(Vnwxt, Verbose HostVnwxt, Verbose Host || art by Chris Seaman)

Ready To Kick-Start Three More Aetherdrift Commander Decks? I Got You!

Hello friends, and welcome to another Start Me Up! In this column I will pick three legendary creatures from the most recent Magic expansion and provide you with ideas to help get you started brewing your own Commander deck around them.

The current set racing to spice up our Commander collections is Aetherdrift with its interplanar death race themes! It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, it's how cool you look getting there.

As always, there's a good number of new legendary creatures we can build Commander decks around, so I've picked three more juicy ones and a nice starter kit for each to get your deck brewing ideas flowing. Let's fire it up!

Vnwxt, Verbose HostVnwxt, Verbose Host

I really like the deckbuilding challenge Vnwxt, Verbose HostVnwxt, Verbose Host represents. The max speed ability is very potent, but to unlock it you've got to play a relatively aggressive game for at least three turns, including the turn you play Vnwxt and start your engines!

You'll want to pack your deck with enough cheaply costed and evasive threats so you can draw one or two early enough to execute the game play.

Vnwxt itself has no power, so it can't help you in that regard without some assistance, though it would be fun to equip with Blackblade ReforgedBlackblade Reforged and set about some Homunculus beatdown.

Let's pop the hood on what EDHREC shows early deckbuilders are doing with Vnwxt.

EDHREC High Synergy Cards

If you're looking for powerful payoff cards for Vnwxt's max speed ability, Psychosis CrawlerPsychosis Crawler and Chasm SkulkerChasm Skulker are top of the list. The Crawler in particular can win the game without the attack step, letting you potentially just coast to victory.

The Skulker can quickly grow into a threat and also provides a buffer from a battlefield sweeper, spitting out a bunch of Squid tokens with islandwalking when it dies.

If you want even more Homunculus action Homunculus HordeHomunculus Horde is here to replicate, making more and more copies over time. You'll want instant speed ways to draw cards so you can get that one trigger on any of your opponents' turns as well as your own.

Mischievous MysticMischievous Mystic isn't quite as splashy, but those 1/1 Faerie tokens have flying and can continue the beatdown to opponents who can't block them. Alandra, Sky DreamerAlandra, Sky Dreamer makes 2/2 Drakes with flying, and once you're able to draw five or more cards each turn Alandra has a game-ending trigger if you've got a few Drakes that have stuck around.

Slither BladeSlither Blade, Mist-Cloaked HeraldMist-Cloaked Herald, and Triton ShorestalkerTriton Shorestalker are excellent cards to deploy on Turn 1 to enable start your engines! when you play Vnwxt on Turn 2. You'd definitely want as many of these as you can squeeze into your deck.

Laboratory ManiacLaboratory Maniac offers an interesting alternative win condition when you're at max speed and drawing so many cards you could actually deck yourself.

And meanwhile, Proft's Eidetic MemoryProft's Eidetic Memory can turn your extra card draw on your own turn into +1/+1 counters you could put on one of your unblockable creatures.

Can't Be Blocked

Looking for more creatures that can't be blocked led me to the new-ish Silent HallcreeperSilent Hallcreeper, which gives you three turns of unblockable fun before you're forced to have it become a copy of another creature you control. Shoreline LooterShoreline Looter gives you some card cycling -- still counts as card draw! -- until you've got threshold in which case it's just raw card draw.

Invisible StalkerInvisible Stalker's hexproof makes it an excellent recipient of ways to boost its size, whether it's +1/+1 counters or Equipment.

Ghostly PilfererGhostly Pilferer is one of those cards that always overperforms, letting you draw a card whenever an opponent casts their commander, and offering a way to become unblockable and then to draw an extra card when it untaps. A lot of great value for a two mana creature.

Ninjas? Ninjas!

With all the unblockable or evasive creatures we're going to want in our Vnwt deck got me thinking about Ninjas. Ninjas? Ninjas! Or specifically ninjutsu, which wants an unblocked creature to bounce back to your hand to become something cool like Thousand-Faced ShadowThousand-Faced Shadow, Ninja of the Deep HoursNinja of the Deep Hours, or Mistblade ShinobiMistblade Shinobi!

Other Max Speed Payoffs

While Vnwxt's max speed payoff is good enough all on its own, it wouldn't hurt to pepper in a couple other cards that give you a sweet benefit for max speed. Slick ImitatorSlick Imitator gives you a spell copy effect when you need one.

Racers' ScoreboardRacers' Scoreboard gives you a bit of card draw and then discounts spells, which is very handy when you're drawing a bunch of cards -- who wants to lose the game with a full grip of cards you never were able to cast? And then there's Avishkar RacewayAvishkar Raceway to give you some card cycling.

Drawing More Cards

Grazilaxx, Illithid ScholarGrazilaxx, Illithid Scholar (AKA Squidward -- if you know, you know) is a fantastic card paired with evasive creatures, and especially good with Ninjas, which can be bounced to your hand if blocked to ninjutsu all over again.

Bident of ThassaBident of Thassa and Enduring CuriosityEnduring Curiosity also turn those unblockable creatures into more card draw.

