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Emry Forgeworks [cEDH Primer]

Commander / EDH Artifact Combo Competitive Mono-Blue

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Land (Utility/Mana) (28)

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Commander: Emry, Lurker of the Loch

Instant (Interaction) (12)

Artifact (Emry Enabler) (6)

Artifact (Utility) (3)

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Interaction (18)

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Combo Potential (6)

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Emry is a powerful cEDH contender and likely the best mono blue Commander around. Competitive enough to consistently best standard meta staples at a significantly lower price tag investment. Highly enjoyable lines of play that can require the ability to solve the puzzle of which combo cogs generate the win in which situations.

A primer is under construction, though much of it is complete.

Emry, Lurker of the Loch is a very capable Commander in competitive settings as an engine that can be played from the command zone. A low mana cost ensures that she can consistently hit the board early in games and be a factor in the outcome. Her ability helps to generate value and build up a board state in addition to functioning as an outright combo engine making her play patterns consistent, robust, and versatile. These are the strengths of Emry that a competitive list will want to play towards.

Emry does come with some weaknesses, however. She is a mere 1/2 and less than effective in combat situations. Her ability relies on access to cards in the graveyard which can become complicated by numerous hate pieces prevalent in the format. She is also central to the function of the deck and is vulnerable to theft effects. These are aspects to be wary of in game.

Emry Forgeworks is a fast combo deck at heart and has the tools to consistently and reliably employ it's combo win lines explosively. Being a mono blue deck, access to the best quality tutors and interaction is limited. Though the deck is often a bit outgunned on that account, Emry Forgeworks is still running a capable interaction suite that allows it to do battle along that front. The goal in game should be to build up a board presence generating value from Emry activations while holding up mana to interact and assemble an engine with an active Emry to generate infinite draw which will lead to infinite mana and a looped win condition while defending against opposing decks with the interaction tools when necessary.
Emry's Forgeworks runs a number of combo engines (with one occupying a flex slot) all designed to generate infinite mana and card draw. With access to all the mana and cards the deck is able to loop it's win condition of choice depending on what the circumstances call for.

Mirran Spy and Chakram Retriever will both allow Emry to untap when casting artifact cards from the graveyard with Emry's ability. This forms the primary engine Emry Forgeworks is looking to employ. Although Chakram Retriever allows Emry to untap on any spell cast and not just artifacts, this will not function on opponents' turns. This means that some combo win lines available with Mirran Spy are not available with Chakram Retriever in most circumstances. With an active Emry in play along side either of these pieces a number of artifacts with sacrifice abilities can generate useful lines of play.

Lotus Petal and Lion's Eye Diamond combined with this engine generate infinite mana. Simply sac either for mana, then use Emry's ability to allow either to be cast from the graveyard. Cast either from the graveyard. Mirran Spy will untap Emry. Repeat for infinite mana.

Mishra's Bauble and Urza's Bauble combined with this engine generate infinite draw on the next opponent's upkeep using the same process. Either Shimmer Myr or Emergence Zone and some amount of untapped mana sources will be required to convert this infinite draw into a win during the opponent's upkeep. If Lion's Eye Diamond is in play it's best to crack it before drawing to enable casting of Shimmer Myr when it eventually is drawn.

Chromatic Star, Chromatic Sphere, Barbed Sextant, Conjurer's Bauble, and Aether Spellbomb combined with the engine will generate infinite draw provided access to infinite mana has already been achieved. If one artifact cost reducer is in play Conjurer's Bauble will allow mana free draw restricted by the number of cards in the graveyard while Chromatic Sphere, Chromatic Star and Barbed Sextant will generate infinite draw for the initial used to crack them. Barbed Sextant will require access to Shimmer Myr or Emergence Zone to convert the draw into a win.

Golden Egg and Mind Stone combined with the engine will generate infinite draw provided access to infinite mana has already been achieved. If two artifact cost reducers are in play Golden Egg will generate infinite draw for the initial used to crack it.

Commander's Sphere combined with the engine will generate infinite draw provided access to infinite mana has already been achieved. If two artifact cost reducers are in play Commander's Sphere will generate infinite draw for the initial used to play it. Simply tap it for mana after casting it, then sacrifice it to draw a card. Use the mana from it to cast it again and repeat. If three artifact cost reducers are in play then Commander's Sphere will generate infinite draw and infinite mana.

Eye of Ramos combined with the engine will generate infinite mana provided at least two artifact cost reducers are in play. Simply cast it, tap for mana, then sac for mana and repeat.

Mystic Forge, Sensei's Divining Top and any artifact cost reducer combine to form the Mystic Top engine when in play. This engine does not require Emry at all and can therefore be advantageous at times. With the pieces assembled simply tap and activate SDT to draw a card. It will move back to the top of the library. Play SDT off the top for free using Mystic Forge. Repeat to draw the deck.

With the whole deck in hand the Mystic Top engine can now begin to generate infinite mana. This requires Elixir of Immortality and Lion's Eye Diamond or Lotus Petal/Commander's Sphere with Eye of Ramos and three artifact cost reduction. Simply cast the Elixir and the required rock(s). Tap and sacrifice the rocks for mana (holding priority after sacrificing Commander's Sphere if it's being used). Tap and activate the Elixir using of the mana to shuffle all the pieces back into the library. Use Sensei's Diving Top to draw the library again. Recast the mana rocks, Elixir, and Top. Repeat.

Krark-Clan Ironworks opens up the opportunity for a number of different combo engine lines using a wide array of pieces. Sacrificing an artifact to it's ability produces , turning almost half of the deck into combo pieces that can help generate infinite mana and card draw. There are too many variations to cover each of them independently, but some basic variations that will be quite common to employ are listed here.

With Mirran Spy, Krark-Clan Ironworks, an active Emry and any zero or one cmc artifact in play infinite mana can be generated. For example, Arcum's Astrolabe (if included in the build). Simply use to activate the Astrolabe and produce a snow . Sacrifice it to KCI to produce . Tap and activate Emry to cast the Astrolabe from the graveyard using the snow mana generated by the Astrolabe, triggering Mirran Spy to untap Emry. Repeat for infinite mana (and card draw due to Astrolabe's ETB trigger). Or, for example, Sensei's Divining Top. Simply tap SDT to activate it and draw a card, holding priority. Sacrifice SDT to KCI to produce . Allow both triggers to resolve, generating mana and drawing the top card of the library. Tap and activate Emry to cast SDT from the graveyard, triggering Mirran Spy to untap Emry. Repeat for infinite mana and card draw.

