Challenge the Stats – Etali, Primal Storm

Archetune-Up - Welcome to Tornado Alley

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maelstrom Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Maelstrom Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.stevenbelledin.com/">Steven Belledin</a>)</h6>
<h1>After the Gold Rush</h1>
<p>Greetings, everyone, and welcome back to <em>Grapple With the Past</em>, a series in which we look back at the set pages for old releases to discuss the cards that made it and the cards that fell into obscurity in EDH. Once a set releases, Commander players write and read reviews, test out the new cards, and incorporate winners into their EDH repertoire. But with the constant stream of new products, it’s easy for cards to slip through the cracks. I’ve found that by exploring set pages on EDHREC, I frequently stumble upon cards that could easily find a spot in one of my decks. In this series we look for irregularities in the data, try to identify sleeper cards from formats past, and discuss the legacy of particular sets in Commander.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unscythe, Killer of Kings"></div></div>
<p>Today we're looking back to <em>Alara Reborn</em>, a set that I return to every few years. This set pitched itself as<em> the</em> definitive multicolor release. Every single card in this set is gold. No lands. No colorless artifacts. While this was and remains a gimmick, it led to intriguing design. Just look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unscythe, Killer of Kings" href="#" target="_blank">Unscythe, Killer of Kings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for example. This Equipment is indicative of the bizarre nature of the set as a whole: it's an artifact with four colored pips in its casting cost, split up across three colors. In EDH, this means that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unscythe, Killer of Kings" href="#" target="_blank">Unscythe, Killer of Kings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can only be played in Grixis decks with good mana-fixing. Beyond that, what Grixis deck wants this Equipment, or any Equipment beyond <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>?</p>
<p><em>Alara Reborn</em> is alluring exactly for the questions that it raises and refuses answer. To me, this set has the same elusive flavor as<em> Future Sight</em>. There are powerful and interesting cards that suggest a world to come that is still unimagined. Even eleven years later, I'm unsure where <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unscythe, Killer of Kings" href="#" target="_blank">Unscythe, Killer of Kings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> fits, or whether it could ever find a home in our format. I feel the same about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fight to the Death" href="#" target="_blank">Fight to the Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and several other cards here. Let's dive in.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Commander Class</h2>
<p>As far as commanders go, this set is actually fairly tame. The most salient common factor here is that the most popular among them are annoying to play against. Even if the commander options presented in this set aren't overpowered, some of them do affect the table in abrasive ways. Who really likes playing against <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sen Triplets" href="#" target="_blank">Sen Triplets</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sen Triplets"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Uril, the Miststalker"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sen Triplets" href="#" target="_blank">Sen Triplets</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be frustrating both for its ability to strip opponents' hands as well as its pseudo-<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Telepathy" href="#" target="_blank">Telepathy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect. Then we get to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Uril, the Miststalker" href="#" target="_blank">Uril, the Miststalker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, Bogle incarnate. Voltron as a strategy may not win games very often, but Uril decks can fairly efficiently remove at least one player on a whim. The other commanders present here are a bit underwhelming: high-costed and not particularly worth it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund" href="#" target="_blank">Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might make it big one day, but it needs a new <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conspiracy" href="#" target="_blank">Conspiracy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect that turns all of your <em>opponents'</em> creatures into Dragons as well. Until then, it'll do as a conventional Dragon tribal commander.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Top 10</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Maelstrom Pulse"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Qasali Pridemage"></div></div>