BrainstormBrainstorm provides instant speed card draw which is very flexible, and is simply bonkers when Vnwxt is at max speed. Yo dog, I hear you like card draw, so I added card draw to your card draw so you can more card draw with Teferi's Ageless InsightTeferi's Ageless Insight!

Body of KnowledgeBody of Knowledge makes an excellent defender since opponents will be loathe to let you draw extra cards, but sometimes it's going to just smash someone's life total.

Card Draw Payoffs

Card draw can be satisfying in and of itself, but why not get even more benefits with cards like Ominous SeasOminous Seas or Emrakul's MessengerEmrakul's Messenger? TriskaidekaphileTriskaidekaphile can offer up a win condition if you can masterfully sculpt your hand to have exactly thirteen cards at the beginning of your upkeep.

Empyrial PlateEmpyrial Plate can nicely suit up any of your unblockable creatures to make them more and more threatening. Speaking of threatening, how about the awesome Nerd RageNerd Rage, which draws you cards and if you have ten or more cards in hand gives a massive boost to then enchanted creature.

Oviya, Automech ArtisanOviya, Automech Artisan

So you say you want Elvish PiperElvish Piper in your command zone? Oviya, Automech ArtisanOviya, Automech Artisan has you covered! But she's much more clever than that-- you can also deploy Vehicles at instant speed, and when you do it enters with two +1/+1 counters on it.

So not only do you want big boom boom creatures that hit the battlefield and make an impact, you also should consider Vehicles for... flavor reasons? Sure, I can dig that.

Oh, and don't overlook the fact that Oviya gives each creature that's attacking one of your opponents trample. Not just your own creatures, but your opponents' creatures too, giving encouragement for the other folks to fight amongst themselves. Huzzah!

EDHREC High Synergy Cards

The Oviya decks on EDHREC start out with the biggest of booms, with Worldspine WurmWorldspine Wurm, Darksteel ColossusDarksteel Colossus and the game-ending Blightsteel ColossusBlightsteel Colossus. These sorts of cards are why your opponents will do their best to ensure you can't activate Oviya even once!

Ghalta, Stampede TyrantGhalta, Stampede Tyrant gets the party started, calling any and all creatures in your hand to the dance floor for some boot scooting on your opponent's' life totals.

If you want to take away your opponents' interaction with your creatures, Archetype of EnduranceArchetype of Endurance is the big creature for you. And then there's Ghalta, Primal HungerGhalta, Primal Hunger, which just loves other large power creatures conveniently offering a big mana discount for itself.

TerastodonTerastodon is a classic that doesn't see enough play at tables these days, so it heartens me to see it popping up in the initial Oviya lists! A neat trick with it is blowing up any expendable noncreature permanent you have lying about to get one or more extra Elephants yourself if you're just building out board presence.

Or how about an indestructible 16/16 Impervious GreatwurmImpervious Greatwurm that will simply love that trample ability from the commander?

Seedborn MuseSeedborn Muse is a busted Magic card at its floor, but when you have a creature with as powerful an activated ability as Oviya?

The ceiling is cathedral! Garruk's UprisingGarruk's Uprising is going to be a great way to draw cards to keep your hand stocked for more Oviya activations, and also gives your creatures trample if Oviya has been neutralized.

Haste

Ideally you'd like to deploy Oviya and activate it right away, so you'll want some ways to give it haste. Lightning GreavesLightning Greaves does that for zero equip cost, and also offers solid protection from targeted removal.

Thousand-Year ElixirThousand-Year Elixir and Sting, the Glinting DaggerSting, the Glinting Dagger give haste and allows extra untaps so Oviya can activate again.

Other Big Creatures

Triplicate TitanTriplicate Titan is a powerful creature to cheat out, and leaves behind three ability Golems if it dies. Kogla, the Titan ApeKogla, the Titan Ape provides creature removal with its fight ability as it enters, and once you attack it can start to pick off problematic artifacts or enchantments.

Don't overlook Kogla's activated ability since Oviya is a Human that opponents will be interested in removing. Vaultborn TyrantVaultborn Tyrant loves a lot of large creatures, spilling value all over the place.

Big Creature Synergy

There are awesome mana payoffs for having huge creatures on the battlefield, with Selvala, Heart of the WildsSelvala, Heart of the Wilds at the top of the list, and Fanatic of RhonasFanatic of Rhonas not far behind. Zopandrel, Hunger DominusZopandrel, Hunger Dominus makes your big creatures -- and small creatures too -- even bigger each combat.

Big Vehicles

Now if you want to ease your opponents' minds about activating Oviya, you can lean more on deploying Vehicles with her activated ability.

Cheaper costed good Vehicles benefit from those +1/+! counters, but you'll also want some high end wheels like Reaver TitanReaver Titan, Necron MonolithNecron Monolith, and Rolling HamsphereRolling Hamsphere -- go, go Hamsters!

Thunderous VelocipedeThunderous Velocipede plays perfectly with the +1/+1 counter themes, potentially making your higher cost racers massive!

