<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Play of the Game" href="#" target="_blank">Play of the Game</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CJung+Park%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Jung Park</a>)</h6>
<p>We are almost in the endgame of our March Magic Madness tournament. The final round, which takes place inside our regions, is upon us. By now, you know the teams and the matchups, and I do not want to delay the action any longer.</p>
<p>So I will send it to our other esteemed announcer the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arena Rector" href="#" target="_blank">Arena Rector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for any final words before we dive into the matchups.</p>
<p>Arena Rector: All I can say about these matchups is that they will be explosive. We have some incredibly intriguing matchups that should be fun for everyone involved. Without anything further, let's go down to the action for the Elite 8.</p>
<h2>Scoring:</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Color Multipliers</strong>
<ul>
<li>Colorless 1.6x</li>
<li>Mono 1.5x</li>
<li>Two-color 1.4x</li>
<li>Three-color 1.3x</li>
<li>Four-color 1.2x</li>
<li>Five Color 1.1x</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Deck Count &lt; or &gt; 15 Thousand</strong>
<ul>
<li>&gt; 15 Thousand 15.1x</li>
<li>&lt; 15 Thousand 14.9x</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Original Print Date</strong>
<ul>
<li>Over five years ago, 5.9x</li>
<li>Printed in 202, 5.5x</li>
<li>Printed less than five years ago, 5.1x</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Was it a "Design Mistake"</strong>
<ul>
<li>Yes 6.9x</li>
<li>No 7x</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Game Changer</strong>
<ul>
<li>Yes 2.5x</li>
<li>No 7x</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Salt Score &lt;, &gt; or = 1.2</strong>
<ul>
<li>&lt; 1.2 avg. Salt score 2.1x</li>
<li>&gt; 1.2 avg. Salt score 1.9x</li>
<li>= 1.2 avg. Salt score 2x</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Basketball scores are made with a generator to align with the "math" used.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h2>Shards Region</h2>
<p>(8) <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph" href="#" target="_blank">Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> vs. (6) <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcades, the Strategist" href="#" target="_blank">Arcades, the Strategist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arcades, the Strategist"></div></div>
<p>What a matchup to kick off the Elite 8 here today. The Kerlmorphs, led by Ghyrson Starn, is the only remaining Universes Beyond team in the tournament. This team beats you with a "death by a thousand cuts" style.</p>
<p>A point or two at a time is all they need to make sure that they get the win. A key product of the Universes Beyond region <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch" href="#" target="_blank">Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> showed what this lesser known division is really about this game.</p>
<p>Backed up with game changers like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jeska&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Jeska&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mystical Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Mystical Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the Kerlmorphs came out the gate fast and furious, relying on a strategy built around <a target="_blank" rel="noopener">pingers</a>.</p>
<p>Not to go down without a fight, Arcades leads the long-standing Walls. Unlike past tournaments, Arcades took a more<a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=arcades"> strategic approach</a>, which served them well until now.</p>
<p>Early on, with a well-timed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crystal Barricade" href="#" target="_blank">Crystal Barricade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it looked as if the walls would stand the test of time yet again. Unfortunately for them, a good, or in their case, a great defense was not enough, and the <a href="https://scryfall.com/card/eld/114/blow-your-house-down">Walls started to crumble</a>.</p>
<p>The Kelermorphs finished off this contest with a potent combo of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Parun" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, Parun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> enchanted with the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ophidian Eye" href="#" target="_blank">Ophidian Eye</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. They will be moving on to the Final Four as the champion of the Shards Region.</p>
<p><strong>Final Score:</strong> Kelermorphs 147 - Walls 101.</p>
<h2>Wedge Region</h2>
<p>(9) <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir" href="#" target="_blank">Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> vs. (2) <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow"></div></div>
<p>A battle of design mistakes. Commander Ninjutsu vs. <em>Eminence</em>: Who will come out on top? These teams know how to gain an advantage from their game plans.</p>
<p>Yuriko and the Ninjas make you have to guard every angle of attack or suffer the consequences. Sidar Jabari and the Knights make card after card work in their favor and can make all of your removal feel like it is a part of a losing battle.</p>
<p>The Ninjas controlled this battle from the very start. No other team has come close to dealing with the idea of presenting too many threats for an opponent to deal with all tournament long. Led by a fiecersome foursome of Yuriko themselves and three key players</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Universal Automaton"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Silver-Fur Master"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Satoru, the Infiltrator"></div></div>
<p>The Ninjas quickly became too much to handle. They rounded out their starting five with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fallen Shinobi" href="#" target="_blank">Fallen Shinobi</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who picked off key cards when it mattered most and did not allow the Knights to close the gap.</p>
<p>The Knights did come with a good game plan; they just ran into a bad matchup.</p>
<p>Built around the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Monument to Endurance" href="#" target="_blank">Monument to Endurance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the Knights did their best to leverage newcomer <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vodalian Wave-Knight" href="#" target="_blank">Vodalian Wave-Knight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knights&#039; Charge" href="#" target="_blank">Knights&#039; Charge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to overwhelm the opposition.</p>
<p>Against most opponents, this would have been a winning strategy, but without finding the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Herald of Hoofbeats" href="#" target="_blank">Herald of Hoofbeats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fatal Blow" href="#" target="_blank">Fatal Blow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was unable to land.</p>
<p><strong>Final Score:</strong> Ninjas 138 - Knights 95.</p>
<h2>Guild Region</h2>
<p>(13) <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Lord High Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Lord High Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> vs. (14) <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oloro, Ageless Ascetic" href="#" target="_blank">Oloro, Ageless Ascetic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urza, Lord High Artificer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oloro, Ageless Ascetic"></div></div>
<p>A battle of two double-digit seeds to see who will escape from the wildest quadrant of the tournament we have ever seen. If you know your magic history, you will agree that this is a battle of giants against one another.</p>
<p>Urza and his High Artificers look to lock down the competition with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winter Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Winter Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trinisphere" href="#" target="_blank">Trinisphere</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Olor and the Giants also like to make life difficult for the opposition thanks to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Propaganda" href="#" target="_blank">Propaganda</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aura of Silence" href="#" target="_blank">Aura of Silence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>The Giants found themselves on the side of David against Goliath as Urza was not going home without the win.</p>
<p>Even with a variety of taxes being levied against his team, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Lord High Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Lord High Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a unique way of taking even his stax pieces like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pithing Needle" href="#" target="_blank">Pithing Needle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Static Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Static Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a way to generate resources.</p>
<p>After overcoming the lock pieces, Urza utilized the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Simulacrum Synthesizer" href="#" target="_blank">Simulacrum Synthesizer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to march to victory and a spot in the Final Four.</p>
<p><strong>Final Score:</strong> High Artificers 121 - Giants 91.</p>
<h2>Blind Eternities Region</h2>
