<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Masterful Replication" href="#" target="_blank">Masterful Replication</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://victoradameart.com/">Victor Adame Minguez</a>)</h6>
<h1>Parvus sed Potens</h1>
<p>No, you're not in Ancient Rome, you're reading <em>Forgotten Harvest</em>, the article series that shines a brilliant light on all the hyper-underplayed gems that see play in 300 decks or less on EDHREC. Today, we're digging into a strategy that I've been itching to build around since <em>Fifth Dawn</em>. The brew is going to be all about baubles: artifacts with converted mana cost one or less. I know this may not sound like the most powerful strategy at first, but let me send some card images across your screen for you to change your mind.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sol Ring"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sensei&#039;s Divining Top"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mox Opal"></div></div>
<p>Right?!? Not only are these cards at their normal level of greatness in any old deck, but if we're building our deck to abuse low-drop artifacts, they'll play directly into that strategy and still be as amazing as they are in the first place.</p>
<p>Powerful baubles have been around for quite a while, so I'm sure you're asking why I haven't brought this deck concept up before now. Well, the deck is capable of slinging around quite a bit of power with all these cheap artifacts. However, there haven't been enough ways for the deck to pull off an actual <em>win</em> with these baubles. A high density of low-drop artifacts means that the build is creature-light, and traditional combat strategies aren't an option, leading to mill or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirrodin Besieged" href="#" target="_blank">Mirrodin Besieged</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as the only reliable win cons.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dance of the Manse"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Workshop Elders"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Animating Faerie"></div></div>
<p>Enter <em>Throne of Eldraine!</em></p>
<p>The newest <em>Magic: the Gathering</em> set provides just enough artifact animation, when combined with existing creatures, to make combat an option for snatching the big win with baubles. Now all we need is a commander that feeds into an artifact synergy as well. While <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hanna, Ship&#039;s Navigator" href="#" target="_blank">Hanna, Ship&#039;s Navigator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> seems like a great choice, I think I want to go with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Raff Capashen, Ship&#039;s Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Raff Capashen, Ship&#039;s Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> instead.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Raff Capashen, Ship&#039;s Mage"></div></div>
<p>This deck isn't heavy on instants, but there are tons of baubles with activated abilities; Raff should help us keep our mana open for these abilities, which can be quite mana-intensive, during other people's turns. There are enough reanimation options without <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hanna, Ship&#039;s Navigator" href="#" target="_blank">Hanna, Ship&#039;s Navigator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that I don't know how often her ability would be relevant. Feel free to try either/both in your own versions of this deck, but I think I'm gonna stick with my trusty Raff.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Burst your Bauble</h2>
<p>As stated above, there have been many wonderful artifacts printed throughout the history of <em>Magic</em> which are both baubles and critical pieces in any Commander deck, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but we're also going to use some baubles that see significantly less play than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Because this deck makes them easy to tutor up and easy to recur from the graveyard, we're going to rely on these effects in lieu of typical Azorius instants and sorceries. The effect will cost more in artifact form than on an instant or sorcery spell, but with increased deck synergy, the cards should be well worth it.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Origin Spellbomb"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skycloud Egg"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bloodtallow Candle"></div></div>
<p>Easy first additions to this deck are the Spellbombs printed in various Mirrodin-based sets. Of those that we're relying on, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Origin Spellbomb" href="#" target="_blank">Origin Spellbomb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the least played, seeing play in 230 decks on EDHREC. This excellent bauble replaces itself when sacrificed, both on the battlefield and in hand. Providing an emergency chump blocker can be invaluable, as can being a viable sac outlet for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angelic Purge" href="#" target="_blank">Angelic Purge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aether Spellbomb" href="#" target="_blank">Aether Spellbomb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> also makes the list, but sees far more play than the Origin version.</p>
<p>I remember, back in <em>Invasion</em>/<em>Odyssey</em> Standard, playing a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Balancing Act" href="#" target="_blank">Balancing Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck that ran all of the Eggs from <em>Odyssey</em> and several sacrificing lands from both sets. These generated a bunch of mana in one turn before clearing the board and then dropping a few <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nimble Mongoose" href="#" target="_blank">Nimble Mongoose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s to finish off the opponent. Several baubles from that deck make an appearance here, including <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chromatic Sphere" href="#" target="_blank">Chromatic Sphere</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and the hyper-underplayed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skycloud Egg" href="#" target="_blank">Skycloud Egg</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (223 decks). An early draft of this deck tried to work in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Balancing Act" href="#" target="_blank">Balancing Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to really up the nostalgia level, but alas, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Supreme Verdict" href="#" target="_blank">Supreme Verdict</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is just too reliable and non-situational. The Eggs are all interesting choices, and require some special circumstances to make a final decklist, but the Skycloud iteration works out here for sure!</p>
<p>A prime example of a bauble replacing an instant in this deck is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodtallow Candle" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodtallow Candle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Included in only 79 decks, this artifact provides some excellent creature removal albeit for a higher cost. However, being able to grab this out of the deck with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Artificer&#039;s Intuition" href="#" target="_blank">Artificer&#039;s Intuition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or out of the graveyard with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Auriok Salvagers" href="#" target="_blank">Auriok Salvagers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes that cost worthwhile to me. While more popular, we see similar spell replacements with baubles like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dispeller&#039;s Capsule" href="#" target="_blank">Dispeller&#039;s Capsule</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Universal Solvent" href="#" target="_blank">Universal Solvent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark Sphere" href="#" target="_blank">Dark Sphere</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Benefits to Over-Artifact-ing</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glassdust Hulk"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Salvage Scuttler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ethersworn Shieldmage"></div></div>
