<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Y&#039;shtola Rhul" href="#" target="_blank">Y&#039;shtola Rhul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://immanuelacrovius.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Immanuela Crovius</a></em></p>
<p>Mono-blue is a tricky color in Commander, as it usually screams control. I'm not much of a control player, but I do love value, which is something Y'shtola Rhul provides in spades.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Y&#039;shtola Rhul"></div></div>
<p>Not being well-versed in <em>Final Fantasy</em> didn’t prevent my previous brewing of the mono-red legend, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Firion, Wild Rose Warrior" href="#" target="_blank">Firion, Wild Rose Warrior</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and it certainly didn’t prevent me brewing this commander either. Y’shtola has a crazy Esper counterpart from one of the <em>Final Fantasy</em> precons in the form of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed" href="#" target="_blank">Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but I think this iteration feels more fun. If you like “enters” triggers and taking a lot of game actions, this is the deck for you.</p>
<p>The first thing I noticed about this card is the ability to effectively double our end step. I immediately looked for anything and everything in blue that deals with the end step, and the list was, unfortunately, very small. Sure, double triggering a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chimil, the Inner Sun" href="#" target="_blank">Chimil, the Inner Sun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wondrous Crucible" href="#" target="_blank">Wondrous Crucible</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> seems like a ton of fun, but the list pretty much ends there, so I leaned hard into the first ability.</p>
<p>The first ability reminded me of an old <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa, Deep-Dwelling" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa, Deep-Dwelling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> build I had, and that was a deck I loved dearly. Two <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> effects on every one of our turns? Sign me up! With this kind of deck, especially when most blue "enters" triggers can be pretty mean, I will warn my readers that my build of this commander fits solidly into Bracket 4.</p>
<h2>Category #1: End Step Triggers</h2>
<p>As I previously mentioned, our options are pretty limited in mono-blue when it comes to end step triggers, but that doesn't mean the limited options are bad. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wondrous Crucible" href="#" target="_blank">Wondrous Crucible</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chimil, the Inner Sun" href="#" target="_blank">Chimil, the Inner Sun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> let us cast spells for free; <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> is a terrific source of card draw or incidental burn, depending on what our opponents choose; and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primordial Mist" href="#" target="_blank">Primordial Mist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives us manifest creatures that we can flip up later with our commanders first ability (flickering a face down creature makes it return face up; this concept will come up later).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chimil, the Inner Sun"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wondrous Crucible"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Palantír of Orthanc"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Primordial Mist"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: "Enters" Triggers</h2>
<p dir="auto">As mentioned before, this deck is full of creatures with enters triggers, but I’m just going to highlight some of the heavy hitters here. We have creatures that cover anything you may need over the course of a game:</p>
<p dir="auto">Need to "borrow" a creature or spell? Try <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sower of Temptation" href="#" target="_blank">Sower of Temptation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Agent of Treachery" href="#" target="_blank">Agent of Treachery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diluvian Primordial" href="#" target="_blank">Diluvian Primordial</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p dir="auto"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sower of Temptation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Agent of Treachery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Diluvian Primordial"></div></div></p>
<p dir="auto">Need to ramp? Try <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solemn Simulacrum" href="#" target="_blank">Solemn Simulacrum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Peregrine Drake" href="#" target="_blank">Peregrine Drake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p dir="auto"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Solemn Simulacrum"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Peregrine Drake"></div></div></p>
<p dir="auto">Need to remove troublesome creatures? Try <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Amphin Mutineer" href="#" target="_blank">Amphin Mutineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meteor Golem" href="#" target="_blank">Meteor Golem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exclusion Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Exclusion Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p dir="auto"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Amphin Mutineer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Meteor Golem"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Exclusion Mage"></div></div></p>
<p dir="auto">How about drawing some cards? Try <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serum Visionary" href="#" target="_blank">Serum Visionary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mulldrifter" href="#" target="_blank">Mulldrifter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overlord of the Floodpits" href="#" target="_blank">Overlord of the Floodpits</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p dir="auto"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Serum Visionary"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mulldrifter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overlord of the Floodpits"></div></div></p>
<h2>Category #3: Our Secret Gameplan = Face Down Creatures</h2>
<p>I told you I would come back to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primordial Mist" href="#" target="_blank">Primordial Mist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! Manifest creatures, or face down creatures in general, is our secret gameplan. Why? Because, like I said before, if we flicker a face down creature, that card returns to play <em>face up</em>. For this reason, we have some really heavy hitters in the deck in the hopes that we can execute this "cheating of mana cost".</p>
<p>The other ways we have to put things into face down are cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="They Came from the Pipes" href="#" target="_blank">They Came from the Pipes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cryptic Coat" href="#" target="_blank">Cryptic Coat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cursed Windbreaker" href="#" target="_blank">Cursed Windbreaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="They Came from the Pipes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cryptic Coat"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cursed Windbreaker"></div></div>
<p>When we have face down creatures, we can turn up crazy game-ending threats, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blightsteel Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Blightsteel Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <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>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blightsteel Colossus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Void Winnower"></div></div>
<p>We also have standard all-star <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Abhorrent Oculus" href="#" target="_blank">Abhorrent Oculus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in this deck, as it's another great way to give us face down creatures.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abhorrent Oculus"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: Infinite Combos</h2>
<p>I would be remiss if I didn't mention the infinite combos that I included in my decklist. The main combo involves an old format boogeyman, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadeye Navigator" href="#" target="_blank">Deadeye Navigator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Pairing it with any of our enters creatures is very good, but pairing it with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Peregrine Drake" href="#" target="_blank">Peregrine Drake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants us infinite mana. Infinite mana isn't an immediate guaranteed win, but it's certainly a good start.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deadeye Navigator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Peregrine Drake"></div></div>
<p>The other combo in the deck is one that people may find frustrating, so be warned. This combo involves three cards: our commander, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time Warp" href="#" target="_blank">Time Warp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>It works like this: we cast Time Warp, giving us an extra turn. During the extra turn, we play Archaeomancer to return Time Warp to our hand and cast it again. If our commander is on the board at this point, we can choose to blink the Archaeomancer, returning Time Warp to our hand again. This generates a loop of infinite turns, which, again, doesn't necessarily win the game, but it's a huge step towards doing so.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Y&#039;shtola Rhul"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archaeomancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Time Warp"></div></div>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p>That will do it for our deck tech on Y'shtola Rhul! I hope this article has persuaded you to brew around this very strong and fun commander!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Y’shtola Rhul" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Y&#039;shtola Rhul
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Chimil, the Inner Sun
*1 Cryptic Coat
*1 Cursed Windbreaker
*1 Decanter of Endless Water
*1 Midnight Clock
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Palantír of Orthanc
*1 Panharmonicon
*1 Sapphire Medallion
*1 Scroll of Fate
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Sword of Hearth and Home
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Worn Powerstone
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Abhorrent Oculus
*1 Aether Adept
*1 Aether Channeler
*1 Agent of Treachery
*1 Amphin Mutineer
*1 Archaeomancer
*1 Blightsteel Colossus
*1 Circuit Mender
*1 Deadeye Navigator
*1 Diluvian Primordial
*1 Dour Port-Mage
*1 Exclusion Mage
*1 Fblthp, the Lost
*1 Glitch Interpreter
*1 Kozilek, the Broken Reality
*1 Man-o&#039;-War
*1 Master of Waves
*1 Meteor Golem
*1 Mulldrifter
*1 Naga Fleshcrafter
*1 Overlord of the Floodpits
*1 Peregrine Drake
*1 Phyrexian Metamorph
*1 Serum Visionary
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Sower of Temptation
*1 Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
*1 Tomb of Horrors Adventurer
*1 Venser, Shaper Savant
*1 Void Winnower
*1 Whirler Rogue
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Aetherize
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Become Anonymous
*1 Cyber Conversion
*1 Ghostly Flicker
*1 Pongify
*1 Rapid Hybridization
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Candlekeep Sage
*1 Imprisoned in the Moon
*1 Mirror Room // Fractured Realm
*1 Primordial Mist
*1 Propaganda
*1 They Came from the Pipes
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Quantum Misalignment
*1 Rite of Replication
*1 Time Warp
*1 Unnerving Grasp
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Arid Archway
*1 Castle Vantress
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Conduit Pylons
*25 Island
*1 Lonely Sandbar
*1 Mystic Sanctuary
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Talon Gates of Madara
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Brewing Around A Final Fantasy Commander - Y'shtola Rhul

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Firion, Wild Rose Warrior" href="#" target="_blank">Firion, Wild Rose Warrior</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.elizabethpeiro.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elizabeth Peiró</a></em></p>
<p>As someone who knows next to nothing about <em>Final Fantasy</em>, I was a little hesitant about tackling a brew around a legendary creature (especially considering the sheer amount of legends in the new set). This was the case until I saw <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Firion, Wild Rose Warrior" href="#" target="_blank">Firion, Wild Rose Warrior</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Firion, Wild Rose Warrior"></div></div>
<p>The Equipment game plan has always felt incredibly linear and somewhat simple, so it hasn’t really stood out to me as a player. Don’t get me wrong, I love cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akiri, Fearless Voyager" href="#" target="_blank">Akiri, Fearless Voyager</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but there haven’t been many other Equipment legends that have interested me before Firion.</p>
<p>Firion is amazing for two reasons:</p>
<ol>
<li>Giving equipped creatures haste is incredibly strong when equipped creatures are usually magnets for removal.</li>
<li>Making copies of Equipment, albeit temporary copies, can lead to someone ridiculous shenanigans.</li>
</ol>
<p>First, I thought to go the experimental route. Firion + a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bludgeon Brawl" href="#" target="_blank">Bludgeon Brawl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dan Lewis" href="#" target="_blank">Dan Lewis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> means we get token copies of any nontoken artifact that enters the battlefield under our control. Add a little card called <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mycosynth Lattice" href="#" target="_blank">Mycosynth Lattice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and we get a token copy of <em>every single nontoken permanent that we play</em>. Sounds crazy, right? The biggest issue with this strategy is that red lacks the ability to tutor consistently enough to get these cards reliably. Also, let’s be honest, tutors aren’t very fun. So, I pivoted away from this idea and started thinking about ways we can get the maximum benefit from our commander.</p>
<p>While brainstorming, it hit me. Living Weapon, for Mirrodin!, anything that enters with a creature - copying these gives us more creatures that stick around. So, while this is an Equipment deck, it’s also a token deck with ways to benefit from extra creature tokens, as well as our temporary Equipment tokens.</p>
