<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hymn to Tourach|FEM|38b" href="#" target="_blank">Hymn to Tourach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.lizdanforth.com/">Liz Danforth</a></em></p>
<p>Welcome back to <em>60 to 100</em>, a series where I take beloved decks from 60-card formats and convert them to Commander.</p>
<p>I often write about my competitive <em>Magic</em> origin story, which was mostly comprised of me voraciously consuming tournament coverage to get a feel for the game. My all-time favorite tournament to watch was Grand Prix Richmond, a Legacy tournament from 2018. This tournament is often referred to as GP Reid Duke, because the coverage for Grand Prix Richmond showed every match that legendary <em>Magic</em> player Reid Duke played. The table microphones were on, so the viewers could hear Reid and his opponent talking during each match and the commentators took a back seat. The result was magical. Everything that I know about the mechanical process of playing the game, I learned from watching and re-watching this tournament.</p>
<p>Because of how foundational this tournament was for my development as a <em>Magic </em>player, I hold a tremendous fondness for both the deck he played, Grixis(<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>) Control, and this era of Legacy as a whole. So, in this installment of <em>60 to 100</em>, I'm going to take a stab revamping Reid's deck into a playable Commander deck. Let's get to the source material.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="2018 Grixis Control by Reid Duke" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Planeswalkers]
*3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
*1 Liliana, the Last Hope
[/Planeswalkers]
[Creatures]
*4 Baleful Strix
*2 Gurmag Angler
*3 Snapcaster Mage
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*3 Hymn to Tourach
*1 Inquisition of Kozilek
*4 Ponder
*1 Thoughtseize
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*4 Brainstorm
*2 Diabolic Edict
*2 Fatal Push
*4 Force of Will
*3 Kolaghan&#039;s Command
*2 Lightning Bolt
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*2 Badlands
*3 Bloodstained Mire
*2 Island
*4 Polluted Delta
*3 Scalding Tarn
*1 Swamp
*4 Underground Sea
*2 Volcanic Island
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jace, the Mind Sculptor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hymn to Tourach"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kolaghan&#039;s Command"></div></div>
<p>This build of Grixis comes from the tail end of what I call the two-for-one era of <em>Magic</em>. In this era, control decks like this one are highly card-advantage-focused. This deck wants to fend off the opponent's attempts to win the game while sitting back and building card advantage. Common play play patterns like using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kolaghan&#039;s Command" href="#" target="_blank">Kolaghan&#039;s Command</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to make the opponent discard one card and get back a creature that builds card advantage, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baleful Strix" href="#" target="_blank">Baleful Strix</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Snapcaster Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Snapcaster Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Once the opponent has been <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hymn to Tourach" href="#" target="_blank">Hymn to Tourach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>ed to death and buried in card advantage, winning the game can be accomplished with nearly anything.</p>
<h2>Choosing a Commander</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zevlor, Elturel Exile"></div></div>
<p>To reconstruct this Grixis Control deck in Commander, I'm going to have to pick a direction and commit to it. There are a ton of options, from a <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/planeswalkers">Superfriends</a> strategy that wants to play and protect planeswalkers to simulate the experience of sitting behind a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jace, the Mind Sculptor" href="#" target="_blank">Jace, the Mind Sculptor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to a game plan focused around building card advantage by blinking dorky creatures, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baleful Strix" href="#" target="_blank">Baleful Strix</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Augur of Bolas" href="#" target="_blank">Augur of Bolas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>I'm choosing to lean into the discard spells. Watching Reid go through the motions of resolving <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hymn to Tourach" href="#" target="_blank">Hymn to Tourach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>es and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thoughtseize" href="#" target="_blank">Thoughtseize</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s is my favorite part of GP Reid Duke, so I'm looking for a commander that enables me to run single-target discard spells, a type of card that is usually laughably bad in Commander. Thankfully, <em>Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate</em> has just the solution: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zevlor, Elturel Exile" href="#" target="_blank">Zevlor, Elturel Exile</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This Tiefling specializes in taking single-target spells that don't work very well in a Commander context and beefing them up by copying them for each opponent.</p>
