I'd add Blatant Thievery, you don't have to target creatures, but if you do it can be a permanent Mass Mutiny for 1UUU. While you're at it, put in Mass Mutiny too.
For example, suppose you control a Thaumaturge and 4 other creatures, and your three opponents control a total of 10 creatures. Spend 5 mana (3x strive) to cast Polymorphous Rush on your 4 other creatures. Then you'll get a 5x discount on your next spell. Target your opponents and their creatures with Rolling Thunder with X=50 and it will cost only RR.
If you need 9 mana to combo off, you're not a combo deck. If you can't win on your Sol Ring draw before the rest of the table is on 3 mana, you're not combo either. You are probably Control, whether or not actual Control elements are played.
Can you describe what you mean by "combo deck" then?
EDIT: I'm also not sure how you can have a control deck where no "actual Control elements are played".
Personally, I like fetching lands and tutoring for answers, but not threats. I took Sunforger out of my Gisela[/card] deck because I'd always end up using it to put together a combo.
I'll recommend Tempt With Discovery. You have some nice lands you may want to tutor for, including Forbidden Orchard and Alchemist's Refuge (which is what I always Discover). If you're worried about opponents taking the offer and fetching their own Strip Mine, well, you can choose your additional lands after you see what they get. So if someone does get Strip Mine, find a Temple of Mystery or something that isn't a good target for it.
RW Firebender - A damage-based combo deck led by Gisela, Blade of Goldnight. B Correct! 6,000 Thrulls! - Endrek Sahr token stax. UB Wrexial, the Wrist-Deep - Wrist-deep in your graveyard, stealing your cards. WUBRG The Trouble With Tribals - A pan-tribal Changeling deck led by Reaper King.
It's not so much about improving the deck as much as finishing it. If your deck doesn't have duals (assuming multicolor) then your deck isn't finished no matter how competitive or casual you're trying to make it. The price on moxen would be outrageous, due to increased demand, if they were unbanned which would lead to unhappy casuals that can no longer afford to complete their decks and players new to EDH seeing they need to spend $1,000s instead of $100s for a finished deck.
Please elaborate on what you mean by a "finished" deck, because I'm pretty sure I disagree but I'm holding out hope that I just don't understand.
More accurately, you can target the equip ability with Spellskite's ability, but you will be unable to change the equip ability's target when Spellskite's ability resolves. The equip ability is not countered.
So if you remove infinite / stax / soft lock / taking whole bunch of combat or turns what are you left with as a win-con in magic? Aggro and Mill and Weird stuff like Felidar Sovereign or Maze's End.
That seems rather limited and boring.
I'm confused, are you saying that "infinite / stax / soft lock / taking whole bunch of combat or turns" is the normal way to win? I have eight decks and only one of them tries to do anything like that.
I found the link to this thread in your signature! I'm always keen to comment on decks that are similar to mine, and Phelddagrif is probably my favorite deck.
Your deck seems a lot similar to mine, although I include a lot of group hug cards. Having so much spot removal is great! The only things I have to suggest are: Fracturing Gust - This is never a dead card, it usually gains me around 20 life from everyone's mana rocks. Constant Mists - I know it's just a fog, but with Life from the Loam it can be a soft lock against one player. For such a political deck, being one of two players left is about the worst thing that can happen to you! All Sun's Dawn - Recur three cards! Incredible with spot removal, unless your meta is anti-graveyard.
I don't explicitly ask for return favors; generally I just choose ways to help that won't be frowned upon even by the opponents. It could be as simple as casting New Frontiers for 2 instead of 5, just so that one player has enough mana to cast their commander. Or I'll cast Eldrazi Conscription on an opponent's utility creature. This usually has the following effects:
1) That player now has a much better board presence and is encouraged to attack.
2) But they won't attack me, because they know I'd just sacrifice the aura itself to the annihilate trigger.
3) Other players are encouraged to remove the creature lest they be attacked by it. Yet its controller is the one who draws the aggro, not me.
DirkGently was spot on when he made the allusion to House of Cards. I like to think of my deck as the incarnation of Littlefinger from Game of Thrones; it can be very friendly, even helpful, but it's only in it for itself.
