Talrand is Simple

Commander / EDH Mono-Blue

ArmoredThirteen

Sorcery (30)

• 1x Amass the Components
• 1x Careful Study
• 1x Contingency Plan
• 1x Counsel of the Soratami
• 1x Diminishing Returns
• 1x Distant Melody
• 1x Distortion Strike
• 1x Divination
• 1x Drag Under
• 1x Gitaxian Probe
• 1x Hidden Strings
• 1x Inaction Injunction
• 1x Index
• 1x Last Thoughts
• 1x Omen
• 1x Pieces of the Puzzle
• 1x Ponder
• 1x Portent
• 1x Preordain
• 1x Psychic Theft
• 1x Reminisce
• 1x Rise from the Tides
• 1x Serum Visions
• 1x Sleight of Hand
• 1x Slip Through Space
• 1x Sorcerous Sight
• 1x Taigam's Scheming
• 1x Theft of Dreams
• 1x Time Reversal
• 1x Uncovered Clues

Instant (27)

• 1x Anticipate
• 1x Blustersquall
• 1x Cerulean Wisps
• 1x Comparative Analysis
• 1x Deluge
• 1x Downsize
• 1x Dramatic Reversal
• 1x Enervate
• 1x Fleeting Distraction
• 1x Glimmer of Genius
• 1x Grip of the Roil
• 1x High Tide
• 1x Hydrolash
• 1x Impulse
• 1x Inspiration
• 1x Peek
• 1x Peel from Reality
• 1x Peer Through Depths
• 1x Polymorphist's Jest
• 1x Quicken
• 1x Ray of Erasure
• 1x Snap
• 1x Telling Time
• 1x Thought Scour
• 1x Turn the Tide
• 1x Twisted Image
• 1x Twitch

Land (24)

• 1x Halimar Depths
• 22x Island
• 1x Reliquary Tower

Commander (1)

Artifact (13)

• 1x Altar of the Brood
• 1x Coat of Arms
• 1x Coldsteel Heart
• 1x Elixir of Immortality
• 1x Hall of Triumph
• 1x Isochron Scepter
• 1x Masterwork of Ingenuity
• 1x Moonsilver Spear
• 1x Runechanter's Pike
• 1x Springleaf Drum
• 1x Staff of the Mind Magus
• 1x Stoneforge Masterwork
• 1x Traveler's Amulet

Enchantment (4)

• 1x Archmage Ascension
• 1x Curse of Echoes
• 1x Jace's Erasure
• 1x Jace's Sanctum

Creature (1)

• 1x Curious Homunculus  ^Flip

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Very straight-forward deck: Play cantrips, get cheap drakes, attack. The purpose of Talrand is to be easy to understand for new players while also having options and being able to hold its own. The different strategies are relatively simple to spot and use but still engaging to play.

The only real strategy you need to impart on a new player is 'keep mulliganing until you get 2 or 3 islands in your hand' (our meta does full mulligans only back to 7 cards, after a couple tries if the deck isn't giving you anything good just roll with it and re-jigger the deck ratios later). If you know how the deck plays though and you have one or two of the 1-drop 5 card digging options you can start a hand with only one island and be fine.

It is really easy and mana efficient to dig into the deck. Blowing through 1/3 to 1/2 of the deck in a single game is pretty common.

There are few high mana cost cards but they are very effective at quickly ending a game. Their benefits are easy to understand and they cost a pretty significant amount of mana for the deck (4+). New players are forced to hold them close until they have enough mana and by that point they've thought about how to time the card instead of just being excited to have it hit the board immediately as they draw it. Plus having a hand of 'pay one or two, get a drake, and draw a card' is an easy advantage to understand so it really makes newbies think before dropping in a high mana card that gives one or no drakes and no card draw.

The control options tap, bump, or transform opponents' creatures. This is useful for getting past blockers or allowing full-on attacks without having to keep your own blockers open. Also lets newbies make clear decisions about when or who to target. A perceptive player can use some of the top-deck control on other players to hinder them instead of bolstering themselves.

This deck has a really difficult time if there is a Nekusar, the Mindrazer in the match...

Date added	6 years
Last updated	4 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	1 - 0 Mythic Rares 16 - 0 Rares 18 - 0 Uncommons 43 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.28
Tokens	Angel 4/4 W, Drake 2/2 U, Energy Reserve, Zombie 2/2 B
Folders	Concept decks