<h2>Category #1: Living Weapon/Living Weapon Adjacent</h2>
<p>As I mentioned previously, the living weapon Equipment are very strong with Firion, so I added as many as I could. We have the usual suspects in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scytheclaw" href="#" target="_blank">Scytheclaw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Batterskull" href="#" target="_blank">Batterskull</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nettlecyst" href="#" target="_blank">Nettlecyst</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as well as the "new hotness" in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hexplate Wallbreaker" href="#" target="_blank">Hexplate Wallbreaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hexgold Halberd" href="#" target="_blank">Hexgold Halberd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and Standard powerhouse <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cori-Steel Cutter" href="#" target="_blank">Cori-Steel Cutter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scytheclaw"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Batterskull"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nettlecyst"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hexplate Wallbreaker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hexgold Halberd"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cori-Steel Cutter"></div></div>
<p>While getting extra 0/0 Germ tokens doesn't necessarily help, they do gain haste right away with our commander, and that's nothing to scoff at.</p>
<h2>Category #2: Benefitting From Artifact Tokens</h2>
<p>Our token Equipment copies are artifact tokens, and we can do a lot with that in mono-red. First, we can benefit from the artifacts entering with something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quicksmith Genius" href="#" target="_blank">Quicksmith Genius</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and keep our tokens around with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundial of the Infinite" href="#" target="_blank">Sundial of the Infinite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quicksmith Genius"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sundial of the Infinite"></div></div>
<p>Since our Equipment tokens need to be sacrificed at the end of turn, there are multiple ways we can sacrifice them for value <em>before</em> the end step. Here are a few of my favorites:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Legion Extruder" href="#" target="_blank">Legion Extruder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can turn a token into a 3/3 Golem.</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Baron of Tin Street" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko, Baron of Tin Street</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give us Goblins <em>and </em>pump them.</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gleeful Demolition" href="#" target="_blank">Gleeful Demolition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a sneaky piece of removal that we can use <em>on our own tokens</em> for extra creatures.</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gut, True Soul Zealot" href="#" target="_blank">Gut, True Soul Zealot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> turns our temporary Equipment into 4/1 Skeleton creatures.</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Broadside Bombardiers" href="#" target="_blank">Broadside Bombardiers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> turns our tokens into removal.</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Breya&#039;s Apprentice" href="#" target="_blank">Breya&#039;s Apprentice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can grant us impulse draw or a temporary buff in a pinch.</li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Legion Extruder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krenko, Baron of Tin Street"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gleeful Demolition"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gut, True Soul Zealot"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Broadside Bombardiers"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Breya&#039;s Apprentice"></div></div>
<p>To top it all off, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tarrian&#039;s Soulcleaver" href="#" target="_blank">Tarrian&#039;s Soulcleaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> goes absolutely bonkers in a deck like this.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tarrian&#039;s Soulcleaver"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: Finishers</h2>
<p>Yes, the whole "copy our Equipment" thing is fun, but we need a way to win the game. Luckily for us, there are three great ways we can end the game with our commander in play. The first involves a simple creature called <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crackdown Construct" href="#" target="_blank">Crackdown Construct</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crackdown Construct"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crackdown Construct" href="#" target="_blank">Crackdown Construct</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is famous for going infinite with something that has an equip cost of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-0" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, and our commander gives our Equipment tokens a reduced equip cost. What this means is we can make the Crackdown Construct infinitely huge if our commander is onboard. Just equip one of our tokens to the Construct, then move it to our commander, then move it back. Each time the Construct is targeted by the equip ability, it will get +1/+1. Do all of this with an Equipment that grants trample? It's game over for at least one of our opponents.</p>
<div id="4944-6576--113" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
<script id="4944-6576--113" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Firion%2C%20Wild%20Rose%20Warrior%22%2C%22Crackdown%20Construct%22%5D&requires=%5B%22Equipment%20with%20Equip%20Cost%20%3D%20%7B1%7D%2C%20%7B2%7D%22%5D&produces=%5B%22Infinitely%20large%20creature%20until%20end%20of%20turn%22%5D&id=4944-6576--113&color=R&extraRequirementCount=1"></script></div>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="." width="0" height="0"></iframe><br />
Our second finisher comes in the form of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Armory Automaton" href="#" target="_blank">Armory Automaton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Armory Automaton"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Armory Automaton" href="#" target="_blank">Armory Automaton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is very simple; when it attacks we equip all Equipment to it. If we have a critical mass of Equipment in play, it can easily be game over for a player.</p>
<p>Our third and final finisher isn't guaranteed, but it grants extra combat steps, which can lead to a lethal attack.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akki Battle Squad"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akki Battle Squad" href="#" target="_blank">Akki Battle Squad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a terrific card in any deck with "modified creatures." Creatures are modified if they have any kind of Auras, Equipment, or counters on them. Luckily for us, our creatures will most likely have Equipment attached to them, so we can easily trigger the extra combat ability. Like I said, it isn't immediately a win, but it can get us closer to one.</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts and Deck List for Firion, Wild Rose Warrior</h2>
<p>Until this point, I have never brewed around a mono-red commander, but I'm happy to change that today. This was a fun process, and I'm curious about who this character is in <em>Final Fantasy</em> lore. Thank you for joining me on this journey! Check out my decklist below.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Firion, Wild Rose Warrior" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Firion, Wild Rose Warrior
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Akki Battle Squad
*1 Armory Automaton
*1 Bonehoard Dracosaur
*1 Breya&#039;s Apprentice
*1 Broadside Bombardiers
*1 Champion of the Flame
*1 Crackdown Construct
*1 Crime Novelist
*1 Emberheart Challenger
*1 Fervent Champion
*1 Freya Crescent
*1 Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms
*1 Goblin Engineer
*1 Gut, True Soul Zealot
*1 Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs
*1 Komainu Battle Armor
*1 Krenko, Baron of Tin Street
*1 Loyal Apprentice
*1 Ornithopter of Paradise
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Quicksmith Genius
*1 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
*1 Valduk, Keeper of the Flame
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Untimely Malfunction
*1 Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge
*1 Wild Magic Surge
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Adaptive Omnitool
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Barbed Batterfist
*1 Basilisk Collar
*1 Batterskull
*1 Beamtown Beatstick
*1 Bloodforged Battle-Axe
*1 Chainsaw
*1 Cori-Steel Cutter
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Diamond Pick-Axe
*1 Dissection Tools
*1 Dragonspark Reactor
*1 Headsplitter
*1 Hexgold Halberd
*1 Hexplate Wallbreaker
*1 Idol of Oblivion
*1 Infantry Shield
*1 Inquisitorial Rosette
*1 Junk Jet
*1 Legion Extruder
*1 Mask of Memory
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mirage Mirror
*1 Nettlecyst
*1 O-Naginata
*1 Pip-Boy 3000
*1 Samurai&#039;s Katana
*1 Scytheclaw
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Sundial of the Infinite
*1 Sword of Forge and Frontier
*1 Tarrian&#039;s Soulcleaver
*1 Urabrask&#039;s Forge
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Gleeful Demolition
*1 Goldwardens&#039; Gambit
*1 Sundering Eruption // Volcanic Fissure
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Arena of Glory
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Darksteel Citadel
*1 Demolition Field
*1 Great Furnace
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*24 Mountain
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Scene of the Crime
*1 Treasure Vault
*1 War Room
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Making an Equipment Token Deck With Firion, Wild Rose Warrior

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Barrin, Master Wizard" href="#" target="_blank">Barrin, Master Wizard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.mikesutfin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Sutfin</a></em></p>
<p>As <em>Magic</em> players, we've all been there: the aristocrats player waits for the perfect moment to unleash a long string of sacrifice effects that ends the game. On one hand, it's impressive to watch; it feels like a complex puzzle being assembled before your eyes. On the other hand, it can feel like an unsatisfying way to lose, essentially having your game plan amount to nothing.</p>
<p>Whatever your feelings may be on aristocrats, there's no denying their popularity within <em>Magic</em>, especially in Commander. According to EDHREC data, there are over 100 thousand <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/aristocrats?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">aristocrat decks in their database</a>. This huge amount of popularity means that there are only six deck "themes" or strategies that are more popular than it on EDHREC.</p>
<p>Most aristocrat decks are heavily associated with the color black, as it provides the most support for both sacrifice outlets and cards that benefit from creatures dying. However, there are plenty of great aristocrat cards outside of black, and this mini-series of articles covers the best options for aristocrat players in every color!</p>
<p>We began this series over on <a href="https://commandersherald.com/the-best-aristocrat-cards-in-commander-green-edition/?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Commander's Herald with green</a>, and continued our "mini-series" <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/the-best-white-aristocrat-cards-in-commander" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here last week with white</a>, which brings us to our 3rd excursion: blue.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geralf, Visionary Stitcher" href="#" target="_blank">Geralf, Visionary Stitcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geralf, Visionary Stitcher"></div></div>
<p>We start off this list with a commander that many people may have overlooked, but one that's very interesting nonetheless. While Geralf is not a "repeatable" effect unless you can untap him, he gives us one of the main things that aristocrat decks are looking for: ways to turn disposable creatures into something more effective. Even if we only have a 1/1 to sacrifice, it turns that 1/1 into a <em>flying</em> 1/1, as well as triggering any death triggers that our deck is bound to have.</p>
<p>Side note: this card is also an amazing include in any <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/defenders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defender-themed deck</a>, as it turns Walls into huge flying attackers.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Homarid Spawning Bed" href="#" target="_blank">Homarid Spawning Bed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Homarid Spawning Bed"></div></div>
<p>This one fits in a weird position in an aristocrat deck, but it can still act as a great way to create disposable bodies. Being able to sacrifice a creature to make an amount of 1/1 creatures equal to its mana value is very strong, especially as a response to targeted or mass removal. The only reason I could see people being hesitant to include this in an aristocrat deck is the fact that it limits the creatures that are created to <em>mana value</em>, which means that sacrificing tokens does nothing.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Barrin, Master Wizard" href="#" target="_blank">Barrin, Master Wizard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Barrin, Master Wizard"></div></div>
<p>Barrin acted as a popular boogeyman of cEDH when <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dockside Extortionist" href="#" target="_blank">Dockside Extortionist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was still running around, as it could sacrifice a Treasure to bounce Dockside back to your hand, rinse and repeat. Dockside is gone now (RIP), but this card is still a great piece of control at its floor. Sacrificing any permanent to return a creature to its controller's hand is very good, especially in a format where decks are based around a specific creature.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drowned Rusalka" href="#" target="_blank">Drowned Rusalka</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Drowned Rusalka"></div></div>
<p>If you read the white edition of this article series, you'll recognize the Rusalka creature cycle making its return. This card is a great way to cycle through cards that we may not want, as long as we have cards in our hand to begin with. A single blue to cycle a card is a great effect, especially if you're just looking for that final piece of the aristocrat puzzle.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jason Bright, Glowing Prophet" href="#" target="_blank">Jason Bright, Glowing Prophet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jason Bright, Glowing Prophet"></div></div>
