@@moonstruckdrophd319 commanders are counted as part of your starting deck for companion purposes. That's why Ayli, the Eternal Pilgrim or Karlov of the Ghost Council are the only viable commanders for a Lurrus of the Dream Den companion deck.
I think you could also include Brudiclad. If you create tokens of Vial Smasher Brudiclad can turn all your other tokens into Vial smashers. Works great with that Krenko as well.
Most of the time you aren't creating a token copy, most of the best clones are just creatures which enter the battlefield as another creature. Not a token.
Why are you playing Sakashima? People: To make decks more consistent, making more combos or having a big creature copied. Me as an intelectual: I wanna make TWO rocks per land with Toggo.
Surprised you didn't mention Evoke cards like Shriekmaw, Mulldrifter and Ingot Chewer, since you can cast them with evoke for cheap but Vial Smasher still sees their expensive mana cost.
@@kristophermaloney I was looking for partners for a chaos deck and I think Grixis is my preferred color set, but I realized after this video this isn’t chaos, it’s just powerful!
So this is completely unrelated to anything in the video besides the sponsorship but I actually got a ridge wallet with Prof's code and I freaking love it, it's actually easily the best wallet I ever owned and I don't see myself going to any other wallet.
And each partner has a planeswalker and each walker has a companion and each companion has a sorcery/instant you can cast while it's out that then goes on an adventure and can be cast as...you guessed it, a copy of that partner
@@WrekCreationL commander 2022: new ability called “commanders toolkit” - before you start the game, pick target banned card from outside the game and put it into your hand. You may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast this card.
Pretty sure there was a mistake with Obosh, it counts commanders meaning it can’t be played as a companion. Or this is getting played in the 98 in which forget what I just said. Edit: Spelling.
I’m pretty sure you are correct, Sakashima is even so it couldn’t be a companion. Also he mentioned it as companion, not putting it in the 99, so it was a mistake. :(
Prof: how do we stop our opponents from killing our vial smasher? Me: protection such as counter magic or lightning greeves? Prof:no fool! Play even scarier threats! Mwhajahahah
I thought of this combo in the beginning and now I've seen the next kill on sight Partner combo. Krark, the Thumbless ans Sakishima, of a Thousand Faces. All the Krarks... all the coin flipping... and you can't respond to coin flips. You can respond to the targeting sure, not that it matters with all the things caring about cast triggers.
Two Vial Smasher deck suggestions that you didn't mention: #1 Vial Smasher + Curiosity is Amazing -- If you are playing Vial Smasher plus a blue partner, you can run blue curiosity-style effects to make Vial Smasher a potent value engine. Running all three of these effects (Curiosity, Tandem Lookout, Ophidian Eye) offers consistency. #2 Vial Smasher + alternate cost spells are great -- Vial Smasher triggers based on the CMC of the spell that's on the stack. Spells with alternate costs will pack an extra punch. Several types of spells work here: a) Delve spells like Dig Through Time, Treasure Cruise, or Murderous Cut, b) Evoke creatures like Mulldrifter, Ingot Chewer, and Shriekmaw, c) Free spells like Gush, Submerge, Deadly Rollick, Pyrokinesis, Misdirection, Force of Will, Foil, etc. - If they're instants, that even better allowing Vial Smasher to trigger during your opponents turns.
"Broken" seems a bit extreme. Effective, probably but at least after my definition this wouldn't classify for kill on sight as much as derevi, najiela or tatyova for example would be.
idk, there are alot of copy creature spells, and each one you cast triggers all your other copies. not hard to imagine 5 or more vial smashers on board burn for 20 every time you cast a 4cmc, plus the new sakashima's will card tuns all your creatures on board into copies of vial smasher until end of turn which might just trigger all of them to burn for 4, depending on how that ruling works.
@@atk9989 it's very far from broken. 5 smashers? that would be 3+4+2+3+4 mana in commanders and cheapest clones. that's 16 and three cards. more cards if you want to funnel them into ramp. and you are one stp away from being very sad panda because suddenly you do not have sakashima in play or supteme verdict, etc. why not just use sakashima as a nice bonus to providing blue color id and put curiosity on smasher like people used to do?
It usually is the meta to make a card broken...bans are exceptions. Also many broken things are not to ban, and in multiplayer even something broken is under pressure to be played...
@@networkgame Normaly if we talk broken i think of cards or decks with absurd power in most if not every situation. For example i wouldn't call most stax pieces broken since their mostly extremly situational but i would call sol ring, mana crypt or prophet of kruphix broken since they have the capability to swing most games at most points in another direction. That doesn't mean i think their a problem per se, just that they are in another league recarding power then other cards.
