Magic: the Gathering

Deck Guide

Commander Deck Tech: Gale, Waterdeep Prodigy & Scion of Halaster

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Today, we introduce a Dimir budget list focused on Gale, Waterdeep Prodigy and the background Scion of Halaster!

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traducido por Romeu

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revisado por Tabata Marques

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Índice

  1. > The Decklist
    1. Commander Analysis
  2. > Gameplan
    1. Thassa + Consult
  3. > Packages Analysis
    1. Tutors
    2. Draw Engines
    3. Interactions
    4. Ramp
    5. Cantrips and Others
  4. > Strengths and Weaknesses
  5. > Conclusion

Today, I bring a budget deck tech based on Gale, Waterdeep Prodigy and the background Scion of Halaster!

This deck is also suited to the Tempo archetype, requiring its pilot knowledge and skill to know when to stop opponents and when to let opponents deal with each other. Hope you like it!

The Decklist

56 commons, 26 uncommons y 18 rares

Commander Image card
Commander Image card
super type imageTierra30

1

Santuario místico

965.14

1

Zona de emersión

1253.45

12

Isla

1329.04

1

Expansión terramórfica

29.89

6

Pantano

1065.34

1

Terrenos expansivos

9.67

1

Huerto exótico

4.39

1

Templo del engaño

50.1

1

Torre de mando

101.08

1

Catacumbas Aguanegra

75.59

1

Estuario angosto

74.71

1

Foso de la Cábala

283.04

1

Arrecife nave pavorosa

44.83

1

Hondonada profunda

60.65

super type imageCriatura5

1

Oráculo de Thassa

11623.83

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1

Espía Dimir

334.02

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1

Hipocampo rompeolas

222.39

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Maniático de laboratorio

242.6

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Ladrón de creencias

252.27

Icons of mtgIcons of mtgIcons of mtg
super type imageArtefacto8

1

Anteojos de Urza

176.68

Icons of mtg

1

Anillo solar

745.39

Icons of mtg

1

Talismán de garra de deseos

793.73

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Sello arcano

90.54

Icons of mtg

1

Lente prismático

29.89

Icons of mtg

1

Sello dimir

166.13

Icons of mtg

1

Talismán de la dominancia

257.55

Icons of mtg

1

Piedra de Fellwar

395.55

Icons of mtg
super type imageEncantamiento2

1

Círculo de veracidad

238.21

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Secretos de los muertos

172.28

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg
super type imageConjuro16

1

Simetría taimada

3261.95

Icons of mtg

1

Visión mágica

136.24

Icons of mtg

1

Predestinar

309.41

Icons of mtg

1

Terapia de la Cábala

222.39

Icons of mtg

1

Visiones del suero

238.21

Icons of mtg

1

Desenterrar

174.04

Icons of mtg

1

Portento

90.54

Icons of mtg

1

Reflexionar

950.19

Icons of mtg

1

Trampa del vacío

177.56

Icons of mtg

1

Sonda gitáxica

2522.72

Icons of mtg

1

Ver la verdad

283.92

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Resolver la ecuación

1081.16

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Ganancia inesperada

892.18

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Marea engullidora

211.84

Icons of mtgIcons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Tromba

239.97

Icons of mtgIcons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Crucero del tesoro

95.81

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg
super type imageInstantáneo37

1

Una oferta que no podrás rechazar

1006.45

Icons of mtg

1

Marcha de la niebla arremolinada

1036.34

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Suspender

110.75

Icons of mtg

1

Hechizo fallido

922.94

Icons of mtg

1

Aferrarse al polvo

110.75

Icons of mtg

1

Exploración del pensamiento

164.37

Icons of mtg

1

Clarividencia

177.56

Icons of mtg

1

Consulta demoníaca

9095.84

Icons of mtg

1

Ritual siniestro

1483.74

Icons of mtg

1

Pongificar

1207.74

Icons of mtg

1

Tutora mística

4659.55

Icons of mtg

1

Inspiración súbita

618.81

Icons of mtg

1

Red de espías

177.56

Icons of mtg

1

Cadena de vapor

4191.93

Icons of mtg

1

Flujo de esencia

50.1

Icons of mtg

1

Apresurar

90.54

Icons of mtg

1

Horadar el hechizo

24.61

Icons of mtg

1

Esfumar

149.43

Icons of mtg

1

Atisbar

652.21

Icons of mtg

1

Prueba de talentos

75.59

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Reesculpir

116.03

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Organizar

24.61

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Ahogar en el lago

560.8

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Huir juntos

9.67

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Informe de la misión

40.43

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Bóveda de Lim-Dûl

2278.36

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Constricción arcana

697.04

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Retrasar

1006.45

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Privar de sustancia

65.05

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Enturbiar la mezcla

697.04

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Enviar al pasado

50.1

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Triturar la memoria

197.77

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Búsqueda frenética

24.61

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Planes a largo plazo

2775.87

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Descaminar

1733.38

Icons of mtgIcons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Sumergir

1683.28

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

1

Tajo asesino

176.68

Icons of mtgIcons of mtg

98 cartas maindeck

Commander Analysis

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Gale is a 3 mana 1/3 commander, which allows us to cast him on the first turns with ease and when he's on the battlefield, every time you cast an instant or a sorcery, from your hand, he'll allow you to cast another of the other type from your graveyard, which will be exiled after that.

