When you think of blue, you probably think of Wizards. So why don't we think of them when we think of tribes? Just a brief look through Magic's history shows that if we don't, we're really missing out.
If there's anyone on this site that's been following my decks, they'd notice I'm a big tribal fan. Probably no card shows up in my decks more often than Cavern of Souls. :-)
Some tribes are easy and obvious: Vampires, Zombies, Elves, Goblins, Humans, a few others. Not to take away from those decks at all (I have tribal decks for them all that I love), but some of them practically build themselves. Others take a bit of work.
In addition to "races" like the ones I just listed, I've recently been spending a lot of time on tribes spread across multiple races. You know, like Warriors, Archers, Druids, that sort of thing. I've found that some of them (like Archers with Greatbow Doyen and Druids with Gilt-Leaf Archdruid) have only one or two really powerful cards that tie them together. Others, like Warriors and Soldiers and a few others, have a lot of tribal support throughout multiple sets from MtG's history.
One such tribe that's been around forever, but really had its last tribal hurrah way back in Lorwyn and Shadowmoor (great block for tribes in general), is Wizards. You've probably already figured out that they're the focus of this deck. :-)
As a tribe, Wizards go all the back to Odyssey, making it one of the oldest in the game. Because they've been around for so long, there's a lot of variety in what Wizards can do, similar to what I've found with Soldiers and Warriors. Wizards can bounce, counter, draw, tap, mill, and various other tricks blue is known for. They're very representative of blue on the whole.
Most of the Wizards included here have effects that benefit (or make use of) other Wizards. Azami, Riptide Director, and Sage of Fables all use Wizards to draw cards, often in bunches. Patron Wizard (the old guy from Odyssey) uses Wizards to counter spells. Aphetto Grifter uses Wizards to tap other creatures. These effects are all great, but the best part is that the're all repeatable here. No need to necessarily stock up on instants and sorceries when you have creatures that can do those things over and over.
One other thing Wizards seem to be good at is flying. Gempalm Sorcerer passes it around when you cycle him, and Student of Elements gives it out for good as long as you make him flying first. (The Gempalm Sorcerer or Wingcrafter helps.)
You even have Wizards that beef up other Wizards (Sage of Fables again and Ghosthelm Courier), tutor for other Wizards (Vedalken Æthermage) and use others of their ilk to exile bunches of cards from the opponent's deck (Supreme Inquisitor). And a big beefy beater in Nameless One. And mass flash and lockdown from Teferi!
But the tribal fun doesn't end there...even your other spells are Wizard-centric. Diviner's Wand is pretty obvious, turning those cards draws into pumps. Every instant in the main deck spots Wizards to get better, with increased costs to the opponent (Ixidor's Will) and more card draw (Sage's Dousing and Stream of Unconsciousness).
The sideboard has some more hard counters if you need to really lock things down, and Wizards with even more versatile effects. Voidmage Husher can counter not spells, but abilities, which is really nifty. Sigil Tracer can copy instants--or your opponent's--and double the pain (for them) and gain (for you). And Sower of Temptation is Clone on a stick.
Liking this tribe, and I'm sure I've barely scratched the surface. What do you think of this, and what are some fun Wizard ideas YOU may have?