{"ops":[{"insert":"BOUNCY BOI BARRIN $150-ish budget Primer"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"bold":true},"insert":"PRE-INTRO NOTE ON MAINTENANCE"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"TL;DR"},{"insert":": I still think this primer is worth a read if you’re looking to build Barrin on a $150 budget, even though the dollar value no longer reflects that. If you swap out Cyclonic Rift for Aetherspouts and Force of Negation for An Offer You Can’t Refuse, you’re cooking with some affordable-ass gas, baby!\n\n(The $150 number is based on TCGplayer prices, so make sure that option is selected when checking the list.)\n\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"A little more detail, please skip if you DGAF"},{"insert":"\nI haven’t been actively maintaining this primer for a while now, but I’ve recently made some pricey swaps that have blown the list past the $150 neighborhood. It’s still under $250 using TCGplayer prices, but I’m not really trying to stick to a specific budget anymore. If I was, these swaps are not ones I’d make even if I was aiming for a $250 ceiling. I think it’s worth getting into why.\n\nI believe that, if you’re trying to stick to even a loosely relatively restrictive budget of $250, it’s usually more optimal to spread your budget out. In a vacuum, 12 $10 cards will make a deck stronger than three $40 cards, unless those cards are fetchable and are key pieces to furthering your gameplan. You don’t need me to tell you that Force of Negation and Cyclonic Rift are great cards, but they will hurt your average deck quality if you’ve got limited $ to allocate. With that in mind, even though the swaps are few in number, and I think they’re good ones, they don’t fit with the ethos of the primer. I’d probably make a larger number of incrementally more expensive swaps if I was trying to do that.\n\nThat said, back to our regularly scheduled programming!\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":" "},{"insert":"\n\n\nHi! If you're reading this, you probably have a great idea, and that's to build "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Barrin, Master Wizard"}},{"insert":". Hopefully this primer-ish thing will give you some ideas and reinforce why Barrin completely rules.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"NOTE: "},{"insert":"I do "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"not"},{"insert":" stand behind this list as optimal. I'm just a guy who's played Barrin a lot and has learned some stuff along the way. Hopefully you find this useful and perhaps even entertaining. Idk, that would be nice, right?\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"ANOTHER NOTE"},{"insert":": I do not police the list, and I don't count the commander in the price. There are cards I mention in the primer that aren't in the list, but the philosophy is broadly the same. Swap in those cards if you like what I say about them, or not. You'll still probably have a good time.\n\nOkay, enough NOTEs. Onward!\n\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Why you should play this deck"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nYou like having a big board state...in mono blue."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"You like complex decision trees at any point after turn five."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"You like grinding out incremental advantages."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"You like trading (your) stuff for (your opponents') mana. In other words, you like playing tempo (even if it's of a more patient sort)."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"You are ruthless when you have to be."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"You like flying under the radar. And, most importantly,"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"You are patient."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Why you shouldn't play this deck"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"var(--light-background)","color":"var(--color)"},"insert":"\"Math is for blockers.\""},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"You use the term \"smash face.\""},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"var(--light-background)","color":"var(--color)"},"insert":"You like games that proactively revolve around your commander and/or when your commander has a clear hoop to jump through."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"var(--light-background)","color":"var(--color)"},"insert":"You play in a fast, cutthroat meta. You can absolutely tune Barrin up to be speedier and/or revolve around resolving game-ending threats, but this is a budget build so...no fast mana and no Ulamogs for us."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"You play in a meta where creatures are scarce. Yeah, you can still win, because presumably your opponents' commanders are an important part of their gameplan, but you just don't quite have as many options."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"You like imposing your will from the jump and/or you relish the Archenemy role. And, most importantly,"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"You just want to get this damn game over with and shuffle up for the next one."