Mechanically Minded - Companion

Too-Specific Top 10 - Virtual World Problems

EDH Political Science – Political Positions

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Batwing Brume" href="#" target="_blank">Batwing Brume</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.mtgpics.com/illus?art=135">Richard Kane Ferguson</a>)</h6>
<h1>Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na</h1>
<p>Hey everyone! We're building a series of decks around DC heroes as a collaboration with Dragon Shield, who are releasing a set of card sleeves featuring the DCCU incarnations of those same characters! I suppose it was inevitable that after making decks for <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/diabolic-intent-one-bad-day/">the Joker</a> and <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/diabolic-intent-batman-rogues-gallery/">the rest of Batman's rogues gallery</a>, I would end up building the decklist for the Dark Knight himself.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BATMAN-SLEEVE-IMAGES.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-50000" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BATMAN-SLEEVE-IMAGES-1024x576.png" alt="" width="782" height="440" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BATMAN-SLEEVE-IMAGES-1024x576.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BATMAN-SLEEVE-IMAGES-300x169.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BATMAN-SLEEVE-IMAGES-768x432.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BATMAN-SLEEVE-IMAGES-1536x864.png 1536w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BATMAN-SLEEVE-IMAGES.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 782px) 100vw, 782px" /></a></p>
<p>Full disclosure, this deck has no actual Bats in it, because the only Commander-playable Bat-related card (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Regal Bloodlord" href="#" target="_blank">Regal Bloodlord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) ended up being a terrible fit. Anyway, let's get started!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Commander - Chromium, the Mutable</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chromium, the Mutable"></div></div>
<p>There are a few Legendary vampires that <em>look </em>like Batman, but the sad truth is that none of them really <em>play</em> like Batman. Fortunately for us, Chrome Dome here is sweetly whispering Batman's catchphrase with every line of his rules text (Batman's catchphrase is "I'm Batman"). After taking in his batlike shape, you'll note that he can appear in a Flash, his combat expertise Can't Be Countered, and he spends a lot of time Flying around with his wings(uit). His final text block is Flavor Fusion Supreme: he disappears in a smoke bomb, and reappears as a mysterious and low statted Bruce Wayne!</p>
<p>Now as you might guess, this deck is going to feature a lot of Equipment, and while that "loses all abilities" clause may be annoying in regards to keywords, it doesn't have any impact on stat buffs. So while most of the time we'll be using Chromium's activated ability to dodge removal, we do have a way to sneak him through a wall of our enemy's fliers to get those last few points of commander damage in.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Toys</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grappling Hook"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cranial Plating"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Argentum Armor"></div></div>
<p>As we know, Batman's primary superpower of "being sad and rich" was a great jumping off point to acquiring his larger suite of superpowers in the form of an impressive suite of Equipment. Here we see the iconic <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grappling Hook" href="#" target="_blank">Grappling Hook</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the emblematic cowl with its reinforced <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cranial Plating" href="#" target="_blank">Cranial Plating</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and even the DCCU battlesuit in the form of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Argentum Armor" href="#" target="_blank">Argentum Armor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Worth mentioning that equipping Chromium with the Hook and either of those other two is <em>probably </em>going to end with one of your opponents <del>dead</del> maimed and/or in prison.</p>
<p>Oh that's right<span class="ILfuVd"><span class="e24Kjd">—</span></span>Batman doesn't kill, so no weapons! Well maybe a <em>couple </em>weapons. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shadowspear" href="#" target="_blank">Shadowspear</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does a great impression of that Kryptonite spear in Dawn of Justice, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hammer of Nazahn" href="#" target="_blank">Hammer of Nazahn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is... look, it's an Equipment staple alright? Use whatever excuse you want, maybe Alfred's getting into carpentry.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Utility Belt</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sigarda&#039;s Aid"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Raff Capashen, Ship&#039;s Mage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Leonin Shikari"></div></div>
<p>For the true Batman experience, we can't just march into battle with batarangs blazing, we've gotta whip them out with a flick of the wrist at the last possible moment.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Bigger Toys</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Daredevil Dragster"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Silent Submersible"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smuggler&#039;s Copter"></div></div>
