Competent Vs Jank

[robort]

Lol this is a funny meme and couldn't help it.  It reminds me so much of myself because while having competent, I love throwing some type of jank into lots of my decks. For instance while this isn't fully jank these 2 cards in the same deck just doesn't make sense. In my Hans deck I run Vigor and Bubble Matrix in the deck. My playgroups now all know in particular what Bubble Matrix does and can do. So the question is which direction do you lean into more of? Competent? Jank? Both?

[BoBWiz]

Hi,

nobody got an opinion on that?

If I build a deck in a specific format I would say most time I try to do competent magic. The jank comes automatically with the budget and the availability of cards.

When I'm playing with my playgroup I bang out the jank like there's no tomorrow!

best

[Slyvester12]

I usually aim for both. I like having a good land base, tutors, proper ramp and removal, etc... but I also like winning with dumb stuff. I want to use an infinite combo, but I want it to make infinite 1/1 faeries that I then grind up with Ashnod's Altar and turn into thopters that make Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge's death laser kill everyone. I want to use the Dramatic Scepter combo with just enough mana to break even while I make infinite Myr Propagator copies to then smash everyone with Myr Battlesphere clones.

I like combos and optimized decks, but I prefer when those decks have stupid win conditions.

[Landale]

I generally end up doing a little bit of both owing to a mix of budget limitations and a lower powered group. I'll try to make things as good as I can without going for super easy instant wins.

My Neera deck is probably the only one I've got that's intentionally janky as hell, and it still efficiently does what it wants to do. I'm going to spam draw spells to make a bunch of faeries, constructs, servos, and sharks and try to swarm you with them. And if all goes well I draw into the only creature in the deck, Displacer Kitten, and just go infinite on Grapeshot. If someone counters it, oh well, there's still that swarm of flying sharks and the like coming at them.

[stuffnsuch]

I'm like you.  I'll build around strictly jank ideas a lot of the time (Tribeless Morophon, mono-red infect, zero creatures outside of the command zone, tron but no colored mana production allowed at all and all cards under a dollar, beast tribal, just burn spells and mountains, and such).  But even when I go for a more serious idea, I usually throw one or two jank things into the mix.  I had an enchantress commander deck.  It was great, but it took me years to decide to take out my Wall of Glare Gaseous Form type combos.  I did just recently, but I generally have a hard time saying no to something that I know is sub-optimal, but strikes me as fun or cool or unexpected or whatever.

[mynameiscalled]

I have both.
Optimized for more competitive side of things (or if the table wants to turn up the EDH games), but with that being said; In a multiplayer format atleast; I love jank and lower power level decks waaay more. Made a Kwain deck that runs Suspend, Run Away Together, Polymorphist's Jest etc. Epic bangers. Plan on making a similar (Similar, as in using cards that have better counterparts to them) Xantcha, Sleeper Agent deck, that runs Scheming Symmetry etc. I usually hide a combo or 2 in the deck as well, but rarely go for it - much more fun to stick a Suspend onto Isochron Scepter, rather than Dramatic Reversal.

[UrizenII]

Jank is always fun, but then again I suppose it depends on how you define "jank."  A deck that tries to pump out Permeating Mass clones to turn everything on the board into a Permeating Mass is jank.  Possibility Storm with Cascade is not jank, it's just irritating.

I enjoy trying to build around odd, niche ideas for fun.  I have a Karona, the False God deck where the whole point is to suit her up with goad and "can't attack you" effects, then pillow fort up while my opponents kill each other with my commander.  I have a Breya deck that is not at all tuned or competitive (but can win with a couple of infinite combos just in case the game simply has gone on way too long).  Instead, I try to make as many Thopters as possible and win by punching face (did it the other day with 12 Thopter tokens and a Hope of Ghirapur plus Coat of Arms and Shared Animosity).  Obviously, I called it ROFLThopters.  The LGS that I go to somewhat regularly on Saturdays has a casual Commander League where they will change the theme or rule set to encourage new deck designs.  For example, not too long ago they did Vanguard EDH (with life total changes from the Vanguards doubled to make them actually matter in commander), a week where any Legendary card except for lands could be your commander, and another where any commander could have one Background.  Sometimes it's just as simple as, "Each player has an Emblem with, 'At the beginning of your upkeep, make a Food token.'"  It's things like this that keep the game and deck building interesting. 

Unfortunately, the ability to have fun with and get away with jank is heavily dependent on your playgroup and the other decks at the table.  Most of the people I play with, whether it's friends or people at the LGS, tend to favor stronger decks - not quite cEDH (although they have some of those decks too), but still rather fast - looking to win before turn 8 if possible.  I don't mind battlecruiser slog-fests, but my friends quickly lose interest in an EDH game if it goes longer than 30 minutes or has more than four people at the table.  As a result, my decks are in a weird position where they're not good enough to be consistently competitive with those faster decks, but they're also too strong to be considered casual (except for Karona... 6 CMC commanders are a b***h to recast if commander tax applies).

All that said, I'll leave this here (MTGRemy's I've Played Everything parody): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhFmdcbd1_A.

[CleanBelwas]

Jank is always fun, but then again I suppose it depends on how you define "jank."  A deck that tries to pump out Permeating Mass clones to turn everything on the board into a Permeating Mass is jank.

I have a deck that does exactly this and I've never felt more validated in my life.

Thank you, friend.

[UrizenII]

Jank is always fun, but then again I suppose it depends on how you define "jank."  A deck that tries to pump out Permeating Mass clones to turn everything on the board into a Permeating Mass is jank.

I have a deck that does exactly this and I've never felt more validated in my life.

Thank you, friend.

I must have the deck list for this.  I proposed it as a meme deck to a friend years ago it never came to fruition.  I think the problem is that the most effective way to do it is to use Riku of Two Reflections as the commander, and so many of the clone effect cards can get a little pricey.

[CleanBelwas]

Jank is always fun, but then again I suppose it depends on how you define "jank."  A deck that tries to pump out Permeating Mass clones to turn everything on the board into a Permeating Mass is jank.

I have a deck that does exactly this and I've never felt more validated in my life.

Thank you, friend.

I must have the deck list for this.  I proposed it as a meme deck to a friend years ago it never came to fruition.  I think the problem is that the most effective way to do it is to use Riku of Two Reflections as the commander, and so many of the clone effect cards can get a little pricey.

I've actually had quite a few permutations of this deck, but permeating mass has always been the consistent feature.

I've built it around 1/3s with Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools and Thrasios, Triton Hero. All my favourite 1/3s in one deck (of which there are many). That deck sucked.

I've built it with Thrasios, Triton Hero and Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist. I wanted white to give first strike and blue/green for tutor/pod/clone effects. Ended up using a lot of Equipment so Ardenn made sense.

The most effective build I've found has been Prime Speaker Vannifar. Shit out a token and pod it into Permeating Mass. Then play decent utility creatures like wood elves and reclamation sage and pod them into clone effects like Sakashima the Impostor and Clever Impersonator.

It worked pretty well, but tutors in the command zone is not really my idea of fun so I'm in the process of converting it again into Mimeoplasm Ooze tribal. There are a lot of oozes that behave similarly to permeating mass and create a bunch of copies of themselves or something like that, which is the aspect of it that I love. The Vannifar pod lines will be included in the 99 but it should hopefully add a little more variance to the games.

[UrizenII]

I'm not keen on tutors in the command zone either, but it is the most efficient way to get a single card out of a 99 card deck.  When the deck revolves around a single creature that's not the commander, it is pretty important to be able to find it in the first place.  That being said, green does have access to a lot of creature tutors, and casting Finale of Devastation for X=1 to get Permeating Mass really plays into the humor of the deck.

While it's true that many oozes have similar effects that copy themselves, Permeating Mass is the one of the only - if not the only - card I am aware of that tuns other things into a copy of itself (plus, it's not an Ooze).  Switching to ooze tribal feels like a cop-out .

Using Ardenn for white and first strike is a pretty good idea (damage then turns the blocker into a copy of Permeating Mass before regular combat damage is done ensuring that your Mass survives).  Another issue though is that, since it's only 1 power, it's going to be hard to get people to want to block it in the first place.  You'd either need effects to discourage opponents from not blocking (e.g. Quietus Spike; Destructive Urge; Komainu Battle Armor; Marisi, Breaker of the Coil; Vorpal Sword) or effects/tricks to force opponents to block (e.g. Invasion Plans; Odric, Master Tactician; Courtly Provocateur; Predatory Impetus; Grappling Hook).  White is probably the best splash color to accomplish all this, but red can do it too and gives far more access to additional token copies of Mass.  That's why I feel like Temur has the best color combination for the deck and consequently why Riku of Two Reflections seems like the best commander: you get all the colors you need, and he can give you an additional copy of just about any clone spell you cast.  Throw in something like a Doubling Season to make even more tokens and you're well you your way to a Permeating Mass army.

[robort]

One could also use lure effects with permeating mass as well. Give permeating mass some more power with forced block effects will allowed to select 1 damage to each creature that blocks it

[CleanBelwas]

One could also use lure effects with permeating mass as well. Give permeating mass some more power with forced block effects will allowed to select 1 damage to each creature that blocks it

Yea lure effects are one of my staple strategies for the deck. Nemesis mask was a big reason I played Ardenn. Most people just don't swing in to a permeating mass or take the one rather than block so taking the decision out of the equation can be very useful.

Unfortunately the 1 damage thing only works with lethal damage so it would need death touch too, which somewhat negates the point of turning everything into permeating mass. It means you have to be careful where you are swinging when you have a lure on.

[Slyvester12]

Instead of lure effects, you could just run a bunch of combat tricks. People might be more willing to have a board of Permeating Masses if the alternative is you using Might of Oaks before damage is assigned. You could also up the jank to 11 by trying to get a Coat of Arms out every game.

Actually, I really like the idea of spirit tribal with Permeating Mass as your only spirit. You have all the tribal effects, but you need to make your tribe.

[CleanBelwas]

You could also up the jank to 11 by trying to get a Coat of Arms out every game.

Oh shit.

Actually, I really like the idea of spirit tribal with Permeating Mass as your only spirit. You have all the tribal effects, but you need to make your tribe.

OH SHIT.

Brb, going to update the deck...