Kruphix, God of EDH [Mtg Commander format]

[Mysty]

Dammit Mysty, join the EDH club if you haven't already, and show me that list.

 

UG is mah jam.

 

Wish granted.

 

As mentioned, this list has gone through numerous card changes for various power levels of different crowds. I'm reaching the point where I think it might be easier just to build multiple Kruphix decks, each with a different theme/power level.

List is organized first by type, then converted mana cost (with X last), then name. Everything except the basics is one-of because it's commander.

 

Commander (1)

Kruphix, God of Horizons

 

Creatures (18)

Sakura-Tribe Elder

Burnished Hart

Courser of Kruphix

Farhaven Elf

Polukranos, World Eater

Reef Worm

Solemn Simulacrum

Prime Speaker Zegana

Soul of New Phyrexia

Sphinx of Magosi

Steel Hellkite

Rimefeather Owl

Spearbreaker behemoth

Archetype of Endurance

Colossus of Akros

Artisan of Kozilek

Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger

 

Artifacts/Enchantments (16)

Burgeoning

Exploration

Sol Ring

Mind Stone

Lightning Greaves

Commander's Sphere

Darksteel Ingot

Unstable Obelisk

Frontier Siege

Hedron Archive

Nevinyrral's Disk

Power Matrix

Tower of Fortunes

Vedalken Orrery

Gilded Lotus

Dreamstone Hedron

 

Instants (17)

Mental Misstep

Stifle

Counterspell

Dispersal shield

Sprout Swarm

Beast Within

Dissipate

Krosan Grip

Momentous Fall

Plasm Capture

Reins of Power

Evacuation

Not of This World

Scour from Existence

Dig Through Time

Blue Sun Zenith

Stroke of Genius

 

Sorceries (10)

Into the North

Regrowth

Cultivate

Rite of Replication

Rush of Knowledge

Boundless Realms

All is Dust

Wave of Vitriol

Praetor's Counsel

The Great Aurora

 

Lands (38)

Snow-Covered Island x14

Snow-Covered Forest x14

Alchemist's Refuge

Arcane Lighthouse

Dark Depths

Homeward Path

Mouth of Ronom

Myriad Landscape

Mystifying Maze

Rogue's Passage

Scrying Sheets

Strip Mine

 

I'm sure you have some questions about some of my card choices or lack of certain cards. I'll try to address some of them now.

 

Q: Why do you run a snow package?

A: 1. One of my locals is keen on using Extraplanar Lens on Snow-Covered lands. Extraplanar Lens only helps lands with the same name, so having snow lands is necessary.

2. My other locals likes using Strata Scythe with regular basics, No way I'm helping my opponents' creatures get bigger.

3. I'm a sucker for really big flying creatures, whether they be the Owl or Marit Lage. Since I was already going to run dark Depths, figured "might as well make my lands snow and run Into the North".

 

Q: Where's the Seedborn Muse and Prophet of Kruphix?

A: I don't yet have Seedborn Muse. Prophet of Kruphix feels like a Level 7 Lighthouse Chronologist, which feels like cheating. Same reason why Cyclonic Rift isn't in here.

 

Q: Why Courser over Oracle of Mul Daya?

A: Because I don't have Oracle of Mul Daya. If I did, I'd totally make that swap.

 

Q: You're running blue: Why do you need Not of This world? Also, why Mental Misstep and Dispersal Shield at all?

A: If you didn't notice, I don't run too many counterspells. As a very casual Timmy, I hate how counterspells feel, I hate having to keep mana open for them (especially double blue, since everyone expects it at that point), and I hate seeing the disappointed face in my opponents when their card gets countered, so I keep my counterspells to a minimum (enough to stop combo decks) and I try to keep then rather unique so that my opponents will at least get a kick out of how their spell was countered.

 

Q: Why not Mana drain over C-

A: BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH MONEY, OKAY! Note that this will likely be the answer to the question "Why is there no Kozilek/Tropical Island/[other expensive thing] in this deck?".

 

Q: Power Matrix? Really? Why is a rare from Mercadian Masques and isn't Lin Sivvi or Rishadan Port doing anywhere near anything constructed?

A: Have you read Power matrix, or did you just assume it was terrible because it's from Mercadian Masques?

Sure, it's absolutely terrible in limited and 60-card formats, but try playing against it in commander and then you can ask me why I run it.

 

Q: So few X spells...