<p>I am not a fan of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maelstrom Pulse" href="#" target="_blank">Maelstrom Pulse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and I was slightly surprised to see that it's so highly played. It has never been included in a Commander product and is not frequently reprinted. When I first started playing EDH, I arrived with the preconception that versatile, sorcery-speed removal would be the best in the format. I bought a couple copies of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vindicate" href="#" target="_blank">Vindicate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and traded for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maelstrom Pulse" href="#" target="_blank">Maelstrom Pulse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, neither of which were cheap at the time. Now, years later, I've found that I vastly prefer the versatility of instant-speed to the versatility of hitting more permanent types. Yes, I like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mortify" href="#" target="_blank">Mortify</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> better than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vindicate" href="#" target="_blank">Vindicate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Putrefy" href="#" target="_blank">Putrefy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> better than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maelstrom Pulse" href="#" target="_blank">Maelstrom Pulse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Maelstrom Nexus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wargate"></div></div>
<p>Also in the top ten, we find cards that illustrate the skew toward cards of three or more colors that exists on EDHREC. By percentage, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maelstrom Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Maelstrom Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wargate" href="#" target="_blank">Wargate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> see play in 7% and 6% of possible decks, respectively, and they're the first and third most-played cards from <em>Alara Reborn</em>, respectively. In total number of decks, however, they only see play in 2,146 and 3,208 decks, respeectively. In between them, the second most-played card from the set is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Qasali Pridemage" href="#" target="_blank">Qasali Pridemage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which sees play in 6,102 decks, or 7% of possible decks. Although it sees play in nearly three times as many decks as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maelstrom Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Maelstrom Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Qasali Pridemage" href="#" target="_blank">Qasali Pridemage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> it is less represented on EDHREC This isn't a mistake, and is a better way to present this data, but it is a skew to keep in mind when using EDHREC as a resource.</p>
<p>As cards, these are three stellar options in their colors. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maelstrom Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Maelstrom Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is obviously highly restricted by its identity, but it provides an enormously powerful effect. The first spell you play on each turn, including your opponents', you draw and play a spell for free. All for five mana. I would play this in nearly every five-color deck I make. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Qasali Pridemage" href="#" target="_blank">Qasali Pridemage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a good role-player in creature-based decks, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wargate" href="#" target="_blank">Wargate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an extremely powerful tutor that could probably find a home in any Bant deck.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Think Twice</h2>
<p>As I alluded to earlier,<em> Alara Reborn</em> is speckled with hidden gems waiting to be found. I feel like every time I visit the set's page, I find more cards that I want to pick up and jam into a deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Soul Manipulation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tainted Sigil"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sigil Captain"></div></div>
<p>Three such cards can be found above. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul Manipulation" href="#" target="_blank">Soul Manipulation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the better counterspells that nobody plays. Sure, it costs three mana, and it only counters creatures, but it exists almost in its own category. This is a value spell that trips an opponent while replacing itself in your hand. This card is like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exclude" href="#" target="_blank">Exclude</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, another underrated counterspell, but better in the right decks, because you can be selective about the card you return to your hand. Nobody likes a three-mana counterspell, but sometimes they aren't bad.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tainted Sigil" href="#" target="_blank">Tainted Sigil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, on the other hand, is one of the best lifegain cards that has ever been printed. Lump sum lifegain can be underwhelming in our format because it doesn't scale as well to four-player games. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tainted Sigil" href="#" target="_blank">Tainted Sigil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, however, is the exception. This card can be used to deter and negate a big attack on your life total, capitalize on another player being hit hard, or cap off your own drain strategy. I play this card alongside <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <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 it does not disappoint, often gaining twenty or more life.</p>
