Kaldheim Set Review - Blue

Kaldheim Set Review - White

Too-Specific Top 10 - WUBRG!

Evasive Maneuvers — Landwalking

Challenging Prossh Stats with Bennie Smith

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lurrus of the Dream-Den" href="#" target="_blank">Lurrus of the Dream-Den</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/maniaks">Slawomir Maniak</a>)</h6>
<h1>Time to Make a New Friend</h1>
<p><em>Companions</em> are a game-changer. They give us access to a free card from the start of the game in exchange for some deckbuilding restrictions (and, of course, they now have an extra three-mana tax). Here on <em>Collected Company</em>, we’re going to take a look at all of them and see how we can build around their quirks.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lurrus of the Dream-Den"></div></div>
<p>Lurrus is a bit of an oddball<em> </em>to evaluate because it's a card that had an unprecedented impact in every format except EDH. Turns out a format that tends to go big doesn't appreciate having a CMC restriction. It's also a bit awkward to find a commander that meets this restriction, which leave us with a commander pool of just three, and let me tell you, none of them feel particularly good.</p>
<p>That being said, Lurrus' kit is a lot of fun to experiment; it works like a mini-"<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muldrotha, the Gravetide" href="#" target="_blank">Muldrotha, the Gravetide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>", but the fact that we're stuck in Orzhov makes it a bit limited in what we can actually do with it. Being Orzhov with a recursive ability means that people will tend to go towards an Aristocrat build, but that can be a bit difficult because we lose most of the more powerful payoffs. In the end, regardless of where we put Lurrus, there'll always be this trend of lackluster payoffs, and this hurts Lurrus a lot.</p>
<p>Win conditions will be hard to come by, but we do have some powerful combos that are permanent-based and are easily tutorable, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter&#039;s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter&#039;s Servant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grindstone" href="#" target="_blank">Grindstone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mindcrank" href="#" target="_blank">Mindcrank</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodchief Ascension" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodchief Ascension</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div>
<h3>Notable Exclusions</h3>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crypt Ghast" href="#" target="_blank">Crypt Ghast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sidisi, Undead VIzier" href="#" target="_blank">Sidisi, Undead VIzier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sun Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Sun Titan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bolas&#039;s CItadel" href="#" target="_blank">Bolas&#039;s CItadel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smothering Tithe" href="#" target="_blank">Smothering Tithe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karmic Guide" href="#" target="_blank">Karmic Guide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li>Every commander except <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim" href="#" target="_blank">Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karlov of the Ghost Council" href="#" target="_blank">Karlov of the Ghost Council</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Miara, Thorn of the Glade" href="#" target="_blank">Miara, Thorn of the Glade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2>Endless Possibilities</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim" href="#" target="_blank">Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is probably the best Lurrus commander since it's the only one that has any kind of direct synergy with it. That being said, the low CMC restriction makes it difficult to get value from the lifegain trigger.</p>
<h3>Notable Exclusions</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Alhammarret&#039;s Archive"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Felidar Sovereign"></div></div>
</div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alhammarret&#039;s Archive" href="#" target="_blank">Alhammarret&#039;s Archive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grave Pact" href="#" target="_blank">Grave Pact</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>/<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dictate of Erebos" href="#" target="_blank">Dictate of Erebos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Felidar Sovereign" href="#" target="_blank">Felidar Sovereign</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karlov of the Ghost Council"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karlov of the Ghost Council" href="#" target="_blank">Karlov of the Ghost Council</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn't have a direct synergy with Lurrus, but having readily available recursion for some of the lifegain pieces can help out a bit. The trend of losing the payoff is still in here and, like with Ayli, we have some support, but not enough pay off. We do have some support for Soul Sister effects. and this could lead to an interesting build.</p>
<h3>Notable Exclusions</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heliod, Sun-Crowned"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archangel of Thune"></div></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heliod, Sun-Crowned" href="#" target="_blank">Heliod, Sun-Crowned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherflux Reservoir" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherflux Reservoir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose" href="#" target="_blank">Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kambal, Consul of Allocation" href="#" target="_blank">Kambal, Consul of Allocation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archangel of Thune" href="#" target="_blank">Archangel of Thune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2>Like Cat and Mouse</h2>
<p>One of the biggest problem when using Lurrus is that win conditions are hard to come by when they need to be less-than-three-mana permanents in Orzhov colors. However, what if I told you there's a two-mana creature that we can easily build our deck around that fulfills both requirements of being a win con and being under three CMC? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rat Colony" href="#" target="_blank">Rat Colony</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is exactly that.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rat Colony"></div></div>
<p>Rat Colony is one of the few ways to break the singleton in Commander. Unlike <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Relentless Rats" href="#" target="_blank">Relentless Rats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, though, it's more flexible because its ability only cares about having Rats on the field. However, one of the biggest problems with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rat Colony" href="#" target="_blank">Rat Colony</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is that, with only one toughness, they can very easily be traded with blockers, which makes it difficult to pressure our opponents while increasing our board. That pressures us to have a good evasion suite, and this is where Lurrus' restriction hits us pretty hard.</p>
