Alex Ullman
LightNews LightNews
banner
nerdtothecore.com
Alex Ullman
@nerdtothecore.com
2.1K followers 240 following 5.4K posts
God damn it you have to be kind,
Member of the Pauper Format Panel,
Gut it out He/Him/His

linktr.ee/nerdtothecore
[email protected]
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Alex Ullman
infinata.bsky.social
“I was just following otters.”
chrismohney.bsky.social Chris Mohney @chrismohney.bsky.social · 1d
really went dark for the sequel
A movie marquee advertises for the films Nuremberg in Zootopia 2
November 28, 2025 at 9:09 PM
nerdtothecore.com
No one really thought about this costume design, did they?
A blue cup of coffee riding a bike, except the coffee looks like a pile of excrement
November 27, 2025 at 2:32 PM
nerdtothecore.com
Just had a sweet game with Victor where I went to 1 life on consecutive turns and managed to pull off the win.

moxfield.com/decks/QBbIR9...
Victor Enchantments - Commander (Victor, Valgavoth's Seneschal)
A deck created using Moxfield.
moxfield.com
November 27, 2025 at 3:18 AM
nerdtothecore.com
The more I play, the more I value flexible reactive cards and Wail of the Nim does some serious work.

It has saved my hide more than once in my Mono Black Sygg deck:

moxfield.com/decks/kaO2g_...
November 26, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Reposted by Alex Ullman
handle.invalid
If you don't know who your City Council representative is, you can use this website to find out www.mygovnyc.org

Call them and tell them you do NOT want them to support Julie Menin for speaker.
November 26, 2025 at 4:47 PM
nerdtothecore.com
ICYMI: Yesterday I wrote about the first four #MTGPauper Challenges of the Avatar season:
November 26, 2025 at 3:46 PM
nerdtothecore.com
It's Wizard Wednesday and was it ever a question?
Hakim, Loreweaver {3}{U}{U} Legendary Creature — Human Wizard Flying {U}{U}: Return target Aura card from your graveyard to the battlefield attached to Hakim. Activate only during your upkeep and only if Hakim isn’t enchanted. {U}{U}, {T}: Destroy all Auras attached to Hakim. 2/4 Illustrated by Alan Rabinowitz
November 26, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Reposted by Alex Ullman
miamidsa.org
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
November 26, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Reposted by Alex Ullman
kevincron.bsky.social
[Anakin/Padme meme, with Anakin replaced with Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons.] Hapatra: I put a bunch of counters on my Ozolith. Padme, optimistic: They're +1/+1 counters, right? Hapatra: Padme, not optimistic: They're +1/+1 counters, right?
November 25, 2025 at 8:03 PM
nerdtothecore.com
Horobi, Death's Wail {2}{B}{B} Legendary Creature — Spirit Flying Whenever a creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, destroy that creature. “From the ashes of Reito rose a new kami. And thereafter at every battle came Horobi, Death’s Wail.” —The History of Kamigawa 4/4 Illustrated by John Bolton
November 25, 2025 at 6:48 PM
nerdtothecore.com
Kros, Defense Contractor {1}{G}{W}{U} Legendary Creature — Cat Advisor At the beginning of your upkeep, put a shield counter on target creature an opponent controls. Whenever you put one or more counters on a creature you don’t control, tap that creature and goad it. It gains trample until your next turn. (Until your next turn, that creature attacks each combat if able and attacks a player other than you if able.) 2/4 Watermark: Brokers Illustrated by Katerina Ladon
November 25, 2025 at 6:47 PM
nerdtothecore.com
Today I realized I could move counters from The Ozolith on to my opponent's creatures and now I am going to make that my opponents' problem...
The Ozolith {1} Legendary Artifact Whenever a creature you control leaves the battlefield, if it had counters on it, put those counters on The Ozolith. At the beginning of combat on your turn, if The Ozolith has counters on it, you may move all counters from The Ozolith onto target creature. As it twists, so does all life around it. Illustrated by Sam Burley
November 25, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Reposted by Alex Ullman
nerdtothecore.com
Today on the blog I chronicle the first four #MTGPauper Challenges of the Avatar Season. Which of my predictions from last week came true and which fell flat? You're going to have to read to find out:

#MTGTLA

nerdtothecore.com/2025/11/25/n...
November 20-23 Pauper Challenge Recap
Want to learn more about the metrics I use in tracking the metagame? You can find an explainer here. A few weeks ago I started my first watch of Avatar: The Last Airbender with my son and I’d…
nerdtothecore.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:58 PM
nerdtothecore.com
Today in underappreciated black cards for Commander, I present the humble Dusk Legion Zealot. Black decks love velocity and excess material; Zealot provides both.

Just ask my friends how often I recommend this card for their deck. I can't shut up about it.