<p>Of course, the Bat-Vehicles! Specifically the Batmobile, Bat-Sub, and Bat-Copter. There's an argument to be made for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fleetwheel Cruiser" href="#" target="_blank">Fleetwheel Cruiser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as the Batmobile, given its stronger visual resemblance and "remote piloting" feature. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daredevil Dragster" href="#" target="_blank">Daredevil Dragster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is just a tad more playable, in that it's sort of a delayed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Divination" href="#" target="_blank">Divination</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that gets to deal some damage. Plus, falling apart into something more useful is exactly what the Bat-Tank thing does in <em>The Dark Knight</em>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Allies</h2>
<p>Of course, Batman would be nothing without all of his good pals, as we learned from <em>The Lego Batman Movie.</em> Side note: <em>The Lego Batman Movie</em> might be my favorite Batman movie, and this comes from a diehard Nolan fanboy.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Robins</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Escape Artist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Relic Runner"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cephalid Inkshrouder"></div></div>
<p>This deck already has a pretty heavy Voltron lean, but in the event that Chromium ends up out of commission, any of these Boy Wonder iterations can step in to help. For Dick Grayson, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Escape Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Escape Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who is at least somewhat adjacent to Grayson's circus performer background. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Relic Runner" href="#" target="_blank">Relic Runner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> fits Jason Todd's retconned thief-turned-apprentice-vigilante backstory, especially with that flavor text. For Tim Drake, who grew up idolizing and wanting to be Batman, we'll use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cephalid Inkshrouder" href="#" target="_blank">Cephalid Inkshrouder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, whose activated ability basically makes it a mini-Chromium.</p>
<p>These are obviously all chosen for flavor over function, so for redundancy's sake we'll toss in an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Invisible Stalker" href="#" target="_blank">Invisible Stalker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, plus a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tormented Soul" href="#" target="_blank">Tormented Soul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for a little angsty Batman flavor.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arcum Dagsson"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kemba, Kha Regent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stonehewer Giant"></div></div>
<p>As it turns out, a few of these other artifact staples are great flavor fits for Batman Buddies. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcum Dagsson" href="#" target="_blank">Arcum Dagsson</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is here to ask us, "Why do we fall, Bruce?" He'll take one Vehicle out so he can provide us with another useful tool that we need right now, definitely taking great care of all the junk in the batcave. We have a rather literal interpretation of Catwoman in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kemba, Kha Regent" href="#" target="_blank">Kemba, Kha Regent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but they <em>do </em>both keep a lot of cats around. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stonehewer Giant" href="#" target="_blank">Stonehewer Giant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> takes on the role of Lucius Fox, suiting us up for a night on the town.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deadeye Quartermaster"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sram, Senior Edificer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ugin the Ineffable"></div></div>
<p>Barbara Gordon/Oracle has been known to airdrop Batman appropriate gadgets in a manner very similar to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadeye Quartermaster" href="#" target="_blank">Deadeye Quartermaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I get intense Commissioner Gordon vibes from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sram, Senior Edificer" href="#" target="_blank">Sram, Senior Edificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and you could kinda stretch the flavor of "drawing cards" to be "giving access to classified police info". Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ugin, the Ineffable" href="#" target="_blank">Ugin, the Ineffable</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great fit for Batman's limited team ups with Ra'as al Ghul. He's willing to take a life, his Planeswalker loyalty shows their tenous partnership, and if you've read any <em>Magic</em> fiction with Ugin in it, you know he talks in funky little aphorisms just like Ra'as.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The One Rule</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arrest"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Prison Term"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oblivion Ring"></div></div>
