Double Tap is King! *PRIMER*

Commander / EDH UR (Izzet)

NV_1980

Creature (26)

• 1x Blisterspit Gremlin
• 1x Chandra's Incinerator
• 1x Cinder Pyromancer
• 1x Coruscation Mage
• 1x Cunning Sparkmage
• 1x Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch
• 1x Gimli, Counter of Kills
• 1x Goblin Chainwhirler
• 1x Goblin Sharpshooter
• 1x Kessig Flamebreather
• 1x Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
• 1x Niv-Mizzet, Parun
• 1x Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
• 1x Prodigal Pyromancer
• 1x Prodigal Sorcerer
• 1x Razorfin Hunter
• 1x Sakashima of a Thousand Faces
• 1x Spark Double
• 1x Tandem Lookout
• 1x The Locust God
• 1x Thermo-Alchemist
• 1x Toralf, God of Fury  ^Flip
• 1x Unruly Catapult
• 1x Vulshok Sorcerer
• 1x Witty Roastmaster
• 1x Zuran Spellcaster

Enchantment (9)

• 1x Charisma
• 1x Circle of Flame
• 1x Curiosity
• 1x Impact Tremors
• 1x Intruder Alarm
• 1x Kyren Negotiations
• 1x Ophidian Eye
• 1x Rhystic Study
• 1x Sigil of Sleep

Land (35)

• 1x Arcane Lighthouse
• 1x Arid Mesa
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Cascade Bluffs
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Desert
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 1x Frostboil Snarl
• 5x Island
• 1x Mana Confluence
• 1x Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 6x Mountain
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Reflecting Pool
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 1x Shivan Gorge
• 1x Shivan Reef
• 1x Steam Vents
• 1x Sulfur Falls
• 1x Temple of Epiphany
• 1x Training Center
• 1x Witch's Clinic
• 1x Wooded Foothills

Sorcery (6)

• 1x Blazing Volley
• 1x End the Festivities
• 1x Flame Fusillade
• 1x Impending Flux
• 1x Ponder
• 1x Preordain

Commander (1)

Artifact (14)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Basilisk Collar
• 1x Caltrops
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Helm of the Host
• 1x Izzet Signet
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Resurrection Orb
• 1x Ruby Medallion
• 1x Sapphire Medallion
• 1x Shadowspear
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x The Millennium Calendar

Instant (9)

• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Deflecting Swat
• 1x Dramatic Reversal
• 1x Electrickery
• 1x Fierce Guardianship
• 1x Flatline
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Polymorphist's Jest
• 1x Valakut Awakening  ^Flip

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Welcome to Double Tap is King! {U}{R}!

Hi there! Welcome to the primer of this Izzet Timmy-themed deck; commanded by Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph. There’s a rogue, mutant gun-slinger out there amongst the stars. He leads a band of miscreant rebels, shanghaied into his service on the Imperial world of Vigilus. While travelling with through the Warp, enroute to a barely guarded weapon depot on Isor XXXIII, Ghyrson’s ship got infiltrated by a malevolent, demon entity that corrupted and killed its astropath. As a result, the vessel ended up stranded in an unknown region space. Its residents have combined primitive technology and magic to wage war. Some of them called themselves ‘shamans’ or ‘wizards’. Though many were of obvious alien origin, they were skilled at distributing vast quantities of hostile energies. Many of them found in Ghyrson a kindred spirit, when witnessing his talent for destruction first hand. And thus it didn’t take the Kelermorph long to expand his original squad of fanatics into a flourishing army of considerable power. All wands, fingers and guns in this force are now pointed in a single direction: yours. Get ready to receive the hottest torrent of hail you will ever feel and rejoice in that you will only have to experience it briefly, before oblivion takes you. This deck is meant to be played casually. It’s not meant to be used in a competitive fashion, but of course anyone is welcome to try! Feel free to comment on anything you (dis)like throughout this primer; hope you will enjoy it!

Why Ghyrson?

