Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER - Final Fantasy Deck Tech

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spirit Bonds" href="#" target="_blank">Spirit Bonds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/willmurai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Willian Murai</a></em></p>
<p>As <em>Magic</em> players, we've all been there: the aristocrats player waits for the perfect moment to unleash a long string of sacrifice effects that ends the game. On one hand, it's impressive to watch; it feels like a complex puzzle being assembled before your eyes. On the other hand, it can feel like an unsatisfying way to lose, essentially having your game plan amount to nothing.</p>
<p>Whatever your feelings may be on aristocrats, there's no denying their popularity within <em>Magic</em>, especially in Commander. According to EDHREC data, there are over 100 thousand <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/aristocrats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aristocrat decks in their database</a>. This huge amount of popularity means that there are only six deck "themes" or strategies that are more popular than it on EDHREC.</p>
<p>Most aristocrat decks are heavily associated with the color black, as it provides the most support for both sacrifice outlets and cards that benefit from creatures dying. However, there are plenty of great aristocrat cards outside of black, and this mini-series of articles covers the best options for aristocrat players in every color!</p>
<p>We began this series over on <a href="https://commandersherald.com/the-best-aristocrat-cards-in-commander-green-edition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Commander's Herald with green</a>, and will be continuing our "mini-series" here with white.</p>
<p>This list is in no particular order, but the first card is an absolute heater...</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Martyr&#039;s Cause" href="#" target="_blank">Martyr&#039;s Cause</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Martyr&#039;s Cause"></div></div>
<p>Martyr's Cause is a rare sacrifice outlet in white that covers two critical categories for any aristocrat deck: protection, and free sacrifice outlet. By "free," I mean that it doesn't cost any mana to sacrifice creatures, and the difference between having to use mana vs. not is pretty huge. The "protection" piece comes in the form of protecting our life total; we're playing aristocrats, so there's no denying that we will be attacked. This card allows us to blank potentially lethal attacks, and aristocrat decks often only need to survive one or two combat steps before being able to go off.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fanatical Devotion" href="#" target="_blank">Fanatical Devotion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fanatical Devotion"></div></div>
<p>Fanatical Devotion is another "free" white sacrifice outlet, which is amazing, but it also provides aristocrat decks with a rare opportunity: regeneration. Regenerate is not a mechanic that's seen too often anymore, but that's no reason to underrate it.</p>
<p>If you're unfamiliar with how regeneration works, it's pretty simple. Whenever a creature is destroyed (either from a "destroy" effect or from damage), you may activate the regenerate ability (in this case, sacrificing a creature), tap the creature, and remove it from combat (if it's in combat). When you do this, the damage is removed and the creature is not destroyed. This can save some critical creatures in response to spot removal or a board wipe, and that's what makes this card so good.</p>
<p>Aristocrat decks often have several expendable creatures, so sacrificing something expendable for the good of protecting something more important is a price we're willing to pay.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knight-Captain of Eos" href="#" target="_blank">Knight-Captain of Eos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Knight-Captain of Eos"></div></div>
<p>Like our first two picks, this is another sacrifice outlet, but a little more specific. It does two things that we want: it generates disposable bodies when it enters, and it gives us a sacrifice outlet that can protect our life total. Sure, we need to sacrifice Soldiers, but this creature makes Soldiers when it enters <em>and</em> Soldiers are one of the most common creature types in white.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Martyred Rusalka" href="#" target="_blank">Martyred Rusalka</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Martyred Rusalka"></div></div>
<p>This card might seem innocuous, but it can prevent an opponent's biggest threat from attacking us. It's the perfect political piece, as we can threaten to activate it if an opponent is aiming to attack us. The mana cost on any sacrifice ability can be tricky, but holding up one white mana can telegraph this <em>and</em> things like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Path to Exile" href="#" target="_blank">Path to Exile</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swords to Plowshares"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Path to Exile"></div></div>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Promise of Bunrei" href="#" target="_blank">Promise of Bunrei</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Promise of Bunrei"></div></div>
<p>This card can act as a three-mana spell that creates four disposable bodies for our strategy, and that's amazing. The only tricky part about it is that we can't choose exactly when to trigger it; we <em>have</em> to sacrifice it as soon as one of our creatures die. We should have enough sacrifice outlets where this shouldn't be a problem, but it's important to keep in mind.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Promise of Tomorrow" href="#" target="_blank">Promise of Tomorrow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Promise of Tomorrow"></div></div>
<p>There is no other card that can be riskier to our strategy than this one. Exiling our creatures is not a "may" trigger, so any reanimation effects are effectively turned off while this is in play.</p>
<p>The floor of this card might be low, but the ceiling is incredibly high. If we have a sacrifice outlet onboard, we can sacrifice our creatures to trigger this whenever we need. On the plus side, this card is crazy against board wipes, as it basically renders any effort from our opponents to deal with our board null and void (outside of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farewell" href="#" target="_blank">Farewell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Farewell"></div></div>
<p>One thing to keep in mind with this: it <em>does not </em>take away any death triggers you may have, as the creatures become exiled <em>after</em> they die - which is so cool!</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spirit Bonds" href="#" target="_blank">Spirit Bonds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spirit Bonds"></div></div>
<p>This card creates tokens from our nontoken creatures entering the battlefield, for the small price of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. While that ability is pretty good, we're going to focus primarily on the second ability: making a non-Spirit indestructible. Similarly to Knight-Captain of Eos, this relies on a specific creature type, but also like Knight-Captain of Eos, this card creates the creature type we need.</p>
<p>It turns out, protecting our important pieces is very good!</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worthy Cause" href="#" target="_blank">Worthy Cause</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Worthy Cause"></div></div>
<p>This is a single-use sacrifice spell that gains us life equal to the sacrificed creature's toughness. Instead of seeing this as a one-mana spell, I advise you to see it as a three-mana spell, as we'll want to use the buyback ability. Always having a three-mana, instant-speed way to keep us alive is huge. Remember when I said we'll probably be getting attacked a lot?</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage" href="#" target="_blank">Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage"></div></div>
<p>This card just came out in <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em>, but it's incredible for aristocrat decks. Endures 2 means that we can put two +1/+1 counter on Anafenza or we can create a 2/2 Spirit. Getting Anafenza big doesn't really do anything, as she doesn't have evasion, but the ability to create more expendable creatures is why I'm talking about this card. Our creatures <em>will</em> die, and if we can benefit by creating more creatures in the process, we're in a winning position.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Loyal Retainers" href="#" target="_blank">Loyal Retainers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Loyal Retainers"></div></div>
<p>I tried to stay away from creatures with single-use sacrifice abilities, but this one is just too strong. Not only can it generate infinite combos (this is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s best friend), but it can also bring back our commander in a pinch. Depending on the commander, this may not matter, but it's likely that our commander will be a magnet for removal, and rather than casting it for 10 or more mana, we can just return it with this ability!</p>
<div id="238-2533-5147" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
<script id="238-2533-5147" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Gerrard%2C%20Weatherlight%20Hero%22%2C%22Loyal%20Retainers%22%2C%22Goblin%20Bombardment%22%5D&requires=%5B%5D&produces=%5B%22Infinite%20blinking%22%2C%22Infinite%20damage%22%2C%22Infinite%20death%20triggers%22%2C%22Infinite%20ETB%22%2C%22Infinite%20LTB%22%2C%22Infinite%20sacrifice%20triggers%22%5D&id=238-2533-5147&color=RW&extraRequirementCount=1"></script></div>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="." width="0" height="0"></iframe><br />
Outside of "protecting" our commander or going infinite, the game is flooded with great legendary creatures these days, and that makes this card the perfect reanimation option for any white deck (especially if it lacks black!).</p>
<p>That concludes my list for the color white. I hope all you aristocrat players out there learned something new today. Stay tuned for my exploration into the remaining colors, all while saving the best (black) for last!</p>


The Best White Aristocrat Cards in Commander

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Commissar Severina Raine" href="#" target="_blank">Commissar Severina Raine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>|Art by <a href="https://jakemurraystudio.com/">Jake Murray</a></h6>