<h2>Key Cards for Grixis Control</h2>
<h3>Setting Up</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nightscape Familiar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Force of Will"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Commandeer"></div></div>
<p>The early turns with this deck follow a simple script: a turn-two ramp spell into a turn-three <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zevlor, Elturel Exile" href="#" target="_blank">Zevlor, Elturel Exile</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (preferably protected with free interaction, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Force of Will" href="#" target="_blank">Force of Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), then a two- or three-mana disruptive spell on turn four, copied with Zevlor. From then on, each turn will be copying the most heinous spell in my hand for each opponent until the opponents' strategies have been rendered totally inert.</p>
<p>The biggest point of failure for Zevlor is having the commander removed immediately, which is why I've invested seven deck slots into free interaction to protect him. I wouldn't be surprised to see a savvy opponent figure out that using their <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on Zevlor at my end step on turn three is the only surefire way to avoid getting their hand (and everyone else's) <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mind Twist" href="#" target="_blank">Mind Twist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>ed away on turn four or five.</p>
<h3>Being Annoying</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hymn to Tourach"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Exhaustion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Leadership Vacuum"></div></div>
<p>Phase two of Zevlor's game plan is just being annoying! Turns four and five are for resolving cheaper spells to slow the opponents down just a little, like a speed bump. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hymn to Tourach" href="#" target="_blank">Hymn to Tourach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is my favorite, ripped straight from the source material. The part of playing the deck that I live for is when it's time to resolve three Hymn to Tourachs and I get to make my opponents shuffle their hands and lay them out on the table so I can roll a die to decide which ones they'll discard.</p>
<p>In a game where the three other players at the table understand what Zevlor is trying to accomplish, they should be using their combat step to put pressure on this deck's life total. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exhaustion" href="#" target="_blank">Exhaustion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great release valve for that pressure, forcing your opponents to skip untapping their creatures and likely buying a welcome reprieve from being bludgeoned to death with big Dinosaurs.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leadership Vacuum" href="#" target="_blank">Leadership Vacuum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Repulse" href="#" target="_blank">Repulse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are phenomenal tempo plays that help fend off creature decks while sculpting a hand that can carry Zevlor into the late game. More often than not, all it takes to turn the tide of a game is buying one or two additional turns to resolve the deck's haymakers.</p>
<h3>Hand Destruction</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Amnesia"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mind Twist|3ED|117"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rakdos&#039;s Return"></div></div>
<p>In 2018 Legacy, getting a two-for-one out of a discard spell like Hymn to Tourach was often enough to start pulling ahead. In Commander, everything is just a little bigger. The threats are scarier and there are three times as many opponents out to get you. If I want to gain an advantage from discard spells, they need to scale up as well.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mind Twist" href="#" target="_blank">Mind Twist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the definitive hand destruction spell. In the earliest days of <em>Magic</em>, using fast mana to slam an early Mind Twist was one of the best strategies in game. Decks were restricted to just one copy of Mind Twist in 1994, and it remains banned in Legacy today. Zevlor grants me the ability to Mind Twist three people at the same time! The ideal scenario is copying a Mind Twist with Zevlor to discard each opponent's entire hand.</p>
<p>Because of the nature of Commander, where each player has an eighth (or even ninth!) card in their opening hand conveniently stowed away in their command zone, Mind Twist can never be as backbreaking as it was in the early days of <em>Magic</em>. However, the task it accomplishes very well here is drastically reducing the range of plays my opponents can make for the next several turns. This frees me to tap out for more big spells for a few turn cycles while not having to worry about as much interaction or having to fear an opponent has a win condition in their hand that I have to hold up my own interaction for.</p>
