Where to Start in Flesh and Blood

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link side-by-side"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cyclonus, the Saboteur" href="#" target="_blank">Cyclonus, the Saboteur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/voltastudio">Volta Creation</a>)</h6>
<h1 style="text-align: left;">Epic Preparations</h1>
<p style="text-align: left;">Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo, 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 style="text-align: left;">This week, let's talk about a Transformers card!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cyclonus, the Saboteur"></div></div></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Since we're dealing with a double-faced card, let's discuss each side individually.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Cyclonus's creature side is a bit expensive for a flyer that <em>Connives </em>on combat damage, but it has many available synergies: <em>Madness</em>, <em>Flashback</em>, and reanimation are just a few possibilities, and that's without even looking at artifacts and their inherent synergies with counters.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Cyclonus's Vehicle side is very powerful, giving us an entirely new beginning phase (which comes with a new set of untap, upkeep, and draw steps). Getting to untap lands again is great in a color combination that has such powerful instant-speed interaction. Getting a new batch of upkeep triggers can be especially strong if we're building around this effect. Like, you know a card is strong when its 'weaker' effect is card draw. Another interesting side effect of this side being a Vehicle is that we're immune to creature-based board wipes, so if we're able to keep Cyclonus consistently converted, we're immune to board wipes every few turn cycles.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Cyclonus' main drawback is its slowish nature. To flip to the Vehicle side, we need our commander to have 5 power after the <em>Connive </em>trigger, which, without any support, means that we need to attack three times. Either that or pay a heftier mana cost! With that in mind, I think it's easy to see how Cyclonus tends to be drawn into more aggressive shells where we'd want to actively buff its power and get to that state where we can convert it every turn as soon as possible.</p>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Epic Ingredients</h2>
<p style="text-align: left;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Warden of Evos Isle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Windreader Sphinx"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bitterblossom"></div></div></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Cyclonus's kit rewards aggression and aims to get him to flip into his Vehicle form as often as possible. Being a Robot means that we won't get any creature type synergies synergies, but as a flyer, we can still find plenty of <em>other </em>support!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Flying theme decks have a deep pool of possible threats and helpers to choose from. Normally the 'flying matters' strategy is found in blue and white, but blue and black can still make a lot of magic happen in the air! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warden of Evos Isle" href="#" target="_blank">Warden of Evos Isle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> powers out our creatures much more quickly. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Donal, Herald of Wings" href="#" target="_blank">Donal, Herald of Wings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doubles our body count and gives us extra ETB and 'Lord' effects for any flying creatures that pump each other up. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Siani, Eye of the Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Siani, Eye of the Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might not seem like much at first, but it fits right into an aggressive deck that wants to draw exactly the right cards to continue the onslaught. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tide Skimmer" href="#" target="_blank">Tide Skimmer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Windreader Sphinx" href="#" target="_blank">Windreader Sphinx</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> each give us and impressive body-plus-card-draw-engine combination.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Drana, Liberator of Malakir"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rankle, Master of Pranks"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Defiler of Dreams"></div></div></p>
<p>A lot of those classic cards are blue, so what does black bring to the table? Tons of stuff!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drana, Liberator of Malakir" href="#" target="_blank">Drana, Liberator of Malakir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can spread counters to the team, and her first strike allows us to get the benefits out of the pump mid-combat. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rankle, Master of Pranks" href="#" target="_blank">Rankle, Master of Pranks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help control the board and even to control peoples' hands, giving us a ton of versatility. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Silumgar, the Drifting Death" href="#" target="_blank">Silumgar, the Drifting Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides a solid swing in board state by sniping any 1-toughness creatures, and he can make it easier to for us to attack without worrying about enemy blockers. I really like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sower of Discord" href="#" target="_blank">Sower of Discord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, too. It's just a great card to slot into aggressive shells, allowing us to hurt two enemies at the same time, doubling our combat potential.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glen Elendra Liege"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Favorable Winds"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Windstorm Drake"></div></div></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Anthem effects that give our team +X/+X are a great way to kick a 'go-wide' deck into overdrive, and this deck loves to go wide! Not only that, anthems will also help us get more value out of our commander, because we want to convert Cyclonus to its Vehicle side as much as possible. Keeping Cyclonus above 5 power is key, so the classic flying pumps help us out a ton here. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gravitational Shift" href="#" target="_blank">Gravitational Shift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an impressive card in both the offensive and defensive departments. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Favorable Winds" href="#" target="_blank">Favorable Winds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is expected but well-loved. We can even afford to pay a bit of extra mana for a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glen Elendra Liege" href="#" target="_blank">Glen Elendra Liege</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to pump up most of our creatures by +1/+1, and to give our commander +2/+2!</p>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">The Mixture</h2>
<p style="text-align: left;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Cyclonus Flyers" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Cyclonus, the Saboteur
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Faerie Seer
*Signal Pest
*Siren Stormtamer
*Spectral Sailor
*Thousand-Faced Shadow
*Aven Heartstabber
*Baleful Strix
*Containment Construct
*Esior, Wardwing Familiar
*Ledger Shredder
*Thieving Skydiver
*Thrummingbird
*Warkite Marauder
*Aether Channeler
*Bazaar Trademage
*Brazen Borrower
*Drana, Liberator of Malakir
*Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
*Loyal Drake
*Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
*Thief of Sanity
*Warden of Evos Isle
*Donal, Herald of Wings
*Glen Elendra Archmage
*Glen Elendra Liege
*Rankle, Master of Pranks
*Siani, Eye of the Storm
*Sower of Temptation
*Tide Skimmer
*Vanguard Supressor
*Defiler of Dreams
*Iymrith, Desert Doom
*Mulldrifter
*Windstorm Drake
*Archetype of Imagination
*Consecrated Sphinx
*Silumgar, the Drifting Death
*Sower of Discord
*Windreader Sphinx
[/Creature]
[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*Arcane Signet
*Dimir Signet
*Fellwar Stone
*Mind Stone
*Talisman of Dominance
*Hall of Triumph
*Heraldic Banner
*Gilded Lotus
[/Artifact]
[Enchantment]
*Bitterblossom
*Favorable Winds
*Drake Haven
*Gravitational Shift
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Arcane Denial
*Countersquall
*Cyclonic Rift
*Infernal Grasp
*Memory Deluge
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*Feed the Swarm
*Toxic Deluge
*Winged Words
*Damnation
*Deep Analysis
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Choked Estuary
*Clearwater Pathway
*Command Tower
*Creeping Tar Pit
*Demolition Field
*Drowned Catacomb
*Exotic Orchard
*Faerie Conclave
*Ghost Quarter
*Hall of the Storm Giants
*Morphic Pool
*Shipwreck Marsh
*Sunken Hollow
*Sunken Ruins
*Temple of Deceit
*Underground River
*Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*Watery Grave
*13 Island
*6 Swamp
[/Land]"></span></div></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: left;">In addition to all the attacking in the air, Cyclonus will hopefully <em>Connive </em>every other turn, and we'd be fools not to extract some value from that effect! <em>Flashback</em> spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deep Analysis" href="#" target="_blank">Deep Analysis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Memory Deluge" href="#" target="_blank">Memory Deluge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are excellent choices to get some card draw stashed under the mattress. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drake Haven" href="#" target="_blank">Drake Haven</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will help us be more action-oriented, trading mana for more bodies to go wide and to avoid getting blown out by board wipes. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Containment Construct" href="#" target="_blank">Containment Construct</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will act as a card advantage engine and can be used as a way to completely negate the loss of a card.</p>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Methodology</h2>
<p style="text-align: left;">This is an aggressive deck, but we're pretty flexible as far as opening hands go. We aren't as aggressive as, say a Goblin deck, but our threats are all evasive, which gives us a nice amount of extra reach even if the board gets clogged with creatures in the later portions of the game. By the mid-game, we want to dig for any of our support cards and payoffs, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gravitational Shift" href="#" target="_blank">Gravitational Shift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heraldic Banner" href="#" target="_blank">Heraldic Banner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This is the point of the game when we start being able to flip our commander every other turn, which will grant us a huge boon in mana to help us snowball even further.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Our late game is good for an aggressive deck because we have more card velocity than most aggro shells. If the game boils down to a top-deck war, we're better suited to grind out a win. With our commander granting additional untap and draw steps, we can even gain additional threats by animating our creature lands like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faerie Conclave" href="#" target="_blank">Faerie Conclave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, since our mana will untap again anyways! These little tricks all add up to keep us chugging even when enemies expect an aggro deck to stall out, so Cyclonus will truly sabotage our opponents.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think of this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Cyclonus

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald" href="#" target="_blank">Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/jason_engle">Jason A. Engle</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo, 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, it's all about the Dread Wolf Herald!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald" href="#" target="_blank">Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an impressive commander. For three mana we get a token-maker that also works as a draw engine. It's also surprisingly easy to create tokens with Faldorn! Exile effects, <em>Suspend</em>, <em>Foretell</em>, and <em>Rebound</em> are just a few ways to create tokens while also getting extra value, and we even get an infinite combo with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Squee, the Immortal" href="#" target="_blank">Squee, the Immortal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>/<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Scourge" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Scourge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> plus <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Food Chain" href="#" target="_blank">Food Chain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p>With that said, the second part of Faldorn's kit, while a good standalone enabler, can be a bit awkward at times, since it's easy to get an uncastable card. Some of those effects, such as <em>Suspend, </em>have alternative costs or abilities that won't work when they themselves wind up in exile from an effect like Faldorn's.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arrogant Wurm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Basking Rootwalla"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Insatiable Gorgers"></div></div>
<p>The problem with making obvious 'best-in-show' commanders for certain mechanics is that we often stop looking at that archetype for other commanders. <em>Madness</em> is a fun archetype that I feel got sucked into <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anje Falkenrath" href="#" target="_blank">Anje Falkenrath</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s shadow, but Faldorn could make great use of it too! <em>Madness </em>is usually shortcutted to 'you can cast this card when you discard it' but the mechanic actually puts the card into exile, so Faldorn will make tons of Wolf tokens from <em>Madness </em>cards!</p>
<p>Not only that, Faldorn is a great discard outlet! She's perfect for <em>Madness</em> decks that want to be more stompy. How about getting two 2/2 Wolf tokens, one 1/1 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rootwalla" href="#" target="_blank">Rootwalla</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, plus the extra card that we get with our commander, for just one mana (plus the exiled card's cost)? This leads to a very aggressive value-based strategy, as we get to put a lot of bodies on the battlefield very fast, and being Gruul means having a great stompy support suite to get maximum value out of them.</p>
<p>The lack of black can be a bit scary when considering a <em>Madness</em> deck, since a lot of the archetype is concentrated between it and red. However, our green cards feel like they were tailored to our needs. Cheap <em>Madness</em> creatures, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Basking Rootwalla" href="#" target="_blank">Basking Rootwalla</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blazing Rootwalla" href="#" target="_blank">Blazing Rootwalla</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are great cards to be discarded with Faldorn's ability since they reduce the chance of not being able to cast the card that we exile. While big creatures, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Incorrigible Youths" href="#" target="_blank">Incorrigible Youths</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arrogant Wurm" href="#" target="_blank">Arrogant Wurm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, usually aren't really all that relevant in the format, having them come out with up to two extra bodies and a card can really accelerate the board.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bonecrusher Giant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scorn Effigy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trumpeting Herd"></div></div>
<p>Besides <em>Madness</em>, there are a few ways of triggering our commander, which is important for making our gameplan more consistent. Our <em>Foretell</em> cards can be efficient "curve fillers", but between our commander's activated ability and the <em>Madness</em> costs that we're paying, we tend to be pretty mana-intensive anyways.</p>
<p>Then, we have plenty of heavy-hitting payoffs. It's a bit hard to find a balance between having enough of them to be able to consistently hit them, but not so many that we get flooded, or even hit them with our commander's activated ability, since they tend to be on the more expensive side of our curve. Damage-multipliers, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Emancipation" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Emancipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are an easy way to instantly improve our all-in potential, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unnatural Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Unnatural Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an honorable mention that, while not a true damage multiplier, acts enough like it to be included here. Since we're putting a lot of bodies on the field, effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warstorm Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Warstorm Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terror of the Peaks" href="#" target="_blank">Terror of the Peaks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> give us a nice amount of reach.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Faldorn Madness" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Basking Rootwalla
*Birds of Paradise
*Blazing Rootwalla
*Boreal Druid
*Elvish Mystic
*Fyndhorn Elves
*Llanowar Elves
*Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
*Conspiracy Theorist
*Fauna Shaman
*Anje&#039;s Raveger
*Birgi, God of Storytelling
*Bloodmad Vampire
*Bonecrusher Giant
*Green Slime
*Scorn Effigy
*Skophos Reaver
*Stromkirk Occultist
*Anger
*Insatiable Gorgers
*Purphoros, God of the Forge
*Sarulf&#039;s Packmate
*Arrogant Wurm
*Incorrigible Youths
*Reckless Wurm
*Terror of the Peaks
*Doomskar TItan
[/Creature]

[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*The Great Henge
[/Artifact]



[Enchantment]
*Senseless Rage
*Elemental Bond
*Fires of Yaviamaya
*Furnace of Rath
*Parallel Lives
*Gratuitous Violence
*Unnatural Growth
*Fiery Emancipation
*Warstorm Surge
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Nature&#039;s Claim
*Cathartic Pyre
*Faithless Salvaging
*Thrill of Possibility
*Abandon Reason
*Chaos Warp
*Demon Bolt
*Fiery Temper
*Violent Eruption
*Return of the Wildspeaker
[/Instant]
[Planeswalker]
*Domri, Anarch of Bolas
[/Planeswalker]
[Sorcery]
*Faithless Looting
*Avacyn&#039;s Judgement
*Distemper of the Blood
*Farseek
*Hull Breach
*Nature&#039;s Lore
*Rampant Growth
*Three Visits
*Chain Reaction
*Dwarven Reinforcements
*Malevolent Whispers
*Trumpeting Herd
*Alchemist&#039;s Greeting
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*City of Brass
*Command Tower
*Copperline Gorge
*Cragcrown Pathway
*Exotic Orchard
*Ghost Quarter
*Grove of the Burnwillow
*Karplusan Forest
*Mana Confluence
*Rockfall Vale
*Rootbound Crag
*Spire Garden
*Stomping Ground
*Tectonic Edge
*Temple of Abandon
*Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
*10 Forest
*10 Mountain
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>Having a suite of cards that gives us an alternative source of advantage is important because we won't always have our commander available. When we <em>do </em>have them in play with our commander, things get really spicy. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fauna Shaman" href="#" target="_blank">Fauna Shaman</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works both as a <em>Madness</em> discard outlet and as a tutor that allows us to chain multiple creatures a turn. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conspiracy Theorist" href="#" target="_blank">Conspiracy Theorist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is pretty similar to the second half of our commander, and together with her, it turns all of our looting effects into possible Wolf tokens.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>Our ideal opening hand probably involves having a one-mana dork to be able to cast our commander on turn two. Our gameplan starts once we're able to tap our commander and start playing our <em>Madness</em> threats. We can also opt to delay this a bit if we want to play some of our "slow" effects, like <em>Rebound</em> and <em>Foretell</em>, so that we have a more explosive turn later on.</p>
<p>By the mid-game, we should be starting to get a sizeable army. At this point we should start looking for one of our bigger payoffs, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gratuitous Violence" href="#" target="_blank">Gratuitous Violence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to start enhancing our damage potential. The normal turn structure can be a bit wonky since our commander is a wild card, so that usual pattern of playing lands first or even casting in the main phase #2 can lead to bad results if we start autopiloting the deck.</p>
<p>For an aggro deck, we're surprisingly good at rebuilding our board. It can be a bit draw-dependent, but we do have some ways to quickly rebuild or get back into the game after a setback; any of our looting effects can lead into a moderate board state, and some burn spells can be used to push for that last bit of damage, especially with any of our damage multipliers.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sensei&#039;s Divining Top"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Etali, Primal Storm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Plate"></div></div>
<p>Faldorn has a ton of directions to upgrade into. Top-deck manipulation might help us avoid bad hits with our commander, for instance. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sensei&#039;s Divining Top" href="#" target="_blank">Sensei&#039;s Divining Top</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sylvan Library" href="#" target="_blank">Sylvan Library</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are a good starting point for luxurious upgrades.</p>
<p>Increasing the number of standalone threats could also improve the deck's consistency and allow us to play getting our commander removed. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Etali, Primal Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Etali, Primal Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a good standalone threat because it's powerful even without Faldorn in play. However, we should consider their mana costs before stuffing too many of these big threats into our deck. Oh, and if removal is something you're worried about, adding in more protective Equipment/Auras might help keep Faldorn alive. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Plate" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Plate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spider Umbra" href="#" target="_blank">Spider Umbra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are ways to avoid board wipes, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Greaves" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Greaves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swiftfoot Boots" href="#" target="_blank">Swiftfoot Boots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are effective against single target removal.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think of this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this Epic Experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Faldorn

