Oh, and I forgot, would you have any suggestion for playing this archetype in a heavy control meta (counters, stax, an infuriating Oloro "nobody plays" deck, etc)? Thank you.

Saidan solemnity will not block Jaya from gaining counters. It blocks counters from players, artifacts, creatures, enchantments and lands. A planeswalker is none of those things. The only card that locks out a planeswalker is The Immortal Sun that I can think of off the top of my head.

Bloodytrailz Oh, you are correct, missed that detail, thanks!

Sorry if this question has already been asked, but why are you running Exsanguinate in your wishboard instead of Debt to the Deathless? Your crazy mana base should make the double white requirement easy enough to meet, and it will hit harder as long at you are aiming for more than 4 damage. I just can't see a reason not to make the change.

To be honest, Disciple_of_Doran, I just never thought it through. Exsanguinate mostly just fills the generic wincon slot, and I really never searched for things like it that were more efficient for that slot. It just worked, and so it stayed. You are right about it, though. I should make the change.

Just a tease of what is to come.

The Battlebond spoilers have some promise. Thinking that these may make their way in.

Not sure about this one, but at least worth considering.

As a lower budget player, I'm so happy we are getting some new untap duals that should be affordable thanks to being strictly multiplayer viable only!

Stunning reversal seems interesting but I don't know, it doesn't let you very long in a multiplayer game, but might be the clutch you need when it gets down to the 1v1 scenarios.

Virtus the veiled could be pretty sweet with Behind the Scenes (which also makes master of cruelties a baller, and usually relatively easy retrieval of the monarch if ever lost) ... on his own though, he is still interesting... if you can somehow clear the way for him, paired with a gisela or wound reflection, he's a 1 hit KO.

Pretty excited, finally got around to actually ordering my marchesa list on sunday night. (Well...a budget version of it, trying to squeak in at around 100$ because that's what i had on card kingdom credit).

Queen Marchesa, Politics & Pillow Forts (Budget)

Currently sitting on this list... missing a couple good pieces, but they'll have to come with an upgrade package in fall. Kor Haven // Maze of ith will probably hurt not to have a little bit, but I just have to politic a little harder haha. Picked up the solemnity/phyrexian unlife duo, although i'm still not sure how good solemnity is in my meta (very few counters get thrown around in a low power meta) and same with price of progress... gonna play with it and see how it performs before I judge that one, I know it's an amazing card but my meta is just so low powered I'm not certain yet... loads of basic lands might just end up mainboarding debt to deathless instead of burning wish or price of progress.

I've got most the core for the deck now at least, the last bits are just some pillowfort (kor haven, maze of ith, no mercy) and a wound reflection at a minimum. Might shift stuff around once I get a feel for what works for me and what doesn't but most the list is locked in place. (I still bounce back and forth on shred memory/burning wish as well... I bought into it for now since it's cheap tutor when I don't have the budget for the big boy tutors)

Super excited to bring this deck to my playgroup!

Hi, fellow Marchesa player here.

Trust me, add Intervention Pact, you will not regret it.

Bloodytrailz, love the deck. I am always pretty excited to check out what other people are doing with an Aikido Marchesa.

simoneca, I had never really considered Intervention Pact before. I am not sure how I would adjust to fit it in. I played Reverse Damage for a little while when I first started playing with Queen Marchesa, and I never really felt it worked out as I wanted. I also systematically tested most white Fog effects, but for some reason Intervention Pact wasn't one of them. I guess Intervention Pact has an advantage over Reverse Damage in that you can just play your game, not leave up the mana, be more likely to catch someone by surprise, and then pay for it the next turn. It also ends up being like a Fog for the next two attacks, so it seems pretty solid. I will defininitely test it.

After playing with Warping Wail for a bit, I really like it. Sorceries that hose us are all over the place, and there are a ton of 1 power or toughness cards that can be a problem. Even as a flash chump blocker or 2 CMC ramp it does work. My issue at this point is having enough to cast it consistently. I am considering tuning my mana base a little to account for it. Pain lands like Battlefield Forge may help. I am also considering adding Arch of Orazca back in in place of Crystal Ball. The Ball has been solid, and may ultimately not come out, or at least return after testing, but being able to consistently hard counter sorceries when I want or exile key utility creatures if necessary would likely be worth the adjustment. That and the fact that an extra land may help given I have slowly raised the average CMC as the deck has evolved, so packing some extra lands could ease the pressure for mana. If I do that, I may try the Mox Diamond again. We shall see, as that could lower the sources again. Choices...

As a final thought, I am always amazed at how well this deck shifts from low key control to crazy aggression, depending on draw and on the opponents. I played a T4 Dark Depths and Thespian's Stage combo, followed by Warping Wailing a T5 Wrath of God by the Oloro, Ageless Ascetic player. I won shortly after. This is another aspect of Aikido. I knew playing a long game against Oloro would be a bad move, and drew the combo and counter backup in my opening hand. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. In any case, this idea makes me even more excited about Virtus the Veiled. Deathtouch defense and massive offense is exactly what I need. Like a mini-Master of Cruelties. It will definitely find a place in the deck.

This may be amazing as well. Like a mini Sen Triplets. Extra cards, disrupts their strategy, adds both offense and defense. Could easily ruin the strategy of opposing combo players. I am going to try it.

