<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist" href="#" target="_blank">Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/michalivan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michal Ivan</a></span></i></p>
<p>Hello hello! With <em>Edge of Eternities</em> hype in full swing, I wanted to talk about one of my favorite cards for the set. This week's deck tech will be centered on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist" href="#" target="_blank">Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a cool new reanimator commander coming to us straight from the Blind Eternities.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist"></div></div>
<p>While this commander may not be the strongest reanimation piece that Commander players have access to, it is certainly unique. The ability to strip negative abilities away from our creatures provides interesting deckbuilding opportunities, so I'm excited to talk about what Xu can do for you!</p>
<h2>What Does Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist Do?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Xu-Ifit is a 2/3 Human Wizard. That's not exactly impressive, but it's also not what we're here for. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When we <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-tap" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> our commander, we can reanimate a creature from our graveyard as a Skeleton with no abilities. This is interesting, as Xu-Ifit takes away <em>all</em> abilities, both positive and negative. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So, whether we reanimate something with positive abilities like an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archon of Cruelty" href="#" target="_blank">Archon of Cruelty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or something with negative abilities like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yawgmoth Demon" href="#" target="_blank">Yawgmoth Demon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we'll be left with a vanilla 6/6 Skeleton.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archon of Cruelty"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yawgmoth Demon"></div></div>
<p>While Xu-Ifit's abilities are pretty unique, the card is still reminiscent of some previously printed commanders.</p>
<p>I'm reminded first and foremost of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zul Ashur, Lich Lord" href="#" target="_blank">Zul Ashur, Lich Lord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from <em>Foundations</em>. Both cards let us get creatures from our graveyard back into the fray, and both cards also care about undead creatures. Their art is even similar!</p>
<p>I'm also reminded of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ruxa, Patient Professor" href="#" target="_blank">Ruxa, Patient Professor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, another commander that brings cards back from our graveyard and will build board states full of big vanilla creatures.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zul Ashur, Lich Lord"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ruxa, Patient Professor"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, let's get back to business. What sort of cards will fill out the 99 of this deck? </span></p>
<h2>Key Cards for Xu-Ifit</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We'll fill out Xu-Ifit's supporting cast with ways to dump our library into the graveyard, big creatures that we can cheat back onto the battlefield, and ways to benefit from the previous two points. <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> is the color of reanimation, so we've got no shortage of cards to put in our decklist.</span></p>
<p>First, let's talk about what we're all here for: big creatures. I've included a full 14 reanimation targets here, three of which have drawbacks and 11 of which are just too expensive to reasonably cast in most games.</p>
<p>While it's possible to eventually cast an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emrakul, the Promised End" href="#" target="_blank">Emrakul, the Promised End</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in a super long game, we'll most often be using it as a vanilla 13/13 Skeleton. Among the largest creatures we've got available to us in this deck are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Dreadnought" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Dreadnought</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Death&#039;s Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Death&#039;s Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancient Stone Idol" href="#" target="_blank">Ancient Stone Idol</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emrakul, the Promised End"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Dreadnought"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Death&#039;s Shadow"></div></div>
<p>There's a few other creatures that are at our commander's disposal, but their abilities aren't the focus of this deck; their power and toughness boxes are.</p>
<h3>Self-Mill</h3>
<p>I'd also like to showcase a few of the best self-mill engines that have found a slot here.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Altar of the Wretched" href="#" target="_blank">Altar of the Wretched</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might seem like just a bulk rare from <em>Lost Caverns Commander</em>, but it's actually a perfect fit in this deck. On its front face, we can sacrifice the largest creature we've got on hand to see a huge amount of cards from our deck. And, after we activate its craft ability, it can become an absolutely gigantic, game-ending threat. As a little bonus, it can even bring itself back to our hand from the graveyard if we've milled it over.</p>
<p>Although <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Altar of Dementia" href="#" target="_blank">Altar of Dementia</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> may be a less exciting pick for this same effect, it's certainly extremely powerful. I've also become a big fan of mill rocks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Millikin" href="#" target="_blank">Millikin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card can hit the battlefield before our commander, and provide a steady stream of mana advantage and mill over the course of a game. It's easy to replace a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mind Stone" href="#" target="_blank">Mind Stone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with Millikin in any graveyard-centric deck, and I've been doing so quite frequently.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Altar of the Wretched"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Millikin"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Palantír of Orthanc"></div></div>
<p>Lastly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Palantír of Orthanc" href="#" target="_blank">Palantír of Orthanc</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> also works quite well in this Xu-Ifit list. Most players will let us get away with drawing a card each turn, but any foolish opponents that don't risk being hit for huge amounts of mana if we flip an Eldrazi or two into our bin.</p>
<h3>Graveyard Synergy</h3>
<p>Between our commander's ability and cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Victimize" href="#" target="_blank">Victimize</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we'll be moving cards in and out of our 'yard quite frequently. Let's take advantage of that, shall we?</p>
<p>There's a trio of enchantments that work perfectly with our game plan, first among them being <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corpses of the Lost" href="#" target="_blank">Corpses of the Lost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This three-mana enchantment will serve as a repeatable source of creature tokens and haste for our reanimated creatures. It's admittedly a slow value engine, requiring us to pay <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> turn after turn to generate a good board state, but this fits right into the deck's Bracket 2 standing.</p>
<p>Speaking of enchantments that cost <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teval&#039;s Judgment" href="#" target="_blank">Teval&#039;s Judgment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works quite similarly. We can choose between card draw, mana creation, and creature token creation whenever a card leaves our graveyard, and that flexibility is key to this card's strength.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Corpses of the Lost"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teval&#039;s Judgment"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Defiled Crypt // Cadaver Lab"></div></div>
<p>Lastly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Defiled Crypt // Cadaver Lab" href="#" target="_blank">Defiled Crypt // Cadaver Lab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a nice little value engine just like Corpses of the Lost. It lets us make 2/2s when we reanimate creatures, and can bring a creature back to our hand for just one mana too.</p>
<p>There's a few other cards worth mentioning that fit into this aspect of the deck's game plan, including <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skeleton Crew" href="#" target="_blank">Skeleton Crew</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tormod, the Desecrator" href="#" target="_blank">Tormod, the Desecrator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syr Konrad, the Grim" href="#" target="_blank">Syr Konrad, the Grim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skeleton Crew"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tormod, the Desecrator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Syr Konrad, the Grim"></div></div>
<h2>How Does This Xu-Ifit Commander Deck Win?</h2>
<p>So, after we've had our fun and made a 13/13 creature on turn four, what do we do now? Well, this deck's primary win condition is combat. We'll try to beat our opponents down with big, vanilla creatures. Anthems like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon Throne of Tarkir" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon Throne of Tarkir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gisa, the Hellraiser" href="#" target="_blank">Gisa, the Hellraiser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can make that process a bit easier, providing nice buffs that should allow our creatures to get in for damage more easily.</p>
<p>The aforementioned <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corpses of the Lost" href="#" target="_blank">Corpses of the Lost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> also works well here, letting us surprise our opponents with a big, hasty creature to close out games.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragon Throne of Tarkir"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gisa, the Hellraiser"></div></div>
<p>But, failing that, there are a few other ways that we can win the game.</p>
<p>We've got: relatively one-sided board wipes, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mandate of Abaddon" href="#" target="_blank">Mandate of Abaddon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (if we choose a large creature we control, there's a good chance that a few of our other creatures will be big enough to survive the wipe); the ability to turn one big creature into a game-ending board of tokens with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghoulcaller Gisa" href="#" target="_blank">Ghoulcaller Gisa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (turning a 10/10 into 10 2/2s will usually make quick work of even the most clogged-up board states); and even a few ways to give our creatures lifelink, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Whip of Erebos" href="#" target="_blank">Whip of Erebos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (we'll be able to gain enough life to put the game entirely out of reach for our opponents).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mandate of Abaddon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghoulcaller Gisa"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Whip of Erebos"></div></div>
<h2>Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Building a Reanimator Deck with Xu-Ifit" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Ancient Stone Idol
*1 Angel of Suffering
*1 Artisan of Kozilek
*1 Arvinox, the Mind Flail
*1 Barrowgoyf
*1 Colossus of Akros
*1 Death Baron
*1 Death&#039;s Shadow
*1 Disciple of Bolas
*1 Emrakul, the Promised End
*1 Emrakul, the World Anew
*1 Ghoulcaller Gisa
*1 Gisa, the Hellraiser
*1 It That Betrays
*1 Leveler
*1 Millikin
*1 Overlord of the Balemurk
*1 Phyrexian Dreadnought
*1 Phyrexian Triniform
*1 Priest of Forgotten Gods
*1 Qarsi Revenant
*1 Rankle, Master of Pranks
*1 Ruthless Technomancer
*1 Shadowheart, Dark Justiciar
*1 Skeleton Crew
*1 Stitcher&#039;s Supplier
*1 Syr Konrad, the Grim
*1 Tormod, the Desecrator
*1 Ulamog&#039;s Dreadsire
*1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
*1 Vile Entomber
*1 Void Winnower
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Corpses of the Lost
*1 Defiled Crypt // Cadaver Lab
*1 Ripples of Undeath
*1 Teval&#039;s Judgment
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Breach the Multiverse
*1 Dark Deal
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Gix&#039;s Command
*1 Incarnation Technique
*1 Mandate of Abaddon
*1 Reanimate
*1 Stargaze
*1 Unmarked Grave
*1 Victimize
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Altar of Dementia
*1 Altar of the Wretched // Wretched Bonemass
*1 Codex Shredder
*1 Conjurer&#039;s Closet
*1 Dragon Throne of Tarkir
*1 Magewright&#039;s Stone
*1 Mask of Griselbrand
*1 Palantír of Orthanc
*1 The Grim Captain&#039;s Locker
*1 Thousand-Year Elixir
*1 Whip of Erebos
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Bitter Triumph
*1 Entomb
*1 Lethal Scheme
*1 Not of This World
*1 Pile On
*1 Price of Fame
*1 Reckoner&#039;s Bargain
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Accursed Duneyard
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*32 Swamp
*1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Thanks very much for reading! Before you go, I wanted to chat about a few more cards that work particularly well in the deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Not of This World" href="#" target="_blank">Not of This World</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will usually act as a free protection spell for our biggest reanimated creature, which will feel great against the Bracket 2 competition this deck should be facing.</p>
<p>I also really like the inclusion of <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>, which can blink a reanimated creature to give its abilities back. We've got a full 11 reanimation targets with beneficial rules text on them, so this artifact can turn a vanilla creature back into a menacing threat.</p>
<p>I also chose the removal spells for this deck carefully, with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lethal Scheme" href="#" target="_blank">Lethal Scheme</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pile On" href="#" target="_blank">Pile On</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Price of Fame" href="#" target="_blank">Price of Fame</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all letting us fill up the graveyard as we clear the board.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Not of This World"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Conjurer&#039;s Closet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lethal Scheme"></div></div>
<p>That's all for now, so I'll see you all next week for another deck tech!</p>


Building a Reanimator Deck with Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist

<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eshki Dragonclaw" href="#" target="_blank">Eshki Dragonclaw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">| </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Art by </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.mynameistran.com/">Tran Nguyen</a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hello and welcome back to an in-universe Commander deck tech! With <em>Final Fantasy's</em> release now in our rear view, and <em>Edge of Eternities</em>' release coming up quite quickly, I wanted to take a brief moment to look at a card from a recent set that I think could use some extra love. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I'm a huge fan of <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em>, and the Temur in particular, so I'm super excited to take another look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eshki Dragonclaw" href="#" target="_blank">Eshki Dragonclaw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eshki Dragonclaw"></div></div></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">What Does </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eshki</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Do?</span></h2>
<p>Eshki's got a few keywords on her that make her an ideal leader for a Voltron deck. First, she's got defensive ability with vigilance, some evasion with trample, and even built-in protection with ward <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>.</p>
<p>And, at the beginning of combat on our turn, if we've cast both a creature spell and a noncreature spell, she rewards us with +1/+1 counters and card draw. That's a lot for just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, meaning we can get our gameplan online pretty early.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This commander is a fun design, and encourages us to fill our deck with similar amounts of creatures and noncreatures. An interesting push-and-pull, for sure. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is reminiscent of several different commanders, notably the recently released <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hraesvelgr of the First Brood" href="#" target="_blank">Hraesvelgr of the First Brood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Both Eshki and Hraesvelgr have similar keywords, and provide some combat-relevant buff to a creature when we cast a noncreature spell. I'm also reminded of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krile Baldesion" href="#" target="_blank">Krile Baldesion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, whose abilities ask us to have high counts of creatures and noncreatures too.<br />
</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hraesvelgr of the First Brood"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krile Baldesion"></div></div>
<p>So, Eshki asks us to cast noncreature spells (and fill out our 99 with a strong supporting cast of creatures). But, there's a few categories of noncreature spells that we've got to choose from.</p>
<p>While <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>-centric decks may lean well into Spellslinger synergies with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archmage of Runes" href="#" target="_blank">Archmage of Runes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, I want to take a slightly more unique approach.</p>
<p>We'll be making use of Auras to make a hybrid Enchantress-Voltron list centered around beating face with our commander! So, let's get right into it!</p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Key Cards for Eshki</span></h2>
<p>There's a full 28 enchantments in this deck, so let's talk about a few of the best ones. My personal favorite is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hadana&#039;s Climb" href="#" target="_blank">Hadana&#039;s Climb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which will usually flip into a super powerful land the same turn we cast it.</p>
<p>Its back side can either be a nice multicolor land OR a way to end games quickly, and that flexibility is super valuable here.</p>
<p>I also really like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spider Umbra" href="#" target="_blank">Spider Umbra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in this list. It does everything we want out of an Aura: it's as cheap as an Aura can be, it buffs our commander's blocking abilities, and even protects our commander from the removal our opponents will surely throw at it.</p>
<p>Rounding out the best Auras in this deck is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strong Back" href="#" target="_blank">Strong Back</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card is a cheaper version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Auramancer&#039;s Guise" href="#" target="_blank">Auramancer&#039;s Guise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (which is also here) and reduces the casting cost of pretty much every other Aura we'll cast for the remainder of the game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hadana&#039;s Climb"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spider Umbra"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Strong Back"></div></div>
<p>There's a few more auras that work particularly well in this deck, so let's touch on those briefly. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shimmering Wings" href="#" target="_blank">Shimmering Wings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a relatively innocuous card, but it can trigger our commander and other cards that care about us casting enchantment spells over and over again.</p>
<p>Because Eshki provides so much value when we can cast both a creature and a noncreature spell, it's great to always have a noncreature spell available with this Aura.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Whip Silk" href="#" target="_blank">Whip Silk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crown of Flames" href="#" target="_blank">Crown of Flames</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> do pretty much the same thing, but I didn't want to clog the deck's 99 with too many Auras without consequential on-board effects.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bramble Familiar" href="#" target="_blank">Bramble Familiar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the same effect on a creature, plus a super useful adventure, so it's found a spot in the deck too. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hydra&#039;s Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Hydra&#039;s Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works wonders with our commander too.</p>
<p>Because Eshki naturally gains +1/+1 counters, this card will typically provide huge power and toughness buffs after just a few turns on the board.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shimmering Wings"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bramble Familiar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hydra&#039;s Growth"></div></div>
<p>Now, let's talk about the creatures that support our gameplan. First, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eutropia the Twice-Favored" href="#" target="_blank">Eutropia the Twice-Favored</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides extra evasion and +1/+1 counters to our commander, making her even more lethal.</p>
<p>Plus, Eutropia can distribute counters to other creatures we control if our commander happens to be out of commission. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei" href="#" target="_blank">Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great haste outlet and mana sink, letting us get some quick attacks in with our commander and make 5/5 flying creatures if we've got extra mana.</p>
<p>Speaking of mana production, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fanatic of Rhonas" href="#" target="_blank">Fanatic of Rhonas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ilysian Caryatid" href="#" target="_blank">Ilysian Caryatid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both provide extra mana with our commander on the battlefield. They slot very nicely into our early game curve, and can accelerate us towards the mid/late game with ease.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eutropia the Twice-Favored"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fanatic of Rhonas"></div></div>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">How Does This Deck Win?</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck, as all good Voltron decks do, tries to hit our opponents hard and fast. By buffing our commander with auras like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Colossification" href="#" target="_blank">Colossification</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and creatrures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nylea&#039;s Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Nylea&#039;s Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we'll try to knock out our opponents in just a few combat steps.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Eshki's card draw and self-buffing capabilities only accelerate that plan, and we'll usually end the game after a few big swings with a suited-up commander.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Colossification"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nylea&#039;s Colossus"></div></div>
<p>But, Eshki's power makes her a prime target for our opponents' removal. We'll sometimes need other creatures to put our Auras onto, so cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Callaphe, Beloved of the Sea" href="#" target="_blank">Callaphe, Beloved of the Sea</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon&#039;s Rage Channeler" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon&#039;s Rage Channeler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wildsear, Scouring Maw" href="#" target="_blank">Wildsear, Scouring Maw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can turn from role players to star players if need be.</p>
<p>Each of these cards can serve as a nice target for our Auras in the event of our commander's absence, and having them as an alternative makes it easier to recover from unfavorable positions in-game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Callaphe, Beloved of the Sea"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragon&#039;s Rage Channeler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wildsear, Scouring Maw"></div></div>
<h2><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eshki Dragonclaw </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Commander Deck List</span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Eshki - Finally! A Temur deck that doesn&#039;t suck!" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Eshki Dragonclaw
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 Aetherize
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Fumble
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 Strix Serenade
*1 Swan Song
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Bridgeworks Battle // Tanglespan Bridgeworks
*1 Ezuri&#039;s Predation
*1 Shatterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Alpha Authority
*1 Amphibian Downpour
*1 Ancestral Mask
*1 Aqueous Form
*1 Auramancer&#039;s Guise
*1 Bear Umbra
*1 Canopy Cover
*1 Colossification
*1 Combat Research
*1 Enchantress&#039;s Presence
*1 Fly
*1 Frog Tongue
*1 Hadana&#039;s Climb // Winged Temple of Orazca
*1 Hydra&#039;s Growth
*1 Kenrith&#039;s Transformation
*1 Lignify
*1 Octopus Umbra
*1 One with Nature
*1 Predatory Hunger
*1 Season of Growth
*1 Shielding Plax
*1 Shimmering Wings
*1 Snake Umbra
*1 Song of the Dryads
*1 Spider Umbra
*1 Sticky Fingers
*1 Strong Back
*1 Wild Growth
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*1 Argothian Enchantress
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Bloom Tender
*1 Bothersome Quasit
*1 Bramble Familiar // Fetch Quest
*1 Callaphe, Beloved of the Sea
*1 Composer of Spring
*1 Destiny Spinner
*1 Disciple of Freyalise // Garden of Freyalise
*1 Dragon&#039;s Rage Channeler
*1 Eidolon of Blossoms
*1 Entity Tracker
*1 Eutropia the Twice-Favored
*1 Fanatic of Rhonas
*1 Flux Channeler
*1 Generous Visitor
*1 Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei
*1 Herald of the Pantheon
*1 Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory
*1 Ilysian Caryatid
*1 Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief
*1 Kodama of the West Tree
*1 Livaan, Cultist of Tiamat
*1 Nessian Wanderer
*1 Nylea&#039;s Colossus
*1 Ornithopter of Paradise
*1 Pinnacle Monk // Mystic Peak
*1 Sanctum Weaver
*1 Setessan Champion
*1 Tanglespan Lookout
*1 Third Path Iconoclast
*1 Verduran Enchantress
*1 Wildsear, Scouring Maw
[/Creatures]
[Lands]
*1 Barkchannel Pathway // Tidechannel Pathway
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*1 Cascade Bluffs
*1 Command Tower
*1 Cragcrown Pathway // Timbercrown Pathway
*1 Dreamroot Cascade
*1 Fiery Islet
*1 Fire-Lit Thicket
*1 Flooded Grove
*3 Forest
*1 Grove of the Burnwillows
*3 Island
*1 Karplusan Forest
*2 Mountain
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*1 Riverglide Pathway // Lavaglide Pathway
*1 Rockfall Vale
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
*1 Spire Garden
*1 Stormcarved Coast
*1 Training Center
*1 Waterlogged Grove
*1 Yavimaya Coast
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Conclusion and Alternative Build Paths</span></h2>
<p>That's all for this week, folks! Before you go, I wanted to talk a little bit about how I'd choose to build a Spellslinger version of this deck.</p>
<p>Our very own <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/start-me-up-tarkir-dragonstorm">Bennie Smith wrote up a cool Adventure-centric Eshki list</a>, but I'd choose to go a little bit more all-in on the Voltron strategy again. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temur Battle Rage" href="#" target="_blank">Temur Battle Rage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Invigorating Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Invigorating Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gift of the Viper" href="#" target="_blank">Gift of the Viper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would find a place for sure.</p>
<p>This deck would be focused on buffing our commander using combat tricks, taking out players with temporary bursts of power to our commander that they wouldn't see coming.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Temur Battle Rage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Invigorating Surge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gift of the Viper"></div></div>
<p>But now I want to hear from you! Would you rather play an Enchantress or spellsinger version of this deck? Let me know in the comments below, and I'll see you next week for an <em>Edge of Eternities </em>deck tech!</p>