<p>(13) <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> vs. (7) <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teysa Karlov" href="#" target="_blank">Teysa Karlov</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teysa Karlov"></div></div>
<p>The final battle before the Final Four features Kinnan and the Prodigies against Teysa Karlov and the Oligarchs. These two teams could not be more opposite in their play.</p>
<p>With Kinnan, it is all about the big play all the time. It is the epitome of the go big or go home game plan. With Teysa, small bodies are being used and reused to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eliminate the Competition" href="#" target="_blank">Eliminate the Competition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with an onslaught of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Attrition" href="#" target="_blank">Attrition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>This game was tight. Teysa and the Oligarchs played a beautiful game from the first whistle, and key contributors <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim" href="#" target="_blank">Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> showed they were not to be underestimated.</p>
<p>Kinnan, however, got off to a lightning-fast start thanks to Enduring Vitality letting all the entire team pitch in so that the big flips off the top got out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tidespout Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Tidespout Tyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Koma, Cosmos Serpent" href="#" target="_blank">Koma, Cosmos Serpent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> way ahead of schedule.</p>
<p>The Oligarchs could clean up the battlefield time and time again thanks to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dictate of Erebos" href="#" target="_blank">Dictate of Erebos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but the sacrificing of creatures secretly doomed them to defeat.</p>
<p>The unlikely combination of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fade Away" href="#" target="_blank">Fade Away</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with an on board <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="It That Betrays" href="#" target="_blank">It That Betrays</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> turned the tide for the Prodigies, and they never looked back.</p>
<p>In the closest finish and the only competitive bout from start to finish in this Elite 8, Kinnan and the Prodigies punch their way into the final spot in the Final Four.</p>
<p><strong>Final Score:</strong> Prodigies 87 - Oligarchs 80.</p>
<h2>Once More Into the Breach</h2>
<p>Wow, what a way to take us to the Final Four. The penultimate field is set with competitors who proved they are their region's champions. We have as follows:</p>
<p>Shards Region: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph" href="#" target="_blank">Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></p>
<p>Wedge Region: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></p>
<p>Guild Region: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Lord High Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Lord High Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></p>
<p>Blind Eternities Region: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></p>
<p>Who comes out on top? Will the two-seed Yuriko continue their dominant and seemingly unstopable run through the tournament?</p>
<p>Will the only remaining Universes Beyond representative in Ghyrson Starn take it home?</p>
<p>Or will either of our 13-seed teams, the Prodigies or the High Artificers, pull off the biggest upset and make their way to the finale, potentially against one another?</p>
<p>Join us as we move into the final battlefield inside the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strixhaven Stadium" href="#" target="_blank">Strixhaven Stadium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as we come closer to crowning a champion of March Magic Madness.</p>


March Magic Madness - Elite 8

March Magic Madness - Sweet 16

March Magic Madness - Round of 32

March Magic Madness - Top 64 Challenge

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a href="https://scryfall.com/card/exo/129/survival-of-the-fittest">Survival of the Fittest</a> | <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CPete+Venters%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Pete Venters</a>)</h6>
<p>A voice comes over an intercom: "Now boarding Group One." It's time to check your bag one last time before you board your plane. You see a fresh box of sleeves, a brand new deck box, and all 25 of your freshly-made Commander decks.</p>
<p>Have you ever played any of them? No, but that is what a Magic Con is for, right?</p>
<p>Plus, you must have all of these decks when taking a break between your seven events booked between Friday and Saturday. And how could you forget your front bag pocket with all of your triple sleeve and slabbed cards that you need to get signed by 15 artists there? All this leaves plenty of room for you to come home with that oversized card from the prize wall.</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="What (Not) to Bring to MagicCon | Magic: the Gathering | Commander" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B6Eo_FhnT3E?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>This might sound like a great idea, but I promise it will only make your weekend a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dismal Failure" href="#" target="_blank">Dismal Failure</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I have been to a few Magic Cons and thought I would share some things I have learned to help you best "survive" a Magic Con.</p>
<p>My name is Nick, and you do not have to listen to all my tips and tricks, but hopefully, one of them will lead you on the road to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Success!" href="#" target="_blank">Success!</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Success"></div></div>
<h2>Hatching Plans</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hatching Plans"></div></div>
<p>The best advice I can give anyone outside of having fun is to put a plan together for your trip. You do not need to have a full detailed itinerary planning out every minute of your day down to what time you will draw a card, but in my opinion, you should come in with at least a basic outline of how you would like your day(s) to go, otherwise you'll get overwhelmed and overplan. You may have to rely on a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Backup Plan" href="#" target="_blank">Backup Plan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Change of Plans" href="#" target="_blank">Change of Plans</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and maybe even a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contingency Plan" href="#" target="_blank">Contingency Plan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> by the time you get to the convention.</p>
<p>One of the best things I took advantage of for this year's Magic Con Chicago was to have an idea of what I wanted out of each day I was there.</p>
<p>I was confident in my plans, and even then, I still learned by the end that my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Game Plan" href="#" target="_blank">Game Plan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was not foolproof. For an event like this, things must be done in advance, so even the most well-thought-out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Long-Term Plans" href="#" target="_blank">Long-Term Plans</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will not always result in success.</p>
<h2>Playable</h2>
<p>Magic Cons offers many options for many different types of people. Most people go to Magic Cons to do one thing above all else: sit down and play <em>Magic: The Gathering. </em>Heck yeah.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Assemble the Players"></div></div>
<p>It doesn't matter if you're in the tank and sweating it out to try and win a last-chance qualifier or the Secret Lair Showdown. Maybe you're doing a full box Sealed or Two-Headed Giant with your best mate after a long travel day. Most people are there to sling spells, play a turn-one <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or expertly read all the signals in the triple <em>Homelands</em> draft running Sunday morning.</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nicknaxdeck-scaled.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-146174" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nicknaxdeck-1024x768.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="525" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nicknaxdeck-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nicknaxdeck-300x225.jpg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nicknaxdeck-768x576.jpg 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nicknaxdeck-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nicknaxdeck-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a></p>
<h6 style="text-align: center;">Good times at the Commander table</h6>
<p>This year, I knew that there were three particular things I wanted to play: Commander, Canadian Highlander, and Gavin's Mystery Event. I prioritized time each day to do these things and packed accordingly.</p>
<p>This leads me to my downer point for this topic: you <strong>cannot</strong> play everything you want. That might be decks, events, or even with specific individuals.</p>
<p>I won't tell you not to bring all 25 of your commander decks, but do yourself a favor and don't bring all 25 of your commander decks. You have a finite amount of time at these, so I urge people to take advantage and make their best personal impression of the card <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time Stretch" href="#" target="_blank">Time Stretch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>Paint Me Like One Of Your French Cards</h2>