<p>This card occupies an interesting space, as it can allow us to be aggressive, which is usually not something that aristocrat players are trying to be. Granting a creature a boost in power, as well as temporarily granting flying, may not seem very strong, but all it takes is a few pumps to really make a difference in combat. Also, if we have any Zombies or Mutants, Jason can draw us cards when those creatures die, which is a great bonus!</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stitcher&#039;s Apprentice" href="#" target="_blank">Stitcher&#039;s Apprentice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stitcher&#039;s Apprentice"></div></div>
<p>I know you're probably looking at this card and going "Huh?" Well, let me explain. This card does two things well: it creates a disposable body, and it is <em>technically</em> a sacrifice outlet. Since most aristocrat decks have creatures that want to die, Apprentice allows us to trigger those effects while creating a 2/2 creature token.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vodalian Hexcatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Vodalian Hexcatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vodalian Hexcatcher"></div></div>
<p>The next two cards on this list are focused on specific creature types, so they aren't as generically good, but they certainly pack a punch. This one is amazing in Merfolk decks, as it turns each Merfolk we control into a way to potentially counter a game-changing spell. Having your Merfolk tokens become a way to counter something like a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cyclonic Rift" href="#" target="_blank">Cyclonic Rift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> seems very good.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cleaver Skaab" href="#" target="_blank">Cleaver Skaab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cleaver Skaab"></div></div>
<p>This card might be the best sacrifice outlet for any Zombie deck, even if we include potential black sacrifice outlets. Creating two token copies of a Zombie we control is a crazy. Even if we turn one 2/2 Zombie token into two 2/2 Zombie tokens, this card is crazy. But copying something like a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gray Merchant of Asphodel" href="#" target="_blank">Gray Merchant of Asphodel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> twice? Yikes.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glen Elendra Archmage" href="#" target="_blank">Glen Elendra Archmage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glen Elendra Archmage"></div></div>
<p>Similar to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vodalian Hexcatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Vodalian Hexcatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this creature acts as a repeatable <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Negate" href="#" target="_blank">Negate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect. The best part about this card? It has persist, which means we can repeatedly use its sacrifice ability to counter any troublesome spells. This card particularly shines in decks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marchesa, the Black Rose" href="#" target="_blank">Marchesa, the Black Rose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cayth, Famed Mechanist" href="#" target="_blank">Cayth, Famed Mechanist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as these commanders allow you to negate the -1/-1 counter with a +1/+1 counter.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jalira, Master Polymorphist" href="#" target="_blank">Jalira, Master Polymorphist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jalira, Master Polymorphist"></div></div>
<p>Our final inclusion comes in the form of a strong <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Polymorph" href="#" target="_blank">Polymorph</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-style effect. While the effect is only usable once each turn (unless we can untap her), it still grants us the ability to turn our plethora of disposable creatures into a potentially game-ending threat. Yes, a four-mana activation cost is a lot, and only flipping into a nonlegendary creature means the ability isn't as strong as it could be, <em>but </em>the amount of times I've seen this flip into a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blightsteel Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Blightsteel Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is insane.</p>
<p>That concludes my list for the color blue. I hope all you aristocrat players out there learned something new today. Stay tuned for my exploration into the remaining colors, all while saving the best (black) for last!</p>


The Best Blue Aristocrat Cards in Commander

<p style="text-align: right;"><em>Baldin, Century Herdmaster | Art by <a href="https://boros-szikszai.com/landing_2/boros/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zoltan Boros</a></em></p>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>, where we pick a theme from EDHREC, look at the least played color combination(s), and pick a commander in that identity to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>Today's theme is a favorite of The Command Zone's Josh Lee Kwai: card draw. Card draw is something that all decks need in order to function, but what if we focused our strategies specifically on drawing cards? I know what you're thinking; "Okay, so we're playing some blue commander?" Wrong. As a matter of fact, our commander is in a color that, until recently, people would make fun of for its lack of card draw ability: white. Mono-white, specifically.</p>
<p>According to EDHREC, there are only 73 decks in the database in mono-white that fit the "card draw" theme. Enter: Baldin.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Baldin, Century Herdmaster"></div></div>
<p>Baldin was originally printed as a character from the <em>Street Fighter Secret Lair</em>, but was given the <em>Universes Within</em> treatment. On its face, it seems like it cares about creatures with high toughness, but its second line of text is where we're going to focus. Depending on our hand size, our creatures effectively get that much bigger in combat, which seems crazy.</p>
<p>Put this card in blue and you have a deck that builds itself, but the fact that this effect is mono-white is what drew me to this commander. It feels white, but it explores a design space that is fresh and new.</p>
<p>Let's begin.</p>
<h2>Category #1: Drawing Cards</h2>
<p>While building this deck, Archidekt lovingly told me that I had 25 sources of draw. 25. That's insane for mono-white. The cool thing about this group of cards is that they all help accomplish our goal in very different ways: some draw cards from small creatures entering the battlefield (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mentor of the Meek" href="#" target="_blank">Mentor of the Meek</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Welcoming Vampire" href="#" target="_blank">Welcoming Vampire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enduring Innocence" href="#" target="_blank">Enduring Innocence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), some draw cards when our opponents meet a certain condition (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mangara, the Diplomat" href="#" target="_blank">Mangara, the Diplomat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trouble in Pairs" href="#" target="_blank">Trouble in Pairs</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wedding Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Wedding Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>); and some are creatures that draw cards when they enter play (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Helpful Hunter" href="#" target="_blank">Helpful Hunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spirited Companion" href="#" target="_blank">Spirited Companion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skyscanner" href="#" target="_blank">Skyscanner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mentor of the Meek"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Welcoming Vampire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Enduring Innocence"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mangara, the Diplomat"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trouble in Pairs"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wedding Ring"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Helpful Hunter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spirited Companion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skyscanner"></div></div>
<p>These are only nine cards from the 25 that help us fulfill our gameplan, but we also have a group of mana rocks that can draw us cards as well. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Throne of Eldraine" href="#" target="_blank">Throne of Eldraine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is so good that it's 30 dollars, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hedron Archive" href="#" target="_blank">Hedron Archive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Commander&#039;s Sphere" href="#" target="_blank">Commander&#039;s Sphere</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are two rocks that don't get enough love these days.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Throne of Eldraine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hedron Archive"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Commander&#039;s Sphere"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: Things to Pump</h2>
<p>Drawing cards is only 1 part of our gameplan, as we need to make sure that we have creatures to pump with our commander's ability. The easiest way to reach this goal is to lean into one of white's strengths: token creation. Arguably the best token creator in our deck is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Charismatic Conqueror" href="#" target="_blank">Charismatic Conqueror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, even though it'll probably annoy everyone and is currently 30 dollars.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Charismatic Conqueror"></div></div>
<p>Outside of Charismatic Conqueror, we have an absolute heater at the top end with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancient Gold Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Ancient Gold Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, an underrated uncommon from <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Tarkir: Dragonstorm</span></em> in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dalkovan Packbeasts" href="#" target="_blank">Dalkovan Packbeasts</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="God-Eternal Oketra" href="#" target="_blank">God-Eternal Oketra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (need I say more?), a literal goat-maker in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Springjack Shepherd" href="#" target="_blank">Springjack Shepherd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and an underrated gem from <em>Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander</em>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="March of the Canonized" href="#" target="_blank">March of the Canonized</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Gold Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dalkovan Packbeasts"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="God-Eternal Oketra"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Springjack Shepherd"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="March of the Canonized"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: "Secret Spice" 1 and 2</h2>
<p>Since we spent so much of our deck focusing on the first 2 categories, our remaining cards outside of traditional ramp are our "secret spice." Our first "secret spice" is a pretty popular commander with 4200 decks on EDHREC: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Delney, Streetwise Lookout" href="#" target="_blank">Delney, Streetwise Lookout</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Delney, Streetwise Lookout"></div></div>
<p>Delney works on two axes in our deck:</p>
<ol>
<li>It doubles our commander's attack trigger because he has 0 power; and</li>
<li>It will double any triggers from our other lower power creatures. Spoiler alert: this deck is mostly creatures with power 2 or less.</li>
</ol>
<p>Outside of a generically good card, this next one might be my spiciest include in this series...</p>
<p>Loxodon Lifechanter.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Loxodon Lifechanter"></div></div>
<p>If we wait until our second main phase to cast this creature, our life total might just double. Hell, it might even <em>triple. </em>On top of that crazy "enters" trigger, its second ability is pretty nuts too. We can pump it at instant speed equal to our life total, which will no doubt force our opponents to block it, allowing for our other threats to smash in. That's what I call combat value!</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p>This series doesn't often explore mono-colored commanders, but I think it should do it more often! Restriction breeds creativity, after all, and this deck is a shining example of that!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for coming with me on this journey with an underrated commander; I hope you're inspired to build your own mono-white card draw deck!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Baldin, Century Herdmaster" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Baldin, Century Herdmaster
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Ancient Gold Dragon
*1 Archivist of Oghma
*1 Charismatic Conqueror
*1 Dalkovan Packbeasts
*1 Deep Gnome Terramancer
*1 Delney, Streetwise Lookout
*1 Enduring Innocence
*1 Esper Sentinel
*1 Flumph
*1 God-Eternal Oketra
*1 Helpful Hunter
*1 Indomitable Ancients
*1 Loran of the Third Path
*1 Loxodon Lifechanter
*1 Mangara, the Diplomat
*1 Master of Ceremonies
*1 Mentor of the Meek
*1 Ornithopter of Paradise
*1 Rasaad yn Bashir
*1 Scrawling Crawler
*1 Skyscanner
*1 Spirited Companion
*1 Springjack Shepherd
*1 Weathered Sentinels
*1 Welcoming Vampire
*1 Zetalpa, Primal Dawn
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Commander&#039;s Sphere
*1 Eye of Vecna
*1 Halo Fountain
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Hourglass of the Lost
*1 Howling Mine
*1 Idol of Oblivion
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Oketra&#039;s Monument
*1 Pearl Medallion
*1 Rammas Echor, Ancient Shield
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Throne of Eldraine
*1 Wedding Ring
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Chivalric Alliance
*1 Love Song of Night and Day
*1 March of the Canonized
*1 Smile at Death
*1 Smothering Tithe
*1 Stoneskin
*1 Trouble in Pairs
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Bar the Door
*1 Entrapment Maneuver
*1 Flawless Maneuver
