The Best Nonlegendary Creatures From Edge of Eternities

<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knuckles the Echidna" href="#" target="_blank">Knuckles the Echidna</a> | Art by <a href="https://www.tylerwalpole.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tyler Walpole</a>
Hello, everyone! Welcome back to another deck tech; I'm <a href="http://linktr.ee/commandzoe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Command Zoe</a>. This time we're going to be looking at one of the new commanders from the Sonic Secret Lair, Knuckles the Echidna! 
Knuckles is a fan favorite character from the original Sega Genesis games; he was a rival of Sonic before teaming up with him in a later installment. I'm excited to show you this list I brewed up, but first let's take a look at him
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Knuckles the Echidna"></div></div>
Get it? He's the keeper of the Master Emerald, so he cares about rocks! 
Anyway, that's why I'm running Mox Emerald in here — that's cool right?
<h3>What Does Knuckles the Echidna Do?</h3>
Knuckles is a straightforward but incredibly powerful commander. He has three keywords that work well with each other, he grants all his controller's creatures the ability to create Treasure tokens upon dealing combat damage to a player, and then he has an upkeep trigger that wins the game with thirty artifacts. 
The idea of the design is to have him hit the board and immediately generate two Treasures using a combination of haste and double strike, with trample on there to guarantee he doesn't get chump-blocked. 
With only two power, he's not dealing a ton of damage, but that doesn't matter because the goal is to win Treasure tokens on the upkeep trigger.
There are three other mono-red commanders that care about Treasure tokens: <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer" href="#" target="_blank">Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magda, Brazen Outlaw" href="#" target="_blank">Magda, Brazen Outlaw</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magda, the Hoardmaster" href="#" target="_blank">Magda, the Hoardmaster</a>. 
Both Magdas come with some sort of payoff for those Treasures, but none of them are quite as powerful as "win the game". 
Knuckles probably wont be able to reach the high-highs of Brazen Outlaw, which is a cEDH deck, but he is a fun card with a very powerful effect, which would be perfect for any of brackets 2, 3, or 4.
This Knuckles deck is going to be within Bracket 3. It technically has three extra turn spells in cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Final Fortune" href="#" target="_blank">Final Fortune</a>, but it can't chain them. They're only in the deck to be able to trigger Knuckles' upkeep-ability immediately.
<h2>Key Cards for Knuckles the Echidna</h2>
The main win condition in this deck is quite obviously Knuckles' second ability, so we want to rush up to twenty-nine total permanents on the board then cast both key card of the deck: <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mycosynth Lattice" href="#" target="_blank">Mycosynth Lattice</a>. 
Following that up with an extra turn spell will allow an instant win off of Knuckles when the turn rolls over to the next upkeep. 
In addition to these, two keys to the deck are the tutors to get them out. Everything else is there to push the board to thirty permanents.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Final Fortune"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Warrior&#039;s Oath"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Last Chance"></div></div> 
This is still technically bracket two because I'm not- 
What are you all doing with those torches and pitchforks?
To help get there the deck has <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reckless Handling" href="#" target="_blank">Reckless Handling</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inventors&#039; Fair" href="#" target="_blank">Inventors&#039; Fair</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Engineer</a>, which can be used in conjunction with cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trash for Treasure" href="#" target="_blank">Trash for Treasure</a> or either of Daretti's cards to get the Mycosynth Lattice out.
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Matron" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Matron</a> can play a game of telephone to get it out by searching for the Engineer first. It can also snag a Grenzo, Havoc Raiser in case more permanents are needed but none are in hand.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Daretti, Rocketeer Engineer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Daretti, Scrap Savant"></div></div> 
Both flavors work! Trade your Treasures for permanents that make more Treasures! 

Instant board state cards, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brass&#039;s Bounty" href="#" target="_blank">Brass&#039;s Bounty</a>, can be extremely useful at making the final push to thirty cards.
