Update 5/21/18
Bit of an update/sharing of games; to start I finished second in an 12 man single elimination tournament at my local game store. I went undefeated till the final round facing decks various generals such as The Locust God, Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim, and Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger to name an few. I was an turn faster than each as I played aggressively typically winning with two rat colony after my general hit the field on turn 4 or 5(most notably I did not have to make rat tokens). The final game was versus the other undefeated player who was running Godo, Bandit Warlord + Helm of the Host combo, which was on the play opened with Simian Spirit Guide in hand and played an mountain into sol ring to Ruby Medallion then Vessel of Volatility via shaman spirit guide. Ultimately the game ended on turn 5 or 6 (I got 3 turns and dropped my own swamp to sol ring into jet medallion then the following turn dropped my commander then on my final turn and handful of rat colony). Needless to say my opponent got their fateful turn and I bluffed an removal with one black mana open but they risked it and won the biscuit via entering combat with an helm tutored by gedo into Hammer of Nazahn. An truly electrifying game but was one turn short as had lethal damage via production of rat tokens, which left me being rat boi(surely out of fun non derogatory in any way).
An most interesting "theft" commander choice, perhaps playing on the hidden sub-theme of vampires? I will have to look into this idea and report back if anything worth while is uncovered... In the meantime might I recommend the inclusion of Raven's Crime, it is an repeatable way of disrupting your opponents while converting otherwise dead lands into something able to be exploited, especially with your particular game-plan. Another solid option if you enjoy raven's crime is Oona's Grace but with potential use of an surprise deck' win.
I am overwhelmed by the amount of suggestions/interest in my deck I will attempt to reply to each in turn.
As for DementedKirby and crimhead the choice of "trimming" Thrumming Stone for the moment is somewhat of an experiment with my playgroup/meta rather than they all gang up on me at once due to say resolved stone and subsequent rat army. I have found myself gain an few turns longer, to be under the radar so to speak, with gradual build up followed by bursts of damage typically leaving an lone survivor at the table(typically 3-4 players per table) if left unanswered.
To keep things brief I will touch on the key points that stood out to me in your particular suggestions. Another honorary member of the Nezumi for 5 Years, most impressive! I sure hope they come out with more rats in the following 5 years! As for the everyone draw an card...state based action... I win?!?!?! Most clever indeed, also will aid in shoring up my hand when things go slow. Speaking of when things go slow, nothing like an well timed "We're BACK!!!" plays which I am working towards acquiring Patriarch's Bidding as there is an distinct lack of tribal.
marrow-gnawer + Ashnod's altar + staff of domination = infinite colourless mana, infinite life, infinite card draw and infinite rat rokens
Tutor them up and spit them out for 6 mana to go to infinite town
Solid suggestions, I have often found myself weighing the value of Ashnod's Altar to altar of dementia and/or vice-versa. Oddly enough in the mid to late game I often find myself swimming in unused mana after the second or fifth wrath of god and company, so am unsure on the additional mana at this point but will most certainly keep these two in mind.
Will add an suggested cards section shortly in addition to recent updates/tweaks
Great suggestions, honestly forgot about staff I should have one somewhere...should I take out boots for it? As for Rings and Thawing Glaciers for some reason my three local card shops have outrageous prices and players hold onto these specific cards till their final breath.
Keeping this short and sweet to the point as I currently looking to polish my deck an bit. Overall gameplan is to swarm with Rat Colony very quickly, as I am already being targeted out of my playgroup due to the use of these lovable swarm of rats that will black out the sun.
Update 5/21/18
Bit of an update/sharing of games; to start I finished second in an 12 man single elimination tournament at my local game store. I went undefeated till the final round facing decks various generals such as The Locust God, Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim, and Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger to name an few. I was an turn faster than each as I played aggressively typically winning with two rat colony after my general hit the field on turn 4 or 5(most notably I did not have to make rat tokens). The final game was versus the other undefeated player who was running Godo, Bandit Warlord + Helm of the Host combo, which was on the play opened with Simian Spirit Guide in hand and played an mountain into sol ring to Ruby Medallion then Vessel of Volatility via shaman spirit guide. Ultimately the game ended on turn 5 or 6 (I got 3 turns and dropped my own swamp to sol ring into jet medallion then the following turn dropped my commander then on my final turn and handful of rat colony). Needless to say my opponent got their fateful turn and I bluffed an removal with one black mana open but they risked it and won the biscuit via entering combat with an helm tutored by gedo into Hammer of Nazahn. An truly electrifying game but was one turn short as had lethal damage via production of rat tokens, which left me being rat boi(surely out of fun non derogatory in any way).