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Razorgrass Ambush // Razorgrass Field
*1 Reprieve
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cut a Deal
*1 Farewell
*1 Secret Rendezvous
*1 Slaughter the Strong
*1 Tempt with Bunnies
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Castle Ardenvale
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
*1 Forbidding Watchtower
*1 Fountainport
*1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
*1 Minas Tirith
*1 Myriad Landscape
*26 Plains
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 War Room
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


Building a Commander Deck With Baldin, Century Herdmaster

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spirit Bonds" href="#" target="_blank">Spirit Bonds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/willmurai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Willian Murai</a></em></p>
<p>As <em>Magic</em> players, we've all been there: the aristocrats player waits for the perfect moment to unleash a long string of sacrifice effects that ends the game. On one hand, it's impressive to watch; it feels like a complex puzzle being assembled before your eyes. On the other hand, it can feel like an unsatisfying way to lose, essentially having your game plan amount to nothing.</p>
<p>Whatever your feelings may be on aristocrats, there's no denying their popularity within <em>Magic</em>, especially in Commander. According to EDHREC data, there are over 100 thousand <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/aristocrats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aristocrat decks in their database</a>. This huge amount of popularity means that there are only six deck "themes" or strategies that are more popular than it on EDHREC.</p>
<p>Most aristocrat decks are heavily associated with the color black, as it provides the most support for both sacrifice outlets and cards that benefit from creatures dying. However, there are plenty of great aristocrat cards outside of black, and this mini-series of articles covers the best options for aristocrat players in every color!</p>
<p>We began this series over on <a href="https://commandersherald.com/the-best-aristocrat-cards-in-commander-green-edition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Commander's Herald with green</a>, and will be continuing our "mini-series" here with white.</p>
<p>This list is in no particular order, but the first card is an absolute heater...</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Martyr&#039;s Cause" href="#" target="_blank">Martyr&#039;s Cause</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Martyr&#039;s Cause"></div></div>
<p>Martyr's Cause is a rare sacrifice outlet in white that covers two critical categories for any aristocrat deck: protection, and free sacrifice outlet. By "free," I mean that it doesn't cost any mana to sacrifice creatures, and the difference between having to use mana vs. not is pretty huge. The "protection" piece comes in the form of protecting our life total; we're playing aristocrats, so there's no denying that we will be attacked. This card allows us to blank potentially lethal attacks, and aristocrat decks often only need to survive one or two combat steps before being able to go off.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fanatical Devotion" href="#" target="_blank">Fanatical Devotion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fanatical Devotion"></div></div>
<p>Fanatical Devotion is another "free" white sacrifice outlet, which is amazing, but it also provides aristocrat decks with a rare opportunity: regeneration. Regenerate is not a mechanic that's seen too often anymore, but that's no reason to underrate it.</p>
<p>If you're unfamiliar with how regeneration works, it's pretty simple. Whenever a creature is destroyed (either from a "destroy" effect or from damage), you may activate the regenerate ability (in this case, sacrificing a creature), tap the creature, and remove it from combat (if it's in combat). When you do this, the damage is removed and the creature is not destroyed. This can save some critical creatures in response to spot removal or a board wipe, and that's what makes this card so good.</p>
<p>Aristocrat decks often have several expendable creatures, so sacrificing something expendable for the good of protecting something more important is a price we're willing to pay.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knight-Captain of Eos" href="#" target="_blank">Knight-Captain of Eos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Knight-Captain of Eos"></div></div>
<p>Like our first two picks, this is another sacrifice outlet, but a little more specific. It does two things that we want: it generates disposable bodies when it enters, and it gives us a sacrifice outlet that can protect our life total. Sure, we need to sacrifice Soldiers, but this creature makes Soldiers when it enters <em>and</em> Soldiers are one of the most common creature types in white.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Martyred Rusalka" href="#" target="_blank">Martyred Rusalka</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Martyred Rusalka"></div></div>
<p>This card might seem innocuous, but it can prevent an opponent's biggest threat from attacking us. It's the perfect political piece, as we can threaten to activate it if an opponent is aiming to attack us. The mana cost on any sacrifice ability can be tricky, but holding up one white mana can telegraph this <em>and</em> things like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Path to Exile" href="#" target="_blank">Path to Exile</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swords to Plowshares"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Path to Exile"></div></div>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Promise of Bunrei" href="#" target="_blank">Promise of Bunrei</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Promise of Bunrei"></div></div>
<p>This card can act as a three-mana spell that creates four disposable bodies for our strategy, and that's amazing. The only tricky part about it is that we can't choose exactly when to trigger it; we <em>have</em> to sacrifice it as soon as one of our creatures die. We should have enough sacrifice outlets where this shouldn't be a problem, but it's important to keep in mind.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Promise of Tomorrow" href="#" target="_blank">Promise of Tomorrow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Promise of Tomorrow"></div></div>
<p>There is no other card that can be riskier to our strategy than this one. Exiling our creatures is not a "may" trigger, so any reanimation effects are effectively turned off while this is in play.</p>
<p>The floor of this card might be low, but the ceiling is incredibly high. If we have a sacrifice outlet onboard, we can sacrifice our creatures to trigger this whenever we need. On the plus side, this card is crazy against board wipes, as it basically renders any effort from our opponents to deal with our board null and void (outside of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farewell" href="#" target="_blank">Farewell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Farewell"></div></div>
<p>One thing to keep in mind with this: it <em>does not </em>take away any death triggers you may have, as the creatures become exiled <em>after</em> they die - which is so cool!</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spirit Bonds" href="#" target="_blank">Spirit Bonds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spirit Bonds"></div></div>
<p>This card creates tokens from our nontoken creatures entering the battlefield, for the small price of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. While that ability is pretty good, we're going to focus primarily on the second ability: making a non-Spirit indestructible. Similarly to Knight-Captain of Eos, this relies on a specific creature type, but also like Knight-Captain of Eos, this card creates the creature type we need.</p>
<p>It turns out, protecting our important pieces is very good!</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worthy Cause" href="#" target="_blank">Worthy Cause</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Worthy Cause"></div></div>
<p>This is a single-use sacrifice spell that gains us life equal to the sacrificed creature's toughness. Instead of seeing this as a one-mana spell, I advise you to see it as a three-mana spell, as we'll want to use the buyback ability. Always having a three-mana, instant-speed way to keep us alive is huge. Remember when I said we'll probably be getting attacked a lot?</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage" href="#" target="_blank">Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage"></div></div>
<p>This card just came out in <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em>, but it's incredible for aristocrat decks. Endures 2 means that we can put two +1/+1 counter on Anafenza or we can create a 2/2 Spirit. Getting Anafenza big doesn't really do anything, as she doesn't have evasion, but the ability to create more expendable creatures is why I'm talking about this card. Our creatures <em>will</em> die, and if we can benefit by creating more creatures in the process, we're in a winning position.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Loyal Retainers" href="#" target="_blank">Loyal Retainers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Loyal Retainers"></div></div>
<p>I tried to stay away from creatures with single-use sacrifice abilities, but this one is just too strong. Not only can it generate infinite combos (this is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s best friend), but it can also bring back our commander in a pinch. Depending on the commander, this may not matter, but it's likely that our commander will be a magnet for removal, and rather than casting it for 10 or more mana, we can just return it with this ability!</p>
<div id="238-2533-5147" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
<script id="238-2533-5147" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Gerrard%2C%20Weatherlight%20Hero%22%2C%22Loyal%20Retainers%22%2C%22Goblin%20Bombardment%22%5D&requires=%5B%5D&produces=%5B%22Infinite%20blinking%22%2C%22Infinite%20damage%22%2C%22Infinite%20death%20triggers%22%2C%22Infinite%20ETB%22%2C%22Infinite%20LTB%22%2C%22Infinite%20sacrifice%20triggers%22%5D&id=238-2533-5147&color=RW&extraRequirementCount=1"></script></div>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="." width="0" height="0"></iframe><br />
Outside of "protecting" our commander or going infinite, the game is flooded with great legendary creatures these days, and that makes this card the perfect reanimation option for any white deck (especially if it lacks black!).</p>
<p>That concludes my list for the color white. I hope all you aristocrat players out there learned something new today. Stay tuned for my exploration into the remaining colors, all while saving the best (black) for last!</p>


The Best White Aristocrat Cards in Commander

<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>, where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the least played color combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around.</p>
<p>Today's theme is a tremendously popular one: lands. Specifically, EDHREC labels this category as "<a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/lands-matter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lands matter</a>." If you look at the most popular decks in this strategy, they all share one common denominator: the color green. Today's deck asks the question: what happens when you take green away?</p>
<p>The most popular color combination for "lands matter" decks, with a whopping 15,000 decks in the database, is Simic (blue and green). This isn't surprising, as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Omo, Queen of Vesuva" href="#" target="_blank">Omo, Queen of Vesuva</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was a recent precon commander, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tatyova, Benthic Druid" href="#" target="_blank">Tatyova, Benthic Druid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the most cracked uncommons I've ever seen.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Omo, Queen of Vesuva"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tatyova, Benthic Druid"></div></div>
<p>The least popular color combination, unsurprisingly, doesn't include green (or even blue!). With 40 decks in the database, Mardu (white, black, and red), has the fewest decks focused around the "lands matter" theme. As soon as I saw this color combination, I immediately thought of my favorite commander from <em>Commander Legends</em>: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith" href="#" target="_blank">Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith"></div></div>
<p>Toggo makes Rocks, and that's hilarious.</p>
<p>In order to make Toggo work as our commander, we needed to add an Orzhov (black and white) partner. The most powerful choice would be <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tymna the Weaver" href="#" target="_blank">Tymna the Weaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a known powerhouse in cEDH, but I went for the safer option in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ravos, Soultender" href="#" target="_blank">Ravos, Soultender</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tymna the Weaver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ravos, Soultender"></div></div>
<p>Yes, Tymna is strictly better, so if you want to build with Tymna, go for it. Just be aware that you may be targeted first.</p>
<h2>Category #1: Ramping Without Green</h2>
<p><em>Wizards of the Coast</em> has been printing a lot of cards in white lately that people lovingly call: "catch-up ramp." In order for us to get ahead with this deck, we must first be behind, and let's be honest, if we're playing against a green deck, we're already behind.</p>
<p>There are the usual suspects in white, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer&#039;s Map" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer&#039;s Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knight of the White Orchid" href="#" target="_blank">Knight of the White Orchid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Keeper of the Accord" href="#" target="_blank">Keeper of the Accord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solemn Simulacrum" href="#" target="_blank">sad robot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but there is also the "new hotness" in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Claim Jumper" href="#" target="_blank">Claim Jumper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deep Gnome Terramancer" href="#" target="_blank">Deep Gnome Terramancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archaeomancer&#039;s Map"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Knight of the White Orchid"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Keeper of the Accord"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Solemn Simulacrum"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Claim Jumper"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deep Gnome Terramancer"></div></div>
