Cryogenically Preserved Oocytes
Standard Budget Competitive Control Counters Counterspell Midrange Spellslinger Transform UR (Izzet)
Instant (21)
Creature (18)
- 2x Archmage Emeritus
- 4x Malevolent Hermit Flip
- 4x Smoldering Egg Flip
- 4x Thermo-Alchemist
- 4x Unblinking Observer
Artifact (3)
Land (16)
Planeswalker (2)
Sideboard
Artifact (6)
Instant (7)
Creature (2)
—AKA—
Eggs in the Ice
Let’s dispense with the poor puns and get right to it.
Standard is a great way to sharpen one’s deck building skills. You’ve got to achieve a lot with only a little; restrictions are severe and time is limited. Hot off the heels of another standard deck I had just constructed (Alchemist Ludevic, Butcher of Innistrad), I wanted to have a second deck to play in the event of a bad matchup or just for sheer variety’s sake.
Here’s an effective ’Thing in the Ice’ spellslinger build, in Standard. It’s extremely budget friendly, is a blast to play, and I hope you enjoy.
Our split is relatively even, so equal parts and ought to do the trick. The count seems a bit low, but remember that we run 4 MDFC cards that can enter as lands if necessary. We also have a few other ways to generate supplemental mana, namely creature abilities and treasure tokens.
•Riverglide Pathway and Lavaglide Pathway enter as whichever color we need more at that time.
•We have the flip sides of Jwari Disruption and Spikefield Hazard that should be mentioned; they enter tapped (which is a downer) but they will add and , respectively.
•Islands and Mountains round out the mana pool and provide the bulk of our /.
•Fading Hope is an excellent 1-drop spell. Bounce that intimidating zombie or werewolf back to the opponent’s hand, or play this like a burn spell to eradicate a creature token. Use the scry bonus to set up your next draw.
•Spikefield Hazard is not enough to zap the new decayed zombie creature tokens popping up all over the place, which is unfortunate, but there are still plenty of 1/1’s that will feel its tiny wrath. Depending on how we’re situated for mana, it may be more beneficial to enter as a land, but that’s judged on a case by case scenario.
•Play with Fire is another scry-enhanced spell, functioning just like Shock. Quite helpful to snipe a Planeswalker with low loyalty counters.
•Cathartic Pyre offers some decent options; for you get your choice of an over costed Lightning Bolt or a decent draw spell.
•We run 3 copies of Negate owing to the prevalence of hearty non-creature spells in the format, particularly the burgeoning number of strong Enchantments. Send that ill-timed The Meathook Massacre right to the graveyard.
•In the same spirit of Negate we have Jwari Disruption . What it lacks in comparison with other counterspells it makes up for with versatility.
•The large number of new creatures with high utility are also worthy of concern. Reject anything that poses immediate danger, such as the AFR dragons or the Adversary cycle and their powerful ETB effects.
•Unexpected Windfall offers card advantage, extracurricular mana, and its cmc of 4 is a nice booster shot to get Smoldering Egg closer to hatching.
In addition to the namesake card around which the deck was constructed, we have one or two other reciprocating interactions to elaborate on.
•Thermo-Alchemist is perfect for keeping the pressure on while we work at thawing out our egg in the ice, as it were. While we stack ember counters on the egg, each spell cast can reset Thermo-Alchemist for another -to-ping activation.
•Geistflame Reservoir also benefits from the myriad of Instants we’ll be slinging. It’s sort of the inverse of Thermo-Alchemist; instead of death-by-a-thousand-cuts, this artifact will dole out the payment in one lump sum.
•Unblinking Observer, besides being cute as a button, offers some nice ramp and allows us to overextend ourselves and cast that one extra spell we might not otherwise be able to.
•Malevolent Hermit is a contender for favorite card from the new expansion. Use this Mana Leak given flesh to ward off impending calamity, then recast him later for his Disturb cost. Great value with this guy.
•Archmage Emeritus can really accelerate things once in play, allowing us to draw a fresh card for each Instant we cast. Combos nicely with our homunculus.
•Rowan, Scholar of Sparks has a static ability that’s like manna from Heaven, drastically increasing our spellslinging output. With our Archmage afield or either of our draw spells in hand, Rowan’s +1 is like a free bolt!
The inverse of the card, Will, Scholar of Frost can also be potentially useful, either temporarily nullifying a threat or else for the draw power. I like to change up which of the two I cast; it keeps things fresh while also throwing the opponent off guard.
•Control the board in the interim with various bounce, burn, draw and counterspells, leveraging Thermo-Alchemist’s ability and paying into the aforementioned cards dependent on Instants/Sorceries.
•When sufficient ember counters have accrued, it’s time to crack open Smoldering Egg and unleash the beast
•Prismari Command offers an excellent suite of options, from direct damage to draw power to removal. Covering a few bases with just one card, it makes a great sideboard option.
•Annul is another brutally effective yet very situational counterspell. I felt it too risky to include in the maindeck, but it’s a sure inclusion here.
•Pithing Needle is another no-brainer. This can become an ace in the hole against a wide array of builds and archetypes; if you struggle Game 1, add a few for Game 2 and prevail against what ails you.
•Weathered Runestone is great at nullifying recursive creatures and those with Disturb costs.
•Storm Skreelix offers a few upsides. It’s a potent Flyer that gets stronger with each Instant or Sorcery cast; it reduces the cost of said spells; and it boasts a comparatively high cmc to hasten the transformation of Ashmouth Dragon.
”Go ahead, then, with your spells and your many sorceries, With which you have toiled from your youth. Perhaps you may be able to benefit; Perhaps you may strike people with awe.”
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Casual
96% Competitive
| Top Ranked |
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| Date added | 3 years |
| Last updated | 3 years |
| Legality | This deck is Standard legal. |
| Rarity (main - side) | 2 - 0 Mythic Rares 17 - 8 Rares 18 - 4 Uncommons 11 - 3 Commons |
| Cards | 60 |
| Avg. CMC | 2.07 |
| Tokens | Elemental 4/4 UR, Emblem Rowan, Scholar of Sparks, Treasure |
| Folders | Standard, starndard, Standard |
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