Joel, Resolute SurvivorJoel, Resolute Survivor | Illustrated by Yongjae Choi

The recent Secret Lair x The Last of Us reveals introduced a plethora of legends that can partner with one another. Ordinarily, I'm a really big fan of unique partner combinations. I love brewing weird decks with my beloved Tevesh Szat, Doom of FoolsTevesh Szat, Doom of Fools or Ishai, Ojutai DragonspeakerIshai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker. However, I'm taking one of these new commanders and having him fly solo. In this deck tech, I'm going to take Joel, Resolute SurvivorJoel, Resolute Survivor and see how he fares on his own.

What Does Joel, Resolute Survivor Do?

Joel, Resolute SurvivorJoel, Resolute Survivor is five-mana 4/4 with menace. Once per turn, whenever a token creature his owner controls dies, Joel gets a +1/+1 counter and draws a card. He also partners with other Survivors, although I won't be taking advantage of that here.

Joel is very clearly designed to lead an aristocrats deck. He's looking to make tokens and sacrifice them, preferably at instant speed, to draw four cards and get four counters each turn cycle. The big questions a deckbuilder has to answer to build Joel is simple: "What kind of tokens am I making and how am I sacrificing them?" In my case, those two questions have the same answer. Meet my two favorite tokens.

Eldrazi Spawn and Scion tokens are perfect! They sacrifice themselves, no outside help from sacrifice outlets like Carrion FeederCarrion Feeder or Viscera SeerViscera Seer required! There aren't quite enough repeatable ways to create these tokens for me to get away with them being the only tokens this deck makes, but they certainly will be the centerpiece.

Key Cards for Joel, Resolute Survivor

Making Spawns and Scions

The best ways to create Eldrazi Spawns and Scions are the repeatable ones. From BeyondFrom Beyond, Awakening ZoneAwakening Zone, and Spawnbed ProtectorSpawnbed Protector all generate one token per turn. From Beyond doubles as a tutor that can find one of the most important pieces in the deck, Basking BroodscaleBasking Broodscale. I'll go more in depth on Magic's best Lizard in the win conditions section.

There are also a lot of one-off ways to make Eldrazi Spawn or Scion tokens. Spells like Malevolent RumbleMalevolent Rumble, Warping WailWarping Wail, and Growth SpasmGrowth Spasm are perfectly normal functional cards that wouldn't feel out of place in other decks; it just so happens that they are all capable of producing valuable tokens! Functional cards that also contribute to "doing the thing" are my favorite for cultivating a unique feeling for a deck, and Battle for Zendikar contributed a lot of cards to make that happen here.

Other Tokens

Sadly, for this deck to get the job done it will need to make a few tokens that aren't Eldrazi Spawns or Scions. However, all the other token-generators I've included are pretty sweet. Springheart NantukoSpringheart Nantuko can make token copies of any creature, Chatterfang, Squirrel GeneralChatterfang, Squirrel General sends in Squirrels any time another token would be created, and Tendershoot Dryad provides four SaprolingSaprolings per turn cycle! To support these inferior tokens, sacrifice outlets like Viscera SeerViscera Seer and Carrion FeederCarrion Feeder have been included since they can't sacrifice themselves.

How Does This Joel, Resolute Survivor Deck Win the Game?

Broodscale Combos

Basking BroodscaleBasking Broodscale combos ran rampant in Pauper until my poor Lizard finally saw a ban; there, it was played alongside Sadistic GleeSadistic Glee to make infinite colorless mana and an infinitely large Broodscale. In Modern, the same combo is being performed with Blade of the BloodchiefBlade of the Bloodchief. Unfortunately, in Commander, one infinitely large creature doesn't actually win the game on the spot. However, when paired with a drain effect, like Blood ArtistBlood Artist or Zulaport CutthroatZulaport Cutthroat, this combo can kill the table! I wouldn't classify this deck as an all-in Broodscale combo deck, but it is certainly the most reliable way this deck can close out a game.

One perk of having a big, evasive commander is that it always provides a potential win condition in the command zone! Dark PrivilegeDark Privilege can be used to keep Joel alive and attacking as his +1/+1 counters stack up, providing a pretty good source of inevitability. Paired with a removal engine, like Dictate of ErebosDictate of Erebos, it should be very easy to keep opposing boards clear enough to get in the red zone with Joel each turn. It isn't fast and it isn't pretty, but it is a solid win condition to back up the deck's other combos.

Joel, Resolute Survivor Commander Decklist

Conclusion

Finding a good bracket classification for this build of Joel, Resolute SurvivorJoel, Resolute Survivor is something I've been grappling with for a little while now. Obviously, Basking BroodscaleBasking Broodscale and Sadistic GleeSadistic Glee or Blade of the BloodchiefBlade of the Bloodchief is a two-card infinite combo. However, without a third piece, that combo doesn't exactly win the game or even do anything too productive. Additionally, this deck uses zero Game Changers and doesn't exactly have the most robust suite of tutors to make a game winning combo happen in the early turns without an extraordinarily fortunate opening hand. For that reason, I'd feel comfortable playing this deck at a Bracket 3 (Upgraded) table as long as I've cleared it with the table.

This issue really gets at the heart of how I apply the bracket system to my deckbuilding, though. I tend to put together my deck the way I want it, then try and figure out where it sits in the system rather than picking a bracket and going out of my way to fit within that bracket's guidelines. This works for me in particular because I have a regular playgroup and don't often have to negotiate what kind of game I'd like to play with people that are unfamiliar with me or with how I tend to play Magic.

Basking BroodscaleBasking Broodscale was the first card that popped into my head when I read Joel and I started with a higher-power build with more tutors and additional related combos. That build was more focused but significantly less fun to play. In the end, I scrapped that version and went with something that felt a little more satisfying. If someone else were to build this deck, I could make a reasonable case for either powering it up or down for the types of tables they play at.

Overall, I'm really excited about where I ended up with this deck and I'm looking forward to refining this idea once I have a paper copy of Joel to terrorize my friends with!