Black Waltz No. 3Black Waltz No. 3 | Art by Lordigan

I know it's been a while since Final Fantasy came out, but I just saw the art for Black Waltz No. 3Black Waltz No. 3, and it looks way too cool to pass up.

Also, on a less important note, its abilities are pretty good. Two damage to each opponent every single time we cast a noncreature spell? Yeah, we can work with that. GuttersnipeGuttersnipe in the command zone is quite strong.

Let's Waltz!

I've built a number of decks like this, but they're usually in Izzet colors (). In those decks, blue gave us instants and sorceries aplenty, along with some helpful utilities when it comes to racking up a storm count. We also lose counterspells without blue, and with them a lot of protection.

What this means is that there's less time for dilly dallying, so we'll have to increase the pace and lean into the aggressiveness of the Rakdos () color slice.

That's how I like it though! Either we drain life totals and start swinging in for kills right away, or we make ourselves the enemy and speed up the game regardless. Sounds like a plan.

Storming Off

So obviously our main goal is to just cast as many instants and sorceries as possible. Yeah, our commander triggers on any noncreature spell, but GuttersnipeGuttersnipe does not, and we want to be making the most of that card as well. So we'll focus on nonpermanents.

Any spells that are neutral in card advantage, i.e., cantrips, are exactly what we're looking for. We can cast a Thrill of PossibilityThrill of Possibility, discard a land and draw two, and then we've got a Tormenting VoiceTormenting Voice in hand ready to be cast next. The only thing we're losing is mana, and we can easily build a reserve of that with cards like Big ScoreBig Score or Unexpected WindfallUnexpected Windfall.

Really, we're just looking for any spells that draw cards, so the black draw spells are great too:

• Sign in BloodSign in Blood
• Painful LessonPainful Lesson
• Night's WhisperNight's Whisper
• Read the BonesRead the Bones
• DiresightDiresight

There's a million of them, all with the cost of two life. But our commander evens that out across the board.

Melting Life Totals

Those cards are an engine all by themselves, but not every spell has to create card advantage. A simple Lightning BoltLightning Bolt will deal nine damage around the board for the cost of one mana, and any other removal spell will have a similarly big impact.

Even if all we do for the game is draw cards and kill creatures, we're still gonna be doing quite well. Tragic SlipTragic Slip, bam, that's six damage. CremateCremate, pow, that's another six. Opponents are trying to remove our commander? Cast Not Dead After AllNot Dead After All in response, and they take six again.

Heck, even an Arcane SignetArcane Signet will lower life totals.

But like I said before, we shouldn't lean too much into artifacts and enchantments. Why? Because a significant amount of our deck is already taken up by creatures duplicating our commander - little guys who deal damage whenever we cast spells.

GuttersnipeGuttersnipe, Firebrand ArcherFirebrand Archer, Kindlespark DuoKindlespark Duo, just one of these fellas will improve our game plan by 50-100%. And when we get multiple of them on board, it'll be a bloodbath.

We even get some extra assistance from the new Final Fantasy tokens, in the form of Wizards made by Mysidian ElderMysidian Elder and Cornered by Black MagesCornered by Black Mages.

Rakdos Lifegain?

Now that's our primary game plan, but we'd be leaving money on the table if all we did was cast instants and sorceries 'cause our commander's got a bit more to it than that.

First is the fact that it's the one dealing the damage. That means if we slap lifelink on our general, we gain as much life as its ability is taking. Which is a lot.

If we start our turn with a Toxin AnalysisToxin Analysis, by the end of it, we could easily gain 18 life or more. In most Commander games, that's an unbeatable advantage. Eternal ThirstEternal Thirst, Cartouche of AmbitionCartouche of Ambition, and Vampiric LinkVampiric Link aren't instants or sorceries, but they're worth it to permanently give our commander lifelink.

Even better, lasting lifelink can actually be achieved with one particular instant: Unexpected FangsUnexpected Fangs. It triggers all our GuttersnipeGuttersnipes and gives lifelink for more than a turn.

There are also a surprising number of instants that give both indestructible and lifelink. Orcish MedicineOrcish Medicine, Rush of VitalityRush of Vitality, and Return to ActionReturn to Action are excellent means of either protecting our commander or gaining some life. That's an unexpectedly defensive strategy for a Rakdos deck!

Of course, the other way to take advantage of our commander's damage is a lot more menacing. I'm talking about PhyresisPhyresis, the only way to give a creature infect in Pauper.

The thing is, if we put this on Black Waltz No. 3Black Waltz No. 3, it'll become a target real quick. Honestly, it might not even be worth going for the win with it, because you'd have to cast five spells in a row after playing PhyresisPhyresis, and that's assuming no one kills Black Waltz No. 3Black Waltz No. 3 mid storm.

Plus, because infect replaces damage, you won't even get anything out of the turn if you fail. And you absolutely can't bet on PhyresisPhyresis lasting a turn cycle. Still, I'm gonna include it in the deck in case a miracle hand ever arranges itself.

Finally, it's worth noting that Black Waltz No. 3Black Waltz No. 3 is a 2/2 flyer with deathtouch. That makes it very unlikely that it'll be blocked, and thanks to that, we can hook it up with a Goldvein PickGoldvein Pick or Beamtown BeatstickBeamtown Beatstick and net some extra Treasures every turn.

Why let a good attacker go to waste?

Black Waltz No. 3 Pauper Commander Deck List

And that sums up the deck. We've got a scary flying Wizard who turns the game into a death clock for our opponents, and we do our best to protect it until everyone is dead.

Aggressive in a way, but not exactly how I imagined it. In reality, we're playing very defensively as we wait for our opponents' lives to be drained, and we don't do much more than that. Man, it's almost like this deck is blue!

Oh well, I still think we got something pretty strong out of here, and I bet we can win a good few games with it.

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