<h6 style="text-align: right;">Image credit: Wizards of the Coast</h6>
<p>There's always plenty to do at MagicCon events. From professional play, to panels, all the way to Commander pickup games, MagicCon is always a blast for those who join in on the fun. But now, for <a href="https://magic.gg/news/celebrating-final-fantasy-at-magiccon-las-vegas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MagicCon: Las Vegas</a>, there is even more incentive to reserve a spot! The event will, in part, celebrate <em>Wizards of the Coast</em>'s collaboration with <em>Square Enix</em> on <em>Magic: The Gathering's</em> upcoming <em>Final Fantasy</em> set.</p>
<h2><em>Final Fantasy</em>-themed Promo Yoshimaru</h2>
<p>There is a special surprise for fans of <em>FFXVI</em>'s goodest boy. If you attend MagicCon: Las Vegas this year, you will receive a promotional copy of Torgal, Clive's Companion. Torgal is a <em>Final Fantasy XVI</em>-themed reskin of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful" href="#" target="_blank">Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div id="attachment_148993" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-148993" class="wp-image-148993" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Torgal-Clives-Companion-mtgxff.webp" alt="Torgal, Clive's Companion, a Final Fantasy XVI-themed reskin of Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful. " width="400" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Torgal-Clives-Companion-mtgxff.webp 646w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Torgal-Clives-Companion-mtgxff-215x300.webp 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><p id="caption-attachment-148993" class="wp-caption-text">Torgal, Clive's Companion, a <em>Final Fantasy XVI</em>-themed reskin of Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful.</p></div>
<p>Attendees of MagicCon: Las Vegas will receive their copy of Torgal alongside their entry badges, making that moment all the more special.</p>
<h2>The Making of <em>MTGxFF</em></h2>
<p>If you're attending on Friday, the convention has a panel that day detailing the behind-the-scenes efforts that allowed <em>Magic: The Gathering</em>'s latest Universes Beyond set to come to fruition.</p>
<blockquote><p>Sixteen FINAL FANTASY games spanning decades. Hundreds of beloved characters. Dozens of unique mechanics. Numerous art styles, tones, locations, animations, stories. How did the designers at Wizards of the Coast combine all of this to give us <em>Magic: The Gathering</em>—FINAL FANTASY? You can learn how at MagicCon: Las Vegas. Hear the stories from behind the scenes on how this monumental <em>Magic</em> set came to be.</p>
<p>Host: <strong>Ben Starr</strong><br />
Panelists: <strong>Daniel Holt</strong>, <strong>Gavin Verhey</strong>, <strong>Dillon Deveney</strong>, and <strong>Zakeel Gordon</strong></p></blockquote>
<h2>Pro Tour: <em>Final Fantasy</em></h2>
<p>Additionally, Pro Tour: <em>Final Fantasy</em> is at MagicCon: Las Vegas this year. Over 300 professional <em>Magic</em> players will compete in Vegas for their piece of a $500,000 prize pool. According to Magic.gg's blurb:</p>
<blockquote><p>With bragging rights, a $500,000 prize pool, and invitations to Pro Tour <em>Edge of Eternities</em> and <i>Magic</i> World Championship 31 on the line, it'll be an action-packed tournament! The formats for this event will be <em>Magic: The Gathering</em>—FINAL FANTASY Booster Draft and Standard Constructed.</p></blockquote>
<p>Players can also watch this event from home via <a href="http://twitch.tv/magic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">twitch.tv/magic</a>. There will also be periodic recaps for event coverage posted on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@play_mtg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Play MTG</a> YouTube channel.</p>
<h2>Other MagicCon Attractions in Las Vegas</h2>
<p>There are several other events and attractions at MagicCon: Las Vegas this year. These include:</p>
<h3>Ticketed Play Events</h3>
<p>The ticketed play events for this convention include:</p>
<ul>
<li>a Friday Night Magic 2-Headed Giant Sealed event</li>
<li>the Pro Tour Qualifier, wherein the event is <em>Final Fantasy</em> Sealed</li>
<li>a Commander Party event for <em>Magic: The Gathering x Final Fantasy</em></li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_148994" style="width: 569px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-148994" class="wp-image-148994" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/sleeves.jpg" alt="A Final Fantasy sleeve, illustrated by Toshitaka Matsuda with a design created by Tetsuya Nomura, to be sold at the Square Enix booth at MagicCon: Las Vegas. " width="559" height="559" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/sleeves.jpg 2000w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/sleeves-300x300.jpg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/sleeves-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/sleeves-150x150.jpg 150w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/sleeves-768x768.jpg 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/sleeves-1536x1536.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 559px) 100vw, 559px" /><p id="caption-attachment-148994" class="wp-caption-text">A <em>Final Fantasy</em> sleeve, illustrated by <strong>Toshitaka Matsuda</strong> with a design created by <strong>Tetsuya Nomura</strong>, to be sold at the Square Enix booth at MagicCon: Las Vegas.</p></div>
<h3>A Square Enix Merch Booth</h3>
<p>According to Magic.gg:</p>
<blockquote><p>Find plushies and figurines of iconic FINAL FANTASY characters—plus, be among the first to grab card sleeves featuring official FINAL FANTASY artwork in an advance sale before their retail release later this year!</p></blockquote>
<h3>Game Knights Live</h3>