Making a Voltron Deck with Eshki Dragonclaw

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Belligerent" href="#" target="_blank">The Belligerent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.brucebrenneise.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bruce Brenneise</a></span></h6>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In case you haven't heard, <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/edge-of-eternities-rules-update-vehicles-can-be-commanders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all legendary Vehicles are about to be eligible to lead Commander decks starting August 1st</a>. This opens up deckbuilding possibilities for players, letting unique cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esika&#039;s Chariot" href="#" target="_blank">Esika&#039;s Chariot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Parhelion II" href="#" target="_blank">Parhelion II</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grond, the Gatebreaker" href="#" target="_blank">Grond, the Gatebreaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> be at the helm of your next EDH deck.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> There aren't a ton of new cards that this change applies to (just about 20), but there are some interesting new options. Notably, I'd like to bring your attention to... <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Belligerent" href="#" target="_blank">The Belligerent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! </span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Belligerent"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here, I'll be doing a deck tech for this daring pirate ship. Although it was once helmed by Vraska, it'll now be helmed by me! I'd say that's an upgrade, but I'll leave that up to your discretion.</span></p>
<h2>What Does The Belligerent Do?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, The Belligerent is a 5/5 Vehicle with crew 3. When it attacks, we make a Treasure token and can play cards from the top of our library for the rest of the turn. So essentially, after jumping through a few hoops, we get a copy of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Future Sight" href="#" target="_blank">Future Sight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in our command zone. Neat!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I'm of course reminded of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Melek, Izzet Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Melek, Izzet Paragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, another Izzet (<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>) commander that lets us cast spells from the top of our library, although Melek gives us a benefit for doing so (even if he places a restriction on what sort of spells we can cast). </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This commander is also reminiscent of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Captain Lannery Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Captain Lannery Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and not just because she's a Pirate: she makes a Treasure on attack, too, and even has a slot in the 99 of this deck!</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Melek, Izzet Paragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Captain Lannery Storm"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Being in Izzet gives us access to a lot of cards that synergize with both halves of our commander's attack trigger. We've got cards that care about artifacts <em>and</em> cards that care about casting spells from places other than our hand. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There's a lot of cool cards from recent set releases that I'm super excited to talk about, so let's get brewing!</span></p>
<h2>Key Cards for The Belligerent</h2>
<p>First, let's talk about the artifact synergies in this deck. Our commander is an artifact, itself, and makes Treasures for us every turn, so we'll have no shortage of them.</p>
<p>No surprise, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magda, Brazen Outlaw" href="#" target="_blank">Magda, Brazen Outlaw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> fits perfectly here. She wants to be tapped to crew our commander, and she can even let us use excess Treasures to fetch up some goodies from our library. Another Dwarf makes the list too, with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glóin, Dwarf Emissary" href="#" target="_blank">Glóin, Dwarf Emissary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This curves perfectly into our four-drop commander: we play Glóin on turn three, cast our commander and make a Treasure token on turn four, then Glóin has just enough power to crew our big boat for the rest of the game!</p>
<p>There's also the newest version of Chandra: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chandra, Spark Hunter" href="#" target="_blank">Chandra, Spark Hunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! This planeswalker can automatically crew a Vehicle, provide us with some card selection and even extra Vehicles if we need them. Plus, her ultimate can provide some game-ending damage</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Magda, Brazen Outlaw"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glóin, Dwarf Emissary"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chandra, Spark Hunter"></div></div>
<p>There's also some sweet payoffs for casting things from the top of our deck. <em>Doctor Who</em> brought some tech with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Twelfth Doctor" href="#" target="_blank">The Twelfth Doctor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Osgood, Operation Double" href="#" target="_blank">Osgood, Operation Double</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, both adding some value when we use our commander's ability to its fullest. Also, if The Doctor wasn't letting us copy our spells enough, we can use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mizzix, Replica Rider" href="#" target="_blank">Mizzix, Replica Rider</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to get a sweet two-for-one discount on spells we cast from our library.</p>
<p>Finally, I love <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Lost and the Damned" href="#" target="_blank">The Lost and the Damned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the 99 of this deck. It can hit the field before our commander and make us a 3/3 when we cast it, then it'll keep making us 3/3s as we progress our gameplan. I know that the <em>Warhammer</em> set had a lot to offer, but this card should be seeing a lot more play than it currently is.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Twelfth Doctor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mizzix, Replica Rider"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Lost and the Damned"></div></div>
<p>Aside from our commander, there are a few other Vehicles that I really like here: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reaver Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Reaver Titan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be extremely challenging for our opponents to answer, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thunderhawk Gunship" href="#" target="_blank">Thunderhawk Gunship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help us break through board stalls, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imposter Mech" href="#" target="_blank">Imposter Mech</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be a super cheap clone of an opponent's best threat.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reaver Titan"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thunderhawk Gunship"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Imposter Mech"></div></div>
<h2>How Does This Deck Win?</h2>
<p>There are a few other Vehicles and Vehicle synergies that can propel us to a win.</p>
<p>The ever-popular <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unlicensed Hearse" href="#" target="_blank">Unlicensed Hearse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can become a big beater quickly while also keeping graveyard strategies in check. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mu Yanling, Wind Rider" href="#" target="_blank">Mu Yanling, Wind Rider</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides each of our Vehicles evasion, makes a Vehicle token when she enters, and gives us some card advantage. Honestly, I couldn't ask for more out of card for this list.</p>
<p>Finally, there's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Invasion of Kaladesh" href="#" target="_blank">Invasion of Kaladesh</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brotherhood Vertibird" href="#" target="_blank">Brotherhood Vertibird</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Combined with our 18 Vehicles (not counting Vehicle token-creators) and other artifacts, these cards have the chance to flip over into huge, evasive beaters.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unlicensed Hearse"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mu Yanling, Wind Rider"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Invasion of Kaladesh"></div></div>
<p>Failing that, there's a few other ways we can win. We can ping our opponents' life totals down with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Keeper of Secrets" href="#" target="_blank">Keeper of Secrets</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flaming Tyrannosaurus" href="#" target="_blank">Flaming Tyrannosaurus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we can reanimate some scary threats from opponents' graveyards with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nautiloid Ship" href="#" target="_blank">Nautiloid Ship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and we can even assemble a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hellkite Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Hellkite Tyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> win if the game goes long enough.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Keeper of Secrets"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nautiloid Ship"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hellkite Tyrant"></div></div>
<h2>The Belligerent Commander Decklist</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Building a Vehicle Deck with The Belligerent" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 The Belligerent
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Academy Manufactor
*1 Captain Lannery Storm
*1 Cosima, God of the Voyage
*1 Fallowsage
*1 Fearless Swashbuckler
*1 Felhide Spiritbinder
*1 Flaming Tyrannosaurus
*1 Ghostly Pilferer
*1 Glóin, Dwarf Emissary
*1 Goldspan Dragon
*1 Hellkite Tyrant
*1 Ingenious Artillerist
*1 Iraxxa, Empress of Mars
*1 K-9, Mark I
*1 Keeper of Secrets
*1 Magda, Brazen Outlaw
*1 Mary Read and Anne Bonny
*1 Mizzix, Replica Rider
*1 Mu Yanling, Wind Rider
*1 Osgood, Operation Double
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Sage of the Beyond
*1 Slicer, Hired Muscle
*1 Swashbuckler Extraordinaire
*1 The Emperor of Palamecia
*1 The Twelfth Doctor
*1 Unctus, Grand Metatect
*1 Volatile Wanderglyph
*1 Xorn
[/Creatures]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Chandra, Spark Hunter
[/Planeswalkers]
[Sorceries]
*1 Impending Flux
*1 Otterball Antics
*1 See the Truth
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Boosted Sloop
*1 Brotherhood Vertibird
*1 Cargo Ship
*1 Imposter Mech
*1 Mindlink Mech
*1 Mobilizer Mech
*1 Nautiloid Ship
*1 Reaver Titan
*1 Reckoner Bankbuster
*1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
*1 Smuggler&#039;s Copter
*1 Tarrian&#039;s Soulcleaver
*1 The Indomitable
*1 Thunderhawk Gunship
*1 Thundersteel Colossus
*1 Treasure Map
*1 Unlicensed Hearse
*1 Unstable Amulet
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Alchemist&#039;s Talent
*1 Fortune Teller&#039;s Talent
*1 Rain of Riches
*1 Storm the Vault
*1 The Lost and the Damned
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Bottle-Cap Blast
*1 Bounce Off
*1 Pongify
*1 Rapid Hybridization
*1 Resculpt
*1 Surge of Brilliance
*1 Untimely Malfunction
[/Instants]
[Battles]
*1 Invasion of Kaladesh
[/Battles]
[Lands]
*1 Cascade Bluffs
*1 Ferrous Lake
*1 Fiery Islet
*11 Island
*1 Mech Hangar
*11 Mountain
*1 Reef Roads
*1 Restless Spire
*1 Riverpyre Verge
*1 Rocky Roads
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Stormcarved Coast
*1 Temple of Epiphany
*1 Thundering Falls
*1 Training Center
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck sits pretty firmly in Bracket 2. While it's a ton of fun to slam down a pirate ship and go to combat with it, our commander costs a little bit too much mana to be an effective card advantage or mana generation engine. Plus, as a 5/5 with no natural evasion, it'll occasionally be in danger during the combat step.</span></p>
<p>There are a few more cards that work well in the deck that I wanted to shout out.</p>
<p>First up, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Emperor of Palamecia" href="#" target="_blank">The Emperor of Palamecia</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can let us cast our commander on turn three and is immediately large enough to crew it. Between that cool pay pattern and the 33 other noncreature cards in the deck, we'll get a lot of mileage out of this <em>Final Fantasy</em> card.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Emperor of Palamecia"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bounce Off"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Felhide Spiritbinder"></div></div>
<p>I also wanted to shout out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bounce Off" href="#" target="_blank">Bounce Off</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a cool <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unsummon" href="#" target="_blank">Unsummon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> variant that we can use offensively or defensively. We can, of course, bounce an opponent's creature if needed, but, once The Belligerent's attack trigger has resolved, we can return it to our hand if we're in danger of losing it during combat.</p>
<p>Finally, I wanted to draw some attention to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Felhide Spiritbinder" href="#" target="_blank">Felhide Spiritbinder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. While this may not be the greatest card in <em>Magic</em>, it can do some really unique things. For example, I'd love to use this thing to copy <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Xorn" href="#" target="_blank">Xorn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and make extra Treasures with our commander's ability. As a little bonus, this card's base power of three means it can be used to crew our commander all on its own.</p>
<p>Thanks very much for reading, and I'll see you all next week for another deck tech!</p>


Building a Vehicle Deck with The Belligerent

<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lyse Hext" href="#" target="_blank">Lyse Hext</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ramzapsyru/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ramza Psyru</a></span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With <em>Edge of Eternities</em> just around the corner, and some awesome cards from the set having been previewed just a week ago in Las Vegas, I wanted to take one last look at a <em>Final Fantasy</em> card that I found super impressive. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There's tons of legends in this set with enough text on them to fill a novel, some legends that enable brand new strategies, and some legends that add a nice twist to pre-existing archetypes. Today, I'll be talking about a card that fits squarely in that third category: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lyse Hext" href="#" target="_blank">Lyse Hext</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lyse Hext"></div></div></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This card is sweet, lending a fresh take to Azorius Spellslinger and Voltron decks. We'll be focusing on the Voltron side of things today, but this new commander also fits really well into strategies focused on instants and sorceries. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For now, though, let's talk about how we'll turn this new card into the leader of this week's deck!</span></p>
<h2>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lyse Hext" href="#" target="_blank">Lyse Hext</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, we get a 2/2 Human Rebel Monk with prowess. She also reduces the cost of our noncreature spells by <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, and gains double strike if we cast two noncreature spells in a single turn. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These are relatively simple abilities, but they work so well together. If we string together a few spells, we essentially double the effectiveness of our commander's built-in prowess. Plus, any power/toughness buffs that we give to our commander are supercharged by her double strike!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I'm reminded of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bruna, Light of Alabaster" href="#" target="_blank">Bruna, Light of Alabaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This commander asks us to suit it up with a ton of Auras, and lets us get those Auras on the battlefield for free during combat. Lyse Hext is a bit stronger than Bruna, because Lyse relies less on our opponents allowing us to go to combat with our commander to get its benefit. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I'm also reminded of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Danitha Capashen, Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Danitha Capashen, Paragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Much like our commander, Danitha reduces the cost of some relevant spells and has cool combat abilities. I actually almost included Danitha in the 99 of this deck, but cut her for some cards that fit more closely with the theme.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bruna, Light of Alabaster"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Danitha Capashen, Paragon"></div></div> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is firmly a Voltron deck, full of Auras to buff our commander, ways to make her harder to block, and so much more. Usually, when I think of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> decks I don't think of Voltron as a primary strategy, so I'm excited to get brewing! </span></p>
<h2>Key Cards for Lyse Hext</h2>
<p>This deck has a whopping 37 enchantments, so let's talk about a few of the best ones.</p>
<p>First up, let's make our commander evasive. She's naturally going to hit quite hard, due to the combination of double strike and prowess, so we've just got to make sure she can punch in for damage.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fly" href="#" target="_blank">Fly</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a basic card, but it does everything we want in this deck. It's a cheap Aura that makes our commander hard to block, and it lets us get a little bonus every time she deals combat damage.</p>
<p>Speaking of flying, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fae Flight" href="#" target="_blank">Fae Flight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great roleplayer in the deck too. This Aura gives flying and a small buff to our commander, but also provides it with protection from a removal spell in a pinch. This card fills multiple slots, serving as protection and evasion, and slots very nicely in our 99.</p>
<p>There's a few other cards that can make our commander difficult to block, and one of my favorites is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Steel of the Godhead" href="#" target="_blank">Steel of the Godhead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. First of all, the art on this card is <em>so</em> cool. Secondly, making our commander completely unblockable <em>and</em> giving it lifelink is super useful. So, for those reasons combined (and definitely not just the Kithkin in the art), this card is great.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fly"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fae Flight"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Steel of the Godhead"></div></div>
<p>This deck has a lot of cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ethereal Armor" href="#" target="_blank">Ethereal Armor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that scale with the number of enchantments that we've got on the battlefield. So, to that end, a lot of the deck's key pieces are enchantments!</p>
<p>Instead of protection spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Giver of Runes" href="#" target="_blank">Giver of Runes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we've got enchantments like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shardmage&#039;s Rescue" href="#" target="_blank">Shardmage&#039;s Rescue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dog Umbra" href="#" target="_blank">Dog Umbra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Instead of removal spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pongify" href="#" target="_blank">Pongify</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we've got <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eaten by Piranhas" href="#" target="_blank">Eaten by Piranhas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Mutation" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Mutation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>This may seem like it's a downgrade, but there's a lot of super powerful cards that just so happen to be enchantments. I'll show the full deck list later, and I think it's really cool that there's so few cards that you'd find in a typical <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> deck. There's some unique inclusions here, and that's my favorite way to build decks.</p>
<h2>How Does This Lyse Hext Deck Win?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck intends to suit our commander up with a whole bunch of Auras, give her double strike, and hit our opponents very hard in the face. Enchantments like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="All That Glitters" href="#" target="_blank">All That Glitters</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be super helpful, turning all of our Auras into power and toughness buffs for our commander. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of my favorite win-condition Auras is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Auramancer&#039;s Guise" href="#" target="_blank">Auramancer&#039;s Guise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This is an awesome color pie break that provides a huge buff to our commander <em>and</em> gives it vigilance. Given how large our commander is likely to be at any given moment, the ability to use it offensively and defensively can be game-winning. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Similarly, I'm a fan of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="On Serra&#039;s Wings" href="#" target="_blank">On Serra&#039;s Wings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This gives our commander three fantastic keywords: flying for extra evasion, vigilance for defense, and lifelink to put the game out of our opponents' reach. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lastly, I really like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Michiko&#039;s Reign of Truth" href="#" target="_blank">Michiko&#039;s Reign of Truth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This provides a big buff to our commander for two turns, before becoming a huge creature itself. </span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Auramancer&#039;s Guise"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="On Serra&#039;s Wings"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Michiko&#039;s Reign of Truth"></div></div>
<p>Sometimes Lyse is going to be removed from the board and cost too much mana to be reasonably recast. What do we do then? Well, there's a few creatures that do quite well as alternative targets for our Auras.</p>
<p>Among them, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kor Spiritdancer" href="#" target="_blank">Kor Spiritdancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hero of Iroas" href="#" target="_blank">Hero of Iroas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> each become big threats when we've got enough enchantments on the board. Plus, each of these creatures plays nicely into our game plan when we do manage to keep our commander on the battlefield.</p>
<p>And, one of my favorite new cards, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Riptide Gearhulk" href="#" target="_blank">Riptide Gearhulk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the some double strike / prowess combo that makes our commander such a dangerous attacker. Plus, it's a removal spell!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kor Spiritdancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Riptide Gearhulk"></div></div>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lyse Hext" href="#" target="_blank">Lyse Hext</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Building a Lyse Hext Deck" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Lyse Hext
[/Commander]
[Enchantments]
*1 All That Glitters
*1 Amphibian Downpour
*1 Aqueous Form
*1 Auramancer&#039;s Guise
*1 Combat Research
*1 Darksteel Mutation
*1 Daybreak Coronet
*1 Dog Umbra
*1 Eaten by Piranhas
*1 Eldrazi Conscription
*1 Ethereal Armor
*1 Fae Flight
*1 Feather of Flight
*1 Flickerform
*1 Fly
*1 Imprisoned in the Moon
*1 Mantle of the Ancients
*1 Michiko&#039;s Reign of Truth
*1 Monologue Tax
*1 Octopus Umbra
*1 On Serra&#039;s Wings
*1 Ossification
*1 Pacifism
*1 Planar Disruption
*1 Sage&#039;s Reverie
*1 Shardmage&#039;s Rescue
*1 Shark Typhoon
*1 Sheltered by Ghosts
*1 Shimmering Wings
*1 Sigarda&#039;s Aid
*1 Smuggler&#039;s Share
*1 Songbirds&#039; Blessing
*1 Spirit Mantle
*1 Staggering Insight
*1 Steel of the Godhead
*1 Tempest Technique
*1 Timely Ward
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*1 Armored Skyhunter
*1 Codsworth, Handy Helper
*1 Eidolon of Countless Battles
*1 Entity Tracker
*1 Gremlin Tamer
*1 Hero of Iroas
*1 Inquisitive Glimmer
*1 Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr
*1 Kor Spiritdancer
*1 Light-Paws, Emperor&#039;s Voice
*1 Mesa Enchantress
*1 Monastery Mentor
*1 Optimistic Scavenger
*1 Pearl-Ear, Imperial Advisor
*1 Protean Thaumaturge
*1 Riptide Gearhulk
*1 Slumbering Keepguard
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer
*1 Starfield Mystic
*1 Transcendent Envoy
*1 Triton Wavebreaker
*1 Umbra Mystic
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Unfinished Business
*1 Winds of Rath
[/Sorceries]
[Battles]
*1 Invasion of Theros
[/Battles]
[Instants]
*1 Aetherize
*1 Fumble
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Adarkar Wastes
*1 Command Tower
*1 Deserted Beach
*1 Floodfarm Verge
*1 Hall of Heliod&#039;s Generosity
*1 Irrigated Farmland
*1 Ishgard, the Holy See
*13 Island
*1 Mystic Gate
*12 Plains
*1 Sea of Clouds
*1 Skycloud Expanse
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thanks so much for reading! Before you go, there's a few more cards I wanted to talk about. These cards aren't necessarily the strongest ones in the list, but they do something unique. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shimmering Wings" href="#" target="_blank">Shimmering Wings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a one-mana Aura that doesn't have a very exciting effect: it just gives enchanted creature flying. But, for just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, we're able to bounce this enchantment back to our hand to recast it again. The ability to cast this enchantment as many times as we'd like can be super useful in this deck, especially with a 99 full of cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Monastery Mentor" href="#" target="_blank">Monastery Mentor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and a commander with prowess.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shimmering Wings"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Triton Wavebreaker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Invasion of Theros"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking of prowess, our next card is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triton Wavebreaker" href="#" target="_blank">Triton Wavebreaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This can come down as a blocker in a pinch, or provide our commander with an additional instance of prowess. Given that she's got double strike, this is extra useful. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The last card I wanted to shoutout is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Invasion of Theros" href="#" target="_blank">Invasion of Theros</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This is a relatively cheap tutor on its front half, and a lifelinking card advantage engine on its back half. This card ought to see more play in Enchantress-style decks, and I'm glad it's found a home here.</span></p>
<p>Thanks again for reading, and I'll see you all soon for another deck tech!</p>


