Heidegger, Shinra ExecutiveHeidegger, Shinra Executive | Art by Danciao

Heidegger, Shinra ExecutiveHeidegger, Shinra Executive is a new commander that supports the Soldier creature type by helping the little guys go wide and tall at the same time. He’s a solid curve-topper, flooding the board with Soldiers by himself and coming with a reasonable mana value and decently aggressive stats.

One of the intriguing aspects of building typal decks is that even if decks share colors, they will rarely share many cards. While we looked at a mono-white list last week, with Minwu, White MageMinwu, White Mage Clerics, the decks have very different structures, means of attack, and board states.

If you’re getting tired of seeing the same old staples, try a typal deck!

It’s always fun when an older creature type gets a boost from a new set, whether it’s within the Magic IP or from Universes Beyond. Soldiers have flooded the board since Alliances with Kjeldoran OutpostKjeldoran Outpost and were pushed even further as the representative white weenie type in Onslaught.

Nearly every set features new Soldiers, as establishing the presence, type, and strength of the military is integral to worldbuilding. As a result, Soldiers pop up on seemingly every plane.

This can get a little confusing, however, as some Soldiers have additional typing while others are generic grunts. For example, even if a Soldier token depicts a Human Soldier, it won’t trigger things that care about Humans.

What Does Heidegger, Shinra Executive Do?

One of the more subtle but important aspects of Heidegger is his mana value. As with the Minwu deck, we'll spend our early turns adding to the board instead of casting spells like Sol RingSol Ring. As a result, we rely on hitting land drops to cast our spells on-curve instead of using mana rocks to cast spells early.

So, what is Heidegger’s mana value, and why does it matter? His mana value is four, which matters because four is an important number when it comes to sweepers in Commander. Wrath of GodWrath of God and DamnationDamnation are older than the format itself; green decks tend to reach the kinds of threats we can’t attack into; and blue decks are almost to the point of being able to leave mana up every turn.

Our commander comes out at the perfect moment to make an impact: punishing wraths, making green-sized threats, and hitting the field just before a permission spell ceases to be a Time WalkTime Walk for the blue player.

While there are other options for Soldier commanders, most of them center on manipulating combat and enabling aggression. They aren't threats themselves, however, so they don't do anything the deck doesn’t already do.

Odric, Master TacticianOdric, Master Tactician is a solid Soldier commander: It costs four, has first strike and an additional point of toughness, and allows us to determine who attacks and blocks (if anyone). It gets around green decks and under blue decks, but it doesn’t enable us to recover from a wrath, which are becoming increasingly popular.

Harbin, Vanguard AviatorHarbin, Vanguard Aviator and Commander MustardCommander Mustard both add a color, with Harbin being a cheap early flyer that gives flying to all creatures we control and Mustard being a more expensive curve-topper that gives vigilance, trample, and haste to all Soldiers, as well as an activated ability that lets Soldiers ping opponents when they attack.

While they both provide reach (in terms of ways around blockers), neither acts as wrath protection or a post-wrath threat.

What Heidegger does for Soldiers that's unique is provide a post-wrath threat. By himself, he represents wave after wave of Soldier tokens, one of which can get very big. He doesn’t need to enter combat himself to do it, either, so he can keep himself out of harm’s way, especially when opponents can present blockers.

These small moments are amplified when considering the roadblocks aggro decks face nowadays, including the relative size of modern creatures and the presence of lifelink on evasive threats. Racing is key, and creating opportunities for chip damage can make all-out attacks deadly later.

Key Cards for Heidegger, Shinra Executive

It should come as no surprise that Soldier decks need Soldiers. What may be somewhat surprising, though, is the amount of cards that make Soldier tokens. Our commander is one of them, and Myrel, Shield of ArgiveMyrel, Shield of Argive is a similar effect, albeit one that shuts off instant-speed interaction and is a bit worse at following up a wrath effect.

Prava of the Steel LegionPrava of the Steel Legion is a neat partner commander option that not only makes Soldiers but also toughens them up, helping them survive PyroclasmPyroclasm and InfestInfest effects. Hero of BladeholdHero of Bladehold is a nasty beatdown creature, making Soldiers and putting out a battle cry that our little Soldiers desperately need in order to present a threat.

Soldiers need anthems to unite under. Daru WarchiefDaru Warchief is one of the best, providing power, toughness, and a cost reduction for Soldiers. The cost reduction is vital because we don’t play mana rocks, but we do want to hit the ground running.

Rescue RetrieverRescue Retriever is not only the best boy but also is a rare Dog Soldier that isn’t a humanoid from Tarkir. The doggo is an inspiration to the troops, rallying them in the form of permanent boosts via +1/+1 counters. After all, who better to bring troops together than an adorable mascot?

While the majority of the deck is designed around Soldiers and anthems, we do have a couple of other important roles to fill.

Since we need a critical mass of bodies and mass pump effects, as well as ways to get out of board slogs, we need card draw. The majority of that draw is tied to the monarch, as we can get damage in quickly and sneak bodies through for small amounts of damage and regaining the monarch.

The presence of the monarch can also direct threats away from us so we don’t have to spend resources blocking, in addition to being thematic: Soldiers protect monarchs, after all!

The other major role we need is board protection, as we need permanents to stick around in order to stack abilities and develop a board presence. These cards are essentially the same as those from last week’s Cleric deck.

Dawn seems to be an ideal time of day for both Clerics and Soldiers, as both Dawn CharmDawn Charm and Dawn's TruceDawn's Truce can protect our board. Akroma's WillAkroma's Will and Brave the ElementsBrave the Elements are arguably better here than in the Cleric deck, as they enable big pushes of damage, slamming our large board into our opponents’ faces.

How Does This Heidegger, Shinra Executive Commander Deck Win?

Heidegger is a white weenie deck, plain and simple. We’re looking to fill the ground with small bodies early, pump those bodies with anthems, and either recoup card draw with the monarch or protect our board. We want to hit hard, hit early, and wrap the game up quickly before our threats get outclassed.

We have some light interaction, as well as some ways to create opportunities, like using Dawn CharmDawn Charm as a FogFog to catch opponents overextending and hit them hard on the crack back. As simple as the deck may seem, patience, timing, and flexibility can be the difference between winning and losing.

And what would a Soldier deck be without tactical decisions?

Heidegger, Shinra Executive Commander Deck List

Conclusion

This is a fairly fast and aggressive typal deck, with its speed and board protection serving as positive traits while it’s hindered a bit by being comprised of individually small creatures and lacking strong card advantage engines.

We want to be pushing the pace from the beginning, putting out Soldier tokens instead of building up mana. As a result, our curve is moderately low, with our commander as a curve-topping threat that hits hard after a wrath. Heidegger wants to flood the red zone, even if it’s not safe for him to venture out himself.

This deck is for those who enjoy attacking, as well as those who enjoy the Vorthos/Melvin element of pieces fitting together thematically. It does take some patience to find the moments to attack profitably, as well as the willingness to see acceptable losses in order to gain advantages like the monarch.

When you find new ways to create openings, it’s a lot of fun, and it shows how fun aggressive decks can be!