<p>This fan-favorite event will take place on the Mana Stage on Friday evening. While <em>Wizards of the Coast</em> has vowed not to spoil any surprises, at least one player in the exhibition match will, in fact, have a deck based on a <em>MTGxFF</em> commander.</p>
<h2>Final Notes</h2>
<p>Are you going to MagicCon: Las Vegas? Will you be doing any specific activities while there? If you're familiar with the area, let us and your fellow commenters know what the best haunts are in the area! Sound off below!</p>


Final Fantasy Celebrations At MagicCon: Las Vegas

Borderland Explorer – The Rani

Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Jank Rank Part 1

Deckbuilding Contest Finalists - April 2025

Commander Unoptimized - The Journey Of Omnath

60 to 100 - Jeskai Dragons

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nine-Lives Familiar" href="#" target="_blank">Nine-Lives Familiar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://bramsels.artstation.com/">Bram Sels</a>)</h6>
<h1>Back In Black</h1>
<p>Mono-black players seek one thing, and one thing only: power. At any cost. And what better way to power up your deck than with these juicy mono-black staples that will fit into any mono-black deck no matter what theme you're running!</p>
<p>If you're willing to sacrifice and bleed for what you want, if the distance between you and victory is just a series of ruthless decisions, then mono-black has all the answers you seek, including a bevy of powerful and thematic commanders to helm your deck.</p>
<p>This is <em>The Monolith</em>: the series in which I get you playing more mono-colored decks in EDH, and these are seven powerful staples that can fit into basically any mono-black deck.</p>
<h2>1. Cabal Coffers</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cabal Coffers"></div></div>
<p>Kicking off with a card that's such a mono-black auto-include that I was debating even listing it, the only barrier to entry for this incredibly powerful land is its slightly hefty price tag. Oh, and you'll also want to make sure you aren't using too many nonbasics to really pop this thing off.</p>
<p><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> is a nonbasic land that rewards you for running a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swamp" href="#" target="_blank">Swamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-filled mana base. For two generic mana and tapping the land, you'll add an amount of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to your pool equal to the amount of Swamps you control.</p>
<p>In the early game, this won't be doing a whole lot. In fact, you won't even make enough mana to break even if you don't have at least three Swamps along side it, but from each turn after the fourth that you make your land drop, this land will get better and better, likely doubling the amount of mana you have access to on later turns of the game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth"></div></div>
<p>To truly level up your mana production and to allow for a few more utility lands in your mana base, introduce <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth" href="#" target="_blank">Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to the equation. With this on board, all your nonbasic lands (including the <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> itself) will count as Swamps for the activated ability, which will further increase the massive gains you'll get from Coffers. Use an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Expedition Map" href="#" target="_blank">Expedition Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to find either part of the equation, and you're away.</p>
<h2>2. Gray Merchant of Asphodel</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gray Merchant of Asphodel"></div></div>
<p>What does it mean to be a staple? Staples should fit in pretty much any deck they're able to go in. They're effectively a must-include provided you're playing in the color identity or archetype they match up with, and the <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> (or Gary as he's more colloquially known) fits the bill perfectly.</p>
<p>This nasty little creature can change the lay of the land drastically in Commander games with its incredibly impactful enters trigger. For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, this 2/4 Zombie will cause each opponent to lose X, life where is X is your devotion to black.</p>
<p>Devotion is a mechanic from the plane of <em>Theros</em>; your devotion to a given color is equal to the number of colored pips of that color in mana costs on permanents you control. In this case, if we had ten black mana pips on our board (including the two we get from Gary himself), each of our opponents will lose ten life. And the kicker? We'll gain the COMBINED life that all our opponents lost; in this case, up to 30 life!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Exsanguinate"></div></div>
<p>That can end games if you have a big enough board state, and even if it doesn't you'll have gained so much life from the effect that your position in the game will change dramatically. This is the equivalent of casting a heavily pumped <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exsanguinate" href="#" target="_blank">Exsanguinate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, except it only costs you five mana AND it's stapled onto a creature that can be reanimated, flickered, or made tokens of to duplicate his effect. Nasty!</p>
<h2>3. Toxic Deluge</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Toxic Deluge"></div></div>
<p>Whilst white is largely seen as the color that has the best access to board wipes in the game, black has access to what I would argue is the best creature board wipe there is. For just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, which is an insanely low amount of mana for what is largely an unconditional board wipe, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toxic Deluge" href="#" target="_blank">Toxic Deluge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will give all creatures on the board -X/-X until end of turn.</p>