Playing it along with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magda, Brazen Outlaw" href="#" target="_blank">Magda, Brazen Outlaw</a> can go for infinite by snagging Lattice plus <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clock of Omens" href="#" target="_blank">Clock of Omens</a>. Tap the Magda plus a Treasure to untap the Magda. Make a new Treasure, and use it infinitely. Then just sacrifice 5 Treasures at a time to spit the entire deck's permanents onto the battlefield, then finally win by sacrificing <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anger" href="#" target="_blank">Anger</a> to a sac outlet and attacking with everything.
<h2>How Does This Knuckles the Echidna Commander Deck Win?</h2>
Getting to thirty permanents can be difficult, so there are some tricks to make a lot all at once.
With <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark-Clan Ironworks" href="#" target="_blank">Krark-Clan Ironworks</a> plus <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Song of Totentanz" href="#" target="_blank">Song of Totentanz</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hell to Pay" href="#" target="_blank">Hell to Pay</a>, each artifact sacrificed will turn into two new permanents, effectively doubling the number on the board if there is a Lattice out.
There are a few other ways to do the same that take more set up, like adding <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Xorn" href="#" target="_blank">Xorn</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treasure Vault" href="#" target="_blank">Treasure Vault</a> to KCI, or using <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goldspan Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Goldspan Dragon</a> as the Treasure-doubler.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Copper Dragon"></div></div> 
I just need to roll a 16 or better, but I don't have advantage...
In terms of alternate win conditions, there's only one, since the commander comes with its own "win the game" ability. However, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hellkite Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Hellkite Tyrant</a> is strictly better in terms of how many permanents are needed, so it goes in the ninety-nine. Needing one third the number of permanents is too good to give up, and the theft ability is nothing to write off either.
<h2>Knuckles the Echidna Commander Decklist</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Echidna Echinacea" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Knuckles the Echidna
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Academy Manufactor
*1 Ancient Copper Dragon
*1 Anger
*1 Bonehoard Dracosaur
*1 Daretti, Rocketeer Engineer
*1 Glóin, Dwarf Emissary
*1 Goblin Engineer
*1 Goblin Matron
*1 Goblin Welder
*1 Goldlust Triad
*1 Goldspan Dragon
*1 Grenzo, Havoc Raiser
*1 Hellkite Tyrant
*1 Magda, Brazen Outlaw
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
*1 Treasure Nabber
*1 Xorn
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Big Score
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Final Fortune
*1 Seething Song
*1 Unexpected Windfall
*1 Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Brass&#039;s Bounty
*1 Hell to Pay
*1 Hit the Mother Lode
*1 Last Chance
*1 Reckless Handling
*1 Scrap Mastery
*1 Song of Totentanz
*1 Strike It Rich
*1 Trash for Treasure
*1 Warrior&#039;s Oath
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Clock of Omens
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Expedition Map
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Fire Diamond
*1 Krark-Clan Ironworks
*1 Liquimetal Torque
*1 Lotus Petal
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mycosynth Lattice
*1 Phial of Galadriel
*1 Planar Atlas
*1 Prismatic Lens
*1 Ruby Medallion
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Star Compass
*1 The Reaver Cleaver
*1 Thought Vessel
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Descent into Avernus
*1 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki
*1 Guild Artisan
*1 Spiteful Banditry
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Chandra, Spark Hunter
*1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
*1 Daretti, Scrap Savant
*1 Karn, Scion of Urza
*1 Koth, Fire of Resistance
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Arena of Glory
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Darksteel Citadel
*1 Fomori Vault
*1 Fountainport
*1 Great Furnace
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*1 Mines of Moria
*19 Mountain
*1 Power Depot
*1 Scene of the Crime
*1 Sunken Citadel
*1 The Mycosynth Gardens
*1 Treasure Vault
*1 Urza&#039;s Cave
*1 Urza&#039;s Saga
*1 War Room
[/Lands]"></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
Thanks for taking the time to read this deck tech on <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knuckles the Echidna" href="#" target="_blank">Knuckles the Echidna</a>. I think he's quite a strong commander and has a lot of potential for upgrade into the Bracket 4 arena.
I had a lot of fun playing it; Treasures are a blast, and getting the win off of the extra turn felt incredible. I hope you get to give it a try yourself because it is such a blast to pilot. If you like making Treasures and scraping out value you will love this deck.