Brewed this combo up when Sakashima got spoiled and the big spells that I never see enough of in most Vial-Smasher decks are the Undaunted Cards, Traps from OG Zenidakar, Delve cards, Miracles, the free spells from Ikoria Cmdr, Suspend cards that have a CMC and the best black targeted kill spell - Snuff Out. Using a mix of interaction, clones and free spells I've managed to close out games turn 6-7 by casting every turn.
For the people that like the idea but want something a tiny bit less broken, Sakashima can also combo with Krark, the thumbless. Less powerful but double the fun. Get it? Double? No? Okay...
The thing I love about this, is that while it is a broken and nasty combo, it isnt an infinite combo where the player is just waiting and stalling until they look around and say, "I win"
I built this deck, I made it controlled chaos. Head games, shared fate, game of chaos, Krark and krark’s thumb are in mine also. Underworld breach with Krark is a great combo gaining you either the card bounced back to hand or double the effect for your mana. Mirage mirror seemed like an auto include since it can give you 3 vial smashers if sakashima is down and it doesn’t have to count as your first cast that turn. I also use mirror match for extra shenanigans and other flip spells.
I'm re watching your videos , to find ones i've missed, and thankfully i found this one. This video is going to be the reason i break my shapeshifter deck apart.
A powerful effect that works well with vial smasher is casting cards for less that have a high cmc or avoiding cmc all together. Have a fun list of cards i think would be good: Mind's Dilation, spirerock knoll, deflecting swat, fierce guardianship, big x spells (torment of hailfire), seal of the guildpact, stormwing entity, chandra's incinerator, stone idol trap, not of this world, avatar of fury, avatar of will, avatar of woe, blasphemous act, ancient stone idol,
A couple people in my playgroup have built variants of this deck and the best part, in my opinion, is that it's fun to play across the table from. Just seeing it pop off and do random damage to random players is fun in and of itself.
I built this deck for a commander night last week. I had both partners out and got to Mass Manipulation stealing 2 enemy commanders and slapping 16 direct damage on cast. It was pretty great. The play group respected the partner pair way more after that first game. Lol
Brudiclad, Telchor Haberdasher, and his favourite hat, Helm of the Host. If you can animate Helm, you can play Sakashima as a copy of it. If you still have enough mana, equip the Sakashima Helm to the animated Helm, so that you get a (non-legendary) token copy of it. Now Brudiclad can make every token you generate into another Helm of the Host, all of which you can pile on to Vial Smasher. It does mean you can't run Obosh as a companion, but just having it in the 99 seems fine with such an easy way to mass-reproduce it when the time is right.
Force of Will, Gush, Dig Trough Time and Treasure Cruise might be cards you allready want in a blue deck, but they deal so much damage with Vial-Smasher with little to no cost.
I did something like this when Niv Mizzet the Paruns came out. My niv deck is all about cloning him with as many copy's as possible. This sounds like the same premise. It's really fun to do 8 damage just from drawing one card.
I played ludevic// vial smasher before, where the whole point of the deck was to clone vial smasher with spark double, old sakashima, or helm of the host. Then sakashima was revealed. I haven’t looked back since.
Gyruda can start a clone chain ending with an ulamog or additional vialsmasher. Thats pretty fun. Gotta run all the 2/4/6 mana value clones for best odds. I think 12+ oughtta do it. Clone, phyrexian metamorph, phantasmal image, dack's duplicate, evil twin, og sakashima, sakashima's student, vizier of many faces, clever impersonator, gigantoplasm, stunt double, wall of stolen identity.
Mechanized Production would be a ticking clock when used to copy the Phyrexian Metamorph. Or is a handy little collar on your opponents big spells, if you drop that spell swindle on them. one counterspell on their turn could lead to a clean win on your upkeep.
Delve spells are so sweet with vial smasher as is skull storm and fury storm, i would add the infect cards like corrupted conscious and glistening oil.
I was prepping a list for this VERY SETUP the DAY before you post this and now I feel like i'm on blast in my group. :V Legit though, good vid. I do like the idea of Terror in a batch of clones for an absolute nightmare.
Leyline of anticipation and veldalken Orrery is what I used as well as flash cards like hull breacher and opposition agent. Also Ikoria came out with slitherwisp 3cmc draw whenever u play flash. My man flash Is important to make those sorceries badass!!
I have a deck like this, but I use Kydele as my partner commander. It focuses on X spells as well as clones, mostly hydras and bouncing them back to my hand to recast next turn.
I'm planning on building Sakashima with Krark and making that a clone deck. The idea being to use the sorcery clones rather than the creature clones so those spells will get copied and give me even more clones. Once you reach a critical mass you use rituals to make what amounts to infinite mana because everything's going to get copied and don't to return to your hand to be reused. Then you just use whatever direct damage spell you like, lightning bolt for example, for one mana you're looking at twelve or more damage easily with all the copies and then the spell goes back to your hand to use again.
