CUT #19 - Glissa vs Solphim vs Ezuri
As always, we begin the article with a look back at the last CUT. Last time, we looked at the holiday decks made by myself and my playgroup for each other. Like last year, after we received and gushed over them a little bit, we battled them against each other. With that backstory out of the way, let's see who you thought was going to win:
It looks like you all chose Ben to win, amd it looks like you all were correct: Ben did indeed end up winning that game. Better luck next time for the rest of us; that's what we get for leaving the planeswalker deck alone. Of course, during the game itself, there were times where it could've gone one way or another. Next up on the docket are new deckbuilders (and the first ones of 2023!) and the challenges they are taking on. Enough of my blabbering, let's see the challenges!
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Must play at least 10 planeswalkers
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Commander must be from Phyrexia: All Will Be One (the main set, not the Commander set)
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Must include two of the following planeswalkers: Nissa, Jace, The Wanderer, Kaito, Nahiri, Kaya, Tyvar, Koth, Lukka, or Vraska.
First up is Tom (Or Nareas). Let's see what he has brought to the slab!
GlissTron Counter Hate
View on ArchidektCommander (1)
Enchantments (12)
Creatures (13)
Artifacts (18)
- 1 Arcane Signet
- 1 Commander's Plate
- 1 Darksteel Plate
- 1 Golgari Signet
- 1 Lightning Greaves
- 1 Loxodon Warhammer
- 1 Manifold Key
- 1 Mask of Griselbrand
- 1 Mask of Memory
- 1 Ring of Kalonia
- 1 Ring of Xathrid
- 1 Scepter of Celebration
- 1 Sol Ring
- 1 Swiftfoot Boots
- 1 Sword of Sinew and Steel
- 1 Talisman of Resilience
- 1 Trailblazer's Boots
- 1 Whispersilk Cloak
Lands (32)
- 1 Bojuka Bog
- 1 Command Tower
- 1 Evolving Wilds
- 1 Exotic Orchard
- 9 Forest
- 1 Golgari Rot Farm
- 1 Llanowar Wastes
- 1 Necroblossom Snarl
- 1 Path of Ancestry
- 1 Rogue's Passage
- 7 Swamp
- 1 Tainted Wood
- 1 Temple of Malady
- 1 Terramorphic Expanse
- 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
- 1 Woodland Cemetery
- 1 Woodland Chasm
- 1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
Sorceries (7)
When I first saw Glissa Sunslayer
So how do we manage to do this?
First of all, we got our standard green ramp to get as many lands out of the deck as possible and have enough mana for our commander, and more importantly, the Equipment cards we run. The ramp package includes Rampant Growth
Now we just have to get a lot of cards; thankfully, green has some possibilities to draw on hit with Toski, Bearer of Secrets
Now to the Equipment. Nothing really special here, just the normal stuff and some pet cards of mine. The two rings (Ring of Kalonia
There are really fun interactions involving Glissa and the planeswalkers in this deck. If you put Colossification
Two cards I really want to put a spotlight on are Elvish Champion
Thanks, Tom! Feel free to go and check Tom out on his Twitch, Twitter, and Instagram!
Next up we have a returning deckbuilder to CUT, everyone welcome back Robyn! You may remember Robyn from her showing in CUT #11 with Hidetsugu, Devouring Chaos
Solphim, Dominus of Punishment
View on ArchidektCommander (1)
Instants (7)
Enchantments (14)
Lands (33)
Artifacts (8)
Creatures (14)
- 1 Cemetery Gatekeeper
- 1 Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh
- 1 Dockside Extortionist
- 1 Eidolon of the Great Revel
- 1 Electrostatic Field
- 1 Goblin Chainwhirler
- 1 Harsh Mentor
- 1 Magus of the Moon
- 1 Rampaging Ferocidon
- 1 Scab-Clan Berserker
- 1 Seasoned Pyromancer
- 1 Thermo-Alchemist
- 1 Torbran, Thane of Red Fell
- 1 Zo-Zu the Punisher
Planeswalkers (9)
Where does one derive enjoyment from in a game of Commander? Is it from flashy combos and big plays? From shared fun? From playing tight lines and scrounging a win?
Sometimes, sure, these are all... admirable... goals. However, sometimes fun is a zero-sum game. Sometimes what you truly need is to feed upon the salt of your opponents. Welcome, our unholy Phyrexian horror: Solphim, Mayhem Dominus
The Punisher archetype is one that is loathed by many in EDH, some with good reason. I, however, love the notion of killing other players through their own playing of the game. Cast a spell? Take damage. Play a land? Take damage. Go to upkeep? You better believe you're taking damage.
