Budget Bauble
Melek, Reforged Researcher - Decklist

Creatures 9$2.39

  1. Crackling Drake1Crackling Drake$0.17
  2. Enigma Drake1Enigma Drake$0.10
  3. Guttersnipe1Guttersnipe$0.24
  4. Haughty Djinn1Haughty Djinn$0.31
  5. Najal, the Storm Runner1Najal, the Storm Runner$0.23
  6. Spellheart Chimera1Spellheart Chimera$0.12
  7. Talrand, Sky Summoner1Talrand, Sky Summoner$0.39
  8. Wavebreak Hippocamp1Wavebreak Hippocamp$0.58
  9. Young Pyromancer1Young Pyromancer$0.25

Instants 29$13.59

  1. Act of Aggression1Act of Aggression$0.32
  2. Aetherize1Aetherize$0.28
  3. Aetherspouts1Aetherspouts$0.76
  4. Behold the Multiverse1Behold the Multiverse$0.28
  5. Big Score1Big Score$0.41
  6. Chemister's Insight1Chemister's Insight$0.12
  7. Confounding Riddle1Confounding Riddle$0.31
  8. Decaying Time Loop1Decaying Time Loop$0.40
  9. Desertion1Desertion$0.63
  10. Evacuation1Evacuation$0.26

Instants continued

  1. Fact or Fiction1Fact or Fiction$0.19
  2. Fling1Fling$0.16
  3. Intrude on the Mind1Intrude on the Mind$0.24
  4. Kazuul's Fury // Kazuul's Cliffs1Kazuul's Fury // Kazuul's Cliffs$0.73
  5. Mystic Confluence1Mystic Confluence$0.50
  6. Practical Research1Practical Research$0.28
  7. Rain of Revelation1Rain of Revelation$0.19
  8. Rewind1Rewind$0.35
  9. Run for Your Life1Run for Your Life$0.31
  10. Scatter Arc1Scatter Arc$0.17

Instants continued

  1. Showstopping Surprise1Showstopping Surprise$0.27
  2. Silundi Vision // Silundi Isle1Silundi Vision // Silundi Isle$0.41
  3. Soul Read1Soul Read$0.22
  4. Soul's Fire1Soul's Fire$0.28
  5. Spell Swindle1Spell Swindle$1.57
  6. Sublime Epiphany1Sublime Epiphany$0.27
  7. Temur Battle Rage1Temur Battle Rage$0.24
  8. Unexpected Windfall1Unexpected Windfall$1.86
  9. Unwind1Unwind$1.58

Sorceries 19$8.14

  1. Artful Dodge1Artful Dodge$0.51
  2. Bond of Insight1Bond of Insight$0.20
  3. Cosmic Epiphany1Cosmic Epiphany$0.23
  4. Cut Your Losses1Cut Your Losses$1.64
  5. Distortion Strike1Distortion Strike$0.71
  6. Experimental Overload1Experimental Overload$0.23
  7. Gravitic Punch1Gravitic Punch$0.15
  8. Ill-Timed Explosion1Ill-Timed Explosion$0.33
  9. Inspiration from Beyond1Inspiration from Beyond$0.25
  10. Mystic Retrieval1Mystic Retrieval$0.20

Sorceries continued

  1. Pirate's Pillage1Pirate's Pillage$0.57
  2. Pirate's Prize1Pirate's Prize$0.13
  3. Pore Over the Pages1Pore Over the Pages$0.09
  4. Quiet Speculation1Quiet Speculation$0.67
  5. Rise from the Tides1Rise from the Tides$0.10
  6. Seize the Storm1Seize the Storm$0.15
  7. Summons of Saruman1Summons of Saruman$0.34
  8. Sundering Eruption // Volcanic Fissure1Sundering Eruption // Volcanic Fissure$1.33
  9. Waltz of Rage1Waltz of Rage$0.31

Artifacts 3$2.98

  1. Bender's Waterskin1Bender's Waterskin$1.10
  2. Runechanter's Pike1Runechanter's Pike$0.34
  3. Swiftfoot Boots1Swiftfoot Boots$1.54

Enchantments 1$0.56

  1. Double Vision1Double Vision$0.56

Lands 38 / 38$11.85

  1. Cascade Bluffs1Cascade Bluffs$0.34
  2. Castle Vantress1Castle Vantress$0.31
  3. Cephalid Coliseum1Cephalid Coliseum$0.27
  4. Command Tower1Command Tower$0.21
  5. Demolition Field1Demolition Field$0.23
  6. Desolate Lighthouse1Desolate Lighthouse$0.20
  7. Eroded Canyon1Eroded Canyon$0.33
  8. Evolving Wilds1Evolving Wilds$0.09
  9. Exotic Orchard1Exotic Orchard$0.20
  10. Fabled Passage1Fabled Passage$0.77
  11. Ferrous Lake1Ferrous Lake$0.29

