[Multiplayer] Numot, the Devastator

[DubDub]

I listed this as 'Multiplayer', but it is partially tuned to face my friend's Zur deck in duels.  I choose Numot for the color combination, and the deck is not LD focused, though at times he can act as a one-turn-clock, if my opponent in a duel stumbles on mana.

General (1)
Numot, the Devastator

Planeswalkers (4)
Jace Beleren
Ajani Vengeant
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Chandra Nalaar

Artifacts (12)
Sensei's Divining Top
Coldsteel Heart
Sword of Fire and Ice
Umezawa's Jitte
Mind's Eye
Armillary Sphere
Journeyer's Kite
Sol Ring
Darksteel Ingot
Vedalken Orrery
Lightning Greaves
Coalition Relic

Artifact Creatures (3)
Memnarch
Duplicant
Solemn Simulacrum

Creatures (17)
Lightning Angel
Keiga, the Tide Star
Crackleburr
Pride of the Clouds
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
Firemane Angel
Azorius Guildmage
Swans of Bryn Argoll
Izzet Guildmage
Figure of Destiny
Aeon Chronicler
Jhoira of the Ghitu
Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
Izzet Chronarch
Trinket Mage
Magus of the Future
Sky Hussar

Sorceries (4)
Shattering Spree
Austere Command
Lava Spike
Fathom Trawl

Instants  (23)
Swerve
Desperate Ritual
Prophetic Bolt
Orim's Thunder
Pyroblast
Suffocating Blast
Wild Ricochet
Dismiss
Cryptic Command
Return to Dust
Odds//Ends
Repulse
Mystical Tutor
Dismantling Blow
Reiterate
Mirrorweave
Hinder
Tempest of Light
Counterspell
Fact or Fiction
Red Elemental Blast
Swords to Plowshares
Chain of Plasma

Enchantments (3)
Future Sight
Rhystic Study
Seismic Assault

Non-Basic Lands (21)
Vivid Meadow
Vivid Creek
Vivid Crag
Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
Minamo, School at Water's Edge
Flooded Strand
Reliquary Tower
Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
Strip Mine
Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
Wasteland
Tundra
Mystic Gate
Hallowed Fountain
Volcanic Island
Cascade Bluffs
Steam Vents
Plateau
Rugged Prairie
Sacred Foundry
Flagstones of Trokair

Basic Lands (12)
4x Island
3x Plains
5x Mountain

I intend to add a Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker to the deck, though I am not sure for what.  That will give the deck another potential instant win (with Sky Hussar), adding to Niv-Mizzet + Swans, or Chain of Plasma + Swans, or Izzet Guildmage + Desperate Ritual + Lava Spike.  I feel that having some instant wins is fine so long as you aren't focused on playing each game in the same way (find combo, win).
I would think it goes without saying the the WR and UR fetches (Arid Mesa and Scalding Tarn, I believe) will be included when Zen comes out.

Some cards on their way out:
Seismic Assault, not as good with Swans as I had hoped, and horrible on its own.
Mikokoro, I have sufficient draw, and Jace can handle the politics.
Vivid Meadow, the deck is actually pretty light on white mana requirements, and I want as few ETBT lands as possible.
Izzet Chronarch, basically recurs Swords and Cryptic, pretty weak.
Pride of the Clouds, at first I didn't realize 'forecast' is a once a turn ability, and I thought this was far sicker than it is.  Elspeth makes dudes more efficiently.  Though it can still be a big flyer for two mana.
Umezawa's Jitte, obvious power, but I've felt at times that I have equipment sitting around and no one to strap it to.  SOFI> Jitte because Jitte is legendary and other people will have it too.
Chandra Nalaar, will be Chandra Ablaze when Zen comes out I think.  Ablaze's ultimate isn't too abusable here (no RWB Ultimatum), but her first ability is better.

Thoughts?  Suggestions?

