<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emet-Selch of the Third Seat" href="#" target="_blank">Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</a> | Art by by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CMagali+Villeneuve%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Magali Villeneuve</a> 

Hey, nerds! Welcome to my first Final Fantasy $50 budget deck tech featuring <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emet-Selch of the Third Seat" href="#" target="_blank">Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</a> (excluding the cost of the commander). I’ve been looking for an interesting spellslinger commander for years now. My first spellslinger deck was a pile of cards I opened from Guilds of Ravnica and bulk I owned featuring <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Parun" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, Parun</a>. It was a hot mess that kind of functioned, but it wasn’t great. Then I got gifted a budget <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark, the Thumbless" href="#" target="_blank">Krark, the Thumbless</a> // <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix" href="#" target="_blank">Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix</a> partner deck one Christmas. It was such a fun deck, but it only came out on occasion since the turns would take longer than I wanted, so I put it back on my shelf and accepted the fact I’d never find a spell commander that jived with me.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emet-Selch of the Third Seat"></div></div>
That was until <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emet-Selch of the Third Seat" href="#" target="_blank">Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</a> was spoiled.

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<h2>What Does Emet-Selch of the Third Seat Do?</h2>
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emet-Selch of the Third Seat" href="#" target="_blank">Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</a> reduces the cost of any spell you cast from your graveyard by two. This effect might seem innocuous, but cheating on mana is one of the strongest things you can do in a game. If you only cast two spells from your graveyard, it's like you got to cast Emet for free. However, that second ability is what drew me in. There are two key things to note about this ability. First, you don’t need to be the one to deal the damage. Second, the spell would only be exiled if it were put back into the graveyard.
The first idea I had was a Dimir Buyback deck. Buyback is an additional cost, which Emet would reduce. Let’s say you cast <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clockspinning" href="#" target="_blank">Clockspinning</a> from your graveyard and pay for the buyback cost. Instead of being exiled, it would return to your hand, since Emet’s second ability only exiles the spell if it goes back to your graveyard. However, there are only 18 spells with buyback in Dimir, and that isn’t enough to build a dedicated deck.
That was when I remembered a deck I played a few weeks ago. My best friend built a budget <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord of the Nazgûl" href="#" target="_blank">Lord of the Nazgûl</a> Dimir spells deck. He wanted some feedback, so I took it for a spin. After playing it, it got me thinking about how to improve the deck. One idea I had was to use it as a Spellslinger Aristocrat deck. The deck makes tokens that can be sacrificed for value, and black has plenty of cards that drain when creatures die.
So instead of doing a buyback deck or some generic Dimir spells deck, I want to build a Dimir Tokens deck. The idea is simple. You play instants, sorceries, and creature-token-generators, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a> effects for value when your creatures die, and sacrifice outlets to enable the deaths of said creatures, plus some other key cards you’ll play in any Emet deck.
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<h2>Key Cards for Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lab Rats"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cackling Counterpart"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geralf, the Fleshwright"></div></div>
The first set of spells is the token-generators. These spells either make their own tokens, such as <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lab Rats" href="#" target="_blank">Lab Rats</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Retrieve the Esper" href="#" target="_blank">Retrieve the Esper</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Otterball Antics" href="#" target="_blank">Otterball Antics</a>, make token copies of your creatures, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cackling Counterpart" href="#" target="_blank">Cackling Counterpart</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quasiduplicate" href="#" target="_blank">Quasiduplicate</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Self-Reflection" href="#" target="_blank">Self-Reflection</a>, or creatures that are payoffs for casting spells, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord of the Nazgûl" href="#" target="_blank">Lord of the Nazgûl</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sedgemoor Witch" href="#" target="_blank">Sedgemoor Witch</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geralf, the Fleshwright" href="#" target="_blank">Geralf, the Fleshwright</a>. When choosing token-generators, I prioritized cards that we could cast from the graveyard without Emet’s ability.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nasty End"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Corrupted Conviction"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yahenni, Undying Partisan"></div></div>
Next are value sacrifice spells. These are usually cheap instants that require us to sacrifice a creature to draw cards. Cheap cantrips, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nasty End" href="#" target="_blank">Nasty End</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadly Dispute" href="#" target="_blank">Deadly Dispute</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corrupted Conviction" href="#" target="_blank">Corrupted Conviction</a>, are great here. Because of how the stack works, you won’t be able to cast a Deadly Dispute from your graveyard the same turn you cast it, unless you have your opponent lose life again, since it won’t be in the graveyard to target, which is why I’d add more sacrifice outlets, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Carrion Feeder" href="#" target="_blank">Carrion Feeder</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Viscera Seer" href="#" target="_blank">Viscera Seer</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yahenni, Undying Partisan" href="#" target="_blank">Yahenni, Undying Partisan</a>.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lier, Disciple of the Drowned"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Taigam, Master Opportunist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oona&#039;s Grace"></div></div>
