Chaos Theory (EDH / Commander) [Revision 213]

>How to Play

General Strategy
This deck has many viable routes rather than one focused route. It makes it fun, chaotic, and interesting, but having lots of possible ways to win means the priority is instead getting access to all the ways to win, so card advantage is the most important mechanic. Okaun gives the most straightforward ways to win, but Zndrsplt gives the most reliable card draw. Getting Zndrsplt out early will allow you to get to the relatively limited interaction spells, access more mana ramp, and get all the pieces you need to finish.

Opening
Go for lands and mana ramp. Generally plan on Zndrsplt first once you hit 5 mana. Once out, your access to cards will go up quickly. There are plenty of "no max hand size" effects, so access to mana for all of the cards you end up holding is essential. Okaun is usually only better to start with if you already have evasion and coin flipping help in the starting hand along with ramp, but that's a big ask. Okaun and Zndrsplt are both big targets for removal, so ramp helps with that as well. Just having lands and ramp in your starting hand is fine, even preferable. Ramp ramp ramp.

But besides ramp, Krark's Thumb, Strionic Resonator, Mystic Remora, and Rhystic Study are excellent starting hand cards. Tutor cards can be helpful, but most of them tutor for something specific. See the tutor section under Extra Info for ideas of what you would want from them.

Midgame/Delay
If you aren't ready to win by the mid game- most likely because Okaun has hit a roadblock- the goal is to keep flipping coins and keep Zndrsplt on the battlefield, and delay until you have a big hand full of all the tools. To that end, Planar Chaos can keep opponents hesitant about advancing at all while you gather cards. Impulsive Maneuvers is not just for pumping Okaun when he attacks; it can deter attacks just as much as Propaganda. It will make half of opponents' attacks meaningless (more if you have Krark's Thumb out), which will make them hesitant to attack at all.

For removal, Mogg Assassin is a fun politics card besides adding coin flips. If you and an opponent can agree on a third player's creature that needs to go, Mogg Assassin will always hit (although keep in mind that you have to declare your chosen target before they do, so make sure you trust them at least that much). It's hard for opponents to begrudge your removal when it involves library replacements, as Chaos Warp and Chaos Mutation do, or when it has some element of choice added to it, as Whims of the Fates does. If Jokulhaups is needed, you have indestructible mana to recover faster than your opponents.

Late Game
Win. This is cEDH, after all.

>How to Win

With Okaun, Eye of Chaos

• Swing for lethal commander damage with evasion: False Orders, Footfall Crater, Access Tunnel, Rogue's Passage, and Whispersilk Cloak
• Win outright with Chandra's Ignition

With Zndrsplt, Eye of Widsom

• Laboratory Maniac and deck yourself
• Draw cards and swing with Atemsis, All-Seeing with the same evasion used for Okaun
• Triskaidekaphile, using itself, Atemsis, and coin flips to increase hand size and casting instants to reduce it

With Style

• The Classic: Chance Encounter. Activate Frenetic Efreet an arbitrary number of times, activate Viashino Sandswimmer as much as mana allows, or play Game of Chaos at instant speed using Emergence Zone during your last opponent's end step and be a degenerate gambler.
• The NaCly Nerfherder: Knock out a single opponent with their own spell. Reverberation will make an opponent pay for their Blasphemous Act.
• The Big Brain: Body of Knowledge is obviously buddies with Zndrsplt, but Okaun likes it too. If Laboratory Maniac is out and Okaun is big (say, 80/80 or more), cast Kazuul's Fury targeting Body of Knowledge instead of an opponent. Why knock out one person when you can kill your own creature and deck yourself?
• The Greatest: Win the tontine. Hive Mind on the board. Wipe the board with Jokulhaups. Cast Pact of the Titan, pass the turn, and watch as the involuntary members of your tontine drop.

>Extra Info

Tutors

• Krark's Thumb: Muddle the Mixture , Reshape, Tribute Mage
• Pact of the Titan combo: Pact of the Titan can be tutored by Mystical Tutor or Tolaria West. Hive Mind and Jokulhaups can both be tutored by Ethereal Usher.

Points about individual cards

• Krark, the Thumbless and Sakashima of a Thousand Faces are legal alternate commander partners for this deck.
• Frenetic Efreet's ability can be activated any number of times. It does not have to be on the battlefield for it to resolve. If Zndrsplt and Laboratory Maniac are on the board, activate it 500 times, and you should have all the Zndrsplt coin flip triggers you need to win. Same with Chance Encounter.
• Viashino Sandswimmer works the same as Frenetic Efreet, although limited by mana.
• Don't forget that Karplusan Minotaur's 2nd and 3rd abilities are triggered by all coin flips, not just those during its cumulative upkeep resolution. During cumulative upkeep resolution all of the triggers are created, but they don't go onto the stack (and targets are not chosen) until the cumulative upkeep is finished resolving, and you choose the order in which they go on the stack.
• For cards like Chaotic Strike when targeting Okaun, if you win the coin flip the +1/+1 counter will already be on Okaun when Okaun's triggered ability goes on the stack.
• Note that Hive Mind creates spell copies; this is not casting a spell. This is relevant for Planar Chaos and Krark, the Thumbless. Mind's Dilation's trigger does result in casting spells.

cEDH