<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valduk, Keeper of the Flame" href="#" target="_blank">Valduk, Keeper of the Flame</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/victoradameart">Victor Adame Minguez</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparation</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo Melibeu, and this is <em>Epic Experiment</em>, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.</p>
<p>In this article we'll take a look into an aggressive mono-red commander, one that, because of its powerful kit, hasn't been fully explored yet. I'm talking about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valduk, Keeper of the Flame" href="#" target="_blank">Valduk, Keeper of the Flame</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Valduk, Keeper of the Flame"></div></div>
<p><strong>At the beginning of combat on your turn, for each Aura and Equipment attached to Valduk, Keeper of the Flame, create a 3/1 red Elemental creature token with trample and haste. Exile those tokens at the beginning of the next end step.</strong></p>
<p>Observation 1:</p>
<p>Valduk's kit feels a lot like a modern <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kemba, Kha Regent" href="#" target="_blank">Kemba, Kha Regent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, except it's in a better color, it's more aggressive, and it's more versatile.</p>
<p>Observation 2:</p>
<p>While it's pretty easy to just put Equipment onto Valduk and aggro people out of the game, I think that the consistent flow of enter- and leave-the battlefield triggers, not to mention the number of bodies on the battlefield, can be exploited to our advantage in a less obvious way.</p>
<p>Observation 3:</p>
<p>It's a shame that red lacks a proper Aura support. Valduk's ability also counts Auras, which is a nice added bonus, but it's hard to compete with the support that Equipment gets from red cards. Auras can potentially be more explosive, though, since they almost always will cost less mana to get onto Valduk than an Equipment.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-66078" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig-1024x517.png" alt="" width="1024" height="517" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig-1024x517.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig-300x151.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig-768x387.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig.png 1219w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-66079" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top-1024x516.png" alt="" width="1024" height="516" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top-1024x516.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top-300x151.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top-768x387.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top.png 1226w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p>Most Valduk lists are heavily invested in enabling both the combat and non-combat aspects of creating a huge token army. It's important to note that this is only one half of Valduk; it only explains the 'why' and not the 'how'.</p>
<p>Additionally, most lists are more heavily biased towards Equipment, which isn't a surprise, since red offers a ton in the way of artifact support.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heart of Kiran"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skysovereign, Consul Flagship"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Weatherlight"></div></div>
<p>Valduk's ability to put lots of bodies on the field is powerful in a color like red, where we have some great go-wide support. However, we could use the bodies to fuel a completely different archetype: Vehicles. Valduk's kit is great for the archetype because the tokens that we create all have 3 power, which is a very good value to <em>Crew </em>almost all the relevant Vehicles out there. This allows us to tune our Equipment suite to be mostly about protecting our commander, and, as a result, we get some added consistency because we're not as threatened by removal as we would normally be.</p>
<p>Vehicles are cheap threats that, very often, dodge board wipes by being noncreatures on everyone else's turns. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivator&#039;s Caravan" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivator&#039;s Caravan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the best Vehicles in the deck: it both ramps and provides a threat in a very cheap body. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smuggler&#039;s Copter" href="#" target="_blank">Smuggler&#039;s Copter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Weatherlight" href="#" target="_blank">Weatherlight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> give us a much-needed way to dig for new cards. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mizzium Tank" href="#" target="_blank">Mizzium Tank</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful self-piloting Vehicle that grows even when we're developing a board state. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skysovereign, Consul Flagship" href="#" target="_blank">Skysovereign, Consul Flagship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful "titan-esque" threat that threatens to Bolt something every turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Plate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hammer of Nazahn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Champion&#039;s Helm"></div></div>
<p>Our Equipment suite is mainly there to protect our commander. Making sure our commander is always available to create tokens is crucial for our deck to run smoothly. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hammer of Nazahn" href="#" target="_blank">Hammer of Nazahn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great source of indestructibility that not only protects our commander but also makes future Equipment that much more effective. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Champion&#039;s Helm" href="#" target="_blank">Champion&#039;s Helm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swiftfoot Boots" href="#" target="_blank">Swiftfoot Boots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror Shield" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror Shield</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all help us dodge spot removal, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Plate" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Plate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shield of Kaldra" href="#" target="_blank">Shield of Kaldra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are both crucial pieces that let our commander avoid board wipes, just like our Vehicles do.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Valduk Vehicles" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards=""></span></div></p>
<p>[Commander]</p>
<p>*Valduk, Keeper of the Flame</p>
<p>[/Commander]</p>
<p>[Artifact]</p>
<p>*Bone Saw</p>
<p>*Everflowing Chalice</p>
<p>*Cliffhaven Kitesail<br />
*Commander's Plate<br />
*Consulate Dreadnought<br />
*Sai of the Shinobi<br />
*Shuko<br />
*Skullclamp<br />
*Sol Ring<br />
*Arcane Signet<br />
*Fellwar Stone<br />
*Funeral Longboat<br />
*Heart of Kiran<br />
*Lightning Greaves<br />
*Mind Stone<br />
*Mirror Shield<br />
*Sky Skiff<br />
*Smuggler's Copter<br />
*Swiftfoot Boots<br />
*Aethersphere Harvester<br />
*Champion's Helm<br />
*Cultivator's Caravan<br />
*Daredevil Dragster<br />
*Darksteel Plate<br />
*Mizzium Tank<br />
*Raiders' Karve<br />
*Renegade Freighter<br />
*Sword of Fire and Ice<br />
*Sword of Truth and Justice<br />
*Sword of War and Peace<br />
*Whispersilk Cloak<br />
*Bomat Bazaar Barge<br />
*Fleetwheel Cruiser<br />
*Hammer of Nazahn<br />
*Hedron Archive<br />
*Ovalchase Dragster<br />
*Shield of Kaldra<br />
*Thundering Chariot<br />
*Untethered Express<br />
*Weatherlight<br />
*Aradara Express<br />
*Ballista Charger<br />
*Forsaken Monument<br />
*Skysovereign, Consul Flagship<br />
*Demolition Stomper</p>
<p>[/Artifact]</p>
<p>[Creature]</p>
<p>*Brass Squire<br />
*Foundry Inspector<br />
*Thopter Engineer<br />
*Godo, Bandit Warlord</p>
<p>[/Creature]</p>
<p>[Enchantment]</p>
<p>*Epiphany Storm<br />
*Prophetic Ravings<br />
*Invasion Plans<br />
*Bedlam<br />
*Berserkers' Onslaught</p>
<p>[/Enchantment]</p>
<p>[Instant]</p>
<p>*Abrade<br />
*Price of Progress<br />
*Thrill of Possibility<br />
*Chaos Warp<br />
*Valakut Awakening</p>
<p>[/Instant]</p>
<p>[Sorcery]</p>
<p>*Faithless Looting<br />
*Vandalblast<br />
*Shatterskull Smashing<br />
*Seize the Spoils<br />
*Chain Reaction<br />
*Blasphemous Act</p>
<p>[/Sorcery]</p>
<p>[Land]</p>
<p>*Buried Ruin<br />
*Inventors' Fair<br />
*Ghost Quarter<br />
*Tectonic Edge<br />
*30 Mountain</p>
<p>[/Land]</p>
<p>[/Deck]</p>
<hr />
<p>Aside from the protection suite, we need to run a few more Equipment to give a bit more consistency to our commander. We're running some cheap options that are only there as a way to get more bodies on the field faster. Some, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sai of the Shinobi" href="#" target="_blank">Sai of the Shinobi</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cliffhaven Kitesail" href="#" target="_blank">Cliffhaven Kitesail</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are cheap Equipment that attach when they enter the battlefield, and there are others, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bone Saw" href="#" target="_blank">Bone Saw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shuko" href="#" target="_blank">Shuko</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, that are just cheap Equipment with a cheap Equip cost. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Epiphany Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Epiphany Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prophetic Ravings" href="#" target="_blank">Prophetic Ravings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are the only Auras in the deck, but they offer a very useful looting ability for our commander.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>For our opening hand, we're looking for one or two Vehicles to get things going. We can worry about having Equipment later as our Vehicle army grows.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smuggler&#039;s Copter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bomat Bazaar Barge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Consulate Dreadnought"></div></div>
<p>In the early game, we usually have two lines of play: aggressive, playing Vehicles first, or passive, playing mana rocks first. The first line is better when we have a tight curve for turns two, three, and four, which reduces the immediate need for extra mana from mana rocks. The passive line is where we're mostly trying to accelerate to one of our bigger Vehicles, or we're just fishing and betting on a more explosive turn. Sometimes it's efficient because we get to play our commander on curve and then an expensive Equipment plus its Equip cost.</p>
<p>By the mid game, we should have a few Vehicles out and should always be looking to hit someone with our creatures. At this point it starts to show the importance of finding one of our indestructible Equipment because losing our commander is a huge hit in our tempo. This is where we risk running out of steam, but if we can protect our commander, we can reach the point that just our tokens alone are a significant threat.</p>