<h1>The Call at Dawn</h1>
<p>Hi, and welcome to <em>Beyond the Multiverse</em>, where we go outside the <em>Magic: The Gathering </em>universe, and explore outside IPs. Today, we're turning our attention to the <em>Warhammer </em>universe (specifically 40k). That particular release was important as it was the first time we had a major release from <em>Universes Beyond</em>.</p>
<p>Such releases fell in two categories: A full-on set, or the soon-to-be-extinct precon releases. <em>Warhammer</em> fell into the latter category, featuring Necrons, Tyranids, Chaos, and the Imperium.</p>
<p>However, it's that last faction we're looking at today. Of the 99 in that precon, one stood out to me as particularly strong, and being an engine on her own. Also, we're picking a deck that's partially outside my wheelhouse. Without further ado, let's get to it.</p>
<h1>Greeting the Commander</h1>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Commissar Severina Raine"></div></div>
<p>Severina was an Imperial Commissar who served the Astra Militarum, protecting a region known as the Bane Stars from the forces of Chaos. Before she assumed command of her regiment, she executed the previous captain, a well-beloved figure, for going against the Lord General Militant's orders, saying that the mission was a suicidal charge.</p>
<p>Severina would go forward with the mission, commanding the regiment, and securing victory despite heavy losses. However, she had to quell a near-mutiny when she took command, and those troops still harbor a grudge for the death of their captain.</p>
<p>Firstly, Severina wants us to go wide, and on the offensive, because her attack trigger will soften our opponents' life totals before our army even connects. More more you attack with, the stronger the effect. However, she also draws you cards by sacrificing a creature by paying two generic mana. A simple, yet paradoxical card.</p>
<h1>Harboring a Grudge</h1>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bastion of Remembrance"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Morbid Opportunist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pitiless Plunderer"></div></div>
<p>I'm going to get this out of the way: I do not like Aristocrats. I despise the archetype for a number of reasons, especially the "death by a thousand cuts" plan. I feel like you're so dependent on assembling an infinite combo to really make cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> shine.</p>
<p>While I enjoyed the Vampire precon from <em>Lost Caverns of Ixalan</em>, that didn't do much to address my disdain for the archetype. There's only one other thing I hate more than aristocrats, so this is number two in a top five list (If you must know, it's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Merieke Ri Berit" href="#" target="_blank">Merieke Ri Berit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>). That said, I'm writing this for you, readers, so I'll swallow my grudge and carry on.</p>
<p>To begin, we do not have a lot of Blood Artist-like effects, so we'd have to take what we can get. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirkwood Bats" href="#" target="_blank">Mirkwood Bats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (272,056 decks) stands among the best of these, checking for any token that comes in or is sacrificed, which we'll be doing plenty. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanguinary Priest" href="#" target="_blank">Sanguinary Priest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (11,344 decks) pings a target, and gains us a life back.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bastion of Remembrance" href="#" target="_blank">Bastion of Remembrance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (173,899 decks) gives us a token, and does a good impression of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zulaport Cutthroat" href="#" target="_blank">Zulaport Cutthroat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (using an in-universe example). Lasty, while it's no Blood Artist, <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> (219,588 decks) gives us treasure when another creature we control dies.</p>
<h1>Rallying the Creatures</h1>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Securitron Squadron"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Captain of the Watch"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Death in Heaven"></div></div>
<p>Most importantly, we need creatures to sacrifice, and what better options are there, but tokens? Firstly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Captain of the Watch" href="#" target="_blank">Captain of the Watch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (27,946 decks) replenishes our board with soldiers. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Company Commander" href="#" target="_blank">Company Commander</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (18,366 decks) is best played early on, as its enters ability is strongest when all of your opponents are present.</p>
<p>On the other hand, we also have a number of creatures with the Squad mechanic, which we play premium for an extra copy of the card. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Securitron Squadron" href="#" target="_blank">Securitron Squadron</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (18,922 decks), if you pay enough into the Squad cost, is a game-ender. Likewise, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ultramarines Honour Guard" href="#" target="_blank">Ultramarines Honour Guard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (18,417 decks) is another anthem effect that could make our creatures bigger.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Death in Heaven" href="#" target="_blank">Death in Heaven</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (10,658 decks) is a graveyard hoser and, picking the right target, an army-in-a can. Lastly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Entrapment Maneuver" href="#" target="_blank">Entrapment Maneuver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (20,403 decks) makes our opponent sacrifice a creature, and we get an army for it. Be sure to use it right to get maximum value out of it. Four mana is a lot to leave up, after all.</p>
<p>The myriad mechanic is another good choice, but will not count for Severina's attack trigger, so keep that in mind. However, the one that stands out here is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dalek Squadron" href="#" target="_blank">Dalek Squadron</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (15,401 decks), which has to be double-blocked.</p>
<p>Alternatively, there's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blade of Selves" href="#" target="_blank">Blade of Selves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (76,859 decks), but it'll need the right creature to equip to get mileage in this list. That said, I brought up aristocrats, so what kind of value can we reap from sacrificing our tokens?</p>
<h1>Planning a Strategy</h1>
<p>If there's one thing aristocrat decks tend to gain, it's value. I mentioned the Blood Artist effects earlier, but we have more payoffs. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Black Market" href="#" target="_blank">Black Market</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (126,459 decks) gets us an absurd amount of mana.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashnod&#039;s Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Ashnod&#039;s Altar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (reskinned as Bedivere's Scales; 405,311 decks) does this, too, and it's a free outlet. Those are the ones to immediately slam into the deck (ironically not in this list for a reason I'll explain when we get to it).</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Call for Unity" href="#" target="_blank">Call for Unity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (12,406 decks) is slow to get going, but it can add up. On the other hand, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Morbid Opportunist" href="#" target="_blank">Morbid Opportunist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (164,466 decks) gives us a card if a creature died each turn. In a similar vein, it's best to treat <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (667,040 decks) as a sacrifice outlet if the tokens are 1/1s, as that'll draw us two cards for each one you 'clamp.</p>
<p>Lastly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Golden Throne" href="#" target="_blank">The Golden Throne</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (25,043 decks) gives us three mana if we sacrifice a creature. It also can save us from a lethal strike, but only once, and it puts us at one life, so hope no one pings you, and make you lose in such an embarrassing manner.</p>
<p>Alternatively, swinging out with a big board works just as well. However, you need to have a large number of creatures to make that worthwhile, but don't hesitate if you can land a hit in.</p>
<p>One or two life on attack isn't much, but it can add up quickly. There is this tension between this, and an aristocrats plan, so it's best to know when to lean into one strategy more than the other, then switch it when you're ready to do so.</p>
<h1>Addressing the Deck</h1>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Going Universes Beyond-The Call to War" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Commissar Severina Raine
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 And They Shall Know No Fear
*1 Anguished Unmaking
*1 Crush Contraband
*1 Darkness
*1 Deadly Dispute
*1 Entrapment Maneuver
*1 Flawless Maneuver
*1 Galadriel&#039;s Dismissal
*1 Go for the Throat
*1 Lethal Scheme
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Secure the Wastes
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Unbreakable Formation
*1 Utter End
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Hierarchy
*1 The Golden Throne
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
[/Artifacts]
[Lands]
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Ballroom
*1 Command Tower
*1 Desolate Mire
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Isolated Chapel
*1 Memorial to Glory
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Path of Ancestry
*10 Plains
*1 Scoured Barrens
*1 Shineshadow Snarl
*1 Silent Clearing
*10 Swamp
*1 Tainted Field
*1 Temple of Silence
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 War Room
*1 Windbrisk Heights
[/Lands]
[Sorceries]
*1 Austere Command
*1 Collective Effort
*1 Crisis of Conscience
*1 Dread Return
*1 Everything Comes to Dust
*1 Exterminatus
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Fell the Mighty
*1 For the Emperor!