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"How to play this deck"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nWe want to play under the radar, concentrating on developing our board state and using our mana efficiently. We facilitate doing this by leaning on judicious (but not hesitant) use of our countermagic and Barrin's ability. \n\nWe don't want to proactively fuck with other people's boards, particularly at first. At the same time, we have to be willing to react with vigor when pressed, to the point of binning cards we kinda want sticking around. We can either get it back later (there's a reason why you see a lot more permanent recursion in this list than is typical in blue...) or accept that we've made a good trade on mana—we basically cast a slightly more expensive "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Unsummon"}},{"insert":" while the opponent often gets "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Time Walk"}},{"insert":"ed—they essentially lose their next turn recasting what you fucked with this turn.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Speaking of which, the original version of that card had a different wording, one which is is kind of unfortunate and easy to misinterpret. Here's a mockup someone made:"},{"insert":"\n\n\n"},{"insert":{"image":"https://64.media.tumblr.com/1619b73f1a64d9b9a034866243a661e9/tumblr_mmv2h3aYOD1qc29lyo1_400.png"}},{"insert":"\n\n\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Oh, the things you learn listening to Mark Rosewater's podcast. "},{"insert":"\n\nAnyway, once we've developed our game and can exert a sufficient amount of control over the game state, we're ready to win.\n\nNow how in the heck do we do that?\n\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"How this deck wins"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nThere are two answers to this question. \n\nThe standard answer is, "},{"attributes":{"background":"var(--light-background)","color":"var(--color)"},"insert":"tutor up one of our three wincons. They are:"},{"insert":"\n\nThe tried-and-true classic is "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Cyberdrive Awakener"}},{"insert":". There are a number of noncreature artifacts in this deck and since most games tend to go long (more on this in a sec) we'll usually have a big enough board state to turn all your "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Terrarion"}},{"insert":"s and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ichor Wellspring"}},{"insert":"s sideways and win. But with Barrin, you don't need to worry about knocking everyone out so long as you've established control over the board and are backed by countermagic—you can simply bounce Awakener to hand and cast him again for that sweet, sweet evasion."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nThe second option is cuter and requires at least 11 mana (13 if you're playing responsibly and holding a counter) to reliably execute in one turn—which is probably what you want to be doing because this is fairly easily fucked with. That's "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Prototype Portal"}},{"insert":" + "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ugin's Nexus"}},{"insert":" + "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Barrin, Master Wizard"}},{"insert":". A twist on the ol' classic with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Grinding Station"}},{"insert":"—start with Portal on the battlefield, pitch Nexus, create a token, sac with Barrin to bounce some sad-sack creature out there, rinse, repeat. After you clear the field, you can start attacking with whatever you have lying around (winning with Barrin commander damage is particularly adorable, even if it's just a pro forma \"okay, we're fast-forwarding through my next 63 consecutive turns, you all die\") or just draw into the Awakener and do that dang thing. You can also use "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Drafna, Founder of Lat-Nam"}},{"insert":" in place of Portal + Barrin if you have three more mana hanging around. Cast Nexus, copy the artifact spell, legend-rule sac, bounce with Drafna."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nThe final one...look, I'm not gonna sit here and tell you this wincon rules. It's very derpy. But it's "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"fine"},{"insert":" here. That's "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Naru Meha, Master Wizard"}},{"insert":" + "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sublime Epiphany"}},{"insert":". Normally, Naru Meha wouldn't really do anything in this deck besides provide a wincon. It's always a bad idea to stick do-nothing cards in your deck, and that is a common trap with Barrin in particular (I'll also explain this later). But...in "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"this"},{"insert":" deck, as currently (suboptimally) built, she's...fine. She's a wizard. This deck has 14 of them and a few effects that care about wizards. So you can tap her for stuff or bounce her and get her effect again. Whatever, leave me alone, I'm living my truth."