Magewright's Stone, KCI, an active Emry, and artifact cost reduction of two in play combine to produce infinite mana. Simply sacrifice Magewright's Stone for . Tap and activate Emry to cast MW Stone from the graveyard for free. Use to activate MW Stone to untap Emry. Repeat for infinite mana. A different method will be required to generate infinite card draw. Thousand-Year Elixir can generate the same loop for infinite mana but requires artifact cost reduction of three in play.

Scrap Trawler, KCI, MW Stone, an active Emry, any one cmc artifact, and any zero cmc artifact combine to produce infinite mana. Simply sac the zero cmc artifact for (2 mana total now in pool). Sac the one cmc artifact for (4 mana total now in pool), triggering Scrap Trawler and returning the zero cmc artifact to hand. Sac MW Stone for (6 mana total now in pool), returning the one cmc artifact to hand. Sac Scrap Trawler for (8 mana total now in pool), returning the MW Stone to hand. Tap and activate Emry to cast Scrap Trawler from the grave for . Cast the artifacts returned to hand for total. Activate MW Stone to untap Emry for . Repeat to generate infinite mana. If any zero, one, or three cmc artifacts draws a card when sacrificed or entering the battlefield this can be used to generate infinite draw after generating infinite mana.

Again, there are a multitude of additional KCI engine combos that can produce infinite mana and infinite card draw depending on what is in play, but these basic KCI engine loops can be extrapolated based on in game circumstances. Often times figuring out the puzzle of which set of pieces generates an infinite KCI combo loop is a big part of the fun of playing Emry Forgeworks.

Pemmin's Aura is a utility back up combo piece that primarily offers protection for Emry and value generation before a combo is assembled. However, Pemmin's Aura can generate infinite mana when combined with Lion's Eye Diamond or Eye of Ramos if artifact cost reduction of three is in play. Simply crack LED or tap and crack the Eye for or . Tap and activate Emry to cast the rock from the graveyard for free. Use to untap Emry with Pemmin's Aura. Repeat to generate infinite mana. Another method will be required to generate infinite card draw.
Emry Forgeworks uses win conditions that are natural components of the deck to help reduce the number of dead draws that might occur in a game and increase performance consistency. Elixir of Immortality is the primary library loop enabler that allows these win conditions to be looped, but Conjurer's Bauble can perform the same function with an active Emry untap engine in play and Narset's Reversal+Timetwister can also be used to loop the library should Narset's Reversal be included in the build.

Blue Sun's Zenith is the primary win condition and will be the one most often used as it's an infinite mana sink that shuffles itself back into the library to be drawn and used again with one of the infinite mana and card draw combo engines that's been assembled. As it is an instant speed spell it can be used to secure wins on opposing upkeeps when this is necessary. It won't often be used for value in the course of game play, but this is an option with very little risk associated with it should it be needed for that purpose. A boring win condition, but tried and true. Stroke of Genius can fill this same role or be used in addition.
Pongify, Swan Song, and Rapid Hybridization (should it be included in the build) are back up win conditions that can produce an infinite army of token creatures to attack opponents on the next turn when looped targeting Emry's own resources. Repeatedly casting Pongify on Shimmer Myr or Swan Song on an appropriate target can be done at instant speed allowing these win conditions to be employed on opposing upkeeps. It's usually wise to bounce all opposing legal permanent targets in addition to generating the token army, but with the whole deck in hand on demand there is very little risk associated with this win condition as well.
Memory Jar and Windfall are the other back up win condition options, though they do come with some degree of risk as they reload opposing hands in a way where there is a small potential for complications. With both, it's wise to crack Emergence Zone before looping for the win to ensure these complications become trivial to manage in most circumstances. With the ability to cast everything at instant speed using one or several engine looping combos to react to opposing disruption attempts becomes relatively simple. Memory Jar can more reliably win at instant speed due to it's synergy with Shimmer Myr, but Windfall will require Emergence Zone in play before passing to an opponent to be employed at instant speed on an opposing upkeep.
There are a number of forms of hate in the standard cEDH meta that impact the performance of Emry Forgeworks (and Emry decks in general) negatively. Although briefly mentioned before, the impact of the most relevant forms of hate warrants further discussion. The three most common and negatively impactful forms of hate addressed here are not the only forms of impediment an Emry pilot might encounter.

Artifact hate pieces are a major concern for Emry Forgeworks. Much of the deck consists of artifact cards, each of the engine combos requires the use of artifacts and artifact abilities. This makes defending against artifact hate pieces critical to the function of the deck. Stony Silence, Null Rod, and Collector Ouphe (and similar effects) are generally the most common pieces to see and are of extremely high priority to remove as quickly as possible. Kataki, War's Wage (and similar effects) are problematic, but can be worked around with intelligent decision making in many circumstances without absolutely requiring the use of important interaction pieces. Caustic Caterpillar and targeted artifact removal doesn't actually hurt Emry very much (seeing as Emry can simply grab it back from the graveyard), but mass artifact removal such as Vandalblast can be a significant set back.
Graveyard hate pieces are also a major concern for Emry Forgeworks, though the inclusion of the Mystic Top combo does offer the deck a combo engine that can bypass these pieces in most situations. Defending against graveyard hate with proper deck construction technique and in game play is very important. Ashiok, Dream Render, Rest in Peace, and Leyline of the Void (and similar effects) are common pieces to see that have the potential to lock Emry out of it's game plan by exiling critical combo elements and care should be taken with what is put into the graveyard whenever possible to avoid suffering the worst consequences. These pieces should be removed when possible before employing a combo engine. Grafdigger's Cage (and similar effects) that prevent playing cards from graveyards or libraries shuts down all Emry Forgeworks engines and are important to defend against with extremely high (but selective timing as they may also hamper other opponents) priority. Faerie Macabre (and similar effects) can be a serious complication but the inclusion of Shimmer Myr and Emergence Zone can often help circumvent the issue by playing at instant speed in response.
Commander hate pieces are another major concern for Emry Forgeworks (though, again, the inclusion of Mystic Top combo can bypass this). Gilded Drake, Legacy's Allure and Oko, Thief of Crowns (and similar effects) have the potential to deny access to combo engines that require Emry to function by stealing Emry or elking Emry. Proper defense against these effects is a very high priority. Cursed Totem and Linvala, Keeper of Silence (and similar effects) also have the potential to deny access to Emry combo lines by preventing Emry from activating her ability and should likewise be pieces to defend against should the situation dictate that as a necessity.

When playing in a meta known or expected to run greater than average amounts of these types of typical hate pieces it can be a wise decision for an Emry pilot to include additional bounce or other interaction countermeasures in the modular flex slots intended for that purpose.

An Emry deck can be built with a number of different approaches as there are numerous ways to use Emry's ability to generate potential advantages utilizing different combinations of cards. Emry Forgeworks elects for an approach that will be as consistent as possible while also being as resilient as possible against many standard forms of meta hate. There are 8 (or 10) card slots intended as flex slots that allow modular card choices for the particular meta a pilot might be playing in and which cards are included in these slots is up to pilot discretion without significantly altering the functionality of Emry Forgeworks.

The Default Inclusions

Emry needs lands to generate mana, play spells, and generally do things. Emry Forgeworks runs 28 lands by default as the low mana curve and mana rock density facilitates a low land count. At 41 total mana sources this is actually a bit less than would often be ideal, but deck space is limited and sacrifices must be made some where.

Snow-Covered Island - These lands form the backbone of the deck's manabase. They are plentiful enough to facilitate running Mystic Sanctuary or Back to Basics as a flex slot option without being so plentiful that opposing Carpet of Flowers are impossible to play around. The choice for Snow-Covered is due exclusively to the inclusion of Arcum's Astrolabe.

Mystic Sanctuary - A powerful land (rather recently printed at the time of writing) that allows the return of an important instant or sorcery to the top of the deck provided three islands are in play. This can be used purely for value, or as an instant speed response to graveyard hate to save an important spell when fetched from the library.

Minamo, School at Water's Edge - A non island, ETB untapped blue mana land with a useful ability that can provide some solid value by untapping Emry for additional activations each turn. Shout out to firrlo for turning me on to it.

Oboro, Palace in the Clouds - A non island, ETB untapped blue mana land that is really only included to decrease the effectiveness of opposing Carpet of Flowers. Feel free to replace with a regular Island.

Tolaria West - A non island, ETB tapped blue mana land that is most useful as a tutor for zero cmc cards. It's inclusion helps consistently find combo pieces like Lotus Petal, lands like Homeward Path, and occasionally interaction in the form of Pact of Negation.

Seat of the Synod - A non island, ETB untapped blue mana land that is also an artifact. This allows it to be tutored for more easily in mono blue while also helping to reduce the cost of Emry castings when in play.

Prismatic Vista, Polluted Delta, Flooded Strand, Misty Rainforest, Scalding Tarn - Fetch lands are great. They help to reset the top of the library when known cards aren't what is needed at the moment and find Mystic Sanctuary when it's needed.

Homeward Path - This land should be included in all Emry builds to help ensure the deck has access to it's commander when needed.

Emergence Zone - Allows casting spells at instant speed. This is a critical component to win lines that require being enacted on opposing upkeeps.

Ancient Tomb - A land that allows accelerated deployment of cards in hand at the price of life total.

Inventors' Fair - A land that allows an Emry pilot to tutor for a needed artifact card provided three artifacts are already in play. The life gain aspect can sometimes be nice, but rarely is all that impactful.

Gemstone Caverns - A land that provides significant ramp when in an opening hand and not going first in turn order. The downside is that it only produces colorless mana outside of this scenario (something that should be limited as much as possible), but the upside of acting as ramp more than makes up for this over a large sample size of games.

Emry Forgeworks runs 13 mana rocks by default to provide ramp and combo fodder. Ideally a deck wants to be around 16 mana ramp sources, but in mono blue the options are limited without access to green one cmc mana dorks and enchantments.

Chrome Mox, Mox Diamond, Sol Ring, Mana Crypt - These are powerful meta staples that should need no explanation of their ramping prowess.

Lotus Petal - One shot ramp effect mana rock that pulls double duty as a combo piece in various engines. This card is very important to certain combo win lines so take precautions to prevent it from being exiled when possible.

Lion's Eye Diamond - Primarily intended to function as a combo piece in various engines. Occasionally can generate value by playing a wheel effect and holding priority to crack it for mana. Important card for many combo win lines, take precautions to keep it out of exile.

Mana Vault, Grim Monolith - Ritual rocks intended to provide dramatic ramp allowing greatly accelerated deployment of cards in hand. Oftentimes these rocks will be used once for an initial play burst and then sit around waiting for KCI to show up to reset them and begin generating absurd amounts of mana in KCI combo engine lines.

Mox Opal, Mox Amber - Zero cmc rocks included to help reduce the cost of casting Emry and make turn one deployment of the commander as consistent as possible.

Mind Stone, Commander's Sphere, Eye of Ramos - Less efficient ramp pieces that make up for their mana costs by offering utility and value generation when combined with Emry in addition to occasionally acting as outright combo pieces in certain engine configurations. While there are other rocks that could be run in these slots that are more effective ramp pieces, these rocks help provide the most consistent access to game winning lines of play due to their utility functions as Emry Enablers.

The combo components in the default configuration of Emry Forgeworks were carefully selected to provide the most consistent and robust game plan possible based around the advantages of Emry herself. Ideally the combo pieces included in an Emry build are artifacts that Emry can recur from the graveyard should they be destroyed, mana cost efficient enough to be deployed rapidly to pressure turn 3 wins consistently, and redundant enough that the deck is not reliant on a single critical point of failure while also using combo pieces as elements in more than one engine where possible.

Mirran Spy, Chakram Retriever - The primary engine components to be used in most games. Capable of being used with sac artifacts independently to generate infinite combo lines as well as being used in conjunction with KCI or Scrap Trawler to generate infinite combo lines. Capable blockers of Tymna, although playing either without the ability to generate a game winning infinite combo line is usually a mistake as it puts a target on an Emry pilot's back as a serious threat.

Krark-Clan Ironworks - An artifact engine component that turns every other artifact in the deck into an engine component as well. Capable of generating infinite combo lines with a plethora of pieces Emry Forgeworks runs, greatly increasing consistency in employing those lines as well as resilience to most targeted removal effects.

Sensei's Divining Top - An artifact engine component that offers exemplary utility value over time by giving access to the top of the library as well as reordering the top of the library. Excellent at protecting itself from targeted removal. Capable of generating infinite combo lines when combined with Mystic Forge or KCI in various configurations acting as an Emry Enabler, and can help reduce the cost of casting Emry early in games.

Mystic Forge - An artifact engine component that offers solid value by allowing the top card of the library to be cast if it's an artifact card in a deck running 39 viable targets in it's default configuration. Capable of generating infinite combo lines when combined with SDT. Provides the opportunity to employ a combo win line that does not require Emry to function.

Magewright's Stone - An arifact engine component that offers moderate value before a full combo engine is assembled by allowing multiple Emry untaps in a single turn. Capable of generating infinite combo lines when combined with KCI in various engine configurations.

Thousand-Year Elixir - An arifact engine component that offers moderate value before a full combo engine is assembled by allowing multiple Emry untaps in a single turn and enabling "haste" Emry activations when this is relevant. Capable of generating infinite combo lines when combined with KCI in various engine configurations.