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An interesting fact is that this spell is cast with what triggered the ability on the stack, that is, it ignores the spell's time, allowing you to use sorceries from your graveyard at instant speed and during your opponents' turn. As a whole, its effect is a recursion tool, card advantage and very high value that serve as the basis for the deck to work.

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This 2 mana background enchantment gives commanders the effect that every time we go to draw the first card of each turn, we will instead have the effect of Nagging Thoughts and then draw a card.

Theoretically, this effect is very similar to Nymris, Oona's Trickster, but it will also trigger on your turn, giving you an extra card at your draw step, allowing you to dig 3 cards per trigger.

Gameplan

As a Tempo deck, we need to hold the early game against the faster decks, while establishing their card advantage engines, stalling opponents and expending as few resources as possible.

If the commanders stay in play for one or two of your turns, giving you card advantage and value, you will probably have already made it possible for you to dig into the deck enough to have answers and tutors to win.

It's important to avoid wasting important resources and cantrips early in the game, as commanders rely on triggers to generate value.

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The deck's wincondition costs little mana, but the list doesn't have many ways to get Thassa's Oracle back from the graveyard, so if for some reason it goes there, we'll probably have to go to the deck's "plan B" with Laboratory Maniac, which besides being more expensive, depends on the draw. The list isn't a midrange with plenty of ramps and speedups, which means you'll be relying on land drops for mana.

The deck still abuses cards that can be cast from the graveyard or that exile cards from the graveyard, since for each cast on opponents' turn, at least two cards go to the graveyard - which ends up being a way to increase your resources and efficiency.

This part won't be news to anyone at all: the list was created and thought to use this wincon in a scenario with a budget limited by its ability to dig into the deck to find it, so the only way the deck has to win the game is:

Thassa + Consult

Required cards: Thassa's Oracle or Laboratory Maniac, and Demonic Consultation.

Combo Condition: Thassa's Oracle and Demonic Consultation in hand, and enough mana to cast them.

1 - Cast Thassa's Oracle.

2-Respond to its ETB by casting the other spell from your hand and naming a card you don't have in your library, thus exiling your entire library. At Thassa's Oracle's ETB resolution, you win the game.

You can use Laboratory Maniac in place of Thassa's Oracle. If that's the case, you'll need one more mana and one card draw to start, for a total of 3 blue, one black, and one generic mana.

Packages Analysis

Tutors

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The deck is equipped with all possible tutors in a budget deck, including the 3 transmutes to find Thassa or an answer, Mystical Tutor and Solve the Equation for Demonic Consultation, and Lim-Dûl's Vault, Long-Term Plans and Wishclaw Talisman as generic tutors.

Long-Term Plans is a great tutor in this deck because, with a Halaster trigger, you can put the card you were looking for in your hand. Gale, like Kess, Dissident Mage, can repurpose tutors in your graveyard, as long as they are instants or sorcery — but unlike her, he ignores the spell's timing.

Draw Engines

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The deck has its commanders as its main advantage card engines, but these are not the only ones.

Verity Circle is one of the most useful means to punish the opponents, and Wavebreak Hippocamp allows your counters and removals to trigger the Background, generating even more card advantage.

Secrets of the Dead allows Gale's trigger to also trigger Halaster, giving you a lot of card advantage, and Notion Thief steals opponents' draws for you, very useful for undermining opponents' draw spells.

Interactions

Counterspells:

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Removals:

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The deck has many interactions of different types, precisely to keep the game controlled and favorable for you, and even the deck doesn't have as many counterspells as other lists.

In this way, it is possible to interact with the pieces that remain in play and save the counters for the relevant, and non-permanent spells, such as tutors, massive draws and interactions.

In addition, the deck has two cards that serve to protect and restart the combo. Essence Flux is a very useful one mana blink to restart Thassa's combo, and Unearth is the deck's only reanimation and merely a tool to get Thassa back from the graveyard.

Ramp

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This package is quite small, as there aren't many cheap, low-cost mana rocks in Dimir colors, and also because this list doesn't rely much on ramps to develop.

A differentiating factor of this list compared to Nymris is being able to cast the commander separately, not being completely open on the turn you do. An acceleration and keeping the land drops going is enough to start well during the game. It won't be possible to overwhelm opponents in mana, but it won't be impossible to stop them.

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Cantrips and Others

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Cantrips aren't just cantrips with Gale and Scion of Halaster: they allow you to access a card from the graveyard that can handle the situation, and they can even give you card advantage with Halaster's replacement trigger. For this reason, the deck uses these low-cost cards to dig into the deck and find the card needed for each situation.

In addition, another important thing for this deck is to always keep control of information, that is, inside the cantrips we have cards that allow you to look at your opponents' hand, providing you information and pressuring the opponent to use the cards to deal with the another opponent.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

It's extremely consistent and resilient if piloted well.

Its wincondition is compact, and the deck isn't so dependent on expensive cards.

Weaknesses

This deck will hardly have more mana available than any opponent, and cannot afford to try to win at the wrong time.

It has a fragile early game and can be easily run over by very fast decks.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this article! If you have any suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments below!

Good week and good tables to you!