I did that and its hilarious. It can win you the game out of nowhere if you have like 6 krarks out. Also try cards like frantic search or snap for additional ramp
Well, UBR (over BR and not blue) gets you the standard Grixis wincons: Pact + Thassa's Oracle combo; Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator + Glint-Horn Buccaneer, anti-draw + Wheels; Dualcaster Mage + Cackling Counterpart. Anything that can be cast for an alternate/reduced cost gets you damage equal to its real cost (e.g. Force of Will, As Foretold, Mycosynth Golem) and blue adds a lot to that. And of course, counterspells are really really good. I wouldn't bother with any clones/cards that are bad without both commanders, though. If they e.g. remove Vial Smasher in response to Sakashima, you could easily be sitting on a lot of dead cards.
Adding in Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer can allow your copies to get way out of control, especially with cards like wurmcoil engine, grave titan, and Krenko, Mob boss
Had a Vial Smasher/Kraum deck that I switched out the Kraum for Sakashima. Not only full of counterspells, but also delve and miracles cards. Didn't see the need to go the clone route. That left me room for the combo finishers(consultation-oracle and splinter twin.)
I am a bit surprised that not only the good already known Vial Shamsher cards, like the devle cards (treasure cruise, magmatic sinkhole etc.) or some affinity and other cost reduction effect cards. But also some big pay offs, like maybe running a Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow but also a Gyruda, Doom of Depths as many Copy Creatures are even mana costed, this can create a chain of many trigger and, because of Sakashima, you do not have to sacrifice your Gyrudas. Also other cards, which are both a strong creature and having high CMC are the Avatar of Fury/Woe cards. If you do not have the mana to cast your big spells you also might want some cards to cheat things out like Show and Tell. Although it might get inconsistent if you add everything i just listed 😅
since you are playing Grixis artifacts, you will also want Jhoira, weatherlight captain for that extra card draw when you cast all your legends and artifacts.
my sakashima vial smasher deck is a control spell slinger deck instead of a mass clone deck. consistent damage from being able to always interact is the name of the game. add in damage buffs like torbrann and fiery emancipation are also top notch inclusions
I've never really been into the CEDH scene, but this is the sort of deck I wanna build, just in case I wanna make my semi-casual friends feel like they're playing Archenemy. >:-)
A must destroy creature i like to play in this sort of deck is cinsuming abberation. It can very quickly take alot of good cards away from your opponents and get large.
Excited to watch this as once partners were announced to be returning I yearned for a mono green or mono blue partner that cared about casting spells so I can build the vial smasher deck I always wanted. Sadly none did UNTIL SUDDENLY SAKASHIMA. No other partners excited me so why not double down on Vial Smasher! I know prof is a smart and busy man, so here's hoping that Mind's Dilation and the Ikoria C20 Free cycle at least get a mention! That said evoke is baller in this deck too! Edit: 1. Alright a few minutes in, come on prof. VS is not broken just strong. If it was target opponent then alright but the randomness is fun like Ruhan! 2. Ooh I like Krenko, I didn't go tokens/creature heavy in my build but yeah secret commander Krenko sounds awesome! Slap in Brudiclad and it can get nasty! 3. I run Obosh in my list! It can end the game fast. But it can not be the companion as Sakashima is even cmc. Fun list, I like the artifact theme, with your list alone I think Brudiclad needs to be added. Solid content again Professor, that'll do pig.
I think he just was exasperated with Partners AND Companions being a thing. I think it was a "If we're being degenerate, of course we're gonna have Companion card". But I dont think he specifically said he'd use it for the Companion mechanic. Matter of fact, he skipped over the Companion text entirely when talking about it.
@@abiggs4828 Yeah, I think so too, but it still seems like a weird thing to point out. Companions never really did anything in this format, and if it's just in the 98 it's nothing more than another good creature. Definitely some hyperbole going on there...
@@solidmasterdante personally I have no issues with them. They didn't print a million Companions (like the just did with Partners) and the only one that would be truely busted the banned when it was just a spoiler lol. I can see how ppl might get a little salty when you get a 101st card for free, and essentially a second command zone to play with. I've never met anyone who uses the Companion mechanic tbh, especially in Commander.
Kaervek is my favourite card! He jus punches and even if someone tries to kill it you still get the trigger to slap em right back for the pleasure. Have mikaus the unalloyed out also and kaervek just keeps coming back and if you were gonna cast a sakashima definitely do it to copy kaervek. Having 2 or 3 of him out is delightful
Got tagged twice in this today... Angrath's Marauders certainly made the cut in my VS&S build. Also, Mirage Mirror! Mirage Mirror helps with the drawback of many newer clone effects only copying "creatures you control" but often you can Mirror something and then make your own clone.
