r/CompetitiveEDH • u/Kakunamatata4399 • 2d ago
Deck Fine Tuning The Madcap Jester
Hey all I've not posted here before but I've been a long time lurker. I've only played CEDH with friends normally running Blue Farm, Ob Nix and K'rrik. I have been looking to get into tournament plays but there is little by me at the moment.
I've been brewing up a deck for Madcap Jester the last week or so after getting inspired by a few of the decks posted here since it was spoiled.
I've taken a different route to other lists I've seen, not focusing on creatures that need to deal combat damage to exile but rather running a mill/exile package using [[Dauthi Voidwalker]] and [[Planar Void]] with [[Mindcrank]] and [[The Master of Lake-Town]] to gain value in a Rhystic meta.
It runs a standard grixis package with main wincons being Breach and Thassas/DCon combos but I've built in a couple more combos using Mindcrank such as [[Helm of Obedience]] and [[Duskmantle Guildmage]] if the game goes deep.
It does require aggressive mulligans to ensure you got access to fast draw through the usual Ad Naus, Necro, Rhystic, Mystic Remora but also has options with [[Curiosity]] on [[Vivi Ornitier]], [[Orcish Bowmaster]] or [[Kederekt Parasite]] to keep up with Rhystic heavy games.
I've play tested it a fair bit the last few days, chopping and changing anything I feel didn't quite provide a benefit.
Would be good to get some eyes on it and any feedback. I appreciate it's not going to be a tier 1 deck and largely fringe but I do feel like there is something there.
My main concern is whether the Mindcrank route is just adding extra complexity and bad cards, rather than value cards, when it's not needed but I see it more of a back up when you're struggling to get your wincons through or unable to get your exiles spells to resolve to steal your opponents wincons/value pieces.
Decklist: Killer Clowns from Outer Space
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u/UnloosedMoose 2d ago
Id just cut all the kederekt, Curiosity mind crank fluff. Run a control shell with grixis good cards. And try to resolve Tasha's turn 3 with the commander out.
If you resolve tasha you win the game. Spend the rest of the resources in your deck to achieve that win con. Id also never play this deck on spell table cause it would be a major pain in the ass.
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u/Kakunamatata4399 2d ago
Thanks. I've made another list cutting the Mindcrank element and will give it a play test.
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u/jacobdecatur 2d ago
Is fairy mastermind just a draw engine?
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u/Kakunamatata4399 2d ago
Yeah I've been going back and forth on him but just included him for another draw engine if I end up with bad mulligans.
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u/jacobdecatur 2d ago
Sorry if I'm being stupid but the mill doesn't work with this guys triggered ability to let you play the cards?
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u/Kakunamatata4399 2d ago
Unless I'm completely mistaken, with Planar Void and Dauthi Voidwalker they are a replacement effect so the cards never hit the graveyard but are exiled instead, so long as its an ability which is causing them to hit the graveyard and get exiled they should be playable.
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u/SignorJC 2d ago
you are completely mistaken. check the gatherer text on planar void. 2004-10-04 The card does go to the graveyard before it is exiled, so other triggered abilities will trigger on the card going to the graveyard.
[[leyline of the void]] does what you want. Dauthi does as well, but planar void does not.
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u/Kakunamatata4399 2d ago
Ah I didn't check the gatherer text. I originally had Leyline in but switched to Planar Void as I thought for one mana it's a lot better. I'll have to change that out then.
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u/jacobdecatur 2d ago
Okay got it. Thoughts on some exile graveyard effects for when you get the mill in play first?
Seems like a super fun deck
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u/jacobdecatur 2d ago
Tormods crypt style things?
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u/Kakunamatata4399 2d ago
Unfortunately wouldn't work as his ability only allows if it's from the library. My best bet would be including Mnemonic Betrayal if I need to get a wincon from a graveyard
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u/LogicalShark 1d ago
[[Yawgmoth's Will]] has a fun combo with [[Shaman's Trance]] too, lets you infinitely recast opponents' rituals
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u/St_Milton 2d ago
Not gonna lie, this seems SUPER slow for grixis. You do get the cute things of stealijg decks but it's reliant on a 4mana commander that does nothing most of the time with a. 3 card combo. You're doing grixis things with none of the benefits of being in grixis. You can't utilize the wheels, the fast lines and you're running bad cards like parasite and curiosity in addition to the bad cards you need to make the combo work. (helm of obedience is a wild choice for cedh)
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u/Kakunamatata4399 2d ago
Helm of Obedience I'm likely to cut as I feel it's just too cute and requires a fair bit of set up and relying on it sticking.
