Ice Shaper and Dreamshaper, BFFs [PRIMER]

Commander / EDH RG (Gruul) Spellslinger Stompy

Casketbase77

Removal (11)

• 1x Explosive Derailment
• 1x Skred
• 1x Cleansing Wildfire
• 1x Shattering Pulse
• 1x Wild Magic Surge
• 1x Zoyowa's Justice
• 1x Barrier Breach
• 1x Beast Within
• 1x Chaos Warp
• 1x Filigree Fracture
• 1x Smash

Protection Effects (9)

• 1x Royal Treatment
• 1x Tamiyo's Safekeeping
• 1x Tyvar's Stand
• 1x Withstand Death
• 1x Collective Resistance
• 1x Constant Mists
• 1x Heroic Intervention
• 1x Tibalt's Trickery
• 1x Refresh

Big Drops / Value Permanents (6)

• 1x Awakening
• 1x Seedborn Muse
• 1x Patron of the Orochi
• 1x Platinum Emperion
• 1x Portal to Phyrexia
• 1x Ulamog's Dreadsire

Wipes (5)

• 1x Mizzium Mortars
• 1x Starstorm
• 1x Delayed Blast Fireball
• 1x Klauth's Will
• 1x Sweltering Suns

Polymorph Effects (10)

• 1x Gamble
• 1x Oath of Druids
• 1x Guff Rewrites History
• 1x Indomitable Creativity
• 1x Madcap Experiment
• 1x Reality Scramble
• 1x Chaotic Transformation
• 1x Dreamshaper Shaman
• 1x Genesis Storm
• 1x Selvala's Stampede

Ramp (10)

• 1x Edge of Autumn
• 1x Emergent Sequence
• 1x Farseek
• 1x Into the North
• 1x Nature's Lore
• 1x Rampant Growth
• 1x Three Visits
• 1x You Find a Cursed Idol
• 1x Search for Tomorrow
• 1x Skyshroud Claim

Recursion (6)

• 1x Reap
• 1x Bala Ged Recovery  ^Flip
• 1x Shreds of Sanity
• 1x Mizzix's Mastery
• 1x Invoke Calamity
• 1x Volcanic Vision

Commander (1)

Lands (37)

• 1x Faceless Haven
• 1x Frostwalk Bastion
• 1x Highland Forest
• 1x Kessig Wolf Run
• 1x Mouth of Ronom
• 1x Scrying Sheets
• 15x Snow-Covered Forest
• 15x Snow-Covered Mountain
• 1x The Biblioplex

Draw / Tutor (5)

• 1x Summoner's Pact
• 1x Crop Rotation
• 1x Dual Strike
• 1x Sylvan Scrying
• 1x Archdruid's Charm

---

Maybeboard

Other Removal (17)

• 1x Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1x Emerald Charm
• 1x Red Elemental Blast
• 1x Abrade
• 1x Ancient Grudge
• 1x Provoke
• 1x Return to Nature
• 1x Wilt
• 1x Dire-Strain Rampage
• 1x Excavation Explosion
• 1x Geomancer's Gambit
• 1x Krosan Grip
• 1x Orcish Cannonade
• 1x Decimate
• 1x Flowstone Flood
• 1x Mystic Melting
• 1x Slice in Twain

Other Value (4)

• 1x Audacious Reshapers
• 1x City of Death
• 1x Second Harvest
• 1x Kindred Summons

Wipes (3)

• 1x Heaven / Earth
• 1x Slice and Dice
• 1x Blasphemous Act

Other Big Drops (15)

• 1x Hellkite Tyrant
• 1x Kogla and Yidaro
• 1x Vigor
• 1x Etali, Primal Conqueror  ^Flip
• 1x Platinum Angel
• 1x Yidaro, Wandering Monster
• 1x Eldrazi Conscription
• 1x Terastodon
• 1x Darksteel Forge
• 1x Nullstone Gargoyle
• 1x Triplicate Titan
• 1x Ancient Stone Idol
• 1x Darksteel Colossus
• 1x Worldspine Wurm
• 1x Blightsteel Colossus

Other Ramp (4)

• 1x Strike it Rich
• 1x Brood Birthing
• 1x Spawning Breath
• 1x Fallaji Excavation

Other Recursion (3)

• 1x Finale of Promise
• 1x Trash for Treasure
• 1x Praetor's Counsel

Other Draw (7)

• 1x Wheel of Fate
• 1x Dangerous Wager
• 1x Demand Answers
• 1x Highway Robbery
• 1x Nahiri's Lithoforming
• 1x Risk Factor
• 1x Harmonize

Other Protection (7)

• 1x Mending Touch
• 1x Veil of Summer
• 1x Gaea's Gift
• 1x Verdant Rebirth
• 1x Deflecting Swat
• 1x Mages' Contest
• 1x Reincarnation

Other Tutors (7)

• 1x Green Sun's Zenith
• 1x Finale of Devastation
• 1x Nylea's Intervention
• 1x Pir's Whim
• 1x Scapeshift
• 1x Tempt with Discovery
• 1x Hour of Promise

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As the MtG wiki states, Svella "is quite lonely and would like nothing more than to meet another art lover."

