Felothar, Dawn of the AbzanFelothar, Dawn of the Abzan | Art by Victor Adame Minguez

Welcome back to Bottom of the Barrel! 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!

Today's episode is focused around a creature type that has been supported with two separate precons, one of which was released relatively recently. Even though the recent release was met with mixed feelings due to the return of the eminence mechanic, the precon itself was very well made. This creature type, of course, is Knights.

The first two precons covered different design spaces for this creature type: Syr Gwyn, Hero of AshvaleSyr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale led a deck that presented Knights with an Equipment-flair, and Sidar Jabari of ZhalfirSidar Jabari of Zhalfir explored a Reanimation-centered space. These two commanders helm 3,273 and 6,820 decks, respectively.

Outside of these commanders, there's not much in the way of Knight-typal decks, aside from maybe Aryel, Knight of WindgraceAryel, Knight of Windgrace.

Today, I wanted to see if we could have a functioning Knight-typal deck outside of these few commanders. According to EDHREC, there are only 27 Knight-typal decks in Abzan, so that's where we're starting. You may be asking: "Why Abzan?" Well, it allows us to still play all the cool Orzhov Knights while giving us access to green's strengths. Felothar, Dawn of the AbzanFelothar, Dawn of the Abzan felt like the perfect option for this.

Before diving into the list, allow me to set the record straight right away: Yes, this is a Templar KnightTemplar Knight deck, so when you see the price of the deck, that's why it's so high. An uncommon for five dollars is rough when you run twenty copies in a deck.

With that out of the way, let's get started.

Category #1: Legendary Artifacts

Now that I've explained that this is a Templar KnightTemplar Knight deck, it's important to discuss the big pieces we're looking for when we can activate its ability.

First up, we have arguably the best card in our entire deck: Thrumming StoneThrumming Stone. This card lets us dig deeper for our Templar Knights, and each time we find one off of the ripple 4 ability, it triggers again. In a regular Templar Knight deck, Thrumming Stone could mean game over, but we're only running 20 copies of Templar Knight, so it's possible that we whiff a few times.

Bolas's CitadelBolas's Citadel is a Game Changer for a reason. It's an insane card, and if we can rip through our deck using our life total, we'll be in a crazy position. Just be careful; you don't want to overextend and then die at the hands of a (rightfully) concerned table.

There's not a single card in all of Magic that makes me laugh with glee more than The Great HengeThe Great Henge. That's only a little bit of sarcasm; it's super fun to play, but not so much fun to play against. The card is ridiculously good, and has thus held a ridiculous price tag since its printing. You can skip on this one, but this card only makes your deck better.

This next one may be a sleeper pick, but it has consistently overperformed in every game I've seen it in: Hylda's Crown of WinterHylda's Crown of Winter. It grants the ability to tap down blockers or potential attackers, but it can also easily draw ten to fifteen cards after someone full swings.

Whip of ErebosWhip of Erebos is crucial to our game plan because we will be attacked, and even if we aren't, we have Bolas's CitadelBolas's Citadel in the deck. This artifact could be the difference between life and death for us.

Last, but not least: Akroma's MemorialAkroma's Memorial. This is the finisher of all finishers. We play it, we probably win.

Category #2: Our Supporting Cast

Only putting in twenty Templar KnightTemplar Knights was a conscious decision. I still wanted the deck to feel like a Knight-typal deck even if we couldn't go off with Templar KnightTemplar Knights. Here are a few "supporting cast" Knights:

Haakon, Stromgald ScourgeHaakon, Stromgald Scourge is a sweet way to recur our Knights over and over again.

Murderous RiderMurderous Rider and Westfold RiderWestfold Rider are great pieces of removal that satisfy our theme.

Steward of ValeronSteward of Valeron is a Knight that's also ramp, which is hilarious.

Guardian of FaithGuardian of Faith, Paladin Danse, Steel MaverickPaladin Danse, Steel Maverick, and Knight ExemplarKnight Exemplar are excellent ways to protect our board.

Dion, Bahamut's DominantDion, Bahamut's Dominant, Corpse KnightCorpse Knight, Smitten SwordmasterSmitten Swordmaster, Kinsbaile CavalierKinsbaile Cavalier, and Moonshaker CavalryMoonshaker Cavalry are all excellent finishers that are also Knights!

Category #3: Recursion and "Secret Spice"

Recursion is important to any deck strategy, and this deck in particular has some spicy includes.

First, Raise the PastRaise the Past is an underrated recursion piece that can bring back our entire graveyard of Templar KnightTemplar Knights (or other creatures with mana cost two or less)!

Knights' ChargeKnights' Charge acts as an amazing way to drain our opponents early and reanimate our graveyard late.

Our "secret spice" recursion pieces are Bloodbond MarchBloodbond March and RemembranceRemembrance. Bloodbond MarchBloodbond March turns all Templar KnightTemplar Knights into mass reanimation spells for any other Templar KnightTemplar Knights in our graveyard, and RemembranceRemembrance lets us go get another Templar KnightTemplar Knight if one were to die.

Closing Thoughts

"A deck can have any number of" cards are not everyone's cup of tea, but I think this deck still retains the spirit of a Knight-typal deck while being able to do silly things with Templar Knights. Ironically enough, I built two different decks for this article: one that had Templar Knights and one that didn't have them. The Templar Knight plan was way too cool to let go of.

Check out my decklist below!

Felothar, Dawn of the Abzan Commander Deck List

More Knights: