Commander 2019 Set Review - Faceless Menace

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tiana, Ship&#039;s Caretaker" href="#" target="_blank">Tiana, Ship&#039;s Caretaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.ericdeschamps.com/">Eric Deschamps</a>)</h6>
<h1>Enchantment Awaits!</h1>
<p>Greetings once again, and welcome to another serving of <em>Forgotten Harvest</em>, where we explore those cards that see play in 300 decks or less on EDHREC. For a while, I've been itching to get back into another Enchantress build, especially after <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/forgotten-harvest-nefarox-enchantress/"><em>Nefarox Enchantress</em></a> was so well-received. However, I can't just go in and do the same kind of enchantment stuff all over again, and I certainly can't keep to the commonly-played Enchantress cards entirely. So what else is there? Well, I could try using the Auras on my opponents' creatures.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/giphy.gif"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-37186 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/giphy.gif" alt="" width="320" height="160" /></a></p>
<p>Now, instead of walking through my usual article layout of starting with the commander and moving through various classes of hyper-underplayed cards that do similar things, I'm going to relay the process of how I arrived at this deck idea and the combos that are weaved in throughout the brew. Our story begins with one card: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Laccolith Rig" href="#" target="_blank">Laccolith Rig</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Laccolith Rig"></div></div>
<p>This card may not look like much, just an overly-complex common from <em>Nemesis</em> that grants a creature the "Laccolith" ability of being able to deal combat damage to any creature instead of the one blocking it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Laccolith Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Laccolith Titan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Laccolith Warrior" href="#" target="_blank">Laccolith Warrior</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Laccolith Grunt" href="#" target="_blank">Laccolith Grunt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all have the same ability that this Aura grants. But what if you put the Rig on an opponent's creature? You still control the Aura, so if that creature becomes blocked, you'd be able to throw its damage at any creature... including itself. You've neutralized any damage this creature would deal to you (assuming you have a blocker), and gain a powerful weapon on the board. Only 45 decks on EDHREC are playing this card right now, but I'm seriously considering it as part of my standard tech for a red deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Latulla&#039;s Orders"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Incendiary"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elemental Resonance"></div></div>
<p>So, I expanded upon this idea. What other cheap Auras could I find that create an interesting effect for me when attached to an opponent's creature? Some of these cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="One with Nature" href="#" target="_blank">One with Nature</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spirit Link" href="#" target="_blank">Spirit Link</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, already see enough play that they don't need any cheerleading from me. But others, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Latulla&#039;s Orders" href="#" target="_blank">Latulla&#039;s Orders</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, need some love. This card sees play in only 66 decks, but it can provide some great artifact hate using an opponent's creature. You still control the card, and you determine if the trigger happens. So if the Ordered creature swings your way, you aren't forced to lose a mana rock. The flash on this card is just icing on the cake!</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Incendiary" href="#" target="_blank">Incendiary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can really go on any creature on the battlefield, but possesses very interesting political options to the caster when enchanting a creature on the other side of the table. It can be used as a deterrent to prevent attacks from coming your way, it can be dropped on an opponent's creature to abbreviate their board wipe with some retribution, or it can encourage a player to start getting crazy in an effort to intentionally lose their creature before the bomb gets too big. Only 24 decks are using the card right now, but that number could be higher.</p>
<p>Another Aura that can go on just about anything on the field is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elemental Resonance" href="#" target="_blank">Elemental Resonance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (204 decks). If you're starting to fall behind on the ramp race, this card can launch you back into first place. While you may not get the right colors of mana, throwing this on an opponent's permanent (like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis" href="#" target="_blank">Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for instance) can vault you so far ahead while creating an interesting decision for the opponent: destroy their permanent or let you keep the extra mana each turn.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Round One... FIGHT!</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gahiji, Honored One"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quiet Disrepair"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Faith Healer"></div></div>
<p>With this theme established, I started looking for Naya commanders that would encourage attacking. No matter how hard I wish for it to change, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thantis, the Warweaver" href="#" target="_blank">Thantis, the Warweaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is still Jund. Seriously, though, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gahiji, Honored One" href="#" target="_blank">Gahiji, Honored One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> stood out as an obvious pick. Its ability encourages attacks against your opponents. Combined with white's ability to deter attackers, this would be a great option to keep out of the way while reaping the rewards of all the combat. Plus, it's a decent body size that, in a pinch, could become the base of some Voltron-style hijinks.</p>
<p>But Gahiji doesn't really synergize specifically with Auras, especially once creatures start dying off and taking our enchantments with them. Hence, I also added in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tiana, Ship&#039;s Caretaker" href="#" target="_blank">Tiana, Ship&#039;s Caretaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. She's here to get those Auras back from the 'yard, and she can provide some interesting interactions with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quiet Disrepair" href="#" target="_blank">Quiet Disrepair</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (59 decks) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faith Healer" href="#" target="_blank">Faith Healer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (177 decks). To add some redundancy, I've also included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dowsing Shaman" href="#" target="_blank">Dowsing Shaman</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to help get the Auras back after they're lost. The Centaur only sees play in 244 decks, but remains one of my favorites for Enchantress builds. I looked at trying to make the deck in Boros colors with Tiana at the helm, but I just didn't have enough options, especially in red, to make it viable and different from the <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/forgotten-harvest-nefarox-enchantress/">Nefarox build</a>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Combo Moves</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Guilty Conscience"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stuffy Doll"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Druid&#039;s Call"></div></div>
<p>There was yet more room in the deck after gathering together the Auras I'd like to cast on opponents' attacking creatures, so I started looking for other Aura-themed shenanigans. That's when I remembered an interaction from my days in college: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guilty Conscience" href="#" target="_blank">Guilty Conscience</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This combo is an auto-knockout for a player, assuming you get the chance to untap with the Doll. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> picks a player, you enchant it with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guilty Conscience" href="#" target="_blank">Guilty Conscience</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and then the Doll pings itself for a damage. This causes <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guilty Conscience" href="#" target="_blank">Guilty Conscience</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to trigger, dealing a damage to the Doll. The Doll then deals a damage to the chosen victim, again triggering the Aura. Rinse. Repeat. Be careful with this combo, as there are no "may" clauses here. This means you could potentially end the game in an infinite loop, which to me feels like the worst ending for an EDH night. I also like the Conscience generally, even if there's no Doll to enchant. It sees play right now in only 172 decks.</p>
