Hi there!
Welcome to my EDH deck guide for Parnesse, the Subtle Brush. It's a design I've been working on for many months (since long before the deck's Commander was actually printed, funnily enough) and I'm excited to finally share it. But before I go into detail about what the deck is now, I'd like to tell the story of its conception.
Around 7-8 months ago, not long after the release of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, I was working on a list for Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor. Obviously the deck was primarily focused on curses, but while building it I happened to come across a certain non-curse enchantment that piqued my interest: Share the Spoils. I suddenly knew exactly what kind of curse deck I wanted to build.
See, curses are an extremely polarizing card type. When you target a player with a curse, it is effectively a declaration of war. So, what if, rather than casting curses on my opponents and making enemies, I created conflict between my opponents by getting them to cast my curses on each other. Unfortunately, outside of Share the Spoils and Knowledge Pool (a card that's almost universally hated) there weren't many cards that consistently allowed my opponents to cast cards from my deck. The strategy just didn't have enough meat.
Now, fast forward to New Capenna Preview Season. Parnesse, the Subtle Brush gets spoiled and I realize: she is everything I ever wanted for this strategy and more, stapled onto a legendary creature. It seemed too good to be true. I redesigned the deck to focus on instant and sorcery spells with polarizing effects because they are far easier to copy than enchantment spells. And just like that, everything fell into place.
Anyway, I think that's enough rambling. Let's talk strategy!
Overview
This is a control deck. Your goal is to neutralize your opponents' threats and generate value through card advantage while you formulate a winning strategy. The deck contains a few win conditions, but the deck is primarily designed to use your opponents as win conditions. Make sure to keep track of players' goals and relationships and use them as resources to help ensure your survival and an eventual victory.
Specific Notes
Enablers
These are cards that copy your spells. They are necessary if you want to make effective use of Parnesse. Copying spells can also be really powerful in its own right. Resolving multiple enablers is likely to spell doom for your opponents.
Tip: Wandering Archaic
is a broken card.
Payoffs
These are your win conditions. They give you additional value when you cast or copy instant and sorcery spells. A lot of times interaction spells end up being a net zero exchange. However, with one of your payoffs is in play, they can create enormous tempo swings in your favor.
Tip: Casting one these can be like drawing a target on your forehead. If you're too aggressive with your win conditions you may not survive long enough to take advantage of them.
Polarizing Spells
These are cards like Worst Fears and Covetous Urge. As I stated with curses, cards like these are almost like declarations of war. You want to give copies of these to your opponents as often as you can.
Tip: You can target yourself with the original copy of Worst Fears. It will resolve after any copies you give to your opponents and override any attempts to gain control of your next turn.
Removal
This strategy happens to be extremely well suited to a controlling game plan. In large part this is because basic interaction spells act as miniature version of your big polarizing spells. If a player loses an important permanent, they may remember who was responsible for removing it.
Tip: Do your best to predict which permanent(s) a player will remove before giving them a removal spell. Better yet, try to convince them to target something that benefits you.
Card Advantage
Giving away copies of card advantage spells can be a good way to foster good will with some opponents. Keep in mind, however, that doing so too often is playing a dangerous game. Avoid giving card advantage to players who are clearly ahead.
Tip: You can use card advantage spells as bartering chips. When you give one away, ask for something in return.
Disruption
Outside of removal, this deck contains a package of additional disruption spells. The majority of these are counter magic, but the most important ones are Wild Ricochet, Reiterate, Dualcaster Mage, and Narset's Reversal. These are important because they serve as enablers for Parnesse in addition to supporting your control game plan. Each of these can copy your spells, or they can be used on your opponents spells. If timed correctly, one of these spells can easily steal the game out of nowhere when cast on an opponent's game winning instant or sorcery.
Tip: Giving opponents copies of your counter spells can be a good way to trump opposing blue players during counter wars.
Other Notes and Interactions
- Lier, Disciple of the Drowned makes any spells you give to your opponents uncounterable in addition to your own spells.
- Riptide Laboratory can be used to repeatedly trigger Dualcaster Mage and surprise opponents with counter magic by returning Lier, Disciple of the Drowned to your hand.
- After targeting an opponent with Scheming Symmetry, you can steal the card they tutored for with Siphon Insight. Alternatively, you can combo cards like Covetous Urge or Psychic Intrusion with other tutors that you give away.
- Fixing mana in your opponents' colors using Exotic Orchard, Fellwar Stone, Chromatic Lantern, or Treasure tokens is important if you want to use Praetor's Grasp to its full potential.
- Avoid blindly exiling the top card of your library with Share the Spoils. Casting it after scrying is ideal.
- Finale of Promise is labeled an enabler, but if you're casting it for twelve mana you're probably winning the game.
- If people hate you too much for casting Worst Fears, you can switch it out for a more fair big spell, like Cruel Ultimatum. Cyclonic Rift can also be traded for a different sweeper effect.
- This deck contains a myriad of modal flip spells that are also lands. Don't be afraid to play them as lands! That's half the reason they're in the deck. If necessary, you can always return one to your hand with a bounce land.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this deck guide. I had a lot of fun writing it (and designing the deck, of course). Please let me know what you think. If you have any feedback or suggestions, they would be much appreciated! Thank you! : )