<p>At this year's Magic Con Chicago, I hit what I will consider the artistic jackpot. I had a small list of cards I wanted to get signed, and if you have ever been to one of these, you know that sometimes that is daunting.</p>
<p>While I missed out on the incredible Tyler Jacobson, I got all the other cards and more signed by various artists and MTG personalities. I commend you if this is why you go to Magic Cons, and honestly, you might be the strongest among us at these events, outside of the cosplayers.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abstract Iguanart"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Artist&#039;s Talent"></div></div>
<p>Many people in the art sphere of the game have great tips and tricks and even complete Scryfall lists of all the artists going so that you do not have to dig through your deck boxes while standing in line looking for cards to get signed.</p>
<p>Just know the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Artist&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Artist&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does not come cheap when considering the time it can take for some lines. If you are like me this year, even your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Well-Laid Plans" href="#" target="_blank">Well-Laid Plans</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be hit by the ticking clock of another commitment.</p>
<h2>It's a Mystery</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trail of Mystery"></div></div>
<p>I have told you a thing or two I would suggest not doing. I have also mentioned the downside to some of those choices, but there is one thing above all of these events that I have and will not recommend to everyone who attends.</p>
<p>That is the Gavin Verhey Mystery Event. For years, Gavin has put on a fantastic event with a cool and unique twist, all while tricking everyone into playing the largest paper brawl event of all time.</p>
<p>This year was no different. Sealed decks built from <em>Mystery Booster 2</em> and what I have been calling the "Gavin Pack." A pack of unique playtest cards that are everything from super funny to extremely broken to loving tributes to those who make the community great.</p>
<p>I never have as much fun as I do playing at this event, and it's something I will always sign up for. Highly recommended, but try to get your tickets fast as they <em>will</em> sell out, even long before the event.</p>
<h2>Mistakes Were Made</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mistakes Were Made"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mistakes Were Made" href="#" target="_blank">Mistakes Were Made</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This is the secret of my Magic Con experience this year. I still made some errors in the tips I tried to follow and thought I had done everything correctly. The first mistake was packing my schedule too tightly from Saturday to Sunday.</p>
<p>I did not realize how a late night and lousy sleep on Saturday would lead to one of the most miserable experiences I have had while participating in a Commander Sealed event on Sunday.</p>
<p>It made me reconsider many life decisions during an event I was genuinely pumped to join in. I also made the classic blunder of waiting till the last day to try and use my little tickets at the prize wall and walked away empty-handed.</p>
<p>Secondly, I did not play as much Commander with friends or randoms as I wanted. I should've used my Sunday for this instead of deckbuilding and waiting for seat pairings to be announced.</p>
<p>Lastly, I did not get to enough panels. This was a new mistake, but it might be my second recommendation for people going. The live EDHRECast was a blast, and while I did not win my challenge against the stats, it was a great time.</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/livecastaudience-scaled.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-146173" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/livecastaudience-1024x478.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="327" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/livecastaudience-1024x478.jpg 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/livecastaudience-300x140.jpg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/livecastaudience-768x359.jpg 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/livecastaudience-1536x717.jpg 1536w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/livecastaudience-2048x956.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a></p>
<h6 style="text-align: center;">The first Live EDHRECast challenged the hosts' knowledge of the stats! Photo credit: Nick Wolf</h6>
<p>Try to play as much as you can and want and get to all the artists, meetings, and greets, but don't make my mistake of missing out on the great panels people put on in the IRL meet space rather than online.</p>
<h2>Exceeding Expectations</h2>
<p>I won't bore anyone with "normal" travel suggestions. Everyone is already prepared with their food plans, and people often know where they will be for the always fun "Lobby Cons" in the various hotel lobby and bar areas after the convention hall closes for the night. And while this might be a fun little article about "surviving" Magic Cons, this year did not run super smooth for me by comparison.</p>
<p>Luckily, this led me to some <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unexpected Results" href="#" target="_blank">Unexpected Results</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as Magic Con Chicago was full of... <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unexpected Potential" href="#" target="_blank">Unexpected Potential</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I got to chill with friends, new and old; p<span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">lay games with creators like Rachel Weeks and notable artists like <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CJesper+Ejsing%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jesper Ejsing</a> and <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CEvyn+Fong%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evyn Fong.</a> </span></p>
<p>In my mind, the most important thing about going to one of these events is maximizing the defining statement of a Magic Con: It's not about the <em>Magic</em>; it's about <em>The Gathering</em>.</p>
<p>I hope to gather with you at a Magic Con soon, and if you can make one, I suggest you try your best to make it out. If you want to tell me how your Magic Con went or show me what cards you got signed, you can find me here or elsewhere on the internet as nicnax96.</p>
<p>Check out all the other great articles here, and as a treat, if you happen to be in the venn diagram of sports fans and <em>Magic: The Gathering</em> fans, stay tuned in during the start of March Madness...</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mandatory Friendship Shackles"></div></div>


Your Swiftfoot Boots-on-the-Ground Guide to Surviving Magic Con

Tech The Deck - AristoGnats

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a href="https://scryfall.com/card/dft/364/kolodin-triumph-caster"> Kolodin, Triumph Caster</a> | Art By: <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CJohn+Stanko%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">John Stanko</a> )</h6>
<p>One often needs the fastest car and a steely resolve to win a race. We might not be racing for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Aetherspark" href="#" target="_blank">The Aetherspark</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but we are racing to see who can finish first in a game of Commander.</p>
<p>There are a ton of great commanders in the upcoming set <em>Aetherdrift</em>, but one that emphasizes putting the pedal to the metal is <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kolodin, Triumph Caster"></div></div>.</p>
<p>Buckle up as we hit the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muraganda Raceway" href="#" target="_blank">Muraganda Raceway</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and pump up the volume on our interplanar radio while we listen to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Country Roads" href="#" target="_blank">Country Roads</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Today, I will be your driver, and like always, my name is Nick. This deck might not be about family, but get ready to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Start Your Engines" href="#" target="_blank">Start Your Engines</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and enjoy another <em>Tech The Deck</em>.</p>
<h2>Pit Crew</h2>
<p>The first step to having a good racing team is having a good pit crew along for the ride. And what better way to introduce the crew than by talking about the commander of the deck, our crew chief, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kolodin, Triumph Caster" href="#" target="_blank">Kolodin, Triumph Caster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?</p>
<p>Why is Kolodin in charge of this deck over other classic vehicle cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Depala, Pilot Exemplar" href="#" target="_blank">Depala, Pilot Exemplar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? To me, Kolodin is very special and interesting.</p>
<p>The ability to allow any vehicle (or mount) that enters to become crewed (or saddled) is a great way to get around the most annoying parts of a deck that wants to run vehicles (or mounts).</p>
<p>But sometimes, people want to cause problems for our crew chief, who must rely on the team he has assembled to help win the race.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Depala, Pilot Exemplar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Astor, Bearer of Blades"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hotshot Mechanic"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Interface Ace"></div></div>
