Mishra's Workshop

Commander / EDH Artifact Jank Multiplayer Theme/Gimmick UBR (Grixis) Value Engine

Izzy-

Artifact (24)

• 1x Bolas's Citadel
• 1x Chromatic Lantern
• 1x Clock of Omens
• 1x Codex Shredder
• 1x Dimir Signet
• 1x Gilded Lotus
• 1x Grinning Totem
• 1x Izzet Signet
• 1x Krark-Clan Ironworks
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Memory Jar
• 1x Mirage Mirror
• 1x Mirrorworks
• 1x Mycosynth Lattice
• 1x Nevinyrral's Disk
• 1x Planar Bridge
• 1x Rakdos Signet
• 1x Sculpting Steel
• 1x Sensei's Divining Top
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Spine of Ish Sah
• 1x Thran Dynamo
• 1x Unwinding Clock
• 1x Worn Powerstone

Sorcery (6)

• 1x Blasphemous Act
• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Living Death
• 1x Scrap Mastery
• 1x Vandalblast
• 1x Wheel of Fortune

Enchantment (3)

• 1x Nether Void
• 1x Possibility Storm
• 1x Rhystic Study

Creature (19)

• 1x Blightsteel Colossus
• 1x Clever Impersonator
• 1x Duplicant
• 1x Emry, Lurker of the Loch
• 1x Etherium Sculptor
• 1x Goblin Welder
• 1x Hostage Taker
• 1x Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain
• 1x Master Transmuter
• 1x Myr Battlesphere
• 1x Myr Retriever
• 1x Phyrexian Metamorph
• 1x Sai, Master Thopterist
• 1x Scrap Trawler
• 1x Shimmer Myr
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Steel Hellkite
• 1x Thada Adel, Acquisitor
• 1x Vedalken Archmage

Instant (10)

• 1x Ancient Excavation *list*
• 1x Arcane Denial
• 1x Capsize
• 1x Chaos Warp
• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Fact or Fiction
• 1x Izzet Charm
• 1x Memory Lapse
• 1x Reality Shift
• 1x Vampiric Tutor

Planeswalker (2)

• 1x Daretti, Scrap Savant
• 1x Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge

Commander (1)

Land (35)

• 1x Academy Ruins
• 1x Blood Crypt
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Buried Ruin
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Great Furnace
• 1x Inventors' Fair
• 9x Island
• 6x Mountain
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 1x Seat of the Synod
• 1x Steam Vents
• 5x Swamp
• 1x Underground River
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Vault of Whispers
• 1x Watery Grave

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Maybeboard

Sorcery (1)

• 1x Praetor's Grasp

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Trying to get him to actually trigger and work.

Just in case some are curious, the deck wants to take advantage of Mishra's ability to not make him useless in a singleton format. There's a handful of cards that allow this but the main here are Possibility Storm & Nether Void. Overall the deck is mainly a Grixis artifact deck, that is just trying to make 5+ copies of Possibility Storm because...I've deluded myself into thinking that's fun.

Real quick to provide an example of how he works, we cast an artifact and with the proper board have two triggers to consider. We place Mishra's trigger onto the stack first, followed by Possibility Storm's or Nether Void's on top of that.

Once the artifact has either ended up in the graveyard or library due to those cards Mishra himself fetches the artifact back with his ability.

As mentioned there's a small handful of cards that allow for some gimmicky interactions with him. However, some I feel aren't worth running in the deck. Below you can find my reasoning for what made the cut or didn't. Feel free to disagree and let me know why.

Trigger Mishra and Currently in Deck

Possibility Storm - Usually the all-star of the deck, Storm creates some chaos for other players to serve as disruption, while allowing Mishra to gain two artifacts. While one artifact may still be at random, the value here creates an asymmterical board state for our advantage. As an added bonus, Mishra's ability combined with the disruptive nature of Storm, makes it quite difficult to counter my artifacts. Cards such as Mirage Mirror, Clever Impersonator, Phyrexian Metamorph, & Sculpting Steel allow for multiple copies of Storm only increasing the chaos for others, while letting me live in denial that I'm not just playing a Grixis artifact deck helmed by any random Grixis legend.

Nether Void - Allows Mishra to trigger, while also impacting other player's boards. Nether Void creates an asymterical board state that hinders opponents while letting the deck run almost as smoothly as it was without it in play. That said it usually is less powerful than Storm in this build, without a shift towards more of a stax/prison build. This is due to three reasons: Void is a World Enchantment which doesn't allow for multiple copies, it's perception by opponents as "un-fun" and who tend to look more favorably at Possibility Storm's disruption compared to Nether Void's counter effect leading to its faster removal, and lastly only making artifacts "un-counterable" while Storm does this and nets us one additional artifact.

Grinning Totem - While slower and more costly than Praetor's Grasp the card allows for a similar effect, while also synergizing with the deck. Totem allows Mishra to either trigger and net an artifact, usually something common across EDH decks i.e. Sol Ring or exile a pesky card i.e Merciless Eviction. As an artifact I can cheat it into play while also recurring it rather easily. This ability to provide multiple usage within the deck makes up for its higher cost when compared to Praetor's Grasp.

Thada Adel, Acquisitor - Another gimmicky card that allows for a Mishra trigger, or an artifact exile effect against other pesky problem decks. The fact it has Islandwalk is an added bonus among the usual culprits of running heavier artifact packages.