<p>We are running black, but we still have to follow the rule<span class="ILfuVd"><span class="e24Kjd">—so </span></span>no kill spells! I will say that given the propensity of certain interpretations of Batman to "accidentally" push people off of tall buildings, I came very close to including <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tragic Slip" href="#" target="_blank">Tragic Slip</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fatal Push" href="#" target="_blank">Fatal Push</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but they're honestly just not that great outside of Aristocrat strategies. We'll have to settle for lawful alternatives like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arrest" href="#" target="_blank">Arrest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prison Term" href="#" target="_blank">Prison Term</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. As for noncreature threats, we'll call in some help from Supes and toss them into the Phantom Zone using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oblivion Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Oblivion Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Banishing Light" href="#" target="_blank">Banishing Light</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>World's Greatest Detective</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tamiyo&#039;s Journal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Survive the Night"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bygone Bishop"></div></div>
<p>There isn't an abundance of Commander-playable cards with <em>Investigate</em>, but you'd be hard pressed to find a more detective-like mechanic. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Survive the Night" href="#" target="_blank">Survive the Night</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a flavor standout, given Batman's tendency to put himself in mortal danger every night.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Misc. Bat-Lore</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Command Beacon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Batwing Brume"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tragic Lesson"></div></div>
<p>A literal beacon that summons our seven-mana commander in times of emergency? There's no better stand in for the Bat-Signal than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Command Beacon" href="#" target="_blank">Command Beacon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. And the sweeping walkways of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirrorworks" href="#" target="_blank">Mirrorworks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> bear a striking resemblance to the Batcave.</p>
<p>Oh, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Batwing Brume" href="#" target="_blank">Batwing Brume</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> seems like a <em>perfect</em> fit for Batman's bat-swarms</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tragic Lesson" href="#" target="_blank">Tragic Lesson</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is yet another representation of that one thing that every Batman movie desperately needs to show us for some reason (seriously, the JOKER movie just did it). If I were feeling evil, I would use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Revel in Riches" href="#" target="_blank">Revel in Riches</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as an ironic representation of Bruce's inheritance, but like the kill spells I mentioned earlier, it's just not a great fit for the deck.</p>
<p>We'll pad all that out with a bit more artifact and Equipment synergy, and we're good to go! Here's the decklist:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Holy Low Mana Curve Batman" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Chromium, the Mutable
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Brass Squire
*1 Bygone Bishop
*1 Cephalid Inkshrouder
*1 Deadeye Quartermaster
*1 Emry, Lurker of the Loch
*1 Escape Artist
*1 Invisible Stalker
*1 Kemba, Kha Regent
*1 Leonin Shikari
*1 Padeem, Consul of Innovation
*1 Puresteel Paladin
*1 Raff Capashen, Ship&#039;s Mage
*1 Relic Runner
*1 Sai, Master Thopterist
*1 Sharuum the Hegemon
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer
*1 Stonehewer Giant
*1 Sun Titan
*1 Tormented Soul
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Argentum Armor
*1 Azorius Signet
*1 Basilisk Collar
*1 Bident of Thassa
*1 Cranial Plating
*1 Daredevil Dragster
*1 Darksteel Plate
*1 Fireshrieker
*1 Golem-Skin Gauntlets
*1 Grappling Hook
*1 Hammer of Nazahn
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mask of Avacyn
*1 Mask of Memory
*1 Mask of Riddles
*1 Masterwork of Ingenuity
*1 Mirrorworks
*1 Orzhov Signet
*1 Rogue&#039;s Gloves
*1 Shadowspear
*1 Silent Submersible
*1 Smuggler&#039;s Copter
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Tamiyo&#039;s Journal
*1 Worn Powerstone
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Batwing Brume
*1 Survive the Night
*1 Tragic Lesson
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 One with the Machine
*1 Open the Armory
*1 Open the Vaults
*1 Single Combat
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Arrest
*1 Banishing Light
*1 Cast Out
*1 Oblivion Ring
*1 One Thousand Lashes
*1 Pillory of the Sleepless
*1 Prison Term
*1 Reconnaissance Mission
*1 Sigarda&#039;s Aid
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Ugin, the Ineffable
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Adarkar Wastes
*1 Arcane Sanctum
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Caves of Koilos
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Command Tower
*1 Esper Panorama
*1 Glacial Fortress
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*8 Island
*10 Plains
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*6 Swamp
*1 Temple of Enlightenment
*1 Temple of Silence
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>So what do you think? Is this the decklist Gotham deserves, or is it not the one it needs right now? If we made cuts, would these cards die as heroes, or live long enough to see themselves become the villains? Let me know!</p>
<p>Also, if you like decks based on pop culture characters, you'll probably get a kick out of my column where I build decks for famous villains like <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/diabolic-intent-horcruxes/">Voldemort</a> and <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/diabolic-intent-terminators/">Skynet</a>. Check it out!</p>