<p>Since we're also in green, why not add in another Aura to the mix. I'm talking about the underplayed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Druid&#039;s Call" href="#" target="_blank">Druid&#039;s Call</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. In only 271 decks right now, this is the key to building a great and powerful Squirrel army. By itself on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it gets you a furry friend each turn. Include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guilty Conscience" href="#" target="_blank">Guilty Conscience</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and you'll be swimming in Squirrels! I don't recommend casting this Aura on an opponent's creature, though, as the card specifies that the creature's controller gets the tokens from damage dealt to it. Even without the Doll, this card provides a nice rattlesnake effect.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quickening Licid"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bramble Elemental"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brood Keeper"></div></div>
<p>The next fun combo I've managed to sneak in here revolves around everyone's favorite walking, talking Auras: the Licids. All of these cards are hyper-underplayed, with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quickening Licid" href="#" target="_blank">Quickening Licid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> coming in at only 5 decks on EDHREC. These Licids are an excellent addition to this deck, some of them can hurt opponents' creatures, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Calming Licid" href="#" target="_blank">Calming Licid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (19 decks). Others provide support for your creatures, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nurturing Licid" href="#" target="_blank">Nurturing Licid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (24 decks), but all of them come back with the help of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tiana, Ship&#039;s Caretaker" href="#" target="_blank">Tiana, Ship&#039;s Caretaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, so long as they were Auras when they died.</p>
<p>The combo comes in when you use the Licids to enchant <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bramble Elemental" href="#" target="_blank">Bramble Elemental</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brood Keeper" href="#" target="_blank">Brood Keeper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Because these cards trigger when an Aura becomes attached to them, not when the Aura is cast, each activation of the Licid targeting one of the two can net you two Saprolings or a 2/2 flying Dragon. With mana available, that can happen each turn! Please note that because the Licids tap to turn into Auras, and they still count as tapped when enchanting the creature, the effect is a once-per-turn kind of thing for each Licid you have. With six in the deck, that shouldn't be hard, though. As for deck numbers, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bramble Elemental" href="#" target="_blank">Bramble Elemental</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> comes in at 33 decks, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brood Keeper" href="#" target="_blank">Brood Keeper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only sees play in 75, so give them both some love, please!</p>
<p>Let's give the deck a look, shall we?</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Enchanting with the Enemy" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards=""></span></div></p>
<p>[Commander]<br />
*1 Gahiji, Honored One<br />
[/Commander]</p>
<p>[Creatures]<br />
*1 Argothian Enchantress<br />
*1 Enraging Licid<br />
*1 Faith Healer<br />
*1 Femeref Enchantress<br />
*1 Herald of the Pantheon<br />
*1 Kor Spiritdancer<br />
*1 Nurturing Licid<br />
*1 Quickening Licid<br />
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer<br />
*1 Aura Gnarlid<br />
*1 Calming Licid<br />
*1 Convulsing Licid<br />
*1 Heliod's Pilgrim<br />
*1 Tempting Licid<br />
*1 Ajani's Chosen<br />
*1 Brood Keeper<br />
*1 Kitsune Mystic<br />
*1 Bramble Elemental<br />
*1 Dowsing Shaman<br />
*1 Tiana, Ship's Caretaker<br />
*1 Heavenly Blademaster<br />
[/Creatures]</p>
<p>[Instants]<br />
*1 Enlightened Tutor<br />
*1 Path to Exile<br />
*1 Beast Within<br />
*1 Generous Gift<br />
[/Instants]</p>
<p>[Sorceries]<br />
*1 Open the Armory<br />
*1 Rampant Growth<br />
*1 Cultivate<br />
*1 Decimate<br />
*1 Retether<br />
[/Sorceries]</p>
<p>[Artifacts]<br />
*1 Sol Ring<br />
*1 Boros Signet<br />
*1 Gruul Signet<br />
*1 Selesnya Signet<br />
*1 Angel's Trumpet<br />
*1 Commander's Sphere<br />
*1 Crawlspace<br />
*1 Stuffy Doll<br />
[/Artifacts]</p>
<p>[Enchantments]<br />
*1 Guilty Conscience<br />
*1 Incendiary<br />
*1 Keen Sense<br />
*1 Laccolith Rig<br />
*1 One with Nature<br />
*1 Rancor<br />
*1 Sigarda's Aid<br />
*1 Spirit Link<br />
*1 Druid's Call<br />
*1 Latulla's Orders<br />
*1 Quiet Disrepair<br />
*1 Sluggishness<br />
*1 Armadillo Cloak<br />
*1 Cessation<br />
*1 Enchantress's Presence<br />
*1 Ghostly Prison<br />
*1 Oath of the Ancient Wood<br />
*1 Pariah<br />
*1 Vow of Duty<br />
*1 Vow of Lightning<br />
*1 Vow of Wildness<br />
*1 Elemental Resonance<br />
*1 Sphere of Safety<br />
*1 Pollenbright Wings<br />
[/Enchantments]</p>
<p>[Lands]<br />
*1 Battlefield Forge<br />
*1 Brushland<br />
*1 Clifftop Retreat<br />
*10 Forest<br />
*1 Hall of Heliod's Generosity<br />
*1 Jungle Shrine<br />
*1 Karplusan Forest<br />
*5 Mountain<br />
*11 Plains<br />
*1 Rootbound Crag<br />
*1 Sacred Foundry<br />
*1 Stomping Ground<br />
*1 Sunpetal Grove<br />
*1 Temple Garden<br />
[/Lands]</p>
<p>[/Deck]</p>

<hr />
<h2>Aura-n't You Glad I Didn't Say "Banana?"</h2>
<p>Well, that about does it for the jankiness that has been this <em>Forgotten Harvest</em>. Any questions, comments, or snide remarks? You know where to leave them below. I'll be around to talk about what it's like sifting through boxes of commons at my LGS looking for inspiration for an article, or how the best janky cards always seem to come from <em>Masques</em> block. What hyper-underplayed gems have you found while digging through bulk? Any hyper-underplayed strategies that need some attention? Let me know! I'm always looking for suggestions! See you all next time!</p>


Forgotten Harvest - Enchanting with the Enemy

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cream of the Crop" href="#" target="_blank">Cream of the Crop</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.howardlyon.com/">Howard Lyon</a>)</h6>
<h1>I am the Cream of the Crop</h1>
<p>Welcome back to <em>The Toolbox</em>! Here we take a look at underplayed cards and evaluate where they ought to see more play. Today we are taking a look at another odd enchantment, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cream of the Crop" href="#" target="_blank">Cream of the Crop</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This enchantment has a criminally low inclusion rate for the powerful card selection that it offers. Where does this power really shine? Let's take a look!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cream of the Crop"></div></div>
<p>Cream of the Crop is a two-mana enchantment that allows you to look at the top X cards of your deck every time a creature enters the battlefield under your control, where X is that creature's power. You can put one of those cards on top of the deck, and ship the rest to the bottom of your deck in any order. It's like a really big scry, basically. What makes this card special? Why not just play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirri’s Guile" href="#" target="_blank">Mirri’s Guile</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? I’ll tell you why!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vaevictis Asmadi, the Dire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghalta, Primal Hunger"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vaevictis Asmadi, the Dire" href="#" target="_blank">Vaevictis Asmadi, the Dire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cream of the Crop" href="#" target="_blank">Cream of the Crop</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s most-played commander, but even there, it only shows up in 27% of his 448 decks, so I consider it underplayed even with its top commander. With Vaevictis, you can stack the top card of your deck simply by playing creatures! How is this not played more with Vaevictis?! Alternatively, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghalta, Primal Hunger" href="#" target="_blank">Ghalta, Primal Hunger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows you to see 12 cards, and if you have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elemental Bond" href="#" target="_blank">Elemental Bond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> out, you get to draw the card you put on top. All you have to do is just keep putting creatures into play for these two decks to run away with the game.</p>
<p>Those are two obvious inclusions for this enchantment, but where else is it worth spending a slot on it?</p>
<hr />
<h3>Wolf Friend</h3>
<p>I would want a Wolf friend if I was the heart of the wilds! Selvala draws you cards when you play powerful creatures, and gives you even more mana for them, too. Obviously there's no denying her power level; her price tag reflects that pretty well! What could make her even more powerful though?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Selvala, Heart of the Wilds"></div></div>