<p>Despite Commander's singleton nature, I simply cannot accept only running one copy of Mind Twist, so instead I've decided to play three. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rakdos&#039;s Return" href="#" target="_blank">Rakdos&#039;s Return</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a second copy of Mind Twist that comes with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fireball" href="#" target="_blank">Fireball</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> attached. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Amnesia" href="#" target="_blank">Amnesia</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> takes the spot of Mind Twist number 3, but rather than getting to choose a value for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-x" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, it simply looks at my opponents' hands and discards all the nonlands, all while being one of the most beautiful cards I've ever laid eyes on.</p>
<h2>Winning the Game</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bribery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rite of Replication"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Relm&#039;s Sketching"></div></div>
<p>The most straightforward way to close a game with this control deck is turning my opponents' cards against them. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bribery" href="#" target="_blank">Bribery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the best method for accomplishing this task, as it doesn't require the opponent to have anything on their board. Bribery lets me pick up their deck and find whatever the biggest, coolest thing is and turn it against them. I love pointing it at mono-green players, they always have the most absurd creatures to steal.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rite of Replication" href="#" target="_blank">Rite of Replication</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Relm&#039;s Sketching" href="#" target="_blank">Relm&#039;s Sketching</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are really good in the early stages of a game for establishing a state of parity. Sure, everyone has a good creature on their board, but now so do I. As the game goes on, I'll be destroying or forcing my opponents to sacrifice all of those permanents that I've copied, and that parity will be broken.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Worst Fears"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wishclaw Talisman"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worst Fears" href="#" target="_blank">Worst Fears</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> may not have the text "you win the game" written on it, but it comes very close. Using Zevlor's ability to control an entire turn cycle will usually just result in the game becoming totally unplayable for everyone else. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wishclaw Talisman" href="#" target="_blank">Wishclaw Talisman</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a venomous tool in combination with Worst Fears, enabling me to give it to an opponent, then use it while I control their turn and find a spell from their deck that is destructive to their game plan. This sequence just kills anyone that has a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toxic Deluge" href="#" target="_blank">Toxic Deluge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire Covenant" href="#" target="_blank">Fire Covenant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in their deck, as I can tutor for it and then cast it paying their entire life total.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eldritch Pact"></div></div>
<p>Finally, and one of the most common ways I finish games with my Grixis <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/spellslinger">Spellslinger</a> decks, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eldritch Pact" href="#" target="_blank">Eldritch Pact</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an unassuming seven-mana draw spell with a secret mode: in the late game the life loss inflicted by Eldritch Pact is often enough to kill players out of nowhere, especially when played in a deck that is forcibly filling opposing graveyards. I have yet to target myself with Eldritch Pact, and I hope I never have to.</p>
<h2>Grixis Control Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Grixis Control" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Zevlor, Elturel Exile
[/Commander]
[Sorceries]
*1 Amnesia
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Bribery
*1 Choice of Damnations
*1 Cruel Ultimatum
*1 Eldritch Pact
*1 Exhaustion
*1 Extract Brain
*1 Flow State
*1 Go Blank
*1 Hell to Pay
*1 Hymn to Tourach
*1 Invoke Despair
*1 Jeska&#039;s Will
*1 Lórien Revealed
*1 Mind Twist
*1 Rakdos&#039;s Return
*1 Relm&#039;s Sketching
*1 Rite of Replication
*1 River&#039;s Rebuke
*1 Sorcerous Squall
*1 Toxic Deluge
*1 Worst Fears
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Firemind Vessel
*1 Izzet Signet
*1 Patriar&#039;s Seal
*1 Relic of Sauron
*1 Resonating Lute
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Tablet of Discovery
*1 Talisman of Creativity
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 Talisman of Indulgence
*1 Wishclaw Talisman
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Nightscape Familiar
*1 Nimbleclaw Adept
*1 Storm-Kiln Artist
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Abrade
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Commandeer
*1 Crosis&#039;s Charm
*1 Deflecting Swat
*1 Electrodominance
*1 Fierce Guardianship