Scrap Trawler - An artifact engine component that mainly serves as a complementary piece in a number of engine configurations creating opportunities for additional combo engine win line conifigurations. Can trade with Tymna/Najeela at a profitable mana investment rate. Is capable of producing sacrifice chains for value generation prior to assembly of a full combo with other artifacts that have a sacrifice ability reducing the need for multiple Emry activations to replay multiple sacrificed artifacts as only the last sacrificed artifact in a sequential cmc chain will not return to hand and need to be cast from the graveyard.

Elixir of Immortality - An artifact engine component that serves as the deck's primary loop enabling mechanism. Offers utility value prior to full combo engine assembly by protecting important pieces in the graveyard from certain forms of graveyard hate, and can help reduce the cost of casting Emry early in games. Provides some form of life gain, though this is rarely relevant.

Conjurer's Bauble - An artifact engine component that serves as the decks's main back up loop enabling mechanism. Combines with cost reducers in some combo engine configurations to enable mana free draw dependent on the number of cards in the graveyard acting as an Emry Enabler. Offers utility value prior to full combo engine assembly by protecting important pieces in the graveyard from certain forms of graveyard hate, generating card advantage with repeated recursions via Emry, and can help reduce the cost of casting Emry early in games.

Shimmer Myr - An artifact combo component that serves as the deck's primary instant speed win enabler. Because Emry Forgeworks will often be in a position to generate infinite draw on opposing upkeeps the deck requires a way to convert that draw into a full fledged combo win line at instant speed, and Shimmer Myr is the most effective tool for that purpose.

Emry Forgeworks utilizes a game play approach that makes use of numerous low cmc artifacts with sacrifice abilites to deploy Emry on turn 1 as consistently as possible from game to game, enhance lines of play related to wheel effects to unload hands and reload while disrupting slow developing opposing tutor based set up with the wheels, and avoid an over reliance on tutors in a mono colored deck where quality tutors are difficult to come by. This approach is not the only approach an Emry deck can take, but it is the approach that offers the greatest degree of consistency in terms of winning games. The primary aspect desired of an Emry Enabler artifact is that it can sacrifice itself to draw a card or draws a card upon entering the battlefield to allow any of these pieces to function as part of any of the engines to generate infinite draw and a game winning line of play, while the secondary desired aspect is a low mana cost that helps reduce the cost of casting Emry, and the third desired aspect is the ability to filter colorless mana into blue mana.

Mishra's Bauble, Urza's Bauble - Both of these are zero cmc artifacts that cantrip during the next upkeep on sacrifice. Before a combo engine is assembled they provide repeatable card advantage along side Emry and information advantages by looking at the top card of a library or a random card in an opponent's hand. With a combo engine in place they can provide infinite draw on the next upkeep or potentially infinite mana on the current turn. The ability to cast artifacts or all spells at instant speed is a requirement to make use of the infinite draw on an opposing upkeep to convert it into a win.

Chromatic Sphere, Chromatic Star, Barbed Sextant - These cards are one cmc artifacts that cantrip on sacrifice while filtering mana into useful colors. Before a combo engine is assembled they provide repeatable card advantage along side Emry while filtering colorless mana to blue mana. Sphere and Star both draw cards on the current turn while the Sextant draws a card during the next upkeep. With a combo engine in place they provide infinite draw, mana filtering, or mana production depending on the engine configuration.

Aether Spellbomb - A one cmc artifact that cantrips on sacrifice for that doubles as a repeatable form of board interaction to bounce creatures. The bounce effect can be used to return a stolen Emry as well as bounce opposing threats making it flexible as a piece of Emry protection in addition to an answer to potential threats. With a combo engine in place it can provide infinite draw, bounce, or potentially mana depending on the engine configuration.

Golden Egg - A two cmc artifact that cantrips on ETB and sacrifices to filter mana into useful colors. This Enabler performs best when at least one artifact cost reducer is in play, but otherwise functions in the same way as the Sphere, Star, and Sextant. At two cmc it's not great at reducing the casting cost of Emry, but is very useful at times as the two cmc element in a Scrap Trawler value or combo chain. With a combo engine in place it can provide infinite draw and mana filtering, or even potentially mana in specific engine configurations.

A number of artifact cost reducers should be run in an Emry build to assist in the general game plan of playing lots of artifacts and facilitate the employment of additional combo win lines. Emry Forgeworks runs 5 (with one occupying a flex slot) by default to increase the consistency with which these pieces are found and reduce the need for tutors. At least a single cost reducer is ideal to have in play as this enhances the usefulness of Emry Enablers dramatically and turns on a multitude of infinite combo win lines.

Helm of Awakening - A two cmc artifact that reduces the casting cost of all spells by . As this is a symmetrical effect it can sometimes help opponents and care should be exercised when deciding to cast it.

Etherium Sculptor - A two cmc artifact that reduces the casting cost of artifacts by . Requires a to cast, which can be a downside at times. As a 1/2 creature it's not the most effective board presence and will rarely help in combat situations as a blocker or an attacker, mostly it's there just to help cast artifacts for enhanced value.

Cloud Key - A three cmc artifact that reduces the casting cost of spell types of the pilot's choice by . The correct spell type is almost always "artifact", but the flexibility offered can be beneficial at times to reduce the casting cost of other spell types.

Semblance Anvil - A three cmc artifact that reduces the casting cost of the imprinted spell type by . As with Cloud Key, the flexibility can sometimes be nice, but it is almost always correct to exile and imprint an artifact. Typically the correct choice of artifact to exile is going to be a redundant Emry Enabler when applicable.

In order to remain competitive against the strongest decks in the format it's important to be able to reliably find the pieces that make a deck do what it's designed to do. To that end Emry Forgeworks employs a number of tutors in order to consistently have access to the tools it needs to win games. As many of these component pieces are not artifacts (though many also are artifacts), most tutors available to mono blue decks don't offer as much value as is needed for the deck to perform as consistently as possible. Still, Emry Forgeworks runs 8 tutors in it's default configuration (with one occupying a flex slot).

Mystical Tutor - A meta staple that requires little explanation. In Emry Forgeworks it's most often used to find Intuition, interaction, or a wheel effect to reload.

Tolaria West, Inventors' Fair - Already covered in the Lands section, this will be the primary use of these lands game in and game out.

Expedition Map - A one cmc artifact tutor for lands when sacrificed for . This can help to find a critical land needed for a specific game scenario, or be used for value to consistently make land drops with Emry in play. It's also occasionally useful as a deterrent to opposing Carpet of Flowers by tutoring up non islands to prevent opponent's from ramping as hard off the enchantment.