<p>Just picture this: you play a big ol' <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worldspine Wurm" href="#" target="_blank">Worldspine Wurm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. You draw a card with Selvala, but maybe it's a land, and now you're out of things to play. Now imagine you had <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cream of the Crop" href="#" target="_blank">Cream of the Crop</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in play and got to look at the top 15 cards of your deck and select the best one to draw from Selvala's trigger. If you have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cream of the Crop" href="#" target="_blank">Cream of the Crop</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in this deck then every draw off Selvala is pretty much a guaranteed hit.</p>
<p>Of course, Selvala's draw ability is less consistent than effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul of the Harvest" href="#" target="_blank">Soul of the Harvest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beast Whisperer" href="#" target="_blank">Beast Whisperer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is why her deck loves them so much, too. At first, Cream of the Crop might sound redundant; why use an enchantment to select cards when you could just draw them instead? However, I think this enchantment enhances those abilities extremely well, guaranteeing that you always get what you need and that you never run out of gas by flooding out with a handful of lands. Additionally, when paired with an effect like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vizier of the Menagerie" href="#" target="_blank">Vizier of the Menagerie</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you can churn through your deck by always putting creatures on top!</p>
<p>Take a look at the decklist to see what other fun synergies you can use with Cream of the Crop!</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Rawr" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Arbor Elf
*1 Beast Whisperer
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Boreal Druid
*1 Duskwatch Recruiter
*1 Elvish Mystic
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Fierce Empath
*1 Fyndhorn Elves
*1 Genesis Hydra
*1 Ghalta, Primal Hunger
*1 Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma
*1 Great Oak Guardian
*1 Karametra&#039;s Acolyte
*1 Llanowar Elves
*1 Lupine Prototype
*1 Nylea, God of the Hunt
*1 Phyrexian Soulgorger
*1 Priest of Titania
*1 Prowling Serpopard
*1 Quirion Ranger
*1 Reclamation Sage
*1 Regal Force
*1 Rhonas the Indomitable
*1 Scryb Ranger
*1 Soul of the Harvest
*1 Temur Sabertooth
*1 Terastodon
*1 Voracious Hydra
*1 Wayward Swordtooth
*1 Wirewood Symbiote
*1 Woodland Bellower
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Beast Within
*1 Chord of Calling
*1 Force of Vigor
*1 Krosan Grip
*1 Momentous Fall
*1 Nature&#039;s Claim
*1 Veil of Summer
*1 Worldly Tutor
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Eldritch Evolution
*1 Finale of Devastation
*1 Genesis Wave
*1 Green Sun&#039;s Zenith
*1 Life&#039;s Legacy
*1 Natural Order
*1 Rishkar&#039;s Expertise
*1 Soul&#039;s Majesty
*1 Tooth and Nail
*1 Uncage the Menagerie
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Lifecrafter&#039;s Bestiary
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Staff of Domination
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Sword of the Paruns
*1 Umbral Mantle
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Concordant Crossroads
*1 Cream of the Crop
*1 Greater Good
*1 Song of the Dryads
*1 Sylvan Library
*1 Wild Growth
*1 Zendikar Resurgent
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Dryad Arbor
*1 Mosswort Bridge
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Wirewood Lodge
*28 Forest
[/Lands]"></span></div><br />
</p>
<hr />
<h3>Oh, Dream Weaver</h3>
<p>I believe you can get me through the night! Or at least this article! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Intet, the Dreamer" href="#" target="_blank">Intet, the Dreamer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is our next contender.</p>
<p>Intet is a flying 6/6 Dragon for six and when he deals combat damage you can pay three mana; if you do, you exile the top card of your deck. Then you can look at it and play it for as long as it is exiled without paying its mana cost. I feel like this one is pretty obvious but let’s get into it!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Intet, the Dreamer"></div></div>
<p>This is pretty much the same story as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vaevictis Asmadi, the Dire" href="#" target="_blank">Vaevictis Asmadi, the Dire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; you are trying to play a bunch of free spells from the top of your deck. The play is clear: run out a big creature before you attack, stack the top of your deck with Cream of the Crop, and get the card you want from Intet's ability!</p>
<p>Intet has a lot of great options for topdeck manipulation, from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mystical Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Mystical Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worldly Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Worldly Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sensei&#039;s Divining Top" href="#" target="_blank">Sensei&#039;s Divining Top</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but frankly, the more the merrier, especially since Intet decks often like to use a lot of big creatures to beat down their enemies! If you don’t believe me, just take a look at the decklist to see all the amazing draws you can stack on top of your deck with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cream of the Crop" href="#" target="_blank">Cream of the Crop</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="The Dreamer" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Intet, the Dreamer
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Acidic Slime
*1 Atarka, World Render
*1 Balefire Dragon
*1 Dragonlord Atarka
*1 Dragonlord&#039;s Servant
*1 Dragonspeaker Shaman
*1 Etali, Primal Storm
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma
*1 Hellkite Charger
*1 Hypersonic Dragon
*1 Lathliss, Dragon Queen
*1 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
*1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
*1 Progenitor Mimic
*1 Rashmi, Eternities Crafter
*1 Rattleclaw Mystic
*1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
*1 Savage Ventmaw
*1 Scourge of Valkas
*1 Steel Hellkite
*1 Surrak Dragonclaw
*1 Thunderbreak Regent
*1 Utvara Hellkite
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Beast Within
*1 Brainstorm
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Counterspell
*1 Cyclonic Rift
*1 Growth Spiral
*1 Krosan Grip
*1 Mystical Tutor
*1 Sarkhan&#039;s Triumph
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Circuitous Route
*1 Cultivate
*1 Decimate
*1 Explosive Vegetation
*1 Farseek
*1 Kodama&#039;s Reach
*1 Ponder
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Rishkar&#039;s Expertise
*1 Rite of Replication
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Chromatic Lantern
*1 Gruul Signet
*1 Izzet Signet
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Sensei&#039;s Divining Top
*1 Simic Signet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Cream of the Crop
*1 Crucible of Fire
*1 Dragon Tempest
*1 Frontier Siege
*1 Rhythm of the Wild
*1 Sunbird&#039;s Invocation
*1 Temur Ascendancy
*1 Zendikar Resurgent
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Nissa, Steward of Elements
*1 Sarkhan Unbroken
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 Cinder Glade
*1 Command Tower
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Frontier Bivouac
*1 Gruul Turf
*1 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
*1 Hinterland Harbor
*1 Izzet Boilerworks
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Rootbound Crag
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Simic Growth Chamber
*1 Steam Vents
*1 Stomping Ground
*1 Temple of Abandon
*1 Temple of Epiphany
*1 Temple of Mystery
*1 Temple of the False God
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Yavimaya Coast
*3 Island
*7 Mountain
*6 Forest
[/Lands]"></span></div><br />
</p>
<hr />
<h3>Cultivate Your Deck</h3>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kestia, the Cultivator" href="#" target="_blank">Kestia, the Cultivator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is next, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cream of the Crop" href="#" target="_blank">Cream of the Crop</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is both a good card for her deck <em>and </em>a flavor home-run. She likes enchantments, creatures, and enchantment creatures, so let's see what she can cultivate with our two-mana ditty, shall we?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kestia, the Cultivator"></div></div>
<p>Play enchantment creatures, use Cream of the Crop to filter the top of the deck, then draw cards with Kestia? Sounds good to me. Additionally, 92% of Kestia decks are playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eidolon of Blossoms" href="#" target="_blank">Eidolon of Blossoms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, 79% are playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enchantress&#039;s Presence" href="#" target="_blank">Enchantress&#039;s Presence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and 70% play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tuvasa the Sunlit" href="#" target="_blank">Tuvasa the Sunlit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, all excellent card advantage engines. There is absolutely no shortage of ways to draw the cards that you specifically choose with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cream of the Crop" href="#" target="_blank">Cream of the Crop</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, ensuring that you don't just draw a bunch of lands, but rather are able to chain a bunch of creatures and enchantments together to continue your value engine!</p>
