That's what I currently play. I'm fairly certain there are no infinite combos; if there are, they're unintentional. It is really difficult to avoid infinite combos with Teysa, she just works with so much. I know the deck could be tuned further, but this is what I have that is not being used in other decks. The land-base could be expanded on with some more W/B producing lands, as well as a Cabal Coffers for sure. If I had a spare Sadistic Hypnotist he would make it in as well. Pontiff of Blight is one I've been pondering its effectiveness, so that would be a good card to test out. I have a spare Stoneforge Mystic laying around that might make it in. I know the vast importance of skullclamp, but I don't like adding in 1 card just to tutor 1 specific card. For the most part, my meta isn't too terribly competitive, and I enjoy more fun/interesting playstyles over cutthroat ones, which is why my focus is aiming more towards my Barrin, Master Wizard deck right now. I think this Teysa deck will be turned into a Tiny Leaders variation.
Without combo to aim for, I would focus on the token producers to either swing in for damage (Cathars' Crusade), whittle your opponents down (Blood Artist), or control the board (everything else in the deck). My version is not a very quick-win deck, but there are a lot of synergies to play around with. I find that fun, and that's the reason I play.
I hope this helped a little bit towards your non-combo version. Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!!
Im thinking knight errant becomes suns champion and lord of innistrad becomes solemn visitor for my version.
Suns Champ is overall better, in my deck and opinion, but I still run Lord of Innistrad. I like having a +1 that interacts positively with Teysa rather than Solemn Visitor's -2. But I rarely win through combat damage, so perhaps Solemn's +1 is better in combat-oriented builds.
It's a small change, but I would suggest Bloodthrone Vampire over Nantuko Husk. You mainly want the card for a sac outlet, and if it ends up being a potential wincon from combat damage, the 1 power shouldn't make too much of a difference, but the 1 cheaper mana cost could.
You may also look into some more easily recurrable creatures if that's the route you wanna go:
My suggestion for cards to potentially cut (or seem somewhat underwhelming to me):
Ball Lightning - the 3 red cost just seems a bit much to me in a multi colored deck Fume Spitter - a decent 1 drop, but it seems there are other things you'd want to sac it for than the -1/-1, ie. Tymaret Pack Rat - probably just a personal bias, but I've never been thrilled with this card
I love your idea for finding room for Ashnod's or even Phyrexian Altar and Nim Deathmantle. Some good shenanigans there for sure. You may want to replace some more basics with fetch lands if you have them. Allows more triggers for Bloodghast and does some nice death thinning. Your Vial/Rats/Collector synergy is pretty awesome and creative, I may just have to steal it
Just some suggestions for you to ponder over. I think your deck looks fantastically fun the way it is. Look forward to seeing how it shapes up.
I run Elspeth, Sun's Champion in my Teysa build. She might as well read "+1: Exile target creature." And I run Sorin, Lord of Innistrad because I can always use more black tokens/chump blockers/sac fodder. But I run a comboless Teysa, so it might be different in a combo-based deck.
I'm interested to see how this decks works out for you. I've done creatureless enchantments before but never in a mono color. I like the idea behind it and I love self-imposing restrictions on deck building to fuel creativity. On initial looks, it seems like the deck might be too passive and durddly to survive. I could be wrong, though, but I think adding in more of the cards in your sideboard might be the way to go. Secure the Wastes, White Sun's Zenith, and Martial Coup can do a lot of work for you especially with your methods of board control. If you find your board control quick and superior, you may look into adding Celestial Convergence as a wincon. I look forward to seeing how it plays.
I'll start off by just saying that my Alesha is a token build with no infinite combos, but I think some of what I play can be relevant in general. Your list is pretty tight so I'll just list what I've found useful for you to use as you wish.
Archetype of Finality - assures Alesha will survive a block, works with Siege-Gang Commander and Murderous Redcap for some nice intsta-kill. I also run Goblin Sharpshooter which is just crazy with the Archetype out. Razia's Purification - I've found more use out of this than Cataclysm as I can choose what to leave depending on my opponents' board states, whether I want more mana to dump a lot of creatures next turn, or to leave up some powerhouses for a kill. I like the versatility even though my opponent's get the same versatility and get to see what I'm saccing first before they have to choose. But overall I've found it better, even despite the higher mana cost. Reconnaissance - can't remember if this was discussed already, but at the very least it gives pseudo-vigilance and at the most it assures mostly riskless attacking every turn, especially with Alesha, although I rely on her fairly heavily compared to others I've seen. Boros Charm - pretty simple here, the second and third uses can be completely game changing for only 2 mana. It has kept me alive or destroyed opponents so many times. Rise of the Hobgoblins - mainly geared towards my token direction, but in general it's a fantastic card. Purphoros triggers, Bombardment damage, first strike + deathtouch awesomeness, Mentor of the Meek, potential blood artist procs, works with Siege-Gang, the list goes on.
