My take of a full Mizzix build, meaning no-holds barred deck creation with this deck valuing at ~$2300, and increasing as new cards make it to the list. If you guys would like a Budget ~$200 list leave me a comment down below.
Author Background:
Ive been playing mtg since M15, and have since branched out into Modern, EDH, and playing Vintage and Legacy online. Not having an extensive collection or bags of gold, I brew and play EDH on Untap.in. My first EDH deck was Sliver Overlord, then Daretti, Scrap Savant, Edric Spymaster of Trest and finally Mizzix.
Why play Mizzix of the Izmagnus:
If you dont care that Mizzix is not the premium Blue Red combo commander, that title going to Melek, and you like comboing out into cards like Enter the Infinite, or infinite Gut Shots, then this deck might just be for you. This deck is not by any means the best Blue Red deck of the format, but it is aiming to be the best Mizzix build of the format.
STRATEGY
Mizzix works by discounting spells by 1 for each experient counter on you whilst Mizzix is on the board. Ideally, you want to be casting Mizzix and Gitaxian Probe or Brainstorm as you're first move. This turns on things like Inexorable Tide so that you have the ability to build experience without Mizzix on the field. The turn after with ~6 Mana, you want to be chaining cantrips and tutoring spells i order to combo out, like Telling Time into Compulsive Research into Tezzeret's Gambit into Blue Sun's Zenith where x=4 into a tutor/win-condition. By you're 6th turn, with this model you have cast 5 Spells costing discounting 10 of the mana used to cast, and have dug 15 cards. Cards like Dig Through Time Treasure Cruise and Blasphemous Act hold extra value in this deck py increasing your experience early and reliably through delving away cantrips or letting your opponents fill the board. Cards like Cyconic Rift's Overload Cost is discounted with Mizzix's ability and spells with X Values like Braingeyser become discounted and help to continue to trigger Mizzix.
WARNING This is not meant to be played as a storm deck, rather a deck filled with 2-3 card combos that will win outright with the help of Mizzix.
Against Aggro: Mulliganing into counters for their commander or Wrath's for their board. This might even allow you to play Mizzix with 4 mana or nothing else if you suspect you opponent to have low removal, but be careful with this.
Against Control: Protect Mizzix into play with counter-magic or Cavern of Souls, and you'll be attempting to combo as much as you can in response to removal in order to overtake your opponent. In addition using cards like Mortars to hit a commander like Nekusar is great.
Against Combo: Assuming both of you are going late, work on making ground with Mizzix. Combo mirror requires you to balance combo and control against your opponent, and they too will be looking to do the same, so if an opponent overextends, or you bait a counter spell by casting a combo piece then winning with another, you will have gained the advantage.
Multiplayer: This deck is designed for Multiplayer, and the reason why i feel it is so good in this setting is that it has no Renown at this point. if you sit down with a Melek player, he's gonna be hosed without question, because there is that fear factor. By only manipulating with the library and the field, you can disguise what you are doing and in out of nowhere. Mizzix's worst enemy is people who understand how she works.
COMBOS
Listed here are the primary combos of the deck + the number of counters and land it takes to pull off. after listing my combo's i will also list the win-cons that act as payoffs to the combo's.
3 Lands 2 Counters Seething Song + Reiterate = Infinite Red Mana
3 Lands 4 Counters Pyretic Ritual + Reiterate = Infinite Red Mana
5 Lands 3 Counters Reset + Reiterate = Infinite Mana
5 Lands 2 Counters Turnabout + Reiterate = Infinite Mana
3 Lands 4 Counters Frantic Search(Thanks sc1x), + Reiterate = High Mana and High Draw
4 Lands 4 Counters Time Spiral(Thanks Gersttt), + Reiterate = High Mana and High Draw
In addition to Infinite Mana, in any of the included Reiterate combo's, the player will also have at their disposal infinite copies of Reiterate.