Lands continued

  1. Frostboil Snarl1Frostboil Snarl$0.22
  2. Island×33Island$0.21
  3. Izzet Boilerworks1Izzet Boilerworks$0.26
  4. Izzet Guildgate1Izzet Guildgate$0.11
  5. Molten Tributary1Molten Tributary$0.25
  6. Mountain×22Mountain$0.16
  7. Myriad Landscape1Myriad Landscape$0.26
  8. Mystic Sanctuary1Mystic Sanctuary$1.14
  9. Path of Ancestry1Path of Ancestry$0.17
  10. Prismari Campus1Prismari Campus$0.25
  11. Restless Spire1Restless Spire$0.19

Lands continued

  1. Rogue's Passage1Rogue's Passage$0.34
  2. Shivan Reef1Shivan Reef$0.22
  3. Silverbluff Bridge1Silverbluff Bridge$0.28
  4. Snow-Covered Island×22Snow-Covered Island$2.12
  5. Snow-Covered Mountain×22Snow-Covered Mountain$1.00
  6. Sulfur Falls1Sulfur Falls$0.18
  7. Swiftwater Cliffs1Swiftwater Cliffs$0.11
  8. Temple of Epiphany1Temple of Epiphany$0.16
  9. Temple of the False God1Temple of the False God$0.19
  10. Terramorphic Expanse1Terramorphic Expanse$0.10
  11. Volatile Fjord1Volatile Fjord$0.69

About this Melek, Reforged Researcher deck

A complete 100-card Commander deck: Melek, Reforged Researcher, 61 spells, and 38 lands, 9 of them basics. Its known subtotal is $39.51 in TCGplayer singles, and no card but the commander may cost more than $2. 1 cards have no price.

The list is drawn from what Melek, Reforged Researcher decks actually play. Of the cards that fit the budget, the most played are Big Score, Mystic Confluence and Fact or Fiction. The picks most particular to this commander are Gravitic Punch, Soul's Fire and Spell Swindle, which turn up here far more often than in other Izzet decks.

Its average mana value is 3.81. It runs no Game Changers.

The most expensive cards are Unexpected Windfall ($1.86), Cut Your Losses ($1.64) and Unwind ($1.58); 45 of the 61 spells cost $0.50 or less. With at most $1 per card the same template costs $29.54, and with no limit $1208.74; the chart below compares every limit.

Deck statistics and card selection
Average mana value3.81
Game Changers0
Combos0
Deck match68%

Mana curve

  1. Mana value 0: 0 cards
  2. Mana value 1: 2 cards
  3. Mana value 2: 8 cards
  4. Mana value 3: 13 cards
  5. Mana value 4: 20 cards
  6. Mana value 5: 15 cards
  7. Mana value 6: 4 cards
  8. Mana value 7+: 0 cards

The curve and the average cover Melek, Reforged Researcher and every nonland card in the draft. Game Changers are the cards on the official Commander Game Changers list. Combos are the two- to four-card combos from Commander Spellbook that these 100 cards hold every piece of.

Deck match measures similarity to commonly played nonland cards for this commander, weighted by how often they are played. It does not measure power or predict wins.

Command Zone template

The Command Zone ↗
Draft compared with the Command Zone deck-building template
RoleTargetYour draftDifference
Ramp1010+0
Card advantage1217+5
Targeted disruption1216+4
Mass disruption66+0
Lands3841+3
Plan3022-8

These targets add up to 108 because a card can fill more than one role. 11 of your cards count in multiple rows. Modal spell/land cards count as whole lands here; the card-type sections use the front face. Your commander is excluded from these counts.

Roles use imported classifications or curated sample labels. 0 cards lack role data, so counts may be incomplete. Plan counts the cards that fill none of the rows above: the ones this commander’s decks play most distinctively, taken best first once the role targets are met.

Check your own decklist against the template →

Targets from The Command Zone’s deck-building template. Card mapping and draft selection are by Budget Bauble. This is guidance, not a guarantee of deck strength.

Cards are selected from decks with this commander. Basic lands are split across the available colors; check the mana you need before playing. A complete list is not a guarantee of deck strength.

Compare prices at other card limits

Full deck price by per-card cap

Each bar is the complete Command Zone template deck for Melek, Reforged Researcher at that per-card cap, with the commander and basic lands included and no overall budget. Gold is your current cap, blue reaches 100 cards within the cap, and gray either runs out of eligible cards or has a commander that costs more than the cap. Select a bar to build that deck; your budget changes to its price. The percentage under each cap is that deck’s match with what Melek, Reforged Researcher decks usually play.

Format

With printings adds the set and collector number of the printing each price is based on. Both text formats list the commander first and work on most deck sites.

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