<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meteor Swarm" href="#" target="_blank">Meteor Swarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.olivierbernard-art.com/">Olivier Bernard</a></h6>
<h1>Brewing Xcitement</h1>
<p>Hello fellow brewer, and welcome back to <em>Brew for your Buck</em>, where we swap out the top 10 most expensive cards in a deck with 10 budget cards that add a unique twist. This time, I want to take a look at a deck I was toying around with last year but haven't pulled the trigger to build just yet. Gruul is a tough color combination for me to get excited about. Looking at the most popular themes for the color pair, none inspire me much besides <em>Landfall</em>, but I've already sold my soul to the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Gitrog Monster" href="#" target="_blank">almighty amphibian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I finally found some inspiration though when looking for a non-Izzet spellslinging commander:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wort, the Raidmother"></div></div>
<p>Wort asks for a deck with a balance of creatures and spells (not unlike our <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/brew-for-your-buck-tap-down-flashback/">Katilda and Lier deck</a>), which can be difficult to do. Fortunately, her average list is filled with a bunch of spells that make creatures à la <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon Fodder" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon Fodder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Because of this, we see a lot of token payoff with her, but yet another token deck is not very inspiring (at least not to me). The inspiring part is what those tokens do with Wort on the battlefield: copying our spells with <em>Conspire.</em> There are plenty of generically powerful spells to copy in the deck already, but this is <em>Brew for your Buck</em>! We want a <strong><em>theme</em></strong>, which you may have already guessed from my not-so-subtle title.</p>
<p>That's right, we're copying X spells. There are a few sprinkled in already, but we're going to really lean into them today. Once the X spell is on the stack, copying it means whatever the value of X is, essentially doubling your invested mana. Another bonus with this deck is that the original list only costs $151, so we have an excellent chance of getting it below $100.</p>
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;"><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> ($19.26)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jeska&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Jeska&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($12.54)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Awaken the Woods" href="#" target="_blank">Awaken the Woods</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($11.71)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cryptolith Rite" href="#" target="_blank">Cryptolith Rite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($9.93)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primal Amulet" href="#" target="_blank">Primal Amulet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($8.79)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urabrask" href="#" target="_blank">Urabrask</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($8.38)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Second Harvest" href="#" target="_blank">Second Harvest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($6.10)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vexing Shusher" href="#" target="_blank">Vexing Shusher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($4.68)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storm-Kiln Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Storm-Kiln Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($4.06)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Mob Boss" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko, Mob Boss</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($4.00)</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
<p style="padding-left: 200px; text-align: left;"><strong>Total Value of Cuts: $89.45</strong></p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stomping Ground" href="#" target="_blank">Stomping Ground</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the only land that would make this list, so swapping that out (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dwarven Mine" href="#" target="_blank">Dwarven Mine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.23) is a great option since it usually comes with a creature) brings our total savings to <strong>$98.66</strong>.</p>
<h2>Additions</h2>
<p>There are plenty of X spells in the game to add, and we've seen recent inklings of more support for the archetype outside of just <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rosheen Meanderer" href="#" target="_blank">Rosheen Meanderer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h3>Xtreme Weather</h3>
<p>One thing I quickly noticed about these X spells is that many of them depict natural disasters if not a full on e(x)tinction level event. We already have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Comet Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Comet Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, so let's add its friends <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meteor Swarm" href="#" target="_blank">Meteor Swarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.09) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meteor Blast" href="#" target="_blank">Meteor Blast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.28). Copying either with even a little bit invested into the X should kill pretty much any creatures or planeswalkers you need, and the latter can even hit players. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hurricane" href="#" target="_blank">Hurricane</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.20) is a classic, and cheesing out a win with a green burn spell (that you can copy) is even more hilarious. It won't hit any of our creatures or tokens since none of them have flying, but it <em>will</em> hit our life total, so pick your timing carefully unless you want to draw the game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Meteor Swarm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Meteor Blast"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hurricane"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Xtra Value</h3>
