Tarkir: Dragonstorm Set Review - Budget

Tarkir: Dragonstorm Set Review - Colorless

Top 10 Interesting &#038; Interactive Cards From Tarkir: Dragonstorm

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Commissar Severina Raine" href="#" target="_blank">Commissar Severina Raine</a>|Art by <a href="https://jakemurraystudio.com/">Jake Murray</a></h6>
<h1>The Call at Dawn</h1>
Hi, and welcome to Beyond the Multiverse, where we go outside the Magic: The Gathering universe, and explore outside IPs. Today, we're turning our attention to the Warhammer universe (specifically 40k). That particular release was important as it was the first time we had a major release from Universes Beyond.
Such releases fell in two categories: A full-on set, or the soon-to-be-extinct precon releases. Warhammer fell into the latter category, featuring Necrons, Tyranids, Chaos, and the Imperium.
However, it's that last faction we're looking at today. Of the 99 in that precon, one stood out to me as particularly strong, and being an engine on her own. Also, we're picking a deck that's partially outside my wheelhouse. Without further ado, let's get to it.
<h1>Greeting the Commander</h1>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Commissar Severina Raine"></div></div>
Severina was an Imperial Commissar who served the Astra Militarum, protecting a region known as the Bane Stars from the forces of Chaos. Before she assumed command of her regiment, she executed the previous captain, a well-beloved figure, for going against the Lord General Militant's orders, saying that the mission was a suicidal charge.
Severina would go forward with the mission, commanding the regiment, and securing victory despite heavy losses. However, she had to quell a near-mutiny when she took command, and those troops still harbor a grudge for the death of their captain.
Firstly, Severina wants us to go wide, and on the offensive, because her attack trigger will soften our opponents' life totals before our army even connects. More more you attack with, the stronger the effect. However, she also draws you cards by sacrificing a creature by paying two generic mana. A simple, yet paradoxical card.
<h1>Harboring a Grudge</h1>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bastion of Remembrance"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Morbid Opportunist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pitiless Plunderer"></div></div>
I'm going to get this out of the way: I do not like Aristocrats. I despise the archetype for a number of reasons, especially the "death by a thousand cuts" plan. I feel like you're so dependent on assembling an infinite combo to really make cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a> shine.
While I enjoyed the Vampire precon from Lost Caverns of Ixalan, that didn't do much to address my disdain for the archetype. There's only one other thing I hate more than aristocrats, so this is number two in a top five list (If you must know, it's <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Merieke Ri Berit" href="#" target="_blank">Merieke Ri Berit</a>). That said, I'm writing this for you, readers, so I'll swallow my grudge and carry on.
To begin, we do not have a lot of Blood Artist-like effects, so we'd have to take what we can get. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirkwood Bats" href="#" target="_blank">Mirkwood Bats</a> (272,056 decks) stands among the best of these, checking for any token that comes in or is sacrificed, which we'll be doing plenty. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanguinary Priest" href="#" target="_blank">Sanguinary Priest</a> (11,344 decks) pings a target, and gains us a life back.
Meanwhile, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bastion of Remembrance" href="#" target="_blank">Bastion of Remembrance</a> (173,899 decks) gives us a token, and does a good impression of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zulaport Cutthroat" href="#" target="_blank">Zulaport Cutthroat</a> (using an in-universe example). Lasty, while it's no Blood Artist, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pitiless Plunderer" href="#" target="_blank">Pitiless Plunderer</a> (219,588 decks) gives us treasure when another creature we control dies.
<h1>Rallying the Creatures</h1>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Securitron Squadron"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Captain of the Watch"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Death in Heaven"></div></div>
Most importantly, we need creatures to sacrifice, and what better options are there, but tokens? Firstly, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Captain of the Watch" href="#" target="_blank">Captain of the Watch</a> (27,946 decks) replenishes our board with soldiers. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Company Commander" href="#" target="_blank">Company Commander</a> (18,366 decks) is best played early on, as its enters ability is strongest when all of your opponents are present.
On the other hand, we also have a number of creatures with the Squad mechanic, which we play premium for an extra copy of the card. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Securitron Squadron" href="#" target="_blank">Securitron Squadron</a> (18,922 decks), if you pay enough into the Squad cost, is a game-ender. Likewise, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ultramarines Honour Guard" href="#" target="_blank">Ultramarines Honour Guard</a> (18,417 decks) is another anthem effect that could make our creatures bigger.
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Death in Heaven" href="#" target="_blank">Death in Heaven</a> (10,658 decks) is a graveyard hoser and, picking the right target, an army-in-a can. Lastly, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Entrapment Maneuver" href="#" target="_blank">Entrapment Maneuver</a> (20,403 decks) makes our opponent sacrifice a creature, and we get an army for it. Be sure to use it right to get maximum value out of it. Four mana is a lot to leave up, after all.