One card i think is of note is artisan of kozilek. It's fairly pricey, so it combos with vial-smasher, and it brings back a creature on entry, like emry. Annihilater is nothing to scoff at either.
Add prince of thralls to steal your opponents stuff it will be a must kill card as he just has to hang around to build your army and don't forget probably the best ultimatum cruel ultimatum that will destroy an enemy
![Sakashima of a Thousand Faces | EDH Three Ways [Commander Strategies for Every Player]](/img/n.gif)
Reading the Card Explains the Card, but with Sakashima, reading other cards explains the card....
“If you’ve got maxed out credit cards, you’ve probably just upgraded your commander deck.”
Why’d ya gotta go where I live, Prof?
Same....
Been there lol
well, Obosh can be in the 98 for this deck, but not as the 101'st. Sakashima's got an even cost.
Sakashima is not in the deck, though
@@moonstruckdrophd319 commanders are "in the deck" for companion requirements
@@moonstruckdrophd319 commanders are counted as part of your starting deck for companion purposes. That's why Ayli, the Eternal Pilgrim or Karlov of the Ghost Council are the only viable commanders for a Lurrus of the Dream Den companion deck.
@@jakeelephant006 wish they would print more 2cmc commanders that could work for lurrus that explore other things that b/w like to do.
Reading the companion, explains the companion.
I think you could also include Brudiclad. If you create tokens of Vial Smasher Brudiclad can turn all your other tokens into Vial smashers. Works great with that Krenko as well.
Woah there Satan.
HAIL SATAN!!!!!👹
Hail has a a good point, just mass create tokens, Turn them in vial smashers, and say fuck everything in that general direction.
Most of the time you aren't creating a token copy, most of the best clones are just creatures which enter the battlefield as another creature. Not a token.
It's almost like "play your commander twice + get blue" was a bad idea.
I think you mean "Amazing idea."
Sounds fun to me
Why are you playing Sakashima?
People: To make decks more consistent, making more combos or having a big creature copied.
Me as an intelectual: I wanna make TWO rocks per land with Toggo.
I don't think that argument can be beat
@@mella4376 it really can't. That argument rocks
Why have only 2 rocks, when you can have ALL THE ROCKS?
Use Charisma for a LOL :P
That combos really well with cards like Mountains, Islands, or Steam Vents
Professor gave us some orders to destroy on sight.
"DELIGHTED TO SIR" -Starcraft siege tank
Hahahaha got no time for sittin around!!
PROCEEDING
ABSOLUTELY
God I love those.
YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS
Surprised you didn't mention Evoke cards like Shriekmaw, Mulldrifter and Ingot Chewer, since you can cast them with evoke for cheap but Vial Smasher still sees their expensive mana cost.
Oh professor, I was going to create this deck but now you’ve revealed it’s power level to all
Same. I saw this and was like noooooooo
I already had one from my collection now it must be destroyed
Same, but luckily I wouldn't build it anything like he suggests.
I’m still going to build it regardless, looks fun!
@@kristophermaloney I was looking for partners for a chaos deck and I think Grixis is my preferred color set, but I realized after this video this isn’t chaos, it’s just powerful!
*sees Chief Engineer with La Forge art*
*stands up*
"I HAVE A MIGHTY NEED"
lol. Had to pause the video and let that one wear off.
Go buy it there are many many proxies of this card
I think Minds Dilation would be good in this deck. Guarantees a cast on each of your opponents turns
So this is completely unrelated to anything in the video besides the sponsorship but I actually got a ridge wallet with Prof's code and I freaking love it, it's actually easily the best wallet I ever owned and I don't see myself going to any other wallet.
Commander 2021: New commander ability called "commander advisory group", you may have 4 commanders. It's twice as good as partner.
And each partner has a planeswalker and each walker has a companion and each companion has a sorcery/instant you can cast while it's out that then goes on an adventure and can be cast as...you guessed it, a copy of that partner
Middle Management: you can have up to four copies of one non-legendary creature as additional "commanders".
@@WrekCreationL I'd swear you work in WoTC R&D but I'm pretty sure they axed that team 3 years ago.
@@WrekCreationL commander 2022: new ability called “commanders toolkit” - before you start the game, pick target banned card from outside the game and put it into your hand. You may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast this card.
Sh! Don't give them any more ideas...
are we sure that this should not have been the instructor telling us this info?
In surprised there’s no treasure cruise or the other delve cards. 1 mana 7 damage with vial smasher
I love that Geordi LaForge on the chief engineer 😂 I love that you are a Star Trek fan magic player!