<p>What more could you want in a deck? Just take a look at the decklist to see all the value just waiting to be abused!</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Cultivate the Cream of the Crop" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Kestia, the Cultivator
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Archetype of Imagination
*1 Argothian Enchantress
*1 Boon Satyr
*1 Bruna, Light of Alabaster
*1 Celestial Archon
*1 Courser of Kruphix
*1 Danitha Capashen, Paragon
*1 Eidolon of Blossoms
*1 Eidolon of Countless Battles
*1 Flitterstep Eidolon
*1 Ghostblade Eidolon
*1 Heliod&#039;s Pilgrim
*1 Heliod, God of the Sun
*1 Herald of the Pantheon
*1 Hypnotic Siren
*1 Karametra, God of Harvests
*1 Kor Spiritdancer
*1 Mesa Enchantress
*1 Nylea&#039;s Colossus
*1 Satyr Enchanter
*1 Starfield Mystic
*1 Thassa, God of the Sea
*1 Tuvasa the Sunlit
*1 Umbra Mystic
*1 Verduran Enchantress
*1 Whitewater Naiads
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Ancestral Mask
*1 Bear Umbra
*1 Cream of the Crop
*1 Darksteel Mutation
*1 Dawn&#039;s Reflection
*1 Daybreak Coronet
*1 Eldrazi Conscription
*1 Enchantress&#039;s Presence
*1 Estrid&#039;s Invocation
*1 Ethereal Armor
*1 Fertile Ground
*1 Imprisoned in the Moon
*1 Mirari&#039;s Wake
*1 Octopus Umbra
*1 Overgrowth
*1 Rancor
*1 Sage&#039;s Reverie
*1 Sigil of the Empty Throne
*1 Snake Umbra
*1 Song of the Dryads
*1 Sphere of Safety
*1 Unflinching Courage
*1 Unquestioned Authority
*1 Wild Growth
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Bant Charm
*1 Counterspell
*1 Cyclonic Rift
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Creeping Renaissance
*1 Cultivate
*1 Open the Armory
*1 Open the Vaults
*1 Retether
*1 Winds of Rath
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Bident of Thassa
*1 Sol Ring
[/Artifacts]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Estrid, the Masked
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Azorius Chancery
*1 Blossoming Sands
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Command Tower
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Glacial Fortress
*1 Hall of Heliod&#039;s Generosity
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 Hinterland Harbor
*1 Krosan Verge
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Seaside Citadel
*1 Selesnya Sanctuary
*1 Simic Growth Chamber
*1 Sunpetal Grove
*1 Temple Garden
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Tranquil Cove
*6 Plains
*4 Island
*6 Forest
[/Lands]"></span></div><br />
</p>
<hr />
<h2>Let's Get Harvesting</h2>
<p>Thank you all for your continued support of the series! I hope that you all enjoy reading this and that you’ve found a new home for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cream of the Crop" href="#" target="_blank">Cream of the Crop</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Do you think that these commanders pair well with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cream of the Crop" href="#" target="_blank">Cream of the Crop</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Do you think I’m over-evaluating this enchantment, or do you agree it’s highly underrated? What other underrated cards do you think others should have in their toolbox? Please share your thoughts in the comments below, and as always, have a great day!</p>


The Toolbox - Cream of the Crop

Commander 2019 Set Review - Mystic Intellect

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle" href="#" target="_blank">Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/mischeviouslittleelf">Even Amundsen</a>)</h6>
<h1>Underdog in the Zone &amp; the 99</h1>
<p>Hello, everyone! Welcome back to another edition of the <em>Underdog's Corner</em>, where I will do my hardest to convince you to try out a legendary creature that is underappreciated, underplayed, underpowered, or some combination of the three! For today, I want to specifically highlight a card from <em>Dominaria</em> that is currently appearing in under 1,200 decks on EDHREC. What does that equate to? As of today, it ranks around 343 on the most-played white cards list. It even ranks behind <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sinew Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Sinew Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a random Sliver that probably only sees play in Sliver tribal decks. <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> from <em>Modern Horizons</em> is in over 1,700 decks, and it's only been available for three months! However, not only do I want to talk about this card as a contributing member of the 99, but I also think it has a home as a commander of its own deck. Give it up for this week's contender: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle" href="#" target="_blank">Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<h2>Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle"></div></div>
<p>As a flying four-mana 2/2, Teshar is not going to be mixing it up in combat. However, his stats aren't why we're interested in him.</p>
<h4>Whenever you cast a historic spell, return target creature card with converted mana cost 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.</h4>
<p>'Historic' is a "batch" keyword from <em>Dominaria</em>; artifacts, legendary spells, and Sagas are all historic. Legendary spells and Sagas are certainly less prevalent than artifacts, though if we wanted to build around just those, there are three Sagas and about 200 legendary white cards. However, since there are still nearly 1,800 artifacts to choose from, we'll end up leaning heavily on the artifact theme.</p>
<p>The name of the game with Teshar is recursion, specifically recurring creatures with converted mana costs of three or less. This is something that white loves to do, and I really appreciate that Teshar brings a consistent engine to the theme. With that said, we're going to need to put creatures in our graveyard consistently to get value out of our flying legend.</p>
<hr />
<h2>We Must Construct Additional Constructs</h2>
<p>Glancing through Teshar's High Synergy and Top Cards on EDHREC tells a good story of what we can expect from this deck:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Junk Diver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Salvage Scout"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrapyard Recombiner"></div></div>
<p>Recursion engine pieces such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Retriever" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Retriever</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Junk Diver" href="#" target="_blank">Junk Diver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> rank the highest on Teshar's most-played cards lists, as well as cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Restoration Specialist" href="#" target="_blank">Restoration Specialist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Salvage Scout" href="#" target="_blank">Salvage Scout</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This core of cards is going to be important to keep our engine running smoothly.</p>
<p>As one example, we can sacrifice <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Salvage Scout" href="#" target="_blank">Salvage Scout</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to grab <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Retriever" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Retriever</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from our graveyard, which can then bring back Salvage Scout with Teshar's trigger. After that, we can sacrifice Myr Retriever to grab another artifact out of our yard. This combo can fuel itself over and over until we empty our graveyard of artifacts. This type of combo is crucial to having Teshar run smoothly, and to that end we're including a lot of redundancy in the deck.</p>
<p>Now that we've set up this shell, we can decide how we want to fill out the rest of the deck. One card that caught my attention was <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrapyard Recombiner" href="#" target="_blank">Scrapyard Recombiner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's currently the third most popular newly-released card for Teshar, and it's not too hard to see why: the Recombiner is a veritable Swiss Army Knife for this deck, checking off nearly every box that we could possibly want; it's a creature, it's historic, and it can dump itself into the yard while also tutoring key pieces. While "Construct Tribal" doesn't really exist under a cohesive theme, this gives us an incentive to look into what Constructs are available, as we can repeatedly tutor them to our hand. <em>Wizards</em> has created a lot of great artifact creatures over the years, but leaning towards ones that share this creature type could help us break any ties when deciding which creatures to include.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Myr Battlesphere"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kuldotha Forgemaster"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrap Trawler"></div></div>