<p>This deck e(x)cels at trading up on resources, generating effective card advantage by copying spells with many targets. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="By Force" href="#" target="_blank">By Force</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.56) is my favorite budget replacement for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vandalblast" href="#" target="_blank">Vandalblast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and it gets even better here. There are always artifacts lying around, and picking off the critical ones can go along way to furthering your gameplan or currying some political favor with the rest of the table. Besides <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Regrowth" href="#" target="_blank">Regrowth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this deck has basically no recursion, something I always want more of in my decks. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reap the Past" href="#" target="_blank">Reap the Past</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.34) is not ideal for grabbing something specific out of your graveyard, but once copied it does a pretty good impression of drawing you a fresh hand.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="By Force"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reap the Past"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><strong>Xponential Tokens</strong></h3>
<p>While we're focused on X spells for our budget package, we can't ignore the fact that our token generation is also integral to the deck's plan. We already have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arasta of the Endless Web" href="#" target="_blank">Arasta</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, so we can add essentially another copy with our "not exactly budget" card: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragonlair Spider" href="#" target="_blank">Dragonlair Spider</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($3.04). Why make tokens ourselves when our opponents can do the work for us? The Spider is a red AND green creature, which are high value since they don't limit spells we can <em>Conspire</em>. We also get <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tears of Rage" href="#" target="_blank">Tears of Rage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.14), a relatively unknown instant that screams alpha strike. Swing with all but two of your creatures, cast and copy it, and kill the table before the end step trigger even happens. It also has an X in the rules text so it kind of counts for the theme.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragonlair Spider"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tears of Rage"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><strong>Mana Xcceleration</strong></h3>
<p>We'll wrap up with some ways to generate more mana. After all, we have a six mana commander and we want to dump as much value into the X on all of these spells as possible. An obvious addition is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nexos" href="#" target="_blank">Nexos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.33), a creature from the <em>Warhammer 40k</em> decks that goes well with our mana base full of basic lands. In the same vein, Elementalist's Palette ($1.61) is another obvious inclusion here, helping us amplify successive X spells in later turns. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animist&#039;s Awakening" href="#" target="_blank">Animist&#039;s Awakening</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($1.14) goes perfectly here too, dumping a ton of lands onto the battlefield, and with so many instants and sorceries in the deck, we'll easily turn on <em>Spell Mastery</em> and get to untap them as well.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nexos"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elementalist&#039;s Palette"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Animist&#039;s Awakening"></div></div>
<h3></h3>
<h2>Wrap Up and Savings</h2>
<p>Let's e(x)amine what we saved:</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Picture1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-101450 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Picture1.png" alt="" width="413" height="305" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Picture1.png 355w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Picture1-300x221.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 413px) 100vw, 413px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>As e(x)pected, we dropped the deck down to way under $100. One gameplay note: copying the spells with <em>Conspire</em> doesn't cast them, so your <em>Storm</em> cards are not going to get better the more spells you copy in a turn. However, if you use <em>Conspire</em> to copy the original <em>Storm</em> spell, that will work the way you want it to, essentially doubling the <em>Storm</em> count without having to cast anything.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="X Gonna Give it to Ya" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Wort, the Raidmother
[/Commander]
[Sorceries]
*1 Animist&#039;s Awakening
*1 By Force