<p>Since we're invested in playing a bunch of easy-to-cast artifacts, it would make sense to abuse that as much as possible. Plus, we need to be on the lookout for ways to win whenever possible using these baubles. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glassdust Hulk" href="#" target="_blank">Glassdust Hulk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the epitome of this strategy. A pet card of mine, the Hulk only sees play in 194 decks, which seems ludicrous! After casting several baubles in a turn, this creature can get huge and unblockable quickly. A few turns of that, and you'll have taken someone out of the game for sure. Combine that with recursion or maybe some repeatable artifact bounce, and those 'few turns' become a regular occurrence.</p>
<p>I forgot that mentioning "artifact bounce" makes <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esperzoa" href="#" target="_blank">Esperzoa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Salvage Scuttler" href="#" target="_blank">Salvage Scuttler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> magically appear! These cards, in 103 and 34 decks respectively, are the key to abusing cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glassdust Hulk" href="#" target="_blank">Glassdust Hulk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sai, Master Thopterist" href="#" target="_blank">Sai, Master Thopterist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Riddlesmith" href="#" target="_blank">Riddlesmith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. With all our artifacts costing so little, who cares if you're replaying your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Manifold Key" href="#" target="_blank">Manifold Key</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for the third time this turn? If you're getting tokens or cards out of the deal, it's well worth it!</p>
<p>A fair number of our key creatures in this deck, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Master of Etherium" href="#" target="_blank">Master of Etherium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or the countless tokens we can generate, are artifacts. Thus, it's a good idea to have some way to protect against damage-based board wipes or combat predicaments. Enter <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ethersworn Shieldmage" href="#" target="_blank">Ethersworn Shieldmage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which only sees play in 102 decks on the site. When played correctly, this creature is a fun little surprise for your opponents. Plus, with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esperzoa" href="#" target="_blank">Esperzoa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Salvage Scuttler" href="#" target="_blank">Salvage Scuttler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it becomes a reusable resource. I try and sneak this card into artifact-based builds whenever I have room.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lumengrid Augur"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Override"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Masterful Replication"></div></div>
<p>A card that I've been itching to use lately is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirrodin Besieged" href="#" target="_blank">Mirrodin Besieged</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and this felt like the perfect deck to work it into. As I plan to select its second mode 90% of the time, I looked for cards which would help me find the enchantment in my deck, and get artifacts into my graveyard. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Riddlesmith" href="#" target="_blank">Riddlesmith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> helps take care of this for me, but so does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lumengrid Augur" href="#" target="_blank">Lumengrid Augur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (34 decks). While not the looter for just any deck, the Augur here provides re-usability which can allow us to quickly hunt for the buried enchantment we need. Or, should the right conditions exist, it can be turned into some minor mill against an opponent, with a slight upside if an artifact is discarded. This card should be on your radar, even if it's not always the right pick.</p>
<p>I'm sure I'll catch some flack for running <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Override" href="#" target="_blank">Override</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in this deck over something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Render Silent" href="#" target="_blank">Render Silent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Absorb" href="#" target="_blank">Absorb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I wish I could tell you I had reasons beyond theme that caused me to consider the soft counterspell, but I have no excuse beyond theme and its use in only 105 decks right now. Consider this card for budget decks in an artifact theme. There are definitely better counterspells out there, but they definitely don't cost as much to add to your collection.</p>
<p>Finally, we come to a card that I'm shocked is still below 300 decks on EDHREC. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Masterful Replication" href="#" target="_blank">Masterful Replication</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a beautiful instant, only in 267 decks right now. While <em>Core Set 2020</em> is still fairly new, this card's potential is so great that I think that that number is inexcusable! The second mode pairs nicely with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mechanized Production" href="#" target="_blank">Mechanized Production</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smothering Tithe" href="#" target="_blank">Smothering Tithe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glassdust Hulk" href="#" target="_blank">Glassdust Hulk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or the first mode is usable all on its own. You all should be playing more of this card, so pitter-patter!</p>
<p>Enough baubling, here's the decklist.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Raff Capashen Baubles" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards=""></span></div></p>
<p>[Commander]<br />
*1 Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage<br />
[/Commander]</p>
<p>[Creatures]<br />
*1 Hangarback Walker<br />
*1 Stonecoil Serpent<br />
*1 Walking Ballista<br />
*1 Gingerbrute<br />
*1 Heap Doll<br />
*1 Merchant's Dockhand<br />
*1 Etherium Sculptor<br />
*1 Myrsmith<br />
*1 Riddlesmith<br />
*1 Animating Faerie<br />
*1 Emry, Lurker of the Loch<br />
*1 Esperzoa<br />
*1 Ethersworn Shieldmage<br />
*1 Master of Etherium<br />
*1 Sai, Master Thopterist<br />
*1 Trinket Mage<br />
*1 Auriok Salvagers<br />
*1 Leonin Abunas<br />
*1 Lumengrid Augur<br />
*1 Vedalken Humiliator<br />
*1 Glassdust Hulk<br />
*1 Salvage Scuttler<br />
*1 Sanctum Plowbeast<br />
*1 Workshop Elders<br />
*1 Broodstar<br />
[/Creatures]</p>
<p>[Instants]<br />
*1 Path to Exile<br />
*1 Override<br />
*1 Masterful Replication<br />
[/Instants]</p>
<p>[Sorceries]<br />