Hostage Taker - This is just a fun card by itself providing removal. Here it gains the bonus of allowing a Mishra trigger under average conditions. Under fantastic conditions this and Mycosynth Lattice are a match made in heaven allowing for a Confiscate-like effect.

Trigger Mishra and Currently Not in Deck

Nullstone Gargoyle - While a strong card, the high CMC makes the card usually sit in my hand gathering dust. Otherwise, in games where it is cheated out, my meta is just too high in creatures and low in noncreature spells to ever really feel like it's impactful.

Planar Chaos - Draws quick hatred from opponents much like Nether Void with the downside of not always countering their spells, and the potential to destroy itself on my upkeeps. I'd rather have a more reliable Mishra trigger, given he's already hard enough to get to work.

Blood Funnel - It should be noted Blood Funnel, is a cheap and easy way to get Mishra to trigger. The card facilates Mishra but as a trade off hinders the deck to do so. Ultimately it isn't too impactful to my opponent's plays which in a multiplayer format seems...bad, while other Mishra cards like the already mentioned Planar Chaos, Nether Void, Possibility Storm, etc. that allow for more interaction with the other players at the table.

Ice Cave - More mana costly but similar in effect to Planar Chaos and Nether Void in regard to countering any of my opponent's spells, Ice Cave does trigger Mishra as well. However giving my opponents the weapon to counter my non-artifact spells makes it a hard sell. I have tossed around the idea of running it once again in the deck however.

Praetor's Grasp - A great spell to either trigger Mishra or exile troublesome cards from my opponent's deck. Ultimately there wasn't enough room for both it and Grinning Totem and I decided for the artifact version if I could only have one.

Goblin Artisans - The humble origins of this deck, Goblin Artisans inspired me to make a Mishra deck that could work. Even if that meant making it a cute and jank build. Unfortunately for me, I grew tired of spending a slot to have a goblin that only SOMETIMES countered ONLY MY OWN ARTIFACT SPELLS. That said, I do owe this goblin and Nether Void for giving me the inspiration to try to make this deck somewhat functional.

Spelljack - It seems a little expensive for a counterspell. That said being a counterspell plus a potential Mishra trigger is sometimes tempting.

Gonti, Lord of Luxury - I honestly ran this card once upon a time. And while the effect is solid for the cost, it boiled down to rather having more artifact synergy as opposed to a chance to trigger Mishra once. Potentially if I had a means to repeat his EtB effect he could make an appearance back in this deck. That said there's other cards on this list that don't have much artifact interaction in addition to requiring more mana to trigger Mishra.

Nightveil Specter/Stolen Strategy/Thief of Sanity/ Fiend of the Shadows/ Knacksaw Clique - Lacking synergy with artifacts, requires additional mana, and isn't guaranteed to trigger Mishra consistently.

Stolen Goods/Kheru Spellsnatcher/Etali, Primal Storm/Fallen Shinobi/Silent-Blade Oni/Mindleech Mass/Havengul Lich/Psychic Intrusion- Lacking synergy and isn't guaranteed to trigger Mishra consistently.

Guile - is already hard enough in a three color deck, not including the fact it isn't an artifact to work better with the deck, and that it requires additional counterspells to take full advantage of itself.

Ornate Kanzashi - Not exactly sold on this card. While it serves to remove cards from my opponents it requires a lot of mana to really help, + the mana required to cast the spell removed adds up quickly.

Muse Vessel - More timing restrictive than Ornate Kanzashi, in regard to its first ability plus requiring to do so. It only costs one less to come into play which is negligible. And while the second ability does provide more utility the first abilty to get it going seems to restrict this card.

Dead Man's Chest - Requires a creature to die, requires additional mana, no additional synergy added to the deck, may or may not trigger Mishra. Too many ifs ands or buts to find a slot for it.

Knowledge Pool - There's potential for this card, it would allow me to cast opponents cards to trigger Mishra, is disruptive, and the card itself is an artifact. The only hesitation now is the fact the deck wants to play its artifacts and having opponents able to potentially work around it to take my artifacts is a little worrisome.

Shared Fate - As disruptive as Pool, yet not an artifact, and has the same potential problem of losing my useful artifacts to my opponents.

The deck currently has two win conditions, found in Blightsteel Colossus and Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge. One is a 11/11 infect creature that tends to kill opponents. The other is fun to activate and drain everyone to zero.

As a quick side note, to prevent comments on the topic, while Nether Void and similar effects counter our artifacts (Which can be returned to us by Mishra's ability and providing us with a form of "un-counterable" artifacts) this relies on the fact that Mishra triggers after the artifact has been countered and sent to grave or library. Should an opponent wait for Mishra to trigger first and resolve, they can counter our artifact spell as it has no real protection now. That said, as the deck has recursion for artifacts the concern is there but mainly negligible.

I'm more than happy to hear recommendations for the deck, ways to upgrade cards, or overall feedback and criticism.

Date added	5 years
Last updated	4 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	8 - 0 Mythic Rares 45 - 0 Rares 18 - 0 Uncommons 9 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.72
Tokens	Copy Clone, Emblem Daretti, Scrap Savant, Manifest 2/2 C, Myr 1/1 C, Thopter 1/1 C
Folders	Current Decks