Queen BrahneQueen Brahne | Art by Lorenzo Mastroianni

Welcome back to Archetypes of Imagination, the series where we build decks based on popular Commander archetypes. I'll be using Scryfall's tagging system and EDHREC's Tag pages to build around a new theme each week. Scryfall has a really cool way of categorizing cards, where each card has specific labels attached to it for later reference. For example, Terisiare's DevastationTerisiare's Devastation has the artifact synergy tag and Fateful AbsenceFateful Absence has the removal tag. EDHREC's tag system is really cool too, letting users see popular cards associated with a given strategy. For example, Storm-Kiln ArtistStorm-Kiln Artist is great in spellslinger decks and Juri, Master of the RevueJuri, Master of the Revue is great in sacrifice decks. These tagging systems are great ways to get inspiration for certain deck archetypes, and I often start there when it's time for me to build a new deck.

This week we'll be building a deck focused on polymorphing small, less useful creatures into big, powerful monsters. For those who may not know, “polymorphing” is the process of removing a creature and having its owner replace it on the battlefield by revealing cards from the top of their library until a new creature appears. Essentially, these effects will let us turn tokens and other cheap creatures into high mana value beaters. So we'll need a commander that lets us get easy access to disposable creatures, and it'll need to have or in its color identity, as that's where most of Magic's polymorph effects lie. Luckily, Final Fantasy has presented us with a fantastic option: Queen BrahneQueen Brahne!

For those of you who are interested, here are some of the Scryfall searches I used to write this article:

• Polymorph effects
• Creatures to polymorph into

What Does Queen Brahne Do?

Queen BrahneQueen Brahne is an interesting new design, netting us a cool token every time it attacks. These 0/1 Wizard tokens will ping our opponents when we cast noncreature spells, which is great because most of our polymorph spells aren't creatures. While the chip damage they provide likely won't be game-winning, it'll certainly add up as the game goes on. But, a lot of these tokens will end up being sacrificed so we can cheat something scarier onto the battlefield. I'm super excited to talk about the deck's inner workings, so let's get going!

Key Cards for Polymorphing With Queen Brahne

First, let's talk about the different ways that we can turn little guys into big guys. The classics are all here, like Divergent TransformationsDivergent Transformations, Indomitable CreativityIndomitable Creativity, and Reality ScrambleReality Scramble. That last one's my favorite, because we can recast it as many times as we'd like (provided there's lands in our hand). Sometimes we'll get unlucky and spin into a creature that doesn't work well on the current board state. Cards like Reality Scramble ensure that we can get a do-over whenever needed.

There's a few more repeatable ways for us to polymorph our creatures too. Fireflux SquadFireflux Squad can polymorph a creature every turn if it survives combat. This is particularly strong alongside our commander, given that Queen BrahneQueen Brahne makes a new token every turn that can serve as an easy target for polymorphing.

I also really like Lukka, Coppercoat OutcastLukka, Coppercoat Outcast, because it provides value outside of just polymorphs. The card advantage this planeswalker provides is nice, and its ultimate can easily end the game when activated. Lastly, Dreamshaper ShamanDreamshaper Shaman slots super well into our game plan. If we've got extra mana and any extra nonland permanents lying around, this creature can turn those into game-ending threats quite easily. Plus, it's no slouch in combat as a 5/4.

But that's enough talk about polymorph spells. Lets talk about the big, scary creatures we'll be getting onto the battlefield. I'll start by talking about a trio of Dragons: Skyline DespotSkyline Despot, Utvara HellkiteUtvara Hellkite, and Balefire DragonBalefire Dragon. These are all huge, flying creatures that'll make short work of our opponents if we can get them onto the board early. I like that these creatures provide more than just power and toughness, though. They provide card advantage, token production, and removal, respectively. We need our big threats to do more than just attack and block, given how much we're investing in them.

There are, of course, Eldrazi here too. Void WinnowerVoid Winnower can cripple our opponents' ability to play the game at all, while also being a massive 11/9. Ulamog's DreadsireUlamog's Dreadsire is a newer card that can produce huge amounts of power if left unchecked. And, one of my personal favorites, Pathrazer of UlamogPathrazer of Ulamog will ensure our opponents' board states aren't strong enough to fight back against us. Although these creatures don't provide as much value as the aforementioned Dragons, I'm still more than happy to include them here.

Given that many of our polymorph effects destroy or sacrifice one of our creatures, cards like Phyrexian TriniformPhyrexian Triniform, Wurmcoil EngineWurmcoil Engine, and Triplicate TitanTriplicate Titan become even stronger in this deck. It's great to have them on board as big 9/9s, but we're also perfectly okay with sacrificing them to go fetch another big creature from our deck. The tokens they leave behind are powerful, and can be sacrificed for future polymorph spells too. All of these creatures, and the tokens they leave behind, fit extremely well with Terror of the PeaksTerror of the Peaks. Not counting the tokens we'll be creating, the average power of creatures in this deck is six. Suffice it to say that Terror of the Peaks will be dishing out tons of damage over the course of the game.

Our commander has prowess, which conveniently synergizes with the 39 noncreature spells in this deck. But there are other ways to take advantage of those spells too, like Young PyromancerYoung Pyromancer. Although including this creature in the deck does run the risk of it being flipped off a polymorph spell, the huge amount of creature tokens it'll be creating for us is too good to pass up. Same goes for Bothersome QuasitBothersome Quasit, which provides combat control through goading. And, as a unique include to re-trigger our noncreature synergies, Mark of FuryMark of Fury is here. Haste is pretty important in this deck, letting our big creatures attack for value or letting our commander attack to make an additional creature token. Having the chance to cast this spell and give a new creature haste on every single turn feels really strong.

Queen Brahne Polymorph Commander Deck List

Here's the full decklist, which includes one of my personal favorite cards in PowerbalancePowerbalance.

Voyage's EndVoyage's End

Thanks for sticking around to the end! Before you go, there's a few more cards I wanted to shout out for their role in the 99 of this deck. We're making a lot of 0/1 and 1/1 tokens, so cards like SkullclampSkullclamp and Idol of OblivionIdol of Oblivion can provide a ton of card advantage. And, should we wish to upgrade some of those tokens into game-ending threats, Descent of the DragonsDescent of the Dragons can do so. I love this card for its ability to downgrade an opponent's scariest threat into a mere 4/4 and its ability to upgrade our small tokens into flying threats.

Thanks once again for reading! I'll see you all soon for another edition of Archetypes of Imagination!