The myriad mechanic is another good choice, but will not count for Severina's attack trigger, so keep that in mind. However, the one that stands out here is <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dalek Squadron" href="#" target="_blank">Dalek Squadron</a> (15,401 decks), which has to be double-blocked.
Alternatively, there's <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blade of Selves" href="#" target="_blank">Blade of Selves</a> (76,859 decks), but it'll need the right creature to equip to get mileage in this list. That said, I brought up aristocrats, so what kind of value can we reap from sacrificing our tokens?
<h1>Planning a Strategy</h1>
If there's one thing aristocrat decks tend to gain, it's value. I mentioned the Blood Artist effects earlier, but we have more payoffs. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Black Market" href="#" target="_blank">Black Market</a> (126,459 decks) gets us an absurd amount of mana.
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashnod&#039;s Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Ashnod&#039;s Altar</a> (reskinned as Bedivere's Scales; 405,311 decks) does this, too, and it's a free outlet. Those are the ones to immediately slam into the deck (ironically not in this list for a reason I'll explain when we get to it).
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Call for Unity" href="#" target="_blank">Call for Unity</a> (12,406 decks) is slow to get going, but it can add up. On the other hand, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Morbid Opportunist" href="#" target="_blank">Morbid Opportunist</a> (164,466 decks) gives us a card if a creature died each turn. In a similar vein, it's best to treat <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a> (667,040 decks) as a sacrifice outlet if the tokens are 1/1s, as that'll draw us two cards for each one you 'clamp.
Lastly, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Golden Throne" href="#" target="_blank">The Golden Throne</a> (25,043 decks) gives us three mana if we sacrifice a creature. It also can save us from a lethal strike, but only once, and it puts us at one life, so hope no one pings you, and make you lose in such an embarrassing manner.
Alternatively, swinging out with a big board works just as well. However, you need to have a large number of creatures to make that worthwhile, but don't hesitate if you can land a hit in.
One or two life on attack isn't much, but it can add up quickly. There is this tension between this, and an aristocrats plan, so it's best to know when to lean into one strategy more than the other, then switch it when you're ready to do so.
<h1>Addressing the Deck</h1>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Going Universes Beyond-The Call to War" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Commissar Severina Raine
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 And They Shall Know No Fear
*1 Anguished Unmaking
*1 Crush Contraband
*1 Darkness
*1 Deadly Dispute
*1 Entrapment Maneuver
*1 Flawless Maneuver
*1 Galadriel&#039;s Dismissal
*1 Go for the Throat
*1 Lethal Scheme
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Secure the Wastes
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Unbreakable Formation
*1 Utter End
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Hierarchy
*1 The Golden Throne
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
[/Artifacts]
[Lands]
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Ballroom
*1 Command Tower
*1 Desolate Mire
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Isolated Chapel
*1 Memorial to Glory
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Path of Ancestry
*10 Plains
*1 Scoured Barrens
*1 Shineshadow Snarl
*1 Silent Clearing
*10 Swamp
*1 Tainted Field
*1 Temple of Silence
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 War Room
*1 Windbrisk Heights
[/Lands]
[Sorceries]
*1 Austere Command
*1 Collective Effort
*1 Crisis of Conscience
*1 Dread Return
*1 Everything Comes to Dust
*1 Exterminatus
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Fell the Mighty
*1 For the Emperor!
*1 Increasing Devotion
*1 Martial Coup
*1 Night&#039;s Whisper
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bastion of Remembrance
*1 Black Market
*1 Black Market Connections
*1 Call for Unity
*1 Dawn of Hope
*1 Death in Heaven
*1 Intangible Virtue
*1 Vault 75: Middle School
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*1 Captain of the Watch
*1 Company Commander
*1 Dalek Squadron
*1 Elder Arthur Maxson
*1 Escarpment Fortress
*1 General&#039;s Enforcer
*1 Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff
*1 Mentor of the Meek
*1 Mirkwood Bats
*1 Morbid Opportunist
*1 Overseer of Vault 76
*1 Pitiless Plunderer
*1 Primaris Chaplain
*1 Sanguinary Priest
*1 Securitron Squadron
*1 Sloppity Bilepiper
*1 Space Marine Devastator
*1 The Meep
*1 Ultramarines Honour Guard
*1 Wasteland Raider
*1 White Glove Gourmand
[/Creatures]"></div>
<h1>Turning the Tide of the Game</h1>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="For the Emperor!"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Exterminatus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Galadriel&#039;s Dismissal"></div></div>
You'll see that, in this list, I made aristocrats a sub-theme, and focused harder on the aggro plan. This is because you're more likely to get Severina's attack trigger than use the activated ability.