THIS. Now I want an alter of this, somehow.
I agree
I heard you liked clones, so I put clones on your clones so you can clone while you clone.
Cant use obosh as the companion sadly but i love it in the 98 for sakashima decks. Doubling him is so sweet
That's what I was wondering, doesn't Sakashima being 4 cmc negate obosh as a companion?
U can. Compagnion checks cards in deck, not in command zone.
@@rodenburgl oh sweet.
You still can't, Bolas the Ravager is a 4 drop
Commanders are definitely part of your starting deck. You can’t have Obosh as the companion.
Pretty sure there was a mistake with Obosh, it counts commanders meaning it can’t be played as a companion.
Or this is getting played in the 98 in which forget what I just said.
Edit: Spelling.
I assume he meant the 98
I’m pretty sure you are correct, Sakashima is even so it couldn’t be a companion. Also he mentioned it as companion, not putting it in the 99, so it was a mistake. :(
Given the deck he's theorycrafting would have a bunch of clone effects im sure he'd want this in the 98 given most cloning cards are even cmc.
@@zackwilcox3183 That’s probably it, just how he said it was all
Prof: how do we stop our opponents from killing our vial smasher?
Me: protection such as counter magic or lightning greeves?
Prof:no fool! Play even scarier threats! Mwhajahahah
LOL. Perfect
Counter magic is for Tolarian State University.
I thought of this combo in the beginning and now I've seen the next kill on sight Partner combo. Krark, the Thumbless ans Sakishima, of a Thousand Faces. All the Krarks... all the coin flipping... and you can't respond to coin flips. You can respond to the targeting sure, not that it matters with all the things caring about cast triggers.
Fiery emancipation or dictate or erebos would be a good addition. Play a 5 mana spell and do 15 damage with just vial smasher out.
Two Vial Smasher deck suggestions that you didn't mention: #1 Vial Smasher + Curiosity is Amazing -- If you are playing Vial Smasher plus a blue partner, you can run blue curiosity-style effects to make Vial Smasher a potent value engine. Running all three of these effects (Curiosity, Tandem Lookout, Ophidian Eye) offers consistency. #2 Vial Smasher + alternate cost spells are great -- Vial Smasher triggers based on the CMC of the spell that's on the stack. Spells with alternate costs will pack an extra punch. Several types of spells work here: a) Delve spells like Dig Through Time, Treasure Cruise, or Murderous Cut, b) Evoke creatures like Mulldrifter, Ingot Chewer, and Shriekmaw, c) Free spells like Gush, Submerge, Deadly Rollick, Pyrokinesis, Misdirection, Force of Will, Foil, etc. - If they're instants, that even better allowing Vial Smasher to trigger during your opponents turns.
Thanks!
Dammit, why did you draw attention to my new pet project!
This deck puts in so much work, I love to play it. Its fun to watch people scramble to answer my many copies
"Broken" seems a bit extreme. Effective, probably but at least after my definition this wouldn't classify for kill on sight as much as derevi, najiela or tatyova for example would be.
idk, there are alot of copy creature spells, and each one you cast triggers all your other copies. not hard to imagine 5 or more vial smashers on board burn for 20 every time you cast a 4cmc, plus the new sakashima's will card tuns all your creatures on board into copies of vial smasher until end of turn which might just trigger all of them to burn for 4, depending on how that ruling works.
@@atk9989 it's very far from broken. 5 smashers? that would be 3+4+2+3+4 mana in commanders and cheapest clones. that's 16 and three cards. more cards if you want to funnel them into ramp. and you are one stp away from being very sad panda because suddenly you do not have sakashima in play or supteme verdict, etc.
why not just use sakashima as a nice bonus to providing blue color id and put curiosity on smasher like people used to do?
Yeah,...kodama plus sakushima is broken though
It usually is the meta to make a card broken...bans are exceptions. Also many broken things are not to ban, and in multiplayer even something broken is under pressure to be played...
@@networkgame Normaly if we talk broken i think of cards or decks with absurd power in most if not every situation. For example i wouldn't call most stax pieces broken since their mostly extremly situational but i would call sol ring, mana crypt or prophet of kruphix broken since they have the capability to swing most games at most points in another direction. That doesn't mean i think their a problem per se, just that they are in another league recarding power then other cards.
“And since we’re playing Grixis colors, Verizon 5G is here”
Love the Teysa shout out. Your Teysa video is what got me into CommaderS!
Brewed this combo up when Sakashima got spoiled and the big spells that I never see enough of in most Vial-Smasher decks are the Undaunted Cards, Traps from OG Zenidakar, Delve cards, Miracles, the free spells from Ikoria Cmdr, Suspend cards that have a CMC and the best black targeted kill spell - Snuff Out. Using a mix of interaction, clones and free spells I've managed to close out games turn 6-7 by casting every turn.