<p>Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has been a powerhouse in my Selesnya tokens decks, and it often reminds me of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cathars&#039; Crusade" href="#" target="_blank">Cathars&#039; Crusade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The Crusade has a higher ceiling and can spiral your board out of control, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a higher floor and is no slouch in its own right. It can give token strategies a significant kickstart or bolster +1/+1 decks that focus heavily on 1/1 creatures.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flurry of Wings"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sigil of the Nayan Gods"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Necromancer&#039;s Covenant"></div></div>
<p>Mitch from the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-w5MNByr4SNy3z2232sj0g">Commander's Quarters</a> mentioned <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flurry of Wings" href="#" target="_blank">Flurry of Wings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy_oS_7e4GI">video</a> last year, but the extra exposure hasn't yet translated into increased popularity on EDHREC. It only sees play in 479 decks, 1% of the possible. This card is the real deal, though, and is one of the better armies in a can in the format. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flurry of Wings" href="#" target="_blank">Flurry of Wings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is just so versatile: you can use it to produce a squad of chump blockers, or make a board from nothing. You can use it when you attack with your own creatures, or wait for your opponents to attack either you or each other. Combine this with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for maximum effect.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil of the Nayan Gods" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil of the Nayan Gods</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a confusing card that lacks a clear direction. Do you want to go wide or tall? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overrun" href="#" target="_blank">Overrun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> your opponents, or knock them out one by one with a single creature? That's part of the beauty of this card, you can do either. And if you don't want to, cycle it for just one mana! Try this out with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shanna, Sisay&#039;s Legacy" href="#" target="_blank">Shanna, Sisay&#039;s Legacy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necromancer&#039;s Covenant" href="#" target="_blank">Necromancer&#039;s Covenant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a garishly expensive form of graveyard hate, and it only exiles creature cards. The true power of this card, though, is what it can do in Zombie decks. Yet another army in a can, this card can build an imposing board without much effort. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Varina, Lich Queen" href="#" target="_blank">Varina, Lich Queen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, in particular, reaps huge benefits from giving your Zombies lifelink, which almost earns the card its slot by itself.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Identity Crisis"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sages of the Anima"></div></div>
<p>I imagine people have two aversions to playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Identity Crisis" href="#" target="_blank">Identity Crisis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. First, this card only targets one opponent. Second, it is an undeniably mean card. I had these reservations when I first found a copy in my collection. But, after playing with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Identity Crisis" href="#" target="_blank">Identity Crisis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for several years, I think it has an often misunderstood purpose in our format. This is a punishment card. This is the vinegar to Group Hug's honey. Verbal threats can be a powerful tool in EDH, but they need to be substantive. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Identity Crisis" href="#" target="_blank">Identity Crisis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the best cards available to back up your threats. Think of it like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="River&#039;s Rebuke" href="#" target="_blank">River&#039;s Rebuke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Rebuke has less sheer power in EDH than <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> or even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crush of Tentacles" href="#" target="_blank">Crush of Tentacles</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but these comparisons are slightly facetious because <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="River&#039;s Rebuke" href="#" target="_blank">River&#039;s Rebuke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> should be used more as punishment than removal. If somebody crosses you, it is valuable to punish them specifically.</p>
<p>Switching gears, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sages of the Anima" href="#" target="_blank">Sages of the Anima</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> seems like it should be very good. I've picked up several copies over the years without any particular deck in mind. I still haven't found the right home for it, but I have faith that one day, I will play it, I will draw three cards two turns in a row, and it will all have been worth it.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Up Next</h2>
<p>That was <em>Alara Reborn</em>, one of the most perplexing and compelling sets to contemplate as a whole. What do you all make of this set? Did I miss any good one? Let me know in the comments below! Next time, we'll be digging into <em>Planar Chaos</em>, a set that broke the barriers of the color pie. In Commander, a format of color identity, how does this expansion of effects available to each color impact our decks? Tune in next week to read my take and chime in. Remember to EDHREC responsibly: always dig a little beyond the statistics. I’ll see you all on down the road.</p>


