Etrata Phasing Voltron

Commander / EDH Casual Control UB (Dimir) Voltron

kinestetika

Land (38)

• 1x Arcane Lighthouse
• 1x Barren Moor
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Buried Ruin
• 1x Choked Estuary
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Darkslick Shores
• 1x Dimir Aqueduct
• 1x Dimir Guildgate
• 1x Dismal Backwater
• 1x Drowned Catacomb
• 1x Fetid Pools
• 1x Hall of the Bandit Lord
• 1x Inventors' Fair
• 11x Island
• 1x Morphic Pool
• 1x Mystic Sanctuary
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x River of Tears
• 1x Sanctum of Eternity
• 1x Sunken Hollow
• 3x Swamp
• 1x Temple of Deceit
• 1x Underground River
• 1x Watery Grave

Enchantment (8)

• 1x Leyline of Anticipation
• 1x Mystic Remora
• 1x Necropotence
• 1x Propaganda
• 1x Rhystic Study
• 1x Search for Azcanta  ^Flip
• 1x Telepathy
• 1x Vanishing

Instant (17)

• 1x AEtherize
• 1x Arcane Denial
• 1x Brainstorm
• 1x Chain of Vapor
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Evacuation
• 1x Lim-Dul's Vault
• 1x Mission Briefing
• 1x Muddle the Mixture
• 1x Mystical Tutor
• 1x Narset's Reversal
• 1x Pull from Tomorrow
• 1x Stifle
• 1x Telling Time
• 1x Twincast
• 1x Vampiric Tutor

Artifact (13)

• 1x Blackblade Reforged
• 1x Champion's Helm
• 1x Dimir Signet
• 1x Grafted Exoskeleton
• 1x Library of Leng
• 1x Mox Amber
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Talisman of Dominance
• 1x Thaumatic Compass  ^Flip
• 1x Thought Vessel
• 1x Welding Jar
• 1x Wishclaw Talisman

Planeswalker (2)

• 1x Ashiok, Dream Render
• 1x Narset, Parter of Veils

Commander (1)

Sorcery (17)

• 1x Bond of Insight
• 1x Call to Mind
• 1x Coastal Breach
• 1x Damnation
• 1x Dark Petition
• 1x Day's Undoing
• 1x Decree of Pain
• 1x Devastation Tide
• 1x Ponder
• 1x Preordain
• 1x Recurring Insight
• 1x Scheming Symmetry
• 1x Spelltwine
• 1x Temporal Mastery
• 1x Toxic Deluge
• 1x Whispering Madness
• 1x Windfall

Creature (4)

• 1x Baleful Strix
• 1x Notion Thief
• 1x Spellseeker
• 1x Walking Atlas

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This deck uses phasing to keep Etrata, the Silencer on the battlefield when her ability resolves. It wins by unblockable commander damage - with Blackblade Reforged -, or infect - with Grafted Exoskeleton . This is a control deck with a lot of draw and recursion, disrupting its opponent's strategies with cards like Windfall and Cyclonic Rift .

Phasing, the How?

Phasing is a very old mechanic that works in unexpected ways. Often, my opponents have called for judges and often judges need time and consultation before they confirm the following:

1. When Etrata phases out, she does not leave the battlefield. She only moves to a different layer of the battlefield; a layer where she is invisible to anything that happens on the battlefield. She is treated as though she doesn't exist.
2. Etrata phases back during the untap step, before actually untapping, not during upkeep, as you would expect. Because she does not enter the battlefield, she causes no triggers,
3. All equipment and auras attached to Etrata phase in and out "indirectly", together with her. That is the part that tends to get disbelieved.

Phasing, the Why?

Most Etrata decks attempt to win by exiling creatures. That is a relatively slow and predictable process. To speed things up, these decks use cards like Helm of the Host and Strionic Resonator , Crystal Shard and Ninjutsu , etc.

Although I've knocked out individual opponents with this strategy, I've never managed to win a game. It is slow, expensive in mana, predictable and easily disrupted.

In contrast, Phasing accomplishes (1) keeping Etrata on the battlefield, (2) enabling you to attack each turn, (3) while also protecting your equipment. In other words, it gives you an unfair advantage, which is exactly what Dimir is looking for.

Flavor

Etrata runs a small security firm, ETSecurity, specializing in information , cyber-warfare , hit-jobs and pest control .

How to play?

This is a control deck. Success depends on drawing more cards and ramping faster than your opponents. In the end game, you'll create inevitability by endowing Etrata with phasing , hexproof and infect .

1. In the early stages of the game, drawing many cards is essential. If you draw a tutor, use it to bring out Walking Atlas and start ramping up, or Windfall if you get stuck. You can play Etrata , for defense and politics. You can use Narset's Reversal and Twincast to make use of your opponent's ramp spells.
2. You will most likely need to vacuum the battlefield around turn seven, to prevent your opponents decks from getting out of control.
3. You need to be patient and wait for the right moment to turn around the game and move from defense to attack, by creating the phasing voltron.

This deck has a single narrow path to victory... You will need to play it with precision and concentration, pay close attention to what your opponents are doing, especially playing against commanders you have not played against before. You will usually be the first to get eliminated.

Date added	5 years
Last updated	5 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	5 - 0 Mythic Rares 44 - 0 Rares 24 - 0 Uncommons 12 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.69
Folders	Poss Builds