Bad Luck Brion

Commander / EDH Aggro Budget Lifegain Multiplayer RW (Boros) Theme/Gimmick

Suns_Champion

Creature (24)

• 1x Arc Runner
• 1x Archetype of Courage
• 1x Ball Lightning
• 1x Blistering Firecat
• 1x Burnished Hart
• 1x Cosmic Larva
• 1x Feldon of the Third Path
• 1x Greater Gargadon
• 1x Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
• 1x Kor Cartographer
• 1x Malignus
• 1x Neheb, the Eternal
• 1x Nova Chaser
• 1x Phyrexian Devourer
• 1x Phyrexian Dreadnought
• 1x Phyrexian Soulgorger
• 1x Recruiter of the Guard
• 1x Serra Avatar
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Spark Trooper
• 1x Spitebellows
• 1x Sun Titan
• 1x Thunderblust
• 1x Zealous Conscripts

Enchantment (5)

• 1x Flameshadow Conjuring
• 1x Gift of Immortality
• 1x Gratuitous Violence
• 1x Rite of the Raging Storm
• 1x Sneak Attack

Artifact (21)

• 1x Boros Signet
• 1x Coldsteel Heart
• 1x Commander's Sphere
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Fire Diamond
• 1x Hedron Archive
• 1x Illusionist's Bracers
• 1x Infiltration Lens
• 1x Lifeline
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Marble Diamond
• 1x Mask of Memory
• 1x Masterwork of Ingenuity
• 1x Mimic Vat
• 1x Mind Stone
• 1x Phyrexian Processor
• 1x Sculpting Steel
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Well of Lost Dreams

Sorcery (9)

• 1x Chandra's Ignition
• 1x Descend upon the Sinful
• 1x Harness by Force
• 1x Kari Zev's Expertise
• 1x Open the Armory
• 1x Reforge the Soul
• 1x Steelshaper's Gift
• 1x Terminus
• 1x Vandalblast

Commander (1)

Land (35)

• 1x Ancient Amphitheater
• 1x Arcane Lighthouse
• 1x Ash Barrens
• 1x Battlefield Forge
• 1x Boros Garrison
• 1x Clifftop Retreat
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Evolving Wilds
• 1x Inventors' Fair
• 14x Mountain
• 1x Needle Spires
• 7x Plains
• 1x Reflecting Pool
• 1x Temple of the False God
• 1x Temple of Triumph
• 1x Wind-Scarred Crag

Instant (5)

• 1x Enlightened Tutor
• 1x Fatal Frenzy
• 1x Onward / Victory
• 1x Radiant Purge
• 1x Swords to Plowshares

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Sideboard

Creature (6)

• 1x Bloodshot Cyclops
• 1x Gold Myr
• 1x Hamletback Goliath
• 1x Iron Myr
• 1x Rage Nimbus
• 1x Slumbering Dragon

Instant (1)

• 1x Boros Charm

Artifact (4)

• 1x Assault Suit
• 1x Darksteel Ingot
• 1x Grafted Exoskeleton
• 1x Thornbite Staff

Land (1)

• 1x Slayers' Stronghold

Sorcery (3)

• 1x Fumigate
• 1x Hallowed Burial
• 1x Mob Rule

Enchantment (1)

• 1x Warstorm Surge

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Maybeboard

Creature (7)

• 1x Adarkar Valkyrie
• 1x Angel of Serenity
• 1x Greater Gargadon
• 1x Humble Defector
• 1x Impetuous Devils
• 1x Metalwork Colossus
• 1x Stoneforge Mystic

Land (2)

• 1x City of Brass
• 1x Mana Confluence

Instant (2)

• 1x Chaos Warp
• 1x Wear / Tear

Sorcery (1)

• 1x Phyrexian Rebirth

Artifact (2)

• 1x Ashnod's Altar
• 1x Avarice Amulet

Enchantment (1)

• 1x Hazoret's Favor

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Poor Brion Stoutarm doesn't seem to have very good luck. Every time it seems like he may meet a new friend, he's forced to brutally throw them across the battlefield for ridiculous amounts of damage and life gain before they themselves die!!!!

This deck is based on the concept of sacrificing creatures to Brion Stoutarm that I would have to sacrifice at the end of my turn anyway, the first example being Spark Trooper . I realized that this could be a 5-mana, 12-damage 12-life combo, and ever since I've been finding ways to double down on the sac effect to get the most out of my mana. Think about this:

I throw out Blistering Firecat with Sneak Attack , pump it with Hazoret's Favor and then Fatal Frenzy , attack, then after combat, fling the Firecat with Brion Stoutarm . In one turn, I spend 5 mana to deal 36 damage, gain 18 life, and fling a creature with 4 sack-at-end-of-turn effects on it! That's the organized chaos I want to achieve with this deck!

Lands and Ramp: No longer boring!

