Reconstruct History — Mass Land Destruction

Justice League Commander Decks - Son of the Land, King of the Seas

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cruel Entertainment" href="#" target="_blank">Cruel Entertainment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.dvpalumbo.com/">David Palumbo</a>)</h6>
<h1>All It Takes Is A Little Push</h1>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Diabolic Intent</em>, where we build decks around iconic villains and their diabolical schemes!</p>
<p>While we've had some very big players featured in this series, this week's villain is arguably one of the <em>most</em> iconic in all of American pop culture, which means that while the assertion that he "needs no introduction" is true on a practical level, it would completely betray the spirit of the character not to be as maddeningly ostentatious as possible, so here we go.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Showstopper"></div></div>
<p>He's been portrayed by four different Academy Award winners, securing two of those awards, himself. He's become a symbol for thousands of Angry Internet Men. He's killed Robin and paralyzed Batgirl. He's the Harlequin of Hate, the Ace of Knaves, the Jester of Genocide, the Clown Prince of Crime—<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX_wprkggoE">he's the Joker, baby!</a></p>
<p>The specific "diabolical schemes" being emulated here today come primarily from Christopher Nolan's version of the Joker in <em>The Dark Knight</em> (with a couple <em>Killing Joke</em> references to justify my article title). Given the character's 80-year history, it may seem like an odd choice to focus so narrowly on the Heath Ledger incarnation, but I've got three very good reasons to do so:</p>
<ol>
<li>He's the highly quotable version that <em>everyone </em>knows,</li>
<li>The ethos he lays out captures a lot of the reasons we as a society (heh) find the Joker so compelling, and</li>
<li>That ethos translates super well into <em>Magic</em>, specifically into Commander. In a format whose premise is four people trying to kill each other, it's not hard to make the case that, deep down, we're all just as nasty and crazy as the Joker.</li>
</ol>
<p>Let's get started!</p>
<hr />
<h2>They'll Eat Each Other</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Verbosity"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Shallow Graves"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Stalked Prey"></div></div>
<p>If we want our opponents doing nasty, stupid things to each other, we've got to give them the proper motivation. While there are plenty of ways to force our opponents to go crazy and attack each other, we're taking a more insidious approach. We want to get in their heads. Sure, they don't <em>have </em>to swing, but aren't they just leaving resources on the table if they don't? A lot of people hold fast to those funky little unspoken rules about not swinging with utility dorks in the early game, which makes these kinds of Curses great for building up all kinds of weird animosity and resentment!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Xantcha, Sleeper Agent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scandalmonger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Land&#039;s Edge"></div></div>
<p>Once we've got some tensions riled, we can throw these into the mix. Give <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Xantcha, Sleeper Agent" href="#" target="_blank">Xantcha, Sleeper Agent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to someone who's been needling your Cursed player and watch them get served hot comeuppance with a side of value. And people are remarkably willing to use their extra mana on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scandalmonger" href="#" target="_blank">Scandalmonger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, especially if they're nursing a grudge, Curse-inspired or otherwise.</p>
<p>I'd also like to call attention to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Land&#039;s Edge" href="#" target="_blank">Land&#039;s Edge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scandalmonger" href="#" target="_blank">Scandalmonger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s capacity to make our opponents discard cards, since discarding is a tried and true stand-in for insanity, and deep in the clutches of insanity is right where we want our opponents. And if you're worried that they may not have reasonable motivation to use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Land&#039;s Edge" href="#" target="_blank">Land&#039;s Edge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>...don't be. It's coming.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">The Entertainment Section</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cruel Entertainment"></div></div>
<p>The very <em>existence</em> of this card is a hilariously compelling argument that EDH players are monsters. Just put two people at each other's mercy, and watch them go! It's somewhat evocative of the boat scene in <em>The Dark Knight, </em>or that very quick <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCXbib9MahE">"we're gonna have tryouts" bit with the pool cue.</a> Oh wait...can we give them pool cues?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Donate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Viscera Seer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Necropotence"></div></div>
<p>For the cruelest possible entertainment, give the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Viscera Seer" href="#" target="_blank">Viscera Seer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to the first player, then use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harmless Offering" href="#" target="_blank">Harmless Offering</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to give <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necropotence" href="#" target="_blank">Necropotence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doom Whisperer" href="#" target="_blank">Doom Whisperer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if they're at an even life total) to the player that goes second. How's that for "a social experiment"?</p>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">You'll Have to Choose</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Do or Die"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Captive Audience"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Magus of the Abyss"></div></div>