<p>Thankfully, Constructs can fill a lot of different roles in our deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Battlesphere" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Battlesphere</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can't be recurred by Teshar's ability, but who needs that when Battlesphere is a threat on its own? For other threatening Constructs, we also have access to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cataclysmic Gearhulk" href="#" target="_blank">Cataclysmic Gearhulk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for a partial Wrath, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scuttling Doom Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Scuttling Doom Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Traxos, Scourge of Kroog" href="#" target="_blank">Traxos, Scourge of Kroog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for beaters.</p>
<p>We can include utility cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kuldotha Forgemaster" href="#" target="_blank">Kuldotha Forgemaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If we follow this path, we have a two-step tutor that can let us find any artifact in our deck and put it into play. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Foundry Inspector" href="#" target="_blank">Foundry Inspector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another great card that offers a discount for each time we want to trigger Teshar's ability. Not only that, it opens up more options for combos with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark-Clan Ironworks" href="#" target="_blank">Krark-Clan Ironworks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, if we feel so inclined to include enough pieces for it.</p>
<p>Speaking of Krark-Clan Ironworks, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrap Trawler" href="#" target="_blank">Scrap Trawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a common piece for Ironworks combos, also happens to be a Construct, and yes, you should include it in the deck. We're going to need to put creatures into the yard often, and a good number of them will be artifact creatures. Whenever an artifact dies, we get to return one to our hand that has a lesser converted mana cost. This gives us a great way of recurring cards, especially when combined with a mana-producing sacrifice outlet like Ironworks.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Sipping on Haterade</h2>
<p>While artifact recursion is a powerful engine, we're going to need other creatures to recur, and Teshar's stipulation of a specific converted mana cost defines the subset of creatures we need to pull from. Typically, these creatures aren't going to be impactful enough to win the game on their own, but they can certainly provide utility to either enhance our strategy or hinder our opponents. We're going to borrow a strategy from Legacy's well-established 'Death and Taxes' archetype: slowing down our opponent enough to get our engine online.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tocatli Honor Guard"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grand Abolisher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ranger-Captain of Eos"></div></div>
<p>If you didn't notice, many of the creatures included in our list so far have no enter-the-battlefield effects. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tocatli Honor Guard" href="#" target="_blank">Tocatli Honor Guard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hushwing Gryff" href="#" target="_blank">Hushwing Gryff</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both give us easily recurrable versions of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Torpor Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Torpor Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to shut down such strategies. In metas that I've played in, Torpor Orb isn't a common sight, so most people don't build around it. However, if it were to hit the battlefield, there are plenty of decks that would quickly get shut down. The second deck I ever built, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Roon of the Hidden Realm" href="#" target="_blank">Roon of the Hidden Realm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, got shut down by a player playing the Orb, and on that day I learned a harsh lesson about (not) diversifying the threats in my deck.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grand Abolisher" href="#" target="_blank">Grand Abolisher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ranger-Captain of Eos" href="#" target="_blank">Ranger-Captain of Eos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> perform similar functions by helping us shut down opponents' interactions on our turn. Additionally, the Ranger-Captain offers versatility by tutoring up a creature with converted mana cost 1 or less. It's a little odd to advocate for a creature with an ETB effect after discussing three cards that stifle those abilities, but the flow of the game will hardly make that an issue as you have control over when you deploy those effects. What are some good targets for Ranger-Captain? Right off the bat is either <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mother of Runes" href="#" target="_blank">Mother of Runes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Giver of Runes" href="#" target="_blank">Giver of Runes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Consistently handing out protection is a powerful tool. We can also find <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Memnite" href="#" target="_blank">Memnite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ornithopter" href="#" target="_blank">Ornithopter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for a zero-cost reanimation spell with our commander.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stoneforge Mystic"></div></div>
<p>Lastly for our Death and Taxes line-up, we have a classic: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stoneforge Mystic" href="#" target="_blank">Stoneforge Mystic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has always been an incredibly powerful <em>Magic </em>card, and tutoring for any Equipment gives us a lot of flexibility. Having access to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> immediately? How about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conqueror&#039;s Flail" href="#" target="_blank">Conqueror&#039;s Flail</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to stave off interaction? Or maybe even a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diviner&#039;s Wand" href="#" target="_blank">Diviner&#039;s Wand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a combo finisher? If we throw in a sacrifice outlet, we can sacrifice Mystic and then recur her with Teshar's ability to tutor for more Equipment.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Loop Around</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Myr Retriever"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krark-Clan Ironworks"></div></div>
<p>While we've covered quite a bit of ground, don't lose sight of the fact that Teshar is an incredibly powerful engine in the command zone. I won't list out every combo that's available, but I'll leave you with one example:</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Retriever" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Retriever</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark-Clan Ironworks" href="#" target="_blank">Krark-Clan Ironworks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and a zero-cost artifact allow us to dig through our entire deck with infinite colorless mana. From there, winning should be trivial, assuming we've built our deck decently well.</p>
<p>I hope this brief look at our resident Bird Wizard has given you something to think about! Teshar is an incredibly unique <em>Magic </em>card, and even if you only include him in the 99, I think you won't be disappointed. Below is a list that I hope will inspire some creative decklists; there's so many directions you can go!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="”Bringing Teshar Back”" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Teshar, Ancestor’s Apostle
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*1 Aven Mindcensor
*1 Aviary Mechanic
*1 Cataclysmic Gearhulk
*1 Foundry Inspector
*1 Giver of Runes
*1 Glint Hawk
*1 Grand Abolisher
*1 Hangarback Walker
*1 Hushwing Gryff
*1 Junk Diver
*1 Kami of False Hope
*1 Kor Skyfisher
*1 Kuldotha Forgemaster
*1 Leonin Squire
*1 Memnite
*1 Mentor of the Meek
*1 Mother of Runes
*1 Myr Battlesphere
*1 Myr Retriever
*1 Ornithopter
*1 Ranger-Captain of Eos
*1 Recruiter of the Guard
*1 Remorseful Cleric
*1 Restoration Specialist
*1 Salvage Scout
*1 Scrap Trawler
*1 Scrapyard Recombiner
*1 Shimmer Myr
*1 Stoneforge Mystic
*1 Sun Titan
*1 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
*1 Tocatli Honor Guard
*1 Traxos, Scourge of Kroog
*1 Treasure Hunter
*1 Trusty Packbeast
*1 Walking Ballista
*1 Workshop Assistant
[/Creature]
[Artifact]
*1 Aetherflux Reservoir
*1 Altar of Dementia
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Blasting Station
*1 Conqueror&#039;s Flail
*1 Diviner&#039;s Wand
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Krark-Clan Ironworks
*1 Lotus Petal
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mox Amber
*1 Phyrexian Altar
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Tormod&#039;s Crypt
*1 Torpor Orb
*1 Worn Powerstone
[/Artifact]
[Instant]
*1 Brought Back
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instant]
[Enchantment]
*1 Ghostly Prison
[/Enchantment]
[Sorcery]
*1 Austere Command
*1 Dusk / Dawn
*1 Slaughter the Strong
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*1 Arcane Lighthouse
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Emeria, The Sky Ruin
*1 Field of Ruin