Now, before we get into the Blood Artist effects, I wanted to share five cards I think are worth considering in nearly every Emet deck, those being <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lier, Disciple of the Drowned" href="#" target="_blank">Lier, Disciple of the Drowned</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="River Kelpie" href="#" target="_blank">River Kelpie</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Taigam, Master Opportunist" href="#" target="_blank">Taigam, Master Opportunist</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oona&#039;s Grace" href="#" target="_blank">Oona&#039;s Grace</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syphon Life" href="#" target="_blank">Syphon Life</a>. Lier turns Emet into a powerful mana acceleration tool, allowing you to recast your instants and sorceries for cheaper. River Kelpie provides card advantage by just existing, and persist makes it a bit harder to kill. Taigam can put spells you cast from your graveyard with Emet’s ability suspend instead of them getting exiled forever. This interaction works great with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clockspinning" href="#" target="_blank">Clockspinning</a>. Oona's Grace essentially gives lands in your hand cycling for if Emet is in play, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syphon Life" href="#" target="_blank">Syphon Life</a> provides a consistent way to trigger Emet’s ability at the cost of a land.
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<h2>How to Win with Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</h2>
There are three ways to win with the deck. First are the aforementioned Blood Artist effects. These are cards that ping to our opponent when creatures die, such as <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Al Bhed Salvagers" href="#" target="_blank">Al Bhed Salvagers</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirkwood Bats" href="#" target="_blank">Mirkwood Bats</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zulaport Cutthroat" href="#" target="_blank">Zulaport Cutthroat</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bastion of Remembrance" href="#" target="_blank">Bastion of Remembrance</a>. They make great kicked <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rite of Replication" href="#" target="_blank">Rite of Replication</a> targets.
The second option is just to beat face with the tokens. Many of the tokens have some evasion, either flying or menace. I even toyed around with the idea of adding <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maskwood Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Maskwood Nexus</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conspiracy" href="#" target="_blank">Conspiracy</a>, or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Adaptation" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Adaptation</a> to make <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord of the Nazgûl" href="#" target="_blank">Lord of the Nazgûl</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geralf, the Fleshwright" href="#" target="_blank">Geralf, the Fleshwright</a> better, but that interaction is too cute and doesn’t help the main gameplan enough.
Finally, I always like adding one generically powerful win condition to a deck. Sometimes your key cards are exiled, or you’re too behind on the board. My go-to budget option is <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exsanguinate" href="#" target="_blank">Exsanguinate</a>. It can get your opponents low enough to finish off with drain effects, or if you have enough mana, just end the game on its own.
<h2>Emet-Selch of the Third Seat Commander Decklist</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Budget Emet-Selch Spellslinger Sacrifice" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Emet-Selch of the Third Seat
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Al Bhed Salvagers
*1 Archmage of Runes
*1 Baral, Chief of Compliance
*1 Blood Artist
*1 Boggart Trawler // Boggart Bog
*1 Carrion Feeder
*1 Geralf, the Fleshwright
*1 Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory
*1 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
*1 Lord of the Nazgûl
*1 Mirkwood Bats
*1 Morbid Opportunist
*1 Murmuring Mystic
*1 Osteomancer Adept
*1 River Kelpie
*1 Sedgemoor Witch
*1 Skyclave Shade
*1 Taigam, Master Opportunist
*1 Talrand, Sky Summoner
*1 Viscera Seer
*1 Wizards of Thay
*1 Yahenni, Undying Partisan
*1 Zulaport Cutthroat
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Dimir Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Liquimetal Torque
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bastion of Remembrance
*1 Case of the Ransacked Lab
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Cackling Counterpart
*1 Corrupted Conviction
*1 Deadly Dispute
*1 Drag the Canal
*1 Fanatical Offering
*1 Filter Out
*1 Go for the Throat
*1 Infernal Grasp
*1 Jwari Disruption // Jwari Ruins
*1 Nasty End
*1 Oona&#039;s Grace
*1 Plumb the Forbidden
*1 Reality Shift
*1 Rotten Reunion
*1 Szat&#039;s Will
*1 Village Rites
*1 Waterlogged Teachings // Inundated Archive
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Exsanguinate
*1 Irenicus&#039;s Vile Duplication
*1 Lab Rats
*1 Lórien Revealed
*1 Otterball Antics
*1 Quasiduplicate
*1 Retrieve the Esper
*1 Ringsight
*1 Rite of Replication
*1 Self-Reflection
*1 Syphon Life
*1 Unending Whisper
*1 Winternight Stories
[/Sorceries]
[Battles]
*1 Invasion of Segovia // Caetus, Sea Tyrant of Segovia
[/Battles]
[Lands]
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Choked Estuary
*1 Command Tower
*1 Darkslick Shores
*1 Darkwater Catacombs
*1 Dimir Aqueduct
*1 Drowned Catacomb
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Fetid Pools
*1 Field of Ruin
*8 Island
*1 Murky Sewer
*1 Mystic Sanctuary
*1 Sunken Hollow
*7 Swamp
*1 Tainted Isle
*1 Temple of Deceit
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Underground River
[/Lands]"></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
I love playing decks that break the norms of what people expect, and this particular build of Emet is exactly that. I wouldn’t put it up against any Bracket Four decks, but if you’re looking for a solid middle-of-the-road deck that can have insane turns and is always doing something, I’d try Emet.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this list below. Do you think I missed any cards? What upgrades would you make? Alrighty nerds, I’ll see you in the next one!

Benjamin Levin

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