Captain N'ghathrod | Upping the Average

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[@EDHRECast]

Update re: Cryptic Spires. Members of WotC staff have noted that the chosen colors must be within your chosen color identity. We're sad about this error in the video, though in our defense, Twitter isn't the place we usually expect to go for official card rulings, and the phrase "any commander deck" in the release notes seems especially misleading considering the existence of mono-colored and colorless EDH decks, since Spires says you MUST circle TWO symbols. Anyway, avoid the confusion, and definitely switch that thing out for an Ash Barrens! (Source: twitter.com/Dunkatog/status/1537505807176069120?s=20&t=zOUCAyibcVddRRdE4d2p2g )

[@joshuahowell4785]

I was curious why I was seeing Cryptic Spires pop up in "new cards" for so many decks. It seemed okay for draft but pretty underwhelming for constructed (maybe with the exception of very budget builds).

[@GrahamFoxDelta]

It functions as if it were printed with the two circled mana symbols on it, so it’s pretty obvious it has to fit in your color identity like with any other card with mana symbols on them.

[@kendelia9609]

Joey: "it's been great to see the precons improve" Painbow precon: "hold my manabase"

[@masterofshadowfire]

One card that I think needs to be added is Arcane Adaptation. This card is amazing in my captain deck. Have all the creatures you steal be Horrors, always you to mill more with captain the next go around

[@AnotherGuy24]

Dude! I have that card, in fact no ever wanted that card, never could find a good use for it, cant wait to see people be confused about me naming horros in my horror deck and then clicks when I steal their dragons and turn them to Dragon horrors (evil laughter)

[@TheSilverFox442]

Unfortunately, Cryptic Spires...doesn't work that way. It does have to match your commander's color identity, still. ...so just run the relevant Thriving lands/gates instead!

[@andrewjervis4551]

I run a pretty upgraded version, and I can say without doubt that altar of the brood puts in major work. Combos (not infinitely) but quite well with Zellix

[@elliotthood1719]

Yeah, I think he thought it targeted only one opponent (?)

[@Slo-Mode]

I really love this series. I love that you have upgrades and budget options too. My favorite series on KZbin

[@kolymarut]

I think there was a combo in the precon: hullbreaker horror, everflowing chalice and sol ring.

[@murrowmench1565]

Bloodchief Ascension. No, not cheap - but you already have mindcrank in the precon for the infinite combo these two cards create, and bloodchief alone will make opponents lose life rapidly when paired with all these mill effects. It is without a doubt the number one card to add to this list if budget is not a concern

[@cba45678]

I stole an opponents Geth, Lord of the Vault in a game, and the next day headed down to my LGS to pick one up. It's a pretty solid add, especially if you're going towards the mill more than the tribal aspect.

[@davidengkent7756]

Have barely started the episode and have to pause and appreciate the shirt, love the pirate look!

[@kevinjuneja1]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aaK6d4Z4pqariJY

[@microdog]

I desperately wanted this video. You go Joey.

[@PrimalLuxrays]

I’d love to see Myrkul Lord of Bones on upping the average!

[@slaynhero13]

I'mma say it loving the shirt matching it to the theme of the pirates. Looking good joey

[@ss5gogetunks]

I love this deck, my one issue with it at the moment is that because choosing a target based on their value to you makes it feel like I'm picking on one or two people in particular and makes me instant enemies lol

[@loonar7960]

Wouldn't cryptic spires still need to be within your colors?

[@jasonsavory9748]

Yep, once circled the Colors you choose are considered part of the rules text

[@Utenlok]

In Garruk's Wake isn't a board wipe in a traditional sense, it's a wincon. you clear the board and then kill everyone because Captain is a combat deck.

[@thomasbuege8074]

Gotta do a Reaper King episode! Please!!! Keep them coming!

[@derangedcrowd]

Haunting Voyage is a great card for this deck, especially if you make the bulk of the deck Creature cards.

[@mageofwar5438]

Been waiting for this one.

[@zugesinddoof9885]

I have played the Deck several Times. Never milled an opponent, but overrunning allwayy with their creatures...that IS the strengh of the Deck...an try to mill each Turn to get Captains Trigger...

[@tobiasastudillo282]

is a good deck ?