That lover she's been waiting for is Dreamshaper Shaman. Svella creates manaliths so the Shaman (and other effects like him) can convert those icicles into colossal cards cascaded from the top of your library. This deck runs a ton of interactive instants alongside giant artifacts and creatures to stomp out opposing players. When Ice Shaper and Dreamshaper buddy up, any Icy Manalith can thaw into a Portal to Phyrexia.

The Commander

Svella, Ice Shaper has humble utility: for {3}, she taps to create a mana rock. Seedborn Muse and Awakening kick her into overdrive. Ideally, you'll only use her at the end of your last opponent's turn, right before you untap. This means you can hold up three open mana to cast one of this deck's many interactive Instants.

Her second effect is hefty, but possible to go for mid game when your hand is depleted. There are however, more efficient ways to freecast stuff from the top of your deck, detailed in the next section.

Polymorph Effects

This deck runs few nonland permanents, but the ones it does run are high value. To dig for them, we run what are commonly called Polymorph effects. Dreamshaper Shaman, Indomitable Creativity, Reality Scramble, and Chaotic Transformation all convert Svella's manaliths into a random helpful card deeper in your deck. Madcap Experiment and Oath of Druids each activate without needing fodder, though they risk your life total and grant symmetrical effects to opponents, respectively.

Since Reality Scramble is castable from the grave, Gamble can confidently search it.

Genesis Storm has the highest value out of the bunch. Ideally, you'll want to have cast Svella at least once before using it. Patience permitting, you can even wait until she's died and you've cast her a second time.

Selvala's Stampede is guaranteed at least one "wild" vote from you, the caster. Smart opponents will vote "free," since you're unlikely to have permanents in hand. You might though, if you hard draw into any of the Big Drops in the next section.

Finally, note that Svella herself can dig through the deck too. If she hits one of the above cards, all the better.

The Big Drops and Value Permanents

So what big things are the above Polymorphers aiming to freecast?

Patron of the Orochi, Seedborn Muse, and Awakening allow Svella to use her effects four times per round instead of one.

Hellkite Tyrant is the obvious standout, killing the whole table if you've made enough Icy Manaliths.

Platinum Emperion protects your life total, and due to a ruling will prevent life loss when flipped by Madcap Experiment.

Portal to Phyrexia is not a creature itself, but it can steal threats from opponents or your own high value creatures.

While not in the current decklist, Vigor and Pyrohemia are worth considering. They can combo together to wipe opponent's boards while buffing your own, and Vigor recycles itself.

Lands

The Biblioplex and Scrying Sheets will either replenish your hand or scry away Big Drops you don't want to draw into yet. They are your top search targets for your tutors (Crop Rotation, Sylvan Scrying, Into the North, and Archdruid's Charm).

Highland Forest is here so Nature's Lore and Three Visits can grab a source of {R}.

This deck produces an insane amount of mana, so Kessig Wolf Run can make an unblocked Svella into a Volton oneshot. Alternative targets are Emperion and Hellkite.

Cards that are NOT in this deck

Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre and Kozilek, Butcher of Truth conflict with this deck in two ways. First, they shuffle away your entire graveyard when they die, not just themselves. This conflicts with Volcanic Vision, Invoke Calamity, Mizzix's Mastery, and Portal to Phyrexia, whose recursion you rely on for late-game value. Secondly, they have abilities that only trigger upon cast. This means they must be played normally or randomly hit via Svella's second effect. Dreamshaper and his kin don't procc cast triggers. Apex Devastator is exluded from this deck for the same reason.

Goblin Welder and Goblin Engineer can sacc Icy Manaliths to recur Portal to Phyrexia or Platinum Emperion. Good value, but flipping either of these weenie creatures off a Polymorph effect is a major dud. Nonpermanent recursion is better in this deck, like Trash for Treasure or Reap.

Looking to the future

• Svella, her manaliths, and all the lands are Snow permanents. Further snow support may be playable.

• Always on the lookout for more instants. Ones that draw cards, ramp, conjure tokens, or destroy stuff. Preferably at 3CMC or less, since that's the amount of mana held open for Svella's primary ability.

• This deck can accommodate new 8+ cost artifacts and creatures to add to the Big Drops section. Preferably ones that recycle themselves to the deck, like Worldspine or Blightsteel.

• Kindred Summons has potential synergy with Golems. Blightsteel Colossus, Darksteel Colossus, Colossus of Akros, Triplicate Titan, and Platinum Emperion are all options. However, it is a win more card that does nothing if Svella is the only creature you control. High cmc Warriors or Trolls would be preferable, so wait and see if more of those will be printed.

• New polymorph cards get released sporadically, which can and should be added in. 10 to 14 is the critical mass for drawing into at least one of them by turn 5, which is the turn after you've created your first Icy Manalith with Svella.

At 10, odds are 77%

At 11, odds are 80%

At 12, odds are 83.5%.

At 13, odds are 86%.

At 14, odds are 88% and it plateaus off after that.

Date added	2 years
Last updated	3 months
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	3 - 0 Mythic Rares 29 - 0 Rares 22 - 0 Uncommons 15 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.11
Tokens	Beast 3/3 G, Dungeon: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, Dungeon: Lost Mine of Phandelver, Dungeon: Tomb of Annihilation, Eldrazi 10/10 C, Foretell, Goblin 1/1 R, Icy Manalith, Royal, Skeleton 1/1 B, The Atropal, Treasure