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Commander
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{"ops":[{"insert":"As soon as Reality Fracture spoiled "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sphinx's Approach"}},{"insert":", I have been trying to brew a deck around it. Compared to its colour-shifted original, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dragon's Approach"}},{"insert":", Sphinx's Approach is significantly more playable (as long as you ignore the fact that Sphinxes are all drastically less powerful and game-winning creatures compared to Dragons). Being able to draw 2 cards for 3 mana isn't great, but it is very good when combined with the upside of free spells. \n\nI've had 2 previous attempts at building this deck, before I settled on "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Immortus, Master of Eternity"}},{"insert":" as the commander. Initially, I wanted it to go with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The Ur-Sphinx"}},{"insert":", since that gave me access to some great sphinxes in other colours like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Medomai the Ageless"}},{"insert":", but the deck was still 85% blue and so the splashes of other colours made the mana base clunky. I also found that I never really needed to cast the Ur-Sphinx, and just saw it as a way to reduce the cost of the sphinx spells in the deck. My next attempt made the same mistake of prioritising reducing the mana costs of sphinxes through "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign"}},{"insert":". However, what I eventually realised was that the deck really needs a commander like Immortus to provide generic ramp for the deck and synergise with the card draw effect of Sphinx's Approach. \n\nSo how does this deck work? Well, you should probably be spending each turn casting at least one sphinx's approach. The hope is that you can get some sort of cost-reduction effect from cards like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sapphire Medallion"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Geist of Saint Thalia"}},{"insert":", or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Eluge, the Shoreless Sea"}},{"insert":" to make these spells cheaper and then tutor out powerful sphinxes from your deck. If you need more card draw to replenish your hand, go for something like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Windreader Sphinx"}},{"insert":". If you need removal, bring out a sphinx like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dream Eater"}},{"insert":". For ramp, go with something like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Defiler of Dreams"}},{"insert":". If you don't particularly need anything, grab one of the more fun sphinxes that provide a minigame aspect to the game like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Master of Predicaments"}},{"insert":" or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sphinx Ambassador"}},{"insert":". \n\nTo close out the game, you have 2 ways of trying to win. The easiest way is to swing through with a bunch of expensive fliers. This can be helped with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Candlekeep Inspiration"}},{"insert":", since each free sphinx essentially gives you an additional 4 power and toughness on each creature. If that doesn't seem to be working, the more convoluted option is to use all of the deck's excessive draw effects to sculpt a hand of different cmc cards to win by "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Atemsis, All-Seeing"}},{"insert":".\n"}]}
Commander
Immortus, Master of Eternity
: Add for each card you've drawn this turn. Spend this mana only to cast noncreature spells.
Power-up — : Each player shuffles their hand and graveyard into their library, then draws seven cards. Put a +1/+1 counter on Immortus. (Activate each power-up ability only once. Reduce the cost by his mana cost if he entered this turn.)
Power-up — : Each player shuffles their hand and graveyard into their library, then draws seven cards. Put a +1/+1 counter on Immortus. (Activate each power-up ability only once. Reduce the cost by his mana cost if he entered this turn.)
Legendary Creature - Human Villain Hero
Commander
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Draw
Conundrum Sphinx
Flying
Whenever this creature attacks, each player chooses a card name. Then each player reveals the top card of their library. If the card a player revealed has the name they chose, that player puts it into their hand. If it doesn't, that player puts it on the bottom of their library.
Whenever this creature attacks, each player chooses a card name. Then each player reveals the top card of their library. If the card a player revealed has the name they chose, that player puts it into their hand. If it doesn't, that player puts it on the bottom of their library.
Creature - Sphinx
Draw
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Fill the Grave
Dream Eater
Flash
Flying
When this creature enters, surveil 4. When you do, you may return target nonland permanent an opponent controls to its owner's hand. (To surveil 4, look at the top four cards of your library, then put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest on top of your library in any order.)
Flying
When this creature enters, surveil 4. When you do, you may return target nonland permanent an opponent controls to its owner's hand. (To surveil 4, look at the top four cards of your library, then put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest on top of your library in any order.)
Creature - Nightmare Sphinx
Watcher of Hours
Flying, ward
Whenever you remove a time counter from this card while it's exiled, surveil 1.
Suspend 6— (Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay and exile it with six time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, you may cast it without paying its mana cost. It has haste.)
Whenever you remove a time counter from this card while it's exiled, surveil 1.
Suspend 6— (Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay and exile it with six time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, you may cast it without paying its mana cost. It has haste.)
Creature - Sphinx
Fill the Grave
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Free Spells
Arbiter of the Ideal
Flying
Inspired — Whenever this creature becomes untapped, reveal the top card of your library. If it's an artifact, creature, or land card, you may put it onto the battlefield with a manifestation counter on it. That permanent is an enchantment in addition to its other types.
Inspired — Whenever this creature becomes untapped, reveal the top card of your library. If it's an artifact, creature, or land card, you may put it onto the battlefield with a manifestation counter on it. That permanent is an enchantment in addition to its other types.