<p>Most of these cards search for a "<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Plains" href="#" target="_blank">Plains</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> card," so I made sure the deck is stocked full of them.</p>
<p>As I previously mentioned, we need to be behind in some cases, and that's not always guaranteed. That brings us to our next category...</p>
<h2>Category #2: Getting Behind</h2>
<p>There are several ways to force ourselves onto the back foot, and I'll be focusing on two specific strategies.</p>
<h3>Strategy #1: Bounce Lands</h3>
<p>Three multi-color bounce lands are available in this color combination: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rakdos Carnarium" href="#" target="_blank">Rakdos Carnarium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orzhov Basilica" href="#" target="_blank">Orzhov Basilica</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boros Garrison" href="#" target="_blank">Boros Garrison</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Outside of those, I've included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guildless Commons" href="#" target="_blank">Guildless Commons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as an extra way to enable our "catch-up" ramp cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rakdos Carnarium"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Orzhov Basilica"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boros Garrison"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Guildless Commons"></div></div>
<h3>Strategy #2: Sacrificing Our Lands</h3>
<p>Bounce lands are much safer than this, but a huge part of this deck's chemistry relies on our ability to sacrifice lands and profit from it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nahiri&#039;s Lithoforming" href="#" target="_blank">Nahiri&#039;s Lithoforming</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can potentially allow us to re-trigger <em>Landfall</em> effects. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reprocess" href="#" target="_blank">Reprocess</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pitiless Carnage" href="#" target="_blank">Pitiless Carnage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="God-Eternal Bontu" href="#" target="_blank">God-Eternal Bontu</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all let us sacrifice any number of permanents to draw <em>that many cards</em> (between Toggo's Rocks and our lands, that's a ton of value!), and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Braids, Arisen Nightmare" href="#" target="_blank">Braids, Arisen Nightmare</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to control what we want to sacrifice, oftentimes putting our opponents in a difficult position.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nahiri&#039;s Lithoforming"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reprocess"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pitiless Carnage"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="God-Eternal Bontu"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Braids, Arisen Nightmare"></div></div>
<p>Since we're sacrificing lands, we need ways to bring them back...</p>
<h2>Category #3: Regrowing Our Lands</h2>
<p>White has a really great ability to return permanents from our graveyard, and this can often include lands. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serra Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Serra Paragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both allow us to recur anything we want from our graveyard within reason. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Second Sunrise" href="#" target="_blank">Second Sunrise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faith&#039;s Reward" href="#" target="_blank">Faith&#039;s Reward</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brought Back" href="#" target="_blank">Brought Back</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allow us to bring back everything we sacrifice in a given turn (imagine casting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reprocess" href="#" target="_blank">Reprocess</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, sacrificing all of our lands, then getting them all back!). And outside of white, we have the most obvious inclusion in the deck: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crucible of Worlds" href="#" target="_blank">Crucible of Worlds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Serra Paragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Second Sunrise"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Faith&#039;s Reward"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brought Back"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crucible of Worlds"></div></div>
<p>There's an extra special card to recur our lands, but I'm saving that one until later.</p>
<h2>Category #4: <em>Landfall</em></h2>
<p><em>Landfall</em> abilities are a bit scarce in Mardu colors, but the options that we do have are pretty crazy. Every time I've seen <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> hit the board since it was printed, it has been an absolute house. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emeria Shepherd" href="#" target="_blank">Emeria Shepherd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an insane "reanimation" effect. And <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emeria Angel" href="#" target="_blank">Emeria Angel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> creates 1/1 flying tokens, which are more relevant than you might think.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Felidar Retreat"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emeria Shepherd"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emeria Angel"></div></div>
<h2>Category #5: The "Secret Spice"</h2>
<p>The secret spice for this deck includes a relatively unpopular commander: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yomiji, Who Bars the Way" href="#" target="_blank">Yomiji, Who Bars the Way</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yomiji, Who Bars the Way"></div></div>
<p>There aren't a whole lot of legendary lands in Mardu colors, but I had to include them when I thought of how cool all of our sacrifice effects would be with Yomiji. We can't combo off immediately with Yomiji, but sacrificing lands feels less bad when you just get them all back to your hand.</p>
<p>While all this "looping lands" stuff seems cool, I'm sure you're asking the question: "How does it win?" Well, outside of the token plan with <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> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emeria Angel" href="#" target="_blank">Emeria Angel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, there's an absolute heater I need to talk about: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valakut Exploration" href="#" target="_blank">Valakut Exploration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Valakut Exploration"></div></div>
<p>This card can provide us with extra card advantage, which is very good, but if we have one of those crazy turns where we're "looping lands," we could potentially kill the entire table with its second ability.</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p>This deck has been sitting in my drafts for a few months now, but I'm glad it finally gets to see the light of day. I hope you enjoyed my journey into "lands matter" today, and I hope you find inspiration in this article to build something wacky on your own!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel #11 - Ravos and Toggo Landfall" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Ravos, Soultender
*1 Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 Brought Back
*1 Cosmic Intervention
*1 Deflecting Palm
*1 Faith&#039;s Reward
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Second Sunrise
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Creatures]
*1 Beza, the Bounding Spring
*1 Bloodghast
*1 Braids, Arisen Nightmare
*1 Burnished Hart
*1 Claim Jumper
*1 Deep Gnome Terramancer
*1 Emeria Angel
*1 Emeria Shepherd
*1 God-Eternal Bontu
*1 Hardened Tactician
*1 Hedron Detonator
*1 Keeper of the Accord
*1 Knight of the White Orchid
*1 Loyal Warhound
*1 Serra Paragon
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Trove Warden
*1 Walking Atlas
*1 Yomiji, Who Bars the Way
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Curse of the Restless Dead
*1 Felidar Retreat
*1 Ghirapur Aether Grid
*1 Goblin Trenches
*1 Land Tax
*1 The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration
*1 Valakut Exploration
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cleansing Wildfire
*1 Farewell
*1 Nahiri&#039;s Lithoforming
*1 Night&#039;s Whisper
*1 Painful Truths
*1 Pitiless Carnage
*1 Planar Birth
*1 Reprocess
*1 Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation
*1 Sundering Eruption // Volcanic Fissure
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Archaeomancer&#039;s Map
*1 Claws of Gix
*1 Crucible of Worlds
*1 Dragonspark Reactor
*1 Gerrard&#039;s Hourglass Pendant
*1 Ghirapur Orrery
*1 Mirage Mirror
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Staff of Titania
*1 Sunstone
*1 Surveyor&#039;s Scope
*1 Sword of Forge and Frontier
*1 Sword of Hearth and Home
*1 Zuran Orb
[/Artifacts]
[Lands]
*1 Abstergo Entertainment
*1 Alpine Meadow
*1 Boros Garrison
*1 Cactus Preserve
*1 Dark Depths
*1 Elegant Parlor
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Field of the Dead
*1 Flagstones of Trokair
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Guildless Commons
*1 Horizon of Progress
*1 Kor Haven
*1 Lazotep Quarry
*1 Lotus Field
*1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
*1 Mines of Moria
*1 Mouth of Ronom
*1 Orzhov Basilica
*1 Prismatic Vista
*1 Rakdos Carnarium
*1 Rath&#039;s Edge
*1 Savai Triome
*1 Shadowy Backstreet
*3 Snow-Covered Mountain
*6 Snow-Covered Plains
*3 Snow-Covered Swamp
*1 Snowfield Sinkhole
*1 The Black Gate
*1 Thespian&#039;s Stage
*1 Tomb of Urami
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Ravos, Soultender and Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith EDH Deck Tech

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duke Ulder Ravengard" href="#" target="_blank">Duke Ulder Ravengard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.ericdeschamps.com/">Eric Deschamps</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>, where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>Today's theme is a contentious one: infect.</p>
<p>Now, I know what you're thinking, "Nick, why infect? That's the worst!!" Believe me, I've been on the wrong side of an infect deck too, so I echo your sentiment. However, the combination of this theme with this commander was too good to pass up. Speaking of which...</p>
<p>Today's commander is a legendary creature from<em> Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate</em>: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duke Ulder Ravengard" href="#" target="_blank">Duke Ulder Ravengard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Duke Ulder Ravengard"></div></div>
<p>According to EDHREC, the most popular infect color combination, with 14,000 decks, is "Witch-Maw" (white, black, blue, and green). The printing of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was largely the reason for this, as her passive proliferate ability is quite good with poison counters.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice"></div></div>
<p>The least played color combination for infect is colorless, but after several days of brewing, this one stumped me. Colorless is already tricky to play, and focusing solely on infect made it even harder, so I looked for the second least played combination.</p>
<p>The second least played combination, with a modest 73 decks, is Boros (red and white). Boros is known for both Equipment and generally aggressive combat strategies, and these strategies align well with what infect is trying to accomplish.</p>
<p>Usually, infect suffers from one major drawback: it's hard to kill three players with infect. This is where myriad comes in. Duke Ulder can grant a creature myriad and haste, and giving myriad to infect or toxic creatures is an easy way to spread out poison counters to everyone.</p>
<h2>Category #1: Infect, and its younger brother, Toxic</h2>
<p>In Boros, there are only a handful of creatures with infect that we can include: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Core Prowler" href="#" target="_blank">Core Prowler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides us with extra value when it dies, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ichorclaw Myr" href="#" target="_blank">Ichorclaw Myr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gets bigger when it becomes blocked, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tine Shrike" href="#" target="_blank">Tine Shrike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a flying poisonous threat, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corpse Cur" href="#" target="_blank">Corpse Cur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can recur any of our infect creatures that die, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Razor Swine" href="#" target="_blank">Razor Swine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants us first strike on top of infect, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Juggernaut" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Juggernaut</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s "downside" of always attacking allows us to constantly pressure our opponents.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Core Prowler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ichorclaw Myr"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tine Shrike"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Corpse Cur"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Razor Swine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Juggernaut"></div></div>
<p>On top of our infect creatures, we have a few toxic creatures to help push toward our goal: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skrelv&#039;s Hive" href="#" target="_blank">Skrelv&#039;s Hive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a white <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bitterblossom" href="#" target="_blank">Bitterblossom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but for Phyrexian Mites, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="White Sun&#039;s Twilight" href="#" target="_blank">White Sun&#039;s Twilight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a board wipe that can leave us with a terrifying board, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Convert" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Convert</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can act as a mana dork <em>or</em> a toxic threat, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Annex Sentry" href="#" target="_blank">Annex Sentry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a good piece of removal in a pinch, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skrelv, Defector Mite" href="#" target="_blank">Skrelv, Defector Mite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great way to protect our creatures while giving them toxic 1.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skrelv&#039;s Hive"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="White Sun&#039;s Twilight"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Myr Convert"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Annex Sentry"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skrelv, Defector Mite"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: Copies, copies, copies!</h2>