A: Even in Kruphix, I can rather "efficiently" use ALL my mana without resorting to X spells, so I don't use them. Also, I don't build up mana as efficiently as some people imagine. This is the same reason I don't use helix Pinnacle - 101 mana is a little slow for my taste when Colossus of Akros + Rite of Replication only takes 77 mana and is far more exciting (Dark Depths only needs 30 mana and is moderately exciting).

 

Q: Ugh, you have to be that guy that runs The Great Aurora...

A: Cast it, float mana before it resolves, recast Kruphix, keep the large hand and the mana while everyone else is likely discarding at the end of their turn. This also applies for any large bounce spell. (Except Cyclonic Rift, sort of, which is why it's not here - it's too powerful for my taste.)

 

Anyway, feel free to give suggestions. I'm always looking for different ways to change up the deck, but do keep in mind that I am still in the process of toning the deck DOWN a bit, since it's still a bit powerful.

Thank you!

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

Stifle really isn't worth running in EDH. The reason the card is so powerful in Legacy is it hits power plays, while also being able to blank fetchlands so that it is never truly dead.

 

Thing is, in EDH, even in playgroup like mine where people run several fetchlands in even two color decks, this utility falls apart. You won't always have something to counter, and even if you manage to fall back on the ability to counter a fetch, the impact is relatively low unless it is done in the first few turns, which cannot be relied on in 99-card singleton.

 

Luckily, there is a fantastic alternative in Voidslime. The card is incredible, serving as an (albeit more expensive) stifle, still fully capable of stopping Planeswalkers from ulting, killing tempo on a Grim Monolith, and breaking various combos. And then, when you don't need Stifle, it is a slightly more color-intensive cancel, which when you tack on the upside of also being mother funking stifle, is pretty damn awesome.

 

Also, don't tone your deck down, convince everyone else to tone theirs up ;)

 

Also, no Treasure Cruise?

[Mysty]

Stifle really isn't worth running in EDH. The reason the card is so powerful in Legacy is it hits power plays, while also being able to blank fetchlands so that it is never truly dead.

 

Thing is, in EDH, even in playgroup like mine where people run several fetchlands in even two color decks, this utility falls apart. You won't always have something to counter, and even if you manage to fall back on the ability to counter a fetch, the impact is relatively low unless it is done in the first few turns, which cannot be relied on in 99-card singleton.

 

Luckily, there is a fantastic alternative in Voidslime. The card is incredible, serving as an (albeit more expensive) stifle, still fully capable of stopping Planeswalkers from ulting, killing tempo on a Grim Monolith, and breaking various combos. And then, when you don't need Stifle, it is a slightly more color-intensive cancel, which when you tack on the upside of also being mother f***ing stifle, is pretty damn awesome.

 

Also, don't tone your deck down, convince everyone else to tone theirs up ;)

 

Also, no Treasure Cruise?

I agree with swapping out Stifle for Voidslime when I finally get a Voidslime (high on my "must get" list). However, I think you missed one of the more powerful interactions I have in the deck: Stifle + Mystifying Maze = permanent exile of an attacking creature. Sure, that uses up one card and requires two (one of which is a land), but good removal is somewhat tough to come by in GU, so I take what I can. I've surprised a lot of people with the combo. (This is particularly funny if they put their general into exile and I can stick it there forever. Now I wish I could run Oblivion Ring in GU. Oh well, I can do that with someone else's O-Ring for cruise controlling.)

 

The problem with trying to get everyone else to tune their decks up is:

• Some people have more budget problems than I do. (I admittedly so far have it pretty well off.)

• Most playgroups I find have already found their "ideal power level" for commander games, with anything higher being too "degenerate" for their tastes. Since this IS a casual format, I'd rather try to adjust to theirs. Thankfully, my game plan of "big mana for big creatures that win games and tricky finesse instants that can steal games in hilarious ways" is very scalable.

I will admit that it has become cumbersome both to try to lower power level and to try to fit in all the cards I want to try, which made me think of making multiple Kruphix decks for multiple power levels.

 

Treasure Cruise is amazing in 60-card formats because 4-of fetches fill up the graveyard really fast and get it to 1 mana draw 3 with little trouble. I find I have trouble filling my graveyard, making Treasure Cruise only likely to be low-cost late in the game (when I likely don't care as much about the cost). I like Dig Through Time because I am happy to pay even 8 mana for it and the cost reduction option is a bonus - I can't say the same for Cruise. I can look into Treasure Cruise, but frankly, I think I'd rather play Opportunity.