Umbris, Fear Manifest | Upping the Average

[@russellsolomon9946]

Thanks again for the Budget inclusion! I definitely suffered early on from looking at the price tag on decklists and then thinking I'd never get to play them! I think it's a very helpful inclusion for those that might be just getting into the format, people looking for a functioning and slightly lower powered list, or simply someone just trying to be more budget minded!

[@CrabBaskets]

Absolutely loving the UTA series! And the fear you bring up at the beginning of section 2, making a fool of yourself or giving bad deck advice, I would like to say that fear makes sense, however you continue to do the opposite and give great deck advice here in this series! Heck, you did a podcast episode on how to give good deck advice, and I see that play out in spades in these episodes! Thank you for this amazing content Joey!

[@mn6334]

I always seem to go into these videos not really interested in the commander and far too often come out of them wanting to build the deck...

[@Yesnomu]

Great video, and I appreciated the honest note at the start of part 2. This is one of my favorite series and you do a great job! Even when people don't agree with a cut or swap, the way you explain them makes it clear where you're coming from and helps to build better decks.

[@styfen]

You're not wrong that the horrors need to be cut down Joey, I'm just going to hard disagree that cutting Phyrexian Revoker, one of the single best horror creatures in all of commander. Was the right call. The rest, I agree are situational, but Revoker is pretty much a slam dunk bomb anywhere due to how many popular commanders can get shut down until it's removed.

[@DonJuanDecepticon]

I think you did a great job, Joey. I have been struggling with this deck for a while because it has a ton of ways to function. Don't feel bad about the ideas you put out into the world; you're doing just fine...also this video showed me web of inertia.I didn't even know that existed ✌

[@teacupkoala175]

Chasm Slulker's biggest use in this deck is to create blockers. Once the other players realize that you're about to one-shot someone, they might rally to take you out before you start picking them off one-by-one. The tokens from Chasm Skulker can eat up their attacks until it's your turn again

[@Pannlicker]

I think your idea of there being too many nightmares/horrors is spot on. When I was looking at deck ideas for Umbris I remembered thinking that a lot of people would fall into the trap of making Umbris a tribal commander. When it comes to tribal, horrors and nightmares just aren't a creature type that synergies with itself all that well. I mean you do have cards like thing in the ice that does have synergy with those creature types but even that's put to shame by elves, wizards, dragons etc. TL:DR horrors and nightmares just aren't that good for tribal gameplans

[@jordanbenoit6282]

Was excited to see this one, been stuck on my list for Umbris for awhile. You brought up the point about lacking card advantage, which is the biggest issue I found with the deck. I understand and agree with a lot of your suggestions, but I am definitely looking for even more good card draw for this list, it desperately needs it. Might be a little janky, but I can't get myself to cut fleshwrither from my list. It has way too many sweet targets and is very on theme. It can get ravenous chupacabra, Thassa, nightmare shepherd, dread presence, and more possible sweet targets.

[@makenawatkins]

This is awesome. I normally do not like to play blue at all but this legit seems fun and I would totally be down for this!

[@auroralee]

Absolutely stunned Essence Harvest and Rite of Consumption weren't already in the 99. Can't attack? Just straight-up ignore that and fling a nightmare into their face.

[@TyranitarStudios]

Remember folks this videos are just to get you started using the EDHrec site data, don't get to personal with the beautiful host! whose job is to entertain you and give you some very cool and useful tips if you want them, and even according to your budget. It feels bad that he even has to put on a disclaimer for a personal recomendation nowadays.

[@matshbocks]

Ah yes. This soothes my evil brain.

[@SitimaImpro]

Ruthless Technomancer is awesome in this deck. Just imagine sacrificing a 40/40 umbris, making 40 treasures, and reanimating him 10 times! And then… blink the technomancer and do it all over again! 😈

[@Sentralkontrol]

Doesn't umbris remain a 40/40 in the GY and command zone? Technomancers cost is based on attack

[@TRU3OGR3]

@@Sentralkontrol it’s a 1/1 in the command zone or graveyard.

[@Dragonblade_88]

I've found consuming aberration to be a great include, you cast a few spells swing in with it and umbris then give your opponent a difficult choice. In response you can activate an exile effect if they don't block umbris and commander them out or take a lot of damage from the aberration.

