Using EDHREC to Build a Commander Cube

Too-Specific Top 10 - Unearthing Rebirth

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deflecting Swat" href="#" target="_blank">Deflecting Swat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://twitter.com/izzymedrano?lang=en">Izzy</a>)</h6>
<h1>Mana Curveball</h1>
<p>Commander differs from most other Constructed formats in that you always start the game with at least one card that you know you will have access to. Your commander dictates almost everything about the 99 cards you put around it, and so it stands to reason that it would also shape your mana curve - that is, the casting costs of each other card in your deck. But how exactly does this influence manifest itself?</p>
<p>One theory comes from, among other places, a recent episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLsiaNUb42gRAP7ewbJ0ecQ">The Command Zone</a>. Episode #453, "<a href="https://youtu.be/LB6HotI0ntI?t=1265">Advanced Deckbuilding: Mastering Your Mana Curve</a>," is all about factors that brewers should account for when crafting their deck's curve.</p>
<p>Hosts Josh and Jimmy advise considering the mana value of your commander when building your curve. Specifically, you should run <em>fewer</em> cards at your commander's mana value than you otherwise might. Their theory makes sense: you know that your commander will be available to play on a specific turn (given you've hit your land drops/ramp), so don't run other cards that you would also play on that turn.</p>
<p>So, do EDH deckbuilders actually follow this recommendation? It looks like the answer is no.</p>
<p>First, consider this "average" mana curve, built by agglomerating a large sample of decks on EDHREC:<a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Average-number-of-cards-per-deck-at-each-mana-value.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-82515" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Average-number-of-cards-per-deck-at-each-mana-value.png" alt="" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Average-number-of-cards-per-deck-at-each-mana-value.png 1200w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Average-number-of-cards-per-deck-at-each-mana-value-300x169.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Average-number-of-cards-per-deck-at-each-mana-value-1024x576.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Average-number-of-cards-per-deck-at-each-mana-value-768x432.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></a></p>
<p>This excludes all lands, and it suggests that the modal mana value across all decks is 2. There are 15.7 2-mana-value cards per deck, and 15.4 3-mana-value cards. From this peak, frequencies drop off in both directions, tailing off at the high end -- the average deck has about 1.5 cards with mana value 8 or higher.</p>
<p>If deckbuilders, broadly speaking, adhere to The Command Zone's heuristic, we should expect decks with commanders of mana value <code>x</code> to deviate from that global curve, specifically by running fewer cards at mana value <code>x</code>.</p>
<p>Looking, for example, at all of the 4-mana-value commanders pooled together, I find that there are an average of 9.7 4-MV cards, which is actually slightly <em>higher</em> than the 9.5 cards/deck in the global curve above. This is contrary to our Command Zone expectation! What do <em>all</em> of the deviations look like, at each mana value, pooled across all commanders at a given mana value?</p>
<div id="attachment_82516" style="width: 1210px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Deviation-from-average-mana-value-distribution-by-commander-mana-value.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-82516" class="wp-image-82516 size-full" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Deviation-from-average-mana-value-distribution-by-commander-mana-value.png" alt="" width="1200" height="1200" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Deviation-from-average-mana-value-distribution-by-commander-mana-value.png 1200w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Deviation-from-average-mana-value-distribution-by-commander-mana-value-300x300.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Deviation-from-average-mana-value-distribution-by-commander-mana-value-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Deviation-from-average-mana-value-distribution-by-commander-mana-value-150x150.png 150w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Deviation-from-average-mana-value-distribution-by-commander-mana-value-768x768.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-82516" class="wp-caption-text">You're probably going to want to click on this one to see it larger.</p></div>
<p>First, note that there are only 800 0-MV commander decks in my sample, 1,200 12-MV decks, and fewer than 10,000 1-, 9-, and 10-MV decks, although even 800 is probably a sufficient number to learn something from.</p>
<p>What is this graph telling us? Well, each panel summarizes the curve of all commanders with the mana value in the panel's title. The thin line, common to all twelve panels, reproduces the "global curve" shown in the first plot we looked at. The little line segments each end with a dot; that dot represents the actual mana curve of the commander subset, meaning that the length of the line segment reflects how much deviation there is from the global mode.</p>
<p>With all of that cleared up, what can we take away from this? The first thing that stands out is that high-MV commanders seem to run a disproportionately large number of other high-MV cards (they're red/under the global curve on the left/low side and green/above the curve on the right/high side). This is almost certainly because they are built to ramp up to cast their commander early and thus have mana available to cast other expensive spells.</p>
<p>The lower end of the commander-MV spectrum is more interesting, in that it really defies Josh and Jimmy's advice. In almost every case, <code>x</code>-mana-value commanders actually run <em>more</em> <code>x</code>-mana-value spells than expected, with the exception of the 3-MV commanders. I could probably come up with some post-hoc theory that explains all of this, but I'll leave that as an exercise to the reader (send me <a href="https://twitter.com/MtG_DS">your best theories here</a>, or in the comments below).</p>
<p>Does this mean that the folks posting online decklists are doing something wrong? Maybe, but we can't tell that from the available data. Jimmy and Josh certainly know a lot about building winning decks, but (a) we don't have game outcome data to weigh in on whether their strategy really does pay off, and (b) many EDH players aren't prioritizing winning as their only objective.</p>
<p>All I feel confident saying, after seeing this data, is that high-mana-value commander decks look different from their low- and moderate-mana-value counterparts, but perhaps this sparks some ideas for how to better understand and evaluate the connection between commander MV and that of the 99.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Thoughts? Questions? Critiques? Suggestions?</h2>