If you missed it make sure you check out my last <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/mog-moogle-warrior-commander-deck-tech">deck tech</a> on <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mog, Moogle Warrior" href="#" target="_blank">Mog, Moogle Warrior</a>, and be sure to follow me on <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/commandzoe">twitch</a> where you can find me playing this deck sometimes.

Knuckles the Echidna Commander Deck Tech

<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mog, Moogle Warrior" href="#" target="_blank">Mog, Moogle Warrior</a> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9COTUMAMI%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OTUMAMI</a>
Hello everyone, welcome back for another Final Fantasy deck tech. I'm Command Zoe, and I hope you've all been enjoying the newest set as much as I have. I keep finding new commanders I overlooked on my first go-through of the set, or that I just forgot about after they were previewed. 
For today I've thrown together a fun, little Reanimator list featuring everyone's favorite Final Fantasy VI character, Mog. He was the first playable Moogle character in Final Fantasy. He was so popular that they made Mog a recurring name for Moogles throughout the rest of the series. He's probably most widely recognized as the tutorial character in many of the games' menus.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mog, Moogle Warrior"></div></div>
Just like a Moogle, I've been dancin' my whole life...
<h2>What Does Mog, Moogle Warrior Do?</h2>
At first glance, Mog is not a flashy commander. At three mana value, he costs more than his stats provide, even with lifelink. The entire reason to play this card is tied to his second ability, Dance. How it works is each player decides whether they want to discard a card to draw a card. Then if anyone discarded a creature this way, Mog's controller creates Moogle token. Then, if anyone discarded a non-creature this way, Mog's controller puts a +1/+1 counter on each Moogle they own. 
It should be noted that each of these effects can only happen one time. If multiple creatures are discarded, only one Moogle token is created; ditto for the +1/+1 counters. In practice, the dance ability turns into a neat, little guessing game where each opponent who goes for a card's trying to throw away the same category of card as Mog's owner in order to keep them from getting any extra buffs.
Given its ability to filter through the library while providing a way to go both wide and tall, Mog is quite the versatile commander. There are many Boros commanders that do either one or the other, but Mog is the first that does both. 
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="General Ferrous Rokiric" href="#" target="_blank">General Ferrous Rokiric</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quintorius, Field Historian" href="#" target="_blank">Quintorius, Field Historian</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival" href="#" target="_blank">Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival</a> are all popular Boros commanders that can go wide quickly, but lack the ability to make their tokens bigger.
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Éomer, King of Rohan" href="#" target="_blank">Éomer, King of Rohan</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ash, Party Crasher" href="#" target="_blank">Ash, Party Crasher</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas" href="#" target="_blank">Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas</a> all have the ability to get tall, but lack any support for going wide. 
The commander that's most similar to Mog is probably <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon</a>, who can make herself tall while providing an army of Gnomes to attack with. The key differences between the two are the card filtering and the politics of Mog's ability. Mog also makes all creatures taller rather than just himself.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Maskwood Nexus"></div></div>
What if we made Anim Pakal and all her Gnomes into Moogles...
This version of Mog, Moogle Warrior is a Reanimator deck. The deck will use Mog's dance ability to put big threats into the graveyard, then cast reanimation spells to bring them back. The early Moogles can trade with attackers, or they can not block then get that life back by attacking open opponents on the crack-back. 
Later the ever-growing Moogle tokens on top of the pressure from the reanimated creatures should be too much for opponents to handle.
<h2>Key Cards for Mog, Moogle Warrior</h2>
The most important part of any Reanimator strategy is the package of cards it targets to get back from the graveyard. This list packs fifteen cards that cost seven mana or more. The Reanimator package's goal is to facilitate and enable the deck's token plan, and it does that in a few different ways.
The first group of cards makes tokens themselves. Cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overlord of the Mistmoors" href="#" target="_blank">Overlord of the Mistmoors</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Triniform" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Triniform</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triplicate Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Triplicate Titan</a> all create their own tokens in some way.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Gold Dragon"></div></div>
Just roll good — it's easy.