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Ghost Quarter
*1 High Market
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*1 Mirrorpool
*1 Phyrexia&#039;s Core
*21 Plains
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Sequestered Stash
*1 Tectonic Edge
*1 Wasteland
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>Thanks, once again, for joining me in the <em>Underdog's</em> Corner!</p>


Underdog's Corner - Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle

Ranking Every Land with EDHREC - Part 9: Lair-ers of Fear

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chaos Confetti" href="#" target="_blank">Chaos Confetti</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.marktedin.com/">Mark Tedin</a>)</h6>
<h1>Turn That Smile Upside Down</h1>
<p>Welcome to <em>Too-Specific Top 10</em>, where if there isn't a category to rank our pet card at the top of, we'll just make one up! (Did you know the card to elicit the loudest groan from a table of <em>Storm</em> decks is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhystic Study" href="#" target="_blank">Rhystic Study</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?)</p>
<p>This time through, we're flipping the script, taking a look at some of the <em>worst</em> cards in Commander. Since it's currently spoiler season for <em>Commander 2019, </em>let's make things more specific, and look at just the least-played cards that originated from Commander precons!</p>
<hr />
<h1>Top 10 Commander Flops</h1>
<p>As per usual, rankings are determined solely by the cards' EDHREC score, which is based on how many decks are playing the particular card. In this case, we're going to be judging cards exclusively printed for Commander, rather than looking at the cards that were just reprinted into the Commander product. (It is worth noting, however, that being reprinted after the fact is not only fine, it's probably a sign that the card is fairly decent after all!)</p>
<p>So without further ado, let's look at the least played Commander cards in Commander.<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/1-resized.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37092" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/1-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hooded Horror"></div></div>
<p>Attack the archenemy they said. It'll be unblockable, they said. Only... is that enough for a five-mana 4/4 to be playable? Alas, much like my old friend <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Savannah Lions" href="#" target="_blank">Savannah Lions</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this one just can't keep up in today's power creep environment, especially when the unblockable ability isn't concrete, but rather fastened onto a large caveat. While it may be that you've built your deck so that you aren't going to be the player with the most creatures, that doesn't guarantee that the person you actually need to attack will be, either.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2-resized.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37093" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Awaken the Sky Tyrant"></div></div>
<p>Back in the day, I used to absolutely love the 'hidden' cycle from <em>Urza's Saga</em>. Tired of that opponent playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterspell" href="#" target="_blank">Counterspell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s? Try <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hidden Gibbons" href="#" target="_blank">Hidden Gibbons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! Want to go faster than that guy playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grim Monolith" href="#" target="_blank">Grim Monolith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Try <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hidden Guerrillas" href="#" target="_blank">Hidden Guerrillas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Awaken the Sky Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Awaken the Sky Tyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> fills much the same ultra-fast aggro reactionary role, but in Commander that role isn't very good. Even if there was a four-mana 5/5 flyer available without any additional requirements, it seems doubtful that it would see much play in this slower environment, so it's not too surprising that this would-be Dragon is sitting on the sidelines.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/3-resized.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37094" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/3-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Naya Soulbeast"></div></div>
<p>In a similar vein, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Naya Soulbeast" href="#" target="_blank">Naya Soulbeast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might be a huge trampler for your board... and then again, it might not. In either case, however, for eight mana you're going to want a spell that wins the game, not a vanilla creature that will probably take a few turns to swing in and die incidentally in the meantime. Not having a relevant ability to the board is just not good enough these days, even at lower power levels. The fact that this particular Beast might just be an eight-mana 2/2 makes this card a terrible option for any deck.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/4-resized.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37095" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/4-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fell Shepherd"></div></div>
<p>I'm more sympathetic to our number four card, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fell Shepherd" href="#" target="_blank">Fell Shepherd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. In the older days of Commander, this card even saw decent amounts of play, having a relevant triggered ability that synergized with its sacrifice outlet. That and the fact that the sacrifice outlet powers removal to keep the Shepherd unblocked, and this thing should be knocking it out of the park. There's just one problem: it costs seven mana to get out, and then additional mana for each time you sacrifice a creature. There's a lot of possible upside here, but it's unfortunately locked up by needing a lot of resources to get there.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/5-resized.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37096" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/5-resized.png" alt="" width="346" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Terra Ravager"></div></div>
<p>Four toughness isn't a lot in a game of EDH. Only counting commanders, much less other creature staples of the format, there are 377 legendary creatures who can block <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terra Ravager" href="#" target="_blank">Terra Ravager</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and kill it. Of those, about a tenth of them have some sort of indestructible or <em>Regenerate </em>ability, making the likelihood of an even trade much less than a guarantee. Perhaps if the boost the Ravager gets from your opponents' lands was around for blocking or for toughness as well, this might be a bit more of a threat. However, as is, without any sort of evasion and with a high likelihood that this will swing once and die for its trouble, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terra Ravager" href="#" target="_blank">Terra Ravager</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is yet another creature in a long line of fairly vanilla creatures that just aren't making the cut.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/6-resized.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37097" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/6-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Widespread Panic"></div></div>
<p>At number six on the list, this is the first in our Top 10 to actually have me a bit confused by its presence. Don't get me wrong, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Widespread Panic" href="#" target="_blank">Widespread Panic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a weird card that doesn't quite fit in discard or chaos decks, but it doesn't quite <em>not</em> fit either. Add in that it hoses tutors that put cards on top of the deck and acts as an unending <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Plow Under" href="#" target="_blank">Plow Under</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for a deck built around on-board abilities rather than new spells, and it really seems like a place should have been found for this enchantment. In particular, for those decks that thrive on self-mill or exiling the top card of the library, this seems like a unique weapon that could be deadly with the right setup. Honestly, I think that some red commanders that care about the top of the library need to step up and start playing this card. Looking at you, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Melek, Izzet Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Melek, Izzet Paragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Borborygmos Enraged" href="#" target="_blank">Borborygmos Enraged</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vaevictis Asmadi, the Dire" href="#" target="_blank">Vaevictis Asmadi, the Dire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Maybe throw some <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soldier of Fortune" href="#" target="_blank">Soldier of Fortune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in there too.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Melek, Izzet Paragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Borborygmos Enraged"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vaevictis Asmadi, the Dire"></div></div>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/7-resized.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37098" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/7-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Empyrial Storm"></div></div>