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nSo that's one answer. The standard answer, as I say. The REAL answer is, you win by casting and protecting Barrin. That's really the key component of the above wincons. Because Barrin...Barrin is amazing. He is the beating heart of this deck. Let's go over why he rules so hard:\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"He turns every single permanent you control into instant-speed interaction"},{"insert":". This basically means that, at the time of your choosing, you can pivot from what is fundamentally a permanent-based deck into a draw-go, heavily interactive deck. If something sus starts going down with one of our opponents' board states, if you've got enough..."},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"stuff"},{"insert":" lying around, you can shut that down real quick."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"He makes your deck flexible"},{"insert":". Very flexible. Barrin can help squeeze the most juice out of a number of strategies, from hard combo (giving yourself enough breathing room to assemble your wincon) to hard Eldrazi control (see above re: interaction) to combat-oriented strategies. He's helmed control magic/theft, artifact recursion, and fodder/control lists for me. He only hoop he asks you to jump through is to give him some stuff to sac. That hoop doesn't really demand as many card slots as one might think. You can give him your lands, your rocks, your support creatures, whatever. Whether you feed him a bunch of tokens or limit it to actual permanents you kinda care about depends on how often you plan on activating him. However, the threat of activation is always there. Which brings me to the next point..."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"He is a rattlesnake"},{"insert":". By this point, the playgroup "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"knows"},{"insert":" what's going to happen when I pull Barrin out. They "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"know"},{"insert":" the deck will look innocuous for a while, while other players pose more obvious and immediate threats. That doesn't matter as much as you might think, and the reason is because people don't want their shit fucked with. If the entire table decided it was worth making poor mana trades (the casting cost of their creature vs. a Barrin activation) to make me burn through my mana and available fodder and take me out, they'd probably overwhelm me. But that never happens. "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"People don't want their shit fucked with"},{"insert":". They would almost always simply rather look elsewhere and leave the weird dude making token copies of "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mycosynth Wellspring"}},{"insert":" alone."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"He facilitates a political playstyle, if that's your thing"},{"insert":". Is one opponent about to put the screws to the other one? Make a deal with the other guy to give him some breathing room. Someone need to hit someone else to get a saboteur effect? You can make that happen. Hatebear deck soft-locking everyone out of the game? You can be the hero. He is just as capable of saying, \"Oh, I can fix this\" as he is with saying, \"Don't you "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"dare"},{"insert":" look at me like that.\""},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"He is (nearly) un-fuck-withable"},{"insert":". I've played with this deck who knows how many times before and (aside from the first couple of games where I was getting a feel for him) I am not exaggerating when I say he's been removed "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"twice"},{"insert":". It sounds ridiculous to be so specific but I can because it is a memorable event when it happens. There are very few ways of getting rid of him aside from throwing cards at him until I tap out, and then throwing another one at him. (I should add that this isn't some weird brag—him not getting removed is NOT the same as me winning, lol. All due credit to Barrin for doing his best "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Norin the Wary"}},{"insert":" impression when he needs to)."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nSo, as I said, that's the REAL answer. Long-winded, but true.\n\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Tips and Traps"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nOkay.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Do not cast Barrin with less than five mana available and one nonland permanent available to sac"},{"insert":". (Once you've got enough mana to feel comfy, go ahead and sac lands if that's the move that makes sense.) This minimum threshold is critical. Even if the deck doesn't really *need* him to win, Barrin is, as I said, the beating heart of this deck, and you should strongly bias toward protecting him. His activated ability is, first and foremost, a protective one. Situations in which it is correct to let Barrin go to the command zone are rare."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nThis follows from the point above: "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"You have to be willing to be ruthless with your board state"},{"insert":". You have to let the table know you're not afraid of activating him and that you will absolutely bin that "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Thran Dynamo"}},{"insert":" if that's what it takes to be left alone. This has to be you:"},{"insert":{"image":"https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/038/610/tco_-_2021-10-19T144557.156.jpg"}},{"insert":"\t\t\t\t\tYou're sending a message, letting the hostage negotiators know you're not fucking around here. If your opponents sense that you're loath to use Barrin, well, feel free to use him to chump, because there's no point in having him on the battlefield."