Slinza, the Spiked StampedeSlinza, the Spiked Stampede | Art by Kenta Ishikawa

Greetings and salutations, from a place where Raclette is more than an institution, it's almost a religion. I'm Arnaud, and I'm thrilled to take you into a journey of massive beasts, wild spells, and empty pockets.

Last time, we parted ways with the usual poll. Before addressing the results, I'd like to thank all of you who participated. It had been a long time since there were so many votes. 263! It's not the highest score ever achieved, but it's close.

So what did the results yield? Third place went to Bello, Bard of the BramblesBello, Bard of the Brambles, with 68 votes (26%). An honorable score, but alas too low for the enchanting Raccoon to stand a chance. Second came Ashnod, Flesh MechanistAshnod, Flesh Mechanist, with 95 votes (36%). A close, very close second place. So much so it will be soon come back into another poll, croix de bois, croix de fer. 

The top spot went to none other than the lord of Beasts, Slinza, the Spiked StampedeSlinza, the Spiked Stampede, with 100 votes (38%).

Slinza has a lot of charm to it. A 5/5 for five mana is nothing extraordinary. However, its ability to reduce the cost of every other Beast by is all but insignificant. Those two mana can thereafter be used to have Slinza fight another annoying menace on the field, while our Beast will conveniently have been pumped upon arrival.

In a nutshell, it's ramp and removal in the command zone, which makes it a versatile commander, perfect for newcomers.

Let's grab each and every card from both the regular and budget options on EDHREC and throw them all into Archidekt.

289 cards. A bit lower than usual. Let's see what goodies await!

First Trim – The Cardboard Chainsaw Massacre

Let's first welcome each and every new reader. The philosophy here is all about budget. Each deck built in these articles follows one rule: no cards worth $1.11 and above. While this can prove quite challenging at times, I have found over the years that it's a fantastic field to spur creativity and encourage more relaxed brews.

Who said you need to play expensive staples to make a powerful deck?

Before proceeding further, please note that the mindset for these decks is aimed at Bracket 2 to low 3s. Lists that can still do impressive things, but that are meant for casual environments.

With the methodology out of the way, let's begin by cutting all cards that are worth $2 and more. This brings the list down to an already fairly low 209 cards. Before trimming any further, let's have a look at the best options in the $1.11-$2 range.

You know, just in case you feel like treating yourself to something nice:

• Elemental BondElemental Bond: If there were a card I'd be willing to make an exception for, this is it. One of the best draw engines in green, period.
• Unnatural GrowthUnnatural Growth: And this would be the other one. With powerful creatures on the field, this is game-ending. Not to mention it triggers each and every combat.
• Caller of the PackCaller of the Pack: One 8/6 is good. Three is better.
• Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act: The best board wipe in .
• Rishkar's ExpertiseRishkar's Expertise: Don't you love drawing seven cards and playing something for free?
• Garruk, Primal HunterGarruk, Primal Hunter: Usually used to draw a bunch of cards upon arrival, but don't underestimate the +1; these Beasts add up.
• Overwhelming StampedeOverwhelming Stampede: One of the best game-enders, period.
• Questing BeastQuesting Beast: Aside from having a million lines of text, it also makes you coffee, pancakes, and foot massage in the evenings. A true Beast-of-all-trades.
• Beastmaster AscensionBeastmaster Ascension: Top marks for flavor, but not that likely to trigger often here.

This leaves a couple of cards worth between $1.00 and $1.10:

• Hardened ScalesHardened Scales: Why settle on one single +1/+1 counter?
• Sol RingSol Ring: One day, I'll start making stats on how many times this has been above and below the $1.10 mark. Apparently it still hasn't been reprinted enough.

191 cards. Time to begin the real work.

Second Trim – Cardward Scissorhands

Today's brew is quite refreshing. No complicated tactics, no sneaky underhand shenanigans. Just pure and sheer power.

The veggies aren't too bad either. See:

Since most of the relevant Beasts ask for a decent amount of mana, I'm going to keep the ramp count fairly high. Sure, Slinza already provides a hefty reduction, but you still need to get to five mana, and you can be sure your commander will be a prime target once your opponents realize how much value it yields.

Draw is also important. You need to be able to rebuild fairly quickly after the inevitable board wipe, and you can't do that if you don't have cards in hand.

I'll keep a decent removal package. Slinza can already deal with a significant part of the board, but there are a lot of thematic outlets, often on creatures. Some could also help you close out the game.

Let's cut:

Looking better. After trimming down the land base a bit to reach 36 lands, the list is down to 140 cards. Time to get to the difficult part.

Third Trim – Cutting Off the Rough Edges

Right, let's cut to the chase. This list wants to do one thing, and one thing alone: smash faces with huge Beasts cast with a major discount. This may very well be the shortest strategy guide ever devised for such decks, but there's no beating the bush about it. Better beat your opponents.