Solphim is the perfect commander for this strategy, as while our group slug pieces will be dealing damage to us, which is only fair, Solphim will double that damage for our opponents, ensuring that they'll perish before we do. The only question now is how are we going to best break our opponents on the wheel of punishment.
Let's begin with our suite of planeswalkers. Koth is a personal favourite 'walker of mine; my first real Modern deck was Skred which featured the OG Koth of the Hammer
Lukka serves a different purpose. While we cannot include the newly compleated form of Lukka, we have a special purpose for Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast
For our other 'walker slots, I have included a whole six different C
Our creature and enchantment package is where the true punishment lies. Here is where we can stack pieces that deal incremental damage to our opponents just because they want to play Magic! First stop is mana hate, either in Blood Moon
But all of this is in vain if the board gets out of hand. Very quickly, opponents will band together to swing at us, so making sure we can kill our opponents' creatures is key. Our standard red board wipes are great in the early turns, but where they really shine is with our commander. Pyroclasm
Our few instants and sorceries not reserved for dealing with creatures are instead going to assist in card draw, or really the red equivalent. Wheel of Misfortune
Finally, I have included the brand-new combo of All Will Be One
Solphim is therefore the perfect deck for ensuring that your playgroup will quickly have a new Rule 0 conversation. You may only get a few games out of it before the salt becomes too much to bear, but what glorious games they will be. If you too have a sadistic side, I urge you to give it a go.
That was great, Robyn, I'm feeling the burn from here! Robyn can be found on twitter @Robyn2721.
Last up, we have Kenneth! Another returning deckbuilder, Kenneth was featured in CUT #13, and also was part of my playgroup that did the deck exchange I mentioned earlier. Here's what he brought to the Phyrexia: All Will Be One CUT challenge!
Ezuri, Professional Liferator
View on ArchidektCommander (1)
Artifacts (6)
Lands (36)
Creatures (19)
- 1 Birds of Paradise
- 1 Champion of Lambholt
- 1 Elvish Mystic
- 1 Endurance
- 1 Evolution Sage
- 1 Fathom Mage
- 1 Flux Channeler
- 1 Laboratory Maniac
- 1 Lighthouse Chronologist
- 1 Llanowar Elves
- 1 Merfolk Skydiver
- 1 Pollenbright Druid
- 1 Pygmy Hippo
- 1 Sage of Hours
- 1 Subtlety
- 1 Thassa's Oracle
- 1 Thrummingbird
- 1 Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
- 1 Wall of Roots
Instants (13)
Sorceries (7)
Enchantments (3)
Planeswalkers (15)
- 1 Jace, Memory Adept
- 1 Jace, Mirror Mage
- 1 Jace, Wielder of Mysteries
- 1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
- 1 Jace, the Perfected Mind
- 1 Karn Liberated
- 1 Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner
- 1 Kiora, the Crashing Wave
- 1 Narset, Parter of Veils
- 1 Nissa, Ascended Animist
- 1 Nissa, Steward of Elements
- 1 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
- 1 Nissa, Who Shakes the World
- 1 Teferi, Master of Time
- 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
As soon as I saw Ezuri, Stalker of Spheres
Proliferate is such a fun mechanic and can support a plethora of different archetypes from Superfriends to Infect. With the inclusion of Ichormoon Gauntlet
Drawing every time I Proliferate gave me the idea to include Laboratory Maniac
What deck is complete without an alternate win con? That's why I had to include Simic Ascendancy
The last set of cards I included were the extra turn creatures, like Lighthouse Chronologist
And finally, what Simic deck is complete without the greatest card in Magic history... the godly Pygmy Hippo
Enjoy the glory of New Phyrexia and may you join us in becoming ONE.
Thanks, Kenneth, for your addition to the ever growing Phyrexian army!
They have all compleated their creations to share with you and wait upon your votes to see whether or not they make it to the finals. Unlike the heroes in Magic's current story, you hold all the power! Vote for your favourite deck down below and in the next article we'll find out who made it! Until next time, remember, if you don't love it, CUT it!
If you or a friend would like to participate in a future CUT article, email the.only.travis.stanley@gmail.com or reach out to me on twitter @chipman007!
Poll Closes: February 17, 2023