<p>First up, the former crew chief of the vehicle archetype is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Depala, Pilot Exemplar" href="#" target="_blank">Depala, Pilot Exemplar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. She allows us to drive a bit beefier of a machine thanks to giving all vehicles +1/+1 and can allow us to dig deeper into our deck whenever she becomes tapped.</p>
<p>This means we do not even have to attack with Depala, and thanks to having three power, she does a good job at driving most of the vehicles we have at our disposal.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Astor, Bearer of Blades" href="#" target="_blank">Astor, Bearer of Blades</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, has some text that is thoroughly irrelevant to us in this deck. What they do have is a great way to grab whatever vehicle in the top seven cards of our deck and take some of these hard-to-handle machines with large crew requirements and simplify them so that anyone or anything in our deck can sit nicely behind the wheel.</p>
<p>The best racers out there owe much of their success to a group or sometimes one single <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hotshot Mechanic" href="#" target="_blank">Hotshot Mechanic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card looks unassuming, but once the other racers (our opponents) catch on to how vital Kolodin is to this deck running smoothly, a one-drop creature that can crew anything costing Crew 1 - Crew 4 can keep our wheels turning.</p>
<p>Occasionally, a driver might face a tough choice of which car to take for a spin around the track. That is when <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Interface Ace" href="#" target="_blank">Interface Ace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> comes in to save the day.</p>
<p>This creature allowed you to crew up two vehicles simultaneously on all your turns. If the worst part about this card is that I can only crew one car on another racer's turn, they are welcome on my crew any race day.</p>
<h2>High Octane Racing</h2>
<p>A part of racing that is never discussed is that sabotage is one of the greatest dangers to a racing team—sabotage in the form of our opponents sending our vehicles to the scrapyard, aka... the graveyard.</p>
<p>When that happens, we have a few ways to get our team back on track. The first thing to do is to give one of our vehicles a bit of a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tune Up" href="#" target="_blank">Tune Up</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>After we do some work, we will never need to get behind the wheel of that vehicle ever again.</p>
<p>If our entire garage gets sent to the junkyard, then as a crew, we only have one option: cross the finish line first. That one trick is to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Push the Limit" href="#" target="_blank">Push the Limit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on what we know as racing.</p>
<p>All joking aside, this is an all-star card in this deck. Mass reanimation is something that many decks look for when constructing their 99.</p>
<p>On top of bringing all your vehicles and mounts back to the battlefield, it turns them into creatures and gives all creatures you control, NOT just the ones you got back, haste for a turn.</p>
<p>Finally, if we get stranded on the mid-race track, we must remember to re- <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Start Your Engines" href="#" target="_blank">Start Your Engines</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>If we find ourselves without a crew to drive, pilot, or steer any of our various vehicles, this card will let them run wild. The +2/+0 is a nice bonus that I won't scoff at.</p>
<h2>Cards We Run So We Don't Crash</h2>
<p>A good racer must know that being out on the track can get dangerous. But the first thing a racer needs to be aware of is how much life they have left to use for fuel. To help with this, we run <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Armed and Armored" href="#" target="_blank">Armed and Armored</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to let us surprise our opponents with a massive board of blockers or as a way to finish them off at instant speed.</p>
<p>It will be no surprise to us that our vehicles will be the first thing that the rest of the table attempts to get rid of, and rightfully so.</p>
<p>So we need some ways to protect them from a removal spell. I choose to outfit the pit crew with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blacksmith&#039;s Skill" href="#" target="_blank">Blacksmith&#039;s Skill</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clever Concealment" href="#" target="_blank">Clever Concealment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These allow us to save key vehicles or the entire fleet from our opponents' attempts to slash your tires.</p>
<h2>Sick Whips</h2>
<p>The most important part of the deck outside of our commander is our litany of vehicles and the "mods" we have for them. The deck runs 27 vehicles, and instead of talking about each and everyone, I will show off a few of my favorites.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reaver Titan"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Midnight Crusader Shuttle"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mobile Homestead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mechtitan Core"></div></div>
<p>To me, <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> is one of the most underrated vehicles in the game. It's a massive 10/10, blasts everyone for five damage on the attack, and is hard to get off the board thanks to its <em>Void Shields</em>.</p>
<p>Understandably, it was not a card many people would have seen because it was in <em>Warhammer 40,000 Commander.</em> At Crew-4, this card is reasonable even if we do not have Kolodin on the board, but it gets so much better when he is.</p>
<p>Another vehicle from a <em>Universes Beyond Commander</em> product, this time courtesy of <em>Doctor Who</em>, the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Midnight Crusader Shuttle" href="#" target="_blank">Midnight Crusader Shuttle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes an opponent face a villainous choice.</p>
<p>Either option will give them one less blocker to try and stop us with, but they at least get to decide if they loan us a creature or if it gets sent to their scrapyard instead.</p>
<p>A Vehicle that cares about Mounts, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mobile Homestead" href="#" target="_blank">Mobile Homestead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might not significantly damage our opposition, but it will help us keep playing on a curve and not go off the track as we take another left turn at high speeds.</p>
<p>Cheap and efficient is the game's name with this mobile home, and sometimes, that's just what a good racing team needs.</p>
<p>Lastly, the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mechtitan Core" href="#" target="_blank">Mechtitan Core</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is just one of the most fabulous cards around regarding Vehicles. We should have plenty of other vehicles to send inside our deck to do their best impression of a transformer.</p>
<h2>The Mods</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Siege Modification"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aerial Modification"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nahiri&#039;s Resolve"></div></div>
<p>We only have two modifications that we can give to any of our various "rides" in this deck. Whether it be siege or aerial, the purpose is another way to let a vehicle circumvent the need to be crewed or have a way to function without our commander.</p>
<p>One reason I wanted to take a closer look at this deck outside of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kolodin, Triumph Caster" href="#" target="_blank">Kolodin, Triumph Caster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a card that I thought was junk. That card is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nahiri&#039;s Resolve" href="#" target="_blank">Nahiri&#039;s Resolve</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It might have been the decks that I played or looked at for different articles.</p>
<p>It might have been the standard environment where this five-mana "do nothing" enchantment premiered, or maybe it was a multi-year plant.</p>
<p>I am not sure if I could have made a more perfect card for this deck without making it too strong if I tried.</p>
<p>Pumping our creature's power and giving them haste are two of the most important things when playing an aggressive strategy and, in our case, running an aggressive race.</p>
<p>The timing of when your artifacts return to the battlefield synergizes so well with Kolodin. As long as we can keep our commander alive, the resolve will let us swing with all our Vehicles and Mounts every single turn without needing them to be crewed. It is by far my favorite card for this deck.</p>
<h2>Crossing The Finish Line</h2>
<p>Sometimes, the best way to win a race is to drive faster than the competition. It's nothing fancy, just good old-fashioned racing. That is precisely what we are trying to do with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kolodin, Triumph Caster" href="#" target="_blank">Kolodin, Triumph Caster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> behind the wheel.</p>
<p>It is a straightforward RW aggressive strategy, but instead of using creatures in the traditional sense, we are using things like the <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>.</p>
<p><em>Aetherdrift</em> looks like an exciting set of cards for all commander players, but I want to hear if you share that thought or if you think this set will spin out at the starting line.</p>
