Kess, dissident mage by user3935160

Format: Commander

Commander: Kess, Dissident Mage

Bracket: 5

DeckCheck Threat Index: 88

Deck overview

This deck is a high-powered Grixis Spellslinger Combo build commanded by Kess, Dissident Mage. The primary objective is to execute an efficient, compact win on Turn 3 using Thassa's Oracle in conjunction with Demonic Consultation or Tainted Pact. Supported by a dense suite of premier tutors like Demonic Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, and Imperial Seal, along with explosive fast mana such as Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, and Mana Vault, the deck consistently assembles its win package ahead of curve. Kess, Dissident Mage provides recurring value and redundancy, allowing critical spells and tutors to be recast from the graveyard if interrupted. An elite counterspell package—including Force of Will, Force of Negation, Fierce Guardianship, and Pact of Negation—ensures the combo turn is heavily insulated against opposing interaction. Secondary win lines utilizing Underworld Breach with Brain Freeze and burn-based magecraft payoffs provide resilient backup paths to victory.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Abrade
  • 1 Aetherflux Reservoir
  • 1 An Offer You Can't Refuse
  • 1 Ancient Tomb
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Archmage Emeritus
  • 1 Baral, Chief of Compliance
  • 1 Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty
  • 1 Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway
  • 1 Blood Crypt
  • 1 Bloodstained Mire
  • 1 Bojuka Bog
  • 1 Brain Freeze
  • 1 Brainstorm
  • 1 Cabal Ritual
  • 1 Chaos Warp
  • 1 Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Consider
  • 1 Coruscation Mage
  • 1 Counterspell
  • 1 Cyclonic Rift
  • 1 Dark Ritual
  • 1 Demonic Consultation
  • 1 Demonic Tutor
  • 1 Dualcaster Mage
  • 1 Electrostatic Field
  • 1 Exotic Orchard
  • 1 Faithless Looting
  • 1 Fierce Guardianship
  • 1 Fiery Inscription
  • 1 Fiery Islet
  • 1 Firebrand Archer
  • 1 Flooded Strand
  • 1 Flusterstorm
  • 1 Force of Negation
  • 1 Force of Will
  • 1 Frantic Search
  • 1 Gamble
  • 1 Gitaxian Probe
  • 1 Goblin Electromancer
  • 1 Grapeshot
  • 1 Guttersnipe
  • 1 Imperial Seal
  • 1 Intuition
  • 3 Island
  • 1 Jeska's Will
  • 1 Kess, Dissident Mage
  • 1 Kessig Flamebreather
  • 1 Lotus Petal
  • 1 Luxury Suite
  • 1 Mana Drain
  • 1 Mana Vault
  • 1 Marsh Flats
  • 1 Mental Misstep
  • 1 Misty Rainforest
  • 1 Mizzix's Mastery
  • 1 Morphic Pool
  • 1 Mountain
  • 1 Mystic Remora
  • 1 Mystic Sanctuary
  • 1 Mystical Tutor
  • 1 Narset's Reversal
  • 1 Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might // Temple of Power
  • 1 Opt
  • 1 Otawara, Soaring City
  • 1 Pact of Negation
  • 1 Polluted Delta
  • 1 Ponder
  • 1 Pongify
  • 1 Preordain
  • 1 Rapid Hybridization
  • 1 Reality Shift
  • 1 Rhystic Study
  • 1 Riverglide Pathway // Lavaglide Pathway
  • 1 Scalding Tarn
  • 1 Seething Song
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Spell Pierce
  • 1 Steam Vents
  • 1 Storm-Kiln Artist
  • 2 Swamp
  • 1 Swan Song
  • 1 Tainted Pact
  • 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
  • 1 Talisman of Creativity
  • 1 Talisman of Dominance
  • 1 Thassa's Oracle
  • 1 Training Center
  • 1 Underworld Breach
  • 1 Urza's Saga
  • 1 Vampiric Tutor
  • 1 Verdant Catacombs
  • 1 Veyran, Voice of Duality
  • 1 Watery Grave
  • 1 Wheel of Fortune
  • 1 Windfall