Grapple With the Past - Alara Reborn

Ranking Every Mana Rock with EDHREC – Part 10: Of Mana and Moxen

Evasive Maneuvers - Flying

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Souvenir Snatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Souvenir Snatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kev_Walker">Kev Walker</a>)</h6>
<h1>Introduction</h1>
<p> Welcome to <em>Dual</em><em> Shot</em>, where we brew two decks at the same time... in one deck. There's something about those strange, black birds. They're too clever by half. The family-minded crow, with her flock of scores, or the lonelier raven, grand and imposing. Folks have been writing about them for as long as they've had writing, and they were musing about the talkative little creatures well before any human hand put pen to paper, or chisel to stone. The First Nations of the American Pacific Northwest variously mythologize the raven as a creator god and a trickster god. There are multiple crow-riders in Hindu mythology, sometimes fearsome and inauspicious, other times heralding justice, spiritual rigor, and conscientiousness. To the Irish gods, ravens were inextricable from warfare, reliably assembling to clean the flesh from the fields of battle. The Welsh god Bran is named so: literally meaning <em>raven</em>. The raven is the first bird mentioned in the Bible. They are prophecy, they are thought, they are memory. Even more, their characters exhibit industry and laziness, carnality and temperance, discipline and boredom. The world over, we've seen ourselves in these birds. <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Souvenir Snatcher"></div></div> In this series, we put two decks into one. This usually presents as a deck's theme being streamlined slightly, so as to accommodate the inclusion of a secondary theme, and it's the goal of the experiment to try and reconcile these two fractions. Sometimes we find unexpected synergy, and other times, things prove a little too jarring. Rarely, we tap into an unexplored theme - a combination of cards that we don't see in tandem with any statistical significance on EDHREC - either because it's perceived as too difficult to make a small or unsupported theme shine, or simply because it's weird and unwieldy. And no, this one doesn't involve <a href="https://edhrec.com/tribes/birds">Bird tribal</a> (although plenty of our creatures are technically going to be Birds). Instead, we'll focus on those uncanny totems that are still erected to this day, as if the warding charms of men might have anything of import to say to the crows. More often than not, I see common ravens perching on the stiff limbs of scarecrows, unafraid of whatever repellent qualities the straw might have. Like they might be mocking us. Or perhaps <em>teasing</em> is a better word, as I've never detected malice in crows - only trickery. <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trickery Charm"></div></div> </p>
<hr />
<h2>Problem Solving</h2>
<p> It's no great secret that crows and ravens are up to more than they let on, as anyone who has had their things tampered with by the birds can attest to. Once, when I was on the Channel Islands off the coast of California, I saw a common raven descend upon an unattended backpack in the campgrounds, unzip the largest pocket with its beak, and <em>steal a cell phone</em>. I'm not sure what it needed a smartphone for, but it stands to reason that these birds have a multifarious toolbox. Thus, we arrive at "charms" tribal. <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crosis&#039;s Charm Bant Charm Rakdos Charm"></div></div> So without any further obfuscation or meandering rumination, this is a <a href="https://edhrec.com/tribes/scarecrows">Scarecrow tribal</a> list helmed by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reaper King" href="#" target="_blank">Reaper King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, reinforcing his legion with an armory of <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=name&amp;q=charm+type%3Ainstant">charms</a>. Charms in <em>Magic</em> typically belong to cycles, each finding their identity in their modality. These modal cards are multitaskers, much like the cycle of commands. <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Atarka&#039;s Command Profane Command Cryptic Command"></div></div> Note the difference: the Charms grant us one of the modes, while the Commands grant us two. (Meanwhile, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sublime Epiphany" href="#" target="_blank">Sublime Epiphany</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give us all of them.) Since this is a <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/wubrg#">WUBRG</a> list, and the charms tend to demand a little more color (and since crows are <em>charming</em> - come on, they're dressed in all black, so they're ready for any formal event!), we'll exclude the Commands and take advantage of our rainbow identity. Okay, justifications aside, let's see how this works. <div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Reaper King Charms" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander] *1 Reaper King [/Commander] [Creatures] *1 Brass Herald *1 Cairn Wanderer *1 Chainbreaker *1 Changeling Outcast *1 Changeling Titan *1 Elvish Harbinger *1 Faerie Harbinger *1 Fang Skulkin *1 Farmstead Gleaner *1 Flamekin Harbinger *1 Graveshifter *1 Impostor of the Sixth Pride *1 Irregular Cohort *1 Jawbone Skulkin *1 Jousting Dummy *1 Lockjaw Snapper *1 Mirror Entity *1 Mothdust Changeling *1 Scarecrow *1 Scaretiller *1 Scuttlemutt *1 Shell Skulkin *1 Signpost Scarecrow *1 Tatterkite *1 Taurean Mauler *1 Universal Automaton *1 Unsettled Mariner *1 Valiant Changeling *1 Venomous Changeling *1 War-Spike Changeling *1 Webweaver Changeling *1 