Commander Showdown - Kethis vs Captain Sisay

<h1>A Sampler Platter of Evil</h1>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Diabolic Intent</em>, where we build decks around iconic villains and their diabolical schemes! This article is a little different from previous installments, though. Building <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/diabolic-intent-one-bad-day/">our Joker deck</a> got me brainstorming a few more deck ideas for that fantastic suite of foes Batman has faced over the years, so I decided to write them all up into their own article! Here they are!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Two-Face - Coin Flips</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Planar Chaos"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stitch in Time"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mogg Assassin"></div></div>
<p>Yeah, yeah, no surprises here. "Two-Face", or The-District-Attorney-Formerly-Known-As-Harvey-Dent, is notable for flipping a coin before making any big decision, these decisions usually being whether or not to shoot someone in the head. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zndrsplt, Eye of Wisdom" href="#" target="_blank">Zndrsplt, Eye of Wisdom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Okaun, Eye of Chaos" href="#" target="_blank">Okaun, Eye of Chaos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are the obvious commander choices, but if we were wanting to dip a little deeper into Two-Face's "justice of randomness" philosopy, we could splash black for some stuff like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Raving Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Raving Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vial Smasher the Fierce" href="#" target="_blank">Vial Smasher the Fierce</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Also, the deck would notably NOT be running <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark&#039;s Thumb" href="#" target="_blank">Krark&#039;s Thumb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, because that would not be FAIR.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Riddler - Sphinxes</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sphinx Ambassador"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Conundrum Sphinx"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Isperia the Inscrutable"></div></div>
<p>Edward Nigma enjoys a) committing crimes, and b) riddling. Sphinxes also love riddling, so they'll give us plenty of ways to leave clues for Batman.</p>
<p>While <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign" href="#" target="_blank">Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is by far the most popular commander choice for Sphinx tribal (he loves to write and hand out little <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fact or Fiction" href="#" target="_blank">Fact or Fiction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-style riddles for his Sphinx subordinates), we might consider going with someone like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign" href="#" target="_blank">Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> since Esper gives us access to a few more riddles of our own like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brilliant Ultimatum" href="#" target="_blank">Brilliant Ultimatum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deliver Unto Evil" href="#" target="_blank">Deliver Unto Evil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Esper also lets us play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sphinx Sovereign" href="#" target="_blank">Sphinx Sovereign</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sphinx of the Steel Wind" href="#" target="_blank">Sphinx of the Steel Wind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for their sick riddle-themed flavor text.</p>
<hr />
<h3>The Penguin - Equipment/Bird Tribal</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Neglected Heirloom // Ashmouth Blade"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kangee, Aerie Keeper"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cobbled Wings"></div></div>
<p>This guy has two signatures, and they're both pretty weird. The first is his collection of umbrellas, which distinguish themselves from regular umbrellas by shooting fire, hypnotizing people, and letting him fly. While there are a few Equipment cards that transform, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elbrus, the Binding Blade" href="#" target="_blank">Elbrus, the Binding Blade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dowsing Dagger" href="#" target="_blank">Dowsing Dagger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Neglected Heirloom" href="#" target="_blank">Neglected Heirloom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the only Equipment card that transforms into <em>another Equipment, </em>in the same way the original subject transforms from an umbrella into an umbrella with a gun in it. And as long as we're talking Equipment, we're gonna need some <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cobbled Wings" href="#" target="_blank">Cobbled Wings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for Oswald Cobblepot.</p>
<p>His second signature is his love of birds. It comes up a lot less frequently than the umbrella thing, which is kind of appropriate considering how infrequently anyone ever brings up Bird Tribal. We do have a few options, though (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Keeper of the Nine Gales" href="#" target="_blank">Keeper of the Nine Gales</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is kind of fun), and this deck could probably hold its own playing fliers and giving them cool gadgets.</p>
<hr />
<h3>Poison Ivy - Plants/Landfall</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Avenger of Zendikar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gatecreeper Vine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Undergrowth Champion"></div></div>
<p>I could hardly make this deck anything but mono-green after <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/its-not-easy-being-green-revisited-2015-08-10">Mark Rosewater himself called out Poison Ivy as a green villain</a>. It makes a lot of sense, given her goal of protecting and preserving nature, not to mention her affinity for giant plant creatures.</p>
<p>As a quick side note, I realized that I haven't really featured any green villains in this series, and I'm not sure whether that's due to my personal aversion to green, or the fact that green's gameplan is fairly straightforward and doesn't usually lend itself to elaborate villain scheme shenanigans (the latter could also be the cause of the former). Case in point, this deck slaps down dudes, plays lands, then makes 'em big dudes. I promise I'll do a full feature on a more interesting green-aligned villain, but this particular build does fit really well.</p>