[DubDub]

Played several games against Zur today, which has motivated me to make some changes (hopefully, improvements):

In - Out
Pacifism - Seismic Assault
Faith's Fetters - Mikokoro, Center of the Sea

These two changes were made after a couple games, when I remembered they were in the Divine deck and that they shut down Zur.

Proposed In - Proposed Out

Arid Mesa - Vivid #1
Scalding Tarn - Vivid #2
Emeria Angel - Vivid #3

I've grown to absolutely detest vivids for entering the battlefield tapped, and the two additional fetches will likely provide even better fixing since I have 3x real duals and 3x shocklands.
I list Emeria Angel here due to it's landfall ability, nice with a full set of fetches.

Roil Elemental - Crackleburr

I think this is a huge upgrade in power level, and Crackleburr was usually pretty vanilla in practice, since its abilities require other creatures with designated colors.

Into the Roil - Repulse

Into the Roil is a bit more versatile than Repulse, for a rather minor increased cost.

Explorer's Scope - Umezawa's Jitte
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker - Lightning Greaves

I've said before that Jitte is underwhelming.  I like that Scope is cheaper, and it seems so easy to make good.  Gives a third awesome target for Trinket Mage, after SDT and Sol Ring.  The synergy between Top and Scope is huge.  Lightning Greaves doesn't do enough for Numot, mainly because the activation costs additional mana.  Usually I either run out a turn 6 (or earlier) Numot if I don't think it can be answered, or I wait until I have a full board and grip to act as a finisher.

Rite of Replication - Mirrorweave

Mirrorweave doesn't target legendary creatures.  Rite of Replication does.  Four mana sorceries that kill Zur aren't great, but I view that as the upside on a huge late-game bomb for multiplayer.

Iona, Shield of Emeria - Firemane Angel
World Queller - Izzet Chronarch

Iona is the definition of a bomb, though I won't run Painter's Servant with it.  Since I usually play against Zur, I know he has answers to Iona in each color, which I think mitigates Iona's power.  World Queller has a fantastic ability, and the body is a huge upgrade over Chronarch.

[Matt]

I think you should reconsider Greaves; not for the haste, which doesn't work so well with your general as you say, but for the shroud. Numot has a VERY scary ability, and as a non-black creature with no inbuilt protection, is very vulnerable. Shroud is probably also required to make Roil Elemental playable.

The Guildmage/Spike/Ritual combo seems really bad. All the cards are terrible on their own, unlike your other combos.

Jilt was always a really fun U/R card. Bounce is good against Zur since it loses the enchantments (assuming your opponent didn't get Diplomatic Immunity as his first target, and I don't know why he wouldn't but you mentioned Rites of Replication as being able to kill Zur).

Yosei and Reya, Dawnbringer are other good bomb-y guys.

[DubDub]

I think you should reconsider Greaves... Shroud is probably also required to make Roil Elemental playable.

You may be right about shroud on Roil Elemental, but since I expect to see so many instant speed removal spells I'm not sure Greaves' shroud will be useful.  Haste is even worse than I first mentioned since I am so often looking at Propaganda/Ghostly Prison/No Mercy etc.

The Guildmage/Spike/Ritual combo seems really bad. All the cards are terrible on their own, unlike your other combos.

I didn't mention it in my post yesterday, but this is definitely the feeling I'm getting.  Those three slots could definitely be freed up by taking out the combo.  Lava Spike isn't completely dead, as it can be used to off planeswalkers, but Izzet Guildmage and Desperate Ritual are horrendous.  Spike isn't worth a spot without them obviously.

Jilt was always a really fun U/R card. Bounce is good against Zur since it loses the enchantments (assuming your opponent didn't get Diplomatic Immunity as his first target, and I don't know why he wouldn't but you mentioned Rites of Replication as being able to kill Zur).

He usually gets Vanishing first, sometimes Steel of the Godhead or Pemmin's Aura.  I usually end up scooping to even one activation of Zur (not always right away), unless I have a trump like Austere Command.

Yosei and Reya, Dawnbringer are other good bomb-y guys.

