Loki, God of MischiefLoki, God of Mischief | Art by Vilhelmas Banys

Welcome to Too-Specific Top 10, where if there isn’t a category to rank our pet card at the top of, we’ll just make one up! (Did you know that Knacksaw CliqueKnacksaw Clique is the only blue creature that can untap itself as part of the cost of its ability that also targets a player?)

Well that seems... very abusable.

Which just leaves two questions: is drawing four cards a turn cycle good enough to go full Competitive EDH, and how easily can we make Loki, God of MischiefLoki, God of Mischief draw four cards a turn cycle?

Well, the during your turn stuff is easy, as evidenced by the various NaduNadus and Cephalid IllusionistCephalid Illusionists of the world.

Those sorcery-speed targeters will only draw us the one card each turn cycle, however. And not only that, but the bar is higher in cEDH; these days, if your combo pieces aren't also generically good, then you're going to find yourself in a world of hurt.

So the question is: what targeted effect is generically good, while also being easily or infinitely repeatable?

Top 10 Mono-Blue Permanents That Can Untap Themselves By Targeting

Criteria: Permanent cards within the blue color identity that can target themselves at instant speed, not on your own turn, to untap themselves. As is tradition, all results are ordered by EDHREC score.

10. Filigree SagesFiligree Sages

(6.05k Inclusions, 0.14% of 4.46M Decks)

As a Lady Octopus, Inspired InventorLady Octopus, Inspired Inventor pilot in cEDH, let me tell you, I have gone back and forth and back and forth on Filigree SagesFiligree Sages. It's expensive to cast, it's expensive to activate, it's just kind of expensive. That whole thing does get less expensive if you have a Mana VaultMana Vault or Grim MonolithGrim Monolith sitting around, but even then, you're still paying a blue pip for every activation.

Unless, that is, you go real big and expensive and land a Chromatic OrreryChromatic Orrery. Then you immediately have infinite untaps like we're looking for, but you also don't need LokiLoki anymore, because you have infinite mana and infinite untaps of Orrery, meaning you can use its second ability to draw your whole deck.

The question is: can we afford a four-mana and seven-mana combo piece in our deck that's just trying to land a targeting engine on turn one, followed by our commander on turn two? I don't think so.

9. Mirran SpyMirran Spy

(13.4k Inclusions, 0.30% of 4.46M Decks)

Speaking of cards that are insane in Lady OctopusLady Octopus, it's Mirran SpyMirran Spy! There is an issue, however: we're not putting a Lady Octopus at the helm of this Loki deck, meaning that by default, we're going to be casting artifacts at sorcery speed, not instant speed.

In other words, this could be worth it if we had Emry, Lurker of the LochEmry, Lurker of the Loch and Valley FloodcallerValley Floodcaller both out, which are two cards we're likely to be playing. They are not, however, cards that we're likely to be seeing every game, so we will go ahead and pass on Mirran Spy.

8. Voltaic ConstructVoltaic Construct

(14.4k Inclusions, 0.16% of 9.05M Decks)

Yet another card with a combo list a mile long, Voltaic ConstructVoltaic Construct has Filigree SagesFiligree Sages' problems. It costs four to get down, and then by itself, costs two to activate each time. That's just too much scratch, even if it comes attached to game-winning combos with the likes of MetalworkerMetalworker and Karn, the Great CreatorKarn, the Great Creator.

7. The Watcher in the WaterThe Watcher in the Water

(Helms 3,709 Decks, Rank #682; 21.2k Inclusions, 0.48% of 4.46M Decks)

Five mana is a huge obstacle to overcome in cEDH, and to be frank, The Watcher in the WaterThe Watcher in the Water is just not going to do it. While the prospect of drowning the board in Tentacles is appealing, it's not enough to win through combat damage and does nothing on the combo side that isn't also attached to a five mana do-nothing card.

6. Aphetto AlchemistAphetto Alchemist

(27.7k Inclusions, 0.62% of 4.46M Decks)

Aphetto AlchemistAphetto Alchemist is absolutely the card everyone first thought of when Loki was spoiled. With the ability to infinitely untap itself without any outside assistance, it can easily draw a card with Loki on every player's turn and then still untap a needed permanent once per turn cycle on top of it. Throw in it being an actual win con with Unctus, Grand MetatectUnctus, Grand Metatect and this is just the card we're looking for.

Of course, it's also a creature, in a mono-blue deck. In other words, it's going to be difficult to find without any creature tutors available, so we should probably keep going down our list to see what else we can find, right?

5. Merrow ReejereyMerrow Reejerey

(36.3k Inclusions, 0.81% of 4.46M Decks)

Well, we ain't finding Merrow ReejereyMerrow Reejerey, I can tell you that right now. Yes, there are some Merfolk with flash, but not nearly enough that are high quality to build a deck around. Next!