Both <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Meep" href="#" target="_blank">The Meep</a> (provided you sacrifice a big enough creature; 529 decks) and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="For the Emperor!" href="#" target="_blank">For the Emperor!</a> (8,418 decks) are swingy finishers in their own right. It had been my original plan all along, and the aristocrats aspect of the deck just came naturally.
For a token list, there's a lot of wipes, but very few are absolute. Firstly, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Martial Coup" href="#" target="_blank">Martial Coup</a> (79,645 decks) leaves behind an army to work with. Secondly, cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fell the Mighty" href="#" target="_blank">Fell the Mighty</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crisis of Conscience" href="#" target="_blank">Crisis of Conscience</a> (68,710 and 5,119 decks respectively) both ensure that our tokens stick around.
The absolute wipes we do have are a last resort, and should be treated as such. Above all, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exterminatus" href="#" target="_blank">Exterminatus</a> (besides being absolutely fun to slam down; 7,978 decks) will wipe out everything, except lands.
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Everything Comes to Dust" href="#" target="_blank">Everything Comes to Dust</a> (20,284 decks) will help secure our board, if you use the convoke cost. However, be aware that you'll be sparing some of your opponents' creatures, too.
That said, while we have a ton of wipes, the list also carries lots of board protection. The best of these is <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Galadriel&#039;s Dismissal" href="#" target="_blank">Galadriel&#039;s Dismissal</a> (47,752 decks), which either saves our stuff, or clears the way for lethal damage.
However, that's not to say other cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flawless Maneuver" href="#" target="_blank">Flawless Maneuver</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unbreakable Formation" href="#" target="_blank">Unbreakable Formation</a> (260,956 and 174,495 decks respectively) are slouches, either.
Each one has their uses, be it free to cast or can be used to advance our board state in some way. On the other hand, you might even want the board wiped of threats, or to enable the aristocrats subtheme. Perhaps it's both.
<h1>Going Home</h1>
In conclusion, with the limited but burgeoning card pool we have, we can still make something out of it. Even archetypes I tend to not like can be made here. Who knows? We might even get a Blood Artist reskin down the line. Aristocrats is not an archetype I tend to venture into for reasons I explained, but I hope that the list does a good enough job to convey it.
When building the list, I was originally looking at some of the other options that could fit a similar mold. Firstly, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Colonel Autumn" href="#" target="_blank">Colonel Autumn</a> would strengthen your tokens, but you need a critical mass of legendary creatures to make him useful. Secondly, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="MacCready, Lamplight Mayor" href="#" target="_blank">MacCready, Lamplight Mayor</a> would've worked if we weren't using many anthem effects.
Lastly, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elder Arthur Maxson" href="#" target="_blank">Elder Arthur Maxson</a>, who is in the decklist, gives counters to our tokens, and is a free sacrifice outlet himself, mainly to protect himself. I was going to randomize what commander to use before each game, but I eventually settled on Severina, since the others have a niche to them the deck couldn't satisfy.
Maybe one day I can make that work for a different deck (Though, the Boros Equipment deck from last week is a good candidate for this).
Join me next time, when we return to an earlier franchise with a favorite deck in mind. Until then, may you be inspired by what's beyond Magic's IP.

Beyond the Multiverse - Commissar Severina Raine

<h6 style="text-align: right;">Header Photo provided by Wizards of the Coast</h6>
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Held at AREA15 approximately 15 minutes from MagicCon's location at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the event promises to "help celebrate the first night of Summer" and "launch your weekend into the stratosphere." Event organizers laud karaoke as a primary draw for the evening's festivities in addition to the socializing.
Early Bird General Admission tickets for the event are $40 for a limited time, ending April 18 or while supplies last, before raising to the standard price of $50. A ticket includes entry into both areas of the party: The "Portal" and The "Wall." The event is limited to attendees age 21+ and a valid MagicCon badge is required to purchase a Party at the Edge of Eternity ticket.
MagicCon: Las Vegas is slated for June 20-22. Tickets are <a href="https://checkout.conventions.leapevent.tech/eh/wlherwuptsywmagiclvvzqylhzcvhjt">on sale now</a>. A full schedule of events and ticketed play is <a href="https://mcvegas.mtgfestivals.com/en-us/magic-play/ticketed-play-schedule.html">available here</a>.