[@elmothejunkie]

I run umbris in my Evelyn deck, and its always a big threat, definitely one of my favorite cards in it

[@krotash7740]

I don't hate adding Naru Meha to the deck. A weird inclusion, until you realize it can go infinite with Ghostly Flicker and Displace, which you add to the deck. With Umbris on board, its a 3 card combo to exile all of your opponents libraries.

[@unclejerryyy2706]

Built this deck myself, I have to say Imperious Mindbreaker is nuts in Umbris.

[@FreddieFevens]

I like Dragon Throne of Tarkir in Umbris. It’s clunky and costs 9 mana in total, but it will absolutely end the game if activated.

[@snowboundwhale6860]

It's kind of funny how Umbris is basically a Consuming Aberration shifted sideways and slightly upwards in power. Basically the same, but CA is a 0/0 that mills from spells and feeds on the grave, while Umbris is a 1/1 that mills into exile from it's tribes and feeds off exile. They are incompatible though I agree. The lack of Fear or even menace/ intimidate on Umbris does feel somewhat remarkable for "Fear Manifest" but given how big it gets I can see why they wouldn't want the evasion built in.

[@mmmmmq]

One thing worth calling out is that Mind Flayer, the Shadow/Arvinox most likely will enter as a non-creature so it won't trigger the Umbris's ability. It's still a fun card, just one interaction that is usually confusing.

[@TwistedBobbay]

I love my homebrew Umbris deck, it's a full on nightmare/horror theme deck, the goal of my opponents is to survive the nightmare, and my goal is for the nightmare realm to consume them. Umbris has my highest "wins via commander damage" out of all my commander decks.

[@ethanolplays6240]

Would love to see you do a Kathril aspect warper upping the average. I looked and didn't see a video for it. So I apologize if you have already done a video on it. I'm thinking about making Kathril a sefl mill/ reanimation deck.

[@jamescooley5241]

Joe, soul-guide lantern is SSS+ tier. I play it in 100% of my decks, that said, if this deck has no graveyard recursion itself I can understand the swap.

[@cablebeck4940]

Just another option for ways to get through, like when you mentioned your opponent may just have a good board state. I added several equipments that give trample. It's hard to block a 56/56 with trample, and if they can block that much, you're already in danger anyway

[@hectormorales4090]

A great video and ideas, even though this is not my cup of tea, this thing is terrifying!

[@BrunoCarnaes]

Amazing! I'll work on my Umbris after this great insights. ;)

[@spencersonnier1]

I don’t have many “kill on sight”/“target acquired” commanders, but Umbris is definitely one of them. Exiling my cards from my library is one of the things in magic that bother me the most.

[@jackhumphries4692]

Got an umbris deck in my playgroup a month or two back and can't stress enough that IT GETS OUT OF HAND SO DANG FAST. Not only that but because there are so few ways to get things back from exile, even if you remove umbris you never feel safe, it's just gonna come back already just as much of a problem as it was when you used your removal.

[@dustenhostetler-vanderzee2296]

My brother knows how to play magic but will only play if I build him mill. I told him to look through the dimir mill commanders and he picked umbris. So this video is pretty useful

[@victorburghi]

Surestrike Trident is a preddy good "Fling" that dont actually sacrifice your commander

[@TheCrazyPlayer]

Excellent as always, Joey. (And particularly terrifying this time around.) I'd like to request an Upping the Average for Athreos, God of Passage. The average deck contains one (and only one) Shadowborn Apostle, which is silly; you're either all in on the Apostles, or you're not playing them. And, since Shadowbourn Apostle was only printed once (in M14, which is almost *ten years ago* now), it's ~$4 each. I really don't think the Apostle deck is the "average" deck these days. On a related note, Tormod the Desecrator is currently only being played in a comparative handful of Athreos decks, and I think it has potential to be a *very* good card for Athreos.

[@amamozart93]

Blue Braids next!

[@AlexOvTheAbyss]

Starting to feel like "Bonders Enclave" is the obligatory card to add to every deck

[@willmcgee8379]

Probably the best utility land to come out for Casual Commander in the last few years (and there is stiff competition). Most decks will make a 4/4 and if you have one in the command zone, you can avoid being hell bent in any color.