*1 Dance of the Manse<br />
*1 Angelic Purge<br />
*1 Supreme Verdict<br />
*1 Open the Vaults<br />
[/Sorceries]</p>
<p>[Enchantments]<br />
*1 Artificer's Intuition<br />
*1 Mirrodin Besieged<br />
*1 Mechanized Production<br />
*1 Smothering Tithe<br />
[/Enchantments]</p>
<p>[Artifacts]<br />
*1 Dark Sphere<br />
*1 Everflowing Chalice<br />
*1 Mox Opal<br />
*1 Orochi Hatchery<br />
*1 Aether Spellbomb<br />
*1 Altar of the Brood<br />
*1 Bloodtallow Candle<br />
*1 Brittle Effigy<br />
*1 Chromatic Sphere<br />
*1 Chromatic Star<br />
*1 Codex Shredder<br />
*1 Dispeller's Capsule<br />
*1 Expedition Map<br />
*1 Manifold Key<br />
*1 Origin Spellbomb<br />
*1 Pacification Array<br />
*1 Pyramid of the Pantheon<br />
*1 Retrofitter Foundry<br />
*1 Sensei's Divining Top<br />
*1 Skycloud Egg<br />
*1 Sol Ring<br />
*1 Universal Solvent<br />
*1 Wayfarer's Bauble<br />
*1 Witching Well<br />
*1 Azorius Signet<br />
*1 Gilded Lotus<br />
*1 Scourglass<br />
[/Artifacts]</p>
<p>[Lands]<br />
*1 Adarkar Wastes<br />
*1 Ancient Den<br />
*1 Darksteel Citadel<br />
*1 Flooded Strand<br />
*1 Glacial Fortress<br />
*1 Hallowed Fountain<br />
*16 Island<br />
*1 Mystic Gate<br />
*10 Plains<br />
*1 Prairie Stream<br />
*1 Sea of Clouds<br />
*1 Seat of the Synod<br />
[/Lands]</p>
<p>[/Deck]</p>

<hr />
<h2>An Artisanally Crafted Conclusion</h2>
<p>That's all I've got for this artifact-heavy edition of <em>Forgotten Harvest</em>. I know you've got to have some questions, some comments, and of course some snide remarks regarding the deck, so leave them in the comments below. I'll be around to talk about all the counterspells that are better than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Override" href="#" target="_blank">Override</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and which deck I should tackle in my next article. Speaking of, if you've got a hyper-underplayed card you think I need to look at, or a deck idea/challenge worthy of the <em>Forgotten Harvest</em> treatment, let me know. I'm always looking for new ideas. Until we meet again, may you be able to separate artifact from arti-fiction.</p>


Forgotten Harvest - Raff Capashen, Master of Baubles

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle" href="#" target="_blank">Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/mischeviouslittleelf">Even Amundsen</a>)</h6>
<h1>Underdog in the Zone &amp; the 99</h1>
<p>Hello, everyone! Welcome back to another edition of the <em>Underdog's Corner</em>, where I will do my hardest to convince you to try out a legendary creature that is underappreciated, underplayed, underpowered, or some combination of the three! For today, I want to specifically highlight a card from <em>Dominaria</em> that is currently appearing in under 1,200 decks on EDHREC. What does that equate to? As of today, it ranks around 343 on the most-played white cards list. It even ranks behind <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sinew Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Sinew Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a random Sliver that probably only sees play in Sliver tribal decks. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Generous Gift" href="#" target="_blank">Generous Gift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from <em>Modern Horizons</em> is in over 1,700 decks, and it's only been available for three months! However, not only do I want to talk about this card as a contributing member of the 99, but I also think it has a home as a commander of its own deck. Give it up for this week's contender: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle" href="#" target="_blank">Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<h2>Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle"></div></div>
<p>As a flying four-mana 2/2, Teshar is not going to be mixing it up in combat. However, his stats aren't why we're interested in him.</p>
<h4>Whenever you cast a historic spell, return target creature card with converted mana cost 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.</h4>
<p>'Historic' is a "batch" keyword from <em>Dominaria</em>; artifacts, legendary spells, and Sagas are all historic. Legendary spells and Sagas are certainly less prevalent than artifacts, though if we wanted to build around just those, there are three Sagas and about 200 legendary white cards. However, since there are still nearly 1,800 artifacts to choose from, we'll end up leaning heavily on the artifact theme.</p>
<p>The name of the game with Teshar is recursion, specifically recurring creatures with converted mana costs of three or less. This is something that white loves to do, and I really appreciate that Teshar brings a consistent engine to the theme. With that said, we're going to need to put creatures in our graveyard consistently to get value out of our flying legend.</p>
<hr />
<h2>We Must Construct Additional Constructs</h2>
<p>Glancing through Teshar's High Synergy and Top Cards on EDHREC tells a good story of what we can expect from this deck:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Junk Diver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Salvage Scout"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrapyard Recombiner"></div></div>
<p>Recursion engine pieces such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Retriever" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Retriever</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Junk Diver" href="#" target="_blank">Junk Diver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> rank the highest on Teshar's most-played cards lists, as well as cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Restoration Specialist" href="#" target="_blank">Restoration Specialist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Salvage Scout" href="#" target="_blank">Salvage Scout</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This core of cards is going to be important to keep our engine running smoothly.</p>
<p>As one example, we can sacrifice <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Salvage Scout" href="#" target="_blank">Salvage Scout</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to grab <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Retriever" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Retriever</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from our graveyard, which can then bring back Salvage Scout with Teshar's trigger. After that, we can sacrifice Myr Retriever to grab another artifact out of our yard. This combo can fuel itself over and over until we empty our graveyard of artifacts. This type of combo is crucial to having Teshar run smoothly, and to that end we're including a lot of redundancy in the deck.</p>
<p>Now that we've set up this shell, we can decide how we want to fill out the rest of the deck. One card that caught my attention was <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrapyard Recombiner" href="#" target="_blank">Scrapyard Recombiner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's currently the third most popular newly-released card for Teshar, and it's not too hard to see why: the Recombiner is a veritable Swiss Army Knife for this deck, checking off nearly every box that we could possibly want; it's a creature, it's historic, and it can dump itself into the yard while also tutoring key pieces. While "Construct Tribal" doesn't really exist under a cohesive theme, this gives us an incentive to look into what Constructs are available, as we can repeatedly tutor them to our hand. <em>Wizards</em> has created a lot of great artifact creatures over the years, but leaning towards ones that share this creature type could help us break any ties when deciding which creatures to include.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Myr Battlesphere"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kuldotha Forgemaster"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrap Trawler"></div></div>