Early Bird Tickets Available for Official MagicCon Party

Archetypes of Imagination - Making a Flicker Deck

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr</a> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/castaguer">Manuel Castañón</a>)</h6>
<h1>Technically Playable - <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr</a></h1>
Welcome to Technically Playable, where our mission statement is "Every commander is Technically playable" (the best kind of playable).
The way this works is every article will have a commander generated using EDHREC's random button, I'll talk through the card and then write about how we can build around it!
This week's random commander is <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr"></div></div>
This version of Katilda is another one of those Commanders that feels really split between what it wants. On the one hand, you want some Spirit synergies, but on the other, you want to load up on as many enchantments as you can.
And while they both buff Katilda you don't want to split yourself too much on the synergies between them. No one wants a handful of Spirits with only enchantment payoffs.
<h2>In the Spirit of the game</h2>
Spirits are inherently a fairly aggressive creature type. Since a lot of them fly, they get around the issue that some other, lower to the ground, creature types like Goblins and Soldiers struggle with.
Spirits still gain the lords that other types get in the form of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drogskol Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Drogskol Captain</a> (which also provides hexproof, completely bonkers) and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Supreme Phantom" href="#" target="_blank">Supreme Phantom</a> while getting cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Selfless Spirit" href="#" target="_blank">Selfless Spirit</a> to keep their board healthy and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shacklegeist" href="#" target="_blank">Shacklegeist</a> which helps to lock down boards that threaten you like Dragons and Demons.
Unfortunately Katilda is only white, so we're not able to run a lot of the good cards in the same way a deck like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Millicent, Restless Revenant" href="#" target="_blank">Millicent, Restless Revenant</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ranar the Ever-Watchful" href="#" target="_blank">Ranar the Ever-Watchful</a> might, so we need to find other ways to make our Spirits dangerous in the same way.
Luckily, there are now 6,802 white cards legal in Commander (of which 163 are Spirits), so we have some to work with.
With only 143 decks of their own <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oyobi, Who Split the Heavens" href="#" target="_blank">Oyobi, Who Split the Heavens</a> may seem like a weak card, being a 3/6 for seven mana, but let's be honest.
In Commander, you often have seven mana by turn four or five, even in white, and Oyobi is incredibly powerful in any deck that cares about Spirits, and doubly so with a card like Katilda that needs as many Spirits as possible.
Effectively, what Oyobi does is make each Spirit you cast double up the power and toughness that it gives to Katilda while also creating a sizeable flying body that can help to keep you alive while you keep the pressure on with Katilda's commander damage.
Mono-white Spirits don't get cheap lords like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drogskol Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Drogskol Captain</a>, but that doesn't mean they get no lords at all. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gallows Warden" href="#" target="_blank">Gallows Warden</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spirit of the Spires" href="#" target="_blank">Spirit of the Spires</a> are both half a lord, only buffing toughness while <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Long-Forgotten Gohei" href="#" target="_blank">Long-Forgotten Gohei</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Celestial Crusader" href="#" target="_blank">Celestial Crusader</a> act as lords closer to the kinds you expect in a kindred deck like this.
Additionally, white also gets <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drogskol Reinforcements" href="#" target="_blank">Drogskol Reinforcements</a>. While not a traditional lord, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drogskol Reinforcements" href="#" target="_blank">Drogskol Reinforcements</a> gives all of your Spirits melee, which allows each one to get a max of +3/+3 as long as you are consistently aggressive, something this deck wants to be doing anyway.
And, of course, you need to be able to close out games. Chipping down your opponents with an array of cheap fliers often gets you there, and even though it isn't a Spirit, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Priest of the Blessed Graf" href="#" target="_blank">Priest of the Blessed Graf</a> does give you access to a consistently large board in part thanks to the lack of ramp that often plagues mono-white decks.
Being able to make a lot of flying threats works perfectly with the deck's best finisher (and it's not even really close either) <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moonshaker Cavalry" href="#" target="_blank">Moonshaker Cavalry</a>.
Often heralded as the mono-white <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a>, and for good reason. Giving all of your 1/1 fliers +x/+x for each creature you control and also give any non-fliers the evasive keyword as well will very often be enough to close out a game, even against the most resilient board states.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oyobi, Who Split the Heavens"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Drogskol Reinforcements"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Priest of the Blessed Graf"></div></div>
<h2>An enchanting alternative</h2>
But Katilda doesn't just care about Spirits, it also cares about the number of enchantments that you have. This version of the deck focuses much more on getting an evasive or a hard-to-kill threat, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geist of Saint Traft" href="#" target="_blank">Geist of Saint Traft</a>, and using that to close out games.