Building a Voltron Deck With Lyse Hext

<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vaan, Street Thief" href="#" target="_blank">Vaan, Street Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://jakemurraystudio.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jake Murray</a></span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hello hello! Welcome to another <em>Final Fantasy</em> deck tech! This set is full of interesting, powerful commanders, and I'd like to walk you through a brew with one of my favorites. I've long been a fan of mono-colored decks, so it's no surprise that I've been drawn to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vaan, Street Thief" href="#" target="_blank">Vaan, Street Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vaan, Street Thief"></div></div></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This commander is super interesting, and the typal grouping he encourages will make for some interesting deckbuilding.</span></p>
<h2>What Does Vaan, Street Thief Do?</h2>
<p>This Human Scout costs <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, and essentially turns each of our Scouts, Pirates, and Rogues into a worse version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer" href="#" target="_blank">Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Whenever they deal combat damage to one of our opponents, we'll impulse draw the top card of that player's library. If we don't cast that card, we get a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treasure" href="#" target="_blank">Treasure</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. And, when we do cast a spell this way (or any other spell that we don't own), we'll get to buff up our whole board of creatures.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vaan reminds me of some of my other favorite commanders. He encourages us to cast spells from exile and hands out +1/+1 counters like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inti, Seneschal of the Sun" href="#" target="_blank">Inti, Seneschal of the Sun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. </span></p>
<p>I'm also reminded of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mari, the Killing Quill" href="#" target="_blank">Mari, the Killing Quill</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who groups together a few creature types like Vaan does, and provides us with an incentive to deal combat damage to our opponents frequently.</p>
<p>But Vaan is most reminiscent of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Olivia, Opulent Outlaw" href="#" target="_blank">Olivia, Opulent Outlaw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Both of these commanders care about multiple creature types, make treasures, and provide +1/+1 counters to our whole team. Decks built around these commanders will have a lot of overlap, so we'll be drawing inspiration from their EDHREC pages as we go!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Inti, Seneschal of the Sun"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mari, the Killing Quill"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Olivia, Opulent Outlaw"></div></div>
<p>This commander, and the others that its similar to, provide us with a pretty clear direction: we'll fill the deck with cheap and evasive Scouts, Pirates, and Rogues, pair those creatures with some artifact and non-hand casting synergies, and look to end the game with a buffed-up board of similarly-typed creatures.</p>
<p>Let's get brewing!</p>
<h2>Key Cards for Vaan, Street Thief</h2>
<h3>Cheap and Evasive Creatures</h3>
<p>Let's talk about the cheap and/or evasive creatures that we'll use to trigger our commander's abilities.</p>
<p>First, and my pick for the strongest of the bunch, is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Generous Plunderer" href="#" target="_blank">Generous Plunderer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card feels tailor-made for the deck: it's got evasion, it makes us extra Treasure tokens, and it even deals extra damage to an opponent when it attacks.</p>
<p>I'm also a big fan of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gemcutter Buccaneer" href="#" target="_blank">Gemcutter Buccaneer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which will provide us with a stream of Treasures and convert those Treasures into extra damage. There's a total of 14 Pirates in the deck (and a few ways to make Pirate creature tokens), so this card will be a good value engine.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Generous Plunderer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gemcutter Buccaneer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Robber of the Rich"></div></div>
<p>Lastly, I wanted to shout out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Robber of the Rich" href="#" target="_blank">Robber of the Rich</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This was the first one I added to the deck's 99, because it just fits so perfectly. Reach is always nice to have on a creature, and haste means that this guy can start providing card advantage the turn we cast him.</p>
<p>I was surprised at how many creatures fit this deck's game plan and had relevant types, but the deck's creature suite came together quite nicely.</p>
<h3>Artifact and Treasure Synergies</h3>
<p>Next, let's talk about our artifact and Treasure synergies. Red decks have no shortage of these cards, so I had a nice pool to draw from.</p>
<p>First, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Laurine, the Diversion" href="#" target="_blank">Laurine, the Diversion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a sweet control piece (and a Rogue, notably) for a deck that lacks significant removal. While we may not be able to destroy an opponent's big creature, we can certainly sacrifice a spare Treasure to ensure it doesn't swing our way.</p>
<p>And if we want to turn those spare Treasures into aggression, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swashbuckler Extraordinaire" href="#" target="_blank">Swashbuckler Extraordinaire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can do so easily. Plus, double strike works extremely well with Vaan's combat-focused abilities.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Laurine, the Diversion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swashbuckler Extraordinaire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fathom Fleet Swordjack"></div></div>
<p>There's also <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fathom Fleet Swordjack" href="#" target="_blank">Fathom Fleet Swordjack</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This creature will take a big chunk out of an opponent's life total when it attacks, and it just so happens to be a Pirate! It's a great fit here.</p>
<p>There's a whole bunch of other Pirate-centric synergies in the deck, too. Both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Breeches, Eager Pillager" href="#" target="_blank">Breeches, Eager Pillager</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Breeches, Brazen Plunderer" href="#" target="_blank">Breeches, Brazen Plunderer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> work well with our supporting cast of crewmates, so there's sure to be a good deal of Pirate synergies on our battlefield at any given moment.</p>
<h3>Casting Spells From Exile</h3>
<p>Now, let's talk about the ways we'll gain advantage by casting the spells we steal from our opponents.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Passionate Archaeologist" href="#" target="_blank">Passionate Archaeologist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Keeper of Secrets" href="#" target="_blank">Keeper of Secrets</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and [/el]Flaming Tyrannosaurus[/el] will each hit our opponents for some significant damage when we cast spells from exile.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Passionate Archaeologist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Iraxxa, Empress of Mars"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wild-Magic Sorcerer"></div></div>
<p>Next up, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iraxxa, Empress of Mars" href="#" target="_blank">Iraxxa, Empress of Mars</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can provide a lot of tokens over the course of the game. Plus, her attack trigger can be a difference maker in clogged board states or close games.</p>
<p>And finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wild-Magic Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Wild-Magic Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will give us one of our own spells for free after we cast one of our opponents' spells. It's no surprise that this card is good in any deck that casts spells from exile, but I find it particularly interesting that we still get the cascade trigger off of casting a spell we don't own.</p>
<h2>How Does This Vaan, Street Thief Deck Win?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck ultimately wins through damage. It can sometimes ping our opponents life totals down over time with a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Keeper of Secrets" href="#" target="_blank">Keeper of Secrets</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but it'll more often win through combat damage with an army of Scouts, Pirates, and Rogues. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vaan provides a lot of +1/+1 counters over the course of a game, and that can lead to a victory in the mid/late game.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glóin, Dwarf Emissary"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Caught in the Crossfire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Return the Favor"></div></div>
<p>I'm happy to say that, despite being mono-red, this deck has a good few ways to control the battlefield. Through goad effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glóin, Dwarf Emissary" href="#" target="_blank">Glóin, Dwarf Emissary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, one-sided board wipes like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Caught in the Crossfire" href="#" target="_blank">Caught in the Crossfire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and redirection effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Return the Favor" href="#" target="_blank">Return the Favor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we can protect our board state pretty well.</p>
<h2>Vaan, Street Thief Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Making a Vaan, Street Thief Deck" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Vaan, Street Thief
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Academy Manufactor
*1 Angrath&#039;s Marauders
*1 Breeches, Brazen Plunderer
*1 Breeches, Eager Pillager
*1 Broadside Bombardiers
*1 Captain Lannery Storm
*1 Charming Scoundrel
*1 Coercive Recruiter
*1 Crimson Caravaneer
*1 Dargo, the Shipwrecker
*1 Dire Fleet Daredevil
*1 Fathom Fleet Swordjack
*1 Flaming Tyrannosaurus
*1 Fortune Thief
*1 Gemcutter Buccaneer
*1 Generous Plunderer
*1 Glóin, Dwarf Emissary
*1 Goblin Guide
*1 Goldspan Dragon
*1 Grenzo, Havoc Raiser
*1 Hellspur Posse Boss
*1 Impulsive Pilferer
*1 Iraxxa, Empress of Mars
*1 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
*1 Keeper of Secrets
*1 Kellan, Planar Trailblazer
*1 Laurine, the Diversion
*1 Nalfeshnee
*1 Party Thrasher
*1 Port Razer
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Prosperous Bandit
*1 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
*1 Robber of the Rich
*1 Rose, Cutthroat Raider
*1 Swashbuckler Extraordinaire
*1 Taurean Mauler
*1 Tin Street Dodger
*1 Treasure Nabber
*1 Wild-Magic Sorcerer
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Beamtown Beatstick
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Inspiring Statuary
*1 Maskwood Nexus
*1 Staff of Eden, Vault&#039;s Key
*1 Tarrian&#039;s Soulcleaver
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Gamble
*1 Reckless Handling
*1 Sundering Eruption // Volcanic Fissure
*1 Vandalblast
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Bottle-Cap Blast
*1 Caught in the Crossfire
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Fiery Cannonade
*1 Great Train Heist
*1 Lightning Bolt
*1 Return the Favor
*1 Siege Smash
*1 Untimely Malfunction
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Alchemist&#039;s Talent
*1 Charred Foyer // Warped Space
*1 Daring Piracy
*1 Passionate Archaeologist
*1 Powerbalance
*1 Uncivil Unrest
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Arena of Glory
*1 Exotic Orchard
*30 Mountain
*1 Mutavault
*1 Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thanks for reading this <em>Final Fantasy</em> deck tech! Before you go, there's a few odd inclusions I wanted to point out. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">First among them is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Guide" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Guide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. While this creature seems better suited for aggressive decks in 60-card formats, it actually works quite well in this deck. It's a Scout with haste, so it works well with our commander's abilities, and its attack trigger means that it can clear lands off of the top of our opponents' libraries.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Guide"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We'd much rather impulse draw one of their spells than one of their lands, so this one-mana 2/2 slots right into the deck.</span></p>
<p>In the course of building this deck, I came across a card that I'd never seen before: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fortune Thief" href="#" target="_blank">Fortune Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This creature can prevent us from losing the game due to damage, potentially letting us untap and win the game on the crack back from an opponent's big attack. Plus, it's a Rogue! Vaan loves Rogues.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fortune Thief"></div></div>
<p>In all seriousness, paying <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> for a 0/1 creature (or <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>+<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> if we Morph it) is a tough rate. But given that this deck is lower power, it's got room for some fun cards like this.</p>
<p>That's all I've got for this week! I'll see you all again next week for another deck tech.</p>