For the people that like the idea but want something a tiny bit less broken, Sakashima can also combo with Krark, the thumbless. Less powerful but double the fun.
Get it? Double? No? Okay...
I was gounna say I just built this, pretty enjoyable won’t lie
I also built a Krark of a Thousand Faces deck. So much fun!
Throw in all the red ritual spells and you’re good to go
Funny thing is Krark Sakashima is way more powerful that this.
The thing I love about this, is that while it is a broken and nasty combo, it isnt an infinite combo where the player is just waiting and stalling until they look around and say, "I win"
Just recieved my elder dragon buy singles playmat. It's beautiful! 😍
Commander Legends 2: Electric Boogaloo: TRIPLE PARTNERS
New mechanic: Triumvirate
they'll just make more companions XD
Threesom.. oh no...no.. it's better triple partners
Nothing I love more than TCC video in the morning. Thanks prof 👌
I built this deck, I made it controlled chaos. Head games, shared fate, game of chaos, Krark and krark’s thumb are in mine also. Underworld breach with Krark is a great combo gaining you either the card bounced back to hand or double the effect for your mana. Mirage mirror seemed like an auto include since it can give you 3 vial smashers if sakashima is down and it doesn’t have to count as your first cast that turn. I also use mirror match for extra shenanigans and other flip spells.
I literally was just working on planning my Vial/Sakashima deck about 20 minutes ago when I see this!
I'm re watching your videos , to find ones i've missed, and thankfully i found this one. This video is going to be the reason i break my shapeshifter deck apart.
A powerful effect that works well with vial smasher is casting cards for less that have a high cmc or avoiding cmc all together. Have a fun list of cards i think would be good: Mind's Dilation, spirerock knoll, deflecting swat, fierce guardianship, big x spells (torment of hailfire), seal of the guildpact, stormwing entity, chandra's incinerator, stone idol trap, not of this world, avatar of fury, avatar of will, avatar of woe, blasphemous act, ancient stone idol,
Great, that's what I wanted to see! I thought about it by myself, but ended up with Vial Smasher, Kraum, Ludevic's Opus and Obosh as a companion.
A couple people in my playgroup have built variants of this deck and the best part, in my opinion, is that it's fun to play across the table from. Just seeing it pop off and do random damage to random players is fun in and of itself.
This is seriously a must-build deck for me. Thanks prof!
I was literally in the middle of making this partner combo, this gave me some awesome ideas!
Fun video and a scary pairing. Thanks for the content as always my dude!
I am a little surprised you didn't mention Infinite Reflection so that even your non-copy creatures can become more vial smashers
Oh boy, partner... i say, looking at my partner deck.
I built this deck for a commander night last week. I had both partners out and got to Mass Manipulation stealing 2 enemy commanders and slapping 16 direct damage on cast. It was pretty great. The play group respected the partner pair way more after that first game. Lol
Brudiclad, Telchor Haberdasher, and his favourite hat, Helm of the Host. If you can animate Helm, you can play Sakashima as a copy of it. If you still have enough mana, equip the Sakashima Helm to the animated Helm, so that you get a (non-legendary) token copy of it. Now Brudiclad can make every token you generate into another Helm of the Host, all of which you can pile on to Vial Smasher. It does mean you can't run Obosh as a companion, but just having it in the 99 seems fine with such an easy way to mass-reproduce it when the time is right.
Guttersnipe is an easy include and provides a bit of everything, goblin body, instants/chip damage and target for selective removal.
I love my Ridge Wallet. I would have never found it without you, thank you Professor!
Force of Will, Gush, Dig Trough Time and Treasure Cruise might be cards you allready want in a blue deck, but they deal so much damage with Vial-Smasher with little to no cost.
I did something like this when Niv Mizzet the Paruns came out. My niv deck is all about cloning him with as many copy's as possible. This sounds like the same premise. It's really fun to do 8 damage just from drawing one card.
Awesome Video, Professor! And I'm off to build me new deck! Too much fun not to!
This is the pairing I immediately made, and it really goes to town. If I manage to get 2-3 Via Smashers down it’s gonna be bad times all around.
Extra Turn spells, yes that includes Expropriate, make everyone take a massive hit and guarantee and extra turn after to do it all again.
Sounds like fun!
Not!
I played ludevic// vial smasher before, where the whole point of the deck was to clone vial smasher with spark double, old sakashima, or helm of the host. Then sakashima was revealed. I haven’t looked back since.