One of the quickest win-cons comes in Firemind's Foresight, which needs 4-5 counters and a single additional Red source to fetch 1Gutshot 2Pyretic Ritual 3Reiterate. The decks many tutor spells like Merchant Scroll will simply go retrieve Firemind's Foresight for the win.
Wincons for Reiterate combo's include infinite copies/infinite infinite mana copies of:
Beacon of Tomorrows, Blue Sun's Zenith, Braingeyser, Capsize, Chaos Warp, Comet Storm, Compulsive Research, Enter the Infinite, Gut Shot, Rite of Replication and Time Warp
7 Land 8 Counters Enter the Infinite + Laboratory Maniac + Tezzeret's Gambit = Win
6 Land 8 Counters Enter the Infinite leaving Beacon of Tomorrows in you're library + Gitxian Probe + casting Beacon of Tomorrows = Infinite Turns
Intuition is used to get a cheap Enter the Infinite or give you Infinite Free turns that will win you the game, and works in these 2 configurations
9 Land 2 Counters Intuition into Mizzix's Mastery, Past in Flames and Enter the Infnite. With this, you will be casting Enter the Infinite for at most 8 Mana in the next turn, but if they move it to the grave you can cast it for 3-4 from there anyway anyway.
4 Land 2 Counters Intuition into Mystic Retrieval Runic Repetition and Time Warp = Infinite Turns
CONTROL
Counter-magic HARD: Counterspell(Thanks jgandolfi), Force of Will, Mana Drain and Swan Song(Thanks Gersttt)
Counter-magic SOFT(Condiditonal): Condescend, Muddle the Mixture, Pact of Negation, Power Sink and Spell Burst
The reason for all of these conditional Counter-spells is that X costs trigger Mizzix's ability, and that is good. This deck isn't one to play Mana Leak or Force Spike, as these become dead in the late game, which is where this deck wants to be. The deck still includes some Hard counters which can be valuable when Mizzix is not on the board.
Targeted Removal: Capsize, Chaos Warp(Thanks Gersttt), Comet Storm, Cyclonic Rift and Vandalblast
Mass Removal: Blasphemous Act, Comet Storm, Crush of Tentacles, Cyclonic Rift, and Vandalblast
Cards like Capsize and have powerful synergies with Mizzix, letting you cheaply and repeatedly deal with permanents that might affect your game. Having stuff like Crush of Tentacles also allows you to bring Mizzix back to hand until you hit a combo piece, after which you might cast Mizzix and combo off, again, making you appear non-threatening to you're opponents.
DRAW/TUTOR
Tutors: Enter the Infinite, Firemind's Foresight, Intuition, Merchant Scroll, Muddle the Mixture, and Mystical Tutor
Obviously these cards count as additional win-conditions with Infinite Mana/Reiterate
Draw: Blue Sun's Zenith, Braingeyser, Brainstorm, Compulsive Research, Dig Through Time, Fact or Fiction, Frantic Search, Gitaxian Probe, Peer Through Depths, Ponder, Preordain, Scroll Rack, Sensei's Divining Top, Tezzeret's Gambit, Time Spiral, Timetwister, Treasure Cruise, Wheel of Fortune, Windfall.
Of course the Tutors should also be included in the Draw category, cause lets face it, they draw you any card.
RAMP - TBC
COMMENTS & SUGGESTIONS
I will continue building this deck guide tomorrow. I appreciate all comments and will additionally build a Duel-Legal version of the deck removing Mystical Tutor, Sol Ring Mana Crypt, Mana Drain, Mana Vault and Sensei's Divining Top if people would like that. Cheers,
Thanks to sc1x, jgandolfi, Gersttt and Korvasomali for their contributions, and razzliox for the opportunity to include this on the r/competitive EDH subreddit
Personal Tutor
Reality Spasm
Time Stretch
Bribery
Insurrection
Gemstone Array
Breakthrough
BUDGET MIZZIX PRIMER UP:
