EDH Optimizer
Melek, Reforged Researcher
Legendary Creature — Weird Detective · 3UR
Color identity: Red · Blue · Izzet
Melek, Reforged Researcher is Izzet (red and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Melek's power and toughness are each equal to twice the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard.
The first instant or sorcery spell you cast each turn costs {3} less to cast.
Reference price of the card: €0.57
Average lands in decks for Melek, Reforged Researcher: 35
SpellslingerVoltronControlTreasureGraveyardBurnSelf-MillCounterspells
Build your Melek, Reforged Researcher deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Melek, Reforged Researcher 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Melek, Reforged Researcher deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: B (73/100)
- Consistency45
- Speed42
- Interaction100
- Resilience81
- Closing95
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (19 nonbasic, 10 Island, 6 Mountain)
Arcane Signet · Big Score · Frantic Search · Sol Ring · Izzet Signet · Mystic Confluence · Chandra's Ignition · Fact or Fiction · Talisman of Creativity · Aetherize · Spell Swindle · Faithless Looting · Gravitic Punch · Unexpected Windfall · Mystic Retrieval · Soul's Fire · Blasphemous Act · Rewind · Storm-Kiln Artist · Unwind · Archmage Emeritus · Chaos Warp · Haughty Djinn · Fellwar Stone · Pirate's Pillage · Practical Research · Lórien Revealed · Chemister's Insight · Consider · Goblin Electromancer · Kazuul's Fury // Kazuul's Cliffs · Artful Dodge · Silundi Vision // Silundi Isle · Sublime Epiphany · Temur Battle Rage · Bender's Waterskin · Mana Geyser · Swiftfoot Boots · Aetherspouts · Desertion · Resonating Lute · Immolating Gyre · Counterspell · Opt · Soul Read · Thought Vessel · Pinnacle Monk // Mystic Peak · Pull from Tomorrow · Vandalblast · Crackling Drake · Deep Analysis · Guttersnipe · Mizzix's Mastery · Negate · Windfall · Seize the Spoils · Tablet of Discovery · Enter the Enigma · Ponder · Rapturous Moment · Stormcatch Mentor · Talrand, Sky Summoner · Access Denied · Behold the Multiverse · Command Tower · Sulfur Falls · Shivan Reef · Rogue's Passage · Frostboil Snarl · Cascade Bluffs · Izzet Boilerworks · Stormcarved Coast · Steam Vents · Mystic Sanctuary · Temple of Epiphany · Training Center · Reliquary Tower · Thundering Falls · Ferrous Lake · Exotic Orchard · Riverglide Pathway // Lavaglide Pathway · Scalding Tarn · Fiery Islet
🃏 Recommended cards for Melek, Reforged Researcher
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Melek, Reforged Researcher, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Mystic Confluence | 68% | +64% |
| Fact or Fiction | 67% | +61% |
| Chandra's Ignition | 67% | +59% |
| Spell Swindle | 60% | +55% |
| Gravitic Punch | 54% | +53% |
| Aetherize | 61% | +50% |
| Big Score | 74% | +48% |
| Soul's Fire | 49% | +47% |
| Mystic Retrieval | 49% | +44% |
| Rogue's Passage | 57% | +43% |
| Rewind | 48% | +42% |
| Practical Research | 42% | +41% |
| Unwind | 46% | +41% |
| Haughty Djinn | 43% | +38% |
| Pirate's Pillage | 42% | +36% |
| Chemister's Insight | 37% | +35% |
| Lórien Revealed | 41% | +35% |
| Kazuul's Fury | 37% | +35% |
| Unexpected Windfall | 50% | +34% |
| Artful Dodge | 36% | +34% |
| Sublime Epiphany | 36% | +33% |
| Temur Battle Rage | 36% | +32% |
| Frantic Search | 73% | +32% |
| Desertion | 32% | +31% |
💰 The best cards for your Melek, Reforged Researcher deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
🛠️ Optimize my deck · up to €2/cardTier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Chandra's Ignition
- Lórien Revealed
- Unexpected Windfall
- Immolating Gyre
- Soul Immolation
- Bolt Bend
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Thundering Falls
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Melek, Reforged Researcher
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Underworld Breach + Lotus Petal + Brain Freeze → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite magecraft triggers, Near-infinite mill
- Dualcaster Mage + Twinflame → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature tokens with haste, Infinite magecraft triggers
- Curiosity + Niv-Mizzet, Parun → Infinite draw triggers, Infinite card draw, Near-infinite damage
- Niv-Mizzet, Parun + Niv-Mizzet, Visionary → Near-infinite damage, Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers
- Blasphemous Act + Repercussion → Near-infinite damage to all players
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Melek, Reforged Researcher's color identity?
Melek, Reforged Researcher is Izzet (red and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Melek, Reforged Researcher come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Melek, Reforged Researcher deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.6 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 98 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 18 % of the time and floods 25 %. Deck health: B (73/100).
How many lands should a Melek, Reforged Researcher deck run?
Real Melek, Reforged Researcher decks run 35 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Melek, Reforged Researcher?
The three highest-synergy cards are Mystic Confluence, Fact or Fiction, Chandra's Ignition. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Melek, Reforged Researcher decks.
What combos does Melek, Reforged Researcher have?
Melek, Reforged Researcher has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Melek, Reforged Researcher deck cost?
You can start cheap: Mystic Confluence, Fact or Fiction, Spell Swindle are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.