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nBalancing that exhortation: "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Don't just fire Barrin off at random 6/6s cuz \"it's something to do"},{"insert":".\" People don't like getting their shit bounced. It's annoying. I would argue it's often more annoying than just getting your thing "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Path to Exile"}},{"insert":"'d. If there isn't a good reason to antagonize someone, don't. Bouncing someone's "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Harvester of Souls"}},{"insert":" because they might draw a couple of cards is (often) not worth making an enemy out of them. Unless, of course, you're ready to take that opponent on..."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nIt goes on. There is, also, of course, the more universal MtG truth that tempo is fundamentally about proactively disrupting your opponent, particularly by denying your opponent a means of efficiently using their mana, which prevents your opponent from developing their board, "},{"attributes":{"italic":true,"bold":true},"insert":"enabling you press the advantage"},{"insert":". No amount of bounce is going to mean anything if you don't "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"do"},{"insert":" something with the space you've created for yourself. (Disrupting your opponent to the point where it is they who can't do anything counts as, y'know, doing something.)"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nBuilding on that point (I'm really stacking these up, huh?), "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"try to use Barrin to facilitate your opponents' attacks on each other"},{"insert":". This also counts as "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"doing"},{"insert":" something. You've already given your opponents a reason to leave you alone in casting Barrin; reinforce that lesson by clearing blockers at critical points or by trading favors. Barrin can be an effective political tool. Exploit that."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Aim to play at instant speed as much as possible"},{"insert":". \"As possible\" can include holding back on resolving spells to keep your mana open and leave a Barrin activation or a counterspell available. That said, don't let your mana go to waste. With this deck, should almost never have to—there are a number of mana sinks in here. While these sorts of repeatable effects are generally weaker than dedicated spells that achieve the same effect (you're paying six mana over at least two turns to get a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Divination"}},{"insert":" with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Endless Atlas"}},{"insert":"), it is these sinks that allow you to accrue advantage while still maintaining flexibility. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Leyline of Anticipation"}},{"insert":" (bae) entirely resolves this tension and...whoa, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Vedalken Orrery"}},{"insert":" isn't $30 anymore? Get in here, buddy."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nAnd, finally (for now, at least)..."},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"don't stick garbage in your deck to feed Barrin"},{"insert":". Put good cards in there instead. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Reef Worm"}},{"insert":" sucks. You're paying six mana for a 3/3, eight for a 6/6, and 10 for a 9/9. Vanilla. Yeah, Worm gives you stuff to sac to Barrin without wasting full cards, but the honest truth is you don't typically activate Barrin enough that you have to reach this far down the list of \"cards that do stuff\" to feed him. I would argue that if we're casting a stupid Reef Worm, we've already wasted a full card by putting the thing in our deck and drawing it. We already want to bias toward permanents for desired effects, and we have some fodder generation. That's going to be good enough. "},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"All right, real talk about some wizards"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nNow, that last part about sticking garbage in your deck...why tf is "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Gadwick, the Wizened"}},{"insert":" in this deck when "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Blue Sun's Zenith"}},{"insert":" is a thing? [Edit: Okay so Zenith is in the deck. Nevertheless, permit the outdated rhetorical question to stand.]\n\nFirst, this is a game, and it's supposed to be fun. I like having fun. I am having fun with my Wizards tribal subtheme. That normally is all the explanation one would need, but since this is a primer of sorts, I will at least TRY to justify this...