<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Red Death, Shipwrecker" href="#" target="_blank">Red Death, Shipwrecker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.jeremypaillotinart.com/">Jeremy Paillotin</a></em></p>
<p>Hey nerds! This week's deck tech was actually inspired by the recent banning of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seeker of Skybreak" href="#" target="_blank">Seeker of Skybreak</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in Pauper. It's a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Red Death, Shipwrecker" href="#" target="_blank">Red Death, Shipwrecker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Splinter Twin" href="#" target="_blank">Splinter Twin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combo deck.</p>
<p>Originally, I was going to go Temur with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seeker of Skybreak" href="#" target="_blank">Seeker of Skybreak</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. However, I wanted to challenge myself, so I went with the original Splinter Twin colors, Izzet. This color pair provides fewer tutors for the combo pieces, but greater card selection thanks to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Consult the Star Charts" href="#" target="_blank">Consult the Star Charts</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stock Up" href="#" target="_blank">Stock Up</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dig Through Time" href="#" target="_blank">Dig Through Time</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seeker of Skybreak"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hawkeye&#039;s Bow"></div></div>
<p>Red Death was selected specifically for its ability to combo with other cards in the deck. Also, it's a Crab, which pairs nicely with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Horseshoe Crab" href="#" target="_blank">Horseshoe Crab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> since Crab.</p>
<p>Once I had the idea in place, I bullied several friends to help goldfish and tune the initial list. Several tweaks and adjustments later, we have the list. This isn't the perfect list, as you can always add more <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/game-changers">Game Changers</a> to power up the interaction.</p>
<p>The deck is technically Bracket 4, since it has several two-card combos featuring Splinter Twin. However, the cheapest Twin combo is six mana, and it requires another card to win. The earliest we've had the deck win in testing is turn three, with the perfect hand.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Red Death, Shipwrecker"></div></div>
<h2>What Does Red Death, Shipwrecker Do?</h2>
<p>Great question, me. Red Death is a weird little guy that goads an opponent's creature, draws them a card, and gives you red mana. The astute among you might have noticed Red's tap ability isn't actually a mana ability. It requires your opponent to have a creature early to activate, so it isn't the most consistent mana source, but it does the job.</p>
<p>And since it uses the stack, certain combos with it are a bit more fragile. But not to worry, I'll cover that in the combo section. I did make sure to include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Forbidden Orchard" href="#" target="_blank">Forbidden Orchard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to give creatures that Red can target.</p>
<h3>Alternate Commanders</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Emperor of Palamecia"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bohn, Beguiling Balladeer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vivi Ornitier"></div></div>
<p>If you prefer <em>Final Fantasy </em>over <em>Fallout, </em><span class="edhrecp__link side-by-side"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Emperor of Palamecia" href="#" target="_blank">The Emperor of Palamecia</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great replacement option. It's an actual mana ability that provides color fixing for Splinter Twin and the other auras in the deck.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bohn, Beguiling Balladeer" href="#" target="_blank">Bohn, Beguiling Balladeer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can put your combo pieces into exile, protecting them from any untimely wheels or discard spells. And of course, the infamous <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> is just a powerhouse at the helm of any deck.</p>
<h3>Deck Strategy</h3>
<p>As I've alluded to multiple times already, this is a combo deck. But it isn't reliant on a single combo to win, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Parun" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, Parun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curiosity" href="#" target="_blank">Curiosity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Instead, the deck gives you several variations of combos.</p>
<p>Some are easy-to-assemble two-card combos, while others are weird four-card combos your opponents won't see coming. I believe there are enough combos to ensure you'll rarely be totally out of the game.</p>
<h2>Key Cards</h2>
<h3>Untappers</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aphetto Alchemist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Breaching Hippocamp"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kelpie Guide"></div></div>