Muddle the Mixture - As a tutor, Muddle the Mixture can help the deck to find critical two cmc casting cost cards that it might need in a particular scenario. Typical targets are often Cyclonic Rift to bounce an offending permanent (or act as a board wipe), Magewright's Stone to engage a combo line, Swiftfoot Boots (should it be included in the build) to protect Emry or enable a hasty Emry, Etherium Sculptor to engage a combo line, and Artificer's Intuition (should it be included in the build) to allow repeatable tutoring of critical zero and one cmc artifacts.

Drift of Phantasms - As a tutor, Drift of Phantasms can find the most important combo pieces Emry Forgeworks is looking to acquire in game. Mirran Spy is the primary combo candidate target, but other common targets include Thousand-Year Elixir, Semblance Anvil, Shimmer Myr, Blue Sun's Zenith, Pemmin's Aura (should it be included in the build), Timetwister, Narset, Parter of Veils, and Scrap Trawler. Casting Drift of Phantasms as a creature to defend life total or Narset is possible, but rarely the correct use of the card. As there are so many three cmc targets in the deck, the flexibility of this card as a tutor option makes it the ideal performer for it's role given what it can find and the number of game situations it can handle.

Intuition - This is the most powerful tutor the deck employs. It's ability to tutor for a full infinite combo at instant speed by selecting Scrap Trawler, Krark-Clan Ironworks, and Magewright's Stone makes it very potent as a game clinching play on an opponent's end step. The ability to tutor for a response to an opposing game winning line of play while generating value by selecting a piece of interaction and two combo elements that an opponent is forced to send to the graveyard in order to not lose the game when they are out of interaction themselves is likewise very powerful. Because Emry can make use of the discarded cards, Intuition will often be an instant speed tutor for three cards rather than a tutor for one.

As a mono blue commander, Emry won't have access to some of the best interaction pieces in the format and must make do with the quality pieces that are available to blue commanders. Fortunately there are a large number of very high quality pieces of interaction available in blue for Emry to make use of and Emry Forgeworks runs 15 pieces of interaction in it's default configuration to battle opposing deck strategies.

Force of Will, Pact of Negation, Mental Misstep - The best "free" counterspells available.

Chain of Vapor, Cyclonic Rift - The best answers to permanents already in play that are available.

Swan Song, Dispel, Flusterstorm - The best one cmc counterspells available, with Swan Song pulling double duty as a win condition.

Muddle the Mixture, Counterspell, Mana Drain, Delay, Negate - The best two cmc counterspells available, with Muddle the Mixture pulling double duty as a tutor.

Pongify - The best one cmc creature removal available, pulls double duty as a win condition.

Aether Spellbomb - A solid creature bounce option that pulls double duty as an Emry Enabler.

Acquiring and deploying more resources than opponents is a key component to consistently winning games of competitive EDH. Emry Forgeworks is no slouch in this department as it runs a number of options to accumulate card advantage over time or explosively with a single play. The Emry Enabler artifacts included in the default configuration all assist in this process and have already been addressed.

Brainstorm, Gitaxian Probe, Ponder, Preordain - The most powerful cantrips of all time with the notable exclusion of Ancestral Recall (deemed too powerful and sentenced to the ban list). These cards are often best used in conjunction with shuffle effects (such as those from fetch lands) or after manipulating the top of the library to contain a desired card but provide the classic value of digging for the next needed thing under normal circumstances.

Blue Sun's Zenith - The deck's primary win condition can be a valuable source of card advantage outside of being used to win the game. In some situations an Emry pilot will find an infinite stockpile of mana has been generated without the ability to draw the entire deck on demand yet assembled. In these situations BSZ can be cast to draw the whole deck, shuffle itself back as the only card in the library, and then a complete engine can be assembled with the entire library available to protect against disruption. At that point BSZ can be drawn from the top of the library and the infinite mana used to draw out each opponent in turn.

Mystic Remora - As a meta staple, the fish should need no explanation.

Narset, Parter of Veils - Narset is simultaneously a card that drastically slows opposing resource accumulation, digs deeper into the deck, and combos nicely with wheel effects to put opponents in extremely difficult to recover from situations. One of the best planeswalkers ever printed for EDH, she's likely to be a staple of the format indefinitely moving forward.

Memory Jar, Timetwister, Windfall - Wheel effects are some of the most powerful resource accumulation plays it's possible to make and Emry Forgeworks is designed to take advantage of them despite the symmetrical nature of their effect as the large number of low cost artifacts and Narset help break wheel symmetry. Wheel effects are also one of the most powerful disruption tools available to counteract decks that are overly reliant on tutors and sacrifice development for set up as resolving a wheel effect can disrupt their game plan dramatically by wheeling away the tutored up pieces and wasting turns and actions taken on the tutor set up that could have been better spent on developing a board state. Windfall and Memory Jar pull double duty as win conditions when looped.

The Modular Options

These default Flex Slot choices give Emry Forgeworks the greatest degree of general resiliency and consistency but aren't tailored to a specific meta. Rather, they are the best general performing options to include when the opposing decks Emry will face are unknown or the opposing decks are known but don't employ concepts that are terribly problematic for Emry.

Pemmin's Aura - An enchantment engine component that offers excellent protection and utility value before a full combo engine is assembled. Allows Emry to block Tymna advances if necessary, or attack opposing planeswalkers with evasion if necessary. Combines with sac rocks in some configurations to generate infinite mana. Combines with Scrap Trawler and some sac artifacts in some configurations to generate infinite mana and/or card draw.

Arcum's Astrolabe - A one cmc artifact that functions as an Emry Enabler. Although this card cantrips on ETB and filters colorless mana into colored mana it lacks the ability to sacrifice itself without KCI in play and requires a snow mana to cast, making it a less useful Emry Enabler than the others included in the default deck configuration. It's still effective at assisting in casting Emry early in games due to it's low mana cost in most situations, but the snow mana requirement is a drawback here. It is an excellent combo component when paired with KCI as it generates infinite colorless mana and infinite draw and this justifies it's inclusion when other alternative Flex options aren't known to be more valuable in the card slot.

Foundry Inspector - A three cmc artifact that reduces the casting cost of artifacts by . As a 3/2 creature it can trade at a profitable mana investment with Tymna/Najeela at times. Of the 5 artifact cost reducers included in the default deck configuration it's slightly the weakest performer, but does increase the consistency with which artifact cost reduction can be found without the use of tutors and this makes it a worthwhile inclusion the majority of the time.

