Esior, Wardwing FamiliarEsior, Wardwing Familiar / Falthis, Shadowcat FamiliarFalthis, Shadowcat Familiar | Art by Jesper Ejsing

Greetings and salutations, from a place where summer already sounds like a distant, scorching nightmare. I'm Arnaud, and I'm thrilled to take you to a land of dark flyers, face-smackers, and budget brewers.

It's been a while since I last had the chance to ask you about the next Trim, with the summer holidays and all. This time around, I'd like to share a story about a game I played a while back.

In the command zone across the table was no other than the zany pair I'll be tinkering with today, driven by an equally skillful and terrifying pilot. GoblinWaltz, if you ever get here, this one's for you.

Long story short, I was thoroughly impressed by the consistency, the resiliency, and the relentlessness of her brew. It felt like hitting an impenetrable gummy wall, getting regularly slapped in the face for massive amounts of damage yet shrugging off whatever blows it came their way like it was but a soft caress.

This is what I'd like to try replicating in this iteration while abiding by the column's usual constraints.

Esior, Wardwing FamiliarEsior, Wardwing Familiar and Falthis, Shadowcat FamiliarFalthis, Shadowcat Familiar are not exactly what you would call a popular pair, sporting only 57 decks at the time of writing, yet there is undeniably great potential for those seemingly puny pets.

Grabbing all the cards from both the regular and budget sections from their page yields an impressive total of 540 cards, a record in this series. Let's get to work.

First Trim – The Cardboard Chainsaw Massacre

To those of you reaching these shores for the first time (welcome, welcome, let me know!), a little recap is in order.

From the Brim to the Trim focuses on brewing a deck using only cards worth $1.10 or less, based on the cards shown on EDHREC's commander's page, trimming down whatever's in there until reaching the 100-card threshold. The idea is eventually to build something playable and somewhat powerful, best suited for Bracket 2 upward to decent 3 tables.

Let's begin by savagely axing each and every trinket above $2, using price optimisation on Archidekt. Surprisingly enough, there aren't that many expensive jewels played here, as this first trim "only" lowers the total to 477 cards.

However, there are also 39 standing between the $1.10 and $2 mark, and there are some juicy goodies lying therein. Let's take a look at the best options for what I have in mind, should you wish to up the ante:

• Thran Power SuitThran Power Suit: Excellent pumping outlet, with enhanced protection to boot.
• Kaya's GhostformKaya's Ghostform: Me? Dead? I don't think so.
• Phyrexian ArenaPhyrexian Arena: Slowly getting surpassed by more and more draw outlets, but still solid.
• Whispering MadnessWhispering Madness: When your commander is annoying to remove and has great evasion, this ensures consistent card draw.
• Hydroelectric SpecimenHydroelectric Specimen: Protection on a land.
• Animal SanctuaryAnimal Sanctuary: Slow but consistent boost for both commanders
• Baleful MasteryBaleful Mastery: One of my favourite removals in black.
• NettlecystNettlecyst: Probably my biggest regret as far as pump spells go. This one packs a punch!
• Pact WeaponPact Weapon: Sure, you'll take some damage, but your opponents will take more. Much more.
• Reins of PowerReins of Power: A fun and unexpected way to end games.
• Tainted StrikeTainted Strike: Great alternate wincon
• Call of the RingCall of the Ring: Evasion and card draw all in one
• Vorpal SwordVorpal Sword: Granted, is no joke, but it's surprisingly effective.
• Leyline AxeLeyline Axe: More than decent way to double up on commander damage
• Slip Out the BackSlip Out the Back: Pump and protect your commander while leaving its arsenal intact. Beautiful.

That's a lot of stuff, and it's not over yet. There are still 12 cards between $1 and $1.10 to consider. Let's take a look at the more relevant ones:

• Sheoldred's EdictSheoldred's Edict: Versatile if limited removal
• ThoughtcastThoughtcast: Efficient card draw if you've got enough artifacts
• Jace, Unraveler of SecretsJace, Unraveler of Secrets: Cute, if a tad mana-intensive
• Rapid HybridizationRapid Hybridization: Fantastic removal in blue
• Nihil SpellbombNihil Spellbomb: Graveyard removal clad as an artifact.
• Empyrial PlateEmpyrial Plate: A great reason to keep your hand full
• Sting, the Glinting DaggerSting, the Glinting Dagger: Pseudo-vigilance and haste is a nice combo.

With this somewhat underwhelming first trim, the list is down to 438 cards. There's still a very long way to go.

Second Trim – Cardward Scissorhands

This is the spot where I tell you to eat your veggies, grab your vitamins, supplement your diet (well, maybe not that last one). In a nutshell, to make sure you've got the cogs to make your deck tick.

There is a plethora of those in here, enough to cause your local grocer to pale with jealousy.

See for yourself:

That's a lot of veggies, much more than I can confidently say I've ever seen in the past two and half years I've been writing this column.

With that being said, I'll be aiming at 16-18 card advantage spells, 10-12 ramp, 4-6 spot removals and 2-4 board wipes.

Which means the following table is going to be massive, sorry.

Let's get cutting.

This is getting there, slowly but steadily. Again, I don't think I've ever seen such figures at this point of a Trim brew. This is a record-setting article!

259 cards and counting.

Intermediate Trim – Machete Mangling

Now that the tedious part is over, it's time to take a look at what makes this deck's core identity, and boy, is there some work here.

Before diving into the relevant stuff, there are a few rough bushes in dire need of a solid uproot.

