Sun-Spider, Nimble WebberSun-Spider, Nimble Webber | Art by Justyna Dura

Sun-Spider, Nimble WebberSun-Spider, Nimble Webber is a seriously pushed uncommon. She can tutor up any Aura or Equipment when she enters, and since she flies while attacking, she's a great target to wear whatever gear she finds.

Sun-Spider follows in the footsteps of some notorious Equipment tutors, from the multi-format menace Stoneforge MysticStoneforge Mystic to Commander powerhouses Godo, Bandit WarlordGodo, Bandit Warlord and Cloud, Midgar MercenaryCloud, Midgar Mercenary. These creatures are efficient enough to be able to play fair, acting as two-for-ones that find silver bullets and reliable threats.

But Godo shows the other side of having a tutor in the command zone, as he can win on a dime through an infinite combo with Helm of the HostHelm of the Host.

As with any commander that provides a tutor, Sun-Spider can be included in the command zone as a means to get one specific Aura or Equipment, a "secret commander," into our hand. Whatever our favorite piece of gear is, whether it's Celestial MantleCelestial Mantle, Basilisk CollarBasilisk Collar, or that beat-up foil Armored AscensionArmored Ascension from middle school, we can construct a deck with the assurance that we'll find that card every game.

However, Sun-Spider also opens up a whole new deckbuilding avenue through her ability to search up Auras. She's only the second legend who's able to find any Aura we want, after the Adventure on Kellan, the Fae-BloodedKellan, the Fae-Blooded, and I argue that blue is a much more exciting color than red in an Auras deck.

Sun-Spider allows us to build a tricky toolbox deck, trying to recycle her ability as many times as possible and find exactly the Auras for whatever situation we find ourselves in.

Key Cards for Sun-Spider, Nimble WebberSun-Spider, Nimble Webber

If we're going to use Sun-Spider's ability as an answer to a variety of situations, then first we're going to need a way to use her ability repeatedly. One of the classic ways to do this, especially in white and blue, is by blinking or flickering her.

EphemerateEphemerate is the most efficient flicker spell, but Momentary BlinkMomentary Blink will also get the job done because it can get us two additional triggers. Beyond that, we might want to stay away from running tons of other flicker spells, since they don't work very well with the Auras around which this deck is built. If we flicker a creature, all the Auras attached to it will go straight to the graveyard.

More importantly, we don't need flicker spells to reuse Sun-Spider because there are a handful of Auras we can search up when casting her the first time that fill that role already. The one we'll usually search up first is Endless EvilEndless Evil. Endless EvilEndless Evil makes a new copy of Sun-Spider on each of our upkeeps, and even though we'll have to sacrifice this copy to the legend rule, we'll get to find another Aura or Equipment first.

This engine will let us search out a fresh card every turn, giving us flexibility as well as card advantage. Followed FootstepsFollowed Footsteps operates in a similar fashion, but for a higher cost. And Infinite ReflectionInfinite Reflection, while it does present some tricky situations if it ever turns our whole board into identical legendary creatures, is worth including for the times we can make it work.

From there, we have two options. We can start searching up the actual action spells in our deck, or we can build our engine out even more. Note that Endless EvilEndless Evil and Followed FootstepsFollowed Footsteps each trigger on our upkeep. What if we could find an Aura that gives us more upkeeps? Both Paradox HazeParadox Haze and Shadow of the Second SunShadow of the Second Sun can make it so that we can get two Sun-Spider triggers per turn, which will quickly make all of our dreams come true.

But now to the action. Blue and white are home to some of the most powerful and synergistic Auras in the game, which can either turn any creature into the biggest threat on the table or remove it efficiently.

Auramancer's GuiseAuramancer's Guise, All That GlittersAll That Glitters, Ethereal ArmorEthereal Armor, and the new With Great Power...With Great Power... all pump a creature up until it's able to beat anything in a fight. Sage's ReverieSage's Reverie can draw us a grip of cards while doing the exact same thing. All we have to do is play a bunch of Auras, and that's exactly the plan already.

If we need to search up a little defense before we can start going on the offensive, there are plenty of Auras that can act as removal. Darksteel MutationDarksteel Mutation, Witness ProtectionWitness Protection, and Unable to ScreamUnable to Scream are cheap, and are especially potent for taking out commanders, since the commander won't change zones and therefore can't be put back in the command zone.

