Spectral ShiftSpectral Shift | Art by John Avon

Kindred decks are an iconic part of Magic. The ability to summon classic mythical creatures like Angels and Dragons are a huge draw to the game, and many players' first decks are focused around a single creature type.

Which isn't to say these decks are only for beginners. Some of the most powerful competitive decks throughout Magic's history have been built around Humans, Elves, and Merfolk.

In Commander, however, this can make a kindred deck predictable and repetitive, especially if you've been playing it for a few years.

One way to work around that problem is to shift the colors of your deck. Merfolk have branched into green in recent sets, opening up the possibility of a Gruul Merfolk deck. Similarly, Elves have gotten more support in black, making a Rakdos or Orzhov Elf deck possible.

Even Dragons, which are present in all five colors, are most commonly played in red decks. What would an Azorius or Bant dragon deck look like?

I took a similar approach when I took apart my Elf deck. I'd tried every commander out there, so I ditched green altogether and turned to the only red Elf, Delina, Wild MageDelina, Wild Mage. By targeting Delina herself, I can still swarm the battlefield with Elf tokens that get buffed by Shared AnimosityShared Animosity, Adaptive AutomatonAdaptive Automaton, and Patchwork BannerPatchwork Banner.

Most importantly, board wipes are no longer game-ending disasters. I simply recast my commander and keep attacking.

But that's just one example. How can you breath new life into an old creature type by pushing it into new colors?

How To Participate

• Brew a Commander-legal deck on Archidekt that satisfies the prompt.
• Any unreleased cards spoiled during the contest’s duration are allowed.
• Silver-bordered and acorn cards, while cool, are not allowed.
• Digital-only cards (such as those designed for the Alchemy format on Arena) are not allowed.
• Strictly one deck submitted per user.

As of a couple months ago, we've also revamped the submission process. Decks must now be submitted on Archidekt via a button on the newspost. This will make it easier to view all submissions in a single place. Additionally, it will simplify the process of writing a description by sharing the same text on the submission page and the deck page itself.

You can also comment on individual decks directly from the submission, making those discussions easier to find and track later.

To submit a deck, select the orange button labeled "Submit a deck to this contest" and follow the form prompt. Submissions are accepted until 9:00 pm EST (UTC -4, currently) on Wednesday, November 12, 2025.

Only one submission per user! If you change your mind and want to submit a different deck before submissions close, you may do so by first deleting your submission. To edit your description, you can do so from the deck page itself.

From the eligible submissions, we'll select three finalists with lists that we believe best embody the spirit of the prompt. Deck descriptions are not required but certainly may provide valuable context!

Finalists will be contacted via email regarding their winnings within roughly 24 hours following the conclusion of voting on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.

Please note, you must have a Cardsphere account in order to receive your winnings. It's quick and free - register here if you don't have an account already!

Here are the official contest rules. If you have any questions, feel free to ask here, or join the Archidekt public Discord server. We look forward to seeing what you all come up with!