#CMDR
Dusk Legion Zealot {1}{B} Creature — Vampire Soldier When this creature enters, you draw a card and you lose 1 life. Once they reached Orazca, the Legion’s explorers ransacked tombs and temples, hunting for the Immortal Sun. 1/1 Illustrated by Winona Nelson
November 25, 2025 at 3:20 PM
nerdtothecore.com
Today on the blog I chronicle the first four #MTGPauper Challenges of the Avatar Season. Which of my predictions from last week came true and which fell flat? You're going to have to read to find out:

#MTGTLA

nerdtothecore.com/2025/11/25/n...
November 20-23 Pauper Challenge Recap
Want to learn more about the metrics I use in tracking the metagame? You can find an explainer here. A few weeks ago I started my first watch of Avatar: The Last Airbender with my son and I’d…
nerdtothecore.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:58 PM
nerdtothecore.com
One of my favorite aspects of honing off beat decks is finding those cards in my collection that just make sense.
Flesh Carver {2}{B} Creature — Human Wizard Intimidate (This creature can’t be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or creatures that share a color with it.) {1}{B}, Sacrifice another creature: Put two +1/+1 counters on this creature. When this creature dies, create an X/X black Horror creature token, where X is this creature’s power. “Just a taste?” 2/2 Illustrated by Jesper Ejsing
November 25, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Reposted by Alex Ullman
mets.com
Thank you, Brandon 🧡💙
November 24, 2025 at 8:11 PM
nerdtothecore.com
Someone check on @bugsmaytrix.bsky.social
levdev.bsky.social LevDev Tea Brewing Shenanigans! @levdev.bsky.social · 5d
MagicCon promo for next year...omg.
November 24, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Reposted by Alex Ullman
nerdtothecore.com
It's a slow day at the office and I'm working on my Hei Bai deck. I want to borrow from @alex.spikefeeders.com so give me your suggestions for the deck, but also your cut. Be respectful.

I want to keep this "Mono Black" Hybrid is okay, gold isn't.

And go.

moxfield.com/decks/D9AWk3...
Hei Bai Modified - Commander (Hei Bai, Spirit of Balance)
A deck created using Moxfield.
moxfield.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:52 PM
nerdtothecore.com
@deathtongue.bsky.social please PM me for your MTGO play point code!
November 24, 2025 at 6:26 PM
nerdtothecore.com
It's a slow day at the office and I'm working on my Hei Bai deck. I want to borrow from @alex.spikefeeders.com so give me your suggestions for the deck, but also your cut. Be respectful.

I want to keep this "Mono Black" Hybrid is okay, gold isn't.

And go.

moxfield.com/decks/D9AWk3...
Hei Bai Modified - Commander (Hei Bai, Spirit of Balance)
A deck created using Moxfield.
moxfield.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Reposted by Alex Ullman
lukeoneil47.bsky.social
Nemik from Andor
November 24, 2025 at 3:13 PM
nerdtothecore.com
Here's a deck I'm not building but oh man does this seem sweet:
Monk Gyatso {3}{W} Legendary Creature — Human Monk Whenever another creature you control becomes the target of a spell or ability, you may airbend that creature. (Exile it. While it’s exiled, its owner may cast it for {2} rather than its mana cost.) “My ancient cake-making technique isn’t the only thing on your mind, is it, Aang?” 3/3 Watermark: Air Nomads Illustrated by Masateru Ikeda Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward {4}{W} Legendary Creature — Human Warrior When Abdel Adrian enters, exile any number of other nonland permanents you control until Abdel Adrian leaves the battlefield. Create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token for each permanent exiled this way. Choose a Background (You can have a Background as a second commander.) 4/4 Illustrated by Karl Kopinski Nomads en-Kor {W} Creature — Kor Nomad Soldier {0}: The next 1 damage that would be dealt to this creature this turn is dealt to target creature you control instead. The Kor forsake roots for the winding of the path; forsake voices for the silence of the mind; forsake all else for the poverty of isolation. 1/1 Illustrated by Val Mayerik Ashnod's Altar {3} Artifact Sacrifice a creature: Add {C}{C}. “If you work at sawing up carcasses, you notice how the joints fit, how the nerves are arrayed, and how the skin peels back.” —Ashnod, to Tawnos Illustrated by Greg Staples
November 24, 2025 at 3:52 PM
nerdtothecore.com
I am going to cause problems on purpose:
Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival {R}{W} Legendary Creature — Human Artificer Thopters you control have haste. Whenever you play a land from exile or cast a spell from exile, create a 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature token with flying. Renegade turned revolutionary turned rebuilder. 2/3 Illustrated by Marta Nael Monk Gyatso {3}{W} Legendary Creature — Human Monk Whenever another creature you control becomes the target of a spell or ability, you may airbend that creature. (Exile it. While it’s exiled, its owner may cast it for {2} rather than its mana cost.) “My ancient cake-making technique isn’t the only thing on your mind, is it, Aang?” 3/3 Watermark: Air Nomads Illustrated by Masateru Ikeda Martyr's Cause {2}{W} Enchantment Sacrifice a creature: The next time a source of your choice would deal damage to any target this turn, prevent that damage. Dying is a soldier’s talent. Illustrated by Jeff Laubenstein Fanatical Devotion {2}{W} Enchantment Sacrifice a creature: Regenerate target creature. The Oracle told Eladamri he would save his people by abandoning them. His followers adopted that ideal. Illustrated by Massimiliano Frezzato (misprinted)
November 24, 2025 at 3:16 PM
nerdtothecore.com
#MTGPauper
4 Adventuring Gear 4 Akoum Hellhound 2 Apostle's Blessing 4 Crop Rotation 4 Escape Tunnel 4 Forest 1 Gruul Turf 2 Lightning Bolt 7 Mountain 2 Nest Invader 4 Plated Geopede 4 Sabotender 1 Sejiri Steppe 4 Sheltering Landscape 2 Temur Battle Rage 3 Tilling Treefolk 4 Twisted Landscape 4 Writhing Chrysalis Sideboard 1 Bojuka Bog 3 Cast into the Fire 2 Healer of the Glade 1 Pyroblast 3 Red Elemental Blast 3 Relic of Progenitus 2 Weather the Storm
November 24, 2025 at 2:45 PM