<p>Thankfully, Constructs can fill a lot of different roles in our deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Battlesphere" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Battlesphere</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can't be recurred by Teshar's ability, but who needs that when Battlesphere is a threat on its own? For other threatening Constructs, we also have access to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cataclysmic Gearhulk" href="#" target="_blank">Cataclysmic Gearhulk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for a partial Wrath, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scuttling Doom Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Scuttling Doom Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Traxos, Scourge of Kroog" href="#" target="_blank">Traxos, Scourge of Kroog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for beaters.</p>
<p>We can include utility cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kuldotha Forgemaster" href="#" target="_blank">Kuldotha Forgemaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If we follow this path, we have a two-step tutor that can let us find any artifact in our deck and put it into play. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Foundry Inspector" href="#" target="_blank">Foundry Inspector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another great card that offers a discount for each time we want to trigger Teshar's ability. Not only that, it opens up more options for combos with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark-Clan Ironworks" href="#" target="_blank">Krark-Clan Ironworks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, if we feel so inclined to include enough pieces for it.</p>
<p>Speaking of Krark-Clan Ironworks, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrap Trawler" href="#" target="_blank">Scrap Trawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a common piece for Ironworks combos, also happens to be a Construct, and yes, you should include it in the deck. We're going to need to put creatures into the yard often, and a good number of them will be artifact creatures. Whenever an artifact dies, we get to return one to our hand that has a lesser converted mana cost. This gives us a great way of recurring cards, especially when combined with a mana-producing sacrifice outlet like Ironworks.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Sipping on Haterade</h2>
<p>While artifact recursion is a powerful engine, we're going to need other creatures to recur, and Teshar's stipulation of a specific converted mana cost defines the subset of creatures we need to pull from. Typically, these creatures aren't going to be impactful enough to win the game on their own, but they can certainly provide utility to either enhance our strategy or hinder our opponents. We're going to borrow a strategy from Legacy's well-established 'Death and Taxes' archetype: slowing down our opponent enough to get our engine online.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tocatli Honor Guard"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grand Abolisher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ranger-Captain of Eos"></div></div>
<p>If you didn't notice, many of the creatures included in our list so far have no enter-the-battlefield effects. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tocatli Honor Guard" href="#" target="_blank">Tocatli Honor Guard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hushwing Gryff" href="#" target="_blank">Hushwing Gryff</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both give us easily recurrable versions of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Torpor Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Torpor Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to shut down such strategies. In metas that I've played in, Torpor Orb isn't a common sight, so most people don't build around it. However, if it were to hit the battlefield, there are plenty of decks that would quickly get shut down. The second deck I ever built, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Roon of the Hidden Realm" href="#" target="_blank">Roon of the Hidden Realm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, got shut down by a player playing the Orb, and on that day I learned a harsh lesson about (not) diversifying the threats in my deck.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grand Abolisher" href="#" target="_blank">Grand Abolisher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ranger-Captain of Eos" href="#" target="_blank">Ranger-Captain of Eos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> perform similar functions by helping us shut down opponents' interactions on our turn. Additionally, the Ranger-Captain offers versatility by tutoring up a creature with converted mana cost 1 or less. It's a little odd to advocate for a creature with an ETB effect after discussing three cards that stifle those abilities, but the flow of the game will hardly make that an issue as you have control over when you deploy those effects. What are some good targets for Ranger-Captain? Right off the bat is either <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mother of Runes" href="#" target="_blank">Mother of Runes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Giver of Runes" href="#" target="_blank">Giver of Runes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Consistently handing out protection is a powerful tool. We can also find <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Memnite" href="#" target="_blank">Memnite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ornithopter" href="#" target="_blank">Ornithopter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for a zero-cost reanimation spell with our commander.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stoneforge Mystic"></div></div>
<p>Lastly for our Death and Taxes line-up, we have a classic: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stoneforge Mystic" href="#" target="_blank">Stoneforge Mystic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has always been an incredibly powerful <em>Magic </em>card, and tutoring for any Equipment gives us a lot of flexibility. Having access to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> immediately? How about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conqueror&#039;s Flail" href="#" target="_blank">Conqueror&#039;s Flail</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to stave off interaction? Or maybe even a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diviner&#039;s Wand" href="#" target="_blank">Diviner&#039;s Wand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a combo finisher? If we throw in a sacrifice outlet, we can sacrifice Mystic and then recur her with Teshar's ability to tutor for more Equipment.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Loop Around</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Myr Retriever"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krark-Clan Ironworks"></div></div>
<p>While we've covered quite a bit of ground, don't lose sight of the fact that Teshar is an incredibly powerful engine in the command zone. I won't list out every combo that's available, but I'll leave you with one example:</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Retriever" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Retriever</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark-Clan Ironworks" href="#" target="_blank">Krark-Clan Ironworks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and a zero-cost artifact allow us to dig through our entire deck with infinite colorless mana. From there, winning should be trivial, assuming we've built our deck decently well.</p>