<p>Having ways to untap creatures is essential with any <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Splinter Twin" href="#" target="_blank">Splinter Twin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck, and the best way to do this is with other creatures. The best untappers are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Breaching Hippocamp" href="#" target="_blank">Breaching Hippocamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deceiver Exarch" href="#" target="_blank">Deceiver Exarch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pestermite" href="#" target="_blank">Pestermite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>These three are special in two ways. First, they all have flash, so you can wait until the last second to cast them, essentially giving them haste. Second, they untap their target when they enter. So they can go infinite with Splinter Twin to close out the game.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aphetto Alchemist" href="#" target="_blank">Aphetto Alchemist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the most mana-efficient untapper and can untap itself. The other untappers are creatures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kelpie Guide" href="#" target="_blank">Kelpie Guide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. They can't target themselves and have some other ability.</p>
<h3>The Enchantments</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quicksilver Dagger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Freed from the Real"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Intruder Alarm"></div></div>
<p>I included a small suite of auras that let a creature tap itself to deal one damage. These are meant to be backup win conditions when paired with combos like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dramatic Reversal" href="#" target="_blank">Dramatic Reversal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Isochron Scepter" href="#" target="_blank">Isochron Scepter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Most of them are two mana, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire Whip" href="#" target="_blank">Fire Whip</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; however, I also included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quicksilver Dagger" href="#" target="_blank">Quicksilver Dagger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> since it provides card draw. Next are two staples in numerous combos, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Freed from the Real" href="#" target="_blank">Freed from the Real</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pemmin&#039;s Aura" href="#" target="_blank">Pemmin&#039;s Aura</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Intruder Alarm" href="#" target="_blank">Intruder Alarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> turns any creature enchanted by Splinter Twin into an infinite combo.</p>
<h3><strong>Other Finishers</strong></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrawling Crawler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Bombardment"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Impact Tremors"></div></div>
<p>I wanted to include ways to win with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Splinter Twin" href="#" target="_blank">Splinter Twin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if I couldn't swing with infinite tokens. Sometimes you have to enchant your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kelpie Guide" href="#" target="_blank">Kelpie Guide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but that means you either need to wait until right before your turn, or you make infinite tokens that are basically tapped.</p>
<p>Neither option is great, which is why <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Impact Tremors" href="#" target="_blank">Impact Tremors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Bombardment" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Bombardment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> made the cut. I've also seen an uptick in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghostly Prison" href="#" target="_blank">Ghostly Prison</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects locally, so these help get around that.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrawling Crawler" href="#" target="_blank">Scrawling Crawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might seem odd at first, but it works great in the rare situations you go infinite with Red Death. The card draw isn't optional, so Scrawling Crawler can speed up the kill, giving your opponents fewer opportunities to fish for an answer.</p>
<p>It's also funny if you can get infinite <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magus of the Wheel" href="#" target="_blank">Magus of the Wheel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s and wheel everyone to death.</p>
<h2>How Does Red Death Win?</h2>
