(Inquisitor EisenhornInquisitor Eisenhorn|Art by Jake Murray)

Introduction

Welcome to Borderland Explorer, the new EDHREC series that takes a closer look at commanders that are right on the border of popularity – not too obscure, but nowhere near the “Top Commanders” front page either.

For this series, I’m choosing the 1,200-deck mark as a grounding point. (These rules aren’t super strict – as we’ll see this week, commanders leading around 900 or 1300 decks will do just fine).

In this series we will:

1. Identify a commander that falls into the 1,200-deck range for each allied two-color pair
2. Highlight unique and interesting game plan(s) for this commander
3. Outline the advantages and challenges of these strategies
4. Build a budget-friendly deck following these plans
5. Walk through important card categories and use EDHREC synergy numbers as a starting point to talk about notable inclusions and exclusions
6. Go over upgrades for readers interested in investing more money into this strategy

The goal is to find commanders with some established traction but lots of room for exploration and innovation, so let’s get into the brewing spirit!

Moving on from white-blue last week, we are heading right into the next allied color pair, blue-black. filtering by number of decks, I don’t see a lot of interesting and budget-friendly options near the 1,200 mark, but at right around 950, we see Inquisitor EisenhornInquisitor Eisenhorn. Looks very unique and budget-friendly as well!

The Game Plan(s)

I was drawn to Inquisitor Eisenhorn because there are so many interesting directions to explore. There’s the potential to make a 4/4 flying Demon4/4 flying Demon that replaces itself if your deck have a critical mass of instants and sorceries.

There’s also the ability to flood the board with ClueClue tokens, which opens up synergies with cards that care about having lots of artifacts, and/or lots of tokens. Clues also have the benefit of fueling sacrifice or card draw strategies.

Advantages and Challenges

The advantage of Inquisitor Eisenhorn – its flexibility and multitude of potential plans – can also be a downside. If you go in too many different directions trying to make different parts of the card work, you might be left with an unfocused pile.

While some versions of this deck focus on artifacts being sacrificed or dying, I’m choosing to lean into a strategy that keeps the board full of Clues and other artifacts. 

Mana Sources

Blue-black Commander decks usually rely on artifact mana – and this one is no different. Fortunately, Inquisitor Eisenhorn’s ability to make lots of Clues means we will be including many cards in the deck with artifact synergies.

Mana rocks work perfectly with cards that get biggerbigger and/or cheapercheaper when you control bunches of artifacts.

Beyond the classic signetsignet and talismantalisman, Five Hundred Year DiaryFive Hundred Year Diary is an absolute all-star and the exact kind of ramp this deck wants to see.

Finally, The IrencragThe Irencrag is absolutely perfect in this deck – it’s a 2-mana rock for a 4-mana commander, it cares about legendary creatures (like CherubaelCherubael or Eisenhorn itself), and it adds three extra power to Eisenhorn, allowing for more Clue creation. But I don’t see The Irencrag in any version of this deck on EDHREC – not even in the “Voltron” or “Equipment” builds! What is going on? Please let me know in the comments if you think I’m seriously overrating The Irencrag or if I'm missing something.

There are a few great budget-friendly lands in this color combination that mesh well with the deck’s artifact theme, like Scene of the CrimeScene of the Crime, Mistvault BridgeMistvault Bridge, Buried RuinBuried Ruin, Darksteel CitadelDarksteel Citadel, and Archway of InnovationArchway of Innovation.

Lands that can make Eisenhorn unblockable – like Rogue’s PassageRogue’s Passage – are at a premium in this deck.

I’m also including Access TunnelAccess Tunnel and even Escape TunnelEscape Tunnel because our Commander’s base power is only 2. You can target it with any of these low-power unblockable lands and then attach your equipment to get through for a massive amount of damage.

Instants and Sorceries

Eisenhorn’s first ability means we should have a decent number of instants and sorceries in our deck to create a free 4/4 flier just for playing the game. Our spells with these types mostly fall into one or more of three main categories:

1. Low-cost card draw and card selection – Think Serum VisionsSerum Visions and ThoughtcastThoughtcast
2. Removal and countermagic – Think Disruption ProtocolDisruption Protocol and Feed the SwarmFeed the Swarm 
3. Commander pump – While we will use a lot of equipment to boost Eisenhorn’s power, we also have the super efficient Distortion StrikeDistortion Strike and Hunger of the NimHunger of the Nim to get the job done while spending only a few mana. 

Artifacts Matter

Two of the top cards to pair with Inquisitor Eisenhorn are Cranial PlatingCranial Plating and NettlecystNettlecyst, highlighting the potential to have your Commander grow exponentially each turn. To complement this strategy, we have cards in the following categories:

1. “Artifacts/tokens entering matters” – Cards like Arcbound CondorArcbound Condor, Contraband KingpinContraband Kingpin, Junk WinderJunk Winder, and Mirkwood BatsMirkwood Bats
2. Keeping the board full of artifact tokens – Cards like Erdwal IlluminatorErdwal Illuminator, Ethereal InvestigatorEthereal Investigator, Academy ManufactorAcademy Manufactor, Bloodforged Battle-AxeBloodforged Battle-Axe, and “mini-Eisenhorn” Piper Wright, Publick ReporterPiper Wright, Publick Reporter
3. Spells that cost less due to large board of artifacts – Cards like BroodstarBroodstar, Junk WinderJunk Winder, Kappa CannoneerKappa Cannoneer, Thought MonitorThought Monitor, and ThoughtcastThoughtcast
4. Finishers – Cards like Brotherhood VertibirdBrotherhood Vertibird, Monumental CorruptionMonumental Corruption, BroodstarBroodstar , and the previously mentioned powerfulpowerful equipmentequipment.