<p>Let me hear them! Do you agree with The Command Zone's advice? How do you build your curve? Do you have other ideas for how to wrangle this data to find answers? I'd love to hear what you think, and if you aren’t already, please <a href="https://twitter.com/mtg_ds">follow me on Twitter</a>!</p>


Paradigm Shift - How Your Commander's Mana Value Alters Your Curve

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hinata, Dawn-Crowned" href="#" target="_blank">Hinata, Dawn-Crowned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artofmtg.com/artist/alexander-mokhov/">Alexander Mokhov</a>)</h6>
<h1>Hitting the Target</h1>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hi there! I’m Jeremy Rowe, AKA J Ro, the Unsummoned Skull, a former Judge, Tournament Organizer, and Pro Tour competitor. I’m also a current teacher, college professor, streamer, community leader, and content creator. In this series, we examine the big EDH questions: What makes a card good? What’s the difference between popularity and synergy? What even is that synergy thing anyways? My intention is to differentiate between high- and low-synergy cards, describe in what ways the cards work with the commander, and explain why high synergy is such a good thing. For a deck to be powerful and consistent, each card needs to do a job, and these cards do WORK!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week, I, an intrepid mad scientist, will attempts to harness the power of a popular new commander that puts the “Nasty” in “Neon Dynasty”! While the Kami of old seem to have calmed a bit since their warring days, </span><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hinata, Dawn-Crowned" href="#" target="_blank">Hinata, Dawn-Crowned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> embodies the primal rage of the plane, bubbling beneath the glitz and glamor of the Neon Dynasty.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hinata, Dawn-Crowned"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hinata was met with a tremendous amount of hype as soon as it was previewed, and with good reason. A 4/4 flying trampler for four mana is already a solid rate, and it comes with what essentially amounts to <em>W</em></span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ard 1</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> for our team, plus a significant cost reduction effect for our own spells. These abilities and stats work well for either offensive or defensive builds. Hinata is an extremely versatile commander, just as suited for </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Heroic</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> strategies as it is for slinging <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fireballs" href="#" target="_blank">Fireballs</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>… so which will it be? How do we make the best use of Hinata?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It is my belief that all Commander decks are midrange decks, needing the same jobs done in order to switch cleanly between offense and defense, as well as to combat a variety of threats from around the table. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hinata, Dawn-Crowned" href="#" target="_blank">Hinata, Dawn-Crowned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a special commander, so let’s find the right tools for these jobs!</span></p>
<hr />
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ramp</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Most decks need ramp to play high-impact spells at a time when they are still relevant. Hinata has a decently high mana value, indicating a more defensive or protective playstyle. With spells that want to target multiple permanents, Hinata can be a mana-hungry deck, and, with a decent number of unique cards, the deck needs to be able to cast our commander multiple times a game.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jeska&#039;s Will"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Battlefield Thaumaturge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Electromancer"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jeska&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Jeska&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fairly ubiquitous red sorcery, one of the more powerful and popular cards to come out of <em>Commander Legends</em>. Since the mana-creation mode targets an opponent, Hinata can reduce the cost of the spell, making it even better than usual. The additional card draw is gravy, as the burst of mana helps with the numerous cards in the deck that require large amounts of mana, with or without our commander in play.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Battlefield Thaumaturge" href="#" target="_blank">Battlefield Thaumaturge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">provides a similar cost reduction effect to our commander, and it can double up the effect to further reduce any pressure on our mana. This is a unique card to our commander, showing up in more than half of Hinata decks, and not really seeing much play in any other Jeskai decks!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Electromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Electromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another static cost reduction that further increases the deck’s functionality even if Hinata isn't out. Hinata is a magnet for removal spells, even if they do cost one more for our opponents to play, so I like extra mana reduction.</span></p>
<hr />
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Spot Removal</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In addition to being able to cast spells on time (or early enough in the game to still be relevant), decks need removal to be able to deal with the threats opposing decks present, as well as to be able to protect their own threats from opposing removal. In Hinata’s case, both forms of removal will benefit from the cost reduction, which is part of what makes our commander so scary!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swords to Plowshares"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rewind"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abrade"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a classic removal spell for white decks, and it works decently here. About half of all Hinata decks run it even though it doesn’t get any cost reduction because it’s just a cheap piece of removal. Cards don’t have to directly or uniquely synergize with our commander if they're good enough.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rewind" href="#" target="_blank">Rewind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, in conjunction with Hinata, actually <em>nets </em>us mana, because our commander makes it cost three to cast! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rewind" href="#" target="_blank">Rewind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unwind" href="#" target="_blank">Unwind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> perfectly encapsulate the small advantages needed to take a deck from 'powerful' to 'broken in half', and I’m here for it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crush Contraband" href="#" target="_blank">Crush Contraband</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> hits two targets, which means Hinata makes it cost just two mana. Two mana to exile two permanents is just too good to pass up, and we need exile to handle tricky indestructible threats out there.</span></p>
