<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Madcap Jester" href="#" target="_blank">The Madcap Jester</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://jesperejsing.com/">Jesper Ejsing</a></em></p>
<p>What's more fun than playing one player's cEDH deck? Well, if you answered playing everybody's cEDH deck, then boy oh boy do I have just the deck for you. Let's take a look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Madcap Jester" href="#" target="_blank">The Madcap Jester</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, one of <em>Mystery Booster Commander Edition</em>'s most interesting picks for cEDH.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Madcap Jester"></div></div>
<h2>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Madcap Jester" href="#" target="_blank">The Madcap Jester</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</h2>
<p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Madcap Jester" href="#" target="_blank">The Madcap Jester</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a legendary 3/2 Clown Wizard creature with two triggered abilities. First, "Whenever The Madcap Jester attacks, each opponent exiles the top card of their library." Second, "Whenever a spell or ability you control causes one or more cards to be exiled from an opponent's library, you may play those cards until the end of your next turn. Mana of any type can be spent to cast spells this way."</p>
<p>While these are two distinct abilities, the first really only makes sense in light of the second. In short, attacking with The Madcap Jester is best comparable to drawing three cards — a pretty sizable resource — although the cards you draw aren't from your own deck. Thankfully, that second triggered ability colorwashes (allows any color of mana to be paid) each card exiled. Facing down a pod of nothing but mono-green decks? Well, The Madcap Jester has got you covered.</p>
<h2>Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Madcap Jester" href="#" target="_blank">The Madcap Jester</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<h3>One-Off Exile Effects</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sadistic Sacrament"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Extract"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tasha&#039;s Hideous Laughter"></div></div>
<p>Cards in this bucket largely fall into two categories: spells that tutor cards from your opponents' decks, and cards that hit so many cards in one go that they're basically another copy of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ad Nauseam" href="#" target="_blank">Ad Nauseam</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>As for the first bucket, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Extract" href="#" target="_blank">Extract</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is about as clean an example as they come: for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, you get to search an opponent's library for a card and exile it. With The Madcap Jester in play, that's basically a cheaper <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demonic Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Demonic Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that also colorwashes whatever you search for. Nothing like spending <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> on a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necropotence" href="#" target="_blank">Necropotence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, rather than <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>.</p>
<p>Looking at the second bucket, the king of burst-exile is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tasha&#039;s Hideous Laughter" href="#" target="_blank">Tasha&#039;s Hideous Laughter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, this sorcery has each opponent exile cards from the top of their library until they hit twenty mana's worth of cards exiled this way. With the run-of-the-mill cEDH deck having an average mana value close to two, Tasha's Hideous Laughter will routinely flip as many as thirty nonland cards once it resolves.</p>
<h3>Exile Engines</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Psychic Surgery"></div></div>
<p>Like all good cEDH decks these days, The Madcap Jester is also stuffed to the brim with its fair share of engines — <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhystic Study" href="#" target="_blank">Rhystic Study</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mystic Remora" href="#" target="_blank">Mystic Remora</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, etc. Sprinkling in some extra synergy are these two exile-based engines: Ashiok effectively draws you three cards a turn thanks to that +2 loyalty ability, while Psychic Surgery allows you to command the table's tutoring efforts. (<em>If an opponent casts Mystical Tutor, for example, Psychic Surgery's exile effect will resolve after Mystical Tutor has placed a card on top of the now-shuffled library.)</em></p>
<h2>How Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Madcap Jester" href="#" target="_blank">The Madcap Jester</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Win?</h2>