Gyruda can start a clone chain ending with an ulamog or additional vialsmasher. Thats pretty fun. Gotta run all the 2/4/6 mana value clones for best odds. I think 12+ oughtta do it. Clone, phyrexian metamorph, phantasmal image, dack's duplicate, evil twin, og sakashima, sakashima's student, vizier of many faces, clever impersonator, gigantoplasm, stunt double, wall of stolen identity.
Mechanized Production would be a ticking clock when used to copy the Phyrexian Metamorph. Or is a handy little collar on your opponents big spells, if you drop that spell swindle on them. one counterspell on their turn could lead to a clean win on your upkeep.
This deck was a great fit for the evil Instructor
Firey emancipation is crazy in the deck.
Also play the big mana delve spells treasure cruise, dig through time and temporal trespass
Wound reflection, fiery emancipation, chandra's incinerator, combustible gearhulk, soldevi adnate, derretti
Delve spells are so sweet with vial smasher as is skull storm and fury storm, i would add the infect cards like corrupted conscious and glistening oil.
I was prepping a list for this VERY SETUP the DAY before you post this and now I feel like i'm on blast in my group. :V
Legit though, good vid. I do like the idea of Terror in a batch of clones for an absolute nightmare.
I'd add a helm of the host. Chuck it on vial smasher, then every combat phase in your turn you get another that will survive even if sakashima dies.
It was nice to see you nerding out again
Can we give a round of applause for Sakashima's artwork alone?
ya it's really nice
Oh fuck yeah
Leyline of anticipation and veldalken Orrery is what I used as well as flash cards like hull breacher and opposition agent. Also Ikoria came out with slitherwisp 3cmc draw whenever u play flash. My man flash Is important to make those sorceries badass!!
That Chief Engineer couldn't be more perfect. That's an alter I would gladly own.
I have a deck like this, but I use Kydele as my partner commander. It focuses on X spells as well as clones, mostly hydras and bouncing them back to my hand to recast next turn.
DAMNIT PROF! This is the new pet deck I just built, and now people are going to target me.
I'm planning on building Sakashima with Krark and making that a clone deck. The idea being to use the sorcery clones rather than the creature clones so those spells will get copied and give me even more clones. Once you reach a critical mass you use rituals to make what amounts to infinite mana because everything's going to get copied and don't to return to your hand to be reused. Then you just use whatever direct damage spell you like, lightning bolt for example, for one mana you're looking at twelve or more damage easily with all the copies and then the spell goes back to your hand to use again.
I did that and its hilarious. It can win you the game out of nowhere if you have like 6 krarks out. Also try cards like frantic search or snap for additional ramp
I think Plaguecrafter is a great addition to any deck running black, it does so much damage to your opponents and will kill planewalkers.
Throw in a Furnace of Rath, Court of Ire, and that enchantment in M21 that triples damage. Oh, and also Torbran.
Well, UBR (over BR and not blue) gets you the standard Grixis wincons: Pact + Thassa's Oracle combo; Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator + Glint-Horn Buccaneer, anti-draw + Wheels; Dualcaster Mage + Cackling Counterpart. Anything that can be cast for an alternate/reduced cost gets you damage equal to its real cost (e.g. Force of Will, As Foretold, Mycosynth Golem) and blue adds a lot to that. And of course, counterspells are really really good.
I wouldn't bother with any clones/cards that are bad without both commanders, though. If they e.g. remove Vial Smasher in response to Sakashima, you could easily be sitting on a lot of dead cards.
I like seeing Lazotep Plating getting a shout out despite being in EVIL. I think it’s undervalued for what all it does.
Adding in Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer can allow your copies to get way out of control, especially with cards like wurmcoil engine, grave titan, and Krenko, Mob boss
Had a Vial Smasher/Kraum deck that I switched out the Kraum for Sakashima. Not only full of counterspells, but also delve and miracles cards. Didn't see the need to go the clone route. That left me room for the combo finishers(consultation-oracle and splinter twin.)
I am a bit surprised that not only the good already known Vial Shamsher cards, like the devle cards (treasure cruise, magmatic sinkhole etc.) or some affinity and other cost reduction effect cards. But also some big pay offs, like maybe running a Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow but also a Gyruda, Doom of Depths as many Copy Creatures are even mana costed, this can create a chain of many trigger and, because of Sakashima, you do not have to sacrifice your Gyrudas. Also other cards, which are both a strong creature and having high CMC are the Avatar of Fury/Woe cards. If you do not have the mana to cast your big spells you also might want some cards to cheat things out like Show and Tell. Although it might get inconsistent if you add everything i just listed 😅
since you are playing Grixis artifacts, you will also want Jhoira, weatherlight captain for that extra card draw when you cast all your legends and artifacts.
