Codie, Vociferous CodexCodie, Vociferous Codex | Art by David Ljunnggren

Greetings and salutations. Last time on From the Brim to the Trim, we parted ways on a spicy note, with three uncanny commanders for you to choose from. Third place went to Narset, Enlightened ExileNarset, Enlightened Exile, earning 33 votes (22%). A fun spellslinging commander she might be, yet she didn't really strike your fancy. Second spot went to Eris, Roar of the StormEris, Roar of the Storm, with 47 votes (31%). I've brewed and played that one a few times, and it's deceptively fun to tinker with, while tricky to balance. The winner this week, by a clear margin, is therefore none other than Codie, Vociferous CodexCodie, Vociferous Codex, earning 70 votes (47%).

Codie, Vociferous Codex

Codie is a weird one. Fun fact, I also built this deck some time ago (yes I do build a lot of decks, don't judge), with a twist. I had restricted myself to playing no permanent spells whatsoever. In a way, this is a bit like a reverse Nikya of the Old WaysNikya of the Old Ways-Oops-All-Creatures. And while I have yet to see whether I can reproduce this on a budget – I build these articles on the go, brewing and writing at the same time – I'm certainly going to try my best.

This neat artifact's premise is fairly simple: "cascade" into fun instants and sorceries and accumulate enough value to take the win. Simple. Also, while Codie is definitely a major asset in our strategy, it's by no means the only one in our arsenal.

We're dumping all cards from the commander's page into Archidekt, including regular and budget options, netting us a whopping 389 cards to waddle through.

Already this single figure provides interesting insights. I think this is the highest number of different cards we've had prior to any cutting so far, which shows that there's a huge variety of spells players have resorted to in their brewing madness, and a lot of options for us to pick and choose.

Also, the list currently contains 103 sorceries, 98 instants and 107 (!) lands, a great sign for our additional challenge. Let's get to work.

First Trim - The Cardboard Chainsaw Massacre

We're all about budget brews here, so we're getting rid of any card worth more than $1.10 (cards can easily swing by 10 cents on average from one week to the other), and build on what's left thereafter.

After a healthy first haircut, we're down to a solid 287 cards, of which 21 cost between $1.10 and $2. Let's take a quick look at the most noteworthy before giving them the axe, just in case you felt an urge to indulge yourself just a tiny bit:

• Cascading CataractsCascading Cataracts: Useful to fix colors, but not a downright must-have.
• Kodama's ReachKodama's Reach: How this stays at around $1.25 while CultivateCultivate is worth pennies is a mystery to me.
• Mystic SanctuaryMystic Sanctuary: Unless you're planning to play a very heavy blue base or very expensive lands that are, among other things, Islands, this is a trap. A great card in general, but a trap nonetheless here.
• Jeskai AscendancyJeskai Ascendancy: Tap Codie, get five mana, cast a cantrip, untap Codie, invest into Codie, get double, triple, quadruple effects...
• Skyshroud ClaimSkyshroud Claim: One of my favourite ramp spells of all time, due to the fact the Forests come into play untapped.
• Archmage EmeritusArchmage Emeritus: Draw, draw, draw, and then draw some more.
• Will of the TemurWill of the Temur: Cute two-in-one.

Which leaves us three cards in the $1-$1.10 bracket to evaluate:

• Sol RingSol Ring: See, this is exactly the reason we bumped our limit to $1.10. One day it'll stand at $0.90, the next at $1.25 at a bare minimum. While I'm not sure it will make the final cut if we take the no-permanents route, it's still a nice touch.
• Clone LegionClone Legion: Your board looks cute, mind if I get the same? Thanks!
• Nature's ClaimNature's Claim: Classic cheap artifact/enchantment removal.

Before we commit to any hasty decisions, let's take a break and have a look at where we're at: 266 cards, including 69 instants and 75 sorceries. It's still very promising.

Second Trim - Cardward Scissorhands

For once, we get to make the thematic decision before sorting out the veggies. And I say, let's go for it, and see where this leads. Worst case scenario, I'll come back here, delete everything I've written yet, and you'll have no clue this sentence ever existed.

So, off with permanents. I'm well aware this is likely to call for even more careful choices for the final brew, but it's a fun challenge.

Goodbye 53 creatures, two enchantments, and five artifacts. You will be missed.

With that, we're down to a still considerable 206 cards to choose from, with the following vitamins:

I'm quite surprised at the absence of several spells, especially in the board wipes category. I would have expected to see stuff like Single CombatSingle Combat, Promise of LoyaltyPromise of Loyalty, or Tragic ArroganceTragic Arrogance, all of which are in our budget line.

Aside from that, the Draw section is a salad bowl of cantrips, unusual sorceries, and a few X spells. These strike me as particularly odd, as they have zero impact should they be revealed by Codie. I get that these act as modular spells to be cast after activating our commander, but I'm not sure they're worth the risk.

I'm also very surprised at not seeing spells like Fact or FictionFact or Fiction or Painful TruthsPainful Truths. I'm extremely both pleased and surprised that Ancestral VisionAncestral Vision fits in our budget.

The Ramp section seems decent, yet deceptive. Yes, we have access to five colors, but we'll need to make sure we're packing a decent number of basics so we won't be whiffing anytime soon. I'll keep a large number of spells in this category, but I'll also adapt the mana base accordingly. Tricky.

With all these considerations in mind, let's get to the cuts. I'm likely to make some personal adjustments here and there and add some of the stuff I mentioned above.

As hinted before, I'm throwing the following back in: Fact or FictionFact or Fiction, Painful TruthsPainful Truths, Tragic ArroganceTragic Arrogance, Single CombatSingle Combat, Promise of LoyaltyPromise of Loyalty, Mythos of SnapdaxMythos of Snapdax. And Explosive VegetationExplosive Vegetation, because I feel we're a bit low on Ramp.