4. Voltaic KeyVoltaic Key

(80.3k Inclusions, 0.89% of 9.05M Decks)

Oh hey, another known-broken untapper that can draw every turn cycle with Loki! It's not quite as good as Aphetto AlchemistAphetto Alchemist, given that it costs a mana every time, but a single mana for a card is a pretty good rate. Throw in that, unlike Aphetto, Voltaic Key is usable the turn it comes down, and this seems like a no-brainer.

As for ending the game, Key can assist with that, but isn't as much of a slam-dunk as Aphetto. Yes, there's various Rings of BrighthearthRings of Brighthearth combos, but they're all pretty bad. What is a bit more promising in a late game, however, is The Enigma JewelThe Enigma Jewel.

With us being a control deck in mono-blue, one of our win conditions is going to be Hullbreaker HorrorHullbreaker Horror. For those not familiar, Hullbreaker goes infinite with any two mana-positive or free artifacts by bouncing one to hand, then playing it back out to bounce the other. Why do I bring that up? Pretty much by definition, Hullbreaker costs seven to eight mana to pull off, as you usually have to cast it and then cast something else to get going. So basically, my question is: what's one more mana to flip an Enigma Jewel? Even better, all three parts of this combo are fetchable by Tezzeret, Cruel CaptainTezzeret, Cruel Captain, a card rapidly becoming a staple in any artifact deck, which, make no mistake, we are.

3. Clock of OmensClock of Omens

(82.9k Inclusions, 0.92% of 9.05M Decks)

My question is, however: are we enough of an artifact deck that we can reliably abuse Clock of OmensClock of Omens? There's no question that it's an abusable card; it does after all have 131 combos just in the blue color identity. My only issue? I don't like any of the cards in those 131 combos. As I previously mentioned, these days in cEDH, your combos need to not only not involve dead cards, they pretty much need to feature actively great cards that you'd want to be playing anyhow. Aphetto and Unctus fit that bill immaculately, both being independently good in the deck by being able to trigger Loki on every player's turn, all by themselves. Clock, on the other hand, is more expensive, and still needs the help of multiple artifacts after the fact to draw cards with Loki. And all for what? The opportunity to play Nuka-Cola Vending MachineNuka-Cola Vending Machine and Academy ManufactorAcademy Manufactor? I'll pass, thanks.

2. Deserted TempleDeserted Temple

(85.7k Inclusions, 0.95% of 9.05M Decks)

A regular sight in the green decks of cEDH, Deserted TempleDeserted Temple is usually reserved for untapping Gaea's CradleGaea's Cradle and not much else. With Tolarian AcademyTolarian Academy being banned, however, we don't have any such combo in blue, unless you're willing to watch Uthros, Titanic GodcoreUthros, Titanic Godcore enter tapped and then have to tap twelve power worth of creatures before it does anything.

Do we need a combo, though? Deserted Temple draws us a card by untapping itself on each player's turn with Loki for just a single mana, and all at the low, low cost of a single land slot. Not only that, but it's fairly obvious at this point that we're building a deck around untapping things. That means that if we were to throw in some larger lands, like Lotus ValeLotus Vale and Soldevi ExcavationsSoldevi Excavations, on top of the already auto-included Ancient TombAncient Tomb, both Temple and our various worse Aphettos could untap them for loads of mana.

1. Minamo, School at Water's EdgeMinamo, School at Water's Edge

(198k Inclusions, 4.45% of 4.46M Decks)

Oh, hey, another land that can draw every turn with Loki at the cost of a mana each by untapping itself! Not only that, but a land that we were always going to be playing anyhow. Why? Because Minamo, School at Water's EdgeMinamo, School at Water's Edge is an untapped blue land that can untap our commander and any other legendary permanent we happen to be playing. That's usually meant The One RingThe One Ring, which is something we'll absolutely be doing, but in this case, can also notably mean one of the other combo untappers we're absolutely going to end up playing: Ioreth of the Healing HouseIoreth of the Healing House. Throw in another personal favorite that this deck is going to need, Lady Octopus, Inspired InventorLady Octopus, Inspired Inventor, and there's every opportunity to abuse Minamo.

Honorable Mentions

There's gotta be more, though, right?

Well, a few, but only one I would write home about.

No disrespect meant to PuppeteerPuppeteer and Rimewind TaskmageRimewind Taskmage, but the prize laying outside the top 10 is absolutely Stinging LionfishStinging Lionfish. At two mana, it will trigger to untap something anytime we cast our first spell on an opponent's turn, something that we're likely to be doing a lot as a control deck that is drawing tons of cards. Lionfish then provides extra mana to be casting those spells by untapping mana rocks and creature untappers that can then untap our lands, completing the circle of awesomeness that is sure to win a few late games at instant speed.

With Puppeteer and Taskmage not making the cut, however, there is still more room that we need to fill for things that can trigger LokiLoki. So what can we fill that space with that will either draw with Loki a lot, or will do so just once in fairly free fashion?