The next group of bombs defends our tokens by protecting them in some way. Cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Avacyn, Angel of Hope" href="#" target="_blank">Avacyn, Angel of Hope</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serra&#039;s Emissary" href="#" target="_blank">Serra&#039;s Emissary</a> are obvious in how they keep our board safe, but <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angel of the Ruins" href="#" target="_blank">Angel of the Ruins</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Luminate Primordial" href="#" target="_blank">Luminate Primordial</a> are also great for protection. Removing threats to Mog and his board can be crucial.
One powerful interaction the deck can do is to reanimate <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Velomachus Lorehold" href="#" target="_blank">Velomachus Lorehold</a>, then use his attack trigger to immediately cast another reanimation spell.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite"></div></div>
What? I'm just keeping my Moogles safe from your <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brotherhood&#039;s End" href="#" target="_blank">Brotherhood&#039;s End</a>.
Another critical part of this deck is the token support. It runs all the token doublers and triplers that it can, as well as a few cards with the populate mechanic, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nesting Dovehawk" href="#" target="_blank">Nesting Dovehawk</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rootborn Defenses" href="#" target="_blank">Rootborn Defenses</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muster the Departed" href="#" target="_blank">Muster the Departed</a>. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warleader&#039;s Call" href="#" target="_blank">Warleader&#039;s Call</a> not only helps whittle opponents down, but also will gain life via all the Moogle tokens' lifelink.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Renewed Solidarity"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Summon: Good King Mog XII"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Moogles&#039; Valor"></div></div>
You wanna make some Moogles? I wanna make some Moogles.
One last key card for Mog is <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Palantír of Orthanc" href="#" target="_blank">Palantír of Orthanc</a>. Its floor is scry two plus an extra card draw, but if opponents are foolhardy enough to choose to mill, there are fifteen cards in the deck with a mana value of seven or more. With two or more influence counters, opponents risk taking heavy damage from not allowing the card draw, plus this deck already wants those big creatures in the graveyard anyway.
<h2>How Does This Mog, Moogle Warrior Commander Deck Win?</h2>
The most common way for this deck to win is by amassing a huge board of Moogle tokens, then alpha-striking with support from cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moonshaker Cavalry" href="#" target="_blank">Moonshaker Cavalry</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elspeth, Storm Slayer" href="#" target="_blank">Elspeth, Storm Slayer</a>, or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serra&#039;s Emissary" href="#" target="_blank">Serra&#039;s Emissary</a> to get around blockers. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gisela, Blade of Goldnight" href="#" target="_blank">Gisela, Blade of Goldnight</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite" href="#" target="_blank">Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite</a> can also come out in the right situation to end a game with a big attack. 
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boros Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Boros Charm</a> plays double duty in this deck. Not only is it defending with the indestructible, but giving all Moogle tokens double strike and removing an opponent should give enough life from the lifelink to let you survive any impending repercussions.
If attacking isn't an option as a win condition because of some reason or another, there's a backup win condition in group slug cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Impact Tremors" href="#" target="_blank">Impact Tremors</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warleader&#039;s Call" href="#" target="_blank">Warleader&#039;s Call</a>. Reach critical mass by stacking token doublers and triplers and pinging everyone else to death with your ever-growing army of Moogle tokens.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Summon: Bahamut"></div></div>
You can always finish them with Mega Flare, 
or as I call it, Mountain Dew Baha-mut Blast.