<p>I hope this brief look at our resident Bird Wizard has given you something to think about! Teshar is an incredibly unique <em>Magic </em>card, and even if you only include him in the 99, I think you won't be disappointed. Below is a list that I hope will inspire some creative decklists; there's so many directions you can go!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="”Bringing Teshar Back”" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Teshar, Ancestor’s Apostle
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*1 Aven Mindcensor
*1 Aviary Mechanic
*1 Cataclysmic Gearhulk
*1 Foundry Inspector
*1 Giver of Runes
*1 Glint Hawk
*1 Grand Abolisher
*1 Hangarback Walker
*1 Hushwing Gryff
*1 Junk Diver
*1 Kami of False Hope
*1 Kor Skyfisher
*1 Kuldotha Forgemaster
*1 Leonin Squire
*1 Memnite
*1 Mentor of the Meek
*1 Mother of Runes
*1 Myr Battlesphere
*1 Myr Retriever
*1 Ornithopter
*1 Ranger-Captain of Eos
*1 Recruiter of the Guard
*1 Remorseful Cleric
*1 Restoration Specialist
*1 Salvage Scout
*1 Scrap Trawler
*1 Scrapyard Recombiner
*1 Shimmer Myr
*1 Stoneforge Mystic
*1 Sun Titan
*1 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
*1 Tocatli Honor Guard
*1 Traxos, Scourge of Kroog
*1 Treasure Hunter
*1 Trusty Packbeast
*1 Walking Ballista
*1 Workshop Assistant
[/Creature]
[Artifact]
*1 Aetherflux Reservoir
*1 Altar of Dementia
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Blasting Station
*1 Conqueror&#039;s Flail
*1 Diviner&#039;s Wand
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Krark-Clan Ironworks
*1 Lotus Petal
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mox Amber
*1 Phyrexian Altar
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Tormod&#039;s Crypt
*1 Torpor Orb
*1 Worn Powerstone
[/Artifact]
[Instant]
*1 Brought Back
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instant]
[Enchantment]
*1 Ghostly Prison
[/Enchantment]
[Sorcery]
*1 Austere Command
*1 Dusk / Dawn
*1 Slaughter the Strong
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*1 Arcane Lighthouse
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Emeria, The Sky Ruin
*1 Field of Ruin
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Ghost Quarter
*1 High Market
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*1 Mirrorpool
*1 Phyrexia&#039;s Core
*21 Plains
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Sequestered Stash
*1 Tectonic Edge
*1 Wasteland
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>Thanks, once again, for joining me in the <em>Underdog's</em> Corner!</p>


Underdog's Corner - Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive" href="#" target="_blank">Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.vargasni.com/">Randy Vargas</a>)</h6>
<h1>A Quick, Clean Kill</h1>
<p>They cannot keep us apart, beloved Commander faithful! No matter what they do, no matter what they say, I will always come back to you! For our love is not ordinary: it is quite...UNCOMMON!</p>
<p>Bad introductory jokes aside, welcome to this week's edition of <em>Uncommonders</em>, the series that explores underappreciated commanders printed at the uncommon level. I am going to preface this article with a bit of a revelation. Often with this series, I will stare blankly at the <em>Uncommonder</em> I am going to write about and pick up little details, make a list of possible deck ideas or archetypes, and eventually pick one or two for the article and run with it. This week was not that easy. I struggled to find a good, unique way to build this deck. In the end, I decided to buckle down and say that if I could not make it super unique or "out there", I would simply build it to the commander's strength to the best of my ability in an effort to make the deck as mean as possible. Naturally, I expect you to be curious which uncommon legendary creature we are looking at today, so without further ado, today we are talking about...</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive"></div></div></p>
<p>Before we talk about the deck and the cards in it, I do want to point out some of the ideas I looked into and ultimately was dissatisfied with. First, I wanted to build a more aggressive deck and looked up all the blue and colorless creatures that had a toughness of 1 but a power of 2 or more. This would mean that the creatures would be able to slip by with Tetsuko's ability but deal more damage than creatures with low toughness normally do. Unfortunately, for this idea, the two top cards Scryfall gave me were <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Snapcaster Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Snapcaster Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Metallic Mimic" href="#" target="_blank">Metallic Mimic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which turned me off the idea almost immediately. While looking at this list, I did notice a number of Faeries, some of which were Wizards and some of which were Rogues, and I considered some kind of tribal theme, either with Faeries or Rogues, but those searches did not inspire me much, either. They were especially lackluster when adding the requirement to have either power or toughness equal to 1, so I toyed around with another couple of ideas (there are sadly not enough Ninjas with power or toughness equal to 1 in mono-blue) and threw up my hands thinking "fine, I will just have to be the meanest person at the table with this!"</p>
<p>When thinking about "what is the meanest thing to do with unblockable, small creatures in mono-blue" I eventually settled on what Tetsuko already does very well:</p>
<p><em>Infect.</em></p>
<p>That may sound crazy, as there are only six creatures with the <em>Infect</em> ability in mono-blue with power or toughness equal to 1. However, four of those creatures are artifacts, and blue is pretty good at making duplicates of their creatures and their artifacts, so I decided to double down on my idea and <em>Infect</em> the table out. Also, blue is one half of the normal color combination that deals with counter manipulation, so <em>Proliferate</em> shenanigans are not hard to come by for the deck. One poison counter can quickly become fatal in most scenarios, so all we need to do is get the party started with these smaller creatures.</p>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">A Pinprick of Poison</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Plague Myr"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Viral Drake"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ichorclaw Myr"></div></div></p>
<p>In addition to the three cards shown above, the other three main <em>Infect</em> cards are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blighted Agent" href="#" target="_blank">Blighted Agent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necropede" href="#" target="_blank">Necropede</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Digester" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Digester</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. There are other <em>Infect</em> sources in the deck and some with interesting roles to play (like recursion on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corpse Cur" href="#" target="_blank">Corpse Cur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and the sometimes-creature <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inkmoth Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Inkmoth Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) but I want to focus on some of the other supportive cards for our endgame of infecting the entire table.</p>