<hr />
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mass Removal</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Most decks need plans for what to do if things get out of hand, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hinata, Dawn-Crowned" href="#" target="_blank">Hinata, Dawn-Crowned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is no different. Quite a lot of decks are capable of making a big or wide board, and they can make them awfully quickly. As a result, Hinata needs to be able to knock them all down in one swing.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heliod’s Intervention"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of the Swine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Distorting Wake"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heliod’s Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Heliod’s Intervention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful board wipe with Hinata, who reduces the mana cost for each thing we target, and that includes X spells. For WW, we destroy every artifact and enchantment we want. The spell is plenty playable enough on its own already, but that's incredible!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of the Swine" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of the Swine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is also ubiquitous with Hinata; both it and Heliod’s Intervention are in over 80% of Hinata decks, and for good reason. Like the Intervention, it's a board wipe that targets a bunch of stuff. Granted, it leaves a 2/2 Boar behind (which is quite adorable), but that's worth it to exile every single creature we don't like!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Distorting Wake" href="#" target="_blank">Distorting Wake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> bounces every nonland permanent our opponents control. In this deck, this card is a three-mana sorcery-speed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cyclonic Rift" href="#" target="_blank">Cyclonic Rift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.<br />
</span></p>
<hr />
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Card Draw</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Every deck needs card draw, selection, tutoring, or advantage, to help find the pieces it needs to transition between the phases of the game. There are always going to be spells that are better early than late, or better from ahead, or better from behind. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hinata, Dawn-Crowned" href="#" target="_blank">Hinata, Dawn-Crowned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a mana-hungry commander that makes efficient use of its mana, but we can run out of things to do if the setup isn’t there.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Whirlwind of Thought"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archmage Emeritus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Paradoxical Outcome"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Whirlwind of Thought" href="#" target="_blank">Whirlwind of Thought</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is particularly useful in a deck that has a cost-reduction effect in the command zone. We cast a bunch of spells! This card helps us churn right through the deck!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archmage Emeritus" href="#" target="_blank">Archmage Emeritus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> functions similarly to the Whirlwind, currently seeing play in over 65% of Hinata decks. I'd say this is one of the more important cards from <em>Strixhaven</em>. If you're playing any <em>Heroic </em>effects, it's nice to have another body on the field here too, and don't forget that HInata helps protect it a little form single-target removal effects by taxing our enemies if they try to take it down.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradoxical Outcome" href="#" target="_blank">Paradoxical Outcome</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a card draw effect that's more unique for Hinata than for other Jeskai decks. For usually just one mana, we bounce anything we want (which is great to do to help save them from removal) and draw a whole new hand while we're at it!</span></p>
<hr />
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Win Conditions</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The last major job that most decks need is a way to actually close out the game. Ramping allows you to play spells out, but can be dead draws late game. removing threats works for a while, but with three opponents, someone’s going to stick something, and games can either stall out or develop into arms races. Card draw helps, but what are you looking to actually draw? The answer is... win conditions!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Comet Storm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crackle with Power"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Metallurgic Summonings"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Comet Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Comet Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a solid big boom for a deck looking to ramp mana and decrease spell costs. The <em>Multikicker</em> increases the number of targets for this spell, so the X gets the reduction and the spell can do more damage! This is the one of the mana sinks we're looking for all game.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crackle with Power" href="#" target="_blank">Crackle with Power</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the sort of card that gets me salivating. It deals <em>five times</em> X damage to X targets, and Hinata effectively gets rid of one of the X's in the cost! This is a board wipe, mana sink, and big smack, all at once!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Metallurgic Summonings" href="#" target="_blank">Metallurgic Summonings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an amazing spellslinger finisher, creating some truly enormous Construct tokens. If we're playing spells that've had their costs dramatically reduced, that may change the amount of mana we pay, but it doesn’t change the mana value of that spell when it's on the stack. If our spell has X in the converted mana cost, we calculate however much mana went into that X, whether or not we actually had to <em>pay </em>any of that mana. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Metallurgic Summonings" href="#" target="_blank">Metallurgic Summonings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes our spells better, and can get even them back in a pinch!</span></p>