<p>In the late game, random <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vandalblast" href="#" target="_blank">Vandalblast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s aside, we can dish out some consistent damage. One area we're lacking is big haymakers - between Equipment and Vehicles, finding deck slots without compromising is a hard task - but lucky for us, with the right amount of support, our commander can help us grind through longer games, because we're now attacking on three different axes, so one of them is bound to burst through.</p>
<hr />
<h1>Epic Results</h1>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Purphoros, God of the Forge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghirapur Aether Grid"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Welder"></div></div>
<p>The good thing about our commander is that there are plenty of ways to take advantage of his tokens. Investing in non-combat-related ones, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warstorm Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Warstorm Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is a good way to help us chip down our opponents, relieving some of the pressure on our Vehicles.</p>
<p>With almost half of our deck as artifacts, there's a lot in the payoff department that we can use. Some recursion, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Welder" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Welder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, can go a long way to help us fight against removal, while cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghirapur Aether Grid" href="#" target="_blank">Ghirapur Aether Grid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reckless Fireweaver" href="#" target="_blank">Reckless Fireweaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are more thematic ways to chip our opponents.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think about this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Valduk Vehicles

Deep Analysis - Tokens

Epic Experiment - Extus, Oriq Overlord

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rankle, Master of Pranks" href="#" target="_blank">Rankle, Master of Pranks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/burmak">Dmitry Burmak</a>)</h6>
<h1>Unlimited Power</h1>
<p>Did you know that EDHREC has an <a href="https://edhwiki.com/wiki/Main_Page">EDH Wiki</a>? Go check it out, if you haven’t already; it’s written by the community for the community, and there’s a lot of cool stuff in there! <em>Deep Analysis</em> is series where we learn about an archetype using its Wiki page, then apply this new knowledge to build a deck.</p>
<p>In this article we'll be covering the Discard archetype.</p>
<blockquote>
<h4>"Discard is a control archetype built around forcing opponents to discard cards from their hand, often gaining additional benefits when opponents discard cards and/or when opponents have no cards in hand."</h4>
</blockquote>
<p>Discard is a proactive control archetype, which means that it deals with threats before they hit the field. Usually, when we think about discard spells, we think of cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thoughtseize" href="#" target="_blank">Thoughtseize</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. However, having one-for-one trades like this both lacks an overall punch for most of our payoffs and is extremely inefficient when in a multiplayer setting. This means that we need both constant sources of discard, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necrogen Mists" href="#" target="_blank">Necrogen Mists</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and/or high impact, one-shot discard spells, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mind Rake" href="#" target="_blank">Mind Rake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Color Identity</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Mono-Black</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tinybones, Trinket Thief"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tergrid, God of Fright"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rankle, Master of Pranks"></div></div>
<p>Mono-black is the baseline for Discard-themed decks. It contains all the important pieces and has some interesting commanders to choose from.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Rakdos</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kroxa, Titan of Death&#039;s Hunger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Neheb, the Worthy"></div></div>
<p>Red is a great addition to the archetype. It gives us access to wheel effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reforge the Soul" href="#" target="_blank">Reforge the Soul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and we can complement our strategy with some aggressive hate pieces that allow will allow us to keep constant pressure on our opponents.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Orzhov</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kunoros, Hound of Athreos"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liesa, Shroud of Dusk"></div></div>
<p>Orzhov is a bit of an oddball for the strategy, but white gives us access to tax effects can slow down the game enough to buy us enough time for our discard effects to kick in. We do lose a lot in commander quality, with most of our choices being more of a compromise than anything else.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Commander Choice</h2>
<p>Our first major choice is whether we want an enabler or a payoff to be in the command zone. Having an enabler as a commander guarantees a degree of consistency in executing our plan and allows us to focus a bit more on the payoff elements of our strategy. On the other hand, having a payoff in the command zone is really powerful and, more often than not, can be something to build our deck around, which is always fun. In this case in particular, consistency seems like a key aspect for our strategy, so having a reliable commander, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rankle, Master of Pranks" href="#" target="_blank">Rankle, Master of Pranks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, seems like a perfect choice for this.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Rankle Discard" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards=""></span></div></p>
<p>[Commander]</p>
<p>*Rankle, Master of Pranks</p>
<p>[/Commander]</p>
<p>[Creature]</p>
<p>*Bloodsoaked Champion<br />
*Gutterbones<br />
*Bloodghast<br />
*Burglar Rat<br />
*Elderfang Disciple<br />
*Elvish Doomsayer<br />
*Miasmic Mummy<br />
*Nether Traitor<br />
*Rotting Rats<br />
*Skyclave Shade<br />
*Tinybones, Trinket Thief<br />
*Demon's Disciple<br />
*Haakon, Stromgald Scourge<br />
*Liliana, Heretical Healer<br />
*Murderous Rider<br />
*Plaguecrafter<br />
*Fell Specter<br />
*Sadistic Hypnotist<br />
*Scourge of Nel Toth<br />
[/Creature]</p>
<p>[Enchantment]</p>
<p>*Phyrexian Reclamation</p>
<p>*Quest for the Nihil Stone<br />
*Shrieking Affliction<br />
*Animate Dead<br />
*Liliana's Caress<br />
*Waste Not<br />
*Bottomless Pit<br />
*Megrim<br />
*Necrogen Mists<br />
*Oppression<br />
*Words of Waste<br />
*Raiders' Wake<br />
*Larceny<br />
*Painful Quandary<br />
[/Enchantment]</p>
<p>[Instant]</p>
<p>*Heartless Act</p>
<p>[/Instant]</p>
<p>[Planeswalker]</p>
<p>*Liliana of the Veil<br />
*Ugin, the Ineffable<br />
*Ugin, the Spirit Dragon</p>
<p>[/Planeswalker]</p>
<p>[Artifact]</p>
<p>*Everflowing Chalice<br />
*Skullclamp<br />
*Sol Ring<br />
*The Rack<br />
*Wayfarer's Bauble</p>
<p>*Guardian Idol</p>
<p>*Jet Medallion<br />
*Lightning Greaves<br />
*Mind Stone<br />
*Swiftfoot Boots<br />
*Darksteel Plate<br />
*Phyrexian Totem<br />
*Wheel of Torture<br />
*Geth's Grimoire<br />
*Hedron Archive</p>
<p>[/Artifact]</p>
<p>[Sorcery]</p>
<p>*Reanimate<br />
*Feed the Swarm<br />
*Smallpox<br />
*Dead of Winter<br />
*Mind Rake<br />
*Toxic Deluge<br />
*Damnation<br />
*Syphon Mind<br />
*Command the Dreadhorde<br />
*Tasigur's Cruelty<br />
[/Sorcery]</p>
<p>[Land]</p>
<p>*Cabal Coffers<br />
*Castle Locthwain<br />
*Faceless Haven<br />
*Ghost Quarter<br />
*Mutavault<br />
*Tectonic Edge<br />
*Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth</p>
<p>*30 Snow-Covered Swamp</p>
<p>[/Land]</p>
<p>[/Deck]</p>

<hr />
<h2>Discard</h2>
<p>This is what our deck is all about. We have two types of discard cards: consistent, and one-shot.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Consistent</h3>
<p>These are great for keeping our opponents' options low, but unless we have a few of them out, they can be a bit too slow to really make a difference.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Larceny"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bottomless Pit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oppression"></div></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sadistic Hypnotist" href="#" target="_blank">Sadistic Hypnotist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bottomless Pit" href="#" target="_blank">Bottomless Pit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Larceny" href="#" target="_blank">Larceny</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necrogen Mists" href="#" target="_blank">Necrogen Mists</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oppression" href="#" target="_blank">Oppression</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painful Quandary" href="#" target="_blank">Painful Quandary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Raiders&#039; Wake" href="#" target="_blank">Raiders&#039; Wake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Words of Waste" href="#" target="_blank">Words of Waste</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana of the Veil" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana of the Veil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">One-Shot</h3>
<p>One-shot effects are perfect to get the ball rolling, and they come in all shapes and forms. In this build, we're focusing on bodies that have a discard effect stapled into them. They aren't all that explosive, but they do help us provide some synergy with other cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Burglar Rat"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smallpox"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tasigur&#039;s Cruelty"></div></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burglar Rat" href="#" target="_blank">Burglar Rat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elderfang Disciple" href="#" target="_blank">Elderfang Disciple</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Doomsayer" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Doomsayer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Miasmic Mummy" href="#" target="_blank">Miasmic Mummy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rotting Rats" href="#" target="_blank">Rotting Rats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mind Rake" href="#" target="_blank">Mind Rake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smallpox" href="#" target="_blank">Smallpox</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syphon Mind" href="#" target="_blank">Syphon Mind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tasigur&#039;s Cruelty" href="#" target="_blank">Tasigur&#039;s Cruelty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2>Discard Payoff</h2>