<p>The downside, however, is that the X they'll be losing is equal to the amount of life you choose to pay into the spell as you cast it. In a 60-card game with your standard life total, that makes this card a risky play that can give you an upper hand at the price of what can be a huge hit to your life total. In a game of Commander where you start with a whopping 40 life? That drawback isn't really that scary.</p>
<p>Because of the choice attached to this spell, it effectively allows you to customize your board wipe. If you're focusing on a wide player's mass of tokens, you can put just a little bit of life into the spell to make it one-sided. Or if you've got a giant <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orc Army" href="#" target="_blank">Orc Army</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> token, for example, you can set the X value to whatever the <em>second </em>biggest creature is on the board to wipe out everything but your scary force.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heroic Intervention"></div></div>
<p>Not to mention the fact that this board wipe gives -X/-X instead of just "destroying" all creatures which allows you to get around any creatures that have indestructible or any players that try to cast a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heroic Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Heroic Intervention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to get around your sweeper. Just an incredible piece of tech that can deal with almost any board state and put you back on top.</p>
<h2>4. Ayara, First of Locthwain</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ayara, First of Locthwain"></div></div>
<p>Much like the aforementioned <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>, our next entry <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ayara, First of Locthwain" href="#" target="_blank">Ayara, First of Locthwain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will comfortably find its home in almost any mono-black deck. The only prerequisite is that you'll actually be playing creatures (or at the very least, making black creature tokens). For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Ayara adds an additional point of life drain to every black creature that enters under our control.</p>
<p>Chip damage is an incredibly good way of pushing a game of Commander to its inevitable end. As much as your opponents might moan as they see their life totals slowly dwindle over the course of each of your turns, every game has to end at some point! A majority of the pingers in black decks are tied to death triggers, much like the absolute classic that is <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>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blood Artist"></div></div>
<p>But whilst it's an incredibly powerful and prominent strategy in black decks, not every black deck wants to kill off its own creatures. Ayara reverses the trigger and ties it to your creatures entering the battlefield instead, which, for most mono-black decks, is effectively just a reward for playing the game!</p>
<p>You can probably leave this one out if you're planning to run very few creatures in your build, but if you're running even an regular amount, Ayara can do a lot of work for you over the course of a game as well as providing you with a card draw option if you don't mind sacrificing one of your creatures on board.</p>
<h2>5. Black Market</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Black Market"></div></div>
<p>Whilst not every mono-black deck is focused around killing its own creatures, one thing is true of all games of Commander: a lot of creatures are going to die. The beauty of <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> is that it doesn't care whose creatures die for it to give you some big old rewards.</p>
<p>Five mana might seem pretty steep for a glorified mana rock, but Black Market will add an amount of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to your mana pool for each charge counter on it at the beginning of your first main phase. That does mean it's technically one of those "pay a lot of mana for something that does nothing when it enters" cards.</p>
<p>But I just want you to think back to the last game of Commander you played and remember how many creatures died over the course of the game. How many board wipes were there? How much single target removal? Now imagine you had access to that much mana every single turn and you can see how ridiculous this card has the potential to be. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exsanguinate" href="#" target="_blank">Exsanguinate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> never felt so good.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Black Market Connections"></div></div>
<p>As a quick special mention to a very fun card with a similar name, if you haven't played with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Black Market Connections" href="#" target="_blank">Black Market Connections</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> yet, this thing can do some incredible work if you don't mind being tempted to half kill yourself every single turn.</p>
<h2>6. Deadly Rollick</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deadly Rollick"></div></div>
<p>I'm going to let you in on a well kept secret here. It turns out, now bear with me, casting spells for free in <em>Magic: The Gathering </em>is pretty good. It's the reason that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Force of Will" href="#" target="_blank">Force of Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is so ridiculously expensive and sees huge amounts of play in almost every format it's legal in.</p>