Making a Vaan, Street Thief Commander Deck

<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quina, Qu Gourmet" href="#" target="_blank">Quina, Qu Gourmet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by Artist <a href="https://www.artstation.com/fajareka" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fajareka Setiawan</a></span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hello hello! With </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Magic</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">'s </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Final Fantasy</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> set releases today (June 13th), and I wanted to talk about one of the coolest commanders from this set: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quina, Qu Gourmet" href="#" target="_blank">Quina, Qu Gourmet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>-based token decks are a tried and true strategy, and Quina provides a fun way to create extra tokens in the command zone. Let's get brewing, and flood the board with Frogs!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quina, Qu Gourmet"></div></div></span></p>
<h2>What Does Quina, Qu Gourmet Do?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Quina gives us an extra 1/1 Frog creature token. And, for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Quina lets us sacrifice a Frog to put a +1/+1 counter on Quina. While the ability to sacrifice our Frogs is cool, we'll mostly focus on that first ability, making tokens in small batches so that our commander can get as close to doubling our token production as possible. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There's a few other mono-green token commanders that we can draw inspiration from. According to </span><a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/tokens/mono-green" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">EDHREC's tag system</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, some popular decks for this strategy center around <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Peregrin Took" href="#" target="_blank">Peregrin Took</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Freyalise, Llanowar&#039;s Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Freyalise, Llanowar&#039;s Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jaheira, Friend of the Forest" href="#" target="_blank">Jaheira, Friend of the Forest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Each of these commanders provides something unique to a token deck, like extra token production, card advantage, or mana advantage, and we'll make sure that each of them find a slot in the 99 of this deck. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I want to focus particularly on the card advantage that Freyalise, and other similar cards, provide. Being green means that we usually won't have a problem making tons of mana. I'd like to make sure that we've got places to spend that mana, and that'll be key to this deck's success.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Peregrin Took"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Freyalise, Llanowar&#039;s Fury"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jaheira, Friend of the Forest"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck will aim to build up a huge board of tokens, from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Food" href="#" target="_blank">Food</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clue" href="#" target="_blank">Clue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s, before turning those tokens sideways in combat. We'll seek to get Quina out quickly, then leverage its abilities to drown our opponents in a sea of 1/1s. Then, once our board is wide enough, we'll use an overrun effect to ensure that just one attack can end the game. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So, the game plan is pretty simple: </span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quina, Qu Gourmet" href="#" target="_blank">Quina, Qu Gourmet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as early in the game as possible, </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Make as many creature tokens as possible,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Then turn those creature tokens into a victory through combat.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quina, Qu Gourmet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Frog"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overrun"></div></div></span></p>
<h2>Key Cards for Quina, Qu Gourmet</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The best cards in this deck are those that make tokens repeatedly. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gala Greeters" href="#" target="_blank">Gala Greeters</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for example, can make us a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treasure" href="#" target="_blank">Treasure</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> every turn (meaning that our commander will net us an additional Frog too). Plus, its other modes - gaining life or +1/+1 counters - are super useful too. One of my favorite cards is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chittering Dispatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Chittering Dispatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can net us up to four extra tokens from our commander per turn (one from the myriad tokens, and up to three more when those myriad tokens leave the battlefield). And, because we'll be making so many tokens, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sandstorm Salvager" href="#" target="_blank">Sandstorm Salvager</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fantastic fit here. This Human Artificer makes a token when it enters the battlefield, and can buff our board of tokens to be huge if it's left alone long enough.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gala Greeters"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chittering Dispatcher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sandstorm Salvager"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let's talk about how we can take advantage of our very full battlefield of tokens. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enduring Vitality" href="#" target="_blank">Enduring Vitality</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and the aforementioned <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jaheira, Friend of the Forest" href="#" target="_blank">Jaheira, Friend of the Forest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can turn a board full of Frogs into a ton of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. And, a classic in the Commander format, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Essence Warden" href="#" target="_blank">Essence Warden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will put in some serious work here with pumping our life total. Lastly, rounding out the cards that take advantage of our wide board state is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sylvan Anthem" href="#" target="_blank">Sylvan Anthem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This enchantment will provide card selection and a small anthem for our whole team, two extremely powerful effects for token decks.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Enduring Vitality"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Essence Warden"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sylvan Anthem"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It's </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Final Fantasy</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> season for us </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Magic</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> players, so let's talk about the new cards that have found their way into this deck. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Earth Crystal" href="#" target="_blank">The Earth Crystal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great artifact, providing cost reduction and even more +1/+1 counters on our creatures. Because our commander lets us sacrifice Frogs to gain counters, this card is a perfect fit here. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sphere Grid" href="#" target="_blank">Sphere Grid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works extremely well with our wide board of creatures, letting them grow whenever they deal combat damage and providing some powerful keyword abilities to boot. And lastly, my favorite </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Final Fantasy</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> card in this deck is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esper Origins" href="#" target="_blank">Esper Origins</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We get card advantage, mana advantage, and even a mini-overrun. I love cards that fill multiple roles in decklists, and this new card does just that.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Earth Crystal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sphere Grid"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Esper Origins"></div></div></span></p>
<h2>How Does This Deck Win?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Once we've got a big board of creatures, we need a few ways to go over the top and actually win the game. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse" href="#" target="_blank">Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can provide a huge power and toughness buff to our board, while also making a few extra tokens as the game goes on. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Champion of Lambholt" href="#" target="_blank">Champion of Lambholt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can get huge over the course of a game, making all of our creatures nigh unblockable. And, of course, <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 a classic win-con in green decks, letting us swing in for huge damage.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Champion of Lambholt"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Craterhoof Behemoth"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are two more win-cons here: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Get a Leg Up" href="#" target="_blank">Get a Leg Up</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nissa, Ascended Animist" href="#" target="_blank">Nissa, Ascended Animist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. While <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Get a Leg Up" href="#" target="_blank">Get a Leg Up</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> may seem like an ordinary combat trick, it can be lethal if we've got one unblocked creature on a board full of tokens. And Nissa is an amazing card that does so much for the deck; it can produce tokens, remove our opponents' pesky permanents, and even end the game with its ultimate ability.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Get a Leg Up"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nissa, Ascended Animist"></div></div></span></p>
<h2>Quina, Qu Gourmet Commander Deck List</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Building a Quina, Qu Gourmet Deck" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Quina, Qu Gourmet
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Animation Module
*1 Chitterspitter
*1 Emerald Medallion
*1 Esika&#039;s Chariot
*1 Idol of Oblivion
*1 Skullclamp
*1 The Earth Crystal
[/Artifacts]
&nbsp;
[Sorceries]
*1 Bridgeworks Battle // Tanglespan Bridgeworks
*1 Chatterstorm
*1 Esper Origins // Summon: Esper Maduin
*1 Ezuri&#039;s Predation
*1 For the Common Good
*1 Shamanic Revelation
[/Sorceries]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 City of Death
*1 Cryptolith Rite
*1 Doubling Season
*1 Growing Rites of Itlimoc // Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun
*1 Parallel Lives
*1 Primal Vigor
*1 Sphere Grid
*1 Sylvan Anthem
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 Archdruid&#039;s Charm
*1 Beast Within
*1 Collective Resistance
*1 Defend the Rider
*1 Druid&#039;s Deliverance
*1 Get a Leg Up
*1 Inspiring Call
*1 Nature&#039;s Claim
*1 Overprotect
*1 Second Harvest
*1 Tyvar&#039;s Stand
*1 Wrap in Vigor
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 Arasta of the Endless Web
*1 Arbor Elf
*1 Augur of Autumn
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Champion of Lambholt
*1 Chittering Dispatcher
*1 Circle of Dreams Druid
*1 Clifftop Lookout
*1 Craterhoof Behemoth
*1 Disciple of Freyalise // Garden of Freyalise
*1 Elvish Mystic
*1 Enduring Vitality
*1 Essence Warden
*1 Fyndhorn Elves
*1 Gala Greeters
*1 Gilded Goose
*1 Haywire Mite
*1 Jaheira, Friend of the Forest
*1 Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse
*1 Llanowar Elves
*1 Peregrin Took
*1 Prosperous Innkeeper
*1 Regal Force
*1 Sandstorm Salvager
*1 Scute Swarm
*1 Silverback Elder
*1 Somberwald Beastmaster
*1 Tendershoot Dryad
*1 Tireless Provisioner
*1 Valley Mightcaller
[/Creatures]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Freyalise, Llanowar&#039;s Fury
*1 Nissa, Ascended Animist
*1 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*29 Forest
*1 Fountainport
*1 Khalni Garden
*1 Oakhollow Village
*1 The Shire
[/Lands]
&nbsp;"></span></div></span></p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck is a lot of fun, but it isn't necessarily the strongest strategy. It's got a few individually strong cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primal Vigor" href="#" target="_blank">Primal Vigor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doubling Season" href="#" target="_blank">Doubling Season</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but being mono-green prohibits us from tutoring for those cards effectively. The deck also does quite poorly against board wipes. I've included cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrap in Vigor" href="#" target="_blank">Wrap in Vigor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to mitigate that risk, but it's still a notable weakness of the deck. This Quina, Qu Gourmet deck likely sits around Bracket 3, but could be improved with the inclusion of a few powerful <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/game-changers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Game Changers</a>, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Survival of the Fittest" href="#" target="_blank">Survival of the Fittest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Primal Vigor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wrap in Vigor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Survival of the Fittest"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">All that said, I'm quite happy with how this deck turned out. It's a lot of fun to leverage all the card advantage and mana acceleration that green token decks have access to, and it's even more fun to cover our battlefield in Frogs.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let me know your thoughts on this deck, and on MTG x FF, in the comments below! I'll see you all soon for another deck tech.</span></p>