<p>Let me know what you think of Kolodin, the set as a whole, or your favorite vehicle, even if it did not make the list. Maybe you feel the deck should focus on Mounts instead.</p>
<p>Either way, let me know, and try not to get run over by a speeding <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bomat Bazaar Barge" href="#" target="_blank">Bomat Bazaar Barge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spire Mechcycle" href="#" target="_blank">Spire Mechcycle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I have been and will continue to be Nick; this has been another deck we have teched.</p>


Tech The Deck - Parhelions, Clown Cars, and Hamspheres

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a href="https://scryfall.com/card/zen/146/runeflare-trap">Runeflare Trap</a> | Art By: <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CFranz+Vohwinkel%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Franz Vohwinkel</a>)</h6>
<h2>Have You Ever Set A Trap?</h2>
<p>Have you ever laid low before in a game of Commander? Have you sowed discourse and discord during a game? Have you forced the table to identify others as a threat rather than yourself?</p>
<p>If so, then this deck could be something for you. Welcome to <em>Tech the Deck</em>, my name is Nick, and this article is a bit special. We are going to dive into one of my decks led by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix" href="#" target="_blank">Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist" href="#" target="_blank">Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>A Very Tight Hug</h2>
<p>Have you ever received a hug that is just a bit too tight? While it can be enjoyable initially, it quickly becomes uncomfortable and may even become painful. This is my preferred way to play the <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/group-hug">Group Hug</a> strategy in Commander.</p>
<p>The deck idea is focused around one of my favorite cards from a Standard format long past and a deck long before my time of ever tapping a land. Those two cards are</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fevered Visions"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ebony Owl Netsuke"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fevered Visions" href="#" target="_blank">Fevered Visions</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was the slow-acting win condition in a hardcore Izzet control deck during a standard format featuring cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Torrential Gearhulk" href="#" target="_blank">Torrential Gearhulk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger" href="#" target="_blank">Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>This deck was not fun to play against from the opposite side of the table, but something about it connected deeply with me. I have never returned to that style of deck in any format, and I do not know if I ever would, but something about this deck has always stuck with me.</p>
<p>With <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ebony Owl Netsuke" href="#" target="_blank">Ebony Owl Netsuke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the feeling was of something I missed out on. The deck name "Owling Mine" might ring a bell in some older players' minds.</p>
<p>A deck built around causing your opponent to draw extra cards with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Howling Mine" href="#" target="_blank">Howling Mine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and cards like it while dealing damage to them with the namesake <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ebony Owl Netsuke" href="#" target="_blank">Ebony Owl Netsuke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>This was a deck I was aware of as a player and one that I have heard stories of from people during my early years of learning the game.</p>
<p>I understand how both of these cards can work well when combined. But like Ben Franklin and some origin stories of Barry Allen becoming The Flash, it took a storm and lightning to kickstart my deckbuilding mindset.</p>
<h2>Storm Seeker</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Storm Seeker"></div></div>
<p>What a simple effect on a card I had never heard of until one fateful day. I do not even remember where I was first shown this card. It could have been a stream, a random social media post, or even in someone's deck at a convention.</p>
<p>Suddenly, I was deep into a Scryfall search for similar effects, and to my surprise there is quite a few.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sudden Impact"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gaze of Adamaro"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Runeflare Trap"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Iron Maiden"></div></div>
<p>One thing ties these cards together: no one knows they exist. I jest, but many players have followed up with me reading a card's name out when I cast it with an outburst of "What?".</p>
<p>Truthfully, it is the fact that none of these cards care about how many cards are in my hand, and that is where the group hug aspect of this deck comes into play.</p>
<h2>You Get A Card, and You Get A Card! Everyone Gets A Card!</h2>
<p>There are no <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/wheels">wheel </a>effects in this deck. I want you to keep every single card you draw. Why wouldn't I? After all, I am a nice guy from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kami of the Crescent Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Kami of the Crescent Moon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temple Bell" href="#" target="_blank">Temple Bell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Horn of Greed" href="#" target="_blank">Horn of Greed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; the cards will be flowing like a river.</p>
<p>I will even throw in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dictate of Kruphix" href="#" target="_blank">Dictate of Kruphix</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Font of Mythos" href="#" target="_blank">Font of Mythos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anvil of Bogardan" href="#" target="_blank">Anvil of Bogardan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I even have a slew of enchantments to ensure you don't spend the game just staring at your cards without being able to cast them.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heartbeat of Spring"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mana Flare"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rites of Flourishing"></div></div>
<p>Unfortunately, I need something to keep people away from my life and allow them to draw cards.</p>
<h2>Breaking Parity</h2>
<p>Outside of hitting people at instant speed and damage effects, sometimes some players will not let you sit there and enjoy drawing cards with friends. When that happens, I turn to tokens, life gain, and a few well-timed counterspells.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Xyris, the Writhing Storm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Homunculus Horde"></div></div>
<p>Both cards allow me to assemble a horde, pun intended, of blockers to prevent pesky opponents from pecking at my life points.</p>
<p>And yes, technically, Xyris does have the ability to wheel me and the opponent that I hit, but I never have the intention of attacking. That is not what this deck is about.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Venser&#039;s Journal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marina Vendrell&#039;s Grimoire"></div></div>
<p>Not only are books in <em>Magic: The Gathering</em> magical, but they also gain me life and draw me cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arcane Denial"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dream Fracture"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Invert Polarity"></div></div>
<p>Lastly, there is a tiny amount of counterspells for emergencies.</p>
<p>There is another thing I rely on in this deck to break the parity of mass card draw and massive amounts of mana that this deck can provide to the table: the ability to give things flash.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seedborn Muse"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wilderness Reclamation"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Leyline of Anticipation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Alchemist&#039;s Refuge"></div></div>
<p>Flash allows me to use my mana when other players least expect it, and cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wilderness Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Wilderness Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seedborn Muse" href="#" target="_blank">Seedborn Muse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> act as a potent one-two punch. If only <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prophet of Kruphix" href="#" target="_blank">Prophet of Kruphix</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was not banned 🙁</p>
<h2>One Last Hit of Spice</h2>
<p>When all else fails, there is one last personal throwback that I managed to "shove" into this deck. After spending a long, long time trying to crack the puzzle that was this deck.</p>
<p>What colors should I make it? Who should the Commander(s) be for the deck? How much should I lean into the theme by running cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skyscribing" href="#" target="_blank">Skyscribing</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?</p>
<p>After landing in the Temur color combination, I wanted a slightly better way to close out a game. If someone has too much life or if I cannot make people draw cards, what can I do to win? I can hit them with a combo kill straight from the Modern format.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hive Mind"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Enter the Infinite"></div></div>
