joshjmartin1973
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Commander
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{"ops":[{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Riddle Me Dead"},{"insert":" is an Esper Sphinx control deck built around turning card advantage into inevitability. The Ur-Sphinx reduces the cost of your tribe from the command zone, so the early game is about developing mana, landing efficient Sphinxes, and assembling draw engines rather than racing to cast the commander. Cards like "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Consecrated Sphinx, Unesh, Windreader Sphinx, Dream Trawler, Sphinx’s Revelation, Teferi’s Ageless Insight"},{"insert":", and the seven copies of "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Sphinx’s Approach"},{"insert":" keep your hand full while helping you dig toward the exact Sphinx or answer you need.\n\nThe deck’s defining twist is that drawing cards actively hurts your opponents. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Psychosis Crawler"},{"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Queza, Augur of Agonies"},{"insert":" convert draws into life loss, while "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Psychic Corrosion"},{"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Sphinx’s Tutelage"},{"insert":" convert the same draws into mill. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"The Water Crystal"},{"insert":" pushes the mill plan harder, making every milling event more punishing and giving the deck another late-game way to shred libraries. Because so many of your normal value plays now double as damage or mill, you are not forced to win only by attacking with large flyers.\n\nThe Ur-Sphinx is the bridge between the tribal plan and the mill plan. Once several Sphinxes are attacking, the commander mills each player and lets you turn those milled cards into free spells, so opponents’ libraries become a resource for you rather than just a countdown to zero. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Sphinx’s Approach"},{"insert":" supports that same idea from another angle: early copies are instant-speed draw spells, while later copies can cash in the spent Approaches to put the right Sphinx directly onto the battlefield. Cards like "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Archive Arbiter, Magister Sphinx, Sphinx of the Second Sun, Sphinx of Forgotten Lore"},{"insert":", and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Tivit"},{"insert":" make that toolbox plan flexible and dangerous.\n\nThe deck now has several distinct ways to close a game. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Akroma’s Will"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Kindred Dominance"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Kindred Judgment"},{"insert":", and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Raise the Palisade"},{"insert":" can clear the way for lethal flying damage, while Crawler, Queza, Corrosion, and Tutelage punish the table for letting your draw engine survive. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Jace, Wielder of Mysteries"},{"insert":" adds a final escape hatch: if your own draw engines become so explosive that you burn through the library, Jace can turn that liability into a win condition. The result is a Sphinx deck that feels less like tribal beatdown and more like an accumulating intellectual trap—every card drawn, every library milled, and every riddle answered moves the table closer to the same conclusion: "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Riddle Me Dead."},{"insert":"\n"}]}
Commander
The Ur-Sphinx
Eminence — As long as The Ur-Sphinx is in the command zone or on the battlefield, other Sphinx spells you cast cost less to cast.
Flying
Whenever one or more Sphinxes you control attack, each player mills that many cards. For each player, you may cast a card that player milled this way without paying its mana cost.
Flying
Whenever one or more Sphinxes you control attack, each player mills that many cards. For each player, you may cast a card that player milled this way without paying its mana cost.
Legendary Creature - Avatar Sphinx
Commander
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Copy
Copy
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Creature
Uldaros Theorix
Flying
When Uldaros Theorix enters, if you cast him, exile up to one target nonland card of each card type from your graveyard. Copy those cards. You may cast any number of spells with total mana value 6 or less from among the copies without paying their mana costs. (Permanent spells cast this way become tokens.)
When Uldaros Theorix enters, if you cast him, exile up to one target nonland card of each card type from your graveyard. Copy those cards. You may cast any number of spells with total mana value 6 or less from among the copies without paying their mana costs. (Permanent spells cast this way become tokens.)
Legendary Creature - Elder Sphinx
Creature
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Drain
Bloodchief Ascension
At the beginning of each end step, if an opponent lost 2 or more life this turn, you may put a quest counter on this enchantment. (Damage causes loss of life.)
Whenever a card is put into an opponent's graveyard from anywhere, if this enchantment has three or more quest counters on it, you may have that player lose 2 life. If you do, you gain 2 life.
