Real or Illusion? Building Mysterio’s Deck of Smoke and Mirrors

Commander or Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH) to those old enough to remember than name, is arguably one of the best social multiplayer ways of playing Magic. With that comes an opportunity to build decks and show off what you enjoy or your creativity.

With that in mind ever since I can remember I have been a huge fan of Quentin Beck aka Mysterio (and the others who have borrowed his mantle over the years).  So when Spider-man came to Magic town I started tinkering with Commander decks that could possibly tell a story and what is better than the story of a down on his luck special effects guy who turns to crime.

This deck build is honestly more theatre than strategy — one that tricks both me and my opponents. Enter Quentin Beck, the one and only Mysterio, Master of Illusion.

This is no where near a competitive list, it's arguably belonging in Bracket 1 but realistically it's a Bracket 2 deck. What it actually is trying to do is an illusion, a love letter to comic-book flair and all the fishbowl-headed weirdness that makes Spider-Man’s rogue so memorable. The goal? To make you ask: is this deck good… or am I just being fooled?

The Objective: Smoke and Mirrors

So what am I trying to do here with the marvellous man of fishbowl headwear? Mostly aiming to stay on theme to the comics but also use incorporate his actual comic book tools into game mechanics.

For the full deck list you can click here which will take you to Moxfield. Let's talk about the cards and why some are here for flavour reasons over actual practical use. 

Setting the Stage (Lands)

First up Mysterio needs all the help he can get and dropping down 30+ islands isn't going to cut it. So along with the staple lands for a mono-blue deck we have:

• Rivendell – How did we end up in Middle-Earth? Well, it’s an illusion, isn’t it?
• Lilypad Village – When using Changelings to meet Mysterio's villain count, this becomes usable.
• Thespian's Stage – Only the grandest stage is suitable for Mysterio!
• Mystifying Maze – Where is Mysterio? Hopefully the maze will fool your opponents long enough.

Theatrics & Trickery (Enchantments)

• Cloak of Mists – Should be pretty obvious why this is in here.
• Aura Flux – Look at all those goldfish bowls!
• Spider-Man No More – Haha, my greatest adversary is now a nobody.
• The Clone Saga – That Jackal guy does good genetic work.
• Impostor Syndrome – Spider-Man is a phony; I am the real Spider-Man!

Props of Deception (Artifacts)

• Winged Boots – Good protection for Mysterio, also a nod to his own boots that allow him to leap or fly.
• Spider-Suit – Can’t pretend to be Spider-Man without his costume.
• Recon Craft Theta – Aliens in New York! Who could have conjured such an illusion?
• Mindlock Orb – Got to slow ramp somehow; also, it’s a floating sphere, maybe a bit like a goldfish bowl if you squint.

Scripted Spectacle (Instants & Sorceries)

• Rite of Replication – To recreate that moment where Mysterio multiplies all his illusions to bamboozle Spider-Man.
• Secret Identity – Who is Spider-Man? I have to know!
• School Daze – I’ll mess with his mind to find the answer!
• Confirm Suspicions – Morbius will tell me everything!
• Unstable Experiment – Those bunglers Vulture and Norman Osborn! I have to do this myself!
• Whoosh! – Even illusions need dramatic exits.

Cast of Characters (Creatures)

• Spider-Bot – Bah, the web-head is spying on my location!
• Wonder – Behold my illusions — are they not wonderful? Also, I need a way to get them past everyone to do some damage.
• Illusionary Wall – Hah! Didn’t expect an invisible wall, did you, Spider-Man?
• Emrakul, the Promised End – And now, Spider-Man, your time is over. Witness my greatest illusion yet! I stole this one from Doctor Manhattan!

Curtain Call

And that’s the end of the show! Quentin Beck takes his bow, the illusions fade, and the stage goes quiet… but the spectacle lingers in memory. This deck is more theatre than strategy, a love letter to comic-book flair and fishbowl-headed weirdness, and a reminder that in Commander, sometimes the journey is more fun than the outcome.

If you want to try this yourself, you can view the full deck on Moxfield.

Leave a comment if you’ve pulled off a trick or illusion in your games — I’d love to hear about it!

Thanks for joining the performance. Until next time, keep your smoke generator ready, your opponents guessing, and remember: real or illusion… by the time you find out, it will be too late!

100 Sets of Magic: A Journey Through the Expansions (Part 1 – Alpha to Exodus)

Did you know that with the release of Outlaws of Thunder Junction, Magic the Gathering has reached its 100th expansion set? One hundred sets, and the game still provides puzzles, challenges, chaotic multiplayer, and endless fun. Who would have guessed back in 1993 that this little card game would become such a juggernaut?

With that in mind, I thought I’d take a stroll down memory lane and pick one card from each set that has stuck with me over the years. To be clear, I’m not including core sets, special reprint sets, or supplemental products like Core Sets, Chronicles, or Ultimate Masters — just the expansions proper.

But first, we start with the original set that made the game:

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1. Alpha

Frozen Shade: Fourth Edition was my first core set but this haunting figure that was first printed in Alpha embodies that early Magic flavor. Pump, swing, nostalgic and a tiny bit spooky.

2. Arabian Nights

The first expansion, based on the tales of Aladdin and other stories from the Arabian Nights. Dandân stands out to me, not just because of the subtle art (it's the fish under the boat). But also as a card that has somehow generated a whole game around itself; The Dandân game is a fun 2 player game, everyone should try.

3. Antiquities

When I think of Titania's Song, a green enchantment that turns artifacts into artifact creatures. I think about how it impacts the game state, how it can be used offensively or indeed to slow down greedy opponents. All those treasures, clues or other tokens gone, as they have no casting cost.