*1 Increasing Devotion
*1 Martial Coup
*1 Night&#039;s Whisper
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bastion of Remembrance
*1 Black Market
*1 Black Market Connections
*1 Call for Unity
*1 Dawn of Hope
*1 Death in Heaven
*1 Intangible Virtue
*1 Vault 75: Middle School
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*1 Captain of the Watch
*1 Company Commander
*1 Dalek Squadron
*1 Elder Arthur Maxson
*1 Escarpment Fortress
*1 General&#039;s Enforcer
*1 Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff
*1 Mentor of the Meek
*1 Mirkwood Bats
*1 Morbid Opportunist
*1 Overseer of Vault 76
*1 Pitiless Plunderer
*1 Primaris Chaplain
*1 Sanguinary Priest
*1 Securitron Squadron
*1 Sloppity Bilepiper
*1 Space Marine Devastator
*1 The Meep
*1 Ultramarines Honour Guard
*1 Wasteland Raider
*1 White Glove Gourmand
[/Creatures]"></span></div>
<h1>Turning the Tide of the Game</h1>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="For the Emperor!"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Exterminatus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Galadriel&#039;s Dismissal"></div></div>
<p>You'll see that, in this list, I made aristocrats a sub-theme, and focused harder on the aggro plan. This is because you're more likely to get Severina's attack trigger than use the activated ability.</p>
<p>Both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Meep" href="#" target="_blank">The Meep</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (provided you sacrifice a big enough creature; 529 decks) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="For the Emperor!" href="#" target="_blank">For the Emperor!</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (8,418 decks) are swingy finishers in their own right. It had been my original plan all along, and the aristocrats aspect of the deck just came naturally.</p>
<p>For a token list, there's a lot of wipes, but very few are absolute. Firstly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Martial Coup" href="#" target="_blank">Martial Coup</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (79,645 decks) leaves behind an army to work with. Secondly, cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fell the Mighty" href="#" target="_blank">Fell the Mighty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crisis of Conscience" href="#" target="_blank">Crisis of Conscience</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (68,710 and 5,119 decks respectively) both ensure that our tokens stick around.</p>
<p>The absolute wipes we do have are a last resort, and should be treated as such. Above all, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exterminatus" href="#" target="_blank">Exterminatus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (besides being absolutely fun to slam down; 7,978 decks) will wipe out everything, except lands.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Everything Comes to Dust" href="#" target="_blank">Everything Comes to Dust</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (20,284 decks) will help secure our board, if you use the convoke cost. However, be aware that you'll be sparing some of your opponents' creatures, too.</p>
<p>That said, while we have a ton of wipes, the list also carries lots of board protection. The best of these is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Galadriel&#039;s Dismissal" href="#" target="_blank">Galadriel&#039;s Dismissal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (47,752 decks), which either saves our stuff, or clears the way for lethal damage.</p>
<p>However, that's not to say other cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flawless Maneuver" href="#" target="_blank">Flawless Maneuver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unbreakable Formation" href="#" target="_blank">Unbreakable Formation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (260,956 and 174,495 decks respectively) are slouches, either.</p>
<p>Each one has their uses, be it free to cast or can be used to advance our board state in some way. On the other hand, you might even want the board wiped of threats, or to enable the aristocrats subtheme. Perhaps it's both.</p>
<h1>Going Home</h1>
<p>In conclusion, with the limited but burgeoning card pool we have, we can still make something out of it. Even archetypes I tend to not like can be made here. Who knows? We might even get a Blood Artist reskin down the line. Aristocrats is not an archetype I tend to venture into for reasons I explained, but I hope that the list does a good enough job to convey it.</p>
<p>When building the list, I was originally looking at some of the other options that could fit a similar mold. Firstly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Colonel Autumn" href="#" target="_blank">Colonel Autumn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would strengthen your tokens, but you need a critical mass of legendary creatures to make him useful. Secondly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="MacCready, Lamplight Mayor" href="#" target="_blank">MacCready, Lamplight Mayor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would've worked if we weren't using many anthem effects.</p>
<p>Lastly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elder Arthur Maxson" href="#" target="_blank">Elder Arthur Maxson</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who is in the decklist, gives counters to our tokens, and is a free sacrifice outlet himself, mainly to protect himself. I was going to randomize what commander to use before each game, but I eventually settled on Severina, since the others have a niche to them the deck couldn't satisfy.</p>
<p>Maybe one day I can make that work for a different deck (Though, the Boros Equipment deck from last week is a good candidate for this).</p>
<p>Join me next time, when we return to an earlier franchise with a favorite deck in mind. Until then, may you be inspired by what's beyond <em>Magic</em>'s IP.</p>


Beyond the Multiverse - Commissar Severina Raine

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage" href="#" target="_blank">Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.matthew-stewart.com/">Matt Stewart </a></h6>
<h1>Enduring Stupidity</h1>
<p>The week before last on <em>The Monolith </em>we talked about <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-hybrid-commanders-as-if-they-were-monocolored">building hybrid mana commanders as though they were just one color</a> which lead to some pretty fun out of pie actions as we made a mono green Aristocrats deck with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis" href="#" target="_blank">Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>I've always loved building Commander decks that try to perform the typical archetypes of one color, without that color present. And a non-black Aristocrats deck provides a lot of fun challenge as so many of the best payoffs for sacrificing your own creatures of course exist in black.</p>
<p>Now this week I had designs to do something very different, we were going to take a look at one of the new monocolored legends from <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm. </em>And that's when I saw <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage" href="#" target="_blank">Anafenza</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage"></div></div>
<p>"Wow" I said, "That seems like a great legend to lead a mono white Aristocrats deck!". But surely that's already pretty played out, and we just made one in mono-green anyway.</p>
<p>As white is the go to color pairing for black when building an Aristocrats deck, I could only assume it would be one of the more popular choices for sacking your own creatures off outside of black.</p>
<p>But no, there's even less mono-white Aristocrats decks registered here on EDHREC.com than there are mono green ones! Turns out I was playing it safe.</p>
<p>So let's break that color pie once again and build around what looks to be a very fun new commander from the brand new set.</p>
<h2>The Spirit of the Deck</h2>
<p>First of all, let's take a look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage" href="#" target="_blank">Anafenza</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> herself. I'll even embed the card a second time for easy reading, because I'm nice like that. Tell you what, we'll use the alternate art.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage|TDM|327"></div></div>
<p>Our new commander is a three mana, white, Spirit Soldier with Flash and First Strike. She's a 2/2. Or at least she is when she enters the battlefield, because the most important thing about Anafenza is her third line of rules text.</p>
<p>It reads, "Whenever another nontoken creature you control dies, Anafenza endures 2". Endure X is a brand new triggered keyword which allows you to either place X counters on the creature who triggered it, or to create an X/X Spirit creature token.</p>
<p>Anafenza is going to act as our main payoff for sacking our own creatures. She can reward us in one of two ways, by flooding the board with 2/2 tokens or buffing herself up to try and swing in for lethal commander damage.</p>
<h2>The Secret to Mono White Aristocrats</h2>
<p>One of the trickiest things about building an Aristocrats deck is selecting your sacrifice outlets. It's also a good reason that a lot of Aristocrat decks need black in the color identity to function.</p>
<p>Black does have the best pay offs for letting one of your own creatures die, sure. But they also have a glut of good sac outlets they can field as well. Often they'll be filled with creatures that not only allow you to sacrifice your stuff, but also give you a payoff in return. All stapled onto the same card.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Altar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashnod&#039;s Altar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Altar of Dementia"></div></div>
<p>Now any color has access to the big three above, all powerful options that pretty much any self sacrifice deck that can afford them will probably run. And we're likely to put them into our list as well!</p>
<p>But the special secret sauce that white brings to the table that I think seems under discussed when building these decks, is that mono white creatures can often sacrifice themselves.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Selfless Savior"></div></div>
<p>Introducing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Selfless Savior" href="#" target="_blank">Selfless Savior</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the reason for shed tears of players everywhere and the archetype for the sort of creatures we'll be running in this deck.</p>
<p>At instant speed, without any extra costs, cards like this can sacrifice themselves to protect your important board pieces.</p>
<p>They're not just for protection, either! There's also plenty of variants that can be used offensively, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bounty Agent" href="#" target="_blank">Bounty Agent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> which can take out an enemy commander or <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> that can hate on graveyard strategies.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bounty Agent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Felidar Cub"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Remorseful Cleric"></div></div>
