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Commander Nexus
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  3. Melek, Izzet Paragon

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Melek, Izzet Paragon

Melek, Izzet Paragon

Legendary Creature — Weird Wizard

Melek wants a deck that casts lots of instant and sorcery spells. It also suits a deck that casts extra spells for free off the top of its deck.

  • Mana cost4 genericbluered
  • Blue, Red ()
  • Power / toughness2 / 4
  • RarityRare

Play with the top card of your library revealed.

You may cast instant and sorcery spells from the top of your library.

Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell from your library, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.

Build a deck with Melek Find it in the app

Cards That Fit Melek, Izzet Paragon

Picked for what they do in Melek's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Melek's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Sol RingOpen the full glossary

plan6

The 6 Cards

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The 6 Cards

plan6

The 6 Cards

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The 6 Cards

Rulings for Melek, Izzet Paragon

explain how Melek works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary

Wizards of the Coast 15 Apr 2013

If the spell being copied has an X whose value was determined as it was cast (like Debt to the Deathless has), the copy has the same value of X.

Wizards of the Coast 15 Apr 2013

If the spell being copied is modal (that is, it says “Choose one —” or the like), the copy will have the same mode. You can’t choose a different one.

Wizards of the Coast 15 Apr 2013

If the top card of your library changes while you’re casting a spell, playing a land, or activating an ability, the new top card won’t be revealed until you finish doing so.

Wizards of the Coast 15 Apr 2013

Instant and sorcery cards with miracle allow a player to cast a card immediately upon drawing it. If you cast a spell this way, you’re casting it from your hand, not your library. Melek’s ability won’t trigger.

Wizards of the Coast 15 Apr 2013

Melek doesn’t affect the timing rules associated with when you can cast the card. If it’s a sorcery card, you can cast it only during your main phase when the stack is empty.

Wizards of the Coast 15 Apr 2013

Melek’s last ability will copy any instant or sorcery spell you cast from your library, not just one with targets.

Wizards of the Coast 15 Apr 2013

The copy will have the same targets as the spell it’s copying unless you choose new ones. You may change any number of the targets, including all of them or none of them. If, for one of the targets, you can’t choose a new legal target, then it remains unchanged (even if the current target is illegal).

Wizards of the Coast 15 Apr 2013

The top card of your library isn’t in your hand, so you can’t suspend it, cycle it, discard it, or activate any of its activated abilities.

Wizards of the Coast 15 Apr 2013

When playing with the top card of your library revealed, if an effect tells you to draw several cards, reveal each one before you draw it.

Wizards of the Coast 15 Apr 2013

When the last ability resolves, it creates a copy of the spell. You control the copy. That copy is created on the stack, so it’s not “cast.” Abilities that trigger when a player casts a spell won’t trigger. The copy will then resolve like a normal spell, after players get a chance to cast spells and activate abilities.

Wizards of the Coast 15 Apr 2013

You still pay all costs for that spell, including additional costs. You may also pay alternative costs, such as overload costs. Although you can’t pay additional costs for the copy that’s created, effects based on any additional costs that were paid for the original spell are copied as though those same costs were paid for the copy too. For example, if a player sacrifices a 3/3 creature to cast Fling, and you copy it, the copy of Fling will also deal 3 damage to its target.

11 rulings, all written by Wizards of the Coast. Read the originals on Gatherer ↗

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Melek, and what they share.

Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryURPlayers write colors as letters: U for blue, R for red. Blue is U because B was already taken by black.SpellslingerSpellslinger decks cast lots of instants and sorceries, one-time spells, and play creatures that reward every spell you cast. Instants and sorceries take effect once and then go to your graveyard, and an instant can even be cast during another player's turn.Open the Spellslinger pageAikido / RedirectionTurns an opponent's own spell, ability or damage back on them. It changes the spell's target, copies it, or sends the damage somewhere else. Aikido is the community's name for it, borrowed from the martial art. Deflecting Swat, Narset's ReversalOpen the Aikido / Redirection pageSpell CopyingCopies a spell or an ability. The copy is not cast, so it costs nothing extra and does not set off cards that care about casting a spell. Reverberate, Storm-Kiln ArtistOpen the Spell Copying pageCascade/Free CastCascade decks cast extra spells for free, straight from the top of their deck, every time they cast the right card. Cascade turns over cards from the top of your library until it hits a cheaper spell, which you may cast without paying for it.Open the Cascade/Free Cast pagePlay from TopLets you play cards directly off the top of your deck, so your next draw is always available to cast. It pairs strongly with anything that controls what sits on top. Bolas's Citadel, Mystic ForgeOpen the Play from Top pageSpellslingerRewards you for casting instants and sorceries, usually triggering each time you cast one. Storm-Kiln Artist, GuttersnipeOpen the Spellslinger pageControlControl decks answer what everyone else plays, stopping spells and removing dangerous cards, then win slowly once they are in charge. Expect lots of removal, spells that cancel other spells, and extra card draw.Open the Control pageStack InteractionActs while a spell is waiting to take effect: countering it, changing what it targets, or copying it. When someone casts a spell it waits on the stack, and every player gets priority, a chance to respond, before it happens. Counterspell, NegateOpen the Stack Interaction pageLibrary ManipulationCards that let you look at, rearrange or play from the top of your deck, so you control what you draw next.Open the Library Manipulation page