<p>It's difficult to find permanent-based pieces that fulfill the requirement. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cover of Darkness" href="#" target="_blank">Cover of Darkness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great alternative: it's cheap, and intimidate can be close to true evasion in multiple decks. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Piper of the Swarm" href="#" target="_blank">Piper of the Swarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful card that provides evasion and, in longer games, can give our Rats a boost by creating some tokens.</p>
<p>Commander choice is a bit lacking (to say the least), but out of all the possible legends, I do think that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has some potential as a support to Lurrus. In a format with plenty of powerful exile-based removal, having a way to protect Lurrus can be the difference between being able to grind out our opponents or not. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Miara, Thorn of the Glade" href="#" target="_blank">Miara, Thorn of the Glade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, our other <em>Partner</em> commander, is a bit lackluster in a deck without any other Elf creatures; however, when considering that we also have access to Lurrus, having a really bad Egg effect could help us to dig through some cards in a top-deck mode.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mishra&#039;s Bauble"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chromatic Sphere"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Conjurer&#039;s Bauble"></div></div>
<p>For consistency's sake, we're a running a cantrip suite that involves cheap artifacts that we can sacrifice to draw a card. They're great because we can combine them with Lurrus to set up a cheap draw engine. Don't expect them to be near as good as the usual blue cantrip suite, of course, but they do give us a way to keep going in the later portions of the game. They are also efficient to play on curve, since there'll be many turns where we'll have an odd amount of mana, and having these one-mana cantrips allows us to curve out more effectively while also allowing us to see more cards.</p>
<p>Lurrus is an important piece to our deck, so we need to supplement its recursion ability with some protection/redundancy of our own. Luckily for us, Orzhov offers plenty of great options for effective recursion sources. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Call of the Death-Dweller" href="#" target="_blank">Call of the Death-Dweller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great two-for-one for that. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is weaker on the front side, but it's a bit more flexible; however, when we get to flash it back, we get even more value. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animate Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Animate Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is less effective than the previous two spells, but we can target our opponents' creatures with it as well.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Lurrus Rat Colony" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel
*Miara, Thorn of the Glade
[/Commander]
[Companion]
*Lurrus of the Dream-Den
[/Companion]
[Artifact]
*Mishra&#039;s Bauble
*Urza&#039;s Bauble
*Barbed Sextant
*Chromatic Sphere
*Chromatic Star
*Conjurer&#039;s Bauble
*Nihil Spellbomb
*Skullclamp
*Sol Ring
*Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
*Charcoal Diamond
*Fellwar Stone
*Jet Medallion
*Mind Stone
*Talisman of Hierarchy
[/Artifact]
[Creature]
*Pack Rat
*Piper of the Swarm
*31 Rat Colony
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*Animate Dead
*Cover of Darkness
*No Rest for the Wicked
*Seal of Cleansing
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Path to Exile
*Swords to Plowshares
*Despark
*Flawless Maneuver
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*Call of the Death-Dweller
*Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation
*Damnation
*Patriarch&#039;s Bidding
*Secret Salvage
*Austere Command
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Bojuka Bog
*Brightclimb Pathway
*Caves of Koilos
*Command Tower
*Concealed Courtyard
*Ghost Quarter
*Godless Shrine
*Isolated Chapel
*Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*Rogue&#039;s Passage
*Silent Clearing
*Swarmyard
*Tainted Field
*Tectonic Edge
*Temple of Silence
*Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*Vault of Champions
*Vault of the Archangel
*6 Plains
*12 Swamp
[/Land]"></span></div><br />
</p>
<hr />
<h2>This is the Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shared Triumph"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Diabolic Intent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rally the Ancestors"></div></div>
<p>As I said before, our Rats are pretty weak to blockers, so one way to counter that would be giving evasion. Another way is to boost the toughness of our creatures to make it harder for creatures to trade. Tribal boosts like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shared Triumph" href="#" target="_blank">Shared Triumph</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are cheaper than the generic anthem effect, and this allow us to play them with Lurrus.</p>
<p>Having one or two extra mass reanimation spells could help us recover from those games where we can't establish a board. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rally the Ancestors" href="#" target="_blank">Rally the Ancestors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a neat way to give our Rats some out-of-nowhere potential.</p>
<p>Incorporating Miara into our curve could also be an interesting build-around. By having some sacrifice spells to target Miara, we could get a bit more value from our second commander and get access to some effects that we wouldn't have otherwise. I do think that they need to have a huge impact, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diabolic Intent" href="#" target="_blank">Diabolic Intent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Village Rites" href="#" target="_blank">Village Rites</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, because otherwise they won't be worth the three extra mana that we need to attach to them.</p>
<p>Lurrus is a pretty underwhelming <em>Companion, </em>but that's more on the format than the card itself. That's a bit sad because its ability could have been a cool artifact-based <em>Companion </em>or even an aggressive one. It's also a bit of a let-down that it'll be hard to have new commanders (especially with extra colors) for it. That being said, Lurrus is a very fun card to play; its power is noticed, and it feels really good to grind out games with it.</p>
<p>That’s it for <em>Collected Company</em>! What do you think about this article? What are your thoughts on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lurrus of the Dream-Den" href="#" target="_blank">Lurrus of the Dream-Den</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Share your opinions in the comments.</p>


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