Not sure if any of those will spark any changes for ya, but they've done quite the work in my deck/meta. No idea what you would cut for any of them, but I hope it's at least ponder-able.
You may look at Rise of the Hobgoblins. It does leave a nice permanent that can affect all your creatures defensively as well as aggressively. I pair it well with Archetype of Finality.
I run a Barrin deck with no extra turn cards and it still works fairly well. Extra turns really do generate the most value, but my group frowns on abused extra turns as well. I opted for more of a toolbox approach to the deck. Floodgate, Scourge of Fleets, and Lifeline are three fantastic cards for my version of the deck. I've also been toying with the idea of a Barrin Stasis build.
I think a Cleric deck can do some nice work in a competitive meta as long as people don't focus you down. I've always wanted to make one myself. I think you have some "cute" clerics in your list. It could probably be worked on. Nomad Mythmaker seems a bit too situational since you only have the Conscription in your deck. Should replace it with Academy Rector. Free Conscription, Heliod, or True Conviction from your deck seems much better. Nevermore can be nice, but it's such a limited use. I'd look at Pithing Needle or Phyrexian Revoker as cheaper replacements, unless Nevermore is shutting down someone's deck in your meta. It's all situational.
I'm sure you've already done your research on Clerics. This just makes me feel like I'm helping
I look forward to seeing how your deck shapes up and how it competes. Good luck!
Does anybody think Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded would be worth running? I have to take Insurrection out of my deck because we have our own ban list that includes cards that become "I play this, I win" Cyclonic Rift was a card we banned. I though Tibalt would make for an amusing alternative.
Does anybody think Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded would be worth running? I have to take Insurrection out of my deck because we have our own ban list that includes cards that become "I play this, I win" Cyclonic Rift was a card we banned. I though Tibalt would make for an amusing alternative.
Should probably replace Worn Powerstone with Sol Ring. Didn't see that you didn't have it in your list. An overall 100% upgrade and just enhances your Trinket Mage even more, which I don't advocate cutting. You might also find a spot for Sensei's Divining Top if you own one. Also, not sure how attached you are to Phyrexian Metamorph but I've found Clever Impersonator to be worlds better even though it doesn't have phyrexian mana and is not an artifact.
And I was just giving suggestions to perhaps enhance the success rate of the deck as I have seen in my own plays, but if it works for you the way it is and you want to maintain the highest morph count, then I can get behind that 100%. It still looks like a fun and pretty tight deck.
You have a great basis for Wizard tribal going. 19 wizards (21 if you count clones) seems like a good amount for Patron Wizard and Azami. I see you run Crystal Shard and Equilbrium. You could always try to find spots for some more creature bounce somewhere. That would increase the value of all your creatures, including Glen Elendra. Shrieking Drake or Faerie Impostor perhaps. Just throwing out ideas.
How do you usually end up winning games? Just control the board enough to slowly beat down your opponents with unmorphed creatures? The more I played my Kruphix morph, the more I realized it's really hard to close out games with just morph creatures. They're fantastic in surprise control methods, but there are very few game ending morphs, especially in mono-blue.
Just something to think about, you might try cutting some of the 'cute' niche cards for some beefy mono-blue game enders. I've had good luck with Stormtide Leviathan, Kederekt Leviathan, Inkwell Leviathan and Scourge of Fleets. That is, if you're open to the idea of having less morphs.
I've played with Stifle, Trickbind, and Voidmage in past decks. I can say that Stifle actually underperforms more than the other two. Trickbind has the capability to stop infinite combos and other potentially gamebreaking things with it's split second and ability to stop it from happening the rest of the turn. And Voidmage is a repeatable half-stifle on a stick, but gets expensive. I don't think Voidmage will fit with your decklist as well as the others would. It's mana hungry and only gets activated abilities. I think Trickbind is the real winner, even moreso if you have a combo heavy meta, and the 1 extra mana is rarely that much of an issue in EDH.
Since I'm playing in a casual meta, I rarely see any combo player if any. The big problem with the creature is Torpor Orb and yes, I think mana cost also matters, but I alao think that 1 vs 2 mana can make a difference (I am playing Counterspell instead of Dissipate after all).
Let's say I want to try Trickbind, what do I remove? looking at my non-creature cards right now, it's pretty hard.