<p>Aside from the obvious benefit of leaving our opponents <em>Hellbent</em>, we have a selection of aggressive payoffs that put the pressure on our opponents once we've established our hand disruption.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Act of Discard</h3>
<p>These cards punish our opponents for discarding their cards. They're not only great for our own discard effects, but also because they can hose some other strategies, like Wheels and <em>Cycling</em>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geth&#039;s Grimoire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liliana&#039;s Caress"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Waste Not"></div></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geth&#039;s Grimoire" href="#" target="_blank">Geth&#039;s Grimoire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fell Specter" href="#" target="_blank">Fell Specter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tinybones, Trinket Thief" href="#" target="_blank">Tinybones, Trinket Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana&#039;s Caress" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana&#039;s Caress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Megrim" href="#" target="_blank">Megrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Raiders&#039; Wake" href="#" target="_blank">Raiders&#039; Wake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Waste Not" href="#" target="_blank">Waste Not</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Empty Hand Payoff</h3>
<p>These cards help us keep the pressure once we manage to lower our opponents' hand sizes. These effects are usually a bit lacking, but since we have an aggressive shell, they complement our gameplan.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Rack"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quest for the Nihil Stone"></div></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Rack" href="#" target="_blank">The Rack</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wheel of Torture" href="#" target="_blank">Wheel of Torture</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quest for the Nihil Stone" href="#" target="_blank">Quest for the Nihil Stone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shrieking Affliction" href="#" target="_blank">Shrieking Affliction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2>Recursive Creatures</h2>
<p>This is where our build diverges a bit from the usual. There are many sources of discard that are symmetrical, like our commander, so by having a bunch of aggressive recursive creatures allows us to break the parity and get some value from our discards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bloodghast"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bloodsoaked Champion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nether Traitor"></div></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodghast" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodghast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodsoaked Champion" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodsoaked Champion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gutterbones" href="#" target="_blank">Gutterbones</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Haakon, Stromgald Scourge" href="#" target="_blank">Haakon, Stromgald Scourge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nether Traitor" href="#" target="_blank">Nether Traitor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scourge of Nel Toth" href="#" target="_blank">Scourge of Nel Toth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skyclave Shade" href="#" target="_blank">Skyclave Shade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<blockquote>
<h4>"If discard decks do not find 'payoff' cards that synergize or deal damage to their enemies after cards have been discarded, the lack of cards in players' hands can stall the game in a way that is not usually enjoyed by most players.</h4>
<h4>"It is very easy for graveyard-based commanders to avoid the negative downsides of discard effects, as discard players may accidentally provide those players with the fuel their decks need to win the game.</h4>
<h4>"Discard decks can be less effective against aggro strategies that already plan to quickly play all the cards in their hand in the first place, leaving them with little to discard. Because so many cards in discard decks affect players' hands, rather than the battlefield, this can leave the discard player vulnerable to on-board threats."</h4>
</blockquote>
<p>Given that we are building a synergy-based deck, where we need to find both enablers and payoff, there'll be games where we might only draw "one half" of our deck. I chose to have access to a consistent discard outlet in the command zone. However, this can lead to games where we don't see enough payoffs for this to be worthwhile. One easy way to circumvent this would be choosing a payoff commander (such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tinybones, Trinket Thief" href="#" target="_blank">Tinybones, Trinket Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) who does not cause the discard itself, but which does reward us when we cause discard to happen.</p>
<p>This is one of our deck's weakness: both Reanimator and Self-Mill can leverage our discard spells. One easy way to avoid such nuisances is to include a few graveyard hate cards. Don't get me wrong, they'll still be a hard match-up, but at least they give us a fighting chance.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reanimate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bojuka Bog"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Soul-Guide Lantern"></div></div>
<p>One of the benefits of taking in an aggressive route is that we have plenty of bodies and damage to try to compete with them. One thing to note is that we won't be winning any friends by playing a discard-heavy strategy, so we'll need to deal with them on our own.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Which Card? Discard</h2>
<p>And that’s it for this article. Now I want to hear from you! Share your thoughts on this list or on Discard-based decks in general. What archetype do you want to see covered next?</p>
<p>While this series will focus on just archetypes, <a href="https://edhwiki.com/wiki/Main_Page">there’s a ton of other cool community-built content in the Wiki</a>. Check it out, and feel free to contribute, if you’d like!</p>


Deep Analysis - Discard

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lathril, Blade of the Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Lathril, Blade of the Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/carolinegariba">Caroline Gariba</a>)</h6>
<h1></h1>
<h1>Epic Preparation</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo Melibeu, and this is <em>Epic Experiment</em>, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.</p>
<p>For this article, we'll be taking a look at one of the two commanders from the <em>Kaldheim</em> Commander product: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lathril, Blade of the Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Lathril, Blade of the Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lathril, Blade of the Elves"></div></div>
<p><strong>Menace</strong></p>
<p><strong>Whenever Lathril, Blade of the Elves deals combat damage to a player, create that many 1/1 green Elf Warrior creature tokens.</strong></p>
<p><strong>{T}, Tap ten untapped Elves you control: Each opponent loses 10 life and you gain 10 life.</strong></p>
<p>Observation 1</p>
<p>Lathril is a powerful Elf commander. It has a bunch of powerful synergies that get out of hand fast if left unchecked.</p>
<p>Observation 2</p>
<p>Lathril has two strong abilities. The first is a powerful token-making ability that can go completely crazy with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alpha Status" href="#" target="_blank">Alpha Status</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coat of Arms" href="#" target="_blank">Coat of Arms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The second is a big life drain effect that is a great source of reach for the archetype as a whole.</p>
<p>Observation 3</p>
<p>The first ability, while strong, offers a bit of a challenge. In order for it to be effective, we need to build around it, which makes the Elfball-style list a bit less consistent.</p>
<p>Observation 4</p>
<p>The second ability is easier to integrate into standard Elfball strategies. It's very easy to turn Lathril's activated ability into a combo finisher; cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seedborn Muse" href="#" target="_blank">Seedborn Muse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quest for Renewal" href="#" target="_blank">Quest for Renewal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can single-handedly finish a table.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Lathril-Sig.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-63610" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Lathril-Sig-1024x519.png" alt="" width="616" height="312" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Lathril-Sig-1024x519.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Lathril-Sig-300x152.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Lathril-Sig-768x389.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Lathril-Sig.png 1229w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 616px) 100vw, 616px" /></a></p>
<p>It's no surprise that most lists out there are tribal-focused. Lathril is an exciting commander with plenty of room to work with.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fireshrieker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gaea&#039;s Embrace"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rime Transfusion"></div></div>
<p>Both Lathril's kit and the Elf archetype want the same thing: to swarm our board with cheap creatures and to eventually use them to leverage a win, either by play big haymakers like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or by using effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shaman of The Pack" href="#" target="_blank">Shaman of The Pack</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. While this gameplan usually involves playing creatures cards, Lathril provides an alternative: beating our opponents to make our army. By investing in this beatdown path, not only do we get the obvious Voltron win condition, we also get two secondary win conditions: token beatdown and life drain. Usually in Voltron, there are three key elements that we need to balance: Power, Evasion, and Protection. We lack all those elements, which means that our Voltron suite needs to be as versatile as possible in order to cover more ground as quick as possible.</p>