<p>Since our options for infect and toxic creatures are so limited, I needed to find ways to make the most out of every creature we have. With this in mind, including creatures that can create copies of other creatures (even if they're temporary) is a must! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jaxis, the Troublemaker" href="#" target="_blank">Jaxis, the Troublemaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink" href="#" target="_blank">Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rionya, Fire Dancer" href="#" target="_blank">Rionya, Fire Dancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all are perfect ways to copy our infect creatures for maximum value.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jaxis, the Troublemaker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rionya, Fire Dancer"></div></div>
<p>Aside from Duke Ulder's ability, we have a few other ways to grant myriad to our creatures: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blade of Selves" href="#" target="_blank">Blade of Selves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants myriad to whichever creature is equipped, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Legion Loyalty" href="#" target="_blank">Legion Loyalty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants myriad to <em>all</em> of our creatures.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blade of Selves"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Legion Loyalty"></div></div>
<p>Also, for all of those pesky <em>temporary</em> copies that we make, I included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundial of the Infinite" href="#" target="_blank">Sundial of the Infinite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We can't let good tokens go to waste!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sundial of the Infinite"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: Proliferate</h2>
<p>It's not always guaranteed that we can get in for damage, but if we can get in early enough, that's all we need! If everyone has at least one poison counter, we have plenty of proliferate effects to ensure that our gameplan isn't stalled by a few blockers or an untimely fog.</p>
<p>Some of the best are: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glistening Sphere" href="#" target="_blank">Glistening Sphere</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to act as a mana rock that proliferates upon entering, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Staff of Compleation" href="#" target="_blank">Staff of Compleation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to act as a Swiss army knife for our deck, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Truth and Justice" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Truth and Justice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to make our infect creatures bigger while granting proliferation on combat damage, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Recon Craft Theta" href="#" target="_blank">Recon Craft Theta</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Filigree Vector" href="#" target="_blank">Filigree Vector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to act as repeatable ways to proliferate every turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glistening Sphere"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Staff of Compleation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword of Truth and Justice"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Recon Craft Theta"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Filigree Vector"></div></div>
<p>If you're wondering, yes, we <em>are</em> including the proliferate all-stars in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Clasp" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Clasp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Clasp"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Engine"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: Pushing Damage</h2>
<p>To win with poison, let's be honest, this deck needs to attack <em>a lot</em> in the early game. Here's what I included to help with that: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner" href="#" target="_blank">Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can make our small creatures unblockable, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard" href="#" target="_blank">Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give our attacking tokens double strike (this can be Mites <em>or</em> our myriad copies!), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Full Throttle" href="#" target="_blank">Full Throttle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give us extra combat steps, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dolmen Gate" href="#" target="_blank">Dolmen Gate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can guarantee the safety of our attackers, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Akroma&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give protection and act as a finisher, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Virtue of Loyalty" href="#" target="_blank">Virtue of Loyalty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can grow our army, as well as untap them, every turn!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Full Throttle"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dolmen Gate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akroma&#039;s Will"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Virtue of Loyalty"></div></div>
<h2>Category #5: "Secret Spice" 1 and 2</h2>
<p>Our first secret spice for today comes more in the form of a strategy rather than a specific card. Since we are relying heavily on the poison plan, we included a lot of proliferate effects.</p>
<p>What else is good with proliferate? +1/+1 counters. There are so many cards in this deck that grant +1/+1 counters to our creatures that we should have no problem presenting a threatening board even without any poison makers.</p>
<p>For example, if <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Virtue of Loyalty" href="#" target="_blank">Virtue of Loyalty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is on the board alongside <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetheric Amplifier" href="#" target="_blank">Aetheric Amplifier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? All of our creatures get HUGE. (Specifically, 1 counter turns into 3 then into 6)</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Virtue of Loyalty"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aetheric Amplifier"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Engine"></div></div>
<p>Even if you just wanted to focus on the +1/+1 counters side of this deck, you could take out all of the infect creatures and replace them with anything you want and the deck can still operate at a high level.</p>
<p>Our second secret spice is a card that I think deserves the spotlight more often: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier" href="#" target="_blank">Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier"></div></div>
<p>Our commander grants myriad and haste to something, and Agrus can copy that ability and apply it <em>every creature we control.</em> The same can be said about any additional copying effects (Jaxis, Orthion, etc.). If our entire battlefield has myriad and haste, the game is over.</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our ninth edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color combination in the world of infect! I know you might have tuned out for this one, as poison isn't for anyone, but give it a shot!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">If you have any thoughts or ideas about this decklist, let me know in the comments below!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Duke Ulder Ravengard" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Duke Ulder Ravengard
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier
*1 Annex Sentry
*1 Core Prowler
*1 Corpse Cur
*1 Crawling Chorus
*1 Feldon of the Third Path
*1 Filigree Vector
*1 Grateful Apparition
*1 Ichorclaw Myr
*1 Jawbone Duelist
*1 Jaxis, the Troublemaker
*1 Lost Leonin
*1 Mangara, the Diplomat
*1 Metastatic Evangel
*1 Myr Convert
*1 Necropede
*1 Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard
*1 Norn&#039;s Choirmaster
*1 Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink
*1 Phyrexian Juggernaut
*1 Plague Myr
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Razor Swine
*1 Rionya, Fire Dancer
*1 Skrelv, Defector Mite
*1 Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner
*1 Tine Shrike
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Land Tax
*1 Legion Loyalty
*1 Norn&#039;s Decree
*1 Skrelv&#039;s Hive
*1 Virtue of Loyalty // Ardenvale Fealty
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Aetheric Amplifier
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Astral Cornucopia
*1 Blade of Selves
*1 Boros Signet
*1 Contagion Clasp
*1 Contagion Engine
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Dolmen Gate
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Glistening Sphere
*1 Grafted Exoskeleton
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Hourglass of the Lost
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Recon Craft Theta
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Staff of Compleation
*1 Sundial of the Infinite
*1 Sword of Truth and Justice
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Throne of Geth
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Farewell
*1 Full Throttle
*1 White Sun&#039;s Twilight
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Akroma&#039;s Will
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Razorgrass Ambush // Razorgrass Field
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Untimely Malfunction
*1 Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Castle Embereth
*1 Command Tower
*1 Elegant Parlor
*1 Escape Tunnel
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Forgotten Cave
*1 Inkmoth Nexus
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
*1 Mirrex
*10 Mountain
*1 Path of Ancestry
*9 Plains
*1 Rustvale Bridge
*1 Secluded Steppe
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Temple of Triumph
*1 War Room
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Bottom of the Barrel - Duke Ulder Ravengard

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer" href="#" target="_blank">Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.chrisseamanart.com/">Chris Seaman</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>Now I know you see the title and are probably thinking: "Rocco? The infamous combo commander? Yuck!" I understand where you're coming from, but trust me on this one. This is probably one of the most unique Rocco decks you'll see today!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer"></div></div>
<p>Today's deck is focused around a very splashy theme: energy. The "energy" theme is something that has been explored very recently, with 3 precons being released focusing on the archetype.</p>
<p>With this in mind, the most popular color combination for energy is Jeskai (white, red, and blue) with 11,000 decks in the database. Outside of Jeskai and Temur (green, red, and blue), energy isn't really played very often in commander. This is where our man Rocco comes in.</p>
<p>Comparing Naya (red, green and white) energy decks to Jeskai or Temur is staggering, as Naya only has 21 decks listed on EDHREC.</p>
<p>This is exactly the kind of thing I like to see when writing this series: the bigger the gap between most played colors and least played colors, the better!</p>
<p>Sure, you could choose any other Naya commander to helm this deck, but Rocco allows us the ability to get whatever we need whenever we need it. Speaking of which, let's talk about some of the best energy producing creatures in our deck.</p>
<h2>Category #1: Energy Producers</h2>
<p>Keen-eyed observers might notice that most energy strategies rely heavily on having blue in the deck, but if you think that'll limit our options for this deck, you're sorely mistaken. Let's get creative!</p>
<p>We have a suite of cards with precon origins for this section, starting with my personal favorite: Nissa, Worldsoul Speaker.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nissa, Worldsoul Speaker"></div></div>
<p>If you told me that Nissa was going to have a new legendary creature card, and that creature was going to have something to do with energy, I would have told you simply: "I don't believe you." It's very strange to see Nissa messing around in this design space, but the landfall ability makes sense. Getting to 8 energy might be tough, but if we ever get there, watch out!</p>
<p>The remaining energy producing creatures that I would like to highlight are as follows: Aetherstorm Roc - turns all creatures entering into energy; Synth Eradicator - grants energy or impulse draw on attack, and for some reason has a lightning bolt attached to it; Sentry Bot - feels like a fog, but definitely isn't (don't let it's interesting text box fool you); Guide of Souls - a strictly better Aetherstorm Roc (power creep is real, folks); Eddytrail Hawk - giving something flying eventually seems pretty cool, albeit a little underwhelming; Amped Rapter - the scourge of modern; Electrostatic Pummeler - welcome back Aether Revolt standard; Lightning Runner - "oops, I just took 4 combats in a row"; and Aetherwind Basker - big board? Take a million energy.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aetherstorm Roc"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Synth Eradicator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sentry Bot"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Guide of Souls"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eddytrail Hawk"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Amped Raptor"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Electrostatic Pummeler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lightning Runner"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aetherwind Basker"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: Proliferate</h2>
<p>If any of you read my article on boros infect, you'll know that red and white excels at finding sneaky ways to proliferate. Now we're adding green, which is a known master at multiplying different kinds of counters. This is about to get wild.</p>
<p>Evolution Sage turns our land drops each turn into more and more energy; Metastatic Evangel turns each creature that enters into more energy; Staff of Compleation is what I like to call "The Phyrexian Swiss Army Knife"; Sword of Truth and Justice, while insanely expensive these days, is just ridiculous; Contagion Clasp is a great way to turn our mana into extra energy; and Park Heights Maverick is a practically unblockable way to proliferate every turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Evolution Sage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Metastatic Evangel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Staff of Compleation"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword of Truth and Justice"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Clasp"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Park Heights Maverick"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: Benefitting from Energy</h2>