[deep breath]\n\nThis all started with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Azami, Lady of Scrolls"}},{"insert":". Barrin never taps. He just hangs out. He's a freaking 1/1. We want permanent-based effects. We've got Endless Atlas in here, and the worst-case scenario for a resolved Azami with Barrin hanging around is quicker and more mana-efficient than two turns of that card sticking around. So Azami went in the deck.\n\n Azami, it turns out, won me games. There are already a number of wizards in this deck that put in serious work. One long grinder of a game, I had her, Barrin, and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Treasure Mage"}},{"insert":" out, and I probably drew 12 cards with them. “Hmm,” I thought. “This is…this is good.” So after the game, I looked up wizards that give effects when tapping other wizards. I found "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Galecaster Colossus"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Patron Wizard"}},{"insert":". “Hmm,\" I thought. \"I...I like these effects.\" \n\nMaRo has talked about how tribal cards inevitably want you to put in more tribal cards into your deck. Like, yeah, that's obvious, but, like, when Alpha came out, people were trying to force goblins because of Goblin King even though there were only other goblins in the set and they both sucked ass. They just pull you in that direction. A lot.\n\nI decided that, well, I’m not playing cEDH. It might very well be worth trading some individual card quality for synergy. So I gave in to the tribal pull, and stuck more wizards in the deck.\n\nIt works out! Treasure Mage and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Trinket Mage"}},{"insert":" suddenly "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"do"},{"insert":" stuff beyond just grabbing you a wincon and a Sol Ring. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Glen Elendra Archmage"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Siren Stormtamer"}},{"insert":" do more than just waiting around to die. It is sometimes correct to play Naru Meha even if you’re not ready to go off with Sublime Epiphany. Etc.\n\nSo, there you go. Wizards tribal subtheme, ladies and germs.\n\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Notable includes"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nTime to explain some good cards and...justify some other ones.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Sinks"},{"insert":". \nI've mentioned this above, and that I consider flash enablers to be sinks as well. If Barrin is the beating heart of this deck, sinks are the…blood? Or would Barrin be the blood and the sinks be the bleeding heart? Idk man, sinks are good lol. They let us play in a draw-go style without taking the tempo blowout that happens when you leave all your mana up and don’t end up firing anything off. Don’t need to belabor this anymore, you 100% get my point. Oh, I will say that the sinks and the low curve synergize—you have more mana to threaten activation or just "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"do"},{"insert":" shit at the opponent's end step if the shit you cast is cheap.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Powerstones"},{"insert":".\nIt’s easy to look at these and go, “eww.” Less than half of the deck’s permanents are artifacts, and these cannot be used to cast non-artifact spells. To more than half of our spells, these are just clutter on cast. Except. "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"On cast"},{"insert":". I think I might have mentioned something about sinks. Powerstones don’t GAF about paying for activations! And the two powerstone-generating permanents ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Urza, Powerstone Prodigy"}},{"insert":" & "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Hall of Tagsin"}},{"insert":") are sinks themselves! You can even tap one and then sac it to Barrin. We love to have fun, don’t we, folks?\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Drafna, Founder of Lat-Nam"}},{"insert":". \nSpeaking of fun, this card is fun. Very fun. In fact, if you’re not vigilant, you can get lost in the sauce, because why develop your gameplan if you can just loop Ichor Wellsprings ad nauseam? So, keep that in mind. But, it’s a (don’t roll your eyes!) sink, can be a very flexible source of value, and, as mentioned above, is part of a two-card wincon. So, yeah. Fun. And Good. Fun and good.\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Loyal Drake"}},{"insert":". \nLook, I’m not gonna pretend this card is great. It’s whatever. There was a time where "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Phyrexian Arena"}},{"insert":" was way overrated, and this is mostly an easier-to-kill, more conditional version of that. However, I think the backlash has gone too far, particularly in less speedy metas. “When you draw it late, it sucks!” Idk, so does Cultivate? \n\nI know it’s not a perfect comparison, and a better one would be burst draw vs Arena, which is often far superior late. But I’m not trying to compare its efficacy to other options. I’m trying to say we happily put situationally powerful cards in our deck all the time if the situations in which they are powerful are met with sufficient frequency, and in this deck Drake is good often enough. \n\nOkay I really need to get off this soapbox. Anyway, Drake’s fragility and conditional draw makes it worse in a vacuum, but it’s still permanent-based, it replaces itself the turn you cast it, and, uh, we can’t play Arena. Plus, Barrin is one resilient motherfucker and can actually protect the Drake, turning its weakness into a strength. I had no idea I had half these many words to say about Loyal fucking Drake, my god. Let's never speak of this again.