<hr />
<h2>Just Try to Get out of this in One Piece!</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let's round it out with a sample Hinata decklist! We're focusing on doing the jobs a deck needs to function, in a way that capitalizes on the commander’s unique characteristics. We’re taking this in a different direction: making a lot of Treasures, a la One Piece!</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Hinata, Pirate Kirin of Kamigawa!" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Hinata, Dawn-Crowned
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Academy Manufactor
*1 Archaeomancer
*1 Archmage Emeritus
*1 Battlefield Thaumaturge
*1 Dockside Extortionist
*1 Elsha of the Infinite
*1 Esper Sentinel
*1 Feather, the Redeemed
*1 Galazeth Prismari
*1 Goldspan Dragon
*1 Radiant Scrollwielder
*1 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
*1 Sakashima of a Thousand Faces
*1 Storm-Kiln Artist
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Aetherflux Reservoir
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Azorius Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Izzet Signet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Talisman of Creativity
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Metallurgic Summonings
*1 Mystic Remora
*1 Rhystic Study
*1 Smothering Tithe
*1 Underworld Breach
*1 Whirlwind of Thought
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Aether Gale
*1 By Force
*1 Crackle with Power
*1 Curse of the Swine
*1 Deep Analysis
*1 Distorting Wake
*1 Launch the Fleet
*1 Open into Wonder
*1 Reconstruct History
*1 Sea Gate Restoration
*1 Smoke Spirits&#039; Aid
*1 Soulfire Eruption
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Brainstorm
*1 Comet Storm
*1 Counterspell
*1 Crush Contraband
*1 Disorder in the Court
*1 Fierce Guardianship
*1 Icy Blast
*1 Magma Opus
*1 March of Swirling Mist
*1 Mystic Confluence
*1 Negate
*1 Paradoxical Outcome
*1 Prismari Command
*1 Reality Spasm
*1 Rewind
*1 Sublime Epiphany
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Volcanic Offering
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Arid Mesa
*1 Cascade Bluffs
*1 Clifftop Retreat
*1 Command Tower
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 Mystic Monastery
*1 Mystic Sanctuary
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*1 Prismatic Vista
*1 Raugrin Triome
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Riverglide Pathway
*1 Sacred Foundry
*1 Scalding Tarn
*1 Sea of Clouds
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Steam Vents
*1 Sulfur Falls
*1 Training Center
*5 Plains
*7 Island
*5 Mountain
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hopefully, this guide helps you to evaluate cards and use the data at hand! Results may vary, as playgroups, deck choices, and the luck of the draw can impact how games go.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Which cards overperformed for you? Which cards were overrated? Join me next time as we explore which cards are dead weight, and which cards do WORK!</span></p>


These Cards Do WORK - Hinata, Dawn-Crowned

The Toolbox - Ethereal Investigator

Ranking Every Battlecruiser Card (8 CMC+) with EDHREC – Part 15: Into the Scrambleverse

Too-Specific Top 10 - Any Target

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grolnok, the Omnivore" href="#" target="_blank">Grolnok, the Omnivore</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/simondominic">Simon Dominic</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo, and this is <em>Epic Experiment</em>, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.</p>
<p>Let's take a look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grolnok, the Omnivore" href="#" target="_blank">Grolnok, the Omnivore</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grolnok, the Omnivore"></div></div>
<p>Grolnok is a versatile permanent-based commander that acts as a self-mill card advantage engine. One of the most impressive things about it is its sheer flexibility, allowing it to be at the helm of a myriad of permanent-based strategies; even <em>Flashback</em>-heavy investments have a good payoff, since they don't get exiled. It honestly really feels more like a Sultai legend than like a Simic legend, which is a good thing. The tribal aspect of Grolnok might be an underrated element of its kit; it allows for cheap <em>Changeling</em> cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Universal Automaton" href="#" target="_blank">Universal Automaton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to accelerate its mill triggers, although I wouldn't invest too heavily in tribal synergies.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mental Note"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Knowledge Pool"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir"></div></div>
<p>Grolnk is a powerful way to get incremental advantages, but a secondary effect of its kit is a way to dig for specific cards. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mental Note" href="#" target="_blank">Mental Note</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thought Scour" href="#" target="_blank">Thought Scour</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> become powerful digging tools, and slower cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mesmeric Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Mesmeric Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are basically free looks. All this digging needs an actual payoff, otherwise what's the point? There are a bunch of powerful cards to consider, but one combination that caught my eye very early on was the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knowledge Pool" href="#" target="_blank">Knowledge Pool</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combo, a powerful hard lock that has a surprisingly safe play pattern for an 11-mana combo (we use Teferi on EOT and play Knowledge Pool on our turn).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Codex Shredder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hedron Crab"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crawling Sensation"></div></div>