Card Draw

Oviya's activated ability doesn't do much if you don't have creatures or Vehicles in your hand, so you'll want plenty of card draw. Regal ForceRegal Force is excellent if your deck has ways to ensure a fair number of green creatures on the battlefield.

Greater GoodGreater Good can cash in one of your huge creatures for an infusion of fresh cards. And Return of the WildspeakerReturn of the Wildspeaker can fuel up in response to someone trying to kill your biggest monster.

Untap

I'd like a few extra ways to untap Oviya to activate again, like Seeker of SkybreakSeeker of Skybreak. Saryth, the Viper's FangSaryth, the Viper's Fang protects Oviya or any of your other untapped creatures, giving you a breather until you can start activating your commander. And then there's Instill EnergyInstill Energy, which can give Oviya haste and let her untap once during your turn.

Deathtouch

Since Oviya provides trample for your attackers, it's always nice to combine it with deathtouch since lethal damage from deathtouch is just one point of damage, letting all the rest trample through. Ohran FrostfangOhran Frostfang and Bow of NyleaBow of Nylea are excellent for this.

Daretti, Rocketeer EngineerDaretti, Rocketeer Engineer

Lastly we have the desparked Daretti, Rocketeer EngineerDaretti, Rocketeer Engineer, which still likes putting artifacts into the graveyard and getting them back out. The quest your deck is going to be on includes dumping big mana artifacts into your graveyard and having artifact fodder on the battlefield ready to sacrifice by the time you cast your commander. Red actually has a ton of cards that support this strategy, so let's pop the hood and examine the engine.

EDHREC High Synergy Cards

I do love cards like Ichor WellspringIchor Wellspring as sacrificial fodder. Darksteel CitadelDarksteel Citadel and Great FurnaceGreat Furnace are little more sketchy since you're sacrificing one of your mana sources for it, but they're definitely worth having in a pinch.

Daretti, Scrap SavantDaretti, Scrap Savant is the original version of our Goblin Artificer, and all of its abilities plays great in the deck. Goblin EngineerGoblin Engineer and Goblin WelderGoblin Welder help you pop artifacts in and out of the graveyard.

You'll want to ensure your Commander pod knows about Portal to PhyrexiaPortal to Phyrexia in your deck and is cool with playing against it since it can very quickly generate an oppressive board presence if you keep popping it in and out of your graveyard each turn.

You'll want plenty of other sweet artifacts that you'll want going in and out of your graveyard, like Triplicate TitanTriplicate Titan and Myr BattlesphereMyr Battlesphere, which leave behind artifacts you can sacrifice.

And then there's Combustible GearhulkCombustible Gearhulk which will generally draw you three cards each time it enters unless all of your opponents are life-gain maniacs.

Big Artifacts

Metalwork ColossusMetalwork Colossus in the graveyard is an excellent way to sacrifice artifacts in play so you can have them in the graveyard to bring back with Daretti. Sandstone OracleSandstone Oracle is another way to draw you extra cards, and Spine of Ish SahSpine of Ish Sah provides excellent utility removal (bye-bye problem enchantments!) but once you sacrifice it it's going to return to your hand so you'll either need seven mana to recast it or you'll need a way to pitch it back to the graveyard.

Stocking the Graveyard

Speaking of pitching cards to the graveyard, red has no shortage of that with cards like Faithless LootingFaithless Looting and Demand AnswersDemand Answers. Jaxis, the TroublemakerJaxis, the Troublemaker is spicy, letting you copy one of your big artifact creatures by pitching another big artifact you can bring back with Daretti.

Sacrificial Fodder

Scrap TrawlerScrap Trawler and Solemn SimulacrumSolemn Simulacrum make excellent artifact sacrificial fodder you won't mind bringing back to the battlefield with Daretti if you're just trying to grind some value.

Feldon of the Third PathFeldon of the Third Path is neat for the deck-- you can copy a creature in your graveyard that has a good enters effect, and since the copy is an artifact token that's going away at the end of the turn, you can sacrifice it to Daretti's ability.

Haste

You can double-dip on Daretti's ability if it can enter and attack the same time, so artifacts like Swiftfoot BootsSwiftfoot Boots and Akroma's MemorialAkroma's Memorial are strong considerations.

Bitter ReunionBitter Reunion is also a nice way to pitch a big artifact to the graveyard and draw a few cards deeper into your deck, and then waits around to be sacrificed for haste.

Extra Attacks

Since Daretti triggers on each of your attacks, you should pepper in a few extra attack effects like Aggravated AssaultAggravated Assault, Hexplate WallbreakerHexplate Wallbreaker, and the awesome new Full ThrottleFull Throttle for an extra two attack steps!

Never Stop Brewing!

Which of these three commanders do you think you might build a deck around? What other cards do you think you'll add to your deck list?

Read more:

Aetherdrift: Start Me Up! Part 2

Aetherdrift: Start Me Up!

Bennie Smith

Bennie's played Magic since 1994 and has been writing about it nearly as long. Commander is his favorite format, but he's been known to put on his competitive hat to play Standard and Pioneer. Recently he's dabbled in Oathbreaker and Pendragon.