So far this deck's mana base has been a pretty budget build, but I think I've built a pretty decent one. Command Tower , Boros Garrison , Clifftop Retreat , Wind-Scarred Crag , Reflecting Pool , Needle Spires , Battlefield Forge , Temple of Triumph , and Ancient Amphitheater round out the duals, Ash Barrens , Arcane Lighthouse , Temple of the False God , and Evolving Wilds for some utility, and 21 basics to finish it off.

As for ramp: Fellwar Stone , Hedron Archive , Coldsteel Heart , Mind Stone , Boros Signet , Commander's Sphere , Fire Diamond , Marble Diamond , Kor Cartographer , Burnished Hart , Solemn Simulacrum (also card draw, me like) and Sol Ring . Most of these are here for a turn 3 Brion, which is important. Neheb, the Eternal also counts as ramp and he's fricking awesome.

Creatures I gotta get rid of anyways

Spark Trooper , Phyrexian Dreadnought (sack him with his trigger on the stack = 2 mana cost, 12 damage and 12 life reward), Blistering Firecat , Cosmic Larva , Ball Lightning , Arc Runner , Nova Chaser (sack him with champion ability on the stack), Spitebellows (use Evoke ability, sack while it's sack effect is on the stack), Phyrexian Soulgorger (sack before cumulative upkeep) and Rite of the Raging Storm (for a chuckable every turn, great for multiplayer).

What if I steal their creatures, and then sac THEM?

This is my main removal, damage, and lifegain package all rolled into one. Steal effects, then sac to Brion. There used to be more here, but I've cut them for other things. Zealous Conscripts , Kari Zev's Expertise , and Harness by Force . Also considering cutting some more of these. We're on the fence right now I'll let you know.

Damage, Damage, and a lot more Damage

Gratuitous Violence for double double damage damage, and a few +X/+0 cards like Fatal Frenzy and Onward to Victory(slowly starting to replace these... stay tuned). Illusionist's Bracers has a spot here too, as I can copy Brion's ability for double the damage.

Fill my Eyes, with that Double Vision

A few token generators, otherwise this deck would run out fast. Flameshadow Conjuring , Feldon of the Third Path , and Mimic Vat . And finally, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker has found his way in! Great way to efficiantly copy my fatties for extra damage! Looking for any other suggestions along this vein.

Big, Sackable Fatties

Serra Avatar : with all the lifegain, a 40/40 isn't too hard. Slumbering Dragon : He's here for many reasons. First, he costs 1 mana, lowering my curve. Second, he's a deterrent of early attacks, helping me preserve my life total into the late game. Third, he starts with a cmc:power ratio of 1:3. That's a better ratio than Ball Lightning , Nova Chaser , and sometimes even Malignus . Fourth, his power grows throughout the game, eventually giving me a huge flyer I can attack with and sack without paying for! Malignus : If I can get a +X/+0 effect on this guy I'm golden. Thunderblust : He even comes back after I sac him bwahahaha! Nova Chaser (that 4:10 mana:power ratio. Sack him with his champion ability on the stack). Phyrexian Dreadnought deserves another mention here, just because he's so BIG.

Kabloooeyyyyyyy!!!!

Boardwipes: Most of my boardwipes are for the indestructible slivers in my meta, so I have Terminus and Descend upon the Sinful .

Spot Removal: Swords to Plowshares , and Radiant Purge . Considering adding more here.

Artifact Destruction: Vandalblast .

Win conditions

With nine mana, more life than my opponent, and Brion of the field, Phyrexian Processor kicks ass.

Phyrexian Devourer is another win-con. I can beef him up by exiling any number of cards from my libray, then sack him to Brion for lethal damage. Risky, but worth it!

Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker and Zealous Conscripts . Both are in here for their own reasons, and the fact that they combo with eachother is a nice plus.

Utiliy and everything else

Arcane Lighthouse : I need to target creatures with Threaten effects, etc etc(it may eventually lose it's spot in the mainboard, as the biggest threat I have is Crystalline Sliver , who doesn't use the keywords Shroud or Hexproof).

Card Draw: Skullclamp ! All of the cards! Obviously attaching to my attacking creatures/tokens. Well of Lost Dreams ! Best card draw I've found for a life gain deck like this. Amazing card that wins games. Mask of Memory ! Easy to attach to my big, trampley creatures! Infiltration Lens ! If you block my creature, you gotta pay in card advantage! Reforge the Soul ! Good wheel effect and excellent topdeck!

Recursion: Sun Titan ! Back by popular demand! Can recur about a third of my deck from the graveyard. Is a Giant for Ancient Amphitheater . Just too good not to be in here. Lifeline ! Also a popular suggestion! Brings back all my huge creatures to sack again and again!

Stuff to attach to Brion: Illusionist's Bracers -double damage, double lifegain, Gift of Immortality -good repeatable recursion and a great may to recover from an enemy board wipe. I also have Swiftfoot Boots -protection, haste, and Lightning Greaves (which is also for my other creatures). All of these(save one) are reusable which is nice.