Justice League Commander Decks - I'm Batman

Justice League Commander Decks - Son of the Land, King of the Seas

Justice League Commander Decks - Wonder Woman

Justice League Commander Decks - Superman and his Superfriends

Mechanically Minded - Mutate

A Love Letter to Umori

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nikara, Lair Scavenger" href="#" target="_blank">Nikara, Lair Scavenger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> &amp; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yannik, Scavenging Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Yannik, Scavenging Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/rutkowski">Grzegorz Rutkowski</a>)</h6>
<h1>Harley Quinn's Favorite Pet</h1>
<p>Today on <em>Historically Speaking</em>, we're going to be doing a deeper dive into fictional and real art history, biology and our new legendary Hyena, courtesy of <em>Commander 2020</em>: Yannik! Oh, and Yannik's incredibly gothy friend, who rests idly on a staff made out of bones. I'm not an Abzan player by inclination, but seeing Nikara and Yannik may have just changed that.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yannik, Scavenging Sentinel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nikara, Lair Scavenger"></div></div>
<p>This article is an exploration of the plane of Ikoria, which for all intents and purposes, could be pitched as: 'The Pleistocene epoch, but with magic, fascist humans, and kaiju." So an examination of real-life human-hyena relations seems like a good idea, and it involves a fascinating bit of history, the study of bones, and even some cave art (although <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=+[mythos]">the mythos-cycle</a> will have to wait for it's own in-depth article). Oh, and while I'm not an obsessive deck-builder, I would love to hear how you all would use this prehistoric pair. Leave your favorite mini-combo with this pair in the comments below!</p>
<p>Nikara's reliance on bones is appropriate, given that much of what we know about human-hyena interaction outside of Africa, specifically in the Pleistocene-era, comes from the study of bones. Specifically, what we know about prehistoric megafauna, given that human beings lived alongside and competed with hyenas, sabertooth cats, cave bears and wolves for millions of years.</p>
<p>First, a quick aside about what exactly Yannik <em>is</em>. While her technical creature type is 'Hyena Beast' - and Ikoria is a plane that encourages random mutations - this doesn't mean much. The beast creature type, as we all know, is just a catch-all term <em>Wizards of the Coast</em> uses when they want to make a creature green and hit hard, but don't want to define too much about what it is. Allow me to demonstrate:<br />
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ravenous Baloth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krosan Warchief"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krosan Vorine"></div></div><br />
I rest my case. The Vorine is a Cat Beast, the Baloth is reptilian, and the Warchief is just a confusion of spikes with a creature type on it. Anyway, rant over.</p>
<p>It is most likely that Yannik is no ordinary hyena. I believe she is a representation - the first in <em>Magic: the Gathering</em> history - of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_hyena">cave hyena</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/cave-hyena-2.jpeg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-49134" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/cave-hyena-2-300x207.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="207" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/cave-hyena-2-300x207.jpeg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/cave-hyena-2.jpeg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a></p>
<p>So if scaling is any guide, Yarrik is 200-300 pounds, lion-sized. Right in the weight class of an apex predators.</p>
<p>And, you know, her art shows her emerging from a cave with her partner's bone-staff in her jaws. Cave hyena seems an obvious choice for her. Cave hyenas weren't technically a separate species from today's spotted hyenas, but a larger version adapted to the Eurasian grass-lands, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3367792/">as recent DNA testing has showed</a>. Think of a modern spotted hyena hit by a giant growth.</p>
<p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Lynette Summerill describes cave hyenas like this:</span></p>
<blockquote><p><span class="s1">“Prehistoric hyenas had an overall body mass comparable to humans. They boasted razor-sharp teeth and powerful bone-crushing jaws. Scientists say they were probably the most dangerous non-human animal in the late Pleistocene period. Some researchers think that ancient hyenas may have hunted in packs as large as 40 to 50 animals. They were the ultimate scavengers, and might have easily stolen a big game kill from human hunters."</span></p></blockquote>
<p>Summerill's interviewee, Turner, posits that it is in fact possible that the concentrations of cave hyenas in Siberia during the Pleistocene may have delayed human migration across the Bering strait to the New World until humans domesticated dogs to counter the threat, saying:</p>
<blockquote><p><span class="s1">“We’ve wondered whether the presence of hyena packs and other large carnivores played a significant role in limiting human northward expansion into the western Bering Straits region,” Turner says. “The domestication of dogs might have finally aided humans to successfully defend against marauding hyena packs. A dog skull dating back to 14,000 years ago supports that theory. The skull was found at Razboinichiya Cave in the Siberian Altai mountains."</span></p></blockquote>
<p>This brings us, of course to human-hyena relationships, which despite that grim sentence above, may not have been entirely adversarial (and certainly aren't in Ikoria).</p>
<div id="attachment_49135" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Crocuta_crocuta_cave_art_-_Chauvet_cave.png"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-49135" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-49135" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Crocuta_crocuta_cave_art_-_Chauvet_cave-300x190.png" alt="" width="300" height="190" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Crocuta_crocuta_cave_art_-_Chauvet_cave-300x190.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Crocuta_crocuta_cave_art_-_Chauvet_cave.png 452w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-49135" class="wp-caption-text">Cave hyena depicted in cave art, Chauvet Cave, France.</p></div>