Katilda is one part of this strategy but you can only enchant its disturb side once it's already died. Instead, we want to use cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ethereal Armor" href="#" target="_blank">Ethereal Armor</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="All That Glitters" href="#" target="_blank">All That Glitters</a> to emulate the effect without the keyword.
The main issue with these Aura style decks is that you can easily run out of gas because they are so cheap to cast, and if you stack them onto one creature that then dies, you quickly lose them all.
To get around this we can use <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mesa Enchantress" href="#" target="_blank">Mesa Enchantress</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sram, Senior Edificer" href="#" target="_blank">Sram, Senior Edificer</a> and the new(ish) <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enduring Innocence" href="#" target="_blank">Enduring Innocence</a> to keep our hand full and then you can use <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mantle of the Ancients" href="#" target="_blank">Mantle of the Ancients</a> to return any Auras should your creatures die.
We can also quickly stack up our enchantment count in other ways. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ondu Spiritdancer" href="#" target="_blank">Ondu Spiritdancer</a> is a really powerful option that allows you to copy the first enchantment you cast each turn.
This can very quickly get out of hand by copying something like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil of the Empty Throne" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil of the Empty Throne</a> to fill the board with angels or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soaring Lightbringer" href="#" target="_blank">Soaring Lightbringer</a> to make a ton of enchantment birds every time you attack.
You can also use this defensively by making copies of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghostly Prison" href="#" target="_blank">Ghostly Prison</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sphere of Safety" href="#" target="_blank">Sphere of Safety</a> to keep you alive until you can meet the critical mass of enchantments needed to either lock down the board or make Katilda into a one-shot machine.
If you decide to go down the Aura route, you can also run <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Light-Paws, Emperor&#039;s Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Light-Paws, Emperor&#039;s Voice</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pearl-Ear, Imperial Advisor" href="#" target="_blank">Pearl-Ear, Imperial Advisor</a>. Both of these cards have amazing synergy with Auras by giving you either card advantage in the form of raw card draw or the ability to search for silver bullet Auras, as well as (in the case of Pearl-Ear) making all of your enchantments cheaper.
This can lead to some really powerful turns by giving you access to cheap versions of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eldrazi Conscription" href="#" target="_blank">Eldrazi Conscription</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mammoth Umbra" href="#" target="_blank">Mammoth Umbra</a>, and the new <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tempest Technique" href="#" target="_blank">Tempest Technique</a> to finish a turn off after casting a ton of cheap Auras.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ethereal Armor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Enduring Innocence"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ondu Spiritdancer"></div></div>
<h2>Por que no los dos?</h2>
But of course, you don't need to just go for one or the other. There are plenty of Spirits and enchantments to go around, and surprisingly, a lot of them synergize really well with each other.
One of the effects that seems to be very prevalent is creating Spirit tokens based on the number of enchantments you have. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hallowed Haunting" href="#" target="_blank">Hallowed Haunting</a> was one of the earlier cards to do this and remains one of the more powerful.
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hallowed Haunting" href="#" target="_blank">Hallowed Haunting</a> plays similarly to <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil of the Empty Throne" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil of the Empty Throne</a> by giving you creatures whenever you play enchantments. The main difference here is that each of these Spirits is a mini <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr</a> that grows based on your number of enchantments.
If you can play this on turn four and then play six more enchantments, you end up with six 7/7s, each with flying and vigilance, a board that needs to be wiped.
In a similar vein, Duskmourn gave us <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghostly Dancers" href="#" target="_blank">Ghostly Dancers</a> an enchantment specific <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a> that also gives you a 3/1 flier every time an enchantment enters the battlefield.
This important part here is that unlike <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hallowed Haunting" href="#" target="_blank">Hallowed Haunting</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil of the Empty Throne" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil of the Empty Throne</a> it says enters instead of cast  meaning if you run it alongside anything that makes enchantment tokens like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soaring Lightbringer" href="#" target="_blank">Soaring Lightbringer</a> you can make a huge board very quickly.
There are also some Spirits that double up as enchantments. A lot of the bestow cards are Spirits, this means you can benefit from both the Spirit and enchantment synergies. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Indebted Spirit" href="#" target="_blank">Indebted Spirit</a> gives you a really cheap option to bestow as well as having afterlife, creating another Spirit when it dies.
While it does synergise well <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Indebted Spirit" href="#" target="_blank">Indebted Spirit</a> is, however, pretty low on the power level of these kinds of effects. For this deck in particular, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eidolon of Countless Battles" href="#" target="_blank">Eidolon of Countless Battles</a> really pulls double duty by effectively being a second Katilda that you can equip to it if needed to halve the number of creatures and enchantments needed to get to that magical 21 commander damage.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hallowed Haunting"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghostly Dancers"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eidolon of Countless Battles"></div></div>
As with all Technically Playable articles, this was a very quick look at <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr</a> as a commander and a few of the cards that can really make a deck with Katilda as the commander tick.
