{"ops":[{"insert":"I've long had a goal of building a commander around a legend from the reserve list, and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Barrin, Master Wizard"}},{"insert":" was an easy choice (being a relatively affordable legend). His ability is intriguing, too - mono-blue aristocrats seems like a fun, underrepresented archetype. Unfortunately, there aren't many payoffs for sacrifice in blue, so this deck takes a different approach. I designed my Barrin deck using the "},{"attributes":{"link":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gsr2JVP3rjc&pp=ygURcmViZWxsIHNwaGVyZSBtdGc%3D"},"insert":"\"sphere grid\" method outlined by Rebell Lily"},{"insert":". I selected three main areas of focus, and to amplify the retro appeal of the old-school commander, I tried to focus on underplayed cards from days gone by:\nArtifact Tokens - Blue doesn't do aristocrats well, but it does a lot with artifacts. I leaned into the natural synergies of blue decks and stacked the deck with artifact token generators. Some, like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Thopter Spy Network"}},{"insert":" , are already commander staples. Others, like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Prototype Portal"}},{"insert":", are played dramatically less frequently. One of my favorite inclusions is "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Esoteric Duplicator"}},{"insert":" from The Big Score, which allows me to get additional uses out of the different scrap pieces Barrin uses to bounce problem creatures. I also run "},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Big Mana - Barrin's ability is fairly mana-intensive, so the deck runs 40 lands and 13 sources of ramp. The amount of mana may seem excessive for a deck with an average mana value under 3, but those two-mana activations can really add up. Most of the focus is on cheap mana rocks to ensure Barrin arrives early and with enough mana to bounce himself, if need be. However, a powerful way to play out my commander while leaving mana available for interaction on my opponents' turns is through the surprising number of blue rituals. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"High Tide"}},{"insert":" is famous, sure, but I suspect folks are criminally underplaying "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Drain Power"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Energy Tap"}},{"insert":", both of which can allow for relatively big plays on my turn while still leaving lands open."},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Control - At the end of the day, mono-blue remains best at control. Rather than permission-style control using counterspells, Barrin focuses on board manipulation. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Propaganda"}},{"insert":"'s ability to turn combat away from me, but "},{"insert":{"card-link":"War Tax"}},{"insert":" allows me to prevent combat entirely for a single turn, with enough mana to sink in, negating opponents' attack triggers. Excess lands in hand are easily pitched to "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Chamber of Manipulation"}},{"insert":" to blank enemy attacks (or provide Barrin with yet more fodder). Board wipes are typically more one-sided, with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Floodgate"}},{"insert":" preserving my blue creatures or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Aetherize"}},{"insert":" punishing only those attacking me."},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Closing out the game is usually a matter of letting my opponents defeat each other. Then, I can use Barrin's ability to keep the board clear long enough for my small blue creatures to chip in for the win. The deck packs a few alternate wincons, such as "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mirrodin Besieged"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mechanized Production"}},{"insert":", but combat remains a viable option - especially when using "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mystic Reflection"}},{"insert":" on a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Myr Battlesphere"}},{"insert":". Barrin's simple line of text allows the deck to treat almost every permanent as a modal effect - is a creature more effective as a blocker or an "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Aether Spellbomb"}},{"insert":"? Win or lose, the relative obscurity of the cards lead to a delightful play experience every time I bust the deck out.\n"}]}