<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yule Ooze" href="#" target="_blank">Yule Ooze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Prescott_(artist)">Steve Prescott</a>)</h6>
<h1>Introduction</h1>
<p>We find ourselves in a strange place, as we often do, a realm of juxtaposition. The sun hides, and the nights lengthen. There is disparity in this season. Somewhere, a Dark Souls joke is made. Heat and cold. Bonfires and snow shovels. <em>Hygge</em> and the bitter chill of winter.</p>
<p>Welcome to <em>Yule Shot</em>, where we brew two decks at the same time... in one deck. This time, to honor the elder gods of Candletide, we'll be knitting a warm blanket of the <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/snow">Snow supertype</a> atop an <a href="https://edhrec.com/tribes/oozes">Ooze tribal</a> subtheme. How is Snow presented here as a metaphor for warmth, you ask? Igloos. And why Ooze? Well, in anticipation of the eventual errata of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yule Ooze" href="#" target="_blank">Yule Ooze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to black border, of course.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jegantha, the Wellspring"></div></div>
<p>I think <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jegantha, the Wellspring" href="#" target="_blank">Jegantha, the Wellspring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> looks suitably festive. If one were to make a New Year's Resolution to forego multiples of duplicate mana symbols in card costs, Jegantha could probably pull the royal sleigh of someone like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kenrith, Returned King" href="#" target="_blank">Kenrith, Returned King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who, in the lore of Eldraine, is prophesied to become Santa Claus in his twilight years. Though some sad substitutions would have to be made (God rest ye merry <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Predator Ooze" href="#" target="_blank">Predator Ooze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), Kenrith's second ability could make for a powerful +1/+1 counters tertiary theme that permeates, and even 'permanates' throughout the brew.</p>
<p>But we'll keep this list cozy, so that means lots of mana symbols in casting costs. With Jegantha steering (sleighs have wheels, right? Hmm... ask the wheelwright), that gives us access to things like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glacial Plating" href="#" target="_blank">Glacial Plating</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Oh, this is going to end up being a <em>Cumulative Upkeep</em> deck, isn't it?</p>
<p>One would think the cold might slow our gelatinous friends down. Is there such a thing as <em>too </em>viscous? Let's find out.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Rudolph’s Reign" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Jegantha, the Wellspring
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Boreal Druid
*1 Chilling Shade
*1 Burnished Hart
*1 Conifer Wurm
*1 Diamond Faerie
*1 Thing in the Ice
*1 Woolly Razorback
*1 Rimefeather Owl
*1 Zombie Musher
*1 Rimescale Dragon
*1 Heidar, Rimewind Master
*1 Ice-Fang Coatl
*1 Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
*1 Chulane, Teller of Tales
*1 Sisay, Weatherlight Captain
*1 Tatyova, Benthic Druid
*1 Yule Ooze
*1 Mitotic Slime
*1 Biowaste Blob
*1 Slurrk, All-Ingesting
*1 Prime Speaker Vannifar
*1 Acidic Slime
*1 Bloodhall Ooze
*1 Manaplasm
*1 Experiment Kraj
*1 Scavenging Ooze
*1 Ancient Ooze
*1 Biogenic Ooze
*1 Predator Ooze
*1 Metallic Mimic
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Mystic Genesis
*1 Tribal Unity
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Into the North
*1 Cultivate
*1 Gelatinous Genesis
*1 Miming Slime
*1 Hurricane
*1 Harsh Mercy
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Arcum’s Astrolabe
*1 Coldsteel Heart
*1 Obelisk of Urd
*1 Vanquisher&#039;s Banner
*1 Slate of Ancestry
*1 The Ozolith
*1 Chromatic Orrery
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Iceberg
*1 Marit Lage&#039;s Slumber
*1 Rhythm of the Wild
*1 Ice Cave
*1 Gelid Shackles
*1 On Thin Ice
*1 Snow Devil
*1 Glacial Plating
*1 Ooze Garden
*1 Ooze Flux
*1 Crown of Ascension
*1 Etchings of the Chosen
*1 Steely Resolve
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Command Tower
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*1 Novijen, Heart of Progress
*1 Highland Weald
*1 Boreal Shelf
*1 Arctic Flats
*1 Tresserhorn Sinks
*1 Frost Marsh
*1 Scrying Sheets
*3 Snow-Covered Plains
*5 Snow-Covered Island
*4 Snow-Covered Swamp
*4 Snow-Covered Mountain
*7 Snow-Covered Forest
*1 Krosan Verge
*1 Blighted Woodland
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Cinder Glade
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Flooded Grove
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<h2>Santa Took the Year Off</h2>
<p>We're running 40 lands in this list, giving Rudolph plenty of room to touch down. We're a bit color-intensive, thanks to the many multi-pipped Oozes, so we've excised some obvious lands, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Frostwalk Bastion" href="#" target="_blank">Frostwalk Bastion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark Depths" href="#" target="_blank">Dark Depths</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mouth of Ronom" href="#" target="_blank">Mouth of Ronom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. While we are trying to cool things down with ice counters, Marit Lage will have to wait a little longer: the additional color sources in this list seemed more important than a few more frosty permanents. Generally, our ice counters will be doing different things, but with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rimefeather Owl" href="#" target="_blank">Rimefeather Owl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we can refrigerate our own gelatinous desserts, adding to our total number of Snow permanents in a pinch. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Woolly Razorback" href="#" target="_blank">Woolly Razorback</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thing in the Ice" href="#" target="_blank">Thing in the Ice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will even be Snowy for a little while.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rimefeather Owl"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Woolly Razorback"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thing in the Ice"></div></div>
<p>More likely we'll be plowing away both with our abundance of winter wonderlands and with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chulane, Teller of Tales" href="#" target="_blank">Chulane, Teller of Tales</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Golos, Tireless Pilgrim" href="#" target="_blank">Golos, Tireless Pilgrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (incidentally, second and third in line for the Santa line of succession). It shouldn't be too difficult to flash in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ice-Fang Coatl" href="#" target="_blank">Ice-Fang Coatl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with deathtouch, nor should <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heidar, Rimewind Master" href="#" target="_blank">Heidar, Rimewind Master</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s activated ability be unavailable for overlong.</p>
<p>Of course, as the snow piles up, so too should our +1/+1 counters, accumulating in the gooey eaves. While <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hardened Scales" href="#" target="_blank">Hardened Scales</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might seem as brightly obvious as the North Star, our included lords and anthems and the like serve us well enough. And as far as the +1/+1 counter interactions themselves (e.g. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ooze Flux" href="#" target="_blank">Ooze Flux</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Experiment Kraj" href="#" target="_blank">Experiment Kraj</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), we should have a reliable stockpile even without doubling.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Obelisk of Urd"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Biowaste Blob"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tribal Unity"></div></div>
<p>And hey, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Obelisk of Urd" href="#" target="_blank">Obelisk of Urd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does a decent impression of a Douglas Fir.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Santa's Back!</h2>
<p>However, what if we had someone pulling the reins as well? Left alone, Jegantha just kind of follows their nose. A little bit of navigational experience from a pilot with more than a few flights under their sash could give us some much-needed guidance. Indeed, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kenrith, the Returned King" href="#" target="_blank">Kenrith, the Returned King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has 3,630 decks as of this writing, compared to Jegantha's 216. Sorry, Rudolph.</p>
<p>Santa does not simply walk to the table. He'll need Jegantha leading the van (and maybe <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crown of Ascension" href="#" target="_blank">Crown of Ascension</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Snow Devil" href="#" target="_blank">Snow Devil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) if he's going to take flight.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="To Be Jolly" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Kenrith, the Returned King
[/Commander]
[Companion]
*1 Jegantha, the Wellspring
[/Companion]
[Creatures]
*1 Boreal Druid
*1 Chilling Shade
*1 Burnished Hart
*1 Conifer Wurm
*1 Diamond Faerie
*1 Zombie Musher
*1 Heidar, Rimewind Master
*1 Ice-Fang Coatl
*1 Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
*1 Chulane, Teller of Tales
*1 Sisay, Weatherlight Captain
*1 Tatyova, Benthic Druid
*1 Yule Ooze
*1 Mitotic Slime
*1 Slurrk, All-Ingesting
*1 Prime Speaker Vannifar
*1 Bloodhall Ooze
*1 Manaplasm
*1 Scavenging Ooze
*1 Metallic Mimic
*1 Inexorable Blob
*1 Ravenous Slime
*1 The Mimeoplasm
*1 Corrosive Ooze
*1 Corpsejack Menace
*1 Blizzard Specter
*1 Rime Tender
*1 Blizzard Strix
*1 Abominable Treefolk
*1 Rimewind Cryomancer
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Tribal Unity
*1 Skred
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Into the North
*1 Cultivate
*1 Miming Slime
*1 Hurricane
*1 Harsh Mercy
*1 Slime Molding
*1 Glacial Revelation
*1 Dead of Winter
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Arcum’s Astrolabe
*1 Coldsteel Heart
*1 Obelisk of Urd
*1 Vanquisher’s Banner
*1 Slate of Ancestry
*1 The Ozolith
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Marit Lage’s Slumber
*1 Gelid Shackles
*1 On Thin Ice
*1 Snow Devil
*1 Ooze Garden
*1 Ooze Flux
*1 Crown of Ascension
*1 Etchings of the Chosen
*1 Steely Resolve
*1 Winter’s Night
*1 Gutter Grime
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Command Tower
*1 Karn’s Bastion
*1 Novijen, Heart of Progress
*1 Highland Weald
*1 Boreal Shelf
*1 Arctic Flats
*1 Tresserhorn Sinks
*1 Frost Marsh
*1 Scrying Sheets
*3 Snow-Covered Plains
*5 Snow-Covered Island
*4 Snow-Covered Swamp
*4 Snow-Covered Mountain
*6 Snow-Covered Forest
*1 Krosan Verge
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Cinder Glade
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Mouth of Ronom
*1 Frostwalk Bastion
*1 Dark Depths
*1 Thespian’s Stage
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slate of Ancestry" href="#" target="_blank">Slate of Ancestry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will tell the tales of the sleigh-drivers. Oh, and now with Kenrith reigning o'er the land, tossing your hand into the 'yard has the potential to fuel your commander's fifth activated ability. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Mimeoplasm" href="#" target="_blank">The Mimeoplasm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn't mind a populated charnel house, either. Huh, sounds festive.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pine Walker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Ski Patrol"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Feast of the Unicorn"></div></div>
<p>You'll have noticed that the +1/+1 counter quaternary theme has suffered in the new list, but Kenrith himself provides a bit of support with his second activated ability. In addition, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corpsejack Menace" href="#" target="_blank">Corpsejack Menace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> showed up, fitting in nicely with the forgotten leftovers of the holidays. Without <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rimefeather Owl" href="#" target="_blank">Rimefeather Owl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we won't be feasibly freezing our Oozes, and our lost lords a-leaping means less in the way of holiday cheer. So, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dead of Winter" href="#" target="_blank">Dead of Winter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is likely to hit our jams and jellies along with any other creatures sans snowfall. Fortunately, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kenrith, Returned King" href="#" target="_blank">Kenrith, Returned King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can convince our lazier (that is, dead) Oozes to get back into the workshop and get them making toys again. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prime Speaker Vannifar" href="#" target="_blank">Prime Speaker Vannifar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an Elf Ooze Wizard, so this extremely roundabout metaphor has legs. Or, uh, slime... feet.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Slimefoot, the Stowaway"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2>Year's End</h2>
<p>That's it for this Frore and Frosty Feast, Prepared Two Ways, and Forgotten in the Fridge, and that's it for this inaugural edition of <em>Yule Shot</em>. I hope you all enjoy the remainder of this winter season as much as possible - it is the denouement to 2020, after all. Be sure to fish out any +1/+1 counters in your eggnog, those aren't supposed to be in there. Let us know in the comments below if you've gotten up to any wintry brewing lately, and what it's looking like. Food tokens? Politics? Group hug? Every single card with synonyms for <em>cold</em>?</p>
<p>Till next time. I'll be hoping you all stay safe and warm and fed this season. Happy holidays!</p>


