Conditions Allow - Horobi, Death's Wail

Commander Showdown - Prossh vs Korvold

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Happily Ever After" href="#" target="_blank">Happily Ever After</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| Art by <a href="http://www.matthew-stewart.com/">Matt Stewart</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo Melibeu, and this is <em>Epic Experiment,</em> 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.</p>
<p>This week, we'll be exploring the exciting '<a href="https://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/187820655383/just-wanted-to-let-you-know-that-i-like-white">new white mechanic</a>' that we got from <em>Throne of Eldraine:</em> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Happily Ever After" href="#" target="_blank">Happily Ever After</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p>Kidding aside, let's see what we can come up with for this new alternative win condition.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Happily Ever After"></div></div>
<p><strong>When Happily Ever After enters the battlefield, each player gains 5 life and draws a card.</strong></p>
<p><strong>At the beginning of your upkeep, </strong><strong>if there are five colors among permanents you control</strong><strong>, </strong><strong>there are at least six or more card types among permanents you control and/or cards in your graveyard</strong><strong>, </strong><strong>and your starting life total is greater than or equal to your starting life total</strong>, <strong>you win the game.</strong></p>
<p>Observation 1:</p>
<p>To achieve this win condition, we are required to play five colors, or to find some means of stealing multicolored permanents or changing the colors of our permanents.</p>
<p>Observation 2:</p>
<p>A three-mana enchantment can be a target for cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zur, the Enchanter" href="#" target="_blank">Zur, the Enchanter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sun Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Sun Titan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Observation 3:</p>
<p>There are a total of three conditions that we need to fulfill in order to win the game, four if we count "we need to make it to our upkeep" as a condition. Some are very easy to achieve, while others require a bit of setup. For instance, we may have to jump through some hoops to achieve both lifegain <strong>and</strong> enough permanents in play or in the graveyard, since many lifegain strategies don't rely upon a diversity of card types or colors.</p>
<p>Observation 4:</p>
<p>Playing alternate win condition cards always draws a big target on yourself.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Happily-Ever-After-Cmdr.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-40706" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Happily-Ever-After-Cmdr.png" alt="" width="500" height="248" /></a></p>
<p>It's no surprise that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Happily Ever After" href="#" target="_blank">Happily Ever After</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has extremely low levels of adoption; its ETB is not earth-shattering, and the win condition has a lot of...conditions. It's most well-represented in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kenrith, the Returned King" href="#" target="_blank">Kenrith, the Returned King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> decks, with 88 at the time of writing this article, and it otherwise hasn't caught on in other decks with more powerful methods of victory. With three requirements, it is indeed a hard-to-build-around card.</p>
<p>Notably, all the commanders that do play it even a tiny bit are five colors. Since we're all about epic experiments, though... is there any way we might be able to play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Happily Ever After" href="#" target="_blank">Happily Ever After</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <em>without </em>all five colors...?</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<p>The choice of commander is difficult. We need multiple colors, and we need lifegain... but more than anything, we need a hero.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Daxos of Meletis"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daxos of Meletis" href="#" target="_blank">Daxos of Meletis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to the rescue!</p>
<p>"But Bernardo," I hear you retort, "he's only blue and white!"</p>
<p>This is true: on his own, he won't be able to fulfill the five-color trigger condition for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Happily Ever After" href="#" target="_blank">Happily Ever After</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. However, this commander is sneaky, and can take cards from our opponents by dealing damage to them. He even has a way to gain life, helping us out with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Happily Ever After" href="#" target="_blank">Happily Ever After</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s other tricky condition!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Memory Lapse"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unexpectedly Absent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Not Forgotten"></div></div>
<p>A 'tuck' package will help us find exactly what we need. Not only will it put our opponents behind on tempo, but it will also put the exact cards we need on top of our opponents' libraries, allowing us to sneak through and pilfer them from the top of their decks, providing us with the colors we don't already have. Control the enemies' boards while also leading to a win condition? Yes, please.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unexpectedly Absent" href="#" target="_blank">Unexpectedly Absent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Set Adrift" href="#" target="_blank">Set Adrift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are two pretty good catch-all tuck effects that, while sorcery-speed, are cheap enough to not mess with our potential plans. To complement those effects, we're also playing a couple of tucking counterspells, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Memory Lapse" href="#" target="_blank">Memory Lapse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lapse of Certainty" href="#" target="_blank">Lapse of Certainty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which are extremely versatile, and can even put a spell on top of its owner's deck if we decide we'd like to steal a spell instead of a permanent.</p>
<p>Another package that helps our commander steal our way to victory is by having <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lantern of Insight" href="#" target="_blank">Lantern of Insight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects to reduce the chance of getting blown out by variance. Sometimes it's not as useful to predict your own future as much as it is to predict your enemies' futures!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lantern of Insight"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blatant Thievery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Agent of Treachery"></div></div>