<h3>Grixis Good Stuff</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Underworld Breach"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thassa&#039;s Oracle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tainted Pact"></div></div>
<p>At the end of the day, The Madcap Jester is closing out games in the ways Grixis does best: through either an Underworld Breach pile or a Thassa's Oracle and an empty library. That said, the way it assembles those combos is what makes this deck unique.</p>
<p>First, tutors. Think of the one-off exile effects as a unique spin on traditional tutor effects. Every Grixis pile gets <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vampiric Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Vampiric Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imperial Seal" href="#" target="_blank">Imperial Seal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, etc., but not every Grixis pile gets Extract.</p>
<p>Second, the alt-<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ad Nauseam" href="#" target="_blank">Ad Nauseam</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the form of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tasha&#039;s Hideous Laughter" href="#" target="_blank">Tasha&#039;s Hideous Laughter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Cards like Ad Nauseam and Necropotence are essentially win conditions in and of themselves, since they provide access to so many cards in a single burst. Tasha's Hideous Laughter is exactly the same thing, with the only caveat being that — every now and again — you will be facing down a deck with cards you can't make much use of. On the whole, however, that is usually balanced by having three opponents and playing in such a powerful set of colors.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Madcap Jester" href="#" target="_blank">The Madcap Jester</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> cEDH Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="The Madcap Jester" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 The Madcap Jester
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Chrome Mox
*1 Grim Monolith
*1 Grinding Station
*1 Lion&#039;s Eye Diamond
*1 Lotus Petal
*1 Mana Vault
*1 Mox Amber
*1 Mox Diamond
*1 Mox Opal
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Creativity
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 Talisman of Indulgence
*1 Wishclaw Talisman
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Beseech the Mirror
*1 Demonic Tutor
*1 Diabolic Intent
*1 Extract
*1 Gamble
*1 Imperial Seal
*1 Jeska&#039;s Will
*1 Mnemonic Betrayal
*1 Sadistic Sacrament
*1 Tasha&#039;s Hideous Laughter
*1 Wheel of Fortune
[/Sorceries]
[Creatures]
*1 Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty
*1 Dragon&#039;s Rage Channeler
*1 Harmonic Prodigy
*1 Hexing Squelcher
*1 Mockingbird
*1 Orcish Bowmasters
*1 Phantasmal Image
*1 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
*1 Simian Spirit Guide
*1 Thassa&#039;s Oracle
*1 Valley Floodcaller
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Ad Nauseam
*1 Borne Upon a Wind
*1 Brain Freeze
*1 Cabal Ritual
*1 Chain of Vapor
*1 Culling the Weak
*1 Dark Ritual
*1 Daze
*1 Deflecting Swat
*1 Demonic Consultation
*1 Fierce Guardianship
*1 Final Fortune
*1 Flashback
*1 Flusterstorm
*1 Force of Negation
*1 Force of Will
*1 Into the Flood Maw
*1 Intuition
*1 Mindbreak Trap
*1 Mystical Tutor
*1 Pact of Negation
*1 Pyroblast
*1 Rain of Filth
*1 Red Elemental Blast
*1 Swan Song
*1 Tainted Pact
*1 Vampiric Tutor
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Mirrormade
*1 Mystic Remora
*1 Necropotence
*1 Psychic Surgery
*1 Rhystic Study
*1 Underworld Breach
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Ancient Tomb
*1 Arid Mesa
*1 Badlands
*1 Blood Crypt
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 Cavern of Souls
*1 City of Brass
*1 Command Tower
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Gemstone Caverns
*1 Island
*1 Mana Confluence
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Mistrise Village
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*1 Phyrexian Tower
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Scalding Tarn
*1 Steam Vents
*1 Undercity Sewers
*1 Underground Sea
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*1 Urza&#039;s Saga
*1 Verdant Catacombs
*1 Volcanic Island
*1 Watery Grave
*1 Wooded Foothills
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Wrap Up</h2>
<p>At its core, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Madcap Jester" href="#" target="_blank">The Madcap Jester</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a midrange Grixis list whose commander supports a few extra tutors and a potentially better <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ad Nauseam" href="#" target="_blank">Ad Nauseam</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (at the very least, it won't lose you any life). If that doesn't sound like the makings of a pretty viable cEDH deck, then I don't know what does.</p>


the madcap jester

The Madcap Jester | Building for cEDH