Kratos, Stoic FatherKratos, Stoic Father | Art by Nathaniel Himawan

With age comes experience, and there might be none more experienced than the gods. How then, in the game of Magic, do we combine experience and godly beings? With the new card, Kratos, Stoic FatherKratos, Stoic Father.

Most people will be pairing Kratos up with Atreus, Impulsive SonAtreus, Impulsive Son, but instead, I called the babysitter and went out for a solo night on the town. This is a solo build, Boros () style, featuring Gods, experience counters, extra combats, and, as always, a bit of spice.

It's time to Tech The Deck. Let's jump in.

The Pantheon

There's no lede to bury for this deck. I'm featuring as many cards as I can that say "Legendary Creature — God" on them.

The reason for this is quite simple: I want to have as many creatures as possible that can grant experience counters. The reason is that there aren't too many cards that can give experience counters in this color combo. But I'll get into that in a moment; for now, gaze upon those who are not mortal...if you dare.

In Magic, even the Gods come in a variety. Cramming the deck full of as many of the Gods that seem remotely playable is an easy first step, but figuring out what to do with them is another issue. No matter what the strategy, some cards, like Iroas, God of VictoryIroas, God of Victory, are good on their own. As long as some form of attacking is involved, Iroas will help out. And thanks to indestructibility, triggering Kratos will be easy.

Ilharg, the Raze-BoarIlharg, the Raze-Boar is Version Two of God Cards. Many know that this is one of the biggest pigs playable in a deck, and in this deck, I not only love the attack trigger, but if Ilharg happens to die, that's okay. It comes back a few cards later.

Finally, there's the God Card Version Three. Ojer Axonil, Deepest MightOjer Axonil, Deepest Might benefits the deck when it attacks, when it dies, and after death. Coming back as a land after death allows this deck to ramp to creatures like the Big Pig or other deities, such as The Capitoline TriadThe Capitoline Triad.

I even get to play the "older" version of Kratos himself in Kratos, God of WarKratos, God of War. Giving haste to my board and being a God is what the original version of Kratos is for. But if you want to see what he can do leading a deck, look back at my last article.

Unfortunately, I need to discuss work experience.

Work Experience

Experience counters debuted with the Commander 2015 slate of decks. Only occasionally is a new card featuring the mechanic released. I wanted to play all of them to benefit not only from Kratos's ability, but also the abilities on the other cards as well.

The best thing about experience counters is that, since they were introduced in the early days of the format, they occupy a spot that opponents can't interact with. And they stack.

Any card that grants an experience counter works with any other card while it's on the field. This allows not only Kratos to pump up the team on the end step, but also for Kalemne, Disciple of IroasKalemne, Disciple of Iroas to become a massive threat to the table.

It's also possibly a sign of things to come at the end of this year, with Aang, Airbending MasterAang, Airbending Master heralding the return of experience counters. While Aang might not be the creature headlining the experience counter creation in this list, he will benefit.

Finally, a card that I always take when it's available in Vintage Cube: Otharri, Suns' GloryOtharri, Suns' Glory. If this card were a God, it would be the best one in the deck. If you've never been on the receiving end of this creature, count yourself lucky. An army-in-a-can is the only way to describe what Otharri does the moment five mana becomes available.

All of these creatures can put the table at risk. While not the best-case scenario, they can shift the focus away from other cards I want to get on the board.

Aang and Otharri also synergize with another God in the deck: Ojer Taq, Deepest FoundationOjer Taq, Deepest Foundation. When it comes to kindred lists that may not have the largest pool of cards, such as this one, it's nice when there are more synergies between them than initially expected.

Bonus Rounds

At the soul of the deck lives aggression. Being a Boros deck will do that to you.

The best ways I found to do that are with extra combats and extra turns. Extra turns are something that I don't suggest everyone play, especially if your deck sits in a lower bracket level. However, when the extra turn spells being played aren't in the color blue, they often come with some severe drawbacks.

In this case, the phrase "Chance for GloryChance for Glory" works as both the descriptor of taking an extra turn and the name of the card itself. Instant speed is worth paying an extra mana for when compared to a card like Last ChanceLast Chance. The bonus indestructible works well when combined with extra combat spells.

I could make an argument for which card is better between Great Train HeistGreat Train Heist and Seize the DaySeize the Day. Obviously, Seize can stack two extra combats back-to-back, but the Train Heist can guarantee that one of the people being attacked won't be around past the first combat. It depends on what I need in the moment to determine which one I hope to top-deck.