<p>Thievery effects complete the support suite for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Happily Ever After" href="#" target="_blank">Happily Ever After</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We don't just take from the top of their decks - we take them from the battlefield too. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blatant Thievery" href="#" target="_blank">Blatant Thievery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an expensive card, but it can get us a permanent of each color all on its own. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Agent of Treachery" href="#" target="_blank">Agent of Treachery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is also on the expensive side, but when we consider that it can easily draw us lots of cards with its end step trigger, it's easy to see how valuable it can be.</p>
<p>Finally, the biggest of the big deals: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Expropriate" href="#" target="_blank">Expropriate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might be one of the biggest splashiest cards ever printed, and there are almost no cases where casting this card won't swing the game drastically into our favor. If we ever cast it with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Happily Ever After" href="#" target="_blank">Happily Ever After</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the field, it's pretty much GG.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Happy Daxos" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Daxos of Meletis
[/Commander]
[Artifact]
*Everflowing Chalice
*Lantern of Insight
*Sol Ring
*Azorius Signet
*Fellwar Stone
*Lightning Greaves
*Mind Stone
*Prowler&#039;s Helm
*Swiftfoot Boots
*Talisman of Progress
*Thought Vessel
*Trailblazer&#039;s Boots
*Coalition Relic
*Darksteel Plate
*Sword of Feast and Famine
*Thran Dynamo
*Gilded Lotus
[/Artifact]
[Creature]
*Giver of Runes
*Mother of Runes
*Drift of Phantasms
*Thada Adel, Acquisitor
*Wizened Snitches
*Agent of Treachery
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*Aqueous Form
*Land Tax
*Happily Ever After
*Steel of the Godhead
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Enlightened Tutor
*Mystical Tutor
*Opt
*Path to Exile
*Swords to Plowshares
*Arcane Denial
*Azorius Charm
*Counterspell
*Cyclonic Rift
*Disdainful Stroke
*Dovin&#039;s Veto
*Expel from Orazca
*Memory Lapse
*Reality Shift
*Think Twice
*Unexpectedly Absent
*Blue Sun&#039;s Zenith
*Frantic Search
*Lapse of Certainty
*Thirst for Knowledge
*Run Aground
*Banishment Decree
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*Ponder
*Preordain
*Serum Visions
*Not Forgotten
*Compulsive Research
*Idyllic Tutor
*Day of Judgment
*Deep Analysis
*Wrath of God
*Austere Command
*Set Adrift
*Blatant Thievery
*Expropriate
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Command Tower
*Hallowed Fountain
*City of Brass
*Mana Confluence
*Adarkar Wastes
*Glacial Fortress
*Prairie Stream
*Port Town
*Temple of Enlightenment
*Celestial Colonnade
*Flooded Strand
*Polluted Delta
*Castle Ardenvale
*Castle Vantress
*Moonring Island
*Ghost Quarter
*Tectonic Edge
*12 Island
*8 Plains
[/Land]"></span></div></p>
<hr />
<p>Daxos is pretty mana-hungry, and it takes time to get going, so the natural first step is to build towards a UW control shell. We should try to avoid committing too early to our main plan, because it's important that we can actually cast the cards Daxos steals from enemy decks.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Steel of the Godhead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Plate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trailblazer&#039;s Boots"></div></div>
<p>To consistently stay on board and connect with our commander, we are using a Voltron suite. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Feast and Famine" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Feast and Famine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great in a shell that wants to cast spells after the combat step; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trailblazer&#039;s Boots" href="#" target="_blank">Trailblazer&#039;s Boots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prowler&#039;s Helm" href="#" target="_blank">Prowler&#039;s Helm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aqueous Form" href="#" target="_blank">Aqueous Form</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are ways to completely avoid getting chump blocked by a random mana dork; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Plate" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Plate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Greaves" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Greaves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <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> keep us safe against removal, making sure that we get a few attacks in.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>For our opening hand, we need a very hefty chunk of lands and mana rocks. Our curve is on the heavy side, with even our single-target removal spells sometimes costing up to five mana, so it's much better to be overly mana flooded than even a tiny bit mana screwed.</p>
<p>In the early game, our job is to develop our mana and find some type of Equipment that will either protect or provide evasion to our commander. Saving our removal spells is wise; this will allow us to target permanents of specific colors we'll need later. Just make sure not to let the life total dip too low.</p>
<p>The mid-game is where we set our plan in motion, casting our commander while holding on to some form of protection, such as a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterspell" href="#" target="_blank">Counterspell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to ensure his survival. Once we start hitting our opponents with Daxos, things get harder to predict; who knows what we'll find!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Expropriate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Idyllic Tutor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blue Sun&#039;s Zenith"></div></div>
<p>By the late game, we should have more than enough mana to steal the big threats from our enemies, perfect for our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Happily Ever After" href="#" target="_blank">Happily Ever After</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This is where all those big-mana spells shine, and if our enemies haven't figured out what we're up to, it will mean their demise. The lifegain from Daxos may have looked inconsequential to our enemies at first, but it has a nonzero impact on the game, not only helping us stabilize, but also preparing the grounds for one big happy ending (for us, at least).</p>
<p>Oh, and what do we do if we encounter a pod that <em>doesn't </em>have all five colors represented at the table? What if no opponent is playing red, never allowing us to steal a red permanent to appease <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Happily Ever After" href="#" target="_blank">Happily Ever After</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s win condition?</p>
<p>Easy: we steal things anyway and use them to beat our opponents the old-fashioned way!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<p>I know this isn't the most competitive list out there, and some playgroups might even frown upon the alternative win condition. If you'd like to take the deck in a different direction, here are some other options:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zur, the Enchanter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sliver Hivelord"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zur, the Enchanter" href="#" target="_blank">Zur, the Enchanter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a tutor in the command zone, perfect for finding the win condition. This type of build would probably focus on more traditional <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Control Magic" href="#" target="_blank">Control Magic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects, and use cards like the new <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirrormade" href="#" target="_blank">Mirrormade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to copy them at a moment's notice. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sliver Hivelord" href="#" target="_blank">Sliver Hivelord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is resilient against removal, has access to every tutor available, and is itself all five colors. This makes a flexible shell; we don't really need much to set up a win for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Happily Ever After" href="#" target="_blank">Happily Ever After</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and we have every card at our disposal.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment!</em> What do you think about this list? Was this a happy end after all? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which didn’t you? Was the <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Happily Ever After

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Captive Audience" href="#" target="_blank">Captive Audience</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&amp;artist=[%22Dmitry%20Burmak%22]">Dmitry Burmak</a>)</h6>
<h1>Down With the Establishment!</h1>
<p>Hey everyone, Kya here once again! Welcome back to <em>Turning Data to Decks</em>, the series where we take a different dive into the EDHREC site from the typical norm.</p>
<p>Today we're going to stick it to the man! And by 'the man' I mean all those who like telling us that we have to abide by set norms in EDH! I'm sure you've run into them once or twice throughout your EDH experience. They want to impose their vision of how EDH 'should' be played and what belongs where. No more, I say! The true beauty of EDH is that it gives us countless more options in deckcrafting than in any other format available. If you limit yourself to just going with the set standard, you're missing out on some great experiences with yourself and with your various pods.</p>
<p>I have to say, when I was a newer player, the people who really stood out to me were the deckbuilders who made wonky decks that devastated the game. It was rarely the person who won the game that left an impression. A combo of two cards is sort of interesting, but also common. Someone who wins with 20 Clerics, though? Rare and memorable. For me, it was the person who created a goofball level of a board state and still won that impressed everyone in the room.</p>
<p>Sometimes it wasn't even the final play that started people talking. Sometimes it was just an interesting, subtle, or just plain different take on a preconceived archetype or color combination. For example, look at <a href="http://twitter.com/TheKristenEmily">Kristen's</a> newer article to see what she does to <a href="http://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2019/10/keeping-gameplay-fresh-in-commander/">keep EDH fresh</a> by shaking up what everyone is used to in the color green!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Rocking Rakdos</h2>
<p>In the spirit of rocking the establishment, we're going to shake up one of my favorite archetypes of EDH: we're going to make a Group Hug deck in Rakdos colors! Exciting, right? What other color combination is more perfect for rebelling against the general consensus? Most Group Hugs like to keep it neat in Bant colors, which makes Rakdos the perfect color combination to contrast it.</p>
<p>Now, I know what you're thinking: "Kya, there aren't enough Group Hug cards in black!" That's where you're wrong! We recently got some fun black cards that we can label as Group Hug!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Clackbridge Troll"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wishclaw Talisman"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scheming Symmetry"></div></div>
<p>Look at all these goodies! Black is finally starting to see their unique contribution to the theme. Sure, we always had cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maralen of the Mornsong" href="#" target="_blank">Maralen of the Mornsong</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but they were few and far between. Adding to the tutor list gives us one of the strongest methods of "hugging" in all the colors. Not only will anyone be immensely excited to get their own Wishclaw, but we can tutor for even more Hug cards... or for something far more deadly, if we wish!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Humble Defector"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Guild Feud"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Opulence"></div></div>
<p>Now for the surprisingly more difficult part: we've got to find some Group Hug in red. Where do we find such cards?</p>
<p>Well, a while back, <em>Wizards</em> made a four-color Group Hug commander that included red: our mighty Group Hug kings, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis" href="#" target="_blank">Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who can help us out of this jam. By looking up their <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/kynaios-and-tiro-of-meletis">EDHREC page</a>, we can find a few red cards that can help us out. Of course, that may not be enough, so let's click on some of those specific cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Humble Defector" href="#" target="_blank">Humble Defector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guild Feud" href="#" target="_blank">Guild Feud</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to see what synergies we can find on their <a href="https://edhrec.com/cards/humble-defector">pages</a>. Red only has a handful of Hug-ish cards, so we gotta dive deep into EDHREC and explore plenty of pages!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anvil of Bogardan"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Horn of Greed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Howling Mine"></div></div>
<p>The best thing about artifacts, of course, is that we usually don't have to worry about colors. We can look at the Kynaios and Tiro's page or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phelddagrif" href="#" target="_blank">Phelddagrif</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/phelddagrif">page</a> to find a giant assortment of artifacts that will assist with our Group Hug. It's like color doesn't even matter, right? Don't forget to check out the <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/group-hug">Group Hug Theme section</a> for anything else you could be missing.</p>
<hr />
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/124f23da965dcace5fa78ea6b1c54f62.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40659" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/124f23da965dcace5fa78ea6b1c54f62.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="287" /></a></p>
<h2>"I'm Helping!"</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Havoc Festival"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Last One Standing"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sire of Insanity"></div></div>
