This deck is basically about using all of Vela's abilities, specifically the last one. There are also a few combos in the deck. Here are some notes on the cards:
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Not usually a fan of him in EDH, but his -1 ability can be used on your creatures to recycle ETB effects and trigger Vela.
Deadeye Navigator
Another source of ETB recycling, this guy is amazing. He can protect your field from spot removal given enough mana, but he'll most often be used to just combo out and win the game.
Exsanguinate/Blue Sun's Zenith
Both are in as outlets for infinite mana, but are quite good even without. Blue Sun's Zenith should be used early to draw extra cards if needed, as you can see it again, and it only kills one player anyway.
Mikeaus the Unhollowed + Triskelion
Mikeaus + Triskelion is a gamewinning combo by itself, just have Triskelion shoot itself twice and then something else, repeat.
Palinchron + Phantasmal Image
Phantasmal Image comes into play copying Palinchron and bounces itself back in response to the untap trigger. Infinite mana and infinite leaves play triggers. Seems good.
Infinite turns. The slow, lame way to win, but it is there in the deck.
Combos that don't interact with Vela:
Power Artifact + Grim Monolith/Basalt Monolith
The classic infinite mana play. I should note that Power Artifact also plays well on Sword of Fire and Ice, but since that card will take so much hate, it's probably not good to put it there. Also, you know, infinite mana.
Other Synergies:
Reassembling Skeleton + Skullclamp 2B: Draw two cards. This is a classic, and having Reassembling Skeleton in the deck has kept me alive through quite a few attacks.
Evacuation + Timetwister/Time Spiral
Put all their creatures in their hand, then move their hand to their deck! Of course, you should play Evacuation right before your turn, then replay your good stuff, then cast Timetwister/Time Spiral.
Rite of Replication + Vela the Night-Clad
Deals 30 damage to each of your opponents. In most cases, this can win you the game, but even if it doesn't, you should be really close. Add in a few unblockable threats, and you should be able to close it up.
Scuttlemutt + Vela the Night-Clad
If they don't have any artifact creatures, this can guarantee that you get some commander damage in.
Scuttlemutt + Sword of Fire and Ice
This is a little clunkier than using Mother of Runes as an infinite chump blocker, but you can use Scuttlemutt with a Sword equipped and block, then make the blocked creature red or blue.
This deck looks pretty cool but I want to point one thing out. When you remove the last counter from work horse it is still getting +1 +1 from Mikaeus. So it doesn't go infinite without some sort of sac outlet.
Good point! I at one time had some sac outlets in the deck, and I just keep forgetting about that +1/+1 that Mikaeus gives out. In this deck I do still have Skullclamp to make the combo work, but I don't really like that, so I'll probably drop Workhorse for a smaller/better creature.
I am running him, actually. I'm thinking Mimic Vat is probably what this deck is really looking for. Either that or some mana source. Scuttlemutt looks good as well; it's a creature, it taps for mana, and it works well with intimidate.
Both of those seem pretty good. I'm not a huge fan of Mimic Vat but its a really strong card. Scuttlemut is more synergistic with the deck but Mimic Vat is awesome by itself.
I picked up a Scuttlemutt and a Phantasmal Image last night, among many other things, so I thought I'd try them out. Scuttlemutt worked really well, but was mostly just a Manalith. I haven't got Phantasmal Image yet.
I know Phantasmal Image doesn't really work with the bounce theme of the deck too much, but it can still be reused with Umbilicus and Deadeye Navigator.
I'm looking to fit Mimic Vat in the deck, as it plays nicely with all the ETB effects, and could help negate my own lack of fatties by copying opponents.
All of the cards I removed are fine cards, but I've discovered that I need a bit more removal and a bit stronger removal. The deck isn't really about stealing, so Gilded Drake wasn't a hard card to remove. Lightning Greaves wasn't really pulling its weight anymore. Fabricate has always been rather mediocre for me since I don't have a wide breadth of varied artifacts to grab to win the game or impact the board. Throat Slitter never really showed up for me, but the limited impact it has doesn't equal the raw power of Oblivion Stone.
Rite of Replication lets me reuse a lot of my ETB effects, but by far the most powerful target to hit is Vela herself, which causes 36 damage to each opponent.
Evacuation is strong removal that again lets me reuse a lot of my ETB effects. It can handily remove token swarms and the like as well, which has been a problem for this deck.
And as I mentioned before, I've been looking to get Mimic Vat in the deck. I have high hopes for this card in this deck, it seems like it can do a lot for the deck, including a minor additional graveyard hate.
Homeward Path is brought in to combat decks that rely on theft. Its only has poor synergy with Bribery in the deck, so I don't expect it to be an issue for me. I dropped Ancient Tomb because it's been a liability more than a boon. The deck just doesn't need the mana at that cost.
Finally, I've also been looking to fit Volrath's Stronghold in the deck. I had to drop a Swamp for it, which should balance out the manabase a bit.