That would be a tough one. You have a very tight list. I have a morph deck, but it's Kruphix, so I have little experience with just Ixidor. I know in my deck Aphetto Runecaster and Riptide Entrancer are low performers. The runecaster is okay, but I have access to Secret Plans, and I don't turn up enough cards that frequently for it to warrant a spot. I'm not sure how much you want to keep the 30 creature count you have. I really can't see much you could replace in the non-creature department. So I would say Riptide Entrancer cause it's just a cute card and only if you can get it to connect, but you know better than I do what works and doesn't in your deck.
3 Teysa, Orzhov Scion
Creatures (28)
1 Bloodsoaked Champion
1 Soul Warden
1 Viscera Seer
2 Blood Artist
2 Bloodghast
2 Cartel Aristocrat
2 Nether Traitor
2 Reassembling Skeleton
2 Suture Priest
3 Athreos, God of Passage
3 Grim Haruspex
3 Mentor of the Meek
3 Mirror Entity
3 Necrotic Sliver
3 Ophiomancer
3 Twilight Drover
3 Xathrid Necromancer
4 Crypt Ghast
4 Marsh Flitter
4 Sengir Autocrat
5 Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
5 Ogre Slumlord
5 Phyrexian Plaguelord
5 Reveillark
6 Grave Titan
6 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
6 Requiem Angel
6 Sun Titan
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
2 Orzhov Signet
3 Ashnod's Altar
3 Chromatic Lantern
3 Oblivion Stone
3 Orzhov Keyrune
Sorceries (10)
1 Reanimate
1 Unearth
2 Demonic Tutor
2 Martial Coup
3 Buried Alive
3 Read the Bones
3 Victimize
4 Debt to the Deathless
4 Dread Return
5 Unburial Rites
Instants (6)
1 Secure the Wastes
1 Swords to Plowshares
2 Plunge Into Darkness
4 Faith's Reward
4 Return to Dust
4 Utter End
Enchantments (8)
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
2 Spirit Bonds
3 Attrition
3 Fanatical Devotion
3 Martyr's Cause
3 Phyrexian Arena
4 Grave Pact
5 Cathars' Crusade
4 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
6 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
Lands (38)
1 Barren Moor
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Buried Ruin
1 Command Tower
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Marsh Flats
1 Mistveil Plains
1 Orzhov Basilica
1 Orzhov Guildgate
1 Scoured Barrens
1 Scrubland
1 Secluded Steppe
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 Verdant Catacombs
9 Plains
12 Swamp
That's what I currently play. I'm fairly certain there are no infinite combos; if there are, they're unintentional. It is really difficult to avoid infinite combos with Teysa, she just works with so much. I know the deck could be tuned further, but this is what I have that is not being used in other decks. The land-base could be expanded on with some more W/B producing lands, as well as a Cabal Coffers for sure. If I had a spare Sadistic Hypnotist he would make it in as well. Pontiff of Blight is one I've been pondering its effectiveness, so that would be a good card to test out. I have a spare Stoneforge Mystic laying around that might make it in. I know the vast importance of skullclamp, but I don't like adding in 1 card just to tutor 1 specific card. For the most part, my meta isn't too terribly competitive, and I enjoy more fun/interesting playstyles over cutthroat ones, which is why my focus is aiming more towards my Barrin, Master Wizard deck right now. I think this Teysa deck will be turned into a Tiny Leaders variation.
Without combo to aim for, I would focus on the token producers to either swing in for damage (Cathars' Crusade), whittle your opponents down (Blood Artist), or control the board (everything else in the deck). My version is not a very quick-win deck, but there are a lot of synergies to play around with. I find that fun, and that's the reason I play.
I hope this helped a little bit towards your non-combo version. Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!!
Suns Champ is overall better, in my deck and opinion, but I still run Lord of Innistrad. I like having a +1 that interacts positively with Teysa rather than Solemn Visitor's -2. But I rarely win through combat damage, so perhaps Solemn's +1 is better in combat-oriented builds.
You may also look into some more easily recurrable creatures if that's the route you wanna go:
Bloodsoaked Champion - super cheap, super easy to bring back
Nether Traitor - a little B dependent but can net some good things
Reassembling Skeleton - self explanatory
My suggestion for cards to potentially cut (or seem somewhat underwhelming to me):
Ball Lightning - the 3 red cost just seems a bit much to me in a multi colored deck
Fume Spitter - a decent 1 drop, but it seems there are other things you'd want to sac it for than the -1/-1, ie. Tymaret
Pack Rat - probably just a personal bias, but I've never been thrilled with this card
I love your idea for finding room for Ashnod's or even Phyrexian Altar and Nim Deathmantle. Some good shenanigans there for sure. You may want to replace some more basics with fetch lands if you have them. Allows more triggers for Bloodghast and does some nice death thinning. Your Vial/Rats/Collector synergy is pretty awesome and creative, I may just have to steal it
Just some suggestions for you to ponder over. I think your deck looks fantastically fun the way it is. Look forward to seeing how it shapes up.
