Syr Vondam, Sunstar ExemplarSyr Vondam, Sunstar Exemplar | Art by Ryan Pancoast

After Final Fantasy's onslaught of legends, I thought I'd cool off on building something new for a moment. Edge of Eternities had other plans for me.

Not only am I looking at building a certain Lobster CitizenLobster Citizen, I've also got Hearthhull, the WorldseedHearthhull, the Worldseed on the mind.

However, only one card kept me up at night, wondering about the direction to take and how to build the deck without being the menace at the table. I woke up one morning and decided that being the bad guy...ain't so bad. Enter Syr Vondam, Sunstar ExemplarSyr Vondam, Sunstar Exemplar.

SUNGLASSES! GUITAR SOLO! HIGH KICKS!

Vondam? More like Von-DAMN!

Syr Vondam, Sunstar ExemplarSyr Vondam, Sunstar Exemplar is a two-mana Orzhov () Human Knight - shout out Lurrus of the Dream-DenLurrus of the Dream-Den companion lovers out there. As a 2/2 with vigilance and menace, you'd figure this would be an excellent Voltron base to build from. Couple that with the following line of text and you're bound to strike fear into your opponents:

"Whenever another creature you control dies or is put into exile, put a +1/+1 counter on Syr Vondam and you gain 1 life."

You're probably thinking, "An aristocrats payoff, no wonder Mike is covering this one." But this is only a means to get to that sweet final line that says:

"When Syr Vondam dies or is put into exile while its power is 4 or greater, destroy up to one target nonland permanent." Jackpot. This guy's a real "if I'm going down, I'm taking you with me" type.

The closest analogue to this is The Balrog, Durin's BaneThe Balrog, Durin's Bane since when it dies, you get to snipe a creature or artifact, but that big beast requires a lot more setup than our chosen space knight. 

I would venture a guess that blink is the theme of choice for Syr Vondam, Sunstar ExemplarSyr Vondam, Sunstar Exemplar brewers whose eyes widen at the prospect of a new flavor of Orzhov control. Voltron is a viable backup plan for sure, and you can most definitely build an aristocrats shell to support this, but blink is the name of the game for me with this.

Destroying nonland permanents by flickering your commander over and over seems like a rude thing to do - and it is. But sometimes, you just gotta be bad! Opponents, get your stuff off the table!

Strong Cards for the Sunstar Exemplar

Syr Vondam, Sunstar ExemplarSyr Vondam, Sunstar Exemplar's at his best when his power is four or more, so it's time to pull out your favorite anthem effects that can add at least two power.

Pump Effects

Bastion ProtectorBastion Protector reports for duty, making sure that when they share the battlefield with Syr Vondam, they're making their commander shine. Elesh Norn, Grand CenobiteElesh Norn, Grand Cenobite does the same but also wrecks your opponents' board for more mana.

Your target for a Noble HeritageNoble Heritage's two +1/+1 counters is pretty obvious, but whether your opponents should take the counters or not isn't as obvious.

Another all-star anthem effect is LOTR's Flowering of the White TreeFlowering of the White Tree since it costs two mana, gets Vondam to four power, and adds in a little protection.

Commander's InsigniaCommander's Insignia finds a home in this deck. Opponents will need to get creative about getting rid of Vondam with this out; with his low mana cost, you'll easily cast him the minimum requisite second time, creating the rattlesnake engine.

Heraldic BannerHeraldic Banner and Patchwork BannerPatchwork Banner are excellent mana rocks that also boost your commander.

My favorite is by far Deathbringer LiegeDeathbringer Liege. I've long been a fan of the Liege cycle and the Ravnica legends like Lyzolda, the Blood WitchLyzolda, the Blood Witch that care about two colors but add value if both are involved.

DBL gets Vondam pumped up and allows you to tap and destroy a creature when you cast your commander. That tap ability is way better than you think it will be. If you need to make way for Vondam, this is one of those that flies a little under the radar.