Artificer's Intuition - An enchantment with a repeatable tutor effect for zero and one cmc artifacts for the rate of and discarding an artifact card. The synergy with Emry being able to discard an artifact to find another and then cast the discarded artifact from the graveyard can help make finding the correct low cost artifact pieces very simple and reliable while providing value in ensuring a steady build up of board presence. As there are a number of critical or highly valuable tutor targets in the zero and one cmc range Artificer's Intuition can be a valuable tool in many games. However, in metas that are known to regularly employ lots of Ashiok, Dream Render, Aven Mindcensor, or Stranglehold hate pieces to prevent searching the library it loses much of it's value. Lastly, it cannot tutor for the larger critical engine components.

Rhystic Study - A meta staple, Rhystic Study can generate advantages by taxing opponents' mana resources or yielding card advantage. In the most competitive settings it's performance is mediocre at best, many times opponents will simply pay the tax with excess mana from ramp sources without this payment significantly impeding their development or general game plan. Emry Forgeworks does, however, need forms of consistent, repeatable card advantage to win the battle of attrition and in mono blue the choices are limited. While other options to fill this role might be better performers in specific metas or matchups, Rhystic Study does a good enough job to justify an inclusion in the default deck configuration.

Swiftfoot Boots - A two cmc artifact equipment that helps to protect Emry from targeted removal by providing her with Hexproof. In addition, the boots provide Haste which can make recasting Emry less of an issue when an opening occurs in game to attempt to go for the win. Not the most impactful performer in most games, but a nice piece to have around in the situations where it is needed. Other options to fill this role may perform better in certain metas, but the inclusion of Swiftfoot Boots in the default deck configuration is acceptable.

Tormod's Crypt - A zero cmc artifact that helps to reduce the cost of casting Emry early in games and makes playing her on turn 1 more consistent. Provides the deck with a form of repeatable graveyard hate and interaction for the matchups where this might be a necessity. As a silver bullet inclusion it may be a card that has little or no impact in certain metas, but it's inclusion in the default deck configuration does help Emry Forgework cover as many bases as possible in terms of what possibilities the deck contains answers for.

Karn, the Great Creator - One of the most powerful planeswalkers ever printed for cEDH as his static ability to shut off all opposing artifact activated abilities cripples many of the most powerful combos in the format in addition to severely hampering the ramping efforts of decks that do not include green as a color. In decks with important artifacts Karn also provides excellent resilience by being able to return critical pieces from exile to hand. In some metas where there are few opposing exile effects or artifact abilities to contend with his inclusion is less valuable and other choices may perform better in this card slot.

In some metas it will be a wise choice to swap some of the default Flex Slot choices out for additional interaction pieces to better prepare the deck to fight opposing hate pieces, important threats, or complicated counterspell wars.

Into the Roil, Blink of an Eye, Winds of Rebuke, Boomerang - These cards represent some of the best targeted bounce options available to handle opposing permanents in play. They can be particularly good Flex Slot choices to handle problematic hate pieces like Null Rod, Grafdigger's Cage, Damping Sphere or Rest in Peace, return Emry to hand when stolen or elked, and occasionally answer a game winning threat like bouncing a Laboratory Maniac with the opponent's card draw trigger on the stack. Winds of Rebuke offers the potential to pull double duty as a win condition when looped to mill opposing libraries at times. Often times a few additional counterspells will be ideal to run in conjunction with these bounce options to offer more permanent solutions to the problems they can only solve temporarily. While capable performers in these circumstances these options aren't quite universally good enough to be included in the default configuration.

Foil, Mindbreak Trap, Force of Negation - These cards represent some of the best remaining "free" counterspell interaction available. Foil has nice synergy with Emry in that an artifact pitched to cast it for free can be cast from the graveyard and Expedition Map in that an Island can be tutored up to effectively cast Foil for symobl:2 plus the pitched cards. Ideally the deck would want to run a few more lands (specifically Islands) to better enable "free" casting. Mindbreak Trap and Force of Negation are solid choices into matchups where opposing decks are likely to cast several non creature spells on their turns such as Doomsday, Dramatic Scepter, and Storm deck concepts. Force of Negation can also be a solid choice into fast glass cannon strategies that rely on employing a combo with a non creature spell such as Flash Hulk concepts. While capable performers in these circumstances these options aren't quite universally good enough to be included in the default configuration, though Force of Negation and Foil are very close.

Mystical Dispute, Spell Pierce, Wizard Replica, Spell Snare - These cards represent some the best remaining counterspell options requiring a single available . Mystical Dispute is excellent into opposing mono blue commander or Flash Hulk matchups. Spell Snare can be an excellent answer to Flash Hulk, two cmc hate pieces like Collector Ouphe, Rest in Peace, Winter Orb or Cursed Totem commonly found in stax decks, or opposing two cmc counterspells. Wizard Replica is a solid choice for grindier games and is a quality blocker for Tymna or Yuriko decks. Spell Pierce is best into opposing fast glass cannon combo matchups. Though none are hard counters, these choices have merits. While capable performers in these circumstances these options aren't quite universally good enough to be included in the default configuration, though Spell Snare and Wizard Replica are close.

Stoic Rebuttal, Archmage's Charm, Disallow, Cryptic Command - These cards represent some of the best remaining hard counters available. The mitigating factor for each of these choices comes down to mana cost, as they are mana intensive enough to be difficult to cast in most cEDH games. These options would be best suited to longer, grindy games where the mana cost to cast them becomes less restrictive over time.

Stifle, Tale's End - These cards represent some of the best remaining ability counters. The primary down side to these spells is their limited scope of application. They are best utilized as answers to Jace, Wielder of Mysteries, Boseiju, Who Shelters All, or Thassa's Oracle abilities, though Tale's End is a useful counterspell for Commanders as well.

Narset's Reversal - A powerful card that could certainly be included in the default deck configuration if desired. Doubles as a loop enabler when combined with Timetwister. An excellent answer to many targeted removal spells or potential spell threats such as Ad Nauseam. A good choice to occupy a flex slot into matchups where Abrupt Decay or Dovin's Veto are present.

Unsubstantiate - A quality choice for matchups where Dovin's Veto, Abrupt Decay, Boseiju, Who Shelters All, Gilded Drake, and Legacy's Allure are present as it's versatility in responding to a wide range of situations can be useful. While a capable performer in these circumstances this option isn't quite universally good enough to be included in the default configuration.

Reality Shift, Rapid Hybridization - These options represent some of the best remaining creature removal available, with both doubling as potential win conditions when looped. They are particularly solid choices into Commanders such as The Gitrog Monster, Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder or Zur the Enchanter.