There are currently 34 of such creatures that aren't categorized elsewhere. And while you will need to keep a significant number for consistency, there are some that aren't quite as impactful as I'd like them to be.

There are also a bunch of outlets tied to +1/+1 counters. Again, not all are born equal here, and some feel underwhelming, especially since said counters are just the cherry on top.

A lot of protective spells. I feel a lot of those can be safely cut.

And then the rest, between anthems, mass pump, and damage doublers to weird stuff.

Finally, painfully, the list is down to 110 cards. Time for the final stretch.

Final Trim – Heart-Wrenching Choices

I'll be honest, I don't want to cut anything anymore. The list looks fine as is. Rule 0 it, play 110, embrace the more is better... Sigh, or at least that's what I would say if I was an inconsiderate lazybutt.

And to make matters even worse, I'm going to add Ivy Lane DenizenIvy Lane Denizen to the list. It will grow the Beasts, and goes infinite in a fun way with Herd BalothHerd Baloth.

As usual, these final cuts are a matter of personal preference. None of these are actually bad.

• Aether ChargeAether Charge: I've pondered a while on this one. In the end, it's expensive, your opponents will see it coming from a mile away, and it takes the spot of a Beast you could have played instead.
• Shared AnimosityShared Animosity: In a tokens deck, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. Here though... Your creatures remain rather expensive, and I don't really see a situation where you'd be attacking with more than four Beasts. It's not bad, but I fear it will be disappointing more often than not.
• Coliseum BehemothColiseum Behemoth: One of the most expensive creatures still around, and not one that's extremely impactful at that.
• Titanoth RexTitanoth Rex: Same reasoning. Sure, you can cycle it away, but I fear it will often stick to your hand while you wait too long for the mana. Close call though.
• Gruul SignetGruul Signet: 13 ramp spells should prove more than adequate, especially with all that card draw.
• Ram ThroughRam Through: Not all creatures have trample. A lot, but not all. So I fear it will miss the mark half of the time.
• Monstrous VortexMonstrous Vortex: Yes, the value it provides is insane. But there are only 13 creatures with power five or more in the deck, and I feel like it will do nothing a lot of the time.
• Preposterous ProportionsPreposterous Proportions: Fun as it is, it feels a bit win-more in this list.
• Curious HerdCurious Herd: Sure, against the occasional artifacts deck it will spawn an army. But more realistically it will net two or three 3/3s. And don't count on those Treasure hoarders to let you gather a horde.
• FogFog: I so love playing Fog in any green deck I build... But I'm seriously running out of ideas of what else to cut.
• Beastie BeatdownBeastie Beatdown: I hate removing something so flavorful. But in the end, I'm not 100% it will be that efficient.

And with these final cuts out of the way, I give you:

Slinza, the Spiked Stampede Commander Deck List

Additional Trim – A Look Into the Past

Let's start our engines and rev up, it's time to see how a Trim from a year and a half ago fared after 18 months or so.

The answer is... could be worse. There are nine cards currently worth $1.11 and above:

• Oswald FiddlebenderOswald Fiddlebender: $1.13
• Leonin AbunasLeonin Abunas: $1.13
• WeatherlightWeatherlight: $1.31
• Losheel, Clockwork ScholarLosheel, Clockwork Scholar: $1.33
• Skysovereign, Consul FlagshipSkysovereign, Consul Flagship: $1.47
• MirrorworksMirrorworks: $1.60
• Illuminor SzerasIlluminor Szeras: $3.57
• Knight PaladinKnight Paladin: $4.58 (!!)
• Imotekh the StormlordImotekh the Stormlord: $6.34 (!!!)

Looks like these Warhammer cards are creeping up in value. Let's replace them with the following:

• Smuggler's CopterSmuggler's Copter: Value never hurt anyone
• Reckoner BankbusterReckoner Bankbuster: Not the flashiest card ever, but it's a versatile outlet
• Valor's FlagshipValor's Flagship: Big beater, 'nough said.
• Rolling HamsphereRolling Hamsphere: Between you and me, Myr BattlesphereMyr Battlesphere is overrated.
• Armed and ArmoredArmed and Armored: In case Greasefang is taken out of the equation
• Unidentified HovershipUnidentified Hovership: Repeated removal? Don't mind if I do.
• Interface AceInterface Ace: One of the best pilots out there. Enables Plan B.
• The RegaliaThe Regalia: It's not quite as good as Sword of the AnimistSword of the Animist, but ramp is ramp.
• The Fire Nation DrillThe Fire Nation Drill: A fantastic addition from the latest set. I wouldn't be surprised if it saw massive adoption.

You can find the updated list here.

Conclusion

How calming is the feeling of letting loose, leaving your brain in a jar and simply listening to the bestial and primal urges.

How about you? Are you a visceral conqueror of rampage and gore? Do you embrace your inner Gruul?

Let me know in the comments below, and I'll see you in two weeks!

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