{"ops":[{"insert":"This deck is Shapeshifter tribal led by Hama, the Bloodbender.\n\nShapeshifter in this context refers not only to the 24 creatures with the type in the deck but to the tribe's themes of cloning, copying and theft. Due to how shapeshifters work, once they're on the battlefield they in most cases no longer keep their creature type, so the actual tribal payoffs are less prominent. Instead this deck uses cards that synergize well with copying or being copied.\n\nThis deck's themes are tokens, theft, mill, devotion to black and blue, cost reduction and mana values greater than 4.\n\nThe primary function of this deck is to copy Hama multiple times. This serves several purposes as her triggered ability both mills our opponents and gives us noncreature cards that we can cast with generic mana. She also contributes three hybrid mana to our devotion with each copy. Once we have cards exiled with her, we can cast them for a reduced rate using cards like Glamdring, Blood Funnel, and Wizards of Thay, or we can waterbend them with the tokens we get from cards like Underworld Hermit and Master of Waves. Because the cards we are stealing are most likely instants and sorceries, they go right back to the graveyard for us to steal them again.\n\nIf Hama's mill isn't fast enough, we can use Mesmeric Orb, Phenax, God of Deception, or Maddening Cacophony to find better targets.\n\nGood ramp is hard to find in blue/black, but we have some. Nyx Lotus synergizes well, we can use mono blue cost reducers like Sapphire Medallion and The Water Crystal because almost all of our high cost spells are blue, and Realmbreaker, the Invasion Tree is an overlooked option for mill decks.\n\nFinally, we can take advantage of Hama's mana value of five and the fact that it carries over to anything that copies her. Displacement Wave and Day of Black Sun destroy or bounce all creatures with mana value below a certain threshold, avoiding most of your board but decimating your opponents. You can also take advantage of the fact that most clone variants cost four or more mana with Kozilek's Unsealing, which gives us tons of tokens to waterbend.\n\nOur main obstacle to playing this deck is obviously the legend rule. To combat this I've included most of the playable options to either ignore the rule or copy a creature without the copy being legendary. A number of these actually synergize quite well with the deck, Council of Reeds gives us fodder for waterbending and Sakashima is practically an honorary shapeshifter.\n\nOur plan to win with this deck is either to mill our opponents out or win via devotion, for example by copying Master of Waves or Gray Merchant of Asphodel. We can also win using our only game changer, Thassa's Oracle. There's something wonderfully silly about a Thassa's win that uses overwhelming devotion rather than self mill. \n\nOther cards of particular interest: \n\nPirated Copy - A great card for any clone deck, giving every copy of of one card the ability to draw on player damage. Basically the shapeshifter equivalent of a lord.\n\nChancellor of the Spires - Provides early-game mill as well as an alternative target for cloning, with a great ETB.\n\nNightscape Familiar - One of my favorite cards in the deck. The extra color increases the possibility for it to reduce your stolen spells, not just your clones, and you can clone it for even better discounts! \n\nOptional add-ons:\n\nEluge, the Shoreless Sea - We want our noncreature cost reduction to be as high as possible. Hama makes the spells she steals entirely generic to cast, so with enough flood counters we can freecast whatever our opponent's biggest spell is once a turn for as long as we want! Pity the poor fool who brought Time Warp.\n\nTymaret, Chosen from Death - Graveyard hate is always a good idea for a mill player, and the obscene toughness combos very well with Phenax.\n\nHostage Taker - Removal and theft, plus a target for cloning. \n\nSynthesis Pod - Allows you to trade unwanted spells for random cards off your opponents. Good if you're up against a deck that doesn't have many noncreatures for Hana to steal.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"}]}