81
3/31/2025
Kess, Dissident Mage: Dansing with Death
Deck Size: 100
Commander
Legal
Est deck cost: $238.74
Salt sum: 30.3
81
3/31/2025
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Commander

Qty: 1 Price: $1.99
Kess, Dissident Mage

Flying Once during each of your turns, you may cast an instant or sorcery spell from your graveyard. If a spell cast this way would be put into your graveyard, exile it instead.

Creature
Kess, Dissident Mage (c17) 39

Commander

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1. Ramp

Qty: 10 Price: $12.32
Arcane Signet

{T}: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity.

Artifact
Arcane Signet (c20) 237
Cormela, Glamour Thief

Haste {1}, {T}: Add {U}{B}{R}. Spend this mana only to cast instant and/or sorcery spells. When Cormela dies, return up to one target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.

Creature
Cormela, Glamour Thief (snc) 177
Deranged Assistant

{T}, Mill a card: Add {C}. (To mill a card, put the top card of your library into your graveyard.)

Creature
Deranged Assistant (inr) 61
Izzet Signet

{1}, {T}: Add {U}{R}.

Artifact
Izzet Signet (lcc) 306
Millikin

{T}, Mill a card: Add {C}. (To mill a card, put the top card of your library into your graveyard.)

Creature Artifact
Millikin (mh2) 297
Ornithopter of Paradise

Flying {T}: Add one mana of any color.

Creature Artifact
Ornithopter of Paradise (mh2) 232
Relic of Legends

{T}: Add one mana of any color. Tap an untapped legendary creature you control: Add one mana of any color.

Artifact
Relic of Legends (dmu) 236
Sol Ring

{T}: Add {C}{C}.

Artifact
Sol Ring (c20) 252
Séance Board

Morbid — At the beginning of each end step, if a creature died this turn, put a soul counter on this artifact. {T}: Add X mana of any one color, where X is the number of soul counters on this artifact. Spend this mana only to cast instant, sorcery, Demon, and Spirit spells.

Artifact
Séance Board (dsc) 40
Wayfarer's Bauble

{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Search your library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.

Artifact
Wayfarer's Bauble (mm2) 234

1. Ramp

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2. Card Advantage

Qty: 14 Price: $38.58
Aven Heartstabber

Flying As long as there are five or more mana values among cards in your graveyard, this creature gets +2/+2 and has deathtouch. When this creature dies, mill two cards, then draw a card.

Creature
Aven Heartstabber (snc) 166
Baleful Strix

Flying, deathtouch When this creature enters, draw a card.

Creature Artifact
Baleful Strix (otc) 215
Deadly Dispute

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice an artifact or creature. Draw two cards and create a Treasure token. (It's an artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.")

Instant
Deadly Dispute (blc) 181
Fact or Fiction

Reveal the top five cards of your library. An opponent separates those cards into two piles. Put one pile into your hand and the other into your graveyard.

Instant
Fact or Fiction (ncc) 221
Kitsa, Otterball Elite

Vigilance Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.) {T}: Draw a card, then discard a card. {2}, {T}: Copy target instant or sorcery spell you control. You may choose new targets for the copy. Activate only if Kitsa's power is 3 or greater.

Creature
Kitsa, Otterball Elite (blb) 54
Ledger Shredder

Flying Whenever a player casts their second spell each turn, this creature connives. (Draw a card, then discard a card. If you discarded a nonland card, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.)

Creature
Ledger Shredder (psnc) 46s
Maestros Charm

Choose one — • Look at the top five cards of your library. Put one of those cards into your hand and the rest into your graveyard. • Each opponent loses 3 life and you gain 3 life. • Maestros Charm deals 5 damage to target creature or planeswalker.

Instant
Maestros Charm (snc) 199
Morbid Curiosity

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice an artifact or creature. Draw cards equal to the mana value of the sacrificed permanent.