<p>Most of our cards grant power since it's the stat that our commander most cares about, but there are a few that are specifically here for it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grafted Wargear" href="#" target="_blank">Grafted Wargear</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rosethorn Halberd" href="#" target="_blank">Rosethorn Halberd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> work pretty similarly, they're both cheap spikes in power that can be Equipped for free. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fireshrieker" href="#" target="_blank">Fireshrieker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inquisitor&#039;s Flail" href="#" target="_blank">Inquisitor&#039;s Flail</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are some of the most effective ways to pump our commander, while in most cases they work the same way, there are a few instances where having first strike damage makes all the difference, such as with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alpha Status" href="#" target="_blank">Alpha Status</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coat of Arms" href="#" target="_blank">Coat of Arms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fallen Ideal" href="#" target="_blank">Fallen Ideal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great top deck later on when it can act as a combo finisher or even as a source of grind.</p>
<p>Evasion is also crucial for our commander; after all we need to connect to get our Elves. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Haunted Cloak" href="#" target="_blank">Haunted Cloak</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Vengeance" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Vengeance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> give us a bunch of keywords, but most importantly they give Lathril trample. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demonic Embrace" href="#" target="_blank">Demonic Embrace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful Aura that not only is very cost-effective, granting three power and flying for three mana, but it can be played from the graveyard. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rune of Might" href="#" target="_blank">Rune of Might</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a cool new addition: two mana for one extra power and trample that even cantrips; it's also a bit safer than the average Aura because it can target a Equipment piece instead of Lathril</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Champion&#039;s Helm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Commander&#039;s Plate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spider Umbra"></div></div>
<p>Since we plan on having our commander stick around, protection is a must-have. One thing to note is that, out of those three elements, this one scales the best in multiples. Sure, we need a lot of Power to knock people out and make our tokens, but there are a few damage threshold (like 7/11/21 power) that limit our clock. But when we get to mix indestructible, hexproof, <em>Totem Armor</em>, and <em>Regenerate</em>, it gets exponentially harder to remove our commander. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Champion&#039;s Helm" href="#" target="_blank">Champion&#039;s Helm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swiftfoot Boots" href="#" target="_blank">Swiftfoot Boots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alpha Authority" href="#" target="_blank">Alpha Authority</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Canopy Cover" href="#" target="_blank">Canopy Cover</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all give hexproof, which is usually step one into getting our commander to stick around. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Commander&#039;s Plate" href="#" target="_blank">Commander&#039;s Plate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Fire and Ice" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Fire and Ice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Truth and Justice" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Truth and Justice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> give us protection against white, blue, and red (having protection from either of our colors is a bit dangerous because we risk losing our Auras).</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Lathril Voltron" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Lathril, Blade of the Elves
[/Commander]
[Artifact]
*Cliffhaven Kitesail
*Commander&#039;s Plate
*Rosethorn Halberd
*Shadowspear
*Sol Ring
*Inquisitor&#039;s Flail
*Swiftfoot Boots
*Champion&#039;s Helm
*Fireshrieker
*Grafted Wargear
*Haunted Cloak
*Sword of Fire and Ice
*Sword of Truth and Justice
*Sword of Vengeance
*Hammer of Nazahn
*Coat of Arms
[/Artifact]
[Creature]
*Birchlore Rangers
*Boreal Druid
*Elves of Deep Shadow
*Elvish Mystic
*Fyndhorn Elves
*Heritage Druid
*Llanowar Elves
*Devoted Druid
*Incubation Druid
*Priest of Titania
*Elvish Archdruid
*Ezuri, Renegade Leader
*Timberwatch Elf
*Toski, Bearer of Secrets
*Seedborn Muse
*Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
*Regal Force
*Craterhoof Behemoth
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*Concordant Crossroads
*Rancor
*Spider Umbra
*Alpha Authority
*Canopy Cover
*Rime Transfusion
*Rune of Might
*Alpha Status
*Beastmaster Ascension
*Demonic Embrace
*Fallen Ideal
*Snake Umbra
*Vow of Malice
*Vow of Wildness
*Bear Umbra
*Gaea&#039;s Embrace
*Gift of Doom
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Summoner&#039;s Pact
*Malakir Rebirth
*Nature&#039;s Claim
*Assassin&#039;s Trophy
*Chord of Calling
*Hero&#039;s Downfall
*Khalni Ambush
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*Agadeem&#039;s Awakening
*Bala Ged Recovery
*Toxic Deluge
*Damnation
*Natural Order
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Blooming Marsh
*City of Brass
*Command Tower
*Darkbore Pathway
*Llanowar Wastes
*Mana Confluence
*Overgrown Tomb
*Temple of Malady
*Twilight Mire
*Undergrowth Stadium
*Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*Woodland Cemetery
*17 Snow-Covered Forest
*7 Snow-Covered Swamp
[/Land]"></span></div></p>

<hr />
<p>We have an array of silver bullets (and a tutor suite to fetch them) that can support us in all sorts of board states. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great at finishing off one or two players in a single attack, and the extra tokens that we get are also pretty nice if the game goes on longer. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ezuri, Renegade Leader" href="#" target="_blank">Ezuri, Renegade Leader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great grinding finisher, providing a solid source of protection and a constant anthem effect that, if left unchecked, can take over the game. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seedborn Muse" href="#" target="_blank">Seedborn Muse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is really powerful; in fact, once we get enough creatures to activate Lathril, it's basically one kill per turn cycle! Finally, there's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a secondary Voltron threat that's always nice to have, and the fact that it has built-in haste helps out a lot.</p>
<p>We are packing an Elfball mana package for two reasons: we need the extra mana to play our commander, which is quite expensive for a Voltron commander, and our Equipment; and the fact that our commander appreciates the extra Elves in play. Most of our one-mana dorks are the usual <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Llanowar Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Llanowar Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> variant, with the exception of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Birchlore Rangers" href="#" target="_blank">Birchlore Rangers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heritage Druid" href="#" target="_blank">Heritage Druid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which are, quite frankly, crazy mid-game mana sources that, unlike <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Archdruid" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Archdruid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Priest of Titania" href="#" target="_blank">Priest of Titania</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, don't need to wait a full turn cycle for us to get their value's worth.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>For opening hands, we're mostly looking for an early mana piece and a few Voltron pieces; we should prioritize either evasion or protection.</p>
<p>In the early game, our priorities are to develop our mana and prepare our board for our commander. Having a four-mana commander is a bit awkward with all of our one-mana acceleration, but we can use downtime to put some Equipment into play. Once Lathril is in play, we need to look for a target to focus on. That choice might be one of convenience, like choosing the player that's open, but we need to make sure that we find the right target.</p>
<p>By the mid-game, we should have our gameplan going. Our tokens can put a lot of work at this point in the game, and they help us mitigate some of that classic Voltron problem of being only able to deal with one opponent at a time. While they probably won't eliminate someone from the game, if we lower their life low enough we might not even need to do the full 21 points of commander damage later on.</p>
<p>Our late game isn't all that exciting, to be honest. However, we do have a few aces in our sleeves, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toski, Bearer of Secrets" href="#" target="_blank">Toski, Bearer of Secrets</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, that can help us grind out the last part of the game. Hopefully, by this point we should have eliminated a player or two, so we only need to care about one opponent.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Enchantress&#039;s Presence"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancestral Mask"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quest For Renewal"></div></div>
<p>Card draw is a bit lacking so going for a more enchantress-focused build might be something worth looking into. We also get the benefit of having some dedicated pay-off cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancestral Mask" href="#" target="_blank">Ancestral Mask</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Investing a bit more on the tap ability might be a way to cover some of our deck's weakness, but it might also make it a bit less consistent. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quest for Renewal" href="#" target="_blank">Quest for Renewal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or even common token-doublers like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Parallel Lives" href="#" target="_blank">Parallel Lives</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can make our Plan B that much more efficient.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think about this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Lathril Voltron

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Varina, Lich Queen" href="#" target="_blank">Varina, Lich Queen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/igorkieryluk">Igor Kieryluk</a>)</h6>
<h1>Unlimited Power</h1>
<p>Did you know that EDHREC has an <a href="https://edhwiki.com/wiki/Main_Page">EDH Wiki</a>? Go check it out, if you haven’t already; it’s written by the community <em>for </em>the community, and there’s a lot of cool stuff in there! <em>Deep Analysis</em> is series where we learn about an archetype using its Wiki page, then apply this new knowledge to build a deck.</p>
<p>In this article we'll be covering the Self-Mill archetype.</p>
