Nicol Bolas, Highlander (Uncasually Cruel)

Commander / EDH* Casual Competitive Discard Reanimator UBR (Grixis) Wheels

0rc

Creature (12)

• 1x Tinybones, the Pickpocket
• 1x Baleful Strix
• 1x Dauthi Voidwalker
• 1x Gilded Drake
• 1x Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar
• 1x Orcish Bowmasters
• 1x Opposition Agent
• 1x Kess, Dissident Mage
• 1x Notion Thief
• 1x Tergrid, God of Fright  ^Flip
• 1x Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
• 1x Nicol Bolas

Planeswalker (1)

• 1x Narset, Parter of Veils

Land (33)

• 1x Academy Ruins
• 1x Ancient Tomb
• 1x Badlands
• 1x Blood Crypt
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Cabal Coffers
• 1x Cavern of Souls
• 1x City of Brass
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 2x Island
• 1x Mana Confluence
• 2x Mountain
• 1x Otawara, Soaring City
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Prismatic Vista
• 1x Reflecting Pool
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 1x Steam Vents
• 1x Strip Mine
• 2x Swamp
• 1x Tolaria West
• 1x Underground Sea
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Volcanic Island
• 1x Watery Grave
• 1x Xander's Lounge

Enchantment (9)

• 1x Bloodchief Ascension
• 1x Mystic Remora
• 1x Animate Dead
• 1x Dragon Tempest
• 1x Necropotence
• 1x Propaganda
• 1x Rhystic Study
• 1x No Mercy
• 1x Storm the Vault  ^Flip

Artifact (22)

• 1x Mox Opal
• 1x Basilisk Collar
• 1x Library of Leng
• 1x Mana Vault
• 1x Sensei's Divining Top
• 1x Shadowspear
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Dimir Signet
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Izzet Signet
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Rakdos Signet
• 1x Talisman of Creativity
• 1x Talisman of Dominance
• 1x Talisman of Indulgence
• 1x Chromatic Lantern
• 1x Whispersilk Cloak
• 1x Relic of Sauron
• 1x The One Ring
• 1x Bolas's Citadel
• 1x Portal to Phyrexia

Instant (11)

• 1x Chain of Vapor
• 1x Mystical Tutor
• 1x Vampiric Tutor
• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Chaos Warp
• 1x Deflecting Swat
• 1x Fierce Guardianship
• 1x Fire Covenant
• 1x Force of Negation
• 1x Force of Will

Sorcery (12)

• 1x Imperial Seal
• 1x Reanimate
• 1x Winds of Change
• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Torment of Hailfire
• 1x Mnemonic Betrayal
• 1x Toxic Deluge
• 1x Wheel of Fortune
• 1x Windfall
• 1x Time Spiral
• 1x Blasphemous Act
• 1x Expropriate

Commander (1)

---

(This primer is out of date with the recent version, but I leave it so you may see some still-current strategies and those of a previous, optional build.)

True Elder Dragon Highlander

(Warning: this build desecrates Rule O with taboo combinations and will provide a negative play experience for many. Know your opponents.)

-{2}{U}{U}{B}{B}{R}{R}-{2}{U}{U}{B}{B}{R}{R}-

"21 commander damage" is an artifact that represents the power of the all-but-forgotten elder dragons: Chromium, Arcades Sabboth, Palladia-Mors, Vaevictis Asmadi, and ours—Nicol Bolas, each with power and body 7/7. The crush of these legends for three turns in a row causes 21 damage—-lethal, game winning commander damage.

The primary win condition of our deck is just that—-the crushing 7/7 power of Nicol Bolas himself. But he is an expensive spell, so we must buy time with which to summon him, and we will do so with the cruelest of control.

Our Cruel Game Plan:

We will not allow our opponents to reliably plan their turns, or ideally, have any cards in hand. We do not want them playing Magic while we prey on their misfortune.

Strip opponents’ hands with our wheel thieves: Notion Thief or Narset, Parter of Veils + our wheels: Wheel of Fortune, Windfall, Time Spiral, or Winds of Change—-this is especially cruel following an overloaded Cyclonic Rift, which effectively puts both their boards and their hands into their graveyards or shuffled back into their libraries. Leave them without a play and without hope.

Tergrid, God of Fright   will turn their discarded permanents into their own enemies, compounding the nightmare.

Play behind Sire Of Insanity’s devastating discard effect and break parity with our wheels, Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur, or The One Ring. Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur alone can deploy similar misfortune to our opponents.

Meanwhile, we will scavenge their graveyards with Tinybones, the Pickpocket, The Scarab God, Mnemonic Betrayal, Animate Dead, Reanimate, and Portal to Phyrexia. They will experience the distaste of their own design.

Kess, Dissident Mage can recur our wheels and many tutors to ensure our cruel plan unfolds.

Library of Leng protects our hands from many of our wheels and other undesirable discards effects.

Dragon Tempest allows Nicol Bolas to deal damage to any opponent as Bolas enters the battlefield, stripping the desired opponent’s feeble hand of any remaining cards. It also grants Bolas haste, and therefore the ability to strip another opponent’s hand in the combat phase.

Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar will ensure that all opponents feel Bolas’ 7/7 cruelty, simultaneously stripping each of their hands of cards whilst stripping them of any enjoyment for this game.

Equip Nicol Bolas with Whispersilk Cloak for evasion. Alternatively, Bolas will trample over their weaklings with Shadowspear. His cruel talons will tear them asunder and will not allow them any cards in hand.

Devastate the board with Orcish Bowmasters/Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind + Basilisk Collar when we cast our wheels. Those same creatures coupled with Fiery Emancipation instead will ensure an unpleasant experience for opponents and their boards, especially in light of their cardless grips.

Nicol Bolas will inflict 21 points lethal, commander damage with Fiery Emancipation in play. Commander damage is your one, and only, calculated win condition.

With our opponents crippled and unable to retaliate, we will take our time as we destroy them one by one.

Feedback is welcomed and very much appreciated.

“His rage passes description - the sort of rage that is only seen when rich folk that have more than they can enjoy suddenly lose something that they have long had but have never before used or wanted.” -of Smaug

<3 0rcus L0rdus

{U}{B}{R}{U}{B}{R}{U}{B}{R}{U}{B}{R}{U}{B}{R}

Top Ranked	Achieved #12 position overall 7 months ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Competitive 7 months ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Discard 7 months ago
Date added	8 months
Last updated	1 week
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	7 - 0 Mythic Rares 51 - 0 Rares 28 - 0 Uncommons 9 - 0 Commons
Cards	101
Avg. CMC	2.91
Tokens	Orc Army, Treasure
Folders	Deck Ideas, cedh deck ideas, Favorite Decks