Let me know in the comments below if you play <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr</a>, if you want to build a <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr</a> deck, or even if you just enjoyed this article!

Technically Playable - Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr

<h6 style="text-align: right;">The art for <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a> | art copyright Wizards of the Coast</h6>
A few days ago, seven prolific members of the Magic community announced that they had received invitations to reveal cards from a <a href="https://secretlair.wizards.com/us">Secret Lair</a> Commander Deck. With absolutely no idea what those cards could be, they finally revealed them on Wednesday, April 9th. What were those cards, and what could they reveal about the deck? At the time of writing the deck isn't fully revealed yet. So, let's look into what these streamers received within the "Everyone's Invited" Secret Lair Commander deck!
<h2>TaaliaVess's Reveal</h2>
According to sources on social media, streamer <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/taaliavess">TaaliaVess</a> received a copy of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Morophon, the Boundless" href="#" target="_blank">Morophon, the Boundless</a>. Morophon seems to be the commander of this deck. It also implies that the deck is a Kindred-matters deck.
<div id="attachment_148301" style="width: 501px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Morophon-the-Boundless.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-148301" class="wp-image-148301" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Morophon-the-Boundless.jpg" alt="An image of TaaliaVess's reveal of Morophon, the Boundless from the &quot;Everyone's Invited&quot; Secret Lair Commander deck. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast" width="491" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Morophon-the-Boundless.jpg 640w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Morophon-the-Boundless-263x300.jpg 263w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 491px) 100vw, 491px" /></a>An image of <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/taaliavess">TaaliaVess</a>'s reveal of Morophon, the Boundless from the "Everyone's Invited" Secret Lair Commander deck. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and TaaliaVess</div>
<h2>ZBexx's Reveal</h2>
Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/zbexx">ZBexx</a> received another card from "Everyone's Invited". This time, it was a copy of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a>. This doesn't tell us a ton about the contents of the deck, since most preconstructed decks contain a Sol Ring anyway. However, the card is stunning and its art is featured on the advertisement on the Secret Lair website.
<div id="attachment_148302" style="width: 365px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Sol-Ring.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-148302" class="wp-image-148302" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Sol-Ring.png" alt="An image of ZBexx's reveal of Sol Ring from the &quot;Everyone's Invited&quot; Secret Lair Commander deck. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Zbexx" width="355" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Sol-Ring.png 436w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Sol-Ring-191x300.png 191w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 355px) 100vw, 355px" /></a>An image of <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/zbexx">ZBexx</a>'s reveal of Sol Ring from the "Everyone's Invited" Secret Lair Commander deck. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Zbexx</div>
<h2>Voxy's Reveal</h2>
Next, we look at <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/voxy">Voxy</a>'s stream, where she revealed a copy of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Avenger of Zendikar" href="#" target="_blank">Avenger of Zendikar</a>. Because Plants are such a niche creature type, this implies that "Everyone's Invited" probably features a very broad Kindred-matters theme. At this point, things are getting interesting for sure.
<div id="attachment_148303" style="width: 365px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Avenger-of-Zendikar.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-148303" class="wp-image-148303" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Avenger-of-Zendikar.png" alt="An image of Voxy's reveal of Avenger of Zendikar. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Voxy" width="355" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Avenger-of-Zendikar.png 371w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Avenger-of-Zendikar-191x300.png 191w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 355px) 100vw, 355px" /></a>An image of <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/voxy">Voxy</a>'s reveal of Avenger of Zendikar. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Voxy</div>
<h2>Amazonian's Reveal</h2>
We next turn our attention to <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/amazonian">Amazonian</a>'s stream, where she revealed a copy of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Taurean Mauler" href="#" target="_blank">Taurean Mauler</a>. A creature with changeling like Morophon, Taurean Mauler may mean that multiple cards will also cover many of the creature types buffed by the deck's cards.
<div id="attachment_148304" style="width: 430px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Taurean-Mauler.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-148304" class="wp-image-148304" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Taurean-Mauler.jpg" alt="An image of Amazonian's reveal of Taurean Mauler. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Amazonian" width="420" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Taurean-Mauler.jpg 1501w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Taurean-Mauler-225x300.jpg 225w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Taurean-Mauler-769x1024.jpg 769w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Taurean-Mauler-768x1023.jpg 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Taurean-Mauler-1153x1536.jpg 1153w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px" /></a>An image of <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/amazonian">Amazonian</a>'s reveal of Taurean Mauler. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Amazonian</div>
<h2>ManaCurves' Reveal</h2>
Streamer <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/manacurves">ManaCurves</a> also revealed a card from "Everyone's Invited"! The card they revealed was <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bitterblossom" href="#" target="_blank">Bitterblossom</a>, a kindred card for Faerie decks. This shows us that kindred spells will show up in the deck, though the extent is currently unknown. However, if this is indeed a kindred-kindred deck, one could imagine there may be a fair few of them therein.