Sorcery
Morbid Curiosity (kld) 94
Nasty End

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature. Draw two cards. If the sacrificed creature was legendary, draw three cards instead.

Instant
Nasty End (ltr) 99
Palace Familiar

Flying When this creature dies, draw a card.

Creature
Palace Familiar (dtk) 69
Rona, Herald of Invasion

Creature
Rona, Herald of Invasion // Rona, Tolarian Obliterator (mom) 75Rona, Herald of Invasion // Rona, Tolarian Obliterator (mom) 75
Surveilling Sprite

Flying When this creature dies, you may draw a card.

Creature
Surveilling Sprite (rav) 67
Village Rites

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature. Draw two cards.

Instant
Village Rites (m21) 126
Vohar, Vodalian Desecrator

{T}: Draw a card, then discard a card. If you discarded an instant or sorcery card this way, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life. {2}, Sacrifice Vohar: You may cast target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard this turn. If that spell would be put into your graveyard, exile it instead. Activate only as a sorcery.

Creature
Vohar, Vodalian Desecrator (dmu) 226

2. Card Advantage

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3. Removal

Qty: 7 Price: $13.09
Baleful Mastery

You may pay {1}{B} rather than pay this spell's mana cost. If the {1}{B} cost was paid, an opponent draws a card. Exile target creature or planeswalker.

Instant
Baleful Mastery (stx) 64
Black Sun's Twilight

Up to one target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn. If X is 5 or more, return a creature card with mana value X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.

Instant
Black Sun's Twilight (one) 84
Consuming Tide

Each player chooses a nonland permanent they control. Return all nonland permanents not chosen this way to their owners' hands. Then you draw a card for each opponent who has more cards in their hand than you.

Sorcery
Consuming Tide (vow) 53
Eaten Alive

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature or pay {3}{B}. Exile target creature or planeswalker.

Sorcery
Eaten Alive (fdn) 172
Filter Out

Return all noncreature, nonland permanents to their owners' hands.

Instant
Filter Out (mat) 7
Infernal Grasp

Destroy target creature. You lose 2 life.

Instant
Infernal Grasp (mid) 107
Toxic Deluge

As an additional cost to cast this spell, pay X life. All creatures get -X/-X until end of turn.

Sorcery
Toxic Deluge (2xm) 110

3. Removal

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4. Return Spells

Qty: 4 Price: $2.78
Archaeomancer

When this creature enters, return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.

Creature
Archaeomancer (m13) 41
Ardent Elementalist

When this creature enters, return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.

Creature
Ardent Elementalist (mid) 128
Pinnacle Monk

Creature
Pinnacle Monk // Mystic Peak (mh3) 246Pinnacle Monk // Mystic Peak (mh3) 246
Repository Skaab

Exploit (When this creature enters, you may sacrifice a creature.) When this creature exploits a creature, return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.

Creature
Repository Skaab (vow) 73

4. Return Spells

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5. Return Creatures

Qty: 10 Price: $41.00
Blood for Bones

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature. Return a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield, then return another creature card from your graveyard to your hand.

Sorcery
Blood for Bones (m20) 89
Breach the Multiverse

Each player mills ten cards. For each player, choose a creature or planeswalker card in that player's graveyard. Put those cards onto the battlefield under your control. Then each creature you control becomes a Phyrexian in addition to its other types.

Sorcery
Breach the Multiverse (mom) 94
Danse Macabre

Each player sacrifices a nontoken creature of their choice. Roll a d20 and add the toughness of the creature you sacrificed this way. 1—14 | Return a creature card put into a graveyard this way to the battlefield under your control. 15+ | Return up to two creature cards put into graveyards this way to the battlefield under your control.

Sorcery
Danse Macabre (afc) 22
Ghouls' Night Out

For each player, choose a creature card in that player's graveyard. Put those cards onto the battlefield under your control. They're black Zombies in addition to their other colors and types and they gain decayed. (A creature with decayed can't block. When it attacks, sacrifice it at end of combat.)

