Which Staples Do I Put In My Izzet Commander Decks?

The staples that I put in my no-existent izzet decks.
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[@yugioh395]

For me, expressive iteration is the best. 2 mana (effectively) draw 2 out of 3 cards seen. Insanely good.

[@thomasstenson7989]

As you said, Izzet is normally spell slinger. However, a great creature for Izzet because of that is Crackling Drake. A 4 toughness flyer that cantrips, this puppy can get REAL big. Absolutely an auto include in Niv-Mizzet, IMHO.

[@rlbarney2]

Agree 100%. Best part of this card (IMO) is that its power is based on instants and sorcery in your graveyard AND exile. 🙂

[@ZH-uz4cu]

I like ravenform and resculpt as well. Great modal exile spells that hit artifacts and creatures.

[@DCII]

This is a very minor point so no hate at all, but I consider Ornithopter of Paradise to be a mana dork. Although it is an artifact it is still a creature and comes in Down with the Sickness. Like I said minor point and maybe you just misspoke. Always ❤️

[@pedrobrito2158]

Another great video! I missed Prismari Command (it does almost everything). Izzet Charm is also very useful, but not as good as the Command.

[@AtingsQuest]

Izzet Charm is good, but the command is almost do nothing...for a 3 CMC spell.

[@pedrobrito2158]

@@AtingsQuest I consider this a personal taste issue. I prefer the flexibility, even if I have to pay 1 more. But I used to run both in the izzet deck I had.

[@Orengi-kun]

Prismari command has always felt underwhelming to me tbh. I was hyped about it when Strixhaven came out, but it never makes the cut on my Izzet decks. The loot/treasure modes always feel bad to pick. The removal modes are okay for UR, but if I have access to other colors there are way better alternatives.

[@AtingsQuest]

@@pedrobrito2158 Prismari Command is very bad for its cost in any mode it could combine. It is still not good enough unless, in a heavy treasure theme deck, it's an overpaid spell. On the other hand, Abrade, Cathartic Pyre is versitile enough. And shock vs. bolt is no compare.

[@bonidc6732]

It is really good in Niv Mizzet decks, the treasure makes a huge difference there since it lets you ramp to your commander while probably getting rid of a permanent pf your oppnenet

[@FrankEGee88]

I really like Izzet Charm, Electrolyze, and Prismari Command. They offer just so much versatility and two-for-one potential that they're auto-includes for me. I find Izzet is very, very good at dealing with pesky utility creatures while generating card advantage/filtering. Also, I think you HAVE to have the U/R filter land. Just an absolute must, there's too many good UU, or RR cards not to include.

[@Krunschy]

As a buget version of Vandalblast I can recommend By Force. It's worse against treasure tokens and the like, but besides that you're pretty much destroying artifacts at a similar rate, but at a fraction of the price.

[@mjhenkel1984]

a real hero

[@oinkytheink1228]

Don’t forget that artifact board wipe that can also be a board wipe for creatures from capenna

[@freerunner1953]

I love Turnabout. It's so versatile and I've done some stupid stuff with it. It's basically a 4 mana Time Stop sometimes. It can stop attacks, ramp for an explosive turn. It just does everything. Highly underrated card.

[@RedCometNurse]

I would argue that Arcane Denial is better than either counterspell you listed. It is a staple in basically every blue deck I have. Prismari Command is super good due to its versatility. It can even serve to zap a creature or Planeswalker on its last legs. Resculpt is pretty good because it can hit a creature or an artifact and Exile them. Being able to deal with a threat permanently is very very important to me. Expressive Iteration is functionally a 2-mana draw 2. That is pretty good in any form of Izzet theme. Izzet is somewhat lacking in two-color cards that are generically good. Most of the cards are pretty theme specific. Izzet *like* Instant-Sorcery interaction a lot, but it isn't the only theme for the color, so cards like Thousand-Year Storm and Goblin Electromancer are not universally good, especially when you are doing stuff like an Artifact theme.

