Overview

Prismari Performance is a spells deck with a magecraft theme. Zaffai, Thunder Conductor has magecraft: whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, scry 1. If that spell's mana value is 5 or greater, you create a 4/4 blue and red Elemental creature token, and if it is 10 or greater, Zaffai deals 10 damage to an opponent chosen at random. Expensive spells therefore make real bodies.

The 99 cards are 20 creatures, 1 planeswalker, 9 artifacts, 3 enchantments, 8 instants, 21 sorceries and 37 lands. Most of the creatures reward you for casting spells, including Talrand, Sky Summoner, Storm-Kiln Artist, Veyran, Voice of Duality, Charmbreaker Devils and Crackling Drake. The deck also has a lot of copy effects, including Swarm Intelligence, Dualcaster Mage, Naru Meha, Master Wizard, Rootha, Mercurial Artist and Pyromancer's Goggles, and cards that cast spells for free, such as Epic Experiment and Muse Vortex.

Key Cards

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Talrand, Sky Summoner
Token Maker · Spellslinger
A 2/2 for {2}{U}{U}. Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, create a 2/2 blue Drake creature token with flying. In a deck with 29 instants and sorceries, it makes a steady stream of flyers.
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Swarm Intelligence
Copy Engine
An enchantment for {6}{U}. Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may copy that spell, and you may choose new targets for the copy. Every spell becomes two spells, and it also triggers Zaffai's magecraft a second time.
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Metallurgic Summonings
Token Maker · Recursion
An enchantment for {3}{U}{U}. Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, create an X/X colourless Construct artifact creature token, where X is that spell's mana value. It can also return all your instants and sorceries to your hand if you control six or more artifacts.
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Octavia, Living Thesis
Finisher · Big Spell
A 8/8 for {8}{U}{U}. It costs {8} less to cast if you have eight or more instant and/or sorcery cards in your graveyard, and has ward {8}. Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, target creature has base power and toughness 8/8 until end of turn.

Playing the Deck

The early game is about mana and cheap spells. Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Izzet Signet, Talisman of Creativity, Mind Stone and Hedron Archive ramp you, Ponder, Brainstorm, Serum Visions and Expressive Iteration find the right cards, and cheap creatures such as Veyran, Voice of Duality, Rootha, Mercurial Artist and Humble Defector come down early. Faithless Looting fills the graveyard.

The middle of the game is about casting and copying spells. Talrand, Sky Summoner and Storm-Kiln Artist reward each spell, Dualcaster Mage and Naru Meha, Master Wizard copy a spell with flash, and Rionya, Fire Dancer copies a creature for each spell you cast. Dig Through Time, Treasure Cruise, Inspiring Refrain and Mind's Desire refill your hand, and Reinterpret counters a spell and casts a free one.

The late game is about huge spells and creatures. Apex of Power, Brass's Bounty, Elemental Masterpiece and Call the Skybreaker make Zaffai's tokens, Inferno Project and Crackling Drake grow with your graveyard, and Surge to Victory and Volcanic Vision get value from your best spells. Blasphemous Act, Aether Gale and Aetherspouts reset the board.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths: The deck has a huge number of cheap spells and creatures that reward them, plus a lot of copy effects, so it can chain together big turns. It also has good interaction and flexibility, including Fiery Fall, Resculpt, Traumatic Visions, Reinterpret and Radiant Performer.

Weaknesses: The deck has few creatures and relies on its spells, so a counterspell or a fast opponent can slow it down, and many of its best creatures are fragile. Its mana base is two colours with several double-coloured costs, and it has little protection for its commander and key creatures.

Want to improve it? See the Prismari Performance upgrade guide: twelve swaps with the data behind each one.

Verdict
Prismari Performance is a high-skill spellslinger deck with lots of tricks and copy effects. It rewards careful planning, and it is a good choice for players who like Izzet spells and big, flashy turns.

Want to see what a fully optimised Zaffai, Thunder Conductor build looks like? Try the Oracle.

✦ Build with The Oracle

Frequently Asked Questions

What cards are in the Prismari Performance decklist?
The Prismari Performance precon is a 100-card Commander deck led by Zaffai, Thunder Conductor. The full Prismari Performance decklist, with every card, current prices and a button to copy the list into your deck builder, is on this page.

When was Prismari Performance released?
Prismari Performance was released on April 23, 2021 as part of Strixhaven Commander.

Who is the commander of Prismari Performance?
Prismari Performance is led by Zaffai, Thunder Conductor, a Izzet (U/R) legendary creature.

How many creatures are in Prismari Performance?
The 99 cards besides Zaffai, Thunder Conductor include 20 creatures.

How many lands does Prismari Performance have?
Prismari Performance has 37 lands in the 99 cards besides Zaffai, Thunder Conductor, including basic lands.

Full Decklist

All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box Prismari Performance precon, with current prices. Click any card to expand it.

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