Dyadrine, Synthesis AmalgamDyadrine, Synthesis Amalgam | Art by Matthew G. Lewis

Hello Everyone! I’m Levi from The Thought Vessel, and today we’re back with another deck tech from Edge of Eternities. This week we're getting into the Robot making business with Dyadrine, Synthesis AmalgamDyadrine, Synthesis Amalgam.

This commander is capable of doing some pretty neat things, but also has some very unique restrictions and a mechanic that we haven’t seen in a little while. Let’s get to it!

What Does Dyadrine, Synthesis AmalgamDyadrine, Synthesis Amalgam Do?

The commander almost works in two parts. The first part is as a massive trampling "hydra." Dyadrine shares a mechanic that’s typically very rare to see in Magic. Similar to Gyrus, Waker of CorpsesGyrus, Waker of Corpses, the number of counters placed on it is based on the total mana spent to cast it, rather than just what’s paid into X. This means that, in the aggregate, commander damage is essentially null and void because that extra two mana from commander tax still gets added to Dyadrine’s power and isn’t wasted.

Our commander also comes with trample, so knocking a player out with commander damage is still very much on the table.

The other part of this commander is the Robot token production, which also draws us a card. The kicker is that we need to remove a +1/+1 counter from two different creatures to trigger this effect, so we can’t just load up Dyadrine and take both counters from it alone. There has to be another creature involved.

The card draw is absolutely possible to take advantage of, but it does require a slightly different game plan.

Before we get into that, though, let's look at some comparable commanders.

Comparable Commanders

As I mentioned earlier, Gyrus, Waker of CorpsesGyrus, Waker of Corpses and Dyadrine, Synthesis AmalgamDyadrine, Synthesis Amalgam both share the ability to somewhat ignore commander tax. Gyrus, however, is in Jund colors and has the ability to make tokens from creatures in the graveyard. Dyadrine provides its own trample, where Gyrus doesn’t, so you’d likely need to include cards in the 99 to cover that weakness.

Additionally, Dyadrine’s color identity includes white, which allows us to focus more on +1/+1 counters.

Another commander that shares some traits is Bright-Palm, Soul AwakenerBright-Palm, Soul Awakener. Bright-Palm, like Dyadrine, needs other creatures to help facilitate the +1/+1 counter plan. Bright-Palm, however, is a counter doubler instead of a counter spender, which lets a deck like this take advantage of the counters in a more aggressive way. It also includes red for additional support and a wider card pool.

Dyadrine instead provides tokens and card advantage at the cost of some +1/+1 counters, helping us build a wider board while keeping our hand full of options, so the deck will spread out to a wider board. 

The Game Plan

When figuring out how to build a deck with a commander like this, the first thing I want to know is: What types of cards is this commander going to want?

We know the deck wants, or really needs, +1/+1 counters, but it also has to involve other creatures in that plan to make full use of Dyadrine’s abilities. We also know that counters have to be removed, so we need to produce them faster than we spend them.

And finally, we know that in addition to card advantage, we’re also making a 2/2 Robot token each turn, which can have counters placed on it. Since we’re only making one Robot per turn, though, it’s unlikely that we’d get a lot of mileage out of leaning into token synergy pieces by themselves. We need cards that help both our tokens and our +1/+1 counters at the same time. That’s the needle we’re going to look to thread with this list.

I have this list at Bracket 3 with a bit of combo potential, but I’ll also cover what can be done if you want to power the deck up to a Bracket 4.

Key Cards for Dyadrine, Synthesis AmalgamDyadrine, Synthesis Amalgam

The Bread and Butter

The first cards that came to mind when I saw this commander were Doubling SeasonDoubling Season and its slightly narrower cousin, Primal VigorPrimal Vigor. Being able to double up token-making and +1/+1 counters is a huge boost for the deck.

We really like having cards that can work both sides of our plan at the same time, so Elspeth, Storm SlayerElspeth, Storm Slayer is an auto-include. Her default ability gives us Soldier tokens, which is nice, but the 0 ability is the real prize. Giving every creature we control a +1/+1 counter and flying until our next turn lets us attack over blockers or deter swing-backs. She’s quickly becoming one of my favorite planeswalkers.

Felidar RetreatFelidar Retreat gives us a choice between making a token or putting a +1/+1 counter on each creature and giving them vigilance. Most of the time, we’ll probably choose the counters, but there may be situations where making Cats is worth it, especially when we’re running something like Cathars' CrusadeCathars' Crusade.

That card was actually the motivation behind the deck’s name, We’re Going to Need More Dice. Every time a creature enters the battlefield - yes, even tokens - Cathars' CrusadeCathars' Crusade puts a +1/+1 counter on each creature we control. This replaces the counters spent by Dyadrine, and then some.

These enchantments and planeswalkers are the kind of cards we want to stick to the battlefield early so we can really get the ball rolling.

Making Counters

A card I’m especially fond of in this list is Tribute to the World TreeTribute to the World Tree. It’s usually used for draw in green decks, which it does here too, but it also puts two +1/+1 counters on any creature that enters with three power or less. That turns our robots into 4/4s instead of 2/2s.

Forgotten AncientForgotten Ancient collects +1/+1 counters as players cast spells and distributes them at the beginning of our upkeep. That makes it a great target for removing a counter to activate Dyadrine, since it'll recharge quickly.

Bristly Bill, Spine SowerBristly Bill, Spine Sower places a +1/+1 counter on a creature every time we drop a land and only costs two mana. It helps establish our board presence before we cast Dyadrine, and in the late game, its activated ability can double the counters on all creatures we control. This ability isn’t sorcery-speed or once per turn, so we can potentially catch opponents off guard and swing for lethal out of nowhere.

