Overview

Arcane Wizardry is a Wizard tribal deck. Inalla, Archmage Ritualist is a 4/5 with eminence: whenever another nontoken Wizard enters under your control, if Inalla is in the command zone or on the battlefield, you may pay {1} to create a token copy of that Wizard with haste, exiled at the next end step. Copies of enter-the-battlefield Wizards give you the effect twice. Tapping five untapped Wizards makes a target player lose 7 life.

The 99 cards are 31 creatures, 8 artifacts, 4 enchantments, 13 instants, 5 sorceries and 38 lands. The Wizards include enter-the-battlefield creatures such as Archaeomancer, Izzet Chronarch, Merchant of Secrets, Sea Gate Oracle, Puppeteer Clique and Bloodline Necromancer, and tap-a-Wizard creatures such as Azami, Lady of Scrolls, Galecaster Colossus and Nivix Guildmage. Spells such as Spelltwine, Memory Plunder and Cauldron Dance add flexibility.

Key Cards

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Azami, Lady of Scrolls
Card Draw · Wizard Payoff
A 0/2 for {2}{U}{U}{U}. Tap an untapped Wizard you control: draw a card. Every Wizard that enters becomes a card draw spell as soon as it can be tapped, and with Inalla's hasty copies it can be tapped immediately.
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Galecaster Colossus
Bounce · Wizard Payoff
A 5/6 for {5}{U}{U}. Tap an untapped Wizard you control: return target nonland permanent you don't control to its owner's hand. With a team of Wizards, it bounces a permanent every turn.
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Kess, Dissident Mage
Spell Recursion · Flying
A 3/4 for {1}{U}{B}{R}. It has flying, and once during each of your turns you may cast an instant or sorcery spell from your graveyard, and if it would be put into your graveyard it is exiled instead. It gives a second use of your best spells.
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Mairsil, the Pretender
Ability Copy · Value
A 4/4 for {1}{U}{B}{R}. When it enters you may exile an artifact or creature card from your hand or graveyard with a cage counter, and it has all activated abilities of your exiled cards with cage counters, once each turn. It borrows the abilities of cards you exile with cage counters.

Playing the Deck

The early game is about cheap Wizards and mana. Sol Ring, Worn Powerstone, Darksteel Ingot, Fellwar Stone and Commander's Sphere ramp you, and Merchant of Secrets, Sea Gate Oracle, Nivix Guildmage, Nin, the Pain Artist and Shadowmage Infiltrator come down early and start the Wizard count.

The middle of the game is about triggering value and tapping Wizards. Inalla, Archmage Ritualist copies enter-the-battlefield Wizards, Archaeomancer and Izzet Chronarch return spells, Azami, Lady of Scrolls draws cards, Galecaster Colossus bounces blockers, Vela the Night-Clad makes the team hard to block, and Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind and Mercurial Chemister draw cards. Marchesa, the Black Rose returns creatures with +1/+1 counters when they die.

The late game is about the seven-life drain and resets. Tapping five Wizards with Inalla's ability takes 7 life, and Vindictive Lich, Corpse Augur and Arcanis the Omnipotent give extra value. Magus of the Abyss, Decree of Pain, Nevinyrral's Disk, Kindred Dominance and Necromantic Selection clear the board, and Clone Legion copies your opponent's creatures.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths: The deck has a huge density of Wizards, so Inalla's ability is easy to use, and it generates plenty of cards and tempo. It also has plenty of interaction, including Go for the Throat, Terminate, Crosis's Charm, Silumgar's Command, Reality Shift and Into the Roil.

Weaknesses: Most Wizards are small, so a sweeper can end the plan, and the deck is three colours with double and triple costs in blue. The deck wants to untap with five Wizards, so a wrath or removal on Inalla slows it and the seven-life drain needs Inalla on the battlefield.

Want to improve it? See the Arcane Wizardry upgrade guide: eleven swaps with the data behind each one.

Verdict
Arcane Wizardry is a high-powered tribal deck that rewards a good understanding of its many tap abilities. It is a good choice for players who like Wizards, card draw and a combination of tricks and a drain.

Want to see what a fully optimised Inalla, Archmage Ritualist build looks like? Try the Oracle.

✦ Build with The Oracle

Frequently Asked Questions

What cards are in the Arcane Wizardry decklist?
The Arcane Wizardry precon is a 100-card Commander deck led by Inalla, Archmage Ritualist. The full Arcane Wizardry decklist, with every card, current prices and a button to copy the list into your deck builder, is on this page.

When was Arcane Wizardry released?
Arcane Wizardry was released on August 25, 2017 as part of Commander 2017.

Who is the commander of Arcane Wizardry?
Arcane Wizardry is led by Inalla, Archmage Ritualist, a Grixis (U/B/R) legendary creature.

How many creatures are in Arcane Wizardry?
The 99 cards besides Inalla, Archmage Ritualist include 31 creatures.

How many lands does Arcane Wizardry have?
Arcane Wizardry has 38 lands in the 99 cards besides Inalla, Archmage Ritualist, including basic lands.

Full Decklist

All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box Arcane Wizardry precon, with current prices. Click any card to expand it.

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