commander · Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge
Mind Seize (C13).
A Grixis exile-cast and control deck from Commander 2013, led by Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge, exile instants and sorceries from all libraries when she enters, then cast them for free whenever she attacks.
The Commander
Mind Seize is Commander 2013's Grixis deck, and Jeleva is one of the strangest commanders in the set. When she enters, she exiles cards from the top of each player's library equal to her mana value, so recasting her later exiles more. Whenever she attacks, you may cast any instant or sorcery exiled with her for free. She scales on recast: a seven-mana Jeleva exiles seven cards and gives you seven free spells to fire off on attacks.
Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge gets better every time she dies and comes back. The deck backs that up with heavy instants and sorceries like Cruel Ultimatum and Spelltwine, the kind of expensive spells you would normally struggle to cast more than once. Nekusar, the Mindrazer is the alternate commander for a wheel-and-punish plan.
Key Cards
Nekusar, the Mindrazer
At the beginning of each player's draw step, Nekusar deals one damage to that player, and whenever a player draws a card, Nekusar deals them one more. In a pod with three opponents, the draw-step triggers alone chip everyone for three per turn cycle. Force extra draws with wheel effects and the damage climbs with every card. Nekusar is the alternate commander for a dedicated wheel-and-punish build, where each Wheel of Fortune deals seven damage to each opponent.
Cruel Ultimatum
Target opponent discards three cards and sacrifices a creature. You draw five cards, return a creature from your graveyard to your hand, and gain five life. It is about as one-sided as a seven-mana spell gets. Cast it for free off Jeleva's attack and you swing the card count by eight, take a creature off their board, and pad your life by five, all at once. In a deck where Jeleva keeps recasting it from exile, one Cruel Ultimatum decides games and every extra copy piles on.
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Spelltwine
Exile target instant or sorcery from your graveyard and target instant or sorcery from an opponent's graveyard, copy both, and cast the copies without paying their mana costs. With Jeleva already feeding you opponents' instants and sorceries, Spelltwine grabs the best spells on the table in one shot. Cast it for free off her attack and you replay the best spell in your graveyard and the nastiest one in an opponent's bin at the same time.
Baleful Strix
A two-mana 1/1 flying deathtouch creature that draws a card when it enters. The best two-drop in Esper and a clean fit for Grixis control. Strix walls flyers, scares off any ground attacker with deathtouch, and cantrips the moment it lands. In a control deck that has to live long enough for Jeleva to start swinging, Strix is the speed bump that buys you the early turns to build your hand and mana base.
Jace's Archivist
Pay two and tap: each player discards their hand and draws cards equal to the greatest number of cards discarded. A wheel stapled to a creature. With Nekusar out, each activation deals seven damage to each opponent, since the wheel draws them seven cards and Nekusar pings for every one. In a Jeleva build, the Archivist stocks graveyards for Spelltwine and refills your hand. Against players sitting on counterspells, forcing a discard strips the interaction before your next Jeleva attack.
How to Play
Cast Jeleva by turn four and get in for combat damage as soon as you can. Her first entry exiles four to five cards, usually including at least one worthwhile instant or sorcery. Attack, cast the best exiled spell for free. If she dies, recast her at a higher mana value so she exiles more next time. The core plan is to cast Jeleva over and over, each death loading the exile pool with pricier cards. Hold Baleful Strix and counterspells for interaction, and close by casting Cruel Ultimatum for free off her attacks a few times over. If you build around Nekusar instead, go the wheel route: each Jace's Archivist activation with Nekusar out deals seven damage to every opponent.