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kitt Kanto, Mayhem Diva" href="#" target="_blank">Kitt Kanto, Mayhem Diva</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/faribakhamseh">Fariba Khamseh</a></h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo, 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>Today we're featuring <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kitt Kanto, Mayhem Diva" href="#" target="_blank">Kitt Kanto, Mayhem Diva</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kitt Kanto, Mayhem Diva"></div></div>
<p>Kitt is an interesting take on Naya politics, one that rewards going (a bit) wide and hitting hard. On the one hand, being able to activate every turn can be very powerful. However, it does have its obvious restrictions: only being able to do it once a turn makes it harder to make an impact, and having enough creatures to tap can be a challenge.</p>
<p>One thing that Kitt has going for her is the ability to have consistent, on-demand, targeted goad, which has plenty of uses, such as accelerating the game clock, forcing key creatures into bad attacks, or even clearing out blockers for an attack.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boros Swiftblade"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Illuminator Virtuoso"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Prophetic Flamespeaker"></div></div>
<p>Kitt relies on her targets, so it's only natural to consider this as our main starting point. <em>Infect</em> creatures appreciate this bump in power and the evasion, but I think it's a bit too on the nose. Instead, today we're going to double strike our way to victory. Double striking creatures are hyper-scaling threats that tend to be great both offensively, for their double damage, and defensively, because they hit other creatures first, which makes them excellent targets for our commander. Another benefit of using creatures with double strike is that our commander helps us do some extra damage by using her ability on our opponents' creatures, which isn't possible with a deck that operates on such a different axis like <em>Infect</em> does. The final upside of using double strike over <em>Infect</em> creatures is that they aren't contained in a single block, which means that we have plenty of options to choose from.</p>
<p>While most of our creatures are vanilla creatures with double strike, a few are worth mentioning. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adorned Pouncer" href="#" target="_blank">Adorned Pouncer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great threat throughout the game, being an early double striker that can be replayed later on for some smashing. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blade-Blizzard Kitsune" href="#" target="_blank">Blade-Blizzard Kitsune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an interesting addition, on the surface having <em>Ninjutsu</em>, which might not seem all that useful, but with the number of mana dorks and incremental tokens that we produce, they can help us "haste" it into play. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fabled Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Fabled Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Illuminator Virtuoso" href="#" target="_blank">Illuminator Virtuoso</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are excellent growing threats that get out of hand very quickly, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="God-Eternal Oketra" href="#" target="_blank">God-Eternal Oketra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a tool for grinding removal-heavy games and it can also take over the game if left unchecked.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scale Up"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rancor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brute Force"></div></div>
<p>Our pump suite is designed to be fast and hard-hitting; we're forgoing some of the usual synergies that shells like these tend to have, like Aura, enchantment, and Equipment support, to help make us go faster. Spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brute Force" href="#" target="_blank">Brute Force</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Built to Smash" href="#" target="_blank">Built to Smash</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Infuriate" href="#" target="_blank">Infuriate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Titan&#039;s Strength" href="#" target="_blank">Titan&#039;s Strength</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are cheap pumps that provide a degree of consistency that is important in an aggressive shell like this. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Madcap Skills" href="#" target="_blank">Madcap Skills</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rancor" href="#" target="_blank">Rancor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provide a lot of power for cheap mana investment and on a permanent base nonetheless.</p>
<p>Protecting our threats is especially important, and as such, we need to have a proper suite of cards to keep our stuff alive. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hyena Umbra" href="#" target="_blank">Hyena Umbra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spider Umbra" href="#" target="_blank">Spider Umbra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are cheap proactive protection pieces that allow us to have some peace of mind while we develop our board. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valorous Stance" href="#" target="_blank">Valorous Stance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a flexible protection spell that can also work as a removal spell in a pinch. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ajani&#039;s Presence" href="#" target="_blank">Ajani&#039;s Presence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can target multiple creatures and even leaves them a counter afterward.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Kitt Kanto Double Strikers" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Kitt Kanto, Mayhem Diva
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Avacyn&#039;s Pilgrim
*Birds of Paradise
*Boreal Druid
*Elvish Mystic
*Fyndhorn Elves
*Llanowar Elves
*Adorned Pouncer
*Boros Swiftblade
*Fencing Ace
*Illuminator Virtuoso
*Kor Blademaster
*Lizard Blades
*Swiftblade Vindicator
*Twinblade Geist
*Aven Sunstriker
*Blade-Blizzard Kitsune
*Fabled Hero
*Markov Blademaster
*Mavinda, Students&#039; Advocate
*Mirran Crusader
*Prophetic Flamespeaker
*Siege Striker
*Skyhunter Skirmisher
*Solemn Recruit
*Drizzt Do&#039;Urden
*Fury
*God-Eternal Oketra
*Samut, Voice of Dissent
[/Creature]
[Instant]
*Ajani&#039;s Presence
*Brute Force
*Built to Smash
*Expedite
*Fervent Strike
*Infuriate
*Nature&#039;s Claim
*Path to Exile
*Samut&#039;s Spint
*Swords to Plowshares
*Titan&#039;s Strength
*Vastwod Fortification
*Fists of Flame
*Heroic Intervention
*Invigorated Rampage
*Sejiri Shelter
*Valorous Stance
*Chaos Warp
*Invigorate
*Valakut Awakening
[/Instant]
[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
[/Artifact]
[Enchantment]
*Hyena Umbra
*Rancor
*Spider Umbra
*Angelic Gift
*Goblin Orinflamme
*Madcap Skills
*Rhythm of the Wild
*Marshal&#039;s Anthem
[/Enchantment]
[Sorcery]
*Ancestral Anger
*Crash Through
*Maximize Velocity
*Reckless Charge
*Scale Up
*Shatterskull Smashing
*Bala Ged Recovery
*Harvest Season
*Makindi Stampede
*Emeria&#039;s Call
*Turntimber Symbiosis
*Vanquish The Horde
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Battlefield Forge
*Bountiful Promenade
*Brushland
*City of Brass
*Command Tower
*Exotic Orchard
*Handweir Battlements
*Horizon Canopy
*Jetmir&#039;s Garden
*Karplusan Forest
*Mana Confluence
*Prismatic Vista
*Sacred Foundry
*Slayers&#039; Stronghold
*Spectator Seating
*Spire Garden
*Stomping Ground
*Sunbaked Canyon
*Temple Garden
*4 Forest
*2 Mountain
*4 Plains
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>Our mana ramp suite is mainly mana dorks. They're a very cheap source of mana acceleration, which works perfectly, especially since they allow us to cast our many three-mana threats on turn two. They also work great together with our commander, who appreciates having extra bodies to activate her effect more frequently.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Slayers&#039; Stronghold"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rhythm of the Wild"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Expedite"></div></div>
<p>Haste enablers are extremely important for aggressive decks like ours. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Samut&#039;s Sprint" href="#" target="_blank">Samut&#039;s Sprint</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reckless Charge" href="#" target="_blank">Reckless Charge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are a great way to get a creature going ASAP, and they're effective enough to be worth playing even as just a power boost. <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> provides <em>Riot</em> to each of our subsequent creatures, which can be quite devastating in the right conditions. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Samut, Voice of Dissent" href="#" target="_blank">Samut, Voice of Dissent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a threat that also works as a haste enabler, providing a solid beater that can be played quite safely at instant speed.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>For opening hands, we need one or two threats and some way to start pushing damage through. Sequencing in the early game is crucial to our success. Starting at turn two, we can deploy a double-striking threat or two, and by turn four, we're probably ready to play Kitt. We actually have a very similar play pattern to a Voltron deck, because target selection is a key aspect to make our deck work well.</p>
<p>By the mid-game, things'll be sketchy if there are too many board wipes going around, but if we play it safe with our haste enablers, we could circumvent that problem altogether. This is where we have an edge over traditional Voltron lists; by having our threats spread among many creatures, we can better suit our deck to grind things out over time.</p>
<p>Note that our deck isn't exactly well suited for a late-game scenario. We don't want to reach the late game at all. Kitt Kanto's double strikers need us to go fast, so plan the early turns appropriately.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Future Potential Upgrades</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glistener Elf"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sram, Senior Edificer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation"></div></div>
<p>One area that our deck is a bit lacking is card draw and recursion for grindier games. These cards can slow us down in a 'goldfish' sort of way, but they are a necessary consideration in many environments. Potential alternate build paths could focus more on having late-game helpers. Our deck's support suite was designed to be fast and streamlined, but we could opt into other synergies too, whether it's with Auras or Equipment, to give the deck another angle of attack. Choosing which way to go is entirely personal.</p>
