[Dual Commander] 5c Turbo Eldrazi

[NilsH]

_{NOTE: This is built for dual commander using this banlist http://duelcommander.com/banlist/
Noteable differencies from regular commander are Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, Crucible of Worlds, Strip Mine, Vampiric Tutor, Imperial Seal are banned and Fastbond is legal.}


Intro:
The deck is inspired by Turbo Eldrazi and Sneak Show from Legacy and Amulet combo from Modern. The plan is attack with an Eldrazi as fast as possible, either by ramping like crazy or by cheating it into play with cards like Show and Tell, Sneak Attack etc.
I've testet it a few times online (Cockatrice) and it felt promising, doing some very powerful stuff like hardcasting Emrakul on my first turn, beating multiple counters and control magic effects and winning out of nowhere with a singel powerful card.
My initial list is included below. It has several flaws, so I would like to improve it, and hopefully the result will be a competativ deck.


COMMANDER
1 Child of Alara

CREATURES
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Trinket Mage
1 Xenagos, God of Revels
1 Primeval Titan
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth

MANARAMP

1 Explore
1 Three Visits
1 Nature's Lore
1 Skyshroud Claim

1 Amulet of Vigor
1 Candelabra of Tawnos
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Rings of Brighthearth

1 Fastbond
1 Exploration
1 Mana Reflection

CHEAT
1 Sneak Attack
1 Show and Tell
1 Tooth and Nail
1 Defense of the Heart

REMOVAL/COUNTERS
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Bonfire of the Damned
1 Into the Roil
1 Firespout
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Nevinyrral's Disk

1 Remand
1 Counterspell
1 Cryptic Command

DRAW
1 Brainstorm
1 Preordain
1 Ponder
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Sylvan Library
1 Compulsive Research
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Timetwister
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Urban Evolution
1 Time Spiral

PLANESWALKERS
1 Kiora, the Crashing Wave
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Karn Liberated

TUTORS/RECURRSION
1 Expedition Map
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Lim-Dul's Vault
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Fabricate
1 Intuition
1 Wargate

1 Life from the Loam
1 Regrowth
1 Yawgmoth's Will

LANDS

Fetch
1 Arid Mesa
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
1 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
1 Bloodstained Mire

Duals
1 Volcanic Island
1 Tropical Island
1 Underground Sea
1 Tundra
1 Taiga
1 Bayou
1 Savannah
1 Badlands

Basics
1 Snow-Covered Forest
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Snow-Covered Swamp

Karoos
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Gruul Turf
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Boros Garrison
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Selesnya Sanctuary

Misc
1 Temple of the False God
1 Wasteland
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Eye of Ugin
1 Maze of Ith
1 Academy Ruins
1 Vesuva
1 Slayers' Stronghold
1 Kessig Wolf Run



How to make lots of mana:

• Basalt Monolith + Rings of Brightheart: Tap Basalt for 3, untap it for 3 and copy the untap abilty for 2, tap it again for 3 in respons to the first untap. You'll net 1 mana each time.
• Basalt Monolith + Mana Reflection: Tap Baslt for 3x2=6, untap it for 3. You'll net 3 mana each time.
• Fastbond + Amulet of Vigor + Karoo: Play a Karoo. With bounce on stack you untap it with Amulet and tap it for 2 mana, then return the land to hand. You'll net 2 mana for each life paid.
• Fastbond + Lotus Cobra + Karoo: Play a Karoo, trigger the Cobra, return the land to hand. You'll net 1 mana of any color for each life paid.
• Candelabra of Tawnos + Karoos: Candelabra nets one extra mana for each Karoo. The actiavtion of Candelabra can be copied with Rings of Brightheart and will usually net you lots of mana.
• Garruk Wildspeaker + Karoos: Garruks untap ability nets 4 mana with 2 Karoos, or 6 mana if you have a Rings of Brightheart.
• Or the hard way: Using rampspells, playing extra lands with Explore and simular effects.

How to win:

• Primeval Titan: With the Titan you'll get both enough mana to hardcast Eldrazis by fetching Karoos and a way to get them with Eye of Ugin.
• Defense of the Hearth or Tooth and Nail: Fetch Emrakul and Xenagos and attack for 30 flying haste damage.
• Sneak Attack / Show and Tell / Hardcast Eldrazi.
• Infinite or lots of mana + Bonfire of the Damned.

Tips and tricks:

Rings of Brightheart is such a powerful card, and in my opinion really underrated. It creates value with so many cards.

• Fetchlands: Fetch for 2 lands
• Wasteland or Tectonic Edge: Destroy 2 lands
• Kessig Wolfrun or Slayer's Stronghold: Make your guys even bigger.
• Eye of Ugin: Search for 2 Creatures
• Maze of Ith: Maze 2 Creatures
• Planeswalkers: Get double activations
• Candelbra of Tawnos: Untap your lands twice
• Expedition Map: Search for 2 lands
• Oblivion Stone: Put fate counters on two permanents
• Sneak Attack: Get 2 activation even without double red
• And the list goes on...

If you have an Amulet of Vigor in play when you cast Primeval Titan you should fetch Slayer's Stronghold + Boros Garrison (or Vesuva if one of them allready is in play) and give the Titan haste, then fetch another two lands.
Child of Alara is a sweeper - use it!

[NilsH]

Evaluation of the first matches:

I've seen Bonfire of the Damned in some TurboEldrazi lists, but it is worse here without Sensei's Diving Top and the opponent with 30 life instead of 20. I've never drawed Oblivion Stone or Nevinyrral's Disk in my testing. They looks good on paper, added bonus for working under Blood Moon. I'll watch how these perform.
The carddraw spells were fine, but I haven't put much thought into them, and have a feeling that there are better options. In particular Urban Evolution and the Draw7s felt "just OK". Wheel of Fortune and Timetwister is a two edged sword, the opponent get a full grip as well and may got to play his cards first if your low on mana. Timetwister doubles as graveyard hate.
In general I don't like running top-deck tutors. Lim-Dul's Vault is a bit hard on the mana, so I'll probably cut it. Fabricate tutors for half a combo, but is on the expensive side. I few times a wished I had a Blightsteel Colossus or some other artifact fatty in the deck to tutor when I had active Sneak Attack. Wargate is expensive and a bit hard to cast, but it's good at finding the pieces for Fastbond combo.
Exploration doesn't combo like fastbond, and I didn't feel I had enough lands to make full use of it.
I allmost never had UU open for Counterspell. Evasive Action or Memory Lapse are better options if I want another counter.
Kessig Wolf Run did nothing besides tapping for mana. Sunhome, Fortress of Legion is better if I want to pump my guys, but it should probably be replaced by a colored land as I had some issues with hitting the right colors.
Once most of the spells is setteled I should redo the manabase. The combination of duals and Karoos might not be correct.

Cards for Consideration:

I forgot Serum Visions in my list. It's the weakest of cantrips, but should be tested. Ancient Stirrings seems strong in here as it grabs both lands, artifacts and Eldrazis.
I forgot Command Tower in my list. The best 5c land availble. Gemstone Mine is almost as good as it can be reset with Karoos. The list miss graveyard hate. Bojuka Bog should be easy to fit in, and gets extra milage with Karoos. Halimar Depths looks interesting and has synergi with Karoos as well, maybe I'll find room for it. Tropical Island is the best dual, and another one would be nice; Breeding Pool is the closest thing.

Horn of Greed is probably to weak, but fun with Fastbond and Karoos...
Future Sight is great card, but trippel U may be hard.
Azusa, Lost but Seeking might have a place in here.
Crop Rotation is another tutor, but not sure if it's needed.

Changes:

-Counterspell
-Exploration
-Lim-Duls Vault
-Kessig Wolfrun
-Wheel of Fortune


+Future Sight
+Serum Visions
+Ancient Stirrings
+Command Tower
+Lonely Sandbar

[Ryu092]

Well its nice deck with only one issue, most of players actually use this: http://mtgcommander.net/rules.php so the deck is "legal" in most groups. For duels this is deadly:}
The whole idea of this deck is really interesting and worthy of consideration. For sneaking fatties to play, did you consider Oath of Druids and Corpse Dance/Shallow Grave - these instants can be played after eldrazi's graveyard ability hits stack, and you can sacrifice them or bounce them afterwards, with one bonus they grant haste.

[NilsH]

Well its nice deck with only one issue, most of players actually use this: http://mtgcommander.net/rules.php so the deck is "legal" in most groups. For duels this is deadly:}
The whole idea of this deck is really interesting and worthy of consideration. For sneaking fatties to play, did you consider Oath of Druids and Corpse Dance/Shallow Grave - these instants can be played after eldrazi's graveyard ability hits stack, and you can sacrifice them or bounce them afterwards, with one bonus they grant haste.

Oath of Druids is banned, else it would be a natural inclussion.
Shallow Grave & Co is interesting, espesially if change the draw suit to more loothing effects.