I'm well aware that Painful TruthsPainful Truths will do nothing if we cascade into it, but I feel like drawing three cards for three mana is well worth the risk.

After clearing up the mana base down to 36 lands, we're already down to 137 cards. And counting.

Third Trim - Cutting Off the Rough Edges

If you're an old timer, you'll know this is the spot where I start rambling about themes and objectives and so on.

Well, there are quite a few things to unpack here.

First, I'd like to address a misconception regarding Codie's ability. On the commander's budget page, there's a slew of split spells, most of which range from mediocre to downright useless. Stuff like, for example, Hit // RunHit // Run.

I believe they've been included with the thought that Codie would care for the sum of both mana values on the spell. Alas, it does not work that way.

Rule 709.3b specifies that "While on the stack, only the characteristics of the half being cast exist. The other half’s characteristics are treated as though they didn’t exist."

In other words, you'll only take the half of the spell you're casting into account when cascading with Codie.

Then there's the major issue of actually winning the game. At this point of the build, I'm not sure how we're planning on doing that.

My best bet would be to cast something huge, like Army of the DamnedArmy of the Damned, or... well, Army of the DamnedArmy of the Damned. Point is, we're sorely missing at least five other win conditions.

To this end, I'm going to add some of what I believe to be criminally overlooked spells to the list:

• Elemental EruptionElemental Eruption: Best case scenario, it nets two to three dragons. Worst case, it's still a 4/4 with prowess and flying
• Serpentine CurveSerpentine Curve: Big body for a puny
• Seize the StormSeize the Storm: Same, but grows bigger the more spells you cast
• Invade the CityInvade the City: I like big armies and I cannot lie
• Spite of MogisSpite of Mogis: This serves a double purpose, as it's a single pip spell to cascade into something with no mana cost, and a surprisingly effective removal in the late game
• Inevitable BetrayalInevitable Betrayal: This will without a doubt cause the table to jump in uproar when you cascade into it!

Granted, we're really undermined by the additional challenge I've set onto us, but it should (maybe) help even things out (a little bit).

Now that we've added some meat to the deck, time to trim.

• There's a decent amount of copy spells, of which I'm not 100% a fan of cascading into, although I wouldn't mind copying three or four Elemental EruptionElemental Eruptions. My main issue with those is that most mention "the next instant or sorcery" you'll cast, where in most cases you'd rather choose the spell you originally used to trigger Codie. TwincastTwincast, ReverberateReverberate or ReiterateReiterate would have been lovely, but alas they are well above our pay grade.
• There's also a hefty Recursion package, which is going to be severely cut.
• A good number of tutors, for which I care not, not with something this janky.
• A nice protection package, helpful to keep our commander around.
• A few other token makers.
• A couple of counterspells.
• A nice suite of untappers.

These shouldn't be too hard to trim.

So, not quite there, but getting close. 106 cards and counting.

Final Trim - (Not Quite) Heart-Wrenching Choices

Usually at this point I tell you how hard things have been and what an ordeal it is to cut precious cards...Not this time. In fact, I'm going to axe all untappers in one fell swoop, and here's why.

Initially, I thought I could pay for Codie's ability, get the mana, untap it with a spell and use said mana to keep chaining triggers. However, I need to actually cast the untapper in between activations. And a one-mana spell isn't going to cause too many sparkles, aside from the fun Inevitable BetrayalInevitable Betrayal.

So there. I'm half-expecting a major roast in the comments with players telling me how I got it all wrong, but I'm giving the axe to all untappers.

And since we're down to 99 cards, I'll throw back in a good old HarmonizeHarmonize, for reliable card draw.

Which leads us, dear readers, to this list:

Additional Trim - A Look Into the Past

Finally, let's take our now usual glance at an old brew of ours. Today, it's time to look back at a favourite of mine: Akroma, Vision of IxidorAkroma, Vision of Ixidor & Rograkh, Son of RohgahhRograkh, Son of Rohgahh.

Time has not been kind to our uncanny pair. See for yourselves:

• Knight of the White OrchidKnight of the White Orchid: $1.12
• Blackblade ReforgedBlackblade Reforged: $1.14
• Imposing GrandeurImposing Grandeur: $1.67
• Angelic Field MarshalAngelic Field Marshal: $1.72
• Sejiri ShelterSejiri Shelter: $1.86
• Kalemne, Disciple of IroasKalemne, Disciple of Iroas: $1.96
• Otharri, Suns' GloryOtharri, Suns' Glory: $2.00
• Chaos DragonChaos Dragon: $4.56 (!)

A lot of cards that got quite expensive in the past 18 months.

Let's replace these with the following:

• Clifftop RetreatClifftop Retreat: To make up for the lost land.
• Swiftblade VindicatorSwiftblade Vindicator: With Akroma out, this will turn worried heads to your board.
• Crystalline GiantCrystalline Giant: Spin the wheels of Chaos and turn it into a big bad monster!
• Gisela, Blade of GoldnightGisela, Blade of Goldnight: At $1.00, this is a steal.
• Angel of InventionAngel of Invention: Big bad Angel becomes bigger.
• Wojek InvestigatorWojek Investigator: I'll never refuse some card draw, especially in these colors.
• Loyal ApprenticeLoyal Apprentice: Get this out early, and you'll soon have a nice fleet of Thopters.
• Haunted CloakHaunted Cloak: Three useful keywords for a puny to equip.

You can find the updated list here.

Conclusion

This has been a weird journey. I did not expect this to be such a mess, to be honest.

Now I'm looking forward to (if dreading a little) your comments. Did I miss something? Did I go terribly wrong?

See you in two weeks!