=IN TESTING=
PREVIOUS BUILD HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CAN BE FOUND HERE
4/18: draft build created, spell-based Barrin. Haven't made a spell Barrin in almost 6 years now, so trying a new take. The focus is higher impact in the early game due to meta shifts over the last 6 years of EDH and new commanders that are mainstays that bring with them their archetypes to the forefront of the format. Power level intended to be about 80-85% to comply to local metagame and players. No infinite combos allowed (that means you, Archaeomancer + Time Warp + permanent creation source + active Barrin) as I generally don't enjoy playing with them. If a combo is needed, it will be Grim Monolith + Karn's Touch + Training Grounds.
4/20: -Reality Shift +Vedalken Orrery - Flash is too good, I miss having 2 sources of it. Also Whir can get this, why didn't I think of that in the first place? Reality Shift is great and cute when I target my own creature and bounce the Manifest to my hand but that's too cute, and I don't really need targetted removal due to Barrin. I really enjoy the early cantrips, especially in conjunction with Precognition Field, Search for Azcanta (to the extent that I don't flip until late game) and Top (but I normally cut Top at the end of a build, so not sure if this will stay). Am incredibly impressed with The Mirari Conjecture, and found that I often will Long-Term Plans for it. It also suitably replaces Archaeomancer in the Intuition pile for a spell, even if it's an Enchantment. As expected, Metallurgic Summonings is pulling much more weight now that there is a higher instant and sorcery count, and very much substitutes the lack of end game power I worried about when going from 2 Eldrazi Titans to 1. I have thoughts of replacing Hurkyl's Recall with Rebuild, but worry that I have pricier artifacts. Predict is on the chopping block for the interrim, even though I really like some of the adorable plays I can make with it. Treasure Cruise also on the shortlist, I don't have a stacked graveyard like I used to with a permanent-based list, but I don't think it's really cuttable for now, especially due to it's interaction with Metallurgic Summonings. Feeling choked on blue mana sometimes, so I might bring on more actual Islands, but the utility lands are sometimes game-winning on their own. Will require further playtesting. Vedalken Shackles and Mimic Vat feel too slow and clunky in a build like this, but they are cards that tend to require more finesse anyway, so they're not in danger for now.
If I only cared about deck performance, I'd cut Time Reversal for Timetwister instantly, but I don't feel comfortable with that move for my meta.
4/23: -Trail of Evidence +Thopter Spy Network, -Disallow +Blink of an Eye - every time I try to cut Thopter Spy Network (TSN), I end up finding a reason and a way to put it back in. Trail proved a bit too slow and inconsequential even with more instants and sorceries, and TSN still is more positive CA than Trail. Besides, I always liked TSN with Torrential Gearhulk, and with it's re-inclusion in the deck it seems like TSN is here to stay (even though I try to get rid of it at every point in tweaking). Everything seems fine for now, will continue playttesting. I think I need 1 or more additional instant-speed cantrips. Meanwhile, Disallow is a fine card, in fact I would love to keep it in the list for it's utility, but I think a better utility counterspell is Summary Dismissal in this format, and overall I feel like I have one too many counterspells. It's very possible that this is the wrong move and that I should cut Dispel instead, so further testing will be required. Into the Roil (and it's DOM long-lost cousin) can provide better flex options on the cheap as a Boomerang and can cantrip.
4/25: -Island +Oboro, Palace in the Clouds - all it took was for me to get Decree of Annihilation cycle'd once on turn 5 for me to realize that I might need this land in my deck. Still hoping I can cut some utility lands for more Islands, but maybe that's the least of my concerns.
5/3: -Terrain Generator -Mox Diamond -Chrome Mox -Predict -Portent ; +Island +Darksteel Citadel +Thaumatic Compass +Opt +Impulse - Terrain Generator and Mox's are hard to upkeep and I feel forced into awkward situations with my hand, plus the negative CA and the tempo I gain with the Mox's just aren't worth it to me to run. Also found myself getting mana-screwed a lot and this deck isn't designed to win fast. Was fun playing with them though. I'll keep Amber though. Predict and Portent are not impactful enough (as fun as they are), so in goes Opt and Impulse. Been thinking about another creature and Pike, maybe even Immortal Sun (6 mana oof). I also really love the idea of Recall, so I might test that out soon.
9/10: It's been a long time. Battlebond and onwards has introduced a lot of new cards and a lot of new angles to attack certain problems the deck might face, so let's go through all of them. Lots of text incoming, I apologize for your eyes.
To address the elephant in the room, I think the best new card by far for the deck is - without a doubt - Primordial Mist. It's an engine all on it's own, but it's even better if we can interact with it outside of itself with Barrin. The biggest fallback with this card is when it gets destroyed itself leaving all manifests subject to instant-speed timing, so Barrin will help ensure that the cards we need to protect find a way to still be a part of the game. Turn-based permanent creation never looked so good and Barrin covers all of the weakest aspects of this card. Hopefully I shouldn't have to say any more to accentuate why this card is nuts in Barrin. Just add it in Barrin and don't take it out.
I can't believe it but I'm gonna be saying the word Toothy as commonplace in my vocabulary from now on. Curse you, WotC! I don't like Chasm Skulker, but I love Toothy, Imaginary Friend a lot more. Not the second best new card, but one that I definitely like and can see being very powerful over Chasm Skulker. Over time, Chasm Skulker tends to seem less and less scary because the difference between 5 tokens and 15 tokens is mostly arbitrary to most opponents, but if those were cards drawn instead then it's a completely different story. This is probably the next creature I'm gonna try to fit into the deck after Spellseeker.
As for the actual second best new card, it's one that I didn't really anticipate, and it's Endless Atlas. Yeah, Endless Atlas. Really. When I saw this card, I could have sworn that there already existed a card that does this kind of belated draw effect with no downside cheaper or with less downside. Well, I spent about 5 days on Gatherer, and it turns out that Endless Atlas is actually just the best Jayemdae Tome this deck has ever seen, so I'm willing to try this out for a very long time.
Spellseeker is hot. It's a lot hotter in CanLander where this gets Flash but in this deck, it gets a lot of neat cards. Namely, it gets Recall, which I have been toying around with a lot. As a spell-based version of the deck I don't see how wrong it's inclusion is in the deck, so in it goes.
Will Kenrith is a card I would love to put in if only I didn't need another 6 drop that threatens the game. No doubt it's powerful, so I will be spending some time testing this one out in the long-term. I hope it makes it in as a permanent cast member, the card does so much of what the deck wants to be doing.
Transmogrifying Wand. My first impression of this card was a laugh as I grabbed this card off Gatherer and spent about 5 minutes thinking of a card to cut for it. It'll probably make it in, multiple-use creature destruction is few and far in between for mono blue, and if it runs out of charge counters it just fuels Barrin.
Meteor Golem. Pretty sure this is worse than Spine of Ish Sah, I just wanted to be the first deck description on TappedOut to mention it. Suck it, reddit.
Sai, Master Thopterist is a card that would go really nicely in the permanent version of the deck. Especially with Moxes and other mana rocks and Scrap Trawler, pretty nuts. It's like a knockoff Breya.
Nexus of Fate is a card that my friends brought up because of it's notoriety right now but I unironically don't want this card. Instant speed Time Walk is cool, but Instant speed 7 mana Tame Walk is not, especially if I can't dig this out of my graveyard either. It doesn't even shuffle the entire graveyard back in like the OG Eldrazi Titans. I'm not sure if my friends are joking when they ask me if this is gonna be a card I try, it's pretty obviously not going to be.
Isolated Watchtower is real neat, and i like it more than Terrain Generator. I'll find a way to get this in the deck.
Estrid's Invocation is probably a centerpiece to some Aura deck with Rayne, Academy Chancellor that exists that I'm just too lazy to figure out. It's on the backburner for now.
Ever-Watching Threshold is not actually Propaganda, but I've always been opposed to adding Propaganda-effects to this deck. Also it has the secret mode of not actually doing anything and then dying to a combo player just like Propaganda.
Vedalken Humiliator is funny. Loyal Drake is neat, but I can probably do better. Octopus Umbra is also neat. These are all maybe's.
Some more think-tank and I'll come up with a new list with hopefully some new ideas. Thanks for reading.