Building a Green Token Deck With Quina, Qu Gourmet

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tifa, Martial Artist|fic|206" href="#" target="_blank">Tifa, Martial Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CRobert+Cornelius%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Robert Cornelius</a></em></p>
<p>Hello and welcome back to <em>Archetypes of Imagination</em>, the series where we build decks based on popular Commander archetypes. We'll use Scryfall's tagging system and EDHREC's Tag pages to build around a new theme each week. Today we're building a deck focused on sneaking creatures onto the battlefield, with <em>Final Fantasy</em>'s <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tifa, Martial Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Tifa, Martial Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Scryfall has a really cool way of categorizing cards, where each card has specific labels attached to it for later reference. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Springbloom Druid" href="#" target="_blank">Springbloom Druid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the ramp tag and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Druid of Purification" href="#" target="_blank">Druid of Purification</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the removal tag. EDHREC's tag system is really cool too, letting users see popular cards associated with a given strategy. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rogue&#039;s Passage" href="#" target="_blank">Rogue&#039;s Passage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great in voltron decks and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hydroid Krasis" href="#" target="_blank">Hydroid Krasis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great in X spell decks. These tagging systems are great ways to get inspiration for certain deck archetypes, and I often start there when it's time for me to build a new deck.</p>
<p>Let's get brewing!</p>
<h2>What Does Tifa, Martial Artist Do?</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tifa, Martial Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Tifa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is sure to be one of the most popular commanders from the upcoming <em>Final Fantasy</em> release. Costing just four mana, she lets us get up to three extra combats per turn when a sufficiently big creature hits one of our opponents. Luckily, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> decks have access to a lot of creatures with power seven or greater. So, this deck will aim to land Tifa early, sneak in a few big creatures, and swing with them to allow for extra combat steps galore.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tifa, Martial Artist"></div></div>
<p><em>Magic</em> usually requires players to pay mana for their spells, but we'll be doing all we can to skirt around that requirement. Some effects let us cast spells for free while others let us put permanents directly onto the battlefield, and we'll be taking advantage of both in this deck. While every color's got a few ways to cheat mana costs, the Naya color combination of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> has a ton of these effects at its disposal. But, we want something to do with all the big creatures that we'll be cheating onto the battlefield. So, to that end, we'll be using Tifa to swing in for damage multiple times.</p>
<h2>Key Cards for a Sneak Commander Deck</h2>
<h3>Ways to Sneak Creatures Out</h3>
<p>There's tons of ways to cheat creatures onto the battlefield here, starting with the classic <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sneak Attack" href="#" target="_blank">Sneak Attack</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Although we need to sacrifice whatever creature we put onto the board with it, we'll hopefully have swung in for damage with that creature several times already. We don't really mind needing to sacrifice one of our big Eldrazi if we've already gotten to attack with it four times. There's also some ways to get creatures onto the battlefield permanently, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eladamri, Korvecdal" href="#" target="_blank">Eladamri, Korvecdal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oviya, Automech Artisan" href="#" target="_blank">Oviya, Automech Artisan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These cards are fantastic, providing us with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Piper" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Piper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> variants with significant amounts of upside (card advantage and team-wide trample respectively).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sneak Attack"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eladamri, Korvecdal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oviya, Automech Artisan"></div></div>
<p>There's several more ways to sneak creatures in, so I'll just hit upon a few of my favorites. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smuggler&#039;s Surprise" href="#" target="_blank">Smuggler&#039;s Surprise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can put two creatures onto the battlefield for just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, while also providing well-costed board protection and card advantage–all at instant speed! There's also <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This big Dinosaur is both a great card to sneak onto the board, and a way to sneak other creatures in. Rounding out the highlights of this group is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kodama of the East Tree" href="#" target="_blank">Kodama of the East Tree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Because we'll be putting so many high mana value permanents onto the battlefield, this card will really shine here.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smuggler&#039;s Surprise"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kodama of the East Tree"></div></div>
<h3>The Best Creatures to Sneak Out</h3>
<p>I've talked a lot about how we're going to sneak creatures onto the battlefield. So, let's talk about what scary monsters we'll actually be putting onto our battlefield free of charge.</p>
<p>One of my favorites is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Etali, Primal Conqueror" href="#" target="_blank">Etali, Primal Conqueror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I love this card for two main reasons. First, it's got seven power, meaning that it'll help our commander give us extra combat steps. Second, it's got a good chance to provide us with another big creature off the top of our library with its enters trigger. And, given all the extra combat steps we'll be taking, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Giant Adephage" href="#" target="_blank">Giant Adephage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will quickly provide an insurmountable Insect army. Although this card may seem a little bit battlecruiser-ish, its seven base power and powerful combat damage trigger make it a solid choice for this deck. I also really like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kogla, the Titan Ape" href="#" target="_blank">Kogla, the Titan Ape</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> here. It's a big body that provides removal upon entering the battlefield and upon attacking, and can even protect Tifa in a pinch.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Etali, Primal Conqueror"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Giant Adephage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kogla, the Titan Ape"></div></div>
<p>There's a few more creatures I want to talk about. We already spoke about New Etali, but let's take a moment to appreciate Old Etali. Although <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Etali, Primal Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Etali, Primal Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is definitively less powerful than some others in the deck, we'll really be able to run away with the game if we can string together multiple attack with this Dinosaur in one turn. I also wanted to talk about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trumpeting Carnosaur" href="#" target="_blank">Trumpeting Carnosaur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which feels purpose-built for this deck. It's got seven power, a super strong enters trigger, and can even be used as a removal spell if we really need it. This card is just amazing, and I've found myself super happy to draw it in playtesting.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Etali, Primal Storm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trumpeting Carnosaur"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Old Gnawbone"></div></div>
<p>Last but not least, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Old Gnawbone" href="#" target="_blank">Old Gnawbone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> feels great when we're attacking multiple times per turn, and really takes advantage of all the high power creatures we'll be going to combat with.</p>
<h2>Tifa, Martial Artist Commander Deck List</h2>
<p>And now, here's the full decklist:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Archetypes of Imagination - Tifa, Martial Artist" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Tifa, Martial Artist
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Agonasaur Rex
*1 Ancient Gold Dragon
*1 Apex Altisaur
*1 Avacyn&#039;s Pilgrim
*1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Blightsteel Colossus
*1 Boreal Druid
*1 Champion of Rhonas
*1 Delighted Halfling
*1 Disciple of Freyalise // Garden of Freyalise
*1 Eladamri, Korvecdal
*1 Elvish Mystic
*1 Elvish Piper
*1 Etali, Primal Conqueror // Etali, Primal Sickness
*1 Etali, Primal Storm
*1 Fanatic of Rhonas
*1 Fyndhorn Elves
*1 Ghalta and Mavren
*1 Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant
*1 Giant Adephage
*1 Ilharg, the Raze-Boar
*1 Ilysian Caryatid
*1 Kodama of the East Tree
*1 Kogla and Yidaro
*1 Kogla, the Titan Ape
*1 Llanowar Elves
*1 Old Gnawbone
*1 Oviya, Automech Artisan
*1 Paladin Elizabeth Taggerdy
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
*1 Sire of Seven Deaths
*1 Terastodon
*1 Terror of the Peaks
*1 Titan of Industry
*1 Torsten, Founder of Benalia
*1 Toski, Bearer of Secrets
*1 Trumpeting Carnosaur
*1 Winota, Joiner of Forces
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Doors of Durin
*1 Monster Manual // Zoological Study
*1 The Great Henge
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Annie Joins Up
*1 Garruk&#039;s Uprising
*1 Growing Rites of Itlimoc // Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun
*1 Guardian Project
*1 Sneak Attack
*1 Tribute to the World Tree
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Bridgeworks Battle // Tanglespan Bridgeworks
*1 Last March of the Ents
*1 Rishkar&#039;s Expertise
*1 Selvala&#039;s Stampede
*1 Stump Stomp // Burnwillow Clearing
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Archdruid&#039;s Charm
*1 Boros Charm
*1 Collective Resistance
*1 Get Lost
*1 Legion Leadership // Legion Stronghold
*1 Nature&#039;s Claim
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Smuggler&#039;s Surprise
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Through the Breach
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Bountiful Promenade
*1 Brushland
*1 Command Tower
*1 Fire-Lit Thicket
*6 Forest
*1 Hushwood Verge
*1 Jetmir&#039;s Garden
*1 Karplusan Forest
*6 Mountain
*1 Overgrown Farmland
*6 Plains
*1 Rockfall Vale
*1 Rugged Prairie
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Spire Garden
*1 Sunbillow Verge
*1 Sundown Pass
*1 Thornspire Verge
*1 Wooded Bastion
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quarrel&#039;s End" href="#" target="_blank">Quarrel&#039;s End</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>Thanks for reading about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tifa, Martial Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Tifa, Martial Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in this week's <em>Archetypes</em> article! As always, I've got a few more cards I want to spotlight. This deck is full of high power creatures, and there's a few more ways that we can make the most of them. Among those are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Last March of the Ents" href="#" target="_blank">Last March of the Ents</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rishkar&#039;s Expertise" href="#" target="_blank">Rishkar&#039;s Expertise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, both of which will routinely draw us a fresh seven cards and allow even more mana-cost cheating. There's also a few mana creatures, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ilysian Caryatid" href="#" target="_blank">Ilysian Caryatid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fanatic of Rhonas" href="#" target="_blank">Fanatic of Rhonas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can provide us with extra acceleration once we've gotten a sufficiently big guy on the board.</p>
<p>Lastly, cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghalta and Mavren" href="#" target="_blank">Ghalta and Mavren</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terror of the Peaks" href="#" target="_blank">Terror of the Peaks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will make sure that our large creatures provide us even more advantage.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Last March of the Ents"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rishkar&#039;s Expertise"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghalta and Mavren"></div></div>
<p>There's a few more cards that really shine here, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Champion of Rhonas" href="#" target="_blank">Champion of Rhonas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Although this creature asks that we exert it if we'd like to cheat a creature onto the battlefield, our commander lets us untap it multiple times per turn (meaning that we can cheat multiple creatures per turn onto the battlefield). I also really like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Selvala, Heart of the Wilds" href="#" target="_blank">Selvala, Heart of the Wilds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I know, it's shocking to hear that this card is good in a <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>-based creature deck. But because we'll usually have the biggest creatures at the table, Selvala will provide tons of mana and card advantage for just three mana.</p>
<p>And there's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ilharg, the Raze-Boar" href="#" target="_blank">Ilharg, the Raze-Boar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This 6/6 creature lets us sneak in creatures and reuse their enters effects while also being extremely hard to kill permanently. I love this card, and I'm glad it's got a place in this deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Champion of Rhonas"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Selvala, Heart of the Wilds"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ilharg, the Raze-Boar"></div></div>
<p>Thanks once again for reading! For those of you who are interested, here are some of the Scryfall searches I used to write this article:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=%28otag%3Asneak+or+otag%3Asneak-creature+or+otag%3Asneak-permanent%29+commander%3Anaya+legal%3Aedh+order%3Aedhrec&amp;unique=cards&amp;as=grid&amp;order=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ways to sneak creatures onto the battlefield</a></li>
<li><a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=t%3Acreature+pow%3E%3D7+commander%3Anaya+legal%3Aedh+order%3Aedhrec&amp;unique=cards&amp;as=grid&amp;order=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big creatures to sneak onto the battlefield</a></li>
<li><a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=otag%3Apower-matters+commander%3Anaya+legal%3Aedh+order%3Aedhrec&amp;unique=cards&amp;as=grid&amp;order=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ways to get value from having big creatures on the battlefield</a></li>
</ul>


