This guide will help you improve the Deep Clue Sea precon deck from the Murders at Karlov Manor set. We’ll cover budget and higher cost upgrades, mana base improvements, card draw enhancements, creature synergies, removal and control, and more. Get ready to dive deep and make your deck even better!

Introduction

The Deep Clue Sea Commander precon deck, released alongside the Murders at Karlov Manor set, offers a fun and engaging experience for players who enjoy the Bant (Green, White, and Blue) color identity. Its theme revolves heavily around investigating and detectives, with a focus on creating Clue tokens and utilizing their value. While the deck is solid out of the box, there’s always room for improvement. This guide will explore various upgrade strategies, from budget-friendly options to higher-cost additions, to help you transform your Deep Clue Sea deck into a formidable force on the Commander battlefield.

Whether you’re a seasoned Commander player looking to refine your deck or a newer player seeking to enhance your experience, this guide will provide valuable insights and suggestions. We’ll delve into crucial aspects like mana base improvements, card draw enhancements, creature synergies, removal and control, and more. Join us as we explore the depths of this intriguing deck and unlock its full potential.

The Deck’s Focus

The Deep Clue Sea precon deck centers around the investigate mechanic and its synergy with Clue tokens. The deck features numerous cards that generate Clue tokens, such as Morska, Undersea Sleuth, Sophia, Dogged Detective, and Confirm Suspicions. These Clue tokens can be sacrificed for two mana to draw a card, providing a steady stream of card advantage. The deck also utilizes cards that can benefit from Clue tokens, like Search for Azcanta, Grim Initiate, and Disorder in the Court. This creates a powerful engine that allows you to draw cards, generate value, and control the board.

Furthermore, the deck features a strong midrange strategy, with creatures like Erdwal Illuminator, Sarinth Steelseeker, and Academy Manufactor that provide consistent threats and card advantage. It also includes a healthy mix of removal and control spells, such as Cancel, Doom Blade, and Disdainful Stroke, to disrupt your opponents’ plans and protect your own board state. The Deep Clue Sea precon deck provides a solid foundation for a diverse and engaging Commander experience, with a focus on investigation, card advantage, and midrange strategies.

Understanding the Precon

The Deep Clue Sea precon deck, led by Morska, Undersea Sleuth, is a Bant (Green, White, and Blue) Commander deck with a strong focus on the investigate mechanic and Clue tokens. The deck’s core strategy revolves around generating Clue tokens through various means, such as Morska’s ability, Sophia, Dogged Detective, and cards like Confirm Suspicions. These Clue tokens serve as a valuable resource, offering card draw when sacrificed for two mana. The deck also includes cards that synergize with Clue tokens, like Search for Azcanta, Grim Initiate, and Disorder in the Court, further amplifying the deck’s card advantage engine.

While the deck is solid out of the box, it suffers from a few weaknesses, primarily a slow mana base and some less-effective cards. The mana base lacks key dual lands and fixing, leading to occasional mana screw or flood. Additionally, certain cards like Confirm Suspicions and Disorder in the Court are not as impactful and can be replaced with more synergistic options. Despite these shortcomings, the Deep Clue Sea precon provides a strong foundation and a clear theme, making it a great starting point for an engaging and competitive Commander deck.

Upgrade Goals

The primary goal of upgrading the Deep Clue Sea precon is to address its weaknesses and enhance its strengths. We aim to achieve this by focusing on several key areas⁚

• Improve the mana base⁚ Adding more dual lands and fixing will ensure consistent mana access for our spells, allowing us to cast our key pieces on time and avoid mana screw or flood.
• Strengthen the card advantage engine⁚ We’ll introduce cards that draw more cards and generate additional Clue tokens, further fueling our card advantage engine and increasing our ability to control the game.
• Boost creature synergies⁚ The deck already features a number of creatures that benefit from Clues, but we can further enhance this synergy by adding more creatures that generate Clues or utilize them effectively.
• Incorporate removal and control⁚ While the deck has some removal options, we’ll add more targeted and efficient removal spells to deal with threats and control the board effectively.
• Refine the deck’s overall strategy⁚ By addressing the weaknesses and strengthening the core strengths, we’ll aim to refine the deck’s overall strategy, making it more consistent and powerful.

By achieving these goals, we can transform the Deep Clue Sea precon from a solid starting point into a truly competitive and enjoyable Commander deck.

Budget Upgrades

For players looking to upgrade the Deep Clue Sea precon without breaking the bank, there are several budget-friendly options available. These cards offer significant value and can significantly improve the deck’s performance without requiring a large investment⁚

• Mana Base⁚ Consider adding budget dual lands like Brightclimb/Grimclimb Pathway, Isolated Chapel, Godless Shrine, and Fetid Heath. These lands provide mana fixing without a hefty price tag.
• Card Draw⁚ Scroll Rack and Sylvan Scrying are excellent budget card draw engines that can help you find the cards you need. Divination and Harmonize are also great budget-friendly options.
• Creature Synergy⁚ Grim Initiate and Llanowar Elves are inexpensive creatures that provide mana acceleration and Clues, bolstering your creature-based strategy.
• Removal⁚ Path to Exile and Swords to Plowshares are classic removal spells that are both effective and affordable. Beast Within can also provide valuable removal at a budget price.

