Mirrorworks vs. Prototype Portal
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Nov. 19, 2016, 5:51 p.m. by RazortoothMtg
I'm running a Daretti deck, and just putting in the final touches. I like the effect of Mirrorworks and it's proven to be powerful. But what are you guys' thoughts on Prototype Portal? To slow? Better than Mirrorworks? Thanks in advance.
hmm... that depends on what do you want to clone. If it's cheap cmc-wise and you have ways to untap artifacts, the portal could be better. But if you are aiming for Spine of Ish Sah triggers, mirrorworks is better.
My personal choice would be mirrorworks as it can give you another of everything, while portal has to be imprinted with something mundane or my green/red/white/blue friends around the table will smash it instantly. The fact that you are revealing your plan hurts the portal a lot, and the exile to imprint adds some insult to injury. Mirrorworks is more sublime and with all the artifact recursion in Daretti it can truly shine. Just my 2 bits though.
November 19, 2016 6:24 p.m.
DrukenReaps says... #4
run both if that is an option. you can put sol ring on portal for a huge mana boost or heck mirror works so you have 3 mirror works and make 3 copies of most other things you play. personally i dont like imprint because i lose the imprinted thing if the card with imprint goes poof before i get any real use out of it but if portal sticks it can be amazing.
November 19, 2016 9:37 p.m.
I say run both. I do in my daretti deck. They are both good in different situations.
But if you have to choose, mirrorworks tends to be better, in general.
November 19, 2016 9:51 p.m.
You could always imprint Great Furnace and make clones for . With effects like Dross Scorpion and a sac outlet (like Daretti or Krark-Clan Ironworks/Ashnod's Altar) you can generate a lot of Great Furnaces. Alternatively, Clock of Omens, Unwinding Clock, and Voltaic Key can let you abuse portal multiple times. I'm running both Mirror and Portal with the untap shenanigans with Breya.
November 19, 2016 11 p.m.
RazortoothMtg says... #7
So can Dross Scorpion + Prototype Portal + something go infinite somehow? Cuz i do feel I can abuse Mirrorworks more, but if theres a way for it to go infinite I want to know.
November 20, 2016 10:32 a.m.
Goes infinite with Pia and Kiran Nalaar, Nim Deathmantle, and Ashnod's Altar. P&KN enters the battlefield producing 2 thopters. Sac P&KN and one of the thopters (or both for infinite mana) to Ashnod's Altar producing 4 colorless. Pay and attach Nim Deathmantle to P&KN which produces 2 more thopters. Rinse repeat for infinite colorless mana and thopters. This triggers Dross Scorpion and untaps Prototype Portal infinitely.
November 20, 2016 11:42 a.m.
This is true but more infinites is infinitely better... :)
With Reckless Fireweaver, Impact Tremors, or Purphoros, God of the Forge means everyone is dead.
Thopter Engineer or another haste enabler allows you to attack with said thopters after generating your army.
With infinite thopters, Clock of Omens can untap anything.
Sans infinite thopters, Unwinding Clock allows you to spit out a Prototype Portal token on every opponent's turn assuming you have the mana. If you Imprint a Sol Ring it will pay for itself on your opponent's turns (aside from the first ofc) and give you oodles of colorless noodles.
November 20, 2016 12:34 p.m.
What I'm trying to say is that both Mirrorworks and Prototype Portal have great synergy in artifact centric decks. Generally speaking Mirrorworks doesn't need a combo setup to be abused, but can still be abused by combos. Prototype Portal is still good without combo but is more risky. If it's destroyed you don't get the imprinted card back, it's exiled. However using little combo pieces like Unwinding Clock or Clock of Omens allows you to produce CMC cards like Ornithopter or Great Furnace on each of your opponent's turns. More expensive CMC cards are not as easily abused.
November 20, 2016 12:46 p.m.
Oh thought of another infinite for you. Dross Scorpion + Ornithopter imprinted on Prototype Portal + a sac outlet= infinite Portal activations. If the sac outlet is Ashnod's Altar or Krark-Clan Ironworks then you produce infinite colorless mana.
November 20, 2016 12:54 p.m.
RazortoothMtg says... #13
with ironworks or altar it could even be a 1 or 2 mana creature...
November 20, 2016 1:54 p.m.
RazortoothMtg says... #14
so im not sure i want this, but if i did, are Iron Myr and Heap Doll things I should consider? Manakin or Millikin. Wait. I actually really like Millikin. And all this time I was wasting my time with Sphere of the Suns as my 2-drop ramp spell. I already run Myr Sire so I don't need them, but I think I've convinced myself. Wait. What about Phyrexian Revoker? Plague Myr? Runed Servitor? Toymaker? Now i have a whole new question...
Harashiohorn says... #2
Mirrorworks is a solid efficient card. For two more mana you get a copy of an artifact. Prototype Portal is more of a combo engine, to use your infinite mana to get say infinite Blightsteel Colossuses, so it really depends on what you want to do. Mirrorworks will always be good, Prototype Portal can be better or worse depending.
November 19, 2016 6:23 p.m.