[@zugesinddoof9885]

@@tobiasastudillo282 yes (for Casual). You have to modify IT al little bit. The to buy Decks are build to support two commanders. With few Low cost cards (I never buy any Card above 1Euro) the Deck become great. Some mana rocks, removals and you will have fun. My Deck was feared...winrate IS 50:50 but milling (that IS Not your strategy to winn with mill, Just to get opponents creatures) the opponents and using their creatures against them self IS great. Still Love it

[@Utenlok]

I agree with you on this. Captain is best as a combat and steal deck. Over reliance on the mill just makes you an enemy and you get shut down.

[@leolee8150]

Omg finally I’ve been waiting so long

[@guillemsaldo]

I run a zellix deck. From the catacombs is stellar. It is reanimation that gets to happen again later on if you get your graveyard full. In the Zellix deck I can only expect it to fetch me a land once but in Ngathrod you are constantly hitting people with combat, hence continually getting back your initiative.

[@TheKroyle]

Nice vid , i build this - would love to see an further upgrade in power level with another 100-150 bucks

[@twilightwolf90]

"We're so excited to see how far precons have come." Ypu have not seen Dominaria's Painbow yet. Both decks are a clear step down.

[@Bedhed47]

This isnt the pre-con, I have the pre-con and it doesn't have a single creature that isn't a horror. It also doesn't have the spires land

[@twilightwolf90]

@@Bedhed47 I believe Joey's point was that the precon Mind Flayarrrs was a great start. Which it certainly is. The new one, Painbow, is awful in comparison.

[@Bedhed47]

@@twilightwolf90 I see, I misunderstood. Thanks for clearing it up, I completely agree.

[@MitkoSim]

I personally also don't think Herald's Horn is justified in this list considering horrors account for only about 1/4 of the cards in it.

[@madwithjacob]

That shirt is freaking cool Joey! Where’d you get it?

[@AndrewSmith-es1tq]

Personally I think that new dominaria spoiler defiler of flesh is an auto include in this deck now tbh or even that defiler of dreams for card draw tbh

[@YaBoyEdGames]

Would love to see you guys discuss many of the Street Fighter commanders. Building zangief fight tribal now with the average and feel like there should be more to it.

[@Utenlok]

Be careful about over milling your opponents because they will turn on you quickly even if you aren't getting a whole lot out of it. People seem to hate getting milled.

[@Polemion]

If you have time I would love to see a "Cadric, Soul Kindler" Commander Deck Tech :)

[@brenobarbosa3489]

Hey Joey, hello from Brasil! I recently got into magic thru arena, now I'm looking forward for my first commander gamenight, your videos are so interesting and I plan to make all my decks based on your upping the average series, I made Willhelt already! Since here cards are more expensive, the way i managed to get into the game is thru proxies, so I just proxied out the whole deck and now I can finally play the game XD I plan to do a bunch more since it's accessible now and I have some friends that already play magic and some that will start to because of proxies as well. If you are taking any suggestions thru comments would you put on queue a upping the average of Marrow Gnawer? Rats are my favorite and I'm all about casual tribal fun

[@PapaMurkblood]

Joey, what a rad shirt!

[@AnotherGuy24]

:Oªªª double and triple milling with returns for each commander copy, U R a Genious!

[@fwop7436]

Altar of the Brood mills at least 3 cards/ trigger, it's most definitively worth it's price tag 😅

[@tylergorman8943]

Can u make galea, kindler of hope better ,

[@MrCheung113]

Altar of the Brood is very good with Zellix. This pair has milled my 3 opponents' library!

[@zugesinddoof9885]

Will be interesing to reanimate the deck with addons of the new sets...but i fear they get even more powerfull commanders

[@dersaschaffm]

Great video! Can you do a Breya updated upping the average? Just got that card in the awesome secret lair artwork and there are no builts with cards of newer sets out. Appreciate!

[@jakevarsalona2054]

So my homie made different changes n I haven't lost with my n'ghthrod deck n I haven't lost with it yet. Like I was looking forward to using my wilhelt deck but I can't stop using n'ghthrod he made it addicting

[@leolee8150]

Is 35 lands really enough? There’s a lot of big creature in this deck

[@jasonr.2506]

My thoughts exactly. I’m working on modifying and thinking going 36 or even 37

[@derangedcrowd]

I modified the lands base, adding a ton of duals, and also added some colorless mana artifacts like thran dynamo.

[@VollKaracho209]

love it!

[@Dubi264]

If you're looking for a mill synergistic board wipe, my list runs Life's Finale. It's rough to get the commander trigger on the entombed cards because he needs to still be around at end step, but it still enables some of the other reanimation spells in the deck.

