Making a Commander Deck of Dungrove Elders

<p style="text-align: right;"><em>Kuja, Genome Sorcerer | Art by <a href="https://www.iamag.co/the-art-of-joshua-raphael/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joshua Raphael</a></em></p>
<p>The long-awaited <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/fin"><em>Final Fantasy</em></a> set is on the horizon, and the hype train has already left the station. Even if you aren't the most excited to see cards from this video game series enter <em>Magic</em>, you do have to admit that some of these new designs are incredible. One of the legendary creatures that has taken the internet by storm already is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kuja, Genome Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Kuja, Genome Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>When I was young, my brothers played through <em>Final Fantasy IX</em> and I'll be honest with everyone here: Kuja was terrifying to me... So, it seems only fitting that I would overcome my fear for this villain and bring you fourteen cards for under $14 to help you get started on brewing around this commander on a budget. Strap in, throw <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4AQ7kRcn_A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kuja's awesome theme</a> on, and get ready to bring the house down with your accursed flames!</p>
<h2>What Does Kuja, Genome Sorcerer Do?</h2>
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<p>Coming in straight from my childhood nightmares to terrorize your playgroup, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kuja, Genome Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Kuja, Genome Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. On its front side, you'll be making an 0/1 Wizard on your endstep that pings your opponents when you cast noncreature spells. Then, after you control four or more Wizards, Kuja will flip to his other side, Trance Kuja, Fate Defied, which then doubles the damage any of your Wizards deal from there on out.</p>
<p>Since this commander costs four mana, there's a good chance you'll have a Wizard or two out already by the time you cast him. That means you'll be flipping over to the damage doubling side sooner than most people think. So, with this list I'll be highlighting some great Wizards that pair nicely with that second side of Kuja, as well as some big noncreature spells that can help set you far ahead the rest of the table, especially when paired with those little Wizard tokens.</p>
<p>Let's take a look at the list now.</p>
<h3>Coruscation Mage</h3>
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<p>Our first card this week is a perfect Wizard for this list. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coruscation Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Coruscation Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deals a damage to each opponent when you cast a noncreature spell, which is the main goal of this deck already. It also can come with an offspring token, to add even more fuel to its fire. Once your Kuja flips, you could possibly be dealing four damage to your foes over and over again. Pair this Otter with your small Wizard tokens, and it's time to really deal some pain.</p>
<h3>Gleeful Arsonist</h3>
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<p>This next card fills a similar role to our last entry, and it comes with an added layer of protection. If <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gleeful Arsonist" href="#" target="_blank">Gleeful Arsonist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> happens to get killed as your game goes on, that undying effect is here to bring it right back with a +1/+1 counter on it. Since the Arsonist deals damage to your opponents equal to its power, you'll almost prefer it to get destroyed just so it can come back better than ever! Plus, this card looks like it fits right in with Kuja and his antics...</p>
<h3>Irencrag Pyromancer</h3>
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<p>Decks built around this new commander will most likely be filled with cantrips (spells that have an effect and also draws you a card), to help trigger your Wizard's pinging abilities as often as you can. If your build of the deck goes in that direction, then <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Irencrag Pyromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Irencrag Pyromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is perfect for you. Of course, the ability to double its damage could just end games for you, but even dealing three damage as its base level can clear up your opponents' threats. Dropping this on turn three could just halt a lot of other players' game plans if they're concerned you could just wipe their value pieces off the board.</p>
<h3>Blood Cultist</h3>
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<p>Another great way to keep the board clear of small threats is with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Cultist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Cultist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Tapping to deal one damage isn't too bad, especially when you can ping things down to grow your creature. However, once Kuja has flipped over to his other side, you can then deal two damage to enemy creatures or just swing in with a big beefy Cultist. One way or another, adding this card to your deck will be a thorn in everyone else's sides.</p>
<h3>Basalt Ravager</h3>
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<p>Next up is a card you might want to hold on to until your board is just right. Sure, you can slam <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Basalt Ravager" href="#" target="_blank">Basalt Ravager</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> down before you have double damage and it would probably make a big impact. However, if you wait until the right time and Kuja has been flipped over, you could possibly just take a player out of the game. On top of that burn damage the Ravager offers, it can also swing in to deal eight damage if you put it in the red zone.</p>
<h3>Anathemancer</h3>
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<p>Speaking of game enders, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anathemancer" href="#" target="_blank">Anathemancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can truly take some of the more lavish players at your table out of the game. When it enters, it hits one of your opponents with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Price of Progress" href="#" target="_blank">Price of Progress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-esque effect, which, when paired with a damage doubler, could be backbreaking. This type of spell is great for picking off a player who might be more ahead than the rest of the table, after they fill their board with stacks of specialty lands. Also, even though <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anathemancer" href="#" target="_blank">Anathemancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s unearth is expensive, you could take someone by surprise late in the game to close things out.</p>
<h3>Harmonic Prodigy</h3>
