Zhulodok, Void GorgerZhulodok, Void Gorger | Art by Lius Lasahido

Devoid of High Cost Cards

Hello fellow brewer and welcome back to Brew For Your Buck, where we swap out the top 10 most expensive cards in a deck with 10 budget cards that add a unique twist.

By the time you're reading this we should be well into Aetherdrift spoilers, so I hope future you (and me) is excited.

Like our mono-white Angels list from last time, we continue with our trend of color combos yet to be featured in the series. Or in this case, it's a lack of color combos. I give you EDHREC's most popular colorless commander!

Zhulodok is the most popular colorless commander by a long shot, with nearly 16,000 decks compared to Kozilek, the Great DistortionKozilek, the Great Distortion with only 6,000.

And why not? "Cascade, cascade" is a heck of an addition to the text box on big spells, especially when many of those spells are giant Eldrazi.

Sadly, many of those Eldrazi are quite expensive monetarily along with their mana value, so building a Zhulodok deck can be very expensive, with the average list coming in at a whopping $750.59. As usual, let's annihilate the top ten most expensive cards from the list:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Mana VaultMana Vault ($55.94)
               2. The One RingThe One Ring ($51.73)
               3. Emrakul, the Promised EndEmrakul, the Promised End ($44.02)
               4. Kozilek, Butcher of TruthKozilek, Butcher of Truth ($40.88)
               5. Ulamog, the Infinite GyreUlamog, the Infinite Gyre ($37.80)
               6. Ulamog, the DefilerUlamog, the Defiler ($30.14)
               7. Portal to PhyrexiaPortal to Phyrexia ($24.68)
               8. Void WinnowerVoid Winnower ($23.33)
               9. Sire of Seven DeathsSire of Seven Deaths ($20.73)
               10. Commander's PlateCommander's Plate ($19.97)

Total Value of Cuts: $349.22

Colorless decks also come with a slew of expensive lands, including Ancient TombAncient Tomb and Eye of UginEye of Ugin. Unlike other basics, WastesWastes aren't negligible cost either, so here's a quick list of colorless utility lands to consider instead:

• Darksteel Citadel ($0.95)
• Cryptic Caves ($0.17)
• Myriad Landscape ($0.18)
• Arid Archway ($0.82)

Making these swaps leads to an additional $170.58 in savings, for a total of $519.52. A massive number!

Additions

Eldrazi

Don't fret! Even with what we removed, we still a version of each Eldrazi titan in the list. Even before we removed them, the deck wasn't hard over as an Eldrazi-typal deck, but there are a few synergies that exist and we might as well take advantage of them.

First of all, Breaker of CreationBreaker of Creation ($0.28) seems like a pretty insane oversight to not include. It'll trigger Zhulodok of course and the lifegain can really matter, especially if your opponents try to team up against your horde of eldritch horrors.

That ability counts EVERY permanent in your deck and that your deck makes, so seems like a no brainer. Not to mention the built-in protection and annihilator ability.

Next up, Deceiver of FormDeceiver of Form ($0.64). Sometimes, it's a seven mana 8/8 with no text. Other times, it turns every single one of your creatures into It That BetraysIt That Betrays.

With 24 creatures in the deck, plus all of the Spawn and Scion tokens running around, this card can singlehandedly win you the game. Plus, the suspense of seeing what you flip is incredibly fun at the table.

Speaking of Spawns and Scions, how about Spawnbed ProtectorSpawnbed Protector ($4.15)? Thanks to all of you for allowing me to push the budget threshold a bit, we can include this horrifying monstrosity that can get another Eldrazi back from the dead and give you two Scions to help cast it too.

Mana Value "7" or greater

At first glance, Zhulodok's triggered ability might seem a little daunting. After all, how many seven mana spells can we really put in the deck and still get it to function?

I'll answer this question with a question: What if your spells had a mana value of 7 or greater, but don't actually cost that much to play? Enter Myr EnforcerMyr Enforcer ($0.55) and friends.

With 26 artifacts in the deck, this should often cost you way less than that, maybe even zero mana. Cast it, cascade twice, and get a 4/4.

Metalwork ColossusMetalwork Colossus ($2.11) works much in the same way, but can even be recurred out of the graveyard in case you want a 10/10 and two cascades.

Combine with a sac outlet, like Ingenuity EngineIngenuity Engine ($0.07) since it triple cascades with Zhulodok, and we start to get into the "flip my deck onto the battlefield" territory.

It's always good to have another finisher, and The Capitoline TriadThe Capitoline Triad ($3.60) is it. We get a big cost reduction like the Enforcer and Colossus, but that activated ability which gives us AN EMBLEM is absolutely bonkers in a deck with such a high average mana value.

Kind of like Deceiver of FormDeceiver of Form, the game will be over fast if you do this on a board full of Spawns, Scions, and other Eldrazi.

Colorless is More

Rounding it out with a few colorless support cards, we have Horizon StoneHorizon Stone ($0.87) and Null Elemental BlastNull Elemental Blast ($0.28). Horizon Stone acts as a big mana battery, storing up any and all unspent mana until your opponents can deal with it.

Activate any of your colorless mana sources right before you untap, and all that mana is available at the start of your turn. If anyone asks you to pay for Rhystic StudyRhystic Study, you can give them a smug grin and say "yes, forever".

Meanwhile, Null Elemental BlastNull Elemental Blast can make for a MASSIVE blowout since opponents won't be expecting the counterspell from a deck without blue.

Some of the most backbreaking cards in Commander (looking at you, Ruinous UltimatumRuinous Ultimatum) are multicolored, and can really save your bacon by being a counterspell, or operate pretty darn close to "destroy target commander" for one mana.

Now, in the biggest buried lead of all time, here is the ONE CARD you need to add to this list if you don't like anything else I've suggested. Wondrous CrucibleWondrous Crucible ($1.43) is a messed up Magic card, especially in an Eldrazi deck.

Besides the fact that it gives all of your permanents (including itself) Ward , every turn it'll cast a random nonland card from your graveyard.

The key here is that it will cast it, meaning you get the cast triggers on your Eldrazi. One note - it won't work with Zhulodok because it's not casting them from your hand, but that is a minor downside for a cad that has so, so much upside.

Wrap Up & Savings

Let's see what we saved:

While the savings percentage is nice, that total amount is really something. We removed thirteen cards that together cost more than many of the starting points of most average lists for decks we've reviewed.

The total remaining is still over $200, not exactly a budget deck, but remember: we play the long game here. Spend that $230 for 87/100 of the original cards in the $730 list, and spend way less upgrading it over time.

Did I miss anything? What colorless decks do you run and what cool tech do you have for them? Let me know in the comments!

And don't forget, if you want me to do a deck tech for your deck and have it featured in a future article, send an email to [email protected] with the subject "BFYB Deck Tech", include an Archidekt link, and include a few sentences about the goals for your deck. Until then, I'll see you next time when we brew for your buck!

Please note: card prices listed in this article are accurate at the time of writing, but prices can vary over time and between locations.

Brian Cain

Brian played Magic intermittently between 2003 and 2017 when he fully embraced his love for Commander. Finding ways to maximize the value of each piece of cardboard in the deck is one of his favorite things to explore, especially if it involves putting lands in the graveyard! Outside of Magic, Brian works as a consultant in the marine industry, turning his passion for boats and ships into a career.