<h2>Mog, Moogle Warrior Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Moggin&#039; on &#039;em" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Mog, Moogle Warrior
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Ancient Copper Dragon
*1 Ancient Gold Dragon
*1 Angel of the Ruins
*1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
*1 Blazing Archon
*1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
*1 Enduring Innocence
*1 Esper Sentinel
*1 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
*1 Karmic Guide
*1 Luminate Primordial
*1 Mondrak, Glory Dominus
*1 Moonshaker Cavalry
*1 Nesting Dovehawk
*1 Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation // Temple of Civilization
*1 Overlord of the Mistmoors
*1 Phyrexian Triniform
*1 Pinnacle Monk // Mystic Peak
*1 Reya Dawnbringer
*1 Seasoned Pyromancer
*1 Serra&#039;s Emissary
*1 Summon: Bahamut
*1 Summon: Good King Mog XII
*1 Triplicate Titan
*1 Velomachus Lorehold
*1 Welcoming Vampire
*1 Witch Enchanter // Witch-Blessed Meadow
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Anointed Procession
*1 Elspeth Conquers Death
*1 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki
*1 Impact Tremors
*1 Muster the Departed
*1 Renewed Solidarity
*1 Tocasia&#039;s Welcome
*1 Warleader&#039;s Call
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Boros Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Liquimetal Torque
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Monument to Endurance
*1 Palantír of Orthanc
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Thought Vessel
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Boros Charm
*1 Clever Concealment
*1 Get Lost
*1 Legion Leadership // Legion Stronghold
*1 Miraculous Recovery
*1 Moogles&#039; Valor
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Perch Protection
*1 Rootborn Defenses
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Unwanted Remake
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Breath of Life
*1 False Defeat
*1 Late to Dinner
*1 Resurrection
[/Sorceries]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Elspeth, Storm Slayer
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Arena of Glory
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Bonders&#039; Enclave
*1 Castle Embereth
*1 Cavern of Souls
*1 Clifftop Retreat
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Command Tower
*1 Cori Mountain Monastery
*1 Dalkovan Encampment
*1 Den of the Bugbear
*1 Drownyard Temple
*1 Elegant Parlor
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Fountainport
*1 Inspiring Vantage
*1 Minas Tirith
*1 Monumental Henge
*1 Mountain
*1 Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway
*3 Plains
*1 Plaza of Heroes
*1 Restless Bivouac
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Rugged Prairie
*1 Sacred Foundry
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Starting Town
*1 Sunbaked Canyon
*1 Sunbillow Verge
*1 Sundown Pass
*1 Sunken Citadel
*1 Sunscorched Divide
*1 Three Tree City
[/Lands]"></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mog, Moogle Warrior" href="#" target="_blank">Mog, Moogle Warrior</a> has been an absolute delight to tinker with. Any player looking for a Boros list will be able to do something with Mog. He's both powerful and versatile, while allowing for the perfect amount of politicking. Opponents who take the card draw will quickly find themselves struggling to choose between keeping Mog around for the filtering or getting buried under an avalanche of massive Moogle tokens.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read the deck tech. I'm <a href="http://linktr.ee/commandzoe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Command Zoe</a>, be sure to follow me across the socials so you don't miss any of content, like last week's <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/growing-up-fast-a-rydia-summoner-of-mist-commander-deck-tech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Growing up Fast: A Rydia, Summoner of Mist Commander Deck Tech</a>.
Until next time, hope to catch you slingin' Moogle tokens out there.

Straight Up Moggin' - A Mog, Moogle Warrior Commander Deck Tech

<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rydia, Summoner of Mist" href="#" target="_blank">Rydia, Summoner of Mist</a> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/user-5c85a8936304b898" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yumi Yaoshida</a>
Hello everyone, and welcome to my first article in the big leagues! I'm <a href="http://linktr.ee/commandzoe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Command Zoe</a>, and for anyone that doesn't know me yet, I'm a Magic writer and streamer that's been playing since Urza's block. I started playing Commander back when it was still called Elder Dragon Highlander. My chops include winning a junior GP, making a deck that got a card banned, writing an article that got an Alchemy card nerfed out of existence, and hitting #1 on the Arena ladder. I've been writing about Magic since 2020, and have been at <a href="https://cardgamer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cardgamer.com</a> since the beginning of January this year. I started streaming at the beginning of this year, and was recently chosen as a Featured Creator for MagicCon Atlanta. I'm so excited to be given the chance to bring my Commander knowledge here to EDHREC for you all.