<p>Self-mill is an important part of our deck, and we need a solid foundation in order to fully utilize our commander's ability. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Codex Shredder" href="#" target="_blank">Codex Shredder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wand of Vertebrae" href="#" target="_blank">Wand of Vertebrae</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are cheap self mill sources that can also help if we get an important card stuck in our graveyard. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Merfolk Secretkeeper" href="#" target="_blank">Merfolk Secretkeeper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Minister of Inquiries" href="#" target="_blank">Minister of Inquiries</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hedron Crab" href="#" target="_blank">Hedron Crab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Universal Automaton" href="#" target="_blank">Universal Automaton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (to some extent) are self-mill sources that can be used as blockers in a pinch. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crawling Infestation" href="#" target="_blank">Crawling Infestation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crawling Sensation" href="#" target="_blank">Crawling Sensation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are slow self-mill enchantments, but they provide a lot of defensive power in the mid-game.</p>
<p>Since we have the ability to dig through our deck and have access to a lot of permanents, we're using a silver bullet suite that allows us to have a nice array of answers to problematic effects. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Venser, Shaper Savant" href="#" target="_blank">Venser, Shaper Savant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Frilled Mystic" href="#" target="_blank">Frilled Mystic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are good defensive options; while we lose the element of surprise, having them constantly there can play mind games with the rest of the table whenever we leave mana open. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scavenging Ooze" href="#" target="_blank">Scavenging Ooze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul-Guide Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Soul-Guide Lantern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are effective graveyard hate that can also provide a bit of secondary value that might prove to be useful even when the graveyard hate is not all that necessary.</p>
<p>Our commander is our main source of card advantage, so keeping it alive is extremely important, which means that including a protection suite is very much a must if we want to have any sort of consistency. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Greaves" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Greaves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swiftfoot Boots" href="#" target="_blank">Swiftfoot Boots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Plate" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Plate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provide some solid protection against single and mass removal. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crystal Shard" href="#" target="_blank">Crystal Shard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Erratic Portal" href="#" target="_blank">Erratic Portal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are a bit of a spicy tech that not only can protect our commander, but also get value from our many strong ETB creatures.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Grolnok" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Grolnok, the Omnivore
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Birds of Paradise
*Hedron Crab
*Merfolk Secretkeeper
*Minister of Inquiries
*Universal Automaton
*Scavenging Ooze
*Brazen Borrower
*Eternal Witness
*Reclamation Sage
*Frilled Mystic
*Sower of Temptation
*Venser, Shaper Savant
*Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
*Hullbreaker Horror
*Waker of Waves
[/Creature]
[Artifact]
*Codex Shredder
*Sensei&#039;s Divining Top
*Sol Ring
*Soul-Guide Lantern
*Universal Solvent
*Wand of Vertebrae
*Lightning Greaves
*Mesmeric Orb
*Swiftfoot Boots
*Crystal Shard
*Erratic Portal
*Knowledge Pool
*Mycosynth Lattice
[/Artifact]
[Enchantment]
*Wild Growth
*Drowned Secrets
*Fertile Ground
*Frogify
*Jace&#039;s Erasure
*Kenrith&#039;s Transformation
*Omen of the Sea
*Wolfwillow Haven
*Crawling Infestation
*Crawling Sensation
*Glittering Frost
*Imprisoned in the Moon
*Overgrowth
*Verdant Haven
*Words of Wilding
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Consider
*Mental Note
*Opt
*Otherworldy Gaze
*Thought Scour
*Arcane Denial
*Curate
*Cyclonic Rift
*Deliberate
*Long-Term Plans
*Commit // Memory
[/Instant]
[Planeswalker]
*Narset, Parter of Veils
*Karn, the Great Creator
*Tamiyo, Collector of Tales
[/Planeswalker]
[Sorcery]
*Increasing Confusion
*Ponder
*Preordain
*Serum Visions
*Sleight of Hand
*Echo of Eons
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Barkchannel Pathway
*Botanical Sanctum
*Breeding Pool
*City of Brass
*Command Tower
*Dreamroot Cascade
*Exotic Orchard
*Hinterland Harbor
*Mana Confluence
*Prismatic Vista
*Mana Confluence
*Rejuvenating Springs
*Yavimaya Coast
*Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
*9 Forest
*14 Island
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>We have three powerful planeswalkers that, because of their sheer power, I feel are very relevant to discuss. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karn, the Great Creator" href="#" target="_blank">Karn, the Great Creator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an interesting addition; on the one hand, it acts as a silver bullet, but its main purpose is to imitate our commander for our key artifacts (mainly <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knowledge Pool" href="#" target="_blank">Knowledge Pool</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karn, the Great Creator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tamiyo, Collector of Tales"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Narset, Parter of Veils"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tamiyo, Collector of Tales" href="#" target="_blank">Tamiyo, Collector of Tales</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fantastic card in this list. Her +1 is great when we have our commander out, and her -3 is a great failsafe ability in case we get a card in the graveyard that we really want back. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Narset, Parter of Veils" href="#" target="_blank">Narset, Parter of Veils</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful lock piece, and together with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Commit // Memory" href="#" target="_blank">Commit // Memory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Echo of Eons" href="#" target="_blank">Echo of Eons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we have a powerful easy to execute combo that doesn't really rely on our commander and can buy us the time to assemble our main lock.</p>
<hr />
<div id="mtgh_f554a" class="mtgh">
<div class="header">
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>For our opening hands, we're looking for cheap ways to start self-milling, because once we start going it's <em>very</em> hard to stop us. Lands and ramp are nice, but I'd prioritize ways to actually capitalize on Grolnok's ability from the first moment that it hits the table.</p>