Maester SeymourMaester Seymour is a fascinating card here. At the beginning of combat, it gives +1/+1 counters equal to its power to another creature we control. On its own, that’s already useful, but it also has monstrosity X, where X is the total number of counters among creatures we control, for just five mana. That can easily be 15–20 counters, which then get mirrored onto something else, like Dyadrine, turning it into a lethal, trampling force.

Sovereign Okinec AhauSovereign Okinec Ahau helps double the +1/+1 counters on our creatures once the engine’s going. Court of GarenbrigCourt of Garenbrig adds the monarch to the game, and if we can hold onto the crown, it doubles our +1/+1 counters each turn. Definitely a spicy inclusion.

Synergy Pieces

A great synergy piece here is Kodama of the West TreeKodama of the West Tree. Our commander already has trample, but most of our other creatures won’t. Kodama gives trample to any creature that’s modified, including those with +1/+1 counters.

That’s already solid, but each time one of those modified creatures deals combat damage, we get to tutor up a basic land and put it into play tapped. That ramps us significantly and thins the deck, increasing the odds of drawing gas once we’ve got the mana.

Ohran FrostfangOhran Frostfang provides card draw and gives attacking creatures deathtouch. Combined with trample, it means we only need to assign one point of damage before trampling over the rest, perfect for taking out players with commander damage.

BiophagusBiophagus is a handy mana dork that also gives a +1/+1 counter to any creature cast with its mana. Ruinous IntrusionRuinous Intrusion is an instant-speed removal spell that exiles an artifact or enchantment and puts +1/+1 counters on a creature equal to the target’s mana value. It’s a great way to interrupt an opponent’s plans and potentially turn one of our blockers into a surprise threat.

Greater GoodGreater Good is a green staple, letting us sac creatures in response to removal or board wipes to draw cards and refuel. Since we're building up creatures to huge power and toughness numbers, this can be a massive amount of card draw. 

New Cards from Edge of Eternities

Aside from the commander, we’ve got three new cards from Edge of Eternities in the deck. TerrasymbiosisTerrasymbiosis gives us consistent card draw whenever we put +1/+1 counters on creatures. If we’re dumping a bunch of counters at once, say with VigorVigor, we can generate lots of card advantage turn over turn.

OuroboroidOuroboroid is like Maester SeymourMaester Seymour, but instead of sending all the counters to one creature, it spreads them to each creature we control, including itself. It’s practically a win condition on its own.

And finally, we’ve got Gaea's CradleGaea's Cradle at home, Evendo, Waking HavenEvendo, Waking Haven. With all our creatures growing via +1/+1 counters, it doesn’t take long to get this land pumping out big mana.

Let’s Talk Game Changers

This list runs two Game Changers rather than three. Getting Primal VigorPrimal Vigor or any of our value engines on the battlefield is crucial, so we’re running a few tutors to help find them. Enlightened TutorEnlightened Tutor is the standout here.

Our second game changer is Aura ShardsAura Shards. It might be a bit overkill, but it helps slow everyone else down and encourages a more creature-focused game, where we’re likely to have the biggest threats on the board.

So… How Do We Win With Dyadrine?

Let’s start with the combos.

The first one is similar to the infamous infinite combo from the Counter Blitz precon in Final Fantasy. The key pieces are Walking BallistaWalking Ballista, VigorVigor, and any card that increases the number of counters placed on a permanent, like Hardened ScalesHardened Scales. Walking BallistaWalking Ballista removes a counter to ping itself, VigorVigor prevents that damage and replaces it with a counter, and the third piece turns that one counter into more than one. Rinse and repeat to grow Ballista infinitely and ping down the table.

The second combo uses Basking BroodscaleBasking Broodscale and Cathars' CrusadeCathars' Crusade. Every time a +1/+1 counter is put on Broodscale, we may create a 0/1 Eldrazi token. That token then triggers Cathars' CrusadeCathars' Crusade, putting another +1/+1 counter on Broodscale, and the rest of our team. That loop continues as long as we want. As a bonus, the Eldrazi tokens can be sacrificed for colorless mana, giving us infinite mana.

Outside of our combos, Plan A is just turning creatures sideways. We’ve got a lot of big creatures, and something like Akroma's WillAkroma's Will serves as a devastating finisher, giving our board protection and double strike.

As mentioned earlier, Bristly Bill can double our counters and turn the whole squad lethal. Honestly, with this build, sometimes just having big creatures in play is all you need.

Moving On Up

If we're inclined to boost this deck into Bracket 4, we'd likely need to lean into the combos even harder. We can build off what we have, adding Heliod, Sun-CrownedHeliod, Sun-Crowned which can go infinite with Walking BallistaWalking Ballista, which is already in the deck.

Ivy Lane DenizenIvy Lane Denizen and Herd BalothHerd Baloth can be added to create an infinite army, while Spike WeaverSpike Weaver can perpetually fog the board so we're the only player that can land combat damage.

There's plenty of room to increase consistency with more tutors like Tooth and NailTooth and Nail to get an entire combo in play at the same time. If we wanted to go even farther, we could add stax pieces like Drannith MagistrateDrannith Magistrate or even Collector OupheCollector Ouphe to slow everyone else down.

The full list is below. As always, this list is here for whatever you need. Copy it, use it as a jumping-off point, or just pull some ideas for finishing your own brew. There’s no wrong way to go about it.

Until next time, happy brewing.

Dyadrine, Synthesis Amalgam Commander Deck List

More Edge: