Tayam, Luminous EnigmaTayam, Luminous Enigma | art by Sam Burley

Imagine this: You got incredibly hyped for Tarkir: Dragonstorm, so you went to prerelease and left with prize packs on top of the bulk from another very nice player! However, it didn't end there... You also host a draft at your house and end up with even more boosters than you expected by the end of it.

One question keeps coming to your mind as that pile of bulk rapidly amasses... "What am I supposed to do with all of these cards?!"

Well, if you're me, you don't have to imagine this, because this is my reality. I currently have way more new singles on my hands than I was prepared for, but I'm not complaining! Since this set is so stacked from the commons up to the mythics, it got me thinking.

Was there a commander from Magic's past that synergizes perfectly some of the core mechanics from this set? Well, the answer to the question turned out to be a resounding yes!

Enter Tayam, Luminous Enigma

Both the Sultai and Abzan clans have strong counter and graveyard synergies throughout the set. So, with that in mind, there was a commander that stood out among the rest when I was looking for the best headliner for this bulk fest!

Tayam, Luminous EnigmaTayam, Luminous Enigma gives us access to three colors as well as a way to utilize both counters and the spells in your graveyard. This allowed me to find plenty of great cards in the main set to build towards a full 99, however we might need a little bit more glue to hold this thing together!

The Decklist

As you will see in the list below, there are fourteen cards from other sets that will help the deck become much more well-rounded, plus there's also a list of budget lands that can help fix your mana.

The best part about all of those outside inclusions is the fact that you could pick them up for about $14. On top of that, there's a good chance that you already own a few of those cards, since most of them are staples, or from recent sets!

The main gameplan for this deck is to build counters on your creatures and then cash them in for value with Tayam. New cards with the endure mechanic, like Fortress Kin-GuardFortress Kin-Guard, help you with building those counters or building up your ranks. Creatures with Renew, such as Champion of DusanChampion of Dusan, allow you to exile them from your graveyard to put specific counters onto one of the key pieces on your board.

To assist those mechanics, the deck is filled with payoffs for having counters on your team, or helping you fill your graveyard so that you can recur something even more suited for whatever situation you're in.

So, take a look at the list down below, and then I'll highlight some of the best cards that can help this bulk deck put up a fight at most Commander tables!

Key Cards from Dragonstorm

This deck's biggest strength is found in its counter synergies, so prioritizing engine pieces that stack those onto your team will be your main priority. The fact that your commander ensures you get at least one vigilance counter on any creature that enters under your control makes it very pivotal in your gameplan.

A few other cards in the deck that build up your board with counters is Warden of the GroveWarden of the Grove, Barrensteppe SiegeBarrensteppe Siege, Stalwart SuccessorStalwart Successor and Felothar, Dawn of the AbzanFelothar, Dawn of the Abzan. After playtesting the deck, I can tell you not to be too precious about your counters as the game goes on.

Since Tayam, Luminous EnigmaTayam, Luminous Enigma can trade three of them in for a permanent in your graveyard, if you find yourself stalling out in the match, pull the trigger and recur a new value piece!

Some more cards from the main set that just hum in this deck are Hollowmurk SiegeHollowmurk Siege and Yathan TombguardYathan Tombguard, becoming powerful draw engines when paired with your counter stacked creatures.

Duty Beyond DeathDuty Beyond Death and Lightfoot TechniqueLightfoot Technique act as both protection and fit in with all the other counter makers in your deck.

You even have strong game ending spells like Synchronized ChargeSynchronized Charge and Revival of the AncestorsRevival of the Ancestors to assist with buffing your board for a big alpha strike!

Great Includes from Outside the Set

Since most of the cards in the list are from a standard set, it needed a little help with the normal fruits and veggies that every deck needs: ramp, card draw, removal and a few more counter-centric pieces.

While you could still try to make this deck with only cards from Dragonstorm, spending just a little bit more to pick up these fourteen cards will help you have a fighting chance against other bracket 2 Core, and even bracket 3 Upgraded matchups.

To assist with card draw we have DiresightDiresight, StargazeStargaze and High-Society HunterHigh-Society Hunter which will also help fill your graveyard with more reanimation targets for your commander. Return of the WildspeakerReturn of the Wildspeaker and Trash the TownTrash the Town can put cards in your hand and/or add some additional punching power to the deck!

Synergistic ramp can be found with cards like Rishkar, Peema RenegadeRishkar, Peema Renegade, Song of FreyaliseSong of Freyalise, Wall of RootsWall of Roots and Armored ScrapgorgerArmored Scrapgorger. In the case of those last two, they will generate mana, as well as counters; which your commander can then remove to bring something back from your graveyard.

Winding ConstrictorWinding Constrictor and Managorger HydraManagorger Hydra are both huge counter-generating engines, which will allow your gameplan to snowball even faster. Revitalizing RepastRevitalizing Repast acts as more protection for the deck, as well as an additional land drop when you need it.

CankerbloomCankerbloom doesn't just give you the option to remove an opponent's pesky artifact or enchantment, but it can also proliferate all the counters on your board. Finally, we have DamnDamn acting as either targeted removal or a boardwipe when it's needed!

On top of those fourteen cards, you'll see I added a list of budget lands to assist you with your fixing, without breaking the bank. Even if you don't want to grab those exact singles, picking up a few solid dual lands will ensure you can cast all the spells you need to in this three-color deck.

The Wrap Up!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this trip through your bulk piles as much as I have. Dragonstorm, is an amazing set, and the fact that a huge percentage of this deck comes from the main set is just a testament to that! If you would like to test out the deck for yourself, as well as see the 'maybe' board for more possible includes, you can do that right here on my Archidekt.