Kurkesh, Onakke AncientKurkesh, Onakke Ancient, Slawomir Maniak

Anyone looking to slot an Ogre into their command zone isn't exactly spoiled for choice. There are 12 options to choose from and three of them are just differentdifferent variantsvariants of HidetsuguHidetsugu. While sadly there aren't any great Ogre typal options, at least not until we inevitably get Universes Beyond: Shrek, there are Ogres that incentivize a wide variety of novel strategies.

Today we'll be looking at the 2nd least popular Ogre commander of all time. Kurkesh, Onakke AncientKurkesh, Onakke Ancient was released in Core Set 2015, the same set that gave us Reclamation SageReclamation Sage. Despite having more than 11 years to build up popularity, there are only 463 Kurkesh decks logged on EDHREC. Let's give this overlooked Ogre his dues, and see the untapped potential that he has to offer.

What Does Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient Do?

Kurkesh, Onakke AncientKurkesh, Onakke Ancient can copy the non-mana generating activated abilities of your artifacts by paying a single red mana. You can tell when an ability is an activated ability because it's preceded by a cost followed by a colon. The ability of Bottle GnomesBottle Gnomes is an example of an activated ability, sacrificing the gnomes is the cost, and the payoff is gaining three life. What's useful about Kurkesh is that he copies the payoff of the ability without duplicating the cost. So in the Bottle Gnomes example above, you could pay one red to gain an additional three life without having to make any more sacrifices.

Of course, there are far more useful abilities available to copy than the life gain provided by Bottle Gnomes. You can take extra turns by copying the ability of Gonti's Aether HeartGonti's Aether Heart, deal out massive damage by copying the ability of Dragonspark ReactorDragonspark Reactor, or bring multiple powerful artifacts into play from your deck by copying the ability of Kuldotha ForgemasterKuldotha Forgemaster.

The most useful thing about Kurkesh though is that he enables all manner of infinite combos. You just need some artifacts that can untap other artifacts, like Voltaic KeyVoltaic Key, Manifold KeyManifold Key, and Sonic ScrewdriverSonic Screwdriver, and some artifacts that generate 3+ mana, like Gilded LotusGilded Lotus, Basalt Monolith, or Thran DynamoThran Dynamo. Tap your Guilded Lotus to generate three red, then tap Voltaic Key for one mana, and pay an additional mana to copy its effect using Kurkesh. This will let you untap both the Lotus and the Voltaic Key, leaving you one red mana left, and enabling you to loop this over and over again to generate infinite red. Once you've done that, it's just a matter of casting a burn spell with X in its cost that can hit multiple targets, like FireballFireball or Comet StormComet Storm, and then it's game over.

The Average Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient Deck

With just 463 decks to his name, Kurkesh, Onakke AncientKurkesh, Onakke Ancient has a small following. The EDH average deck feature will take all 463 of these decks and produce a list with the most common cards that appear in each of them. Let's see what that looks like.

This one's a real mixed bag. On the one hand, we've got all the tools for generating infinite mana using Kurkesh's ability. The mana generating artifacts and untap enabling artifacts described in the previous section are all here. On the other hand, there doesn't seem to be any significant payoffs for generating infinite mana. With no FireballFireball or Comet StormComet Storm in sight there's no convenient way of immediately closing out the game once you've got infinite mana. You could use the ability of Bosh, Iron GolemBosh, Iron Golem to close the game out at that stage, but this is a pretty long-winded way of going about things. On top of the recommendations outlined below, be sure to add both Comet Storm and Fireball to the deck.

There's also a surprising amount of charge counter synergy here, with cards like Magistrate's ScepterMagistrate's Scepter, CoretapperCoretapper, and Titan ForgeTitan Forge. The Scepter and Titan Forge both have powerful activated abilities for Kurkesh to copy once they're done charging up. You may want to expand this strategy and run more charge counter cards, and some proliferate effects to support them.

While there aren't currently any energy cards in this deck, there are plenty of artifacts that interact with energy counters that have interesting activated abilities, like Aetherflux ConduitAetherflux Conduit, Aether RefineryAether Refinery, and Gonti's Aether HeartGonti's Aether Heart, so you potentially retool the deck to focus on that if you want a really unique build.

When we come to look at this deck's budget, two cards immediately jump out as being much more costly than anything else here. Urza's SagaUrza's Saga, which costs about $40, and Goblin WelderGoblin Welder which costs about $20. Cutting these two cards alone shaves a significant amount off the deck's cost. While they're both very powerful, neither of them aren't replicable. Getting rid of Unwinding ClockUnwinding Clock and Inventors' FairInventors' Fair will also save you just over $30.