<p>With <em>War of the Spark</em>, blue got some interesting new cards for <em>Infect</em> wins with new sources of <em>Proliferate</em>. Naturally, these cards were intended to pump up Standard-legal planeswalkers, but I'll take a win where I can find one! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guildpact Informant" href="#" target="_blank">Guildpact Informant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> feels like a variant of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thrummingbird" href="#" target="_blank">Thrummingbird</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flux Channeler" href="#" target="_blank">Flux Channeler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can get out of control quickly if we have some card advantage cantrips or just a grip filled with counterspells. Speaking of cantrips, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contentious Plan" href="#" target="_blank">Contentious Plan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fun new inclusion. Finally, the new <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karn&#039;s Bastion" href="#" target="_blank">Karn&#039;s Bastion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a repeatable effect similar to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Viral Drake" href="#" target="_blank">Viral Drake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Of all these new cards, the one I struggled the most with did not come from <em>War of the Spark</em> but from <em>Modern Horizons</em>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Truth and Justice" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Truth and Justice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a continuation of the iconic 'Sword of X and Y' cycle and helps get us where we want to be. Unfortunately, there are two major drawbacks to the card with our strategy. For starters, we normally do not want to put +1/+1 counters on our creatures because we need to keep either their power or toughness low enough for Tetsuko to help them remain unblockable. Second, the Sword itself gives the creature holding it +2/+2, meaning even if we put it on a 1/1 body, it definitely is not going to remain unblockable as a 3/3. In the end, I decided to include the Sword because we simply needed more <em>Proliferate</em> abilities, and hopefully the added protection the sword provides can assist with keeping the creature difficult to block. Even if the Sword-wielding creature only hits once or twice, it will also work as a diversionary target, making our opponents want to get rid of it and maybe ignoring some of our other pieces on the table.</p>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Colorless and Deadly</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Engine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krark-Clan Ironworks"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Myr Retriever"></div></div></p>
<p>I have recently reignited my love for artifact decks, having built a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle" href="#" target="_blank">Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck for my 3DH streams. Noticing that four of our six main <em>Infect</em> cards are artifacts and that some of our main synergy pieces were also artifacts (like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Clasp" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Clasp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), I decided to dive into some colorless shenanigans to round out the deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark-Clan Ironworks" href="#" target="_blank">Krark-Clan Ironworks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has been dropping in price since the Modern ban and is basically a better <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> for our deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ugin, the Ineffable" href="#" target="_blank">Ugin, the Ineffable</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes many of our artifacts free. I like the idea of having recursion options for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meteor Golem" href="#" target="_blank">Meteor Golem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to strengthen our removal suite for things like artifacts and enchantments. Thopters and Myrs mostly come in the forms of 1/1 bodies, so <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sharding Sphinx" href="#" target="_blank">Sharding Sphinx</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a walking army in the making, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sai, Master Thopterist" href="#" target="_blank">Sai, Master Thopterist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can get that army started just by casting some artifacts.</p>
<p>With all of this synergy, we are going to need to support it with as much ramp as blue can manage, card advantage galore, some Wraths and removal, to ultimately get a list that looks like this:</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="The Tainted Blade of Umezawa" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*1 Blighted Agent
*1 Burnished Hart
*1 Core Prowler
*1 Corpse Cur
*1 Eternal of Harsh Truths
*1 Flux Channeler
*1 Guildpact Informant
*1 Ichorclaw Myr
*1 Junk Diver
*1 Meteor Golem
*1 Mist-Syndicate Naga
*1 Mistblade Shinobi
*1 Myr Retriever
*1 Necropede
*1 Neurok Commando
*1 Nimble Obstructionist
*1 Phyrexian Digester
*1 Pilgrim&#039;s Eye
*1 Plague Myr
*1 Sai, Master Thopterist
*1 Scrap Trawler
*1 Scroll Thief
*1 Sharding Sphinx
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Tandem Lookout
*1 Thrumming Bird
*1 Tribute Mage
*1 Trophy Mage
*1 Viral Drake
[/Creature]
[Artifact]
*1 Bident of Thassa
*1 Blinkmoth Urn
*1 Contagion Clasp
*1 Contagion Engine
*1 Gilded Lotus
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Krark-Clan Ironworks
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mirrorworks
*1 Ovalchase Dragster
*1 Sapphire Medallion
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Sword of Truth and Justice
*1 Throne of Geth
[/Artifact]
[Instant]
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Counterspell
*1 Cyclonic Rift
*1 Disallow
*1 Pongify
*1 Rapid Hybridization
*1 Reality Shift
*1 Swan Song
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*1 Contentious Plan
*1 Notorious Throng
*1 Saheeli&#039;s Artistry
*1 Stolen Identity
*1 Tezzeret&#039;s Gambit
[/Sorcery]
[Enchantment]
*1 Coastal Piracy
*1 Inexorable Tide
[/Enchantment]
[Planeswalker]
*1 Tezzeret the Seeker
*1 Ugin the Ineffable
[/Planeswalker]
[Land]
*1 Academy Ruins
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Desert of the Mindful
*1 Ghost Quarter
*1 Inkmoth Nexus
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*23 Island
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*1 Lonely Sandbar
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Remote Isle
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Strip Mine
[/Land]"></span></div><br />
</p>
<hr />
<p>The last article about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boris Devilboon" href="#" target="_blank">Boris Devilboon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was a little on the unorthodox side, even for me. I have to admit, I was slightly worried about how it would be received by you, the readers, breaking so far away from the commander and those printed abilities to do something as janky as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana&#039;s Contract" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana&#039;s Contract</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Still, there were some cool comments, like this one by regular commenter Cyberium! They wrote:</p>
<blockquote><p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Choice of Damnations" href="#" target="_blank">Choice of Damnations</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is oddly fitting here. In addition to chaotic effects, I love forcing opponent to make a decision, that's something a demon would do.<br />
Slightly off topic: Given the new expansion is Throne of Eldraine, with a royalty-ish feel, perhaps the Round Table deck could be revisited.</p></blockquote>
