Han Tutored First

Commander / EDH* Combo Competitive Cruel Control

NotaNetDeck

Creature (15)

• 1x Bloodgift Demon
• 1x Clever Impersonator
• 1x Consecrated Sphinx
• 1x Ertai, Wizard Adept
• 1x Glen Elendra Archmage
• 1x Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
• 1x Maralen of the Mornsong
• 1x Notion Thief
• 1x Ob Nixilis, Unshackled
• 1x Sheoldred, Whispering One
• 1x Sire of Stagnation
• 1x Snapcaster Mage
• 1x Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
• 1x Vedalken Aethermage
• 1x Venser, Shaper Savant

Land (35)

• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Cavern of Souls
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Dimir Aqueduct
• 1x Dimir Guildgate
• 1x Dismal Backwater
• 1x Drowned Catacomb
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 11x Island
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Myriad Landscape
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Riptide Laboratory
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 5x Swamp
• 1x Temple of the False God
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Verdant Catacombs
• 1x Vivid Creek
• 1x Watery Grave
• 1x Winding Canyons

Enchantment (5)

• 1x Arcane Laboratory
• 1x Future Sight
• 1x Leyline of Anticipation
• 1x Phyrexian Arena
• 1x Propaganda

Artifact (16)

• 1x Caged Sun
• 1x Coalition Relic
• 1x Coercive Portal
• 1x Dimir Signet
• 1x Gilded Lotus
• 1x Isochron Scepter
• 1x Knowledge Pool
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Mana Vault
• 1x Mind's Eye
• 1x Quicksilver Fountain
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Teferi's Puzzle Box
• 1x Thran Dynamo
• 1x Vedalken Orrery

Instant (22)

• 1x Arcane Denial
• 1x Capsize
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Countersquall
• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Delay
• 1x Fact or Fiction
• 1x Flash
• 1x Funeral Charm
• 1x Hatred
• 1x Lim-Dul's Vault
• 1x Mana Leak
• 1x Memory Lapse
• 1x Mystical Teachings
• 1x Perplex
• 1x Reality Shift
• 1x Rebuild
• 1x Shadow of Doubt
• 1x Spell Crumple
• 1x Spell Pierce
• 1x Trickbind
• 1x Vampiric Tutor

Sorcery (6)

• 1x Beacon of Unrest
• 1x Beseech the Queen
• 1x Damnation
• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Hymn to Tourach
• 1x Laquatus's Creativity

Commander (1)

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Maybeboard

Creature (1)

• 1x Nevermaker

Land (5)

• 1x Academy Ruins
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Cabal Coffers
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Thawing Glaciers

Enchantment (2)

• 1x Mystic Remora
• 1x Psychic Possession

Instant (5)

• 1x Cryptic Command *list*
• 1x Hero's Downfall
• 1x Mindbreak Trap
• 1x Reins of Power
• 1x Silence the Believers

Sorcery (2)

• 1x Fatigue
• 1x Toxic Deluge

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This is my ultimate cruel EDH deck for 1v1 on MTGO, which I play only when I'm hungry for a win.

Win Con

Our win condition is deck lock and our general is almost irrelevant to play (which means it could be 100 card singleton unless you want to be overlooked and are using this deck in multiplayer).

Deck Lock: the inability to cast spells, interact, or make any significant impacts on a game of Magic. It's a narrow strategy, but there are many ways to lock a deck.

KEY COMBO

Maralen of the Mornsong + Teferi's Puzzle Box. Nuanced design of these cards allows you to stack triggered abilities on each draw step so your opponent tutors, then redraws a hand -- except that draw never happens, as per Maralen's first ability. You stack your triggers so you lose your hand, then tutor, in effect always giving you one card (like Ob Nixilis, Unshackled) and your opponent zero. With Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir, who prevents opponents from responding to the triggers, this is very close to a hard lock (only Commanders and activated/triggered abilities can get through it). Coincidentally, Teferi also enables you to Flash in Maralen so you, Han, tutor first.

Zone Change

After a turn cycle with the Key Combo on board, the hand becomes the bottom of the library, making an overloaded Cyclonic Rift just dumb. Beacon of Unrest can fetch either half of the Key Combo and can be re-found with Maralen! This combo also enables my favorite play IN ALL OF MTG: in response to Box's trigger on an opponent's turn, Flash in Maralen, skipping their turn to tutor while still emptying their hand.

Deck Locks

Teferi's Puzzle Box + Notion Thief. This gives you all the cards your opponent would draw, also leaving them without a hand. This combo is complemented by Teferi as well, and is the reason I run Reliquary Tower.

Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir + Knowledge Pool This combo is better-known to let your opponents cast a first spell but puts a trigger on the stack to exile it in the meantime, preventing the second spell from being cast.

Isochron Scepter + one of the right cards (Arcane Denial, Memory Lapse, Trickbind, Counterspell, Shadow of Doubt, or soft counters). These form a lock with one other card; Shadow and Trickbind need Maralen to work and counters require Arcane Laboratory. Ertai, Wizard Adept also works with the Lab, but be careful of the antisynergy with Knowledge Pool!

Laquatus's Creativity empties an opponent's hand with either Maralen or Notion Thief on board!

Other Cards

The not-yet-mentioned portions of the deck can be summarized as busted rocks, staples, defense, fatties, tutors, lands, and redundancy to Flash in Maralen so, again, you tutor first. And there's Hatred when you just want to curve a Wydwen on end step into something good.

Monoblack Variant?

As you might've realized, using Maralen of the Mornsong as a general over Wydwen pays off in spades. However, Maralen's color identity precludes us from using counterspells, many Flash effects, and Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir, from having a Wizard theme, and thus from creating a hard lock. Despite this, I have such a deck in the works:

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Too Bad You Wanted to Play Magic

Duel Commander NotaNetDeck

SCORE: 5 | 2 COMMENTS | 816 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER

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Although its cons make it less competitive, its pros are undeniable.

Fetchlands are optional, and I run them only because I've drawn some in boosters and it'd be foolish not to (especially in such an antagonist deck). Don't be stingy with the +1s if you like what you see, and I'm also appreciative of feedback and suggestions! :)

Date added	9 years
Last updated	8 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	5 - 0 Mythic Rares 44 - 0 Rares 22 - 0 Uncommons 13 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.29
Tokens	Manifest 2/2 C
Folders	Decks with Coincidentally Alliterative Hubs