<h4>"Self-mill is a strategy that focuses on placing as much of one’s own library into the graveyard as quickly as possible, most commonly for the purposes of using cards in that graveyard for additional resources, <a href="https://edhwiki.com/wiki/Recursion">recursion</a>, and/or <a href="https://edhwiki.com/wiki/Reanimator">reanimation</a>."</h4>
<p>Self-Mill is a flexible archetype because, while the name describes our general gameplan, it doesn't really tell us what we're doing with it. The most common types of Self-Mill decks are either Spellslinger-based or creature-based; both of these have similar patterns, but their payoffs are different.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Color Identity</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Dimir</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lazav, the Multifarious"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Taigam, Sidisi&#039;s Hand"></div></div>
<p>Dimir is the core color combination for Self-Mill. Blue offers plenty of enablers, while black provides both enablers and payoffs.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Golgari</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Izoni, Thousand-Eyed"></div></div>
<p>Golgari loves building up a graveyard for their usual shenanigans. Green works very similar to black, providing a solid combination of enablers and payoffs, which makes the color combination work. It's important to note that this color combination somewhat locks decks leaning towards this archetype into being more creature-centric.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Sultai</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sidisi, Brood Tyrant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Muldrotha, the Gravetide"></div></div>
<p>Sultai has all the Golgari/Dimir goodies, coupled with some of the most powerful commanders out there. One nice thing about this color combination's commander pool is how they tend to be build-enabling, making each deck unique.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Grixis</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kess, Dissident Mage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sedris, the Traitor King"></div></div>
<p>Grixis is an undervalued color combination for this, even though it has <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kess, Dissident Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Kess, Dissident Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is a very popular commander for the strategy. The addition of red to Dimir makes the archetype that much more explosive, and having more wheel and discards effects really smooths out the early/ mid-game.</p>
<hr />
<h2>An Example Deck</h2>
<p>There are plenty of different directions that we can take. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Varina, Lich Queen" href="#" target="_blank">Varina, Lich Queen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for example, is a great commander for a Self-Mill strategy: she's in a good color combination and she supports Zombies, a tribe that really benefits from the archetype. However, even though she's a great tribal commander, I tend to enjoy playing her more in control shells (I even <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/epic-experiment-varina-control/">wrote an article</a> about her a couple years back). Varina is a great mana sink that allows us to play an effective reactive game where we eventually start creating Zombie tokens that can be used to dig through our deck, fueling Varina even more, gain life, and establish a prominent board state.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Self-Mill Varina" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Varina, Lich Queen
[/Commander]
[Artifact]
*Codex Shredder
*Sol Ring
*Wand of Vertebrae
*Arcane Signet
*Fellwar Stone
*Mesmeric Orb
*Perpetual Timepiece
*Talisman of Dominance
*Talisman of Hierarchy
*Talisman of Progress
*Skyclave Relic
[/Artifact]
[Creature]
*Stitcher&#039;s Supplier
*Mire Triton
*Screeching Skaab
*Armored Skaab
*Hullbreacher
*Egon, God of Death
*Notion Thief
*Risen Executioner
*Wonder
*Narfi, Betrayer King
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*Training Grounds
*Court of Cunning
*Anointed Procession
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Mental Note
*Opt
*Path to Exile
*Stubborn Denial
*Swords to Plowshares
*Thought Scour
*Arcane Denial
*Counterspell
*Cyclonic Rift
*Despark
*Disdainful Stroke
*Dovin&#039;s Veto
*Heartless Act
*Heliod&#039;s Intervention
*Mission Briefing
*Anguished Unmaking
*Frantic Search
*Empty the Pits
*Fact or Fiction
* Commit // Memory
*Dig Through Time
[/Instant]
[Planeswalker]
*Narset, Parter of Veils
[/Planeswalker]
[Sorcery]
*Preordain
*Serum Visions
*Discovery // Dispersal
*Day&#039;s Undoing
*Bond of Insight
*Day of Judgment
*Deep Analysis
*Dread Return
*Wrath of God
*Final Parting
*From Under the Floorboards
*Unburial Rites
*Echo of Eons
*Merciless Eviction
*Treasure Cruise
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Adarkar Wastes
*Arcane Sanctum
*City of Brass
*Clearwater Pathway
*Command Tower
*Drowned Catacomb
*Exotic Orchard
*Fabled Passage
*Fetid Pools
*Ghost Quarter
*Glacial Fortress
*Godless Shrine
*Hallowed Fountain
*Irrigated Farmland
*Mana Confluence
*Morphic Pool
*Prismatic Vista
*Sea of Clouds
*Tectonic Edge
*Underground River
*Watery Grave
*Westvale Abbey
*8 Snow-Covered Island
*4 Snow-Covered Plains
*4 Snow-Covered Swamp
[/Land]"></span></div></p>
<hr />
<h3>Self-Mill</h3>
<p>These cards are our enablers; they feed Varina and allow us to do play some nice payoffs. There are basically two types: consistent and one-shot.</p>
<p><strong>Consistent Self-Mill</strong></p>
<p>These are slower sources of Mill; their value lies in either providing constant value or having some secondary effect also attached to itself, or both.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Codex Shredder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mesmeric Orb"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Court of Cunning"></div></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Codex Shredder" href="#" target="_blank">Codex Shredder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mesmeric Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Mesmeric Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wand of Vertebrae" href="#" target="_blank">Wand of Vertebrae</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Egon, God of Death" href="#" target="_blank">Egon, God of Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Perpetual Timepiece" href="#" target="_blank">Perpetual Timepiece</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Court of Cunning" href="#" target="_blank">Court of Cunning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>One-Shot Self-Mill</strong></p>
<p>One-shot effects are great for setting us up in the earlier portions of the game. After that, their value rapidly diminishes because we can fuel our graveyard just by playing cards. Plus, the consistent sources can also keep a constant flow of cards. One thing to notice is that they're all Zombies, which interacts pretty well with our commander.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Armored Skaab" href="#" target="_blank">Armored Skaab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mire Triton" href="#" target="_blank">Mire Triton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Screeching Skaab" href="#" target="_blank">Screeching Skaab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stitcher&#039;s Supplier" href="#" target="_blank">Stitcher&#039;s Supplier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h3>Self-Mill Payoff</h3>
<p>We run low on payoffs, but it's a more of a conscious choice than a lack of options. It's pretty easy to find them with all the Milling going around, so, by putting fewer in, we have a more consistent deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Narfi, Betrayer King"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wonder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Empty the Pits"></div></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Narfi, Betrayer King" href="#" target="_blank">Narfi, Betrayer King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wonder" href="#" target="_blank">Wonder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Empty the Pits" href="#" target="_blank">Empty the Pits</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dread Return" href="#" target="_blank">Dread Return</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unburial Rites" href="#" target="_blank">Unburial Rites</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h3>Thieves Combo</h3>
<p>The thieves combo is the combination of a "thief" effect, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Notion Thief" href="#" target="_blank">Notion Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and a wheel effect. This combo is great because we can have access to both parts of it in our graveyard, and they help us control our opponents by denying them cards. Now, it's important to recognize that some wheel effects reset our graveyard, which might be seen as counterproductive, because it undoes all the self-mill work we've done. However, I think we should look at this as an opportunity, since filling the graveyard is what helps us find this combo in the first place, and after all, we'll have to discard lots of cards right back into the graveyard afterward!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Notion Thief"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Echo of Eons"></div></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hullbreacher" href="#" target="_blank">Hullbreacher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Notion Thief" href="#" target="_blank">Notion Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Narset, Parter of Veils" href="#" target="_blank">Narset, Parter of Veils</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Commit // Memory" href="#" target="_blank">Commit // Memory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Echo of Eons" href="#" target="_blank">Echo of Eons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Day&#039;s Undoing" href="#" target="_blank">Day&#039;s Undoing</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p>Now let’s go check what we should be looking out for when playing with a Self-Mill deck.</p>
<h4>"Self-mill decks are exceptionally vulnerable to effects that exile cards from graveyards, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Relic of Progenitus" href="#" target="_blank">Relic of Progenitus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Such effects can wholly undo an entire game's worth of work from a self-mill deck and significantly hamper their strategy by eliminating an enormous pool of card advantage.</h4>
<h4>Self-mill decks that focus on eliminating their entire library run the risk of losing the game when they attempt to draw a card from an empty library if they do not locate a game-winning card such as Laboratory Maniac. This can make the self-mill deck hyper-reliant on a few key cards, which allows opponents to vastly incapacitate their strategy if those linchpin cards are removed."</h4>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Laboratory Maniac"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Relic of Progenitus"></div></div>
<p>Graveyard hate is something that we should always worry about; some of our most effective pieces of our gameplan consist on using them either to fuel Varina or to cast spells from the graveyard. However, there's one silver lining: our commander is a powerful engine that can help us recover from bad situations, although we often need a little push to get started, and she offers a clear line of play that isn't as reliant on the graveyard.</p>
