Minor Tweaks:

• Replaced Sea Gate Restoration  ^Flip with an Island. Sea Gate Restoration is too greedy, better to simply have an Island in this slot for synergy with High Tide & Extraplanar Lens. You would much rather spend your 7 mana on something else.
• Replaced Prismatic Vista with Scalding Tarn because it synergizes with Mystic Sanctuary. No brainer because PV only fetches a basic land while ST can fetch any Island.
• Replaced Solemn Simulacrum with Metallic Mimic. I am going to be playing with this slot for a while because Solemn Simulacrum is slow; I am open to suggestions!

One more Tweak

• Replaced Sphinx of the Second Sun with Phantasmal Image. Sphinx of the Second Sun is expensive mana-wise and this deck doesn't make great use of the text on Second Sun anyway. Phantasmal image is a cheap sphinx, and adds versatility to the early game by being able to copy an opponents creature.

AND WITH THAT Strong Unesh is finally at an average CMC of 3.0! This feels like a great turning point for the deck! I am sure there are ways to continue to improve, but this average CMC is nothing to scoff at.

Okay... one more. Doing a lot of thinking today.

• In the Solemn Simulacrum spot, I am going to run Unsummon vice Metallic Mimic

Yes, it will take actual playtesting to determine if having the fetches is worth it. The main scenario I can test for is simulating opponents being acutely aware of my shortness on mana and assembling the piles accordingly (eg, if I only have three Islands and a tapped Mana Vault that allowed me to cast Unesh, I goldfish this by deliberately assembling piles to mana starve myself of further Islands) and so far, in that particular scenario, it's pretty effective at stalling our deck out. Granted that this scenario won't unfold every time, it's worth considering and watching for when playtesting the fetchlands.

Glad you agreed with my assessment of Simulacrum and and Sea Gate Restoration. Unsummon is an alright choice over An Offer You Can't Refuse, but I think both may be more limited than Unsubstantiate, which can also be abused to bounce Narset's Reversal's target spell to copy back to hand, functionally allowing you to play a three-of in the deck as well as returning creatures to hand. Plus, removing a T3 Demonic Consultation from the stack with a ThOracle trigger under it when the opponent is tapped out, functionally making it a counterspell is really good and there are lots of scenarios similar to this. But I digress...

Also, interesting cut on Sphinx Of The Second Sun, but ultimately I approve: Lowering the mana curve of the deck with Phantasmal Image while simultaneously removing a card you can accidentally deck yourself with before casting your ThOracle wincon is an improvement, in my assessment.

GHoag you make a great arguement for Unsub. The versatility for the extra 1 cmc would be nice. Side-note, with sapphire medallion on the field it would be the same price anyway! So a little bit better synergy there. I have also been heavily considering Trickbind in this slot too. My thinking is that several competitive combos don't require spells to be cast, rendering all of our current interaction moot.

With the addition of Unsubstantiate or Trickbind, I am thinking it might also be worth to run Spellseeker to find an instant spell you actually need. This thins the deck without starving you of islands, and manicures your hand. Also, it notably hits Cyclonic Rift. I was thinking of taking out either Pongify of Rapid Hybridization for it. I am not completely sold due to the higher cost and would love to see how it plays. Maybe Mystical Tutor is even better in that slot.

Spellseeker looking better and better every time I look haha. You can spellseeker into Snap targeting spellseeker, play spellseeker again for another card. If you have any of the mana-doublers out, you can do that dance for the price of tapping only one land. With Nykthos you can even gain a bunch of mana. If the second spell you grab is High Tide, there is even more mana. Questions to ask about the negatives to this substitution: "how often would I prefer to draw 1 cmc creature removal?" If you really need creature removal, spellseeker can grab the other one. I really think spellseeker will be better 99% of the time.

Mystical Tutor > Spellseeker. In my build, anyway: I have the Dramatic Scepter combo in my build and a higher mana rock count so I can use infinite mana as a second copy of Omniscience. The payoff here is that with Mystical Tutor in the deck as well as Isochron Scepter, we have a way to assemble an infinite turns combo but putting Mystical Tutor on the stick.

Without Isocron Scepter, though, Mystical Tutor is just a tutor, in your deck. But I'd still say Mystical Tutor gets the nod because of its lower casting cost, Instant speed and the fact it can fetch an Instant or Sorcery of any CMC.

Another thought that occurs: Irenicus' Vile Duplication > Sakashima in my build because I can tutor for the former with Mystical Tutor. Plus, it only takes one blue mana. More importantly, in my build, I can cast it twice with Narset's Reversal in the deck, which can't be said for Sakashima, which is the difference between having three copies of Unesh instead of two. Corner case, but still valid, I think. Particularly the tutoring aspect.