<p>I mentioned it before, too, but Kitt Kanto really could make for an awesome <em>Infect</em> commander. <em>Infect</em> has the added benefit of <em>Proliferate</em> to help offer a noncombat way to finish off our opponents.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think of this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this Epic Experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Kitt Kanto

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storvald, Frost Giant Jarl" href="#" target="_blank">Storvald, Frost Giant Jarl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/campbellwhite">Campbell White</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 this article, we'll be taking a look at an impressive Bant commander. Its ability to dominate the battlefield with its titanic effects while also providing a solid cover against single target removal allows him to be a force to be reckoned with. It's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storvald, Frost Giant Jarl" href="#" target="_blank">Storvald, Frost Giant Jarl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Storvald, Frost Giant Jarl"></div></div>
<h2>Observations</h2>
<ul>
<li>Storvald is a powerful creature enabler, and as such, can lead a myriad of creature-based strategies. Since most of his damage relies on combat, passing him around with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Assault Suit" href="#" target="_blank">Assault Suit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> could provide deadly results.</li>
<li>Although his <em>Ward</em>-granting ability is a great deterrent against single-target removal, the multiplayer nature of the format makes this a bit less desirable, given the prevalence of board wipes.</li>
<li>He costs a whopping seven mana just on the first cast. His high mana cost is a huge downside, especially since he's so threatening-looking and will draw attention. This relegates him to more of a support role, offering benefits for a specific strategy, rather than being the main point of a deck.</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emeria Angel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Empyrean Eagle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trygon Predator"></div></div>
<p>When building Storvald, we need to choose which creatures we're trying to buff. Evasive creatures get more bang for our buck, but it's not a must-have, since we also get the debuff effect with the attack trigger. 'Flying Matters' is an archetype that's been gaining some more steam lately, and is a great pseudo-tribal strategy that works pretty decently without our commander's help.</p>
<p>We have plenty of anthem effects to use, which stack pretty quickly with our evasive threats, and also work great with our commander, who doesn't override the buffs, but just changes base power and toughness. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thunderclap Wyvern" href="#" target="_blank">Thunderclap Wyvern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Empyrean Eagle" href="#" target="_blank">Empyrean Eagle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thraben Watcher" href="#" target="_blank">Thraben Watcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are simple buffs, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kangee&#039;s Lieutenant" href="#" target="_blank">Kangee&#039;s Lieutenant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kangee, Sky Warden" href="#" target="_blank">Kangee, Sky Warden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are a bit more situational, but also tend to be cheaper. We also have some noncreature helpers, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Favorable Winds" href="#" target="_blank">Favorable Winds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. They can be a bit less effective than their creature counterparts, since they can't attack, but on the other hand, they're more resilient against board wipes.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overcharged Amalgam"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hanged Executioner"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glorious Protector"></div></div>
<p>Flying creatures are spread all throughout <em>Magic</em> history, which means we have plenty of powerful utility options for our deck. As we'll soon see, this deck can draws a lot of cards, so having access to a huge amount of threat density is great. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gryffwing Cavalry" href="#" target="_blank">Gryffwing Cavalry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wingcrafter" href="#" target="_blank">Wingcrafter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allow our commander to fly, which, with his 7 power, can get out of hand pretty quickly, opening up a nice secondary win condition. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hanged Executioner" href="#" target="_blank">Hanged Executioner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trygon Predator" href="#" target="_blank">Trygon Predator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Remorseful Cleric" href="#" target="_blank">Remorseful Cleric</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are removal on a stick, which is a great way to continually apply pressure while making it harder for the game to spiral out of our control.</p>
<p>Being a creature-based go-wide deck, it's important to have a defensive suite of creatures to avoid getting blown out. Our commander gives us a nice buffer against single-target removal, and together with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jubilant Skybonder" href="#" target="_blank">Jubilant Skybonder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Judge&#039;s Familiar" href="#" target="_blank">Judge&#039;s Familiar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, they make removing our creatures very taxing. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate" href="#" target="_blank">Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Selfless Spirit" href="#" target="_blank">Selfless Spirit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephara, Sky&#039;s Blade" href="#" target="_blank">Sephara, Sky&#039;s Blade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glorious Protector" href="#" target="_blank">Glorious Protector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all, to some degree or another, play a crucial role protecting against board wipes.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Storvald Flying Matters" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Storvald, Frost Giant Jarl
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Birds of Paradise
*Gilded Goose
*Judge&#039;s Familiar
*Noble Hierarch
*Spectral Sailor
*Wingcrafter
*Cartographer&#039;s Hawk
*Ice-Fang Coatl
*Maraleaf Pixie
*Pride of Clouds
*Remorseful Cleric
*Selfless Spirit
*Skycat Sovereign
*Watcher of the Spheres
*Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
*Empyrean Eagle
*Hanged Executioner
*Jubilant Skybonder
*Kangee&#039;s Lieutenant
*Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
*Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate
*Loyal Drake
*Trygon Predator
*Warden of Evos Isle
*Welcoming Vampire
*Angelic Field Marshal
*Donal, Herald of Wings
*Emeria Angel
*Glorious Protector
*Gryffwing Captain
*Overcharged Amalgam
*Shalai, Voice of Plenty
*Thraben Watcher
*Thunderclap Wyvern
*Tide Skimmer
*Kangee, Sky Warden
*Mulldrifter
*Archetype of Imagination
*Sephara, Sky&#039;s Blade
[/Creature]
[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*Arcane Signet
*Bident of Thassa
[/Artifact]
[Enchantment]
*Favorable Winds
*Always Watching
*Coastal Piracy
*Reconnaissance Mission
*Gravitational Shift
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Nature&#039;s Claim
*Path To Exile
*Swords to Plowshares
*Arcane Denial
*Dovin&#039;s Veto
*Heroic Intervention
*Negate
*Teferi&#039;s Protection
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*Farseek
*Nature&#039;s Lore
*Rampant Growth
*Three Visits
*Harvest Season
*Winged Words
*Beck // Call
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Adarkar Wastes
*Barkchannel Pathway
*Bountiful Promenade
*Branchloft Pathway
*Breeding Pool
*Brushland
*City of Brass
*Command Tower
*Exotic Orchard
*Fabled Passage
*Flooded Strand
*Hallowed Fountain
*Hengegate Pathway
*Mana Confluence
*Polluted Delta
*Prismatic Vista
*Rejuvenation Springs
*Sea of Clouds
*Seaside Citadel
*Temple Garden
*Windswept Heath
*Wooded Foothills
*Yavimaya Coast
*5 Forest
*3 Island
*6 Plains
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>Our strategy relies on going wide, so card draw is very, very important. With more cards, we can access more creatures, going even wider, but we also just need more creatures in hand in case we need to recover from an opponent's board wipe. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bident of Thassa" href="#" target="_blank">Bident of Thassa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coastal Piracy" href="#" target="_blank">Coastal Piracy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reconnaissance Mission" href="#" target="_blank">Reconnaissance Mission</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are efficient ways to get a consistent flow of cards, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mulldrifter" href="#" target="_blank">Mulldrifter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spectral Sailor" href="#" target="_blank">Spectral Sailor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beck // Call" href="#" target="_blank">Beck // Call</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winged Words" href="#" target="_blank">Winged Words</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allow us to recover or to develop even when we're not fully online yet. This is important, since we can't count on always having a small army at every point of the game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Birds of Paradise"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Derevi, Empyrial Tactician"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Warden of Evos Isle"></div></div>
<p>Having on-theme ways to accelerate our mana is great, especially when we're combining them with our impressive card draw suite. The best part is that they never truly feel like dead cards; in the early game we can use the extra mana to our advantage, while later on they can still attack, either with our Anthems or with our commander pumping them up! A 7/7 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Birds of Paradise" href="#" target="_blank">Birds of Paradise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a sight to behold. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Derevi, Empyrial Tactician" href="#" target="_blank">Derevi, Empyrial Tactician</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an incredible addition to the list, providing a solid burst in mana, like our very own version of a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Feast and Famine" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Feast and Famine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warden of Evos Isle" href="#" target="_blank">Warden of Evos Isle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Watcher of the Spheres" href="#" target="_blank">Watcher of the Spheres</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are impressive pieces of acceleration that not many tribes have access to, and they can get out of hand when combined with our card draw.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>For our opening hand, we're looking mostly for a solid curve of threats, which isn't that hard, given how many of them we have. With the number of helpful <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warden of Evos Isle" href="#" target="_blank">Warden of Evos Isle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects, and the number of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kangee&#039;s Lieutenant" href="#" target="_blank">Kangee&#039;s Lieutenant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects that are ready to buff them, we're pretty fast at building a decent-sized board state, so utilizing this early lead to our advantage is crucial if we want to succeed.</p>
<p>In the early game, we're mostly just poking at our opponents with our creatures. This is an important step because every point of damage pressures our opponents further down the line (especially when considering our commander).</p>
<p>By the mid-game we'll have plenty of powerful draw triggers off our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coastal Piracy" href="#" target="_blank">Coastal Piracy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> enchantments that can help us take over the board. Our Anthem effects provide a solid clock, which means our threats will need to be answered quickly, or our opposition will never recover. Don't neglect the importance of tempo! Our commander is a nice catch-up in games where we aren't as fast as we wish.</p>
<p>We have a lot of potential when we reach the late game. On the one hand, our commander allows for a sudden burst of damage even if we're behind, dealing 14 damage with just one other creature. On the other hand, we tend to have ways of building boards that are very hard to answer when we've pulled ahead. One thing that we lack, however, is that big <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-like effect. Don't get me wrong, we do have plenty of powerful draws that gives this type of punch, but it's never of the Hoof magnitude. Our end-of-game plans rely very much on the continual pecking at enemy life totals from the very start of the game.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Avacyn, Angel of Hope"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thieving Skydiver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sigardian Savior"></div></div>
<p>There are a lot of great fliers that we could add to the list if we wanted to keep exploring this experiment! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Avacyn, Angel of Hope" href="#" target="_blank">Avacyn, Angel of Hope</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s additional protection against board wipe comes in handy quite often. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Consecrated Sphinx" href="#" target="_blank">Consecrated Sphinx</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an EDH staple for a good reason, and adding it to our list will help us keep our grip full. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thieving Skydiver" href="#" target="_blank">Thieving Skydiver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a nice little addition, stealing <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>s and other useful artifacts while also being a cheap body.</p>
<p>One subtheme that might be worth investing in is recursion. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigardian Savior" href="#" target="_blank">Sigardian Savior</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a very efficient 3-for-1 that can be played after a board wipe and very easily pay for itself with its ETB.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think of this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Storvald

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orcus, Prince of Undeath" href="#" target="_blank">Orcus, Prince of Undeath</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/andrewkmar">Andrew Mar</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>Today let's take a look into <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orcus, Prince of Undeath" href="#" target="_blank">Orcus, Prince of Undeath</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a somewhat underpowered commander. Don't get me wrong, it does have its moments, but this commander has a few obstacles in its design that tend to make it hard for it to shine.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Orcus, Prince of Undeath"></div></div>
<h3>Observations:</h3>
<ul>
<li>As a commander, Orcus suffers pretty badly from diminishing returns. Unlike the more streamlined X-cost commanders, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gyrus, Waker of Corpses" href="#" target="_blank">Gyrus, Waker of Corpses</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which counts <em>all</em> the mana spent to cast it, Orcus only counts the X for its ETB (enters-the-battlefield) ability. This makes Orcus a 4+ mana investment at minimum, and every subsequent cast become less effective, which isn't a good place to be when you're an ETB-based commander.</li>
<li>Orcus' ETB has two different modes and both can be useful in their own right:
<ul>
<li>The first mode is a board wipe for every creature except our commander. With the right support, this can be a huge tempo swing in our favor, clearing the board for a possible Voltron threat. However, given that our commander already costs four mana, we're talking about an investment of at least six to seven mana to clear away some blockers, and again, that's just on Orcus's <em>first </em>cast.</li>
<li>The second mode has the highest potential, a reliable mass reanimation effect in a color combination that has the tools to capitalize on that explosiveness. The biggest challenge is this mode's wording: it limits the number of targets and the available targets that we can choose from. This double restriction makes it hard to go bonkers with it.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Ingredients</h2>
<p>So, let's switch up the formula and see what we can make work with Orcus!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lightning Skelemental"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kroxa, Titan of Death&#039;s Hunger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ball Lightning" href="#" target="_blank">Ball Lightning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s are effective beaters that have the downside of being sacrificed at end of turn. They're very cheap to cast, and thus are great targets for Orcus' second ETB trigger. This'll be tricky for Orcus, since we'll have only a couple of opportunities to use our commander to bring back these kinds of creatures, but that means we're playing an exciting feast-or-famine strategy. What we lack in consistency we gain in sheer explosive potential, having the ability to dish double digit damage our of absolutely nowhere when our commander comes down and resurrects a pile of cheap, powerful, hasty threats.</p>
<p>Most of our beaters are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ball Lightning" href="#" target="_blank">Ball Lightning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> variations, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arc Runner" href="#" target="_blank">Arc Runner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spark Elemental" href="#" target="_blank">Spark Elemental</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but we have some interesting targets that are more noteworthy to discuss. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mogis, God of Slaughter" href="#" target="_blank">Mogis, God of Slaughter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an excellent resilient beater that scales decently in multiplayer. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kroxa, Titan of Death&#039;s Hunger" href="#" target="_blank">Kroxa, Titan of Death&#039;s Hunger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might not synergize at all with our commander (at least not the <em>Escape</em> part), but it's still a cheap threat, and we do tend to build a somewhat decent graveyard. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge" href="#" target="_blank">Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works both as an effective beater and a Treasure creator (more on that later). Its attack restriction isn't all that backbreaking since we're packing a few mana rocks and Treasure tokens, and we're more than happy to leave it on the battlefield giving us value.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Egon, God of Death" href="#" target="_blank">Egon, God of Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a funny card because it actively goes against what our commander is trying to do - load the graveyard. However, all we need is a cheap body that Orcus can revive and haste up! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Combat Celebrant" href="#" target="_blank">Combat Celebrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s potential to finish off defenseless players gives this card a tool boxy feature that is great for a recursion-based commander to have.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dictate of the Twin Gods"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flameshadow Conjuring"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sarkhan&#039;s Unsealing"></div></div>
<p>Red gives us access to some very effective support that allows our creatures to shine. While they're a bit on the expensive side and can be tough to find the right timing window to deploy them, they are the real deal. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dictate of the Twin Gods" href="#" target="_blank">Dictate of the Twin Gods</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a damage doubler that can be flashed in on the end step right before our turn, giving us even <em>more</em> explosive potential and some much-needed unpredictability. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Berserkers&#039; Onslaught" href="#" target="_blank">Berserkers&#039; Onslaught</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is similar to any damage doubler effect, but we shouldn't take for granted its combat trick potential, which can be make blocking even harder for our opponents.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flameshadow Conjuring" href="#" target="_blank">Flameshadow Conjuring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an effective way to get additional value from our creatures. Not only do we get extra damage, we also get more value out of any potential Aristocrat payoffs we use, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pitiless Plunderer" href="#" target="_blank">Pitiless Plunderer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! The Flameshadow says to exile the token, but remember, many of the creatures we're copying, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Skelemental" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Skelemental</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, will have their own end-step sacrifice trigger to make sure we <em>do </em>get the death triggers. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sarkhan&#039;s Unsealing" href="#" target="_blank">Sarkhan&#039;s Unsealing</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great control tool for any deck that has the means to actually proc its damage triggers, and with a bunch of cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rotting Regisaur" href="#" target="_blank">Rotting Regisaur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cosmic Larva" href="#" target="_blank">Cosmic Larva</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it turns out we can make that happen for very little mana!</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Orcuss Lightning Ball" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Orcus, Prince of Undeath
[/Commander]
[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*Arcane Signet
*Fellwar Stone
*Mind Stone