<p>Printed in the <em>Commander 2020 </em>series of precons, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadly Rollick" href="#" target="_blank">Deadly Rollick</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is part of a cycle of spells that allow players to cast them for free. That is, if their commander is on the board. Regardless, most of these spells provide a pretty decent costing for their effect. In this case, we get to exile a creature at instant speed. In black, paying <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> for that is not too extreme of a cost.</p>
<p>The point, though, is that we can do it with spending a single mana just for the price of having a commander on board. Even if the commander gets killed after we've cast the spell, the cost is already dealt with, so we won't get charged in retrospect. Here's something fun: I believe you can even cast these if you just have your Background enchantment out but your commander is still in the command zone!</p>
<h2>7. Reanimate</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reanimate"></div></div>
<p>Black as a color is very versatile. It can kind of do a little bit of everything if it set its mind to it. Make a crap tonne of mana. Cast big terrifying creatures. Control. Aggro. You name it!</p>
<p>But if there's on thing that black specializes in, it has to be messing with the graveyard, and boy, are there some powerful graveyard exploitation spells available to you in Commander. There's nothing more nasty than the OG though in my humble opinion. The card they refuse to ban in legacy formats, no matter how much it breaks them. The thing we name "reanimation" spells after. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reanimate" href="#" target="_blank">Reanimate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>One black mana. Reanimate any creature card from any graveyard. Even your opponents'. Ridiculously powerful. The added cost of this one is that you'll be paying life equal to that creature card's mana value, but let's be real: even in 60-card formats with 20 life totals, that's not really that much of a cost. Would you take a one-mana Emrakul for 13 life? I know I would.</p>
<p>And don't be fooled by this card. You don't need to be playing a reanimator deck or have to mill to make this thing work. Just steal your opponent's nastiest creature right after your opponents have worked so hard to kill it. Beautiful stuff.</p>
<h2>The Corruption Spreads</h2>
<p>Mono-black decks are some of my absolute favorite ways to play the game of <em>Magic</em>, especially in Commander. If you're still uncorrupted by its dark and foreboding influence then you're one hundred percent missing out. Mono-black has access to a huge arsenal of powerful and fun tools, and these seven cards are but a small window into its power!</p>
<p>Let me know in the comments below what cards you include in every mono-black deck you run. And have a great time building! Until I see you on the next edition of <em>The Monolith</em>, happy reanimating and mono-black forever. Peace out!</p>


Top 7 Cards That Should Go In All Mono-Black Decks

Brew For Your Buck - Neriv Budget Burn

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duke Ulder Ravengard" href="#" target="_blank">Duke Ulder Ravengard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.ericdeschamps.com/">Eric Deschamps</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>, where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>Today's theme is a contentious one: infect.</p>
<p>Now, I know what you're thinking, "Nick, why infect? That's the worst!!" Believe me, I've been on the wrong side of an infect deck too, so I echo your sentiment. However, the combination of this theme with this commander was too good to pass up. Speaking of which...</p>
<p>Today's commander is a legendary creature from<em> Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate</em>: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duke Ulder Ravengard" href="#" target="_blank">Duke Ulder Ravengard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Duke Ulder Ravengard"></div></div>
<p>According to EDHREC, the most popular infect color combination, with 14,000 decks, is "Witch-Maw" (white, black, blue, and green). The printing of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was largely the reason for this, as her passive proliferate ability is quite good with poison counters.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice"></div></div>
<p>The least played color combination for infect is colorless, but after several days of brewing, this one stumped me. Colorless is already tricky to play, and focusing solely on infect made it even harder, so I looked for the second least played combination.</p>
<p>The second least played combination, with a modest 73 decks, is Boros (red and white). Boros is known for both Equipment and generally aggressive combat strategies, and these strategies align well with what infect is trying to accomplish.</p>
<p>Usually, infect suffers from one major drawback: it's hard to kill three players with infect. This is where myriad comes in. Duke Ulder can grant a creature myriad and haste, and giving myriad to infect or toxic creatures is an easy way to spread out poison counters to everyone.</p>
<h2>Category #1: Infect, and its younger brother, Toxic</h2>