GHoag I respect the Mystical Tutor choice, and I think it is good in my build too. I think I like Spellseeker in my build more because I like that the tutored card goes directly to my hand rather than the top of the library. I also like that Spellseeker’s ability is ETB. It can benefit from Panharmonicon, and it can also benefit from cost reduction of Defiler of Dreams and Sapphire Medallion. In conclusion, I think Spellseeker’s synergies and utility are worth the extra 2 cmc in my build.

I do really like Irenicus's Vile Duplication, but because I am going to go with spellseeker for now, I’ll keep Sakashima in. I am not sure which suite is more powerful, I will have to try out both in the near future to make a better conclusion.

I do like Unsubstantiate more than Unsummon. I think the 1 more cmc is definitely worth the versatility. I still want to squeeze in Trickbind, this spell is very strong depending on the pod. Maybe it is better to keep it in the binder until I think I need it.

If I may, what did you decide to take out for Isochron Scepter and Dramatic Reversal?

Frankly, our lists are very similar in most respects. Those two cards could be any two of Cryptic Command, Ghostly Flicker or Rewind (I don't like holding up four mana for Counterspells, I get Ghostly Flicker, though and may include it eventually, myself).

Thank you, that's an interesting take! You already know my reasoning for Cryptic Command. The reason I do like Rewind is not actually for the counterspell, but for mana generation. With Extraplanar Lens (or other mana doubling effect) on the field, a Universal Automaton (or other cheap spell) followed by Rewind countering Universal Automaton nets a nice chunk of mana. I will say though rewind does feel like one of the weaker cards in the deck now following all of the revisions. Definitely worth revisiting on my part.

GHoag: Ghostly Flicker has so much synergy and versatility I don't know if I could ever take it out. I am always happy to see it. It helps with mana generation with Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, enhances all of the great ETB's in the deck, and protects Unesh from spot removal. I would absolutely recommend giving it a shot!

I figured this out about Rewind already, but the issue is holding up four mana (you have to, because you almost never want to counter your own, spell) whereas the same "ability" on Frantic Search and Snap is much more abusable bevause not only are those cards cheaper to cast, but they are more usable on your turn OR an opponent's.

As for Ghostly Flicker, I'd figured out the other stuff already and was on the cusp of including it, but hadn't thought of the Nykthos synergy, which is awesome, so I'll have to carve out a space in my list for it. It will likely end up being Swiftfoot Boots, as it's on the block for me, due to having to pay 1 to equip and I think we want to be racing Unesh out as much as possible and not pushing it until next turn to be able to afford equipping Boots right after the cast and the FoF trigger have resolved.

GHoag that's funny because Swiftfoot Boots is on the way out for me too I think. It doesn't quite keep up the pace with the 1 mana equip.

Minor Revision

• Replaced Rewind with Unsummon. Rewind is expensive, and like Treachery it feels bad when it doesn't resolve. The main reason to include Rewind over another counterspell is that it can gain additional mana in combination with mana doublers. However this usually only happens when you counter your own spell which is not always ideal. Unsummon keeps the value train rolling baby. This mana cheap spell keeps the win con rolling. So it keeps the deck faster and more focused.
• Replaced Cryptic Command with Mystical Tutor. Cryptic command is an expensive spell to hold up. With other recent additions making the deck fast, it is probably better to speed the deck up more and win the race to a wincon rather than defend against other wincons. This card will mostly end up fetching Rite of Replication, but it can also grab your only board wipe Cyclonic Rift, Ghostly Flicker for value, or a piece of interaction.
• Replaced Swiftfoot Boots with Trickbind. Swiftfoot boots feels a little slow with the 1 cmc equip cost. It is easier to defend Unesh with some of the other additions like Unsubstantiate or Unsummon (these also defend against a boardwipe while the boots don't. Trickbind is included because it can stop a lot of cEDH combos that don't rely on spells resolving. This spell can also be tutored by recently added tutors Spellseeker and Mystical Tutor.

Palinchron added + talk about combos

Replaced Narset's Reversal. Reversal is a cute fun card in this deck. Reversal is a combo piece that is under utilized here. Reversal relies on your opponent to cast a cool spell, playing your own deck and theme is normally better.

Palinchron combos with SIX cards already in this deck to produce infinite mana, infinite storm count for Aetherflux Reservoir, and infinite card draw with Defiler of Dreams. These SIX cards are High Tide, Extraplanar Lens, Gauntlet of Power, Caged Sun, Panharmonicon, and even Phantasmal Image. This makes it extremely likely that you will be able to combo with Palinchron if you draw him.

Honestly I knew this card was bonkers, but after thinking about it and finally writing all the synergies on paper I have convinced myself to include it.

