Kess Combos
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on Aug. 27, 2024, 3:55 p.m. by Unlife
A while back I was playing around with a Kess, Dissident Mage deck using adventure spells when I had the idea to make a DnD Adventuring party, one for each class, plus a few bad guys to round everything out. I've been testing them, and haven't been happy with the Kess deck, specifically the wincons.
It's currently built around casting spells and pinging opponents, but my sorcerer deck does that better. I decided to put one or two combos in the deck as wincons, but I could use some advice for combos that are flavorful. Sure, I could put in Thassa's Oracle
and Tainted Pact/Demonic Consultation, but I'm hoping for something that fits with the idea of a wizard learning and casting spells. I don't mind if its 3-4 cards either.
Advice and Recommendations are appreciated, thanks in advance. Decklist is below.
RiotRunner789 says... #3
Stranglehold + Maralen of the Mornsong for a lockout out combo. Stranglehold is good on its own bit Maralen can be tricky if you play her first (at least without having counters for the answers your opponents grab). Not sure how wizard-y but it's fun.
Grenzo, Dungeon Warden + Timestream Navigator + Ascend and at least 6 mana for infinite turns: Grenzo works alright if you have creature support but he works better putting your spells in the yard. I like this one for your deck because either piece works fine on its own and it's a more 'fair' two card combo.
Not sure I know of any really flavorful ones but I'll probably look around for some.
August 27, 2024 6:36 p.m.
Gidgetimer says... #4
Dramatic Scepter combo (Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter ) could be a wincon with the already present Professor Onyx, Guttersnipe, Kessig Flamebreather, Lambholt Raconteur Flip, Ovika, Enigma Goliath, or Fiery Inscription.
August 27, 2024 11:05 p.m.
legendofa I hadn't considered a cruel control option, I'll have to look into it a bit more. I'll probably stick with grixis and Kess for the wizard deck, my cleric deck in the set is esper, and I;ve been trying ti keep from repeating color pairings.
RiotRunner789 Both are interesting combos, I think I like Stranglehold + Maralen of the Mornsong over greanzo and timestream. With that sort of restrictive effect, it makes me consider add more stax elements vs infinite combo's to the deck.
Gidgetimer I've considered the the combo before, but I'm trying to move away from pinging for this deck, even with a combo wincon attached.
August 28, 2024 7:08 a.m.
RiotRunner789 says... #6
If you go the Maralen route, then Narset, Parter of Veils and some Windfall effects would synergize well. Windfall can help you find combo pieces and can be back breaking with Marlen or Narset out. Best part is each piece works well on its own.
Having completed the Marlen combo before, your biggest threat tends to beil what's left in their hand which a Windfall will fix.
legendofa says... #2
How about a Cruel Control sort of approach? Instead of spellslinging and pinging, focus more on card draw (learning new spells) and control/disruption (the piles of utility spells that let the D&D wizard make everything a little easier) until you finish with some big dramatic effect like Cruel Ultimatum or Magma Opus (high-level spells). Without seeing the sorcerer deck, it seems like it's using a lot of small spells for offensive pressure. This would make it more distinct as spellslinger control vs. spellslinger aggro.
I had a similar idea a while back, going for a cube instead of separate Commander decks. My wizard set was support and control, with Narset Transcendent and Merieke Ri Berit as the centerpieces (not wizards, but they had the right flavor and ability). Is that something you would consider?
August 27, 2024 5:07 p.m.