[@lokidragon8725]

I've recently found some success with Dragon throne of tarkir sit umbriss on it and attack with the random previously little horrors to make them all into Trampling behemoths! It's just plain fun!

[@DutchSnake]

Call of the nightwing was one of the first swaps i've made, it was mentioned in the EDHCast podcast challenge the stats. So after testing it IRL... 4 mana for a 1/1 that "maybe" ciphers, not in a multiplayer format does that happen often.

[@serafimb2319]

Okay please help me: I haven't consumed mtg content in a long while. Since i started watching stuff again, i noticed that the land count has drastically decreased. I'm still on 36-38 lands, but i hear numbers like 34 casually mentioned in podcasts and stuff like that. Why and how has it lowered like that?

[@markmendoza137]

I have already built a Umbris deck that strikes fear and horror into the hearts of my friends, but I think you’re onto something with the I gain you lose equal to power cards.

[@demi5275]

What about blade of selves it’s great for this

[@privettk]

Literally just put this together last night - love the suggestions! And love this series. Will we see one for Hinata?

[@cloudscade1]

I agree that the aggro strategy is powerful but I opted to focus on his mill effect and make a pretty fun mill deck.

[@Peacewalker73]

what do u think about Crumbling Sanctuary, this is my personal mvp card in my edh umbris deck

[@oceangaming88]

Any way you can post a budget friendly version?

[@colepeters8503]

How do the blink spells protect the commander when like ghostly flicker exiles then returns the creature which would then die as the board wipe resolves

[@Cantthinkofname-rp3iw]

Single target ig

[@nicolasreynaud904]

Yo Joey, i play this commander and i love it ! My version of the deck is a little more salty ! I play more mill and reanimator then horror and it is amazing ! I think you miss one of my win con that is amazing and budget : the new impérious mindbreaker. That wisard offen mill 30-40-50 sometimes the All deck of All my opposents on the simple déclaration of attackers, it is truly amazing with umbris, i think it should be auto include

[@zaine7715]

Great minds think alike. Got a list?

[@Starfox2020]

New to magic, so wanna make sure my math/rulings is right: would Rite of Replication cause 30 Umbris triggers to go on the stack? Because they each see each entrance individually and Umbris doesn't specify "one or more"? Or is it just 5? Or 10?

[@Djinnistorm]

for just a moment, there are a total of 6 Umbris copies on the board. 5 of them immediately die, but before that 6 umbris see 5 horrors enter the battlefield, so each of the 6 triggers 5 times for a total of 30 triggers.

[@meandthen2213]

Conjurer's closet. Flicker

[@justiceleagueut6235]

Can you post the budget deck list on this video to it’s not on your arktdeck profile

[@patrickbaillargeon7568]

Normally I like to argue with most of your changes but for this deck in particular I agree with all of them except one (overcharged amalgam) even the more sus changes.

[@bend5963]

Agree on rogue class but not cunning rhetoric. Either my opponents don’t attack me or I get card advantage. It’s a win win

[@huntergrant6520]

I'm gonna make this deck with Chainer Dementia master as the secret Commander

[@undeadknight121]

This deck seems sweet but there is one add i thought of when the card was spoiled, that being Chainer, Nightmare adept. Pay 3 life and 3 black to reanimate a creature that makes it a black nightmare in addition to its other types. Get more use out of utility creatures or your opponents utility creatures

[@DarthSnugglePuss]

Wrong colors.

[@undeadknight121]

@@DarthSnugglePuss Sorry ment Chainer Dementia Master

[@Mefirot]

The only bad thing if Chainer gets removed from the battlefield and there is a Umbris, Umbris shall be removed too.

[@NerdByAnyOtherName]

I feel like the reason there were as many horrors/nighmares in the average deck list was because people are playing Umbris as a horror/nightmare tribal deck, plus the fact that a lot of people are looking at Umbris as a mill deck with fun tribal synergies that doesn't lose to Muldrotha and/or shuffle titans. All that to say, the deck that was created in this video is one that (some might say disproportionately) focuses on Umbris himself, and if you don't want to build him that way then you need not take the decklist in this video as gospel.

