Nekusar, the Mindrazer

Commander / EDH* Counters Island UBR (Grixis) Wheels Wizards

SushiUchiha

Artifact (19)

• 1x Anvil of Bogardan
• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Basalt Monolith
• 1x Chromatic Lantern
• 1x Dimir Signet
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Gilded Lotus
• 1x Izzet Signet
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Lotus Petal
• 1x Memory Jar
• 1x Rakdos Signet
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Talisman of Creativity
• 1x Talisman of Dominance
• 1x Talisman of Indulgence
• 1x Teferi's Puzzle Box
• 1x Temple Bell
• 1x Thought Vessel

Creature (13)

• 1x Fate Unraveler
• 1x Jace's Archivist
• 1x Kederekt Parasite
• 1x Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
• 1x Lutri, the Spellchaser
• 1x Magus of the Jar
• 1x Magus of the Wheel
• 1x Notion Thief
• 1x Phyrexian Metamorph
• 1x Snapcaster Mage
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Thraximundar
• 1x Trinket Mage

Land (32)

• 1x Blood Crypt
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Crosis's Catacombs
• 1x Evolving Wilds
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 8x Island
• 2x Mountain
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Rakdos Carnarium
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Shivan Reef
• 1x Steam Vents
• 7x Swamp
• 1x Temple of the False God
• 1x Underground River
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Watery Grave

Instant (10)

• 1x Arcane Denial
• 1x Brainstorm
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Force of Negation
• 1x Muddle the Mixture
• 1x Mystical Tutor
• 1x Reverberate
• 1x Swan Song
• 1x Unsubstantiate

Planeswalker (2)

• 1x Jace Beleren
• 1x Narset, Parter of Veils

Commander (1)

Sorcery (14)

• 1x Blasphemous Act
• 1x Bribery
• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Echo of Eons
• 1x Flood of Tears
• 1x Incendiary Command
• 1x Molten Psyche
• 1x Reforge the Soul
• 1x Time Reversal
• 1x Toxic Deluge
• 1x Vandalblast
• 1x Whispering Madness
• 1x Windfall
• 1x Winds of Change

Enchantment (9)

• 1x Fevered Visions
• 1x Glistening Oil
• 1x Liliana's Caress
• 1x Megrim
• 1x Mind Over Matter
• 1x Rhystic Study
• 1x Spiteful Visions
• 1x Underworld Dreams
• 1x Waste Not

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I've added Lutri, the Spellchaser because the only reason it was banned in the first place because it fits perfectly in the companion slot with really no drawbacks. In the 99 it's not as powerful. I like the card how it is, and I don't think my playgroup will care.

This deck is a work in process. I bought the Nekusar pre-con and I'm slowly adding upgrades.

Cards to add in the future

Cards I'm considering removing and replacing:

Magus of the Jar, Magus of the Wheel

This is a somewhat competitive Nekusar list. This isn't tier 1 by any means because there are tons of pieces missing. Here are a few pricey cards that would fit perfectly in a tier 1/2 Nekusar deck: Mana Crypt, Wheel of Fortune, Time Spiral, Vampiric Tutor, etc etc. You get the point.

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Land

Reliquary Tower

• No max hand size is always a good effect. Specifically can help ease the bleeding from an overloaded Cyclonic Rift.

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

• Helps cast cards such as Glistening Oil and Underworld Dreams. Also turns your utility lands (Reliquary Tower) into lands that can produce colored mana.

Temple of the False God

• Decent land in almost every EDH deck, easily a staple.

Creature

Kozilek, Butcher of Truth

• Combo piece with Temple Bell and Mind Over Matter. Discarding Kozilek to M.o.M. means you won't deck yourself (Refer to "Infinite Combo" below for the sequencing). In this deck, this is almost never hard castable. Adding cards such as Mana Crypt increases the chances. Also puts a dent in the wallet.

Notion Thief

• This card is extremely volatile. This can be a game changer or ender for you. Notion Thief in play shuts off Nekusar's damage ability, since no opponent's will be drawing cards (outside of their draw step). Drawing these extra cards can help you dig for answers (Toxic Deluge), combo pieces, etc.

• Casting Notion Thief in response to a Brainstorm or Dack Fayden +1 feels great. Usually puts you on a hit list, though.

• A cool play you can make with Notion Thief out is: Cast Notion Thief > Cast Wheel of Fortune > Draw 28 cards (4-player game) > Cast Toxic Deluge paying 1 life > Notion Thief dies > Cast Windfall > Opponents draw lots of cards. If your Nekusar has Glistening Oil attached, it's game over if there are no answers.

Snapcaster Mage

• Solid card in any spell deck. Let's you cast any instant or sorcery in your graveyard, then it gets exiled. (Side note: If you try casting a sorcery not during your turn, you won't be able to cast it. Snapcaster gives flashback, not flash)

Phyrexian Metamorph

• This can turn into any artifact or creature on the battlefield. Versatile card that I forget can't turn into Enchantments. It's almost always worth it to pay the 2 life and 3 mana to cast this card. 2 life in commander is nothing, especially when your opponents are winning through their own infinite combos and whatnot.

Kederekt Parasite

• This is Nekusar's second ability on a 1 mana creature. Granted you will need to control a red permanent (of which I have: Fevered Visions, Magus of the Wheel, and Nekusar, the Mindrazer himself). Very good card that doesn't appear immediately threatening.

Artifact

Ramp

• Arcane Signet, Chromatic Lantern, Dimir Signet, Fellwar Stone, Gilded Lotus, Izzet Signet, Rakdos Signet, Sol Ring, Talisman of Dominance, Talisman of Indulgence, Talisman of Creativity, and Basalt Monolith

• Thought Vessel has the added benefit of giving you no maximum hand size - a really powerful effect.