Five Cards to Keep for Kurkesh

Burnished HartBurnished Hart

Currently in 67% of decks

Burnished Hart'sBurnished Hart's best days are behind it. This card was once a ramping all-star, but as Commander has become increasingly fast paced, many players simply aren't willing to commit to sinking six mana into fetching two lands over two turns. Kurkesh, Onakke AncientKurkesh, Onakke Ancient enables Burnished Hart to fetch twice as many lands, for only a single extra mana. Fetching four lands, rather than two, makes this card significantly more appealing, and revitalizes its viability. This old Elk may be burnished, but it's certainly not tarnished.

Daretti, Scrap SavantDaretti, Scrap Savant

Currently in 62% of decks

Daretti, Scrap SavantDaretti, Scrap Savant slots comfortably into any artifact-centric deck in red. It lets you load up your graveyard using its first loyalty ability, and then the second loyalty ability lets you swap artifacts in play with the artifacts you've just discarded. This card costs a lot less cash than Goblin WelderGoblin Welder, and provides the same invaluable recursion.

The Millennium CalendarThe Millennium Calendar

The Millennium Calendar

Currently in 41% of decks

Here at Under the Radar, we love cheesy alternative win cons, and in this deck The Millennium CalendarThe Millennium Calendar is as viable as it could hope to be. There are plenty of cards here like Voltaic KeyVoltaic Key, Clock of OmensClock of Omens, and Manifold KeyManifold Key that can untap it, letting it repeat its effect. The commander also duplicates the effect, and you can even keep Slobad, Goblin TinkererSlobad, Goblin Tinkerer to keep this card safe while you're building up your counters. Winning a game with the The Millennium CalendarThe Millennium Calendar is on every Magic player's bucket list, and with Kurkesh, Onakke AncientKurkesh, Onakke Ancient it's possible to make that dream come true.

Magistrate's ScepterMagistrate's Scepter

Magistrate's Scepter

Currently in 47% of decks

Taking an extra turn is great; taking two in a row is phenomenal. Magistrate's ScepterMagistrate's Scepter is admittedly awkward to charge up, but by copying its effect with Kurkesh, Onakke AncientKurkesh, Onakke Ancient you'll be taking more turns than you know what to do with. There's even an infinite turn combo already built into the deck, as we're running this alongside CoretapperCoretapper. By using Coretapper to place more charge counters on Magistrate's Scepter during your extra turns, you'll be able to ensure that it's constantly charged up enough to give you an endless stream of turns.

Sculpting SteelSculpting Steel

Sculpting Steel

Currently in 45% of decks

Copying cards is a way of getting around the singleton limitation of EDH, so Sculpting SteelSculpting Steel can act as a second copy of the best artifact in play. Nobody has ever said no to a second Sol RingSol Ring, let alone another Gilded LotusGilded Lotus or Sonic ScrewdriverSonic Screwdriver. You can use this alongside Liquimetal TorqueLiquimetal Torque to copy any non-land card in play and sculpt your strategy in innovative new directions.

Five Cards To Cut

Lux CannonLux Cannon

Lux Cannon

Currently in 45% of decks

This deck has several great uses for charge counters; we've already talked about using Magistrate's ScepterMagistrate's Scepter to take extra turns. You can also chuck out 9/9 Golems with Titan ForgeTitan Forge, or generate huge amounts of mana using Everflowing ChaliceEverflowing Chalice. Compared to its counterparts, or even to Transmogrifying WandTransmogrifying Wand, Lux CannonLux Cannon just can't stack up. It takes tapping Lux Cannon four times in order to destroy a single creature. Even using support cards like Manifold KeyManifold Key or Voltaic KeyVoltaic Key, that's simply too much effort to destroy one permanent.

Thrill of PossibilityThrill of Possibility

Thrill of Possibility

Currently in 28% of decks

This card simply isn't as thrilling as its name implies. Thrill of PossibilityThrill of Possibility, while strictly better than Tormenting VoiceTormenting Voice, just isn't what we're looking for from a draw spell in this deck. It's better to have draw effects tied to artifacts like Trading PostTrading Post, Collector's VaultCollector's Vault, and Endless AtlasEndless Atlas that can be copied by Kurkesh, Onakke AncientKurkesh, Onakke Ancient. Demand AnswersDemand Answers is a strict upgrade to this card, as it synergizes with this deck's artifact theme and is already in this list. The possibilities here are unfortunately far from endless.

Pia's RevolutionPia's Revolution

Pia's Revolution

Currently in 33% of decks

Giving your opponent a choice is usually not a great move in Commander. Pia's RevolutionPia's Revolution may look like it has the potential to be a powerful recursion effect, but more often than not it ends up just being a Lava SpikeLava Spike that goes off a few times without majorly impacting the game. If you're cunning, and you're able to do a bit of politicking, then you might just be able to get some artifacts back with this, but that's you putting in the work and not the card itself. It's always better to build up a board presence than to throw damage at the opponent's face, and this card often only accomplishes that.

