windfall
1 Rite of Replication
1 Talent of the Telepath
1 Wash Out
1 Bribery
1 Temporal Manipulation
1 Saheeli's Artistry
1 Time Spiral
1 Temporal Mastery
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Expropriate
Shore's Visited (37)
24 Snow-Covered Island
1 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Terrain Generator
1 Riptide Laboratory
1 Academy Ruins
1 Inventors' Fair
1 High Market
1 Mouth of Ronom
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Diamond
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Mind Stone
1 Sapphire Medallion
1 Thought Vessel
1 Torpor Orb
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Caged Sun
Crewmates (5)
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Archaeomancer
1 Docent of Perfection
1 Torrential Gearhulk
1 Tidespout Tyrant
Enchantments (3)
1 Trail of Evidence
1 Invoke Prejudice
1 Metallurgic Summonings
3WR jor kadeen, the prevailer weenies and extra combat forever
3RR zirilan of the claw dragons and damage doublers
4:SymRG::SymRG: wort, the raidmother burn is now EDH viable
2WU kangee, aerie keeper birds
1UBR jeleva, nephalia's scourge spellslinger/storm
here are the mana costs of generals i no longer play: 2BR3BB3UBG4UB:SymUB::SymUB:2URRG3WWU2UU2GGUUBGG
3UWR numot, the devastator of [the spirit of edh]
Looking at my own Talrand deck...
I notice for lands you don't have Temple of the False God, which I think you should be able to trigger pretty well with Terrain Generator (which I should really steal from your list).
Stormtide Leviathan gives you solid protection while not hampering your win condition. The only guy you have who couldn't turn sideways is Snappy and Grand Architect, which I'm pretty sure you're not too upset about.
I don't think Grand Architect is necessary, as the +1/+1 is not too crazy of an effect and looking over your Artifacts... I don't see anything worth powering out or operating, such as a Sphinx-Bone Wand, Proteus Staff or Runechanter's Pike. Either add those or get rid of him... I think the easier option is cut the Architect for Gauntlet of Power - does the same but with less baggage.
As for Enchantments, I don't think Leyline of Anticipation does much for you. You do most of your stuff EOT anyway.
As for Sorceries, I don't think Mind's Desire is a good fit. You can't really rely on Storming out something big on your own turn and if you're relying on Leyline to do that on another player's turn, well, perhaps you should've countered some of those spells instead, leaving you without the mana to cast Mind's D.
Remand and Memory Lapse are tempo cards. This is a multiplayer decklist so going tempo is not expected. I don't know if you want your deck to work as a Tempo Talrand or Talrand Control. Its something to consider. If you want to keep Tempo and not care that you haven't 'solved' the card, they're good cards. If you see this deck more of a Control deck, get rid of them because they only hurt your cause.
Two questions I have for you deck:
Curse of the Swine and Prescient Chimera: how do they do?
I like the Commonness of the Chimera but I don't know if its that good. It smooths over draws and helps you dig but is it worth the 3/4 body. I'm running a Proteus Package, so I want all my creatures to be bombs. That's not the case right now, so I think it might be a better stop gap measure.
Curse of the Swine interests me in getting rid of the table's biggest threats; however, I'm giving them equally sized creatures to my own men. How do you find it?
Also, I find the choice of Sunder interesting. Haven't really seen that unless you're going more for Tempo Aggro/Control. Personally, I would use Back to Basics as most players have more money in their land base than I so it would be the ultimate "screw you".
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
You make a good point. Being a pirate should always come first ;).
I'm not a fan of Temple, it's not a hard condition to meet but it's still something that has screwed me in the past and that I prefer not trying to play around.
I like this. I need a Sea King for the deck and Stormy is a terrific beast, went ahead and added him.
I like a lot of what you're saying here. A number of the cards were leftovers from the first build of this deck that have since found home in my Melek deck, so cutting them just to make the decks play differently sounds fine to me. I also wanted to run Gauntlet and just wasn't sure what I was going to cut. Thanks for the suggestions, the list above has been updated to reflect your suggestions, I also was reminded of Uncovered Clues from checking your list, so thanks for that as well.
Chimera took Lunar Mystic's spot and I've really enjoyed him so far for the exact reasons you already mentioned, I'd recommend at least giving him a try. Curse is a bomb. Yeah, they get some 2/2's, but they also don't have flying so it's pretty inconsequential compared with getting rid of multiple scary things in a pretty permanent fashion. I don't think you'd be disappointed with it.
Sunder generally wins the game for me when I pop it (and yes, I play this list in a pretty aggressive manner). However, I forgot Back to Basics exists which I also like quite a bit, so I went ahead and added it as well.
Once again, thanks for taking the time to peruse and comment, very much appreciated.
Illusionist's Bracers is the equipment you're thinking of, but Rings effects don't work with Talrand, his is a triggered ability. Strionic Reasonator would work but I'm not too keen on running it here.
Try Overburden for an additional tempo booster, although I guess you do run a few creatures so it may not be as useful...
You could also run Crystal Shard for another infinite combo with Archaeomancer and any extra turn spell.
BG Jumpin' JaradsGB
BB Furry Rat Lady: The Deck BB
UU I Don't Ever Want To Explain How Knowledge Pool Works Ever Again UU
RR This Is My Suika Cosplay Lightning Bolt Deck RR
WW Mangara exiles both permanents and friends
RWG Marath Sunforger RWG
WUBRG Cromat and Friends WUBRG
--
BG Savra, Rocking Attrition (retired) GB
BB">Shauku, Envoy of the End (retired) BB
BU Wrexial, the Tentacled H beast(retired)UB
BB Endrek Sahr, Master Commander (retired )BB
UU [PRIMER] Talrand's Terrible Tempo Terror Teatime (retired) UU
UBW Senator Trio - Three Heads Are Better Than One (retired) UBW
BB MONSTRUAL BLEEDING EREBOS SADISM (retired) BB
I have no idea, I've yet to draw it. However, having 5 to 7 devotion onboard is pretty common so I think it's worth me trying. If not, its easy to swap.
Overburden is an interesting idea, at one point I considered Roil Elemental which could be fun to try with it. Shard will go in eventually, I just haven't decided what to cut.
Thanks for the comments.
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx doesn't look like it would do you much good. Also I don't think the deck needs those combo pieces and can win using spells and the tokens created. Long-Term Plans is great for tutoring up any card, including a tucked Talrand. I'd also recommend Favorable Winds and Eldrazi Monument!
Edit: Forgot to mention (thanks booze) that this list and my Yeva list are going to be paired up frequently for 2HG games so any suggestions in that vein are also welcome!
By the way, it's Inventors' Fair, not Inventor's Fair.
Out of curiosity, is there a reason why you aren't running Myriad Landscape? Seems to be a good fit for getting more lands into play. Or Scrying Sheets for that matter? Or is your mana that tied up?
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs