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The Mask: Starring JiMizzix Carrey

Commander / EDH* Combo Competitive Control Infinite Combo Primer UR (Izzet)

freakingShane

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Artifact (11)

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Commander: Mizzix of the Izmagnus

Land (33)

Creature (3)

Enchantment (1)

Maybeboard

Artifact (2)

Creature (1)

Introduction

The Mask has changed its form many times since the 2015 precon came out. Originally it was only the bare precon, but I didn't enjoy playing it as much as my Purphoros, God of the Forge deck. Understandably so, because the power level and consistency of a precon does not rival that of a highly tuned and focused deck.

With that being said, I realized how fun Mizzix of the Izmagnus could be. She allows the deck to play around with alternate costs like Buyback, Flashback, X spells, and Storm. After really debating on the style of play I wanted for this deck, The Mask began to take the shape and form that I could have only dreamed of.

The Primer

With this in mind, this is a highly interactive deck that gets better the longer Mizzix is out. With only a handful of experience counters on her, she will be able to cast almost anything in your hand for typically only 1 or 2 mana.

The Strategy

Like previously mentioned, the longer that Mizzix of the Izmagnus is out, the more and more value she accrues. You will want to ramp Mizzix out as early as possible, then start drawing and tutoring until you can get to one of your combos (see "Combos") all while holding and utilizing well-timed counter magic.

For those visual learners out there, you will want to get experience counters on her so that she is rolling in money and can cast everything. She should look like this:

The early game is really just three things: Get Mizzix of the Izmagnus out as soon as possible, draw/tutor, ramp as much as you can.

Ideally, you will want to ramp into Mizzix on turn 2 or 3, then start drawing and tutoring to gain experience counters and draw into an infinite combo. It is important to keep counter magic on you for protection and needed board control.

By this point in the game, you should have enough experience counters to pretty much cast anything. This is the point of the game that you should get any combo piece that is still needed in order to finish the game.

Really, this deck doesn't have much of an orthodox "late game" strategy. Most of the time the games will be won before turn 8, and will have the counterspells and redundancy to ensure its victory at this point.

Card Choices Explained

  • Gives us a little boost in mana.

Arid Mesa, Bloodstained Mire, Flooded Strand, Polluted Delta, and Scalding Tarn

  • Fetch lands that get us the color we are missing or needing.

Cascade Bluffs

Cavern of Souls

Command Tower, Steam Vents, Sulfur Falls, Volcanic Island

  • Dual lands

Goblin Electromancer

  • Okay, so I know this guy isn't broken or anything, but he's a pet card. He's a baby Mizzix of the Izmagnus, so if I'm going against some Sphere of Resistance effects in a Stax deck he will help overcome that some.

Laboratory Maniac

  • Lab Man is a win condition used when milling myself out via infinite mana + Stroke of Genius or the likes.

Snapcaster Mage

  • He gives me some instant or sorcery recursion if I have no other ways to bring those dead spells back.

Mystic Remora

  • This card is basically Ancestral Recall in a 4 player game. Getting this card out early makes it so where your opponent(s) can't afford the tax, and when its out late game they usually don't want to spend the .
  • The cumulative upkeep is not anything to worry about. If this only draws a few cards it still did its job.

Aetherflux Reservoir

  • A win condition card. Responding to the Reservoir triggers on the stack lets us build up exponential life and deal massive damage to target opponent(s).

Chrome Mox, Fellwar Stone, Izzet Signet, Lotus Petal, Mana Crypt, Mox Diamond, Mox Opal, Sol Ring

  • The bulk of our artifacts; these are all mana rocks that ramp Mizzix of the Izmagnus early as well as provide synergies (and of course, mana).

Isochron Scepter

  • This is a major combo piece in almost every combo in the deck, and if need be, it can be a Counterspell on a literal stick. (See "Combo")

Paradox Engine

  • This is a value card that can be used in some combos as well as just untap my mana rocks to cast more spells. (See "Combo")

Blue Sun's Zenith and Stroke of Genius

  • These are both massive draw spells that can be used with infinite mana to mill out our opponent(s) or draw us our whole deck.

Brainstorm, Dig Through Time, Frantic Search, and Impulse

  • Normal card draw that is either cheap or reduces its own cost.

Capsize, Lightning Bolt, Pyroblast, Rapid Hybridization, Red Elemental Blast, and Snap

  • Spot removal cards, with Lightning Bolt being used primarily as a combo piece. (See "Combo")

Counterspell, Delay, Flusterstorm, Force of Will, Fuel for the Cause, Mana Drain, Muddle the Mixture, Pact of Negation, Pyroblast, Red Elemental Blast, and Swan Song

  • These are all counterspells used to control the board and protect your plays.

Cyclonic Rift and Hurkyl's Recall

  • These are board wipes when needed. If things can't be controlled enough with counter magic and spot removal, these are the big guns.

Desperate Ritual and High Tide

  • Both are ramp spells, with Desperate Ritual being a possible combo piece (see "Combo") and High Tide doubling essentially 71.4% of our lands.

Dramatic Reversal, Reality Spasm, Reset, and Turnabout

  • All of these are combo pieces that are used in order to generate infinite mana. (See "Combo")

Firemind's Foresight, Intuition, Muddle the Mixture, and Mystical Tutor

  • These are all tutor cards used to find specific combo pieces and answers. Firemind's Foresight can set up infinite combos by itself. (See "Combo")

Reiterate

Diminishing Returns, Mizzix's Mastery, Past in Flames, and Time Spiral

  • These are the recursion cards in the deck that bring back needed combo pieces and needed spells.

Enter the Infinite

  • One of the most powerful, albeit expensive to cast, cards in Magic. This card lets us draw our entire deck at once and probably win immediately afterwards.

Fabricate, Gamble Merchant Scroll

Faithless Looting, Gitaxian Probe, Ponder, Preordain, Tezzeret's Gambit, Wheel of Fortune, and Windfall

  • More needed card draw.

Grapeshot and Mind's Desire

  • Two Storm spells that, after chaining multiple spells with infinite mana, can win the game.

Vandalblast

Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter combo generates infinite:

  • Mana (any color your nonland mana sources can produce)
  • Cast triggers

Note: This combo requires one or more nonland permanent(s) that taps for 3+ mana

Steps:

  1. Play Isochron Scepter and exile Dramatic Reversal.
  2. Tap any nonland mana source(s) to produce 3 or more mana.
  3. Pay 2 of that mana to tap Isochron Scepter and cast the copy of Dramatic Reversal.
  4. When Dramatic Reversal is cast, untap Isochron Scepter and your nonland mana sources.
  5. Repeat steps 2 and 4, netting excess mana infinitely.

Isochron Scepter + Lightning Bolt + Paradox Engine combo generates infinite:

  • Damage
  • Cast triggers

Note: This combo requires one or more nonland permanent(s) that taps for 2+ mana

Steps:

  1. Play Isochron Scepter and exile Lightning Bolt.
  2. Pay 2 mana to tap Isochron Scepter and cast the copy of Lightning Bolt.
  3. When Lightning Bolt is cast, deal 3 damage to target opponent and untap Isochron Scepter and the nonland mana source with Paradox Engine.
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 4, dealing 3 damage infinitely.

Desperate Ritual + Isochron Scepter + Paradox Engine combo generates infinite:

  • Red mana
  • Cast triggers

Steps:

  1. Play Isochron Scepter and exile Desperate Ritual.
  2. Pay 2 mana to tap Isochron Scepter and cast the copy of Desperate Ritual.
  3. When Desperate Ritual is cast, add to your mana pool and untap Isochron Scepter with Paradox Engine.
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 4, netting one mana infinitely.

Firemind's Foresight combo generates:

Below are the possible variations:

Steps:

  1. Play Firemind's Foresight and tutor Reiterate, Reset / Reality Spasm, and Lightning Bolt / Brainstorm
  2. Cast Reset / Reality Spasm.
  3. Copy Reset / Reality Spasm with Reiterate and Buyback, then untap all of your lands.
  4. Tap all of your lands to cast Reiterate and Buyback to copy the spell again.
  5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to net excess mana infinitely.

If you tutored for Lightning Bolt, continue to use Reiterate and Buyback to cast Lightning Bolt to deal 3 damage infinitely.

If you tutored for Brainstorm, continue to use Reiterate and Buyback to draw your entire deck and mill your opponent(s) with Blue Sun's Zenith or use Grapeshot with infinite Storm triggers.