Today I'm doing a deck tech on one of my very favorite Final Fantasy characters of all time, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rydia, Summoner of Mist" href="#" target="_blank">Rydia, Summoner of Mist</a>. She's a character from Final Fantasy IV who begins the game as the party's white mage. Halfway through the story there's an accident, and it appears Rydia dies being thrown overboard and eaten by Leviathan. However, she's actually taken by the beast to the land of Eidolons (the name for summons in that game) where time moves differently, and she grows up into an adult off screen. When she eventually returns to the party she's a powerful black mage capable of not only calling forth powerful Summons, but also backing up those Summons with an arsenal of powerful spells. Let's take a look at how that translated to the Magic card.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rydia, Summoner of Mist"></div></div>
First I play Rydia, then I get rid a' ya'.
<h2>What Does Rydia, Summoner of Mist Do?</h2>
The game plan is fairly straight-forward. We play Rydia early enough that we can ramp and use Rydia's landfall ability to fill the graveyard with Saga creatures by discarding them. After setup is complete, we use all that mana from ramping to bring those Saga creatures back with Rydia's Summon ability.
There's a small wrinkle in that it doesn't necessarily need to bring back a creature Saga, but the card clearly wants you to because it also gives the Saga it returns haste; there'd be no need to give it haste if it was exclusively intended to bring back noncreature Sagas. Rydia also puts a finality counter on the Saga in an attempt to keep players from repeatedly cycling the same Saga ad infinitum.
Finally, and quite notably, Rydia is very fragile, having only two toughness and no defensive keywords. If she's viewed as a threat, she's very easy to destroy, so she'll need some help staying alive.
The most exciting thing about Rydia for me is that there has never been a Gruul () commander like her. Red-green reanimation is not something that has been explored a lot in Magic. The closest I can think of is the mono-red card <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Feldon of the Third Path" href="#" target="_blank">Feldon of the Third Path</a>, who brings back creatures as artifact tokens for one turn. However, Feldon neither has an ability to set himself up, nor can he bring back cards for multiple turns. He's also unable to use green cards to help keep card advantage, remove enchantments, or diversify his selection of bombs to reanimate.
The one thing we need to be wary of when crafting a deck like this is that there simply aren't very many Summon cards, so we'll need to be lenient with our bombs and work around them to make the strategy work. It won't be as simple as Reanimator decks in other colors because the card quality of what we're returning is not on the same level as, say, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archon of Cruelty" href="#" target="_blank">Archon of Cruelty</a>. Because of that there is an instant and sorcery sub-theme, as several of the summon cards available care about them.
<h2>Key Cards for Rydia, Summoner of Mist</h2>
<h3>Summon Sagas</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Summon: Titan"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Summon: Bahamut"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Summon: Kujata"></div></div>
These are your best boys.
I started by adding all the available Summon cards that I could, but after some testing I found that <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Summon: Brynhildr" href="#" target="_blank">Summon: Brynhildr</a> was just not good for our plan. The first chapter on it is decent, but the second two are completely irrelevant when our commander already gives all our Sagas haste. Also, a 2/1 for two mana isn't very good when we'd rather be playing our commander on turn two.
The rest of the Summon creatures we're going to need to find a way to win with, because there are only ten of them. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Summon: Bahamut" href="#" target="_blank">Summon: Bahamut</a> is the obvious juggernaut card that we want to get out as many times as possible; it's definitely the deck's most efficient way of ending the game. All three of the five-mana Summons are decently powerful options for pushing damage through, but <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Summon: Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Summon: Titan</a> in particular you can rely on to help close games. The second chapter ability is usually going to bring a ton of lands back, so the third chapter will let something hit like a truck.
All of the three- and four-mana Summons are much more utility-focused than the higher mana value ones, but cutting any of them would make the deck's threat-density flimsier than it already is. This scarcity of Summons brings up the next type of card that's needed by the deck.
<h3>Dredge and Self-Mill</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Malevolent Rumble"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aftermath Analyst"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Golgari Grave-Troll"></div></div>
My dredge cards put all the cards in the yard.
The deck needs to have a way of putting more cards into the graveyard. One per turn isn't consistent enough because it relies too much on drawing one of only ten cards, and hoping it's one that's good enough to win with. So there are several cards added for which the main goal is to get more than one or two cards into the yard per turn.