There are so many spells and abilities out there, usually pretty cheap to use, that just deal a single damage point to our enemies; whether they be creatures or actual opponents. Now this guy comes along, and makes that three times worse (without his controller having to pay anything extra for it, other than his casting cost). This is an insane amount of value to bring for a single creature, which can be considered his greatest strength but also his greatest weakness (being the obvious crosshairs displayed on his forehead). He does come with a bit of built-in protection, but not enough to matter much in the long run. Fortunately, decks can been built in such a way to compensate for that.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The following parameters have been used to determine the strength of the deck. For each, a score of 5 (very good), 4 (good), 3 (mediocre), 2 (bad) or 1 (very bad) has been allocated; when totalized this score represents the power rating of the deck.

• Mana: indicates the availability of mana sources within the deck.
• Ramp: indicates the speed at which mana sources within the deck can be made available.
• Card Advantage: indicates availability of filter- and draw resources represented within the deck.
• Overall speed: indicates the deck’s potential for pace, based on resource availability and mana curve.
• Combo: indicates the measure of combo-orientation of the deck.
• Army: indicates the deck’s creature-army strength.
• Commander: indicates how much the deck is commander-oriented/dependent (less dependency is better).
• Interaction: indicates how much this deck can mess with opponents’ board states and turn-phases.
• Resilience: indicates the measure in which the deck can prevent and take punches.
• Spellpower: indicates the availability and strength of high-impact spells.

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Mana: 2

When it comes to mana, this deck needs very little to become very effective, as the average casting cost of its inhabitants is decidedly low. Therefore it only contains a few rocks (four cards) and two artifacts that cheapen Izzet-spellcasting, but that’s about it.

Ramp: 1

There’s no ramp in this deck.

Card Advantage: 4

For a deck of the Izzet guild, this deck is comparatively light on draw- or similar resources. But compared to other color-combinations, that’s still strong! In all it accounts for eleven CA-cards, amongst which are eight direct draw options, a tool used for theft and two cards that will return (a lot of) opposing cards to opponents’ hands.

Overall speed: 3

The combination of a low overall mana-curve (fifty two cards within this deck are CMC3 or lower, which amounts to an average CMC of approximately 2.7), an average amount of mana resources and a very decent pool of additional draw, makes this deck slightly faster than the average commander deck.

Combo: 2

Due to the nature of cards that synergize well with Ghyrson, creating interesting combos on damage-based shenanigans is easy. Therefore, the deck contains some solid ways to draw the entire deck, zap all opposing creatures off the table or even create a large army within the span of a single turn.

Army: 3

Zapping is the domain of the Timmy! So obviously, we want a lot of them to maximize Ghyrson’s use. In all, its army consists of twelve of the little buggers. Then there’s also some critters that deal damage based on actions undertaken by the opposition. To ensure some Ghyrson redundancy, a few creatures have been included to copy him. In terms of battlecruiser-size creatures, this deck is very light.

Commander: 3

By themselves, the deck’s creatures and spells are actually already capable of dishing out a very decent amount of damage; especially of the non-combat variety! Ghyrson’s presence however, vastly enhances this capability so having him present is of great value.

Interaction: 5

Every non-combat damage potential the deck has, can be considered interaction. There’s a lot of it too, thirty-one cards in total! Then there’s some other interesting interaction happening on the side, like counterspells (three cards), bounce (two cards), mutation (two cards) and theft (one card).

Resilience: 3

The deck contains some ways to counter opposing spells (three cards), some means to make sure Ghyrson cannot be targeted by opposing spells (two artifact equipment cards), options to ensure some life can be gained based on damage dealt (three cards) and an artifact that ensures Ghyrson’s return, in case he dies.

Spellpower: 5

Aside from the eight cards that potentially deal damage to any opposing creatures there’s a number of strong spells that bounces, mutates or untaps everything.

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Total power score: 31

All in all a deck of very decent strength. It’s truly excellent against most creatures and it doesn’t even need to initiate combat to establish that. Especially the low-powered ones, through even stronger creatures will at some point not be able to hold up against the deck’s damage capacity, as it really stacks up fast. That becomes especially apparent when Ghyrson joins the team. Fun and easy to use, though it is pretty dependent on its commander.