I've gone through the ordeal of sorting out several of the categories, and it's taken an insane amount of time. The reason for that is that the various lists EDHREC has taken in seem to want to head in all directions at once.

There's a strong hint of Bird kindred builds, and reanimation, and strong control, and mill, and evasion, and dungeons, and tokens, and a bunch of stuff I don't even understand why it's there...

Let's get rid of the pile of junk that doesn't remotely fit the bill. Yes, that includes counterspells, of which I'm not a huge fan in these budget builds.

Good, but not good enough. This brings the list almost below the 200-card mark, but there's still a lot of work to do. Let's carry on.

Well, this was a major endeavour, but it was worth it. The list has been trimmed to a much healthier 154 cards, more or less relevant to the intended strategy. The end of the tunnel is getting closer.

Third (actual) Trim – Cutting Off the Rough Edges

You may have guessed it if you had a look at the current list, but I'm heading towards a Voltron build. There are two reasons for that.

First, it was the way the list I first encountered was brewed.

Second, it makes a lot of sense. Esior provides a strong protection to both commanders and has built-in evasion, and Falthis makes it even harder to be blocked, as well as a strong deterrent against blockers.

As things stand, there are three major categories that remain to be reviewed :

• Evasion: There are a decent number of evasive outlets. Probably overkill seeing what both commanders provide, so let's trim there, and trim hard.
• Protection: Similar, but I'm more inclined to keep some of those spells, as the commanders are critical to take the game away.
• Pump: The most important section. There are currently 45 spells in there, way too much, but I expect to end up keeping at least 20-25 spells nonetheless.

Let's cut.

That was much, much easier. 10 cards to go, I feel like the hardest part is behind us, at long last.

Final Trim - Heart-Wrenching Choices

Here we are, the final ten cuts. As usual, at this point of the brew, there shouldn't be any bad weeds left, so any further cut is the fruit of personal preference.

With that being said, let's get rid of the last spells.

• Bident of ThassaBident of Thassa, Coastal PiracyCoastal Piracy and Reconnaissance MissionReconnaissance Mission: Don't get me wrong, I love these spells, but they're on the upper end of the curve, and I feel like they won't yield that many cards in the end.
• Short BowShort Bow: Cute, but lacking a bit of oomph for my taste
• Dark FavorDark Favor: Let's privilege Equipment instead of Auras
• Eternal ThirstEternal Thirst: I like the idea of Esior growing bigger and bigger while having lifelink, but my gut tells me this will be too slow.
• NighthowlerNighthowler: The most situational pump spell, and it's an Aura.
• Awakened AwarenessAwakened Awareness: It's versatile, as it can either pump Esior or deal with a big creature on the board, but I feel like the X cost is a mana trap that will not yield the expected results.
• Solemn SimulacrumSolemn Simulacrum: High end of the curve, and a bit slow for my taste when compared to the rest of the deck.
• SwampSwamp: The curve is extremely low (under 2.4), so I feel like this deck can manage with 35 lands.

And with that, I give you:

Additional Trim - A Look Into the Past

It's time to see if a past list has overstepped its financial boundaries. This week, let's take a look at The Council of Four.

Aaaaah, inflation, inflation, inflation... There's some work awaiting here, as there are currently 11 cards above the $1.10 mark:

• Geier Reach SanitariumGeier Reach Sanitarium: $1.11
• Court of GraceCourt of Grace: $1.24
• BrainstormBrainstorm: $1.30
• Mystic SanctuaryMystic Sanctuary: $1.38
• Decanter of Endless WaterDecanter of Endless Water: $1.51
• Darksteel MutationDarksteel Mutation: $1.52
• Knight ExemplarKnight Exemplar: $1.86
• Reliquary TowerReliquary Tower: $1.97
• Norn's AnnexNorn's Annex: $2.87 (!)
• Herald of HoofbeatsHerald of Hoofbeats: $4.61 (!!)
• Proft's Eidetic MemoryProft's Eidetic Memory: $6.25 (!!!)

That's more than 70% of the deck's total value in these few cards. Let's find some suitable replacements.

• A Plains, an Islands, and Adarkar WastesAdarkar Wastes: Won't make up for the lost lands' abilities, but what can you do.
• Chasm SkulkerChasm Skulker: guaranteed to grow big at an alarming rate.
• Mangara, the DiplomatMangara, the Diplomat: its reprint made it affordable, let's add him back.
• Homunculus HordeHomunculus Horde: if there's one deck it will feel right at home, it's this one.
• Alandra, Sky DreamerAlandra, Sky Dreamer: Will spew Drakes like there's no tomorrow.
• Wayfarer's BaubleWayfarer's Bauble: To make up for the Decanter of Endless WaterDecanter of Endless Water
• Marshal of ZhalfirMarshal of Zhalfir: It is no Knight ExemplarKnight Exemplar, but it will pump the team nicely.
• Emrakul's MessengerEmrakul's Messenger: A nice ramp outlet
• Windborn MuseWindborn Muse: More fragile than Norn's AnnexNorn's Annex, but it will work just as well.

You can find the updated list here.

Conclusion

This has been a much more eventful journey than I had anticipated. Despite there being only a handful of decks for this pair, there has been a surprisingly wide array of strategies.

Granted, these two don't really provide a clear direction, but that's also part of the charm. With such generic commanders, the world is your oyster!

At any rate, I'm looking forward to hearing from you. Any blatant omissions? Any hidden gem you'd add in a jiffy? Are you excited to give this duo a try?

Let me know in the comments below, and I'll see you in two weeks!