<p>In the early game, we're trying to set up for our commander's arrival, either with some of our cheap self-mill-enablers or simply by ramping into a faster buildup. Self-milling without our commander is very dangerous, so we should carefully consider if it's worth getting a card stuck in our graveyard.</p>
<p>By the mid-game, if we're able to establish a self-mill engine with our commander, then we'll be rolling in resources. It's hard to miss on stuff like land drops or action cards with the number of cards that we can see, and the best part is that it tends to snowball. In the later stages, we should always pay attention for opportunities to flash in Teferi at the end of the turn.</p>
<p>Our deck has a very strong late game because it can build back up very quickly whenever our commander hits the table. All those precious cards that we hadn't had the chance to cast are still available to us, and by this point, mana isn't that much of a problem, so we probably will have the opportunity to chain at least one or two huge cards before passing the turn.</p>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div id="mtgh_f554a" class="mtgh">
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
</div>
<p>Say this current list isn't 100% your style. What else could you pursue to assist this strategy?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Earthcraft"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Propaganda"></div></div>
<p>Investing heavily into Stax effects, removing the cantrips, and playing more like a pillow fort strategy could be quite effective, since one of the main obstacles of such strategy is finding its relevant effects in time.</p>
<p>Finding another permanent-based combo can also change the deck up a bit. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Earthcraft" href="#" target="_blank">Earthcraft</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> plus <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Squirrel Nest" href="#" target="_blank">Squirrel Nest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a cheap (at least mana-wise) "I win" combo that can be very easily dug out with our engine. We could even put more priority on self-mill cards to go even faster!</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think of this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this Epic Experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Grolnok

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thalisse, Reverent Medium" href="#" target="_blank">Thalisse, Reverent Medium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CHeonhwa+Choe%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" data-track="{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;Card Detail&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;Navigate&quot;,&quot;label&quot;:&quot;Artist&quot;}">Heonhwa Choe</a>)</h6>
<h1>Surprise, it's Mikey!</h1>
<p>Welcome to <i>Challenge the Stats</i>! This series is based on the awesome <a href="https://edhrecast.libsyn.com/">EDHRECast</a> segment where we pick out cards that we think are overplayed, underplayed, or sleepers to challenge EDHREC’s data. But remember, these are merely comments on the data, and card choices made by <i>you,</i> the deckbrewer, for any reason such as flavor, budget, art, or fun are always most important and are what keep our format unique and awesome.</p>
<p>I’m <a href="https://commandersherald.com/author/mike-carrozza/">Mike Carrozza, aka Mark Carbonza of Commander’s Herald</a>, author of <em>Am I The Bolas?</em>, the column where you - yes, you! - write in and ask me to weigh in on your <em>Magic</em>-related situations and determine if you're the villain or if someone else is! I’m taking over good ol’ sweetiepie <a href="https://twitter.com/jevinmtg">Jevin Lortie</a>’s incredible column <em>Challenge the Stats</em> in an old-fashioned SWITCHEROO!</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/o7OBehYZ.jpg-large.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-82181 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/o7OBehYZ.jpg-large-214x300.jpeg" alt="" width="214" height="300" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/o7OBehYZ.jpg-large-214x300.jpeg 214w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/o7OBehYZ.jpg-large-732x1024.jpeg 732w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/o7OBehYZ.jpg-large-768x1075.jpeg 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/o7OBehYZ.jpg-large-1097x1536.jpeg 1097w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/o7OBehYZ.jpg-large.jpeg 1463w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Shout out to <a href="https://twitter.com/ImKyle4815">Kyle Burton on Twitter</a> for this gorgeous alt.<br />
</em><em>Kyle does excellent work!</em></p>
<p>This week, we’re challenging <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thalisse, Reverent Medium" href="#" target="_blank">Thalisse, Reverent Medium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, one of my favorite commanders in the last few years. Sure, it seems win-more to make tokens when you’ve already made tokens, but whatever! Have fun!</p>
<p>We’re challenging the data from all 1,117 Thalisse decks at the time of writing, and you can see how often those cards are played in parentheses (%). We might not see future Thalisse all-star <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Undercity Scrounger" href="#" target="_blank">Undercity Scrounger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the data just yet, but perhaps we will eventually. Here we go!</p>
<hr />
<h2>LET'S (and I can't believe I get to say this) CHALLENGE SOME STATS!</h2>
<hr />
<h3>Overplayed</h3>
<hr />
<p><b>1. Mortify (39%)</b></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mortify"></div></div>
<p>Let’s get an obvious one out of the way. We’re in Orzhov, baby! Things have come a long, long way. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Despark" href="#" target="_blank">Despark</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Generous Gift" href="#" target="_blank">Generous Gift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anguished Unmaking" href="#" target="_blank">Anguished Unmaking</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> show up on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thalisse, Reverent Medium" href="#" target="_blank">Thalisse, Reverent Medium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>’s page for good reason.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mortify" href="#" target="_blank">Mortify</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> feels difficult to justify. The aforementioned cards hit a higher diversity of targets, sometimes even exiling. Heck, even the drawback on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Generous Gift" href="#" target="_blank">Generous Gift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be unintended value if we need to target one of our lands late game at an end step before untapping to swing with an extra 3/3 and a 1/1 flying Spirit token if our commander is out.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mortify" href="#" target="_blank">Mortify</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is multi-colored, does not exile, and does not target artifacts, planeswalkers, or lands. When considering our spot removal, this should be lower, in my opinion.</p>