*1 Flick a Coin
*1 Force of Negation
*1 Force of Will
*1 Fortune&#039;s Favor
*1 Leadership Vacuum
*1 Mental Misstep
*1 Misdirection
*1 Mystic Confluence
*1 Narset&#039;s Reversal
*1 Outrageous Robbery
*1 Repulse
*1 Snap
*1 Swan Song
*1 Traumatic Critique
*1 Waterlogged Teachings
*1 Withering Torment
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Arid Mesa
*1 Blazemire Verge
*1 Blightstep Pathway
*1 Blood Crypt
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Gloomlake Verge
*1 Horizon of Progress
*1 Island
*1 Luxury Suite
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Minamo, School at Water&#039;s Edge
*1 Mistrise Village
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Morphic Pool
*1 Mountain
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Prismatic Vista
*1 Raucous Theater
*1 Riverglide Pathway
*1 Riverpyre Verge
*1 Scalding Tarn
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Steam Vents
*1 Sulfurous Springs
*1 Sunken Palace
*2 Swamp
*1 Thundering Falls
*1 Training Center
*1 Turbulent Springs
*1 Undercity Sewers
*1 Underground River
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*1 Verdant Catacombs
*1 Watery Grave
*1 Wooded Foothills
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>This is an installment of <em>60 to 100</em> I've been looking forward to writing for a long time. Way back in December 2024 when I picked up writing this series, I pitched the series with a wildly different take on this deck, and I'm so thankful that I allowed my ideas to simmer for a year or so before coming back to it. Thanks for reading!</p>


Building Legacy Grixis Control In Commander

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terminus" href="#" target="_blank">Terminus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.jarelthreat.com/">Jarel Threat</a></em></p>
<p>Welcome back to <em>60 to 100</em>, a series where I take beloved decks from 60-card formats and convert them to Commander. It's been a few months since the last installment, and I'm so excited to get back to it! To celebrate my triumphant return, I'm going to be taking a look at one of my favorite Legacy decks from what I consider to be the format's glory days: Miracles. Once a powerhouse of the Legacy format, Miracles has completely fallen off the map in recent times. Many attribute this deck's fall from grace to the 2017 banning of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sensei&#039;s Divining Top" href="#" target="_blank">Sensei&#039;s Divining Top</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Fortunately for this series, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sensei&#039;s Divining Top" href="#" target="_blank">Sensei&#039;s Divining Top</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is still perfectly legal in Commander, and there's no one to stop me from casting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terminus" href="#" target="_blank">Terminus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> here.</p>
<h2>The Source Material</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Miracles by Brian Braun-duin" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Planeswalkers]
*2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
[/Planeswalkers]
[Creatures]
*3 Monastery Mentor
*3 Snapcaster Mage
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*4 Ponder
*4 Terminus
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*4 Brainstorm
*1 Counterspell
*4 Force of Will
*4 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*2 Engineered Explosives
*4 Sensei&#039;s Divining Top
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*4 Counterbalance
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*2 Arid Mesa
*4 Flooded Strand
*4 Island
*2 Plains
*4 Scalding Tarn
*3 Tundra
*2 Volcanic Island
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sensei&#039;s Divining Top"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Terminus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Counterbalance"></div></div>
<p>Miracles is a control deck that uses <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sensei&#039;s Divining Top" href="#" target="_blank">Sensei&#039;s Divining Top</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to set up instant-speed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terminus" href="#" target="_blank">Terminus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> plays and lock opponents out of the game with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterbalance" href="#" target="_blank">Counterbalance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. With Sensei's Divining Top and Counterbalance in play, alongside <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brainstorm" href="#" target="_blank">Brainstorm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jace, the Mind Sculptor" href="#" target="_blank">Jace, the Mind Sculptor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s +0 ability, it wasn't uncommon to achieve game states where the opponent simply couldn't resolve any more spells. From there, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Monastery Mentor" href="#" target="_blank">Monastery Mentor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, and in some cases a huge <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Entreat the Angels" href="#" target="_blank">Entreat the Angels</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> could easily close out a game. That's really all there is to it!</p>