Inclusions

BroodstarBroodstar (16% of low-budget decks) and Brotherhood VertibirdBrotherhood Vertibird (not on page)

The direction we’re taking this deck means cards that care about the total number of artifacts we control are at a premium. With enough Clues and mana rocks, we should be able to cast Broodstar for only a few mana. Brotherhood Vertibird can dodge sorcery speed removal and sweepers and we have a consistent way to crew it in our commander.

Both cards have built-in evasion and the potential to one-shot problematic opponents when backed up by removal and countermagic.

Anchor to RealityAnchor to Reality(28% of low-budget decks)

As mentioned above, Cranial PlatingCranial Plating and NettlecystNettlecyst are the reasons to play the deck for me – so having a tutor to find either one is really valuable. 

Hunger of the NimHunger of the Nim (<3% of total Inquisitor Eisenhorn decks)

This card’s mana cost is very low and, especially in this particular build, its upside is very high. Essentially doubling the power of an already enormous Broodstar or Brotherhood Vertibird could easily take out one of your opponents in the right situation.

Exclusions

Tangletrove KelpTangletrove Kelp and Rise and ShineRise and Shine (both 78% of low-budget decks)

At first glance, these cards are both a perfect fit – you’re going to have a board full of Clues to turn into lethal threats! However, my worry with these cards is how much mana is required to make this deck run. Between cracking Clues, holding up countermagic, using removal to deal with blockers, and moving equipment around, six or seven mana is a lot to invest in a win condition.

You can already deal huge chunks of damage for much less of a mana and board commitment with cards like BroodstarBroodstar, Kappa CannoneerKappa Cannoneer, or stacking Equipment on an evasive Demon tokenevasive Demon token. The other downside of these cards is if you don’t win on the spot, opposing Wrath effects (which are usually pretty ineffective against this creature-light deck) can now wipe away most of your board.

Inspiring StatuaryInspiring Statuary (72% of low-budget decks)

Looking through the list, there simply are not that many expensive nonartifact cards in the deck (Inquisitor Eisenhorn with commander tax is a notable exception). Due to Clues serving as a mana sink in the late game, this deck’s curve pretty much ends at four. Cards that appear more expensive mostly already have improvise or affinity. In my opinion, Archway of InnovationArchway of Innovation is a better version of this effect to help cast your Commander in the late game and only requires a land slot.

Artifact sacrifice/dying cards 

If you are planning to create a version of Inquisitor Eisenhorn more focused on sacrifice, cards with high synergy scores include Moonstone EulogistMoonstone Eulogist, Nadier’s NightbladeNadier’s Nightblade, Marionette MasterMarionette Master, Persuasive InterrogatorsPersuasive Interrogators, Disciple of the VaultDisciple of the Vault, Marionette ApprenticeMarionette Apprentice, and Eloise, Nephalia SleuthEloise, Nephalia Sleuth (which might just be a better commander if you want to try this strategy instead). I am excluding these cards not because I think they are bad, but because I do not want to dilute the “go-wide” strategy I am choosing to build around instead.

Decklist

Deck Checklist

52 Mana Sources (41 lands + mdfcs, 11 mana rocks)

8 Card Draw

15 Targeted Removal/Counterspells

2 Board Wipes

4 Finishers

Mid-Budget Upgrades

$40 is a great starting point, but what if you really connect with this commander and want to invest a bit more into your deck? Let's go through some important categories and find some higher-budget cards in the <$20 range that can improve this deck's strategies.

Salt-Inducing Power

When the Inquisitor Eisenhorn spoiler was first discussed on Reddit, the top comment was simply "Time Sieve", to which another user responded "Hey buddy. Please. Please stop."

So yes, Time SieveTime Sieve is a powerful upgrade, often enabling you to take infinite turns with your commander's Clue-generating ability. But making everyone else at the table sit through tons of extra turns isn't very fun. So maybe check in with your playgroup before you go too wild.

Another upgrade is Urza, Lord High ArtificerUrza, Lord High Artificer – turning your Clues into mana, creating a huge ConstructConstruct token, and letting you flip cards for free off the top of your deck!

However, be warned! Urza's power has landed it in the Top 100 Saltiest Cards list, so it may garner a similar reaction as Time Sieve.

Artifact Search

As mentioned above, Cranial PlatingCranial Plating and NettlecystNettlecyst are Eisenhorn's best friends. In the budget-friendly version of the deck, Anchor to RealityAnchor to Reality can grab them, but FabricateFabricate, ReshapeReshape, and Whir of InventionWhir of Invention are some mid-budget upgrades that can increase your access to these powerful equipment or other important artifacts.

Evasion/Protection

Winged BootsWinged Boots is also a great fit, as it can give Eisenhorn a powerful combination of both evasion and soft protection from removal for a low mana investment.

My Top Choice

Tezzeret, Master of the BridgeTezzeret, Master of the Bridge does a great job reducing Eisenhorn's commander tax if the game goes long and also acts as recursion and a finisher. It's my choice for the best upgrade for this deck that is consistent and powerful (but not so powerful that you become public enemy number one).

Conclusion

So there you have it, a closer look at Inquisitor Eisenhorn, a commander on the border of popularity with a whole ton of deckbuilding potential. See you next time on Borderland Explorer, when we look for a black-red commander with some brewing promise!

Ezra Sassaman

Based in Maine, Ezra started playing Magic around when Ravnica: City of Guilds came out and hasn't looked back since! Besides Commander, he enjoys any format where you can look across the whole history of the game, so Cube drafting has a special place in his heart!