MTG – Izzet Commander Staples Guide

MTG - Izzet Commander Staples Guide

When you combine the awesome power of red with the inquisitive and insightful nature of blue, you get Izzet, the color combination of your classic mad scientist. In Magic: The Gathering, Izzet mages love to intermingle blue’s ability to draw cards with red’s ability to deal damage, often by slinging more spells than your opponents can keep up with. More, bigger magic: that’s the Izzet creed. And with these Izzet staples, you’ll be able to overwhelm your opponents with the sheer size of your brilliance. Or it’ll all blow up in your face. Either way, here are all the best Izzet cards to include in your red/blue Commander deck.

Ramp

Goblin Electromancer

As befits the mad science colors, blue and red have some interesting ways of ramping out some big-mana spells. There are of course the usual mana rocks to help things along (such as Izzet SGameTopicet and Talisman of Creativity), but Izzet has more creative ways of ramping out spells than merely creating mana.

Reducing the mana cost of spells is one such way Izzet ramps up. Goblin Electromancer, Enthusiastic Mechaunaut, and Rowan, Scholar of Sparks are just a few examples of how Izzet makes instants, sorceries, and artifacts all cheaper to cast. Vadrik, Astral Archmage and Kaza, Roil Chaser can make instants and sorceries even cheaper in the right circumstances. Storm the Vault, however, can garner Izzet players a truly ludicrous quantity of mana to power some interesting experiments that we’ll get to later.

Card
Goblin Electromancer
Ornithopter of Paradise
Izzet SGameTopicet
Thought Vessel
Talisman of Creativity
Cursed Mirror
Enthusiastic Mechanaut
Galzeth Prismari
Bilbo, Retired Burglar
Storm the Vault
Sorcerer Class
Vadrik, Astral Archmage
Herald of Kozilek
Rowan, Scholar of Sparks / Will, Scholar of Frost
Kaza, Roil Chaser
Mizzix of the Izamagnus
Mana Geyser
Etherium Sculptor

Removal

Prismari Command

It’s no surprise that red likes to deal damage, but throw blue into the mix, and you’ll often find your damage paired with drawing cards or countering spells. Prismari Command and Flame of Anor are great examples of Izzet’s ingenuity when it comes to blasting creatures or artifacts. And since blue is part of the mix, Izzet has access to perhaps the greatest creature removal spells of all time: Pongify and Rapid Hybridization. One mana, instant speed, and kills any critter, no questions asked. Chaos Warp even goes a step further to hit any permanent.

Card
Lightning Bolt
Prismari Command
Fire/Ice
Vandalblast
Rapid Hybridization
Pongify
Abrade
Chaos Warp
Flame of Anor
Ral Zarek
Electrolyze
Beacon Bolt

Card Draw

Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind

Izzet just loves to draw cards. You’ve got access to the best blue cantrips, but why stop there? Izzet has plenty of creatures that stick around and draw cards continuously, like Jori En, Ruin Diver, Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain, and Izzet patron, Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind. Yusri, Fortune’s Flame and Squee’s Revenge provide even more card-draw options for those with a few coins in their pockets, and never forget the potency of Rhystic Study in any deck that even splashes blue.

Card
Brainstorm
Ponder
Expressive Iteration
Fevered Visions
Jori En, Ruin Diver
Rielle, the Everwise
Firemind’s Research
Yusri, Fortune’s Flame
Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain
Kraum, Ludevic’s Opus
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
The Royal Scions
Ral, Izzet Viceroy
Squee’s Revenge
Aegar, the Freezing Flame
Rhystic Study

Counterspells with a hint of Redirection

Izzet Charm

It’s not blue without a counterspell or two. Izzet’s red mana allows those counterspells to go a step further, often by throwing in some damage (like Ionize) or throwing it back at their face (like Swerve or Reinterpret). Deflecting Swat might not be blue, but it has the same idea. Izzet Charm once again showcases the flexibility of red and blue by also counting as straight removal or card draw. Counterflux can shut down spells that Cascade or Overload. Don’t forget about Swan Song, perhaps the best one-mana counterspell there is.

Card
Counterspell
Negate
Swan Song
Izzet Charm
Counterflux
Ionize
Reinterpret
Swerve
Deflecting Swat

Copy Everything

Melek, Izzet Paragon

The key to science is iteration. That doesn’t necessarily mean you create something new every time, and Izzet is fully aware of this. Izzet loves to copy everything, be it artifacts, creatures, or especially sorceries and instants. Teach by Example is the cheapest way to duplicate a spell, but Izzet has far more permanent duplication sources. Thousand-Year Storm, Nivix Guildmage, and Melek, Izzet Paragon all keep those spells coming well past their expiration dates, while cards like Dack’s Duplicate and Protean Raider copy critters already on the ground. Don’t forget Saheeli! Being the colors of science, Izzet loves artifacts, and Saheeli loves to make more.

