(Storvald, Frost Giant JarlStorvald, Frost Giant Jarl | Art by Campbell White)

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Giant?

Greetings and salutations from a decidedly rainy country, despite valiantly entering June. I'm Arnaud, and I'm thrilled to take you on yet another journey of weird brews and budget options.

Before we begin, I'd like to apologize for the absolute audio disaster that was the stream two weeks ago. First time, technical issues, you name it. I've learned my lesson, and hopefully next iteration will be better (tonight June 12th, 3pm EST). Hope to see you there!

With this out of the way, let's focus on this week's contestants.

Let's put this simply: there was no contest. Lagomos, Hand of HatredLagomos, Hand of Hatred, raised moderate interest, with 55 (24%) votes. Raphael, Fiendish SaviorRaphael, Fiendish Savior did slightly better, earning 73 votes to his name (31%). The clear and definite winner however is the giant superstar StorvaldStorvald, with 105 votes (45%). It's been a while since we've had such a lead.

Storvald is a fun guy, who came straight from the Adventures in The Forgotten Realms Commander precons. Currently leading 1,159 decks, he's been somewhat eclipsed by the other commander, Galea, Kindler of HopeGalea, Kindler of Hope and her 6,005 decks focused on Auras and Equipment. Nevertheless, that doesn't make our Giant any less fun. Granted, 7 mana for a 7/7 is a steep cost, but there are a lot of benefits to reap. First, he provides significant protection to our board, as Ward 3 will oftentimes be too high a tax for our opponents to bother. Second, he can turn a tiny critter into a monster and vice versa. Talk about versatility!

Without further ado, let's fill Archidekt with everything from Storvald's page, choosing from both the normal and cheap packages.

361 cards. Off to a good start, if I may say so.

First Trim – The Cardboard Chainsaw Massacre

The more I write these articles, the less I find what to write in this introductory section. I mean, unless you're new to the series (and if so, a very warm welcome to you!), you know what grim task is at hand here: no cards above $1 shall remain.

So how about some stats? Prior to the axing, there are 3 cards in the $50-100 range, 13 in the $20-$50, 14 between $10 and $20 and 21 between $5 and $10. I'm curious to know what you'll do with this newfound knowledge.

Off to the axing then.

Still 23 cards between $1 and $2. Let's take a look at the most noteworthy:

• Ajani, the GreatheartedAjani, the Greathearted: Never underestimate the power of vigilance my friends!
• Ohran FrostfangOhran Frostfang: At $1.17, it misses the mark by a smidge. Would have been an auto-include otherwise.
• Majestic GenesisMajestic Genesis: Reveal 7 cards, get any permanents among these on the field? Talk about value!
• Kami of Whispered HopesKami of Whispered Hopes: The +1/+1 part is nice, but getting this big boy to grow thanks to your commander and therefore provide a handful of mana is what counts here.
• Garruk, Primal HunterGarruk, Primal Hunter: One of my favorite ways to draw cards in green.
• Momentous FallMomentous Fall: Make a token huge, sacrifice it for immense value post-combat. What's not to like?
• Soul's MajestySoul's Majesty: Very similar, but expect people to want to kill your target before the spell resolves...
• Hadana's ClimbHadana's Climb: Classic in Simic +1/+1 strategies, this will grow your creatures into sheer monsters.

Which leaves us with the following goodies in the $1-$1.10 range:

• Hardened ScalesHardened Scales: Are we heading towards a +1/+1 deck?
• BrainstormBrainstorm: Overplayed in Commander if you ask me.
• Managorger HydraManagorger Hydra: Imagine seeing your baby grow up, and then scale up to a beefy 7/7? Gorgeous!
• Kenrith's TransformationKenrith's Transformation: One of the best ways to keep a pesky creature at bay.
• Nature's LoreNature's Lore: Mana value, here I come!

Needless to say I'll keep a close eye on these beauties.

248 cards, still quite a tall mountain to climb.

Second Trim – Cardward Scissorhands

Before we get to the fun and thematic part, you know what we have to do. That's right, make sure we have enough ways to keep our hand filled, play these cards, remove pesky threats and push the reset button.

In other words, time for veggies! And there's a decent harvest to make here. See for yourselves:

Well, I shouldn't be so surprised. We are, after all, in the prime colors for all of these categories. I'm going to keep a decent amount of ramp, since our commander has quite a high cost. I'll also probably favor mana dorks over rocks this time around in order to have some decent targets for Storvald to target. Same goes for Draw. If we can manage to trigger a juicy combat damage ability, it'll be much more fun and impressive than simply ConcentrateConcentrate.

Now this is what I call a trim. After a shaping a more reasonable mana base, we went from 248 cards to a much more reasonable 148. Don't get me wrong, the task is all but done. But It feels good, and I'm quite happy with our Banty Bant value. Onwards!

Third Trim - Cutting Off the Rough Edges

All right, time to get to the meaty course. Our JarlJarl has plenty of different strategies to offer it seems.