Sorcery
Ghouls' Night Out (mic) 19
Incarnation Technique

Demonstrate (When you cast this spell, you may copy it. If you do, choose an opponent to also copy it.) Mill five cards, then return a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

Sorcery
Incarnation Technique (c21) 41
Infernal Offering

Choose an opponent. You and that player each sacrifice a creature. Each player who sacrificed a creature this way draws two cards. Choose an opponent. Return a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield, then that player returns a creature card from their graveyard to the battlefield.

Sorcery
Infernal Offering (c14) 24
Reanimate

Put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. You lose life equal to its mana value.

Sorcery
Reanimate (jmp) 270
Victimize

Choose two target creature cards in your graveyard. Sacrifice a creature. If you do, return the chosen cards to the battlefield tapped.

Sorcery
Victimize (cmr) 157
Virtus's Maneuver

For each player, choose friend or foe. Each friend returns a creature card from their graveyard to their hand. Each foe sacrifices a creature of their choice.

Sorcery
Virtus's Maneuver (bbd) 54
Wake the Dead

Cast this spell only during combat on an opponent's turn. Return X target creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield. Sacrifice those creatures at the beginning of the next end step.

Instant
Wake the Dead (cmm) 197

5. Return Creatures

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6. Land

Qty: 37 Price: $32.05
Bad River

This land enters tapped. {T}, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for an Island or Swamp card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Land
Bad River (dmc) 197
Bojuka Bog

This land enters tapped. When this land enters, exile target player's graveyard. {T}: Add {B}.

Land
Bojuka Bog (cma) 243
Canyon Slough

({T}: Add {B} or {R}.) This land enters tapped. Cycling {2} ({2}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

Land
Canyon Slough (m3c) 325
Choked Estuary

As this land enters, you may reveal an Island or Swamp card from your hand. If you don't, this land enters tapped. {T}: Add {U} or {B}.

Land
Choked Estuary (lcc) 322
Command Tower

{T}: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity.

Land
Command Tower (cmr) 350
Crumbling Necropolis

This land enters tapped. {T}: Add {U}, {B}, or {R}.

Land
Crumbling Necropolis (lcc) 326
Darkwater Catacombs

{1}, {T}: Add {U}{B}.

Land
Darkwater Catacombs (c20) 265
Demolition Field

{T}: Add {C}. {2}, {T}, Sacrifice this land: Destroy target nonbasic land an opponent controls. That land's controller may search their library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. You may search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Land
Demolition Field (bro) 260
Dimir Aqueduct

This land enters tapped. When this land enters, return a land you control to its owner's hand. {T}: Add {U}{B}.

Land
Dimir Aqueduct (mkc) 258
Drowned Catacomb

This land enters tapped unless you control an Island or a Swamp. {T}: Add {U} or {B}.

Land
Drowned Catacomb (m13) 223
Evolving Wilds

{T}, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.

Land
Evolving Wilds (m15) 243
Exotic Orchard

{T}: Add one mana of any color that a land an opponent controls could produce.

Land
Exotic Orchard (c20) 273
Fetid Pools

({T}: Add {U} or {B}.) This land enters tapped. Cycling {2} ({2}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

Land
Fetid Pools (drc) 156
Grand Coliseum

This land enters tapped. {T}: Add {C}. {T}: Add one mana of any color. This land deals 1 damage to you.

Land
Grand Coliseum (c16) 299
Island

({T}: Add {U}.)

Land
Island (j25) 85
Izzet Boilerworks

This land enters tapped. When this land enters, return a land you control to its owner's hand. {T}: Add {U}{R}.

Land
Izzet Boilerworks (m3c) 350
Mortuary Mire

This land enters tapped. When this land enters, you may put target creature card from your graveyard on top of your library. {T}: Add {B}.

Land
Mortuary Mire (c18) 266
Mountain

({T}: Add {R}.)

