<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Welder Automaton" href="#" target="_blank">Welder Automaton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://victoradameart.com/">Victor Adame Minguez</a>)</h6>
<h1>To Infinity and A Win</h1>
<p>Hello, fellow brewer, and welcome back to <em>Brew for your Buck</em>, where we swap out the top 10 most expensive cards in a deck with 10 budget cards that add a unique twist. If you've been following the series so far, you'll know that we haven't yet delved into the wonderful world of red mana, so today we're going to change that. I don't have more than a basic understanding of the lore, so I won't try to tell you much about Mishra. I do know that he likes artifacts and graveyards, though, and that's right up my alley!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mishra, Tamer of Mak Fawa"></div></div>
<p>Looking at the average list on EDHREC, the deck clocks in at $240.98, with some big artifacts to reanimate, some dual lands, and a random <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demonic Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Demonic Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> comprising the top end. As usual, we'll start by removing the most expensive cards in the deck then take a look at our budget package, noting that all prices listed below were current at time of writing. Listening to your feedback, the ten removed cards are now linked so you can see the card images!</p>
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demonic Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Demonic Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($35.64)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Crypt" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Crypt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($18.08)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Portal to Phyrexia" href="#" target="_blank">Portal to Phyrexia</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($17.51)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><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> ($17.13)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wurmcoil Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Wurmcoil Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($13.43)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Haunted Ridge" href="#" target="_blank">Haunted Ridge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($10.27)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Biotransference" href="#" target="_blank">Biotransference</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($9.75)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cityscape Leveler" href="#" target="_blank">Cityscape Leveler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($9.70)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundial of the Infinite" href="#" target="_blank">Sundial of the Infinite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($9.41)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conjurer&#039;s Closet" href="#" target="_blank">Conjurer&#039;s Closet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($6.65)</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
<p style="padding-left: 240px; text-align: left;"><strong>Total: $147.57</strong></p>
<hr />
<h2>Additions</h2>
<p>For the budget packages of the last few decks, we focused our substitutes on specific mechanics that fit our commanders' respective advantages and abilities. Today, we're going to swap in a budget package that adds a full-on infinite combo to the deck. We'll need a few pieces for this to work, so let's get started.</p>
<h3>Combo Pieces...</h3>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trazyn the Infinite" href="#" target="_blank">Trazyn the Infinite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.75) is the primary piece we need for our combo to work, being a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necrotic Ooze" href="#" target="_blank">Necrotic Ooze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.98) for artifacts. You might be asking, "Why not just build the deck with Trayzn in the command zone?" Well, not only is this deck already built around getting artifacts (including Trayzn) into the graveyard, but <em>Unearth</em> will allow us to cheat him into play with haste, enabling an immediate combo win. Oh, and guess what, we are also going to throw in the Ooze, too! As you'll see, all of the other combo pieces are creatures, so while we can't reanimate the Ooze with Mishra, it does offer us some redundancy.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trazyn the Infinite"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Necrotic Ooze"></div></div>
<p>We need to put the right combination of cards into our graveyard. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Palladium Myr" href="#" target="_blank">Palladium Myr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.51) is an artifact (for Trazyn) and a creature (for Ooze) that taps for the critical two mana needed to go infinite. You can also use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in conjunction with Trazyn as a backup. Next, we use two creatures with untap abilities: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pili-Pala" href="#" target="_blank">Pili-Pala</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($2.49) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farmstead Gleaner" href="#" target="_blank">Farmstead Gleaner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.11).</p>
<p>With <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Palladium Myr" href="#" target="_blank">Palladium Myr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pili-Pala" href="#" target="_blank">Pili-Pala</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the 'yard, Trazyn and Ooze can now generate infinite mana which can turned into infinite damage via <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Welder Automaton" href="#" target="_blank">Welder Automaton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.07). Replace <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pili-Pala" href="#" target="_blank">Pili-Pala</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farmstead Gleaner" href="#" target="_blank">Farmstead Gleaner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Welder Automaton" href="#" target="_blank">Welder Automaton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triskelion" href="#" target="_blank">Triskelion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.17), and you'll also have infinite damage.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Palladium Myr"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Welder Automaton"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Triskelion"></div></div>
<h3>...and How to Find Them</h3>
<p>We already have two great direct-to-graveyard tutors in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Buried Alive" href="#" target="_blank">Buried Alive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, plus we get to keep both in the deck since they aren't in the list of cuts. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unmarked Grave" href="#" target="_blank">Unmarked Grave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($1.14), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vile Entomber" href="#" target="_blank">Vile Entomber</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.23), and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Disciples of Gix" href="#" target="_blank">Disciples of Gix</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.03) simply increase the density of these effects so we can grab a combo piece or another one of the sweet artifacts in the list to <em>Unearth</em> with Mishra.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unmarked Grave"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vile Entomber"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Disciples of Gix"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2>Wrap Up and Savings</h2>
<p>Before we take a look at the savings, let's recap the two combo scenarios. We need one set of these in the graveyard:</p>
<ol>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Palladium Myr" href="#" target="_blank">Palladium Myr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pili-Pala" href="#" target="_blank">Pili-Pala</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Welder Automaton" href="#" target="_blank">Welder Automaton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Palladium Myr" href="#" target="_blank">Palladium Myr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farmstead Gleaner" href="#" target="_blank">Farmstead Gleaner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triskelion" href="#" target="_blank">Triskelion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ol>
<p>Then we need to have a hasty Trazyn or Ooze to begin the fun.</p>
<p>Okay, onto the savings!</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Mishra2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-95254 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Mishra2-300x223.png" alt="" width="441" height="328" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Mishra2-300x223.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Mishra2.png 352w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 441px) 100vw, 441px" /></a></p>
<p>We did it! Our new list is (just barely) under $100 and now includes a combo finish as another way to win. What will you do with your $141 worth of savings? Subscribe to the EDHRECast <a href="https://www.patreon.com/edhrecast">patreon</a> perhaps? One more note: yet again, these average lists seem to have too few lands for my taste. Lands are cool! Play more of them! Especially in decks like this where you'll likely be discarding them a lot. In this case we also removed two of them as part of our budget swap, so pay extra attention if you seem to be mana screwed a lot.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Unearthing the Infinite" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Mishra, Tamer of Mak Fawa
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Anrakyr the Traveller
*1 Burnished Hart
*1 Canoptek Spyder
*1 Combustible Gearhulk
*1 Disciples of Gix
*1 Farmstead Gleaner
*1 Feldon of the Third Path
*1 Foundry Inspector
*1 Goblin Engineer
*1 Imotekh the Stormlord
*1 Meteor Golem
*1 Mishra, Excavation Prodigy
*1 Myr Battlesphere
*1 Myr Retriever
*1 Necron Deathmark
*1 Necrotic Ooze
*1 Noxious Gearhulk
*1 Palladium Myr
*1 Phyrexian Dragon Engine
*1 Pili-Pala
*1 Quicksmith Genius
*1 Ruin Grinder
*1 Scrap Trawler
*1 Scrap Welder
*1 Slobad, Iron Goblin
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Technomancer
*1 Trazyn the Infinite
*1 Triplicate Titan
*1 Triskelion
*1 Vile Entomber
*1 Welder Automaton
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Bolas&#039;s Citadel
*1 Convergence of Dominion
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Ichor Wellspring
*1 Infernal Idol
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mirrorworks
*1 Oni-Cult Anvil
*1 Rakdos Signet
*1 Sculpting Steel
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Talisman of Indulgence
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Bedevil
*1 Big Score
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Deadly Dispute
*1 Rakdos Charm
*1 Terminate
*1 Thrill of Possibility
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Buried Alive
*1 Cathartic Reunion
*1 Faithless Looting
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Scrap Mastery
*1 Their Name Is Death
*1 Trash for Treasure
*1 Unmarked Grave
[/Sorceries]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Daretti, Scrap Savant
[/Planeswalkers]
[Enchantments]
*1 Kaya&#039;s Ghostform
*1 Out of the Tombs
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Blightstep Pathway
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Command Tower
*1 Darksteel Citadel
*1 Dragonskull Summit