<p>This Joker guy does love putting people in unthinkable dilemmas like "save Rachel or Harvey" or "kill Coleman Reese or I blow up a hospital". We've got all kinds of horrible dilemmas for our opponents, among which <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Captive Audience" href="#" target="_blank">Captive Audience</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> stands out on a flavor level for essentially being the plot of <em>The Killing Joke.</em></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Hot Potato</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sunder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lightning Storm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Witchbane Orb"></div></div>
<p>Speaking of horrible dilemmas, check this one out! With any luck, we can bounce our opponents' lands <em>and then get them to discard them of their own free will.</em> We'll probably have to discard some, too, but hopefully it'll be less than our opponents. Here's a step-by-step:</p>
<p>1) On the board: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Witchbane Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Witchbane Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></p>
<p>1a) Optional: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Furnace of Rath" href="#" target="_blank">Furnace of Rath</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and/or another damage doubler (the more, the better).</p>
<p>1b) Optional: Play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Damnation" href="#" target="_blank">Damnation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or any other creature wipe.</p>
<p>2) Tap all your lands for mana.</p>
<p>3) Play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sunder" href="#" target="_blank">Sunder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to numerous groans.</p>
<p>4) Play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> targeting the player with the lowest life.</p>
<p>5) Activate <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s ability enough times to make it lethal on whoever you're targeting. This amount will vary, but if you wait until fairly late in the game to do this or have multiple damage doublers out, you might only need to lose 3 or 4 lands.</p>
<p>6) Sit back and watch as your opponents pitch all of their lands to play Death Ping-Pong. If you board wiped, they won't be able to call a truce and fizzle it out on a creature! They'll "drive themselves mad" discarding cards, and then one of them dies! What a show!</p>
<p>Side note: The safe way to do this is with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Witchbane Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Witchbane Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or its sibling <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orbs of Warding" href="#" target="_blank">Orbs of Warding</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which are unfortunately our only options because I'll be damned if I'm gonna splash white in a Joker deck. The authentic way to do this is to deliver a rousing "agent of chaos" speech to our opponents and convince them to respect our craft and not target us.</p>
<hr />
<h2>You're Just a Freak, Like Me</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hive Mind"></div></div>
<p>If your response to seeing the above card is mostly fear, you sound sane and well-adjusted, and you should not be piloting this deck. But really, if our goal is "make our opponents do nasty things", how can we do better than a card that essentially reads "make our opponents copy our nasty things"?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rakdos&#039;s Return"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Remorseless Punishment"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bonfire of the Damned"></div></div>
<p>And what nasty things they are! I'll note that we're also running <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eye of the Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Eye of the Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a backup for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hive Mind" href="#" target="_blank">Hive Mind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which means we're mostly steering clear of X spells, but c'mon, how awesome is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rakdos&#039;s Return" href="#" target="_blank">Rakdos&#039;s Return</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? If we're looking for some more Entertainment, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worst Fears" href="#" target="_blank">Worst Fears</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is also a fantastic option. We'll want our Orbs from the previous section, but if we get in a pinch, we might not have to lose too much even if we end up being targeted and needing to discard.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><em>Madness</em> is the Emergency Exit</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dark Withering"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Avacyn&#039;s Judgment"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nagging Thoughts"></div></div>
<p>Aside from giving us incidental value if our discard sorceries come back to bite us, <em>Madness</em> is kind of the quintessential Joker mechanic. Embracing insanity and using it our advantage? Yes, please.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Land's Edge Incentive</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gaze of Adamaro"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sudden Impact"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Toil // Trouble"></div></div>