Land
Mountain (otj) 284
Path of Ancestry

This land enters tapped. {T}: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity. When that mana is spent to cast a creature spell that shares a creature type with your commander, scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)

Land
Path of Ancestry (c17) 56
Rakdos Carnarium

This land enters tapped. When this land enters, return a land you control to its owner's hand. {T}: Add {B}{R}.

Land
Rakdos Carnarium (ima) 245
Rocky Tar Pit

This land enters tapped. {T}, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a Swamp or Mountain card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Land
Rocky Tar Pit (dmc) 228
Seething Landscape

{T}: Add {C}. {T}, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a basic Island, Swamp, or Mountain card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. Cycling {U}{B}{R} ({U}{B}{R}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

Land
Seething Landscape (mh3) 225
Shivan Reef

{T}: Add {C}. {T}: Add {U} or {R}. This land deals 1 damage to you.

Land
Shivan Reef (c20) 310
Smoldering Marsh

({T}: Add {B} or {R}.) This land enters tapped unless you control two or more basic lands.

Land
Smoldering Marsh (c20) 314
Sulfur Falls

This land enters tapped unless you control an Island or a Mountain. {T}: Add {U} or {R}.

Land
Sulfur Falls (drc) 173
Sulfurous Springs

{T}: Add {C}. {T}: Add {B} or {R}. This land deals 1 damage to you.

Land
Sulfurous Springs (m3c) 381
Sunken Hollow

({T}: Add {U} or {B}.) This land enters tapped unless you control two or more basic lands.

Land
Sunken Hollow (c20) 318
Swamp

({T}: Add {B}.)

Land
Swamp (dsk) 282
Temple of Deceit

This land enters tapped. When this land enters, scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.) {T}: Add {U} or {B}.

Land
Temple of Deceit (thb) 245
Temple of Malice

This land enters tapped. When this land enters, scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.) {T}: Add {B} or {R}.

Land
Temple of Malice (thb) 247

6. Land

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7. Double up

Qty: 8 Price: $45.22
Corporeal Projection

Target creature you control gains myriad until end of turn. (Whenever it attacks, for each opponent other than defending player, you may create a token copy that's tapped and attacking that player or a planeswalker they control. Exile the tokens at end of combat.) Overload {3}{U}{U}{R}{R} (You may cast this spell for its overload cost. If you do, change "target" in its text to "each.")

Sorcery
Corporeal Projection (clu) 28
Glasspool Mimic

Creature
Glasspool Mimic // Glasspool Shore (znr) 60Glasspool Mimic // Glasspool Shore (znr) 60
Heat Shimmer

Create a token that's a copy of target creature, except it has haste and "At the beginning of the end step, exile this token."

Sorcery
Heat Shimmer (2xm) 130
Molten Duplication

Create a token that's a copy of target artifact or creature you control, except it's an artifact in addition to its other types. It gains haste until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.

Sorcery
Molten Duplication (big) 14
Rite of Replication

Kicker {5} (You may pay an additional {5} as you cast this spell.) Create a token that's a copy of target creature. If this spell was kicked, create five of those tokens instead.

Sorcery
Rite of Replication (plst) C14-122
Saw in Half

Destroy target creature. If that creature dies this way, its controller creates two tokens that are copies of that creature, except their power is half that creature's power and their toughness is half that creature's toughness. Round up each time.

Instant
Saw in Half (blc) 113
See Double

This spell can't be copied. Choose one. If an opponent has eight or more cards in their graveyard, you may choose both instead. • Copy target spell. You may choose new targets for the copy. (A copy of a permanent spell becomes a token.) • Create a token that's a copy of target creature.

Instant
See Double (mom) 77
Twinflame

Strive — This spell costs {2}{R} more to cast for each target beyond the first. Choose any number of target creatures you control. For each of them, create a token that's a copy of that creature, except it has haste. Exile those tokens at the beginning of the next end step.