\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Induced Amnesia"}},{"insert":". \nSporting the separate triggers that makes O-Ring so O-Worthy makes this thing FLEXXXIBLE. You can bounce your opponent’s commander, then cast Amnesia and exile it. They then have to decide whether they’d rather have their commander gone until you choose to do something with Amnesia or put it in the command zone and pay the tax. You can cast it targeting your opponent, then hold priority and sac it to Barrin to bounce one of their creatures (or more if you have the mana/stuff/impetus to do it), then stack the triggers so the second trigger resolves first. Then the ETB resolves, and everything in their hand (including the shit you bounced) goes away forever. They draw another hand, yeah, but it’s a decent way to exile something particularly scary. And, of course, you can cast it on yourself, sac it immediately to bounce whatever you want, and double your hand. \n\nCool!\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Tamiyo's Journal"}},{"insert":". \nFodder that you can sink mana into to draw you cards! Plus, if you're slowing things down well enough, you can absolutely keep your powder dry, get to three clues, and tutor with this thing. The unconditional kind, too, so nobody even knows what you got. Hard to do in blue (though not impossible—hello, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Long-Term Plans"}},{"insert":").\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Aetherspouts"}},{"insert":".\nLook, broadly speaking, there are a million versions of this. You'd almost always want "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Cyclonic Rift"}},{"insert":" instead, and this doesn't even affect the entire table. I would humbly submit that we'd rather not sink 1/4 of our budget into a single card, regardless of power level. And unlike most mass bounce, it is an instant speed, whiplash-inducing card, capable of turning a game-ending alpha strike into a back-breaking card disadvantage play. It can be a political tool as well. Overall, it fits perfectly into our \"you REALLY want to look elsewhere\" gameplan. Recur it for heartburn-inducing laughs!\n\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Notable excludes"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nReef Worm / "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Chasm Skulker"}},{"insert":" / "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Master of Waves"}},{"insert":" / "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Nadir Kraken"}},{"insert":"...\nYou already saw me go off on freaking Reef Worm. The same thing applies here, except you have to wait around for Skulker and Kraken to even give you stuff. And as for Master of Waves, well, if he dies all his little bros die. If someone targets him, what are you gonna do? Save him and let all his bros die, or let him die and take all his little bros along with him, Heaven's Gate-style? Not a fan.\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Nimblewright Schematic"}},{"insert":" / "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Servo Schematic"}},{"insert":". \nThese, on the other hand, are perfectly fine cards. Unlike Reef Worm and gang, these are cheaper to cast, giving you up to three sac targets for six mana (as opposed to Worm's four for 10). What's more, they give you bodies to "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Skullclamp"}},{"insert":", are recurrable with stuff like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Emry, Lurker of the Loch"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Myr Retriever"}},{"insert":" if you really need more fodder or another artifact for Cyberdrive Awakener to awaken, and can even be free with the right Ugin out. I just think that, for me, I've hit on some better sac enablers, so they've been left by the wayside.\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dismiss into Dream"}},{"insert":". \nThis card is very well-suited to Barrin. It's also pretty salty. I am a control guy at heart but I also hate being too mean (I know, terrible combo) so when I feel like I'm just preventing people from playing without closing the game out uh-"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"now"},{"insert":" I feel pretty bad. So...I ran it to good effect and run it no more.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"var(--light-background)","color":"var(--color)"},"insert":{"card-link":"Callous Oppressor"}},{"attributes":{"background":"var(--light-background)","color":"var(--color)"},"insert":" / "},{"attributes":{"background":"var(--light-background)","color":"var(--color)"},"insert":{"card-link":"Magus of the Unseen"}},{"attributes":{"background":"var(--light-background)","color":"var(--color)"},"insert":" / "},{"attributes":{"background":"var(--light-background)","color":"var(--color)"},"insert":{"card-link":"Willbreaker"}},{"attributes":{"background":"var(--light-background)","color":"var(--color)"},"insert":" / "},{"attributes":{"background":"var(--light-background)","color":"var(--color)"},"insert":{"card-link":"Beguiler of Wills"}},{"attributes":{"background":"var(--light-background)","color":"var(--color)"},"insert":"..."