<p>Let's find some unique Rakdos cards to add to our list. What's the point of Group Hug again, readers? To help out the rest of the table, of course! At the end of the day, everyone's goal is to try and win the game and/or stop the other players from doing so. Let's help them do exactly that!</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Havoc Festival" href="#" target="_blank">Havoc Festival</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great way to help everyone lower everyone else's life to make them easier to finish off. Does that blue player have too many cards in their hand? Let's help everyone out by throwing down a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sire of Insanity" href="#" target="_blank">Sire of Insanity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! See, we're helping! Oh, oops... looks like everyone else lost their hand too. Well, it's not fair for them to be selfish and expect that we'll only target one person anyway! We've got a lot of love to go around, and at the end of the day, we <em>did </em>stop one of their opponents from getting out of hand. What a perfect way to exemplify the Rakdos spirit: lavishing our love on our opponents by "accidentally" exploding a few caches of their resources now and then.</p>
<hr />
<h2>A Heartless Way to End the Game</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heartless Hidetsugu"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dictate of the Twin Gods"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overblaze"></div></div>
<p>Now for the wincon. After all, every sneaky Group Hug deck should have one. How do we end the game quickly and indiscriminately out of nowhere? We blow up the pod in a blaze of glory!</p>
<p>Yes, double the damage output from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heartless Hidetsugu" href="#" target="_blank">Heartless Hidetsugu</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with an effect like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dictate of the Twin Gods" href="#" target="_blank">Dictate of the Twin Gods</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and everyone goes boom! Finally, the true end worthy of a Group Hug deck. How do we get these pieces in our hand? Look at all the tutors we saw earlier! While our opponents are distracted and gathering their goodies, we're slowly gathering ours too! Isn't it brilliant? Assuming, of course, that they don't win before us. But that's why we play so many powerful equalizing effects, to keep them in line.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Sneaky Lady is Sneaky</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Xantcha, Sleeper Agent"></div></div>
<p>Oh, right! We need a commander worthy of our new Group Hug mantle! I completely forgot about that. Obviously we're going to try out Xantcha. Just look at her! The perfect way to tear down the establishment. She infiltrates the hearts of our victims - I mean, friends - and mollifies them with gifts. Plus, I don't have any female commanders at the moment, which is really odd, now that I think about it. You give Xantcha to someone else, which is an automatic hug. Then you let everyone at the table have the option to draw. Now no one should have issues with a poor hand!</p>
<p>Let's build this deck already!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Rocking Rakdos" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Xantcha, Sleeper Agent
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Heartless Hidetsugu
*1 Shah of Naar Isle
*1 Seizan, Perverter of Truth
*1 Wildfire Devils
*1 Humble Defector
*1 Stormfist Crusader
*1 Crypt Champion
*1 Neheb, Dreadhorde Champion
*1 Goblin Spymaster
*1 Sire of Insanity
*1 Crypt Ghast
*1 Magus of the Wheel
*1 Silent Arbiter
*1 Aether Membrane
*1 Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor
*1 Clackbridge Troll
*1 Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Endless Whispers
*1 Infernal Genesis
*1 Guild Feud
*1 Oath of Ghouls
*1 Vow of Malice
*1 Vow of Lightning
*1 Curse of Disturbance
*1 Mana Flare
*1 Painful Quandary
*1 Bitter Feud
*1 Havoc Festival
*1 Dictate of the Twin Gods
*1 Captive Audience
*1 Curse of Opulence
*1 Rite of the Raging Storm
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Red Elemental Blast
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Rakdos Charm
*1 Overblaze
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Khorvath&#039;s Fury
*1 Awaken the Erstwhile
*1 Dark Deal
*1 Last One Standing
*1 Burning Inquiry
*1 Scheming Symmetry
*1 Wheel of Fortune
*1 Dreadbore
*1 Gamble
*1 Faithless Looting
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Victory Chimes
*1 Horn of Greed
*1 Gate to the Aether
*1 Teferi&#039;s Puzzle Box
*1 Anvil of Bogardan
*1 Well of Knowledge
*1 Wishclaw Talisman
*1 Horn of Plenty
*1 Font of Mythos
*1 Rakdos Signet
*1 Crawlspace
*1 Pendant of Prosperity
*1 Howling Mine
*1 Temple Bell
*1 Ghirapur Orrery
*1 Heartstone
[/Artifacts]
[Lands]
*1 Command Tower
*1 Rainbow Vale
*1 Forbidden Orchard
*1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*16 Mountain
*15 Swamp
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p>Special thanks to many of my followers, such as <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveRaffle">@SteveRaffle</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Dinkerbob">@Dinkerbob</a> on Twitter; if you follow me on social media, you know I like to craft and discuss deck ideas before the full articles are published, so thanks to everyone for the amazing suggestions!</p>
<p>What did you think? Were we successful in our quest to make Rakdos Group Hug viable? I think it's kind of neat that it still fulfills the Hug requirements while adding in its own, darker twist. Not <em>quite </em>Group Slug, but enough to both giveth and taketh away! You can definitely mix some good ol' chaos in there as well, and still have it be thematic. You can also raise the bar and really add in some mean cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fate Unraveler" href="#" target="_blank">Fate Unraveler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if you really want to lean into the pain like Rakdos intended!</p>
<p>What sort of decks do you build that go against the norm? Anything that you'd want to see? Let me know in the comments and we might see something wild in my next article!</p>
<p>Until next time,</p>
<p>Kya</p>


Turning Data into Decks - Rocking with Rakdos

<h6 style="text-align: right;">( <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Plague of Vermin" href="#" target="_blank">Plague of Vermin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.carlcritchlow.com/">Carl Critchlow</a> )</h6>
<h1><strong>The High Life</strong></h1>
<p>Greetings, everyone, and welcome back to <em>Monomania Takes on Eldraine</em>. In this article series we build mono-colored decks as a way to explore ramp and draw packages that are synergistic with our particular deck’s strategy, challenging staples and misconceptions about the color pie.</p>
<p>We’re back with more mono-colored action from <em>Throne of Eldraine</em>. Today, our commander has a penchant for mass exploitation.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ayara, First of Locthwain"></div></div>
<p>Ayara is an aggressively-costed commander; if we can build a deck that swarms the board early, the incremental drain effect that she provides could easily steal games from unwary opponents. The most powerful word in her text box is<em> '</em>each'. The fact that we can harass the whole table at once makes Ayara a truly powerful option. Even past the early waves of aggression, Ayara can maintain pressure into the late game if built to persist; by doubling down on drain effects and an Aristocrats strategy, we can easily set up an engine to win the game after fifteen turns.</p>