<p>In Boros, there are only a handful of creatures with infect that we can include: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Core Prowler" href="#" target="_blank">Core Prowler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides us with extra value when it dies, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ichorclaw Myr" href="#" target="_blank">Ichorclaw Myr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gets bigger when it becomes blocked, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tine Shrike" href="#" target="_blank">Tine Shrike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a flying poisonous threat, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corpse Cur" href="#" target="_blank">Corpse Cur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can recur any of our infect creatures that die, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Razor Swine" href="#" target="_blank">Razor Swine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants us first strike on top of infect, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Juggernaut" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Juggernaut</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s "downside" of always attacking allows us to constantly pressure our opponents.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Core Prowler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ichorclaw Myr"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tine Shrike"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Corpse Cur"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Razor Swine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Juggernaut"></div></div>
<p>On top of our infect creatures, we have a few toxic creatures to help push toward our goal: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skrelv&#039;s Hive" href="#" target="_blank">Skrelv&#039;s Hive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a white <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bitterblossom" href="#" target="_blank">Bitterblossom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but for Phyrexian Mites, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="White Sun&#039;s Twilight" href="#" target="_blank">White Sun&#039;s Twilight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a board wipe that can leave us with a terrifying board, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Convert" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Convert</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can act as a mana dork <em>or</em> a toxic threat, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Annex Sentry" href="#" target="_blank">Annex Sentry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a good piece of removal in a pinch, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skrelv, Defector Mite" href="#" target="_blank">Skrelv, Defector Mite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great way to protect our creatures while giving them toxic 1.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skrelv&#039;s Hive"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="White Sun&#039;s Twilight"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Myr Convert"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Annex Sentry"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skrelv, Defector Mite"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: Copies, copies, copies!</h2>
<p>Since our options for infect and toxic creatures are so limited, I needed to find ways to make the most out of every creature we have. With this in mind, including creatures that can create copies of other creatures (even if they're temporary) is a must! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jaxis, the Troublemaker" href="#" target="_blank">Jaxis, the Troublemaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink" href="#" target="_blank">Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rionya, Fire Dancer" href="#" target="_blank">Rionya, Fire Dancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all are perfect ways to copy our infect creatures for maximum value.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jaxis, the Troublemaker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rionya, Fire Dancer"></div></div>
<p>Aside from Duke Ulder's ability, we have a few other ways to grant myriad to our creatures: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blade of Selves" href="#" target="_blank">Blade of Selves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants myriad to whichever creature is equipped, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Legion Loyalty" href="#" target="_blank">Legion Loyalty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants myriad to <em>all</em> of our creatures.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blade of Selves"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Legion Loyalty"></div></div>
<p>Also, for all of those pesky <em>temporary</em> copies that we make, I included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundial of the Infinite" href="#" target="_blank">Sundial of the Infinite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We can't let good tokens go to waste!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sundial of the Infinite"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: Proliferate</h2>
<p>It's not always guaranteed that we can get in for damage, but if we can get in early enough, that's all we need! If everyone has at least one poison counter, we have plenty of proliferate effects to ensure that our gameplan isn't stalled by a few blockers or an untimely fog.</p>
<p>Some of the best are: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glistening Sphere" href="#" target="_blank">Glistening Sphere</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to act as a mana rock that proliferates upon entering, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Staff of Compleation" href="#" target="_blank">Staff of Compleation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to act as a Swiss army knife for our deck, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Truth and Justice" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Truth and Justice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to make our infect creatures bigger while granting proliferation on combat damage, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Recon Craft Theta" href="#" target="_blank">Recon Craft Theta</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Filigree Vector" href="#" target="_blank">Filigree Vector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to act as repeatable ways to proliferate every turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glistening Sphere"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Staff of Compleation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword of Truth and Justice"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Recon Craft Theta"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Filigree Vector"></div></div>
