EDH Optimizer
The Ur-Sphinx
Legendary Creature — Sphinx Avatar · 6WUB
Color identity: Black · Blue · White · Esper
The Ur-Sphinx is Esper (black, blue and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Eminence — As long as The Ur-Sphinx is in the command zone or on the battlefield, other Sphinx spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.
Flying
Whenever one or more Sphinxes you control attack, each player mills that many cards. For each player, you may cast a card that player milled this way without paying its mana cost.
Reference price of the card: €1.77
Average lands in decks for The Ur-Sphinx: 36
SphinxesFlyingMillReanimatorControlMidrangeTheftExtra Turns
Build your The Ur-Sphinx deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for The Ur-Sphinx 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average The Ur-Sphinx deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (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 (68/100)
- Consistency60
- Speed50
- Interaction80
- Resilience82
- Closing72
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (26 nonbasic, 2 Plains, 6 Island, 2 Swamp)
Arcane Signet · Sol Ring · Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign · Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign · Magister Sphinx · Medomai the Ageless · Defiler of Dreams · Swords to Plowshares · Tivit, Seller of Secrets · Dazzling Sphinx · Raffine, Scheming Seer · Windreader Sphinx · Sphinx of False Conclusions · Urza's Incubator · Sphinx of the Second Sun · Consecrated Sphinx · Enigma Sphinx · Talisman of Progress · Talisman of Dominance · Isperia, Supreme Judge · Path to Exile · Herald's Horn · Sphinx of Foresight · Uldaros Theorix · Sphinx of Forgotten Lore · Dream Trawler · Counterspell · Sphinx of the Steel Wind · Azor, the Lawbringer · Talisman of Hierarchy · Master of Predicaments · Sphinx Ambassador · Dovin's Veto · Sphinx of the Final Word · Fellwar Stone · Sapphire Medallion · Void Rend · Roaming Throne · Anguished Unmaking · Atemsis, All-Seeing · Denzilore Fatehold · Reanimate · Ethersworn Sphinx · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Kindred Judgment · Kindred Dominance · Thought Vessel · Azorius Signet · Elenda and Azor · Kindred Discovery · Raise the Palisade · Dimir Signet · Lightning Greaves · Sharuum the Hegemon · The Water Crystal · Arcane Denial · Dark Ritual · Enigma Thief · Reflections of Littjara · Smothering Tithe · Watcher of the Spheres · Curator of Destinies · Propaganda · Command Tower · Hallowed Fountain · Watery Grave · Godless Shrine · Path of Ancestry · Raffine's Tower · Exotic Orchard · Glacial Fortress · Drowned Catacomb · Reliquary Tower · Sea of Clouds · Flooded Strand · Isolated Chapel · Polluted Delta · Arcane Sanctum · Morphic Pool · Cavern of Souls · Deserted Beach · Marsh Flats · Shipwreck Marsh · Vault of Champions · Adarkar Wastes · Underground River · Prairie Stream · Bojuka Bog · Shattered Sanctum
🃏 Recommended cards for The Ur-Sphinx
The highest-synergy cards in decks for The Ur-Sphinx, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign | 90% | +88% |
| Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign | 82% | +81% |
| Magister Sphinx | 79% | +75% |
| Medomai the Ageless | 77% | +74% |
| Defiler of Dreams | 75% | +74% |
| Dazzling Sphinx | 70% | +69% |
| Tivit, Seller of Secrets | 72% | +69% |
| Windreader Sphinx | 68% | +67% |
| Urza's Incubator | 67% | +65% |
| Raffine, Scheming Seer | 70% | +65% |
| Sphinx of the Second Sun | 66% | +64% |
| Enigma Sphinx | 65% | +63% |
| Isperia, Supreme Judge | 62% | +61% |
| Sphinx of Foresight | 60% | +60% |
| Sphinx of False Conclusions | 67% | +59% |
| Sphinx of Forgotten Lore | 59% | +59% |
| Consecrated Sphinx | 65% | +58% |
| Herald's Horn | 60% | +55% |
| Dream Trawler | 57% | +55% |
| Uldaros Theorix | 60% | +54% |
| Azor, the Lawbringer | 52% | +52% |
| Sphinx of the Steel Wind | 53% | +51% |
| Sphinx Ambassador | 50% | +49% |
| Master of Predicaments | 50% | +48% |
💰 The best cards for your The Ur-Sphinx 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.
- Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign
- Magister Sphinx
- Defiler of Dreams
- Dazzling Sphinx
- Windreader Sphinx
- Enigma Sphinx
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign
- Medomai the Ageless
- Tivit, Seller of Secrets
- Raffine, Scheming Seer
- Sphinx of the Second Sun
- Herald's Horn
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Urza's Incubator
- Consecrated Sphinx
- Sphinx Ambassador
- Roaming Throne
- Cavern of Souls
- Quantum Riddler
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with The Ur-Sphinx
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Demonic Consultation + Thassa's Oracle → Exile your library, Win the game
- Tainted Pact + Thassa's Oracle → Win the game
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana nonland permanents you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control
- Bloodchief Ascension + Mindcrank → Infinite mill, Near-infinite lifegain, Near-infinite lifegain triggers, Near-infinite lifeloss
- Bruvac the Grandiloquent + Maddening Cacophony → Infinite mill
🎬 Videos and guides about The Ur-Sphinx
The written version of our videos (in Spanish): deck checks, mulligans, duels and precon upgrades.
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is The Ur-Sphinx's color identity?
The Ur-Sphinx is Esper (black, blue and white): 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 The Ur-Sphinx come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average The Ur-Sphinx deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 8.6 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 26 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 26 % of the time and floods 13 %. Deck health: B (68/100).
How many lands should a The Ur-Sphinx deck run?
Real The Ur-Sphinx decks run 36 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 The Ur-Sphinx?
The three highest-synergy cards are Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign, Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign, Magister Sphinx. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in The Ur-Sphinx decks.
What combos does The Ur-Sphinx have?
The Ur-Sphinx 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 The Ur-Sphinx deck cost?
You can start cheap: Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign, Magister Sphinx, Defiler of Dreams 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.