*1 Drossforge Bridge
*1 Foreboding Ruins
*1 Great Furnace
*1 Luxury Suite
*9 Mountain
*1 Rakdos Carnarium
*1 Smoldering Marsh
*1 Sulfurous Springs
*9 Swamp
*1 Vault of Whispers
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>So what do you think? Are you a fan of infinite combos? What about the tutors? Do you want to see more combo packages in the future? Let me know in the comments, and I'll see you next time when we brew for your buck!</p>


Brew For Your Buck - Unearthing the Infinite

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leyline of Anticipation" href="#" target="_blank">Leyline of Anticipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/charlesurbachart/?hl=en">Charles Urbach</a>)</h6>
<h1>Whatcha Doing in My Waters?</h1>
<p>Hello, fellow brewer, and welcome back to <em>Brew for your Buck</em>, where we swap out the top 10 most expensive cards in a deck with 10 budget cards that add a unique twist. <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/brew-for-your-buck-the-legend-persists/">Last time</a>, we played around in Orzhov, so this week we're going to get our feet wet (pun very intended) in Simic.</p>
<p>A little about me: I love the ocean, so much that I based my education and career on it, in addition to three different Commander decks I've built over the years. Our commander today slid right into the 99 of one of them, my sea creature deck, though I'm seriously considering swapping her into the command zone. Anything that has "Kraken, Leviathan, Octopus, or Serpent" in its card text catches my eye for that deck, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kenessos, Priest of Thassa" href="#" target="_blank">Kenessos, Priest of Thassa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is no different.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kenessos, Priest of Thassa"></div></div>
<p>Looking at the average list on EDHREC, the deck clocks in at $277.42. Not an awful price tag, but we can do better. As usual, we'll start by removing the most expensive cards in the deck, then take a look at our budget package, noting that all prices listed below were current at time of writing.</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Picture2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-95173 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Picture2.png" alt="" width="262" height="256" /></a></p>
<p>Stompy decks like this tend to have a common weakness: you drop a huge monster, making you an immediate threat, but without something granting haste we can't pressure any of our opponents until our following turn, giving them ample time to sink (more maritime puns!) our plans.</p>
<p>Enter our budget package. Operating at instant speed is not exactly a new thing for Simic, as anyone who played <em>Arena</em> in 2019 will know. Applying that playstyle to sea monsters offers them pseudo-protection, surprises our opponents, and makes playing these powerful creatures that much more... well... flashy. With a mana sink like Kenessos in the command zone, we can hold up mana for our counters and other instant-speed tricks, then, if we didn't need to use those, just activate Kenessos and put a prehistoric terror into play.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Additions</h2>
<hr />
<h3>Instant Speed Enablers</h3>
<p>First, let's throw in some enablers. Before you ask, we will not be including the literal flash fish, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tidal Barracuda" href="#" target="_blank">Tidal Barracuda</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, since we're greedy and don't want to share our instant speed shenanigans extending to everyone else. We will, however, include the banned-in-Pioneer <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wilderness Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Wilderness Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($1.50), since in this deck it can quadruple the frequency we can activate Kenessos. Partnered with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leyline of Anticipation" href="#" target="_blank">Leyline of Anticipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($2.79) or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vivien, Champion of the Wilds" href="#" target="_blank">Vivien, Champion of the Wilds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.38), it puts the deck's ability to turbo out our deep-dwelling friends into overdrive, even if Kenessos isn't on the battlefield. Vivien even allows our monsters to beat down our opponents and remain available to block on the crack back, assuming someone is brave enough to swing back into our 6/6s.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wilderness Reclamation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Leyline of Anticipation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vivien, Champion of the Wilds"></div></div>
<h3>Interaction</h3>
<p>Even before we make our swaps, there is only one <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterspell" href="#" target="_blank">Counterspell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (yes, that one) in the whole deck. Adding some more will help us protect our critical pieces and allow us to answer threats before they hit the battlefield. The best part is that if we don't use them, we just dump the mana into Kenessos. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stubborn Denial" href="#" target="_blank">Stubborn Denial</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($1.33) will almost always be a one-mana <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Negate" href="#" target="_blank">Negate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in this deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Voracious Greatshark" href="#" target="_blank">Voracious Greatshark</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.21) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa&#039;s Intervention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.17) both fit our oceanic flavor and are almost always 2-for-1s when cast, so they seem like obvious inclusions as well. Our opponents will be scrambling for a bigger boat indeed.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stubborn Denial"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Voracious Greatshark"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thassa&#039;s Intervention"></div></div>