What I won't argue against is that Breath of FuryBreath of Fury is by far the coolest extra combat spell in the deck.

Breath allows me to stack experience counters by sacrificing Gods in between bonus combats. That can translate to more creatures attacking or more counters on Kalemne. Either way, it means more damage is being dealt to my opposition.

If I can't finish off the entire table with Breath of FuryBreath of Fury, whatever creatures are left should get a significant power boost on the end step thanks to Kratos, Stoic FatherKratos, Stoic Father.

Sneak Attack and Brought Back

Even at three mana, casting extra combat spells on the same turn as casting creatures gets taxing. Losing creatures in combat that don't have a way to self-return is also taxing to the battlefield. As much as I want experience counters, I don't want to throw away high-cost and difficult-to-cast cards like Djeru and HazoretDjeru and Hazoret for just one counter.

Never fear, because I have a plan.

Sneak AttackSneak Attack, and the more expensive creature version Purphoros, Bronze-BloodedPurphoros, Bronze-Blooded, allow me to forget about casting a creature. Instead, I can slam them onto the table for much cheaper than their mana cost.

Depending on what I sneak in, the sacrifice clause can be seen as a benefit. Terminal VelocityTerminal Velocity from the fantastic Edge of Eternities set balances being more expensive than some of the creatures I have against providing haste and offering the possibility of a board wipe.

Sixty-card formats like Modern can even provide tricks if I don't want my creature to die, thanks to EphemerateEphemerate. While I won't be scamming anyone with this list, I will be able to keep around a creature brought in via Sneak AttackSneak Attack or Purphoros, Bronze-BloodedPurphoros, Bronze-Blooded.

Immortality is something that Gods aren't strangers to, and this deck is going to give its best impression of being immortal. Gift of ImmortalityGift of Immortality and Angelic RenewalAngelic Renewal are what I have chosen to fit this task.

Fighting through a Gift of ImmortalityGift of Immortality is something that will make you want to tear your hair out. And even if I can only get one use out of it, Angelic RenewalAngelic Renewal becomes a powerhouse when paired with Descendants' FuryDescendants' Fury.

As part of the title of this section, I would be remiss not to mention the woefully underplayed card Brought BackBrought Back. For just it can function as ramp when using fetch lands, and instant-speed recovery post-WrathWrath or targeted removal. At just two mana it's unmatched.

Spice

While I've built spicier decks in the past, this one does have its fair share.

While the Gods tend to be more expensive, and as stated before, there aren't that many of them in this color combo, I found a small way to bridge the gap - creatures with changeling. Mirror EntityMirror Entity, and one of my favorite cards Taurean MaulerTaurean Mauler, help get Gods out before Kratos hits the field.

The spice isn't contained only within the creatures of the deck, either.

A few extra points of power or a couple of extra tokens could mean the difference between winning and losing a game of Commander. For that, I turn to Karn's BastionKarn's Bastion and the power of proliferation.

Miren, the Moaning WellMiren, the Moaning Well is another way to sacrifice creatures to stay alive, ramp, and build up experience. For the few non-God and non-changeling creatures in the deck, Tyrite SanctumTyrite Sanctum can assist in their ascension. In a pinch, it can give indestructible to some of the Versions Two and Three Gods in the deck.

Kratos, Stoic Father Commander Deck List

Wrap Up

Kratos, Stoic FatherKratos, Stoic Father is my second-favorite Kratos in Magic. Yes, there are only two of them, but this one excites me a bit less than its mono-red counterpart.

That being said, when paired with Atreus, Impulsive SonAtreus, Impulsive Son, the interest goes up. I did want to see what it would be like to build this half of the partner pair alone. The benefit of having partners is generally seen through access to more colors and, obviously, more power.

For example, you could play Merfolk with Thrasios, Triton HeroThrasios, Triton Hero by themselves. But adding Yoshimaru, Ever FaithfulYoshimaru, Ever Faithful, is going to be a huge benefit in most instances.

Kratos is more effective when he acts as a father. Considering all of this, the big question is: Is the deck fun? I think so. Otherwise, I wouldn't have built it. If you want to check out this or any other Kratos deck, hopefully you're doing it on EDHREC. While here, you should look at the other fantastic articles by a great group of writers.

If you'd like to share your favorite God in the game, let me know on the internet at nicnax96. Will we see more experience counters in future sets? Will we get a full God of War set down the line? Who knows.

Either way, may your lands always be dropped and your hand always be a good seven. Till next time.

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