<p>In April 2017, Sensei's Divining Top was banned, citing both power level concerns and tournament logistics issues. A player with a Sensei's Divining Top in play could often eat up large portions of the round timer, leading to delays in extra turns with repeated Top activations. Combined with the fact that Miracles had been the best deck in the format for quite some time by that point, the folks at <em>Wizards</em> decided that enough is enough. This ban didn't immediately kill the deck, but it was the beginning of the end for Miracles. Today, you won't even find Miracles in Legacy metagame breakdowns, although it has seen something of a resurgence in Modern in 2025.</p>
<h2>Bringing Miracles to Commander</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aminatou, the Fateshifter"></div></div>
<p>I struggled with choosing a commander to helm this deck a lot. In the end, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aminatou, the Fateshifter" href="#" target="_blank">Aminatou, the Fateshifter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was too good to pass up. Her precon was what introduced me to the miracle mechanic way back when, and she's literally tailor-made for this strategy! Her +1, much like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jace, the Mind Sculptor" href="#" target="_blank">Jace, the Mind Sculptor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s +0 ability, can set a miracle card on top of the deck. Her -1 blinks a permanent, which synergizes well with the many powerful enters triggers that help make this deck tick.</p>
<p>When writing this series, I'm normally something of a stickler for color identity, and I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't find an Azorius(<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>) or Jeskai(<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>) commander that tickled my fancy. To justify this breach of the source material's color identity to myself, I've decided that it isn't entirely implausible that a Miracles player at some point in the deck's history would have included a couple black cards somewhere in the 75, and black really is just a splash color in my final build of the deck anyhow.</p>
<h2>Key Cards for Miracles</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Terminus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Devastation Tide"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Entreat the Angels"></div></div>
<p>The most important part of this Miracles deck is... the miracles! In Legacy, Miracles decks got away with including four copies of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terminus" href="#" target="_blank">Terminus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and sometimes a copy or two of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Entreat the Angels" href="#" target="_blank">Entreat the Angels</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If I could, I'd probably just play four Terminuses as well, but Commander's singleton restriction forces me to branch out a bit. Thankfully, there are plenty of good options. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Devastation Tide" href="#" target="_blank">Devastation Tide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a board wipe in the same vein as Terminus. If I squint a little, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zephyrim" href="#" target="_blank">Zephyrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does a decent enough impression of Entreat the Angels. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temporal Mastery" href="#" target="_blank">Temporal Mastery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is just a bananas extra turn spell that I'd be thrilled to include in most of my blue decks.</p>
<p>In constructed formats, the second or third best version of an effect will rarely see play. Why include the second best board wipe with miracle when a deck can have four copies of Terminus? The most exciting prospect of porting a deck like Miracles to Commander is getting the thrill of playing with a lot of these second or third best options that I'd never include in a 60-card deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sensei&#039;s Divining Top"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scroll Rack"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trinket Mage"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sensei&#039;s Divining Top" href="#" target="_blank">Sensei&#039;s Divining Top</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and its functionally similar cousin, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scroll Rack" href="#" target="_blank">Scroll Rack</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are vital to allowing this deck to live out this deck's dreams of ruining opponents' days by locking them out with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterbalance" href="#" target="_blank">Counterbalance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or slamming a Terminus after they've resolved a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and moved to combat. To do that, I'm going to need a lot of ways to fish those two artifacts out of the deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trinket Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Trinket Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tribute Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Tribute Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can grab Sensei's Divining Top and Scroll Rack, respectively. They can also be blinked with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aminatou, the Fateshifter" href="#" target="_blank">Aminatou, the Fateshifter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for additional value to find artifacts, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Expedition Map" href="#" target="_blank">Expedition Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Disruptor Flute" href="#" target="_blank">Disruptor Flute</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Step Through"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spellseeker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Muddle the Mixture"></div></div>
