[Deck] Ambassador Loquatus Solitaire

[Gix]

General: Ambassador Loquatus

Creatures: 6
Venser, Shaper savant
Ulamog the Crusher
Solemn Simulacrum
Arcanis the Omnipotent
Palinchron
Drift of Phantasms

Enchantments: 4
Mind Over Matter
Back to Basics
Treachery
Future Sight

Counterspells: 10
Misdirection
Force of Will
Mana Drain
Counterspell
Hinder
Spell Crumple
Desertion
Remand
Cryptic Command
Annul

Survival: 5
Evacuation
Oblivion Stone
All is Dust
Capsize
Duplicant

Strict Draw: 16
Blue Sun's Zenith
Stroke of Genius
Fact or Fiction
Opportunity
Windfall
Frantic Search
Memory Jar
Time Spiral
Diminishing Returns
Brainstorm
Impulse
Compulsive Research
Thirst for knowledge
Portent
Ponder
Sensei's Divining Top

Bombs, tech, and other combo pieces: 14
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Mind's Desire
Time Stretch
Capture of Jingzhou
Temple Bell
Vedalken Shackles
Extraplanar Lens
Maze of Ith
Turnabout
Sapphire Medallion
Mystical tutor
Merchant Scroll
Crucible of Worlds
Bribery
Dream Halls
Sunstone

Mana:
Gilded Lotus
Tharan dynamo
Copy Artifact
Mind Stone
Coldsteel Heart
Mox Diamond
Sol Ring
Mana Crypt
Grim Monolith
Mana Vault
Thawing Glaciers
Strip Mine
Dust Bowl
Lonely Sandbar
Tolaria West
Academy Ruins
Polluted Delta
Flooded Strand
Mishra's Workshop
Vesuva
23 Snow-Covered Island

Combos:
Palinchron + Extraplanar Lens
Mind Over Matter + Lotus/Dynamo/Monolith/Vault
Mind Over Matter +Temple Bell + (Ulamog)
Mind Over Matter + Arcanis the Omnipotent

This deck was origionally built for a 1v1 'play to win' environment at a shop that had no declared banned list except for cards with Ante in them. Those tournaments eventually got a really awkward banned list that I'm not a huge fan of, so I decided to make this deck playable in mainstream EDH. The main difference between this deck and the one I originally built is Library of Alexandira, Tolarian Academy, and Tinker are no longer in the list. I tweaked it a bit so I can play it in a real EDH environment without those cards. The primary objective is still to ramp into a ton of mana and win with Loquatus or an X-spell, though in multiplayer I tend to depend on Loquatus more more than I did in the origional version, which preferred to win with an X-spell.

Mind's Desire is HUGE by the way. Especially when you cast it, storm, hit a Diminishing Returs or a Time Spiral then draw Mind's Desire again. It'll run me into Time Stretch and virtually all my mana and draw, and let me sit there with a bunch of free counterspells to enforce my combo.

The version with Academy could win on turn 2. This deck is considerably slower and there is no tinkering into memory jar. But a majority of the time I can control my opponents out until it's time to play Solitaire and win.

The deck is intended for a competitive, not casual EDH environment. I understand this isn't fun to play against, I don't want to hear that complaint, though. I wouldn't play Mono Blue masturbation when playing a casual game with my friends but prize-oriented tournaments versus people who want to beat me and take the reward are a different story.

[Offler]

Have tried MOM+Temple bell. If started without Teferi in command I had most likely problem when someone drawn Krosan Grip and ended the combo. Therefore I would like recommend Azami instead.

For Laquatus I would add more infinite mana combos as is now. High tide, and similar, but seems well.

[Sims]

You've got access to Caged Sun, Gauntlet of Power, and Metamorph (which has more utility than just occasionally copying a gauntlet or sun) on top of Extraplanar lens.

Judging by what your general can and was designed to do, i'd probably try to find room for at least the first two to help power out your mana and allow you to drop bombs while having mana up for coutnermagic. Also makes it way easier to combo off with a palinchron or other untap effect. I personally prefer the artifact rampers compared to high tide because they are permanent and will help you turn after turn.

[Davran]

What about the old stand-by infinite mana engine of Power Artifact + Basalt/Grim Monolith? It also works reasonably well with Mana Vault.

Also, I see a distinct lack of Trinket Mage. It seems like you're wanting to get your mana rocks online relatively quickly, and the mage acts as a pseudo second copy of several of them.

[kombatkiwi]

What about the old stand-by infinite mana engine of Power Artifact + Basalt/Grim Monolith? It also works reasonably well with Mana Vault.

Also, I see a distinct lack of Trinket Mage. It seems like you're wanting to get your mana rocks online relatively quickly, and the mage acts as a pseudo second copy of several of them.

Mana Vault + Power Artifact does nothing because Mana Vault doesn't have any activated abilities that cost mana to activate

The "Pay 4: Untap this" ability is a triggered ability and therefore there is no interaction between these 2 cards

[Davran]

Mana Vault + Power Artifact does nothing because Mana Vault doesn't have any activated abilities that cost mana to activate

The "Pay 4: Untap this" ability is a triggered ability and therefore there is no interaction between these 2 cards

So it is. My mistake.

The 4th edition version I have actually reads "4: Untap Mana Vault. Use this ability only during your upkeep"...but I see they've errata'd the card to be triggered.