I
Chapter I
The Design
what this deck wants
Written by the coach from this decklist
Board Wipes
- Ghyrson Starn turns every pinger and 1-damage spell into a 3-damage nuke: whenever another source you control deals *exactly* 1 damage, Ghyrson deals 2 more to the same target. The deck is a Izzet spellslinger burn engine packed with cheap 1-damage instants/sorceries, pinger creatures (Thermo-Alchemist, Firebrand Archer, Electrostatic Field), and a stack of Niv-Mizzet + draw-Aura infinite combos. It wins by grinding the board to ash and burning faces out, or by comboing off with a Dragon and an Aura.
II
Chapter II
Vital Signs
power, speed, and what the deck is made of
Computed from deck data
8.8/ 10
Power · cEDH-adjacent
- Consistency
- 9.2
- Resilience
- 6.7
- Interaction
- 10.0
- Speed
- 9.2
Speedfastthreatening by turn 3-4
Difficultyadvanced
Lands35of 100
Avg. MV2.28nonland
200–1
232
123
74
05
36+
Role coverage
8RampRepeatable acceleration: Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Izzet Signet, Braid of Fire, plus Vivi Ornitier, Electro, Assaulting Battery and Urabrask — fixes and grows mana for spell-chaining every turn.
3Burst manaOne-shot spikes: Jeska's Will, An Offer You Can't Refuse (Treasure), and Storm-Kiln Artist (a Treasure per instant/sorcery) — these fuel a single explosive storm/combo turn, not sustained ramp.
12Card drawEngine draw off casting and pinging: Archmage Emeritus and Veyran (magecraft), Rhystic Study, Curiosity/Ophidian Eye/Tandem Lookout (also combo pieces), Frantic Search, Windfall, Ponder to keep gas coming.
17Interaction17 pieces of cheap interaction — Counterspell, Negate, An Offer You Can't Refuse for the stack, plus 1-damage removal (Gut Shot, Spark Jolt, Lava Dart, Needle Drop) that Ghyrson upgrades to 3, and Vandalblast/Chain of Vapor for permanents.
14Board wipesCheap X-of-1-damage sweepers that go asymmetric with pingers/Ghyrson: Blazing Volley, Electrickery, End the Festivities, Tectonic Hazard, Boiling Earth clear small creatures, and pinger creatures act as repeatable mini-wipes.
III
Chapter III
The Arsenal
the cards that carry the deck
Computed from deck data
Commander
Engines
Counterspells
Protection
Spot Removal
Board Wipes
Graveyard & Recursion
Card Draw
Ramp
Protection
Spot Removal
Board Wipes
IV
Chapter IV
Sequence
how the game unfolds
Written by the coach from this decklist
Ramp
- EARLY: land a Sol Ring / signet, cheap cantrips (Ponder, Frantic Search), and set up. Deploy Ghyrson Starn as early as reasonable but protect him — Lightning Greaves/Swiftfoot Boots matter given his Ward {2} only buys so much. MID: get a pinger online (Thermo-Alchemist, Kessig Flamebreather, Firebrand Archer, Coruscation Mage) so every spell cast pings for 1 → Ghyrson turns it into 3, and your cheap 1-damage burn (Gut Shot, Spark Jolt, Shower of Sparks, Electrickery) becomes 3-point removal that also sweeps small boards. LATE: close via a Niv-Mizzet + Aura loop, or storm off with Grapeshot/Past in Flames/Underworld Breach while Ghyrson doubles every trigger, or just chip 3s to the face until the table dies.
- Ramp (8, repeatable): Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Izzet Signet, Braid of Fire, Bender's Waterskin, Electro, Assaulting Battery, Urabrask // The Great Work, Vivi Ornitier — these make every later turn bigger. Burst mana (3, one-shot): Jeska's Will, An Offer You Can't Refuse, Storm-Kiln Artist (Treasures per spell) — these spike a single explosive/storm turn, not sustained acceleration. The curve is very low and aggressive: 20 cards at 0-1 CMC, 23 at 2, average 2.28. That's a fast, spell-dense shell — the only top-end is the three 6-drops (both Niv-Mizzets, Chandra's Incinerator). Gas keeps flowing off Rhystic Study, Archmage Emeritus, Curiosity-style Auras, and the Niv-Mizzets themselves drawing on damage.
V
Chapter V
The Opening
what to keep, what to ship
Written by the coach from this decklist
Ramp
- Keep 2-4 lands with either early ramp (Sol Ring/a signet) or a cheap payoff/pinger plus cantrips. Ideal keep: 3 lands, Sol Ring or Arcane Signet, a pinger (Thermo-Alchemist/Firebrand Archer) and/or Ponder/Frantic Search to dig. With only 35 lands and a 2.28 curve you don't need many — but ship 1-landers and hands that are all payoff with no mana or all mana with no action. A hand that can't cast a spell by turn 2 is a mulligan.