Blink Effects

So what now? You've got a beefy commander, but how does that make you the bad guy? You'll just hit everybody with combat damage, right?

Yes, but that's not all!

You're going to blink Syr Vondam, Sunstar ExemplarSyr Vondam, Sunstar Exemplar to get rid of problem permanents your opponents control! Trigger your commander once on each of your turns with Conjurer's ClosetConjurer's Closet and Teleportation CircleTeleportation Circle - not Far TravelerFar Traveler, that requires a tapped target creature and Vondam has vigilance. (How's that for a Challenge the Stats?)

Activated abilities allow you to trigger Vondam as long as you can afford to. A personal favorite, Eldrazi DisplacerEldrazi Displacer, and LOTR's Gilraen, Dúnedain ProtectorGilraen, Dúnedain Protector fulfill this MVP role very well.

Instants like CloudshiftCloudshift and EphemerateEphemerate give you a one-shot at it while classics like FlickerwispFlickerwisp, Felidar GuardianFelidar Guardian, and Restoration AngelRestoration Angel bring that energy on a body.

Flicker on attack with the likes of Galepowder MageGalepowder Mage, Golden ArgosyGolden Argosy, and very good pup Phelia, Exuberant ShepherdPhelia, Exuberant Shepherd.

Every time you blink your commander, you take out something on your opponent's board. Seems pretty nutty.

What if you need to remove something with hexproof or indestructible? That pesky Avacyn, Angel of HopeAvacyn, Angel of Hope's gotta go! Then you better pack a ShadowspearShadowspear and Shay CormacShay Cormac. You don't even need to equip the spear to render things destructible, but it's not a bad look adding lifelink to your ever-growing leader.

Don't forget the trample! When Vondam's collection of +1/+1 counters adorns him like many medals of distinction, trample means it's time to close out these games, gang!

How Does Syr VondamSyr Vondam Conquer the Table?

This deck feels like a surprisingly versatile blink deck with a commander damage off-ramp. But make no mistake; at the end of the day, this is an Orzhov control deck with a direct missile launcher in the command zone.

Let's address the most straightforward. With all the anthems you're running, your creatures are big ol' beans rolling in for a slam. Commander damage is on the table because Vondam can get really big, really quickly. If you can't get through, there are more defensive ways to take a win.

Excellent blink targets that take the table down a notch are Gray Merchant of AsphodelGray Merchant of Asphodel, Obzedat, Ghost CouncilObzedat, Ghost Council, and, if your opponents have enough creatures, Massacre WurmMassacre Wurm.

Maybe you've got a lot of creatures coming into play - then Corpse KnightCorpse Knight and Altar of the BroodAltar of the Brood bring the signature Mikey "death by a thousand cuts" strategy back in the mix.

If you're wondering how you'll get enough creatures into play, Abdel Adrian, Gorion's WardAbdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward ready to scoop all your ETB creatures up in exchange for Soldiers tokens. Then, you can ask Gilraen nicely to flicker Abdel himself, triggering everything tucked under him again before getting them back in exile to flicker again.

If you feel like it, you can kick this deck into Bracket 4 with a two-card combo. The deck list below needs a single swap to include Animate DeadAnimate Dead which, when paired with Abdel Adrian, Gorion's WardAbdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward, gives you infinite ETBs and LTBs.

I've earmarked Call for UnityCall for Unity as a fine choice to replace with Animate DeadAnimate Dead if that's where you want to go with it.

Syr Vondam, Sunstar ExemplarSyr Vondam, Sunstar Exemplar Commander Deck List

Starman Waiting in the Sky

I'll reiterate that this deck can make you the bad guy at the table. You have something in the command zone that can easily be abused to decimate your opponents' permanents; it makes sense. However, not everyone is looking to ruffle feathers at the table.

How would you build Syr Vondam, Sunstar ExemplarSyr Vondam, Sunstar Exemplar? Do you feel like taking this list for a spin? Let me know if you do! I'd love to hear about it.

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