Rundown:
I have been grinding hard on cockatrice pretty much every night for the past week. I didn't start testing a Bant variant until after I saw Kevin Jone's list that Jim Davis piloted to the win. Thank you Kevin and his brother for figuring out the manabase! Great job Jim too.
So, this list transformed into Bant because of reflector mage, eerie interlude, and declaration in stone. I was having a lot of trouble with human decks and this addition seems to really help. It also brought pacifism into the mix, and while it doesn't seem that good, pacifiying ulamog so that you can copy him with Ego has proved fruitful. Insert any big payoff creature your opponent plays that doesn't have hexproof, and pacifism is usually good.
This list abuses all the greatest ETB effects that Bant provides. Not only do you get the initial effect as intended, but you get to flicker and get a second use with essence flux and eerie interlude. essence helps dodge spot removal, and while eerie does as well, it functions better as protection against sweepers and languish. Protecting your guys and getting ETB#2 is great. It kinda makes things broken, but hey, its legal, so why not.
The payoff is Altered Ego. Not only does it get to take advantage of your own guy's ETB effects, but he also becomes more busted with the flickers. This is essentially a reset button. Play it early if necessary, and when it gets into the later game, just reset it to something better. Yes, it loses counters, but here are some scenarios that make it busted.
Dragonlord Silumgar
Avacyn
Sidisi (tutor one)
Surrak
Ormendal
Anything your opponent plays with a stacked ETB or a huge payoff like Ormendal. Sell your Draonlord Silumgars now. If you have an Ego on the battlefield, and an essence or an eerie, your opponent just gave you a U or 2W Silumgar. Not only that, but you get to take control of it, and sac theirs. So you essentially just killed theirs, got one, and if you cast ego from hand you get back whatever it took. Sign me up.
I think you get the picture. Your opponent's payoff creature comes down, you copy it, add a few counters if its in hand and make your version above parity in combat. O, yea. They can't counter it. Bye bye Esper dragons.
Now, there are a few weak points. As with any deck. Planeswalkers. What can you do? Well, this is where whirler rogue comes in handy. Making things unblockable is great angainst Gideon, especially if they cast him with an oath of gideon on the battlefield. Why? Cause they'll almost always ult, leaving him at 1 to buff they're oath tokens into more formidable 2/2 blockers. Come back with a whirler, make one of your dudes unblockable, and down goes gideon. After that they'll be a little more weary trying to throw down an Ob Nix and a Sorin. Add to the fact that Whirler gets out of hand with essence and eerie, and well, another busted scenario.
Infinite obliteration will be a thorn, but what do they take? Even if they take alter, or whirler, or really anything, there's still more you can do with the deck than just ETB jank. Sideboard Invasive surgery really helps.
Enter Sylvan Advocate. Now this thing is multi faceted. Our lumbering falls turn into huge hexproof dudes. Why? Well nissa ensures we hit our lands, Woodland Bellower brings along a 4/5 sylvan advocate, and if you want to sprinkle some jank in, just start flickering Bellower to fetch Adovcates and Krasis to tap down their dudes so you can get through. Ewwwww. Copy Bellower with and Ego, well, that's a hefty board state.
So, we're protecting dudes, we're getting mad value out of our ETB, and were adding board state all while turning our lands into big hexproof fatties. We are blessed to be running white and have access to the best removal in the format in Declaration stone. This really, really helps against the human menace. Also, Pacifism helps to render their creature useless, but if its something you want to copy later on with Ego, it's still viable!
Command helps against burn like Anderson's UR Titi, it also helps to combat always watchings.
Sideboard Musings:
So, first and foremost, caustic caterpillar is great. It comes down T1, and sits there waiting for human decks to cast always watching. If it doesn't say on the battlefield because of a declaration stone, consider that a creature you just saved while making them take a turn off to cast dec so they can drop always watching the next turn. It blocks damage if necessary as well.
Invasive surgery.
This allows you a 3 CMC T3 play leaving a blue up to prepare for a Languish. It also helps combat infinite Obliterations.
Crush of Tentacles.
I'm interested so see if this pays off. Its enticing. T6 Surge can be hit with Essence flux, and something about getting a kraken for an Ego target just makes me want to try it. Getting to recast all your ETB is not a bad consequence and resetting your opponent can be nice.
Mirror Image.