*Rakdos Signet
*Talisman of Indulgence
*Skyclave Relic
*Hedron Archive
[/Artifact]
[Creature]
*Spark Elemental
*Dockside Extortionist
*Hellspark Elemental
*Kalain, Reclusive Painter
*Kroxa, Titan of Death&#039;s Hunger
*Wily Goblin
*Arc Runner
*Ball Lightning
*Combat Celebrant
*Cosmic Larva
*Egon, God of Death
*Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge
*Hell&#039;s Thunder
*Lightning Skelemental
*Phyrexian Soulgorger
*Rotting Regisaur
*Seasoned Pyromancer
*Anger
*Blistering Firecat
*Bloodsworn Steward
*Erebos, Bleak-Hearted
*Fanatic of Mogis
*Impetuous Devils
*Mogis, God of Slaughter
*Pitiless Plunderer
*Purphoros, God of the Forge
*Skizzik
*Treasonous Ogre
*Goldspan Dragon
*Phyrexian Delver
*Thunderblust
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*Phyrexian Reclamation
*Flameshadow Conjuring
*Sarkhan&#039;s Unsealing
*Berserkers&#039; Onslaught
*Dictate of the Twin Gods
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Village Rites
*Deadly Dispute
*Terminate
*Thrill of Possibility
*Chaos Warp
*Hurl Through Hell
*Unexpected Windfall
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*Faithless Looting
*Strike it Rich
*Vandalblast
*Feed the Swarm
*Tormenting Voice
*Seize the Spoils
*Toxic Deluge
*Victimize
*Damnation
*Pirate&#039;s Pillage
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Blightstep Pathway
*Blood Crypt
*Bloodstained Mire
*Canyon Slough
*Command Beacon
*Command Tower
*Dragonskull Summit
*Foreboding Ruins
*Graven Cairns
*Luxury Suite
*Polluted Delta
*Sulfurous Springs
*Temple of Malice
*Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*Wooded Foothills
*15 Mountain
*7 Swamp
[/Land]"></span></div>

<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wily Goblin"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goldspan Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pirate&#039;s Pillage"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goldspan Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Goldspan Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a good beater that doubles the value of our Treasure tokens while also providing extra mana. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kalain, Reclusive Painter" href="#" target="_blank">Kalain, Reclusive Painter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a cheap creature that provides a Treasure token and a nice payoff for using them. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadly Dispute" href="#" target="_blank">Deadly Dispute</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unexpected Windfall" href="#" target="_blank">Unexpected Windfall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pirate&#039;s Pillage" href="#" target="_blank">Pirate&#039;s Pillage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seize the Spoils" href="#" target="_blank">Seize the Spoils</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are great mid-game plays that act both as a way to filter our hand and as a possible setup for a future turn.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>In terms of opening hands, we don't want to keep anything too slow. Our goal is to start applying pressure to opponents with our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ball Lightning" href="#" target="_blank">Ball Lightning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> creatures on turn three. This will set the pace for our early game, keeping up a string of one-turn threats, and restocking our hand with draw spells.</p>
<p>In the mid game, we can start to look for opportunities to set up our commander's grand entrance. Extra Treasure tokens here and there will help tremendously with this. There are a few mana milestones that we want to keep track of throughout the game (the 7 mana milestone and 10 mana milestone are crucial ones, to help bring back a decent number of creatures), but it's also useful to know when to adapt that plan according to the game state.</p>
<p>In the late game, after we've deployed Orcus and he's caused some havoc, we can lose a bit of our oomph. We're never completely out of it, though; with so many hasty threats, and so many ways to make them more effective, such as doubling their damage or gleaning rewards from their sacrifices, our opponents always have to stay on guard for any other stockpile of hasty creatures we rush out later on. Given enough time and mana, replaying our commander will always be a big late-game blowout.</p>
<hr />
<h1>Epic Results</h1>
<p>There are many ways to continue expanding and evolving the strategy from this point and I think that they tend to go towards three paths: beaters, payoffs, and subtheme.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Immolating Souleater"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ogre Battledriver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Manabarbs"></div></div>
<p>There are many cost-effective beaters out there to try, and one in particular that got me very intrigued was <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Immolating Souleater" href="#" target="_blank">Immolating Souleater</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The life trade might seem bad, but when considering that we're a very aggressive deck, it's easy to see how losing life for additional damage could really pay off for such a swift strategy.</p>
<p>Evolving the payoffs part of the deck will likely depend on personal flair; one player might prefer the sheer power of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Emancipation" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Emancipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, while another might like the low cost of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Impact Tremors" href="#" target="_blank">Impact Tremors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Finally, a great subtheme for this deck to potentially explore further would be some Group Slug cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Manabarbs" href="#" target="_blank">Manabarbs</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which either slow our opponents down or make them lose a bunch of life. This, of course, accelerates our plans perfectly.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think of this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Orcus's Lightning Ball

Deep Analysis - Infect

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valduk, Keeper of the Flame" href="#" target="_blank">Valduk, Keeper of the Flame</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/victoradameart">Victor Adame Minguez</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparation</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 this article we'll take a look into an aggressive mono-red commander, one that, because of its powerful kit, hasn't been fully explored yet. I'm talking about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valduk, Keeper of the Flame" href="#" target="_blank">Valduk, Keeper of the Flame</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Valduk, Keeper of the Flame"></div></div>
<p><strong>At the beginning of combat on your turn, for each Aura and Equipment attached to Valduk, Keeper of the Flame, create a 3/1 red Elemental creature token with trample and haste. Exile those tokens at the beginning of the next end step.</strong></p>
<p>Observation 1:</p>
<p>Valduk's kit feels a lot like a modern <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kemba, Kha Regent" href="#" target="_blank">Kemba, Kha Regent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, except it's in a better color, it's more aggressive, and it's more versatile.</p>
<p>Observation 2:</p>
<p>While it's pretty easy to just put Equipment onto Valduk and aggro people out of the game, I think that the consistent flow of enter- and leave-the battlefield triggers, not to mention the number of bodies on the battlefield, can be exploited to our advantage in a less obvious way.</p>
<p>Observation 3:</p>
<p>It's a shame that red lacks a proper Aura support. Valduk's ability also counts Auras, which is a nice added bonus, but it's hard to compete with the support that Equipment gets from red cards. Auras can potentially be more explosive, though, since they almost always will cost less mana to get onto Valduk than an Equipment.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-66078" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig-1024x517.png" alt="" width="1024" height="517" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig-1024x517.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig-300x151.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig-768x387.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig.png 1219w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-66079" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top-1024x516.png" alt="" width="1024" height="516" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top-1024x516.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top-300x151.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top-768x387.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top.png 1226w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p>Most Valduk lists are heavily invested in enabling both the combat and non-combat aspects of creating a huge token army. It's important to note that this is only one half of Valduk; it only explains the 'why' and not the 'how'.</p>
<p>Additionally, most lists are more heavily biased towards Equipment, which isn't a surprise, since red offers a ton in the way of artifact support.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heart of Kiran"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skysovereign, Consul Flagship"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Weatherlight"></div></div>
<p>Valduk's ability to put lots of bodies on the field is powerful in a color like red, where we have some great go-wide support. However, we could use the bodies to fuel a completely different archetype: Vehicles. Valduk's kit is great for the archetype because the tokens that we create all have 3 power, which is a very good value to <em>Crew </em>almost all the relevant Vehicles out there. This allows us to tune our Equipment suite to be mostly about protecting our commander, and, as a result, we get some added consistency because we're not as threatened by removal as we would normally be.</p>
<p>Vehicles are cheap threats that, very often, dodge board wipes by being noncreatures on everyone else's turns. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivator&#039;s Caravan" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivator&#039;s Caravan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the best Vehicles in the deck: it both ramps and provides a threat in a very cheap body. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smuggler&#039;s Copter" href="#" target="_blank">Smuggler&#039;s Copter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Weatherlight" href="#" target="_blank">Weatherlight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> give us a much-needed way to dig for new cards. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mizzium Tank" href="#" target="_blank">Mizzium Tank</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful self-piloting Vehicle that grows even when we're developing a board state. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skysovereign, Consul Flagship" href="#" target="_blank">Skysovereign, Consul Flagship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful "titan-esque" threat that threatens to Bolt something every turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Plate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hammer of Nazahn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Champion&#039;s Helm"></div></div>