<p>If you're wondering, yes, we <em>are</em> including the proliferate all-stars in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Clasp" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Clasp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Clasp"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Engine"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: Pushing Damage</h2>
<p>To win with poison, let's be honest, this deck needs to attack <em>a lot</em> in the early game. Here's what I included to help with that: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner" href="#" target="_blank">Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can make our small creatures unblockable, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard" href="#" target="_blank">Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give our attacking tokens double strike (this can be Mites <em>or</em> our myriad copies!), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Full Throttle" href="#" target="_blank">Full Throttle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give us extra combat steps, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dolmen Gate" href="#" target="_blank">Dolmen Gate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can guarantee the safety of our attackers, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Akroma&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give protection and act as a finisher, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Virtue of Loyalty" href="#" target="_blank">Virtue of Loyalty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can grow our army, as well as untap them, every turn!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Full Throttle"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dolmen Gate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akroma&#039;s Will"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Virtue of Loyalty"></div></div>
<h2>Category #5: "Secret Spice" 1 and 2</h2>
<p>Our first secret spice for today comes more in the form of a strategy rather than a specific card. Since we are relying heavily on the poison plan, we included a lot of proliferate effects.</p>
<p>What else is good with proliferate? +1/+1 counters. There are so many cards in this deck that grant +1/+1 counters to our creatures that we should have no problem presenting a threatening board even without any poison makers.</p>
<p>For example, if <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Virtue of Loyalty" href="#" target="_blank">Virtue of Loyalty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is on the board alongside <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetheric Amplifier" href="#" target="_blank">Aetheric Amplifier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? All of our creatures get HUGE. (Specifically, 1 counter turns into 3 then into 6)</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Virtue of Loyalty"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aetheric Amplifier"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Engine"></div></div>
<p>Even if you just wanted to focus on the +1/+1 counters side of this deck, you could take out all of the infect creatures and replace them with anything you want and the deck can still operate at a high level.</p>
<p>Our second secret spice is a card that I think deserves the spotlight more often: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier" href="#" target="_blank">Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier"></div></div>
<p>Our commander grants myriad and haste to something, and Agrus can copy that ability and apply it <em>every creature we control.</em> The same can be said about any additional copying effects (Jaxis, Orthion, etc.). If our entire battlefield has myriad and haste, the game is over.</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our ninth edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color combination in the world of infect! I know you might have tuned out for this one, as poison isn't for anyone, but give it a shot!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">If you have any thoughts or ideas about this decklist, let me know in the comments below!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Duke Ulder Ravengard" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Duke Ulder Ravengard
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier
*1 Annex Sentry
*1 Core Prowler
*1 Corpse Cur
*1 Crawling Chorus
*1 Feldon of the Third Path
*1 Filigree Vector
*1 Grateful Apparition
*1 Ichorclaw Myr
*1 Jawbone Duelist
*1 Jaxis, the Troublemaker
*1 Lost Leonin
*1 Mangara, the Diplomat
*1 Metastatic Evangel
*1 Myr Convert
*1 Necropede
*1 Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard
*1 Norn&#039;s Choirmaster
*1 Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink
*1 Phyrexian Juggernaut
*1 Plague Myr
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Razor Swine
*1 Rionya, Fire Dancer
*1 Skrelv, Defector Mite
*1 Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner
*1 Tine Shrike
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Land Tax
*1 Legion Loyalty
*1 Norn&#039;s Decree
*1 Skrelv&#039;s Hive
*1 Virtue of Loyalty // Ardenvale Fealty
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Aetheric Amplifier
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Astral Cornucopia
*1 Blade of Selves