I play a very political Phelddagrif deck and it is not a huge target in my playgroup. The key is to grant boons sparingly. If the player to your left wins because you ramped him into an infinite combo, he won't be happy and neither will anyone else. Three tips for piloting a group hug deck:
1. Give people what they need, not what they want. Most of the hippo tokens I give out from Phelddagrif are used as chump blockers.
2. Do not help the entire table with an effect like Heartbeat of Spring unless you are SURE you'll get a chance to use it too.
3. Gauge the table's mood and try to stay on everyone's good side. This might mean holding off on all hug cards and instead wiping the board or disrupting another player's combo. It might mean letting your permanents be destroyed (for example, if a player doesn't want your Hive Mind in play when he casts Bribery). It might also mean being aggressive and attacking someone.
A true hug deck isn't just about giving opponents more resources, it's about fitting into their gameplan. It needs to be flexible but robust; showy but not ostentatious; fun, but fun for everyone. It's a tricky line to walk.
I love Gisela! Mine is more like a combo deck starring Stuffy Doll and friends, but I'm interested to see yours too. I'd recommend Lightmine Field and Chain Reaction as additional ways to burn everything.
One fun play could be using Polymorphous Rush to turn all your creatures into Battlefield Thaumaturges, giving your follow-up spell an exponential boost.
For example, suppose you control a Thaumaturge and 4 other creatures, and your three opponents control a total of 10 creatures. Spend 5 mana (3x strive) to cast Polymorphous Rush on your 4 other creatures. Then you'll get a 5x discount on your next spell. Target your opponents and their creatures with Rolling Thunder with X=50 and it will cost only RR.
Can you describe what you mean by "combo deck" then?
EDIT: I'm also not sure how you can have a control deck where no "actual Control elements are played".
Personally, I like fetching lands and tutoring for answers, but not threats. I took Sunforger out of my Gisela[/card] deck because I'd always end up using it to put together a combo.
B Correct! 6,000 Thrulls! - Endrek Sahr token stax.
UB Wrexial, the Wrist-Deep - Wrist-deep in your graveyard, stealing your cards.
WUBRG The Trouble With Tribals - A pan-tribal Changeling deck led by Reaper King.
Please elaborate on what you mean by a "finished" deck, because I'm pretty sure I disagree but I'm holding out hope that I just don't understand.
I'm confused, are you saying that "infinite / stax / soft lock / taking whole bunch of combat or turns" is the normal way to win? I have eight decks and only one of them tries to do anything like that.
Fracturing Gust - This is never a dead card, it usually gains me around 20 life from everyone's mana rocks.
Constant Mists - I know it's just a fog, but with Life from the Loam it can be a soft lock against one player. For such a political deck, being one of two players left is about the worst thing that can happen to you!
All Sun's Dawn - Recur three cards! Incredible with spot removal, unless your meta is anti-graveyard.
1) That player now has a much better board presence and is encouraged to attack.
2) But they won't attack me, because they know I'd just sacrifice the aura itself to the annihilate trigger.
3) Other players are encouraged to remove the creature lest they be attacked by it. Yet its controller is the one who draws the aggro, not me.
DirkGently was spot on when he made the allusion to House of Cards. I like to think of my deck as the incarnation of Littlefinger from Game of Thrones; it can be very friendly, even helpful, but it's only in it for itself.
1. Give people what they need, not what they want. Most of the hippo tokens I give out from Phelddagrif are used as chump blockers.
2. Do not help the entire table with an effect like Heartbeat of Spring unless you are SURE you'll get a chance to use it too.
3. Gauge the table's mood and try to stay on everyone's good side. This might mean holding off on all hug cards and instead wiping the board or disrupting another player's combo. It might mean letting your permanents be destroyed (for example, if a player doesn't want your Hive Mind in play when he casts Bribery). It might also mean being aggressive and attacking someone.
A true hug deck isn't just about giving opponents more resources, it's about fitting into their gameplan. It needs to be flexible but robust; showy but not ostentatious; fun, but fun for everyone. It's a tricky line to walk.