They are, but their abilities are pretty irrelevant in 1vs1, Zur can kill me without killing Yosei and before Reya becomes relevant.

I am also thinking about Seal of Cleansing, Aura of Silence (which would draw massive hate in multiplayer), and Aven Mindcensor.  Mindcensor seems like a great way to keep Zur in check, which I can't believe I hadn't thought of before.  Also, Relic of Progenitus should increase my win percentage from 0% in games where Replenish gets played.

[Matt]

Aura Thief isn't bad but if you get this guy flipped, he's a hell of a Zur trump:

[DubDub]

General (1)
Numot, the Devastator

Planeswalkers (4)
Jace Beleren
Ajani Vengeant
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Chandra Nalaar

Artifacts (15)
Sensei's Divining Top
Coldsteel Heart
Sword of Fire and Ice
Mind's Eye
Armillary Sphere
Journeyer's Kite
Sol Ring
Darksteel Ingot
Vedalken Orrery
Lightning Greaves
Coalition Relic
Relic of Progenitus
Explorer's Scope
Mind Stone
Skullclamp

Artifact Creatures (3)
Memnarch
Duplicant
Solemn Simulacrum

Creatures (20)
Lightning Angel
Keiga, the Tide Star
Pride of the Clouds
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
Azorius Guildmage
Swans of Bryn Argoll
Figure of Destiny
Aeon Chronicler
Jhoira of the Ghitu
Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
Trinket Mage
Magus of the Future
Sky Hussar
World Queller
Meloku the Clouded Mirrior
Iona, Shield of Emeria
Emeria Angel
Kiki-Jiki Mirror Breaker
Roil Elemental
Arcanis the Omnipotent

Sorceries (4)
Shattering Spree
Austere Command
Rite of Replication
Fathom Trawl

Instants  (18)
Swerve
Prophetic Bolt
Orim's Thunder
Suffocating Blast
Wild Ricochet
Dismiss
Cryptic Command
Return to Dust
Odds//Ends
Mystical Tutor
Dismantling Blow
Reiterate
Hinder
Tempest of Light
Counterspell
Fact or Fiction
Swords to Plowshares
Chain of Plasma

Enchantments (4)
Future Sight
Rhystic Study
Pacifism
Faith's Fetters

Non-Basic Lands (19)
Scalding Tarn
Arid Mesa
Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
Minamo, School at Water's Edge
Flooded Strand
Reliquary Tower
Strip Mine
Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
Wasteland
Tundra
Mystic Gate
Hallowed Fountain
Volcanic Island
Cascade Bluffs
Steam Vents
Plateau
Rugged Prairie
Sacred Foundry
Flagstones of Trokair

Basic Lands (12)
4x Island
3x Plains
5x Mountain

"Final" decklist in the above.  Only changes not previously mentioned are Pryoblast and Reb Elemental Blast -> Mind Stone and Arcanis the Omnipotent, which I made to make this a more viable multiplayer deck.

[DubDub]

Ok, now that a spambot has posted in this thread I can update the 'final' list from my last entry.  I switched Swerve for a Misdirection, and added a Tidespout Tyrant over Memnarch.  In a six-player game this past weekend I was lining up to kick a Rite of Replication targeting an opponent's Tidespout when I realized that it's too sick not to be in my deck.  Then my Zur friend dropped Back to Basics and I suddenly had mana troubles.   

I ended up losing when I foolishly dropped an Iona, and had it Spelljacked, not protecting with my Wild Ricochet.  Then it named 'Red', then it got Vedalken Shackles'd by a mono-blue player anyway.  Not my finest hour.