Iron MyrIron Myr

Iron Myr

Currently in 36% of decks

Iron MyrIron Myr is no Tony StarkTony Stark, and this little guy would never be able to take on Thanos. This deck has a huge number of cards that pump out mana, and Iron MyrIron Myr and Fire DiamondFire Diamond sit at the bottom of the barrel. While the Diamond also isn't fantastic, since it's not a creature it will at least survive board wipes, which Iron Myr won't. Keep this Myr around for your Urtet, Remnant of MemnarchUrtet, Remnant of Memnarch decks, but you won't need it here.

Chaos WandChaos Wand

Chaos Wand

Currently in 28% of decks

Chaos WandChaos Wand can be great fun, but it's also not the sort of card that you want two copies of. Wand of WonderWand of Wonder is also in the deck, and while it costs one more mana than Chaos Wand, it gives you three times as many cards to choose from. That's three times as much fun, right? The wider pool of cards that Wand of Wonder provides, plus its potential to let you cast more than one of them, makes it the wand of choice for any red deck looking to stir up some trouble.

Five Cards to Add for Kurkesh

Contagion EngineContagion Engine

Contagion Engine

Currently in 23% of decks

With all of the charge counter cards in this deck, being able to proliferate can really come in handy. Contagion EngineContagion Engine is one of the better sources of proliferate out there, since it lets you sap away an opponent's board, while spreading counters across your own. Throne of GethThrone of Geth and Contagion ClaspContagion Clasp can also help you get proliferating, but you won't need all of that support unless you really want to start amping up the number of cards that care about counters in the deck.

Impact TremorsImpact Tremors

Impact Tremors

Currently in 1% of decks

This is an artifact deck, not an aggro deck, why should you add Impact TremorsImpact Tremors? Well, it does turn on a sneaky combo. Using Slobad, Goblin TinkererSlobad, Goblin Tinkerer as a sacrifice outlet, and cards like Ugin, the IneffableUgin, the Ineffable, Foundry InspectorFoundry Inspector, and Jhoira's FamiliarJhoira's Familiar as cost reducers, you can endlessly sacrifice and reanimate the card Myr RetrieverMyr Retriever alongside either Junk DiverJunk Diver or Scrap TrawlerScrap Trawler. Throwing Impact Tremors into the mix causes damage to get dealt out each time this loop repeats, letting you close out the game. This deck is a great home for cooky combos, and Impact TremorsImpact Tremors adds another to that list.

Caged SunCaged Sun

Caged Sun

Currently in 13% of decks

Any monocolor deck can benefit from running Caged SunCaged Sun. This card doubles the amount of mana that you have access to, meaning that you'll never be just shy of being able to use Kurkesh'sKurkesh's ability again. This card makes a great target for duplication using MirrorworksMirrorworks, Prototype PortalPrototype Portal, or Sculpting SteelSculpting Steel since copying it makes all of your lands three times as useful. Let this sun out of its cage and into your deck.

Scavenged BrawlerScavenged Brawler

Scavenged Brawler

Currently in 2% of decks

This deck has plenty of ways to dump artifacts into the yard. Scavenged BrawlerScavenged Brawler possesses a truly formidable combination of keywords and, true to its name, these can be scavenged and salvaged for parts once it's in the graveyard. With the ability to turn any card into an intimidating threat, you'll be glad to have a Scavenged Brawler around, whether it's hitting the battlefield or the graveyard.

Triplicate TitanTriplicate Titan

Triplicate Titan

Currently in 2% of decks

This deck has plenty of reanimators, but a shortage of powerful high-end artifacts to bring back from the graveyard. Blightsteel ColossusBlightsteel Colossus and Wurmcoil EngineWurmcoil Engine are great choices, but they're both pretty costly. Triplicate TitanTriplicate Titan actually works even better than Wurmcoil Engine for this deck, since its higher mana value won't matter as you won't be casting it, but bringing it into play using Daretti, Scrap SavantDaretti, Scrap Savant instead.

Conclusion

So that's KurkeshKurkesh. The copying effect is pretty neat, so it might seem strange that this commander never really caught on. The reason that Kurkesh never left their catacomb probably has something to do with the wide variety of other options out there. Artifacts are the most popular deck theme, but with commanders like Breya, Etherium ShaperBreya, Etherium Shaper, Urza, Chief ArtificerUrza, Chief Artificer, and Osgir, the ReconstructorOsgir, the Reconstructor around, it can be difficult to remember that this obscure Core Set card even exists.

Tawnos, Urza's ApprenticeTawnos, Urza's Apprentice is a comparable card from 2018. Tawnos can also copy a wide variety of artifact abilities (albeit at an increased cost), depicts a notable lore character, and provides access to blue as well as red. Despite this, Tawnos currently commands fewer than 300 decks. Evidently players just aren't excited to copy the activated abilities of artifacts, despite all of the brilliant comboing fun it can be.

The eagle-eyed among you will notice that in the intro Kurkesh got called the "2nd least popular Ogre commander of all time." Which raises the question, who is number one? Well, you'll find out in two weeks in the next edition of Under the Radar.