<p>While this does not immediately kill any of my opponents due to the lack of a pact spell like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pact of Negation" href="#" target="_blank">Pact of Negation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this is possibly my favorite two-card combo. It is funny as much as it is memorable and gives my opponents one last turn with everything at their disposal to try and win the game.</p>
<p>Believe it or not, I have lost after pulling this combo off to none other than Commander Herald's Nick Wolf and his <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sarkhan, Soul Aflame" href="#" target="_blank">Sarkhan, Soul Aflame</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck.</p>
<h2>So What Was The Point?</h2>
<p>So why did I tell you about this deck? Because I wanted to. I believe that as much as a person who plays this game can appreciate the fine-tuning of a "meta" deck, there is just as much that can be enjoyed from some monstrosity like what I have presented here for you.</p>
<p>Also, there is a slight lull before the next new set is released, so if not now, when would I get the chance?</p>
<p>Anyway, that is all for this <em>Tech the Deck</em> entry, and hopefully, at an upcoming convention, you might get to activate my trap cards yourself.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignleft wp-image-143971 size-medium" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/67d05bbf3c35f88b82a4c19ea16d270694721395a658f0cf2d2870799c2c3c04_1-300x260.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="260" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/67d05bbf3c35f88b82a4c19ea16d270694721395a658f0cf2d2870799c2c3c04_1-300x260.jpg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/67d05bbf3c35f88b82a4c19ea16d270694721395a658f0cf2d2870799c2c3c04_1.jpg 580w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></p>
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<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="IT&#039;S A TRAP" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix
*1 Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Anvil of Bogardan
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Decanter of Endless Water
*1 Ebony Owl Netsuke
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Font of Mythos
*1 Horn of Greed
*1 Howling Mine
*1 Iron Maiden
*1 Ivory Tower
*1 Izzet Signet
*1 Library of Leng
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Marina Vendrell&#039;s Grimoire
*1 Mindsplice Apparatus
*1 Simic Signet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Temple Bell
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Venser&#039;s Journal
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Cerebral Vortex
*1 Dream Fracture
*1 Drown in Dreams
*1 Gaze of Adamaro
*1 Invert Polarity
*1 Obscuring Haze
*1 Planar Genesis
*1 Reiterate
*1 Runeflare Trap
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 Storm Seeker
*1 Stroke of Genius
*1 Sudden Impact
*1 Vision Skeins
Words of Wisdom
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Braingeyser
*1 Enter the Infinite
*1 Farseek
*1 Fascination
*1 Finale of Revelation
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Prosperity
*1 Skyscribing
*1 Three Visits
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Burgeoning
*1 Dictate of Kruphix
*1 Fevered Visions
*1 Heartbeat of Spring
*1 Hive Mind
*1 Leyline of Anticipation
*1 Mana Flare
*1 Ominous Seas
*1 Rites of Flourishing
*1 Wilderness Reclamation
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*1 Homunculus Horde
*1 Kami of the Crescent Moon
*1 Keranos, God of Storms
*1 Kruphix, God of Horizons
*1 Nivix Guildmage
*1 Red Death, Shipwrecker
*1 Scrawling Crawler
*1 Seedborn Muse
*1 Xyris, the Writhing Storm
[/Creatures]
[Lands]
*1 Alchemist&#039;s Refuge
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 Command Tower
*1 Commercial District
*1 Dreamroot Cascade
*1 Forest
*1 Forest
*1 Forest
*1 Gruul Turf
*1 Hedge Maze
*1 Island
*1 Island
*1 Island
*1 Island
*1 Izzet Boilerworks
*1 Ketria Triome
*1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Mountain
*1 Mountain
*1 Mountain
*1 Reflecting Pool
*1 Rejuvenating Springs
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Rockfall Vale
*1 Scalding Tarn
*1 Simic Growth Chamber
*1 Spire Garden
*1 Steam Vents
*1 Stomping Ground
*1 Stormcarved Coast
*1 Thundering Falls
*1 Training Center
*1 Wooded Foothills
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Tech the Deck - You Activated My Trap Card!

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a href="https://scryfall.com/card/ons/127/blackmail">Blackmail</a> | Art by: <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CChristopher+Moeller%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Christopher Moeller</a>)</h6>
<p>In February 2006, the now-disbanded Rules Committee made a new rule for a very young format.<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heartless Hidetsugu" href="#" target="_blank">Heartless Hidetsugu</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kaervek the Merciless" href="#" target="_blank">Kaervek the Merciless</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, were all banned as commanders only.</p>
<p>While they could not lead your deck, you could still play them in the 99. As the years passed, different legendary creatures went on and off this list.</p>
<p>After eight years, in February 2014, the "banned only as commander" rule was eliminated, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Braids, Cabal Minion" href="#" target="_blank">Braids, Cabal Minion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Erayo, Soratami Ascendant" href="#" target="_blank">Erayo, Soratami Ascendant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary" href="#" target="_blank">Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> became banned in the format, and so far, they have stayed there.</p>
<p>I wonder if they have remained for too long.</p>
<p>Currently, there are ten legendary creatures banned in the format. I want to examine whether any of them should be the reason for bringing back the "banned only as commander" rule.</p>
<p>Should they stay or go, or should some current creatures be added?</p>
<p>My name is Nick; this is<em> Myth Realized</em> - Should We Bring Back Banned Only As Commander?</p>
<h2>Triple Threat.</h2>
<p>There are five cards that I currently have not talked about as candidates to bring back as "Banned Only As Commander" candidates. Today, I cover three of those five.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Braids, Cabal Minion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emrakul, the Aeons Torn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Erayo, Soratami Ascendant"></div></div>
<p>Let's start with my favorite of the three, and the only one I have ever played in any format, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emrakul, the Aeons Torn" href="#" target="_blank">Emrakul, the Aeons Torn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>Mother.</h2>
<p>The undisputed biggest and badest spaghetti monster of all the <em>Magic: The Gathering</em> universes and the only one of the <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=name&amp;q=%28type%3Acreature+type%3Alegendary+type%3Aeldrazi%29+%28game%3Apaper%29">twelve</a> non-meld Legendary Eldrazi banned in the Commander format.</p>
<p>So what is the hatred for the mother of all Eldrazi monsters? This card is tough for anyone, or even a table of other players, to be able to shut down before, during, and after it hits the field.</p>
<p>But what makes it so hard to stop compared to a group of creatures that, on average, cost you a double-digit amount of mana?</p>
<p>This spell can't be countered already in the first line of text, causing a massive issue. While something I appreciate, being stapled onto a big creature occasionally is usually not a big issue outside of playing a control deck in a competitive 60-card format. But considering Emrakul, it is just the tip of the iceberg.</p>
<p>The next issue is that you do not get a reprieve once this card hits the board thanks to the casting of this spell giving you an extra turn. So even in the world where you use something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sink into Stupor" href="#" target="_blank">Sink into Stupor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to "force" an opponent to cast it again, they will get another turn right away to do so.</p>
<p>Extra turn spells are some of the most disliked spells in the commander format. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time Stretch" href="#" target="_blank">Time Stretch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Expropriate" href="#" target="_blank">Expropriate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both find themselves on the <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/salt">salt list</a> most years on EDHrec.</p>
<p>If all of this was not enough, the torn comes with the following: Flying, protection from spells that are one or more colors, and annihilator 6.</p>
<p>So it is hard to block, will not die, and every time it attacks, the blocking player has to sacrifice six of their permanents before they can even try to block.</p>
<p>If extra turns were not disliked enough, the fact that this card has annihilator six also rubs people the wrong way, so much so that only the other two original Eldrazi Titans and the latest retrain of Ulamog have it (when it comes to the suite of legends).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kozilek, Butcher of Truth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ulamog, the Defiler"></div></div>
<p>But Nick, look how much mana this creature costs; you are not considering that it costs <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-15" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> mana to cast this card; I hear you scream at me from the other side of the internet.</p>
<p>Well, I would tell those people that by my current count, <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/colorless">33 of the top 100</a> most played colorless cards can help you by either accelerating your mana, getting you more lands, or reducing the costs of your Eldrazi. Yes, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-15" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> is a lot of mana. Sadly, it is not as much as you think it is.</p>
<p>One of the best decks I have ever played against was built around <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kozilek, the Great Distortion" href="#" target="_blank">Kozilek, the Great Distortion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> years ago. Since then, more and more cards have been released, making ramping into colorless cards more straightforward than ever.</p>
<p>Having this card in the command zone would be groan-inducing, to say the least. Unfortunately, to our colorless card-loving players, this one is just a bit too strong to let see the light of day.</p>
<p>Generally, I tend to take a medium-of-the-road stance on these cards because, most often, I do not know how bad these cards might be, or I have a strong feeling one way or another, but I can see the arguments from the other side.</p>
<p>This is not one of those times. This card should not be allowed back into the format in the command zone or the 99. There is too much going on, and even if the table teams up or someone has wrath to take care of it two turns after it comes down, it will be too late for at least one player.</p>
<h2>Do A Flip.</h2>
<p>One of the original "flip" cards and one of the original creatures on the first banned list for the format <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Erayo, Soratami Ascendant" href="#" target="_blank">Erayo, Soratami Ascendant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is next up on the discussion list.</p>
<p>It's a cheap to-cast 1/1 flyer in blue. What could be threatening about this card? How about locking out the entire table by turn two of the game and making everyone else suffer while you put together a win that will take 25 minutes?</p>
<p>Play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Island" href="#" target="_blank">Island</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, then cast a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on turn one. Turn two; how about another <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Island" href="#" target="_blank">Island</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Erayo, Soratami Ascendant" href="#" target="_blank">Erayo, Soratami Ascendant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, with your mana rocks?</p>
<p>Follow it up with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mox Amber" href="#" target="_blank">Mox Amber</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mishra&#039;s Bauble" href="#" target="_blank">Mishra&#039;s Bauble</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Laboratory" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Laboratory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Now, the entire table can only cast one spell a turn, and that spell is automatically countered.</p>
<p>You are also playing mono-blue and packing every counterspell from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Force of Will" href="#" target="_blank">Force of Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to a foil copy of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Foil" href="#" target="_blank">Foil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Yes, this is a bit of a "magical Christmas land" scenario, but the real talk about this card is that it is deceptively easy to flip around and cause a hellish game state for the rest of the table.</p>
<p>This card might need some of the least discussion regarding the possible unbanning of cards in the commander format across the board.</p>
<p>Ask any person how bad it felt to play dual/French Commander when <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baral, Chief of Compliance" href="#" target="_blank">Baral, Chief of Compliance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, was running around, and you will know why this card should never be a guaranteed turn-two play.</p>
<p>Trust me when I tell you that casting four spells in one turn is far better and easier than trying to ultimate a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jace, Unraveler of Secrets" href="#" target="_blank">Jace, Unraveler of Secrets</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or resolve a lesser lockdown piece in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nullstone Gargoyle" href="#" target="_blank">Nullstone Gargoyle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>Back In Black.</h2>
<p>Last but certainly not least, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Braids, Cabal Minion" href="#" target="_blank">Braids, Cabal Minion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. And I will not bury the lead on this one, readers, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Braids, Cabal Minion" href="#" target="_blank">Braids, Cabal Minion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> brings the total of cards that should not be allowed back into the format to....two. Braid does not up the count at all.</p>
<p>Yes, Braids is, in their way, an easier-to-play around <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smokestack" href="#" target="_blank">Smokestack</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for the caster of the card. The biggest thing bolstering the power of this card and what makes it a good commander to lock out a table is that, unlike the blue version of this card, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Braids, Conjurer Adept" href="#" target="_blank">Braids, Conjurer Adept</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is that it will punish the other three players at the table before it punishes you.</p>
<p>Braids is a strong commander, and I cannot deny that the earlier this card hits the board, the more havoc it can wreak on a table. But this is an effect you must build around to maximize, not one you can toss into the command zone and go your merry way.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Griselbrand"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Golos, Tireless Pilgrim"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Leovold, Emissary of Trest"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lutri, the Spellchaser"></div></div>
<p>Take four of the other cards that have been talked about so far in the series. All four of these cards can be built around to maximize their abilities, and if they were allowed to be played in the format, those versions of the individual decks would shine brighter than the others.</p>
<p>But, in all their ways, they can also be placed into the command zone and/or into a deck, and you could carry on business as usual. Braids do not have the same luxury concerning how effective a deck is just using it as a commander or as a random creature in the 99.</p>
<p>The best example of why I would not be worried about a card like Braids, Cabal Minion, being released from the list, especially since it would still be "banned as a commander," is the card <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tergrid, God of Fright" href="#" target="_blank">Tergrid, God of Fright</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Tergrid is one of the <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/tergrid-god-of-fright">top 100</a> commanders of all time.</p>
<p>And I think it is a more effective card to have as your commander than Braids would ever be. It does not affect you negatively, and even if you draw the portion of your deck that does not make anyone discard a card or sacrifice any permanents, eventually, someone will do the work for you.</p>
<p>Like Tergrid, Braids would most likely have a high salt score and would be a deck and a strategy that would generally be unfun for the other people at the table to play a game with and, like many of the cards, legal to the format, would self regulate its way out of many decks.</p>
<p>I think that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Braids, Cabal Minion" href="#" target="_blank">Braids, Cabal Minion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would be a fine card to bring back, and honestly, I would like to see it banned as a commander only to make people find a way to maximize its abilities when it is inside the 99, rather than in the command zone.</p>
<h2>Threes Company.</h2>
<p>So, with it all said and done, two cards are never allowed to return, and one of the most unnerving smiles in magic comes back, but not with a vengeance. With only two creatures left on the list, this series is winding down to a close, but I still want to hear from you.</p>
<p>What do you think if <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Braids, Cabal Minion" href="#" target="_blank">Braids, Cabal Minion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gets to have a triumphant return? How do you feel about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emrakul, the Aeons Torn" href="#" target="_blank">Emrakul, the Aeons Torn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, still being trapped?</p>
<p>And what are your favorite four spells to flip around an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Erayo, Soratami Ascendant" href="#" target="_blank">Erayo, Soratami Ascendant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Tell me here or on the socials anywhere you can find the name nicnax96 and come back for one more article asking: Should We Bring Back Banned Only As Commander?</p>


Myth Realized - Should We Bring Back Banned Only As Commander?

