<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seven Dwarves" href="#" target="_blank">Seven Dwarves</a> | Art by <a href="https://www.jasonrainville.com/">Jason Rainville</a>)</h6>
<h1>Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho!</h1>
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Once Upon a Time" href="#" target="_blank">Once Upon a Time</a>, in the magical land known as EDHREC, there was a collection of sad, neglected cards, each played in 300 decks or less. But these cards knew that, despite the minimal amount of attention they garnered, one day their prince would come and use them in some amazing strategy no one else was playing. That prince was named Forgotten Harvest.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seven Dwarves"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer"></div></div>
You'll have to forgive my fanciful introduction, but today we're all about fairy tales in this edition of Forgotten Harvest. Specifically, we're going to look at the new Throne of Eldraine card, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seven Dwarves" href="#" target="_blank">Seven Dwarves</a>. Now, we're limited to only using seven copies of this card in the deck, which is better than the traditional one copy, but is probably going to need some help if we want some really big Dwarves. Thus, we're going to pair these <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seven Dwarves" href="#" target="_blank">Seven Dwarves</a> with a copy/token strategy led by the great <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer</a>.
The goal here will be to build up an army of Dwarves that all pump one another, and then either grant them evasion with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Levitation" href="#" target="_blank">Levitation</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archetype of Aggression" href="#" target="_blank">Archetype of Aggression</a>, or clear the rest of the board with something like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghired&#039;s Belligerence" href="#" target="_blank">Ghired&#039;s Belligerence</a>, before making one big attack.
We'll start by talking about how we can reliably get at least a couple of the <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seven Dwarves" href="#" target="_blank">Seven Dwarves</a> onto the battlefield from our deck. Then we'll get into some options for turning our existing creatures into one of the Seven. Finally, we'll cover some great and underplayed token-making options in Izzet. How does that sound?
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/giphy.gif"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-41385 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/giphy.gif" alt="" width="300" height="169" /></a>
<hr />
<h2>Don't be Bashful!</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mitotic Manipulation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Assembly Hall"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mask of the Mimic"></div></div>
According to math, you've got a 41% chance of drawing one of the <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seven Dwarves" href="#" target="_blank">Seven Dwarves</a> in your opening hand. And while Izzet isn't well known for its creature tutors, blue does make it pretty easy to get a second copy of something once you have your first. For instance, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mitotic Manipulation" href="#" target="_blank">Mitotic Manipulation</a> is a great way to knock through a chunk of your deck on the hunt for a second Dwarf. It also can hunt for a basic land, should that be needed instead. For that second reason, especially, I think this card could see play in more than the 81 decks that use it right now.
Should one of your <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seven Dwarves" href="#" target="_blank">Seven Dwarves</a> still be in your hand, you could always use an activation from <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Assembly Hall" href="#" target="_blank">Assembly Hall</a> to nab a second. It's understandable why such a card that depends on multiple copies to be relevant would see so little play in Commander. I mean, it's only in 5 decks right now on the site! F-I-V-E!!! <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thrumming Stone" href="#" target="_blank">Thrumming Stone</a> is the likely culprit, pushing <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Assembly Hall" href="#" target="_blank">Assembly Hall</a> out of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Persistent Petitioners" href="#" target="_blank">Persistent Petitioners</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shadowborn Apostle" href="#" target="_blank">Shadowborn Apostle</a> decks. For this deck, though, given the upper limit of seven copies of our Dwarves, the Hall is going to play so much better, and be worth the mana investment. If you'd prefer this ability, but in creature form, I also recommend the recently-printed <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pattern Matcher" href="#" target="_blank">Pattern Matcher</a> (only in 9 decks).
When you want to get another Dwarf into play quickly, perhaps even as a combat trick, nothing beats <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mask of the Mimic" href="#" target="_blank">Mask of the Mimic</a> from Stronghold. For a measly blue mana, you can swap out a token at the end of an opponent's turn for a second copy of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seven Dwarves" href="#" target="_blank">Seven Dwarves</a>. Again, this isn't the strongest card for your typical singleton build. Nor does it play well with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Persistent Petitioners" href="#" target="_blank">Persistent Petitioners</a> decks where, odds are, you'd end up just trading one Petitioner for another. This is verified by the 13 decks that use it on the site. Here, however, it's a champion!
<hr />
<h2>Because I'm Happy!</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tilonalli&#039;s Skinshifter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spy Kit"></div></div>
There are so many great clone and copy-making cards in Izzet, and they all see plenty of play. Cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rite of Replication" href="#" target="_blank">Rite of Replication</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mimic Vat" href="#" target="_blank">Mimic Vat</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Helm of the Host" href="#" target="_blank">Helm of the Host</a> have become auto-includes in typical <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer</a> decks. There are also a few not-so-well-known cards that can create a similar effect, and help to boost our <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seven Dwarves" href="#" target="_blank">Seven Dwarves</a> to the max.
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tilonalli&#039;s Skinshifter" href="#" target="_blank">Tilonalli&#039;s Skinshifter</a> is a great eighth copy of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seven Dwarves" href="#" target="_blank">Seven Dwarves</a> when on the attack. Plus, it has the added versatility to become a second copy of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rapacious One" href="#" target="_blank">Rapacious One</a> should the moment call for it. It's only in 188 decks right now, but this clone ability in mono-red is a rare thing. Couple that with red's evasion options and the number of cards red has that trigger abilities on combat damage, and this card seems very undervalued, generally speaking.
Then, there's one of my favorite Magic cards: <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spy Kit" href="#" target="_blank">Spy Kit</a>. It can make any of your creatures into a <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seven Dwarves" href="#" target="_blank">Seven Dwarves</a> in name, adding one more round of +1/+1 to all of the Dwarf brethren. It combos very well with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mask of the Mimic" href="#" target="_blank">Mask of the Mimic</a>, letting you grab any creature out of your deck and drop it onto the battlefield. Even the +1/+1 boost from the Equipment is relevant, when played with the self-immolating card <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Kaboomist" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Kaboomist</a>. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spy Kit" href="#" target="_blank">Spy Kit</a> needs to see play in more than the 51 decks that currently use it. Please help me out by looking out for other potential uses.
<hr />
<h2>What's Up, Doc?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloudseeder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sparkspitter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Faerie Formation"></div></div>
The last piece of this deck is to ensure there are plenty of tokens that we can turn into our copied <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seven Dwarves" href="#" target="_blank">Seven Dwarves</a> using Brudiclad's ability. Along with standard token-making options like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dockside Extortionist" href="#" target="_blank">Dockside Extortionist</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodforged Battle-Axe" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodforged Battle-Axe</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Notorious Throng" href="#" target="_blank">Notorious Throng</a>, I've also included some lesser-played options for getting our token numbers up.
One of the first places I looked for red and blue token production was the cycle of token-creating Spellshapers from Future Sight. All of these creatures are underplayed, including <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloudseeder" href="#" target="_blank">Cloudseeder</a> (86 decks), <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sparkspitter" href="#" target="_blank">Sparkspitter</a> (64 decks), and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sliversmith" href="#" target="_blank">Sliversmith</a> (129 decks). Now, none of these cards are going to provide an explosive swarm of tokens a la <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clone Legion" href="#" target="_blank">Clone Legion</a>, but they all come out early and can generate steady tokens for several turns in anticipation of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer</a> with a huge payoff. These tokens can also be great for chump blocking or sacrificing to <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mask of the Mimic" href="#" target="_blank">Mask of the Mimic</a>.
A card I'm surprised that I get to talk about, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faerie Formation" href="#" target="_blank">Faerie Formation</a>, feels far too good compared to the number of decks that use it (259 at the time of writing). I guess I have the lack of Brawl deck availability to thank when discussing this powerful token generator. Four mana feels like a steal when you get to draw a card and create a 1/1 flyer. On a five-mana 5/4 body with evasion, this Faerie is all kinds of good. Hopefully with the second print run of the Brawl decks we can see its numbers go up.
Here's the final decklist:
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"></div> 
[Commander] 
*1 Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer 
[/Commander]
[Creatures] 
*1 Cloudseeder 
*1 Dockside Extortionist 
*1 Goblin Kaboomist 
*1 Loyal Apprentice 
*7 Seven Dwarves 
*1 Sliversmith 
*1 Archetype of Aggression 
*1 Goblin Rabblemaster 
*1 Legion Warboss 
*1 Sparkspitter 
*1 Tilonalli's Skinshifter 
*1 Crafty Cutpurse 
*1 Pattern Matcher 
*1 Faerie Formation 
*1 Deepfathom Skulker 
*1 Rapacious One 
[/Creatures]
[Instants] 
*1 Mask of the Mimic 
*1 Cyclonic Rift 
*1 Lazotep Plating 
*1 Cackling Counterpart 
*1 Chaos Warp 
*1 Counterflux 
*1 Fated Infatuation 
*1 Spell Swindle 
[/Instants]
[Sorceries] 
*1 Earthquake 
*1 Fireball 
*1 Tempt with Vengeance 
*1 Vandalblast 
*1 Ghired's Belligerence 
*1 Heat Shimmer 
*1 Mitotic Manipulation 
*1 Quasiduplicate 
*1 Notorious Throng 
*1 Rite of Replication 
*1 Tempt with Reflections 
*1 Kindred Charge 
*1 Stolen Identity 
*1 Blasphemous Act 
*1 Clone Legion 
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts] 
*1 Bloodforged Battle-Axe 
*1 Sol Ring 
*1 Izzet Signet 
*1 Spy Kit 
*1 Commander's Sphere 
*1 Mimic Vat 
*1 Thran Dynamo 
*1 Helm of the Host 
*1 Assembly Hall 
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments] 
*1 Curse of Opulence 
*1 Metamorphic Alteration 
*1 Mirror Mockery 
*1 Flameshadow Conjuring 
*1 Levitation 
*1 Storm the Vault 
*1 Followed Footsteps 
*1 Mirror March 
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers] 
*1 Jace, Cunning Castaway 
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands] 
*1 Cascade Bluffs 
*1 Dwarven Mine 
*1 Fabled Passage 
*1 Haunted Fengraf 
*12 Island 
*15 Mountain 
*1 Shivan Reef 
*1 Spirebluff Canal 
*1 Steam Vents 
*1 Sulfur Falls 
*1 Temple of the False God 
[/Lands]
[/Deck] 

<hr />
<h1>It's Home from Work We Go!</h1>
Thus we conclude the tale of Brudiclad and the Seven Dwarves as told by Forgotten Harvest. As we've now wrapped up storytime, feel free to leave your questions, comments, and snide remarks in the comments section below. I'll be there thinking of more ways I can use <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spy Kit" href="#" target="_blank">Spy Kit</a> in Commander builds, expounding on the benefits of Spellshapers, and waiting for <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="True Love&#039;s Kiss" href="#" target="_blank">True Love&#039;s Kiss</a>.
If you've got a neglected card in 300 decks or less that you'd like to see highlighted on here, or a particular strategy that you think needs more love, let me know! I thrive on reader suggestions. Until next time, may you live <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Happily Ever After" href="#" target="_blank">Happily Ever After</a>!

Forgotten Harvest - Brudiclad and the Seven Dwarves

The Toolbox - Nature's Will

The Suite-est Thing - Welcome to CreatureLand!

Ranking Every Land with EDHREC – Part 16: Life in the Fast Lane!

Too-Specific Top 10 - Fire and Blood

Conditions Allow - Lieutenant Kirtar

Shape Anew - Allies with Yarok

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grumgully, the Generous" href="#" target="_blank">Grumgully, the Generous</a>| Art by <a href="https://www.mceran-art.com/">Milivoj Ćeran</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo Melibeu, and this is Epic Experiment, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.
This week we'll be exploring one of the most interesting commanders released in Throne of Eldraine. He's a very generous Goblin whose versatility makes him incredibly fun to build around: <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grumgully, the Generous" href="#" target="_blank">Grumgully, the Generous</a>.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grumgully, the Generous"></div></div>
Each other non-Human creature you control enters the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on it. 
Observation 1:
While I appreciate the versatility of the card, I feel that there's something wrong with the non-Human cards of Throne of Eldraine. They feel a lot like Changelings, whose support is helpful, but may erode a little bit of a tribe's unique identity.
Observation 2:
Persist creatures come back into play with a -1/-1 counter, which Grumgully's +1/+1 counter would eliminate. With a free sacrifice outlet, that means we have a important combo piece in the command zone, and with red in the color identity, we even have great ways to capitalize on the infinite ETB triggers that result from this combo.
Observation 3:
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grumgully, the Generous" href="#" target="_blank">Grumgully, the Generous</a> puts counters on both nontoken and token creatures entering the battlefield. This opens up quite a few ways to build him, and makes <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animation Module" href="#" target="_blank">Animation Module</a>, in particular, quite strong.
Observation 4:
As a Goblin commander, Grumgully seems great. A <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Metallic Mimic" href="#" target="_blank">Metallic Mimic</a> in the command zone is awesome, and access to green creature-based tutors and card draw can really boost the consistency of the tribe.
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Grumgully-Sig.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-41175" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Grumgully-Sig.png" alt="" width="546" height="284" /></a>
As we can see, the average Grumgully list tries to utilize the interaction between Grumgully and creatures with Persist to make infinite ETB effects with a sacrifice outlet. There's also a low-key Goblin tribal strategy hidden within those cards, which we can see with cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Matron" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Matron</a>.
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arcbound Ravager"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hardened Scales"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Death&#039;s Presence"></div></div></div>
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/epic-experiment-olivia-modular/">Back in April</a>, I wrote about an <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Olivia, Mobilized For War" href="#" target="_blank">Olivia, Mobilized For War</a> build that sought to use her as a way to put counters on Modular creatures. When Modern Horizons was released, I saw some great additions to that list. Then Throne of Eldraine was spoiled, and with it came this very strange Goblin, with crazy art and basically the same ability I was using Olivia for. The best part is that Grumgully is a Gruul commander, meaning that we actually get +1/+1 counter support from green, which is something we didn't have when we were in Rakdos!
Grumgully is great as a support for this kind of Affinity aggro, because the robots used in the deck are never Humans that Grumgully would ignore. This, combined with the counter support from green, means that we go tall pretty quickly. Modular creatures are a great way to keep from getting blown out by single-target removal, since the counters can just go to another creature.
Some of the new cards available to us really shift the list into overdrive. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Truth and Justice" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Truth and Justice</a> is great protection against target-based exile removal and has the powerful upside to Proliferate our counters, while <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pir, Imaginative Rascal" href="#" target="_blank">Pir, Imaginative Rascal</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hardened Scales" href="#" target="_blank">Hardened Scales</a> are great ways to increase the number of counters that we get, turning even our smaller creatures into giants.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Great Henge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrap Mastery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Return of the Wildspeaker"></div></div>
Not only do we get those amazing enablers, we also get plenty of great support! <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inspiring Call" href="#" target="_blank">Inspiring Call</a> is flexible card draw that can be used as the ultimate "Gotcha!" against a control player's <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a>. Getting to play <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Great Henge" href="#" target="_blank">The Great Henge</a> is always a treat, and accruing even more counters while drawing cards is an amazing feeling. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Death&#039;s Presence" href="#" target="_blank">Death&#039;s Presence</a> effectively gives all of our creatures Modular, and even stacks with the actual Modular creatures.
Like its Rakdos counterpart, we are also packing a reanimator package to get full advantage of our death triggers. The Goblin trio of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Engineer</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Welder" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Welder</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daretti, Scrap Savant" href="#" target="_blank">Daretti, Scrap Savant</a> are great source of constant in-and-out-of-the-battlefield triggers. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrap Mastery" href="#" target="_blank">Scrap Mastery</a> is also always a great way to come back into the game. Just be careful about possible enemy artifacts coming back, too.
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Grumgully Affinity" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Artifact]
*Everflowing Chalice
*Animation Module
*Skullclamp
*Sol Ring
*Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
*Arcane Signet
*Fellwar Stone
*Gruul Signet
*Mind Stone
*Talisman of Impulse
*Throne of Geth
*Sword of Truth and Justice
*Mystic Forge
*Cauldron of Souls
*the Great Henge
[/Artifact]
[Creature]
*Hangarback Walker
*Stonecoil Serpent
*Walking Ballista
*Arcbound Worker
*Goblin Welder
*Sparring Construct
*Arcbound Ravager
*Arcbound Slith
*Arcbound Stinger
*Goblin Engineer
*Loyal Apprentice
*Myr Retriever
*Steel Overseer
*Chief of the Foundry
*Evolution Sage
*Foundry Inspector
*Iron Bully
*Pir, Imaginative Rascal
*Scrap Trawler
*Shimmer Myr
*Thopter Engineer
*Tuskguard Captain
*Arcbound Crusher
*Arcbound Hybrid
*Arcbound Reclaimer
*Traxos, Scourge of Kroog
*Arcbound Bruiser
*Arcbound Fiend
*Triskelion
*Wurmcoil Engine
*Myr Battlesphere
[/Creature]
[Sorcery]
*Trash For Treasure
*Chain Reaction
*Triumph of the Hordes
*Scrap Mastery
*Rishkar&#039;s Expertise
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Instant]
*Heroic Intervention
*Return to Nature
*Chaos Warp
*Inspiring Call
*Return of the Wildspeaker
[/Instant]
[Planeswalker]
*Jiang Yanggu, Wildcrafter
*Daretti, Scrap Savant
*Ugin, the Ineffable
[/Planeswalker]
[Enchantment]
*Hardened Scales
*Rhythm of the Wild
*Death&#039;s Presence
[/Enchantment]
[Land]
*Command Tower
*Stomping Ground
*Spire Garden
*City of Brass
*Mana Confluence
*Karplusan Forest
*Rootbound Crag
*Temple of Abandon
*Karn&#039;s Bastion
*Inventors&#039; Fair
*Buried Ruin
*Ghost Quarter
*Tectonic Edge
*12 Forest
*11 Mountain
[/Land]"></div>
<hr />
The list packs a lot of punch, especially with all the great support that gives our creatures combative keywords. For haste, we have <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thopter Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Thopter Engineer</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhythm of the Wild" href="#" target="_blank">Rhythm of the Wild</a>. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tuskguard Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Tuskguard Captain</a> gives trample to all creatures with +1/+1 counters (which is basically all of them). <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cauldron of Souls" href="#" target="_blank">Cauldron of Souls</a> also helps us protect ourselves against board destruction.
For standalone threats, we have <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Traxos, Scourge of Kroog" href="#" target="_blank">Traxos, Scourge of Kroog</a>, which is a nice beater regardless of counters, since we can constantly untap it. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stonecoil Serpent" href="#" target="_blank">Stonecoil Serpent</a> is also a great beater that can grow regardless of how much we support it, but we also have plenty of support to give it.
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
For our opening hand, we're looking for easy access to our commander. Even though they won't necessarily allow us to play our commander before turn three, a two-mana rock like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gruul Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Gruul Signet</a> is a great way to accelerate our turns without sacrificing our curve. Also, as an aggressive deck, we need a few creatures to go with our hand. If we happen to find an <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animation Module" href="#" target="_blank">Animation Module</a>, this is an army-in-a-can, and can pretty much carry us all the way if we manage to keep Grumgully alive.
The early game is pretty much divided into two parts: before Grumgully, and after Grumgully. The first part is all setup, which means that we'll be building towards playing our commander, so we're either developing our mana or playing support cards, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hardened Scales" href="#" target="_blank">Hardened Scales</a>. Transitioning to the mid-game involves capitalizing on all the preparations we've made. In other words, curving out on mana is the most important part of our plan.
In the mid-game we should have a strong board presence, with our commander making any creatures we play just a little bigger. This is where we need to find the "bigger guns" and support cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Great Henge" href="#" target="_blank">The Great Henge</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daretti, Scrap Savant" href="#" target="_blank">Daretti, Scrap Savant</a>, or even <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cauldron of Souls" href="#" target="_blank">Cauldron of Souls</a>. These cards help us survive the point of the game where people start casting Wraths, since sheer brute force won't get us through them alone.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Triumph of the Hordes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tuskguard Captain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Traxos, Scourge of Kroog"></div></div>
In the late game we have all sorts of epic plays, from great draw spells (<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rishkar&#039;s Expertise" href="#" target="_blank">Rishkar&#039;s Expertise</a>), to great finishers (<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triumph of the Hordes" href="#" target="_blank">Triumph of the Hordes</a>), or even comeback tools like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrap Mastery" href="#" target="_blank">Scrap Mastery</a>. We're vulnerable to a removal-heavy opposition since we tend to need a wide board, but since we can go pretty tall pretty fast, it eases the burden of having to close out quickly.
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Domri, Anarch of Bolas"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doubling Season"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Forge"></div></div>
For those seeking potential upgrades, planeswalkers are great additions to the list. There are many Gruul planeswalkers that can provide the needed support for our creatures and synergize pretty well with our counters and our Proliferate effects. In that vein, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doubling Season" href="#" target="_blank">Doubling Season</a> is a great addition to the list if we're adding more planeswalkers.
For faster acceleration in more aggressive metas, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Opulence" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Opulence</a> can help us get ahead of the opposition. On the other hand, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Forge</a> (and probably some more ways to cheat it into play) can help fight through more control-oriented metas. The list goes pretty deep with artifact creatures, so cutting some of the them to add more streamlined card draw might help balance the deck out.
That’s it for this Epic Experiment! What do you think about this list? Is this a well-oiled machine? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which didn’t you? Was the Epic Experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!

Epic Experiment - Grumgully Affinity

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trail of Mystery" href="#" target="_blank">Trail of Mystery</a> | Art by <a href="https://raymondswanland.com/">Raymond Swanland</a>)</h6>
<h1>Prologue</h1>
Hello, and welcome to another installment of Lore Seeker, an article series devoted to the legendary creatures to whom Wizards of the Coast forgot to give a story. I’ll guide you through each fragment that makes up a legendary creature and finally give them a little extra background love. This time around we’ll be highlighting <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Roon of the Hidden Realm" href="#" target="_blank">Roon of the Hidden Realm</a>.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Roon of the Hidden Realm"></div></div>
<hr />
<h1>Story Circle</h1>
Roon of the Hidden Realm is a Rhox Soldier from an undisclosed plane who is believed to guard the gate to an ethereal world. He was brought up by a devout family, but was drawn towards warlike pursuits, against their wishes. Roon joined the Herald's Army, where he gained prowess in combat. Some time later, after years of battle, his company mistakenly slaughtered a number of innocents. As a result, he deserted the battalion and took to wandering in the wilderness, where he received a vision of the Hidden Realm, during which he was told he was the keeper of its secrets.
Roon then embarked on a pilgrimage to rally people to his cause. His compelling personality attracted many, and he became a prophet with legions of followers. Roon doesn't actively seek out conflict, but when he perceives a threat, he will eliminate it quickly and efficiently. For those who believe in him, he is a great guardian who will one day open the gate to eternal glory.
<hr />
<h1 style="text-align: center;">Card Analysis</h1>
<hr />
<h2>Name:</h2>
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/roonName.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-41035 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/roonName.jpg" alt="" width="429" height="103" /></a>
The Hidden Realm is an ethereal world, a plane between planes: the Blind Eternities. Planeswalkers traverse the space between planes in an instant and only get a glimpse of the great beyond. The Blind Eternities is represented by the use of the exile zone: it lies outside of the game, yet lies within the game.
This is the non-realm of the Eldrazi titans: Ulamog, Kozilek, and Emrakul. Since time immemorial they've ravaged and wasted entire planes to satiate their unlimited hunger. Trapped for a time, their release from their stone prison spelled horrific disaster for the denizens of Zendikar.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kozilek, Butcher of Truth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emrakul, the Aeons Torn"></div></div>
The Eldrazi exist half as an idea and half as beings of great power, and their occupancy of the Blind Eternities all but seals their inclusion in our flavor-fueled Hidden Realm deck.
While we're definitely going to include the legal titans, the dynamic of this ethereal form provides the greater foundation of the deck. What other cards exist partially in spirit and partially in body? Morph and Manifest creatures. We'll delve into this more later.
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/tokens.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-41047 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/tokens.jpg" alt="" width="460" height="319" /></a>
<hr />
<h2>Mana Cost//Color Identity:</h2>
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/roonCost.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-41033 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/roonCost.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="81" /></a>
Green: Tapping into the awesome power of nature, green relies on instinct and natural symbiosis while embracing the duality of nature as both orderly and chaotic.
White: Order and law are to be obeyed before all else. White cares for the good of the many before the good of the few.
Blue: Slow, methodical, and highly intelligent. Seeking opportunity, blue is a collection of resources and it advocates tinkering and creating the things needed for survival.
Bant (green, white and blue): Colors of the honorable warrior. Soldiers in the shard of Bant worship order and think of the group before the individual. Individuals aligned with Bant on the plane of Alara are primarily aligned with white.
The philosophy of the honorable warrior fits most directly with white's ideals, so what do green and blue provide? Green supplies an appreciation for nature and the way in which disputes are handled in the wild. Blue provides a tactical mind and a plotting intelligence that guides the Soldiers of Bant toward success. Blue and green are an enemy color pairing, often struggling to blend their ideals together. With white in the mix, there is a definitive set of rules and laws to follow which makes Bant an incredibly dangerous adversary.
Roon came from a devout family that did not want war to be his life, and ultimately they had their way. He is still considered a warlord, but the tragedy in his past pushed him away from violence towards leadership. He has been tempered by the experience and follows a more strict ethos than he did as a frontline grunt.
<hr />
<h2>Art:</h2>
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/roonArt.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-41032 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/roonArt.jpg" alt="" width="561" height="411" /></a>
<h6 style="text-align: center;">(Art by <a href="https://steveprescott.com/">Steve Prescott</a>)</h6>
This heavily armored rhino-man is prepared for battle, as if he is calling for a charge, yet none of his followers are anywhere to be seen. The only thing around him is this dark ominous fog; is he conjuring some beast from the Hidden Realm? Perhaps he himself coalesced from the fog. The ethereal nature of his power is intriguing and lends itself to the <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Obscuring Aether" href="#" target="_blank">Obscuring Aether</a> of Morph and Manifest creatures quite nicely.
The subtle nod to his color identity can be found in the gems inlaid in his pole-arm. This is my favorite piece of his artwork, something I did not notice until I had the enlarged image right in front of me. Roon is from a Commander set, the format we all love that pays more attention to color identity than any other format. It is one of the defining characteristics and fundamental restrictions that helps our format stand apart, and I wanted to give some extra credit to Mr. Steve Prescott for finding such a unique way to convey that aspect of the game in this legend's artwork.
<hr />
<h2>Type Line:</h2>
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/roonType.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-41037 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/roonType.jpg" alt="" width="575" height="48" /></a>
Though the story blurb states that the plane Roon calls home is unknown, Alara is the only plane we know of that contains Rhox, so it's logical to conclude that that's where he's from. Furthermore, the Rhox on Alara were only found in the Bant shard of the plane, before the Conflux, when everything got all jumbled up. As Roon is aligned to the colors of Bant, the signs that he is from Alara are too obvious to ignore.
<hr />
<h2>Rules Text:</h2>
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/roonRules.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-41036 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/roonRules.jpg" alt="" width="547" height="230" /></a>
In this deck, we're going to try to take advantage of the face-down mechanics to cheat out large creatures. The primary enabler is <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scroll of Fate" href="#" target="_blank">Scroll of Fate</a>. When exiled with Roon's ability, the Manifest or Morph creature will re-enter the battlefield face-up. This can be a great way to cheat mana costs of expensive creatures.
There are now a number of cards that have a repeatable Manifest ability in Roon's colors: <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Whisperwood Elemental" href="#" target="_blank">Whisperwood Elemental</a> provides board protection as well as Manifest creatures, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temur War Shaman" href="#" target="_blank">Temur War Shaman</a> interacts very well with Roon's ability, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mastery of the Unseen" href="#" target="_blank">Mastery of the Unseen</a> provides a mana sink and a touch of lifegain, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primordial Mist" href="#" target="_blank">Primordial Mist</a> enables utilization of stranded Manifest cards. The connecting thread of these cards is that they access the top card of the library. To choose the card that is Manifested, we can include a selection of top-deck manipulation cards, the highlights being <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pondering Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Pondering Mage</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scroll Rack" href="#" target="_blank">Scroll Rack</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jace, the Mind Sculptor" href="#" target="_blank">Jace, the Mind Sculptor</a>.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scroll of Fate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Primordial Mist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scroll Rack"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2>Flavor Text:</h2>
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/roonFlavor.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-41034 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/roonFlavor.jpg" alt="" width="545" height="67" /></a>
We've already explored space manipulation, so it's time to explore time. What sort of time mage would Roon be if he didn't win with an infinite turn loop?
The three pieces we need are Roon, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time Warp" href="#" target="_blank">Time Warp</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a>. It's a simple loop that needs a number of pieces to work, but it'll eventually win the game. That's boring, though! Let's bring some spice to the idea of time manipulation. Suspend is a mechanic that modifies the timing of spells, sending them to exile and ticking down towards their casting. It will not make a large appearance in the deck, but when given a choice between <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivate" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivate</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Search for Tomorrow" href="#" target="_blank">Search for Tomorrow</a> we're going with the Suspend card.
Finally, I can't talk about time without touching on one of Magic's premiere time mages: Teferi. Though he himself will make no appearance in planeswalker form, I thought it fitting to include <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Protection</a>, as Phasing is yet another way to depict the ethereal nature of Roon's power.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Time Warp"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Search for Tomorrow"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teferi&#039;s Protection"></div></div>
<hr />
<h1 style="text-align: center;">The Deck</h1>
<hr />
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/roonBasics.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-41082 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/roonBasics.jpg" alt="" width="676" height="311" /></a>
For this deck I've selected the full art basic lands from the original Zendikar set. The massive amount of raw mana on the plane of Zendikar drew the Eldrazi titans to it, and it has drawn me to it as well. The lands are vibrant and the art depicts unusual and alien formations, a perfect fit for this deck.
There's no way to sugar-coat this one - the deck is expensive. The initial idea revolves around the Eldrazi titans, which cost around $30 each, and with those as our starting place I threw any idea of having a budget-friendly deck out the window. There are two cards over $100 (<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jace, the Mind Sculptor" href="#" target="_blank">Jace, the Mind Sculptor</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Illusionary Mask" href="#" target="_blank">Illusionary Mask</a>). <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scroll Rack" href="#" target="_blank">Scroll Rack</a> takes our third most expensive card slot, coming in around $60 and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Dreadnought" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Dreadnought</a> falls just after it at $50. Filling it out with some fetch lands and tutors, the deck costs roughly $850 to assemble yourself, and that's being generous.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Illusionary Mask"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Dreadnought"></div></div>
Why include <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Illusionary Mask" href="#" target="_blank">Illusionary Mask</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Dreadnought" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Dreadnought</a> in the first place? I'm glad you asked. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Illusionary Mask" href="#" target="_blank">Illusionary Mask</a> is a strange card with a lot of words, but basically it allows us the flexibility to play non-Morph creatures face-down. With the Mask, we're allowed to pay more for the card we play face-down, but we must pay at least the entire cost of the card, including colored mana. A lot of the time, this will actually provide a reduced cost to a Morph and still allows us to flip it over normally, or let the trigger of the Mask flip it.
The second trick involves the aforementioned <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Dreadnought" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Dreadnought</a>. If we play the Dreadnought face-down with the Mask, we can flip it up on another turn to avoid the negative enters-the-battlefield ability. This works with the <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scroll of Fate" href="#" target="_blank">Scroll of Fate</a>, as well, by putting the Dreadnought face-down and flipping it up after it has entered. This particular synergy does not play nicely with Roon's ability to flip face-down creatures, though, so be careful.
Is this combo worth $200? Probably not, but we're doing it anyway!
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="The Hidden Realm" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Roon of the Hidden Realm
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Phyrexian Dreadnought
*1 Ainok Survivalist
*1 Den Protector
*1 Icefeather Aven
*1 Kadena&#039;s Silencer
*1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
*1 Stratus Dancer
*1 Voidmage Apprentice
*1 Willbender
*1 Echo Tracer
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Flickerwisp
*1 Jeskai Infiltrator
*1 Nantuko Vigilante
*1 Chromeshell Crab
*1 Ixidor, Reality Sculptor
*1 Pondering Mage
*1 Riftwing Cloudskate
*1 Vesuvan Shapeshifter
*1 Whisperwood Elemental
*1 Brine Elemental
*1 Deadeye Navigator
*1 Quicksilver Dragon
*1 Root Elemental
*1 Temur War Shaman
*1 Thousand Winds
*1 Apex Altisaur
*1 Deep-Sea Kraken
*1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
*1 Kozilek, the Great Distortion
*1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
*1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
*1 Emrakul, the Promised End
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Illusionary Mask
*1 Scroll Rack
*1 Lifecrafter&#039;s Bestiary
*1 Scroll of Fate
*1 Thousand-Year Elixir
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Ponder
*1 Search for Tomorrow
*1 Supreme Verdict
*1 Time Warp
*1 Time Wipe
*1 Rishkar&#039;s Expertise
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Brainstorm
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Eladamri&#039;s Call
*1 Reality Shift
*1 Eerie Interlude
*1 Release to the Wind
*1 Teferi&#039;s Protection
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Land Tax
*1 Mastery of the Unseen
*1 Secret Plans
*1 Trail of Mystery
*1 Cloudform
*1 Lightform
*1 Primordial Mist
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
*1 Ugin, the Ineffable
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Flooded Strand
*9 Forest
*1 Glacial Fortress
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 Hinterland Harbor
*1 Irrigated Farmland
*9 Island
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Nimbus Maze
*5 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Scattered Groves
*1 Sunpetal Grove
*1 Temple Garden
[/Lands]"></div>

<hr />
<h1>Epilogue</h1>
My closing thought to you, dear reader, is to please not assemble this deck. I make these things so you don't have to! But, if any of you do, please show me, because I would love to see it in action.
Thank you for reading! As always, let me know which legendary characters you’d like to see get the story spotlight in the future!

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