<p>Decking out is certainly something that we should worry about in longer games. We do have some three different <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timetwister" href="#" target="_blank">Timetwister</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects, and they do help us, but it's still dangerous.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sidisi, Brood Tyrant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kess, Dissident Mage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lazav, the Multifarious"></div></div>
<p>If you like making Zombie tokens but aren't particularly fond of the control shell above, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sidisi, Brood Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Sidisi, Brood Tyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great commander that has a somewhat similar kit.</p>
<p>If the spellslinger/control aspects are more your thing, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kess, Dissident Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Kess, Dissident Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerhouse option.</p>
<p>If you want something <em>very</em> different, but which still retains the above deck's flexibility, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lazav, the Multifarious" href="#" target="_blank">Lazav, the Multifarious</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a toolbox commander you may enjoy.</p>
<hr />
<div>
<h2>Commander-Specific and Color-Specific Cards</h2>
<p>If you do decide to give self-mill a try, but don't know which cards in the list above are strictly there for self-mill or just for that commander, I've compiled some parting lists to help sort it out!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anointed Procession"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Training Grounds"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fragmentize"></div></div>
</div>
<p>Commander-Specific cards</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anointed Procession" href="#" target="_blank">Anointed Procession</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Training Grounds" href="#" target="_blank">Training Grounds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="From Under the Floorboards" href="#" target="_blank">From Under the Floorboards</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li>(Both Zombie lords are kind of reliant on having the Zombie tokens)</li>
</ul>
<p>Color-Specific cards: White</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Talisman of Hierarchy" href="#" target="_blank">Talisman of Hierarchy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Talisman of Progress" href="#" target="_blank">Talisman of Progress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anointed Procession" href="#" target="_blank">Anointed Procession</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anguished Unmaking" href="#" target="_blank">Anguished Unmaking</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Despark" href="#" target="_blank">Despark</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dovin&#039;s Veto" href="#" target="_blank">Dovin&#039;s Veto</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Path to Exile" href="#" target="_blank">Path to Exile</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Day of Judgment" href="#" target="_blank">Day of Judgment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fragmentize" href="#" target="_blank">Fragmentize</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Merciless Eviction" href="#" target="_blank">Merciless Eviction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unburial Rites" href="#" target="_blank">Unburial Rites</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p>And that’s it for this article. Now I want to hear from you! Share your thoughts on this list or on Self-Mill based decks in general. What archetype do you want to see covered next?</p>
<p>While this series will focus on just archetypes, <a href="https://edhwiki.com/wiki/Main_Page">there’s a ton of other cool community-built content in the Wiki</a>. Check it out, and feel free to contribute, if you’d like!</p>


Deep Analysis - Self-Mill

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esika, God of the Tree" href="#" target="_blank">Esika, God of the Tree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/algenpfleger">Johannes Voss</a>)</h6>

<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo Melibeu, and this is <em>Epic Experiment</em>, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.</p>
<p>This week, we'll start exploring <em>Kaldheim</em> with what's probably one of the most powerful commanders recently released. It's part creature, part enchantment, 100% bomb. Yes, it's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esika, God of the Tree" href="#" target="_blank">Esika, God of the Tree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/esika.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-62708" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/esika.jpg" alt="" width="243" height="339" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/esika.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/esika-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 243px) 100vw, 243px" /></a> <a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prismatic-bridge.jpg"> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-62709" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prismatic-bridge.jpg" alt="" width="244" height="339" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prismatic-bridge.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prismatic-bridge-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 244px) 100vw, 244px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Esika, God of the Tree</strong></p>
<p><strong>Vigilance</strong></p>
<p><strong>{T}: Add one mana of any color.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Other legendary creatures you control have vigilance and “{T}: Add one mana of any color.”</strong></p>
<p><strong>The Prismatic Bridge</strong></p>
<p><strong>At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature or planeswalker card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.</strong></p>
<p>Observation 1:</p>
<p>Esika has tough competition on her front side; both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kethis, the Hidden Hand" href="#" target="_blank">Kethis, the Hidden Hand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sisay, Weatherlight Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Sisay, Weatherlight Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> offer a better support for the 'legendary matters' archetype. However, the versatility of having two forms can't be underestimated.</p>
<p>Observation 2:</p>
<p>The enchantment is quite strong. In fact, it's probably the main reason one should consider running Esika as a commander.</p>
<p>Observation 3:</p>
<p>The combination of the creature side plus the enchantment side is really powerful in a deck dedicated to playing haymakers, as both halves can help the gameplan in their own way.</p>
<p>Observation 4:</p>
<p>Cheating creatures or planeswalkers into play can be used in plenty of different ways, from getting big haymakers to a more combo-focused approach.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-62299" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig-1024x510.png" alt="" width="1024" height="510" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig-1024x510.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig-300x150.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig-768x383.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig.png 1224w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p>As we can see, Esika is often used as the head of a God tribal, which makes sense, in a way, since Gods tend to be quite good. This seems more like a thematic choice than one based on power, though.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stuffy Doll"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brash Taunter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spiteful Sliver"></div></div>
<p>Like in my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Illuna, Apex of Wishes" href="#" target="_blank">Illuna, Apex of Wishes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/epic-experiment-illuda-storm/">article</a>, the challenge of building around The Prismatic Bridge is to find out what we're trying to cheat into play. One of my favorite two-card combos is a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect plus some big damage spell. This combo has always felt a bit clunky because we need to find one combo piece, play them, and then cast our damage effect. This is can lead us into two outcomes: either we play our creature early and wait for our next turn to play the damage spell, or we wait until we have the mana to cast both cards on the same turn. The Prismatic Bridge helps us find our creatures and play them for free. This makes so we can hold playing our commander until we find a damage spell, and then on the next turn we can combo out.</p>
<p>We have basically every variation of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. They all look very similar, but upon further look we can see their differences. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coalhauler Swine" href="#" target="_blank">Coalhauler Swine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> being able to damage every opponent makes it a very effective threat. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spiteful Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Spiteful Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the best target for our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clone" href="#" target="_blank">Clone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects, because they'll get multiple instances of the damage trigger. Aside from these creatures, we do have some honorable mentions that help us, too. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Repercussion" href="#" target="_blank">Repercussion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcbond" href="#" target="_blank">Arcbond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toralf, God of Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Toralf, God of Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> turn our opponents' creatures into our own <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s.</p>
<p>The best part of this archetype is that one of its combo pieces are board wipes. This means that we are somewhat slot-efficient and we can reliably interact with our opponents' creatures. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blasphemous Act" href="#" target="_blank">Blasphemous Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the best options out there. It's cheap and does a lot of damage. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Earthquake" href="#" target="_blank">Earthquake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rolling Earthquake" href="#" target="_blank">Rolling Earthquake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> do a good job both triggering our creatures and as a burn to face. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Stroke" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Stroke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful burn spell that can act both as a way to spread damage across and as a way to focus damage onto one opponent.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spellshock"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sulfuric Vortex"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ankh of Mishra"></div></div>