General strategy

The deck’s primary objective is to win through the application of non-combat damage to opponents. To ensure the opposition will not snatch the win before this is accomplished, the aforementioned damage must first be directed at opposing creatures. A line of suppressing fire needs to be created, that cuts down whatever opposing creatures might find their way to the battlefield. This line will consist of Timmy-like creatures as well as a few enchantments and artifacts. Ghyrson needs to come in quickly if possible, to help out on this front, because of the massive impact he has on the deck’s ability to deal damage.

Ideally during games, the deck’s creatures ought never be used to attack or block; only to tap to deal damage. Be mindful on when to apply their damage. Applying it during your own turn is not recommended. Instead, keep your Timmies untapped as a deterrent during opponents’ turns. As soon as someone dares to attack you (or someone gains too much of an advantage by attacking someone) unleash hell! If no-one does that, provide a withering barrage after the last opponent’s combat phase has passed. Just remember to apply at least one round of damage every cycle of turns though, as you don’t want to waste the deck’s damage potential.

Starting hand

At least three cards in the starting hand ought to be lands (or two lands and a cheap-to-cast rock like Arcane Signet, Izzet Signet, Ruby Medallion, Sapphire Medallion or Sol Ring. It is highly recommended not to start a game without this hand (even if one has to mulligan down to three cards). The ideal hand could also contain some cheap draw in the form of Curiosity, Ponder and Preordain.

Early game

The goal of this phase is to have the first beginnings of a firing-squad of permanents up and running, with Ghyrson making his (first) appearance. Get some resources up first, like the ones mentioned in the previous section and then get to the summoning of Timmies. Make sure to grant priority to the kind that can target creatures, like Cunning Sparkmage, Goblin Sharpshooter, Prodigal Pyromancer, Prodigal Sorcerer, Razorfin Hunter, Vulshok Sorcerer and Zuran Spellcaster. In case none of these Timmies are available, grant priority to critters that damage opponents based on the deck’s controller’s actions (including the casting of non-creature spells). Examples of these include Blisterspit Gremlin, Coruscation Mage, Cunning Sparkmage, Impact Tremors, Kessig Flamebreather, Thermo-Alchemist, Unruly Catapult and Witty Roastmaster.

Ghyrson makes all the above significantly stronger, so have him join the line-up whenever possible. Try to equip him with Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots to keep pesky opposing abilities/spells off his back. He can also be equipped with other enhancements that provide more advantages. This includes Charisma (whatever can’t be killed outright, will be stolen), Curiosity/Ophidian Eye (for some massive draw bonuses based on damage dealt), Sigil of Sleep (to bounce whatever wasn’t killed off the battlefield), Basilisk Collar (provider of insta-zap and some life-gain) and Shadowspear (another life-gain provider, but more importantly a disabler of opposing hexproof and indestructibility).

Once all this is up, remember to use the deck’s damage-dealing potential every turn, but be smart about when it’s being deployed. Try to keep the opposing side of the battlefield as empty but also as ‘honest’/’balanced’ as possible. Eliminate token armies whenever opportunity knocks (this works best through a combination of applying a non-permanent one-offs (like: Blazing Volley or End the Festivities) and Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph.

Mid- and endgame

After a few turns of zapping mania, it’s time to deploy some of the heavier impact stuff onto the battlefield. An excellent choice would be to summon Kira, Great Glass-Spinner, who’s absolutely great at keeping our forces safe. Cards like Caltrops, Circle of Flame and Kyren Negotiations will add to the zapping mayhem, along with some potentially higher impact spells like card:Flame Fusilade and Impending Flux.

The draconic zappers Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind and Niv-Mizzet, Parun can now join us, along with cards that generate tiny zappers (like The Locust God) or that grant more damage whenever zapping damages an opponent or actually kills something off. This includes cards like Chandra's Incinerator, card:Gimly, Counter of Kills and Toralf, God of Fury  .

Let’s also not forget Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch, which not just adds to the zapping mayhem, but also recurs non-permanent spells from the graveyard to keep the zapping going. Last but not least, try to copy Ghyrson with Sakashima of a Thousand Faces, Spark Double and especially with Helm of the Host.

