[EDH] Skittles

[sunshine]

For those of you who aren't familiar, skittles is a budget highlander format with some interesting deck building constraints:

1. Decks may not contain any cards *ever* print at Rare or Mythic Rare.
2. Decks may not contain any cards on the vintage restricted list.
3. Decks must contain an equal number of cards from each color + artifacts or otherwise colorless spells (i.e. Eldrazi).
3a. A multicolor card counts as an equal fraction of each its colors - so for example Bant Cham would count as 1/3 a green card, 1/3 a white card, and 1/3 a blue card; Thopter Foundry counts as 1/4 an artifact and 1/4 each of its colors.
3b. There are no restrictions on lands so artifact lands count as an entire artifact, Dryad Arbor counts as 1 green card.

Traditionally skittles decks have a minimum of 60 cards but there's no upper limit. Obviously there are no non-rare 5 color generals but aside from that this list should be a valid skittles build. Enough rambling here is the first pass:

// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
// General - 1
// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cromat

// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
// Artifacts - 8 (+ 3 from Lands)
// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sensei's Divining Top
Skullclamp

Armillary Sphere

Crystal Shard
Darksteel Ingot

Etched Oracle
Thran Dynamo

Artisan of Kozilek

// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
// Black - 8
// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Skeletal Scrying

Grim Harvest

Bone Shredder

Barter in Blood
Diabolic Tutor
Syphon Mind

Necrologia
Shriekmaw

// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
// Blue - 10
// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brainstorm

Compulsive Research
Trinket Mage

Deep Analysis
Mystical Teechings

Allied Strategies
Mulldrifter
Tidings

Opportunity
Capsize

// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
// Gold - 11
// :: Artifact - 0
// :: Black - 3
// :: Blue - 1
// :: Green - 2
// :: Red - 3
// :: White - 2
// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bituminous Blast (rb)
Deepfire Elemental (rb)

Savage Twister (gr)
Terminate (rb)
Harmonic Sliver (gw)
Mortify (bw)

Bant Charm (ugw)
Crosis's Charm (ubr)
Dromar's Charm (ubw)
Jund Charm (bgr)
Rith's Charm (rgw)

// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
// Green - 8 (+1 From Lands)
// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cultivate
Eternal Witness
Kodama's Reach
Krosan Tusker
Yavimaya Elder

Explosive Vegetation
Harmonize

Acidic Slime

// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
// Red - 8
// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fireball (There may be better options but I have a nice beta one I wanted to run)
Illuminate

Grab the Reigns
Flatetongue Kavu

Death by Dragons
Firemaw Kavu
Oni of the Wild Places
Spitebellows


// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
// White - 9
// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enlightened Tutor
Swords to Plowshares

Momentary Blink

Dismantling Blow
Flickerwisp
Oblivion Ring
Orim's Thunder
Stonecloaker

Cloudgoat Ranger

// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
// Lands - 37
// :: Artifact - 3
// :: Green - 1
// ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Command Tower

Ancient Den
Tree of Tales
Vault of Whispers

Dryad Arbor

Evolving Wilds
Terramorphic Expanse

Arcane Sanctum
Crumbling Necropolis
Jungle Shrine
Savage Lands
Seaside Citadel

Bad River
Flood Plain
Grasslands
Mountain Valley
Rocky Tar Pit

Bant Panorama
Esper Panorama
Grixis Panorama
Jund Panorama
Naya Panorama

Vivid Creek
Vivid Grove

Mirrodin's Core

Vitu-Ghazi, the City Tree

2 Forest
3 Island
Moutain
2 Plains
3 Swamp


So that's where I'm at right now and I could definitely use some suggestions. I've been having the most trouble coming up with win cons are that aren't horribly outclassed by the sort of threats you usually see on the EDH pitch. There somewhat of a flicker/bounce theme running through the list to squeak some extra value out of my creatures with etb abilities (Crystal Shard + Eternal Witness = good times). So yeah, I'm sure I missed some obvious includes here so fire away. It's also entirely likely that I'll be running Sliver Queen instead of Cromat at some point so that's up for debate as well.

[Joe_C]

Trygon Predator seems to be missing from your list ;-)
I also found from my playing of normal skittles that aether mutation is pretty snazzy. I also liked running a decent amount of life gain like radiants dragoons and kitchen finks. Traumatic visions is pretty good for early game mana fixing and is a counterspell. Phyrexian reclamation and haunted crossroads are good black cards.

[sunshine]

Hmm those are some solid options. Do you think you'd run Reclamation over Grim Harvest? What blue cards do you think you'd cut for Predator and/or Traumatic Visions?

[Joe_C]

Hmm those are some solid options. Do you think you'd run Reclamation over Grim Harvest? What blue cards do you think you'd cut for Predator and/or Traumatic Visions?

I personally would prefer reclamation over harvest. I also like haunted crossroads, especially if you can get either one working with your evoke creatures or krosan tusker. If you want to run trygon predator I'd drop a green card and a blue and run trygon and lorescale coatl( he can be dumb if you stick him early enough, I liked running him and mask of memory). Trinket Mage felt weak to me in a 60 card build but it may be better here but you have few targets. Dreamscape artist is pretty amazing since the lands you fetch come into play untapped.

[sunshine]

I'm not sold on Coatl, mostly because it doesn't do anything other than swing - also, I don't really have the ability to protect an early Coatl and one's drawn in the late game seem less than stellar (though having one in play and resolving Necrologia is pretty awesome).

I'm really liking the idea of Crossroad turning Krosan Tusker in an instant speed "GB: Search up any basic". I'm going to try that and Reclamation in the Grim Discovery slot and see which of the three I like best.