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<h3>Ra'as al Ghul - Reanimator Auras</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fool&#039;s Demise"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gift of Immortality"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krond the Dawn-Clad"></div></div>
<p>Well, whaddya know, another green villain! Ra'as al Ghul aspired to restore the world's environmental balance, usually by wiping out humanity with some sort of bioweapon. His endeavors spanned several centuries with the aid of the Lazarus Pits, which could keep him young and murderous as long as he could get to one while he was dying.</p>
<p>While <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krond the Dawn-Clad" href="#" target="_blank">Krond the Dawn-Clad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can't be the commander of a deck with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fool&#039;s Demise" href="#" target="_blank">Fool&#039;s Demise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in it, his need to "recover his full strength" with an Aura after resurrecting makes him great in the 99. We'd probably want <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rafiq of the Many" href="#" target="_blank">Rafiq of the Many</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to pilot a Voltron deck in these colors, especially with his kind of Ra'as-ish facial hair.</p>
<hr />
<h3>Catwoman - Stealy Rogues</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thada Adel, Acquisitor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gonti, Lord of Luxury"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Master Thief"></div></div>
<p>I waffled on making this a Cat deck, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arahbo, Roar of the World" href="#" target="_blank">Arahbo, Roar of the World</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is kind of our only option for Cat decks, and Catwoman doesn't have a single white or green bone in her body. <em>Magic</em>'s suite of Rogues showcase her heisting talents purrfectly (sorry/not sorry). We'd run all these alongside a bunch of ways to make them unblockable, probably under <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sygg, River Cutthroat" href="#" target="_blank">Sygg, River Cutthroat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
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<h3>Victor Zsasz - Death Tallies</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Black Market"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ob Nixilis Unshackled"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Plaguecrafter"></div></div>
<p>This guy's kind of low on the Gallery Totem Pole, but his gimmick makes for an interesting deck. Zsasz is known for carving a tally mark on his body for every person he kills, and there are quite a few cards that can functionally "track our kills" by adding up counters as creatures die. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ob Nixilis Unshackled" href="#" target="_blank">Ob Nixilis Unshackled</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> could be a fun commander for this deck, especially with all the cool scarring he's got already. The strategy would mainly be to run symmetrical sacrifice effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Plaguecrafter" href="#" target="_blank">Plaguecrafter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fleshbag Marauder" href="#" target="_blank">Fleshbag Marauder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to maximize the deaths that our "tracker" creatures see, rather than board wipes.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Bonus Team Up</h2>
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<h3>Scarecrow and Clayface - Scareclones</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reaper King"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spark Double"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vela the Night-Clad"></div></div>
<p>So neither of these guys really work for a deck on their own, but Clayface's identity theft and Scarecrow's looking like a scarecrow come together to make something really fun here. Since there aren't really enough Scarecrow cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reaper King" href="#" target="_blank">Reaper King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to realistically use (there are a few; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scarecrone" href="#" target="_blank">Scarecrone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is kind of a neat one), we can make up the difference with clones! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spark Double" href="#" target="_blank">Spark Double</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is especially fun because it lets us copy <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reaper King" href="#" target="_blank">Reaper King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for bonus triggers. Of course, any Jonathan Crane deck will need some fear-related mechanics, so the deck will run plenty of ways to give creatures fear and intimidate, and although clones don't necessarily synergize with those keywords, our Scarecrow friend <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scuttlemutt" href="#" target="_blank">Scuttlemutt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is here to help out.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Bonus Other Thing</h2>
<hr />
<h3>Calendar Man - Holidays or Something</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="All Hallow&#039;s Eve"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rites of Spring"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Honor the Fallen"></div></div>
<p>For anyone who hasn't read <em>The Long Halloween, </em>they tried to rebrand Calendar Man as this creepy Hannibal Lecter type figure, which only works as long as you can forget that the person that Batman is talking to is freaking Calendar Man. Anyway, he likes to do crimes on important calendar dates, so look at that: we've got Halloween, Easter, and Memorial Day. Run the <a href="https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Holiday_card">holiday promos</a> if you're really that committed to making a freaking Calendar Man deck. Honestly, I put this in because my friend dared me to include Calendar Man, and I couldn't just say no, for some reason. Are you happy now, Steven?</p>
<p>That's all I've got! Do you have any cool deck ideas for other Batman villains? Were there any that you felt that I totally butchered or really nailed? Do you have any ideas for cards or strategies that these decks could run? Let me know! Also, vote on the next villain!</p>
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