These budget-friendly upgrades can make a significant difference in the deck’s performance, allowing you to experience the power of the Deep Clue Sea strategy without breaking the bank.

Higher Cost Upgrades

For those willing to invest a bit more, the Deep Clue Sea precon can be transformed into a powerhouse with some higher-cost upgrades. These cards offer significant power and synergy with the deck’s theme, pushing it to new heights⁚

• Mana Base⁚ Consider adding premium dual lands like Tundra, Scrubland, Tropical Island, and Volcanic Island. These lands provide the best mana fixing and can smooth out your mana curve significantly. For even greater consistency, Command Tower is a valuable addition.
• Card Draw⁚ Rhystic Study is a powerful card draw engine that generates card advantage every time your opponents cast spells. Enlightened Tutor can help you find specific cards you need, while Vampiric Tutor allows you to fetch any card from your deck.
• Creature Synergy⁚ Thalia, Guardian of Thraben can significantly slow down your opponents, giving you time to build up your board presence. Stoneforge Mystic can fetch powerful equipment, while Jace, the Mind Sculptor is a versatile planeswalker that can generate card advantage, control the board, and even win the game;
• Removal⁚ Swords to Plowshares is a classic removal spell that can take out any creature with no drawback. Wrath of God can wipe the board clean, while Supreme Verdict provides a similar effect with a bit more flexibility.

These higher-cost upgrades are not essential, but they can take the Deep Clue Sea precon to a whole new level of power and competitiveness.

Mana Base Improvements

The Deep Clue Sea precon comes with a decent mana base, but it can be improved significantly for better consistency and speed. Here are some key areas to focus on⁚

• Dual Lands⁚ The precon includes a few dual lands, but adding more can smooth out your mana curve and allow you to cast your spells on time. Consider adding cards like Brightclimb, Isolated Chapel, Fetid Heath, Godless Shrine, Watery Grave, and Breeding Pool. These dual lands provide access to all three colors, making it easier to cast your spells.
• Shock Lands⁚ Shock lands like Godless Shrine, Scrubland, Sacred Foundry, Overgrown Tomb, and Steam Vents provide color fixing at a slightly higher cost. While they enter the battlefield tapped, they are still valuable additions to your mana base, especially if you want to play more aggressive strategies.
• Fast Mana⁚ Consider adding a few fast mana sources like Arcane Signet, Sol Ring, Commander’s Sphere, and Dimir Signet. These artifacts help you ramp up your mana production and can be especially helpful in the early game when you need to cast your spells quickly.
• Land Fetchers⁚ Land fetchers like Farseek, Rampant Growth, and Kodama’s Reach can help you find the specific lands you need, ensuring that you always have the right mana available.

By upgrading your mana base, you can significantly improve the consistency and speed of your Deep Clue Sea deck, allowing you to cast your spells more reliably and compete at a higher level.

Card Draw Enhancements

The Deep Clue Sea precon revolves around the Investigate mechanic, which creates Clue tokens that can be sacrificed to draw cards. However, to truly maximize card advantage, you’ll need to add additional card draw engines to your deck. Here are some excellent options⁚

• Blue Draw Spells⁚ Blue has a wealth of card draw options, including Brainstorm, Fact or Fiction, Think Twice, and Blue Sun’s Zenith. These spells allow you to draw multiple cards, giving you a significant advantage in card advantage.
• Green Card Draw⁚ Green offers some powerful card draw engines like Harmonize, Cultivate, and Kodama’s Reach. While these cards don’t draw as many cards as blue spells, they also provide mana ramp, making them efficient choices.
• Artifact Draw Engines⁚ Artifact draw engines like Scroll Rack, Sylvan Scrying, and Arcane Encyclopedia can provide consistent card draw throughout the game. These artifacts can be especially useful in the late game when you need to find specific cards to close out the game.
• Creatures with Card Draw Abilities⁚ Several creatures have abilities that allow you to draw cards. Some excellent choices include Sage of Fables, Oona, Queen of the Fae, and Jace, the Mind Sculptor. These creatures not only draw cards but can also provide additional benefits like card filtering or countermagic.

By incorporating these card draw enhancements, you can ensure that you have a steady flow of cards in your hand, allowing you to react to your opponents’ plays and execute your strategies effectively.

Creature Synergies

The Deep Clue Sea precon features a solid foundation of creatures with various abilities that create a strong synergy. To further enhance this aspect, consider these upgrades that amplify existing strengths and create new avenues for victory⁚

• Token Generators⁚ The deck already has Morska, Undersea Sleuth and Sophia, Dogged Detective, both generating tokens. Adding Parallel Lives or Doubling Season can exponentially increase the number of tokens you create, leading to overwhelming board presence.
• Creature-Based Draw Engines⁚ Creatures like Sage of Fables and Oona, Queen of the Fae provide card draw, allowing you to keep your hand full of options. These creatures also create a strong synergy with the deck’s Investigate mechanic, as they can generate additional Clues.
• Enchantment Support⁚ Enchantments like Aura Shards and Collective Unconscious can greatly enhance your creatures’ power. Aura Shards protects your creatures from removal spells, while Collective Unconscious allows you to draw cards whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control.
• Merfolk Synergy⁚ While not explicitly focused on Merfolk, the deck does have some Merfolk creatures. Adding Lord of Atlantis or Master of the Pearl Trident provides additional benefits to your Merfolk creatures, making them more powerful attackers and defenders.