<p>As is often the case with my decks, there's a second layer of tutors devoted to finding more tutors! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Step Through" href="#" target="_blank">Step Through</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of my favorite cards to include in blue decks, as it incentivizes me to construct a package of situational Wizards around it. In addition to giving purpose to my situational Wizards package, it serves as an uncounterable, instant-speed tutor that can find Trinket Mage or Tribute Mage for just two mana.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spellseeker" href="#" target="_blank">Spellseeker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is yet another tutor that can be searched for with Step Through. This combination provides access to any card in the deck via <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vampiric Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Vampiric Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. My favorite chain of tutors made possible in this deck is Step Through to find Spellseeker, Spellseeker to find <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muddle the Mixture" href="#" target="_blank">Muddle the Mixture</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and finally Muddle the Mixture to find <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterbalance" href="#" target="_blank">Counterbalance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This is unlikely to be a common line of play, but it's important to me that I have multiple lines to find all of my deck's key cards.</p>
<h2>How Does this Miracles Deck Win the Game?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Entreat the Angels"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zephyrim"></div></div>
<p>Aside from the common Miracles win condition of opponents conceding out of exhaustion, this control deck is actually looking to win through good, old-fashioned combat! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Entreat the Angels" href="#" target="_blank">Entreat the Angels</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zephyrim" href="#" target="_blank">Zephyrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are both instant-speed late game mana sinks that can flood the board with flying bodies to close out a game. This requires a lot of mana and therefore time to achieve, but such is the nature of control decks.</p>
<p>In a control deck like Miracles, the important thing isn't so much that it has an instant-win button, but rather that it has a theoretically possible way to bring a game to an end after it has stabilized and rendered all opposing strategies inert. By the time the board has been flooded with 4/4 Angels that are swinging for lethal, the game has likely been effectively over for multiple turns.</p>
<h2>Miracles Commander Decklist</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Legacy Miracles" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Aminatou, the Fateshifter
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Azorius Signet
*1 Bender&#039;s Waterskin
*1 Dimir Signet
*1 Disruptor Flute
*1 Expedition Map
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Meekstone
*1 Scroll Rack
*1 Sensei&#039;s Divining Top
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 Talisman of Progress
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Archaeomancer
*1 Baleful Strix
*1 Boggart Trawler // Boggart Bog
*1 Grief
*1 Loyal Warhound
*1 Reflector Mage
*1 Solitude
*1 Spellseeker
*1 Subtlety
*1 Tribute Mage
*1 Trinket Mage
*1 Triumph of Saint Katherine
*1 Venser, Shaper Savant
*1 Wall of Omens
*1 Zephyrim
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Banishing Stroke
*1 Brainstorm
*1 Brainsurge
*1 Consider
*1 Consult the Star Charts
*1 Counterspell
*1 Cryptic Command
*1 Dig Through Time
*1 Ephemerate
*1 Fell the Profane // Fell Mire
*1 Flusterstorm
*1 Force of Will
*1 Ghostly Flicker
*1 Muddle the Mixture
*1 Mystic Confluence
*1 Mystical Tutor
*1 Opt
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 Sublime Epiphany
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Three Steps Ahead
*1 Vampiric Tutor
*1 Vanishment
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Counterbalance
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Damn
*1 Devastation Tide
*1 Entreat the Angels
*1 Sea Gate Restoration // Sea Gate, Reborn
*1 Step Through
*1 Supreme Verdict
*1 Temporal Mastery
*1 Terminus
[/Sorceries]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
*1 Teferi, Master of Time
*1 Teferi, Time Raveler
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Arid Mesa
*1 Bleachbone Verge
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 Celestial Colonnade
*1 Command Tower
*1 Deserted Beach
*1 Emergence Zone
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Floodfarm Verge