Combos

The following combos can be found within this deck:

• Niv-Mizzet, Parun/Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind + Ophidian Eye/Curiosity/Tandem Lookout: this combo kicks off with either Niv on the table with either Eye/Curiosity attached to them or they’re soulbonded with Lookout. When a card is drawn, the Nivs damage ability is triggered. If an opponent is targeted with this ability, this triggers the enchantments/Lookout again to draw a new card. Rinse and repeat to draw the deck and deal damage to opponents for each draw. Adding Ghyrson to this combo will reduce the amount of iterations of the combo needed to finish off the game.
• The Locust God + Witty Roastmaster + Curiosity/Ophidian Eye: this combo kicks off with God and Roastmaster on the table, with either enchantment attached to Roastmaster. When a card is drawn, this triggers God to create an Insect. With the Insect’s ETB, Roastmaster is triggered to deal 1 damage to each opponent. This triggers Eye/Curiosity so that another card may be drawn. Rinse and repeat to draw the deck and create a large Insect army.
• The Locust God + Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind + Intruder Alarm: this combo starts with God, Niv and Alarm on the battlefield. Tap Niv to draw a card. This triggers Niv’s passive damage ability and God’s Insect generation ability. Resolve the damage dealing and then resolve the Insect generation. This triggers Alarm to untap Niv. Rinse and repeat to draw the deck, deal 1 damage (or three, when Ghyrson is also around) for every card drawn AND create a large Insect army.
• Goblin Sharpshooter + Basilisk Collar: this combo kicks off with Sharpshooter on the battlefield, equipped with Collar. Tap Sharpshooter to deal damage to a creature. The deathtouch ability destroys the creature (unless it has indestructible. The creature’s destruction untaps Sharpshooter. Rinse and repeat to clear the table of all destructible opposing creatures.

Card Choices

Lands

Reliable sources of mana, and some utility:

• Arcane Lighthouse: opposing hexproof and indestructibility are very inconvenient against this deck, so this land helps to take that advantage away.
• Arid Mesa/Bloodstained Mire/Flooded Strand/Misty Rainforest/Polluted Delta/Scalding Tarn/Wooded Bastion: the lands used to filter through the deck, which aids in finding cards that matter to the deck’s strategy quicker.
• Command Tower/Exotic Orchard/Mana Confluence/Reflecting Pool: great all-color mana lands that have very few disadvantages in their use.
• Cascade Bluffs/Frostboil Snarl/Steam Vents/Sulfur Falls/Swiftwater Cliffs/Temple of Epiphany/Training Center: lands that provide Izzet mana, that depending in circumstances enter the battlefield tapped or untapped. The best MTG has to offer has been incorporated on this front, except for the original dual lands which are outside most players’ price-range.
• Desert: you’d better not attack or this land will ping you. And then Ghyrson will ping you again!
• Mikokoro, Center of the Sea: just an excellent draw card when nothing else is available.
• Reliquary Tower: because discarding sucks.
• Shivan Gorge: hell of a mana-sink to damage all opponents; with Ghyrson present it turns into Lightning Bolt-like damage.
• Witch's Clinic: granting life-gain to Ghyrson is exceptionally strong in this deck.

Mana and Ramp

The cards used to accelerate mana-availability:

• Arcane Signet: cheap-to-cast, doesn’t come into play tapped and grants any Izzet mana whenever tapped.
• Fellwar Stone: in play-groups, this generally yields at least one mana type that’s needed.
• Izzet Signet: can’t have two Arcane Signets, so let’s include this instead.
• Ruby Medallion/Sapphire Medallion: cheapen the deck’s spells.
• Sol Ring: are there EDH decks without this card?

Card Advantage

The mechanisms that provide card advantage:

• Curiosity/Ophidian Eye: perfect enchantments for creatures that only have to tap, in order to deal damage.
• cardExalted Flamer of Tzeentch: returns non-permanents to hand at every upkeep AND deals damage to opponents whenever these are being cast; ouch!
• Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind/Niv-Mizzet, Parun: so much draw and damage at the same time; especially when the deck can also keep the casting of non-permanents going.
• Ponder/Preordain: draw with lots of pre-filtering up front for next to nothing costs.
• Rhystic Study: very few people will pay taxes to prevent draws.
• Tandem Lookout: with so many damage-dealing creatures in here, soul-bonding with this guy will make sure lots more draw will be generated.
• Valakut Awakening  : not exactly Wheel of Fortune, but still very effective!

