This Week in JANK: Izzet Gods?

Hey, gang. It’s BDC with another Week in Jank. Just when you think there is no Jank to be had, you find those little tidbits in the strangest places. Full disclosure: The deck showcased today is still in development. And maybe it should be dismantled and made in to two or more other decks. But that is not the point here at Week in Jank. We’re here to find the small combos that can help you get your deck to where you want to be.

As the title spoils, this deck is a union of gods from blue and red. They all have their own place in the deck and, if they do their jobs, we have a good chance at victory. Which, I suppose, is the very definition of a CCG. But, the more I played this deck, the more I felt it may have had too many things going on. But those separate things, if put into the right deck, can definitely pull some wins. One or all of these e bits and pieces may be of use to many different types of decks, so let’s get started.

PURPHOROS HASTE ENGINE

TARGETS AND TRIGGERS

I chose to use cards that send the creatures back to the ‘owner’s hand. Cards like Unsummon, Unsubstantiate and the new Kaldheim card, Depart the Realms. Depart the Realms has Foretell that means you can bank it for safe keeping. That way you can use it for one island to help trigger Orvar and duplicate those creatures.

I used these unsummoning cards for lots of reasons. Not only will they trigger Orvar, but they can get rid of opponents, destroy tokens and even save your creatures from destruction. They can keep your opponent busy while you build mana for the dragons or drive Purphoros’ haste engine. They are chewap and are a real early game save.

OPENING THE MANA PATHS

The main problem with red and blue are the lack of mana ramps. Well, Kaldheim went a long way to fixing that problem. Now, it’s no replacement for green, but, if you’re stuck playing mono red, there a few cards from that set that can help.

Bergi, God of Storytelling, will give you an extra red mana for every spell played. And, if you get a spells matter deck going, it can be a never ending supply of cheap mana. But, the real workhorse is Open the Omenpaths. Now, at first glance, it may seem to be of little effect. But trading a three mana for four mana can help you drop that monstrosity a turn early. Not to mention if you are in a multicolored deck. This card can come in handy pulling up that one bit of mana you’ve drawn short on.

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And Traitorous Greed does double duty. It steals a card your opponent controls. But the real caveat is the two mana of any one color you get. That means you can play the steal card and turn around and play one of those cheap unsummon cards I was talking about. If Orvar is out, you could unsummon into a making a token. If Purphoros is out, you maight be able to get a big red card to hekp you run their fienld fast.

THE REAL STARS OF THIS DECK

All of the afore mentioned cards are great and important to the deck. But the real heavy lifters are the two dragons.

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Goldspan Dragon is arguable one of the best cards to come out of Kaldheim and will be affecting the META for a long time. Not a legendary (I have no idea why not) which means you can pop out four or more (considering Orvar) and make a damn army out of them under the right circumstances. Couple that with Terror of the Peaks and you have a freakin’ artillery gun obliterating your enemy.

And don’t forget the absolute value of a hasted dragon that makes double mana tokens. Add that to ORvar making tokens and Bergi and Omenpaths and you will have mana for days.

I added Nyxborn Brute just for the sheer power. It’s a great card to cheat out with Purphoroous or use as ‘cannon fodder’ for Terror. Think about the full on Bliztkrieg that will happen when you start making tokens with Orvar whil the Terror of the Peaks is out. It will literally rain fire on your enemies.

WEll, like I said before, I still have work to do with this deck. If you have any better ideas, I’m more than happy to hear them. And if you have a bit of JANK that has been looked over, well, don’t be a hoarder! Pass it on , my friend. I think I’ve proven that I will try any bit of tasty Jank. Maybe you have something that needs a home aka a place to be nurtured and helped to grow. If it’s possible, well find the little jank a good home.

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