Ink-Treader Nephilim EDH

Commander / EDH

flyinginovals

Creature (21)

• 1x Alloy Myr
• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Bloom Tender
• 1x Charmbreaker Devils
• 1x Dauntless Escort
• 1x Deathless Angel
• 1x Elgaud Shieldmate
• 1x Elvish Harbinger
• 1x Eternal Witness
• 1x Galvanoth
• 1x Gelectrode
• 1x Gemhide Sliver
• 1x Harabaz Druid
• 1x Intrepid Hero
• 1x Quirion Elves
• 1x Rapacious One
• 1x Scuttlemutt
• 1x Skyshroud Elf
• 1x Utopia Mycon
• 1x Utopia Tree
• 1x Viral Drake

Planeswalker (2)

• 1x Elspeth, Knight-Errant
• 1x Tamiyo, the Moon Sage

Land (38)

• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Evolving Wilds
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 1x Faerie Conclave
• 1x Forbidden Orchard
• 4x Forest
• 1x Gemstone Caverns
• 1x Grand Coliseum
• 1x Gruul Turf
• 4x Island
• 1x Izzet Boilerworks
• 1x Jungle Shrine
• 1x Kazandu Refuge
• 1x Khalni Garden
• 1x Kher Keep
• 1x Mirrodin's Core
• 2x Mountain
• 1x Pendelhaven
• 1x Plains
• 1x Raging Ravine
• 1x Seaside Citadel
• 1x Sejiri Refuge
• 1x Shimmering Grotto
• 1x Simic Growth Chamber
• 1x Springjack Pasture
• 1x Stirring Wildwood
• 1x Treetop Village
• 1x Vivid Crag
• 1x Vivid Creek
• 1x Vivid Grove
• 1x Vivid Meadow

Enchantment (8)

• 1x Asceticism
• 1x Aura Shards
• 1x Doubling Season
• 1x Eye of the Storm
• 1x Omniscience
• 1x Pemmin's Aura
• 1x Vicious Shadows
• 1x Wild Defiance

Artifact (5)

• 1x Champion's Helm
• 1x Lux Cannon
• 1x Mask of Avacyn
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Venser's Journal

Instant (19)

• 1x Accelerate
• 1x Aggressive Urge
• 1x Bandage
• 1x Cerulean Wisps
• 1x Crimson Wisps
• 1x Fleeting Distraction
• 1x Leap
• 1x Niveous Wisps
• 1x Quickchange
• 1x Refresh
• 1x Rootborn Defenses
• 1x Shelter
• 1x Sigil Blessing
• 1x Snakeform
• 1x Spawning Breath
• 1x Spiritualize
• 1x Stun
• 1x Viridescent Wisps
• 1x Withstand Death

Sorcery (6)

• 1x Aether Mutation
• 1x Mark of Mutiny
• 1x Recollect
• 1x Rite of Replication
• 1x Traitorous Instinct
• 1x Unwilling Recruit

Commander (1)

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This is a commander deck built around Ink-Treader Nephilim , which is commonly allowed as a general through the house rule that my playgroup uses, stating that all creatures with four or more colors are legendary for the purposes of EDH. I am currently using this deck and appreciate all discussion of it.

The deck's strategy has a few elements, based around the fact that Ink-Treader Nephilim allows each instant or sorcery that targets a creature to bounce off of every creature on the board (a note: when I say "bounce off of" or "bounce around" in this description, I am referring to when a spell targeting Ink-Treader Nephilim is copied for each other creature on the board). To this end, the deck needs to be able to put a lot of creatures on the board. Mana creatures such as Utopia Tree fill this role very nicely, because they are cheap and allow the deck to cast more spells more quickly. Lands such as Khalni Garden , Kher Keep, and Springjack Pasture produce token bodies, and Forbidden Orchard is extra useful in that it fixes my mana base and produces tokens at no mana cost. The fact that the tokens are under my opponents' control doesn't matter when they are just another target for a copied spell.

As for the spells themselves, the deck gets mega-milage out of the fact that the caster of the original spell controls all the copies. This is best illustrated with spells that cantrip, such as Spiritualize . In addition to providing a useful effect, the fact that it cantrips means that I will draw a card for each creature it bounces off of. The fact that I can draw so many cards also allows this deck to make full use of Omniscience.

In the end, though, there needs to be a force to tip the scales in my favor. My personal favorites are Wild Defiance and Sigil Blessing , which can both blow up my creatures to huge proportions. Bounce around a Touch of Invisibility or Stun and none of them will be able to be blocked, and can take out three or more opponents at a time. Alternatively, Traitorous Instinct and friends, bounced around, give me control of the entire board, with a power boost to boot. That is usually strong enough to win games.

In terms of defense, one important measure in some situations is to give Ink-Treader Nephilim hexproof in order to keep opponents from abusing him. There are several equipments available for that purpose, although the best option is Elgaud Shieldmate .

The deck's biggest weakness is Board-wiping effects, as the deck wants for itself and opponents to have creatures in play. Cards such as Vicious Shadows, Withstand Death (bounced around), Dauntless Escort, Refresh , and Rootborn Defenses provide defense against board-wipe.

Top Ranked	Achieved #16 position overall 12 years ago
Date added	12 years
Last updated	12 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	4 - 0 Mythic Rares 27 - 0 Rares 27 - 0 Uncommons 31 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.08
Tokens	Copy Clone, Eldrazi Spawn 0/1 C, Emblem Elspeth, Knight-Errant, Emblem Tamiyo, the Moon Sage, Goat 0/1 W, Kobolds of Kher Keep 0/1 R, Plant 0/1 G, Saproling 1/1 G, Soldier 1/1 W, Spirit 1/1 C
Folders	Huh?, Other People's Decks, Decks, Commander, decks to make, goodstuff