Whenever a card is put into an opponent's graveyard from anywhere, if this enchantment has three or more quest counters on it, you may have that player lose 2 life. If you do, you gain 2 life.
Enchantment
Drain
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Draw
Defiler of Dreams
Flying
As an additional cost to cast blue permanent spells, you may pay 2 life. Those spells cost less to cast if you paid life this way. This effect reduces only the amount of blue mana you pay.
Whenever you cast a blue permanent spell, draw a card.
As an additional cost to cast blue permanent spells, you may pay 2 life. Those spells cost less to cast if you paid life this way. This effect reduces only the amount of blue mana you pay.
Whenever you cast a blue permanent spell, draw a card.
Creature - Sphinx Phyrexian
Elenda and Azor
Flying, ward
Whenever Elenda and Azor attacks, you may pay . If you do, draw X cards.
At the beginning of each end step, you may pay 4 life. If you do, create a number of 1/1 black Vampire Knight creature tokens with lifelink equal to the number of cards you've drawn this turn.
Whenever Elenda and Azor attacks, you may pay . If you do, draw X cards.
At the beginning of each end step, you may pay 4 life. If you do, create a number of 1/1 black Vampire Knight creature tokens with lifelink equal to the number of cards you've drawn this turn.
Legendary Creature - Knight Vampire Sphinx
Raffine, Scheming Seer
Flying, ward
Whenever you attack, target attacking creature connives X, where X is the number of attacking creatures. (Draw X cards, then discard X cards. Put a +1/+1 counter on that creature for each nonland card discarded this way.)
Whenever you attack, target attacking creature connives X, where X is the number of attacking creatures. (Draw X cards, then discard X cards. Put a +1/+1 counter on that creature for each nonland card discarded this way.)
Legendary Creature - Demon Sphinx
Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign
Flying
Sphinx spells you cast cost less to cast.
Whenever Unesh or another Sphinx you control enters, reveal the top four cards of your library. An opponent separates those cards into two piles. Put one pile into your hand and the other into your graveyard.
Sphinx spells you cast cost less to cast.
Whenever Unesh or another Sphinx you control enters, reveal the top four cards of your library. An opponent separates those cards into two piles. Put one pile into your hand and the other into your graveyard.
Legendary Creature - Sphinx
Draw
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Finisher
Finisher
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Instant
Sphinx's Approach
Draw two cards. Then you may exile this spell and four cards named Sphinx's Approach from your graveyard. If you do, search your library for a Sphinx creature card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
A deck can have any number of cards named Sphinx's Approach.
A deck can have any number of cards named Sphinx's Approach.
Instant
Instant
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Land
Path of Ancestry
This land enters tapped.
: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity. When that mana is spent to cast a creature spell that shares a creature type with your commander, scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)
: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity. When that mana is spent to cast a creature spell that shares a creature type with your commander, scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)
Land
Urza's Saga
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)
I — This Saga gains ": Add ."
II — This Saga gains ", : Create a 0/0 colorless Construct artifact creature token with 'This token gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control.'"
III — Search your library for an artifact card with mana cost or , put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
I — This Saga gains ": Add ."
II — This Saga gains ", : Create a 0/0 colorless Construct artifact creature token with 'This token gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control.'"
III — Search your library for an artifact card with mana cost or , put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
Land Enchantment - Saga Urza's
Land
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Mill
Mill
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Protection
Akroma's Will
Choose one. If you control a commander as you cast this spell, you may choose both instead.
• Creatures you control gain flying, vigilance, and double strike until end of turn.
• Creatures you control gain lifelink, indestructible, and protection from each color until end of turn.
• Creatures you control gain flying, vigilance, and double strike until end of turn.
• Creatures you control gain lifelink, indestructible, and protection from each color until end of turn.
Instant
Protection
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Ramp
Tivit, Seller of Secrets
Flying, ward
Council's dilemma — Whenever Tivit enters or deals combat damage to a player, starting with you, each player votes for evidence or bribery. For each evidence vote, investigate. For each bribery vote, create a Treasure token.
