Vampiric Tutor, Demonic Tutor and possibly Diabolic Intent would seem to be automatic inclusions in a combo list.

Would you substitute Mystic Remora for Rhystic Study if you were going to be playing this deck exclusively against the other 2017 Commander decks? That is the situation I face. I know that the vampire decks play 30+ creatures and I assume the Cat and Dragon decks are similar.

Which of these card(s) has proven to be the least relevant outside of one of the combos?:

Paradox Engine, Isochron Scepter + Dramatic Reversal, Altar of Dementia, Comet Storm, Altar of the Brood, Kindred Charge, Bloodline Necromancer, Dualcaster Mage, Goblin Bombardment

More clearly stated, do you find any of these cards useful outside of a combo?

Would you play Mana Crypt in this deck?

Hey Frank_Glascock, thanks for the suggestions and questions. I'll try to answer as many as I can right now.

1. Those tutors are absolutely autoinclude for a combo deck. Unfortunately, at this point in time I don't have too much in terms of funds for the deck and can't afford them. Other decks should definitely run them though.

2. Mystic Remora and Rhystic Study are meta-dependent. I use Mystic because my pod plays a lot of spellslinger, artifact combo, and enchantment heavy decks. Rhystic is more consistent, albeit more expensive money-wise. If I had more funds I would try to slot it, but not at the moment.

3. I removed most of the cards you mentioned in my latest update today. Of the cards left in that list, I would probably say Comet Storm is the easiest to cut. Paradox Engine is an insane amount of value. I like Goblin Bombardment a lot, but that's also because my meta runs a lot of token decks as well.

4. Mana Crypt is good but expensive. If you have it, feel free to play it.

Am I correct in inferring that your meta has other fast combo decks and that you are not struggling against the other 2017 Commander decks? What combo decks are you losing against? I play a couple of top end combo decks (when I can find suitable opponents). I was hoping to make this deck less efficient than those decks so as not to overwhelm the competition. There are usually no combo decks. A lot of my games are against upgraded Commander 2107 decks.

I was hoping to build a combo/control deck that managed the table and drew the combo cards. I was already playing Arcanis the Omnipotent. In light of that which three of these would you cut?Galecaster Colossus, Marchesa, the Black Rose, Master of Waves, Puppeteer Clique, Snapcaster Mage, Sower of Temptation, Vindictive Lich and Glen Elendra Archmage?

You still have Sky Diamond in your deck list.

What are your thoughts on these cards?

1. Chrome Mox to replace Sky Diamond.

2. Enlightened Tutor

3. Urza's Incubator in addition or to replace Herald’s Horn. Has the 26 wizards proven to be enough of a draw source or are you just using Herald's Horn as an inferior version of Urza's Incubator? I am playing 29 wizards which may not be enough of a difference if you are not seeing a lot of draw triggers.

4. Necropotence to replace Phyrexian Arena

5. Would you increase your counterspells from three to four if the addition was Force of Will? Would you increase your counterspells from four to five if the addition was Pact of Negation?

Would you play Cryptic Command in this deck? I love this card in casual but it might be too expensive (mana) for even a semi combo deck. It does tap an opponents board which may be useful particularly as an option to buy some time against Markov and the other creature heavy 2017 Commander decks.

I forgot to ask if the triple black was the deciding factor in going with Phyrexian Arena over Necropotence.

Could Fabricate be Grim Tutor? Is the double black going to be an issue? I may pick up another Diabolic Intent tomorrow and make this question irrelevant.

Can you explain how this works as it pertains to constantly? "I won't go too far in depth with them, but with cards like Panharmonicon , a sac outlet, and Apprentice Necromancer or another recursion effect, we can constantly recur cards such as Anathemancer to kill our opponents." How are you generating the infinite amount of black mana to activate Apprentice Necromancer?

1. Most of the decks I play against are either combo or midrange / aggro. A lot of the decks I lose to heavily rely on enchantments, and Grixis unfortuntely doesn't do well with them. I would recommend cutting Galecaster Colossus (too slow), Marchesa, the Black Rose (not great in my experience), and Master of Waves (doesn't do anything to help us combo). I would cut Vindictive Lich as well. It's super slow imo.

2. Chrome Mox is a good idea.

3. Enlightened Tutor is not in Grixis.
4. Necropotence for Phyrexian Arena is a change I will probably make when I can pick one up.
5. Herald’s Horn is being used as draw / cheaper Incubator

6. I wouldn't play more than 4 counterspells. If you're looking to put in both Pact and Force, I would remove Counterspell or Swan Song.

7. Cryptic Command is a bit too mana expensive imo. If you can copy it, it's great. Otherwise just regular tap effects might be worth if that's what you're looking to do.

8. Fabricate can be swapped for another tutor. I just personally like being able to hit my combo pieces with a cheap tutor, money wise.

9. Constantly means over one turn or a few turns. I'm not generating infinite mana, just using the effect many times. Playing Anathemancer with Panharmonicon lets us hit our opponent for six times their nonbasic lands for using 3BR. If we have Apprentice Necromancer, it shouldn't take more than one recursion to kill a single opponent.

You currently are playing no board wipes. Even the ultra fast combo builds play Toxic Deluge. I am just playing Blasphemous Acts. I should probably be playing Damnation considering I am not trying to run this super competitive.

How has Sundial of the Infinite performed?

Board wipes are really meta dependent. In my pod, almost no one has more than 3-4 creatures on board at the same time depending on the decks being played. I used to play Blasphemous Act, but I found that often times single target removal was better. I've been meaning to pick up a Toxic Deluge and it'll probably be slotted in later.