<p>One of the nice things about a "worst of" list is that the cards get better as you go. Now, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Empyrial Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Empyrial Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is far from a slam dunk, but it is still a decent card. One 4/4 Angel for six mana is a terrible deal. Two is probably all right, but not exactly ideal. Once you start getting three or more, however, this could actually pack quite the punch. So the question is, what cheap commander cares about tokens and gets cast repeatedly? Might I introduce you to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Saffi Eriksdotter" href="#" target="_blank">Saffi Eriksdotter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? How about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhys the Redeemed" href="#" target="_blank">Rhys the Redeemed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thalia, Guardian of Thraben" href="#" target="_blank">Thalia, Guardian of Thraben</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? (PS: if you have <em>Partner </em>commanders, this triggers for each of them!)</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/8-resized.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37099" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/8-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eye of Doom"></div></div>
<p>While the price could be better, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eye of Doom" href="#" target="_blank">Eye of Doom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s effect can actually be a real boon for the table. Being able to destroy the four best permanents on the board can really level the playing field; the only question is whether it will change it in your favor. Especially if you are doing well, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eye of Doom" href="#" target="_blank">Eye of Doom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might backfire and one or more of <em>your</em> nonland permanents as opposed to your opponents'. Still, in the right political deck, it could just work out.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/9-resized.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37100" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/9-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="228" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shared Trauma"></div></div>
<p>Initially it would appear that we're in another slump here, but it's worth pointing out that the worst version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shared Trauma" href="#" target="_blank">Shared Trauma</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> says "pay X+1 mana to have each player mill the top X cards of their library." That effect alone isn't unplayable for the mill strategy, and might even be playable in several decks that are just interested in filling their graveyard. Unfortunately, there are probably better options for both the mill and self-mill decks, namely <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mind Grind" href="#" target="_blank">Mind Grind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dread Summons" href="#" target="_blank">Dread Summons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/10-resized.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37101" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/10-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Acorn Catapult"></div></div>
<p>You probably play this if you're in the Squirrel deck, because as we've gone over before here on <em>Too-Specific Top 10</em>, there are only 14 cards relating to Squirrels total in the history of <em>Magic</em>. That said, it's still going to be rather underwhelming for you, as you'll probably just be using it to make one Squirrel a turn, sometimes also losing a life in the process, all for much more mana than <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>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>What Do You Think?</h2>
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<p>And finally, which cards do you remember from the Commander products that really just underwhelmed you? What kinds of cards used to make the cut for your decks but aren't pulling their own weight anymore?</p>
<p>Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you at the Bad Rare Blackjack table soon!</p>


Too-Specific Top 10 - Commander Flops

<h1>A Card for the Aeons</h1>
<p>Hey everyone! Kya here once again, this time bringing you a new and exciting preview card from the upcoming <em>Commander 2019</em>! Our thanks to <em>Wizards of the Coast </em>for the free preview!</p>
<p>To see the card, check out this video by <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/author/joseph-schultz/">Joey Schultz</a> of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCApiDwDpn_JpzRGLZKrdr1g">EDHREC podcast</a>!</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="EDHREC Commander 2019 Preview Card!" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iIPN8-_OuP0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>Isn't. It. Beautiful? It brings a tear to my eye. Not since <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cruel Entertainment" href="#" target="_blank">Cruel Entertainment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has <em>Wizards</em> shown such love to us followers of chaos! The card itself is simple, but the nonsense it creates is hilarious. If I didn't know better, I'd have expected a card like this to appear in <em>Unstable</em>!The only black-bordered comparison we have is from one of the <em><a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=226556">Planechase</a> </em>products! Plus, that flavor text is just plain phenomenal.</p>
<p>For those who don't know, I write the <em>Bringing Magic to Life </em>series here on EDHREC, where I craft 3D prints of my favorite commanders and their trinkets, from Omnath tokens to Kozilek figurines. I also have what some call an unhealthy obsession with chaos cards. This preview card fuses both passions together! Today we'll craft a deck that will turn our new card into a total nightmare for our enemies, and stay tuned at the end of the article for some 3D-printed crafts of the card itself!</p>
<p>Alright, we know the card. Now let's abuse it!</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/image_from_ios.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37285" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/image_from_ios.png" alt="" width="258" height="360" /></a></p>
<hr />
<h2>Engineer of Chaos</h2>
<p>Now sadly, there are two small drawbacks to this new card. First, it has the audacity to come into play tapped. What if someone blows it up before I have a chance to radically change the game as we know it? The second issue is that it exiles itself upon use. Now I know you're asking, "But how am I going to mess with my opponents over and over again to appease the chaos overlords when this card exiles itself?" Don't worry, Kya is here to provide solutions!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer"></div></div>
<p>That's right, it's Rude-iclad! I mean, Brudiclad! The prince who was promised! We're going to use him to create an unstoppable army of tokens, and we're going to use those tokens to create something truly magical: mayhem.</p>
<p>At the start of combat, Brudiclad creates a creature token, then turns all of your tokens into a copy of any token you control. Importantly, this effect does not last until end of turn - they stay that way indefinitely. You can turn all your Myr tokens into Thopters, or your Servos into Treasure! And if we manage to make a copy of our new Aeon Engine, we can make a whole boatload of Engines, allowing us to mess with the game however we please!</p>
<p>How do we accomplish this? Easy:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Prototype Portal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Saheeli&#039;s Artistry"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stolen Identity"></div></div>
<p>There are tons of ways to make copies of artifacts, from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prototype Portal" href="#" target="_blank">Prototype Portal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Saheeli&#039;s Artistry" href="#" target="_blank">Saheeli&#039;s Artistry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. All we need to do is assemble a bunch of tiny tokens with Brudiclad staples like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Whirler Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Whirler Rogue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spell Swindle" href="#" target="_blank">Spell Swindle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Mob Boss" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko, Mob Boss</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, then stick the Engine and make a single copy of it. After that, Brudiclad will transform our tiny tokens into a turn-twisting masterpiece. Best of all, those tokens are already in play, so unlike the original Engine, which enters tapped, all the copies will already be untapped!</p>