<h3>Top-Deck Manipulation</h3>
<p>Next, we can increase the number of ways to manipulate the top card of our library. My favorite suggestion for this pushes the the boundaries of a budget card, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cream of the Crop" href="#" target="_blank">Cream of the Crop</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($5.86) is too cool not to include. Imagine having it out and chaining together multiple Kenessos activations. You'll dig so deep into your deck, it's basically guaranteed that your next activation will hit a huge creature, triggering this again and further increasing the absurdity. You can even use this to dig to Mariana Trench depths for an answer just before a draw, assuming a mythical sea beast is somehow not the right answer.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cream of the Crop"></div></div>
<p>A less expensive but obvious addition is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Omen of the Sea" href="#" target="_blank">Omen of the Sea</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.13), adding more to the flavor but also offering two instances of scry 2, which will likely be scry 3, at instant speed. While not particularly exciting, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crystal Ball" href="#" target="_blank">Crystal Ball</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.28) gives us a repeatable scry ability for only one mana, again freeing up the rest of our mana for Kenessos. Thinking a bit outside of the box, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reclaim" href="#" target="_blank">Reclaim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.11) gives us a much-needed way to recur key sea monsters, essentially making that Kenessos activation an instant-speed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zombify" href="#" target="_blank">Zombify</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Omen of the Sea"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crystal Ball"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reclaim"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2>Wrap Up and Savings</h2>
<p>Let's take a look at where we ended up:</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Picture1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-95172 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Picture1-300x205.png" alt="" width="405" height="277" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Picture1-300x205.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Picture1.png 383w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 405px) 100vw, 405px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Wow! We almost cracked the $100 mark and cut out more than half the cost of the deck AND you get to keep 90 cards from the original build, saving you all that money you would have spent on upgrades. Like <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/brew-for-your-buck-the-legend-persists/">my previous article</a>, I think the list still has too few lands, so I'll again recommend swapping some of the other expensive cards with a few basics to get the deck under $100 if that is your goal.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Fish Flash" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Kenessos, Priest of Thassa
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle
*1 Biblioplex Kraken
*1 Biomancer&#039;s Familiar
*1 Brinelin, the Moon Kraken
*1 Charix, the Raging Isle
*1 Deep-Sea Kraken
*1 Hullbreaker Horror
*1 Icebreaker Kraken
*1 Inkwell Leviathan
*1 Koma, Cosmos Serpent
*1 Lorthos, the Tidemaker
*1 Nadir Kraken
*1 Octavia, Living Thesis
*1 Octoprophet
*1 Reservoir Kraken
*1 Scourge of Fleets
*1 Serpent of Yawning Depths
*1 Shipbreaker Kraken
*1 Sigiled Starfish
*1 Simic Sky Swallower
*1 Slinn Voda, the Rising Deep
*1 Spawning Kraken
*1 Stormtide Leviathan
*1 Trench Behemoth
*1 Tromokratis
*1 Voracious Greatshark
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Aqueous Form
*1 Cream of the Crop
*1 Garruk&#039;s Uprising
*1 In Search of Greatness
*1 Leyline of Anticipation
*1 Omen of the Sea
*1 Quest for Ula&#039;s Temple
*1 Retreat to Coralhelm
*1 Wilderness Reclamation
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Crystal Ball
*1 Lifecrafter&#039;s Bestiary
*1 Simic Signet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 The Temporal Anchor
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Beast Within
*1 Brainstorm
*1 Counterspell
*1 Deliberate
*1 Growth Spiral
*1 Joint Exploration
*1 Opt
*1 Pongify
*1 Reclaim
*1 Return of the Wildspeaker
*1 Stubborn Denial
*1 Thassa&#039;s Intervention
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cultivate
*1 Farseek
*1 Kodama&#039;s Reach
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Ponder
*1 Preordain
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Reason // Believe
*1 Serum Visions
*1 Whelming Wave
[/Sorceries]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner
*1 Vivien, Champion of the Wilds
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Castle Vantress
*1 Command Tower
*1 Dreamroot Cascade
*5 Forest
*1 Hinterland Harbor
*16 Island
*1 Rejuvenating Springs
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Rimewood Falls
*1 Simic Growth Chamber
*1 Snow-Covered Forest
*1 Snow-Covered Island
*1 Temple of Mystery
*1 Yavimaya Coast
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>So what do you think? Does the flash package seem like a good idea or are you, like me, traumatized by Simic Flash from Arena? Do you want more nautical puns? Let me know in the comments and I'll see you next time when we brew for your buck!</p>