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<p>Alright, since we're midway through the list, it's time to double everything our Wizards are doing with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harmonic Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Harmonic Prodigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! So far, every creature we've talked about has had a triggered ability, which means that when the Prodigy is out, your game plan is going to go up a level. With <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kuja, Genome Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Kuja, Genome Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> flipped, doubling your Wizard's damage, that 0/1 token is dealing four damage whenever you cast a noncreature spell. Which is already crazy, but then you drop something like that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anathemancer" href="#" target="_blank">Anathemancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> we just talked about... That could be game over.</p>
<h3>Harnesser of Storms</h3>
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<p>This deck is already looking to cast as many noncreature spells as possible, so adding a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harnesser of Storms" href="#" target="_blank">Harnesser of Storms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to the list will ensure you're constantly churning through your library. This deck will most likely be an <em>all-in</em> type of strategy, so having an effect to dig deeper into your library while you're progressing through a risky turn will be a big help. Even if this creature only assists you with hitting your land drops each turn, you'll be happy to have it on your team.</p>
<h3>Party Thrasher</h3>
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<p>If you happen to have a lot of those 0/1 tokens sitting around, why not throw a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Party Thrasher" href="#" target="_blank">Party Thrasher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> down and have them help you cast your spells? Giving convoke to all your noncreature spells is a great way to push through that last little bit of damage to the rest of the table, by chaining several powerful spells together on the same turn. Plus, even if you run out of threats to cast, the Thrasher has a way to exile two cards from your library and ensure you can keep this pain train rolling.</p>
<h3>Electrostatic Infantry</h3>
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<p>A majority of the noncreature spells you'll be casting in a deck like this will be instants and sorceries, which is exactly what <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Electrostatic Infantry" href="#" target="_blank">Electrostatic Infantry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> loves to see. Gaining a counter whenever you sling one of those spells is great, especially when you make it to the late game and can double the trampling damage this creature can offer. Given enough time, this could be a way to slam through your opponent's defenses and turn their chump blockers into chump change (I don't even know if that made sense).</p>
<h3>Taurean Mauler</h3>
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<p>Listen, I know this bull thing doesn’t look like a Wizard, but technically <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Taurean Mauler" href="#" target="_blank">Taurean Mauler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a part of that team. Throwing this onto the field in the early game and letting it grow to a massive size just means that you can consistently pressure the boards of the other players at the table. On top of that, the next few spells I'll be talking about on this list work perfectly when you have a big creature like the Mauler, which is just champing at the bit for its damage to be doubled!</p>
<h3>Soul's Fire</h3>
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<p>Next up, we have a spell that's similar to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fling" href="#" target="_blank">Fling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but lets you keep your creature around. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul&#039;s Fire" href="#" target="_blank">Soul&#039;s Fire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows one of your Wizards to deal damage equal to its power to any target. When played in conjunction with the flip side of <span class="edhrecp__link only-back"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kuja, Genome Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Kuja, Genome Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you can deal a big chunk of damage to anything! Think of that with either of our last two cards on the list, and that's a way to wipe one of your foes out of the game completely, at instant speed.</p>
<h3>Chandra's Ignition</h3>
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<p>One of the most impactful spells on the entire list is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chandra&#039;s Ignition" href="#" target="_blank">Chandra&#039;s Ignition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Not only is this spell a board wipe, but when paired with a large Wizard, it could take your opponents' life totals down to single digits; all while clearing the way for your last remaining threat to swing through freely and deal another major blow. This card is a staple in our format, so be sure to snatch one up just in case that price starts to climb higher and higher.</p>
<h3>Surge to Victory</h3>
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<p>We're closing things out this week with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Surge to Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Surge to Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, basically an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overrun" href="#" target="_blank">Overrun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect in this deck. Giving your board a buff to their power based on the mana value of the spell you exile is great for a big swing, especially since those 0/1 Wizard tokens can finally enter into combat. Then, you get to cast a copy of that spell when your creatures hit a player, which just adds insult to injury! Imagine casting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul&#039;s Fire" href="#" target="_blank">Soul&#039;s Fire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> over and over again after a big combat? That's brutal.</p>
<h2>In Closing</h2>
<p>Well, there you have it: fourteen cards for under $14 to help get you started on a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kuja, Genome Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Kuja, Genome Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck. I know the <em>Final Fantasy</em> set is still almost a month away, but grabbing these cards for a low price now will help you in the long run.</p>
<p>Let me know what you thought of this list in the comments below. Also, if Kuja scared you as a kid as well, let me know and we can support each other during this scary time. Thank you everyone for reading this far, and I'll see you next week!</p>


Building Kuja, Genome Sorcerer on A Budget - Fourteen Cards Under $14

<h6 style="text-align: right;">Image credit: Wizards of the Coast</h6>
<p>Running from June 20th through June 22nd, MagicCon Las Vegas is just around the corner! While badges are currently on sale, some people understandably can't make it to Nevada for a <em>Magic: The Gathering</em> convention. What's a <em>Magic</em> player to do? Well, tomorrow, you can fret much less about fear of missing out on the convention! MagicCon Las Vegas's <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/festival-in-a-box">Festival In A Box</a> goes on sale on Monday, May 19th at 9 AM Pacific Time (or Noon Eastern Time).</p>
<p>But what does this event's Festival In A Box contain? Read on, and we'll outline it for you.</p>
<h2>Festival In A Box Contents</h2>
<p>The Festival In A Box for MagicCon Las Vegas has a few really cool things going for it. There's a <em>Mystery Booster 2</em> booster box, exclusive promotional cards, and even a super-exclusive <em>Secret Lair</em> drop! Let's dive into the particulars:</p>
<h3><em>Mystery Booster 2</em></h3>
<p>To start, the Festival In A Box package contains <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">an <em>MB2</em> box</span>. This set is a conglomerate of practically all sets up to a certain point, with some of the wildest cards from each within its bounds. Beyond this, each pack has card slots for "Futureshifted" cards (AKA cards with the special frame from <em>Future Sight</em>), white bordered reprints, and even a playtest card! There's even a slim (yet still nonzero) chance that you could find foil cards that, financially, could make up a large chunk of the cost of the package.</p>
<p>Truly, <em>Mystery Booster 2</em> is a unique Limited experience, to say nothing of how awesome many of the reprints in the set are. If you want to know more about <em>Mystery Booster 2</em>, <a href="https://commandersherald.com/mystery-booster-2-contents-fully-revealed-by-wizards/">Commander's Herald</a> covered this set's breakdown in a big way when it released. You can check that article out!</p>
<h3>MagicCon Las Vegas Exclusive <em>Secret Lair: Slay the Day</em></h3>
<p>The next thing we'll discuss is <em>Slay the Day</em>, the <em>Secret Lair</em> drop exclusive to this Festival In A Box. This drop contains four cards with stunning art illustrated by <a href="https://craigdrakeart.com/"><strong>Craig Drake</strong></a>. The cards in this drop are:</p>
<div id="attachment_153216" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Marwyn__the_Nurturer-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153216" class="wp-image-153216" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Marwyn__the_Nurturer-1.png" alt="Marwyn, the Nurturer, a card from the Slay the Day Secret Lair drop. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Marwyn__the_Nurturer-1.png 744w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Marwyn__the_Nurturer-1-215x300.png 215w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Marwyn__the_Nurturer-1-733x1024.png 733w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153216" class="wp-caption-text">Marwyn, the Nurturer, a card from the <em>Slay the Day Secret Lair</em> drop. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast</p></div>
<div id="attachment_153217" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Liesa__Shroud_of_Dusk-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153217" class="wp-image-153217" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Liesa__Shroud_of_Dusk-1.png" alt="Liesa, Shroud of Dusk, a card from the Slay the Day Secret Lair drop. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Liesa__Shroud_of_Dusk-1.png 744w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Liesa__Shroud_of_Dusk-1-215x300.png 215w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Liesa__Shroud_of_Dusk-1-733x1024.png 733w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153217" class="wp-caption-text">Liesa, Shroud of Dusk, a card from the <em>Slay the Day Secret Lair</em> drop. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast</p></div>
<div id="attachment_153218" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Oloro__Ageless_Ascetic-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153218" class="wp-image-153218" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Oloro__Ageless_Ascetic-1.png" alt="Oloro, Ageless Ascetic, a card from the Slay the Day Secret Lair drop. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Oloro__Ageless_Ascetic-1.png 744w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Oloro__Ageless_Ascetic-1-215x300.png 215w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Oloro__Ageless_Ascetic-1-733x1024.png 733w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153218" class="wp-caption-text">Oloro, Ageless Ascetic, a card from the <em>Slay the Day Secret Lair</em> drop. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast</p></div>
<div id="attachment_153219" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Sythis__Harvest-s_Hand-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153219" class="wp-image-153219" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Sythis__Harvest-s_Hand-1.png" alt="Sythis, Harvest's Hand, a card from the Slay the Day Secret Lair drop. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Sythis__Harvest-s_Hand-1.png 744w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Sythis__Harvest-s_Hand-1-215x300.png 215w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Sythis__Harvest-s_Hand-1-733x1024.png 733w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153219" class="wp-caption-text">Sythis, Harvest's Hand, a card from the <em>Slay the Day Secret Lair</em> drop. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast</p></div>
<p>Currently, there's no word on whether or not there's a bonus card included with <em>Slay the Day</em>, but it's not improbable!</p>
<h3>Festival In A Box Exclusive Promos</h3>
<p>Finally, the Festival In A Box for MagicCon Las Vegas has three promotional cards included on top of the <em>Secret Lair</em> and the box of <em>MB2</em>. Those cards are the following:</p>
<div id="attachment_153221" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Ugin__the_Spirit_Dragon-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153221" class="wp-image-153221" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Ugin__the_Spirit_Dragon-1.png" alt="A retro-frame copy of Ugin, the Spirit Dragon, an exclusive for MagicCon Las Vegas's Festival In A Box. Image credits: Wizards of the Coast" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Ugin__the_Spirit_Dragon-1.png 744w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Ugin__the_Spirit_Dragon-1-215x300.png 215w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Ugin__the_Spirit_Dragon-1-733x1024.png 733w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153221" class="wp-caption-text">A retro-frame copy of Ugin, the Spirit Dragon, an exclusive for MagicCon Las Vegas's Festival In A Box. Image credits: Wizards of the Coast</p></div>
<div id="attachment_153222" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Sliver_Hive-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153222" class="wp-image-153222" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Sliver_Hive-1.png" alt="A retro-frame copy of Sliver Hive, an exclusive for MagicCon Las Vegas's Festival In A Box. Image credits: Wizards of the Coast" width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Sliver_Hive-1.png 744w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Sliver_Hive-1-215x300.png 215w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Sliver_Hive-1-733x1024.png 733w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153222" class="wp-caption-text">A retro-frame copy of Sliver Hive, an exclusive for MagicCon Las Vegas's Festival In A Box. Image credits: Wizards of the Coast</p></div>
<div id="attachment_153223" style="width: 411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/All-You-Can-Eat_Buffet-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-153223" class="wp-image-153223" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/All-You-Can-Eat_Buffet-1.png" alt="All-You-Can-Eat Buffet, an exclusive playtest card included in MagicCon Las Vegas's Festival In A Box. Image credits: Wizards of the Coast" width="401" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/All-You-Can-Eat_Buffet-1.png 546w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/All-You-Can-Eat_Buffet-1-215x300.png 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-153223" class="wp-caption-text">All-You-Can-Eat Buffet, an exclusive playtest card included in MagicCon Las Vegas's Festival In A Box. Image credits: Wizards of the Coast</p></div>
<p>For all it's worth, it's pleasant to see that there are now artist credits on the printed playtest cards. <strong>Mark Rosewater</strong> has still got his artistic chops!</p>
<h2>Festival In A Box Details</h2>
<p>Last year's Festival In A Box for MagicCon Las Vegas was priced at $249.99. However, prices have since shifted for previous events, and this one may cost closer to $200 based on content and precedent. The verdict is currently out, so it could honestly go either way. You'll be able to order the Festival In A Box on May 19th at 9 AM Pacific Time, or Noon Eastern Time. The sale will go up on the official <a href="https://secretlair.wizards.com/"><em>Secret Lair</em></a> website.</p>
<p>In the meantime, what do you think about this kind of bundled product? Would you buy this Festival In A Box? Sound off below!</p>


MagicCon Las Vegas Festival In A Box On Sale May 19th At Noon

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ultimecia, Time Sorceress" href="#" target="_blank">Ultimecia, Time Sorceress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CMikio+Masuda%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mikio Masuda</a></em></p>
<p>Five-mana Dimir legend, surveils two when it enters and attacks, yeah yeah, whatever. It has a transform cost for eight mana that you can activate if you exile eight cards from your graveyard. Is there anything interesting that this card does? What's the backside? 7/7, menace, ok cool. TAKE AN EXTRA TURN?! What the heck is this? Never before has it been possible to take an extra turn in pEDH (or Pauper Commander), as there's never been a common or uncommon card with that effect. But with the arrival of <em>Final Fantasy</em>, we've got a commander that can stretch time out for us.</p>
<p>Is thirteen mana and eight cards from our graveyard a good price to pay for an extra turn? Absolutely not. But come on, it's an extra turn. We've got the opportunity to do something never done before. So let's not waste any time!</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ultimecia, Time Sorceress" href="#" target="_blank">Ultimecia, Time Sorceress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ultimecia, Time Sorceress"></div></div>
<p>Ok, so what exactly are we gonna do with Ultimecia? Well, we're gonna take as many extra turns as possible. What else would we do with her? Our goal here is just to trigger her ability over and over again. Once we do that, we'll just win with the insane advantage that extra turns give.</p>
<p>Conveniently, I instantly spotted an easy way to retrigger Ultimecia. Even though the card is designed to only do it's thing once, if we blink it while it's transformed, it'll go back to the front face, and then all we have to do to get that extra turn is retransform it. Simple enough, and there's no shortage of cards that'll do that for us. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Displace" href="#" target="_blank">Displace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghostly Flicker" href="#" target="_blank">Ghostly Flicker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Time Twist" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Time Twist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Siren&#039;s Ruse" href="#" target="_blank">Siren&#039;s Ruse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and a few others will do nicely. In total, we have eight cards that can be used to blink our commander, that range from the efficiency of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Essence Flux" href="#" target="_blank">Essence Flux</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skyskipper Duo" href="#" target="_blank">Skyskipper Duo</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghostly Flicker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Essence Flux"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skyskipper Duo"></div></div>
<p>Now eight isn't a whole lot, and I did consider adding cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Not Dead After All" href="#" target="_blank">Not Dead After All</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>to the mix. This is part of a trick I've used many times, and it involves casting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Not Dead After All" href="#" target="_blank">Not Dead After All</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, then sacrificing the targeted creature, essentially replicating a blink effect. It basically doubles the amount of blink spells you can have in a blue-black deck, and the only cost is having to play some sacrifice outlets. But here we have enough card advantage to find our blink spells. And if not, we're running a few transmute tutors like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muddle the Mixture" href="#" target="_blank">Muddle the Mixture</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Not Dead After All"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Muddle the Mixture"></div></div>
<p>Still, the only thing we're doing is taking extra turns for an absurd cost, so it's not like we're losing a lot if we can't do that ten times.</p>
<h2>Fueling the Ultimecia Extra Turns Engine</h2>
<p>The next thing to figure out is how we're gonna get eight cards into our graveyard every time we want to activate Ultimecia. I thought it wouldn't be a difficult task, but consistent mill is surprisingly difficult to find in pEDH. Our commander surveils two cards every time it enters, so all we really need to do is find six more cards. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sage&#039;s Row Denizen" href="#" target="_blank">Sage&#039;s Row Denizen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would add two every time we blink our commander, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sinister Starfish" href="#" target="_blank">Sinister Starfish</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deranged Assistant" href="#" target="_blank">Deranged Assistant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> could also do some work. But the only other thing we could really rely on would be <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tome Scour" href="#" target="_blank">Tome Scour</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dream Twist" href="#" target="_blank">Dream Twist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and that's pretty inefficient.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sage&#039;s Row Denizen"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deranged Assistant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tome Scour"></div></div>
<p>So after coming to the conclusion that I didn't really want to run a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pelargir Survivor" href="#" target="_blank">Pelargir Survivor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, I jumped to a solution I knew would work, even if it came with some downsides. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Persistent Petitioners" href="#" target="_blank">Persistent Petitioners</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are absolutely incredible at milling. Get four of them on the board, and you can mill twelve cards every single turn. That's nuts! And as a little bonus, the numbers line up so that you'd only have to activate them twice to fuel our commander for three turns. Perfect!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Persistent Petitioners"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Persistent Petitioners"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Persistent Petitioners"></div></div>
<p>But about that downside I mentioned. Because <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Persistent Petitioners" href="#" target="_blank">Persistent Petitioners</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are so reliant on each other, you need to absolutely guarantee that you're gonna find four of them every single game. Twenty-eight copies is my personal minimum. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem at all, because milling would be your primary game plan, but here, we're only using it to supplement our primary strategy of blinking our commander for extra turns. That means we're taking up a lot of space with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Persistent Petitioners" href="#" target="_blank">Persistent Petitioners</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that we'd rather use on blink spells, or ramp.</p>
<p>The upsides of the Petitioners definitely outweigh the downsides, but it means we're gonna have to really make the most out of our other 43 cards, if we're running 31 lands. Sorry, 30 cards. We're using 13 slots for blink cards and tutors for blink. I think I want to use ten of those slots for ramp, and maybe five of them for card draw like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Night&#039;s Whisper" href="#" target="_blank">Night&#039;s Whisper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Oh and another five for removal and stuff. Can't forget the important things in a deck! But that only leaves us ten cards for figuring out how to win.</p>
<h2>How Does Ultimecia, Time Sorceress Win?</h2>
<p>Yeah, we still have to do that. Believe it or not, taking extra turns over and over again doesn't actually win, it just annoys the heck out of our opponents. Luckily, I have a plan.</p>
<p>After it's transformed, our commander has seven power, a number that spells doom for our opponents in just three hits. And keep in mind that because we're taking an extra turn, our commander will be able to attack without summoning sickness. Then, we can blink it again, reactivate it, and attack on our next extra turn as well. The only thing we need to make this work is evasion, and Pauper has no shortage of spells that make a creature unblockable. These will all do the trick:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slip Through Space" href="#" target="_blank">Slip Through Space</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Distortion Strike" href="#" target="_blank">Distortion Strike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Artful Dodge" href="#" target="_blank">Artful Dodge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="You Come to a River" href="#" target="_blank">You Come to a River</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Slip Through Space"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Artful Dodge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="You Come to a River"></div></div>
<h2>Ultimecia, Time Sorceress Pauper Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Ultimecia, Time Sorceress - Pauper Commander" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Ultimecia, Time Sorceress // Ultimecia, Omnipotent
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Blur
*1 Counterspell
*1 Dark Ritual
*1 Displace
*1 Dizzy Spell
*1 Essence Flux
*1 Frantic Search
*1 Ghostly Flicker
*1 Go for the Throat
*1 Muddle the Mixture
*1 Perplex
*1 Planar Incision
*1 Siren&#039;s Ruse
*1 Teferi&#039;s Time Twist
*1 You Come to a River
[/Instants]
[Creatures]
*1 Archaeomancer
*1 Deranged Assistant
*1 Dreamscape Artist
*1 Mulldrifter
*28 Persistent Petitioners
*1 Sinister Starfish
*1 Skyskipper Duo
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Charcoal Diamond
*1 Commander&#039;s Sphere
*1 Decanter of Endless Water
*1 Dimir Signet
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Mind Stone
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Artful Dodge
*1 Deep Analysis
*1 Distortion Strike
*1 Enter the Enigma
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Lórien Revealed
*1 Night&#039;s Whisper
*1 Read the Bones
*1 Sign in Blood
*1 Slip Through Space
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*15 Island
*1 Mystic Sanctuary
*15 Swamp
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<p>And with that, I think we've got a great deck. Ok, maybe great is too strong of a word. We've got a wild deck, that's for sure. It's more than capable of taking multiple extra turns in a row, cause once you have around ten mana on board, you can really get rolling. But is ten mana, four <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Persistent Petitioners" href="#" target="_blank">Persistent Petitioners</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on board, a few blink spells, and a few unblockable spells in hand too much to ask? Yeah, totally. But who really cares? We're taking extra turns in Pauper. It's something that's never been done! We're really pioneering here.</p>
<p>We may be making our way to an Artic wasteland, but progress is progress.</p>


Ultimecia, Time Sorceress - Taking Extra Turns In Pauper Commander

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Together Forever|fic|257" href="#" target="_blank">Together Forever</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/fgq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yuu Fujiki</a></em></p>
<p>I don't consider myself an investigative journalist by any means, but there's been something on my mind I'd like to talk about. I'd gone online digging around to find out how much Booster Boxes costed in 2020. No, I'm not suddenly interested in Booster Boxes for no reason. With the recent release of the estimated cost of <em>Final Fantasy</em> sealed product, a lot of us are worried that there might have been a sudden hike in prices disproportionate to the natural growth of the game.</p>
<p>I say "worried" because angry isn't the right energy for this. There are certainly many reasons that people in this hobby could jump on the hate train about any slight change to this game, but I think the vast majority of players, not just haters, are reacting negatively to the price of <em>Final Fantasy</em>. It's not just saltiness for the sake of saltiness, but real concern across the entire fanbase.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yidaro, Wandering Monster|prm|80921"></div></div>
<p>The question really comes down to: are we going to be paying too much for this hobby? This brings me back to my lack of investigative training: how much did a Collector's Booster Box cost in the past, and has it drastically changed? This is surprisingly hard to figure out, from the hours I've spent trying to find this out online.</p>
<h2>What is MSRP?</h2>
<p>Way back in 2019, <em>Wizards of the Coast</em> (WOTC) stopped using MSRP on their products, which is the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price. It basically means, in a vacuum, this is what WOTC would like the product to cost for consumers.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hansk, Slayer Zealot|sld|144"></div></div>
<p>I'm not here to discuss what a move like this means to WOTC, or even speculate on their reasons for putting this kind of policy into place, but it's important nonetheless to demonstrate how this would affect the market for consumers. And it does explain why the information I was looking for is hard to find.</p>
<h2>The Effect of MSRP</h2>
<p>MSRP, from the manufacturer, doesn't factor in how various thing might drive up retailer costs, and thus consumer's cost. Demand, accessibility, scarcity, and profit margins of the retailers might drive up this price. Hype also plays a huge role on this too, because it translates into demand, which translates into potentially higher prices initially and presales.</p>
<p>WOTC brought back MSRP in 2024 with the release of <em>Foundations</em>. which should give us a clear number to judge WOTC's responsibility for the cost of their sets. Unfortunately, while spooking around the internet for a few hours, I found it extremely difficult to find those release day prices.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Copper Dragon"></div></div>
<p>The closest I found was a Reddit post claiming they looked on 401 Games to compare the cost. I used the same site and will use this as my reference. I understand this might not be the most accurate, but it's still worth demonstrating. A <em>Foundations</em> Collector Booster box was priced at $356.95 (Converted from CAD to USD) and a <em>Final Fantasy</em> Collector Booster box is priced at $606.83. I double checked it, and that's a difference of roughly $250.</p>
<h2>Premium Like <em>Modern Horizons</em></h2>
<p>Some of the grumbles I've seen online explaining this price hike is that Universe Beyond (UB) sets are meant to be luxury sets, like <em>Modern Horizons</em>. This is confusing because <em>Final Fantasy</em> is going to be a Standard-legal set. So it would need to be Standard accessible, right?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rhystic Study|sld|478"></div></div>
<p>I also looked up <em>Modern Horizons 3</em>'s Collector Booster box price and it came to $428.34. That's still a roughly $178 difference. That's concerning. I'm not oblivious to the fact that these prices for <em>Final Fantasy</em> are inflated in the way they often are with preorders, but the difference is still too stark. I'm sure the prices will come down with the flood of the market, but likely not 100+ dollars.</p>
<h2>Cost of Popular IPs In <em>Magic</em></h2>
<p>I'll be completely upfront that I'm not in a position to know whether WOTC has a legitimate reason for the price hikes. We have no idea how much it truly costs WOTC to get a popular IP like Final Fantasy and how much it might be overcharging to prepare for bigger IPs in the future. It's possible they just raised prices because they thought they could get away with doing so - just for the profit. We just don't know.</p>
<p>Something more important to note here is the duality of bringing in new players into this hobby and retaining them. The struggle here is that as the prices for this hobby go up with Universes Beyond sets, it both disillusions those enfranchised in the game to keep playing and might gatekeep new players because of initial costs to play.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zethi, Arcane Blademaster|sld|432"></div></div>
<p>New players will likely involve themselves with this hobby by buying the products that brought them in, which makes a larger barrier to entry at this price point. If the sets become increasingly more pricey to maintain, it might not bring players. It's hard to see the break point.</p>
<p>The balancing effect of this is unknown to us. Maybe the cost is worth it, maybe it's the best WOTC can manage while providing prospective and enfranchised players with new content. Even giving WOTC the benefit of the doubt, it's hard to say. It's understandable that we'd see the hike in price and get afraid that it'll destroy something we all love.</p>
<h2>The Elephant in the Room</h2>
<p>Either way, Standard is going to suffer from this. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkzXtoG_bZE&amp;ab_channel=TolarianCommunityCollege" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tolarian Community College</a> made a great video that discusses what this might do to Standard. It points out the fact that this will be the new normal for the format because all Universes Beyond prices will be like this moving forward. It's a higher price point than Modern, while being Standard playable cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abaddon the Despoiler"></div></div>
<p>Universes Beyond is planned to be half of all future sets going forward, so this is a price hike on half of all Magic product. Look at what happened to cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orcish Bowmasters" href="#" target="_blank">Orcish Bowmasters</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The One Ring" href="#" target="_blank">The One Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> did to other formats because of their single printing in LOTR. Imagine that, but for Standard sets.</p>
<p>Reprints need to be normalized for Universes Beyond cards. Universes Within, or something? I don't even know if this will be enough. I'm not sure I know what can solve this problem. Maybe UB can't be Standard-legal or UB can't be half of all sets.</p>
<h2>FOMO</h2>
<p>I've just been speculating on how much it will cost financially, but are we going to buy this stuff? Of course. <em>Magic</em> has a loyal fanbase. We love set releases and new cards. All over my Bluesky is hype about how incredibly designed and satisfying these <em>Final Fantasy</em> cards are. What WOTC refuses to do is to give us bad product. That's why it's been a huge hobby for a lot of people for a long time.</p>
<p>This is tough when we see others cracking packs and opening product like this. Commander is a friendly enough format that sitting out of one set won't warp your play experience, at least for just one set. But it's hard not to want the <em>Final Fantasy</em> product and the future <em>Avatar: The Last Airbender</em> product line, and everything that comes after.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Slicer, Hired Muscle"></div></div>
<p>Players are in a tough environment to not to feel pressured into these new and better sets with cards that are incredibly pushed and powerful. The power creep in these sets is important. It gets harder and harder to know how to spend the little money we have for our hobby.</p>
<p>This isn't a criticism of <em>Wizards of the Coast</em>, but an observations of the nature of new sets and cost of those sets. I've seen people online lamenting their inability to afford to participate in this set because of the sudden hikes in price. This feeling adds to the fear that I spoke about again and again - the fear of not being able to participate in a hobby you love.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The One Ring"></div></div>
<p>Is this kind of marketing potentially harmful? I'm not saying people should feel entitled to things we do as a hobby, but practices like chance and FOMO are psychological techniques that have proven taxing to deal with socially. I don't mean to pressure ethics here, but it's worth considering how these practices might affect the health of the fanbase.</p>
<h2>Is This Universes Beyond's Fault</h2>
<p>As a fan of Universes Beyond, I'm in a weird position. I see a lot people looking for something to blame about what's happening here. I want to navigate this carefully. We're in a position where the thing we want is what's causing us strife. If no one wanted <em>Final Fantasy</em> there would be no problem with the cost, but that's not the case.</p>
<p>In 2020, with the release of the Godzilla alternate cards and the Walking Dead Universes Beyond Secret Lair, I doubt WOTC or the fans had any idea it would take off as much as it did. I cannot understate, however, how making UB Standard legal, after initially promising that it wouldn't be, has made opting out of UB impossible for those who had been doing so this far.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Tenth Doctor"></div></div>
<p>This makes the need of <em>Final Fantasy</em> more important than the want. Players who want to remain competitive will have to pay premium on top of premium. It's tough, and I'm conflicted. UB poses a real financial threat to the hobby, but it's simply because of how much people want these IPs in the first place. I don't want to understate or ignore this. I'd like to give you a simple answer to this situation, but it's just not simple.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>I can give you one thing though: a request. <em>Wizards of the Coast</em>, we're looking for transparency. I'd like to understand your choices about these prices and some acknowledgement of the fear a lot of players are experiencing. If we could better understand where you're coming from with this choice, I'm sure we could come to some kind of calm.</p>
<p>I highly doubt that WOTC isn't considering players when they make choices. If the push for Modern and Standard and the Commander Brackets and ban list is an indication of anything, it's that they want to listen and make as many people happy, while still being able to produce this game profitably.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Captain America, First Avenger"></div></div>
<p>Maybe that's a bit too kind, but hey, I'm an optimist. If there were any points I missed, or any pieces of research you'd like to send my way, I appreciate it. I'm <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/strixhavendropout.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@strixhavendropout on Blue Sky</a>.</p>