Hey, I am curious as to your thoughts on the new Thrilling Encore as a win con. I see it's potential as a blow out after someone else board wipes.

Honestly MegaMatt13 that could potentially just replace Animate Dead. I use Animate Dead more late game than to cheat out early stuff, and I often use it to steal a fattie wincon, usually after a big board wipe. The only problem I see is the need to hold up waiting for that board wipe. Seems rough. I think it may be better in a deck that packs it's own board wipes, so you can plan for it. I would love to hear people's experiences with it when they play it, though.

I hear ya. 5 mana is quite a bit to hold up. Even at 4 it would be much easier to justify. I may trial it though.

Agree with you on Virtus and Luxury Suite. They will absolutely be going in my deck.

Not sure about Stolen Strategy. it's on theme but I'm worried about its random hit rate. May still try it though.

How do you feel about Archfiend of Despair as a second Wound Reflection? 8 mana is a ton but I could see him being a strong win con.

is a ton, and for that you should start asking what other things you could be doing, as well as what that does in your hand for the rest of the game until you have that mana. Gisela is similar, cheaper, and provides defense. Wound reflection is cheaper, more durable, and searchable with almost every tutor in the deck, including Academy Rector. Decks that slur to punisher style should consider it, decks designed with significantly more ramp should consider it, I won’t likely run it in this list.

Hey Precocious, I've been toying around with a deck that's almost a variant of this using Najeela the Broken Blade as the commander and "gifting" Warriors to my play group. Do you have any idea on cards that would incentivize people to attack other players. I got things like the Curse Cycle and then the old fashioned Crown of Doom

I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about Najeela, the Blade-Blossom yet W3R3PLATYPUS. There was a card suggested a while ago that was a red enchantment that didn't allow creatures to block unless their controller paid a mana tax. That would be good. I can't remember the name right now, but it is definitely in the comment archive. Also, any Goad cards are good. If you are going that way, you could try Goblin Spymaster and Fumiko the Lowblood. Just get people attacking. Given that Najeela, the Blade-Blossom is a WUBRG commander, there have to be a metric ton of good cards. You could actually play Queen Marchesa, Gahiji, Honored One, and Gisela, Blade of Goldnight. Anything that gives advantage to attack anyone but you.

New alters in the deck list. A foreign black border Revied Italian Mountain, Plains, Plains, and Swamp, since Marchesa is obviously Italian and I started playing during revised. Also, Graven Cairns, Concealed Courtyard, Inspiring Vantage, and Mikokoro, Center of the Sea. Much prettier in person than my crappy scans, but you get the idea.

That's actually prety solid suggestiongs Precocious, I was also wondering if you knew of any good cards that punished peoples life for the ammount of creatures they have? I'm currently coming through your revisions but that's a ton of cards to look through

W3R3PLATYPUS There's a couple that I can think up off the top my head, both of which are mainboarded in defensive style marchesa decks.

The first Batwing Brume and the second, Rakdos Charm ... brume requires a lot of creatures to attack, rakdos can just punish someone for having lots of creatures under their control.

W3R3PLATYPUS, I second Rakdos Charm. It's great at punishing go-wide strategies and you don't have to wait for them to attack in order to punish them.

I also really like Deadly Tempest. I have it in my Yahenni deck. A sweeper that comes with some extra punishment.

Check out Stronghold Discipline. Not Rakdos Charm, but still solid.

My favorite win potentially ever came today. I usually don't get to play during the week, so this was even more epic for being a game that should have never happened.

Late game, only me, Mizzix storm light, and Baral denial left still alive, with the Atraxa infect hamstrung by my Solemnity and taken out in the mid game. Mizzix gets her storm interrupted by Baral, with Mizzix thinking that she had to try sometime, she had some counter backup, but the counter battle just happened to be won by Baral (surprise). I take the opportunity to drop Dark Depths into my Solemnity that everyone was so happy I had played when Atraxa was threatening the beat down with an army of infect creatures. All of a sudden, my new Merit Lage threatens the one hit kill against either opponent. I am sitting behind a solid Pillow Fort with Delaying Shield and Solemnity out and feeling good, and pass turn without playing any spells. Baral untaps, and he Control Magics my Merit Lage! I consider my situation. I'm holding a Deflecting Palm, a Path to Exile, and a Lapse of Certainty. I am OK. I let the Control Magic resolve, figuring that Baral would either take out Mizzix since my fort is solid, or I just Deflecting Palm the attack against me, and keeping the Path to Exile as a backup plan. Baral has very little board, and the only thing threatening is the grip of cards in his hand and 9 Islands sitting untapped. With my Merit Lage, he looks rather smug, and much more threatening than before. I am cautious, but still feel OK. Baral overloads a Cyclonic Rift! Two. Islands. Untapped. Mizzix shouts a curse and scoops. Time to gamble. I let it resolve. I pick up everything but my land. Baral cackles and turns Merit Lage sideways. I'm at 15 and Baral is at 17. I Deflecting Palm. Baral cackles again, taps the Islands, and drops a Mana Drain on the table. I drop my Lapse of Certainty on top of it, and push forward three of my untapped lands, making a show of tapping them. Stunned Baral curses, Atraxa and Mizzix whoop.

I won a counter battle with Baral after he resolved Cyclonic Rift to resolve my Deflecting Palm against my own stolen Merit Lage token for the win. Best. Win. Ever. This will have to end up as meta legend.