<p>And because I cannot resist the temptation to add in even more chaos, I hope you won't mind if a few other cards join the fray:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Timesifter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mindslaver"></div></div>
<p>I just can't help myself. This is the deck's ultimate goal: to wrest control of the game away from our opponents entirely by creating a nightmare of turn orders that make the chaos gods themselves giddy with delight. Extra <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mindslaver" href="#" target="_blank">Mindslaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s means that you get all the turns! Multiple <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timesifter" href="#" target="_blank">Timesifter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s will each store up extra turns, so even if one is destroyed, the others have been charging their batteries. Even if they knock you out of the game, you'll have created a massive ripple effect that will forever impact the game. Do you know what happens if you have multiple <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timesifters" href="#" target="_blank">Timesifters</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in and a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stranglehold" href="#" target="_blank">Stranglehold</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in play? If you play this deck correctly, you'll find out! Mwahaha!</p>
<p>For kicks, I've also included extra effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Omen Machine" href="#" target="_blank">Omen Machine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gate to the Aether" href="#" target="_blank">Gate to the Aether</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which also produce a crazy effect on the game when you're able to make a bunch of copies of them. Does your friend think they're a <em>Storm </em>player? They haven't seen a true storm until they've seen this deck!</p>
<p>This is the perfect level of shenanigans worthy of our new preview card. Check out the full fabled decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Multiplying Chaos" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Sharding Sphinx
*1 Thopter Assembly
*1 Whirler Rogue
*1 Siege-Gang Commander
*1 Loyal Apprentice
*1 Krenko, Mob Boss
*1 Etherium Sculptor
*1 Tilonalli&#039;s Summoner
*1 Emrakul&#039;s Hatcher
*1 Hanweir Garrison
*1 Myr Battlesphere
*1 Beetleback Chief
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Spell Swindle
*1 Fated Infatuation
*1 Hornswoggle
*1 Supplant Form
*1 Thirst for Knowledge
*1 Counterspell
*1 Masterful Replication
*1 Confirm Suspicions
*1 Cackling Counterpart
*1 Cyclonic Rift
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Clone Legion
*1 Stolen Identity
*1 Rite of Replication
*1 Echo Storm
*1 Zndrsplt&#039;s Judgment
*1 Tempt with Reflections
*1 Tempt with Vengeance
*1 Saheeli&#039;s Artistry
*1 Fabricate
*1 Quasiduplicate
*1 Brass&#039;s Bounty
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Aeon Engine
*1 Timesifter
*1 Omen Machine
*1 Mirrorworks
*1 Gate to the Aether
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Knowledge Pool
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Izzet Signet
*1 Tamiyo&#039;s Journal
*1 Genesis Chamber
*1 Prototype Portal
*1 Mindslaver
*1 Talisman of Creativity
*1 Gilded Lotus
*1 Commander&#039;s Sphere
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Rhystic Study
*1 Curse of Opulence
*1 Followed Footsteps
*1 Stranglehold
*1 Efficient Construction
*1 Mechanized Production
*1 Flameshadow Conjuring
*1 Thopter Spy Network
*1 Mirrodin Besieged
*1 Storm the Vault
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Saheeli Rai
*1 Saheeli, the Gifted
*1 Saheeli, Sublime Artificer
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Command Tower
*1 Izzet Boilerworks
*1 Sulfur Falls
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Temple of Epiphany
*1 Steam Vents
*1 Cascade Bluffs
*1 Spirebluff Canal
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Seat of the Synod
*1 Great Furnace
*1 Darksteel citadel
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Kher Keep
*1 Temple of the False God
*1 Spawning Bed
*11 Island
*10 Mountain
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/09.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-36861" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/09.png" alt="" width="700" height="220" /></a></p>
<h2>Let's Get Crafty!</h2>
<p>No matter what pod you jump into with this deck, keeping up with all of your triggers is going to be a nightmare for everyone at the table, yourself included. Especially with our new spoiler card, how are you going to know which way the turns are going after the 16th time Aeon Engine went off? Kya is here to help!</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/67177903_642734332905264_5137151816571551744_n.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-36968" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/67177903_642734332905264_5137151816571551744_n.jpg" alt="" width="327" height="373" /></a></p>
<p>We're going to create our own replica of Aeon Engine! This way we have a cool, stabby-looking prop to help our pod shine a light through the chaotic abyss. I absolutely loved the art on this card, although seeing the details of the artifact was very difficult. I really hope I got the general shape right!</p>
<p>Focusing on just the artifact, it looks like a strange-looking clock sitting on top of a goblet with a hole through it, where it shoots energy through the artifact to create a time portal! If I have any regret about this 3D printing, it's that I can't actually shoot lasers out of it.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/0bf54fb828074b2cfba3546b27baa93c_preview_featured.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-36849" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/0bf54fb828074b2cfba3546b27baa93c_preview_featured.jpg" alt="" width="265" height="358" /></a></p>
<p>Now comes the 3D printing of our new chaotic artifact! True story, this artifact was so destabilizing to the aether that it destroyed my 3D printer. Parts of it, anyway: I had to order new components to get this little project completed! This should be a lesson to all those new to dabbling in chaos: safety last... I mean first! Sorry, the backwards turns have me all mixed up.</p>
<p>The device is printed in three parts, though for future iterations it can probably be split into just two. Regardless, we now have a new 3D print that we can aim in the direction of turn orders as they're changed. Bonus points if you add a bubble blower to the goblet portion so it matches the art!</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/67511882_351079215585985_642594920720236544_n.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-36969" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/67511882_351079215585985_642594920720236544_n.jpg" alt="" width="204" height="303" /></a></p>
<hr />
<h2>Arcane Printings</h2>
<p>It'd be a little selfish if I limited our 3D models to just our preview card, so let's add in one more 3D print in this article. I'm sure everyone has been freaking out about the new <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that was revealed a while back. Truly not since <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does a card belong in nearly every deck! I couldn't resist adding this trinket to our collection as well.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/09-1.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-36879" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/09-1.png" alt="" width="500" height="219" /></a></p>
<p>Let's keep it simple, shall we? I created shapes for the larger indents around the rims and added the flat surface in the upper-middle section. <span class="c-message__body" dir="auto" data-qa="message-text">As for the arcane effects you see in the art, we can just paint the glowing effects of the talisman's magic once we print it out</span>. I rarely get a chance to paint my prints beyond just a general coat, so I'm a little excited!</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/07-1.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-36877" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/07-1.jpg" alt="" width="512" height="203" /></a></p>
<p>Printed! See, it was super simple! Painting the model wasn't too much of a hassle, either!</p>
<p>Now all that's left is to find an adorable kitty to model off my precious gem:</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/08-1.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-36878" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/08-1.jpg" alt="" width="294" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>She doesn't look amused, does she? I guess she doesn't want it? That's fine, more for me!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Final Thoughts</h2>
<p>Thanks again to <em>Wizards </em>for this awesome free preview card! I hope the decklist above has inspired some ideas of your own on how to abuse Aeon Engine in all its glory! It's a great budget list to show off to your friends, even if they only let you play it once a year!</p>
<p>So what did you all think of our special card? It's not often that we get chaotic multiplayer cards as unique as this! Please let me know how you plan to use this card in your decks in the comments below. Any contribution may help other readers try and figure out ideas of their own, so don't be shy!</p>
<p>I'll be at GP Vegas between this article and the next one, so wish me luck! If you're there and think you can stomach being in a pod with me and all my chaos, be sure to give me a wave!</p>
<p>Until next time,</p>
<p>Kya</p>


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