Dredge cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Life from the Loam" href="#" target="_blank">Life from the Loam</a> work great with Rydia's landfall effect, as they're not only a great way to fill the yard, but also will give a consistent way to return them to hand. The sequence is as follows: cast Loam to get three lands, then play one of those lands, discard another, get Loam back with dredge 3.
Another great self-mill card in the list is <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wreck and Rebuild" href="#" target="_blank">Wreck and Rebuild</a>. Its versatility really shines in this deck. It can ramp while netting four additional cards into the graveyard, remove a troublesome artifact or enchantment, and can still be useful if it gets milled into the graveyard by another self-mill effect because of flashback.
There are also two self-mill cards that can double as ways to get cards back from the graveyard. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aftermath Analyst" href="#" target="_blank">Aftermath Analyst</a> can make a ton of Rydia triggers at once and help filter down to the Sagas if they aren't coming up early, and the ramp is always good for Rydia's summon ability. The other is <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shigeki, Jukai Visionary" href="#" target="_blank">Shigeki, Jukai Visionary</a>, whose channel effect can be critical for getting key cards that get milled back to hand. There's also a neat interaction between Shigeki and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Peerless Recycling" href="#" target="_blank">Peerless Recycling</a> where they can keep getting each other back plus another card, and at instant speed!
<h3>Dealing With Finality Counters</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Power Conduit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gemrazer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloudstone Curio"></div></div>
What do these three cards have in common?
The final problem the scarcity of Summons presents is the finality counter that Rydia puts on them. The strategy gets too inconsistent if it keeps losing Summons to exile. It means Rydia would only have 10 total chances with her second ability to close out a win, and not all of those are game-winning targets. So a way is needed around these finality counters.
The most obvious way is to simply remove the counters from them, but the options are limited. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Power Conduit" href="#" target="_blank">Power Conduit</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hexavus" href="#" target="_blank">Hexavus</a> are obvious inclusions, as is <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nesting Grounds" href="#" target="_blank">Nesting Grounds</a>, which has the added villainous-synergy of moving those finality counters onto our opponents' creatures.
Mutate cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gemrazer" href="#" target="_blank">Gemrazer</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Migratory Greathorn" href="#" target="_blank">Migratory Greathorn</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sawtusk Demolisher" href="#" target="_blank">Sawtusk Demolisher</a> have an interesting interaction with the new Saga creatures. If you mutate on top of them, they stop being Saga-type. This means they will stop gaining lore counters, which allows them to not be sacrificed into exile when they reach their final chapter. It unfortunately means they will also stop gaining lore counters, but if they get proliferated to their final chapter they will still retain the textbox, so the final chapter would still trigger, but without the downside of getting sacrificed.
Lastly, using <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloudstone Curio" href="#" target="_blank">Cloudstone Curio</a> to return a Summon to hand that has a finality counter on it is another way around the exile effect. It also lets you bounce your own lands back to your hand so you never miss a land drop, and can then discard those returned Summons to reanimate them over and over.
<h2>How Does This Rydia, Summoner of Mist Commander Deck Win?</h2>
The win conditions in this deck are straightforward: get out large Summon creatures repeatedly and attack your opponents with them. So despite Reanimator not being typically featured in Gruul, Rydia still manages to pull off the vibes of the color pairing quite well. The go-to win card is <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Summon: Bahamut" href="#" target="_blank">Summon: Bahamut</a>. Combine its third chapter effect with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Weaver of Harmony" href="#" target="_blank">Weaver of Harmony</a> and a decent board state, and the game can end on the spot. This can also work with the third chapter on <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Summon: Kujata" href="#" target="_blank">Summon: Kujata</a>, depending on what's discarded. Morphing onto an unblockable <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ferropede" href="#" target="_blank">Ferropede</a> can also close a game out quickly, especially if you start putting +1/+1 counters on it.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Weaver of Harmony"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Day of the Moon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Monument to Endurance"></div></div>
Alternatively, there are two ways to win that don't involve attacking opponents directly. The first is by using <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Day of the Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Day of the Moon</a> with the counter-removers to eventually name every creature on the board. Start with each opponents' commanders, then move on to whatever else is around. It works cumulatively, so eventually every creature in their decks will get named. Just be ready when there's only one opponent left to finish them off.