Legacy's Allure, Gilded Drake - These options represent the best available creature theft spells. Gilded Drake is a good choice into Commanders such as Kess, Dissident Mage, Urza, Lord High Artificer, or The Gitrog Monster, but a very poor choice into partner Commanders, particularly Tymna the Weaver. Legacy's Allure is a good choice into low cmc Commanders such as Najeela, the Blade-Blossom and most partner Commanders. While capable performers in these circumstances these options aren't quite universally good enough to be included in the default configuration.

While the best possible card draw options are included in the default configuration of Emry Forgeworks these additional alternatives can offer quality performance in certain meta matchups. They can be worth consideration if a pilot has up front knowledge of the expected meta.

Implement of Examination, Guild Globe, Courier's Capsule - These cards function as Emry Enablers at the two and three cmc card slots, though they do not filter colorless mana to colored mana (or don't do it as effectively in the case of Guild Globe) and are expensive enough in terms of mana investment to perform at a lower level than the Emry Enablers included in the default configuration. They can be considered budget replacements for other two or three cmc Emry Enablers and more expensive cards if need be. A bit on the slow side in the most competitive settings.

Frantic Search - A staple dig card for many decks over the years, Frantic Search can be a decent option as a "free" card cycler, depositing artifacts into the graveyard for Emry to recur and untapping lands used to cast the spell. In the most competitive settings it's a bit on the slow side to achieve full value as it cannot be cast for "free" until turn 3 at the earliest. Because Emry Forgeworks will occasionally miss land drops on turns 3-5 it's inclusion isn't a great fit for the default configuration, but it is an inexpensive enough card that it could be considered a capable budget replacement for other card draw options.

Echo of Eons - A less powerful version of Timetwister, Echo of Eons can be considered a solid budget replacement if desired. In some metas where there is a lack of graveyard hate and an expectation of mill effects it can be considered as a Flex Slot inclusion over other cards and provide nice value being cast out of the graveyard or in tandem with Lion's Eye Diamond.

Dig Through Time - A powerful piece of card advantage, Dig Through Time could warrant consideration in one of the Flex Slots should a pilot so desire. The primary downside is the casting cost which makes it a less than ideal card in opening hands in most situations. The secondary downside is that although Emry Forgeworks is a deck that regularly deposits cards into the graveyard that could be used to delve, many of these cards will be important to the function of the deck and exiling them can often negate Emry value, looping value, or even the ability of the combos to function outright. Due to the complications in synergy and high investment cost Dig Through time tends to perform as a high/moderate risk moderate reward play and won't be competitive enough in Emry decks to justify a default configuration slot.

Riddlesmith, Vedalken Archmage - This pair of critters have static abilities that nicely complement the general game play patterns of Emry Forgeworks and Emry decks in general. Not particularly useful in combat situations, their purpose is to facilitate finding engine combo pieces and then work with the combo engine to enhance engine performance. Riddlesmith comes with the downside of not offering outright card advantage and being vulnerable to graveyard hate and Vedalken Archmage has a restrictive mana cost investment. Both can be considered for Flex Slot inclusion should the need arise and Riddlesmith is inexpensive enough to be considered a budget option in place of more expensive cards. Both options are better suited to longer, grindy games than to faster paced action.

Stroke of Genius - A card nearly identical in function to Blue Sun's Zenith with a less restrictive mana cost. The slight functional advantage of BSZ shuffling back into the deck makes it a significantly better choice for value casting and thus BSZ claims the card slot and win condition duties in the default configuration. Stroke of Genius is a perfectly fine option to consider for a Flex Slot inclusion or even as a replacement for BSZ should a pilot feel so inclined.

Paradoxical Outcome - For those lacking the $2,500 to shell out for a Timetwister (which I'm going to assume is most people, $2,500 for a piece of cardboard is ludicrous), Paradoxical Outcome makes for a perfect replacement. In fact, the card advantage and occasional functionality of protecting Emry make Paradoxical Outcome an excellent choice for a Flex Slot inclusion or a slot in the default configuration. In metas where a pilot expects to encounter artifact board wipes Paradoxical Outcome is an ideal performer.

Verity Circle - An enchantment similar in function to Rhystic Study, Verity Circle is a strict upgrade in that card slot in metas that include large numbers of green decks running large numbers of mana dorks, but a less capable performer in metas that include lots of storm style decks or low creature counts.

Although the best performing combo elements are included in the default configuration, some very powerful combo choices exist to supplement them or be used in place of them.

Isochron Scepter, Dramatic Reversal - A powerful staple of the cEDH meta, this combo could be considered for Flex Slot inclusion in almost any meta a pilot might play in. The reason this combo is not included in the default configuration is that it lacks the same degree of synergy with Emry that other combo elements have, is more difficult to consistently find and assemble, and the command zone does not contain an infinite mana outlet. With some small alterations in the Flex Slots and combo card slots, however, Dramatic Scepter combo can be a capable performer in an Emry deck even if it's not the absolute most optimal performer in the combo engine role.

Staff of Domination - Given the typical play patterns of Emry Forgeworks, Staff of Domination warrants consideration for a Flex Slot inclusion as it fills a number of roles as an engine piece and value piece. As the Staff is mana intensive enough to be less optimal as a value generator and expensive enough to decrease the consistency of opening hands and early turn play patterns it's not included in the default configuration, though an Emry pilot could elect to include it in the list at the three cmc card slot in place of another option that fills a similar role.

Implements of Sacrifice - An Emry Enabler option at the two cmc slot that filters colorless mana to blue mana and can generate infinite mana in some engine configurations that include cost reducers in play, it's not included in the default configuration simply because it does not draw a card on ETB or when sacrificed. Should a pilot feel so inclined it could be included, though this is not usually optimal.

Freed from the Real - An enchantment that functions identically to Pemmin's Aura as part of a combo engine. It's not included in the default configuration because the scope of that particular combo engine is very narrow requiring specific combo elements and Freed From the Real does not offer the same utility value and protection that Pemmin's Aura offers.

Mesmeric Orb - An artifact engine component at the two cmc slot that mills a player's deck whenever a permanent untaps. Helpful for dumping other engine pieces into the graveyard to facilitate assembling a full infinite combo engine, but an extremely vulnerable line of play given the quality graveyard hate prevalent in the format and some deck archetypes like Gitrog Dredge benefiting from the play pattern. As the default configuration is only able to assemble pieces via tutor or draw, Mesmeric Orb does offer a chance to shore up that weakness by allowing the ability to dig for combo components around hate pieces like Aven Mindcensor or Notion Thief and can be a useful inclusion as a Flex Slot option when a pilot has upfront knowledge of the meta being competed in. A potentially high risk choice otherwise.

