Eshki DragonclawEshki Dragonclaw | Art by Tran Nguyen

Hello and welcome back to an in-universe Commander deck tech! With Final Fantasy's release now in our rear view, and Edge of Eternities' release coming up quite quickly, I wanted to take a brief moment to look at a card from a recent set that I think could use some extra love.

I'm a huge fan of Tarkir: Dragonstorm, and the Temur in particular, so I'm super excited to take another look at Eshki DragonclawEshki Dragonclaw!

What Does Eshki Do?

Eshki's got a few keywords on her that make her an ideal leader for a Voltron deck. First, she's got defensive ability with vigilance, some evasion with trample, and even built-in protection with ward .

And, at the beginning of combat on our turn, if we've cast both a creature spell and a noncreature spell, she rewards us with +1/+1 counters and card draw. That's a lot for just , meaning we can get our gameplan online pretty early.

This commander is a fun design, and encourages us to fill our deck with similar amounts of creatures and noncreatures. An interesting push-and-pull, for sure.

This is reminiscent of several different commanders, notably the recently released Hraesvelgr of the First BroodHraesvelgr of the First Brood.

Both Eshki and Hraesvelgr have similar keywords, and provide some combat-relevant buff to a creature when we cast a noncreature spell. I'm also reminded of Krile BaldesionKrile Baldesion, whose abilities ask us to have high counts of creatures and noncreatures too.

So, Eshki asks us to cast noncreature spells (and fill out our 99 with a strong supporting cast of creatures). But, there's a few categories of noncreature spells that we've got to choose from.

While -centric decks may lean well into Spellslinger synergies with cards like Archmage of RunesArchmage of Runes, I want to take a slightly more unique approach.

We'll be making use of Auras to make a hybrid Enchantress-Voltron list centered around beating face with our commander! So, let's get right into it!

Key Cards for Eshki

There's a full 28 enchantments in this deck, so let's talk about a few of the best ones. My personal favorite is Hadana's ClimbHadana's Climb, which will usually flip into a super powerful land the same turn we cast it.

Its back side can either be a nice multicolor land OR a way to end games quickly, and that flexibility is super valuable here.

I also really like Spider UmbraSpider Umbra in this list. It does everything we want out of an Aura: it's as cheap as an Aura can be, it buffs our commander's blocking abilities, and even protects our commander from the removal our opponents will surely throw at it.

Rounding out the best Auras in this deck is Strong BackStrong Back. This card is a cheaper version of Auramancer's GuiseAuramancer's Guise (which is also here) and reduces the casting cost of pretty much every other Aura we'll cast for the remainder of the game.

There's a few more auras that work particularly well in this deck, so let's touch on those briefly. Shimmering WingsShimmering Wings is a relatively innocuous card, but it can trigger our commander and other cards that care about us casting enchantment spells over and over again.

Because Eshki provides so much value when we can cast both a creature and a noncreature spell, it's great to always have a noncreature spell available with this Aura.

Whip SilkWhip Silk and Crown of FlamesCrown of Flames do pretty much the same thing, but I didn't want to clog the deck's 99 with too many Auras without consequential on-board effects.

Bramble FamiliarBramble Familiar has the same effect on a creature, plus a super useful adventure, so it's found a spot in the deck too. Hydra's GrowthHydra's Growth works wonders with our commander too.

Because Eshki naturally gains +1/+1 counters, this card will typically provide huge power and toughness buffs after just a few turns on the board.

Now, let's talk about the creatures that support our gameplan. First, Eutropia the Twice-FavoredEutropia the Twice-Favored provides extra evasion and +1/+1 counters to our commander, making her even more lethal.

Plus, Eutropia can distribute counters to other creatures we control if our commander happens to be out of commission. Goro-Goro, Disciple of RyuseiGoro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei is a great haste outlet and mana sink, letting us get some quick attacks in with our commander and make 5/5 flying creatures if we've got extra mana.

Speaking of mana production, Fanatic of RhonasFanatic of Rhonas and Ilysian CaryatidIlysian Caryatid both provide extra mana with our commander on the battlefield. They slot very nicely into our early game curve, and can accelerate us towards the mid/late game with ease.

How Does This Deck Win?

This deck, as all good Voltron decks do, tries to hit our opponents hard and fast. By buffing our commander with auras like ColossificationColossification and creatrures like Nylea's ColossusNylea's Colossus, we'll try to knock out our opponents in just a few combat steps.

Eshki's card draw and self-buffing capabilities only accelerate that plan, and we'll usually end the game after a few big swings with a suited-up commander.

But, Eshki's power makes her a prime target for our opponents' removal. We'll sometimes need other creatures to put our Auras onto, so cards like Callaphe, Beloved of the SeaCallaphe, Beloved of the Sea, Dragon's Rage ChannelerDragon's Rage Channeler, and Wildsear, Scouring MawWildsear, Scouring Maw can turn from role players to star players if need be.

Each of these cards can serve as a nice target for our Auras in the event of our commander's absence, and having them as an alternative makes it easier to recover from unfavorable positions in-game.

Eshki Dragonclaw Commander Deck List

Conclusion and Alternative Build Paths

That's all for this week, folks! Before you go, I wanted to talk a little bit about how I'd choose to build a Spellslinger version of this deck.

Our very own Bennie Smith wrote up a cool Adventure-centric Eshki list, but I'd choose to go a little bit more all-in on the Voltron strategy again. Cards like Temur Battle RageTemur Battle Rage, Invigorating SurgeInvigorating Surge, and even Gift of the ViperGift of the Viper would find a place for sure.

This deck would be focused on buffing our commander using combat tricks, taking out players with temporary bursts of power to our commander that they wouldn't see coming.

But now I want to hear from you! Would you rather play an Enchantress or spellsinger version of this deck? Let me know in the comments below, and I'll see you next week for an Edge of Eternities deck tech!