P.S. I fully support anyone that plays Divine Intervention!
Archetype of Finality - assures Alesha will survive a block, works with Siege-Gang Commander and Murderous Redcap for some nice intsta-kill. I also run Goblin Sharpshooter which is just crazy with the Archetype out.
Razia's Purification - I've found more use out of this than Cataclysm as I can choose what to leave depending on my opponents' board states, whether I want more mana to dump a lot of creatures next turn, or to leave up some powerhouses for a kill. I like the versatility even though my opponent's get the same versatility and get to see what I'm saccing first before they have to choose. But overall I've found it better, even despite the higher mana cost.
Reconnaissance - can't remember if this was discussed already, but at the very least it gives pseudo-vigilance and at the most it assures mostly riskless attacking every turn, especially with Alesha, although I rely on her fairly heavily compared to others I've seen.
Boros Charm - pretty simple here, the second and third uses can be completely game changing for only 2 mana. It has kept me alive or destroyed opponents so many times.
Rise of the Hobgoblins - mainly geared towards my token direction, but in general it's a fantastic card. Purphoros triggers, Bombardment damage, first strike + deathtouch awesomeness, Mentor of the Meek, potential blood artist procs, works with Siege-Gang, the list goes on.
Not sure if any of those will spark any changes for ya, but they've done quite the work in my deck/meta. No idea what you would cut for any of them, but I hope it's at least ponder-able.
Cards that could be looked at potentially removing:
Nomad Mythmaker - stated above
Doubtless One - could be a big dude, but doesn't really advance the game on his own. Never played him so he could use some testing
Trascendent Master - seems too mana hungry for the payoff, 15 mana to get him all the way
Nevermore - stated above
Gideon, Champion of Justice - Ajani, Caller of the Pride might do more work for you
Fountain Watch - personally, I'd leave this protection up to your general
And just some cards to consider:
Mistveil Plains
Flagstones of Trokair
White Sun's Zenith - instant, reusable, and kitties!
Cavern of Souls - humans or clerics
Auriok Champion - beefed up Soul sister
Celestial Gatekeeper - cleric recursion
Angel of Serenity - might be more useful in more situations than Sunblast Angel
Containment Priest - if playing in a Brago/competitive meta, this could do some great work
Linvala, Keeper of Silence - deals with Azami nicely
Devout Chaplain - some good clerical removal
False Prophet - can keep people off your back
Frontline Medic - should probably be an auto include, it's so good
Leonin Relic-Warder
Mikaeus, the Lunarch - can get pretty silly if protected for a while
Nearheath Pilgrim
Preacher - could be silly
Soltari Visionary - should probably be another auto include
I'm sure you've already done your research on Clerics. This just makes me feel like I'm helping
I look forward to seeing how your deck shapes up and how it competes. Good luck!
Ah yeah, you're right. Darn split second.
Traitorous Blood + Radiate = Insurrection plus trample. Radiate is a fantastic card. Hilarious when used on Chaos Warp or Word of Seizing!
And I was just giving suggestions to perhaps enhance the success rate of the deck as I have seen in my own plays, but if it works for you the way it is and you want to maintain the highest morph count, then I can get behind that 100%. It still looks like a fun and pretty tight deck.
How do you usually end up winning games? Just control the board enough to slowly beat down your opponents with unmorphed creatures? The more I played my Kruphix morph, the more I realized it's really hard to close out games with just morph creatures. They're fantastic in surprise control methods, but there are very few game ending morphs, especially in mono-blue.
Just something to think about, you might try cutting some of the 'cute' niche cards for some beefy mono-blue game enders. I've had good luck with Stormtide Leviathan, Kederekt Leviathan, Inkwell Leviathan and Scourge of Fleets. That is, if you're open to the idea of having less morphs.
That would be a tough one. You have a very tight list. I have a morph deck, but it's Kruphix, so I have little experience with just Ixidor. I know in my deck Aphetto Runecaster and Riptide Entrancer are low performers. The runecaster is okay, but I have access to Secret Plans, and I don't turn up enough cards that frequently for it to warrant a spot. I'm not sure how much you want to keep the 30 creature count you have. I really can't see much you could replace in the non-creature department. So I would say Riptide Entrancer cause it's just a cute card and only if you can get it to connect, but you know better than I do what works and doesn't in your deck.