I've never actually cast Peregrine Drake... maybe it could go. Palinchron is just too good, it's an instant with with both Phantasmal Image and Deadeye Navigator as long as Vela is out, and even if she's in the command zone, both combos make infinite mana of any color. I do want a second time walk effect though (Walk the Aeons for now, possibly Time Manipulation later) just for redundancy.
I agree. We should all only play g/x decks because they are the most objectively fun and anyone who disagrees does not know the truth about EDH. Everyone should just play their decks because interaction beyond high fiving about how many land are in play is unfun and equivalent to casting Stasis while kicking puppies. I for one will never play with anyone who casts tutors, removal spells, blue cards, things I arbitrarily decide I don't like but will probably cast myself later.
@liquid_water: yes, that's in the first post. Good job catching that, I suppose.
@serious people: Erratic Portal is looking all right, I had a game where Umbilicus wasn't so good against a Maelstrom Wanderer player. It got destroyed shortly thereafter, though. Worse comes to worse, I could always just bounce the Umbilicus, but Erratic Portal is definitely on my mind as a possible improvement. I'll more than likely make the change when I can get my hands on one.
Have you considered Mephidross Vampire it combo's well with Triskelion to clear the board or creatures. Another card to consider is maybe Laboratory Maniac, instead of drawing an opponent out you just draw yourself out? Since Kokusho, The Evening Star is unbanned maybe you should include him since he also is a nice combo with Rite of Replication. Just one of him dying is a nice health swing in a multiplayer setting, 6 of him dying at a 3 person table is a 90 health gain. Also since you have infinite mana outlets maybe throw in Diabolic Revelation so you can tutor for whatever you want and most likely cast it too.
1 Vela the Night-Clad
//Mana
10 Island
6 Swamp
1 Academy Ruins
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Command Tower
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Polluted Delta
1 Riptide Laboratory
1 Strip Mine
1 Tainted Isle
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Tolaria West
1 Underground River
1 Underground Sea
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wasteland
1 Scuttlemutt
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Coalition Relic
1 Grim Monolith
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Power Artifact
1 Sol Ring
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
1 Archaeomancer
1 Baleful Strix
1 Cloud of Faeries
1 Duplicant
1 Kederekt Leviathan
1 Man-o'-War
1 Mnemonic Wall
1 Mulldrifter
1 Nekrataal
1 Palinchron
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Puppeteer Clique
1 Sakashima's Student
1 Shrieking Drake
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Vendilion Clique
//Ninja Enablers & Saboteurs
1 Dimir Infiltrator
1 Looter il-Kor
1 Ninja of the Deep Hours
1 Shadowmage Infiltrator
//Spell Control
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Spellskite
1 Force of Will
1 Mana Drain
//Removal
1 Triskelion
1 Withered Wretch
1 Evacuation
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Deadeye Navigator
1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
1 Crystal Shard
1 Mimic Vat
1 Rite of Replication
1 Umbilicus
//Draw
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Skullclamp
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Time Spiral
1 Timetwister
//Tutors
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Bribery
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Liliana Vess
1 Vampiric Tutor
//Combo Pieces
1 Exsanguinate
1 Reassembling Skeleton
1 Time Warp
DeckStats analysis of the deck.
This deck is basically about using all of Vela's abilities, specifically the last one. There are also a few combos in the deck. Here are some notes on the cards:
Umbilicus
Obvious include, I'd just like to point out that it can also be used to reset Mana Vault and Grim Monolith.
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Not usually a fan of him in EDH, but his -1 ability can be used on your creatures to recycle ETB effects and trigger Vela.
Deadeye Navigator
Another source of ETB recycling, this guy is amazing. He can protect your field from spot removal given enough mana, but he'll most often be used to just combo out and win the game.
Exsanguinate/Blue Sun's Zenith
Both are in as outlets for infinite mana, but are quite good even without. Blue Sun's Zenith should be used early to draw extra cards if needed, as you can see it again, and it only kills one player anyway.
Combos that interact with Vela:
Deadeye Navigator + Cloud of Faeries/Palinchron
The latter two give you infinite mana, but all three of them combo with Vela's trigger for the win.
Mikeaus the Unhollowed + Triskelion
Mikeaus + Triskelion is a gamewinning combo by itself, just have Triskelion shoot itself twice and then something else, repeat.
Palinchron + Phantasmal Image
Phantasmal Image comes into play copying Palinchron and bounces itself back in response to the untap trigger. Infinite mana and infinite leaves play triggers. Seems good.
Deadeye Navigator/Crystal Shard/Mimic Vat/Umbilicus + Archaeomancer/Mnemonic Wall + Time Warp
Infinite turns. The slow, lame way to win, but it is there in the deck.
Combos that don't interact with Vela:
Power Artifact + Grim Monolith/Basalt Monolith
The classic infinite mana play. I should note that Power Artifact also plays well on Sword of Fire and Ice, but since that card will take so much hate, it's probably not good to put it there. Also, you know, infinite mana.
Other Synergies:
Reassembling Skeleton + Skullclamp
2B: Draw two cards. This is a classic, and having Reassembling Skeleton in the deck has kept me alive through quite a few attacks.