First, I can't help but noticing a slight poisonous streak. There are a few Toxic and/or Infect outlets, as well as several ways to Proliferate. I can see the appeal to send a big unblockable 7/7 Infect, but it's not quite how I feel we'll win the race. If your opponents make two and two, there's hardly any chance they'll leave you in peace. Granted, you have ward all around, but I doubt this will be enough. Plus, we're missing a few expensive enablers. So we'll forego that route.

Second, there is a strong propensity to play with counters. This I can get behind. I'm actually quite surprised there aren't more 0/0 Hydras in here. We might correct that count later on. +1/+1 works well with Proliferate, so we might take that into account when axing stuff.

Third, there are still quite a few Counterspells. You know how I feel about these, and while there are a couple that actually look fun to play, most will leave our grounds.

Fourth, there's a bunch of few pump spells, and for good reason. Turning one of your creatures into a beefy 7/7 is not bad, making it bigger is even better! There's also the fact that your commander might not be around, and these will make sure your creatures become haymakers anyway. Always have a plan B!

Last, there are a few miscellaneous spells here and there (Evasion, Protection, various Giants, peculiar choices) that we'll have to skim through.

All good? Let's go.

All right, that's good enough. 114 cards, we're all set, no excessive fluff, all good, all... what? Still 14 cards to cut? You're killing me, that's what you're doing. Oh the pain...

Final Trim – Heart-Wrenching Choices

Well, I was just complaining about having some more cards to cut, but before that, I'm actually going to add a few back. That's right, let's make the challenge even harder!

In all honesty, I feel like these three will make a solid addition to our pounding force.

• Hydroid KrasisHydroid Krasis: I can't believe this is below our price threshold, but apparently the Clue edition is going for $0.36. It has it all. Flying, trample, draw, lifegain... With our commander, this will become a nigh unstoppable threat.
• Heroes' BaneHeroes' Bane: I've pondered about this one, but I feel it can get out of hand really fast. With Storvald, it will become an 11/11, which you can thereafter pump to 22/22, if not more. The only drawback is the lack of evasion, but it's too fun not to try out.
• Scourge of Skola ValeScourge of Skola Vale: Granted, it's not that impressive. But it has built-in evasion, and will benefit from any other creature pumped by Storvald, especially in case of removal. Looks like an interesting critter.

Right then, so 17 other cards to get rid of. Let's spread the love. Remember, none of these final cards are bad, in the end this is all about personal preferences.

• FireshriekerFireshrieker: I like double strike as much as anyone, but the mana cost is slightly too steep.
• Tangleweave ArmorTangleweave Armor: Same train of thought.
• Giant InheritanceGiant Inheritance: A giant RancorRancor, at a giant cost. 5 mana is too much for this, despite the very attractive Monster Role attached to it and the recursion.
• Path to ExilePath to Exile, Reality ShiftReality Shift and Decisive DenialDecisive Denial: There are ever so slightly too many removal spells remaining, and I'm running out of ideas.
• Fblthp, Lost on the RangeFblthp, Lost on the Range and Piper Wright, Publick ReporterPiper Wright, Publick Reporter: Same as above for draw.
• Farhaven ElfFarhaven Elf and Wood ElvesWood Elves: Ramp gets their share of cuts.
• 1 PlainsPlains: I had somehow forgotten about Sejiri ShelterSejiri Shelter.
• Felidar RetreatFelidar Retreat: Great outlet, but we're trying to go tall, not wide.
• Behemoth SledgeBehemoth Sledge: Much as I love that equipment, it's proving a tad too pricey mana-wise.
• Exotic PetsExotic Pets: Yes, they are unblockable, and yes, they'll benefit from the counters around our creatures. But they won't grow that much, and we already have better evasive stuff.
• Leinore, Autumn SovereignLeinore, Autumn Sovereign: Slightly too expensive in my eyes, compared with what's left.
• Titania's CommandTitania's Command: I love that card, but maybe we can do better for six mana? Maybe? Maybeeeeee?
• Realm-Cloaked GiantRealm-Cloaked Giant: Let's get rid of the last thematic giant.

And there we have it, with a decent curve to boot!

Conclusion

Well? How did your like our incursion into pumpland? I'm actually curious to test this out, I might end up building the deck out of sheer curiosity.

As usual, I'm looking forward to hearing from you in the comments, and maybe see you around next Wednesday 9pm for a live stream building one of these decks? Hopefully with less issues?

Be well, and I'll see you next time!

Read more:

Arnaud Gompertz

Arnaud Gompertz has been playing Magic since 4th Edition, back in 1995. He's been an assiduous EDH enthusiast since 2012, with a soft spot for unusual and casual Commanders. He'll always favour spectacular plays against a boring path to victory. Aside from mistreating cardboard, he's a dedicated board games player, loves a challenging video game and occasionally tries to sing with his choir.