<p>One thing that is important to note is that Ayara would be an incredible home for a couple of infinite combos such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gravecrawler" href="#" target="_blank">Gravecrawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Altar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. While I don’t shy away from combos, generally, I don’t think that Ayara needs them. Combos are great safety valves for decks that tend to reach stalemates on board, which is a situation that will be wholly unfamiliar to our general: she is a persistent threat on an axis that largely ignores board stalls.</p>
<p>Ayara wants to extract capital from her underlings; she wants to continue exploiting creatures until we funnel every point of life from our opponents to ourselves. Now that we have a direction, let’s take a look at our ramp and draw packages.</p>
<hr />
<h2><strong>Channel Funds</strong></h2>
<p>We have discussed black’s big mana package twice already here on <em>Monomania</em>, and while I love <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cabal Coffers" href="#" target="_blank">Cabal Coffers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and company, I’m leaving them at home for this article. Ayara likes to be low to the ground, casting small creatures and cycling them through the graveyard; while big mana is never bad, it isn’t quite as useful in this deck as it is in others. In the spirit of variety, let’s look at other ramp options in black.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bontu’s Monument"></div></div>
<p>This Monument is the muscle of our deck: any game in which we draw this card will feel smooth as butter. Because we want to cast multiple creatures on certain turns, that discount will sometimes net us the equivalent three or four mana in said turn, a rate that's hard to ignore. The other half of the text here is also relevant to our strategy; while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bontu’s Monument" href="#" target="_blank">Bontu’s Monument</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only triggers on casting creatures, it does a decent impression of our commander. Doubling up on that effect can be extremely powerful for us, doubling the speed of our deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Black Market"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pitiless Plunderer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Revel in Riches"></div></div>
<p>If everything goes to plan, quite a few creatures will die when we sleeve up this deck. These three cards are incredible ways to capitalize on this proclivity for death. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Black Market" href="#" target="_blank">Black Market</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will continue to produce more and more mana with each turn cycle, but it restricts the use of this mana to our turn and, not only that, to our precombat main phase. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Revel in Riches" href="#" target="_blank">Revel in Riches</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pitiless Plunderer" href="#" target="_blank">Pitiless Plunderer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both produce much less mana overall, but the mana that they do produce is more flexible, available to us whenever we want to cash out. I’ve disclosed my love of Treasure and other fragile sources of mana in this article series before, and while many players cringe at the thought of temporary ramp effects, I think they can be highly effective and skill-testing resources in EDH. Deciding how and when to scrap Treasure or Eldrazi Spawn tokens is a difficult process, but if we navigate these decision points correctly, they can make the difference between a win and a loss. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Revel in Riches" href="#" target="_blank">Revel in Riches</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is particularly appealing in this category of ramp because it can also errantly snag a win every once in a while.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Treasure Map"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword of the Animist"></div></div>
<p>Finally, we have two miscellaneous ramp effects that fit very well into our strategies: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treasure Map" href="#" target="_blank">Treasure Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> produces some of that mouthwatering Treasure for us and will also flip into another land at some point in the game, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of the Animist" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of the Animist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> performs well here because we'll have plenty of creatures on the board at any given time, so we won’t particularly care if they survive an attack or not.</p>
<hr />
<h2><strong>Life Savings</strong></h2>
<p>The card advantage package of this deck is perhaps its most exciting feature. The association between sacrifice and card draw is a time-honored and institutionalized aspect of black. As such, Aristocrat strategies suffer from an embarrassment of riches when it comes to choosing between card advantage effects, and ours is no exception.</p>
<p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smothering Abomination"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dark Prophecy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="God-Eternal Bontu"></div></div></p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smothering Abomination" href="#" target="_blank">Smothering Abomination</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is both a sacrifice outlet as well as a source of card advantage. Notice that this card triggers whenever you sacrifice any creature to any effect: if you have a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Viscera Seer" href="#" target="_blank">Viscera Seer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the board with this card, not only can you can draw a card for each creature you sacrifice, but you can scry before each draw as well. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark Prophecy" href="#" target="_blank">Dark Prophecy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of our more resilient card advantage engines; as an enchantment, it'll be hard to remove, and it'll often allow us to dig through our deck at a blistering pace.</p>
<p>Finally, Bontu is absurd here. Although her ETB trigger is a one-shot effect, the option to sacrifice lands or enchantments that aren’t pulling their weight in exchange for even more cards is unique and powerful in our format.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dusk Legion Zealot"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Rager"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Minions’ Murmurs"></div></div>
<p>We also have a few card advantage effects that leverage our minion-heavy strategy: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dusk Legion Zealot" href="#" target="_blank">Dusk Legion Zealot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Rager" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Rager</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both cycle themselves, an ability that is actually subtly potent in decks that want to dump creatures on the board turn after turn. These types of creatures lend resiliency to this style of deck.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Minions’ Murmurs" href="#" target="_blank">Minions’ Murmurs</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has long been a pet card of mine, and it is a <em>house</em> with Ayara. With our commander, this sorcery can casually and consistently draw us four or more cards. Give it a hard look in creature-based decks—it rarely underperforms. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Minions&#039; Murmurs" href="#" target="_blank">Minions&#039; Murmurs</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only sees play in 153 decks on EDHREC, and somebody needs to remedy that situation.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Reclamation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oversold Cemetery"></div></div>