Brew For Your Buck - Fish Flash

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cauldron of Souls" href="#" target="_blank">Cauldron of Souls</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=artist%3A%22ron+brown%22">Ron Brown</a>)</h6>
<h1>A New Method for Budget Brews</h1>
<p>Hello, fellow brewer! Welcome to the first in a series of articles designed to help you save money. My name is Brian, and I started playing <em>Magic</em> way back in 2003, around the release of <em>Mirrodin</em>. I left and came back to the game a few times since then, but I’ve been hooked on Commander ever since I opened a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grenzo, Dungeon Warden" href="#" target="_blank">Grenzo, Dungeon Warden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in a <em>Conspiracy </em>booster. I loved cooking up ways to exploit the rarely explored design space sitting at the bottom of my library. Grenzo opened the Commander floodgates for me, and now it's the only format I play outside of the occasional Arena draft.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grenzo, Dungeon Warden"></div></div>
<p>With the entirety of the internet at our disposal, it’s easy to find budget brews for any deck, but that often comes at the price of functionality and power. Plus, you might end up spending more over time, buying expensive cards to make incremental upgrades. Say you buy a $100 version of a deck, then spend another $200 updating it over the course of the next year, when you could have spent $150 on most of the cards you needed and only a few budget substitutes. You’d have $50 more in your pocket and a comparably powerful deck <strong>right away</strong>.</p>
<p>Here’s how it works: I’ll pick a commander and start with the average decklist from its page on EDHREC. Then, we’ll remove the ten most expensive cards in the deck and substitute in our budget package, so we save the most amount money while sacrificing the least amount of function, power, and efficiency. The new cards won’t just save you money, they'll also give the deck unique flavor and play patterns compared to its more expensive, “stock” list. And if you need to save more, simply go further than the top ten most expensive cards.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Set-Up and Subtractions</h2>
<p>Now that the stage is set, let’s dive in. One of the coolest commanders to be released recently is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ratadrabik of Urborg" href="#" target="_blank">Ratadrabik of Urborg</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The twist on classic aristocrats with the legendary theme is really fun, and there are interesting ways to abuse his ability. More on that in a minute.</p>
<p>EDHREC’s average deck list costs $526.94 at time of writing, so let’s see how we can cut that down.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ratadrabik of Urborg"></div></div>
<p>First, let’s remove our top ten most expensive cards. Most of these make a ton of sense as inclusions in the 99, but removing them will save us nearly half the cost of the entire deck!<a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-30-at-13.44.44.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-94177 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-30-at-13.44.44-300x292.png" alt="" width="300" height="292" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-30-at-13.44.44-300x292.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-30-at-13.44.44.png 582w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a></p>
<p>Now for the fun part: deciding on our budget package. As I alluded to before, Ratadrabik’s ability doesn’t exile the original card that it copies, unlike most similar effects. While the list has many ways to abuse this, the best ones are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Luminous Broodmoth" href="#" target="_blank">Luminous Broodmoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mikaeus, the Unhallowed" href="#" target="_blank">Mikaeus, the Unhallowed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Having our legends return to the battlefield immediately to stack their effects on top of the token copy is incredibly powerful, but wouldn’t it be great if we could remove the counters to re-use those effects repeatedly? Sounds like an infinite combo to me!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Additions</h2>
<p>In addition to Mothra and Mikaeus, let’s add some cards that grant our creatures <em>Persist</em>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cauldron of Souls" href="#" target="_blank">Cauldron of Souls</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($3.52) is repeatable, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cauldron Haze" href="#" target="_blank">Cauldron Haze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.72) can make a board wipe (even our own) one-sided for just two mana. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Antler Skulkin" href="#" target="_blank">Antler Skulkin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.19) can target sixteen of our creatures after the rest of our additions. Note that all of these can target our opponents’ creatures as well. Bonus points if you use them politically!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cauldron of Souls"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cauldron Haze"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Antler Skulkin"></div></div>
