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"In Response..."

I decided to brew a Mono-Blue control deck and thought Platinum Angel/Platinum Emperion would be funny cards to build around. After some testing and brewing I was reminded that Madcap Experiment is a card. I did a little digging on past competitive appearances or even tournament/league tops and the most recent I saw for Madcap Experiment was back in January of 2022. There are a few different variations of the deck that I noticed such as Persist and Blood Moon versions that seemed to be the most popular back then; but between Ban list changes and new set releases there are new things I want to try.

  • Academy Ruins: Allows for recursion for if a Platinum creature gets countered/discarded/killed to keep Madcap experiment live.

  • Ancestral Vision: The budget draw engine for the deck. In the best case scenario it gets suspended on T1 and then after casting Madcap Experiment 3 additional cards plus the normal draw come into hand for what should be a pretty tight grip for keeping control.

  • Castle Vantress: Because this deck is basically Mono-Blue with plenty of Islands its pretty much free quality card draw in the late game.

  • Counterspell: Does a pretty great job at denying the opponent a win condition or removing a Platinum creature.

  • Cryptic Command: Excellent modal spell due to having relevant options at all times.

  • Disrupting Shoal: This is a proactive counterspell because it enables the possibility to tap out all mana sources for Madcap Experiment and yet still be able to counter the opponents countermagic/removal.

  • Force of Negation: An absolute godsend when going second and in the early game being able to pitch for a critical negate. In the late game its just a hard noncreature counterspell which is just good enough.

  • Hall of Storm Giants: This is the big ole' beatstick to apply pressure/win the game if the opponent doesn't surrender.

  • Hydroelectric Specimen  : Very cool card because it is so versatile. Its pitch fodder, and emergency blocker/blue mana source and it also can suck up removal spells!

  • Island: Still need to run basic lands respect Blood Moon.

  • Jace, the Mind Sculptor: "Better than all the belle of the Planswalker ball. protection, card advantage, win condition, who ya gonna call?" ... but most of the time its to get platinum creatures out of the hand and back into the library to get Madcap Experiment online.

  • Mountain: This is to hedge against the new fish blood moon Harbinger of the Seas.

  • Otawara, Soaring City: Mostly just a blue mana source to cast spells on curve; but this is an emergency bounce for Teferi Time raveler and others as well.

  • Pact of Negation: This is the same idea as disrupting shoal however; with Platinum Angel in play it is just %100 free.

  • Platinum Angel: This answers opponents with alternative win conditions I.E. Mill/Infect.

  • Platinum Emperion: Pretty much lights out for many conventional decks. It naturally is virtually immune to a lot of common removal in the format like dismember/fatal push/unholy heat.

  • Preordain: Does an excellent job digging and filtering through the deck for getting land drops/Madcap Experiment.

  • Remand: One of the best early game spells to see in hand. It is fantastic tempo and helps dig into the deck.

  • Scalding Tarn: Fetches needed mana. Dives in for basics needed against Blood Moon/Harbinger of the Seas.

  • Sink into Stupor  : Great catch-all bounce effect or just needed blue source.

  • Snapcaster Mage: Gets value out of spells in the graveyard as well as being a nice 2/1 body for pressure/blocking.

  • Spell Pierce: early game its basically negate.

  • Steam Vents: Fetchable dual color source. because its an island it has great synergy with Castle Vantress.

  • Subtlety: pretty much the wincon of the deck. Generate tempo and comes in at instant speed and swings in the air at a steady pace.

Sideboard:

  • Brazen Borrower: More pressure and tempo.

  • Consign to Memory: Good against eldrazi.

  • Flusterstorm: Here for the influx of Strom decks.

  • Harbinger of the Seas: A Blood Moon variant to use against greedy goodstuff decks or Tron.

  • Spell Snare: situationally amazing.

  • Suspend: Good against aggro or creature dependent combo decks.

  • Tale's End: Nukes legendary spells and fights off activations from the hand like Boseiju, Who Endures/Otawara, Soaring City.

  • Vendilion Clique: More pressure, gains knowledge of opponents hand. Seems good against Combo/Control matchups.

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Updates Add

Took this deck for a spin at locals and it worked beautifully however; when it "worked" games ended in a draw/went to turns if the opponent didn't concede... The biggest takeaway is that Platinum Angel needs to be a sideboard card. Unless Infect or Mill is a thing it just was never the preferred target. The next thing is Jace, the Mind Sculptor totally felt like the worst card in the deck and always got boarded out for Harbinger of the Seas and suitable countermagic.

  • Game 1 Vs "A kid and a dream" 0-2: Young kid probably in middle school running the best 60 cards of his Commander deck... Arcane Signet was being used, he was trying to activate creatures effects in Graveyards, it was just a hot mess but we are all new at some point so I just played with him and taught the best I could when it was needed. I had a little too much fun bouncing his Niv-Mizzet, Parun with JTMS; We eventually just ran out of time and I just gave him the win.

  • Game 2 vs Dimir aggro 0-2: First round they were SUPER aggressive and I soaked up too much damage thinking i was going to Madcap Experiment on T4 but I made a mistake not realizing I didn't have a red mana source. Round 2 I lost in a similar bonehead way by getting hit with Thoughtseize and not responding to it for some reason. I blame Game 1 for just melting my brain causing me to forget how to play magic lol.

  • Game 3 Vs Orzov Death and taxes 0-1-1: Leonin Arbiter and Ghost Quarter was super aggravating! I lost Round 1 having a negative life total with Platinum Angel in play and then an Aether Vialfoil bringing in a Flickerwisp to result in me losing. Round 2 just went to turns and draw.

  • Game 4 Vs Yawgmoth: 1-0-2: Round 1 I did a Turn 1 Ancestral Vision and was able to Madcap on Turn 4 and he asked if i just had a handful of countermagic and I said "yes" and he conceded. Round 2 He was able to go infinite via Delighted Halfling (I forgot that card existed). Game 3 would have went to time/turns but I conceded because everyone was long done with there games and I didn't want to hold the store hostage; but it was absolutely hilarious the level of effort that was happening to proliferate -1/-1 counters just to Madcap again.

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Casual

96% Competitive

Revision 11 See all

(3 weeks ago)

-1 Buried Ruin main
-2 Change the Equation side
+2 Consign to Memory side
-1 Evacuation side
+2 Harbinger of the Seas side
-2 Minor Misstep side
+1 Mountain main
-1 Nimble Obstructionist side
+2 Spell Snare side
Top Ranked
Date added 1 month
Last updated 4 days
Legality

This deck is Modern legal.

Rarity (main - side)

13 - 3 Mythic Rares

24 - 8 Rares

10 - 4 Uncommons

8 - 0 Commons

Cards 60
Avg. CMC 2.79
Tokens On an Adventure
Folders Decks
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