Joint ExplorationJoint Exploration | Art by Zezhou Chen

There are nearly unlimited ways to play Magic. Whether you like small creatures, big creatures, controlling the game, or racing to its conclusion as fast as possible, there's an archetype that supports what you want to do.

In many cases, these archetypes also overlap, especially in Commander. Elf decks are often also ramp decks, token decks, and sometimes even storm decks. Zombie decks are usually aristocrats, artifact decks usually sacrifice their stuff. But what happens when you try to combine two archetypes that don't normally go together?

Building an archetype you know well with an unusual twist is a great way to keep your decks feeling fresh without having to abandon your favorite cards. Enchantress is known for being storm-adjacent, but could also support a reanimator strategy with Animate DeadAnimate Deads.

Or there are powerful artifacts to support planeswalkers, so what if you added a little more artifact support to your Super-friends deck? Like Voltaic KeyVoltaic Key to untap The Chain VeilThe Chain Veil and make more mana from Chromatic OrreryChromatic Orrery.

Combining themes is also a great way to experiment with an archetype you're not familiar with yet. Supporting artifacts with another archetype can help determine if you want to invest in some of the expensive artifact synergy cards like Krark-Clan IronworksKrark-Clan Ironworks or Mycosynth LatticeMycosynth Lattice.

Alternatively, this can be a fun way to modulate your play experience. If your playgroup is tired of your lands deck comboing off every game, you can replace some of those combo pieces with Death BaronDeath Baron and Hordewing SkaabHordewing Skaab to win with Field of the DeadField of the Dead in a different way.

How To Participate

• Brew an EDH/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 last month 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, September 10, 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, September 24, 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!