These tutor alternatives offer means of reliably finding components Emry Forgeworks needs in play. It is wise to avoid building an over reliance on tutors into a deck as this creates a game play pattern weakness that is very easy to exploit. None of these options is included in the default configuration for that reason in addition to the fact that the default configuration options are superior performers over a large sample size of games. Should a pilot feel so inclined, any of the artifact tutors could be recommended for inclusion in place of Artificer's Intuition as each offers different strengths and weaknesses in that particular card slot.

Fabricate - The standard blue artifact tutor. Often a bit slow in terms of functionality for cEDH environments and limited to a single use.

Reshape, Transmute Artifact - Quality tutor to play options that can find any artifact and have solid synergy with Emry as she can cast the sacrificed artifact from the graveyard. Oftentimes they are more mana restrictive in terms of casting cost than other options.

Whir of Invention - An instant speed tutor to play option that does not require a sacrifice. Generally one of the best alternative options, though it is mana intensive.

Tezzeret the Seeker - A flexible tutor to play option that can be used repeatedly, though the mana cost is restrictive. Generally the most mana efficient option to tutor three cmc or greater artifacts. Can function as a win condition as well, though the circumstances where this can happen are extremely rare.

Merchant Scroll - A tutor for blue instants, it's inclusion is generally not recommended as the target selection in the default configuration is rather low. Should Paradoxical Outcome be included the value of Merchant Scroll increases significantly.

Stax pieces offer Emry a way to take advantage of certain known metas and exercise a somewhat greater degree of control over the game. As they can be difficult to reliably find and the effectiveness of stax pieces in general is largely mediocre they are not included in the default configuration.

Back to Basics - This enchantment can be a good choice in metas that are known to include very few basic lands. In such a circumstance the potential to lock out the table for a turn or two can allow Emry time to effectively set up for the combo win. The risk comes in the situations where casting Back to Basics fails to resolve or is immediately removed after resolving, effectively creating a situation where Emry has cast Exhaustion on itself that opponents can take advantage of with Emry Forgeworks significantly set back.

Counterbalance - An enchantment that has the potential to prevent opponents from making the plays they need to make to advance the game, but not the most reliable hate piece. Often best used in conjunction with Scroll Rack, Sensei's Divining Top, Brainstorm and other cards that can help determine the top card of the library is the optimal piece to have there given the situation. The default configuration of Emry Forgeworks doesn't have quite the right mana curve to maximize effectiveness and a Counterbalance card package can be card slot intensive.

The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale - A quality creature hate piece that can be a solid choice in metas known to include lots of creatures. Unfortunately, Emry Forgeworks runs a low land count and cannot afford to include this land in place of another in it's default configuration when it is not capable of generating mana as the slowed pace of development can offset the advantages of the static effect. It is wise to up the land count to 29 or 30 should a pilot decide to include this card, which can sacrifice some Flex Slots usually reserved for utility and resilience purposes.

There are numerous cards that could fit this bill and not every potential option is represented here. Merely, the best options for some common purposes are given as an example.

Scroll Rack - A utility piece that has nice synergy with Counterbalance.

Spellskite - A utility artifact creature that can afford important permanents protection from targeted removal.

Jeweled Amulet - A mediocre mana rock that does offer the potential to help cast Emry consistently in the first 2 turns of the game.

Copy Artifact - A flexible enchantment that can function as a mana rock or a second copy of some combo components in niche scenarios.

Having played a large number of cEDH games with Emry decks, and Emry Forgeworks in particular, I have my own personal preferences for some Flex Slot inclusions. I try to keep the card slot choices as consistent as possible in terms of cmc to avoid disrupting the mana curve. Listed below are some of my common selections and the reasons I make those selections.

Karn, the Great Creator - I often run him in the four cmc Flex Slot because I am very often playing against three opposing decks that are all running Ashiok, Dream Render, which can be a nightmare for combo decks when important pieces are exiled from the graveyard and the ability to tutor is constricted. A also tend to play against a number of artifact based combos employed by more than one opponent and Karn fills a lot of roles in these situations.

Foil - When I find myself in a situation where I know I'm not playing against opposing hate or combos that make running Karn ideal, or fairly often when I'm playing in an entirely unknown metascape that I expect to trend toward standard meta staples, I tend to run Foil in this card slot. It helps me fight counterspell wars, protect my win lines, and has some pleasant synergy with Emry. At times I curse it's inclusion for the restrictive casting costs, though in these situations having Karn occupy that slot would generally be even worse and I wind up wishing Wizard Replica or Spell Snare was occupying this slot.

Narset's Reversal - I actually run this card in the two cmc Flex Slot occupied by Swiftfoot Boots more commonly than I run the boots. It can similarly protect Emry from an Abrupt Decay and tend to be more flexible in the situations it can handle while also increasing deck resilience to exile effects by functioning as a third loop enabler with Timetwister. I think this card is a terrific choice into targeted interaction heavy metas and recommend it in these situations.

Into the Roil - This card often takes the two cmc Flex Slot occupied by Artificer's Intuition, the one cmc slot occupied by Arcum's Astrolabe, or the three cmc slot occupied by Rhystic Study. I tend to only include it if I expect a meta to include a lot of creature theft effects or hate pieces I need to remove from the board for a crucial play sequence. As I often play against a number of opposing Ashioks it makes it into my list rather often. Not an ideal answer to her in particular, but a flexible temporary answer and usually Emry Forgeworks only needs one turn free of hate complications to do it's thing.

Force of Negation - A "free" counterspell that often takes up the three cmc slot occupied by Rhystic Study. Typically a choice made for faster paced games where I don't expect to generate much value from Rhystic Study as a tax piece and would more reliably get value out of an extra permission element to fight an important counterspell war.

Transmute Artifact - This tutor often occupies the slot Artificer's Intuition holds in the default configuration. Between these two and Whir of Invention I often have a rotating pattern of use as each is decent at doing things Emry wants to get done but none really shines as a spectacular performer as each has it's own advantages and drawbacks. Transmute Artifact might be the general best choice, but it'd be by a really slight margin.

Suggestions

Updates Add

July 15, 2020
Edit

Fierce Guardianship is a card Emry is definitely going to want in it's default configuration. Will update the list to include this reality once I've gotten in some games with it.

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Revision 13 See all

(4 years ago)

Top Ranked
Date added 4 years
Last updated 4 years
Legality

This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)

8 - 0 Mythic Rares

34 - 0 Rares

21 - 0 Uncommons

24 - 0 Commons
Cards 100
Avg. CMC 1.83
Tokens Ape 3/3 G, Bird 2/2 U
Folders Commander (Competitive: Tier 3), Commander, edh stuff, Deck ideas, Combo Ideas, Stuff, Emry cedh, cEDH, spicy decks, 2021 EDH
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