<div id="attachment_148305" style="width: 396px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Bitterblossom-00.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-148305" class="wp-image-148305" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Bitterblossom-00.png" alt="An image of ManaCurves' reveal of Bitterblossom. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and ManaCurves" width="386" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Bitterblossom-00.png 467w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Bitterblossom-00-207x300.png 207w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 386px) 100vw, 386px" /></a>An image of <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/manacurves">ManaCurves</a>' reveal of Bitterblossom. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and ManaCurves</div>
<h2>CovertGoBlue's Reveal</h2>
After this, we must look to <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/covertgoblue">CovertGoBlue</a>, who, according to sources, revealed a copy of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Raise the Palisade" href="#" target="_blank">Raise the Palisade</a>. This card, previously unreprinted since its initial printing in Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth, is also a kindred-matters card. It goes especially well with creatures with changeling. This tells us that the deck will most likely have payoffs for running them.
<div id="attachment_148306" style="width: 434px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Raise-the-Palisade.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-148306" class="wp-image-148306" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Raise-the-Palisade.jpg" alt="An image of CovertGoBlue's reveal of Raise the Palisade. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and CovertGoBlue" width="424" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Raise-the-Palisade.jpg 819w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Raise-the-Palisade-228x300.jpg 228w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Raise-the-Palisade-777x1024.jpg 777w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Raise-the-Palisade-768x1013.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 424px) 100vw, 424px" /></a>An image of <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/covertgoblue">CovertGoBlue</a>'s reveal of Raise the Palisade. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and CovertGoBlue</div>
<h2>Anna Margaret's Reveal</h2>
Finally, we have <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/itsannamargaret.com/post/3lmffkbpnnk2c">Anna Margaret</a>'s reveal on BlueSky. She revealed a copy of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tendershoot Dryad" href="#" target="_blank">Tendershoot Dryad</a>, a card that historically pumps Saprolings. Luckily, changeling creatures are also Saprolings! This is one of many presumed payoffs in "Everyone's Invited".
<div id="attachment_148307" style="width: 365px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Tendershoot-Dryad.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-148307" class="wp-image-148307" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Tendershoot-Dryad.png" alt="An image of Anna Margaret's reveal of Tendershoot Dryad from the &quot;Everyone's Invited&quot; Secret Lair Commander deck. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Anna Margaret" width="355" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Tendershoot-Dryad.png 427w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Tendershoot-Dryad-191x300.png 191w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 355px) 100vw, 355px" /></a>An image of <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/itsannamargaret.com/post/3lmffkbpnnk2c">Anna Margaret</a>'s reveal of Tendershoot Dryad from the "Everyone's Invited" Secret Lair Commander deck. Image credit: Wizards of the Coast and Anna Margaret</div>
<h2>What Have We Learned About This Secret Lair?</h2>
"Everyone's Invited" appears to be a deck that cares not just about one creature type, but many. The deck features multiple cards that provide many creature types as well as many payoffs for having multiple creature types. Because Commander decks from Secret Lair tend to have alternate art for their intended commanders, Morophon appears to lead the deck.
When will we find out more? We don't have a launch date yet, but the answer is "probably soon"! Keep your eyes peeled for more information as it becomes available.

Secret Lair Commander Deck: "Everyone's Invited" Revealed

Jank No More - The Legendary Power of Vanilla

<h6 style="text-align: right;">Final Fantasy set cards | art copyright Wizards of the Coast</h6>
With <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/final-fantasy">Magic: The Gathering x Final Fantasy</a> less than ten weeks away, teams at Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix are gearing up for the launch of an ambitious collaboration.
An interview between one outlet and two major figures at Wizards gives us more insights into the process behind this collaboration and hints of what the future may bring.