Let's Talk About the Magic Final Fantasy Prices

20 Best Zombie Cards for Commander

Commander Philosophy - When Does Tutoring Go Too Far?

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Barrin, Master Wizard" href="#" target="_blank">Barrin, Master Wizard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.mikesutfin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Sutfin</a></em></p>
<p>As <em>Magic</em> players, we've all been there: the aristocrats player waits for the perfect moment to unleash a long string of sacrifice effects that ends the game. On one hand, it's impressive to watch; it feels like a complex puzzle being assembled before your eyes. On the other hand, it can feel like an unsatisfying way to lose, essentially having your game plan amount to nothing.</p>
<p>Whatever your feelings may be on aristocrats, there's no denying their popularity within <em>Magic</em>, especially in Commander. According to EDHREC data, there are over 100 thousand <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/aristocrats?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">aristocrat decks in their database</a>. This huge amount of popularity means that there are only six deck "themes" or strategies that are more popular than it on EDHREC.</p>
<p>Most aristocrat decks are heavily associated with the color black, as it provides the most support for both sacrifice outlets and cards that benefit from creatures dying. However, there are plenty of great aristocrat cards outside of black, and this mini-series of articles covers the best options for aristocrat players in every color!</p>
<p>We began this series over on <a href="https://commandersherald.com/the-best-aristocrat-cards-in-commander-green-edition/?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Commander's Herald with green</a>, and continued our "mini-series" <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/the-best-white-aristocrat-cards-in-commander" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here last week with white</a>, which brings us to our 3rd excursion: blue.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geralf, Visionary Stitcher" href="#" target="_blank">Geralf, Visionary Stitcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geralf, Visionary Stitcher"></div></div>
<p>We start off this list with a commander that many people may have overlooked, but one that's very interesting nonetheless. While Geralf is not a "repeatable" effect unless you can untap him, he gives us one of the main things that aristocrat decks are looking for: ways to turn disposable creatures into something more effective. Even if we only have a 1/1 to sacrifice, it turns that 1/1 into a <em>flying</em> 1/1, as well as triggering any death triggers that our deck is bound to have.</p>
<p>Side note: this card is also an amazing include in any <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/defenders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defender-themed deck</a>, as it turns Walls into huge flying attackers.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Homarid Spawning Bed" href="#" target="_blank">Homarid Spawning Bed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Homarid Spawning Bed"></div></div>
<p>This one fits in a weird position in an aristocrat deck, but it can still act as a great way to create disposable bodies. Being able to sacrifice a creature to make an amount of 1/1 creatures equal to its mana value is very strong, especially as a response to targeted or mass removal. The only reason I could see people being hesitant to include this in an aristocrat deck is the fact that it limits the creatures that are created to <em>mana value</em>, which means that sacrificing tokens does nothing.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Barrin, Master Wizard" href="#" target="_blank">Barrin, Master Wizard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Barrin, Master Wizard"></div></div>
<p>Barrin acted as a popular boogeyman of cEDH when <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dockside Extortionist" href="#" target="_blank">Dockside Extortionist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was still running around, as it could sacrifice a Treasure to bounce Dockside back to your hand, rinse and repeat. Dockside is gone now (RIP), but this card is still a great piece of control at its floor. Sacrificing any permanent to return a creature to its controller's hand is very good, especially in a format where decks are based around a specific creature.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drowned Rusalka" href="#" target="_blank">Drowned Rusalka</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Drowned Rusalka"></div></div>
<p>If you read the white edition of this article series, you'll recognize the Rusalka creature cycle making its return. This card is a great way to cycle through cards that we may not want, as long as we have cards in our hand to begin with. A single blue to cycle a card is a great effect, especially if you're just looking for that final piece of the aristocrat puzzle.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jason Bright, Glowing Prophet" href="#" target="_blank">Jason Bright, Glowing Prophet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jason Bright, Glowing Prophet"></div></div>
<p>This card occupies an interesting space, as it can allow us to be aggressive, which is usually not something that aristocrat players are trying to be. Granting a creature a boost in power, as well as temporarily granting flying, may not seem very strong, but all it takes is a few pumps to really make a difference in combat. Also, if we have any Zombies or Mutants, Jason can draw us cards when those creatures die, which is a great bonus!</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stitcher&#039;s Apprentice" href="#" target="_blank">Stitcher&#039;s Apprentice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stitcher&#039;s Apprentice"></div></div>
<p>I know you're probably looking at this card and going "Huh?" Well, let me explain. This card does two things well: it creates a disposable body, and it is <em>technically</em> a sacrifice outlet. Since most aristocrat decks have creatures that want to die, Apprentice allows us to trigger those effects while creating a 2/2 creature token.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vodalian Hexcatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Vodalian Hexcatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vodalian Hexcatcher"></div></div>
<p>The next two cards on this list are focused on specific creature types, so they aren't as generically good, but they certainly pack a punch. This one is amazing in Merfolk decks, as it turns each Merfolk we control into a way to potentially counter a game-changing spell. Having your Merfolk tokens become a way to counter something like a <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> seems very good.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cleaver Skaab" href="#" target="_blank">Cleaver Skaab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cleaver Skaab"></div></div>
<p>This card might be the best sacrifice outlet for any Zombie deck, even if we include potential black sacrifice outlets. Creating two token copies of a Zombie we control is a crazy. Even if we turn one 2/2 Zombie token into two 2/2 Zombie tokens, this card is crazy. But copying something like a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gray Merchant of Asphodel" href="#" target="_blank">Gray Merchant of Asphodel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> twice? Yikes.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glen Elendra Archmage" href="#" target="_blank">Glen Elendra Archmage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glen Elendra Archmage"></div></div>
<p>Similar to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vodalian Hexcatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Vodalian Hexcatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this creature acts as a repeatable <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Negate" href="#" target="_blank">Negate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect. The best part about this card? It has persist, which means we can repeatedly use its sacrifice ability to counter any troublesome spells. This card particularly shines in decks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marchesa, the Black Rose" href="#" target="_blank">Marchesa, the Black Rose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cayth, Famed Mechanist" href="#" target="_blank">Cayth, Famed Mechanist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as these commanders allow you to negate the -1/-1 counter with a +1/+1 counter.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jalira, Master Polymorphist" href="#" target="_blank">Jalira, Master Polymorphist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jalira, Master Polymorphist"></div></div>
<p>Our final inclusion comes in the form of a strong <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Polymorph" href="#" target="_blank">Polymorph</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-style effect. While the effect is only usable once each turn (unless we can untap her), it still grants us the ability to turn our plethora of disposable creatures into a potentially game-ending threat. Yes, a four-mana activation cost is a lot, and only flipping into a nonlegendary creature means the ability isn't as strong as it could be, <em>but </em>the amount of times I've seen this flip into a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blightsteel Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Blightsteel Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is insane.</p>
<p>That concludes my list for the color blue. I hope all you aristocrat players out there learned something new today. Stay tuned for my exploration into the remaining colors, all while saving the best (black) for last!</p>