Yule Shot - The Season

Archetune-Up - An Undercity Tradition

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eutropia the Twice-Favored" href="#" target="_blank">Eutropia the Twice-Favored</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/sarawintersart">Sara Winters</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo Melibeu, and this is <em>Epic Experiment,</em> a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.</p>
<p>In today's article we'll be looking into a commander that was eclipsed by all the other goodies that was released along with <em>Theros Beyond</em> <em>Death</em>. She's a three-mana build-around with a lot of potential in enchantress shells, but the loss of white might make people stay away from her: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eutropia the Twice-Favored" href="#" target="_blank">Eutropia the Twice-Favored</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eutropia the Twice-Favored"></div></div>
<p><strong><em>Constellation</em> — Whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. That creature gains flying until end of turn.</strong></p>
<p>Observation 1:</p>
<p>I really like Eutropia. She's a cheap engine that's versatile enough to enable multiple builds, and her kit is strong enough to reward us for building smart.</p>
<p>Observation 2:</p>
<p>She has some potential as a Voltron commander; being able to come down on turn two while having a way to grow and natural evasion is something that shouldn't be overlooked. However, given the nature of her growth (+1/+1 counters) and her likely power-up suite (Auras), she has a rather risky nature and does get shut down by some timely removal.</p>
<p>Observation 3:</p>
<p>As a less-obvious choice, Eutropia could be a pretty interesting <em>Modular</em> commander. Even if we aren't focusing on playing enchantments, just by playing Aura mana acceleration and some enablers, we'll be able to grow our creatures.</p>
<p>Observation 4:</p>
<p>Losing white is definitely a downside when playing an enchantment-heavy deck.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<hr />
<h2></h2>
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Eutropia-Sig.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-48231" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Eutropia-Sig-1024x339.png" alt="" width="1024" height="339" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Eutropia-Sig-1024x339.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Eutropia-Sig-300x99.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Eutropia-Sig-768x254.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Eutropia-Sig.png 1401w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p>It's not a surprise to see this particular list of High Synergy cards, as it could simply be called Simic list of enchantment staples. However, looking a little bit closer, we can see that there's more things going on than this initial analysis might suggest: there's a high priority on aggressive cards, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ordeal of Nylea" href="#" target="_blank">Ordeal of Nylea</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancestral Mask" href="#" target="_blank">Ancestral Mask</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which shows that we're looking at a deck centered around creatures with enchantments as support.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glistener Elf"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curious Obsession"></div></div>
<p>Eutropia's ability to not only grow our creatures but also making them harder to block is extremely valuable for many archetypes, but the archetype that benefits the most from this is, arguably, <em>Infect</em>. It's not hard for <em>Infect</em> to trigger Eutropia's <em>Constellation</em> ability by constantly playing Auras. The fact that Eutropia can both grow and give evasion to our creatures takes the pressure off of our Aura suite, which is amazing because it allow us to have a more utility-focused kit.</p>
<p>Whenever someone criticizes <em>Infect</em> or argues that it should be nerfed, I recommend showing our creature suite or to ask for a top five infect list. <em>Infect</em>, as a secondary win condition, is quite powerful; however; the cards that give strength as a backup plan aren't the <em>de facto</em> <em>Infect</em> cards in the format. You see, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blightsteel Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Blightsteel Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is more combo-/ramp-oriented, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triumph of the Hordes" href="#" target="_blank">Triumph of the Hordes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a mid-range/aggro haymaker. That being said, <em>Infect</em> is much more than the sums of its parts, so let's go through those parts: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an expensive beater but has the benefit of needing almost no support to be a straight OHKO; <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> is pretty much an on-theme <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gravedigger" href="#" target="_blank">Gravedigger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which, while not very exciting for most decks, can help us by providing an on-board threat; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Swarmlord" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Swarmlord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Viral Drake" href="#" target="_blank">Viral Drake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are there for grinding our opponents out of the game, as they can provide threats even without the combat step. The rest of our creatures are basically french vanilla, sometimes with minor upsides like <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>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ordeal of Thassa"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bear Umbra"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Setessan Training"></div></div>
<p>The Aura suite is quite interesting because Eutropia is great at growing our creatures and giving them evasion as long as we keep casting enchantments. This means that we get to play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curiosity" href="#" target="_blank">Curiosity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects, which is great for our aggressive play style. The Ordeal cycle from original <em>Theros</em> is also a pretty great addition; both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ordeal of Thassa" href="#" target="_blank">Ordeal of Thassa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ordeal of Nylea" href="#" target="_blank">Ordeal of Nylea</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provide a solid bonus to our threats (we have to remember that we only need to count to ten), and their effects are quite powerful for the mana cost that we're paying. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stratus Walk" href="#" target="_blank">Stratus Walk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Setessan Training" href="#" target="_blank">Setessan Training</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cartouche of Knowledge" href="#" target="_blank">Cartouche of Knowledge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are cheap cards that provide some small value; however, their real value is that they replace themselves, which is pretty important. As a general rule, we should focus on cheaper enchantments, and if it's going to cost more than two mana, it needs to pull double duty, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boar Umbra" href="#" target="_blank">Boar Umbra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Eutropia Infect" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards=""></span></div></p>
<p>[Commander]</p>
<p>*Eutropia the Twice-Favored</p>
<p>[/Commander]</p>
<p>[Artifact]</p>
<p>*Sol Ring<br />
*Swiftfoot Boots<br />
*Sword of Truth and Justice</p>
<p>[/Artifact]</p>
<p>[Creature]</p>
<p>*Birds of Paradise<br />
*Glistener Elf<br />
*Blight Mamba<br />
*Blighted Agent<br />
*Ichorclaw Myr<br />
*Necropede<br />
*Plague Myr<br />
*Cystbearer<br />
*Phyrexian Digester<br />
*Rot Wolf<br />
*Viridian Corrupter<br />
*Core Prowler<br />
*Corpse Cur<br />
*Viral Drake<br />
*Phyrexian Hydra<br />
*Phyrexian Juggernaut<br />
*Phyrexian Swarmlord<br />
*Spinebiter<br />
[/Creature]</p>
<p>[Enchantment]</p>
<p>*Aqueous Form<br />
*Concordant Crossroads<br />
*Curiosity<br />
*Curious Obsession<br />
*Hardened Scales<br />
*Rancor<br />
*Sixth Sense<br />
*Spider Umbra<br />
*Utopia Sprawl<br />
*Wild Growth<br />
*Canopy Cover<br />
*Cartouche of Knowledge<br />
*Fertile Ground<br />
*Omen of the Sea<br />
*Ordeal of Nylea<br />
*Ordeal of Thassa<br />
*Seal of Primordium<br />
*Setessan Training<br />
*Stratus Walk<br />
*Wolfwillow Haven<br />
*Boar Umbra<br />
*Snake Umbra<br />
*Vow of Flight<br />
*Vow of Wildness<br />
*Bear Umbra<br />
[/Enchantment]</p>
<p>[Instant]</p>
<p>*Blossoming Defense<br />
*Opt<br />
*Peek<br />
*Pongify<br />
*Rapid Hybridization<br />
*Stubborn Denial<br />
*Swan Song<br />
*Arcane Denial<br />
*Cyclonic Rift<br />
*Heroic Intervention<br />
*Negate<br />
*Reality Shift<br />
*Force of Negation<br />
[/Instant]</p>
<p>[Sorcery]</p>
<p>*Gitaxian Probe<br />
*Ponder<br />
*Preordain<br />
*Serum Visions<br />
*Sleight of Hand<br />
*Sorcerous Sight<br />
*Scour All Possibilities<br />
[/Sorcery]</p>
<p>[Land]</p>
<p>*Command Tower<br />
*Breeding Pool<br />
*Waterlogged Grove<br />
*Yavimaya Coast<br />
*Botanical Garden<br />
*Hinterland Harbor<br />
*City of Brass<br />
*Mana Confluence<br />
*Temple of Mystery<br />
*Prismatic Vista<br />
*Fabled Passage<br />
*Llanowar Reborn<br />
*Karn's Bastion<br />
*Inkmoth Nexus<br />
*Alchemist's Refuge<br />
*8 Forest<br />
*10 Island<br />
[/Land]</p>
<p>[/Deck]</p>

<hr />
<p>Eutropia provides quite a challenge to balance out all of its parts, such as interaction, threats, mana acceleration, and enablers. To make the deck more consistent, I glued it together with a "Xerox" shell, which is a shell that uses the power of cheap cantrips to dig through our deck. This type of shell allow us to have fewer copies of each effect, using the digging potential of our cantrips to find what we need. Xerox is hard to do in EDH because, unlike the non-highlander formats, we lack the sheer number of good cantrips; however, this doesn't stop us from using them as an early-game tool to get us started.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Force of Negation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heroic Intervention"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blossoming Defense"></div></div>
<p>Another key aspect of <em>Infect</em> is the reliance on interaction due to the small number of threats that we're bringing. Counterspells and combat tricks are a natural fit in a Xerox shell, and they play well into the "do they have it?" mind game; knowing when to leave mana open is a necessary skill, as the punishment can be game-ending.</p>
<hr />
<div class="edhrecp__cards">
<h2>Methodology</h2>
</div>
<p>Our opening hands are a bit trickier than the usual lists, as we're carrying a bunch of one-mana cantrips and just 33 lands. Overall, we need a hand with at least one cheap threat and the combination of either a few cantrips, counterspells, or Auras.</p>
<p>The early game is the most crucial for us. I'm not gonna lie: we fall off pretty hard as an aggressive deck. Our gameplan varies a lot depending on our keep: do we have two cheap threats in our hand? Then we can afford to tap out. Did we keep a one-lander? We could either dig for more with our cantrips, or we could try to spend the initial turns accelerating our mana. Either way, we need to have a threat online by turn two, or three if we have a good hand, to start putting pressure on our opponents. Eutropia is great both early to trigger off of a bunch of Auras from our hand or as a late-game engine to push those last bits of damage through. I'd recommend waiting to play her until we have another creature online and we have enough mana to cast an Aura.</p>
<p>By the mid game we have to be either fast or disruptive because this is the time where board wipes start coming down. The mentality of going fast is to use player elimination as a sort of a crowd control by eliminating the person who's more likely to disrupt us (I'm looking at you, Oloro player; hopefully they won't have enough creatures to block. The earlier we eliminate a player, the easier it is for us to snowball. If we go the other route, we should play a more tempo-oriented game, being careful to not tap out and holding interaction (or bluffing them).</p>
<p>In the late game, we'll probably be on life-support as we have a bunch of possible "dead draws" (they aren't really dead cards, just drawn at the wrong time). The one thing we'll hopefully have going for us is the combination of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Concordant Crossroads" href="#" target="_blank">Concordant Crossroads</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> plus surprise creatures or using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karn&#039;s Bastion" href="#" target="_blank">Karn&#039;s Bastion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (or even <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> on our commander) to do some <em>Proliferation</em>. Either way, the priority is holding cards as long as possible to try to assemble a game-winning string of cards.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hadana&#039;s Climb"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Berserk"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Season of Growth"></div></div>
<p><em>Infect</em> plus Eutropia is such a fun combination that has so many possible themes that we could've build around! Here are some suggestions:</p>
<p>If you want to be better at grinding in the late game I would suggest cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hadana&#039;s Climb" href="#" target="_blank">Hadana&#039;s Climb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Light and Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Light and Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Putrefax" href="#" target="_blank">Putrefax</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Going harder on the <em>Proliferate</em> theme could also help, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thrummingbird" href="#" target="_blank">Thrummingbird</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that can act as a pseudo-<em>Infect</em> creature.</p>
<p>Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Season of Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Season of Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> could help us in the mid game by giving us plenty of card advantage. Early game cards might be a bit of a coin flip, but given the nature of the deck we wouldn't be sacrificing all that much to begin with, say, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spell Pierce" href="#" target="_blank">Spell Pierce</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Berserk" href="#" target="_blank">Berserk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as two great examples of good early-game cards.</p>
<p>Alternatively, if you prefer a more straightforward approach to the archetype, we could ditch the Xerox shell and build it more like a traditional deck. I'd strongly recommend to not do this, however, since this type of deck is starved for space, while the cantrip suite allows us to have fewer  of each card type.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment!</em> What do you think about this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which didn’t you? Was the <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Eutropia Infect