[@Kennythesamuri]

Thanks for making the Izzet video! I am working on a Niv Mizzet deck right now and trying to stick close to an Izzet guild theme with it. I appreciate your recommendations

[@SahnigReingeloetet]

I‘m a Yu-Gi-Oh! player. A friend of mine introduced me to MTG because he‘s part of a commander table and wants me to join. Went to my local TCG retailer and asked about the precon commander decks he had on shelf. He recommended me the red/blue Thunder Junction precon, I read the cards and decided that was probably the deck for me. Only later I learned that it was a pretty decent Izzet build. Will probably get that one and modify it a bit.

[@DrFatal1ty]

Whelming wave is also a possible boardwipe in blue. It bounces all creatures (except krakens, leviathans, serpents and octopuses etc) to their owner's hand. So doesn't exactly kill creatures, but sets everyone back a bit

[@thrasherftw]

Poor mans rift.. Which is a good thing.

[@celticfan008]

in blue but Cyclone Summoner is a similar option. Bounce all permanents except giants, wizards and lands.

[@Trasgobardo]

More tan "Counterflux" I like "Summary Dismissal" and "Whirlwind Denial". Dismissal takes care of everything in the stack. Like "Emrakul, the Promised End" and her trigger by casting her. Even things that can't be countered. And the Whirlwind is more like the beautiful baby between Counterflux and Dismissal. A storm deck casting their Storm card after a boatload of cantrips for a high storm counter, or 40 triggers of "Syr Konrad, the Grim"? Whirlwind and make them pay 4 mana for every spell and ability in the stack.

[@celticfan008]

I would throw Role Reversal into the mix. 2U1R "exchange control of two target permanents that share a permanent type." I use it in a The Locust God commander deck and it's great for stealing away high value creatures for a 1/1 flying/haste bug. But i've used it in the past to steal enchantments, at the cost of my own but sometimes that's been the best play. and it can swap opponents permanents too, nothing about permanents you control. so it'd be possible to give players extremely detrimental creatures/artifacts/enchantments given the right playgroup.

[@hunterstrunk7516]

For removal I also love resculpt, ravenform and reality shift, and mizzium mortars works as a board wipe too when you need it

[@CyclopsWasRight]

Now I need to look up ways to create copies of the Flectomancer so I can keep him around.

[@DrewCGross]

I'd also consider Defabricate for dealing with enchantments. It is a counter versus a straight removal, but it also comes with the ability to counter an activated or triggered ability. This can break a lot of nasty combos by itself, so having both options makes it a pretty nice card for 2 mana.

[@ikewagner]

Boomerang is a good instant speed blue option to get something off the battlefield, and there's a good chance if you're in Izzet you're running some wheels

[@marcolorenzi9578]

An overloaded Counterflux looks like a perfect answer to Storm shenanigans 😂

[@frionelhero]

Assuming it's a spouse on your deck, goblin electromancer is an auto include, and a lot of the various creatures that deal damage when you cast an instant or sorcery are also very useful

[@craigstuckey319]

Wild Magic Surge is underrated. Why does no one ever talk about it? This is why I love you Demo!

[@michaelhurst5403]

It doesn't get rid of indestructible things, so I'd rather have chaos warp.

[@craigstuckey319]

@michaelhurst5403 I agree but if you have slots for both, why not both?

[@michaelhurst5403]

Can understand.

[@Malverde888]

Prismari Command is ramp and removal, can also loot 2. I’d always play it.

[@LiamM777]

Never not playering reverberate and/or twincast, love those spells

[@jongailey85]

Wild Magic Surge is a great design I think. Sure they’re always going to get something else back, but you’ll want to save this for some kind of game-winning permanent. And there’s no feel-bad with it either if you play it correctly.

[@jaysillynx3190]

I think the fact that the opponent is guaranteed getting something back out of it is precisely why I don't like it. With Chaos Warp, there's a good chance they actually don't get anything back or that they just get a land. Surge will always get them something, which can often mean you just replace one problem card with another problem card, something that can still happen with Warp but there's a much lesser chance.

[@waaaaaaah5135]

Cathartic Pyre is a pretty good modal card too :) 1R instant deal 3 damage or discard up to 2 cards and draw that many

[@spiritofthenight9067]

I like Glittering Stockpile as an inexpensive mana rock. It builds momentum for the splashy spells later in the game.