I did some analysis on the mana, it's allmost an UG deck:
U:30
G:25
B:3
R:3
W:3

I did the following changes:
-Swamp
-Badland
+Breeding Pool
+Gemstone Mine

Summary of todays testing:
2-1 win against Doran. G1 win with Show and Tell + Emrakul. G2 loss due to lots of LD. G3 I got hit by 4 LD. Tutor for Fastbond and play YWill aka YaWin... Crazy combo turn!
1-0 win against Animar. Assemble Rings + Basalt with Tezzeret, cast Karn and remove all his threats (copy with Rings)
1-2 loss against Ruhan. G1 mana screw. G2 Ramp into early Jace followed by Kiora. Find Sneak Attack + Emrakul shortly after. G3 Lose to turn 3 Ruhan + turn 4 Armaggedon.
2-0 win against Roon, of the Hidden Realm. G1 Win turn 4 by assemble Fastbond, Amulet and Karoo into Emrakul + Xenagos. G2 Win turn 6 with Sneak + Emrakul.
1-1 draw against Sydri. G1 loss to Sydri + Liquidmetal Coating on turn 4. Hadn't seen that one before. G2 Assemble Lotus Cobra + Fastbond turn 5 into Primeval Titan for Infinte mana with a Karoo. Hardcast Ulamog and give both haste with Slayer's Stronghold.

[NilsH]

I'm happy with last changes. The singelton Lonely Sandbar proved to be quit powerful. In one game I had Fastbond, Tropical, Simic Growth Chamber and only an Intution in hand. Intuition EOT for Loam, Lonely Sandbar and Eye of Ugin allowed me to play Loam for 2 fetchland, Sandbar+Cycle Sandbar+Dregde Loam and triple my mana in one singel turn. I ended it with Loam for Eye of Ugin and 7 open mana. Emrakul next turn

I still haven't got to use Oblivion Stone or N.Disk. I've drawn them a few times, but they have either been irrelevant or to slow.
I haven't cast Bonfire either, just shuffled it back a few times. Still to few matches to be sure but I think something faster would be better, maybe Pernicious Deed, Powder Keg or Ratchet Bomb. Pyroclasm should be in here somewhere too.

Skyshroud Claim, while powerful in regular commander, seems to slow here. In the early game it's hard to find an opportunity to cast it, and late game it's just irrelevant or "win-more".

I think I might have found a new gem for this deck Fist of Suns.

Testing

-Oblivion Stone
-Skyshroud Claim
-Bonfire of the Damned

+Bojuka Bog
+Fist of Suns
+Pyroclasm

[NilsH]

Fastbond has been banned, and Sensei's Diving Top has been unrestricted in Duel Commander. The list has lost some power without Fastbond, but the build overall feels better. Some new inclusions are: Dig Through Time, Electrolyze, Izzet Charm, Thoughtseize, Frantic Search, Impulse, Eureka


COMMANDER
1 Child of Alara

CREATURES - 7
1 Trinket Mage
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Xenagos, God of Revels
1 Primeval Titan
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn

MANARAMP - 7
1 Explore
1 Three Visits
1 Nature's Lore
1 Mana Reflection
1 Amulet of Vigor
1 Candelabra of Tawnos
1 Basalt Monolith

MISC - 1
1 Rings of Brighthearth

CHEAT - 5
1 Stronghold Gambit
1 Show and Tell
1 Eureka
1 Sneak Attack
1 Tooth and Nail


REMOVAL/COUNTERS - 11
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Pyroclasm
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Into the Roil
1 Electrolyze
1 Fire // Ice
1 Izzet Charm
1 Thoughtseize
1 Remand
1 Cryptic Command

DRAW - 14
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 Ancient Stirrings
1 Impulse
1 Compulsive Research
1 Frantic Search
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Urban Evolution
1 Time Spiral
1 Dig Through Time
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sylvan Library

PLANESWALKERS - 5
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Kiora, the Crashing Wave
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Karn Liberated
1 Tezzeret the Seeker

TUTORS/RECURRSION - 10
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Expedition Map
1 Intuition
1 Life from the Loam
1 Regrowth
1 Yawgmoth's Will

LANDS - 39

Fetch
1 Arid Mesa
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
1 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
1 Bloodstained Mire

Duals
1 Volcanic Island
1 Tropical Island
1 Underground Sea
1 Tundra
1 Taiga
1 Bayou
1 Savannah
1 Breeding Pool

Basics
1 Snow-Covered Forest
1 Snow-Covered Island

Karoos
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Gruul Turf
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Boros Garrison
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Selesnya Sanctuary

Misc lands
1 Vesuva
1 Slayers' Stronghold
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Wasteland
1 Command Tower
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Eye of Ugin
1 Academy Ruins
1 Lonely Sandbar
1 Maze of Ith
1 Temple of the False God