[@cas126]

Screaming Swarm is a good sleeper. 6 mana is a lot, but a 4/4 flyer that mills for each attacking creature and then you can pay to re-add into your library second from the too is great.

[@lefrairzechg5118]

Hi, please upping the average of Galea.

[@YeeHa711]

My swap pick for black market would be city of shadows if you've got a copy. It's just a great way to remove threats from the board completely and benefit from the mana tacked onto the land once you're business is done with the creature(s) .

[@nikolamatasin3877]

Bit late to the party, but w/e. I've removed PRager, just does too little, draw a card, not something I want, not even on horror (I will replace it later one with evasive one), also removed Layline, Pull From Tomorrow, Crippling Fear, Fact or Ficition too. Invasion of Amonkhet was nice inclussion, everyone mills three, discards a card, and you draw a card, Pilfered Plans is also there, someone mills two, you draw two, can be nice. Gyruda kinda seemed like autoinclude since it's fun and goes stupid with Doublers too (which I didn't include as of yet), Intellect Devourer to up the horror count, plus it acts as sort of ramp, Arvinox is also here, because it's fun Horror, not because it works well lol. Sepulchral Primordial and Rakshasa Debaser can be nuts. Was too lazy to dig up horrors, so just used more (bad) mill, like Paranoid Delusions, Mind Funeral and Terisian Mindbreaker, as well as Sphinx's Tutelage... It's free Mill lol. And can double as Mana Sink too. Also added Scion of Halaster for selective Card Draw. Will probably include Search for Azcanta. Considering Cairn Wanderer and Changling Outcast as inclusions, considering lack of good horrors in my collection, I'm also considering Mirror of the Forebears. Shadow Kin seems nice too. Sleeper's Robe seems like great inclusion to give something evasion and draw you cards. Sword of B&M to give evasion and mill cards. Then there's Thing in the Ice, it's lightning rod for removal :D, but considering you're bouncing everything, without Altar to sack cards to it, or Woe Strider out, it's probably too risky. Strionic Resonater with returning creature to the battlefield trigger seems nice. Trepanation Blade also seems like it would annoy people, especially if they need land drops

[@NomorNajmal]

If I really like Umbris, can I add him to the deck or is that a really bad idea? ty for the video

[@thisguythatguy123]

Captain or Phenax for mill?

[@MagicKinghts]

what to take out for the $$$ upgrades 🤔

[@kylebashkir5923]

Would greatly appreciate a Kaalia redux

[@CCCSand]

Interesting

[@philvess6376]

Hard to believe you did not mention him, but I would strongly suggest Phenax, God of Deception as an upgrade. When he's on the battlefield, you can tap any of the x/x= number of cards in GY for massive milling effect. Eventually strong enough to Traumatize 1-2 players.

[@dmytrokrykunov3177]

Make Faldorn dread wolf herald!!!!

[@baseformvic116]

Captain who?

[@Johngottisentme]

Completely new to the game. Bought This precon, not bad, I barely need to edit the deck.

[@Zeromus5555]

I took Hullbreaker Horror out. It just isn't doing what the deck wants to do and it's WAY too much mana.

[@robertdavis5569]

No duskmantle guildmage?

[@Zeromus5555]

Biggest issue with the Precon is the curve is way too high. I think Joey clearly hasn't tested enough... such a small amount t of changes just isn't right.

[@Michaelwuzheer]

My friend plays this deck and i absolutely hate going against it i just get half my deck played against me fuck the wizards employee who came up with this deck lmao

[@robertmartin9470]

Don’t forget abt the minecrank

[@SirGrimLockSmithVIII]

Teferi's tutelage is a better psychic corrosion cuz it lets you loot on etb, just throwing that out there.

[@JamesArthurC]

Psychic Corrosion affects each opponent, where Teferi's Tutelage only affects a target opponent.

[@SirGrimLockSmithVIII]

@@JamesArthurC Ohhhhh crap didn't even realize that wow

[@Bedhed47]

Wait a minute, this isn't the N'ghathrod pre-con... Also you are pronouncing it wrong.

[@VollKaracho209]

I just got my precon and you are right. Some cards are missing.

[@Zeromus5555]

Don't play Cut Your Losses... way too much mana and to copy it you need to sac a horror.

[@UjicoHatesLife]

I saw this card and lost my fucking mind