Do you like drawing cards? Do you like relying on your commander? Do you like having an answer to everything? Do you like having a massive hand? Do you just freaking love drawing cards??
If you answered yes to any of the above, I give you: Ink-Treader Nephilim Cantrips.
The Overview
Ink-Treader's ability lets it copy any instant or sorcery, cast by any player, so long as it only targets it. It then copies that spell for every single other creatures that that spell could possibly target. Creatures with shroud, or your opponent's creatures with hexproof, won't be affected, but anything else is fair game.
This deck takes advantage of that ability and a very common spell format - the Cantrip. Cards like Cerulean Wisps, Expedite, or Shelter. One to two mana spells which target Ink-Treader, become copied for every creature, and then draw you a card for every instance of the cantrip. The synergy works because no matter who controls the creature, the caster controls all of the copies. Because the ability triggers on cast, not on resolution, even if the opponent counters the original cantrip all of the copies remain on the stack unharmed!
The gameplan in this deck is relatively simple: Cast Ink-Treader, amass some tokens (or merely take advantage of a creature-heavy boardstate in multiplayer), cast a few cantrips, draw your deck, and win through some of the more devious interactions.
Quick Note before we get into it: My playgroup allows proxies, hence the inclusion of ABUR duals in the list, but I have played the deck with some basics and other duals in place of them and the deck's manabase still works fine.
Known Combos and Synergies
All of the following combos and synergies assume that you have Ink-Treader on the battlefield, and we'll always assume your targeting him with your single-target spells unless stated otherwise.
For the synergies which trade off, such as destroying all lands including your own, Nivmagus Elemental can be used to exile the spells which would affect your boardstate or to keep any of your opponent's cards you want to keep on the board.
Obstinate Familiar is used to ensure you don't draw yourself to death without a Laboratory Maniac out.
All of the following involve using
Natural Affinity to turn all lands into 2/2 creatures before casting your other spells (keep in mind all of these synergies will affect both lands and creatures).
Liquid Fire will kill any opponent with eight or more lands. Simply assign 0 damage to the land and the 5 remaining will blast them in the face for every land on the field. You can assign all 5 damage to your own lands so that you take no damage.
Lightning Helix or Rapid Hybridization will destroy all lands.
Willbreaker + a cantrip, or Debt of Loyalty to steal all lands.
Supplant Form will bounce all creatures and lands while giving you a 2/2 land creature token for every land bounced.
Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares to exile all lands.
Capsize, Aether Mutation, and Snap will bounce all lands to their owner's hands, with Aether Mutation filling your board with tokens for each nonland creature bounced and you can stack the Snap resolutions to hit your own lands and creatures last letting you tap and save the mana for an empty board.
The Locust God,
Young Pyromancer,
Silverfur Partisan,
Monastery Mentor,
Avenger of Zendikar, and
Chasm Skulker create the token generator package in the deck. Young Peezy, Silverfur, and Monastery are the most durable since they synergize with casting noncreature spells. Silverfur Partisan will create exponential wolf tokens with Ink-Treader out, as every additional cantrip will target all the previously made wolf tokens, creating that many more wolf tokens, and so on.
Sigil Blessing is typically my win-con when going wide with tokens, assuming you can't swarm the opponent through sheer numbers. Simic Charm and Swell of Growth can be used in a pinch. Jeskai Ascendancy and Wild Defiance can help you eek out a win through pumping your creatures by casting more spells.
Expedite and Crimson Wisps will ensure your newly created tokens aren't sitting pretty and can actually be used.
Stun and Slip Through Space will gurantee your attackers hit their mark.
Any of the wisps (excluding Niveous) + Shelter will turn all creatures into the wisp's color and give you protection from that color.
With Nivmagus Elemental on the field, Niveous Wisps, Snap, Aether Mutation, Liquid Fire, Shadow Rift, Capsize, Swords, Path, and Simic Charm become ways to get blockers through since you can turn them into asymmetric effects.
Cryptolith Rite + Jeskai Ascendancy
nets you huge amounts of mana by letting you chain casting spells and tapping your creatures for mana, as well as letting you loot an additional card for every instant or sorcery and pumping your creatures.
Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter
+ Cryptolith Rite to do the same as above, but without pumping your creatures or looting.
Snap lets you float 2 mana for every creature on the battlefield while bouncing all creatures back to hand. This usually lets you bounce the board for free while giving you enough mana to recast your board and then have some left over.
Counterflux lets you negate your opponents trying to use Ink-Treader's ability against you, such as trying to exile the board with their own Path to Exile.
Arjun, the Shifting Flame + Obstinate Familiar
is a powerhouse when you have a small library. Because you can put your cards in any order, if your hand is more than half the size of your library you can stack your deck with a measly 2 cantrips. Third the size you need 3 cantrips, and so on. You can cast more instants before Arjun's ability resolves (keep in mind every spell will add another wheel effect onto the stack) if you have a spell in hand you need to cast.