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eutropia the Twice-Favored" href="#" target="_blank">Eutropia the Twice-Favored</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/sarawintersart">Sara Winters</a>)</h6>
<h1>So Nice, She's Favored Twice!</h1>
<p>Hello, again, Commander faithful! I must get this out of the way early: it is GOOD to be back to writing about some of the coolest commanders in the format, those unique silver-rarity-stamped cards that we call <i>Uncommonders</i>!</p>
<p>That’s right, the series inspired by the twenty uncommon legendary creatures printed all the way back in <i>Dominaria</i> is back, with a vengeance, thanks to <i>Replacement Commanders</i> coming to an end for the <em>Commander 2019</em> product. I should mention, however, that we may only get a few <em>Uncommonders</em> articles out as there is another Commander product coming out in parallel with <i>Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths</i>, but it seems that <i>Wizards of the Coast</i> has enjoyed releasing new uncommon commander-capable cards in sets more regularly, so the series will go on! Having said that, <i>Wizards</i> gave us plenty to work with since we put <i>Uncommonders</i> on hiatus, with fourteen new <i>Uncommonders</i> in the past couple of sets!</p>
<p><i>Throne of Eldraine</i> gave us the five mono-colored Knights and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grumgully, the Generous" href="#" target="_blank">Grumgully, the Generous</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, while <i>Theros Beyond Death</i> featured the five mono-colored Demigods with three other <i>Uncommonders</i> tossed in. With so many new possibilities, I had no idea which one to start with, so I asked you, the readers, via my Twitter account. I got almost thirty responses in a single day, and while it was a close running, the one card that was requested the most is our star (no pun intended) today…</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Eutropia the Twice-Favored</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eutropia the Twice-Favored"></div></div></p>
<p>I love Eutropia! I’ve come to terms with the fact that Enchantress decks fall within my wheelhouse, despite normally being my wife’s thing. Eutropia fits the bill in every way, combining a plethora of benefits into a single package. Obviously, she cares about enchantments due to her <i>Constellation</i> trigger, which is already well-supported by green. She hands out +1/+1 counters, which falls within the Simic identity, as precedented with commanders like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca" href="#" target="_blank">Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ezuri, Claw of Progress" href="#" target="_blank">Ezuri, Claw of Progress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the duo of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pir, Imaginative Rascal" href="#" target="_blank">Pir, Imaginative Rascal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toothy, Imaginary Friend" href="#" target="_blank">Toothy, Imaginary Friend</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and many others. Finally, she even grants evasion in the form of flying, something that has worked well in blue decks in the past to get that crucial game-ending damage onto our opponents!</p>
<p>Since we’re mentioning her color identity, Eutropia does all these different things while getting the benefit from green's ramp potential and semi-decent suite of removal and the card advantage and control characteristics of blue.</p>
<p>Thinking about everything, I struggled to nail down what I wanted to do with an Eutropia deck outside of “have Enchantresses, cast enchantments, hit people hard in the air” until I realized that two of the deadliest enchantments could fit into this deck. Of course, I’m referencing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eldrazi Conscription" href="#" target="_blank">Eldrazi Conscription</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corrupted Conscience" href="#" target="_blank">Corrupted Conscience</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! With bringing together two of the most hated mechanics, <i>Annihilator</i> and <i>Infect</i>, call me Dr. Frankenstein because we are going to…</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Build a Better Monster</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eldrazi Conscription"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Destiny Spinner"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Corrupted Conscience"></div></div></p>
<p>I’m sure that some people are groaning and/or rolling their eyes at seeing both <i>Infect</i> and <i>Annihilator</i> in the same deck, but, in my defense, losing out on white in the color identity means that there are fewer tutors for enchantments. This makes the deck feel “fairer”, though I do acknowledge that the amount of draw power in a deck like this will make it feel like we can basically tutor anything up by drawing into it. For the most part, I don’t think we need to cover our methods of obtaining card advantage since you’ll see all the normal Enchantress effects in the list below. I do want to highlight some of the cards that I feel are more important supportive cards for this deck since both of our key enchantments are going to be high-value targets. This is one of the major reasons I have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Destiny Spinner" href="#" target="_blank">Destiny Spinner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> featured, above, as it protects us against control players who may be looking to counter our more important enchantments.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, without white, we miss out on some of the more prominent cards that help protect our enchantments, specifically, so the next best thing is to have ways to get them back when they are removed. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Regrowth" href="#" target="_blank">Regrowth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are good single-target recursion effects, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Creeping Renaissance" href="#" target="_blank">Creeping Renaissance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will bring back all of our favorite permanent type.</p>
<p>When it comes to wrath effects, decks that like Auras struggle after losing them when the creatures die. Luckily, blue has effects that bounce both creatures and the permanents attached to them! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flood of Tears" href="#" target="_blank">Flood of Tears</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Displacement Wave" href="#" target="_blank">Displacement Wave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Devastation Tide" href="#" target="_blank">Devastation Tide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are all the kinds of wraths we’re looking for, letting us replay our Auras over and over again!</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Monsters From the Stars</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arasta of the Endless Web"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nylea’s Colossus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archetype of Imagination"></div></div></p>
<p>When it comes to Enchantress decks, something I’ve become fond of doing during deck construction since the original <i>Theros</i> block is trying to include as many sensible enchantment creatures as I can. We get the benefits of our creatures now triggering our Enchantress effects: any protection that we play that protects enchantments will also protect our creatures, and nowadays there are some very powerful creatures printed with the starry border. The inclusion of two of the cards shown above should be obvious, but I do want to touch on the inclusion of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arasta of the Endless Web" href="#" target="_blank">Arasta of the Endless Web</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. For one, I <b>love</b> Arasta and think she's a fantastic new card. She brings tons of incidental value to the board, even if she only spits out a couple of Spider tokens.</p>
<p>There are many other great cards to talk about, though. The new <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa, Deep-Dwelling" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa, Deep-Dwelling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can target other enchantment creatures to trigger our <i>Constellation</i> effects, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Riptide Chimera" href="#" target="_blank">Riptide Chimera</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can continually bounce enchantments back to our hand to be replayed and get those same triggers back on the stack. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Courser of Kruphix" href="#" target="_blank">Courser of Kruphix</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> creates incremental ramp and life gain, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Renata, Called to the Hunt" href="#" target="_blank">Renata, Called to the Hunt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> helps Eutropia’s counter game snowball even faster. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nylea’s Forerunner" href="#" target="_blank">Nylea’s Forerunner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nylea, God of the Hunt" href="#" target="_blank">Nylea, God of the Hunt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both grant our field trample, which will be important when we want to get damage through to land those 10 poison counters.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Remember: Broaden Your Vision and Don’t Tunnel!</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krosan Grip"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Great Henge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cultivate"></div></div></p>
<p>I’m going to preface this part of the article with a slight disclaimer/warning: this is going to seem a little weird.</p>
<p>I've noticed something while looking at the EDHREC page for Eutropia, and it made me think of something that I commonly see people doing when building a deck like this. I’ve even been guilty of it myself, and it’s called tunnel vision: looking at the numbers for the cards displayed above, and even for things like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and comparing them to cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seal of Primordium" href="#" target="_blank">Seal of Primordium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wild Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Wild Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bred for the Hunt" href="#" target="_blank">Bred for the Hunt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it seems strange to see what cards are more popularly included over some well-known, tried-and-true staples. Don’t get me wrong, unique card choices are not automatically worse than staples, and I’ll never hold it against anyone for not jamming every staple card into their deck. But I have personally focused so hard on building around “the thing” that I have forgotten that not everything has to tie directly into “the thing” with my card selections.</p>
<p>For instance, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reality Shift" href="#" target="_blank">Reality Shift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is only in 12% of Eutropia decks at the time of writing this article. It’s a great removal spell in decks that aren’t running the best color for removal (white), but people seem to be running so many variations of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imprisoned in the Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Imprisoned in the Moon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which appears in 35% of decks. Nearly three times as many! Again, finding unique ways to get <i>Constellation</i> triggers is just fine, but hopefully we aren’t doing it at the cost of efficiency in our deck. (Of course, if your deck is a thematic/flavorful build, ignore this section completely and enjoy your referencing-making throughout the game!)</p>
<p>Having said all of that, I do mix in my fair share of support cards that I feel do the best job, and the list pops out looking something like this:</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Eutropia, Monster Maker" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards=""></span></div><br />
[Commander]<br />
*1 Eutropia the Twice-Favored<br />
[/Commander]<br />
[Creature]<br />
*1 Arasta of the Endless Web<br />
*1 Archetype of Imagination<br />
*1 Argothian Enchantress<br />
*1 Blighted Agent<br />
*1 Courser of Kruphix<br />
*1 Destiny Spinner<br />
*1 Eidolon of Blossoms<br />
*1 Eternal Witness<br />
*1 Evolution Sage<br />
*1 Fathom Mage<br />
*1 Fertilid<br />
*1 Master Biomancer<br />
*1 Nylea, God of the Hunt<br />
*1 Nylea's Colossus<br />
*1 Nylea's Forerunner<br />
*1 Renata, Called to the Hunt<br />
*1 Riptide Chimera<br />
*1 Setessan Champion<br />
*1 Thassa, Deep-Dwelling<br />
*1 Verduran Enchantress<br />
*1 Whitewater Naiads<br />
[/Creature]<br />
[enchantment]<br />
*1 Ancestral Mask<br />
*1 Aqueous Form<br />
*1 Bred for the Hunt<br />
*1 Corrupted Conscience<br />
*1 Eldrazi Conscription<br />
*1 Enchantress's Presence<br />
*1 Estrid's Invocation<br />
*1 Kenrith's Transformation<br />
*1 Omen of the Hunt<br />
*1 Rancor<br />
*1 Rhystic Study<br />
*1 Shimmering Wings<br />
*1 Snake Umbra<br />
*1 Wild Growth<br />
[/enchantment]<br />
[Artifact]<br />
*1 Bident of Thassa<br />
*1 Simic Signet<br />
*1 Sol Ring<br />
*1 Swiftfoot Boots<br />
*1 The Great Henge<br />
[/Artifact]<br />
[Instant]<br />
*1 Arcane Denial<br />
*1 Beast Within<br />
*1 Counterspell<br />
*1 Cyclonic Rift<br />
*1 Growth Spiral<br />
*1 Heroic Intervention<br />
*1 Inspiring Call<br />
*1 Krosan Grip<br />
*1 Pongify<br />
*1 Rapid Hybridization<br />
*1 Reality Shift<br />
*1 Swan Song<br />
[/Instant]<br />
[Sorcery]<br />
*1 Creeping Renaissance<br />
*1 Cultivate<br />
*1 Devastation Tide<br />
*1 Displacement Wave<br />
*1 Farseek<br />
*1 Flood of Tears<br />
*1 Kodama's Reach<br />
*1 Rampant Growth<br />
*1 Regrowth<br />
[/Sorcery]<br />
[Land]<br />
*1 Alchemist's Refuge<br />
*1 Breeding Pool<br />
*1 Command Tower<br />
*1 Evolving Wilds<br />
*11 Forest<br />
*10 Island<br />
*1 Karn's Bastion<br />
*1 Lonely Sandbar<br />
*1 Misty Rainforest<br />
*1 Novijen, Heart of Progress<br />
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx<br />
*1 Opal Palace<br />
*1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood<br />
*1 Reliquary Tower<br />
*1 Rogue's Passage<br />
*1 Simic Growth Chamber<br />
*1 Strip Mine<br />
*1 Terramorphic Expanse<br />
*1 Tranquil Thicket<br />
[/Land]<br />
[/Deck]<br />
</p>
<p>Quick disclaimer: I know that someone taking a quick glance at the numbers for each section is going to make them say, “Wait, why are there only 15 enchantments in this enchantment-based deck?!” but a closer look will show that 12 of the creatures are also enchantments! This means that over a quarter of the deck is enchantments, which I still think is a touch low for this kind of deck, but definitely better than only 15!</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Welcome Back, Uncommonders!</h2>
<p>Let me tell all of you fantastic readers: this one was hard to write. Not because of the <i>Uncommonder</i>, or even because I had been writing <i>Replacement Commanders</i> for so long. Truth be told, things got a little crazy in “The Real World”™, the week I was writing this. Everything going on with the world, kids getting sick, me getting sick, work stuff… But we pulled through! And we made it! However, it did make me think about some things, so I wanted to take this time to just truly say thank you to everyone who continues to read these articles, reply in the comments and motivate myself and the other writers here on EDHREC to keep doing what we’re doing. I hope everyone out there is staying clean and safe and that we see the light at the end of this tunnel soon. I’m looking forward to a few more <i>Uncommonder</i> articles before jumping right back into 2020’s early <i>Commander</i> product, but until then…</p>
<p>Thanks for reading!</p>


Uncommonders - Double the Favoring, Double the Fun!

Replacement Commanders - Reanimator Boros from the Weatherlight's Hero

Replacement Commanders - Mr. Steal Yo Shape!

Replacement Commanders - Time to Troll!

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grumgully, the Generous" href="#" target="_blank">Grumgully, the Generous</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| Art by <a href="https://www.mceran-art.com/">Milivoj Ćeran</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo Melibeu, and this is <em>Epic Experiment,</em> a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.</p>
<p>This week we'll be exploring one of the most interesting commanders released in <em>Throne of Eldraine. </em>He's a very generous Goblin whose versatility makes him incredibly fun to build around: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grumgully, the Generous" href="#" target="_blank">Grumgully, the Generous</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grumgully, the Generous"></div></div>
<p><strong>Each other non-Human creature you control enters the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on it. </strong></p>
<p>Observation 1:</p>
<p>While I appreciate the versatility of the card, I feel that there's something wrong with the non-Human cards of <em>Throne of Eldraine</em>. They feel a lot like Changelings, whose support is helpful, but may erode a little bit of a tribe's unique identity.</p>
<p>Observation 2:</p>
<p><em>Persist</em> creatures come back into play with a -1/-1 counter, which Grumgully's +1/+1 counter would eliminate. With a free sacrifice outlet, that means we have a important combo piece in the command zone, and with red in the color identity, we even have great ways to capitalize on the infinite ETB triggers that result from this combo.</p>
<p>Observation 3:</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grumgully, the Generous" href="#" target="_blank">Grumgully, the Generous</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> puts counters on both nontoken <em>and</em> token creatures entering the battlefield. This opens up quite a few ways to build him, and makes <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animation Module" href="#" target="_blank">Animation Module</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, in particular, quite strong.</p>
<p>Observation 4:</p>
<p>As a Goblin commander, Grumgully seems great. A <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Metallic Mimic" href="#" target="_blank">Metallic Mimic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the command zone is awesome, and access to green creature-based tutors and card draw can really boost the consistency of the tribe.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Grumgully-Sig.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-41175" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Grumgully-Sig.png" alt="" width="546" height="284" /></a></p>
<p>As we can see, the average Grumgully list tries to utilize the interaction between Grumgully and creatures with <em>Persist</em> to make infinite ETB effects with a sacrifice outlet. There's also a low-key Goblin tribal strategy hidden within those cards, which we can see with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Matron" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Matron</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arcbound Ravager"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hardened Scales"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Death&#039;s Presence"></div></div></div>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/epic-experiment-olivia-modular/">Back in April</a>, I wrote about an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Olivia, Mobilized For War" href="#" target="_blank">Olivia, Mobilized For War</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> build that sought to use her as a way to put counters on <em>Modular</em> creatures. When <em>Modern Horizons</em> was released, I saw some great additions to that list. Then <em>Throne of Eldraine</em> was spoiled, and with it came this very strange Goblin, with crazy art and basically the same ability I was using Olivia for. The best part is that Grumgully is a Gruul commander, meaning that we actually get +1/+1 counter support from green, which is something we didn't have when we were in Rakdos!</p>
<p>Grumgully is great as a support for this kind of <em>Affinity</em> aggro, because the robots used in the deck are never Humans that Grumgully would ignore. This, combined with the counter support from green, means that we go tall pretty quickly. <em>Modular</em> creatures are a great way to keep from getting blown out by single-target removal, since the counters can just go to another creature.</p>
<p>Some of the new cards available to us really shift the list into overdrive. <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> is great protection against target-based exile removal and has the powerful upside to <em>Proliferate</em> our counters, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pir, Imaginative Rascal" href="#" target="_blank">Pir, Imaginative Rascal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hardened Scales" href="#" target="_blank">Hardened Scales</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are great ways to increase the number of counters that we get, turning even our smaller creatures into giants.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Great Henge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrap Mastery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Return of the Wildspeaker"></div></div>
<p>Not only do we get those amazing enablers, we also get plenty of great support! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inspiring Call" href="#" target="_blank">Inspiring Call</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is flexible card draw that can be used as the ultimate "Gotcha!" against a control player's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Getting to play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Great Henge" href="#" target="_blank">The Great Henge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is always a treat, and accruing even more counters while drawing cards is an amazing feeling. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Death&#039;s Presence" href="#" target="_blank">Death&#039;s Presence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effectively gives all of our creatures <em>Modular, </em>and even stacks with the actual <em>Modular </em>creatures.</p>
<p>Like its Rakdos counterpart, we are also packing a reanimator package to get full advantage of our death triggers. The Goblin trio of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Welder" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Welder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daretti, Scrap Savant" href="#" target="_blank">Daretti, Scrap Savant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are great source of constant in-and-out-of-the-battlefield triggers. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrap Mastery" href="#" target="_blank">Scrap Mastery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is also always a great way to come back into the game. Just be careful about possible enemy artifacts coming back, too.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Grumgully Affinity" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Artifact]
*Everflowing Chalice
*Animation Module
*Skullclamp
*Sol Ring
*Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
*Arcane Signet
*Fellwar Stone
*Gruul Signet
*Mind Stone
*Talisman of Impulse
*Throne of Geth
*Sword of Truth and Justice
*Mystic Forge
*Cauldron of Souls
*the Great Henge
[/Artifact]
[Creature]
*Hangarback Walker
*Stonecoil Serpent
*Walking Ballista
*Arcbound Worker
*Goblin Welder
*Sparring Construct
*Arcbound Ravager
*Arcbound Slith
*Arcbound Stinger
*Goblin Engineer
*Loyal Apprentice
*Myr Retriever
*Steel Overseer
*Chief of the Foundry
*Evolution Sage
*Foundry Inspector
*Iron Bully
*Pir, Imaginative Rascal
*Scrap Trawler
*Shimmer Myr
*Thopter Engineer
*Tuskguard Captain
*Arcbound Crusher
*Arcbound Hybrid
*Arcbound Reclaimer
*Traxos, Scourge of Kroog
*Arcbound Bruiser
*Arcbound Fiend
*Triskelion
*Wurmcoil Engine
*Myr Battlesphere
[/Creature]
[Sorcery]
*Trash For Treasure
*Chain Reaction
*Triumph of the Hordes
*Scrap Mastery
*Rishkar&#039;s Expertise
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Instant]
*Heroic Intervention
*Return to Nature
*Chaos Warp
*Inspiring Call
*Return of the Wildspeaker
[/Instant]
[Planeswalker]
*Jiang Yanggu, Wildcrafter
*Daretti, Scrap Savant
*Ugin, the Ineffable
[/Planeswalker]
[Enchantment]
*Hardened Scales
*Rhythm of the Wild
*Death&#039;s Presence
[/Enchantment]
[Land]
*Command Tower
*Stomping Ground
*Spire Garden
*City of Brass
*Mana Confluence
*Karplusan Forest
*Rootbound Crag
*Temple of Abandon
*Karn&#039;s Bastion
*Inventors&#039; Fair
*Buried Ruin
*Ghost Quarter
*Tectonic Edge
*12 Forest
*11 Mountain
[/Land]"></span></div>
<hr />
<p>The list packs a lot of punch, especially with all the great support that gives our creatures combative keywords. For haste, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thopter Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Thopter Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhythm of the Wild" href="#" target="_blank">Rhythm of the Wild</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tuskguard Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Tuskguard Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives trample to all creatures with +1/+1 counters (which is basically all of them). <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cauldron of Souls" href="#" target="_blank">Cauldron of Souls</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> also helps us protect ourselves against board destruction.</p>
<p>For standalone threats, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Traxos, Scourge of Kroog" href="#" target="_blank">Traxos, Scourge of Kroog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is a nice beater regardless of counters, since we can constantly untap it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stonecoil Serpent" href="#" target="_blank">Stonecoil Serpent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is also a great beater that can grow regardless of how much we support it, but we also have plenty of support to give it.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>For our opening hand, we're looking for easy access to our commander. Even though they won't necessarily allow us to play our commander before turn three, a two-mana rock like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gruul Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Gruul Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great way to accelerate our turns without sacrificing our curve. Also, as an aggressive deck, we need a few creatures to go with our hand. If we happen to find an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animation Module" href="#" target="_blank">Animation Module</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this is an army-in-a-can, and can pretty much carry us all the way if we manage to keep Grumgully alive.</p>
<p>The early game is pretty much divided into two parts: before Grumgully, and after Grumgully. The first part is all setup, which means that we'll be building towards playing our commander, so we're either developing our mana or playing support cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hardened Scales" href="#" target="_blank">Hardened Scales</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Transitioning to the mid-game involves capitalizing on all the preparations we've made. In other words, curving out on mana is the most important part of our plan.</p>
<p>In the mid-game we should have a strong board presence, with our commander making any creatures we play just a little bigger. This is where we need to find the "bigger guns" and support cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Great Henge" href="#" target="_blank">The Great Henge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daretti, Scrap Savant" href="#" target="_blank">Daretti, Scrap Savant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cauldron of Souls" href="#" target="_blank">Cauldron of Souls</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These cards help us survive the point of the game where people start casting Wraths, since sheer brute force won't get us through them alone.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Triumph of the Hordes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tuskguard Captain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Traxos, Scourge of Kroog"></div></div>
<p>In the late game we have all sorts of epic plays, from great draw spells (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rishkar&#039;s Expertise" href="#" target="_blank">Rishkar&#039;s Expertise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), to great finishers (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triumph of the Hordes" href="#" target="_blank">Triumph of the Hordes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), or even comeback tools like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrap Mastery" href="#" target="_blank">Scrap Mastery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We're vulnerable to a removal-heavy opposition since we tend to need a wide board, but since we can go pretty tall pretty fast, it eases the burden of having to close out quickly.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Domri, Anarch of Bolas"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doubling Season"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Forge"></div></div>
<p>For those seeking potential upgrades, planeswalkers are great additions to the list. There are many Gruul planeswalkers that can provide the needed support for our creatures and synergize pretty well with our counters and our <em>Proliferate </em>effects. In that vein, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doubling Season" href="#" target="_blank">Doubling Season</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great addition to the list if we're adding more planeswalkers.</p>
<p>For faster acceleration in more aggressive metas, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Opulence" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Opulence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help us get ahead of the opposition. On the other hand, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (and probably some more ways to cheat it into play) can help fight through more control-oriented metas. The list goes pretty deep with artifact creatures, so cutting some of the them to add more streamlined card draw might help balance the deck out.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment!</em> What do you think about this list? Is this a well-oiled machine? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which didn’t you? Was the <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Grumgully Affinity