[DubDub]

Numot's taken a break, as I've been building and playing Radha and Teneb, but I played a few games against it this past week, and saw again how powerful it is.  A couple changes I've made:

Journeyer's Kite - Mountain
Wasteland - Island
Strip Mine - Plains
Explorer's Scope - Island
Kiki-Jiki (which is in Radha) - Wing Shards

And some more I'm considering:

Minamo, School at Water's Edge - Island
Flagstones of Trokair - Plains
Azorius Guildmage - Kiki-Jiki
Orim's Thunder - Hellkite Charger
Pride of the Clouds - Grand Arbiter Augustin IV

Does anyone have better ideas for these slots?  Maybe Aura of Silence, Desertion or Reveillark (though that can only return: Figure, Jhoira, Magus, Trinket Mage, Duplicant, Solemn, Meloku, and Jaya, all good targets, but not numerous)?  Since I have TTT and Iona I wanted a fattie in red to top out at and I think Hellkite Charger fits that role.

[DubDub]

Played a long five-player game with Numot (that I'll transcribe at least half of later, Planechase made it really entertaining (I am saying that in part because I won)), which led me to want the following changes:

Out - In
Mountain - Plains
Vedalken Orrery - Island
Coldsteel Heart - Island
Suffocating Blast - Karmic Guide
Counterspell - Reveillark
Orim's Thunder - Sower of Temptation
Tempest of Light - Glen Elendra Archmage
Wing Shards - Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Azorius Guildmage - Jace the Mind Sculptor
Sky Hussar - Body Double

I'm deliberately taking Sky Hussar out to avoid pairing it with Kiki-Jiki.  I decided I wanted more Islands and had to rebalance the Mountains/Plains.  I think the Reveillark package is pretty sweet too.  Reveillark even works really well with the new Jace, which I think I'll add to the deck, as opposed to replacing the current Jace, there's room for both.

[DubDub]

Here are the first few turns of a pretty epic (which is actually normal in EDH) five player game.  The players in order are:
Me, with Numot, playing first!
Radha (mine, borrowed)
Horde of Notions
Zur the Enchanter
Sedris the Traitor King

I don't have a great hand, with only Mystic gate for lands, but keep.
We're at Skybreen to begin with, I flip up something besides a land, crap.
Me: Mystic Gate
Radha: Forest
Horde: Windswepth Heath fetching Tropical Island, Ancestral Visions
Zur: Tundra
Sedris: Swamp

Me: no land, roll to Murasa, discard Suffocating Blast
Radha: Mountain, Radha (Mountain from Murasa).
Horde: Forest, Rampant Growth-> Swamp, roll to Sanctum of Serra.
Zur: Mystic Gate, Greater Auramancy, roll to Glimmervoid Basin (Radha dies).
Sedris: Swamp

Me: no land, discard Lightning Angel
Radha: Garruk, Untapping
Horde: Demonic Tutor, Jungle Shrine
Zur: Dimir Aqueduct
Sedris: Graven Cairns -> Grixis Obelisk

Me: Island, roll chaos to a blank.
Radha: Forest, Untap, Arashi
Horde: O-Ring Garruk, (Zur on endstep, path Arashi)
Zur: Mystic Gate, Zur
Sedris: Mountain, Dreadwing, Beseech the Queen for 4 (Unsummon)

M: Nothing, discard Aeon Chronicler
Radha: Mountain, KGrip Greater Auramancy (we remember to kill O-Ring on her Garruk, but not the Grixis Obelisk).
Horde: Ancestral Visionsm copied to target each player!  City of Brass, Acquire (getting Vedalken Orrery, Mind's Eye, and Scroll Rack, nothing from Sedris, Grixis Obelisk is the only artifact in the deck!)  EOT Sedris Unsummons Zur.
Zur: Mana Crypt, Roil Elemental.
Sedris: Swamp, Roils for all thanks to Chaos. UR dude that puts guys directly into play...

Me: Sol Ring, Coalition Relic, discard Azorius Guildmage, Dismantling Blow.
Radha: Forest gaining control of Zur's Roil, Magus of the Moon then Akroma's memorial, bashes Zur.
Horde: Rack for three, Lotus Petal, Sylvan Library
Zur: Hallowed Fountain tapped.
Sedris: Put Thrax into play, Attack Radha, who sacs Magus of the Moon.  Cycle something, then Chaos, giving everyone else a Dreadwing (as opposed to more Roils).

