Kess Hypercompetitive Total Control

Commander / EDH UBR (Grixis)

JDickey

Land (34)

• 1x Ancient TombGC
• 1x Badlands
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Choked Estuary
• 1x City of Brass
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Crumbling Necropolis
• 1x Dimir Aqueduct
• 1x Dragonskull Summit
• 1x Drowned Catacomb
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 4x Island
• 1x Izzet Boilerworks
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 2x Mountain
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Rakdos Carnarium
• 1x Shivan Reef
• 1x Smoldering Marsh
• 1x Spirebluff Canal
• 1x Strip Mine
• 2x Swamp
• 1x Temple of Epiphany
• 1x Temple of Malice
• 1x Underground River
• 1x Underground Sea
• 1x Volcanic Island
• 1x Wasteland
• 1x Wooded Foothills

Creature (7)

• 1x Baral, Chief of Compliance
• 1x Nightscape Familiar
• 1x Snapcaster Mage
• 1x Spellseeker
• 1x Sphinx of the Final Word
• 1x Steel Hellkite
• 1x Trinket Mage

Instant (21)

• 1x Abrade
• 1x Brainstorm
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Cryptic Command
• 1x Cyclonic RiftGC
• 1x Electrolyze
• 1x Fact or Fiction
• 1x Fire / Ice
• 1x Force of WillGC
• 1x Go for the Throat
• 1x Hero's Downfall
• 1x Impulse
• 1x Into the Roil
• 1x Izzet Charm
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Mana Leak
• 1x Mystical Teachings
• 1x Mystical TutorGC
• 1x Terminate
• 1x Vampiric TutorGC
• 1x Void Shatter

Artifact (12)

• 1x Chromatic Lantern
• 1x Chrome MoxGC
• 1x Everflowing Chalice
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Izzet Signet
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Mana VaultGC
• 1x Rakdos Signet
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Talisman of Dominance
• 1x Talisman of Indulgence
• 1x Thran Dynamo

Enchantment (3)

• 1x As Foretold
• 1x Rhystic StudyGC
• 1x Search for Azcanta  ^Flip

Commander (1)

Sorcery (18)

• 1x Damnation
• 1x Demonic TutorGC
• 1x Dreadbore
• 1x Earthquake
• 1x Gamble
• 1x Hymn to Tourach
• 1x Merchant Scroll
• 1x Mind Twist
• 1x Night's Whisper
• 1x Painful Truths
• 1x Ponder
• 1x Preordain
• 1x Serum Visions
• 1x Thoughtseize
• 1x Toxic Deluge
• 1x Vandalblast
• 1x Wheel of Fortune
• 1x Yawgmoth's Will

Planeswalker (4)

• 1x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
• 1x Dack Fayden
• 1x Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh
• 1x Tezzeret the Seeker

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This is one of the best EDH decks I've ever build. It's meant exclusively for 1v1 (not duel commander, just not for multiple opponents) and it can be ruthless. I usually ask how spikey my opponent wants to go and if they say, "As much as you can give me," I usually pull this deck out.

It's designed around near total control of the board state. It has multiple tools to deal with just about every situation with the only exception of enchantments (it is Grixis, of course). The few tools you have for enchantments are limited to bouncing them and countering or bouncing them and forcing your opponent to discard. The fact that many of those tools can be used twice per game gives many tier 1 decks a run for their money. Even if my opponent won't let me get my commander out, the deck still has the tools to deal with my opponent. Win cons are minimal but include Nicol Bolas, Steel Hellkite, the Sphinx, and of course Kess. Honestly, you don't need a lot of win cons with this deck. If you decide to play this, even in 1v1, expect long games and don't expect to make a lot of friends :).

There are very few combos in this deck and storm isn't even considered. No tendrils, no paradox engines, no infinite combos. I'm posting this deck because most of the Kess decks I've seen are a little janky and none of them I've seen resemble what this deck does. Even the ones that claim to be control decks are more combo/storm decks.

There are a few changes I would like to make to the mana base (I don't have all the fetch lands, for example) and I haven't included any of the most recent set (Modern Horizons). Also, cards like Rhystic Study don't work that well in 1v1 and will likely be replaced at some point. Anyway, please give me some feedback and let me know what you think. Thanks!

Date added	5 years
Last updated	3 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	10 - 0 Mythic Rares 38 - 0 Rares 26 - 0 Uncommons 18 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.45
Tokens	Emblem Chandra, Torch of Defiance, Emblem Dack Fayden