Hello Everyone! I'm Levi from The Thought Vessel Show, and this week we're diving into one of my favorite strategies: blink. Now for staples in this type of deck the really fall into three categories. Those categories are initiators, targets, and enablers. Initiators are the spells that are going to do your blinking. They will exile your best effects and bring them back into play, thus triggering them again. Targets are the creatures/permanents that are going to be targeted over and over again. They are usually value engines, or removal. Enablers are effects that will double up entering effects, thus maximizing potential. Let's begin!

Initiators

1. Brago, King Eternal

The king of blink, Brago is the most powerful option for this strategy. A borderline cEDH commander, Brago can blink every single nonland permanent you own simply by attacking and connecting with combat damage. This ability can be used on your mana rocks, effectively acting as a ramp source. Additionally, this deck goes infinite with Strionic Resonator, a combo that is surprisingly easy to assemble and protect.

2. Emiel the Blessed

Why Wizards of the Coast thought that three colorless was a sufficient price to pay for an activated ability is beyond me. But with that said, this card is amazing for a blink deck. Yes, it combos with cards like Derevi and Dockside Extortionist, but even in calmer board states, using excess mana to blink a Coiling Oracle will yield huge benefits over the course of a game.

3. Sword of Hearth and Home

One of the issues that blink decks run into is having a lot of things to do but not enough mana to do them. Enter Sword of Hearth and Home. This card allows you to protect your commander or a valuable creature from cards like Beast Within and Swords to Plowshares. Once you connect with damage, you'll be getting a basic land every turn on top of blinking your best creature. This card drives blink decks into overdrive with all the extra ramp it provides.

4. Eerie Interlude

This card is basically the Teferi's Protection of blink decks. A veteran blink player typically assigns their creatures as blockers on trampling creatures and then blinks them out to safety, only for them to come back in on the next end step and trigger once more. Offensively or defensively, this card is a weapon.

5. Ephemerate

The last card in this category is one that there really isn't an excuse to not run. Ephemerate can save creatures from a surprise block, lethal combat damage from an attacker, or spot removal. On top of that, you get this ability again at the beginning of your next turn to use in a more aggressive manner. All of this for 1 mana? If I'm running a blink deck, this card is in the 99 without question.

Targets

1. Felidar Guardian

This card is probably responsible for the majority of win conditions in the blinking archetype in some way. Being able to blink any nonland permanent is incredibly powerful. Even untapping a land like Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx could be of massive value. Combined with cards like Preston, the Vanisher, or Saheeli Rai, and it's curtains for your opponents.

2. Aether Channeler

As far as modal creatures go, this one is at the top of my list. Card draw, tempo removal, and blocker creation on the same creature are incredibly helpful in every situation. The only thing that would make it better is if it had a mode to create a treasure token.

3. Agent of Treachery

This is an absolute finisher. Being able to steal anything, including lands, multiple times per turn can quickly close out games. The extra three cards drawn are just a bonus.

4. Venser, Shaper Savant

This card has saved me on so many occasions I can't even count. Being able to flash this in when an opponent goes to blow up the board or stop your plans is huge. As soon as it's in play, it's a massive tempo swing. Additionally, if you have a Panharmonicon in play, you can repeatedly bounce problematic spells back to their owner's hands.

Enablers

1. Panharmonicon

The original of these types of effects, doubling all ETB effects of your creatures and artifacts, is the type of card that really gets this engine going. It is also the cheapest mana value on this list, allowing it to come out sooner and really help with pacing.

2. Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines

The perfect way to enable your blink strategy while shutting down your opponents' ETB effects. This card also has the additional bonus of being a 4/7 with vigilance, allowing for chip damage and providing a formidable blocker, which can help against a major weakness blink strategies can have: aggro.

3. Preston, The Vanisher

Specifically assisting with cards like Felidar Guardian, the ability to make a 0/1 copy of the creature and have another blink effect is absolutely brutal. If you already have a Panharmonicon effect in play, instead of just getting plus one of an effect, there will be times two of how many you can create. With that level of value, this is really tough to beat and earns a spot as a staple.

4. Virtue of Knowledge

Similar to Elesh Norn without the negative effects for your opponent, Virtue of Knowledge has the benefit of being an enchantment, which can be more difficult to remove or get swept up in a board wipe. An additional benefit is the instant-speed adventure spell copying one ability for two total mana, which can be helpful in the early game.

I really hope you enjoyed exploring the world of blink decks. My only advice on playing is to have a way to close out the game quickly. By combo, combat, or aristocrat, blink can be a bit slow to win if you're not intentional about it. But with that said, it is incredibly fun. Until next time!