I appreciate someone finally getting back to me on this. Sadly that deck turned out to flop, but I can most certainly use one for my thread Tis All an Illusion
So basically I am looking for a new commander deck, I have narrowed it down between two commanders;ThraximundarORKresh the Bloodbraided.
What I am looking for in an commander
Sacrifice based
Commander gets big with +1/+1 counters really fast
Is an tri-colored or wedge commander
The above where the basic qualifications I had when looking for my next commander, ultimately my collection restricted the direction I went based upon my collection. I will note that I need to get several B staples such as tutors and dictate of erebos/grave pact.
Below are cards that I consider notable in my collection that could be pivotal with my decision or help others in providing feedback.
In an effort to keep this organized please attempt to follow the following format
MANDATORY
Vote: ThraximundarORKresh the Bloodbraided
Explain your reasoning in one through four sentences, citing cards or engines or personal experiences with chosen commander.
OPTIONAL
List the pros and cons based on your personal opinion of the commander suggested as an individual card either by function or lore (I am an huge sucker on lore!)
EX.
Kresh the Bloodbraided Pros
Comes in two different foil options
Able to outpace single +1/+1 counters fairly quickly
Loving the new activity on this list, sadly my deck is long gone in paper but I can certainly reboot this list online if that would be of help to you folks.
Before I explain why you should play Illusions, it helps to understand what Illusions even are. Illusions are a tribe of creatures that first appeared in the Ice Age block(1995) with minor appearances until core set Magic 2012. Where in Magic 2012 they received the first and only Illusion lord Lord of the Unreal along with its doppelganger Phantasmal Image. These two cards form the back bone of nearly all current Illusion decks, providing potential total of eight lords buffing your Illusions into a force to be reckoned with. Now these efficiently costed U creatures tend to come with a drawback which attempt to balance the "illusionary" power these creatures have.
Typically the draw back of Illusions is that several share the clause of "When ______ becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.", this will be referred to as clause X. Despite seeming rather straight forward to counter this weakness, it is important to note the following ruling.
8/15/2010: "If Phantom Beast becomes the target of a spell or ability, Phantom Beast’s ability triggers and goes on the stack on top of that spell or ability. Phantom Beast’s ability will resolve (causing it to be sacrificed) first. Unless the spell or ability has another target, it will then be countered when it tries to resolve for having no legal targets.-magiccard.info
Analysis:So looking at ruling, this provides the little known fact that countering a spell that targets an Illusion that carries clause X will NOT prevent your Illusion from sacrificing itself before the resolution of the counterspell, ultimately wasting your counterspell. This is important to know as this can be a cause of lose of tempo that can ultimately cost games. Fortunately this is drawback is rather minor upon the realization that most targeting spells such as doom blade would kill your illusion anyway.
An Illusion deck at its core is a blend of aggressively costed creatures backed by tempo spells to maintain an aggressive front. This section will cover several options that made made my list followed by explanations and alternative options.
Lord of the Unreal: This is the reason to play Illusions. The ability to go from turn one Phantasmal Bear into an turn two Lord of the Unreal turning a once cute U costed 2/2 into a 3/3 hexproof is nothing to sneeze at. The advantage only goes up from there for each copy of Lord of the Unreal on your field. Run four no matter what.
Phantasmal Image: Though primarily used to turn one Lord of the Unreal into two Lords is an effective strategy; remember that this efficient creature dose not target! Effectively able to copy the biggest creature threat on the table then be buffed +1/+1 can swing the game in your favor, particularly effective in multiples. Run four no questions asked.
Phantasmal Bear: An efficiently costed aggressive creature that trades flying for an extra point of damage for an single U provides the early game aggression desperately needed for Illusions. I run four for early aggression, though you can add Jace's Phantasm for added early aggression.
Illusory Angel: This card can be a rather love and hate relationship. As at first glance the cost of casting a spell prior is a harsh cost, yet this is easily remedied. The shear number of cantrips available for U such as brainstorm has turned this into a welcome topdeck on many occasions. Run two to three depending on the number of cantrips you run.
Phantom Beast: More of a personal preference card, the trade off of one point of power and flying for a less "intensive" 3U in comparison to the 2UU cost of Phantasmal Dragon occasionally backfires. Though I personally have found the trade off invaluable in grindy games where the added flexibility when playing cards like daze or gush with a fullset of ghost quarter mainboard. Regardless of whether you choose to run Phantasmal Dragon or Phantom Beast; I advise running two for more tempo based builds. As this is meant to be a curve topper for Illusions, a third is possible but really up to preference.
Illusory Ambusher: A rather recent addition to my own deck, this card is pulling its weight extremely well. The ability to use for an instant burst of card draw as well as a combat trick is extremely useful when the game has gone long. When buffed and protected by Lord of the Unreal and his doppelgangers this card can swing a dismal game into your favor as you draw more answers than your opponents hope to play around. Truly an lategame bomb run one as can be copied by Phantasmal Image though be careful not to deck yourself out when doing so!
Ghost Quarter: Really an utility land that can make the typical three plus color manabase have a nightmare, though not as effective for some casual games I have found it a worthwhile inclusion. Run depending on your metagame, I personally run four.
Island: Fairly basic, you need these to play your deck. I will note that this is a higher number of basics which is intentional. This allows for full use of cards such as gush or daze in addition to allowing for a more reliable UU by turn three.
Moonring Island: Another utility land, particularly useful when both players are in top deck mode when you need to know which tempo plays you can afford. Also useful as has Island type so can be used with daze or gush in a pinch. Run zero to one.
Brainstorm: Between Ponder, Preordain, and Brainstorm players have an plethora or choices; I just happen to have had a full playset of brainstorm on hand when building this. Play with what ever mix and match combination you wish to your own preference, just be careful not to run too many as you will cut into your other card options!
Mana Leak: Truly an tempo based cousin to counterspell that excels in early game. It is important to remember that clause X will make countering an targeting spell would be an waste of resources. As an Illusion with clause X will place its ability on the stack, which would cause the Illusion to sacrifice itself.
Monastery Siege: An modular enchantment that can either loot your way past an brainstorm or offer an continuous pseudo counterspell that prevents targeting unless an addition cost on cast is paid. It is important to note that the modes stack. For example if you declared Khans on two copies on your draw phase you would draw three and discard two cards, while if Dragons was declared on two copies the opponent would have to pay 4 in addition to the cost of casting an spell that targets you or an permanent you control.
Muddle the Mixture: An more specific counterspell restricted to instant and sorcery, that is not the reason we run this card. You run this card for the ability to transmute into a 2 converted mana cost card such as phantasmal image or lord of the unreal.
Think Twice:An repeatable cantrip that is particularly effective for enabling casting Illusory Angel.
Vapor Snag: Really useful to force opponents recommit their creatures, other than that it is just an unsummon with the bonus of pinging for one damage. I can see this being replaced with force away for the bonus looting but we already do that, so it is really up to preference.
Up until this point I have discussed the main interactions of this thread throughout the length of this. Below will discuss the progression of game play and what to look for in an opening hand.
Below is the bare minimum or Bottom Line of what you should have in an opening hand. These are not hard rules but they should defiantly be kept in strong consideration when deciding to keep an hand or not.
Two U sources, a ghost quarter and an island will allow for some greedy hands to work. More often than not you will be cursing yourself for not having that second U source by turn three at the latest, really just a rule of thumb but it pays off more often than not.
Two forms of interaction that is able to be played by your turn three, this is a combination of an bounce/creature/ or counter spell. The early turns are important for this deck as forcing the early removal is actually part of the decks game plan.
Before I explain why you should play Illusions, it helps to understand what Illusions even are. Illusions are a tribe of creatures that first appeared in the Ice Age block(1995) with minor appearances until core set Magic 2012. Where in Magic 2012 they received the first and only Illusion lord Lord of the Unreal along with its doppelganger Phantasmal Image. These two cards form the back bone of nearly all current Illusion decks, providing potential total of eight lords buffing your Illusions into a force to be reckoned with. Now these efficiently costed U creatures tend to come with a drawback which attempt to balance the "illusionary" power these creatures have.
Typically the draw back of Illusions is that several share the clause of "When ______ becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.", this will be referred to as clause X. Despite seeming rather straight forward to counter this weakness, it is important to note the following ruling.