<p>I cannot begin to tell you how many of the decks I make for EDHREC articles are listed in the "go back and update now that new, cool cards have come out since writing those articles" mental list I keep! Actually, maybe I can: almost all of them! Honestly, I am the kind of deck brewer that is never truly satisfied with a deck. <em>Wizards of the Coast </em>comes out with so many new awesome cards in each set, I find it impossible to ever stop tweaking and tuning decks, trying to hit that sweet spot where they feel perfect. I even look back at my favorite, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Mob Boss" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko, Mob Boss</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and constantly think about adjustments to make the deck faster, more consistent and meaner.</p>
<p>Of course, if you like how mean I can be when tossing cardboard around a kitchen table (or sometimes online) then make sure you are <a href="https://www.twitter.com/DM_Cross">following me on Twitter</a> to talk about all things <em>Magic: the Gathering</em>! You can also join the public <a href="https://discord.gg/CrNHmTE">Praetor Magic Discord server</a> to talk to me there daily, not to mention see our awesome gameplay videos on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/praetormagic">YouTube channel</a>! We also have a podcast called Reflections of the Council; new episodes are posted every Thursday after we record them on YouTube at 9 PM EST, so search "Praetor Magic" or "Reflections of the Council" on your favorite podcast platform to find us! And until next time, remember...</p>
<p>Drop bombs and <em>Infect</em> the table!</p>


Uncommonders - Umezawa's Tainted Blade

Archetune-Up - A Crown for a (Reaper) King

The Knowledge Pool - Breya, Etherium Shaper

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Megatog" href="#" target="_blank">Megatog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://peteventers.tumblr.com/">Pete Venters</a>)</h6>
<h1>Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick</h1>
<p>Hey everyone! Welcome back to another edition of <em>Forgotten Harvest</em>, the article series that features cards used in 300 decks or less on EDHREC. This time, I'll be stepping a little out of my comfort zone to talk about a Voltron deck, and with a commander that doesn't exactly seem like Voltron to boot! I'm talking about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient" href="#" target="_blank">Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-30075" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/BelatedDistantAmericanratsnake-small.gif" alt="" width="327" height="251" /></p>
<p>Now, I know what you may be thinking: "Kyle, why on Earth would you do something like this?" In fact, some in my playgroup have called this idea downright idiotic. But I'm telling you, this concept has been so very surprising! It's not the most tuned deck in the world, but it can hold its own at the table. It allows for political plays, it has alternate win conditions, and it has versatile removal to help knock down any threats. Better than any of that, it features some great red and colorless cards that aren't seeing nearly enough play. Let's get into them first.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Armaments of Old</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zelyon Sword"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tawnos&#039;s Weaponry"></div></div>
<p>When one thinks of mono-red Voltron, Equipment is naturally the first thing that comes to mind. Kurkesh doesn't benefit from Equipment all that much, though. "I'll pay 2 to equip this <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Fire and Ice" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Fire and Ice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and then pay an extra red to do it again." Yeah, not so effective. However, if you delve into the annuls of artifacts before <em>Mirrodin</em>, you can open up all kinds of new opportunities.</p>
<p>The old 'equip' ability, featured on cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tawnos&#039;s Weaponry" href="#" target="_blank">Tawnos&#039;s Weaponry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (2 decks on EDHREC) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zelyon Sword" href="#" target="_blank">Zelyon Sword</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (7 decks) doesn't seem all that powerful. It costs way too much for the buff your creature gets, even if the effect is "indefinite." With Kurkesh, you can make those buffs a little better. Yes, the cards are still on the weaker side, and the low deck counts for these cards are justified. But that permanent boost is a needed option in a deck like this.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword of the Chosen"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tooth of Chiss-Goria"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tower of Champions"></div></div>
<p>Other artifacts offer a better (but less permanent) pump. An all-star artifact from <em>Stronghold</em>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of the Chosen" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of the Chosen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> sees play in 257 decks, and can get our Kurkesh +4/+4 for a turn. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tooth of Chiss-Goria" href="#" target="_blank">Tooth of Chiss-Goria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (210 decks) also hands us a small power bump on what's ideally a free artifact.</p>
<p>Additionally, from <em>Mirrodin's</em> Tower cycle (well, one of them waited to show up in <em>Scars of Mirrodin</em>, but better late than never), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tower of Champions" href="#" target="_blank">Tower of Champions</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides a big spender a whopping +12/+12 for their Ogre spirit, and it sees play in only 34 decks on EDHREC. From that same cycle, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tower of Fortunes" href="#" target="_blank">Tower of Fortunes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can offer some excellent card draw, but sadly was cut from my final list. I'd still encourage you to try it out and let me know if it works for you.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jabari&#039;s Banner"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragon Blood"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Golem Artisan"></div></div>
<p>We'll also want to grant some abilities to Kurkesh to help in combat. This was somewhat tricky, as many abilities, like first strike, don't do much when they're copied. <em>Flanking, </em>however, does trigger separately for each instance on the creature, so <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jabari&#039;s Banner" href="#" target="_blank">Jabari&#039;s Banner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> feels like a good choice which sees play in only 46 decks.</p>
<p>Counters are also a great thing to double, as anyone playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vorel of the Hull Clade" href="#" target="_blank">Vorel of the Hull Clade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> knows. So <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another great addition. I'm honestly surprised this card is in only 220 decks, as +1/+1 counters seem to be more and more relevant with each passing year.</p>
<p>I feel like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Golem Artisan" href="#" target="_blank">Golem Artisan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> fits into our 'weaponry' category as well, though it's obvious that it can't buff our commander. In only 235 decks, it's another card I'm shocked doesn't see more play. The abilities can be used on itself, or hopefully <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geode Golem" href="#" target="_blank">Geode Golem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, offering us an alternate attacker should things start going sideways for our ogre. Or maybe we just start making things into artifacts....</p>