<p>Nikara's friendship with Yannik is less unlikely than one might suspect. According to Summerill's interview, it is possible that some humans and hyenas cooperated - or at least tolerated each other.</p>
<blockquote><p><span class="s1">"Other scientists have different ideas[than Turner]. Nicolai Ovodov, Turner’s Russian colleague, thinks that the giant hyenas and humans may have had some kind of positive symbiotic relationship. He thinks they may have shared food, and possibly shelter."</span></p></blockquote>
<p>And in the dog-eat-mutant-dog setting of Ikoria, such a partnership between human and hyena (pardon the pun) makes perfect sense. This could have roots in how humans, wolves and hyenas - all endurance predators competing for large hoofed mammals - divided themselves. <a href="http://www.u.arizona.edu/~mstiner/pdf/Stiner2004a.pdf">Wolves favored the mountains and forests, according to Spiner's paper on the three species in Pleistocene Italy, while hyenas favored low altitude grass-lands and humans the zones in-between the two. </a></p>
<p>This allowed all three of them to compete for the same resources without necessarily coming into excessive competition. Wolves hunted ibex in the mountains, while hyenas showed a slight preference for horses - and all three species hunted red deer.</p>
<p>But of the three species, according to what bones we've found - in caves, of course - of prey animals, only humans deliberately hunted prey in their prime, rather than favoring the old or weak as wolves and hyenas did. All three species cracked bones for marrow, an important source of protein, but scientists can distinguish between human hammer-tools and hyena's jaws and these bones leave an important record of dietary preference and geography. For a hyena, teaming up with the only species that hunts the largest and strongest of the prey animals has obvious dietary advantages.</p>
<div id="attachment_49136" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Crocuta-spalea.jpeg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-49136" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-49136" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Crocuta-spalea-300x209.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="209" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Crocuta-spalea-300x209.jpeg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Crocuta-spalea.jpeg 602w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-49136" class="wp-caption-text">For hyenas, nothing is off the menu. Even cave bears. It pays to be a scavenger and predator both.</p></div>
<p>But, as the climate in the Pleistocene changed and the grasslands changed to mixed forests, the hyenas were out-competed by people and wolves in the long run. Eventually hyenas retreated back onto the African continent, where there were vast grasslands and enough megafauna to suit them.<br />
In Ikoria, obviously, this transition away from mega-fauna and the open plains hasn't happened. Instead of shrinking and vanishing, clearly, the cave hyena is alive and well (and with antlers). And man has a new best friend.</p>
<p>I try not to dip my big toe too much into card synergies, but can we just note that Yannik has the ability to functionally 'eat' creatures that even the most determined hyena would think twice about? Some wonderful examples:<br />
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Autochthon Wurm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Untethered Express"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Serra Avatar"></div></div></p>
<p>Yes, Yannik can eat block-spanning monsters, whole trains or avatars of god-like planeswalkers with ease. I like to imagine her distribution of +1/+1 counters is her plucking the individual bones out of the creature she exiles, and then running back and forth distributing these tokens to her teammates. It obviously gets messy when she vanishes and the creature reconstitutes, but hey, lets not think too hard about that - or how they regrew their bones. Shush, shush, a wizard did it.</p>
<p>I'll be back soon with the penultimate episode of my <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/historically-speaking-the-mardu-vs-the-abzan/">Tarkir-series--following the misadventures of Zurgo Helmsmasher's attempt to recreate the Mongol Empire</a>--though the Sultai Brood might have something to say about that.</p>
<hr />
<p>Sources:</p>
<p>Bon, C.; Berthonaud, V.; Maksud, F.; Labadie, K.; Poulain, J.; Artiguenave, F.; Wincker, P.; Aury, J.-M.; Elalouf, J.-M. (2012). <a class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3367792" rel="nofollow">"Coprolites as a source of information on the genome and diet of the cave hyena"</a>. <i>Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences</i>. <b>279</b>(1739): 2825–2830. <a class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_(identifier)">doi</a>:<a class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1098%2Frspb.2012.0358" rel="nofollow">10.1098/rspb.2012.0358</a>. <a class="mw-redirect" title="PMC (identifier)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PMC_(identifier)">PMC</a> <span class="cs1-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a class="external text" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3367792" rel="nofollow">3367792</a></span>. <a class="mw-redirect" title="PMID (identifier)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PMID_(identifier)">PMID</a> <a class="external text" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22456883" rel="nofollow">22456883</a>.</p>
<p><span class="reference-text">C. Stiner, Mary (2004) <a class="external text" href="http://www.u.arizona.edu/~mstiner/pdf/Stiner2004a.pdf" rel="nofollow">Comparative ecology and taphonomy of spotted hyenas, humans, and wolves in Pleistocene Italy</a>, <i>Revue de Paléobiologie, Genève</i>. (December 2004) 23 (2) : 771-785. ISSN 0253-6730</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.asu.edu/research/researchmagazine/2003Summer/sum03p34-37.pdf"><span class="s1">Summerill, Lynette </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="s2">Gnawed Bones Tell Tales</span></span><span class="s1"> Summer issue, ASU Research Journal 2003. </span></a></p>


Historically Speaking - Hyenas, Humans, and Yannik!

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