Evacuation + Timetwister/Time Spiral
Put all their creatures in their hand, then move their hand to their deck! Of course, you should play Evacuation right before your turn, then replay your good stuff, then cast Timetwister/Time Spiral.
Rite of Replication + Vela the Night-Clad
Deals 30 damage to each of your opponents. In most cases, this can win you the game, but even if it doesn't, you should be really close. Add in a few unblockable threats, and you should be able to close it up.
Scuttlemutt + Vela the Night-Clad
If they don't have any artifact creatures, this can guarantee that you get some commander damage in.
Scuttlemutt + Sword of Fire and Ice
This is a little clunkier than using Mother of Runes as an infinite chump blocker, but you can use Scuttlemutt with a Sword equipped and block, then make the blocked creature red or blue.
Let me know what you think of the deck! Thanks!
Phyrexian Plaguelord -> Duplicant
Ashnod's Altar -> Solemn Simulacrum
Memory Plunder -> Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Thieving Magpie -> Consecrated Sphinx
Swiftfoot Boots -> Mana Drain
Sower of Temptation -> Wayfarer's Bauble
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
Both of those seem pretty good. I'm not a huge fan of Mimic Vat but its a really strong card. Scuttlemut is more synergistic with the deck but Mimic Vat is awesome by itself.
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
Clone -> Phantasmal Image
I picked up a Scuttlemutt and a Phantasmal Image last night, among many other things, so I thought I'd try them out. Scuttlemutt worked really well, but was mostly just a Manalith. I haven't got Phantasmal Image yet.
I know Phantasmal Image doesn't really work with the bounce theme of the deck too much, but it can still be reused with Umbilicus and Deadeye Navigator.
I'm looking to fit Mimic Vat in the deck, as it plays nicely with all the ETB effects, and could help negate my own lack of fatties by copying opponents.
Gilded Drake -> Rite of Replication
Fabricate -> Evacuation
Throat Slitter -> Oblivion Stone
Lightning Greaves -> Mimic Vat
Ancient Tomb -> Homeward Path
Swamp -> Volrath's Stronghold
All of the cards I removed are fine cards, but I've discovered that I need a bit more removal and a bit stronger removal. The deck isn't really about stealing, so Gilded Drake wasn't a hard card to remove. Lightning Greaves wasn't really pulling its weight anymore. Fabricate has always been rather mediocre for me since I don't have a wide breadth of varied artifacts to grab to win the game or impact the board. Throat Slitter never really showed up for me, but the limited impact it has doesn't equal the raw power of Oblivion Stone.
Rite of Replication lets me reuse a lot of my ETB effects, but by far the most powerful target to hit is Vela herself, which causes 36 damage to each opponent.
Evacuation is strong removal that again lets me reuse a lot of my ETB effects. It can handily remove token swarms and the like as well, which has been a problem for this deck.
And as I mentioned before, I've been looking to get Mimic Vat in the deck. I have high hopes for this card in this deck, it seems like it can do a lot for the deck, including a minor additional graveyard hate.
Homeward Path is brought in to combat decks that rely on theft. Its only has poor synergy with Bribery in the deck, so I don't expect it to be an issue for me. I dropped Ancient Tomb because it's been a liability more than a boon. The deck just doesn't need the mana at that cost.
Finally, I've also been looking to fit Volrath's Stronghold in the deck. I had to drop a Swamp for it, which should balance out the manabase a bit.
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
Time Sieve -> Time Warp
Thopter Assembly -> Archaeomancer
This should add a little robustness to the deck. I'm also looking to add in Mnemonic Wall and Walk the Aeons.
Do you need both Peregrine Drake and Palinchron? Maybe one of them could be cut for mnemonic wall.
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
@serious people: Erratic Portal is looking all right, I had a game where Umbilicus wasn't so good against a Maelstrom Wanderer player. It got destroyed shortly thereafter, though. Worse comes to worse, I could always just bounce the Umbilicus, but Erratic Portal is definitely on my mind as a possible improvement. I'll more than likely make the change when I can get my hands on one.
Peregrine Drake -> Mnemonic Wall
I went ahead and made this swap, it just makes sense and I want to have more recursion effects. So there you have it.
Underground River -> Cavern of Souls
There are quite a few Wizards in the deck, that will probably be named most. Here is the breakdown of creature types as of now:
Human: 7
Wizard: 7
Faerie: 4
Cleric: 2
Illusion: 2
Ninja: 2
Shapeshifter: 2
Spirit: 2
Zombie: 2
Assassin: 1
Bird: 1
Construct: 1
Drake: 1
Elemental: 1
Golem: 1
Horror: 1
Jellyfish: 1
Kor: 1
Leviathan: 1
Rogue: 1
Scarecrow: 1
Skeleton: 1
Sphinx: 1
Wall: 1
Warrior: 1
EDH: Grand Arbiter $tax, Freyalise Stompy, Mimeoplasm Death From the Grave
Homeward Path, Temple of the False God -> 2 Island
Cavern of Souls -> Underground Sea
This may be a little win-more, but what about High Tide? It works well with Cloud of Faeries, Deadeye Navigator and Shrieking Drake.