While we are talking about combos, I didn't realize there was another infinite combo in the deck. This one takes a bit of setup but here it is. Aetherflux Reservoir, Cloudstone Curio, and Defiler of Dreams. With all 3 of these permanents on the battlefield, if you have 1 low cost changeling in your hand, 1 on the field, and if you have any sphinx mana reduction you meet the criteria. For instance:

1. The 3 combo cards are on the field, and so is Amoeboid Changeling and Urza's Incubator.
2. You cast Mothdust Changeling from your hand using Defiler of Dreams blue cost reduction.
3. Cast triggers Aetherflux Reservoir gaining you the life back you spent to cast it.
4. ETB triggers Cloudstone Curio sending Amoeboid Changeling to your hand.
5. Cast Amoeboid Changeling from your hand using cost reduction from Urza's Incubator and Defiler of Dreams.
6. Cast triggers Aetherflux Reservoir to gain you back the life you used to cast.
7. ETB triggers Cloudstone Curio sending Mothdust Changeling to your hand.
8. Return to step 2.

I'm living for this! I'd like to think it was my fresh takes on the deck that spurred you into this line of thinking, but I won't bother trying to claim credit, so I digress.

Anyway, I would like to point out, once again, that with the Palinchron inclusion, you can get a SEVENTH piece of combo redundancy in the form of Reflections Of Littjara (which also is a better card than even Panharmonicon for the beatdown plan).

It's also now possibly worth considering Fabricate and Whir Of Invention as 2nd and third copies of Aetherflux Reservoir to increase consistency and combo speed.

Let me know how playtesting is going!

GHoag, don't discredit yourself! I couldn't have made nearly as many decisions without our pleasant discourse.

I will Ponder the artifact tutors for now (lol). I Anticipate them to be unnecessary because with infinite mana you will most likely be able to get through your deck to find Aetherflux anyway (okay I'll stop).

Reflections of Littjara is really a great card with Palinchron because in addition to making infinite mana it makes an arbitrarily large army of Palinchrons, and I love that. I will definitely be considering this card more once I think of the best cards to cut for it. It might actually be worth to cut Gauntlet of Power if there is nothing better to cut. It's utility as a back up to Panharmonicon is another upside. I wish it could be hit by Scholar of the Lost Trove, but you can't win 'em all I suppose.

I agree that Gauntlet gets the cut. I cut it myself because unlike Caged Sun, it's doubling effect is not one-sided for us and I don't lile giving opponents advantages unless it's absolutely necessary tonwin then and there, personally (eg, An Offer You Can't Refuse to protect Thassa's Oracle's resolution).

Plus, it's a five for five exchange so it won't affect the mana curve swapping those cards. Also, as mentioned before, Reflections helps with the beatdown plan and contributes to Devotion to blue, so it has its own set of upsides, as well.

GHoag I think it is wise to go with Gauntlet of Power over Reflections of Littjara. More so I think it is even better to choose newly printed Virtue of Knowledge in this slot.

Here is a bit of a rambling explanation of all the reasons: The key thing turning me off from Reflections is that you have to name a creature type when it ETB's. Mostly you want to pick Sphinxes, so most of the time you don't benefit by having infinite Palinchrons. Virtue of Knowledge doesn't have that requirement for the same CMC, and also it combos with Palinchron. Also, there is the adventure cost on the card. I think it is easy to call this cute but I actually think it could be awesome. The adventure can copy a fetchland ability in the early game (it is cheaper to use than Wayfarer's Bauble). Using adventure mode on the card is also a cheaper way to net mana with Palinchron or even Frantic Search; although it would be single use I can imagine a situation where that might be the kicker to win the game. This is versatility that Reflections and Guantlet do not have. Although Reflections does help with beat down, beat down is not the strongest strategy in the deck, especially since a few of our sphinxes are meek changelings. The two cards are also equal on blue devotion.

Debatably this card is even better than Panharmonicon itself. The text Virtue of Knowledge allows triggers for any permanent entering the battlefield while Panharmonicon is only artifacts and creatures. This deck doesn't make use of that right now, but it could become important later on. Also Panharmonicon doesn't have another mode.

TLDR; I think the pros for Virtue of Knowledge are better or equal to Reflections of Littjara in every way except for beat down, which isn't the most important strategy for Unesh. Furthermore if I was forced to choose between Virtue of Knowledge and Panharmonicon, I might even pick Virtue. Luckily I don't have to choose right now...

Apologies, ASalesman: I was unaware of this spoiled card. This IS better than Reflections in the deck, so once it's out, I'll be replacing Reflections with it. That said I already replaced Gauntlet with Reflections. I just can't name blue in my meta: Simic and Grixis are the two most popular color identities where I'm located and Gauntlet just gives them far too much edge, especially the Simic players, where they have access to green as well, so the ramping is already really strong.