},{"insert":"\nSpeaking of things people don't like...I've run all of these and I think Callous Oppressor in particular is quite effective. It's just...this really just isn't where we want to be from a playstyle perspective. No, this isn't about salt this time—we're running "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sower of Temptation"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Thieving Skydiver"}},{"insert":", after all. Not only do we get our target NOW (persistently in the case of the Skydiver, love ramp in mono-U), consider the case where our opponent targets our thievy little boi. With any theft creature, we can sac the dude we stole and bounce the stealer in response. With the tappers, if we don't have flash online, we have to recast and wait ANOTHER whole-ass turn to steal something else. With the ETB gang, we can immediately steal another thing. \n\nAs for the others, with four mana Sower does what Willbreaker can do for seven, and I'm not interested in the heat repeatedly abusing the ol 'Breaker can bring.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"var(--color)","background":"var(--light-background)"},"insert":{"card-link":"Launch"}},{"attributes":{"color":"var(--color)","background":"var(--light-background)"},"insert":" and friends."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"var(--color)","background":"var(--light-background)"},"insert":"It...it never would have crossed my mind that Launch might be in the decision set for folks had I not peeped at EDHREC prior to cracking my knuckles and getting to typing this thing up. So. Here we are. I, uh, I dunno what to say about this. I would not run Launch, nor would I run cards like Launch. How about that? "},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Wizard's Retort"}},{"insert":".\nLook, put it in if you want to. It's another Counterspell like 95% of the time. It's a very good card. It's entirely possible I should run it too. It's just that, with Barrin's ability to deal with creatures, I bias toward narrower, easier-to-cast/permanent-based counters. Hexproof sucks here, and ward is becoming a more common sight, so it's possible I may need to update my priors. But for now, Retort hasn't made the team.\n\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Wizard Swaps"},{"insert":"\nOkay, I'm bored and tired and you probably are, too. So let me just cheat and say, if you don't care about the subtheme, just pull the damn wizards you don't like and replace them with a non-synergistic, optimized version of the effect. That's all I would have said, just with more words. You don't need that. Just kick my poor precious wizards to the curb and stick the staples in.\n\nGoddamn it, okay, fine. I'll tell you the wizards I'd cut if we really wanted to move away from this cutesy theme. The easy ones are Galecaster Colossus, Siren Stormtamer, and Gadwick, the Wizened. After that, I'd look at Patron Wizard. A free "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Miscalculation"}},{"insert":" (usually at minimum) is quite strong early on. Later, if you can't scale to "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mana Leak"}},{"insert":" and beyond it just becomes a nuisance that tends to eat removal. Turns out people don't like staring down an obnoxious but not insurmountable bit of on-board interaction like that.\n\nAfter "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"that"},{"insert":", idk man, I'd pick Trinket Mage. I've been very happy with him, but the fewer cards that care about wizards, the more likely he is to be "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ur-Golem's Eye"}},{"insert":". (You "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"can"},{"insert":" bounce him to grab graveyard hate or a card advantage thopter-killer engine ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Tormod's Crypt"}},{"insert":" or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Skullclamp"}},{"insert":"), but you get my rhetorical point.\n\nI really wouldn't cut deeper than that. Azami reads like a decent candidate, with her cares-about-wizards effect, but as I said, she feels worth it even with no wizzybuds out other than Barrin.\n\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"Ok bye"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Well, I dunno how to wrap this up. Oh! Here. Please drop a line if you somehow manage to come across this. I have thought a LOT about Barrin, but I am also just one guy, and not a particularly smart one. Questions/comments/concerns/chatter are welcome, no matter what, but ESPECIALLY if you want to or have built him.\n\nI probably won't be updating this too TOO much in response to changes in the list, so apologies if I make reference to something that is no longer in the deck. I would, normally, but Barrin and I, we're an itinerant duo. Always moving from town to town, keeping ahead of the law and evolving our grift along the way. We just don't have time to write down every new little wrinkle in our Book of Incriminating Grift Tweaks. I'll try to remember when I make a huge swap, though. \n\nWhich will happen. It always happens with Barrin.\n\n\n\n"}]}