<p>According to <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com">commanderspellbook.com</a>, this deck has 25 known combos. While I can't go over every combo, since my editor might beat me up, I'd rather discuss two of the weirder combos that might not be as initiative.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Machine God&#039;s Effigy" href="#" target="_blank">Machine God&#039;s Effigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be used to clone <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Horseshoe Crab" href="#" target="_blank">Horseshoe Crab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, then equipping <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hawkeye&#039;s Bow" href="#" target="_blank">Hawkeye&#039;s Bow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives infinite untaps to ping down the table.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marvin, Murderous Mimic" href="#" target="_blank">Marvin, Murderous Mimic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pili-Pala" href="#" target="_blank">Pili-Pala</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Red Death, Shipwrecker" href="#" target="_blank">Red Death, Shipwrecker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> also go infinite in a weird way. Marvin has both Red Death's and Pili-Pala's ability to tap for mana and untap for mana.</p>
<ol>
<li>You can tap Marvin for red.</li>
<li>Then use an extra mana to untap Marvin and add mana of any color.</li>
<li>Then you can tap Marvin for red again, and use that red, plus the floating mana, to untap Marvin.</li>
<li>Now repeat for infinite untaps and have your opponents draw their entire library.</li>
</ol>
<p>I've considered adding artifact mana dorks so this combo can't be interrupted, but Red Death can end the game if no one has an answer.</p>
<h2>The Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Crab Twin" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Red Death, Shipwrecker
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Aphetto Alchemist
*1 Breaching Hippocamp
*1 Deceiver Exarch
*1 Drift of Phantasms
*1 Faerie Mastermind
*1 Fatestitcher
*1 Forensic Researcher
*1 Horseshoe Crab
*1 Kelpie Guide
*1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
*1 Magus of the Wheel
*1 Marvin, Murderous Mimic
*1 North Pole Patrol
*1 Pestermite
*1 Pili-Pala
*1 Scrawling Crawler
*1 Thundertrap Trainer
*1 Vizier of Tumbling Sands
*1 Zealous Conscripts
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Coveted Jewel
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Hawkeye&#039;s Bow
*1 Isochron Scepter
*1 Izzet Signet
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Machine God&#039;s Effigy
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Talisman of Creativity
*1 The One Ring
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Thousand-Year Elixir
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Big Score
*1 Consult the Star Charts
*1 Counterspell
*1 Dramatic Reversal
*1 Frantic Search
*1 Impulse
*1 Invert Polarity
*1 Lightning Bolt
*1 Mystical Tutor
*1 Remand
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 Unexpected Windfall
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Expressive Iteration
*1 Fabricate
*1 Flow State
*1 Gamble
*1 Lórien Revealed
*1 Stock Up
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Fire Whip
*1 Freed from the Real
*1 Goblin Bombardment
*1 Hermetic Study
*1 Impact Tremors
*1 Intruder Alarm
*1 Pemmin&#039;s Aura
*1 Power of Fire
*1 Psionic Gift
*1 Quicksilver Dagger
*1 Splinter Twin
*1 Unstoppable Plan
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Arena of Glory
*1 Arid Archway
*1 Cascade Bluffs
*1 City of Brass
*1 Coastal Peak
*1 Command Tower
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Ferrous Lake
*1 Fiery Islet
*1 Forbidden Orchard
*1 Frostboil Snarl
*1 Guildless Commons
*4 Island
*1 Izzet Boilerworks
*1 Mistrise Village
*4 Mountain
*1 Restless Spire
*1 Riverglide Pathway // Lavaglide Pathway
*1 Riverpyre Verge
*1 Scorched Geyser
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Spirebluff Canal
*1 Steam Vents
*1 Stormcarved Coast
*1 Sulfur Falls
*1 Temple of Epiphany
*1 Thundering Falls
*1 Training Center
*1 Turbulent Springs
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>If you haven't tried combo before, I highly recommend at least giving it a try. Especially if you struggle against it. I've always found that playing a strategy helps me understand how to beat it. Combo piles like this are a blast to pilot, since it's mostly A plus B combos, instead of complicated storm lines.</p>
<p>If you wanted to power up the deck, I'd consider adding <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa&#039;s Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Intuition" href="#" target="_blank">Intuition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Underworld Breach" href="#" target="_blank">Underworld Breach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Along with as much fast mana and interaction as you can fit.</p>
<p>However, if you want to remove the Game Changers currently in the list, I'd suggest trying out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solve the Equation" href="#" target="_blank">Solve the Equation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dig Through Time" href="#" target="_blank">Dig Through Time</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Long-Term Plans" href="#" target="_blank">Long-Term Plans</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. They fill similar roles, but are weaker and much cheaper.</p>
<p>Also, if you want to see even more <em>Magic</em> content from me, you can find plenty of that on my YouTube channel, <a href="http://youtube.com/@BRBMTG?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BathroomBrewsMTG</a>. Alrighty nerds, I'll see you in the next one!</p>


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