<p>The last pieces of our card advantage package are two effects that can fish cards out of our graveyard. This deck relies on a few high-impact creatures that can close out a game on their own. <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>, for example, will end games early if reliably recurred from the graveyard. On a board with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <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>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashnod’s Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Ashnod’s Altar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we can loop our Gary incessantly for a total of five mana every time. There are several other important creatures to recur here as well—from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Abhorrent Overlord" href="#" target="_blank">Abhorrent Overlord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h2><strong>The Deck</strong></h2>
<p>Now that we’ve examined how we’ll keep up on mana and card advantage, let’s put it all together with a decklist. While I filed off the combo edge that Ayara seems to invite, as a commander she seems powerful enough to carry a game on her own. This is always a fun position to be in; if our commander needs less support to be good, we can designate more slots to fun tech. As always, season to taste.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cauldron of Souls"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Plague of Vermin"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="God-Pharaoh’s Gift"></div></div>
<p>Among the other notable inclusions here, we have a few powerful cards adjacent to our Aristocrats strategy. First up, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cauldron of Souls" href="#" target="_blank">Cauldron of Souls</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of my personal favorites, acting both as board protection as well as a value engine in decks that sacrifice in bulk. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Plague of Vermin" href="#" target="_blank">Plague of Vermin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is rightfully seeing play in 52% of Ayara decks listed on EDHREC and it's easy to see why: if we cast this card with Ayara on the battlefield, we're free to pay all of our life but one; when it resolves, each of those Rats will drain our opponents for one life. We'll end up at the same life total as before and we'll most likely destroy an opponent or two in the process.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="God-Pharaoh’s Gift" href="#" target="_blank">God-Pharaoh’s Gift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, along with its counterpart, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gate to the Afterlife" href="#" target="_blank">Gate to the Afterlife</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, always tempt me when brewing but almost never make the final cut. It’s possible that they don’t belong here, but they seem to synergize with everything our deck wants to be doing: Gate rifles through our deck while Gift provides late-game value that can help us close out the game. Even if we only exile a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dusk Legion Zealot" href="#" target="_blank">Dusk Legion Zealot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, making a 4/4 that draws us a card is decent value. Plus, the Zombie tokens that Gift produces are black, triggering Ayara’s ability.</p>
<p>In addition to all this, we have recursive creatures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gutterbones" href="#" target="_blank">Gutterbones</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nether Traitor" href="#" target="_blank">Nether Traitor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodghast" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodghast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to ensure we always have fodder for our aristocrats. Finally, mass resurrection effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Twilight’s Call" href="#" target="_blank">Twilight’s Call</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can also be a game-ending swing with our commander on the battlefield.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Capital Gains" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Ayara, First of Locthwain
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Carrion Feeder
*1 Gutterbones
*1 Viscera Seer
*1 Blood Artist
*1 Bloodghast
*1 Butcher Ghoul
*1 Doomed Dissenter
*1 Dusk Legion Zealot
*1 Nether Traitor
*1 Orzhov Enforcer
*1 Priest of Forgotten Gods
*1 Reassembling Skeleton
*1 Zulaport Cutthroat
*1 Burnished Hart
*1 Fleshbag Marauder
*1 Grim Haruspex
*1 Merciless Executioner
*1 Midnight Reaper
*1 Phyrexian Rager
*1 Plaguecrafter
*1 Yahenni, Undying Partisan
*1 Chittering Witch
*1 Demonlord of Ashmouth
*1 Falkenrath Noble
*1 Pitiless Plunderer
*1 Sengir Autocrat
*1 Smothering Abomination
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Vindictive Vampire
*1 Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
*1 God-Eternal Bontu
*1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
*1 Ogre Slumlord
*1 Grave Titan
*1 Abhorrent Overlord
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Dark Bargain
*1 Moonlight Bargain
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Minions&#039; Murmurs
*1 Mutilate
*1 Living Death
*1 Twilight&#039;s Call
*1 Plague of Vermin
*1 Rise of the Dark Realms
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
*1 Sword of the Animist
*1 Treasure Map
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Bontu&#039;s Monument
*1 Gate to the Afterlife
*1 Cauldron of Souls
*1 God-Pharaoh&#039;s Gift
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Phyrexian Reclamation
*1 Oversold Cemetery
*1 Dark Prophecy
*1 Grave Pact
*1 Tombstone Stairwell
*1 Black Market
*1 Dictate of Erebos
*1 Open the Graves
*1 Revel in Riches
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Barren Moor
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Cabal Stronghold
*1 Crypt of Agadeem
*1 Desert of the Glorified
*1 Memorial to Folly
*1 Mortuary Mire
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*1 Polluted Mire
*23 Swamp
*1 Volrath&#039;s Stronghold
*1 Westvale Abbey
*1 Witch&#039;s Cottage
*1 Zoetic Cavern
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>Have you all taken a gander at Ayara? Am I doing her a disservice by excluding the pertinent combos? When it’s all set and settled, who will be more popular—her or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syr Konrad, the Grim" href="#" target="_blank">Syr Konrad, the Grim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Let me know in the comments below! As always, remember to EDHREC responsibly: always dig a little beyond the statistics. I’ll see you all on down the road.</p>


Monomania Takes on Eldraine – Capital Gains

Ultra Budget Brews - Sydri, Galvanic Genius

Replacement Commanders - The Best Jeskai Precon Commander?!