<p>Getting energy is all well and good, but what do we do with it? Luckily, there are many ways for us to leverage having energy, as well as even gaining energy, into a potential win.</p>
<p>Aetherflux Conduit is one of those cards that you really want to pull off, but it might be too crazy to happen; Aether Revolt can translate our energy into direct damage; Deadlock Trap can shut down problematic creatures on the board; Consulate Surveillance can grant us terrific protection against any unwanted aggression; and The Motherlode, Excavator can turn our energy into one huge unblockable attack.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aetherflux Conduit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aether Revolt"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deadlock Trap"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Consulate Surveillance"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Motherlode, Excavator"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: The "Secret Spice"</h2>
<p>Today's "secret spice" comes in the form of a very convoluted combo involving every "module" card from the original Kaladesh set.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Decoction Module"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fabrication Module"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Animation Module"></div></div>
<p>These "modules" interact in a very interesting way. If a creature enters, Decoction Module with give us 1 energy. When we get that energy, Fabrication Module will put a +1/+1 counter on a creature we control. When we place that +1/+1 counter on a creature we control, we can pay 1 generic mana to create a 1/1 servo creature token with Animation Module. These cards combined with Ashnod's Altar create an infinite loop where we create infinite servo tokens, infinite colorless mana, and an infinitely large (power wise) board.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashnod&#039;s Altar"></div></div>
<p>If you aren't a fan of combos, you can leave Ashnod's Altar out and still do a cool "module thing" without going infinite.</p>
<h2>Category #5: Spice so secret it needs to be talked about last...</h2>
<p>Primal Prayers.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Primal Prayers"></div></div>
<p>This card might seem innocuous, but we have several creatures that create an amount of energy that is greater than or equal to their mana cost. What does this mean? Well, if we have Cloudstone Curio on the board, we can create a near infinite amount of energy, and with something like Aether Revolt on the field, that means game over.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloudstone Curio"></div></div>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our <strong>ninth</strong> edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>!! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of energy! It feels amazing to have had nine editions of this series, and I thank you all so much for checking out my wacky ideas over the past few months!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">If you have any thoughts or ideas about this decklist, let me know in the comments below!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh">
<div>
<div id="deck_for_archidekt_scraper">
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Aether Refinery
*1 Aetherflux Conduit
*1 Aetheric Amplifier
*1 Aetherworks Marvel
*1 Animation Module
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Automated Assembly Line
*1 Cloudstone Curio
*1 Contagion Clasp
*1 Conversion Apparatus
*1 Deadlock Trap
*1 Decoction Module
*1 Fabrication Module
*1 Panharmonicon
*1 Phyrexian Ironworks
*1 Recon Craft Theta
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Staff of Compleation
*1 Stone Idol Generator
*1 Sword of Truth and Justice
*1 Unstable Amulet
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Aether Revolt
*1 Consulate Surveillance
*1 Primal Prayers
*1 Scurry of Gremlins
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*1 Aetherstorm Roc
*1 Aethertorch Renegade
*1 Aetherwind Basker
*1 Amped Raptor
*1 Architect of the Untamed
*1 Blaster Hulk
*1 Cankerbloom
*1 Eddytrail Hawk
*1 Electrostatic Pummeler
*1 Evolution Sage
*1 Greenbelt Rampager
*1 Guide of Souls
*1 Lae&#039;zel, Vlaakith&#039;s Champion
*1 Lightning Runner
*1 Longtusk Cub
*1 Metastatic Evangel
*1 Nissa, Worldsoul Speaker
*1 Overclocked Electromancer
*1 Park Heights Maverick
*1 Sage of Shaila&#039;s Claim
*1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
*1 Salvation Colossus
*1 Sentry Bot
*1 Synth Eradicator
*1 Temur Sabertooth
*1 The Motherlode, Excavator
*1 Voltaic Brawler
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Attune with Aether
*1 Jolted Awake
*1 Localized Destruction
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Unnatural Restoration
*1 Wheel of Potential
*1 Wrath of the Skies
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Galvanic Discharge
*1 Path to Exile
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Aether Hub
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Bountiful Promenade
*1 Brushland
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Command Tower
*1 Emergence Zone
*6 Forest
*1 HELIOS One
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*1 Karplusan Forest
*1 Maze of Ith
*5 Mountain
*5 Plains
*1 Rustvale Bridge
*1 Sheltering Landscape
*1 Slagwoods Bridge
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Spire Garden
*1 Talon Gates of Madara
*1 Temple of Abandon
*1 Temple of Plenty
*1 Temple of Triumph
*1 Thornglint Bridge
[/Lands]"></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>


Bottom of the Barrel - Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cayth, Famed Mechanist|M3C|10" href="#" target="_blank">Cayth, Famed Mechanist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/boello">Boell Oyino</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>Today's edition takes a look at a <em>Modern Horizons 3</em> "backup commander" in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cayth, Famed Mechanist" href="#" target="_blank">Cayth, Famed Mechanist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cayth, Famed Mechanist"></div></div>
<p>Cayth is a very cool design, and reminds me a lot of <em>The Lost Caverns of Ixalan's</em> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Xavier Sal, Infested Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Xavier Sal, Infested Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Xavier Sal, Infested Captain"></div></div>
<p>You could take Cayth in so many different directions: tokens, +1/+1 counters, a deck themed around "fabricate" cards - the list goes on. Our deck today focuses on an archetype that's usually found in black, and is only found in Jeskai colors (red, white, and blue) 36 times on EDHREC: Aristocrats.</p>
<p>The "Aristocrat" theme is focused around sacrificing creatures for value, oftentimes leading to a crazy winning turn. The most popular color combination for this theme, with 26,000 decks on EDHREC, is Orzhov (black and white), and this makes a lot of sense.</p>
<p>In black, we have <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="Zulaport Cutthroat" href="#" target="_blank">Zulaport Cutthroat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to ensure we can win the game, but what happens when you take black away? Can Aristocrats still be good without its most crucial color?</p>
<p>Spoiler alert: Yes.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blood Artist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zulaport Cutthroat"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Category #1: Death Triggers</h2>
<p>A good Aristocrat deck benefits off of its own creatures dying, and while these colors don't have a "blood artist option", they do have some good value pieces. Boss's Chauffeur gets bigger over time and creates an instant board when it dies;</p>
<p>Anax, Hardened in the Forge creates 1/1 tokens when our nontoken creatures die; Gleaming Barrier is a cheeky piece of ramp; Solemn Simulacrum is always a great card;</p>
<p>Wurmcoil Engine creates 2 3/3 tokens when it dies; Runed Servitor and Friendly Teddy both draw cards (the "full table card draw" plan will be important later); and Cathodion can be a ridiculous combo piece.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boss&#039;s Chauffeur"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anax, Hardened in the Forge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gleaming Barrier"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Solemn Simulacrum"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wurmcoil Engine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Runed Servitor"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Friendly Teddy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cathodion"></div></div>
<p>A few of these cards create tokens, and tokens are amazing with Cayth because of her ability to populate any token we have! Speaking of tokens...</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Category #2: Tokens</h2>
<p>Our deck creates tokens in 2 main ways: the fabricate ability that Cayth grants our nontoken creatures, and multiple cards that create token copies of creatures temporarily.</p>
<p>Gaining Servo tokens from Cayth's fabricate ability is a great way to create disposable blockers as well as sacrifice fodder, but outside of these servo tokens, we have several cards that create tokens:</p>
<p>Phantom Steed can make a token copy of a creature we exile with it each combat; Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink can grant us a temporary copy of something, as well as act as an amazing mana sink in the late game; Jaxis, the Troublemaker can make temporary token copies with card draw attached to them;</p>
<p>Muster the Departed allows us to populate every turn if a creature dies (which they will); The Jolly Balloon man can make flying balloon copies of our creatures, which is hilarious; and Feldon of the Third Path can copy something in our graveyard <em>every turn</em>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phantom Steed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jaxis, the Troublemaker"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Muster the Departed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Jolly Balloon Man"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Feldon of the Third Path"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Category #3: Sacrifice Outlets</h2>
<p>Since this is an Aristocrats deck, it would not be complete without sacrifice outlets. This category includes all the "usual suspects" like Goblin Bombardment, Ashnod's Altar, and Altar of Dementia, but also includes some outlets that are lesser played.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Bombardment"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashnod&#039;s Altar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Altar of Dementia"></div></div>
<p>The new Ravenous Amulet is a strong card draw piece; Drowned Rusalka lets us loot when we sacrifice a creature; Dark-Dweller Oracle gives us impulse draw; Trading Post acts as a way to sacrifice our creatures <em>and</em> artifacts for value; Spawning Pit is a sneaky way to build up to a huge board state; and High Market is a "free sacrifice outlet", as it doubles as a land!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ravenous Amulet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Drowned Rusalka"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trading Post"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spawning Pit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="High Market"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Category #4: Recursion/Reanimation</h2>
<p>Sacrificing creatures naturally means that we need ways to bring those creatures back, whether it be to our hand or directly to play. White has no shortage of recursion options, so our recursion package is as strong as it could be.</p>
<p>Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle lets us bring back small creatures when we cast historic spells (this deck is full of artifacts!); Sevinne's Reclamation is a 2-for-1 reanimation spell that copies itself from the graveyard; and Storm of Souls is a way to return our <em>entire </em>graveyard to play as a bunch of 1/1 flyers!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Storm of Souls"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Category #5: "Secret Spice"</h2>
<p>The "secret spice" for this deck comes in the form of creatures with persist. The persist mechanic means that if a creature dies without a -1/-1 counter on it, it returns to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.</p>
<p>Astute observers might see why this is so good: Cayth grants all creatures "fabricate", which means they can enter with a +1/+1 counter on them.</p>
<p>If they enter with both types of counters, they are cancelled out, allowing us to sacrifice the creature <em>all over again</em>. This means that any "persist creature" goes infinite with Cayth on the board, provided we have a free sacrifice outlet.</p>
<p>The "persist creature" package in this deck includes Glen Elendra Archmage, Lesser Masticore, Kithkin Spelldancer, and Furystoke Giant.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glen Elendra Archmage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lesser Masticore"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kithkin Spelldancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Furystoke Giant"></div></div>
<p>Outside of these cards going infinite with our commander, Ashnod's Altar + Cayth + Nim Deathmantle means that we have infinite "enters" <em>and</em> "dies" triggers if we choose to make the servos when we reanimate the sacrificed creature.</p>
<p>Remember the "group draw plan" from before? Yeah, Friendly Teddy or Runed Servitor means that <em>everyone</em> draws their deck, and in my opinion, that's beyond hilarious.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashnod&#039;s Altar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cayth, Famed Mechanist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nim Deathmantle"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our seventh edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of Aristocrats! This deck was so fun to brew, as it still feels like a very strong Aristocrats deck, even without black!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">If you have any thoughts or ideas about this decklist, let me know in the comments below!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Cayth, Famed Mechanist" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Cayth, Famed Mechanist
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Anax, Hardened in the Forge
*1 Boss&#039;s Chauffeur
*1 Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer
*1 Cathodion
*1 Crystalline Crawler
*1 Dark-Dweller Oracle
*1 Drowned Rusalka
*1 Feldon of the Third Path
*1 Friendly Teddy
*1 Furystoke Giant