First off, how about a few more game-winning combo pieces that can draw repeatedly? Displacer KittenDisplacer Kitten was another card that just about everyone thought of the moment that Loki was spoiled, and while it doesn't have a determinative combo we're going to abuse, it does just tend to win games by repeatedly blinking mana rocks and The One RingThe One Ring every time you cast noncreature spells. Combine that with us being in blue and getting to copy it at the drop of a hat, and things could get out of hand fairly quickly even if we weren't drawing four cards a turn with it and Loki.

The more exciting find here, however, is surprisingly Knacksaw CliqueKnacksaw Clique. Why? Because it provides an ultimate win for us. I know, I know, you were assuming that all this talk of drawing our whole deck ended in Thassa's OracleThassa's Oracle. But why play a dead card in our deck when we can take one from someone else's?

Knacksaw and Omen HawkerOmen Hawker combined into one creature can go infinite by tapping for mana, then using said mana to use Knacksaw's untap ability, which exiles the top card of an opponent's library, allowing you to play said card. This can be accomplished via Agatha's Soul CauldronAgatha's Soul Cauldron if you have one or both of Knacksaw and Omen HawkerOmen Hawker in the graveyard, or by Marvin, Murderous MimicMarvin, Murderous Mimic if you have both in play.

It also works just fine with Springleaf DrumSpringleaf Drum or Paradise MantleParadise Mantle if you go infinite with Hullbreaker HorrorHullbreaker Horror, giving you infinite mana and untaps of Springleaf that will then tap Knacksaw Clique so that you can untap it and keep the chain going.

And with that, it feels like we have the main players of the deck. Shall we take a look?

Like most cEDH decks, this one does require some finicky and aggressive mulligans, with you looking for an effect you can abuse with Loki, ideally one you can get down on turn one. From there, now that you've established a card draw engine, you're a control deck. You're looking to stop the early wins of the turbo decks, and to either steal or get rid of the value engines of the midrange decks so they can't get to the point that they can assemble an unimpeachable win.

... which the deck is fairly good at. Honestly, the thing that this deck will do best in a tournament setting is draw the game, which, much as people would probably prefer wasn't the case, is a good place to start for a cEDH deck. Which brings me to...

The cEDH Verdict: Yea or Nay?

Loki, God of MischiefLoki, God of Mischief, like a lot of other mono-blue decks in cEDH, can draw a lot of cards. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it can draw more than any other mono-blue deck that I'm aware of. Where it struggles is in the early game and the late game.

In the early game, you want to establish your draw engine, which generally takes two turns. That's all well and fine if you have free interaction in hand, but that's not always going to be the case. On top of that, in a full turbo pod, one counterspell probably isn't going to be enough. In other words, you're going to lose some early games because you're getting set up, exactly the thing that the turbo decks are hoping for.

In the late game, the deck struggles to close. There are a lot of times where you will just start with half a combo in hand (lookin' at you, Aphetto AlchemistAphetto Alchemist, who I'm always happy to see!), or draw into a Hullbreaker HorrorHullbreaker Horror and it's just a matter of making enough mana, and you win those games. They happen often enough that you can probably get your two-to-three wins that you need to make a top cut in a tournament, even. What happens equally often, however, is drawing 30 cards in a game, having all the interaction and all of the card draw, and having no way to actually win. With the lack of meaningful tutors in blue, it can often just be a slog. This could be a matter of tuning, as this current iteration of the deck is light on the artifact tutors that blue does have, but I do think that leaning full-on into control is more correct than needing a counterspell and drawing a tutor instead.

Put simply? Loki can keep up at a cEDH table. At some point in the next year, I also expect Loki to make a Top 16 at a big tournament, because it can roll the dice and get some wins, and it'll be one of the best draw decks out there. With all that said? I don't think this is a deck I would ever take to a tournament myself. Even in the arena of mono-blue, I don't think it's going to be as dependable as either Arcum DagssonArcum Dagsson or Urza, Lord High ArtificerUrza, Lord High Artificer, and even among the ranks of decks that see a lot less play, I think I'd still take the Lady OctopusLady Octopus deck I've previously written about and decreed tournament worthy (much as my single foray on the deck didn't go well). It draws cards at nearly the same rate as Loki, has a much better early game, and has gotten non-stop new toys to play with over the last three sets (hello, Shuri, Wakandan InventorShuri, Wakandan Inventor, Iron Man, Bleeding EdgeIron Man, Bleeding Edge, and Iron Lad, Diverging DestinyIron Lad, Diverging Destiny!).

Nuts and Bolts

There always seems to be a bit of interest in how these lists are made (this seems like a good time to stress once again that they are based on EDHREC score, NOT my personal opinion…), and people are often surprised that I’m not using any special data or .json from EDHREC, but rather just muddling my way through with some Scryfall knowledge! For your enjoyment/research, here is this week’s Scryfall search.

What Do You Think?

It's rare that we see multiple commanders that might have the chops for cEDH in one set, but this set, without question does. So my question is simple:

And finally, what is your favorite card that can untap itself? Would it see play in Loki? In cEDH? Are you planning on building Loki, for cEDH or otherwise?

Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you at the table that appears to be repeatedly pointing at itself and growing larger? Disturbing.