Aetherflux Machine Gun

Commander / EDH Combo Competitive Four Color GWUB Infinite Combo Primer

RhymeInReason

Creature (7)

• 1x Avacyn's Pilgrim
• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Deathrite Shaman
• 1x Elves of Deep Shadow
• 1x Noble Hierarch
• 1x Snapcaster Mage
• 1x Walking Ballista

Land (30)

• 1x Arid Mesa
• 1x Bayou
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Breeding Pool
• 1x City of Brass
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 1x Forest
• 1x Godless Shrine
• 1x Hallowed Fountain
• 1x Island
• 1x Mana Confluence
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Overgrown Tomb
• 1x Plains
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Savannah
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 1x Scrubland
• 1x Swamp
• 1x Temple Garden
• 1x Tropical Island
• 1x Tundra
• 1x Underground Sea
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Verdant Catacombs
• 1x Watery Grave
• 1x Windswept Heath
• 1x Wooded Foothills

Enchantment (3)

• 1x Carpet of Flowers
• 1x Mystic Remora
• 1x Necropotence

Artifact (14)

• 1x Aetherflux Reservoir
• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Azorius Signet
• 1x Chrome MoxGC
• 1x Dimir Signet
• 1x Isochron Scepter
• 1x Lotus Petal
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Mox DiamondGC
• 1x Orzhov Signet
• 1x Sensei's Divining Top
• 1x Simic Signet
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Talisman of Dominance

Instant (35)

• 1x Abrupt Decay
• 1x Ad NauseamGC
• 1x Angel's Grace
• 1x Assassin's Trophy
• 1x Autumn's Veil
• 1x Brainstorm
• 1x Cabal Ritual
• 1x Chain of Vapor
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Cyclonic RiftGC
• 1x Dark Ritual
• 1x Dispel
• 1x Dramatic Reversal
• 1x Enlightened TutorGC
• 1x Fatal Push
• 1x Fierce GuardianshipGC
• 1x Flusterstorm
• 1x Force of WillGC
• 1x Lim-Dul's Vault
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Mental Misstep
• 1x Mission Briefing
• 1x Mystical TutorGC
• 1x Nature's Claim
• 1x Negate
• 1x Noxious Revival
• 1x Pact of Negation
• 1x Path to Exile
• 1x Scarab Feast
• 1x Silence
• 1x Stifle
• 1x Swan Song
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Vampiric TutorGC
• 1x Veil of Summer

Sorcery (9)

• 1x Demonic TutorGC
• 1x Duress
• 1x Gitaxian Probe
• 1x Inquisition of Kozilek
• 1x Ponder
• 1x Preordain
• 1x Thoughtseize
• 1x Toxic Deluge
• 1x Yawgmoth's Will

Commanders (2)

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EDH has always been my favorite format. I personally enjoy playing EDH in a more competitive environment and so my approach to the format is geared towards such a setting. Previously, I had a Boonweaver Karador deck very similar to cobblepott's list and a Damia Control/Combo list very similar to Epochalyptik's. With the release of the 2016 Commander product, I decided to fuse my two decks together to build a competitive not-red deck.

Introduction

This is not intended to be a deck that plays “nice”. The goal of this deck is to win. As such, this list is designed to be played in a competitive environment with other decks of similar strength and with other players of a similar mindset.

The gameplan of this deck is to assemble one of two two-card combos: Isochron Scepter and Dramatic Reversal or Ad Nauseam and Angel's Grace. From this point, you generate infinite mana and then draw with Thrasios until you can win with Aetherflux Reservoir or Walking Ballist.

Efficiency, speed, and resilience are crucial to the design of this deck. The deck has the speed to win within the first few turns, the resilience to win later if an early victory cannot be achieved, and the efficiency to execute its game plan at any point.

Why Thrasios and Tymna?

Thrasios provides an obvious sink for infinite mana. The fact that the ability only requires generic mana makes it very simple to win with infinite mana. Thrasios is the main reason this deck can function.

Tymna’s main strength lies in her color combination. Black and white offers fantastic tutoring, card draw, and removal. With her cheap casting cost combined with her ability to draw cards at the beginning of the second main phase, however, this gives her utility that warrants her inclusion over the other black/white partner.