<p>Our Equipment suite is mainly there to protect our commander. Making sure our commander is always available to create tokens is crucial for our deck to run smoothly. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hammer of Nazahn" href="#" target="_blank">Hammer of Nazahn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great source of indestructibility that not only protects our commander but also makes future Equipment that much more effective. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Champion&#039;s Helm" href="#" target="_blank">Champion&#039;s Helm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swiftfoot Boots" href="#" target="_blank">Swiftfoot Boots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror Shield" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror Shield</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all help us dodge spot removal, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Plate" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Plate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shield of Kaldra" href="#" target="_blank">Shield of Kaldra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are both crucial pieces that let our commander avoid board wipes, just like our Vehicles do.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Valduk Vehicles" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards=""></span></div></p>
<p>[Commander]</p>
<p>*Valduk, Keeper of the Flame</p>
<p>[/Commander]</p>
<p>[Artifact]</p>
<p>*Bone Saw</p>
<p>*Everflowing Chalice</p>
<p>*Cliffhaven Kitesail<br />
*Commander's Plate<br />
*Consulate Dreadnought<br />
*Sai of the Shinobi<br />
*Shuko<br />
*Skullclamp<br />
*Sol Ring<br />
*Arcane Signet<br />
*Fellwar Stone<br />
*Funeral Longboat<br />
*Heart of Kiran<br />
*Lightning Greaves<br />
*Mind Stone<br />
*Mirror Shield<br />
*Sky Skiff<br />
*Smuggler's Copter<br />
*Swiftfoot Boots<br />
*Aethersphere Harvester<br />
*Champion's Helm<br />
*Cultivator's Caravan<br />
*Daredevil Dragster<br />
*Darksteel Plate<br />
*Mizzium Tank<br />
*Raiders' Karve<br />
*Renegade Freighter<br />
*Sword of Fire and Ice<br />
*Sword of Truth and Justice<br />
*Sword of War and Peace<br />
*Whispersilk Cloak<br />
*Bomat Bazaar Barge<br />
*Fleetwheel Cruiser<br />
*Hammer of Nazahn<br />
*Hedron Archive<br />
*Ovalchase Dragster<br />
*Shield of Kaldra<br />
*Thundering Chariot<br />
*Untethered Express<br />
*Weatherlight<br />
*Aradara Express<br />
*Ballista Charger<br />
*Forsaken Monument<br />
*Skysovereign, Consul Flagship<br />
*Demolition Stomper</p>
<p>[/Artifact]</p>
<p>[Creature]</p>
<p>*Brass Squire<br />
*Foundry Inspector<br />
*Thopter Engineer<br />
*Godo, Bandit Warlord</p>
<p>[/Creature]</p>
<p>[Enchantment]</p>
<p>*Epiphany Storm<br />
*Prophetic Ravings<br />
*Invasion Plans<br />
*Bedlam<br />
*Berserkers' Onslaught</p>
<p>[/Enchantment]</p>
<p>[Instant]</p>
<p>*Abrade<br />
*Price of Progress<br />
*Thrill of Possibility<br />
*Chaos Warp<br />
*Valakut Awakening</p>
<p>[/Instant]</p>
<p>[Sorcery]</p>
<p>*Faithless Looting<br />
*Vandalblast<br />
*Shatterskull Smashing<br />
*Seize the Spoils<br />
*Chain Reaction<br />
*Blasphemous Act</p>
<p>[/Sorcery]</p>
<p>[Land]</p>
<p>*Buried Ruin<br />
*Inventors' Fair<br />
*Ghost Quarter<br />
*Tectonic Edge<br />
*30 Mountain</p>
<p>[/Land]</p>
<p>[/Deck]</p>
<hr />
<p>Aside from the protection suite, we need to run a few more Equipment to give a bit more consistency to our commander. We're running some cheap options that are only there as a way to get more bodies on the field faster. Some, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sai of the Shinobi" href="#" target="_blank">Sai of the Shinobi</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cliffhaven Kitesail" href="#" target="_blank">Cliffhaven Kitesail</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are cheap Equipment that attach when they enter the battlefield, and there are others, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bone Saw" href="#" target="_blank">Bone Saw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shuko" href="#" target="_blank">Shuko</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, that are just cheap Equipment with a cheap Equip cost. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Epiphany Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Epiphany Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prophetic Ravings" href="#" target="_blank">Prophetic Ravings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are the only Auras in the deck, but they offer a very useful looting ability for our commander.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>For our opening hand, we're looking for one or two Vehicles to get things going. We can worry about having Equipment later as our Vehicle army grows.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smuggler&#039;s Copter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bomat Bazaar Barge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Consulate Dreadnought"></div></div>
<p>In the early game, we usually have two lines of play: aggressive, playing Vehicles first, or passive, playing mana rocks first. The first line is better when we have a tight curve for turns two, three, and four, which reduces the immediate need for extra mana from mana rocks. The passive line is where we're mostly trying to accelerate to one of our bigger Vehicles, or we're just fishing and betting on a more explosive turn. Sometimes it's efficient because we get to play our commander on curve and then an expensive Equipment plus its Equip cost.</p>
<p>By the mid game, we should have a few Vehicles out and should always be looking to hit someone with our creatures. At this point it starts to show the importance of finding one of our indestructible Equipment because losing our commander is a huge hit in our tempo. This is where we risk running out of steam, but if we can protect our commander, we can reach the point that just our tokens alone are a significant threat.</p>
<p>In the late game, random <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vandalblast" href="#" target="_blank">Vandalblast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s aside, we can dish out some consistent damage. One area we're lacking is big haymakers - between Equipment and Vehicles, finding deck slots without compromising is a hard task - but lucky for us, with the right amount of support, our commander can help us grind through longer games, because we're now attacking on three different axes, so one of them is bound to burst through.</p>
<hr />
<h1>Epic Results</h1>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Purphoros, God of the Forge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghirapur Aether Grid"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Welder"></div></div>
<p>The good thing about our commander is that there are plenty of ways to take advantage of his tokens. Investing in non-combat-related ones, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warstorm Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Warstorm Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is a good way to help us chip down our opponents, relieving some of the pressure on our Vehicles.</p>
<p>With almost half of our deck as artifacts, there's a lot in the payoff department that we can use. Some recursion, like <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>, can go a long way to help us fight against removal, while cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghirapur Aether Grid" href="#" target="_blank">Ghirapur Aether Grid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reckless Fireweaver" href="#" target="_blank">Reckless Fireweaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are more thematic ways to chip our opponents.</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 did you not? Was this <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Valduk Vehicles

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rankle, Master of Pranks" href="#" target="_blank">Rankle, Master of Pranks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/burmak">Dmitry Burmak</a>)</h6>
<h1>Unlimited Power</h1>
<p>Did you know that EDHREC has an <a href="https://edhwiki.com/wiki/Main_Page">EDH Wiki</a>? Go check it out, if you haven’t already; it’s written by the community for the community, and there’s a lot of cool stuff in there! <em>Deep Analysis</em> is series where we learn about an archetype using its Wiki page, then apply this new knowledge to build a deck.</p>
<p>In this article we'll be covering the Discard archetype.</p>
<blockquote>
<h4>"Discard is a control archetype built around forcing opponents to discard cards from their hand, often gaining additional benefits when opponents discard cards and/or when opponents have no cards in hand."</h4>
</blockquote>
<p>Discard is a proactive control archetype, which means that it deals with threats before they hit the field. Usually, when we think about discard spells, we think of cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thoughtseize" href="#" target="_blank">Thoughtseize</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. However, having one-for-one trades like this both lacks an overall punch for most of our payoffs and is extremely inefficient when in a multiplayer setting. This means that we need both constant sources of discard, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necrogen Mists" href="#" target="_blank">Necrogen Mists</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and/or high impact, one-shot discard spells, like <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>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Color Identity</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Mono-Black</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tinybones, Trinket Thief"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tergrid, God of Fright"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rankle, Master of Pranks"></div></div>
<p>Mono-black is the baseline for Discard-themed decks. It contains all the important pieces and has some interesting commanders to choose from.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Rakdos</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kroxa, Titan of Death&#039;s Hunger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Neheb, the Worthy"></div></div>
<p>Red is a great addition to the archetype. It gives us access to wheel effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reforge the Soul" href="#" target="_blank">Reforge the Soul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and we can complement our strategy with some aggressive hate pieces that allow will allow us to keep constant pressure on our opponents.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Orzhov</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kunoros, Hound of Athreos"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liesa, Shroud of Dusk"></div></div>
<p>Orzhov is a bit of an oddball for the strategy, but white gives us access to tax effects can slow down the game enough to buy us enough time for our discard effects to kick in. We do lose a lot in commander quality, with most of our choices being more of a compromise than anything else.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Commander Choice</h2>
<p>Our first major choice is whether we want an enabler or a payoff to be in the command zone. Having an enabler as a commander guarantees a degree of consistency in executing our plan and allows us to focus a bit more on the payoff elements of our strategy. On the other hand, having a payoff in the command zone is really powerful and, more often than not, can be something to build our deck around, which is always fun. In this case in particular, consistency seems like a key aspect for our strategy, so having a reliable commander, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rankle, Master of Pranks" href="#" target="_blank">Rankle, Master of Pranks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, seems like a perfect choice for this.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Rankle Discard" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards=""></span></div></p>