[@Liteyears11]

Izzet is my favorite color pairing. But looking at my U/R EDH decks there's hardly any multi-color cards in the 99; and the only ones that appears in more than one deck are Niv-Mizzet, Parun and Galvanic Iteration in my Rielle and Veyran decks. It just seems like mono color cards are what gets the job done. Though I will say if Expressive Iteration gets banned in Modern like it did in Pioneer then my playset is going straight into each Commander deck I got that can run them!

[@SeraphimKnight]

Counterflux is the absolute best counter to Flusterstorm. If you want to see someone's hopes & dreams crushed before their eyes this is the play. 🤣

[@Krunschy]

Swerve is looking just a bit too cute for my taste. It kinda reads like a Narset's Reversal, but a tad more situational, and even that I wouldn't necessarily play over other countermagic if I'm only using it as an answer. Sure the Reversal gives them their card back, but it just works on so many more spells plus it gives you control of the spell and all the goodness that comes with it.

[@timothye.2902]

Seems like a generally worse deflecting swat to me. 1 mana cheaper in theory, but deflecting swat is free more often than not, and isn't restricted to single-target spells

[@marshallscot]

It's a counter-counter spell in a pinch though, right? Someone tries to counter your big spell, drop Swerve on the stack and make the counter spell target Swerve instead. Also, gets around spells which cannot be countered, and can be used to redirect your opponents Auras.

[@kelvintay1803]

a fun izzet spell would be role reversal.

[@trents.3149]

Respectfully disagree about blue not answering enchantments. Blue has tons of them. Most efficient enchantment removal I use is Steal Enchantment, to gain control of the enchantment. There's also Commit//Memory (doubles as a counterspell that works on anything), Blatant Thievery, and Aura Thief.

[@thrasherftw]

Yes, but some enchantments you just want GONE, not stolen. I will agree that most the time it’s better to steal them, but in certain cases it Doesn’t help at all. For example, stealing a concordant crossroads will not prevent your opponents creatures from having haste. If they’re running a card such as that in their deck it’s far more likely to benefit them than you.

[@trents.3149]

@@thrasherftw Very true. Plus, it's sorcery speed and ironically dies to removal. But it is an efficient option. People are sleeping on it and all the other decent removal options. The list of enchantment options in blue goes on and on and on.

[@Taphosthewarlock]

Bounce effects deal with everything

[@VzDeath]

Wild magic Surge is also pretty good 👍

[@JS-vu8po]

Goblin Electromancer Archmage Emeritus God-Eternal Kefnet

[@lukeleslie9648]

This video was recommended to me. Izzet good?

[@unimaginative_artist]

Thousand year storm

[@eloidasarmi6815]

Straight efficient burn like Bolt or Abrade in commander doesn't look good for me. It's one for one that extremely narrow in choosing targets. If we want removal we have hard options like ravenform, resculpt, imprisoned in the moon, pongify, RH ect. Blue boardwipes are tempo swings - River's Rebuke, Cyclonic Rift ect. Even though they don't deal permanently with your problems, they can clear board enough to open a window to win.

[@jaysillynx3190]

Bolt and Abrade are often better than they look on first glance. There's a good number of value creatures that still die to them. I agree Bolt is somewhat situational, but Abrade also being able to deal with artifacts makes it really flexible.

[@EvertfromNederland]

@@jaysillynx3190 Plus there are a bunch more commanders now out that have toughness 3. I always end up either putting L.B in or back in my decks.

[@certaingloom3797]

Two cards I would suggest. Double Negative for 3 mana it can counter up to twp spells. Role Reversal which can exchange two permanents of the same type. You can steal an opponents best permanent, play politics with it, or swap something between two opponents to impact their strategy.

[@HaraldAndreVeen]

stifle

[@sethmerz5061]

wild ricochet didnt get any recognition

[@shishishishishishi1486]

Lightning bolt suck in commander!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Krunschy]

I really can't recommend Abrade, simply because both modes are so inefficient. Given how Lightning Bolt is legal (but not even that great), were overpaying by a factor of 2 on both modes, which is way too inefficient, even when it's modal.