<p>I did say there would be reasonable motivation for our opponents to use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Land&#039;s Edge" href="#" target="_blank">Land&#039;s Edge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, didn't I? What happens if we follow our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combo from before, (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sunder" href="#" target="_blank">Sunder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, damage doublers, etc.) but replace <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with one of the above cards played into a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hive Mind" href="#" target="_blank">Hive Mind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? With <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Land&#039;s Edge" href="#" target="_blank">Land&#039;s Edge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> out, our opponents get to decide if they want to take damage for all those lands in their hand, or discard them for 4 damage apiece! And if they don't want to take any damage, they're free to discard their entire hand! Wow, madness really <em>is </em>the emergency exit.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">The Wheels on the Bus</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Windfall"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reforge the Soul"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Echo of Eons"></div></div>
<p>Wheels can enable <em>Madness</em>, and digging for cards is always good, but with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hive Mind" href="#" target="_blank">Hive Mind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, these cards will frikkin' <em>excavate. </em>And if we dig far and deep enough, maybe we'll dig this up:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Laboratory Maniac"></div></div>
<p>I'm usually very against this card because I think it's a lazy backup win condition, but if his flavor text isn't just the epitome of the "I'm like a dog chasing cars" monologue, I don't know what is.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Commander - Multiple Choice</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nekusar the Mindrazer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nicol Bolas"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gwendlyn di Corci"></div></div>
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<p>"You wanna know how I got these cards?"</p>
<p>In keeping with the Joker's multiple choice past, I'm presenting you with a multiple choice poll for a preferred commander. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nekusar, the Mindrazer" href="#" target="_blank">Nekusar, the Mindrazer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the practical choice, seeing as we're running so many wheels, but he's also super overdone and boring. OG <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nicol Bolas" href="#" target="_blank">Nicol Bolas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does force discard, and in an extremely dramatic and theatrical Joker fashion, but he's also kind of a terrible card. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gwendlyn di Corci" href="#" target="_blank">Gwendlyn di Corci</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a little more subtle about it, and she does have some serious Harley Quinn vibes, but she is also One Hundred Dollars. Feel free to comment if you've got any other ideas!</p>
<p>Here's the final decklist! Don't let my commander choice influence your vote.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom Text" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Gwendlyn Di Corci
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Asylum Visitor
*1 Big Game Hunter
*1 Doom Whisperer
*1 Fiendish Duo
*1 Jace&#039;s Archivist
*1 Laboratory Maniac
*1 Magus of the Abyss
*1 Magus of the Wheel
*1 Scandalmonger
*1 Viscera Seer
*1 Xantcha, Sleeper Agent
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bitter Feud
*1 Captive Audience
*1 Collective Restraint
*1 Curse of Disturbance
*1 Curse of Opulence
*1 Curse of Shallow Graves
*1 Curse of Stalked Prey
*1 Curse of Verbosity
*1 Dictate of the Twin Gods
*1 Eye of the Storm
*1 Furnace of Rath
*1 Gibbering Descent
*1 Hive Mind
*1 Land&#039;s Edge
*1 Necropotence
*1 Propaganda
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Avacyn&#039;s Judgment
*1 Blightning
*1 Blood Tribute
*1 Bonfire of the Damned
*1 Carnival // Carnage
*1 Choice of Damnations
*1 Cruel Entertainment
*1 Damnation
*1 Do or Die
*1 Donate
*1 Echo of Eons
*1 Flame Wave
*1 From Under the Floorboards
*1 Harmless Offering
*1 Insult // Injury
*1 Mindstab
*1 Murderous Compulsion
*1 Nagging Thoughts
*1 Rakdos&#039;s Return
*1 Reforge the Soul
*1 Remorseless Punishment
*1 Thieves&#039; Auction
*1 Toil // Trouble
*1 Welcome to the Fold
*1 Wheel of Fortune
*1 Windfall
*1 Worst Fears
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Dimir Signet
*1 Izzet Signet
*1 Orbs of Warding
*1 Rakdos Signet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Witchbane Orb
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Dark Withering
*1 Gaze of Adamaro
*1 Lightning Storm
*1 Sudden Impact
*1 Sunder
*1 Violent Eruption
*1 Volcanic Offering
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Blood Crypt
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 Command Tower
*1 Crumbling Necropolis
*1 Dragonskull Summit
*1 Drowned Catacomb
*1 Graven Cairns
*6 Island
*1 Luxury Suite
*8 Mountain
*1 Sulfur Falls
*7 Swamp
*1 Watery Grave
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>What do you think? Do these cards put a smile on that face, or does this town deserve a better class of criminal? Do I look like a guy with a plan, or is the plan horrifying? Let me know!</p>
<p>In regards to our next villain, I started writing a little bonus section at the end here with deck ideas for other Batman villains, and realized I had enough material to do a whole article of them! They won't be full decks, just little deck archetypes with some card ideas, but I'm going to cram in every dang Batman villain I can come up with a build for! See you next time!</p>


sunder

Reconstruct History — Mass Land Destruction

Justice League Commander Decks - Son of the Land, King of the Seas

Diabolic Intent - One Bad Day

Conditions Allow - Taniwha