I had this build ready to go for the last month noooooo
I like to use both Obosh and Fire Emancipation. It's twice the triple! haha
Fiery emancipation is amazing I love that card
fiery emancipation is mean. I love it
my sakashima vial smasher deck is a control spell slinger deck instead of a mass clone deck. consistent damage from being able to always interact is the name of the game. add in damage buffs like torbrann and fiery emancipation are also top notch inclusions
I've never really been into the CEDH scene, but this is the sort of deck I wanna build, just in case I wanna make my semi-casual friends feel like they're playing Archenemy. >:-)
I'd say add Fiery emancipation for x3 damage from all your sources, and Torbran for an extra 2 damage per vial activation.
Just bought a Tabernacle from Card Kingdom using your affiliate link. Cuz you're awesome dude.
A must destroy creature i like to play in this sort of deck is cinsuming abberation. It can very quickly take alot of good cards away from your opponents and get large.
“I’d like to introduce to my new deck, I call it ‘Vial Smasher, Sakashima, and 60 other clones.”
been looking for a grixis deck to partner up with my vial smasher. thanks professor
I literally played against Sakashima/Vial pair during draft, and now he has his command deck on it....its fucking monstrous
This is definitely a scary combo i was thinking or pairing sakashima with akroma for great victory
Personally I prefer midnight reaper to grim haruspex.
Sure, it's nice not to lose the life, but it's so much nicer when it replaces itself!
Bwhahahhaha, I just built a stack with these two!
Sower of Discord is a good add to this deck! Double SMASH!
Excited to watch this as once partners were announced to be returning I yearned for a mono green or mono blue partner that cared about casting spells so I can build the vial smasher deck I always wanted. Sadly none did UNTIL SUDDENLY SAKASHIMA. No other partners excited me so why not double down on Vial Smasher! I know prof is a smart and busy man, so here's hoping that Mind's Dilation and the Ikoria C20 Free cycle at least get a mention! That said evoke is baller in this deck too!
Edit:
1. Alright a few minutes in, come on prof. VS is not broken just strong. If it was target opponent then alright but the randomness is fun like Ruhan!
2. Ooh I like Krenko, I didn't go tokens/creature heavy in my build but yeah secret commander Krenko sounds awesome! Slap in Brudiclad and it can get nasty!
3. I run Obosh in my list! It can end the game fast. But it can not be the companion as Sakashima is even cmc.
Fun list, I like the artifact theme, with your list alone I think Brudiclad needs to be added. Solid content again Professor, that'll do pig.
Mirror Gallery seems like a good idea for when someone eventually snipes Sakashima with a Pithing Needle.
I made Vial smasher "tribal" with a few choice clone spells, big extra turn spells and eldrazi.
Wait, you can't have Obosh if you have Sakashima as your commander, because Sakashima is even.
assuming he means in the 99. many of the other 99 cards are also even
I think he just was exasperated with Partners AND Companions being a thing. I think it was a "If we're being degenerate, of course we're gonna have Companion card". But I dont think he specifically said he'd use it for the Companion mechanic. Matter of fact, he skipped over the Companion text entirely when talking about it.
@@abiggs4828 Yeah, I think so too, but it still seems like a weird thing to point out. Companions never really did anything in this format, and if it's just in the 98 it's nothing more than another good creature. Definitely some hyperbole going on there...
@@solidmasterdante personally I have no issues with them. They didn't print a million Companions (like the just did with Partners) and the only one that would be truely busted the banned when it was just a spoiler lol. I can see how ppl might get a little salty when you get a 101st card for free, and essentially a second command zone to play with. I've never met anyone who uses the Companion mechanic tbh, especially in Commander.
I mean, Krenko is in the deck sooooooooooo
A bit high cost, but Kaervek the Merciless is a favorite that must be answered fast. Also synergizes with Obosh!
Kaervek is my favourite card! He jus punches and even if someone tries to kill it you still get the trigger to slap em right back for the pleasure. Have mikaus the unalloyed out also and kaervek just keeps coming back and if you were gonna cast a sakashima definitely do it to copy kaervek. Having 2 or 3 of him out is delightful
Got tagged twice in this today... Angrath's Marauders certainly made the cut in my VS&S build. Also, Mirage Mirror! Mirage Mirror helps with the drawback of many newer clone effects only copying "creatures you control" but often you can Mirror something and then make your own clone.
Also, Etali goes great in this deck... If you don't like having friends.
One card i think is of note is artisan of kozilek. It's fairly pricey, so it combos with vial-smasher, and it brings back a creature on entry, like emry.
Annihilater is nothing to scoff at either.
Ouch! Our channel just posted gameplay with those partners haha
Add prince of thralls to steal your opponents stuff it will be a must kill card as he just has to hang around to build your army and don't forget probably the best ultimatum cruel ultimatum that will destroy an enemy