4. Legends

I adore Takklemaggot, not a sentence someone might be expected to say. But this card with rules text a mile long always makes me smile. As the maggot slowly eats it's way through creatures on the board and eventually maybe a player. If any card summed up what I like about magic it is Takklemaggot. 

5. The Dark

A free donation that took my attention on the playground and dragged me into the wonder of Magic. I was given about 10 cards as a kid and Mind Bomb is the one that stood out. It is a literal mind bomb, with Mark Tedin artwork that is fantastic!

6. Fallen Empires

Often a card is measured on if it is efficient or not. My thought process though is more in the line of what can the card do for me? A card like Tidal Influence is not strong, but it is so mechanically on theme you can't not love it. As the tide goes out blue creatures get weaker and then as it comes back in they get stronger. Pure joy in a card.

7. Ice Age

Welcome to the Ice Age my first Expansion set, the one that kicked off my love of magic and snow-covered lands. This is the only set I have one of every card from, it's truly something I have a deep nostalgia for and to pick just one card is next to impossible. Expect more Ice Age talk in the future but for this list I'm going with Order of the Sacred Torch. One of the first rares I opened from Ice Age, has some interesting uses in mono white decks.

8. Homelands

It might seem too obvious but Baron Sengir, the dark lord of vampires in Ulgothra is classic example of early set flavor and big creatures. That whopping mana cost these days is a major downside, but that's how it was then.

9. Alliances

The Phantasmal Sphere is awful. A progressively large orb with an ever increasing upkeep cost and then you give an opponent one when it is destroyed. Yet, the temptation to get it to do something is always a factor for me.

10. Mirage

Basic land time! Sometimes it is the simplicity of the basic lands that capture a set’s feel better than any spell. Mirage just nailed it with the land art, just look at this Swamp so atmospheric.

11. Visions

Here is Teferi's Puzzle Box. A card that still makes me smile for its combination of chaos and fun. It is powerful as it lets you see so much of your deck and prevents people from holding on to answers. Of course if you then synergise it with cards that exploit draw it becomes a nightmare or even a game ender. 

12. Weatherlight

It is safe to say I like sub-par cards. Something about them makes me want to try and use them, take for instance Shadow Rider a 3/3 knight with flanking. It's not special but I just love the art and the card. Can I get use out of it? Well yes in my Jon Irenicus deck it has a home as a donation creature. 

13. Tempest

Yes I like casual, but strong cards are still fun Seeker of Skybreak is a great card that feels like it can do so much for such a simple effect. 

14. Stronghold

Did you know that it's still you can both be casual and play with winning as a goal? That's why I like to Fling large blue orbs at people 😀

15. Exodus

For the last of this first list I'll just mention Dominating Licid a card with so many rules buried under it's creature type and rule text, it is almost a meme. What I find fascinating is that on the surface it looks so straightforward it just turns back and forth into an aura. I also just like it because it reminds me of the Gonchong, a parasitic creature that mind contols others like the titular Lizard King in Island of the Lizard King.

Stay tuned for the next section of this list. Until next time :)

Opening Hand: Welcome to Shyft Happens

Welcome to Shyft Happens!😃

Hey, I’m Alex, though online I tend to go by Alex Joker/Jalapeño. If you’ve stumbled in expecting a serious, tournament-level Magic blog, you might be in the wrong multiverse. But if you enjoy the smell of freshly cracked boosters, the thrill of an offbeat deck idea, or just the chaos that unfolds when four players all think they can trust each other, then pull up a chair.

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My Story with Magic

I first started playing around the time of Fourth Edition, Ice Age and Fallen Empires. It was an era of wonder, atmosphere and whimsy. Where every card looked like it had been illustrated by a little gnome using candlelight and half the text boxes felt like riddles. Something about that mix of art, fantasy and unusual game design (this was no Scrabble or Trivial Pursuit) just stuck with me.

Over the years I’ve played a bit of everything: kitchen table, Commander, drafts, pauper and even built a cube. I don’t collect for value or chase the newest staples. What keeps me in the game is the sheer creativity of it all. I love brewing decks that lean into flavour or story, that celebrate the odd corners of Magic’s history. I like goofy cards, janky synergies and seeing what happens when theme wins out over efficiency. Even the Universe Beyond sets of recent years still capture that type of enjoyment for me. Most of all, I like that Magic gets people talking and laughing around a table.

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What Shyft Happens Is (and Isn’t)

This is my corner of the multiverse for celebrating the casual side of Magic. It’s where I’ll write about the joy of deckbuilding, the community that grows around the game, nostalgic reflections on older sets and the artwork that still makes me stop mid-shuffle. I’ll share stories from games that went gloriously wrong (or sometimes right), decks that shouldn’t have worked but somehow did, and thoughts about what keeps us coming back to the table.

I’m not here to chase the meta or analyse tournament results but maybe support out of favour cards. I’m here to enjoy the flavour, the people, the creativity and the slightly ridiculous beauty of it all.

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Why I Care

Magic is at its best when it’s a bringing people together over snacks to socialise and play the game, over the actual competition. The best games aren’t the ones you win easily but the ones that turn into stories, full of laughter, minor disasters and unexpected brilliance. I love how the game invites creativity both on and off the table, whether through the game itself, custom accessories or the art that continues to change and bring freshness to the game.

There’s a sense of chaos and camaraderie in multiplayer that’s hard to beat. It’s the same reason I love Cosmic Encounter: the unpredictable shifts, the temporary alliances, the shared absurdity. That’s what Shyft Happens is about.

So if you’ve ever built a deck around a pun, lost to your own combo, or just enjoyed the company more than the outcome, welcome. You’re in good company here.

Until next time..