8/15/2010: "If Phantom Beast becomes the target of a spell or ability, Phantom Beast’s ability triggers and goes on the stack on top of that spell or ability. Phantom Beast’s ability will resolve (causing it to be sacrificed) first. Unless the spell or ability has another target, it will then be countered when it tries to resolve for having no legal targets.-magiccard.info
Analysis:So looking at ruling, this provides the little known fact that countering a spell that targets an Illusion that carries clause X will NOT prevent your Illusion from sacrificing itself before the resolution of the counterspell, ultimately wasting your counterspell. This is important to know as this can be a cause of lose of tempo that can ultimately cost games. Fortunately this is drawback is rather minor upon the realization that most targeting spells such as doom blade would kill your illusion anyway.
An Illusion deck at its core is a blend of aggressively costed creatures backed by tempo spells to maintain an aggressive front. This section will cover several options that made made my list followed by explanations and alternative options.
Lord of the Unreal: This is the reason to play Illusions. The ability to go from turn one Phantasmal Bear into an turn two Lord of the Unreal turning a once cute U costed 2/2 into a 3/3 hexproof is nothing to sneeze at. The advantage only goes up from there for each copy of Lord of the Unreal on your field. Run four no matter what.
Phantasmal Image: Though primarily used to turn one Lord of the Unreal into two Lords is an effective strategy; remember that this efficient creature dose not target! Effectively able to copy the biggest creature threat on the table then be buffed +1/+1 can swing the game in your favor, particularly effective in multiples. Run four no questions asked.
Phantasmal Bear: An efficiently costed aggressive creature that trades flying for an extra point of damage for an single U provides the early game aggression desperately needed for Illusions. I run four for early aggression, though you can add Jace's Phantasm for added early aggression.
Illusory Angel: This card can be a rather love and hate relationship. As at first glance the cost of casting a spell prior is a harsh cost, yet this is easily remedied. The shear number of cantrips available for U such as brainstorm has turned this into a welcome topdeck on many occasions. Run two to three depending on the number of cantrips you run.
Phantom Beast: More of a personal preference card, the trade off of one point of power and flying for a less "intensive" 3U in comparison to the 2UU cost of Phantasmal Dragon occasionally backfires. Though I personally have found the trade off invaluable in grindy games where the added flexibility when playing cards like daze or gush with a fullset of ghost quarter mainboard. Regardless of whether you choose to run Phantasmal Dragon or Phantom Beast; I advise running two for more tempo based builds. As this is meant to be a curve topper for Illusions, a third is possible but really up to preference.
Illusory Ambusher: A rather recent addition to my own deck, this card is pulling its weight extremely well. The ability to use for an instant burst of card draw as well as a combat trick is extremely useful when the game has gone long. When buffed and protected by Lord of the Unreal and his doppelgangers this card can swing a dismal game into your favor as you draw more answers than your opponents hope to play around. Truly an lategame bomb run one as can be copied by Phantasmal Image though be careful not to deck yourself out when doing so!
Ghost Quarter: Really an utility land that can make the typical three plus color manabase have a nightmare, though not as effective for some casual games I have found it a worthwhile inclusion. Run depending on your metagame, I personally run four.
Island: Fairly basic, you need these to play your deck. I will note that this is a higher number of basics which is intentional. This allows for full use of cards such as gush or daze in addition to allowing for a more reliable UU by turn three.
Moonring Island: Another utility land, particularly useful when both players are in top deck mode when you need to know which tempo plays you can afford. Also useful as has Island type so can be used with daze or gush in a pinch. Run zero to one.
Brainstorm: Between Ponder, Preordain, and Brainstorm players have an plethora or choices; I just happen to have had a full playset of brainstorm on hand when building this. Play with what ever mix and match combination you wish to your own preference, just be careful not to run too many as you will cut into your other card options!
Mana Leak: Truly an tempo based cousin to counterspell that excels in early game. It is important to remember that clause X will make countering an targeting spell would be an waste of resources. As an Illusion with clause X will place its ability on the stack, which would cause the Illusion to sacrifice itself.
Monastery Siege: An modular enchantment that can either loot your way past an brainstorm or offer an continuous pseudo counterspell that prevents targeting unless an addition cost on cast is paid. It is important to note that the modes stack. For example if you declared Khans on two copies on your draw phase you would draw three and discard two cards, while if Dragons was declared on two copies the opponent would have to pay 4 in addition to the cost of casting an spell that targets you or an permanent you control.
