The Ur-Sphinx is a six-mana WUB flyer with a two-part payoff. Its Eminence makes your other Sphinx spells cost {1} less from the command zone or the battlefield, and whenever one or more Sphinxes you control attack, each player mills that many cards — then you may cast a card each player milled without paying its mana cost. In an Esper shell stuffed with Sphinxes, counterspells and removal, every attack is a free value engine that turns the whole table's graveyards into your hand.

Decklist (100 cards)

Commander: The Ur-Sphinx

Creatures

  • Sphinx of the Second Sun
  • Enigma Sphinx
  • Isperia, Supreme Judge
  • Dream Trawler
  • Sphinx of the Steel Wind
  • Sphinx Ambassador
  • Master of Predicaments
  • Sphinx of the Final Word
  • Sharuum the Hegemon
  • Dazzling Sphinx
  • Magister Sphinx
  • Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign
  • Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign
  • Medomai the Ageless
  • Tivit, Seller of Secrets
  • Raffine, Scheming Seer
  • Windreader Sphinx
  • Consecrated Sphinx
  • Sphinx of Enlightenment
  • Sphinx of Foresight
  • Stoic Sphinx
  • Elenda and Azor
  • Roaming Throne
  • Esper Sentinel
  • Phyrexian Metamorph
  • Quantum Riddler

Instants

  • Swords to Plowshares
  • Path to Exile
  • Counterspell
  • Mana Drain
  • Fierce Guardianship
  • Teferi's Protection
  • Cyclonic Rift
  • Force of Will
  • Anguished Unmaking
  • Fact or Fiction
  • Vampiric Tutor
  • Sphinx's Revelation
  • Swan Song

Sorceries

  • Reanimate
  • Toxic Deluge
  • Supreme Verdict
  • Damn
  • Breach the Multiverse
  • Austere Command
  • Demonic Tutor

Artifacts

  • Sol Ring
  • Arcane Signet
  • Talisman of Progress
  • Talisman of Dominance
  • Talisman of Hierarchy
  • Fellwar Stone
  • Thought Vessel
  • Lightning Greaves
  • Herald's Horn
  • Sensei's Divining Top
  • Mind Stone

Enchantments

  • Rhystic Study
  • Smothering Tithe
  • Mystic Remora
  • Animate Dead
  • Propaganda
  • Reflections of Littjara

Lands

  • Command Tower
  • Hallowed Fountain
  • Watery Grave
  • Godless Shrine
  • Path of Ancestry
  • Raffine's Tower
  • Glacial Fortress
  • Drowned Catacomb
  • Isolated Chapel
  • Scrubland
  • Underground Sea
  • Tundra
  • Flooded Strand
  • Polluted Delta
  • Marsh Flats
  • Exotic Orchard
  • Cavern of Souls
  • Reliquary Tower
  • Otawara, Soaring City
  • Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
  • Temple of Enlightenment
  • Temple of Deceit
  • Fabled Passage
  • Shattered Sanctum
  • Sunken Hollow

Basic Lands

  • Island x5
  • Plains x3
  • Swamp x3

Paste-Ready Import

Commander
1 The Ur-Sphinx

Deck
1 Sphinx of the Second Sun
1 Enigma Sphinx
1 Isperia, Supreme Judge
1 Dream Trawler
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Sphinx Ambassador
1 Master of Predicaments
1 Sphinx of the Final Word
1 Sharuum the Hegemon
1 Dazzling Sphinx
1 Magister Sphinx
1 Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign
1 Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign
1 Medomai the Ageless
1 Tivit, Seller of Secrets
1 Raffine, Scheming Seer
1 Windreader Sphinx
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Sphinx of Enlightenment
1 Sphinx of Foresight
1 Stoic Sphinx
1 Elenda and Azor
1 Roaming Throne
1 Esper Sentinel
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Quantum Riddler
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Path to Exile
1 Counterspell
1 Mana Drain
1 Fierce Guardianship
1 Teferi's Protection
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Force of Will
1 Anguished Unmaking
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Sphinx's Revelation
1 Swan Song
1 Reanimate
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Damn
1 Breach the Multiverse
1 Austere Command
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Sol Ring
1 Arcane Signet
1 Talisman of Progress
1 Talisman of Dominance
1 Talisman of Hierarchy
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Thought Vessel
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Herald's Horn
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Mind Stone
1 Rhystic Study
1 Smothering Tithe
1 Mystic Remora
1 Animate Dead
1 Propaganda
1 Reflections of Littjara
1 Command Tower
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Watery Grave
1 Godless Shrine
1 Path of Ancestry
1 Raffine's Tower
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Scrubland
1 Underground Sea
1 Tundra
1 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
1 Marsh Flats
1 Exotic Orchard
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Otawara, Soaring City
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Temple of Enlightenment
1 Temple of Deceit
1 Fabled Passage
1 Shattered Sanctum
1 Sunken Hollow
5 Island
3 Plains
3 Swamp

Strategy Guide

Early game (turns 1–4): Ramp with Sol Ring, Arcane Signet and the three Talismans, develop card advantage with Rhystic Study, Mystic Remora and Smothering Tithe, and hold up Swords, Path or a free counter. Your goal is to reach 5–6 mana with the commander safe in the command zone, since Eminence already works from there.

Mid game (turns 5–7): Start landing discounted Sphinxes: Dazzling Sphinx, Windreader Sphinx and Sphinx Ambassador come down cheap, while Sphinx of the Steel Wind and Dream Trawler give you evasive pressure. Protect the board with Teferi's Protection, Cyclonic Rift and sweepers like Toxic Deluge and Supreme Verdict that you can time around your own flyers.

Late game (turns 8+): Cast The Ur-Sphinx and begin swinging. Each Sphinx attacker mills that many cards from every player, and you cast one free card per player from what was milled. Sphinx of the Second Sun, Sphinx of the Final Word and Consecrated Sphinx turn that into a lock of card advantage; Reanimate and Animate Dead pull the best fatty from any graveyard.

Win Conditions & Combos

  • Sphinx beats in the air: Dream Trawler, Sphinx of the Steel Wind and Sphinx of the Second Sun are evasive threats that also mill the table for The Ur-Sphinx triggers.
  • Sharuum the Hegemon + Reflections of Littjara (from EDHREC combos): copy Sharuum with Phyrexian Metamorph or reanimate artifacts to chain value.
  • Tivit, Seller of Secrets + Time Sieve (EDHREC combo): chain extra turns through Sieve-style loops — check your pod's rules about extra turn combos before sitting down.
  • Free-spell snowball: with a few Sphinxes attacking, you cast free spells from every graveyard, including Reanimate-able bombs, Mana Drain targets and removal.

Budget Notes

The full premium build runs roughly $1,100+ at current prices, driven by tutors, free counterspells and the premium mana base. Here are budget swaps that keep the plan intact:

  • Rhystic Study → Phyrexian Arena (~$1–2) for steady card draw
  • Mana Drain / Force of Will / Fierce Guardianship → Counterspell, Negate, Arcane Denial and Swan Song — all under a few dollars
  • Demonic Tutor / Vampiric Tutor → Diabolic Tutor and Sphinx's Tutelage-style filtering; or simply more card draw
  • Urborg / Cavern of Souls / fetch lands → Path of Ancestry, Exotic Orchard, Temple cycle and the Esper tri-lands like Arcane Sanctum and Caves of Koilos
  • Roaming Throne / Esper Sentinel → Sphinx Summoner or Chancellor of the Spires — cheaper Sphinx bodies that keep the typal count high

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