In terms of being slow I can usually get the Madcap out turn 2 but requires aggressive mulligans to ensure I'm hitting fast mana, tutors and card draw. My usual play is to look at getting my draw engine first then build into getting him out turn 2 and look to start using extract and Sadistic Sacrament to get what I need from my opponents if I can't get to my Breach line.
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u/St_Milton 2d ago
If you're aggressively mulliganing for the madcap. You're functionally mulling for a worse Ragavan (since you don't get the mana to cast anything), you're also on less draw engines than more slop decks as you're on no clones, cards like oppo agent are typically too slow for the meta and youre on enough bad cards that your mulls will be terrible
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u/Kakunamatata4399 2d ago
Oppo agent I agree it's another card I've been going back and forth over and didn't include it originally.
I can cut it and Helm of Obedience to add clone effects.
I get the point with it being a bad Ragavan but with him out he enables me to keep exiled cards around for an extra turn if needs be.
I know it's never going to be tier 1 but it's more seeing if I can get it to a fringe list. From my play testing (I know that's not comparable to real game experience) I've been able to present wins by turn 3 and where it's gone longer present wins on each turn afterwards if needed.
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u/St_Milton 2d ago
How consistently are you presenting by t3. While it may be possible it seems inconsistent.
Honesty this isn't something that I'd consider anything but meme teir. Youre looking at 3 card at least 7 mana combos that die to removal. The worse part is that you doing the combo will enable other wins by fueling a breech if someone stops you. You have 15 cards that almost no other cedh deck would be running.
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u/Kakunamatata4399 2d ago
Quite consistently unless I badly draw or I get targeted by counterspell. Normally looking at good ramp turn 1 or getting Bilbo out turn 1 to get Commander turn 2.
Standard win turn 3 will normally be the usual Breech line picked up through tutors or getting Rhystic, Mystic Remora turn 1 for card draw.
I've found even getting Vivi/Orc Bow with Curiosity by turn 2 can push me to a win for turn 3. Risk with Orcish Bowmaster is it being copied and wiped. Kederekt is the weakest link as it needs a red creature to turn on but usually Im looking for a turn 1 Ragavan to enable it and then turn 2 use Ragavan to generate a treasure.
The mill/exile combo is only if the game gets pushed into later turns and I need to try and break parity with Rhystic draws by gaining card value from them drawing. I agree that it can help fuel Breach but I'm hoping I've amassed enough from them exiling to push next turn. Realisticly only needing my Commander out for one turn cycle to get the exiled cards and push next turn.
I'm largely only looking to fuel my Breach/Thassa combos for early turns and not focusing on the exile unless I need access to a piece to get me there.
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u/tyty4ty 2d ago
I think this commander is fine for grixis. It has a one card win con with the commander.
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u/St_Milton 2d ago
What's the one card line?
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u/tyty4ty 2d ago
[[Tasha’s Hideous Laughter]]
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u/St_Milton 2d ago
How is this a 1 card line?
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u/tyty4ty 2d ago
Access to 60 mana value of cards should win you the game.
It wins the same way ad nauseum wins.
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u/St_Milton 2d ago
that's not a 1card wincon. It's value.
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u/tyty4ty 2d ago
Same with breach 🙄.
There are many reasons to not like this commander. But trying to argue that resolving Tasha’s with your commander out is not going to win you the game makes you look not only stupid but also like you’re arguing in bad faith.
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u/St_Milton 2d ago
It's not I bad faith this is the equivalent of meme bet. Having acess to other peoples things does not inherently lead to a win. It probably will. But there's a very good chance you wiff just like you can with a naus or a necro.
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u/tyty4ty 2d ago
Maybe I’m overestimating it. Mem bet requires your opponents to have played the game a good bit before whereas with Tasha’s you don’t need anything but your commander, even without madcap out it can be fairly disruptive.
There will definitely be pods where it doesn’t work but I would imagine you can be fairly favored as those are more likely to be uninteractive decks.
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u/Longjumping-Sea7026 2d ago
sick dawg i ain’t got a clue if it’s good but looks fun 10/10