While voting, you may vote an additional time. (The votes can be for different choices or for the same choice.)
Council's dilemma — Whenever Tivit enters or deals combat damage to a player, starting with you, each player votes for evidence or bribery. For each evidence vote, investigate. For each bribery vote, create a Treasure token.
While voting, you may vote an additional time. (The votes can be for different choices or for the same choice.)
Legendary Creature - Rogue Sphinx
Ramp
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Recursion
Sphinx of Forgotten Lore
Flash (You may cast this spell any time you could cast an instant.)
Flying
Whenever this creature attacks, target instant or sorcery card in your graveyard gains flashback until end of turn. The flashback cost is equal to that card's mana cost. (You may cast that card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
Flying
Whenever this creature attacks, target instant or sorcery card in your graveyard gains flashback until end of turn. The flashback cost is equal to that card's mana cost. (You may cast that card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
Creature - Sphinx
Recursion
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Removal
Removal
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Theft
Dazzling Sphinx
Flying
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player exiles cards from the top of their library until they exile an instant or sorcery card. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Then that player puts the exiled cards that weren't cast this way on the bottom of their library in a random order.
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player exiles cards from the top of their library until they exile an instant or sorcery card. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Then that player puts the exiled cards that weren't cast this way on the bottom of their library in a random order.
Creature - Sphinx
Theft
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Deck Info
Deck stats
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Deck extras (0)
Description
{"ops":[{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Riddle Me Dead"},{"insert":" is an Esper Sphinx control deck built around turning card advantage into inevitability. The Ur-Sphinx reduces the cost of your tribe from the command zone, so the early game is about developing mana, landing efficient Sphinxes, and assembling draw engines rather than racing to cast the commander. Cards like "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Consecrated Sphinx, Unesh, Windreader Sphinx, Dream Trawler, Sphinx’s Revelation, Teferi’s Ageless Insight"},{"insert":", and the seven copies of "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Sphinx’s Approach"},{"insert":" keep your hand full while helping you dig toward the exact Sphinx or answer you need.\n\nThe deck’s defining twist is that drawing cards actively hurts your opponents. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Psychosis Crawler"},{"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Queza, Augur of Agonies"},{"insert":" convert draws into life loss, while "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Psychic Corrosion"},{"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Sphinx’s Tutelage"},{"insert":" convert the same draws into mill. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"The Water Crystal"},{"insert":" pushes the mill plan harder, making every milling event more punishing and giving the deck another late-game way to shred libraries. Because so many of your normal value plays now double as damage or mill, you are not forced to win only by attacking with large flyers.\n\nThe Ur-Sphinx is the bridge between the tribal plan and the mill plan. Once several Sphinxes are attacking, the commander mills each player and lets you turn those milled cards into free spells, so opponents’ libraries become a resource for you rather than just a countdown to zero. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Sphinx’s Approach"},{"insert":" supports that same idea from another angle: early copies are instant-speed draw spells, while later copies can cash in the spent Approaches to put the right Sphinx directly onto the battlefield. Cards like "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Archive Arbiter, Magister Sphinx, Sphinx of the Second Sun, Sphinx of Forgotten Lore"},{"insert":", and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Tivit"},{"insert":" make that toolbox plan flexible and dangerous.\n\nThe deck now has several distinct ways to close a game. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Akroma’s Will"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Kindred Dominance"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Kindred Judgment"},{"insert":", and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Raise the Palisade"},{"insert":" can clear the way for lethal flying damage, while Crawler, Queza, Corrosion, and Tutelage punish the table for letting your draw engine survive. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Jace, Wielder of Mysteries"},{"insert":" adds a final escape hatch: if your own draw engines become so explosive that you burn through the library, Jace can turn that liability into a win condition. The result is a Sphinx deck that feels less like tribal beatdown and more like an accumulating intellectual trap—every card drawn, every library milled, and every riddle answered moves the table closer to the same conclusion: "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Riddle Me Dead."},{"insert":"\n"}]}