Creature - Sphinx
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
Sphinx Ambassador
Flying
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, search that player's library for a card, then that player chooses a card name. If you searched for a creature card that doesn't have that name, you may put it onto the battlefield under your control. Then that player shuffles.
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, search that player's library for a card, then that player chooses a card name. If you searched for a creature card that doesn't have that name, you may put it onto the battlefield under your control. Then that player shuffles.
Creature - Sphinx
Thrumming Stone
Spells you cast have ripple 4. (Whenever you cast a spell, you may reveal the top four cards of your library. You may cast spells with the same name as that spell from among the revealed cards without paying their mana costs. Put the rest on the bottom of your library.)
Legendary Artifact
Free Spells
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Land
Land
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Ramp
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
Eluge, the Shoreless Sea
Eluge's power and toughness are each equal to the number of Islands you control.
Whenever Eluge enters or attacks, put a flood counter on target land. It's an Island in addition to its other types for as long as it has a flood counter on it.
The first instant or sorcery spell you cast each turn costs (or ) less to cast for each land you control with a flood counter on it.
Whenever Eluge enters or attacks, put a flood counter on target land. It's an Island in addition to its other types for as long as it has a flood counter on it.
The first instant or sorcery spell you cast each turn costs (or ) less to cast for each land you control with a flood counter on it.
Legendary Creature - Elemental Fish
Midnight Clock
: Add .
: Put an hour counter on this artifact.
At the beginning of each upkeep, put an hour counter on this artifact.
When the twelfth hour counter is put on this artifact, shuffle your hand and graveyard into your library, then draw seven cards. Exile this artifact.
: Put an hour counter on this artifact.
At the beginning of each upkeep, put an hour counter on this artifact.
When the twelfth hour counter is put on this artifact, shuffle your hand and graveyard into your library, then draw seven cards. Exile this artifact.
Artifact
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
Ramp
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Removal
Illusionist's Gambit
Cast this spell only during the declare blockers step on an opponent's turn.
Remove all attacking creatures from combat and untap them. After this phase, there is an additional combat phase. Each of those creatures attacks that combat if able. They can't attack you or planeswalkers you control that combat.
Remove all attacking creatures from combat and untap them. After this phase, there is an additional combat phase. Each of those creatures attacks that combat if able. They can't attack you or planeswalkers you control that combat.
Instant
Removal
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Sphinx's Approach
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
Sphinx's Approach
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Win Conditions
Win Conditions
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Deck Info
Deck stats
CategoriesQtyOdds
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Deck extras (0)
Description
{"ops":[{"insert":"As soon as Reality Fracture spoiled "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sphinx's Approach"}},{"insert":", I have been trying to brew a deck around it. Compared to its colour-shifted original, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dragon's Approach"}},{"insert":", Sphinx's Approach is significantly more playable (as long as you ignore the fact that Sphinxes are all drastically less powerful and game-winning creatures compared to Dragons). Being able to draw 2 cards for 3 mana isn't great, but it is very good when combined with the upside of free spells. \n\nI've had 2 previous attempts at building this deck, before I settled on "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Immortus, Master of Eternity"}},{"insert":" as the commander. Initially, I wanted it to go with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The Ur-Sphinx"}},{"insert":", since that gave me access to some great sphinxes in other colours like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Medomai the Ageless"}},{"insert":", but the deck was still 85% blue and so the splashes of other colours made the mana base clunky. I also found that I never really needed to cast the Ur-Sphinx, and just saw it as a way to reduce the cost of the sphinx spells in the deck. My next attempt made the same mistake of prioritising reducing the mana costs of sphinxes through "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign"}},{"insert":". However, what I eventually realised was that the deck really needs a commander like Immortus to provide generic ramp for the deck and synergise with the card draw effect of Sphinx's Approach. \n\nSo how does this deck work? Well, you should probably be spending each turn casting at least one sphinx's approach. The hope is that you can get some sort of cost-reduction effect from cards like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sapphire Medallion"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Geist of Saint Thalia"}},{"insert":", or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Eluge, the Shoreless Sea"}},{"insert":" to make these spells cheaper and then tutor out powerful sphinxes from your deck. If you need more card draw to replenish your hand, go for something like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Windreader Sphinx"}},{"insert":". If you need removal, bring out a sphinx like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dream Eater"}},{"insert":". For ramp, go with something like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Defiler of Dreams"}},{"insert":". If you don't particularly need anything, grab one of the more fun sphinxes that provide a minigame aspect to the game like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Master of Predicaments"}},{"insert":" or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sphinx Ambassador"}},{"insert":". \n\nTo close out the game, you have 2 ways of trying to win. The easiest way is to swing through with a bunch of expensive fliers. This can be helped with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Candlekeep Inspiration"}},{"insert":", since each free sphinx essentially gives you an additional 4 power and toughness on each creature. If that doesn't seem to be working, the more convoluted option is to use all of the deck's excessive draw effects to sculpt a hand of different cmc cards to win by "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Atemsis, All-Seeing"}},{"insert":".\n"}]}