OssificationOssification can get rid of a big threat permanently in most situations for only two mana. And Sheltered by GhostsSheltered by Ghosts, while it's fairly new, has proven itself to be a powerhouse, removing a creature while protecting itself and giving us a life buffer to boot.

If we're playing with Auras, there are a few creatures that really tie any deck together. Mesa EnchantressMesa Enchantress is the simplest of these "enchantresses," and is one of a core that has spawned its own engine across many colors. Entity TrackerEntity Tracker is the first of these enchantresses to exist in just blue, and it's a big reward for our deck's blue and white color identity.

Sram, Senior EdificerSram, Senior Edificer and Kor SpiritdancerKor Spiritdancer also keep the cards flowing, and the latter can become a huge beater as well in a pinch.

Finally, we're going to need some redundancy if our plan is to assemble a slow engine based on multiple interlocking Auras. Sun-Spider, Nimble WebberSun-Spider, Nimble Webber is a lightning-rod of a commander, especially when she has one or more Auras attached, and having some extra baskets to spread out our eggs can go a long way.

Heliod's PilgrimHeliod's Pilgrim and Totem-Guide HartebeestTotem-Guide Hartebeest do a good Sun-Spider impression, and if we start making copies of them they don't even have to deal with the legend rule. We probably won't search up Infinite ReflectionInfinite Reflection with our commander too often, but these creatures will be finding it all the time.

Auratouched MageAuratouched Mage goes one step further, putting the Aura it finds directly into play, making it our highest-leverage version.

Winning the Game With Sun-Spider, Nimble WebberSun-Spider, Nimble Webber

We're running plenty of tools for turning one creature into an absolutely souped-up monster. Auramancer's GuiseAuramancer's Guise can realistically make any creature into the biggest on the board. However, all Voltron targets are not created equally, and it's worth investing some slots towards running the very best.

Invisible StalkerInvisible Stalker sidesteps the two modes of counterplay that we fear the most: removal and chump blockers. It acts as an unstoppable clock, forcing our opponents to find another axis of play or die quickly. Geist of Saint TraftGeist of Saint Traft is another hexproof threat, and while he doesn't entirely ignore blockers, he can also threaten some serious evasive damage with his Angel.

We're also running a few cards that can help us cheat out the biggest Aura of them all. Sovereigns of Lost AlaraSovereigns of Lost Alara and Bruna, Light of AlabasterBruna, Light of Alabaster allow us to put an Aura into play for free, and Arcanum WingsArcanum Wings's Aura swap ability lets us pay a total of five mana to cheat something onto a creature.

The card we're looking to play is, of course, Eldrazi ConscriptionEldrazi Conscription. +10/+10 is absolutely massive, and annihilator is one of the cruelest abilities out there. Eldrazi ConscriptionEldrazi Conscription will take over at any stage of the game, and we have the perfect deck to be able to find it exactly when we need it.

Finally, if we get a window to set up we do have a set of cards that makes it very hard for us to lose. We can attach With Great Power...With Great Power... and Darksteel MutationDarksteel Mutation to a creature we control in order to stop all damage that would be dealt to us. This combo isn't a full lock, but there will be lots of decks that struggle to deal with it. While everyone is digging to find alternate win conditions or exile removal, we can spend a few turns pulling ahead with impunity.

Sun-Spider, Nimble Webber Commander Deck List

The nexus of Enchantress and Voltron is one that I've always loved, and this deck is no exception. We get to play some of the most iconic Auras in the game as well as weirdo cards like Endless EvilEndless Evil and Arcanum WingsArcanum Wings. We can have a toolbox game plan that also draws a ton of cards and presents threat after threat. The game feels fresh every time, even though our plan is to tutor every upkeep.

I had hoped that the Sun-Spider, Nimble WebberSun-Spider, Nimble Webber engine wouldn't be too slow, and it turned out just right. We can often assemble a strong board without even casting our commander, and in those games she turns into a plan B for if we find ourselves in the late game with lots of mana and nothing to do.

But Sun-Spider can also keep pace with the early game by finding us ways to come back from behind with lifelink or interaction. This deck's tutor package provides so much flexibility, and that's exactly what this format calls for; we never know what our opponents will be up to or what janky strategy they might use to destroy us, but we do know that there just might be an Aura that can help us out.

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