*1 Gloomlake Verge
*1 Godless Shrine
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*3 Island
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Meticulous Archive
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Mystic Sanctuary
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*2 Plains
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Prismatic Vista
*1 Raffine&#039;s Tower
*1 Scalding Tarn
*1 Shadowy Backstreet
*1 Shipwreck Marsh
*1 Sunken Citadel
*1 Swamp
*1 Undercity Sewers
*1 Urza&#039;s Saga
*1 Verdant Catacombs
*1 Watery Grave
*1 Windswept Heath
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>This deck fills me with indescribable joy! I just barely missed out on the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sensei&#039;s Divining Top" href="#" target="_blank">Sensei&#039;s Divining Top</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> era of Miracles decks. My memories of that version of the deck come from binge watching old Grand Prix and SCG Tour coverage when I first ventured into competitive <em>Magic</em>. By the time I was experienced enough to even begin wrapping my head around playing Legacy, Sensei's Divining Top had long been banned. With this deck, I get to experience a taste of what masters of the archetype like Reid Duke felt playing Miracles in its prime.</p>
<p>This Commander deck falls nicely into Bracket 3 (Upgraded), including just three Game Changers and lacking any sort of two-card combos. I think this bracket is perfect for control decks like this one, as the changes that must be made to power these decks up enough to hang in higher brackets compromises their identity in ways I find less satisfying. When piloting the decks that I build for this series, I'm much more interested in the decks recreating the experience of playing their 60-card counterparts than creating a deck that plays like a high power Commander deck.</p>
<p>That's it for this installment of <em>60 to 100</em>! I'd love to read about must-play cards I missed in the comments! I'm always overjoyed to see the feedback this series gets, and I'm so happy to hear from fellow devotees of 60-card <em>Magic</em> and players that haven't gotten to experience this side of the game alike!</p>


Playing Legacy Miracles in Commander

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vivi Ornitier" href="#" target="_blank">Vivi Ornitier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://toniinfante.com/">Toni Infante</a></em></p>
<p>November's regularly scheduled <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/banned-and-restricted-november-10-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Banned &amp; Restricted Announcement</a> brought news both expected and unexpected to players across several formats on Monday.</p>
<h2>Standard</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vivi Ornitier"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Proft&#039;s Eidetic Memory"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Screaming Nemesis"></div></div>
<p>In Standard, the banning of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vivi Ornitier" href="#" target="_blank">Vivi Ornitier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> came as many assumed it would. Along with Vivi, both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Screaming Nemesis" href="#" target="_blank">Screaming Nemesis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Proft&#039;s Eidetic Memory" href="#" target="_blank">Proft&#039;s Eidetic Memory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> were shown the door.</p>
<p>According to Lead Play Designer Jadine Klomparens, the now-infamous Izzet Cauldron deck has had "an unacceptably high win and play rate" over the past few months, leading to the ban of Vivi and Proft's Eidetic Memory, key components of that particular deck.</p>
<p>As for Screaming Nemesis, Klomparens said the card's catching a ban to prevent Mono-Red Aggro from filling the vacuum left by the dismantling of Izzet Cauldron. "It may prove to be the clear front-runner in Standard in a post-Izzet Cauldron world," wrote Klomparens. "Metagames where an aggressive deck is clearly the best deck are often painful for diversity because many slower decks can't compete."</p>
<p>While there were no changes to Modern, Vintage, Alchemy, and Timeless, other formats saw bans alongside Standard.</p>
<h2>Pioneer</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heartfire Hero"></div></div>
<p>Over in Pioneer, the "core problem" of the format, according to Senior Game Designer Carmen Klomparens, is too large a portion of the Pioneer meta features either Mono-Red Aggro or decks built to counteract Mono-Red Aggro.</p>
<p>That's why <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heartfire Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Heartfire Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has to go, she said. By removing the offending mouse, "we believe Mono-Red Aggro should be able to comfortably adapt, and lessening the inevitability that comes with its early pressure will broaden what its players can explore," said Carmen.</p>
<h2>Legacy</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Entomb"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nadu, Winged Wisdom"></div></div>
<p>The pair of bans to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Entomb" href="#" target="_blank">Entomb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nadu, Winged Wisdom" href="#" target="_blank">Nadu, Winged Wisdom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have come as somewhat of a surprise to many Legacy players.</p>