Timmies

Shamans, wizards and other spellcasters that tap to deal non-combat damage.

• Blisterspit Gremlin/Cinder Pyromancer/Thermo-Alchemist/Unruly Catapult: tap to deal every opponent damage. Usable again in the same turn, if a (non-permanent) spell is cast during it.
• Cunning Sparkmage/Prodigal Pyromancer/Prodigal Sorcerer/Razorfin Hunter/Vulshok Sorcerer/Zuran Spellcaster: tap for damage, as simple as that!
• Goblin Sharpshooter: deals damage to creatures (or opponents), which if lethal, untaps it so that it can deal damage again.

Other non-combat damage

Then there’s these ways to hurt opponents directly.

• Blazing Volley/Electrickery/End the Festivities/Impending Flux: a little non-combat damage for every opponent and opposing creature!
• Caltrops/Circle of Flame: you’re attacking? Really?
• Chandra's Incinerator: combined with a wipe and Ghyrson in this deck, this guy can outright end opponents.
• Coruscation Mage/Kessig Flamebreather: non-creature spell casting equates to damage on top of the damage done through the spell itself.
• Flame Fusillade/Kyren Negotiations: even non-Timmies are now Timmies!
• Gimli, Counter of Kills: this guy has the potential to turns creature-wipes into sudden-death; especially with Ghyrson close by.
• Goblin Chainwhirler: upon ETB, this creature deals damage all around it; imagine if we can make copies (*wink**wink*nudge**nudge* Helm of the Host)!
• Impact Tremors/ Witty Roastmaster: ow noes, … ALL ETB’s on this side will now kick your ass!
• Toralf, God of Fury  : Imagine casting an all-out 1 damage spell and having Ghyrson on the field. Proceeds to kill everything with 3 toughness or less, right? But what if most creatures just killed are 1/1 tokens? That could mean you either have enough surplus damage to snipe an opponent off the field, or you simply apply all surplus damage to a stronger target. And what if that leaves surplus damage too? Apply that to the next target!

Utility

Spells used for a variety of different situations

• Basilisk Collar: the deathtouch thing works so well with all the zapping going on; lifelink is just gravy.
• Charisma: that which this can’t kill, it captures.
• Cyclonic Rift: the best bounce spell in the history of MTG.
• Deflecting Swat: that spell is going to be redirected (maybe even for free)!
• Dramatic Reversal: a spell to untap all Timmies? Sold!
• Fierce Guardianship: completely free of charge counterspell when Ghyrson is around.
• Flatline/Polymorphist's Jest: makes it easier for Timmies to kill your stuff.
• Helm of the Host/Sakashima of a Thousand Faces/Spark Double: mostly meant to make copies of Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph.
• Intruder Alarm: in a deck that benefits so much from untapping, this enchantment is just killer. Considering it will also benefit opponents, it’s recommended to cast this only when it becomes possible to zap anything off the field.
• Kira, Great Glass-Spinner: protects every creature in the deck at least once a turn.
• Lightning Greaves/Swiftfoot Boots: makes it a lot easier to keep Ghyrson alive.
• Resurrection Orb: lifelink and a way to keep Ghyrson out of the command zone.
• Shadowspear: not even the indestructible or seemingly impervious can hide from this deck.
• Sigil of Sleep: incredibly strong when used to enchant Ghyrson, as it can singlehandedly screw-up entire battlelines and hands.
• The Locust God: a token generator that’s easy to trigger through draw.
• The Millennium Calendar: just a fun alternate win-condition in case a game draws out.

Thank you for reading!

Appreciate the time you took to read this primer. Hopefully it was entertaining and useful to you. If so, feel free to leave a +1 and/or feedback of any kind in the comments below. Thanks again!

Date added	1 month
Last updated	2 weeks
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	10 - 0 Mythic Rares 43 - 0 Rares 16 - 0 Uncommons 20 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.68
Tokens	Copy Clone, Coruscation Mage 1/1 R, Insect 1/1 UR