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mairsil, the Pretender" href="#" target="_blank">Mairsil, the Pretender</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://izzymedrano.com/main/">Izzy</a>)</h6>
<h2>What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?</h2>
<p>Once again, it's time for another <em>Forgotten Harvest,</em> the article series where I highlight the most underplayed cards on EDHREC, clocking in at 300 decks or less. And, as has become common practice for me in this series, I'll be taking a commander that isn't supposed to "Voltron" and suiting it up for battle. <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/forgotten-harvest-mono-red-voltron/">We did it</a> with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient" href="#" target="_blank">Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/forgotten-harvest-muldrotha-voltron/">and then again</a> with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muldrotha, the Gravetide" href="#" target="_blank">Muldrotha, the Gravetide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This time, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mairsil, the Pretender" href="#" target="_blank">Mairsil, the Pretender</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gets a chance to supersize!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mairsil, the Pretender"></div></div>
<p>Now, before I get into some of the interesting and hyper-underplayed cards that can help Mairsil get swole, it's important to mention those that have covered the Pretender before me: fellow EDHREC writers <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/commander-showdown-mairsil-vs-experiment-kraj/">Joseph Schultz</a> and <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/ultra-budget-brews-mairsil-the-pretender/">Andrew Cummings</a> both did a great job covering many options for Mairsil. I'm going to be covering a few of the cards that they've mentioned before, but I highly recommend checking those articles out to get the full picture of this commander. I've limited my deck to specifically pumping up Mairsil with +1/+1 counters via his cage counter trick. To do this, we'll be leaning on looting and self-mill effects to ensure a plethora of targets, as well as effects that allow Mairsil to hit the battlefield multiple times, plus a healthy amount of evasion.</p>
<p>There are also a fair number of cards which can function as stand-ins for Mairsil should he find himself <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imprisoned in the Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Imprisoned in the Moon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or listening to a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Song of the Dryads" href="#" target="_blank">Song of the Dryads</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necrotic Ooze" href="#" target="_blank">Necrotic Ooze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fantastic alternative, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quicksilver Elemental" href="#" target="_blank">Quicksilver Elemental</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Havengul Lich" href="#" target="_blank">Havengul Lich</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can do more than just copy activated abilities: if Mairsil is on the field, they can borrow his activated abilities.</p>
<p>Alright, let's find those underplayed gems that help make Mairsil a Voltron!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Counter Argument</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Souldrinker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Markov Dreadknight"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Syndicate Trafficker"></div></div>
<p>First on our list of hyper-underplayed cards is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Souldrinker" href="#" target="_blank">Souldrinker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It sees play in just 58 decks on EDHREC, but putting +1/+1 counters on a creature doesn't get any easier: trading three life for a +1/+1 counter is an easy, systematic way to buff our Voltron. And don't forget that, while Mairsil only allows each activated ability to be used once a turn, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Souldrinker" href="#" target="_blank">Souldrinker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s "free" ability is something you can do each turn: by the time it gets to be your turn again, Mairsil could already be an 8/8.</p>
<p>But, then, if you happen to have the mana, and maybe some extra cards in your hand, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Markov Dreadknight" href="#" target="_blank">Markov Dreadknight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can certainly pump up Mairsil faster and with less life lost. Plus, the Dreadknight (263 decks) also has the potential to do some damage on its own, as it has evasion baked right in. The cost of discarding a card is actually a benefit here since it will allow Mairsil to pluck creatures and artifacts with tasty activated abilities right out of the graveyard.</p>
<p>Looking at the decklist below reveals the large number of artifacts in this Grixis build, so it makes sense to include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syndicate Trafficker" href="#" target="_blank">Syndicate Trafficker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, both for the easy +1/+1 counter, but also the protection of indestructibility it can grant to Mairsil when caged. It sees play in 248 decks, but offers some much needed protection in this deck to our critically important commander.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anthroplasm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Solarion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Consumptive Goo"></div></div>
<p>Adding one or two counters at a time is nice, but what about really cranking Mairsil's stats up to 11? For that we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anthroplasm" href="#" target="_blank">Anthroplasm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, one of the first cards I ever brewed with way back in <em>Urza's Legacy</em>. Only 245 decks have this card right now, but it seems tailor-made for our purposes here. Throw a cage counter on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anthroplasm" href="#" target="_blank">Anthroplasm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> when our commander hits the field, and the next turn pump as much mana as possible into growing Mairsil into a beast. Sadly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anthroplasm" href="#" target="_blank">Anthroplasm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s ability doesn't stack well, as it removes all counters on the card before adding the new ones.</p>
<p>But maybe Mairsil could use Anthroplasm's ability as a start, and then follow it up with the activated ability on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solarion" href="#" target="_blank">Solarion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> the next turn. This card, and a couple other <em>Sunburst</em> cards I'll talk about later, seem right at home in this deck, even if they can't be cast for their full potential. But if that option is appealing, I have included cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chromatic Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Chromatic Lantern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exotic Orchard" href="#" target="_blank">Exotic Orchard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to help turn make this Grixis deck capable of all five colors. As an aside, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solarion" href="#" target="_blank">Solarion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> sees play in only 101 decks on the site.</p>
<p>While slightly on the expensive side, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Consumptive Goo" href="#" target="_blank">Consumptive Goo</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides another route for +1/+1 counter amplification, while also removing a weenie in the process. Ideally used as a quick combat trick, the Goo is only found in 101 decks. Honestly, if I were looking at cards to cut, this would probably be high on the list due to the cost of the ability, but for now it helps keep the mana curve in check, and it functions well on its own without our commander.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Counters as a Cost</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spinal Parasite"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Suncrusher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Molten Hydra"></div></div>