The Best Blue Aristocrat Cards in Commander

Seeking (Birds of) Paradise: Building Choco, Seeker of Paradise in EDH

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adamaro, First to Desire" href="#" target="_blank">Adamaro, First to Desire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://paoloparente.com/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paolo Parente</a></em></p>
<p>I need to say a few things about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adamaro, First to Desire" href="#" target="_blank">Adamaro, First to Desire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. First, he's shredded like wheat. Second, the man is way too thirsty. I mean, he is down bad. I mean, it's such a known factor that he's named for it. I'll let you decide if that's good or bad, but acknowledging it does allow me to suggest to our editors we include this meme I just made:</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-46456 size-full" src="https://commandersherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/9pvpaj.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="500" /></p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adamaro, First to Desire" href="#" target="_blank">Adamaro, First to Desire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Adamaro, First to Desire"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adamaro has only one printing, from <em>Saviors of Kamigawa</em> (2005). His ability reads: <em>"<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adamaro, First to Desire" href="#" target="_blank">Adamaro, First to Desire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s power and toughness are each equal to the number of cards in the hand of the opponent with the most cards in hand."</em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Much like wine, Matthew McConaughey, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maze&#039;s End" href="#" target="_blank">Maze&#039;s End</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, Adamaro has gotten better with age. Thanks to the influx of card draw in Commander, he reliably hits the board as a 6+ power beater. This brew doubles down on his over-statted beef by being a <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/voltron" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Voltron</a> strategy at heart, but with a twist that makes for a unique Commander deck. By encouraging opponents to draw cards, we fuel Adamaro, turning their advantage into our win condition.</span></p>
<h2>Strategy One: Voltron</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unquenchable Fury"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Reaver Cleaver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Spear of Leonidas"></div></div></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adamaro can come down fast, and with haste enablers like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swiftfoot Boots" href="#" target="_blank">Swiftfoot Boots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, he can attack as soon as turn three. The <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/voltron" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Voltron</a> plan is supported with <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/equipment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Equipment</a> like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Reaver Cleaver" href="#" target="_blank">The Reaver Cleaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Embercleave" href="#" target="_blank">Embercleave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to help our thirsty friend trample over blockers. And <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unquenchable Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Unquenchable Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, fittingly from <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/neo" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty</em></a>, is a recurrable Aura that ensures Adamaro is dishing out damage whenever he turns sideways. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, it plays into our subtheme of punishing card draw.</span></p>
<h2>Strategy Two: Punish Card Draw</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Razorkin Needlehead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrawling Crawler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Howling Mine"></div></div> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Part of the joy in brewing a fun Commander deck is finding the little ways your commander supports multiple strategies. Since Adamaro already punishes opponents for having a lot of cards in hand, let's lean into that. It is, after all, the closest thing our man has to an identity (outside of floating decapitated heads and Dracula-levels of thirst). </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anyway, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Razorkin Needlehead" href="#" target="_blank">Razorkin Needlehead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrawling Crawler" href="#" target="_blank">Scrawling Crawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both punish our opponents drawing cards. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Howling Mine" href="#" target="_blank">Howling Mine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temple Bell" href="#" target="_blank">Temple Bell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> force our opponents to draw cards. Savvy?</span></p>
<h2>Mono Red Card Advantage; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Monarchy</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emberwilde Captain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Court of Embereth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Coveted Jewel"></div></div> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adamaro and the <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/monarch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">monarchy</a> are made for each other. If your opponent takes it from you, they're drawing more cards, fueling Adamaro and your other draw hate. Of course, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Court of Embereth" href="#" target="_blank">Court of Embereth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Court of Ire" href="#" target="_blank">its sister court</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are here, but the real star is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emberwilde Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Emberwilde Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card is doing everything our deck wants by introducing the monarchy </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">and </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">punishing our opponents' hand size. <em>Simpatico</em>! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Also, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coveted Jewel" href="#" target="_blank">Coveted Jewel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is here. </span></p>
<h2>Goad to Hell</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bothersome Quasit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Baeloth Barrityl, Entertainer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vengeful Ancestor"></div></div> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is where I had a big-brain moment. If <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Howling Mine" href="#" target="_blank">Howling Mine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coveted Jewel" href="#" target="_blank">Coveted Jewel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are drawing opponents extra cards, they're likely playing creatures to the board. And, Adamaro is already incentivizing our opponents to dump their hands, so we can anticipate the board might get clogged pretty quickly. Now, if we also want to play to the board, what is the perfect mechanic to keep us alive without having to wipe our own creatures? </span></p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-46462 aligncenter" src="https://commandersherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-05-212152-300x217.png" alt="" width="300" height="217" /></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Enter: goad. <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/goad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Goad</a> is the perfect mechanic to clear messy boards, damage our opponents, and strengthen our own position. Using cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baeloth Barrityl, Entertainer" href="#" target="_blank">Baeloth Barrityl, Entertainer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vengeful Ancestor" href="#" target="_blank">Vengeful Ancestor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we can force our opponents to attack each other instead of us. It also ensures our opponents' creatures are tapped and unable to block the Spirit of Bodybuilders Past. This means that in many board states, goading is better than wiping the board. Trust me, I did the math on this. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Sound of Drums"></div></div> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Also, I found this hidden gem: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Sound of Drums" href="#" target="_blank">The Sound of Drums</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. From the <em>Doctor Who</em> set, this is the perfect card for Adamaro. It can goad an opponent's creature, or we can suit up our commander to double its damage! </span></p>
<h2>Ramping in Style in Mono-Red</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Opulence"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Laser Screwdriver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Irencrag"></div></div> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Of course, we're running <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>. But I'll also highlight some flavorful, on-theme ramp picks.</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Opulence" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Opulence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> supports our primary crash-out plan and incentivizes our opponents to hit each other. </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Laser Screwdriver" href="#" target="_blank">Laser Screwdriver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can goad creatures, which ties in to our defense strategy. </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Irencrag" href="#" target="_blank">The Irencrag</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a mana rock in the early game that can turn into an Adamaro-pumping Equipment when you no longer need the ramp. </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liquimetal Torque" href="#" target="_blank">Liquimetal Torque</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> turns all our artifact removal into permanent removal. </span></li>
</ul>
<h2>Oddities and Hidden Gems</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Woah there! I see you side-eyeing the deck list. I know it looks a little weird. Let me explain some of the hidden tech in this Commander deck tech. </span></p>
<h3>Breaking Symmetry</h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Expedited Inheritance"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Share the Spoils"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Hospitality"></div></div> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These three odd-ball enchantments come from my love of breaking symmetrical effects. The idea here is that we can encourage our opponents to keep cards in their hand by tempting them with impulse draw. And of course, we can get some card advantage from them as well. I don't know if it's the most effective way to spend these slots, but I've been looking for a home for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Expedited Inheritance" href="#" target="_blank">Expedited Inheritance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> since it was printed. </span></p>
<h3>Land Destruction? How Did You Get In Here?</h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Volcanic Offering"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ruination"></div></div> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hey! Woah! Hey! Who put land destruction in this list? That's weird. But now that it's here, a little land hate would slow down the rate at which our opponents could play cards, meaning their hands might be more full for Adamaro. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On that note, any artifact hate like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shattering Spree" href="#" target="_blank">Shattering Spree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Balor" href="#" target="_blank">Balor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> could be used to target mana rocks, similarly slowing down our opponents. Hmm... </span></p>
<h3>Hater Blockers</h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deflecting Swat"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Untimely Malfunction"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Commander&#039;s Plate"></div></div> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>It's dangerous to Adamaro alone! Take these.</em> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When optimizing decks for the Commander format, I like protection pieces that have utility. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Untimely Malfunction" href="#" target="_blank">Untimely Malfunction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the perfect example of a card that can protect our commander, but also remove troublesome blockers for a turn, or destroy an artifact. Incidental artifact hate like this is a great argument for making <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liquimetal Torque" href="#" target="_blank">Liquimetal Torque</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> a must-run in any red deck. </span></p>
<h3>Pillow Fort, But Mono-Red</h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brash Taunter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I'm not sure if you can tell, but I don't like to die. Voltron decks draw a lot of heat, and Adamaro isn't killing folks so quickly that we don't have a need to play defense. Thankfully, if anyone likes playing D, it's probably the guy named Adamaro.</span></p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adamaro, First to Desire" href="#" target="_blank">Adamaro, First to Desire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: a Surprisingly Threatening Voltron Commander</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck requires a little bit of politicking and strategizing to make it to the end game, but it's a lot of fun fitting all the pieces together. With a mix of Voltron pieces, draw punishment, and goad effects, Adamaro becomes a surprisingly consistent and threatening Voltron option.</span></p>


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