Well, it does set you up for a 2 for 1, but copying a reflector mage every attack essentially locking your opponent out from having a lasting board presence has been fun. Rendering an opponents creature useless is nice and if they do attack, you get a blocker and any etb effects. Attaching it to a Krasis has been fun too, tapping down their guys. Advocate, even though it can't attack, buffs your lumbering falls. Whirler rogue nets you two tokens and makes it unblockable. Etc. Etc.
Testing:
Ramp:
You don't really benefit from copying their guys, so that's out. I've had success with whirler rogue pushing damage through, exiling world breakers to break recursion, holding up an eerie interlude for Chandra, and pacifying ulamog.
I have been playing against a new version that takes advantage of small guys like catacomb sifter and loam with cryptolith and evolutionary leap to ramp into a zendikar resurgence. It uses sidisi to tutor for ulamog. Backup plan with Ormendal. Its been a good matchup with games going either way. The big takeaway is that Ormendal is a trap when playing against this list. If I think they're going to pop it, I try to have a krasis in hand, a krasis on board to essence and tap it down. Flicker an ego to copy it and counter swing, or cast an ego from hand to copy it with X counters and you're on your way as they're usually just forfeited their board.
Humans:
This matchup was giving me fits early on. I added white and things got better. Stones, Dromoka's Commands, and even pacifies have all come in the clutch. Reflector mage is ok, but you usually never want to chance a thalia's lieutenant. The reknown dude has been a great target. Krasis is great at flashing before or during combat. Tap their guy or untap one yours and go from 0 to 2 blockers. Advocate is great coming down T2. Its a tough game 1, but it can be done. Post sideboard the match shores up a bit with caterpillar, mockery, and pacifism.
WB Midrange:
O boy, this matchup hit me over the head, hard. My buddy wrecked my face with T3 Oath of Gideon into T4 Gideon ult, into T5 Ob Nix kill my dude. T6 Sorin at 8 after +1 left me in tears.
So what did I do? Well, I realized that this deck falls flat against walkers. Nothing for ego to target that is worthwhile. Avacyn sure, but if your version flips, you lose your ego into the ether. Whirler rogue to save the day. Play carefully and you should be able to keep it on the board. This allows you to get to the walkers themselves and not get blocked by pesky tokens. It does one better and prevents an avacyn flash block too. Also, Nissa ensures that you hit your land drops so you can actually get to 4/5 Advocates and start applying pressure while getting them out of languish range.
Bant Company:
Have not seen this one yet. I imagine this matchup gets a bit nutty. ReflectorMage.Match haha. Honestly, I think that Eerie and Flux provide more than Company and Jace. Yea, I just said that. No, I don't think I'm wrong. While Jace allows you to company again, he's not protecting your guys from removal or than eating one himself. Company pretty much limits you to 3 CMC, and want more than that right now.
Esper Dragons:
I played a match against Snapcaster-Bolt but unfortunately my internet crapped out on me. I think it got to the point where if I top decked an Ego it was over? I think my out was ego, target silumgar, steal his silumgard, sac his silumgar, hop for no spot removal haha. Anways, I think Esper will have a tough time due to Ego being uncounterable and wrecking Silumgar.
Conclusion
So, I've put in a ton of testing on trice, and I've come to the conclusion that this deck has legs. I'll be running it this weekend at GP Albequrque in standard side events. I wanted to wait until I had tournament results but I feel confident enough from my testing on cockatrice that I can post essentially a primer.
Why is Altered Ego different form other clones? Well, being uncounterable is one thing, but the (X) really helps to ensure you you're getting value out of copying any creature. Worse case you can have (X) be appropriate so that it wins combat against what it copied. Add in everything I've talked about and you have yourself a winner.
Thanks for reading.
Cheers,
-Ballin
EDIT: Yes, I've embellished a bit on some of my claims. I overlooked the new Jace as well. Pacifism mainboard is too cute and like many of the comments are saying below, I could be too cute in how its constructed now. I feel like ego gets a bad wrap because of previous clones' history. I really do think it has a chance.
EDIT#2: Just realized that reality smasher is a great Ego target, but fighting through Thought Knot will be tough. If you can manage to lay down an ego before they get seer off, you can play flicker the seer copy to draw them through their deck while exiling their good cards. Draw into an ego with the help of jace and you're in a good position.
5/30/2023:
Going to be making modifications moving forward. Sorry Bout It. 🥸🙃😃