*1 Cathartic Reunion
*1 Chatterstorm
*1 Cultivate
*1 Dragon Fodder
*1 Empty the Warrens
*1 Escape to the Wilds
*1 Harmonize
*1 Harvest Season
*1 Hordeling Outburst
*1 Hurricane
*1 Jaya&#039;s Immolating Inferno
*1 Kodama&#039;s Reach
*1 Krenko&#039;s Command
*1 Mana Geyser
*1 Meteor Blast
*1 Meteor Swarm
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Open the Way
*1 Ral&#039;s Reinforcements
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Reap the Past
*1 Regrowth
*1 Seize the Spoils
*1 Shamanic Revelation
*1 Titania&#039;s Command
*1 Tormenting Voice
*1 Wrenn&#039;s Resolve
[/Sorceries]
[Creatures]
*1 Arasta of the Endless Web
*1 Avenger of Zendikar
*1 Dragonlair Spider
*1 Dualcaster Mage
*1 Elvish Mystic
*1 Fyndhorn Elves
*1 Goblin Anarchomancer
*1 Guttersnipe
*1 Llanowar Elves
*1 Nexos
*1 Siege-Gang Commander
*1 Young Pyromancer
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Elementalist&#039;s Palette
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Twinning Staff
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Artifact Mutation
*1 Battle Hymn
*1 Beast Within
*1 Big Score
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Comet Storm
*1 Display of Power
*1 Harrow
*1 Increasing Vengeance
*1 Manamorphose
*1 Reverberate
*1 Seething Song
*1 Tears of Rage
*1 Thrill of Possibility
*1 Unexpected Windfall
*1 You See a Pair of Goblins
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 City on Fire
*1 Double Vision
*1 Impact Tremors
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Xenagos, the Reveler
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Cinder Glade
*1 Command Tower
*9 Forest
*1 Gruul Turf
*1 Khalni Garden
*14 Mountain
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Rockfall Vale
*1 Rootbound Crag
*1 Stomping Ground
*1 Temple of Abandon
*1 Wooded Ridgeline
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I'd love to hear from you about the deck! Are there any cool X spells I missed? Should we build a deck based around natural disasters? Any secret spell copying tech we should add? Let me know in the comments, and I'll see you next time when we brew for your buck!</p>
<p>Follow me on Twitter @BrewForYourBuck</p>
<p><em>Please note: card prices listed in this article are accurate at the time of writing, but prices can vary over time and between locations.</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


Brew For Your Buck - X Gonna Give it to Ya

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Belbe, Corrupted Observer" href="#" target="_blank">Belbe, Corrupted Observer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.artofmtg.com/art/belbe-corrupted-observer/">Igor Kieryluk</a>)</h6>
<h1>Belbe and Bell Borca: Bel-baes?</h1>
<p>Welcome to <em>Challenge the Stats</em>! This series is based on the awesome <a href="https://edhrecast.libsyn.com/">EDHRECast</a> segment where we pick out ten cards for a commander that we think are overplayed, underplayed, or sleepers to challenge EDHREC’s data. Always remember, dear reader: card choices made by <em>you</em>, the deckbrewer, for any reason such as flavor, budget, art, or fun are always most important and are what keep our format unique and awesome.</p>
<p>Last article, readers voted on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Belbe, Corrupted Observer" href="#" target="_blank">Belbe, Corrupted Observer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Belbe, Corrupted Observer"></div></div>
<p>Fun fact! It's since been corrected, but when I first looked up Belbe's art during <em>Commander Legends</em> spoilers, the URL for her Art of MTG page said "artofmtg.com/art/belbe-eye-of-yawgmoth", so Belbe, Eye of Yawgmoth might have been her card name at one point!</p>
<p>Belbe wants to ping all of her opponents to get a six-colorless-mana boost on her post-combat main phase. That's a huge amount of ramp, and folks are using that mana to power out some bangers. I love that we can plug in any crazy top end we want for Belbe. Our opponents can take advantage of this ability, too, although they're more likely to get two or four mana since their decks aren't built around it. To offset this bonus, some people are leaning into taxing opponents' spells.</p>
<p>We're going to challenge the data from all 530 Commander decks at the time of writing, and you can see how often those cards are played in parentheses (%). Here we go.</p>
<hr />
<h1>Challenges</h1>
<hr />
<h2>Overplayed</h2>
<h3>1. Staff of Nin (43%)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Staff of nin"></div></div>
<p>Let me use the Staff to highlight what appears to be a soft spot for Belbe players: colorless six-mana cards. Just take a look at her mana curve (below)! While this totally makes sense because they allow you to ensure that that Belbe mana all gets used in one place (even on turn two), I think we can be pickier in our choices. I'd lump <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="God-Pharaoh&#039;s Statue" href="#" target="_blank">God-Pharaoh&#039;s Statue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in, too, but I can see a good chunk of y'all like those Stax pieces.</p>
<p>Does it make sense to be so worried about efficiency and not wasting mana on turn two that we play a sub-optimal card? I'd rather let a mana fizzle and play an impactful five-drop, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wandering Archaic" href="#" target="_blank">Wandering Archaic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychosis Crawler" href="#" target="_blank">Psychosis Crawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It might sound crazy, but what about a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Book of Rass" href="#" target="_blank">Book of Rass</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, potentially drawing three next turn and having a great mana sink hanging around? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ugin, the Ineffable" href="#" target="_blank">Ugin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another card that's a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Giant Growth" href="#" target="_blank">giant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> improvement over the Staff.</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-27-at-2.46.02-PM.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-65083" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-27-at-2.46.02-PM.png" alt="" width="475" height="348" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-27-at-2.46.02-PM.png 475w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-27-at-2.46.02-PM-300x220.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 475px) 100vw, 475px" /></a></p>