Sorcery
Twinflame (2x2) 129

7. Double up

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8. Targets

Qty: 9 Price: $51.71
Atsushi, the Blazing Sky

Flying, trample When Atsushi dies, choose one — • Exile the top two cards of your library. Until the end of your next turn, you may play those cards. • Create three Treasure tokens.

Creature
Atsushi, the Blazing Sky (neo) 463
Hidetsugu and Kairi

Flying When Hidetsugu and Kairi enters, draw three cards, then put two cards from your hand on top of your library in any order. When Hidetsugu and Kairi dies, exile the top card of your library. Target opponent loses life equal to its mana value. If it's an instant or sorcery card, you may cast it without paying its mana cost.

Creature
Hidetsugu and Kairi (mom) 228
Junji, the Midnight Sky

Flying, menace When Junji dies, choose one — • Each opponent discards two cards and loses 2 life. • Put target non-Dragon creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. You lose 2 life.

Creature
Junji, the Midnight Sky (m3c) 199
Kairi, the Swirling Sky

Flying, ward {3} When Kairi dies, choose one — • Return any number of target nonland permanents with total mana value 6 or less to their owners' hands. • Mill six cards, then return up to two instant and/or sorcery cards from your graveyard to your hand.

Creature
Kairi, the Swirling Sky (neo) 60
Kardur, Doomscourge

When Kardur enters, until your next turn, creatures your opponents control attack each combat if able and attack a player other than you if able. Whenever an attacking creature dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Creature
Kardur, Doomscourge (khm) 216
Keiga, the Tide Star

Flying When Keiga dies, gain control of target creature.

Creature
Keiga, the Tide Star (chk) 72
Kokusho, the Evening Star

Flying When Kokusho dies, each opponent loses 5 life. You gain life equal to the life lost this way.

Creature
Kokusho, the Evening Star (ima) 95
Ryusei, the Falling Star

Flying When Ryusei dies, it deals 5 damage to each creature without flying.

Creature
Ryusei, the Falling Star (c17) 141
Vela the Night-Clad

Intimidate (This creature can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or creatures that share a color with it.) Other creatures you control have intimidate. Whenever Vela or another creature you control leaves the battlefield, each opponent loses 1 life.

Creature
Vela the Night-Clad (plst) PC2-107

8. Targets

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Deck Info

Deck stats

0 pips - 0 cards
0 mana - 9 cards
32 pips - 25 cards
30 mana - 29 cards
38 pips - 31 cards
28 mana - 27 cards
14 pips - 12 cards
24 mana - 23 cards
0 pips - 0 cards
0 mana - 9 cards
0 pips - 0 cards
9 mana - 8 cards
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Description

{"ops":[{"insert":"Danse Macabre"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nDo you enjoy looping cards and intentionally legend rule-ing yourself? If yes, then this might be a deck for you. This deck is all about two for ones, the emblematic card for this is Danse Macabre. Best case scenario is to find one of these reanimation spells that slowly whittles away opponent's creatures with edicts or reanimates/returns to hand an additional creature from the graveyard while also providing a way to sacrifice your own creatures. These spells pair perfectly with cards similar to Archaeomancer which will return the aforementioned reanimation spells back to hand. But then that reanimation spell can get back the Archaeomancer and the loop has been established. This kind of loop is not truly impactful enough to create a game winning board state without adding something to the mix, for this deck list it will be legendary creatures with death triggers. With looping these legends or making token copies that will auto-sacrfice to the legend rule, we can force powerful death triggers to push towards a win.\n"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Stats (Updated March 2025)"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"2025:\tGames Won- 1\n\t\t\t\tGames Played- 3\n\t\t\t\tWin Percentage- 33%\n\t\t\t\tAvg. Turn Length- 10.00\n\t\t\t\tTotal Turns Played- 30\n\t\t\t\tSalt Score Progression- 33.5 --> ?\n\t\t\t\tEDHrec Commander Rank- 157 --> ?\n"}]}
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