Utility

• Lightning Greaves is a good magic card. Commander staple (except in stax decks - Zur the Enchanter). Shroud means even you can't target your creature. The only time this is relevant in this deck is when you only have Nekusar in play attached with Lightning Greaves and you want to attach Glistening Oil to it for the win.

Enchantment

Glistening Oil

• Yes, this card works how you think it does. When attached to Nekusar, the Mindrazer, it allows Nekusar's second ability to deal infect {BP} damage. This means that drawing 10 cards is lethal for your opponents. Look to combo this with Wheel of Fortune + Reverberate.

Rhystic Study

• WOULD YOU LIKE TO PAY {1} FOR THAT? - The brother of the infamous Mystic Remora, this card nets you 5-20 cards depending on the game, all for {2}{U}. I've had games where Rhystic Study has net me enough cards to kill with Nekusar, the Mindrazer + Windfall + Reliquary Tower.

Mind Over Matter

• Combos with Temple Bell to draw infinite {INFINITY} cards. Pair this with Kozilek, Butcher of Truth to ensure your opponents deck out before you do. Having Nekusar, the Mindrazer in play means infinite {INFINITY} damage.

• Can also stop some damage in combat. If your opponent has a Worldspine Wurm or Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger it might be worth it to tap them down during the "Begin Combat" phase.

Liliana's Caress + Megrim

• Both of these cards have a simple and effective ability; every card discarded makes your opponent's lose 2 life. Discarding a hand of 5 being a solid 10 life, a hand of 7 means 14 life, etc.

Fevered Visions

• Just another draw spell. With Nekusar, the Mindrazer, FV Lightning Bolts your opponent at EOT (If they have 4+ cards in hand). Not great, but not bad either.

Instant

Reverberate

• The utility of this card alone is amazing. It has the potential be a counter-counterspell (You cast Nekusar, the Mindrazer, your opponent casts Force of Will, you have 2 {R} open. You cast Reverberate targeting their Force of Will thus countering their Force of Will.

• This can be a kill confirm. If you have Glistening Oil attached to Nekusar, the Mindrazer and a Wheel of Fortune effect in hand, Reverberate becomes lethal. You just cast Reverberate targeting Wheel of Fortune on the stack. Your opponent draws 14 cards and dies to infect {BP}.

Counterspells

• Counterspell, Swan Song, Force of Negation, Arcane Denial

• Muddle the Mixture has the added benefit of being able to trasmute for cards such as Demonic Tutor, Lightning Greaves, Reverberate, Liliana's Caress, Glistening Oil, etc.

Sorcery

Bribery

• This card probably doesn't belong in a Nekusar deck, but I find it's sometimes good to just go turn 4-5 Bribery and steal one of your opponent's Eldrazi or big creature. In my experience, the creature usually gets dealt with one way or another before I can swing, but the potential is still there.

Vandalblast

• This can be a meta call card. If your group meta plays a lot of artifacts, this becomes a brutal card. You almost always want to cast this card overloaded.

Planeswalker

Narset, Parter of Veils

• Makes wheel effects a lot better by making your opponent have 1 card in hand usually (sometimes zero). Can dig for spells such as tutors, wheels, etc.

Jace Beleren

• Jace is a just a good magic card. You can have the sequence of -1, -1, +2. In this way, you're drawing 3 cards while you're opponents have only drawn 1 card individually. With Glistening Oil on Nekusar, Jace can sometimes push infect damage through.

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Here's some math for ya

- Nekusar in play

• Nekusar, the Mindrazer + Liliana's Caress + Any discard/draw 7 effect = 21 life (14 from caress, 7 from Nekusar)

• Nekusar, the Mindrazer + Liliana's Caress + Megrim + any discard/draw 7 effect = 35 life (14 from caress, 14 from Megrim, 7 from Nekusar

• Nekusar, the Mindrazer + Glistening Oil + Draw 10 (Time Reversal + Winds of Change) = Lethal infect damage {WP}

Combos

Soft combos to look for

• Board Wipe (Cyclonic Rift overloaded) + Wheel (Windfall) = Your opponent only has land permanents in play... pretty sweet, right?
• Notion Thief + Teferi's Puzzle Box = Opponent can't have a hand. On their draw step, they will draw one card, then put their hand on the bottom of their library and I draw that many cards. This requires the opponent to have an answer at instant speed.
• Mystical Tutor + Temple Bell = Instant speed answer to threats. (Ex. opponent casts Ad Nauseam, you go Mystical Tutor -> Put Swan Song on top -> Tap Temple Bell -> Counter Ad Nauseam.

Infinite Combo

• Temple Bell + Mind Over Matter = Infinite Draw. ({T} Bell: Everyone draws a card. -> Discard a card: Untap bell. Make everyone draw their deck. Eventually, you will draw Kozilek, Butcher of Truth in this process - discard him to Mind Over Matter to shuffle your graveyard into your library so you don't deck yourself. If you have Nekusar, the Mindrazer out, this will give you infinite damage.

What do I Demonic Tutor for?!

This depends entirely on the situation.

1. A good target is usually Glistening Oil.

2. If you find yourself low on action, it may be worth it to DT for a wheel effect to fill your hand. (Ex. if you have 2 cards in hand and find those cards particularly useless in your current situation. A new hand of 7 can help find other action).

3. Find a combo piece. If you find yourself with just one piece of a combo, search for the other piece. Currently the only combo I have in this deck is Temple Bell + Mind Over Matter.

4. I sometimes like to tutor for Notion Thief. It nets me tons of cards especially after a wheel.

Date added	5 years
Last updated	2 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	8 - 0 Mythic Rares 45 - 0 Rares 19 - 0 Uncommons 11 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.15
Tokens	Bird 2/2 U, Zombie 2/2 B
Folders	upgrades