<p>By running a big batch of these creatures in our deck we can ensure that there's always a way for us to sacrifice for value whenever we need. And pretty much always at instant speed with no additional costs.</p>
<p>With a payoff sitting in our command zone, we can start buffing her up or pumping out tokens immediately on turn three.</p>
<h2>To Endure or to Endure, That is the Question</h2>
<p>What's interesting about Anafenza as a commander is that her ability is modal, meaning we have three options to take when building her. We can make a load of tokens. We can make Anafenza very big. Or we can have a little of column A and a little of column B.</p>
<p>If you're building this deck yourself, you'll need to decide on what your wincon is. It could be a pretty standard go wide deck, turning your saviors into Spirits and overrunning your opponents.</p>
<p>Or it could play a little bit more like a Voltron deck. One giant commander swinging into your opponents surrounded by bodyguards.</p>
<p>There's definitely a deck in here that can do both, and one of the nice things about our commander's modal ability is that it should be pretty easy to switch lanes immediately depending on the cards that come out of the deck or the ways in which our opponents are defending against us.</p>
<p>But let's look at each of these builds individually, starting off with the more simple strategy of going wide.</p>
<h2>Spirited Slugging</h2>
<p>In all likelihood you know how to go wide by now. Especially in mono white. We've got a lot of creatures that are going to destroy themselves for our cause and return from the grave to fight for us as Spirit tokens.</p>
<p>But swapping a 1/1 for a 2/2 isn't exactly game breaking. We'll likely want to provide some support for our commander's ability through token doubling using cards like Annointed Procession and Mondrak.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anointed Procession"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mondrak, Glory Dominus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation"></div></div>
<p>There's plenty of cards that will reward you for making tokens in white. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bennie Bracks, Zoologist" href="#" target="_blank">Bennie Bracks, Zoologist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a pretty popular commander for token focused decks, and because of your cards' ability to sacrifice themselves at instant speed you could very easily be drawing a card on every players' end step with a big enough board.</p>
<p>You could also play classics like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mentor of the Meek" href="#" target="_blank">Mentor of the Meek</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or the more recent <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enduring Innocence" href="#" target="_blank">Enduring Innocence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> which has the benefit of also providing a risk free sacrifice fodder. A truly sacrificial lamb.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bennie Bracks, Zoologist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mentor of the Meek"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Enduring Innocence"></div></div>
<p>If we are going wide then we're going to need some board wide buffs to push us over the finish line before enduring a game ending board wipe. <em>Wilds of Eldraine </em>provided us with one of the best mono-white token deck finishers ever printed not too long ago in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moonshaker Cavalry" href="#" target="_blank">Moonshaker Cavalry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. You'll give all your creatures flying and buff them equal to your board size with some of the prettiest art in the set.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Moonshaker Cavalry"></div></div>
<h3>A Sneaky Infinite Combo</h3>
<p>Another option for buffing up your board for the final swing is to play the old classic, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cathars&#039; Crusade" href="#" target="_blank">Cathars&#039; Crusade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's far more annoying than cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Banner of Kinship" href="#" target="_blank">Banner of Kinship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as you have to manually track loads of differently sized piles of +1/+1 counters which can be a real headache in token spamming decks.</p>
<p>However, with the ability to immediately put a +1/+1 counter on any of our creatures that enter the battlefield will unlock a spicy little combo with one of the easiest keywords to break in the game's history, Persist.</p>
<p>There's only two creatures I could find in mono-white that Persist. If you're not familiar with the keyword, it basically reanimates a creature that dies. They come back with a -1/-1 counter on them, and it only triggers if they don't already have one of those counters. In theory this means it should only trigger once.</p>
<p>But when a creature has both a -1/-1 counter and a +1/+1 counter on them, they cancel each other out. Which means our creature can Persist all over again.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kithkin Spellduster"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cathars&#039; Crusade"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashnod&#039;s Altar"></div></div>
<p>With one of our two Persist creatures out, Cathars' Crusade, and a free sacrifice outlet like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashnod&#039;s Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Ashnod&#039;s Altar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this creature can be infinitely sacrificed. Every time we do so we'll get another trigger from our commander and if we choose to make a Spirit our board will grow bigger and bigger from all the counters Cathar's Crusade gives us.</p>
<p>We can even do this on our opponent's end step so that on our turn we can swing out with an infinitely wide, infinitely large board. Nasty!</p>
<h3>Protect Your Protectors</h3>
<p>If we're going wide then we definitely need to factor in some protection for our board. We're already running creatures that want to sacrifice themselves, and there's a few in white that will not only protect one target, but can make your entire board indestructible. Make sure to include these if this is your chosen strategy!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boromir, Warden of the Tower"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Selfless Spirit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lena, Selfless Champion"></div></div>
<p>Outside of that, most cards in your deck will be able to provide single target protection for your key board pieces. Especially your commander, which we'll talk about next.</p>
<h2>Spirited Slaying</h2>
<p>Now making tokens is all well and good. You'll probably want to make at least a few of them regardless of how you build this deck. That way you've got chump blockers and can easily trigger white card draw. But there's an alternative way of building Anafenza that I think is far cooler, and much funnier.</p>
<p>And that's as a Voltron deck. As we know, we can make Anafenza pretty large, pretty easily in this deck. She starts off as a 2/2 but every time one of our creatures dies, she gets two +1/+1 counters.</p>
<p>So in theory, if ten of our creatures die before Anafenza does, she can deal lethal commander damage. The only problem is, she doesn't have any evasion attached to her other than first strike.</p>
<p>Which does make it harder to block and kill her, but won't guarantee we can make it through another player's blockers to deal our lethal damage. Except, that's not true is it? Quite a few of our creatures, when sacrificed, give a target creature protection. Which can make her... unblockable.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cliffside Rescuer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Benevolent Bodyguard"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Alseid of Life&#039;s Bounty"></div></div>
<p>Imagine someone is swinging at you with a potentially lethal commander. They just cracked a Cliffside Rescuer and now they have protection from everything you control.</p>
<p>On top of that, if you'd like to respond to the trigger, they have about five different other protectors on board that can also foil your kill spells or provide further protection. What exactly do you do about that?</p>
<p>Well, that's our plan! By assembling enough of these Selfless Savior style effects we can not only make a commander that's near impossible to deal with, but also one that gets bigger every time we activate one of our countermeasures.</p>
<h3>Rinse and Repeat</h3>
<p>The main problem with this tactic is that it can end up being a bit of a one trick pony. If you swing into an opponent with your unblockable commander and sack all your bodyguards to get them up to 22 power, killing your target... now what?</p>
<p>You've run out of protection and your opponents can just murder your commander, setting us back to step one of the plan.</p>
<p>For that reason we need some to make sure we can cycle our protectors to ensure that we don't leave ourselves high and dry. Not to mention that it would be great to use that Rescuer more than once to ensure we can't be blocked when we next attack.</p>
<p>We should also look for extra value from our sacrifices in true Aristocrats style so that we can set up another turn with a similar board state.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Luminous Broodmoth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Martyr&#039;s Bond"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Field of Souls"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Luminous Broodmoth" href="#" target="_blank">Luminous Broodmoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of my favorite mono white cards, and I've attached a lot of fond memories to it. It also serves as a perfect card to recycle our bodyguards, giving us an extra activation with them.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Martyr&#039;s Bond" href="#" target="_blank">Martyr&#039;s Bond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will force our opponents to sacrifice their own creatures when we do the same, making it easier for us to swing in without using up our protection. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Field of Souls" href="#" target="_blank">Field of Souls</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the other hand will ensure we have something to block with after we've effectively just board wiped ourselves.</p>
<h2>Can Our Opponents Endure?</h2>
<p>It's certainly a deck that requires a lot of moving parts to play well. Which is probably why I love the idea so much. It's playing white out of its color pie, whilst also playing an archetype in a way it's not normally approached.</p>
<p>What do you reckon, could it actually win games? Will our wall of dogs be enough to protect us and see us to victory? Or will the only thing we'll actually endure be an early death and a night of spectating?</p>
<p>Let me know what you think in the comments and tell me if I'm missing any vital pieces that you think could get this strategy over the line. And most importantly, get out there and build some monocolored decks for your next commander night. Until then though, have fun enduring and I'll see you next week.</p>