<p>We probably won't be able to wipe out all of our opponents with our combo, so we need a way to soften everyone up. This is a bit of a challenge because we want to avoid playing creatures (other than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s) and planeswalkers, so we need another way to find a constant source of pressure. Group Slug enchantments do a great job covering that weakness. They punish greed and play nicely with damage multiplier effects, another key part of our gameplan. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cindervines" href="#" target="_blank">Cindervines</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spellshock" href="#" target="_blank">Spellshock</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> punish our opponents for playing multiple spells, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Roiling Vortex" href="#" target="_blank">Roiling Vortex</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sulfuric Vortex" href="#" target="_blank">Sulfuric Vortex</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might seem a bit too slow, but they do add up by the time we're combing out.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Esika Piñata" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Esika, God of the Tree
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Mogg Maniac
*Boros Reckoner
*Hornet Nest
*Spiteful Sliver
*Toralf, God of Fury
*Spitemare
*Truefire Captain
*Brash Taunter
*Stuffy Doll
*Coalhauler Swine
[/Creature]
[Sorcery]
*Earthquake
*Faithless Looting
*Magmatic Insight
*Reanimate
*Rolling Earthquake
*Vandalblast
*Explore
*Farseek
*Nature&#039;s Lore
*Three Visits
*Tormenting Voice
*Twinflame
*Cultivate
*Grow from the Ashes
*Kodama&#039;s Reach
*Chain Reaction
*Pirate&#039;s Pillage
*Skyshroud Claim
*Shivan Meteor
*Into the Maw of Hell
*Star of Extinction
*Sundering Stroke
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*Ankh of Mishra
*Arcane Signet
*Chromatic Lantern
*Lithoform Engine
[/Artifact]
[Enchantment]
*Phyrexian Reclamation
*Animate Dead
*Cindervines
*No Rest for the Wicked
*Roiling Vortex
*Overabundance
*Repercussion
*Spellshock
*Sulfuric Vortex
*Flameshadow Conjuring
*Manabarbs
*Dictate of the Twin Gods
*Fiery Emancipation
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Mystical Tutor
*Vampiric Tutor
*Arcane Denial
*Boros Charm
*Cyclonic Rift
*Heroic Intervention
*Thrill of Possibility
*Arcbond
*Chaos Warp
*Kolaghan&#039;s Command
*Faith&#039;s Reward
[/Instant]
[Land]
*Arid Mesa
*Blood Crypt
*Bloodstained Mire
*Cinder Glade
*City of Brass
*Command Tower
*Flooded Strand
*Ketria Triome
*Luxury Suite
*Mana Confluence
*Marsh Flats
*Misty Rainforest
*Polluted Delta
*Raugrin Triome
*Sacred Foundry
*Savai Triome
*Scalding Tarn
*Spectator Seating
*Spire Garden
*Steam Vents
*Stomping Ground
*Training Center
*Verdant Catacombs
*Windswept Heath
*Wooded Foothills
*12 Mountain
[/Land]"></span></div>
<hr />
<p>Another key component of our list are damage multiplier effects. These effects stack amazingly well with our creatures (both the damage on our creatures and the triggers are affected by the multipliers). While they are great, we do have to be careful because they tend to be win-more. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Emancipation" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Emancipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful new addition that not only scales better than any other, it's also safer because it doesn't apply to us. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dictate of the Twin Gods" href="#" target="_blank">Dictate of the Twin Gods</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has flash, which is a pretty nice way to get first value out of it.</p>
<p>Most of our pieces lack protection, which makes them mostly a "one-time deal". That being said, having a bit of recursion goes a long way to help us continue going off. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="No Rest for the Wicked" href="#" target="_blank">No Rest for the Wicked</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great because we pay it in advance. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to use our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects as effective blockers. We can also give the missing protection for our creatures: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boros Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Boros Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heroic Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Heroic Intervention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are both great protection spells that could be used both to protect our pieces from removal and to allow us to continue the combo.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>We have some different kinds of opening hands and their usefulness will vary according to the type of game we're looking for. Hands with hate pieces are great for slower games where we don't need to rush for our combo out. Hands with ramp, on the other hand, can be good for faster combos, but without the board wipes we might run out of steam by the mid game.</p>
<p>For our early game we need a clear starting plan. Are we going to try to rush for our combo? Are we playing early Slug pieces? We can even take it a bit slow and dig for a plan. Regardless of the path chosen, we need to stick to it; it doesn't make any sense to try to rush for our commander without access to board wipes to combo after. One thing that is very important to keep in mind is that having access to all of our colors can be a bit tricky because our mana based is stretched to fit <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Stroke" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Stroke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sundering Stroke"></div></div>
<p>In the mid game we can, hopefully, start looking to combo. Even if we don't get to, however, that's okay: our Group Slug pieces can go a long way throughout the game. A bit of politics go a long way in lying low while we search for our threats.</p>
<p>By the time we get to the late game we should be careful to not die to our own effects, but aside from that we have lots of one-shot potential even with spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Earthquake" href="#" target="_blank">Earthquake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angrath&#039;s Marauders"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archaeomancer"></div></div>
<p>Esika is a really fun commander to build around, and it's too bad that I can't show more builds that I've tried. However, I can tell you some that were pretty close to being featured: Turbo Turns using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects to recur our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time Warp" href="#" target="_blank">Time Warp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s, Burn using damage multipliers on creatures to get more value out of our Burn spells and slug pieces, even a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curiosity" href="#" target="_blank">Curiosity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combo deck featuring every single variation of those effects and some cards that combo with it.</p>
<p>As for this build, cutting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Stroke" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Stroke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help out alleviate our mana problems. Having more <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clone" href="#" target="_blank">Clone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects can also increase our all-in potential at the cost of being dead draws outside of the combo.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think about this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Esika Piñata

Deep Analysis - Artifacts

Kaldheim Set Review - Sagas

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lurrus of the Dream-Den" href="#" target="_blank">Lurrus of the Dream-Den</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/maniaks">Slawomir Maniak</a>)</h6>
<h1>Time to Make a New Friend</h1>
<p><em>Companions</em> are a game-changer. They give us access to a free card from the start of the game in exchange for some deckbuilding restrictions (and, of course, they now have an extra three-mana tax). Here on <em>Collected Company</em>, we’re going to take a look at all of them and see how we can build around their quirks.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lurrus of the Dream-Den"></div></div>
<p>Lurrus is a bit of an oddball<em> </em>to evaluate because it's a card that had an unprecedented impact in every format except EDH. Turns out a format that tends to go big doesn't appreciate having a CMC restriction. It's also a bit awkward to find a commander that meets this restriction, which leave us with a commander pool of just three, and let me tell you, none of them feel particularly good.</p>
<p>That being said, Lurrus' kit is a lot of fun to experiment; it works like a mini-"<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muldrotha, the Gravetide" href="#" target="_blank">Muldrotha, the Gravetide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>", but the fact that we're stuck in Orzhov makes it a bit limited in what we can actually do with it. Being Orzhov with a recursive ability means that people will tend to go towards an Aristocrat build, but that can be a bit difficult because we lose most of the more powerful payoffs. In the end, regardless of where we put Lurrus, there'll always be this trend of lackluster payoffs, and this hurts Lurrus a lot.</p>
<p>Win conditions will be hard to come by, but we do have some powerful combos that are permanent-based and are easily tutorable, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter&#039;s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter&#039;s Servant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grindstone" href="#" target="_blank">Grindstone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mindcrank" href="#" target="_blank">Mindcrank</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodchief Ascension" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodchief Ascension</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div>