Reiterate + Reality Spasm / Reset / Turnabout combo generates infinite:

  • Mana (any color your lands can produce)
  • Cast triggers

Note: Just like the Firemind's Foresight combo, but without FF to tutor and Turnabout can also be used

Steps:

  1. Cast Reality Spasm, Reset, or Turnabout.
  2. Copy Reality Spasm / Reset / Turnabout with Reiterate and Buyback, then untap all of your lands.
  3. Tap all of your lands to cast Reiterate and Buyback to copy the spell again.
  4. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to net excess mana infinitely.

Reiterate + Desperate Ritual combo generates infinite:

  • mana
  • Cast triggers

Note: This requires Mizzix of the Izmagnus and 4+ experience counters

Steps:

  1. Cast Desperate Ritual, producing
  2. Use two of that mana to copy Desperate Ritual with Reiterate and its Buyback.

  3. Repeat step 2, infinitely netting one and cast triggers.

Other Information

  • RIP Izzet flavor...

    • Fuel for the Cause may be replaced by Mox Amber

    These are going to be cards that were cut last, or would fit in well with the theme but weren't quite strong enough to make it.

    Brain Freeze

    • This is a decent 2 CMC mill spell with Storm. It's great when you have infinite mana and can play your deck out and win with this, but I figured Blue Sun's Zenith does the same thing with infinite mana without having to be "set up".

    Epic Experiment

    • I love this card. I feel like it is the perfect example of what the Izzet are all about, but the problem is it can whiff far too much. It can be huge and contribute to the Storm count, but it can also be too much of an investment.
    • If you are looking for a little bit more casual build, this should be an auto-include for some fun chaos.

    Fact or Fiction

    • Great card, but even with all the recursion in this deck it is still too unreliable. Intuition is almost strictly better, and I didn't need much more redundancy of this kind of effect.

    Guttersnipe

    • Fits perfectly with the deck, but I don't want to force creatures into a deck that does not really care about them. I would have probably kept him if he was a Wizard like the others, that way Cavern of Souls could protect him, but sadly he is not.

    Spell Burst

    • Again, if I wasn't needing to be at the upmost efficiency possible, I would have kept this. Always have a counterspell in your hand is awesome. When it comes to absolute competitiveness, however, it is not always a guarantee or most efficient mana-wise.
      Currently empty.

      Feedback

    If you would like to be the person behind The Mask, let me know! I always appreciate a +1! And also give mintymustache some love for the beautiful alter of JiMizzix of the Izmagnus!

    I appreciate any suggestions, feedback, comments, and anything else! Keep in mind that this is highly competitive, so suggest only the best if you think I am missing anything.

    Suggestions

    Updates Add

    All Tapped Out — July 1, 2018
    Edit

    I have been wanting to keep everything updated—reply to comments, update primers, update deck lists and/or art—for some time now, but life has always come first and I haven't had the time that I once had to dedicate solely to Tapped Out and to Magic.

    For awhile now all of this has become more tedious, mostly because of my lack of time and prioritization of other things. I still play, and I will continue to update my decks and add new ones, but I am writing this to let everyone know that I will be doing all of that at my own pace and on my own time. That may be months later, but it will happen...if I feel the desire to do so.

    I am sure I will continue deck cycling as I always have, mainly because I have been doing that routinely for years now. So you'll still see me around from time to time, sort of. Long and the short of it, thank you all for the support and inquiries over the years. Feel free to still comment and whatever else, I do see it, but I am not able to communicate as I once did. I hope you all understand.

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    Casual

    97% Competitive

    Revision 18 See all

    (6 years ago)

    -1 Helm of Awakening maybe
    +1 Mox Amber maybe
    -1 Paradoxical Outcome maybe
    Top Ranked
    • Achieved #19 position overall 6 years ago
    Date added 7 years
    Last updated 6 years
    Exclude colors WBG
    Key combos
    Legality

    This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
    Rarity (main - side)

    13 - 0 Mythic Rares

    33 - 0 Rares

    14 - 0 Uncommons

    19 - 0 Commons
    Cards 100
    Avg. CMC 2.48
    Tokens Bird 2/2 U, Experience Token, Frog Lizard 3/3 G
    Folders Commander, Interesting Commander Decks, commander , Izzet League strikes again!, Cool EDH, Edh decks, Competitive, mizzix, Favorites, EDH I want to make
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