As the three main combos here can be used in a Breya shell as well, it begs the question as to why choose Thrasios and Tymna over Breya. Breya’s strength lies in the fact that the deck does not need another wincon other than Breya; all you need is infinite mana. The two reasons to pick Thrasios and Tymna over Breya, in my opinion, is that Thrasios and Tymna offers easily-accessible draw power if you run out of gas and that the deck is less vulnerable to artifact hate such as Null Rod/Stony Silence. While those effects will prevent you from generating infinite mana, I think that with mana dorks it is easier to overcome that sort of obstacle. Dumping a bunch of mana rocks only to get them Stony Silenced can prevent you from doing anything, whereas with mana dorks you can still cast spells to set up a situation where you can win.

Also, I already had the not-red lands and I didn’t want to buy a Volcanic Island.

The Combos and Wincons

Ad Nauseam and Angel's Grace: Allows you to put your deck into your hand and win with any of the following options.

Dramatic Reversal/Isochron Scepter: With the appropriate number of mana rocks and dorks, you cast Scepter imprinting Dramatic Reversal. You tap your mana producers for mana, then activate Scepter. The imprinted Reversal will be cast, untapping your mana producers as well as the Scepter. You repeat this for infinite mana. This also generates infinite storm as the Scepter casts the imprinted spell.

Aetherflux Reservoir: As the infinite mana combos also generate infinite storm, you can go to an arbitrarily large life total and blast things in increments of 50.

Walking Ballista: Another infinite mana sink to win the game with. Also provides a way to pick off creatures and planeswalkers if necessary.

Strengths and Weaknesses

While there is no such thing as a deck that can beat everything, this deck is designed to do well regardless of whatever opponents it may face. Depending on the matchup, it can race, disrupt, or outgrind as needs be.

In my experience with the deck however, there are two strategies to look out for when playing. Mass land destruction/Blood Moon strategies can be very difficult to fight through if they resolve. There is countermagic and permanent removal to deal with these, but if they get through it may mean a loss. Also, if an opponent is attacking you over and over with creatures (who would do such a silly thing?), it may put enough pressure on you to make it difficult to win. The deck draws heavily upon its life total as a resource, so constant pressure can make things awkward. There aren’t much dedicated board wipes as they are not the best draws when you are trying to assemble your combo, so your plan against repeated life-total pressure is usually to combo as fast as possible.

Strategy

The easiest way to pull off a victory is to assemble Ad Nauseam and Angel's Grace, preferably under Silence. From there, you put your deck into your hand, assemble an infinite mana combo, and then win with Aetherflux Reservoir. Keep in mind you cannot pay life as a cost if you are at a negative life total (Force of Will, Noxious Revival, etc.)

Winning with Dramatic Reversal/Isochron Scepter needs a little more setup. You need at least three mana to generate infinite mana as the Scepter has an activation cost of 2. Comboing with mana rocks allows you to go off in the same turn, whereas with mana dorks you will need to wait a turn due to summoning sickness. If Thrasios is already out, you only need colorless mana as then you can just go for Aetherflux Reservoir.

Due to the low average CMC of the deck, casting Ad Nauseam without Angel's Grace is perfectly fine. You’ll often “draw” 30-40 cards if you are at a full life total and then can figure out a win from there.

Sometimes it is necessary to cast Aetherflux Reservoir and “storm off” the hard way. While the deck isn’t designed to be a traditional Storm list, the efficiency of the cards can allow you to follow this line if necessary.

The deck can work with either Partial Paris or Vancouver mulligans. The most important thing you are looking for in a hand are ways to develop your mana (sufficient lands, rocks, dorks). Tutors, draw engines, and interaction are fine, but as you can use Thrasios and Tymna to generate card advantage it is important that you have enough mana to utilize them.

Early game is spent developing mana and setting up tutor and/or card draw engines.

Mid game is spent assembling pieces while interacting with opponents as necessary.

Late game is when you execute a combo to end the game.

Keep in mind that “Early, Mid, and Late Game” is relative. These phases can take place over the course of three turns or fifteen. It is up to you to gauge the progress of the game accordingly.