<h3>2. Ill-Gotten Inheritance (28%)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ill-gotten inheritance"></div></div>
<p>Our deck wants to make opponents lose life in two ways. The first is with quick creatures that we can drop on turn one that attack on turn two to ping the table, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Night Market Lookout" href="#" target="_blank">Night Market Lookout</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mardu Shadowspear" href="#" target="_blank">Mardu Shadowspear</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The second are more persistent ways to ping opponents that will stick around and repeatedly deal damage. These second-volley effects should have some extra utility to them.</p>
<p>Let's take a look at some options. We want efficient ones, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanctum of Stone Fangs" href="#" target="_blank">Sanctum of Stone Fangs</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Retreat to Hagra" href="#" target="_blank">Retreat to Hagra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but when we get to four or five mana we really want them to do something else to earn their slot in the deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Palace Siege" href="#" target="_blank">Palace Siege</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great because if we don't need the damage we can get some card advantage from our graveyard. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Court of Ambition" href="#" target="_blank">Court of Ambition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Loyal Subordinate" href="#" target="_blank">Loyal Subordinate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> pack more damage in their punch, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychosis Crawler" href="#" target="_blank">Psychosis Crawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can turn a draw spell into a wallop. These are the contenders <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ill-Gotten Inheritance" href="#" target="_blank">Ill-Gotten Inheritance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is up against, and it's lacking the punch and extra utility we can find elsewhere.</p>
<h3>3. Thrull Parasite (23%)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="thrull parasite"></div></div>
<p>The play pattern with <em>Extort</em> is awkward with Belbe's ability. To activate our Belbe trigger, we need to cast two spells on our turn one to <em>Extort</em>, and another big one to use the mana Belbe got from that <em>Extort</em>. That's too many hoops to jump through. Similarly, the new <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Witherbloom Apprentice" href="#" target="_blank">Witherbloom Apprentice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is being included in 41% of new Belbe decks, and has the same issue of needing to cast an instant or sorcery before you get your Belbe mana rebate.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Underplayed</h2>
<h3>4. Damnable Pact (35%)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Damnable pact"></div></div>
<p>Besides it being a fantastic card in nearly any black deck, there are two reasons we want <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Damnable Pact" href="#" target="_blank">Damnable Pact</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as part of our draw package for Belbe. First, we can dump a whole bunch of mana into that X to draw a ton of cards. Second, we're more likely than most decks to have enough mana to use Damnable Pact for its secret second mode: knocking a player out of the game.</p>
<h3>5. Hooded Blightfang (22%)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hooded blightfang"></div></div>
<p>This is a pinger that's going to give us extra utility by threatening planeswalkers. It will be very hard to block, and except in the case of our opponents having a token army, they'll have some tough decisions to make when we attack with it.</p>
<h3>6. Animists' Awakening (14%)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Animists&#039; Awakening"></div></div>
<p>The ramp package in a Belbe deck will be more interesting than most. On turn one, we'd rather be playing a one-drop pinger than a Sol Ring, so if you're like me and love a reason to cut <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>, here it is. We're going to be more focused on fixing than ramp. We want a black mana on turn one to play a pinger, a green mana on turn two to cast Belbe, and then we're really jazzed about kicking six mana into our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Everflowing Chalice" href="#" target="_blank">Everflowing Chalice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skyclave Relic" href="#" target="_blank">Skyclave Relic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s. Another I'd add to that arsenal is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animists&#039; Awakening" href="#" target="_blank">Animists&#039; Awakening</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We can't play it until we have one green mana available, so probably not on turn two, but on turn three we can likely cast this for at least X=8 and ramp a whole heck of a lot.</p>