VI
Chapter VI
The Close
how it ends
Written by the coach from this decklist
Spot Removal
- Niv-Mizzet infinite loop: Niv-Mizzet, Parun or Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind with Curiosity, Ophidian Eye, or Tandem Lookout loops draw-into-ping for near-infinite damage to end the game.
- Ghyrson pinger beatdown: a pinger (Thermo-Alchemist, Kessig Flamebreather, Firebrand Archer, Electrostatic Field) deals 1 per spell, Ghyrson adds 2 — chain cheap spells to burn each opponent out.
- Storm burst: Grapeshot / Past in Flames / Underworld Breach copies each deal 1 to a player, and Ghyrson doubles every copy into 3 — a lethal storm turn.
- Direct burn: cheap 1-damage removal (Spark Jolt, Gut Shot, Needle Drop, Shower of Sparks) each becomes 3 to the face with Ghyrson out.
VII
Chapter VII
Assemblies
pieces that lock together
Written by the coach from this decklist
Niv-Mizzet, Parun + Curiosity → whenever Niv draws you deal 1 damage to any target, and dealing damage draws a card — loops for near-infinite damage.
- Cast Niv-Mizzet, Parun and protect it with Lightning Greaves if possible.
- Enchant it (or any creature you can draw off) with Curiosity — actually enchant Niv itself so draws trigger its ping.
- Draw a card any way: Niv's ping deals 1 damage, Curiosity sees the draw, and the damage itself replaces into more draws.
- Each draw triggers Niv to ping 1 → Curiosity draws again — loop this at an opponent for near-infinite damage.
- With Ghyrson Starn out, each 1-damage ping becomes 3 — end the loop pointed at each opponent's face.
Niv-Mizzet, Parun + Ophidian Eye → same draw-ping loop, near-infinite damage and draws.
- Resolve Niv-Mizzet, Parun, shield it with Lightning Greaves/Swiftfoot Boots.
- Attach Ophidian Eye to Niv-Mizzet, Parun.
- Trigger a draw; Niv pings 1 for the draw, Ophidian Eye draws on the damage dealt.
- Loop draw→ping→draw for infinite; direct all damage at opponents (tripled if Ghyrson is out).
Niv-Mizzet, Parun + Tandem Lookout → soulbond grants draw-on-damage, closing the loop for infinite draw/damage.
- Cast Niv-Mizzet, Parun and Tandem Lookout, soulbonding them.
- Tandem Lookout gives Niv 'draw a card whenever it deals combat/other damage' via soulbond draw trigger.
- Niv pings for its cast trigger / your draws, dealing damage that draws cards.
- Each draw pings again — loop to near-infinite, aim at opponents.
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind + Curiosity → Firemind pings on each draw, Curiosity draws on each ping — infinite loop.
- Cast Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind; protect with Greaves/Boots.
- Enchant Firemind with Curiosity.
- Draw a card: Firemind pings 1 (its 'whenever you draw' trigger), Curiosity draws on that damage.
- Loop draw→ping→draw infinitely; point the pings at opponents (3 each with Ghyrson).
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind + Ophidian Eye → identical draw-ping loop with the Aura on Firemind.
- Resolve Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind and attach Ophidian Eye.
- Draw a card to start Firemind's ping.
- Ophidian Eye converts the 1 damage back into a draw.
- Loop for infinite damage/draw, target opponents to win.
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind + Tandem Lookout → soulbonded draw-on-damage closes the Firemind loop.
- Play Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind and Tandem Lookout, soulbond them.
- Soulbond grants draw-on-damage; Firemind pings on each draw.
- Damage from the ping draws a card, which pings again.
- Loop to lethal against each opponent.
VIII
Chapter VIII
Handling
counsel and common errors
Written by the coach from this decklist
Board Wipes
- Watch the 'exactly 1 damage' clause — Ghyrson only triggers on sources dealing precisely 1. Don't pump a pinger past 1 damage or split burn in ways that overshoot 1; keep the ping at 1 so Ghyrson adds his 2.
- Sequence pingers before your burn: with Firebrand Archer/Thermo-Alchemist out, each cheap spell double-dips (spell damage + pinger ping, both tripled by Ghyrson).
- Protect the combo/commander creatures — use Lightning Greaves/Swiftfoot Boots before an opponent can remove Niv-Mizzet or Ghyrson; Ward {2} is a speed bump, not a shield.
- Your cheap 1-damage sweepers (Blazing Volley, Electrickery, Tectonic Hazard) become full mini-wipes with Ghyrson doubling each hit to 3 — hold them for token boards.
- Don't jam Niv-Mizzet into open mana at a table with counters up; the loop is your best win but it's fragile — bait interaction with a pinger threat first.
- Save burst mana (Jeska's Will, Storm-Kiln Artist Treasures) for a turn you can chain into Grapeshot/Past in Flames for lethal, rather than spending it on setup.
- Track your storm count and Ghyrson doublings before firing Grapeshot — with Ghyrson out you need roughly half the copies to kill a table.