Muddle the Mixture: An more specific counterspell restricted to instant and sorcery, that is not the reason we run this card. You run this card for the ability to transmute into a 2 converted mana cost card such as phantasmal image or lord of the unreal.
Think Twice:An repeatable cantrip that is particularly effective for enabling casting Illusory Angel.
Vapor Snag: Really useful to force opponents recommit their creatures, other than that it is just an unsummon with the bonus of pinging for one damage. I can see this being replaced with force away for the bonus looting but we already do that, so it is really up to preference.
First off congrats on play my favorite "tribe" illusions! A few things I noticed was the lack of phantasmal imagewhich happens to be one of the best ones when you copying lord of the unreal as the copy will retain the type of illusion in addition to being a 3/3 hexproof that boosts your team. Fortunately they just got a reprint in Modern Masters 2017 for about $2 - $3 each. I advise you buy them as singles due to the inflation on the pack sales, being about $10 bucks a pop. Also you can go a little lighter on counterspells if you use monastery siege and declare "dragons" it will let you play a little more aggressive without always having mana up to just protect your efficient threats.
Okay wow first off you finally gave me the confidence to play UR as I always kept avoiding the combination for personal reasons. Regardless I feel your on the right path of focusing on token generation, perhaps Descent of the Dragons might be of use to push for greater damage output despite being a rather gimmicky card.
Also in the vein of spellslinger might I suggest Curious Homunculus as its flip Voracious Reader a decent body that makes your spells cheaper?
Bit of an update/sharing of games; to start I finished second in an 12 man single elimination tournament at my local game store. I went undefeated till the final round facing decks various generals such as The Locust God, Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim, and Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger to name an few. I was an turn faster than each as I played aggressively typically winning with two rat colony after my general hit the field on turn 4 or 5(most notably I did not have to make rat tokens). The final game was versus the other undefeated player who was running Godo, Bandit Warlord + Helm of the Host combo, which was on the play opened with Simian Spirit Guide in hand and played an mountain into sol ring to Ruby Medallion then Vessel of Volatility via shaman spirit guide. Ultimately the game ended on turn 5 or 6 (I got 3 turns and dropped my own swamp to sol ring into jet medallion then the following turn dropped my commander then on my final turn and handful of rat colony). Needless to say my opponent got their fateful turn and I bluffed an removal with one black mana open but they risked it and won the biscuit via entering combat with an helm tutored by gedo into Hammer of Nazahn. An truly electrifying game but was one turn short as had lethal damage via production of rat tokens, which left me being rat boi(surely out of fun non derogatory in any way).
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Nezumi Cutthroat
1 Swarm of Rats
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Patriarch's Bidding
1 Rotting Rats
1 Nezumi Bone-Reader
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Wasteland
As for DementedKirby and crimhead the choice of "trimming" Thrumming Stone for the moment is somewhat of an experiment with my playgroup/meta rather than they all gang up on me at once due to say resolved stone and subsequent rat army. I have found myself gain an few turns longer, to be under the radar so to speak, with gradual build up followed by bursts of damage typically leaving an lone survivor at the table(typically 3-4 players per table) if left unanswered.
To keep things brief I will touch on the key points that stood out to me in your particular suggestions. Another honorary member of the Nezumi for 5 Years, most impressive! I sure hope they come out with more rats in the following 5 years! As for the everyone draw an card...state based action... I win?!?!?! Most clever indeed, also will aid in shoring up my hand when things go slow. Speaking of when things go slow, nothing like an well timed "We're BACK!!!" plays which I am working towards acquiring Patriarch's Bidding as there is an distinct lack of tribal.
Your suggestion of Heirloom Blade and Obelisk of Urd are of particular interest, will keep my eye out for these while trading next week.
As for new discussion what do you folks think of "The Following"
1 Nezumi Cutthroat
1 Swarm of Rats
1 Nezumi Bone-Reader
1 Rotting Rats
Solid suggestions, I have often found myself weighing the value of Ashnod's Altar to altar of dementia and/or vice-versa. Oddly enough in the mid to late game I often find myself swimming in unused mana after the second or fifth wrath of god and company, so am unsure on the additional mana at this point but will most certainly keep these two in mind.
Will add an suggested cards section shortly in addition to recent updates/tweaks
Great suggestions, honestly forgot about staff I should have one somewhere...should I take out boots for it? As for Rings and Thawing Glaciers for some reason my three local card shops have outrageous prices and players hold onto these specific cards till their final breath.
