Overview:
A wheel-based strategy deck that uses Nekusar, the Mindrazer to punish opponents for drawing cards while leveraging powerful wheel effects and damage multipliers to accelerate the clock. The deck aims to create a devastating draw/damage engine that can affect all opponents simultaneously.
Primer:
The deck operates by establishing Nekusar, the Mindrazer alongside damage enhancers like Wound Reflection and Liliana's Caress, then forcing opponents to draw multiple cards through wheel effects like Wheel of Fortune and Windfall. Each wheel effect can potentially deal massive damage to all opponents simultaneously, especially when multiple damage enhancers are present.
The deck includes strong control elements with counterspells and removal to protect its strategy while disrupting opponents' attempts to stop it. Fast mana like Sol Ring, Grim Monolith, and various signets help accelerate the gameplan, while tutors ensure consistency in finding key pieces. The deck can also pivot to alternative win conditions through cards like Mindcrank combos or Tergrid, God of Fright value engines.
Weaknesses:
The deck is heavily reliant on its commander and can struggle if Nekusar is repeatedly removed or taxed. Graveyard hate can disrupt the wheel strategy, while enchantment removal can eliminate key damage multipliers. The deck is also vulnerable to aggressive strategies that can eliminate players before the engine is fully assembled, and cards like Notion Thief can be risky as they prevent the controller from drawing cards as well.
Most Important Cards:
- Wheel of Fortune
- Windfall
- Wound Reflection
- Liliana's Caress
- Underworld Dreams
- Teferi's Puzzle Box
- Notion Thief
- Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
- Demonic Tutor
- Mana Drain
Attribute Ratings:
- Speed: 7/10
- Resilience: 6/10
- Consistency: 8/10
- Interaction: 8/10
Rating Justification:
This deck sits firmly in the 7.0-7.5 range due to its ability to consistently threaten wins around turns 5-6 with proper setup and protection. While it lacks the explosive fast mana package of higher-powered decks, it makes up for it with strong interaction and the ability to affect multiple opponents simultaneously. The presence of high-end tutors, powerful wheel effects, and strong protection pieces puts it above focused competitive but below truly optimized builds.
Final power level rating: 7.0 - 7.5
The deck's mana base is well-constructed with fetch lands, shock lands, and ABUR duals, providing consistent color access. The 38 lands combined with various mana rocks provide adequate resources for the strategy. The deck shows strong optimization while maintaining a clear theme and strategy, making it a solid choice for high-powered pods but falling short of true cEDH territory.
Nekusar, the Mindrazer