*1 Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero
*1 Gleaming Barrier
*1 Glen Elendra Archmage
*1 Hangarback Walker
*1 Jaxis, the Troublemaker
*1 Kithkin Spellduster
*1 Lesser Masticore
*1 Marketback Walker
*1 Merchant of Truth
*1 Mindless Automaton
*1 Molten Gatekeeper
*1 Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink
*1 Palace Familiar
*1 Phantom Steed
*1 Runed Servitor
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Spirited Companion
*1 Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle
*1 The Jolly Balloon Man
*1 Treasure Keeper
*1 Wall of Omens
*1 Wurmcoil Engine
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Rootborn Defenses
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation
*1 Storm of Souls
*1 Wrath of God
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Altar of Dementia
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Cauldron of Souls
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Fabrication Foundry
*1 Idol of Oblivion
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Nim Deathmantle
*1 Norn&#039;s Wellspring
*1 Ravenous Amulet
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Spawning Pit
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Talisman of Creativity
*1 Talisman of Progress
*1 Trading Post
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Goblin Bombardment
*1 Intruder Alarm
*1 Muster the Departed
*1 Together Forever
*1 Warleader&#039;s Call
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Saheeli Rai
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Adarkar Wastes
*1 Archway of Innovation
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Command Tower
*1 Deserted Beach
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 High Market
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*4 Island
*1 Mirrorpool
*4 Mountain
*1 Perilous Landscape
*5 Plains
*1 Raugrin Triome
*1 Sea of Clouds
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Spire of Industry
*1 Stormcarved Coast
*1 Sundown Pass
*1 Temple of Enlightenment
*1 Temple of Epiphany
*1 Temple of Triumph
*1 Training Center
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Make a Jeskai Aristocrats Deck With Cayth, Famed Mechanist

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Victor, Valgavoth&#039;s Seneschal" href="#" target="_blank">Victor, Valgavoth&#039;s Seneschal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.jeremywilsonart.com/">Jeremy Wilson</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>Today's edition focuses on a mechanic that allows an overlooked new commander to shine: sagas. According to EDHREC, the most popular color combination for decks themed around sagas is Abzan (white, black, and green). Thanks to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Narci, Fable Singer" href="#" target="_blank">Narci, Fable Singer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> coming out with <em>Commander Masters</em>, this stat isn't surprising.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Narci, Fable Singer"></div></div>
<p>We always look at the "bottom of the barrel" with this series, but I bent the rules a little with this one. The lowest played color for the saga theme is mono-red, with 3 decks listed in the database.</p>
<p>Aside from Abzan and Naya (red, green, and white), most other colors aren't very popular for sagas. Most other color identities are under 100 decks, so it allowed a lot of space for experimentation.</p>
<p>With this in mind, I figured we could highlight an underplayed <em>Duskmourn</em> commander: Victor, Valgavoth's Seneschal. Orzhov (black and white) is at 59 decks in the database, and Victor only has 1 deck themed around sagas on the website, so this seems like the perfect choice!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Victor, Valgavoth&#039;s Seneschal"></div></div>
<h2>Category #1A: Messing With Lore Counters</h2>
<p>Sagas are an interesting card type because they only stick around for a little while before they are either transformed or sacrificed. With this in mind, it's important to note that we can manipulate their lore counters in order to keep them around for longer. This allows us to control when something is transformed or sacrificed, and that can help us to plan ahead for a massive turn.</p>
<p>Cards that shine in this category are: Ferropede to guarantee we can reset 1 chapter of a saga we control each combat; Power Conduit to pump up a creature we control while letting us reset a chapter; Hex Parasite to let us reset chapters on our sagas multiple times per turn by just paying mana; Scholar of New Horizons to let us remove a counter to search for a land; and Thrull Parasite to act as a one-time activation that can remove a counter from <em>any permanent.</em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ferropede"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Power Conduit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hex Parasite"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scholar of New Horizons"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thrull Parasite"></div></div>
<p>There aren't a lot of cards that let us mess with our sagas like this, but that's why these 5 cards are critical to our gameplan!</p>
<h2>Category #1B: Messing With Lore Counters (Differently)</h2>
<p>Our next batch of cards to talk about allows us to mess with lore counters, but in a completely different way. If a saga leaves the battlefield and then returns, it restarts at chapter 1. The first card that came to mind when thinking about this idea is Flicker, but since it's a sorcery, we can't respond to a saga reaching its final chapter.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flicker"></div></div>
<p>The cards I have chosen for category 1B are cards that let us operate at instant speed (for the most part) when trying to reset our sagas: Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd is only card where the effect is not at instant speed, but its attack trigger is a repeatable way to reset our sagas; Meticulous Excavation comes down early and lets us return sagas to our hand before they have to be sacrificed; Cosmic Intervention can bring back any sagas that get sacrificed during a turn (as well as creatures that die during the same turn); Scrollshift is a single-use flicker effect that also draws us a card; and Aerial Extortionist is not only an amazing piece of removal, but we can also exile our own permanents to cast again later, and trigger its "draw a card" ability while we're at it!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Meticulous Excavation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cosmic Intervention"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrollshift"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aerial Extortionist"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: Token Creation</h2>
<p>Sagas are great and all, but we need a way to win the game eventually. This brings us to a common theme in the sagas and other enchantments chosen for this deck: creating tokens. This category made me realize that I could easily swap Victor out for Daxos the Returned instead, but I felt like Victor still deserved the love.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Daxos the Returned"></div></div>
<p>Let's start with some sagas that create tokens: Firja's Retribution, Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit, Oath of the Grey Host, Genesis of the Daleks, Love Song of Night and Day, Vault 11: Voter's Dilemma, and Three Blind Mice are all token creating sagas each with their own upsides the longer they last in play.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Firja&#039;s Retribution"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oath of the Grey Host"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Genesis of the Daleks"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Love Song of Night and Day"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vault 11: Voter&#039;s Dilemma"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Three Blind Mice"></div></div>
<p>These are all terrific cards in our deck, as we can flicker the sagas or mess with the lore counters to create more and more tokens. Outside of these, we have the standard "enchantment token creators" that are seen in most enchantment decks.</p>
<p>Archon of Sun's Grace creates Pegasus creatures with flying and lifelink (you'd be surprised how relevant that is!); Monastery Mentor gives us Monk tokens with prowess for each noncreature spell we cast; Ghostly Dancers recurs an enchantment from our graveyard and gives us 3/1 flyers when enchantments enter the battlefield; Hallowed Haunting can give us spirits that continue to grow over the course of the game; Daxos the Returned gives us spirits that get bigger over time; and Historian's Boon is an absolute <em>house</em> in this deck, as it gives us tokens when sagas enter AND when their final chapters trigger.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archon of Sun&#039;s Grace"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Monastery Mentor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghostly Dancers"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hallowed Haunting"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Daxos the Returned"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Historian&#039;s Boon"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: Recursion</h2>
<p>Considering most sagas sacrifice themselves after their last chapter, recursion is critical to ensuring our deck operates effectively. Two of our best recursion pieces can act as alternate commanders as well, but that will ultimately be your decision in the end.</p>
<p>The best pieces of recursion in this deck are: Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher, who lets us benefit from <em>anyone</em> <em>sacrificing anything</em> and can return sagas directly to play; Neva, Stalked by Nightmares, who lets us return an enchantment to our hand while providing advantage when any of our enchantments leave play; and Norika Yamazaki, the Poet, who lets us cast an artifact or enchantment from our graveyard when a warrior or samurai attacks alone (she's a samurai).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Neva, Stalked by Nightmares"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Norika Yamazaki, the Poet"></div></div>
<p>Argivian Find is also a sweet piece of recursion for only a single mana at instant speed!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Argivian Find"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4A: The First "Secret Spice" Ingredients</h2>
<p>Today's deck has two separate sub-categories of "Secret Spice", but it's because they are both separate ways to win the game.</p>
<p>Our first "secret spice" ingredients are the Phyrexian Praetors from March of the Machine: Sheoldred, and Elesh Norn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sheoldred"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elesh Norn"></div></div>
<p>Both of these creatures can transform into sagas, and with all of our counter manipulation, we can make extra usage of each chapter. Sheoldred's final chapter is a "rise of the dark realms" style effect, and Elesh Norn's final chapter turns our board into a lethal threat.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rise of the Dark Realms"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4B: The Second "Secret Spice" Ingredients</h2>
<p>Our second "secret spice" ingredients are 2 cards that work excellently in this strategy, but can form an infinite combo if played together: Ondu Spiritdancer and Secret Arcade / Dusty Parlor.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ondu Spiritdancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Secret Arcade // Dusty Parlor"></div></div>
<p>In order for this combo to work, when need to have the Secret Arcade in play <em>before</em> we cast Ondu Spiritdancer. When Ondu Spiritdancer enters the battlefield, it will see itself as an enchantment, and create a token copy of itself. This generates an infinite loop where we create an infinite number of Ondu Spiritdancer copies. Funnily enough, this exact combo was in the Aminatou, Veil Piercer precon!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aminatou, Veil Piercer"></div></div>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our sixth edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of sagas! As I mentioned before, this deck can just as easily operate with Neva, Stalked by Nightmares, Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher, or Daxos the Returned at the helm, so feel free to experiment!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">If you have any thoughts or ideas about this decklist, let me know in the comments below! (I do read them all and greatly appreciate your support!)</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Victor, Valgavoth&#039;s Seneschal" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Victor, Valgavoth&#039;s Seneschal
[/Commander]
[Enchantments]
*1 Black Market Connections
*1 Death in Heaven
*1 Elspeth Conquers Death
*1 Fall of the First Civilization
*1 Firja&#039;s Retribution
*1 Genesis of the Daleks
*1 Ghostly Prison
*1 Glasswing Grace // Age-Graced Chapel
*1 Hallowed Haunting
*1 Historian&#039;s Boon
*1 Love Song of Night and Day
*1 Meticulous Excavation
*1 Michiko&#039;s Reign of Truth // Portrait of Michiko
*1 Oath of the Grey Host
*1 Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
*1 Secret Arcade // Dusty Parlor
*1 Starfield of Nyx
*1 Tenuous Truce
*1 The Birth of Meletis
*1 The Cruelty of Gix
*1 The Eldest Reborn
*1 The Fall of Lord Konda // Fragment of Konda
*1 The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration
*1 Three Blind Mice
*1 Trial of a Time Lord
*1 Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death&#039;s Wail
*1 Vault 11: Voter&#039;s Dilemma
*1 Vault 13: Dweller&#039;s Journey
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*1 Aerial Extortionist
*1 Archon of Sun&#039;s Grace
*1 Ashiok&#039;s Reaper
*1 Auramancer
*1 Barbara Wright
*1 Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher
*1 Daxos the Returned
*1 Elesh Norn // The Argent Etchings
*1 Ferropede
*1 Ghostly Dancers
*1 Hex Parasite
*1 Ian Chesterton
*1 Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff
*1 Mesa Enchantress
*1 Monastery Mentor
*1 Neva, Stalked by Nightmares
*1 Norika Yamazaki, the Poet
*1 Ondu Spiritdancer
*1 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
*1 Scholar of New Horizons
*1 Sheoldred // The True Scriptures
*1 Starfield Mystic
*1 Starnheim Courser
*1 Thrull Parasite
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Mirage Mirror
*1 Orzhov Signet
*1 Power Conduit
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Hierarchy
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Argivian Find
*1 Cosmic Intervention
*1 Inkshield
*1 Scrollshift
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Redress Fate
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Caves of Koilos
*1 Command Tower
*1 Demolition Field
*1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Hall of Heliod&#039;s Generosity
*1 Isolated Chapel
*10 Plains
*1 Restless Fortress
*1 Shadowy Backstreet
*1 Shattered Sanctum
*1 Silent Clearing
*8 Swamp
*1 Temple of Silence
*1 Valgavoth&#039;s Lair
*1 Vault of Champions
*1 Vault of the Archangel
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Nick Benstead