Me: Jace, me draw, Volcanic Island gaining Horde's Roil token.
Radha: Forest, gaining control of the tapped Thrax.  Sarkan Vol +1.

That's where my full notes stop, but shortly thereafter Zur mainphases Yawgwill to replay Path, which gets copied, giving us all multiple tapped basics.  We eventually roll off Glimmervoid Basin to some innocuous planes.
Horde eventually drops Magister Sphinx, putting me to 10.  Radha's Memorial gets killed.
Radha drops Greater Good, Sarkhan gains control of Magister Sphinx, drops KikiJiki and copies Magister Sphinx, sets Horde = 10 and swings with both Sphinxes at Horde.  Horde out.
Zur contines to get beat up on, doesn't really interact and scoops.
I have Jace, Tezzeret and Elspeth out, with Emeria Angel and SOFI thanks to the tapped basics. 
Radha has Greater Good, Genesis in graveyard, Eternal Witness and KikiJiki.  I dupe red Akroma which thankfully isn't sac'd to GG.
I drop Ajani Vengeant to keep KikiJiki tapped.  I ultimate Elspeth and draw one last card off Jace, who dies (Tezz had been killed) in order to simplify the game.
My indestructible blockers, and flying pro-red attacker kill Radha in short order.  This gets rid of the Blood Moon which was seriously hampering me.
I drop Iona, which Sedris counters, so I hardcast Misdirection and that gets Deflected, but I'm way too far ahead on the board.  I drop my own Roil and steal one of his dudes, Pacify Sedris and he's out of creature cards in his graveyard.  He scoops.

[DubDub]

Some changes I'm thinking of making along with the release of Worldwake:

OUT - IN
Mind Stone - Azorius Signet
Coalition Relic - Izzet Signet
Lightning Greaves - Whispersilk Cloak
Pacifism - Celestial Colonnade
Fathom Trawl - Jace the Mindsculptor
Rhystic Study - Augury Adept
Faith's Fetters - Thada Adel, Acquisitor

[Anusien]

Coalition Relic has been super good for me in decks. I'd gladly run it over a signet.

[DubDub]

Coalition Relic has been super good for me in decks. I'd gladly run it over a signet.

Thanks for the suggestion.  The new Jace has shot up in price, so I think I'm going to dedicate the one I was able to get (at 25$!) to the Wydwen deck that I'm just finishing (posted here two minutes ago).  That frees up a slot for Relic, which I agree is very good.
My reason for adding the Signets is that I wanted my acceleration to come down a bit earlier, as it frees up space in my hand a bit sooner.  This deck doesn't have many mana troubles, but there are choke points if I don't have Sol Ring.

[policehq]

A general comment on each of your decklists: you seem to play a lot of Planeswalkers. Have you noticed that they are anything better than an expense of mana that says "target me this turn" to each of your opponents after passing the turn?

[DubDub]

A general comment on each of your decklists: you seem to play a lot of Planeswalkers. Have you noticed that they are anything better than an expense of mana that says "target me this turn" to each of your opponents after passing the turn?

I don't dispute that I run almost as many planeswalkers as I can in each of my lists (though Nissa is showing herself to be increasingly horrible, and I don't double up on Chandra's or Ajani's).
Planeswalkers are very good in multiples, which is the primary reason to run them.  They give you repeated effects without spending additional mana, which is a huge boon in EDH, where I feel that mana limitations are often paramount.
In this list for instance Jace Beleren sticks around because you can be diplomatic, +2'ing him repeatedly.  Elspeth is hard to kill, and has the best ultimate.  Ajani and Chandra can defend themselves, and are also good sources of damage if I have Swans out.

It does suck when you cast Tezzeret, search for 0 for an artifact land, and then he dies.  A five mana ramp+lifegain spell?  Horrible.  But there is so much upside if they aren't answered that I can't not run them.