<p><strong>2. Dramatic Finale (33%) </strong></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dramatic Finale"></div></div>
<p>Believe me, I want <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dramatic Finale" href="#" target="_blank">Dramatic Finale</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to be really good here.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p>An anthem that only buffs tokens for four colored pips that nets us a 3/2 flyer if a nontoken creature <em>we</em><i> control</i> dies, but only triggers once per turn has a lot more speed bumps than utility for my taste.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thalisse, Reverent Medium" href="#" target="_blank">Thalisse, Reverent Medium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> isn’t Rakdos. We’re not doing the graveyard-<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cauldron Dance" href="#" target="_blank">Cauldron Dance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-type shenanigans or resurrecting creature cards a ton here. Thalisse makes tokens that either swing or get used as resources. The nontoken rider here particularly stinks for Thalisse decks. Sure, I can get on board with an anthem for tokens that also makes tokens, but man, if it triggered multiple times a turn per nontoken creature, or triggered once a turn no matter if the creature were a token or not, I would say 33% inclusion would make sense. Here, I see this as a flavor pick, a pet card, or somebody really needs <em>Devotion</em> for a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx" href="#" target="_blank">Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I mean, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Field of Souls" href="#" target="_blank">Field of Souls</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is right there! Oh, man, I just remembered that we only get a single buffed 2/1 flyer after a board wipe <i>if </i>we controlled a nontoken creature, and even if we had a bunch of them. This one gets me riled up!</p>
<p><strong>3. Geist-Honored Monk (19%)</strong></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geist-Honored Monk"></div></div>
<p>The Monk enters the battlefield, then makes two tokens. With our commander out, that means four tokens total! But then this thing just sits there like a big beat stick with vigilance.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p>I can see the reasoning, but I don’t think it’s strong. At one more mana, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grave Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Grave Titan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gets us two 2/2 Zombies when it ETBs and attacks, and that's great even without Thalisse in play, and super spicy when she is! In a deck where the token creation is most valuable, I can understand wanting a payoff that isn’t a swarm, but this Monk gets chump blocked for days, and heaven forbid an opponent has a deathtoucher on board to block it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<hr />
<h2>Underplayed</h2>
<hr />
<p><b>4. Spirit Bonds (16%)</b></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spirit Bonds"></div></div>
<p>Here’s a shocker: all of my picks for 'Underplayed' are about protecting our commander and other key creatures. This card just happens to allow us to make a token when we cast our nontoken pals. This card comes down early, is innocuous enough, and sometimes a single activation can be enough to swing things in our favor. Even just the threat of activation could be enough! I see this card in 16% of decks and fully believe it should be higher up. It’s on-theme, it’s protection, and it generates tokens. What more could you want?</p>
<p><b>5. Malakir Rebirth / Malakir Mire (10%)</b></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Malakir Rebirth"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link side-by-side"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Malakir Rebirth" href="#" target="_blank">Malakir Rebirth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deserves a slot in every black deck, full stop. No matter the deck, you’ve always got at least one creature worth protecting in the command zone. If there’s nothing worth protecting, then boom, land drop. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thalisse, Reverent Medium" href="#" target="_blank">Thalisse, Reverent Medium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is important to keep around, but if not her, maybe that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grim Hireling" href="#" target="_blank">Grim Hireling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deserves a save. Maybe we sacrifice our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grave Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Grave Titan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in response to removal after hitting it with Rebirth and - what do you know - two more tokens and then two more after that if we’ve got our general out. I think this card rules.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p><b>6.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Fanatical Devotion (7%)</b></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fanatical Devotion"></div></div>
<p>We’re going to have a lot of disposable tokens to sacrifice. We’re bound to have a few creatures worth saving from a board wipe that doesn’t have the “no regeneration” rider on it. I love love love this card.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<hr />
<h2>Sleepers</h2>
<hr />
<p><b>7. Gruesome Fate (21 decks)</b></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gruesome Fate"></div></div>
<p>Do you like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harsh Sustenance" href="#" target="_blank">Harsh Sustenance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> but want to kill <em>all</em> your opponents at once? Try <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gruesome Fate" href="#" target="_blank">Gruesome Fate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Sure, you don’t get the life gain, but that doesn’t matter when you resolve this with 30 creatures on board.</p>
<p><b>8. Siege Zombie (0%)</b></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Siege Zombie"></div></div>