Card
Teach by Example
Expansion/Explosion
Ral, Storm Conduit
Saheeli, Sublime Artificer
Thousand-Year Storm
Galvanic Iteration
Gandalf the Grey
Melek, Izzet Paragon
Saheeli Rai
Protean Raider
Najal, the Storm Runner
Dack’s Duplicate
Nivix Guildmage

Board Clear

Blasphemous Act

Despite sometimes having their experiments blow up in their faces, Izzet mages don’t typically set out to make massive, board-clearing explosions. But Izzet does like artifacts, so the usual trio of Oblivion Stone, Nevinyrral’s Disk, and Perilous Vault are all fine board-clearing options. On top of that, red brings Blasphemous Act and Spiteful Banditry, while blue brings Cyclonic Rift and Evacuate. That should be more than enough to start over when your experiments aren’t as successful as you might’ve hoped.

Card
Blasphemous Act
Spiteful Banditry
Bonfire of the Damned
Chain Reaction
Evacuate
Cyclonic Rift
Nevinyrral’s Disk
Oblivion Stone
Perilous Vault

Utility Creatures

Baral and Kari Zev

Generally speaking, this category of smaller creatures adds to Izzet’s penchant for spellcasting by throwing a little extra on top–whether that be creature tokens, more damage, or getting bigger with each spell cast. Third Path Iconoclast, Young Pyromancer, and Baral and Kari Zev are all examples of token generators, while Guttersnipe and Gelectrode give your instants and sorceries a little extra damage. Balmor, Battlemage Captain, Stormchase Mage, and Sprite Dragon all get larger as more spells are cast, turning these tiny threats into potentially game-ending creatures. Izzet Chemister might not make tokens or add extra damage, but it will eventually get you a second cast of multiple spells if your opponents let it stay on the board.

Card
Third Path Iconoclast
Balmor, Battlemage Captain
Sprite Dragon
Baral and Kari Zev
Zaffai, Thunder Conductor
Lore Drakkis
Gelectrode
Guttersnipe
Stormchaser Mage
Young Pyromancer
Izzet Chemister
Goblin Flectomancer
Veyran, Voice of Duality
Hypersonic Dragon

Big Creatures

Ovika, Enigma Goliath

Another curious departure from the colors of mad science, Izzet’s experiments don’t typically result in giant monsters. However, you’ve still got some big dragons in two Niv-Mizzets and a Crackling Drake. The Locust God isn’t terribly large, but it is very difficult to get rid of, which is almost as good. Zoanthrope is probably the biggest potential monster, offering both card draw and direct damage on top of a flying creature that’s slightly more difficult to kill than either Niv-Mizzet. Keranos might be hard to turn into a creature given how few permanents Izzet mages typically have, but he’s still a decent source of damage in the meantime. And Ovika both arrives as a monster and generates an army once you cast a few non-creature spells.

Card
Niv-Mizzet, Parun
Niv Mizzet, Dracogenius
The Locust God
Ovika, Enigma Goliath
Crackling Crackling
Zoanthrope
Keranos, God of Storms

Big Spells

Mizzix’s Mastery

What Izzet lacks in big creatures it makes up for in big ideas. And those big ideas are often big, powerful, splashy spells that can single-handedly turn a game on its head. Epic Experiment is the epitome of Izzet’s big ideas with an X-cost sorcery that can cast a bunch of other instants and sorceries all at once. Imagine hitting a Magma Opus alongside a few burn spells to break a board wide open. Summons of Sarumon has a similar effect but throws in an Orcish army. Firemind’s Foresight is a tutor on steroids, and Etherium-Horn Sorcerer might not look like a grand experiment, but it’s actually designed to throw out more and more spells so long as you have a ton of mana. And don’t forget Mizzix’s Mastery, which can absolutely end games later on.

Card
Summons of Saruman
Epic Experiment
Magma Opus
Firemind’s Foresight
Etherium-Horn Sorcerer
Mizzix’s Mastery

Lands

Desolate Lighthouse

As with any dual-color deck, you’ll want to stock up on as many lands that offer both blue and red mana as possible. There are so many of those that we’re not going to bother listing them all, but there are a few more that Izzet mages should take note of. Demolition Field can get rid of problematic lands that your opponents might be using, while Desolate Lighthouse pairs well with any ability that triggers on drawing cards. Reliquary Tower can make sure your hand never gets too full (something that can be a problem for Izzet mages) and Mystic Sanctuary offers a return path for used instants and sorceries. Remote Isle and other cycling lands can be helpful in the late game when you’ve got plenty of lands. Although, with Izzet mages, there’s often no such thing as too much mana.

Next: Magic: The Gathering – Pioneer Azorius Control Guide