Kelsien, the PlagueKelsien, the Plague | Art by Chris Rallis

One important mechanic is returning in Avatar: The Last Airbender Eternal: experience counters! When I started seeing spoilers, I was immediately on the lookout for potential multicolored commanders that care about how much experience you have, and I stumbled across Kelsien, the PlagueKelsien, the Plague, an Assassin from Ikoria who's on a revenge tour against the monsters that destroyed his home.

What does Kelsien, the Plague Do?

Beyond the helpful vigilance and haste keywords, Kelsien cares about our experience counters, getting a +1/+1 bonus for each one. But how can we increase these counters? This comes in Kelsien's final paragraph of text. We are hoping to ping down vulnerable creatures our opponents control with this commander, because when they die to his ability, we can up our experience count.

What did this deck look like before Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Let's use EDHREC's handy dandy Average Deck feature to see how other brewers have built around Kelsien.

What are the important categories that show up in this list, and what do they tell us about this commander?

Deathtouch-Enablers

The Average Deck has 14 cards that can give creatures deathtouch. This ability pairs perfectly with our commander because it means even a one-damage ping will be enough to take out any creature and add to our experience.

The Average Deck has 35 lands and eight nonland sources of mana, a total of 43 mana sources. If you've read any of my recent articles, you can probably guess what I'm going to say: this feels far too low! This topic is the subject of much debate, though... if you're interested in learning more, you can check out this article, this video, and/or this episode of the EDHREC podcast.

On the plus side, we do see a healthy 11 cards that draw or search for Auras/Equipment as well as 15 pieces of disruption, including seven spot removal spells and three mass removal spells.

The Rebuild

Experience Required

To start, let's take a look at the new cards that care about experience counters: Aang, Airbending MasterAang, Airbending Master, Azula, Ruthless FirebenderAzula, Ruthless Firebender, and Zuko, Firebending MasterZuko, Firebending Master. Throw in the recently spoiled card Kratos, Stoic FatherKratos, Stoic Father, and we have twice as many experience payoffs as the Average Deck.

Maximizing Counters

With a increased focus on experience, we're also throwing more resources towards steadily upping counters of all types. Proliferate will provide our commander an unstoppable boost (okay, technically they could play SuncleanserSuncleanser).

Proliferate has added synergy with many cards we'd already like to include in a deck like this. Beyond experience, imagine the power of repeatedly increasing -1/-1-1/-1, +1/+1+1/+1, chargecharge, and even oiloil counters.

Less Removal, More Chaos

For this rebuild, let's see what happens if we prioritize more creatures dying synergies over board control through cards like Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares and Ruinous UltimatumRuinous Ultimatum. The more creatures that are swinging willy nilly at each other in combat, the more fun it is for Kelsien to sit back and strike when the time is right.

Let's switch out some removal staples for more fun token-generators, like Combat CalligrapherCombat Calligrapher, Varchild, Betrayer of KjeldorVarchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor, and Shadrix SilverquillShadrix Silverquill instead.

Challenge the Stats

At a measly 16% inclusion rate, this Zombie Beast appears seriously underplayed. The high prevalence of deathtouch-enablers turn the Thoctar into an absolute house. Even without deathtouch, the new creature Fire Nation SentinelsFire Nation Sentinels has a lot of good synergy – now allowing you to take down even two toughness creatures at ease – while growing the rest of your team in the process as an added bonus.

Putting It All Together