<p>Since we're putting all these counters on Mairsil, it might be good to put those counters to use. Maybe we can use them to knock down planeswalkers with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spinal Parasite" href="#" target="_blank">Spinal Parasite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. In only 14 measly decks on EDHREC, this <em>Sunburst</em> artifact creature is the only creature ever printed to have a negative toughness. And while that's not a very good reason to play it, the versatility in removing generic counters from permanents does come in handy.</p>
<p>Another <em>Sunburst</em> creature, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Suncrusher" href="#" target="_blank">Suncrusher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (95 decks), pulls double duty for us: not only can it turn extra +1/+1 counters into creature removal, but it can also give Mairsil the ability to bounce himself, allowing for a recast and another card exiled with a cage counter on it. While nine mana is high, I think there's great versatility here, and the chances that it'll wind up on the battlefield as opposed to just feeding Mairsil are low.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Molten Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Molten Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s abilities allow for both the addition of counters to Mairsil and a mass damage move. After a few turns of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solarion" href="#" target="_blank">Solarion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, there may be enough +1/+1 counters on Mairsil for him to go lethal using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Molten Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Molten Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s second ability. The Hydra sees play in 102 decks, and while I'm sure there are better iterations of both of its abilities, getting them both on a single card is very valuable.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Through the Line</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marchesa&#039;s Smuggler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urza&#039;s Avenger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Merrow Wavebreakers"></div></div>
<p>Now that we've talked about ways to make Mairsil huge, we should spend some time on just how he's going to connect with opponents. First up, we have an excellent option in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marchesa&#039;s Smuggler" href="#" target="_blank">Marchesa&#039;s Smuggler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Only seeing play in 282 decks, this has to be one of my favorite Izzet cards! The creature is well-costed, as is its activated ability, and it doesn't need any other card to work thanks to <em>Dethrone</em>. In this deck, it provides the best evasion, as well as some very relevant haste, all thanks to an activated ability that could end up on a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necrotic Ooze" href="#" target="_blank">Necrotic Ooze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Havengul Lich" href="#" target="_blank">Havengul Lich</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. A perfect fit!</p>
<p>I looked very hard at the series of "Avenger" cards printed throughout Magic. The two I settled on for this deck were <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza&#039;s Avenger" href="#" target="_blank">Urza&#039;s Avenger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jodah&#039;s Avenger" href="#" target="_blank">Jodah&#039;s Avenger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Played in 27 and 263 decks, respectively, these cards have some great evasion-granting activated abilities, and they're just begging to get "caged" by Mairsil. While it does hurt that you can only use the effect once a turn, having multiple Avengers can help that. Maybe having even a third or fourth version of the card would be beneficial.</p>
<p>While the typical <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mairsil, the Pretender" href="#" target="_blank">Mairsil, the Pretender</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck runs untapping cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leech Bonder" href="#" target="_blank">Leech Bonder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hateflayer" href="#" target="_blank">Hateflayer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, I like my untap effects to come with some evasion. Hence, I've included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Merrow Wavebreakers" href="#" target="_blank">Merrow Wavebreakers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the deck. Providing a cheap way to untap Mairsil while also granting evasion fits right in line with this deck's gameplan. Anymore, this kind of effect seems to be found more in white, so I'm glad to see it in blue here. The Wavebreakers are in only 30 decks on the site, which seems low to me for a good Merfork card with a unique ability.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bane Alley Broker"></div></div>
<p>Lastly, I've included a card to help add some chaos to your Mairsil games: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bane Alley Broker" href="#" target="_blank">Bane Alley Broker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (99 decks). While it may not seem like a very good card, getting the Broker's ability on Mairsil while you also have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Welder" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Welder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in a cage can lead to some very interesting interactions, not to mention what happens if you exile it using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark Impostor" href="#" target="_blank">Dark Impostor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s ability. Let me know in the comments if you pick up on any of the other fun interactions this card can create in the deck.</p>
<p>And speaking of the deck, here it is.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Pretending to be Voltron" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards=""></span></div></p>
<p>[Commander]<br />
*1 Mairsil, the Pretender<br />
[/Commander]</p>
<p>[Creatures]<br />
*1 Walking Ballista<br />
*1 Carrion Feeder<br />
*1 Consumptive Goo<br />
*1 Grenzo, Dungeon Warden<br />
*1 Marchesa's Smuggler<br />
*1 Merfolk Looter<br />
*1 Molten Hydra<br />
*1 Pili-Pala<br />
*1 Runaway Steam-Kin<br />
*1 Sage of Hours<br />
*1 Syndicate Trafficker<br />
*1 Bane Alley Broker<br />
*1 Dark Imposter<br />
*1 Myr Welder<br />
*1 Simic Manipulator<br />
*1 Yahenni, Undying Partisan<br />
*1 Anthroplasm<br />
*1 Argent Sphinx<br />
*1 Crystalline Crawler<br />
*1 Herald of Secret Streams<br />
*1 Identity Thief<br />
*1 Mer-Ek Nightblade<br />
*1 Necrotic Ooze<br />
*1 Souldrinker<br />
*1 Gilded Lotus<br />
*1 Cinderhaze Wretch<br />
*1 Havengul Lich<br />
*1 Markov Dreadknight<br />
*1 Merrow Wavebreakers<br />
*1 Spinal Parasite<br />
*1 Torchling<br />
*1 Aetherling<br />
*1 Etherium-Horn Sorcerer<br />
*1 Jodah's Avenger<br />
*1 Quicksilver Elemental<br />
*1 Sphinx of Magosi<br />
*1 Urza's Avenger<br />
*1 Hateflayer<br />
*1 Shauku, Endbringer<br />
*1 Solarion<br />
*1 Suncrusher<br />
[/Creatures]</p>
<p>[Instants]<br />
*1 Cyclonic Rift<br />
*1 Rakdos Charm<br />
*1 Reality Shift<br />
*1 Bedevil<br />
*1 Chaos Warp<br />
*1 Fact or Fiction<br />
[/Instants]</p>
<p>[Sorceries]<br />
*1 Vandalblast<br />
*1 Demonic Tutor<br />
*1 Grave Strength<br />
[/Sorceries]</p>
<p>[Artifacts]<br />
*1 Manifold Key<br />
*1 Retrofitter Foundry<br />
*1 Sol Ring<br />
*1 Dimir Signet<br />
*1 Izzet Signet<br />
*1 Rakdos Signet<br />
*1 Chromatic Lantern<br />
*1 Commander's Sphere<br />
*1 Crystal Shard<br />
*1 Mirage Mirror<br />
[/Artifacts]</p>
<p>[Enchantments]<br />
*1 Phyrexian Scriptures<br />
[/Enchantments]</p>
<p>[Lands]<br />
*1 Blood Crypt<br />
*1 Command Tower<br />
*1 Crumbling Necropolis<br />
*1 Dragonskull Summit<br />
*1 Drowned Catacomb<br />
*1 Exotic Orchard<br />
*9 Island<br />
*6 Mountain<br />
*1 Opal Palace<br />
*1 Sanctum of Eternity<br />
*1 Shivan Reef<br />
*1 Steam Vents<br />
*1 Sulfur Falls<br />
*1 Sulfurous Springs<br />
*8 Swamp<br />
*1 Underground River<br />
*1 Watery Grave<br />
[/Lands]</p>
<p>[/Deck]</p>