<h1>Foresight is 2020</h1>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Welcome back to the news desk, everyone! I am your news anchor Matt Morgan, coming to you live with a breaking</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> EDHREC Commander News Update! Yesterday, we had a massive new update delivered to us by none other than Josh Lee Kwai and Jimmy Wong from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLsiaNUb42gRAP7ewbJ0ecQ">The Command Zone Podcast</a>, along with </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wizards of the Coast's</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gracious Gavin Verhey. This announcement not only covered the next few months of Commander news, but an entire <em>year </em>of upcoming products designed specifically for Commander!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In case you missed the announcement, you can </span><a href="https://t.co/8FIHl3r87X?amp=1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">find it here</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wizards of the Coast</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> also has summarized the video in an </span><a href="https://t.co/p1ura9hChL?amp=1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">article on the mothership</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> clarifying any details that might have been left out. Let's break down some of the details and try to provide some commentary on what this announcement means for the format.</span></p>
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<h2>Commander 2020 - Ikoria Commander</h2>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJFzofXkAEqPa4.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40722" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJFzofXkAEqPa4.jpeg" alt="" width="680" height="383" /></a></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gavin was quick to discuss how much the format has grown since the initial </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Commander</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> product, and how much has changed since 2011 when the first </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Commander</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> preconstructed decks were released. As a result, the release schedule will be going through some new changes. </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Commander 2020</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is now going to be tied to the release of </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths,</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> a regular set release in mid-April. The set will also shift back to a series of five preconstructed decks, rather than the four decks we've received ever since <em>Commander 2017. </em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Best of all, these preconstructed decks will contain an unprecedented 71 new cards.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is the first time a </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Commander</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> set will be tied in directly with a regular expansion set release, which means we can expect the themes of </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ikoria</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to heavily influence how the preconstructed decks play and feel. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Remember that these decks will be thematically tied to the set; we are unlikely to receive long-lost lore characters like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord Windgrace" href="#" target="_blank">Lord Windgrace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Greven, Predator Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Greven, Predator Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and will instead encounter legends unique to the new plane.</span></p>
<p>More importantly, <em>Wizards </em>is specifically highlighting these decks as a way to build proper Commander decks around themes from the set. Often, new mechanics require a fair amount of support for a 100-card singleton deck, which occasionally makes them less-than-viable in Commander. Gavin specifically mentions <em>Energy</em> as an example in the announcement, though other mechanics like <em>Adventure </em>or <em>Investigate</em> also suffered from lack of substantial Commander support. This part of the announcement is particularly encouraging to folks who enjoy specific new themes and mechanics, as their favorite new entries from <em>Ikoria </em>should be viable in a new deck from day one.</p>
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<h2>Zendikar Rising Commander Decks</h2>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJGMTsXkAAuaex.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40723" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJGMTsXkAAuaex.jpeg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" /></a></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the most exciting revelations from this announcement is that there won't just be one set of Commander decks! A second batch of </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Commander</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> preconstructed decks will be be tied to the release of <em>Zendikar Rising, </em>outside of the traditional one-per-year release of Commander products. These decks will replace the Planeswalker Decks that previously accompany new full-size sets.<br />
</span></p>
<p>Notably, these decks will contain only three new cards per deck - almost certainly the legendary creatures that helm them - while the rest of the cards in the deck will be reprints. Though some may initially hear that line and think, "Only three new cards?", many of us are delighted at the prospect of increasing the avenues for reprints of exciting format staples! Even the <em>Ikoria Commander's </em>return from four decks to five will increase the number of reprintable cards! Though the commanders will be plane-specific, the reprints could come from any set, which leaves us in a sea of possibility.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the popularity of the </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Commander preconstructed decks</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in recent years, the availability of the decks has been an issue for some players and stores. An injection of another round of preconstructed decks later on in the year will surely be a welcome addition for those looking to enter the EDH format, as well as checking a lot of boxes that both new and enfranchised players look for.</span></p>
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<h2>Commander Collection - Green</h2>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJHDGrX4AAayiT.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40724" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJHDGrX4AAayiT.jpeg" alt="" width="1908" height="1080" /></a></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Commander Collection: Green</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is the next brand-new product from yesterday's announcement. This themed box set will feature only eight cards, each with new artwork. This product is described to resemble the </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Signature Spellbook</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> product, though directed specifically towards the Commander format. </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Commander Collection</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> seems to have some hints of the old </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">From the Vault</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> series, potentially offering some reprints of cards that have not yet received a foil version. </span></p>
<p>We've received two pieces of artwork from <em>Commander Collection</em>, though we don't know yet which cards they will belong to:</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Chord-of-Calling.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-40735" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Chord-of-Calling.png" alt="" width="351" height="232" /></a> <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/unknown-art.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-40736" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/unknown-art.png" alt="" width="320" height="232" /></a></p>
<p><em>Wizards </em>will be sure to tease us with more info as we get closer to the product's release, but for now, which cards do you think belong to these awesome new pieces of artwork? The EDHREC team has voted <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chord of Calling" href="#" target="_blank">Chord of Calling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seedborn Muse" href="#" target="_blank">Seedborn Muse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as the most likely candidates (both of which appear on the <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/g">Top Green Cards</a> page of EDHREC) but what do you think?</p>