How to Make a Sneak Commander Deck, With Tifa, Martial Artist

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Queen Brahne" href="#" target="_blank">Queen Brahne</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/lorenzomastroianni" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lorenzo Mastroianni</a></em></p>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Archetypes of Imagination</em>, the series where we build decks based on popular Commander archetypes. I'll be using Scryfall's tagging system and EDHREC's Tag pages to build around a new theme each week. Scryfall has a really cool way of categorizing cards, where each card has specific labels attached to it for later reference. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terisiare&#039;s Devastation" href="#" target="_blank">Terisiare&#039;s Devastation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the artifact synergy tag and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fateful Absence" href="#" target="_blank">Fateful Absence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the removal tag. EDHREC's tag system is really cool too, letting users see popular cards associated with a given strategy. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storm-Kiln Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Storm-Kiln Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great in spellslinger decks and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Juri, Master of the Revue" href="#" target="_blank">Juri, Master of the Revue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great in sacrifice decks. These tagging systems are great ways to get inspiration for certain deck archetypes, and I often start there when it's time for me to build a new deck.</p>
<p>This week we'll be building a deck focused on polymorphing small, less useful creatures into big, powerful monsters. For those who may not know, “polymorphing” is the process of removing a creature and having its owner replace it on the battlefield by revealing cards from the top of their library until a new creature appears. Essentially, these effects will let us turn tokens and other cheap creatures into high mana value beaters. So we'll need a commander that lets us get easy access to disposable creatures, and it'll need to have <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> or <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> in its color identity, as that's where most of <em>Magic</em>'s polymorph effects lie. Luckily, <em>Final Fantasy</em> has presented us with a fantastic option: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Queen Brahne" href="#" target="_blank">Queen Brahne</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Queen Brahne"></div></div>
<p>For those of you who are interested, here are some of the Scryfall searches I used to write this article:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=otag%3Apolymorph+commander%3Ared+legal%3Aedh+order%3Aedhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Polymorph effects</a></li>
<li><a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=t%3Acreature+cmc%3E4+-fo%3A%22when+you+cast+this+spell%22+commander%3Ared+legal%3Aedh+order%3Aedhrec&amp;unique=cards&amp;as=grid&amp;order=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Creatures to polymorph into</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>What Does Queen Brahne Do?</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Queen Brahne" href="#" target="_blank">Queen Brahne</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an interesting new design, netting us a cool token every time it attacks. These 0/1 Wizard tokens will ping our opponents when we cast noncreature spells, which is great because most of our polymorph spells aren't creatures. While the chip damage they provide likely won't be game-winning, it'll certainly add up as the game goes on. But, a lot of these tokens will end up being sacrificed so we can cheat something scarier onto the battlefield. I'm super excited to talk about the deck's inner workings, so let's get going!</p>
<h2>Key Cards for Polymorphing With Queen Brahne</h2>
<p>First, let's talk about the different ways that we can turn little guys into big guys. The classics are all here, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Divergent Transformations" href="#" target="_blank">Divergent Transformations</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Indomitable Creativity" href="#" target="_blank">Indomitable Creativity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reality Scramble" href="#" target="_blank">Reality Scramble</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. That last one's my favorite, because we can recast it as many times as we'd like (provided there's lands in our hand). Sometimes we'll get unlucky and spin into a creature that doesn't work well on the current board state. Cards like Reality Scramble ensure that we can get a do-over whenever needed.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Divergent Transformations"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Indomitable Creativity"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reality Scramble"></div></div>
<p>There's a few more repeatable ways for us to polymorph our creatures too. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fireflux Squad" href="#" target="_blank">Fireflux Squad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can polymorph a creature every turn if it survives combat. This is particularly strong alongside our commander, given that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Queen Brahne" href="#" target="_blank">Queen Brahne</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes a new token every turn that can serve as an easy target for polymorphing.</p>
<p>I also really like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast" href="#" target="_blank">Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, because it provides value outside of just polymorphs. The card advantage this planeswalker provides is nice, and its ultimate can easily end the game when activated. Lastly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dreamshaper Shaman" href="#" target="_blank">Dreamshaper Shaman</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> slots super well into our game plan. If we've got extra mana and any extra nonland permanents lying around, this creature can turn those into game-ending threats quite easily. Plus, it's no slouch in combat as a 5/4.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fireflux Squad"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dreamshaper Shaman"></div></div>
<p>But that's enough talk about polymorph spells. Lets talk about the big, scary creatures we'll be getting onto the battlefield. I'll start by talking about a trio of Dragons: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skyline Despot" href="#" target="_blank">Skyline Despot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Utvara Hellkite" href="#" target="_blank">Utvara Hellkite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Balefire Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Balefire Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These are all huge, flying creatures that'll make short work of our opponents if we can get them onto the board early. I like that these creatures provide more than just power and toughness, though. They provide card advantage, token production, and removal, respectively. We need our big threats to do more than just attack and block, given how much we're investing in them.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skyline Despot"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Utvara Hellkite"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Balefire Dragon"></div></div>
<p>There are, of course, Eldrazi here too. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Void Winnower" href="#" target="_blank">Void Winnower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can cripple our opponents' ability to play the game at all, while also being a massive 11/9. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ulamog&#039;s Dreadsire" href="#" target="_blank">Ulamog&#039;s Dreadsire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a newer card that can produce huge amounts of power if left unchecked. And, one of my personal favorites, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pathrazer of Ulamog" href="#" target="_blank">Pathrazer of Ulamog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will ensure our opponents' board states aren't strong enough to fight back against us. Although these creatures don't provide as much value as the aforementioned Dragons, I'm still more than happy to include them here.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Void Winnower"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ulamog&#039;s Dreadsire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pathrazer of Ulamog"></div></div>
<p>Given that many of our polymorph effects destroy or sacrifice one of our creatures, cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Triniform" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Triniform</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <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>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triplicate Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Triplicate Titan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> become even stronger in this deck. It's great to have them on board as big 9/9s, but we're also perfectly okay with sacrificing them to go fetch another big creature from our deck. The tokens they leave behind are powerful, and can be sacrificed for future polymorph spells too. All of these creatures, and the tokens they leave behind, fit extremely well with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terror of the Peaks" href="#" target="_blank">Terror of the Peaks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Not counting the tokens we'll be creating, the average power of creatures in this deck is six. Suffice it to say that Terror of the Peaks will be dishing out tons of damage over the course of the game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Triniform"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Triplicate Titan"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Terror of the Peaks"></div></div>
<p>Our commander has prowess, which conveniently synergizes with the 39 noncreature spells in this deck. But there are other ways to take advantage of those spells too, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Young Pyromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Young Pyromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Although including this creature in the deck does run the risk of it being flipped off a polymorph spell, the huge amount of creature tokens it'll be creating for us is too good to pass up. Same goes for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bothersome Quasit" href="#" target="_blank">Bothersome Quasit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which provides combat control through goading. And, as a unique include to re-trigger our noncreature synergies, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mark of Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Mark of Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is here. Haste is pretty important in this deck, letting our big creatures attack for value or letting our commander attack to make an additional creature token. Having the chance to cast this spell and give a new creature haste on every single turn feels really strong.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Young Pyromancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bothersome Quasit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mark of Fury"></div></div>
<h2>Queen Brahne Polymorph Commander Deck List</h2>
<p>Here's the full decklist, which includes one of my personal favorite cards in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Powerbalance" href="#" target="_blank">Powerbalance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Archetypes of Imagination - Queen Brahne" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Queen Brahne
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Commander&#039;s Plate
*1 Idol of Oblivion
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mithril Coat
*1 Ruby Medallion
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Tome of Legends
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Ancient Copper Dragon
*1 Aspiring Champion
*1 Balefire Dragon
*1 Blightsteel Colossus
*1 Bonehoard Dracosaur
*1 Bothersome Quasit
*1 Combustible Gearhulk
*1 Drakuseth, Maw of Flames
*1 Dreamshaper Shaman
*1 Etali, Primal Storm
*1 Fireflux Squad
*1 Magmatic Force
*1 Molten Primordial
*1 Pathrazer of Ulamog
*1 Phyrexian Triniform
*1 Pinnacle Monk // Mystic Peak
*1 Purphoros, Bronze-Blooded
*1 Skyline Despot
*1 Terror of the Peaks
*1 Triplicate Titan
*1 Ulamog&#039;s Dreadsire
*1 Utvara Hellkite
*1 Void Winnower
*1 Wurmcoil Engine
*1 Young Pyromancer
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Breaching Dragonstorm
*1 Mark of Fury
*1 Powerbalance
*1 Shifting Shadow
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Chaotic Transformation
*1 Descent of the Dragons
*1 Indomitable Creativity
*1 Jeska&#039;s Will
*1 Reality Scramble
*1 Shatterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass
*1 Song of Totentanz
*1 Sundering Eruption // Volcanic Fissure
*1 Transmogrify
*1 Will of the Jeskai
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Abrade
*1 Crimson Wisps
*1 Desperate Ritual
*1 Divergent Transformations
*1 Expedite
*1 Guff Rewrites History
*1 Lightning Bolt
*1 Pyretic Ritual
*1 Seething Song
*1 Tibalt&#039;s Trickery
*1 Untimely Malfunction
*1 Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge
*1 Wild Magic Surge
*1 Zoyowa&#039;s Justice
[/Instants]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Arena of Glory
*1 Kher Keep
*32 Mountain
*1 Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
*1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Voyage&#039;s End" href="#" target="_blank">Voyage&#039;s End</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>Thanks for sticking around to the end! Before you go, there's a few more cards I wanted to shout out for their role in the 99 of this deck. We're making a lot of 0/1 and 1/1 tokens, so cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Idol of Oblivion" href="#" target="_blank">Idol of Oblivion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can provide a ton of card advantage. And, should we wish to upgrade some of those tokens into game-ending threats, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Descent of the Dragons" href="#" target="_blank">Descent of the Dragons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can do so. I love this card for its ability to downgrade an opponent's scariest threat into a mere 4/4 and its ability to upgrade our small tokens into flying threats.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skullclamp"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Idol of Oblivion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Descent of the Dragons"></div></div>
<p>Thanks once again for reading! I'll see you all soon for another edition of <em>Archetypes of Imagination</em>!</p>


Making a Polymorph Deck With Queen Brahne

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Fallen Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Fallen Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CIttoku%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ittoku</a></em></p>
<p>Hello! Welcome back to <em>Archetypes of Imagination</em>, the series where we build decks based on popular Commander archetypes. I'll be using Scryfall's tagging system and EDHREC's Tag pages to build around a new theme each week. Scryfall has a really cool way of categorizing cards, where each card has specific labels attached to it for later reference. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drakuseth, Maw of Flames" href="#" target="_blank">Drakuseth, Maw of Flames</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the burn tag and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scavenger Grounds" href="#" target="_blank">Scavenger Grounds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the graveyard hate tag. EDHREC's tag system is really cool too, letting users see popular cards associated with a given strategy.</p>
<p>This week we'll be building a deck focused on “flinging” creatures: sacrificing them to deal damage equal to their power to any target. To maximize the value of these <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fling" href="#" target="_blank">Fling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s, we're going to need some pretty big creatures to throw around. There's lots of ways to make big creatures in <em>Magic</em>, but I'd like to focus on a card from the most exciting upcoming set: <em>Final Fantasy</em>! This set has some super powerful cards, but one of them caught my eye for this week's article. So, this deck will be helmed by… <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Fallen Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Fallen Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sephiroth, Fallen Hero"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fling"></div></div>
<h2>What Does Sephiroth, Fallen Hero Do?</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Fallen Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is super strong, turning each of our modified creatures (creatures that are equipped, enchanted, or have counters on them) into big, bulky 7/5s every time he attacks. And, on top of that, it's easy to avoid paying extra to recast Sephiroth because he can return himself to the battlefield if we sacrifice a modified creature. But we need a little more direction than just modified creatures. We'll be focusing on pumping up our creatures with +1/+1 counters, and then taking advantage of their Sephiroth-boosted power to quickly reduce our opponents' life totals to 0. Let's get brewing!</p>
<h2>Key Fling Strategy Cards For Sephiroth, Fallen Hero</h2>
<p>This deck is focused on dealing direct damage to our opponents based on our creatures' power. Let's talk about the best ones. One of my personal favorites is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brion Stoutarm" href="#" target="_blank">Brion Stoutarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This big guy can take our 7/5s and sacrifice them for both direct damage and life gain. Plus, this is a repeatable effect, meaning we can cause a 14 point life swing on each table rotation. Similarly, I'm a big fan of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burning Anger" href="#" target="_blank">Burning Anger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Although this isn't a traditional fling effect, it lets our biggest creatures hit our opponents over and over again. Plus, the classics like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fling" href="#" target="_blank">Fling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kazuul&#039;s Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Kazuul&#039;s Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thud" href="#" target="_blank">Thud</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are all here. Although they're not necessarily as flashy as some of the other cards I've talked about, they're important role players in this deck's 99.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brion Stoutarm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Burning Anger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kazuul&#039;s Fury"></div></div>
<p>We want to get extra value when we fling a creature. There are a few creatures, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cacophony Scamp" href="#" target="_blank">Cacophony Scamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fireblade Charger" href="#" target="_blank">Fireblade Charger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heartfire Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Heartfire Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, that can deal additional damage to our opponents when they die, making them ideal targets for our effects that require a creature sacrifice. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elenda&#039;s Hierophant" href="#" target="_blank">Elenda&#039;s Hierophant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be a big, evasive attacker once we modify it, and will explode into a bunch of valuable tokens when it dies. Similarly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gleeful Arsonist" href="#" target="_blank">Gleeful Arsonist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the ability to come back to life with a counter on it and start dealing extra damage to our opponents.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heartfire Hero"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elenda&#039;s Hierophant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gleeful Arsonist"></div></div>
<p>But we won't be sacrificing <em>all</em> of our creatures; we'd like to attack with our 7/5s too. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paladin Elizabeth Taggerdy" href="#" target="_blank">Paladin Elizabeth Taggerdy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ryan Sinclair" href="#" target="_blank">Ryan Sinclair</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can both let us cheat the mana cost of our spells once their powers are big enough, and our commander makes that a trivial requirement. Similarly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can flood the board with Goblins quite quickly and has the ability to grow larger as the game goes on.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Paladin Elizabeth Taggerdy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ryan Sinclair"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin"></div></div>
<h2>Ways to Modify Our Creatures</h2>
<p>In order to make a Sephiroth deck work, we'll need some extra ways to modify our creatures. One of my favorites is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mikaeus, the Lunarch" href="#" target="_blank">Mikaeus, the Lunarch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This Cleric enters the battlefield as a modified creature, and can tap to let us add +1/+1 counters to every creature we control. This is not only a super powerful buff, but synergizes perfectly with our commander's base power/toughness buff. I've also included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Felidar Retreat" href="#" target="_blank">Felidar Retreat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cathars&#039; Crusade" href="#" target="_blank">Cathars&#039; Crusade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for team-wide +1/+1 counter distribution. These cards are super strong in <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>-based creature decks, and they're a perfect fit here.</p>
<p>Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Uncivil Unrest" href="#" target="_blank">Uncivil Unrest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fantastic way to close out games. Because we've got so many ways to distribute +1/+1 counters among our creatures, this is essentially a damage doubler that can give our creatures haste if needed.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mikaeus, the Lunarch"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cathars&#039; Crusade"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Uncivil Unrest"></div></div>
<p>We'll also need a few ways to protect our board state, given how heavy we're leaning into having big creatures on hand at all times. One of my favorite new cards fits perfectly here: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duty Beyond Death" href="#" target="_blank">Duty Beyond Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We'll usually have at least one creature on board that we don't mind sacrificing, and this protection spell will also add some bonus +1/+1 counters to our creatures.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Duty Beyond Death"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bulwark Ox"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zack Fair"></div></div>
<p>Similarly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bulwark Ox" href="#" target="_blank">Bulwark Ox</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zack Fair" href="#" target="_blank">Zack Fair</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can add some counters to our creatures and protect them from our opponents' pesky removal spells. There's been a lot of cool board state protection tools printed recently, and I'd rather run these than the obviously-powerful <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Protection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in a lower-bracket deck like this.</p>
<h2>Sephiroth, Fallen Hero Fling Commander Deck List</h2>
<p>Here's the full decklist:<br />
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Archetypes of Imagination - Building a Fling Deck" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Sephiroth, Fallen Hero
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 Boros Charm
*1 Duty Beyond Death
*1 Fling
*1 Get Lost
*1 Kazuul&#039;s Fury // Kazuul&#039;s Cliffs
*1 Legion Leadership // Legion Stronghold
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Soul&#039;s Fire
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Take Up the Shield
*1 Untimely Malfunction
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Chandra&#039;s Ignition
*1 Damning Verdict
*1 Requisition Raid
*1 Thud
*1 Zenith Festival
[/Sorceries]
[Creatures]
*1 Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon
*1 Auron, Venerated Guardian
*1 Balduvian Berserker
*1 Blade Historian
*1 Bloodshot Cyclops
*1 Brion Stoutarm
*1 Bulwark Ox
*1 Cacophony Scamp
*1 Captain Ripley Vance
*1 Chocobo Knights
*1 Dragonhawk, Fate&#039;s Tempest
*1 Elenda&#039;s Hierophant
*1 Esper Sentinel
*1 Fireblade Charger
*1 Flaming Tyrannosaurus
*1 Gleeful Arsonist
*1 Guardian Scalelord
*1 Heart-Piercer Manticore
*1 Heartfire Hero
*1 Inti, Seneschal of the Sun
*1 Jacked Rabbit
*1 Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin
*1 Loran of the Third Path
*1 Loyal Warhound
*1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
*1 Ornithopter of Paradise
*1 Paladin Elizabeth Taggerdy
*1 Ryan Sinclair
*1 Spikeshot Goblin
*1 Stalking Vengeance
*1 Surtland Flinger
*1 Urdnan, Dromoka Warrior
*1 Voldaren Thrillseeker
*1 Winota, Joiner of Forces
*1 Zack Fair
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Burning Anger
*1 Cathars&#039; Crusade
*1 Felidar Retreat
*1 Spiteful Banditry
*1 Uncivil Unrest
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Archangel Elspeth
*1 Elspeth Resplendent
[/Planeswalkers]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Bitterthorn, Nissa&#039;s Animus
*1 Boros Signet
*1 Infantry Shield
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Worn Powerstone
[/Artifacts]
[Lands]
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Clifftop Retreat
*1 Diamond City
*10 Mountain
*1 Nesting Grounds
*11 Plains
*1 Restless Bivouac
*1 Rugged Prairie
*1 Slayers&#039; Stronghold
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Sunbaked Canyon
*1 Sunbillow Verge
*1 Sundown Pass
*1 Sunscorched Divide
[/Lands]"></span></div></p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The End" href="#" target="_blank">The End</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>I hope you enjoyed this <em>Final Fantasy-</em>themed edition of <em>Archetypes of Imagination</em>. Before you go, I wanted to talk about this deck's board wipe package. I intentionally picked three wipes that work very well with the board states we plan to construct. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Damning Verdict" href="#" target="_blank">Damning Verdict</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is pretty close to being a one-sided wipe for just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, and that's hard to pass up. Similarly, if we cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spiteful Banditry" href="#" target="_blank">Spiteful Banditry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for X=4 after combat, we've got a good chance of hitting all of our opponents' creatures while sparing ours. And, finally, as one final fling effect, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chandra&#039;s Ignition" href="#" target="_blank">Chandra&#039;s Ignition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can both wipe the board and hit our opponents for some big damage.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Damning Verdict"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spiteful Banditry"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chandra&#039;s Ignition"></div></div>
<p>Thanks once again for reading. I'll see you all next week, for another edition of <em>Archetypes of Imagination</em>: a group slug deck!</p>