On a related but separate note, how has the loss of Imprisoned In The Moon felt? Not having access to strong control at the beginning of the game seems like it could be majorly problematic, but I don't know with actual playtesting (you may recall I'm still building the deck out and can only goldfish it for now).

I was just reading through your primer "How Unesh wants this to GO" and noticed under win conditions that you have a synergy listed between Universal Automaton and Cloudstone Curio when in fact none exists (ditto Bloodline Pretender, Metallic Mimic, etc) because Cloudstone Curio's ability only applies to non-Artifacts. Just wanted to point this out so you can update the guide.

That's a fair point about meta, that explains our different stance on the card. I don't usuaully play against players who are full blue. My opponnents usually splash it.

I haven't noticed the loss of Imprisoned in the Moon, because Gilded Drake feels so much better. I think an argument can be made to put both in the deck. I am theoretically playing around with the Unsummon slot right now, I haven't been able to physically test it out much in my games.

I appreciate you noticing that detail about Universal Automaton, I will have to make it more clear. Universal Automaton dosn't trigger Cloudstone Curio, but it can be targeted by it. That means when Universal Automaton and Cloudstone is on the field while you cast non-artifact Sphinxs, you can double your Unesh triggers and storm count for free.

Have you ever tried playing MTG on 'Tabletop Simulator' from Steam? You can pull a deck list from tappedout or moxfield and play it virtually at no expense for testing, it's quite easy and convenient.

New Unesh Card Printed in Wilds of Eldraine

Virtue of Knowledge to replace Gauntlet of Power. Pros of virtue of knowledge:

• 2nd copy of Panharmonicon
• Same CMC as Gauntlet of power, but has a devotion to blue. It benefits from Defiler of Dreams & Sapphire Medallion.
• The effects are 1-sided. They only benefit you, not your opponents.
• Still Combos with Palinchron.
• Adventure modality. Can be used to copy fetch ability early game. Can be used as a one time mana stimulus with Frantic Search, Snap, Palinchron. This is modality not even Panharmonicon has.
• Triggers when ANY permanent enters the battlefield, not simply creatures and artifacts. This deck doesn't make great use of this text, but it could more so in the future maybe. Mystic Sanctuary is the only additional card that benefits in this deck right now.
• Pitchable to cards like Force of Will.

Notable Cons:

• Isn't targetable by Scholar of the Lost Trove

A controversial substitution perhaps, but deserved

Replacing Omniscience with Moonsilver Key.

Why not Omniscence?

• Omniscence is too mana intensive in this deck. In your opening hand it is completely a dead card 90% of the time. In the 10% you have a line to play it in your opening hand, you are putting all your eggs into 1 basket. Omniscence is too high risk for the reward. If this spell doesn't resolve (and it likely won't at a cEDH table) you lose the game.
• Even the times it does resolve in the early game, your hand doesn't always have enough steam to win outright.
• It is important for all cEDH decks to consider how a card will function in your opening hand as well as later in the game. I'll write more about this topic in the current theory module of the guide. This inconsistency in the opening hand is what makes it bad. It is true that other cards in the deck are similar, but they aren't as mana intensive as omniscience. Omniscence in my opening hand has lost too many games.
• Omniscence is essentially a combo by itself while Unesh is on the field. It is clunky at best because it doesn't always guarantee you get to the bottom of your deck unlike Rite of Replication. Recent powerful revisions of the deck have led to anti-synergy with this card. Example 1, removal of Long-Term Plans. Example 2, the addition of Palinchron makes infinite mana and storm more attainable than with Omniscence due to the reduced mana cost.

Why Moonsilver Key?

• I think this card might be as much of a blindside to you as it was to me. I knew Omniscence had to go, so I started researching what I would replace it with. And I found this card. This card is the most opposite of a clunky opening hand card I could find. Rather than having a dead Omniscence in your hand, you can spend your early turns playing this card and getting an important mana rock like Jeweled Lotus & Mana Crypt or an Island.
• The deck has been short on mana rocks. With a mana rock tutor in this slot combined with Virtue of Knowledge and fetch lands I have noticed a significant uptick in ramp reliability in my opening hands. I have been throwing around ideas like Mox Diamond, Mox Opal, and Mox Amber but none of these cards reliably solve Unesh's problems in the opening hand. I also considered Lion's Eye Diamond which seems a little too high risk IMO, because then your fate relies on the subsequent BFOF from casting Unesh. The runner-up contender was Fellwar Stone, essentially a worse Arcane Signet wouldn't be bad. It is important for Unesh to ramp out ASAP, and having a mana artifact tutor in the early game seems to help with that plan, and it thins the deck.
• Minor point, it enjoys synergy with the adventure mode of Virtue of Knowledge.

What are your thoughts on this sub? Could I be doing better here?