According to the interview with <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/magic-the-gatherings-final-fantasy-set-is-an-expansion-four-years-in-the-making/1100-6529866/">Gamespot</a>, Lead Magic Designer Gavin Verhey and Wizards Franchise Vice President Rebecca Shepard gave a few interesting anecdotes about this titanic team-up. Here are a few of the major points we gleaned:
<h2>A Magic: The Gathering x Final Fantasy Collaboration Effort</h2>
Final Fantasy producer Shoichi Ichikawa is a big fan of Magic, as are many members of Square Enix Japan's team. According to Verhey, the team at Square Enix are die-hard Magic players. "[...] One of the team members over there owns a <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Black Lotus" href="#" target="_blank">Black Lotus</a>. These are serious Magic players." Shepard corroborated this and added, "Almost every relationship we've had has been that way; Bethesda, for example, has weekly games." Naturally, Square Enix's team was thrilled to work with Wizards of the Coast.
During the team-up, weekly, occasionally more frequent, mid-lockdown Zoom calls allowed Wizards and Square Enix to foster their rapport. As it stands, Square Enix Japan's love of Magic seems to echo Wizards of the Coast's love of Final Fantasy.
<h2>On In-Set Representation</h2>
All sixteen Final Fantasy games have "plenty of" in-set representation, albeit with a ton of work needed to calibrate this, according to Verhey. Shepard added, "In [Square Enix's] eyes, no one installment is more important than the other."
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jumbo Cactuar"></div></div>
This proved a challenge regarding the newest Square Enix installment, <a href="https://na.finalfantasyxvi.com/">Final Fantasy XVI</a>. FFXVI was going through active development simultaneously with Magic: The Gathering x Final Fantasy, and designers had to make promises not to give each other plot spoilers.
Said Verhey, "When [FFXVI] finally launched, there was a week when the four main designers agreed we wouldn't spoil anything for each other, but we'd post what was happening in our chat as we're going saying, 'This should be a card!'"
For the game attributions on the credit lines of cards, Verhey explains
<blockquote>"We then realized that this is another fun storytelling moment--where a player can say, 'I know this, let me tell you where it's from'--and a little indicator on the card that tells you what game it's from can inspire someone to go and look up what was happening there. We thought it was a great little touch; here's the game the card is from, go find out more or ask a friend about it."</blockquote>
<h2>Are All The Concepts Present?</h2>
The answer to the question " Will everyone be present in the set?" comes with some disclosure-based baggage at this time. "I'm not going to say who is or isn't there, but it's pretty safe to guess that if you're a major hero or antagonist from a game, there's a good chance you have a spot in the set," said Verhey when asked about what characters would show up. However, the set doesn't necessarily have all the series' party members.
That said, many super-obvious nods will likely be in MTGFIN. Triple Triad (the in-universe collectible card game) is unconfirmed, but Verhey has mentioned his team's awareness of its popularity.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Summon: Shiva"></div></div>
Summons, a major Final Fantasy series conceptual staple, proved less of a challenge to the design team. Summon spells were originally designed with vanishing, but were later turned into Sagas with the team's unanimous agreement.
Five double-faced "Sidequest" cards exist within the set, according to the interview.
<h2>On Further Design Innovations</h2>
Wizards of the Coast also spoke on their "Through The Ages" subset of cards. This is comprised of all reprints from Magic's history. Beyond this, the subset will depict concept art and scenes from Final Fantasy's history. Square Enix personally provided these concept images to Wizards.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Copper Dragon|FCA|12"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow|FCA|60"></div></div>
Another major win for the set came in the form of Yoshitaka Amano and Tetsuya Nomura's involvement. The two were even involved with this set's creation, according to Gamespot.
However, those involvements will largely remain a surprise for now. Amano did the art for Dragon of Mount Gulg (<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancient Copper Dragon|FCA|12" href="#" target="_blank">Ancient Copper Dragon</a>) while Nomura did the art for Yuffie Kisaragi (<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow|FCA|60" href="#" target="_blank">Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow</a>).
<h2>What Does The Future Hold?</h2>
As for the future, Square Enix collaborations may indeed happen. This may be the first time the two sides have collaborated, but it may not be the last.
Universes Beyond partnerships can be upwards of seven years long. "Universes Beyond partnerships can be five-, six-, sometimes seven-year relationships depending on the pipeline," according to Shepard. With the two teams just four years in, we may get even more Square Enix Universes Beyond cards in Magic.
Furthermore, does this mean we are getting something like a <a href="https://www.square-enix-games.com/en_US/games/chrono-trigger">Chrono Trigger</a> or <a href="https://dragonquest.square-enix-games.com/">Dragon Quest</a> set? We couldn't possibly say. However, with the way Shepard spoke on the collaborative effort, it doesn't appear to be out of the question.
So, these are the main points we've learned from Gavin Verhey and Rebecca Shepard's interview with Gamespot. As it stands currently, Magic: The Gathering x Final Fantasy is shaping up to be one heck of a cool set. Hopefully, players will be able to be just as hyped for it when it launches on June 13th!

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