As a Red Mage, playing this deck means a lot to me. I originally wanted to build a Mono-Colored deck for numerous reasons. For one, after optimizing Kaalia and Nin to the max, I vowed to never again build a 2-or-3-color Commander deck again. I wanted a single color that could utilize all of my mana doublers. However, I would be damned if I was ever going to play Omnath, Arcanus, or Arcum. In the back of my mind I always knew I was going to build with Mountains in mind, so I did exactly that. Red is, after all, my color. In my local area, I am THE Red Mage. For me to not play with a Mountain in my deck would be, well, blasphemous.
Anyways, I scoured my collection for all
the strong playables. I looked up articles, read some things, but really, the seed was sprouted when I acquired a pack-foil Jaya as a “toss-in” in a trade.
Well, this is just fucking perfect! I figured that since Kaalia and Nin are redheads (
), what better way than to keep the streak going and build around another redhead. I could have 3 redhead Commanders! I could call them “Khaos's Angels.” I'd have a mono-colored, a dual-colored, and a tri-colored deck, each built around a Commander, complete with different play-styles – Aggro, Combo, and Control. So let it be written, so let it be done. My OCD was satisfied.Anyways, I went to work. I dug through my collection until I found a pile of cards I just had to play. Koth, Karn, and Kumano. Fuck yeah.
I built a slower, control build that I've always wanted to try with Nin, but just
couldn't. I finally had a “low-profile” deck that was largely ignored unless a Blue Mage was at the table.
And you know what the weird thing is? It's better to make friends with the Blue player with this deck. They are actually afraid of you. It's an uneasy alliance that is bound to end with a knife in the back from either end. But it's so great.
I've slowly tweaked the deck to its current form; a form of which feels “stuck” between what I started with and where she wants to take it.
Yes, Jaya is actually in charge of this deck. Not me.
And speaking of the actual list, here it is, as promised:
[deck=Jaya Ballard, Khaos's Dominatrix]
Commander (1)
1 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
Creatures (11)
1 Goblin Welder
1 Burnished Hart
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Kumano, Master Yamabushi
1 Magma Phoenix
1 Hoarding Dragon
1 Godo, Bandit Warlord
1 Hoard-Smelter Dragon
1 Steel Hellkite
Planeswalkers (
3)
1 Koth of the Hammer
1 Chandra Ablaze
1 Karn Liberated
Enchantments (5)
1 Hammer of Purphoros
1 Repercussion
1 Stranglehold
1 Furnace of Rath
1 Gratuitous Violence
Instants (5)
1 Comet Storm
1 Reiterate
1 Urza's Rage
1 Chaos Warp
1 Into the Core
Sorcery (8)
1 Gamble
1 Vandalblast
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Aftershock
1 Reforge the Soul
1 All is Dust
1 Blasphemous Act
1 Molten Psyche
Mana Rocks (7)
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Mind Stone
1 Star Compass
1 Fire Diamond
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Worn Powerstone
Land Tutors/Jaya Fodder (4)
1 Expedition Map
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
1 Armillary Sphere
1 Journeyer's Kite
Mana Doublers (3)
1 Extrapanar Lens
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Caged Sun
Equipment (6)
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Darksteel Plate
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Batterskull
1 Skullclamp
Artifacts (9)
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Codex Shredder
1 Rings of Brighthearth
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Trading Post
1 Mind's Eye
1
Spine of Ish Sah
1 Akroma's Memorial
Land (38 - 17 Non-Basics/21 Basics)
1 Crystal Vein
1 High Market
1 Mystifying Maze
1 Kher Keep
1 Buried Ruin
1 Haunted Fengraf
1 Thespian's Stage
1 Vesuva
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Terrain Generator
1 Thawing Glaciers
1 Arid Mesa
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Wooded Foothills
21 Mountain
[/deck]
The deck is a blast to play. It's not overpowered. The wins actually feel as if you outmaneuvered and outsmarted your opponents. It has a lot of nifty and neat synergies and interactions. And even if you lose with it, it's a deck that actually allows you to have fun. Seriously, one of the best games I ever played involved Chaos Warp'ing an attacking Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer (with all the tricks out!), only to reveal the Jor Kadeen on the flip. What fucking luck!? Or the time I once kicked an [card]Urza's Rage[/card] that
targeted a Precursor Golem which had been targeted with a kicked Rite of Replication? Yeah, my game-winning Burn spell was Redirected back to me for lethal. Fuckin' A, those were some games, son!
But with all that said, it is also quite capable of being nasty, just like a pissed-off ginger.
Since Jaya is somewhat cheap, you can play her early and often. The first time you play her is a statement that says, “Here I am. Notice me, bitches.” And sure enough, your opponents will adjust their play. She's so powerful. She's part Red Elemental Blast, part Incinerate, part Inferno, and 100% sexy in dat leather skin-suit.
I'll bet she shags like a minx.
Anyways, if your opponents are dicks and take her away from you, you can always recast her a few times more. Bonus points if you call them all “
slack-jawed faggots” as you do it (I can't resist a good Predator quote, folks.
). Just make sure you can protect her on subsequent castings. [card]Akroma's Memorial[/card] is huge when it comes down, as is a Sword of Fire and Ice. Jaya's ass ain't going nowhere when her pussy can spew an Inferno every turn. However, the fun thing to do is to coerce your Blue Mage opponent into an frightful alliance with you. Control the board with the Inferno ability for your “friend,” while your spells go uncountered. Then flip the table on the Blue rat (if you can!) to steal the game.
Otherwise, just play lands, ramp up, make some mana, and pretend to be only interested in watering your Mountains. They'll grow.
Trust me, the best, easiest, and most logical way to win in Commander is to (A) draw more cards than
your opponents, and (B) make more mana than your opponents. It's hard to lose with those two advantages on your side.
And that's what you do. You be cool. Like Fonz. Play some Mountains. Give Jaya some bling. Treat her nice. Draw some cards. Remove what you have to and just survive.
And then start doing some nasty shit.
I won't go over the cards individually, unless you ask specifically, but I will say that there are some nasty control cards and torturous interactions that can make life miserable for your opponents. Turning off Non-Basics, tutoring, and Time Warping? Yes, sir! “Instant Win” Burn spells and such? Oh, fuck yeah.
Could there even be some Voltron-esque escapades? Yes, child, there can be.
The deck is everything a Red Mage could hope for.
But I must add that I haven't updated Jaya in a looong time. I desperately want to try [cards]Hammer of Purphoros[/cards], Chandra, Pyromaster,[card]Fanatic of Mogis[/card:
lvydo3iw] (MOGIS!!!!), and Purphoros, God of the Forge in the deck. I want to acquire a Gauntlet of Might. I need, I need, I need! Gimme, gimme ,gimme!
Now that I have this in a post, I will make it more of a mission to keep Jaya updated. I'm always looking for cool, new ideas so just me know, Redbros.
Keeping it real, Red Mage-style,
(And don't forget to treat your redheads right!)
Khaospawn
are yours. Looks vicious. Glad you discovered the Codex tech.