*1 Boros Signet
*1 Contagion Clasp
*1 Contagion Engine
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Dolmen Gate
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Glistening Sphere
*1 Grafted Exoskeleton
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Hourglass of the Lost
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Recon Craft Theta
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Staff of Compleation
*1 Sundial of the Infinite
*1 Sword of Truth and Justice
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Throne of Geth
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Farewell
*1 Full Throttle
*1 White Sun&#039;s Twilight
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Akroma&#039;s Will
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Razorgrass Ambush // Razorgrass Field
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Untimely Malfunction
*1 Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Castle Embereth
*1 Command Tower
*1 Elegant Parlor
*1 Escape Tunnel
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Forgotten Cave
*1 Inkmoth Nexus
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
*1 Mirrex
*10 Mountain
*1 Path of Ancestry
*9 Plains
*1 Rustvale Bridge
*1 Secluded Steppe
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Temple of Triumph
*1 War Room
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Bottom of the Barrel - Duke Ulder Ravengard

<h6 style="text-align: right;">Header image courtesy of Wizards of the Coast</h6>
<p>The Spotlight Series is headed to Japan for the first time.</p>
<p>Wizards of the Coast announced the company’s ongoing Spotlight Series will be hosting <em>Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY </em>in Chiba, Japan this summer.</p>
<p>According to Wizards, the Magic Spotlight: FINAL FANTASY event "will feature the excitement of competitive Magic and the impact of the <em>FINAL FANTASY</em> series with a high-stakes main event and an assortment of engaging side events offering something for every type of fan." In collaboration with Japanese retailer <a href="https://mtg.bigmagic.net/top.html">BIG MAGIC</a>, Magic Spotlight: FINAL FANTASY is a three-day event running from June 27–29 in Chiba, with a two-day open field tournament where competitors will face off in Standard Constructed format for a share of a $50,000 USD prize pool. The top eight players from the event will receive invitations to the Pro Tour Edge of Eternities tournament at MagicCon: Atlanta (Sept. 26-28).</p>
<p>Each participant in Magic Spotlight: FINAL FANTASY's main event will receive a non-foil Japanese-language borderless promo card featuring a card from the upcoming Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY release. Additionally, the Top 128 competitors in the event will receive traditional foil copies of that promo card. In addition to the main event, Magic Spotlight: FINAL FANTASY will host multiple side events with a variety of formats on display.</p>
<p>This event is free to enter, however there is a maximum capacity in the venue, so fans should check for specific information about access to the venue closer to the event. Entry into the $50,000 prize pool main event will require the purchase of a ticket when registration opens, and limited seating is available. Full details will be available on the website for Magic Spotlight: FINAL FANTASY. The site goes live on Wednesday, April 16, with registration opening the next day, April 17 at Noon JST.</p>
<p>Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY launches June 13, with the set representing a rich universe with iconic elements that fans have come to love over the franchise's history. Fans will see characters from every mainline FINAL FANTASY game, each depicted through the lens of <em>Magic: The Gathering</em>. The set is available for preorder now at local game stores, online retailers like Amazon, and elsewhere <em>Magic</em> products are sold.</p>
<p>This upcoming set features the largest collection of FINAL FANTASY artwork ever in a single game, drawing from across the franchise. <em>Magic</em> artists have brought moments from FINAL FANTASY to life in their own unique style while classic FINAL FANTASY art pieces make appearances on these epic cards. Fans will see their favorite stories, characters and moments from FINAL FANTASY depicted across <em>Magic</em> cards, with these icons of the series captured on over 100 legendary creature cards across the entire release.</p>
<p><strong>What is the Spotlight Series?</strong></p>
<p>The <a href="https://magic.gg/spotlight">Magic Spotlight Series</a> is a collection of open invite events that lets anyone play high-level <em>Magic </em>to win significant prizes. The next Spotlight Series event is slated for <a href="https://scgcon.starcitygames.com/event/scg-con-indianapolis-2025/">May 30-June 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana</a>, centered around a "Secret Lair" theme, and will be organized by Star City Games. The main event will be Modern Constructed, with all participants receiving a Secret Lair Showdown Garruk Wildspeaker promo:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Garruk Wildspeaker|SLP|42"></div></div>
<p>In addition to prize money and a Pro Tour invite, the winner of Indianapolis's Spotlight Series: Secret Lair will also consult on a future Secret Lair.</p>
<p>The main feature of each Magic Spotlight Series event is $50,000 in prize money. With the money going to the main event's top finishers, it's a great incentive to grab a deck and dive into competitive <em>Magic</em>. Additionally, the Top 8 players of each main event will receive invites to the Pro Tour.</p>
<p>For more information on Spotlight events and other places to experience Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY, keep an eye on <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/news">DailyMTG</a>.</p>


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