Mono-White Aristocrats with Anafenza, Unyielding Lineage

Archetypes of Imagination - Making a Death Triggers Deck

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cayth, Famed Mechanist|M3C|10" href="#" target="_blank">Cayth, Famed Mechanist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/boello">Boell Oyino</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>Today's edition takes a look at a <em>Modern Horizons 3</em> "backup commander" in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cayth, Famed Mechanist" href="#" target="_blank">Cayth, Famed Mechanist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cayth, Famed Mechanist"></div></div>
<p>Cayth is a very cool design, and reminds me a lot of <em>The Lost Caverns of Ixalan's</em> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Xavier Sal, Infested Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Xavier Sal, Infested Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Xavier Sal, Infested Captain"></div></div>
<p>You could take Cayth in so many different directions: tokens, +1/+1 counters, a deck themed around "fabricate" cards - the list goes on. Our deck today focuses on an archetype that's usually found in black, and is only found in Jeskai colors (red, white, and blue) 36 times on EDHREC: Aristocrats.</p>
<p>The "Aristocrat" theme is focused around sacrificing creatures for value, oftentimes leading to a crazy winning turn. The most popular color combination for this theme, with 26,000 decks on EDHREC, is Orzhov (black and white), and this makes a lot of sense.</p>
<p>In black, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zulaport Cutthroat" href="#" target="_blank">Zulaport Cutthroat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to ensure we can win the game, but what happens when you take black away? Can Aristocrats still be good without its most crucial color?</p>
<p>Spoiler alert: Yes.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blood Artist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zulaport Cutthroat"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Category #1: Death Triggers</h2>
<p>A good Aristocrat deck benefits off of its own creatures dying, and while these colors don't have a "blood artist option", they do have some good value pieces. Boss's Chauffeur gets bigger over time and creates an instant board when it dies;</p>
<p>Anax, Hardened in the Forge creates 1/1 tokens when our nontoken creatures die; Gleaming Barrier is a cheeky piece of ramp; Solemn Simulacrum is always a great card;</p>
<p>Wurmcoil Engine creates 2 3/3 tokens when it dies; Runed Servitor and Friendly Teddy both draw cards (the "full table card draw" plan will be important later); and Cathodion can be a ridiculous combo piece.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boss&#039;s Chauffeur"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anax, Hardened in the Forge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gleaming Barrier"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Solemn Simulacrum"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wurmcoil Engine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Runed Servitor"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Friendly Teddy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cathodion"></div></div>
<p>A few of these cards create tokens, and tokens are amazing with Cayth because of her ability to populate any token we have! Speaking of tokens...</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Category #2: Tokens</h2>
<p>Our deck creates tokens in 2 main ways: the fabricate ability that Cayth grants our nontoken creatures, and multiple cards that create token copies of creatures temporarily.</p>
<p>Gaining Servo tokens from Cayth's fabricate ability is a great way to create disposable blockers as well as sacrifice fodder, but outside of these servo tokens, we have several cards that create tokens:</p>
<p>Phantom Steed can make a token copy of a creature we exile with it each combat; Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink can grant us a temporary copy of something, as well as act as an amazing mana sink in the late game; Jaxis, the Troublemaker can make temporary token copies with card draw attached to them;</p>
<p>Muster the Departed allows us to populate every turn if a creature dies (which they will); The Jolly Balloon man can make flying balloon copies of our creatures, which is hilarious; and Feldon of the Third Path can copy something in our graveyard <em>every turn</em>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phantom Steed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jaxis, the Troublemaker"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Muster the Departed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Jolly Balloon Man"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Feldon of the Third Path"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Category #3: Sacrifice Outlets</h2>
<p>Since this is an Aristocrats deck, it would not be complete without sacrifice outlets. This category includes all the "usual suspects" like Goblin Bombardment, Ashnod's Altar, and Altar of Dementia, but also includes some outlets that are lesser played.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Bombardment"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashnod&#039;s Altar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Altar of Dementia"></div></div>
<p>The new Ravenous Amulet is a strong card draw piece; Drowned Rusalka lets us loot when we sacrifice a creature; Dark-Dweller Oracle gives us impulse draw; Trading Post acts as a way to sacrifice our creatures <em>and</em> artifacts for value; Spawning Pit is a sneaky way to build up to a huge board state; and High Market is a "free sacrifice outlet", as it doubles as a land!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ravenous Amulet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Drowned Rusalka"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trading Post"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spawning Pit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="High Market"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Category #4: Recursion/Reanimation</h2>
<p>Sacrificing creatures naturally means that we need ways to bring those creatures back, whether it be to our hand or directly to play. White has no shortage of recursion options, so our recursion package is as strong as it could be.</p>
<p>Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle lets us bring back small creatures when we cast historic spells (this deck is full of artifacts!); Sevinne's Reclamation is a 2-for-1 reanimation spell that copies itself from the graveyard; and Storm of Souls is a way to return our <em>entire </em>graveyard to play as a bunch of 1/1 flyers!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Storm of Souls"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Category #5: "Secret Spice"</h2>
<p>The "secret spice" for this deck comes in the form of creatures with persist. The persist mechanic means that if a creature dies without a -1/-1 counter on it, it returns to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.</p>
<p>Astute observers might see why this is so good: Cayth grants all creatures "fabricate", which means they can enter with a +1/+1 counter on them.</p>
<p>If they enter with both types of counters, they are cancelled out, allowing us to sacrifice the creature <em>all over again</em>. This means that any "persist creature" goes infinite with Cayth on the board, provided we have a free sacrifice outlet.</p>
<p>The "persist creature" package in this deck includes Glen Elendra Archmage, Lesser Masticore, Kithkin Spelldancer, and Furystoke Giant.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glen Elendra Archmage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lesser Masticore"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kithkin Spelldancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Furystoke Giant"></div></div>
<p>Outside of these cards going infinite with our commander, Ashnod's Altar + Cayth + Nim Deathmantle means that we have infinite "enters" <em>and</em> "dies" triggers if we choose to make the servos when we reanimate the sacrificed creature.</p>
<p>Remember the "group draw plan" from before? Yeah, Friendly Teddy or Runed Servitor means that <em>everyone</em> draws their deck, and in my opinion, that's beyond hilarious.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashnod&#039;s Altar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cayth, Famed Mechanist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nim Deathmantle"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our seventh edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of Aristocrats! This deck was so fun to brew, as it still feels like a very strong Aristocrats deck, even without black!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">If you have any thoughts or ideas about this decklist, let me know in the comments below!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Cayth, Famed Mechanist" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Cayth, Famed Mechanist
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Anax, Hardened in the Forge
*1 Boss&#039;s Chauffeur
*1 Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer
*1 Cathodion
*1 Crystalline Crawler
*1 Dark-Dweller Oracle
*1 Drowned Rusalka
*1 Feldon of the Third Path
*1 Friendly Teddy
*1 Furystoke Giant
*1 Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero
*1 Gleaming Barrier
*1 Glen Elendra Archmage
*1 Hangarback Walker
*1 Jaxis, the Troublemaker
*1 Kithkin Spellduster
*1 Lesser Masticore
*1 Marketback Walker
*1 Merchant of Truth
*1 Mindless Automaton
*1 Molten Gatekeeper
*1 Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink
*1 Palace Familiar
*1 Phantom Steed
*1 Runed Servitor
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Spirited Companion
*1 Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle
*1 The Jolly Balloon Man
*1 Treasure Keeper
*1 Wall of Omens
*1 Wurmcoil Engine
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Rootborn Defenses
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation
*1 Storm of Souls
*1 Wrath of God
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Altar of Dementia
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Cauldron of Souls
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Fabrication Foundry
*1 Idol of Oblivion
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Nim Deathmantle
*1 Norn&#039;s Wellspring
*1 Ravenous Amulet
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Spawning Pit
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Talisman of Creativity
*1 Talisman of Progress
*1 Trading Post
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Goblin Bombardment
*1 Intruder Alarm
*1 Muster the Departed
*1 Together Forever
*1 Warleader&#039;s Call
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Saheeli Rai
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Adarkar Wastes
*1 Archway of Innovation
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Command Tower
*1 Deserted Beach
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 High Market
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*4 Island