<h3>7. Hurricane (7%)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hurricane"></div></div>
<p>Hurricane is a multi-functional all-star in our deck (and, to a lesser extent, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Squall Line" href="#" target="_blank">Squall Line</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Canopy Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Canopy Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>). We can cast it for X=1 to simply get a Belbe refund, we can use it as a boardwipe for fliers, and best of all, we can win the game with it if we have a lot of mana and the highest life total!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Sleepers</h2>
<h3>8. Arguel's Blood Fast</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arguel&#039;s Blood fast"></div></div>
<p>I was very surprised not to see this classic black draw mana sink on Belbe's EDHREC page. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Erebos, God of the Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Erebos, God of the Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> should be up there, too. These are great draw cards all by themselves, and they'll do a lot to help make sure all of that Belbe mana goes to good use! They essentially turn into <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Greed" href="#" target="_blank">Greed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if we have extra mana lying around.</p>
<h3>9. Astral Cornucopia</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Astral cornucopia"></div></div>
<p>While it's getting outclassed in some decks these days, the flexibility on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Astral Cornucopia" href="#" target="_blank">Astral Cornucopia</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great and is why it warrants consideration alongside rocks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gilded Lotus" href="#" target="_blank">Gilded Lotus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (15%) for Belbe. We can sink all the Belbe mana into it for a rock that taps for two, or pump more or less into it depending on the situation. For that reason, it's nearly as good as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Everflowing Chalice" href="#" target="_blank">Everflowing Chalice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skyclave Relic" href="#" target="_blank">Skyclave Relic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in our deck. Belbe probably isn't ramping on turn two, she's probably entering the battlefield, meaning we can include some less efficient and more fun rocks.</p>
<h3>10. Psychosis Crawler</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Psychosis crawler"></div></div>
<p>I mentioned it at the top, but I love Psychosis Crawler in this deck. It's guaranteed to trigger Belbe at the start of every turn, and we are going to want to have enough gas in this deck to keep dropping haymakers. While we're gassing up our hand, why not spread around a ton of damage at the same time? Also, it's a great way to use Belbe mana, even on a turn two play if we're set up perfectly.</p>
<p>Let's go to a decklist! I had some fun with the top end. Insert any wacky expensive cards you want!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Belbe Brewed Boisterously" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Belbe, Corrupted Observer
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Deathrite Shaman
*1 Erebos, God of the Dead
*1 Hooded Blightfang
*1 Loyal Subordinate
*1 Mardu Shadowspear
*1 Night Market Lookout
*1 Phyrexian Triniform
*1 Plague Spitter
*1 Psychosis Crawler
*1 Pulse Tracker
*1 Rakshasa Debaser
*1 Rankle, Master of Pranks
*1 Shepherd of Rot
*1 Steelbane Hydra
*1 Stonecoil Serpent
*1 Tangled Florahedron
*1 Triplicate Titan
*1 Twilight Prophet
*1 Vicious Conquistador
*1 Voracious Hydra
*1 Walking Ballista
*1 Wandering Archaic
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Ambition&#039;s Cost
*1 Animist&#039;s Awakening
*1 Army of the Damned
*1 Bala Ged Recovery
*1 Black Sun&#039;s Zenith
*1 Bond of Agony
*1 Canopy Surge
*1 Damnable Pact
*1 Deadly Tempest
*1 Exsanguinate
*1 Gelatinous Genesis
*1 Hurricane
*1 Night&#039;s Whisper
*1 Read the Bones
*1 Sign in Blood
*1 Syphon Mind
*1 Vicious Rumors
*1 Zof Consumption
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Arguel&#039;s Blood Fast
*1 Court of Ambition
*1 Palace Siege
*1 Retreat to Hagra
*1 Sanctum of Stone Fangs
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Astral Cornucopia
*1 Cryptolith Fragment
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Horizon Stone
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Lithoform Engine
*1 Skyclave Relic
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Assassin&#039;s Trophy
*1 Beast Within
*1 Crushing Disappointment
*1 Go for the Throat
*1 Golgari Charm
*1 Hagra Mauling
*1 Heroic Intervention
*1 Khalni Ambush
*1 Malakir Rebirth
[/Instants]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Ugin, the Ineffable
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Blooming Marsh
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Command Tower
*1 Crawling Barrens
*12 Forest
*1 Leechridden Swamp
*1 Llanowar Wastes
*1 Nurturing Peatland
*1 Overgrown Tomb
*12 Swamp
*1 Temple of Malady
*1 Twilight Mire
*1 Undergrowth Stadium
*1 Woodland Cemetery
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<h1>Bye Bye Belbe</h1>
<p>What did you think of these challenges? Are there any other cards you would challenge? Let me know in the comments below! As always, you can find me on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/jevin_mtg">@jevin_mtg</a> or shoot me an email @ jevinlortie@gmail.com.</p>
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