Artifact copiers: Masterwork of Ingenuity can copy and equipment of mine on the battlefield, but also my opponent's stuff too. Same thing with Sculpting Steel , except now it's any artifact! So now it's all of my equipment plus Phyrexian Soulgorger , Phyrexian Dreadnought , mana rocks, Well of Lost Dreams and Phyrexian Devourer and others!

Sneak Attack , my big money item. Great for when I'm tight on mana and need a sack, or if I have a lot of creature cards in hand so I can use it multiple times in one turn. very powerful card and I'm hoping it will pay off for me!

Tutors: Recruiter of the Guard is basically a tutor for any of my creatures including my Ball Lightning creatures, Nova Chaser , Solemn Simulacrum , Phyrexian Devourer or Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker . Open the Armory can tutor for any of my equipment or auras and is a good 2-drop. Steelshaper's Gift is perhaps the most efficient way to get an equipment you need now onto the field. Perfect play first turn. Gamble is both perfectly on theme in Bad Luck Brion and a pretty effective tutor. Any card I need can be in my hand with just a little risk. Better the more cards I have in hand. Enlightened Tutor is a commander staple and is one of the best cards in the deck. It can get me huge artifact creatures, win-cons like Phyrexian Processor or Phyrexian Devourer , any of my equipment, mana rocks, Well of Lost Dreams , Sneak Attack ...need I go on?

These are all of the more expensive cards that I want for this deck, and will be trying to save up for/trade for in the future. Most of these are over the $5 budget, so once I acquire these it will become a non-budget deck. Update: the cards I have acquired will now be marked with an . Also, this deck is no longer budget.

Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker Symbol:X

Sneak Attack

Phyrexian Dreadnought

Solemn Simulacrum

Nova Chaser

Phyrexian Soulgorger

Sun Titan

Weathered Wayfarer

Boros Charm

Return to Dust

Burnished Hart

Gratuitous Violence Symbol:X

Infiltration Lens Symbol:X

Lifeline Symbol:X

Spitebellows Symbol:X

These are all in the order I want them, more or less.

List of possible cuts and their possible replacements, in no particular order:

Silverblade Paladin - double strike isn't as important as I once thought it was. Plains perhaps. Symbol:X

Spirit Loop - Probably will come out for Illusionist's Bracers .

Sunforger - Not enough instants in the deck to warrant this. Expensive to get up and running. another Plains maybe. Symbol:X

War Elemental - Very hard to get out post combat due to the devotion to red. Replaced by either recursion or removal. Symbol:X

False Prophet - Just not sure I like him. Replaced by either recursion or spot removal.

Crumbling Colossus - sub par. Iroas, God of Victory maybe?

Armillary Sphere - Not ramp, just consistent land drops. Burnished Hart to replace?

Hazoret's Favor - Does a lot of different things but nothing really well. Symbol:X

Malevolent Whispers - Costs 4. Replaced by 3 mana instant steal effect? Symbol:X

Traitorous Instinct - See above. Symbol:X

Unwilling Recruit - High devotion to red is killer. Mob Rule ? Symbol:X

Insult / Injury - It's good but Gratuitous Violence may be better. Symbol:X

Temur Battle Rage - Replaced by either recursion or removal. Symbol:X

Felidar Sovereign - Cheapens game, not always helpful, draws a lot of hate. Sun Titan perhaps? Symbol:X

Glaring Spotlight - Replaced by either recursion or removal. Symbol:X

Wild Ricochet - Replaced by either recursion or removal. Symbol:X

Sadly, with the deck being over $200 and with recent card editions such as Sneak Attack , Phyrexian Dreadnought , Enlightened Tutor , Sculpting Steel , Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker , and Recruiter of the Guard , and more to come, Bad luck Brion is no longer budget.

If you're looking for a more budget version of this deck, check out all of the ideas put down here!

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Budget Bad Luck Brion

Commander / EDH Suns_Champion

SCORE: 3 | 3 COMMENTS | 417 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER

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Thanks to all who upvote and comment!

Special Thanks to all the EDH masters I've asked to come look at the deck and have!

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Thanks for looking! Any advice and suggestions are much appreciated! Please Upvote to help my ego! If a deck is good enough to put in a folder, it's good enough to Upvote!

Now the #1 most popular Brion Stoutarm deck on TappedOut! Thank you!

Top Ranked	Achieved #5 position overall 7 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Aggro 5 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Budget 5 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Lifegain 5 years ago
Date added	7 years
Last updated	5 years
Exclude colors	UBG
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	10 - 0 Mythic Rares 37 - 9 Rares 22 - 5 Uncommons 10 - 2 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.46
Tokens	Angel 4/4 W, Copy Clone, Elemental 5/1 R, Minion X/X B, Morph 2/2 C
Folders	interesting decks, Interesting, ideas for commander , EDH, Funny, Neat Stuff, Commander/EDH, Red, Budget Infinite or Competitive, Deck Inspiration