*1 Mirrorpool
*4 Mountain
*1 Perilous Landscape
*5 Plains
*1 Raugrin Triome
*1 Sea of Clouds
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Spire of Industry
*1 Stormcarved Coast
*1 Sundown Pass
*1 Temple of Enlightenment
*1 Temple of Epiphany
*1 Temple of Triumph
*1 Training Center
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Make a Jeskai Aristocrats Deck With Cayth, Famed Mechanist

From the Brim to the Trim - Budget Multiplicities for Opponents' Fatalities

Borderland Explorer – Hidetsugu, Devouring Chaos

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shilgengar, Sire of Famine|MH3|366" href="#" target="_blank">Shilgengar, Sire of Famine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.jack-hughes.com/">Jack Hughes</a></h6>
<h1><b>Black and white cookies</b></h1>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hi again! Welcome back to </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">EDHighlights</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the series where I build decks for 2024's most popular commander for each color combination. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now that 2024's set releases have wrapped up, I'll be taking a look at the most popular legendary creatures that were released in the past year, talking a bit about them, and finally building hopefully-slightly-unique decks around them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week, I'm taking a look at 2024's most popular Orzhov commander, which means we'll be working with … <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shilgengar, Sire of Famine" href="#" target="_blank">Shilgengar, Sire of Famine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shilgengar, Sire of Famine"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shilgengar, Sire of Famine" href="#" target="_blank">Shilgengar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> received a good bit of attention, with 4072 decks to his name as of the time of writing.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Interestingly, there was another popular commander from </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Modern Horizons 3</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorin of House Markov" href="#" target="_blank">Sorin of House Markov</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to my very limited knowledge of </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Magic</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">'s lore (</span><a href="https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Shilgengar%27s_Ritual"><span style="font-weight: 400;">and the MTG Wiki</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">), Shilgengar is (at least partially) responsible for Sorin's bloodline of Vampires coming into being and for the ignition of Sorin's spark. But, you're not here because you care about </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">MTG</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> lore. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You're here because you care about EDH deck building. So, let's get on with it already.</span></p>
<h2><b>Not everything is black and white</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shilgengar, Sire of Famine" href="#" target="_blank">Shilgengar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a 6/6 Elder Demon with Flying for 5 mana. He's got two other abilities, too. We can sacrifice a creature to make a Blood token or several Blood tokens if the sacrificed creature was an Angel. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, by paying <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-wb" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-wb" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-wb" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and sacrificing six Blood tokens, we can reanimate every creature from our graveyard. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These are pretty powerful abilities. Free sacrifice outlets are always powerful, especially sacrifice outlets that create something beneficial like a Blood token. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, once we've sacrificed enough creatures to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shilgengar, Sire of Famine" href="#" target="_blank">Shilgengar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (or discarded them to our Blood tokens), we can use his ability to bring them all back at a pretty low cost. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This presents a pretty solid Aristocrats gameplan, with a low-cost mass reanimate ability to finish out games stapled onto our commander too.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> But, I want to add another way to win: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mortal Combat" href="#" target="_blank">Mortal Combat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Let's talk about the deck, ways to trigger that alternate win condition, and other cards that make the deck tick.</span></p>
<h2><b>Is that a Mortal Kombat reference?</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let's start by talking about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mortal Combat" href="#" target="_blank">Mortal Combat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This four mana enchantment asks that we have 20 creatures in our graveyard at the beginning of our upkeep, so we're gonna need a lot of ways to fill that graveyard. Our commander can help with that, but here are a few of my other favorites:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Firja, Judge of Valor" href="#" target="_blank">Firja, Judge of Valor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will provide card advantage while filling the graveyard, and it's also an Angel (which works well with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shilgengar, Sire of Famine" href="#" target="_blank">Shilgengar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s ability). <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ripples of Undeath" href="#" target="_blank">Ripples of Undeath</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is very similar, but it can be cast for just two mana.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> There's also <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dogged Detective" href="#" target="_blank">Dogged Detective</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a repeatable way to fill our graveyard once we have a sacrifice outlet (like our commander) on the field.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Firja, Judge of Valor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ripples of Undeath"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dogged Detective"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Once we've got a full graveyard, we do need to fetch up <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mortal Combat" href="#" target="_blank">Mortal Combat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for the win. While more traditional tutors do work well here, there's a few special includes I wanted to show off.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dimir House Guard" href="#" target="_blank">Dimir House Guard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can either be transmuted to find our win condition (thus adding another card to the graveyard for its 20-card requirement) or act as a sacrifice outlet to fill the graveyard with what we've already got on board. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There's also <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beseech the Mirror" href="#" target="_blank">Beseech the Mirror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> which can sacrifice a Blood token to get <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mortal Combat" href="#" target="_blank">Mortal Combat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> down directly.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dimir House Guard"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Beseech the Mirror"></div></div></span></p>
<h2><b>An Orzhov aristocrats deck? Unheard of!</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, because it's an Orzhov deck with a sacrifice outlet in the command zone, there's good few cards to support that strategy in the 99. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vito, Fanatic of Aclazotz" href="#" target="_blank">Vito, Fanatic of Aclazotz</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher" href="#" target="_blank">Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are standouts here, triggering when we sacrifice creatures, tokens, and even fetch lands.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Braids, Arisen Nightmare" href="#" target="_blank">Braids, Arisen Nightmare</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works very well too, as it can sacrifice either a Blood token or a spare creature, whichever is most strategic at each of our end steps.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vito, Fanatic of Aclazotz"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Braids, Arisen Nightmare"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because this deck has a lot of Angels in it, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bishop of Wings" href="#" target="_blank">Bishop of Wings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will provide a lot of life gain and a lot of Spirit tokens. Similarly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rampage of the Valkyries" href="#" target="_blank">Rampage of the Valkyries</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will do a pretty good impression of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grave Pact" href="#" target="_blank">Grave Pact</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, last but not least, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liesa, Forgotten Archangel" href="#" target="_blank">Liesa, Forgotten Archangel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will rebuy each of our creatures while ensuring that our opponents' dead creatures stay dead.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bishop of Wings"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rampage of the Valkyries"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liesa, Forgotten Archangel"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking of Angel synergies, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Firja&#039;s Retribution" href="#" target="_blank">Firja&#039;s Retribution</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes Angels, can provide a ton of removal, and even end games if we've got enough Angels on board. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The recently-reprinted <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Righteous Valkyrie" href="#" target="_blank">Righteous Valkyrie</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will provide life gain and act as a sweet anthem once we cast enough Angels, and (as always) <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Giada, Font of Hope" href="#" target="_blank">Giada, Font of Hope</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does most everything that an Angel-centric deck wants for just two mana.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Firja&#039;s Retribution"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Righteous Valkyrie"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Giada, Font of Hope"></div></div></span></p>