<h3>Notable Exclusions</h3>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crypt Ghast" href="#" target="_blank">Crypt Ghast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sidisi, Undead VIzier" href="#" target="_blank">Sidisi, Undead VIzier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sun Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Sun Titan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bolas&#039;s CItadel" href="#" target="_blank">Bolas&#039;s CItadel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smothering Tithe" href="#" target="_blank">Smothering Tithe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karmic Guide" href="#" target="_blank">Karmic Guide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li>Every commander except <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim" href="#" target="_blank">Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karlov of the Ghost Council" href="#" target="_blank">Karlov of the Ghost Council</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Miara, Thorn of the Glade" href="#" target="_blank">Miara, Thorn of the Glade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2>Endless Possibilities</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim" href="#" target="_blank">Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is probably the best Lurrus commander since it's the only one that has any kind of direct synergy with it. That being said, the low CMC restriction makes it difficult to get value from the lifegain trigger.</p>
<h3>Notable Exclusions</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Alhammarret&#039;s Archive"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Felidar Sovereign"></div></div>
</div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alhammarret&#039;s Archive" href="#" target="_blank">Alhammarret&#039;s Archive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grave Pact" href="#" target="_blank">Grave Pact</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>/<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dictate of Erebos" href="#" target="_blank">Dictate of Erebos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Felidar Sovereign" href="#" target="_blank">Felidar Sovereign</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karlov of the Ghost Council"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karlov of the Ghost Council" href="#" target="_blank">Karlov of the Ghost Council</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn't have a direct synergy with Lurrus, but having readily available recursion for some of the lifegain pieces can help out a bit. The trend of losing the payoff is still in here and, like with Ayli, we have some support, but not enough pay off. We do have some support for Soul Sister effects. and this could lead to an interesting build.</p>
<h3>Notable Exclusions</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heliod, Sun-Crowned"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archangel of Thune"></div></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heliod, Sun-Crowned" href="#" target="_blank">Heliod, Sun-Crowned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherflux Reservoir" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherflux Reservoir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose" href="#" target="_blank">Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kambal, Consul of Allocation" href="#" target="_blank">Kambal, Consul of Allocation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archangel of Thune" href="#" target="_blank">Archangel of Thune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2>Like Cat and Mouse</h2>
<p>One of the biggest problem when using Lurrus is that win conditions are hard to come by when they need to be less-than-three-mana permanents in Orzhov colors. However, what if I told you there's a two-mana creature that we can easily build our deck around that fulfills both requirements of being a win con and being under three CMC? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rat Colony" href="#" target="_blank">Rat Colony</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is exactly that.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rat Colony"></div></div>
<p>Rat Colony is one of the few ways to break the singleton in Commander. Unlike <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Relentless Rats" href="#" target="_blank">Relentless Rats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, though, it's more flexible because its ability only cares about having Rats on the field. However, one of the biggest problems with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rat Colony" href="#" target="_blank">Rat Colony</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is that, with only one toughness, they can very easily be traded with blockers, which makes it difficult to pressure our opponents while increasing our board. That pressures us to have a good evasion suite, and this is where Lurrus' restriction hits us pretty hard.</p>
<p>It's difficult to find permanent-based pieces that fulfill the requirement. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cover of Darkness" href="#" target="_blank">Cover of Darkness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great alternative: it's cheap, and intimidate can be close to true evasion in multiple decks. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Piper of the Swarm" href="#" target="_blank">Piper of the Swarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful card that provides evasion and, in longer games, can give our Rats a boost by creating some tokens.</p>
<p>Commander choice is a bit lacking (to say the least), but out of all the possible legends, I do think that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has some potential as a support to Lurrus. In a format with plenty of powerful exile-based removal, having a way to protect Lurrus can be the difference between being able to grind out our opponents or not. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Miara, Thorn of the Glade" href="#" target="_blank">Miara, Thorn of the Glade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, our other <em>Partner</em> commander, is a bit lackluster in a deck without any other Elf creatures; however, when considering that we also have access to Lurrus, having a really bad Egg effect could help us to dig through some cards in a top-deck mode.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mishra&#039;s Bauble"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chromatic Sphere"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Conjurer&#039;s Bauble"></div></div>
<p>For consistency's sake, we're a running a cantrip suite that involves cheap artifacts that we can sacrifice to draw a card. They're great because we can combine them with Lurrus to set up a cheap draw engine. Don't expect them to be near as good as the usual blue cantrip suite, of course, but they do give us a way to keep going in the later portions of the game. They are also efficient to play on curve, since there'll be many turns where we'll have an odd amount of mana, and having these one-mana cantrips allows us to curve out more effectively while also allowing us to see more cards.</p>
<p>Lurrus is an important piece to our deck, so we need to supplement its recursion ability with some protection/redundancy of our own. Luckily for us, Orzhov offers plenty of great options for effective recursion sources. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Call of the Death-Dweller" href="#" target="_blank">Call of the Death-Dweller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great two-for-one for that. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is weaker on the front side, but it's a bit more flexible; however, when we get to flash it back, we get even more value. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animate Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Animate Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is less effective than the previous two spells, but we can target our opponents' creatures with it as well.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Lurrus Rat Colony" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel
*Miara, Thorn of the Glade
[/Commander]
[Companion]
*Lurrus of the Dream-Den
[/Companion]
[Artifact]
*Mishra&#039;s Bauble
*Urza&#039;s Bauble
*Barbed Sextant
*Chromatic Sphere
*Chromatic Star
*Conjurer&#039;s Bauble
*Nihil Spellbomb
*Skullclamp
*Sol Ring
*Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
*Charcoal Diamond
*Fellwar Stone
*Jet Medallion
*Mind Stone
*Talisman of Hierarchy
[/Artifact]
[Creature]
*Pack Rat
*Piper of the Swarm
*31 Rat Colony
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*Animate Dead
*Cover of Darkness
*No Rest for the Wicked
*Seal of Cleansing
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Path to Exile
*Swords to Plowshares
*Despark
*Flawless Maneuver
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*Call of the Death-Dweller
*Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation
*Damnation
*Patriarch&#039;s Bidding
*Secret Salvage
*Austere Command
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Bojuka Bog
*Brightclimb Pathway
*Caves of Koilos
*Command Tower
*Concealed Courtyard
*Ghost Quarter
*Godless Shrine
*Isolated Chapel
*Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*Rogue&#039;s Passage
*Silent Clearing
*Swarmyard
*Tainted Field
*Tectonic Edge
*Temple of Silence
*Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*Vault of Champions
*Vault of the Archangel
*6 Plains
*12 Swamp
[/Land]"></span></div><br />
</p>
<hr />
<h2>This is the Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shared Triumph"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Diabolic Intent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rally the Ancestors"></div></div>
<p>As I said before, our Rats are pretty weak to blockers, so one way to counter that would be giving evasion. Another way is to boost the toughness of our creatures to make it harder for creatures to trade. Tribal boosts like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shared Triumph" href="#" target="_blank">Shared Triumph</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are cheaper than the generic anthem effect, and this allow us to play them with Lurrus.</p>
<p>Having one or two extra mass reanimation spells could help us recover from those games where we can't establish a board. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rally the Ancestors" href="#" target="_blank">Rally the Ancestors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a neat way to give our Rats some out-of-nowhere potential.</p>
<p>Incorporating Miara into our curve could also be an interesting build-around. By having some sacrifice spells to target Miara, we could get a bit more value from our second commander and get access to some effects that we wouldn't have otherwise. I do think that they need to have a huge impact, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diabolic Intent" href="#" target="_blank">Diabolic Intent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Village Rites" href="#" target="_blank">Village Rites</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, because otherwise they won't be worth the three extra mana that we need to attach to them.</p>
<p>Lurrus is a pretty underwhelming <em>Companion, </em>but that's more on the format than the card itself. That's a bit sad because its ability could have been a cool artifact-based <em>Companion </em>or even an aggressive one. It's also a bit of a let-down that it'll be hard to have new commanders (especially with extra colors) for it. That being said, Lurrus is a very fun card to play; its power is noticed, and it feels really good to grind out games with it.</p>
<p>That’s it for <em>Collected Company</em>! What do you think about this article? What are your thoughts on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lurrus of the Dream-Den" href="#" target="_blank">Lurrus of the Dream-Den</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Share your opinions in the comments.</p>