How to Make a Fling Deck, With Sephiroth, Fallen Hero

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clement, the Worrywort|blb|329" href="#" target="_blank">Clement, the Worrywort</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.corygodbey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cory Godbey</a></em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hello there! Welcome back to </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Archetypes of Imagination</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the series where we build decks based on popular Commander archetypes. I'll be using </span><a href="https://tagger.scryfall.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Scryfall's tagging system</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and</span><a href="https://edhrec.com/tags" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> EDHREC's Tag pages</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to build around a new theme each week. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week, we'll be building a deck focused on bouncing creatures. But, a deck focused on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unsummon" href="#" target="_blank">Unsummon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> variants likely wouldn't be fun to play (and it definitely wouldn't be fun to play against). So, we'll be focused on bouncing our own creatures! Why would we do that? To recast them, and get value from cast triggers and enters triggers. Getting value from taking normal game actions is, definitively, a Simic trait. So, in case you hadn't guessed yet, this deck will be led by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clement, the Worrywort" href="#" target="_blank">Clement, the Worrywort</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Clement, the Worrywort"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clement, the Worrywort" href="#" target="_blank">Clement</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is from my favorite set in recent memory: </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bloomburrow</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">. This frog's got some serious legs, too. For just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, we get a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cryptolith Rite" href="#" target="_blank">Cryptolith Rite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on a stick, the ability to send a small creature back to our hand every time that one of our creatures enters, and a 3/3 vigilant creature. This card does so much for us, and asks for so little mana investment. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So, we'll be casting cheap creatures, most of them Frogs for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clement, the Worrywort" href="#" target="_blank">Clement</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s sake, and then recasting them later for even more value. This deck can string together some super impressive game actions once we've got a critical mass of mana available, and I'm really excited to show you all what I've come up with. Let's hop to it!</span></p>
<h2>They've Got Hops</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck will, hopefully, be casting a ton of creatures. It's got a full 39 of them, but we'll be returning them to our hand so often that it'll feel like a lot more. To that end, let's talk about the best enters and cast triggers that this deck has to offer. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beast Whisperer" href="#" target="_blank">Beast Whisperer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Great Henge" href="#" target="_blank">The Great Henge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are classic green cards, providing huge amounts of card advantage over the course of the game. These cards are hard to beat, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beast Whisperer" href="#" target="_blank">Beast Whisperer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will be easy to cast with the mana that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clement, the Worrywort" href="#" target="_blank">Clement</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides us. Next, I think I finally found the perfect deck for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Haze Frog" href="#" target="_blank">Haze Frog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Not only does this guy fit into our pre-existing typal shell, but a repeatable <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fog" href="#" target="_blank">Fog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on a Frog (see what I did there?) can be backbreaking for our opponents.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Beast Whisperer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Great Henge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Haze Frog"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let's talk about a few other creatures with powerful cast triggers. The somewhat newly printed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Octomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Octomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be a repeatable source of 8/8 beaters, ending the game in short order if we can find a way to recast him multiple times in one turn. And, although it doesn't have a cast trigger itself, I wanted to shout out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Silverback Elder" href="#" target="_blank">Silverback Elder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The ramp, removal, and lifegain provided by this card are hard to beat, and the <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> in his casting cost can easily be handled by our commander. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking of our commander, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Intruder Alarm" href="#" target="_blank">Intruder Alarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can do some absolutely bonkers things with him out. This card feels very, very strong with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clement, the Worrywort" href="#" target="_blank">Clement</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the board, but it may lead to solitaire-style gameplay. Your mileage may vary, so I suggest a bit of caution including <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Intruder Alarm" href="#" target="_blank">Intruder Alarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clement, the Worrywort" href="#" target="_blank">Clement</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Octomancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Silverback Elder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Intruder Alarm"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lastly, I wanted to talk a bit about some special items in this deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murkfiend Liege" href="#" target="_blank">Murkfiend Liege</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valley Floodcaller" href="#" target="_blank">Valley Floodcaller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combined with either <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Final-Word Phantom" href="#" target="_blank">Final-Word Phantom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="High Fae Trickster" href="#" target="_blank">High Fae Trickster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can essentially let us share each of our opponents' turns with them. Given the huge amount of mana that our commander can provide to us with a board full of kindred creatures, these cards can be extremely powerful. But, like I said with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Intruder Alarm" href="#" target="_blank">Intruder Alarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, that sort of play style isn't for everyone. Just something to keep in mind.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Murkfiend Liege"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Valley Floodcaller"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Final-Word Phantom"></div></div></span></p>
<h2>Up and Down, Up and Down…</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck isn't just about casting creatures and getting payoffs when they enter the battlefield. It's also about returning creatures to our hand so they can be played over and over again. One of the best ways to do this is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dour Port-Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Dour Port-Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, providing a relatively cheap way to bounce something we control and drawing cards along the way. For just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, this can even hit the battlefield before our commander for a sweet curve-out. I'm also a big fan of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Run Away Together" href="#" target="_blank">Run Away Together</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="This Town Ain&#039;t Big Enough" href="#" target="_blank">This Town Ain&#039;t Big Enough</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - removal spells we don't mind the downside of. And, as a one-mana 2/2 with upside, it's hard for me to not include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mistbreath Elder" href="#" target="_blank">Mistbreath Elder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dour Port-Mage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Run Away Together"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mistbreath Elder"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finally, there's a few cards that I couldn't leave out of this write-up: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Three Tree Scribe" href="#" target="_blank">Three Tree Scribe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Barrin, Tolarian Archmage" href="#" target="_blank">Barrin, Tolarian Archmage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gossip&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Gossip&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I really love cards like this; they provide us with several small advantages that add up to one solid card. My favorite among the bunch is probably <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gossip&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Gossip&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Although it doesn't let us recast the creature, it does let us get repeatable ETB (enter the battlefield) triggers, card selection, and evasion for our creatures. It's got many less notable, but powerful, effects that this deck really wants consistent access to.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Three Tree Scribe"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Barrin, Tolarian Archmage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gossip&#039;s Talent"></div></div></span></p>
<h2>Clement, the Worrywort Commander Deck List</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, here's the full decklist:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Archetypes of Imagination - Building a Bounce Deck" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Clement, the Worrywort
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Aeve, Progenitor Ooze
*1 Barrin, Tolarian Archmage
*1 Beast Whisperer
*1 Champion of Lambholt
*1 Clifftop Lookout
*1 Coiling Oracle
*1 Destiny Spinner
*1 Disciple of Freyalise // Garden of Freyalise
*1 Dour Port-Mage
*1 Dreamdew Entrancer
*1 Dryad Arbor
*1 Essence Warden
*1 Final-Word Phantom
*1 Froghemoth
*1 Grolnok, the Omnivore
*1 Haze Frog
*1 High Fae Trickster
*1 Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory
*1 Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
*1 Lilysplash Mentor
*1 Long River Lurker
*1 Masked Vandal
*1 Mistbreath Elder
*1 Murkfiend Liege
*1 Octomancer
*1 Pollywog Prodigy
*1 Pond Prophet
*1 Rampant Frogantua
*1 Realmwalker
*1 Shrieking Drake
*1 Silverback Elder
*1 Spore Frog
*1 Stickytongue Sentinel
*1 Sunshower Druid
*1 Three Tree Scribe
*1 Twenty-Toed Toad
*1 Valley Floodcaller
*1 Valley Mightcaller
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Beast Within
*1 Counterspell
*1 Mystic Reflection
*1 Polliwallop
*1 Pongify
*1 Rapid Hybridization
*1 Run Away Together
*1 Simic Charm
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 This Town Ain&#039;t Big Enough
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Emerald Medallion
*1 Panharmonicon
*1 Sapphire Medallion
*1 The Great Henge
*1 Urza&#039;s Incubator
*1 Vanquisher&#039;s Banner
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Bridgeworks Battle // Tanglespan Bridgeworks
*1 Farseek
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Raise the Palisade
*1 Season of Weaving
*1 Splash Portal
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Gossip&#039;s Talent
*1 Intruder Alarm
*1 Kindred Discovery
*1 Leyline of Abundance
*1 Reflections of Littjara
*1 Virtue of Knowledge // Vantress Visions
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Barkchannel Pathway // Tidechannel Pathway
*1 Command Tower
*1 Dreamroot Cascade
*1 Flooded Grove
*9 Forest
*1 Hedge Maze
*9 Island
*1 Lilypad Village
*1 Oakhollow Village
*1 Overflowing Basin
*1 Path of Ancestry
*1 Rejuvenating Springs
*1 Secluded Courtyard
*1 Three Tree City
*1 Waterlogged Grove
*1 Willowrush Verge
[/Lands]"></span></div></span></p>
<h2>A Positively Ribbiting Conclusion</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Before I end this article, there's a few more cards I'd like to talk about. This deck is mostly Frogs, so there's room for some sweet typal payoffs. We've got plenty of on-theme card advantage, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kindred Discovery" href="#" target="_blank">Kindred Discovery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grolnok, the Omnivore" href="#" target="_blank">Grolnok, the Omnivore</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and even on-theme removal like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Polliwallop" href="#" target="_blank">Polliwallop</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kindred Discovery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grolnok, the Omnivore"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Polliwallop"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But my favorite card in this whole deck is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Long River Lurker" href="#" target="_blank">Long River Lurker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card does basically everything we want. It's a Frog, so it taps for mana. It protects all of our other Frogs. And it provides evasion to our best attacker every single time it enters the battlefield. This card is fantastic, and I think it works perfectly in a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clement, the Worrywort" href="#" target="_blank">Clement</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Long River Lurker"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thanks once again for reading! I'll see you all next time, for another edition of </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Archetypes of Imagination</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">: a fling deck!</span></p>


Cooper Gottfried