<p>Next, let’s add cards that let us remove those pesky counters that will stop our sweet mechanics from triggering. We pretty much have to add <em>Persist</em>’s best friend, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vizier of Remedies" href="#" target="_blank">Vizier of Remedies</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.21), which enables some pretty crazy turns with <em>Persist</em> and a sacrifice outlet. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fain, the Broker" href="#" target="_blank">Fain, the Broker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.18) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scholar of New Horizons" href="#" target="_blank">Scholar of New Horizons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.41) can ramp us when we remove counters. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanctuary Warden" href="#" target="_blank">Sanctuary Warden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($1.17) is a nigh-indestructible flying beat stick with card draw and sacrifice fodder built in. Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nesting Grounds" href="#" target="_blank">Nesting Grounds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($1.04) gives us a counter-moving ability in our mana base.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vizier of Remedies"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scholar of New Horizons"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nesting Grounds"></div></div>
<p>Finally, our last two cards will give us some extra benefits from being repeatedly reanimated. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triarch Praetorian" href="#" target="_blank">Triarch Praetorian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.85) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Canoptek Tomb Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Canoptek Tomb Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($1.93) are two sweet new cards from the <em>Warhammer 40K</em> Necron deck that are just begging to be bouncing in and out of the graveyard. Not only will they work with our <em>Persist</em> package, but they’ll synergize well with the rest of the reanimation effects in our deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Triarch Praetorian"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Canoptek Tomb Sentinel"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2>Wrap-Up and Savings</h2>
<p>Let’s look at our savings after we swap in our budget package:<a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-30-at-13.49.48.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-94179 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-30-at-13.49.48-300x225.png" alt="" width="485" height="364" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-30-at-13.49.48-300x225.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-30-at-13.49.48-1024x767.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-30-at-13.49.48-768x576.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-30-at-13.49.48-1536x1151.png 1536w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-30-at-13.49.48.png 1628w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 485px) 100vw, 485px" /></a></p>
<p>With just swapping out the top ten most expensive cards, we saved $261.38, got most of the cards we wanted anyway, and gave the deck a unique synergistic twist. Not bad at all! One note I will say about the original and new lists is that both are low on lands in my opinion, so removing some of the other expensive cards and replacing them with basic lands is an easy way to save more.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="BFYB01" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Ratadrabik of Urborg
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Antler Skulkin
*1 Ao, the Dawn Sky
*1 Athreos, God of Passage
*1 Ayara, First of Locthwain
*1 Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim
*1 Braids, Arisen Nightmare
*1 Canoptek Tomb Sentinel
*1 Commissar Severina Raine
*1 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim
*1 Elenda, the Dusk Rose
*1 Fain, the Broker
*1 Ghoulcaller Gisa
*1 Gisa, Glorious Resurrector
*1 God-Eternal Bontu
*1 God-Eternal Oketra
*1 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
*1 Illuminor Szeras
*1 Junji, the Midnight Sky
*1 Kambal, Consul of Allocation
*1 Liesa, Forgotten Archangel
*1 Loran of the Third Path
*1 Luminous Broodmoth
*1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
*1 Ravos, Soultender
*1 Sanctuary Warden
*1 Scholar of New Horizons
*1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
*1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
*1 Syr Konrad, the Grim
*1 Teysa Karlov
*1 Triarch Praetorian
*1 Viscera Seer
*1 Vizier of Remedies
*1 Whisper, Blood Liturgist
*1 Yahenni, Undying Partisan
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Anguished Unmaking
*1 Cauldron Haze
*1 Deadly Dispute
*1 Despark
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Malakir Rebirth
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Village Rites
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Animate Dead
*1 Phyrexian Reclamation
*1 Song of the Worldsoul
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Blade of Selves
*1 Cauldron of Souls
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Orzhov Signet
*1 Relic of Legends
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Hierarchy
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Damn
*1 Dread Return
*1 Living Death
*1 Primevals&#039; Glorious Rebirth
*1 Reanimate
*1 Urza&#039;s Ruinous Blast
*1 Victimize
[/Sorceries]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Kaya the Inexorable
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Brightclimb Pathway
*1 Caves of Koilos
*1 Command Tower
*1 Fetid Heath
*1 Godless Shrine
*1 High Market
*1 Isolated Chapel
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Nesting Grounds
*1 Orzhov Basilica
*6 Plains
*1 Shattered Sanctum
*12 Swamp
*1 Tainted Field
*1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
*1 Vault of Champions
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>What do you think? Is there anything for the <em>Persist</em> package that I missed? Would you take the budget package in a different direction? Be sure to let me know in the comments, and tune in next week as we <em>Brew for Your Buck</em>!</p>


Brian Cain

Brew For Your Buck - Unearthing the Infinite

Brew For Your Buck - Fish Flash

Brew For Your Buck - The Legend Persists