<p>This was one of the black cards from <em>Innistrad: Midnight Hunt</em> that stood out to me. Have you ever been in a standoff against a pillow fort deck or a rivaling token swarm or a three-player game where, if someone makes a move against one player, they’ve handed the game to the one they ignored? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Siege Zombie" href="#" target="_blank">Siege Zombie</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has you covered. If <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghostly Prison" href="#" target="_blank">Ghostly Prison</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is annoying, just tap the tokens to sting opponents. They don’t even need haste! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drumbellower" href="#" target="_blank">Drumbellower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> says hello!</p>
<p><b>9. Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet (0%)</b></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet"></div></div>
<p>Look, I’m hardly the first person to say "Leave my graveyard alone!" but it’s exactly because of that fact that I think this card rules. Graveyard hate that rewards you with tokens is huge. This card has never disappointed when I’ve gotten it on board!</p>
<p><b>10. Curse of Conformity (0%)</b></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Conformity"></div></div>
<p>The last one is a combo piece. For those of you who know me, you know that I like an engine. I like something that gets going after a ton of pieces are in place and things really start humming. That said, I don’t really like infinite combos, so I hesitated to include this card. The only reason I did is because this card is meant to be a really silly Curse, and Curses are usually for your opponents - but this one is different. If we Curse ourselves in a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thalisse, Reverent Medium" href="#" target="_blank">Thalisse, Reverent Medium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck, it turns all our nonlegendary 1/1s into 3/3s that also for some reason lose their creature type. This is great against a tribal deck going off, I reckon.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p>Enter <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Requiem Angel" href="#" target="_blank">Requiem Angel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, one of my pet cards. This magnificent Angel creates a 1/1 Spirit token with flying whenever another non-Spirit creature we control - token or otherwise - dies. Paired with the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Conformity" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Conformity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> any free sacrifice outlet gives us infinite enters- and leaves-the-battlefield triggers, not to mention whatever effect the sacrifice outlet has (do I hear a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Altar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?). Finish the combo off with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corpse Knight" href="#" target="_blank">Corpse Knight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zulaport Cutthroat" href="#" target="_blank">Zulaport Cutthroat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and we’ve won ourselves a game with a minimum of four cards. Pretty fair, right? And yes, this could all be said for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Divine Visitation" href="#" target="_blank">Divine Visitation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which sees play in nearly half of Thalisse decks, but if you’re using it as a combo piece instead of a beater generator, it’s pretty cool to pull out a card that people don’t recognize! Besides, a little redundancy in EDH ain’t a bad thing.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p>Let's go to a decklist!</p>
<hr />
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Thalisse, Challenger of Deez Stats" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Thalisse, Reverent Medium
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
*1 Corpse Knight
*1 Cruel Celebrant
*1 Elenda, the Dusk Rose
*1 Erebos, Bleak-Hearted
*1 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
*1 Keeper of the Accord
*1 Krav, the Unredeemed
*1 Morbid Opportunist
*1 Nadier&#039;s Nightblade
*1 Pitiless Plunderer
*1 Regna, the Redeemer
*1 Requiem Angel
*1 Siege Zombie
*1 Smothering Abomination
*1 Sun Titan
*1 Syr Konrad, the Grim
*1 Teysa Karlov
*1 Teysa, Orzhov Scion
*1 Tymna the Weaver
*1 Undercity Scrounger
*1 Viscera Seer
*1 Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
*1 Woe Strider
*1 Zulaport Cutthroat
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Akroma&#039;s Will
*1 Anguished Unmaking
*1 Brought Back
*1 Call the Coppercoats
*1 Despark
*1 Flawless Maneuver
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Malakir Rebirth
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Settle the Wreckage
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Gruesome Fate
*1 March of Souls
*1 Martyr&#039;s Cry
*1 Plague of Vermin
*1 Vanquish the Horde
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bastion of Remembrance
*1 Campaign of Vengeance
*1 Curse of Conformity
*1 Curse of Disturbance
*1 Dark Prophecy
*1 Etchings of the Chosen
*1 Fanatical Devotion
*1 Phyrexian Reclamation
*1 Smothering Tithe
*1 Spirit Bonds
*1 The Meathook Massacre
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Crowded Crypt
*1 Idol of Oblivion
*1 Manascape Refractor
*1 Orzhov Signet
*1 Phyrexian Altar
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Talisman of Hierarchy
[/Artifacts]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Elspeth, Sun&#039;s Champion
*1 Liliana, Dreadhorde General
*1 Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Brightclimb Pathway
*1 Cabal Coffers
*1 Castle Ardenvale
*1 Caves of Koilos
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Command Tower
*1 Field of the Dead
*1 Godless Shrine
*1 Hall of Heliod&#039;s Generosity
*1 Isolated Chapel
*1 Kjeldoran Outpost
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*7 Plains
*1 Shattered Sanctum
*1 Snowfield Sinkhole
*5 Swamp
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*1 Vault of Champions
*1 Vault of the Archangel
*1 Volrath&#039;s Stronghold
*1 War Room
*1 Westvale Abbey
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<h2>Thanks for Having Me!</h2>
<p>What do you think about these challenges? Are there any other cards you would challenge? Let me know in the comments below! As always, you can find Jevin on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/jevinmtg">@jevinmtg</a>, but you can find me on socials <a href="http://twitter.com/mikecarrozza">@mikecarrozza</a>. Also, check out my comedy album <a href="http://www.mikecarrozza.com/cherubic-1">Cherubic</a> if you’d like!</p>
<p>Bug Jevin on Twitter about what you’d like to see challenged next, and be sure to check out <a href="https://commandersherald.com/am-i-the-bolas-do-you-want-fries-with-that-salt/">his article today on Commander's Herald</a>!</p>


Articles