The other way of winning is <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Monument to Endurance" href="#" target="_blank">Monument to Endurance</a>. Each landfall on your turn triggers it, but so does looping the channel cards in the deck on opponents' turns so that the lose three life option of Monument can be chosen repeatedly in a turn cycle. This can add up incredibly quickly, especially if you copy the Monument with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Mycosynth Gardens" href="#" target="_blank">The Mycosynth Gardens</a> for two triggers per discard.
<h2>Rydia, Summoner of Mist Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Growing Up Fast" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Rydia, Summoner of Mist
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Aftermath Analyst
*1 Arbor Elf
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Elvish Mystic
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Evolution Witness
*1 Ferropede
*1 Fyndhorn Elves
*1 Gemrazer
*1 Goblin Anarchomancer
*1 Golgari Grave-Troll
*1 Hexavus
*1 Llanowar Elves
*1 Migratory Greathorn
*1 Sanctum Weaver
*1 Sawtusk Demolisher
*1 Shigeki, Jukai Visionary
*1 Summon: Bahamut
*1 Summon: Esper Ramuh
*1 Summon: Esper Valigarmanda
*1 Summon: Fat Chocobo
*1 Summon: Fenrir
*1 Summon: G.F. Cerberus
*1 Summon: G.F. Ifrit
*1 Summon: Kujata
*1 Summon: Magus Sisters
*1 Summon: Titan
*1 Timeless Witness
*1 Weaver of Harmony
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Abrade
*1 Beast Within
*1 Cache Grab
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Guff Rewrites History
*1 Heroic Intervention
*1 Peerless Recycling
*1 Seed of Hope
*1 Tamiyo&#039;s Safekeeping
*1 Wild Magic Surge
*1 Zoyowa&#039;s Justice
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cultivate
*1 Explore
*1 Farseek
*1 Kodama&#039;s Reach
*1 Life from the Loam
*1 Magmatic Insight
*1 Malevolent Rumble
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Three Visits
*1 Wreck and Rebuild
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Cloudstone Curio
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Monument to Endurance
*1 Pip-Boy 3000
*1 Power Conduit
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Day of the Moon
*1 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki
*1 Utopia Sprawl
*1 Wild Growth
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Wrenn and Six
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Arena of Glory
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*1 Cavern of Souls
*1 Commercial District
*1 Copperline Gorge
*1 Cragcrown Pathway // Timbercrown Pathway
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Fire-Lit Thicket
*6 Forest
*1 Grove of the Burnwillows
*1 Gruul Turf
*1 Karplusan Forest
*1 Mossfire Valley
*4 Mountain
*1 Nesting Grounds
*1 Plaza of Heroes
*1 Raging Ravine
*1 Rockfall Vale
*1 Rootbound Crag
*1 Sheltered Thicket
*1 Shifting Woodland
*1 Spire Garden
*1 Stomping Ground
*1 Sunken Citadel
*1 The Mycosynth Gardens
*1 Thornspire Verge
*1 Urza&#039;s Cave
*1 Urza&#039;s Saga
*1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
[/Lands]"></div>
<h2>Final Thoughts on Finally Fantasizing about Final Fantasy</h2>
This deck is an absolute blast to play. I had so much fun trying to get it to work, and finally getting it to a place where it was able to beat a couple of my friends was very rewarding. The deck can certainly do strong things, though it can struggle with consistency. It works best in a Bracket 2 environment, but if it were going up a step, the Game Changers I'd suggest focusing on are tutors and fast mana. This deck would love both <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worldly Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Worldly Tutor</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jeska&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Jeska&#039;s Will</a>, for instance. It's not the most spikey list, but if you love Final Fantasy: IV or are a Johnny/Jenny who loves lots of synergies and landfall, give Rydia a try.
Thanks so much, everyone, for taking the time to read my first article here at EDHREC. I have been Command Zoe. Next time I'll do a deck tech on everyone's favorite little guy, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mog, Moogle Warrior" href="#" target="_blank">Mog, Moogle Warrior</a>.

Zoe Ley

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