[@kirodos]

Another fun card is Xathrid Demon. At your upkeep you sacrifice your 40/40 Umbris to the demon and make each opponent lose 40 life.

[@crovax1375]

Mist of Stagnation would be a good build around for this deck

[@MrKingjames92]

gross 🤮 haha

[@CerbearusBane]

Phenax or Altar of Dementia to mill someone for 50 if you can't attack for some reason.

[@vaporeonlvl1009]

Would rite of replication work here?

[@EDHRECast]

17:08 ;)

[@riccardopiombo222]

We want go-shintai of life's origin edh deck!!!!

[@BornFromEmbers]

Need a video on Isshin ASAP

[@Poopy03D]

Sometimes I wonder if Joe is being threatened if with something horrible if he doesn't show his hands in the opening as much as humanly possible

[@RedCometNurse]

Another week, another request for Upping the Average for Elsha of the Infinite.

[@heineaugustjensen9819]

Bitter ordeal is a pet peeve finisher for me in this deck that i saw almost no one add (4%). yes it is rude to mill everyone for half their library and then remove almost all or all lands from peoples decks (and you get to hit mass resurection out of the deck) but come on, i dont play mill to be nice

[@martonferenci]

Umm Shizo instead of a Swamp?

[@EDHRECast]

20:30 ;)

[@MadHatterTCGS]

Sooo, when we getting the Syr Konrad redux? Hehe

[@GoyfAscetic]

Please up Mayael the Anima's Average

[@RobertTheSmall]

Extremely surprised Doom Weaver didn't show up/make the cut, like yeah there is a chance if you aren't careful you just die but tribal synergy plus drawing 40 seems bonkers

[@saddlife8510]

So about that rite of replication with Umbris. Yes they die to legend rule but they technically don't etb due to legend rule being a state based action. Please correct me if I'm wrong since I would love to put gyruda in my Araumi deck but all the research I've done points to copy legends to trigger etbs don't work

[@caseywellington4761]

They do trigger. The triggers all go on the stack, they just resolve after the legend rule already happens

[@saddlife8510]

@@caseywellington4761 ah okay, so Umbris sees "horrors"(Umbris) enter the battlefield so the Umbris on the field triggers 5 times or does Umbris and the Umbris clones each trigger? E.g. using my example of encoring gyruda with Araumi, does gyruda etb trigger once or multiple gyruda triggers. TL;DR do the legendary clones individually ETB or is just to trigger the single/original etb

[@caseywellington4761]

@@saddlife8510 Three Gyruda's, for example, would get three separate triggers when you encore. But the cool thing about Umbris is that not only will each copy trigger itself, but since theyr'e all entering at the same time each copy will trigger multiple times. Basically, when you Rite on Umbris, three sections of triggers all happen at once. 1) The original Umbris sees 7 new horrors ETB, so it sets off 7 exile triggers. 2) Each cloned Umbris sees itself ETB, so each one sets off an exile trigger, which is 7 more. 3) Here's where it gets crazy. Each cloned Umbris sees 6 other Umbris-clone-horrors ETB, so each of the seven clones sets off 6 more exile triggers, resulting in a grand total of 56 exile triggers. Late in the game, that can be enough to just outright win by exiling every opponents' whole library. Crazy, right?

[@saddlife8510]

@@caseywellington4761 that's basically game, holy moly that's insane. Time to make this Umbris deck!

[@caseywellington4761]

I did the math wrong a little bit, but it's still super good.

[@thomas_schuette]

I guess Maskwood Nexus won't hurt this deck either

[@willlindell8904]

No EDH players aren't player nonbasic lands you say, My Krenko, Mob Boss deck that runs Price of Progress and Blood Moon laughs at you

[@VampiricGamess]

Hot soup?

[@brendoncoyle5905]

I don’t always watch upping the average, but when I do it’s at .75 speed so homie doesn’t sound like he’s on speed.

[@Euphorb1um]

Way too many creatures, and too few counterspells.

[@tenniscat]

Criminal the non-inclusion of Startled awake

[@metalb0087]

Definitely missed surestrike trident