<h2><b>Blood is thicker than water</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I included a few more ways to take advantage of our use of Blood tokens too, starting with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marionette Apprentice" href="#" target="_blank">Marionette Apprentice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card triggers off of both Blood tokens and creatures leaving the battlefield, pulling double duty here. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oltec Matterweaver" href="#" target="_blank">Oltec Matterweaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of my favorite cards from the past year, and it'll help add to our blood collection as the game drags on. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Last up is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moonstone Eulogist" href="#" target="_blank">Moonstone Eulogist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which feels purpose built for this deck. It'll become a huge flying threat in no time, and probably make a few extra Blood tokens along the way.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marionette Apprentice"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oltec Matterweaver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Moonstone Eulogist"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And here's the full decklist…</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="2024&#039;s EDHighlights - Shilgengar, Sire of Famine" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Shilgengar, Sire of Famine
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 Angel of Despair
*1 Angel of Indemnity
*1 Angel of Suffering
*1 Angel of the Ruins
*1 Angelic Sell-Sword
*1 Battle Angels of Tyr
*1 Bishop of Wings
*1 Braids, Arisen Nightmare
*1 Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher
*1 Dazzling Angel
*1 Dimir House Guard
*1 Disciple of the Vault
*1 Dogged Detective
*1 Fain, the Broker
*1 Firja, Judge of Valor
*1 Fleshwrither
*1 Giada, Font of Hope
*1 Golgari Thug
*1 Guardian of Ghirapur
*1 Herald of the Host
*1 Karmic Guide
*1 Liesa, Forgotten Archangel
*1 Loran of the Third Path
*1 Marionette Apprentice
*1 Millikin
*1 Mirkwood Bats
*1 Moon-Blessed Cleric
*1 Moonstone Eulogist
*1 Oltec Matterweaver
*1 Overlord of the Balemurk
*1 Renegade Reaper
*1 Restoration Angel
*1 Righteous Valkyrie
*1 Sanctuary Warden
*1 Scholar of New Horizons
*1 Serra Paragon
*1 Shepherd of the Cosmos
*1 Starnheim Aspirant
*1 Stinkweed Imp
*1 Stitcher&#039;s Supplier
*1 Vito, Fanatic of Aclazotz
*1 Woe Strider
*1 Youthful Valkyrie
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Sorceries]
*1 Beseech the Mirror
*1 Blasphemous Edict
*1 Damn
*1 Demonic Counsel
*1 Demonic Tutor
*1 Incarnation Technique
[/Sorceries]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Herald&#039;s Horn
*1 Orzhov Signet
*1 Palantír of Orthanc
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Hierarchy
[/Artifacts]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Black Market Connections
*1 Firja&#039;s Retribution
*1 Mortal Combat
*1 Rampage of the Valkyries
*1 Ripples of Undeath
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Arid Mesa
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 Brightclimb Pathway // Grimclimb Pathway
*1 Caves of Koilos
*1 Command Tower
*1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
*1 Fetid Heath
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Godless Shrine
*1 Isolated Chapel
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Nesting Grounds
*7 Plains
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Seraph Sanctuary
*1 Shadowy Backstreet
*1 Shattered Sanctum
*1 Silent Clearing
*1 Snowfield Sinkhole
*1 Sunlit Marsh
*5 Swamp
*1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
*1 Vault of Champions
*1 Verdant Catacombs
*1 Windswept Heath
[/Lands]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 Anguished Unmaking
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
&nbsp;"></span></div></span></p>
<h2><b><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inevitable End" href="#" target="_blank">Inevitable End</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thanks for reading, folks! I didn't touch on it earlier, but when <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shilgengar, Sire of Famine" href="#" target="_blank">Shilgengar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> reanimates creatures with his second ability, he put a finality counter on each of them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> I included a few ways to get rid of those counters, including <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scholar of New Horizons" href="#" target="_blank">Scholar of New Horizons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to turn finality counters into lands, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fain, the Broker" href="#" target="_blank">Fain, the Broker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to turn counters into <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treasure" href="#" target="_blank">Treasure</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> tokens, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanctuary Warden" href="#" target="_blank">Sanctuary Warden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to turn them into 1/1 creatures and card advantage.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scholar of New Horizons"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fain, the Broker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sanctuary Warden"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Before I go, I also wanted to talk about a few other Angels that work really well with the overall game plan. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shepherd of the Cosmos" href="#" target="_blank">Shepherd of the Cosmos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can bring back something we’ve sacrificed, and can even grab a fetch land for some sneaky ramp.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Herald of the Host" href="#" target="_blank">Herald of the Host</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is fine as a french vanilla 4/4 for five mana, but because the myriad tokens can be sacrificed to our commander, this creature becomes a lot stronger here.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> And, because of the high creature count in this deck, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angelic Sell-Sword" href="#" target="_blank">Angelic Sell-Sword</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can produce a boatload of tokens.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shepherd of the Cosmos"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Herald of the Host"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angelic Sell-Sword"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I'll see you all next week, when we take a look at 2024's most popular Izzet commander.</span></p>


2024’s EDHighlights -  Shilgengar, Sire of Famine

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate" href="#" target="_blank">Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CDmitry+Burmak%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Dmitry Burmak</a>)</h6>
<h1>Laughing at Everything</h1>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alesha, Who Smiles at Death" href="#" target="_blank">Alesha, Who Smiles at Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is back in <em>Foundations</em> as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate" href="#" target="_blank">Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">While she might have lost the color white, she gained an ability <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">she hadn't seen in a while: <em>R</em><em>aid</em></span><em>. </em>The old version of Alesha, and by old, I mean the card printed in the past, was a reanimation machine thanks to her activated ability. While the newer version can still bring creatures back from the grave, there are more hoops to jump through.</span></p>
<p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">But a new card brings a new challenge, so join me, Nick, as we look at what <em>Foundations</em> offers with a deck tech that will leave you in stitches!</span></p>
<h2>Fate is a Cruel Mistress</h2>
<p><em>Raid </em>is not a mechanic I'm very fond of. It has its advantages, like usually not having a restriction on the creature with <em>Raid</em> attacking to get the trigger. But the major downside is that it triggers at the end of your turn. When it comes to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate" href="#" target="_blank">Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a single attack will allow you to bring back any creature with a mana value of three or less. While that might not look like much, there are some solid creatures to get back at the end of a turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Accursed Marauder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Imperial Recruiter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Voldaren Thrillseeker"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Accursed Marauder" href="#" target="_blank">Accursed Marauder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> messing up the opponents' boards with an end-of-turn sacrifice or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imperial Recruiter" href="#" target="_blank">Imperial Recruiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> getting you many of the creatures in your deck at the end of turn. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Voldaren Thrillseeker" href="#" target="_blank">Voldaren Thrillseeker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can add a few counters to something already on the board, but with extra mana lying around, you can throw a creature for damage and set yourself up for reanimation on a later turn.</p>
<p>The sweet spot of this deck for free reanimation outside of some combos, which we will get to late, is at four CMC.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pitiless Plunderer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Canoptek Tomb Sentinel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Murderous Redcap"></div></div>
<p><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> is a mainstay card in any black deck adopting an aristocratic strategy. Turning every creature that dies on your side of the field into treasures lets any turn that looks mild go wild. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Canoptek Tomb Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Canoptek Tomb Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> becomes a fabulous removal spell in this deck. Bring it back to exile, the biggest problem on the board, then attack it, hoping your opponent will send it back to the graveyard so you can do it all again.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murderous Redcap" href="#" target="_blank">Murderous Redcap</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> often looks like a waste of a card slot to those who have never been combo-killed by this card in a 60-card format. In our deck, this card can be as few as two damage a turn to as high as 10+, depending on what other cards we have. It is also a card on which I have always enjoyed the art. Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Garna, Bloodfist of Keld" href="#" target="_blank">Garna, Bloodfist of Keld</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, acts as another <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Judith, the Scourge Diva" href="#" target="_blank">Judith, the Scourge Diva</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and can sometimes draw an extra card or two.</p>