<p>According to Carmen Klomparens, Dimir Reanimator has been a very resilient strategy with the classic Entomb/Reanimate synergy at its core. So resilient, said Carmen, the deck was barely phased by a ban to deck-favorite <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Troll of Khazad-dûm" href="#" target="_blank">Troll of Khazad-dûm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in March of this year.</p>
<p>During the North American Eternal Weekend Legacy Championship that occurred last month in Pittsburgh, Dimir Reanimator still had a strong showing despite continuing to be a meta boogeyman.</p>
<p>"Over the last couple of years, the details of Dimir Reanimator have changed, but the big picture shell has remained: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Entomb" href="#" target="_blank">Entomb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s incentives in deck building make it too easy to leverage high-impact threats without having to commit to the fail states that normally come with a synergistic enabler-plus-payoff combo deck," said Carmen. "Entomb specifically allows these decks to circumvent this issue and simply have the card translate to having one of the two or three most powerful creatures ever printed into the graveyard."</p>
<p>Then there's Nadu, Winged Wisdom, a creature that's no stranger to the ban-hammer. Already banned in Modern and Commander, Nadu's on the outs in Legacy as well as of today. It's so banned the image above says so in giant, bold, red letters.</p>
<p>According to Klomparens, decks built around Nadu are difficult to interact with, slow to win with, hard to represent on-board, and extremely resistant to traditional hate-pieces.</p>
<p>"This mix of the deck's power level, difficulty to attack, and undesirable play patterns has us acting against Nadu a bit more aggressively than we normally prefer to act against cards in Legacy," said Klomparens, "but we believe it is in the best interest of Legacy's health."</p>
<p>Today's banned cards join the growing list of format ne'er-do-wells, which can be found <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/banned-restricted-list">here</a>.</p>
<h2>Pauper</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="High Tide"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="High Tide" href="#" target="_blank">High Tide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was unbanned in March in what Designer Gavin Verhey dubbed a "trial unban." That trial is over.</p>
<p>Verhey said the result of that unban led to a wide swath of decks that achieved strong results while taking an "exorbitant amount of time" to execute their core combo, as well as the decks' general "unfun play pattern and polarity it causes in the format."</p>
<p>So, High Tide's back on the shelf in Pauper.</p>
<h2>Historic</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Force of Negation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Frantic Search"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mystical Tutor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Entomb"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dark Depths"></div></div>
<p>The team monitoring the health of Historic have used Monday's announcement to "pre-ban" <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Force of Negation" href="#" target="_blank">Force of Negation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Frantic Search" href="#" target="_blank">Frantic Search</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mystical Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Mystical Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Entomb" href="#" target="_blank">Entomb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark Depths" href="#" target="_blank">Dark Depths</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>All five cards are heading to the format thanks to their inclusion in <em>Avatar: The Last Airbender. </em>However, none will see the light of day in Historic, at least any time soon.</p>
<h2>Brawl</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Strip Mine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mana Drain"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chrome Mox"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Tomb"></div></div>
<p>Speaking of <em>Arena</em>-specific formats, Brawl's getting in on the ban action with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strip Mine" href="#" target="_blank">Strip Mine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mana Drain" href="#" target="_blank">Mana Drain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chrome Mox" href="#" target="_blank">Chrome Mox</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancient Tomb" href="#" target="_blank">Ancient Tomb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all being excised from the format.</p>
<p>Each has been introduced to <em>Arena </em>over the past year or so via Arena Anthologies, bonus sheets and <em>Special Guests </em>releases.</p>
<hr />
<p>According to Klomparens, to stay on top of format health, Banned &amp; Restricted announcements will be more frequent in 2026. The next scheduled Banned &amp; Restricted Announcement is slated for Feb. 9, 2026.</p>


legacy

Building Legacy Grixis Control In Commander

Playing Legacy Miracles in Commander

Vivi Axed In Standard: Banned & Restricted November 2025 Announcement