Sundial of the Infinite has been good but not necessary. It's rarely game winning, but can be good to keep some wizards with more static effects alive.

I've been meaning to get back to the comments you posted on my wall by the way, but I've been pretty busy and will have to go over them tomorrow.

Your decision on board wipes makes sense. Toxic Deluge is used in the top tier of the format to clear out stax creatures (Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Aven Mindcensor, Eidolon of Rhetoric, ect).

The first question on your wall is elementary.

The second one concerns Rite of Replication copying the Dualcaster Mage tokens. This stumped a former level one judge till I showed him the MTG rulings page for Rite of Replication.

To answer the first question, I tend to just tap for seven damage immediately after each cast of Venser. If I can start the loop, I should be able to win in the current phase.

As for the second question, you can either copy the original Dualcaster for non-haste tokens that stay at the EoT or the token Dualcaster for hasty tokens that die at EoT. The goal of the combo in that case is to win that turn though, so more often than not you want to copy the Dualcaster token and swing with a large board.

Ok, so you do have to tap five untapped Wizards you control and put all the tap triggers on the stack at instant speed to do the seven damage. It works with Venser since he has flash and is not cast at sorcery speed. If I am understanding you, one would not be able to tap four wizards and cast something without flash, Sage of Fables for example, and tap it to do seven damage.

Has Baral, Chief of Compliance been given any consideration? He may be way too situational.

I think I know the answer to this question. If you had to cut either Necropotence, Urza's Incubator or Herald’s Horn which one would it be?

I may cut Herald’s Horn for Mystic Remora. I play in a creature heavy meta and already run Rhystic Study along with Urza's Incubator. I would LOVE to run Necropotence as it is an absolute bomb but that triple black is going to be a killer. I would have to retool the mana base and cut some basic islands for swamps. That is a bad idea as the deck is probably six to one blue to black.

Mystic Remora just seems like it can be so good. It is a auto include in competitive metas and storm heavy environments which you already mentioned.

1. You're right about not being able to tap four and then cast Venser. Tapping five wizards is a part of Inalla's ability cost and you have to do it all at once.

2. I don't like Baral in here. Most of the instants and sorceries are pretty color heavy, and there aren't enough counters to get a consistent loot effect imo.

3. Much like you've already decided, I would cut Herald's Horn.

4. I think that change is fine. I honestly don't often have trouble playing any cards color-wise. My manabase is less than ideal because I'm not playing shocks / fetches for a budgeting reason, but it's feasible to cut two basic islands for two basic swamps and still be able to cast everything you want to. Our color generating rocks and especially Chromatic Lantern are a boon to the fixing in this deck.

1. Thanks for the input. You meant Sage of Fables instead of Venser, Shaper Savant. Venser has flash so you could cast, tap, bounce him with his etb trigger, untap your mana rocks with Paradox Engine and cast him again to start the loop.

2. Agreed, even though I am running four counterspells and Glen Elendra Archmage.

3. You are right and I have 29 wizards to your 26. It might be a consideration if this deck struggled to draw cards like my Markov deck.

4. I still think triple black by turn three is going to be tough. This may be a product of understanding the role of Necropotence in a competitive deck. I do not want this deck to be competetive.

I have 36 lands and am playing all the shocks (so two), Badlands, Sunken Ruins, three of the on color fetches (so two), Exotic Orchard, seven other lands that can tap for black and two swamps. That is 16 not counting Dimir Aqueduct. I am playing nine Islands. Would you cut down to eight, add a Swamp and replace Strip Mine for Mana Confluence?

Fellwar Stone and Dimir Signet are the only mana rocks we can reasonably expect to have online before turn three.

Necropotence goes in for Mystic Remora in my list if you think the land base will support it. I still want to keep 29 wizards so the deck has some other possible routes to victory other than combo (Sower of Temptation, Master of Waves, Puppeteer Clique, Docent of Perfection  ^Flip, Galecaster Colossus). I can see you roiling your eyes after looking at that list and considering that I run Demonic and Vampiric tutor along with Diabolic Intent, Mystical Tutor, Trophy Mage and Vedalken AEthermage.

I should have been more specific about the mana rocks. Fellwar Stone and Dimir Signet are the only mana rocks we can expect to have online by turn three to tap for black. Chrome Mox most likely is tapping for blue and Chromatic Lantern cost three so without other rocks (Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, ect) we are casting it turn three.

How often does Laboratory Maniac win you the game?

1. You can probably reasonably cut an Island for a Swamp if you're worried about color fixing. As for Strip Mine, I think land destruction is important but we have no way of recurring it. So it may be more efficient to play Mana Confluence. As for the rocks, you're right in that if we want to play Necropotence in the best case scenario (turn three), it may be difficult with what we're running.

2. Imo, Galecaster Colossus can be slotted out. I've always found it painfully slow. The other wizards you listed give pretty good value, so it's probably fine to keep them in.

3. Laboratory Maniac has won me the game once, I believe. It's on my short list of things I might change right now (not written explicitly anywhere, just something I'm keeping in my head), as I never like seeing it in a hand or off a draw. It doesn't do much besides win off of combo, and if I have enough mana or recursion to deck myself, I can most likely win in a more efficient / safe way anyways.

FrigidOfficial, for the Dualcaster Mage combo do we have to cast Dualcaster Mage from our hand? So, do we have to have eight mana to execute the combo? That is three mana for Dualcaster + four mana for Rite of Replication + one for the Inalla trigger?