<h2>By a Thousand Cuts</h2>
<p>Speaking of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Judith, the Scourge Diva" href="#" target="_blank">Judith, the Scourge Diva</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the primary win condition of this deck is using creatures to poke away at the life total of the table. Rakdos has access to all of the major players in the aristocratic strategies in the commander format. While self-expression is part of the game, there are some must-play cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blood Artist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mayhem Devil"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marionette Apprentice"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zulaport Cutthroat" href="#" target="_blank">Zulaport Cutthroat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are the most classic cards in our primary strategy. Both creatures not only deal damage but gain life, with Zulaport being a small margin better by hitting all opponents simultaneously. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marionette Apprentice" href="#" target="_blank">Marionette Apprentice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is new on the scene but has the added benefit of creating a creature that can immediately trigger their effect, thanks to Fabricate. It can also work with <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> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Professional Face-Breaker" href="#" target="_blank">Professional Face-Breaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> by dealing damage whenever we sacrifice a treasure.</p>
<h2>What Makes Us Different?</h2>
<p>Our additional two combos make this deck different from your average Rakdos Aristrocrats commander deck. The first combo is an old-fashioned one from commander long past, known as the Worldgorger Combo. As the name implies, it uses the card <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worldgorger Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Worldgorger Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and how it interacts with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animate Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Animate Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The short version of this combo results in infinite enter and leaves the battlefield triggers and infinite mana. Still, I'll turn to our friends at Commander Spellbook for a more detailed interaction.</p>
<div id="4812-4846" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
<script id="4812-4846" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Animate%20Dead%22%2C%22Worldgorger%20Dragon%22%5D&produces=%5B%22Infinite%20colored%20mana%22%2C%22Infinite%20colorless%20mana%22%2C%22Infinite%20ETB%22%2C%22Infinite%20LTB%22%2C%22Infinite%20sacrifice%20triggers%22%5D&id=4812-4846&color=BR&extraRequirementCount=0"></script></div>
<div style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"></div>
<p>Most decks would take sole advantage of the mana generation to cast something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fireball" href="#" target="_blank">Fireball</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and win the game. We do not have any cards like that in the deck. Instead, we want to focus on another part of the combo.</p>
<h3>Infinite Enters</h3>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worldgorger Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Worldgorger Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to use some newer cards and one of the best red cards in the format to get a win.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Agate Instigator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="General Kreat, the Boltbringer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Impact Tremors"></div></div>
<p>These cards will trigger when creatures enter during the loop, pinging our opponent for one damage at a time. We can see how the math gets fun if we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murderous Redcap" href="#" target="_blank">Murderous Redcap</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> out during this time. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="General Kreat, the Boltbringer" href="#" target="_blank">General Kreat, the Boltbringer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is the newest addition to these types of cards and does an exciting interpretation of <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>.</p>
<p>If we can sneak in some of our other under-the-radar cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Genesis Chamber" href="#" target="_blank">Genesis Chamber</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <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>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Uncivil Unrest" href="#" target="_blank">Uncivil Unrest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, not only will we be able to shorten the number of iterations of the combo, but we can get ourselves on the fast track to another game.</p>
<h2>Fool Me Twice Shame on Me</h2>
<p>The second combo in this deck is vastly more involved than the first. We have more than one way to combine cards to use our "second" combo. The key part to the combo(s) is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dualcaster Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Dualcaster Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This creature allows us to not only catch an opponent off guard by flashing it in to copy something like a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterspell" href="#" target="_blank">Counterspell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a piece of removal like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or even a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demonic Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Demonic Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allowing us to grab the last piece we need for a win.</p>
<p>There are <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/search/?q=card%3A%22dualcaster+mage%22+ci%3Arakdos">34 </a>combos within the Rakdos color combination using the card <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dualcaster Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Dualcaster Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and we don't have all of them, but what we do have is a creature that can immediately come back thanks to our commander and multiple cards that allow us to win the game.</p>
<p>My favorite part of these combos is making an impossibly large number of copies of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dualcaster Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Dualcaster Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and then passing the turn. The tokens will all sacrifice themselves and allow us to trigger cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mayhem Devil" href="#" target="_blank">Mayhem Devil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bastion of Remembrance" href="#" target="_blank">Bastion of Remembrance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Agent of the Iron Throne" href="#" target="_blank">Agent of the Iron Throne</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Funeral Room // Awakening Hall" href="#" target="_blank">Funeral Room // Awakening Hall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards rotate"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Funeral Room // Awakening Hall"></div></div>
<h2>Wrap Up</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate" href="#" target="_blank">Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, might not be the easiest creature to lead a Rakdos Aristocrats strategy, but it's one of the newest. <em>Foundations</em> is one of the year's best sets and one of my favorites in recent memory. I expect to see a lot of Alesha as she's a fan favorite character, and I hope to see many of the cards from this set both in decks and leading them. We even have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder" href="#" target="_blank">Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as part of our 99, and it could very easily be used as the commander for this same deck style, if not our exact build.</p>
<p>If you need <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">more content about <em>Foundations,</em> check out the other articles I</span> and many others have written on <a href="https://edhrec.com/">EDHREC</a> and <a href="https://commandersherald.com/">Commander's Herald</a>.</p>
<h2>Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Laughing All the Way" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate
[/commander]
[Creature]
*1 Accursed Marauder
*1 Agate Instigator
*1 Anger
*1 Blood Artist
*1 Canoptek Tomb Sentinel
*1 Dualcaster Mage
*1 Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder
*1 Garna, Bloodfist of Keld
*1 General Kreat, the Boltbringer
*1 Imperial Recruiter
*1 Jaxis, the Troublemaker
*1 Judith, the Scourge Diva
*1 Juri, Master of the Revue
*1 Marionette Apprentice
*1 Mayhem Devil
*1 Murderous Redcap
*1 Pitiless Plunderer
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Stitcher&#039;s Supplier
*1 Viscera Seer
*1 Voldaren Thrillseeker
*1 Warren Soultrader
*1 Worldgorger Dragon
*1 Zulaport Cutthroat
[/creature]
[Enchantment]
*1 Agent of the Iron Throne
*1 Animate Dead
*1 Bastion of Remembrance
*1 Funeral Room // Awakening Hall
*1 Goblin Bombardment
*1 Impact Tremors
*1 Uncivil Unrest
*1 Warstorm Surge
[/Enchantment]
[Artifact]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Genesis Chamber
*1 Phyrexian Altar
*1 Rakdos Signet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Indulgence
[/Artifact]
[Sorcery]
*1 Buried Alive
*1 Come Back Wrong
*1 Diabolic Intent
*1 Faithless Looting
*1 Gamble
*1 Jeska&#039;s Will
*1 Molten Duplication
*1 Night&#039;s Whisper
*1 Persist
*1 Reanimate
*1 Twinflame
*1 Unearth
*1 Unmarked Grave
[/Sorcery]
[Instant]
*1 Dark Ritual
*1 Entomb
*1 Fake Your Own Death
*1 Feign Death
*1 Fell the Profane // Fell Mire
*1 Kazuul&#039;s Fury // Kazuul&#039;s Cliffs
*1 Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire
*1 Not Dead After All
*1 Rakdos Charm
*1 Saw in Half
*1 Village Rites
*1 Withering Torment
[/Instant]
[Land]
*1 Arena of Glory
*1 Blazemire Verge
*1 Blood Crypt
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 Canyon Slough
*1 Command Tower
*1 Dragonskull Summit
*1 Haunted Ridge
*1 High Market
*1 Luxury Suite
*5 Mountain
*1 Rakdos Carnarium
*1 Raucous Theater
*1 Smoldering Marsh
*1 Spymaster&#039;s Vault
*1 Sulfurous Springs
*13 Swamp
*1 Talon Gates of Madara
[/Land]"></span></div>


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