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<h2>Commander Legends</h2>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJHrRbWsAQb4vX.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40725" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJHrRbWsAQb4vX.jpeg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" /></a></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The biggest part of the announcement is dedicated to what could easily be one of the biggest and</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> most impactful products for the format ever: </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Commander Legends</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Commander Legends</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is a brand new <em>set </em>for Commander players. Not a preconstructed product, but a full-on booster set designed to answer the question, "What if you could draft Commander?" The set will contain not only a ton of reprints, but also a ton of new cards, including a whopping 70 new legends. </span></p>
<p>70. New. Legends. Most sets have like 8 legendary creatures! Even <em><a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/dom">Dominaria</a> </em>only had 44! This set will have <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>70!</strong></span></em></p>
<p>Unlike the decks tied to <em>Ikoria </em>and <em>Zendikar Rising, </em>the new commanders from this set will not be bound to a specific time or setting, falling more in line with the traditional Commander sets, full of new characters and old beloved favorites who haven't yet received cards or who are hungry for new and exciting versions.</p>
<p>Speaking of which...</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/baron-sengir.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-40737" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/baron-sengir.png" alt="" width="422" height="304" /></a> <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/jeska-planeswalker.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-40738" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/jeska-planeswalker.png" alt="" width="225" height="304" /></a></p>
<p>Gavin was excited to confirm one of the legends will be a newer iteration of the infamous <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baron Sengir" href="#" target="_blank">Baron Sengir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, with truly sick new artwork. We also got a sneak peek at the new art for a planeswalker in the set, largely theorized to be a new version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jeska, Warrior Adept" href="#" target="_blank">Jeska, Warrior Adept</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Note the careful wording of the announcement, by the way: these aren't necessarily 70 new legendary <em>creatures</em>, but 70 new <em>legends, </em>which, as we all know, includes the planeswalker card type. While <em>Dominaria </em>had 44 possible legendary creatures to become commanders, it technically had 64 total legendary cards, though most of those include cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mox Amber" href="#" target="_blank">Mox Amber</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="On Serra&#039;s Wings" href="#" target="_blank">On Serra&#039;s Wings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <em>Commander Legends </em>doesn't seem primed to use those '70 new legends' as enchantments and artifacts, though; those seem like actual leader-of-your-deck card slots. Might some of those legends include planeswalkers that can be your commanders? Only time will tell, but if <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Will Kenrith" href="#" target="_blank">Will Kenrith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rowan Kenrith" href="#" target="_blank">Rowan Kenrith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> could pull it off in <em>Battlebond, </em>it seems like a very compelling case for <em>Commander Legends</em> indeed!</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">More details on how the drafting for Commander Legends works will be put out closer to the date. Let me just say it took a bit to get this one right. 🙂<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wotcstaff?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wotcstaff</a> <a href="https://t.co/bnJzvdplPa">https://t.co/bnJzvdplPa</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Gavin Verhey (@GavinVerhey) <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinVerhey/status/1189673390954762240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Gavin has already clarified that the draft rules for <em>Commander Legends </em>will be announced closer to the product's release in late 2020, but we do know the packs themselves will contain 20 cards instead of a normal booster pack's 15, that each pack will contain a foil card, and that there will be two legends in every pack. Might we take two cards per pack, as we did in <em>Battlebond </em>draft? Might we draft more than just the typical three packs per player? We can only speculate!</p>
<p>It will be fascinating to see how this set impacts the Commander format, but one important detail sticks out among what we know about it so far. A Commander set that is designed to be drafted will be forced to use color identity as an additional deckbuilding constraint that is not experienced in normal drafts. It's therefore likely that a degree of flexibility will be required to grease the wheels of the drafting experience. It becomes difficult to imagine fitting that many legends into one set without adding something like the <em>Partner </em>mechanic or some variant of it. Other draft-innovation sets like <em>Conspiracy </em>and <em>Battlebond</em> have played around in these areas, and had enormous ripple effects in EDH, which makes it even more exciting to see what <em>Commander Legends </em>has in store.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJH8RNXkAAkAze.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40726" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJH8RNXkAAkAze.jpeg" alt="" width="680" height="383" /></a></p>
<p><em>Commander Legends</em> isn't done yet! It will follow suit with <em>Ikoria</em> and <em>Zendikar Rising</em> by having two<em> more</em> preconstructed decks to accompany the set! Like the <em>Zendikar Rising </em>precons, these will also have three new cards, and even more reprints from outside the main set. This means we have a total of NINE preconstructed Commander decks coming into the fold in 2020, more than the past two years combined. Imagine if we'd gotten <em>Commander 2016 </em>and <em>Commander 2017 </em>in the same year. That's about where we're at in the year 2020.</p>
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<h2>2020 is Legendary</h2>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJILvvX4AAYqUy.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40727" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJILvvX4AAYqUy.jpeg" alt="" width="680" height="383" /></a></p>
<p>A recurring phrase came up often during the announcement video: "It is a great time to be a Commander player." This couldn't be more true; Gavin's excitement is matched only by the sheer number of upcoming products coming in 2020.</p>
<p>It is hard to narrow down what to be the most excited for, especially as there seems to be a product for all levels of players. <em>Ikoria Commander </em>takes the usual precon deck formula and gives it an exciting new twist. <em>Zendikar Rising</em> and <em>Commander Legends</em> preconstructed decks appear to be designed as a readily available, constant gateway into the format, so new players always have starting points year-round. <em>Commander Legends</em> is ready to appease even the most advanced players with their deckbuilding skills as they construct decks on the fly. Even <em>Commander Collections </em>brings a fresh spin to the premium product line. One thing is for sure: 2020 is going to be a very busy year for us EDH players!</p>
<p>Those are the products - now what do you think? Are you excited by the prospect of all the new cards, or is it the potential for reprints that most piques your interest? I know I'm personally excited to see what the design teams have cooked up for the new draft-able Commander set, especially since they've gotten so skilled at creating fun effects for multiplayer formats, like <em>Conspiracy. </em>Which product are you most excited for in the upcoming year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!</p>
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