1 Marrow-Gnawer
Lands
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Cabal Stronghold
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Path of Ancestry
25 Swamp
1 Swarmyard
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Wasteland
1 Altar of Dementia
1 Bontu's Monument
1 Eldrazi Monument
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Herald's Horn
1 Jet Medallion
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
1 Thought Vessel
1 Vanquisher's Banner
1 Whip of Erebos
1x Crypt Ghast
1x Disciple of Bolas
1x Drainpipe Vermin
1x Gnat Miser
1x Locust Miser
1x Nezumi Bone-Reader
1x Ogre Slumlord
1x Pack Rat
25x Rat Colony
1x Ratcatcher
1x Rotting Rats
1x Ruin Rat
1x Smothering Abomination
Enchantment
1 Bad Moon
1 Dictate of Erebos
1 Grave Pact
1 Mind Slash
1 Necropotence
1 Underworld Connections
1 Ad Nauseam
1 Vona's Hunger
1 Sudden Spoiling
Sorcery
1 Diabolic Intent
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Killing Wave
1 Lab Rats
1 Living Death
1 Patriarch's Bidding
1 Plague of Vermin
Suggestions/Recommendations
1 Rings of Brighthearth
1 Thawing Glaciers
1 Ashnod's altar
1 staff of domination
1 Strip Mine
1 Cover of Darkness
Added an wishlist updated card list
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Volrath's Stronghold
Changed Chopping Block to Suggestions/Recommendations
1 Thrumming Stone
1 Ad Nauseam
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Nezumi Cutthroat
1 Swarm of Rats
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Patriarch's Bidding
1 Rotting Rats
1 Nezumi Bone-Reader
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Wasteland
What I am looking for in an commander
Below are cards that I consider notable in my collection that could be pivotal with my decision or help others in providing feedback.
1 buried alive
1 necrotic ooze
1 nim deathmantle
1 Ashnod's Altar
1 Priest of Urabrask
1 Priest of Gix
1 high market
1 Rise of the Dark realms
1 animate dead
1 Delay
1 Tendrils of agony
1 sprouting vines
1 arcane denial
1 cyclonic rift
In an effort to keep this organized please attempt to follow the following format
MANDATORY
Vote: Thraximundar OR Kresh the Bloodbraided
Explain your reasoning in one through four sentences, citing cards or engines or personal experiences with chosen commander.
OPTIONAL
List the pros and cons based on your personal opinion of the commander suggested as an individual card either by function or lore (I am an huge sucker on lore!)
EX.
Pros
Pros
1-Why Play Illusions?
1.2-Understanding Illusions
2-Decklist
2.2-Card Choices
2.2a-Creatures
2.2b-Lands
2.2c-Other
3-Strategy
3.2-Mulligans
4-Credits
4 Ghost Quarter
18 Island
1 Moonring Island
Enchantment
3 Monastery Siege
Creature
1 Illusory Ambusher
3 Illusory Angel
4 Lord of the Unreal
4 Phantasmal Bear
4 Phantasmal Image
2 Phantom Beast
4 Brainstorm
4 Mana Leak
2 Muddle the Mixture
2 Think Twice
4 Vapor Snag
Shout out at ThatRedwood for expressing interest in this which encouraged me to finish this and share it with the community.
Lord of the Unreal Art
Phantasmal Beast Card
Unhinged Island Art
Call to Mind Art
Phantom Beast Card and ruling
1-Why Play Illusions?
1.2-Understanding Illusions
2-Decklist
2.2-Card Choices
2.2a-Creatures
2.2b-Lands
2.2c-Other
3-Strategy
3.2-Mulligans
3.3-Early Game
3.4-Mid Game
3.5-Late Game
4 Ghost Quarter
18 Island
1 Moonring Island
Enchantment
3 Monastery Siege
Creature
1 Illusory Ambusher
3 Illusory Angel
4 Lord of the Unreal
4 Phantasmal Bear
4 Phantasmal Image
2 Phantom Beast
4 Brainstorm
4 Mana Leak
2 Muddle the Mixture
2 Think Twice
4 Vapor Snag
2 Echoing Truth
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Send to Sleep
4 Spreading Seas
Hope this was helpful
Also in the vein of spellslinger might I suggest Curious Homunculus as its flip Voracious Reader a decent body that makes your spells cheaper?