<p>[Commander]</p>
<p>*Rankle, Master of Pranks</p>
<p>[/Commander]</p>
<p>[Creature]</p>
<p>*Bloodsoaked Champion<br />
*Gutterbones<br />
*Bloodghast<br />
*Burglar Rat<br />
*Elderfang Disciple<br />
*Elvish Doomsayer<br />
*Miasmic Mummy<br />
*Nether Traitor<br />
*Rotting Rats<br />
*Skyclave Shade<br />
*Tinybones, Trinket Thief<br />
*Demon's Disciple<br />
*Haakon, Stromgald Scourge<br />
*Liliana, Heretical Healer<br />
*Murderous Rider<br />
*Plaguecrafter<br />
*Fell Specter<br />
*Sadistic Hypnotist<br />
*Scourge of Nel Toth<br />
[/Creature]</p>
<p>[Enchantment]</p>
<p>*Phyrexian Reclamation</p>
<p>*Quest for the Nihil Stone<br />
*Shrieking Affliction<br />
*Animate Dead<br />
*Liliana's Caress<br />
*Waste Not<br />
*Bottomless Pit<br />
*Megrim<br />
*Necrogen Mists<br />
*Oppression<br />
*Words of Waste<br />
*Raiders' Wake<br />
*Larceny<br />
*Painful Quandary<br />
[/Enchantment]</p>
<p>[Instant]</p>
<p>*Heartless Act</p>
<p>[/Instant]</p>
<p>[Planeswalker]</p>
<p>*Liliana of the Veil<br />
*Ugin, the Ineffable<br />
*Ugin, the Spirit Dragon</p>
<p>[/Planeswalker]</p>
<p>[Artifact]</p>
<p>*Everflowing Chalice<br />
*Skullclamp<br />
*Sol Ring<br />
*The Rack<br />
*Wayfarer's Bauble</p>
<p>*Guardian Idol</p>
<p>*Jet Medallion<br />
*Lightning Greaves<br />
*Mind Stone<br />
*Swiftfoot Boots<br />
*Darksteel Plate<br />
*Phyrexian Totem<br />
*Wheel of Torture<br />
*Geth's Grimoire<br />
*Hedron Archive</p>
<p>[/Artifact]</p>
<p>[Sorcery]</p>
<p>*Reanimate<br />
*Feed the Swarm<br />
*Smallpox<br />
*Dead of Winter<br />
*Mind Rake<br />
*Toxic Deluge<br />
*Damnation<br />
*Syphon Mind<br />
*Command the Dreadhorde<br />
*Tasigur's Cruelty<br />
[/Sorcery]</p>
<p>[Land]</p>
<p>*Cabal Coffers<br />
*Castle Locthwain<br />
*Faceless Haven<br />
*Ghost Quarter<br />
*Mutavault<br />
*Tectonic Edge<br />
*Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth</p>
<p>*30 Snow-Covered Swamp</p>
<p>[/Land]</p>
<p>[/Deck]</p>

<hr />
<h2>Discard</h2>
<p>This is what our deck is all about. We have two types of discard cards: consistent, and one-shot.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Consistent</h3>
<p>These are great for keeping our opponents' options low, but unless we have a few of them out, they can be a bit too slow to really make a difference.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Larceny"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bottomless Pit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oppression"></div></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sadistic Hypnotist" href="#" target="_blank">Sadistic Hypnotist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bottomless Pit" href="#" target="_blank">Bottomless Pit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Larceny" href="#" target="_blank">Larceny</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necrogen Mists" href="#" target="_blank">Necrogen Mists</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oppression" href="#" target="_blank">Oppression</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painful Quandary" href="#" target="_blank">Painful Quandary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Raiders&#039; Wake" href="#" target="_blank">Raiders&#039; Wake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Words of Waste" href="#" target="_blank">Words of Waste</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana of the Veil" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana of the Veil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">One-Shot</h3>
<p>One-shot effects are perfect to get the ball rolling, and they come in all shapes and forms. In this build, we're focusing on bodies that have a discard effect stapled into them. They aren't all that explosive, but they do help us provide some synergy with other cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Burglar Rat"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smallpox"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tasigur&#039;s Cruelty"></div></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burglar Rat" href="#" target="_blank">Burglar Rat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elderfang Disciple" href="#" target="_blank">Elderfang Disciple</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Doomsayer" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Doomsayer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Miasmic Mummy" href="#" target="_blank">Miasmic Mummy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rotting Rats" href="#" target="_blank">Rotting Rats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><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></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smallpox" href="#" target="_blank">Smallpox</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syphon Mind" href="#" target="_blank">Syphon Mind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tasigur&#039;s Cruelty" href="#" target="_blank">Tasigur&#039;s Cruelty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2>Discard Payoff</h2>
<p>Aside from the obvious benefit of leaving our opponents <em>Hellbent</em>, we have a selection of aggressive payoffs that put the pressure on our opponents once we've established our hand disruption.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Act of Discard</h3>
<p>These cards punish our opponents for discarding their cards. They're not only great for our own discard effects, but also because they can hose some other strategies, like Wheels and <em>Cycling</em>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geth&#039;s Grimoire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liliana&#039;s Caress"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Waste Not"></div></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geth&#039;s Grimoire" href="#" target="_blank">Geth&#039;s Grimoire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fell Specter" href="#" target="_blank">Fell Specter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tinybones, Trinket Thief" href="#" target="_blank">Tinybones, Trinket Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana&#039;s Caress" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana&#039;s Caress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Megrim" href="#" target="_blank">Megrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Raiders&#039; Wake" href="#" target="_blank">Raiders&#039; Wake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Waste Not" href="#" target="_blank">Waste Not</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Empty Hand Payoff</h3>
<p>These cards help us keep the pressure once we manage to lower our opponents' hand sizes. These effects are usually a bit lacking, but since we have an aggressive shell, they complement our gameplan.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Rack"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quest for the Nihil Stone"></div></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Rack" href="#" target="_blank">The Rack</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wheel of Torture" href="#" target="_blank">Wheel of Torture</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quest for the Nihil Stone" href="#" target="_blank">Quest for the Nihil Stone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shrieking Affliction" href="#" target="_blank">Shrieking Affliction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2>Recursive Creatures</h2>
<p>This is where our build diverges a bit from the usual. There are many sources of discard that are symmetrical, like our commander, so by having a bunch of aggressive recursive creatures allows us to break the parity and get some value from our discards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bloodghast"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bloodsoaked Champion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nether Traitor"></div></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodghast" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodghast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodsoaked Champion" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodsoaked Champion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gutterbones" href="#" target="_blank">Gutterbones</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Haakon, Stromgald Scourge" href="#" target="_blank">Haakon, Stromgald Scourge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nether Traitor" href="#" target="_blank">Nether Traitor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scourge of Nel Toth" href="#" target="_blank">Scourge of Nel Toth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skyclave Shade" href="#" target="_blank">Skyclave Shade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<blockquote>
<h4>"If discard decks do not find 'payoff' cards that synergize or deal damage to their enemies after cards have been discarded, the lack of cards in players' hands can stall the game in a way that is not usually enjoyed by most players.</h4>
<h4>"It is very easy for graveyard-based commanders to avoid the negative downsides of discard effects, as discard players may accidentally provide those players with the fuel their decks need to win the game.</h4>
<h4>"Discard decks can be less effective against aggro strategies that already plan to quickly play all the cards in their hand in the first place, leaving them with little to discard. Because so many cards in discard decks affect players' hands, rather than the battlefield, this can leave the discard player vulnerable to on-board threats."</h4>
</blockquote>
<p>Given that we are building a synergy-based deck, where we need to find both enablers and payoff, there'll be games where we might only draw "one half" of our deck. I chose to have access to a consistent discard outlet in the command zone. However, this can lead to games where we don't see enough payoffs for this to be worthwhile. One easy way to circumvent this would be choosing a payoff commander (such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tinybones, Trinket Thief" href="#" target="_blank">Tinybones, Trinket Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) who does not cause the discard itself, but which does reward us when we cause discard to happen.</p>
<p>This is one of our deck's weakness: both Reanimator and Self-Mill can leverage our discard spells. One easy way to avoid such nuisances is to include a few graveyard hate cards. Don't get me wrong, they'll still be a hard match-up, but at least they give us a fighting chance.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reanimate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bojuka Bog"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Soul-Guide Lantern"></div></div>
<p>One of the benefits of taking in an aggressive route is that we have plenty of bodies and damage to try to compete with them. One thing to note is that we won't be winning any friends by playing a discard-heavy strategy, so we'll need to deal with them on our own.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Which Card? Discard</h2>
<p>And that’s it for this article. Now I want to hear from you! Share your thoughts on this list or on Discard-based decks in general. What archetype do you want to see covered next?</p>
<p>While this series will focus on just archetypes, <a href="https://edhwiki.com/wiki/Main_Page">there’s a ton of other cool community-built content in the Wiki</a>. Check it out, and feel free to contribute, if you’d like!</p>


aggro