DISCLAIMER: This deck is incredibly oppressive. It is designed with the single purpose to shut down nearly any kind of deck strategy and limiting response options to hopefully zero in the shortest number of turns. There are a number of ways to defeat this deck but at least in my meta most are not common.
This deck is also not for casual players. This deck is not nice and it is not fun to play against. This deck is for players who have no heart or compassion for their opponents. It's strongest plays are brutal and cold.
Finally, this deck works best only when you are good at reading your opponents early in game. It requires strong threat assessment and only works if you are able to play a move ahead of where everyone else is trying to go.
Zur Build
Main Focus: Toolbox Commander with some instant win combos and ways to abuse Solemnity.
Instant Win Combo:
Geralf's Messanger + Fallen Ideal + Solemnity
Have Zur out and able to attack. Hard cast out Geralf's Messenger. Hard Cast Fallen Ideal or Solemnity. Then Fetch which ever one you didn't hard cast. Sac Geralf's Messenger to Fallen Ideal then repeat until everyone is dead.
One Shot Kill Combo:
Rest in Peace + Helm of Obedience
Simple Player One Shot Kill: Have Zur out and able to attack. Swing with Zur to fetch Rest In Peace. Hard cast Helm of Obedience with (1) mana open to activate Helm and Mill out the player with highest threat to you.
Immortality Combos:
Phyrexian Unlife + Solemnity
Hard cast either one and use Zur to fetch the other. From then on you can take damage but never go below zero life and not die from having zero life as long as they are on the board.
Force Bubble + Solemnity
Hard cast Force Bubble and use Zur to fetch Solemnity if it isn't already in play. You cannot take damage anymore. The beauty of this bad boy combo is that it prevents all damage not just combat. So Nekusar decks do nothing but give you card advantage.
Energy Shield + Rest In Peace
Hard cast one and fetch the other with Zur and you now cannot take damage. Energy Shield will never sac itself since Rest In Peace prevents any card from hitting your graveyard.
Pariah + Inviobility
Hard cast one and fetch the other with Zur. Zur becomes the target for all damage directed at you but he cannot take damage so it goes nowhere.
Lock Out Combos:
Infernal Darkness + Solemnity
Hard Cast Infernal Darkness to lock out all colors of mana from lands for everyone to (1) black. Swing with Zur to fetch Solemnity and now only black players can do anything outside of mana rocks.
Tezzeret the Seeker + Seat of the Synod + Stasis
Have Zur out and have vigilance on him. Hard Cast Tezzeret the Seeker. Use his tutor ability to fetch Seat of the Synod. Swing with Zur and fetch out Stasis. All players lose untap phase but Tezzeret can keep using his ability to untap Seat of the Synod to Pay for Stasis each Upkeep to keep it going.
Table Flip Inducing Combos:
Cast Zur as early as possible and if they haven't cast anything significant immediately cast Armageddon.
Enchanted Evening + Vanishing + Merciless Eviction
Have Zur out with Vanishing attached to him. Leave open to do this. Have Enchanted Evening on the board. Activate Vanishing and then cast Merciless Eviction against enchantments. Everyone's everything just left the game but you get Zur back at the end step with anything attached to him.
Interesting Synergy:
Tidal Control + Solemnity
Solemnity prevents any cumulative upkeep counters from taking effect so Tidal Control sits on the board for free. This card has better political value than Telepathy because it allows everyone else to pay life or mana to counter other players' R/G spells. Partner it with Telepathy and you have R/G players scooping. As long as you have life to spend you can completely shut down entire decks that run Red and/or Green. This is VERY valuable against Green combo decks. The best part is Esper is immune to this since it doesn't run either color.
Ivory Tower + Library of Leng + Solemnity + Tidal Control
Get these out so that life gain happens each upkeep with a larger hand size and feel free to spend life at will to counter Green and Red spells. Since we don't run Green or Red colors this cannot be used against us by other players and adds another layer of political chaos to the group. Add Necropotence to the mix to make it even more powerful.
Answers for Deck Strategies:
Virulent Plague: Hard Cast or Fetch with Zur's ability early against any Token Deck to keep their tokens from hitting the board or after they have some to wipe their board state.
Telepathy: I love to play this against people who run fast combos or tons of counter spells. Makes the group rethink me as a threat and destabilize any political grouping against me.
Imprisoned in the Moon: Specifically used to cut the balls off any player who runs a fast Voltron, Combo or aggro Commander Damage strategy (Zurgo, Kaalia, Sliver Tutor, Yidris, Etc).
Killing Wave: An often overlooked removal spell. Since Zur is the only really needed creature in the deck cast this for as much as you can manage and force everyone to sac down to whatever wont kill them from the game. This severely punishes anyone who runs with lots of creatures like Tribal elves, goblins, slivers etc.
Maze of Ith: Can be a protection land but I use it as a way to still swing with Zur without killing him against a blocker.
Dark Depths: Pretty simple. If solemnity is already out drop this to play your land and have an instant Merit Lage. Love me some Merit Lage.
Vanishing: Very effective protection for Zur. Keep open whenever possible and as soon as something targets him or even better mass removal is casted pay the and he vanishes until end of turn completely untouched. He comes back with all auras and gear attached to him. Gotta love those legacy abilities everyone forgot about. This is even more delicious if someone Rifts the board. But the best is when you vanish Zur then cast your own board wipe allowing him to dodge it completely.
Teferi's Protection I literally hold this for three possible plays. Combo with Armageddon. Respond to Merciless Eviction or Cyclonic Rift. Seriously hilarious when you respond to a Rift with this and the whole group groans.
