Cutting Cards

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Mr_McMann avatarMr_McMann 14 days
{"ops":[{"insert":"Looking for advice on trimming a deck down to 100 cards.\n\nI’m currently building a Vadrik, Astral Archmage deck, which is at 108 cards. I’d greatly appreciate any guidance on what to cut or strategies for cutting cards. \n\nAlso, I know Izzet decks often run fewer lands due to their low curve. I’m aiming for around 33 lands (37 if you include MDFCs), but is that too few?\n\n"},{"attributes":{"link":"https://archidekt.com/decks/16138133/vadrik_rage_of_the_mage"},"insert":"Vadrik — Rage of the Mage • (Izzet Commander deck) • Archidekt"},{"insert":"\n"}]}
Edited 9/27/2025, 9:28:05 PM
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Wellsna3 avatarWellsna3 12 days
{"ops":[{"insert":"Obviously some of this is personal preference but if your goal is to be swapping night and day you will have to be land go on your turn most turns I believe. I would do away with all the X spells ( pull from tomorrow, enrage etc) That's 8-9 right there. I would also swap for a bunch more cantrip type spells and free spells ( gitaxian probe, gut shot ) that you could reliably double spell on your opponents turns. What is your planned wincon? I would be tempted to put in some token makers and a bria. Just a quick look through this is sorta what I came up with https://archidekt.com/decks/16348102 . Like I said before salt to taste, my fear goldfishing it is that he doesn't get very big very quick so for him to be a payoff need to keep the curve lower\n"}]}
Edited 9/29/2025, 4:22:59 PM
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Mr_McMann avatarMr_McMann 12 days
{"ops":[{"insert":"Hey, thanks for the feedback! Just a couple of things on how I built the deck and what it's trying to do:\n\nMy curve is around 2.6-2.7, and Vadrik’s discount makes the X spells feel pretty cheap. I also just really like the idea of X spells, so I’ve leaned into them. Most Izzet decks I see are all about cantrip spam, so I wanted to go a different route with big spells instead. I also prefer actual card draw, which is why I stuck with the X draw spells over cantrips. With Vadrik’s discount plus some pump effects, they get way more efficient. The pump spells basically double his power, and then I can dump extra mana from lands or rituals into them.\n\nI can’t actually change day/night during an opponent’s turn. It only changes when the active player casts 0 or 2+ spells to change it, so nothing I do on their turn affects it. Because of that, I didn’t really build around the mechanic. Pump spells are my plan for making Vadrik big since it doesn’t happen naturally. If day/night does switch, cool +1 power for me, but that wasn't the point of the deck. \n\nMy wincons are "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Comet Storm"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Jaya’s Inferno"},{"insert":", and "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Crackle with Power"},{"insert":". Once Vadrik is pumped up or I chain rituals, I can usually just close it out. The idea is to hold up counter magic or have "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Conqueror’s Flail"},{"insert":" equipped to protect my turn, then storm off.\n\nToken makers I’m still not sure about. Zaffai seems like a good include since he does more than just make tokens, but otherwise they just don't seem like good includes for the deck. They’d give me blockers, which is nice, but I don’t think they really push my main gameplan forward. \n"}]}
Edited 9/29/2025, 7:13:06 PM
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