As this is primarily a combo deck, you do not need to deal with every threat that hits the table. Save your resources and deal with threats that will prevent you from winning the game. There is no need to waste resources dealing with plays that do not impact you.

Card Choices

I’m not going to go over every single card, but will instead talk in general terms or of specific cards that warrant mention.

Lands

10 fetches, 6 duals, 6 shocks. This helps consistently fix your mana. Additionally, Command Tower, City of Brass, and Mana Confluence further help fix mana. Basics round out the lands to help against non-basic land hate.

I do not like lands that must enter tapped in a color-intensive list as this. Even checklands have the possibility of entering tapped and the deck cannot afford for that to happen. Color-intensity also strongly discourages the use of lands that only tap for colorless, such as Reliquary Tower, Strip Mine, and Wasteland.

Creatures

In the right playgroups, a well-timed and protected Notion Thief is a complete blowout that will seal away the game. At the very least it presents a significant obstacle to opponents looking to dig through their deck.

Artifacts

The signets and talisman offers additional ways to ramp and fix mana. The “free” mana rocks increases the deck’s explosive potential and are necessary in big Ad Nauseam turns.

Enchantments

Carpet of Flowers is obviously unnecessary if you don’t play with other blue decks, but if you do it is an incredible mana source. The other enchantments are draw engines that are both powerful and efficient.

Sorceries

Gitaxian Probe functions mainly to get information prior to comboing. For two life, the cantrip and information is well worth it.

The hand disruption provides an efficient way to protect your combo as well as attack opponent's combos

Instants

Cyclonic Rift might seem out of place in a combo deck like this, but it is the Big Blue Button that is especially good against static hate effects.

Fracturing Gust can be such a haymaker against a wide range of decks.

Notable Exclusions

Doomsday seems to be conspicuously absent from this list, especially since it already has a lot of cards that would facilitate Doomsday piles. I wanted to build the deck with straightforward, two-card combos that end the game immediately and so decided that Doomsday was unnecessary for the deck. I do have a Doomsday, though, and I wouldn’t be opposed to including it in the future if I decide I need it.

There are other Thrasios lists here on TappedOut that are High Tide lists. This list could have also included High Tide, although it would require changes to the mana base and supporting spells. I decided not to go for this route for a similar reason as for excluding Doomsday in that I wanted to make the deck as streamlined as possible. Also, I didn’t want to buy Candelabra of Tawnos and Timetwister.

Changelog

Any changes to the deck will be logged here.

4/7/2017 - Removed Arcane Denial. Replaced with Abrupt Decay.

4/11/2017 - Removed Urborg Elf. Replaced with Imperial Seal.

4/24/2017 - Removed Sylvan Caryatid and Laboratory Maniac. Replaced with Pull from Eternity and Praetor's Grasp.

4/28/2017 - Removed Reanimate. Replaced with Toxic Deluge.

5/4/2017 - Removed Shred Memory. Replaced with Paradoxical Outcome.

5/15/2017 - Removed Paradoxical Outcome. Replaced with Llanowar Elves.

5/21/2017 - Removed Pull from Eternity and Praetor's Grasp. Replaced with Autumn's Veil and Walking Ballista.

7/28/2017 - Removed Forbidden Orchard. Replaced with Notion Thief.

10/13/17 - Removed Sylvan Library, Eladamri's Call, Merchant Scroll, Bloom Tender, Dark Confidant, Auriok Salvagers, and Lion's Eye Diamond. Replaced with Dimir Charm, Orzhov Signet, Azorius Signet, Night's Whisper, Chart a Course, Fatal Push, and Scarab Feast.

7/10/18 - Removed Island, Night's Whisper, Llanowar Elves, and Elvish Mystic. Replaced with Fracturing Gust, Thoughtseize, Inquisition of Kozilek, and Duress.

10/5/19 - Removed Imperial Seal, Chart a Course, and Dimir Charm. Replaced with Assassin's Trophy, Mission Briefing, and Mnemonic Betrayal.

I hope you enjoyed the deck and are inspired by it. Thanks for reading!

Date added	8 years
Last updated	4 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	27 - 0 Mythic Rares 36 - 0 Rares 16 - 0 Uncommons 17 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	1.50
Tokens	Bird 2/2 U
Folders	Commander/EDH, Bangin' Decks