These upgrades will further enhance the deck’s creature-based strategies, allowing you to create a formidable board presence and overwhelm your opponents with a steady stream of threats.

Removal and Control

While the Deep Clue Sea precon offers some removal options, it can be strengthened by including more versatile and powerful removal spells. These upgrades will give you the tools to control the battlefield and ensure your strategy can succeed. Here are some key additions⁚

• Targeted Removal⁚ Spells like Path to Exile, Swords to Plowshares, and Beast Within efficiently remove problematic creatures, while Doom Blade and Go for the Throat offer targeted creature removal with added versatility.
• Board Wipes⁚ For situations where multiple creatures are a threat, Wrath of God, Damnation, and Supreme Verdict are powerful options. Supreme Verdict, in particular, can be useful for clearing the board without affecting your own creatures due to its “non-token” clause.
• Countermagic⁚ Counterspell and Mana Leak can protect your key spells and creatures from being countered, while Negate provides a more general countermagic solution.
• Enchantment and Artifact Removal⁚ Return to Dust and Swords to Plowshares are versatile options that can remove problematic enchantments and artifacts.

Adding these removal and control options will significantly enhance the deck’s ability to deal with threats and keep the game flowing in your favor. Remember, a strong control presence is crucial for any successful Commander deck.

Playing the Upgraded Deck

With your upgraded Deep Clue Sea deck, the key is to leverage your card draw and investigate abilities to gain a strategic advantage. Here’s how to play the deck effectively⁚

• Early Game⁚ Focus on ramping up your mana base and developing your board presence; Utilize cards like Arcane Signet, Sol Ring, and Cultivate to accelerate your mana production. Play creatures that generate value, like Morska, Undersea Sleuth and Sophia, Dogged Detective, to generate clues and tokens.
• Mid-Game⁚ Utilize your card draw and investigate abilities to gain a card advantage. Play spells like Divination, Think Twice, and Nightveil Specter to draw cards and keep your hand full. Sacrifice clues to draw cards and generate mana. Continue developing your board presence with strong creatures and enchantments.
• Late Game⁚ Use your card advantage and board presence to control the game and win. Play powerful finishers like Mizzix’s Mastery, Ugin, the Spirit Dragon, and Laboratory Maniac to close out the game. Remember, you have a lot of options, so be flexible and adapt to the situation.

Remember, the Deep Clue Sea deck excels at generating card advantage and value. By playing strategically and utilizing your resources efficiently, you can outlast your opponents and claim victory.

The Deep Clue Sea precon deck from Murders at Karlov Manor offers a solid foundation for a fun and engaging Commander experience. With a few strategic upgrades, you can transform this deck into a powerful force on the battlefield. The focus on investigate, card draw, and creature synergies makes it a versatile deck capable of adapting to various playstyles.

Whether you’re a budget-conscious player or willing to invest in higher-cost cards, this guide provides options to enhance your Deep Clue Sea deck. By following the suggestions and tailoring your deck to your preferences, you can unlock the deck’s full potential and enjoy countless hours of thrilling Commander battles.

Remember, the journey of deck building is an ongoing process. As new cards are released and your understanding of the deck grows, you can continue to refine and improve your Deep Clue Sea deck. So, dive deep, experiment, and have fun exploring the depths of this intriguing Commander deck.

Resources and Further Exploration

The world of Commander is vast and ever-evolving, offering endless opportunities for exploration and discovery. To continue your journey with the Deep Clue Sea deck, here are some resources and avenues for further exploration⁚

Online Deckbuilding Resources⁚

• Moxfield⁚ A popular online deckbuilding platform where you can create, share, and explore Commander decks. It offers powerful search filters, deck analysis tools, and a vibrant community of players.
• MTGGoldfish⁚ A comprehensive resource for Magic⁚ The Gathering information, including decklists, card prices, and articles. Their Commander section provides valuable insights and decklists for various strategies.
• TCGplayer⁚ A leading online marketplace for trading cards, including Magic⁚ The Gathering. You can find cards for your Deep Clue Sea deck, compare prices, and explore different vendors.

Community Engagement⁚

• MTG subreddits⁚ Engage with the Magic⁚ The Gathering community on platforms like r/EDH, r/mtg, and r/magicTCG. Share your deck, ask for advice, and learn from other players’ experiences.
• Commander Discord servers⁚ Join dedicated Discord servers for Commander, where you can discuss deckbuilding, strategies, and connect with other players.

By utilizing these resources and engaging with the community, you can continue to refine your Deep Clue Sea deck, discover new cards, and expand your knowledge of the Commander format.