Talrand, Sky Summoner | Commander Tune-Ups #28

Mono blue counterspells, anyone? It's time to put the squeeze on our opponents and make them answer our flying army as we upgrade this Talrand, Sky Summoner deck to the pinnacle of mono blue tempo!
Taco's Original Deck:
tappedout.net/m...
Our Upgraded Deck:
tappedout.net/m...
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Twitter.com/Nitpicking Nerds
Music:
"Digital Lemonade," "Electrodoodle"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons...

[@Brandon_94]

I feel shark typhoon can be a really solid add since this is before Ikoria and this deck could use some new upgrades with what has come out lately, I’ve had a lot of crazy flyers on the board because of shark typhoon.

[@ReadySetPainter]

I love this commander. So easy to build, and can be so nasty.

[@NitpickingNerds]

It really is a commander that tells you exactly how to build the deck. Lots of instants and sorceries. the cheaper they are the more you can cast. And if you can protect your drakes you will win!

[@zachgilliland6586]

You can tell the guys in the video that you are watching are young, when they call it a, "Doom Blade Variant" instead of a "Terror Variant." Haha. (Yes, Doom Blade is obviously way better.)

[@NitpickingNerds]

We are 2 young cool cats!

[@andykeskimaki5409]

When you guys make/ edit decks for KZbin (such as Commander Tune-Ups), do you each make your own edits for the deck and then meet and discuss what each of you did to the deck or do you edit the deck together? P.S. This channel has become one of my favorite MTG channels to watch. Keep up the great work!

[@NitpickingNerds]

We're so glad to hear that! When we have a deck that needs tuning up, we will either meet in the same room and get the adds/cuts done together, or if one of us is busy the other will type up the document and the second will review it later and discuss possible changes. We trust each other to handle adds and cuts since we are very much in line when it comes to what we want our commander decks to accomplish. (We live in the same house, so it's pretty easy to bounce ideas off each other)

[@oberondargos5465]

I wish I could remove Talrand's Invocation from my deck, but flavor demands it.

[@NitpickingNerds]

It’s not the worst card you could play. At least it provides drakes without talrand if you have any drake synergies

[@itzmagictime8824]

Paying 4 mana to put 6 power on the field seem very powerful in mono blue. Considering its also evasive 6 power, and theres way to cheat on the cost with cards like Jace's Sanctum

[@bryanpmcgowan]

BZ, the card you were trying to think of for the last mode would be "Reach Through the Mists"

[@NitpickingNerds]

Don't you correct me! We are perfect!

[@bryanpmcgowan]

I certainly think you are

[@brettsouthwell7874]

Hey guys! Thanks for the video. I had a feeling the Mana doublers would get cut, because the deck just doesn't need all that Mana. But why cut capsize? I find it's ability to bounce anything, can really come in handy in mono blue.

[@NitpickingNerds]

It is not worth it as a single bounce spell and far to costly when you are buying it back.

[@NotANameist]

I run 10 2CMC or less rocks in this deck. Am I overdoing it? Thing is, the deck revolves around Talrand, the game doesn’t even begin on your end until you have Talrand out with the means to protect him. So I guess I don’t understand the lack of ramp here.

[@mrpopsful]

I can't seem to get Talrand right, I have roughly 8 counterspells and at least a dozen cantrips. Creating a bunch of tokens but not winning games and eventually I can't keep up creating enough tokens just to block huge things. I thought maybe it was diluted with too many weaker cards, or maybe not enough commander protection

[@NotANameist]

You need to stop worrying about blocking things with your drakes. It sounds like you are not devoting enough slots in your deck to control the board. Besides the 3 single target removal spells mentioned in this video, you’re going to want multiple slots dedicated to one-sided mass removal. Wash Out, Aetherspouts, Aetherize, River’s Rebuke and Echoing Truth (vs. creature token decks) are all good budget cards you could try that will slow down aggressive enemies big time.

[@bamfbabybamf]

Counterspell. Murder.

[@Raaayyyyyyyyyy]

most self-explanatory card? murder is pretty close I think

[@NitpickingNerds]

That’s another good one!

[@andykeskimaki5409]

I think 'unsummon' is another contender

[@crovax1375]

Would Mindbreak Trap be able to stop Nexus of Fate from shuffling back into the library?

[@NitpickingNerds]

+crovax 13 yes, any counterspell that exiles the target will also work, like Dissipate. Pretty much the only thing that works

[@crovax1375]

@@NitpickingNerds I checked the ruling after I posted and you are correct.

[@madimadimadi19]

Thanks for some inspiration - I am building a super budget Talrand I am currently playing a Uril voltron - my playgroup *hates* it so I need to build another deck

[@NitpickingNerds]

ReaperFaction so glad you liked it! How budget is your talrand deck?

[@madimadimadi19]

@@NitpickingNerds my Talrand deck isn't finished yet, but it is currently around $12 US (without shipping and basic lands of course) I am planning to keep it under $15 because I am not willing to spend lots of money.

[@NitpickingNerds]

Yeah that’s sweet! What are some of the coolest cards in it?

[@madimadimadi19]

@@NitpickingNerds Archetype of Imagination is a cool one, and Naiad of hidden coves as well

[@NitpickingNerds]

ReaperFaction Nayad is sweet, it’s a nice cost reduction effect for literally no money 😂

[@toddhall7218]

How about favorable winds, winged words, and scourge of fleets ?

[@NitpickingNerds]

Those cards just don't do enough.

[@NitpickingNerds]

Winged words seems fine, it's cheap card advantage! -Beezy

[@toddhall7218]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I have another card name to throw out Sphinx Of The Final Word. I have a deck I’d like you guys to tune up how do I contact you with the list ?

[@NitpickingNerds]

Todd Hall it’s easy to submit a deck, just post your link right here in the comments. Tappedout will be the best way to submit it, but just know that we do have a backlog of decks currently in the queue and we can’t guarantee every one gets done! ❤️

[@jaredbartlett556]

When are yall gonna tune up my Nekusar deck?

[@NitpickingNerds]

We've had a huge tune-up backlog recently, a lot of it coming from Patrons and we'd like to give newer people a chance who haven't had one yet :P

[@jaredbartlett556]

@@NitpickingNerds boo. Draw some cards an set the world on fire! ;P

[@mvanl123]

Why no kindered discovery in the deck?

[@NitpickingNerds]

That's another great card along the lines of Coastal Piracy. Honestly, you might want that instead of Piracy. Three of those enchantments might be too many?

[@onewiththewires]

you misread Mystic Confluence. gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=446090 you get three choices from that list not one, and can chose the same one multiple times

[@briceblansett6613]

minotaur warrior might have counterspell beat for most self-explanatory card

[@NitpickingNerds]

That’s some close competition lol

[@joshuabiery]

First comment!

[@NitpickingNerds]

Well done sir!

[@joshuabiery]

Thanks! Talrand was actually my first commander

[@NitpickingNerds]

How long ago did you build him? Did you have any cool experiences with the deck?

[@joshuabiery]

I’ve been playing magic for a while but got into commander last year. Its slow, but the most fun spell in my opinion to play with him is aethersnatch