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a href="https://scryfall.com/card/mul/182/lutri-the-spellchaser">Lutri, the Spellchaser</a> | Art By: <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CJustine+Mara+Andersen%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Justine Mara Andersen</a>)</h6>
<p>In February 2006, the now-disbanded Rules Committee made a new rule for a very young format. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heartless Hidetsugu" href="#" target="_blank">Heartless Hidetsugu</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kaervek the Merciless" href="#" target="_blank">Kaervek the Merciless</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> were all banned as commanders only. While they could not lead your deck, you could still play them in the 99. As the years passed, different legendary creatures went on and off this list.</p>
<p>After eight years, in February 2014, the "banned only as commander" rule was eliminated, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Braids, Cabal Minion" href="#" target="_blank">Braids, Cabal Minion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Erayo, Soratami Ascendant" href="#" target="_blank">Erayo, Soratami Ascendant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary" href="#" target="_blank">Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> became banned in the format, and so far, they have stayed there.</p>
<p>I wonder if they have remained for too long. Currently, there are ten legendary creatures banned in the format. I want to examine whether any of them should be the reason for bringing back the "banned only as commander" rule. Should they stay or go, or should some current creatures be added?</p>
<p>My name is Nick; this is <em>Myth Realized</em> - Should We Bring Back Banned Only As Commander?</p>
<h2>The Otter Problem</h2>
<p>One card on the banned list for Commander is unlike any other. It is not because it is possibly the cutest card on the banned list, but it is not specifically because it is the only card with the creature-type Otter. It is because it is the only card on the list with the rule text Companion.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lutri, the Spellchaser"></div></div>
<p>This card has never seen the light of day in the commander format being banned before the release of <em>Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths. </em>So first, we need to take a look at Companion.</p>
<h3>Companion</h3>
<p><a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=o%3Acompanion+set%3Aiko&amp;unique=cards&amp;as=grid&amp;order=name">Ten companions</a> came with the release of <em>Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths. </em>Each card has some restriction that allows you to play the card out of the sideboard of your deck once per game after meeting some deck-building restriction.</p>
<p>Only <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yorion, Sky Nomad" href="#" target="_blank">Yorion, Sky Nomad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> cannot be played as a companion in Commander due to it violating the inherited rules of the format, only allowing 100 (or if using a companion, 101) cards. With Commander having no sideboards, these cards all exist in the "companion zone."</p>
<p>The Companion mechanic, however, was possibly the most broken thing ever printed. This caused a laundry list of things related to these cards that had never been seen in the game's history.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lurrus of the Dream-Den" href="#" target="_blank">Lurrus of the Dream-Den</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is banned in the Vintage format, which combats problem cards by restricting the number of individual cards you can play rather than banning them.</p>
<p>The most significant first-time change was that all of these cards got a post-release errata to how they worked. When these cards <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">were reprinted as <a href="https://scryfall.com/sets/mul" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Multiverse Legends,</a> they featured new rules and </span>text following the word Companion.</p>
<p>It now would read: Companion — Each nonland card in your starting deck has a different name. (If this card is your chosen companion, you may put it into your hand from outside the game for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> as a sorcery.)</p>
<p>While this did not change the ability to play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yorion, Sky Nomad" href="#" target="_blank">Yorion, Sky Nomad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the Commander format, it did change some hearts and minds when it came to if <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lutri, the Spellchaser" href="#" target="_blank">Lutri, the Spellchaser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and if it should finally see legality.</p>
<h2>Spellchasing</h2>
<p>With all the talk about what the Companion mechanic does, what exactly do we get out of Lutri regarding gameplay? We get a 3/2 Elemental Otter with Flash that costs <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-ur" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-ur" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and gives every deck in Blue or Red another copy of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dualcaster Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Dualcaster Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Secretly, you get a "free" 101st card that would cost nothing regarding how you would build your deck to fulfill the Companion requirement that every Izzet-colored deck would play.</p>
<p>The restriction of "Each nonland card in your starting deck has a different name" would only not be doable if you played something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon&#039;s Approach" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon&#039;s Approach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> inside these colors.</p>
<p>Contrast this with a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zirda, the Dawnwaker" href="#" target="_blank">Zirda, the Dawnwaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which has one of the more burdensome restrictions of all the Companions.</p>
<p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/spellslinger/izzet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Izzet Spellslinger</a> is one of the most popular ways to play both the Spellslinger strategy and the Izzet two-color combination, according to EDHrec. While it might be hyperbolic, I still feel safe to say that all of these decks would love to be able to add <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lutri, the Spellchaser" href="#" target="_blank">Lutri, the Spellchaser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as a Companion.</span></p>
<p>As a commander, Lutri would give Izzet an effect it has but is not often seen in the command zone. As previously mentioned, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dualcaster Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Dualcaster Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is often seen to copy spells, but there is no shortage of options.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Display of Power"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Galvanic Iteration"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fork"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Twincast"></div></div>
<h2>Burden of Proof</h2>
<p>If the card's overall power is not the issue and the Companion requirement also shows no signs of breaking any format rules, why is this card now featuring an errata and not off the banned list?</p>
<p>The first reason is that it tips the format scales towards homogeneity. Izzet decks would be willfully powering themselves down by not playing Lutri, and it would make no sense to not slot this card into the Companion Zone of every deck within its colors.</p>
<p>Second, how exactly would you unban this card? Would you unban it like any other card? Should we ban it as a commander so it is only usable inside the 99 or as a companion? Or would you have to make yet another distinction, ban it as a companion, and decide if it can be your commander?</p>
<p>Logistically speaking, this card could burden the format too much to make freeing it from the banned list worth it. The card would be very good inside of Izzet decks, but with the errata to the Companion mechanic costing an extra <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, it would keep it in check enough to prevent it from running wild.</p>
<h2>Yes, Otter No?</h2>
<p>I would like to see this card off the list personally. I do not think it will ever be unless they outlaw the Companion mechanic altogether. If that happened, then this card would be free with no restrictions. Play it inside the 99 or as the deck commander with no problem. But that is just my opinion.</p>
<p>If it was unbanned, would you play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lutri, the Spellchaser" href="#" target="_blank">Lutri, the Spellchaser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Do you think this card has a chance of being removed from the banned list? Let me know what you think about the adorable Otter. Stay tuned for a few more articles asking: Should We Bring Back Banned Only As Commander?</p>


Nicholas Lucchesi