<hr />
<h2>I Could've Been a Pretender!</h2>
<p>That's about all there is for this <em>Forgotten Harvest</em>. Questions? Suggestions? Snide remarks? Leave them for me below in the comments. I'll be around to talk about how I left <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Horseshoe Crab" href="#" target="_blank">Horseshoe Crab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soliton" href="#" target="_blank">Soliton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> off of my list, and why I can't seem to stop making Voltron decks in this article series. What are some of the more interesting activated abilities that Mairsil could gain, especially from hyper-underplayed cards? Are there any activated ability interactions in Grixis that need more attention? Let me know, and I'll see you next time!</p>


Forgotten Harvest - Mairsil, Pretending to be a Voltron

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yawgmoth, Thran Physician" href="#" target="_blank">Yawgmoth, Thran Physician</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://markwintersart.com/">Mark Winters</a>)</h6>
<h1>Commander Horizons</h1>
<p>I know, it's cheeky to call the <em>Modern Horizons </em>set "Commander Horizons" instead, but let's be honest, there are some extremely cool cards coming up in this set that we EDH players should be very excited for! We have returning mechanics, awesome lore characters, and even support for cool tribes.</p>
<p>Today I'm lucky to talk about the very best cards from <em>Modern Horizons. </em>Why are they the very best? Because these are the black cards, and black cards are the best! Let's get digging.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Mythics</h2>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Yawgmoth, Thran Physician</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yawgmoth, Thran Physician"></div></div></p>
<p>Hold on, I am trying to collect my thoughts that do not just jumble together into drool over this card. It's rare to see a card that checks so many boxes. He's powerful, he's a value engine, and he's a Vorthos home-run, right down to the protection from Humans.</p>
<p>As a card in the 99, expect to see him follow a similar trajectory to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yahenni, Undying Partisan" href="#" target="_blank">Yahenni, Undying Partisan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Commanders like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meren of Clan Nel Toth" href="#" target="_blank">Meren of Clan Nel Toth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teysa Karlov" href="#" target="_blank">Teysa Karlov</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are always happy to have additional sacrifice outlets, especially when those sacrifice outselts also help draw cards, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons" href="#" target="_blank">Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> couldn't be happier to see all those -1/-1 counters.</p>
<p>At the helm of the 99, look to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder" href="#" target="_blank">Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and friends for inspiration. Creatures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ophiomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Ophiomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pawn of Ulamog" href="#" target="_blank">Pawn of Ulamog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reassembling Skeleton" href="#" target="_blank">Reassembling Skeleton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> present excellent choices for sacrifice fodder. Of course, Yawgmoth isn't one to be pigeonholed into a singular strategy. Yawgmoth can turn tokens into card advantage, but with that <em>Proliferate </em>ability, he can also become a home for mono-black superfriends, or a very dastardly <em>Infect </em>commander. I fully expect him and Urza to battle for the #1 spot on the <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders#pastmonth">Top Commanders</a> pages for quite some time.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Rares</h2>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Cabal Therapist</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cabal Therapist"></div></div></p>
<p>One of the first cards previewed for the set, this card is designed more for Modern than Commander, where it's much more realistic to blindly guess cards your opponents have in hand. It's possible Therapist could find a spot in metas who know each other's decks very well, or in some <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Telepathy" href="#" target="_blank">Telepathy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-inclusive <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sen Triplets" href="#" target="_blank">Sen Triplets</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> builds, but it's not really a card for EDH.</p>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Cordial Vampire</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cordial Vampire"></div></div></p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Edgar Markov" href="#" target="_blank">Edgar Markov</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> sits as the second most popular commander built in the <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders#past2years">past two years</a>, and with new cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cordial Vampire" href="#" target="_blank">Cordial Vampire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, I can only imagine he'll maintain that popularity. Not only will your army get bigger as enemy creatures die, but Vampires have many sacrifices outlets built into their decks, which makes this a very deadly new addition. Consider him also for decks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elenda, the Dusk Rose" href="#" target="_blank">Elenda, the Dusk Rose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yahenni, Undying Partisan" href="#" target="_blank">Yahenni, Undying Partisan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Dead of Winter</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dead of Winter"></div></div></p>
<p>Most of us have probably seen snow-covered lands a time or two, especially when someone uses them in conjunction with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Extraplanar Lens" href="#" target="_blank">Extraplanar Lens</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to collect value no one else can take advantage of. Well, now snow decks also have a variant of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mutilate" href="#" target="_blank">Mutilate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, one that can work in a multicolored deck with lots of snow-covered basic lands.</p>
<p>I want to believe there is a solid snow deck to be made, but the sad truth is that there are only 40 total snow creatures in the game, so there are very few options to run that will withstand your own <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dead of Winter" href="#" target="_blank">Dead of Winter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Regardless, I can still accept this as a cheaper, more splashable <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mutilate" href="#" target="_blank">Mutilate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Endling</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Endling"></div></div></p>
<p>The end of a cycle! From <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Morphling" href="#" target="_blank">Morphling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Torchling" href="#" target="_blank">Torchling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thornling" href="#" target="_blank">Thornling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brightling" href="#" target="_blank">Brightling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> we can rejoice at the tying up of loose threads. This is a solid battering ram against other creatures. With deathtouch and menace, it will be extremely difficult for your enemies to interact with this creature favorably in combat. Add in the <em>Undying </em>and it's even more of a nuisance. Unlike several others in this cycle, Endling isn't just a Shapeshifter, but has a second creature type: Zombie. As such, this may see play in some classic Zombie tribal decks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gisa and Geralf" href="#" target="_blank">Gisa and Geralf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as an efficient beater and an especially irksome blocker.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Force of Despair</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Force of Despair"></div></div></p>
<p>Speaking of cycles, the black part of the “Force of” cycle is a doozy. The timing restrictions make it a worse rate than a traditional <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hero&#039;s Downfall" href="#" target="_blank">Hero&#039;s Downfall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can kill a creature regardless of when it entered the battlefield, but this is certainly an efficient answer to combos like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker" href="#" target="_blank">Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pestermite" href="#" target="_blank">Pestermite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or a huge influx of tokens. Look out, bursty token decks! Otherwise, though, this is a niche meta call if you're often up against aggressive decks that summon tons of creatures in one turn, but black has many other removal spells that will occupy this slot and be more effective in the majority of traditional games.</p>
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<h2>Everything Else</h2>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Ninjas</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Throatseeker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Azra Smokeshaper"></div></div></p>
<p>The community has been hungry for more Ninja cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> decks, and <em>Modern Horizons </em>has delivered! Yuriko is very aggressive, often not able to leave blockers behind, which means she can be targeted pretty easily. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Throatseeker" href="#" target="_blank">Throatseeker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> helps mitigate some of that life loss, a welcome addition. Meanwhile, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Azra Smokeshaper" href="#" target="_blank">Azra Smokeshaper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a tricky card that helps protect Yuriko in the combat phase. Yuriko has climbed up to the #3 most-built Dimir commander slot, and with the help of these great new Ninjas, I won't be surprised if she eventually sneaks all the way up to #1.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Zombies</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Undead Augur"></div></div></p>
<p>With a tribe as deep and potent as Zombies, there's always a risk that the tribe is already overcrowded and any new cards won't be able to fight their way into decks. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Undead Augur" href="#" target="_blank">Undead Augur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is basically <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark Prophecy" href="#" target="_blank">Dark Prophecy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on legs, is potentially amazing but also potentially dangerous. Zombies are always hungry for card advantage, which could easily push this over the top, but lack of control over this ability makes me think there are better options for Zombies.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Goblins</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sling-Gang Lieutenant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Warteye Witch"></div></div></p>
<p>Whenever I see “Goblin” on the type line, I become very interested. Most Goblin synergies wind up in red, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grenzo, Dungeon Warden" href="#" target="_blank">Grenzo, Dungeon Warden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wort, Boggart Auntie" href="#" target="_blank">Wort, Boggart Auntie</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have well-known followings. Grenzo in particular probably represents the best synergies; Grenzo loves to sacrifice creatures, then put them on the bottom of his deck from the graveyard with things like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reito Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Reito Lantern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and cheat them right back into play with his bottom-of-the-library ability. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warteye Witch" href="#" target="_blank">Warteye Witch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works amazingly well here too, since she can help scry fun new targets to the bottom of the deck for Grenzo!</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Shapeshifters</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Graveshifter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Changeling Outcast"></div></div></p>
<p>The Shapeshifters of this set pique my interest more than usual. This set has Goblins, Ninjas, Zombies, Vampires, and then some. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Changeling Outcast" href="#" target="_blank">Changeling Outcast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> work amazingly well to enable <em>Ninjutsu </em>and to trigger Yuriko, a welcome addition. There are probably better options for recursion in black, but it's not impossible that a few tribes would enjoy a tribal <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gravedigger" href="#" target="_blank">Gravedigger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to recur their fallen soldiers, like sacrifice-happy Vampires or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inalla, Archmage Ritualist" href="#" target="_blank">Inalla, Archmage Ritualist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s ETB-triggering Wizards.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Spells</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Defile"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mind Rake"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Return from Extinction"></div></div></p>
<p>Of the remaining spells, the three above strike me as the most interesting in EDH. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Defile" href="#" target="_blank">Defile</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has already gotten attention in Pauper, but a single-target version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mutilate" href="#" target="_blank">Mutilate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for one black mana at instant speed seems great for most mono-black decks, possibly as a supplement or a replacement for the occasional <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tragic Slip" href="#" target="_blank">Tragic Slip</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mind Rake" href="#" target="_blank">Mind Rake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s <em>Overload </em>ability is fun in a deck primed to abuse it, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nath of the Gilt-Leaf" href="#" target="_blank">Nath of the Gilt-Leaf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, though it's notable that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Delirium Skeins" href="#" target="_blank">Delirium Skeins</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only shows up on about 600 total decks on EDHREC. Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Return from Extinction" href="#" target="_blank">Return from Extinction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a decent recursion spell in tribal decks thanks to its low mana cost, possibly budging out any decks still playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aphetto Dredging" href="#" target="_blank">Aphetto Dredging</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. For these three cards, I predict the order of popularity, from highest to lowest, is the same order the cards are displayed above.</p>
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<h2>The Night is Darkest Just Before the Dawn</h2>
<p>What are your favorite black cards from <em>Modern Horizons</em>? What cards are you putting into your decks? Are there any spicy cards I missed above? What cards are on your radar? Let me know in the comments below!</p>


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