Wild-Field Scarecrow [/Creatures] [Sorceries] *1 Kindred Charge [/Sorceries] [Artifacts] *1 Arcane Signet *1 Armillary Sphere *1 Birthing Boughs *1 Fellwar Stone *1 Mirror of the Forebears *1 Pillar of Origins *1 Soul Foundry *1 Star Compass *1 Swiftfoot Boots [/Artifacts] [Instants] *1 Abzan Charm *1 Bant Charm *1 Crosis&#039;s Charm *1 Darigaaz&#039;s Charm *1 Dromar&#039;s Charm *1 Esper Charm *1 Golgari Charm *1 Grixis Charm *1 Jeskai Charm *1 Jund Charm *1 Mardu Charm *1 Naya Charm *1 Rakdos Charm *1 Rith&#039;s Charm *1 Simic Charm *1 Sultai Charm *1 Temur Charm *1 Treva&#039;s Charm [/Instants] [Enchantments] *1 Dictate of Karametra *1 Etchings of the Chosen *1 Kindred Discovery [/Enchantments] [Lands] *1 Canopy Vista *1 Command Tower *1 Dragonskull Summit *1 Drowned Catacomb *1 Exotic Orchard *5 Forest *5 Island *1 Isolated Chapel *5 Mountain *6 Plains *1 Prairie Stream *1 Rootbound Crag *1 Sulfur Falls *5 Swamp *1 Unclaimed Territory [/Lands]"></span></div>  </p>
<hr />
<h2>Distracted by the Shiny</h2>
<p> As you can see, this deck can do a lot of very specific things. Did our opponent field infinite creatures? Let's kill them with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rakdos Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Rakdos Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Do our creatures represent lethal damage, but our opponent have a ton of blockers? Clear the way with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Naya Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Naya Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We can burn, we can heal, we can deal with all manner of permanents. With <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reaper King" href="#" target="_blank">Reaper King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> out, we're basically playing hard control. And of course, like any decent control deck, the win conditions are... lacking. Fielding a bunch of unimpressive Scarecrows and lording over them with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brass Herald" href="#" target="_blank">Brass Herald</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Etchings of the Chosen" href="#" target="_blank">Etchings of the Chosen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can slowly turn the tide in our favor, and we have a fair bit of countermagic available to protect us from board wipes. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kindred Charge" href="#" target="_blank">Kindred Charge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the only tool in the list that will win us the game out of nowhere - "Out of nowhere" used here to mean "once we have an already-established board presence." <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brass Herald Etchings of the Chosen Kindred Charge"></div></div> Outside of our charms, we also have a good deal of utility in our creatures, and our harbingers can fetch them for us. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Harbinger" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Harbinger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faerie Harbinger" href="#" target="_blank">Faerie Harbinger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flamekin Harbinger" href="#" target="_blank">Flamekin Harbinger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would all make excellent crows. However, there aren't really any game-winning fetch targets. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror Entity" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror Entity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can get it done, but we still need a wide board state, and plenty of mana ready. Thus, our Charms can help loot for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kindred Charge" href="#" target="_blank">Kindred Charge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treva&#039;s Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Treva&#039;s Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sultai Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Sultai Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will help to that end - and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Naya Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Naya Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can pull anything back from the graveyard. <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elvish Harbinger Faerie Harbinger Flamekin Harbinger"></div></div> </p>
<hr />
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p> This is a quirky deck, but crows are quirky birds. I mean, have you seen them walk? Look, if you want a deck with 30 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angel of Despair" href="#" target="_blank">Angel of Despair</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s in it, and with only a couple meaningful win cons that you have to really dig for and score off oddly specific multitools, then this is the deck for you. It should prove shiny enough to keep our attention for a little while, at least. That is, until the next unattended backpack shows itself, zippers alive with light. That's it for this installment of <em>Dual Shot</em>! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reaper King" href="#" target="_blank">Reaper King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fairly popular commander, with just over 1,000 lists on EDHREC. What strange shenanigans have you gotten up to with our pumpkin-crowned liege lord? Or, perhaps a more interesting question: what are some of the weirder interactions you've seen with Charms, Commands, or modal cards in general? When did those more specific modes come in handy? Let us know in the comments below! See you soon - the next experiment doesn't look too far off, as the crow flies.</p>


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