<hr />
<h2>I am Ironman!</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Megatog"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aladdin"></div></div>
<p>It's good in a Voltron deck to have a couple of beatsticky options, in case your commander ends up listening to a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Song of the Dryads" href="#" target="_blank">Song of the Dryads</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hellkite Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Hellkite Tyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an obvious pick. Another card in need of more play is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Megatog" href="#" target="_blank">Megatog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. In 218 decks on EDHREC, this beasty Atog is a fantastic finisher late in the game when resources are used up, and you're flush with artifacts. He can be particularly mean when accompanied by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pia&#039;s Revolution" href="#" target="_blank">Pia&#039;s Revolution</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and a free artifact like the aforementioned <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tooth of Chiss-Goria" href="#" target="_blank">Tooth of Chiss-Goria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This is especially true when you and an opponent lock eyes across the table and decide it's time to take out Player #3.</p>
<p>Offering support instead of fangs, we have another great creature to use: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aladdin" href="#" target="_blank">Aladdin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This somehow-not-legendary creature (162 decks) can offer some great removal, but really thrives with a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liquimetal Coating" href="#" target="_blank">Liquimetal Coating</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to open up the available targets to anything your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Golem&#039;s Heart" href="#" target="_blank">Golem&#039;s Heart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> desires. If only we could make <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aladdin" href="#" target="_blank">Aladdin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> an artifact so its ability was Kurkesh-friendly.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashnod&#039;s Transmogrant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Transmogrifying Licid"></div></div>
<p>These two beauties may be able to help with that! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashnod&#039;s Transmogrant" href="#" target="_blank">Ashnod&#039;s Transmogrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (136 decks) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Transmogrifying Licid" href="#" target="_blank">Transmogrifying Licid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (36 decks) are both fascinating cards capable of steel-plating the creature of your choice. Maybe you're making <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aladdin" href="#" target="_blank">Aladdin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Viashino Heretic" href="#" target="_blank">Viashino Heretic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> into androids so Kurkesh can copy their abilities. Or maybe you're just giving them more targets over in other corners of the battlefield. Either way, these cards give you extra iterations of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liquimetal Coating" href="#" target="_blank">Liquimetal Coating</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to help control the board.</p>
<p>While we're on the topic of removal, there are a few other artifacts with copy-able abilities to help with that control. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Edifice of Authority" href="#" target="_blank">Edifice of Authority</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (271 decks) is a great card for locking down would-be attackers and/or blockers. The second ability lasts until your next turn, and gets even better when duplicated using Kurkesh. From <em>Nemesis</em>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Belbe&#039;s Armor" href="#" target="_blank">Belbe&#039;s Armor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> sees play in 287 decks, and can be a great way to fog an attacker or two, as well as an emergency buff for Kurkesh, should the need arise.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Edifice of Authority"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Belbe&#039;s Armor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Amber Prison"></div></div>
<p>Based on the curve, I opted to use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ring of Gix" href="#" target="_blank">Ring of Gix</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> over the wildly popular <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Icy Manipulator" href="#" target="_blank">Icy Manipulator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Yes, the <em>Echo</em> cost may be a problem in some cases, but it's a card I've been wanting to try for a while. It only sees play in 57 decks right now, so give it a break!</p>
<p>Lastly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Amber Prison" href="#" target="_blank">Amber Prison</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (67 decks) normally looks a little over-costed, but when combined with Kurkesh's ability, the artifact can pull off a lockdown 2-for-1. It can definitely help wrangle a nasty commander that just keeps coming back, tapping it down instead of allowing your opponent to simply recast it. I'm sure I could keep going, but how about I show how all these pieces come together in the deck already?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Kurkesh Voltron" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Goblin Welder
*1 Suspicious Bookcase
*1 Burnished Hart
*1 Transmogrifying Licid
*1 Viashino Heretic
*1 Aladdin
*1 Crenellated Wall
*1 Geode Golem
*1 Golem Artisan
*1 Hoarding Dragon
*1 Godo, Bandit Warlord
*1 Hellkite Tyrant
*1 Megatog
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Welding Sparks
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Scrap Mastery
*1 All is Dust
*1 Blasphemous Act
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Mox Opal
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Transmogrant
*1 Brittle Effigy
*1 Glaring Spotlight
*1 Pacification Array
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Voltaic Key
*1 Voyager Staff
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
*1 Fire Diamond
*1 Golem&#039;s Heart
*1 Jabari&#039;s Banner
*1 Liquimetal Coating
*1 Scroll of the Masters
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Sword of the Chosen
*1 Tawnos&#039;s Weaponry
*1 Basalt Monolith
*1 Belbe&#039;s Armor
*1 Dragon Blood
*1 Edifice of Authority
*1 Mimic Vat
*1 Oblivion Stone
*1 Puppet Strings
*1 Ring of Gix
*1 Tenza, Godo&#039;s Maul
*1 Tooth of Chiss-Goria
*1 Transmogrifying Wand
*1 Zelyon Sword
*1 Amber Prison
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Helm of the Host
*1 Power Matrix
*1 Thran Dynamo
*1 Tower of Champions
*1 Trading Post
*1 Unwinding Clock
*1 Vedalken Orrery
*1 Gilded Lotus
*1 Predator, Flagship
*1 Contagion Engine
*1 Darksteel Forge
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Pia&#039;s Revolution
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Daretti, Scrap Savant
*1 Rowan Kenrith
[/Planeswalkers]
[Land]
*1 Arcane Lighthouse
*1 Blinkmoth Nexus
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Darksteel Citadel
*1 Forgotten Cave
*1 Great Furnace
*1 Haunted Fengraf
*1 Inkmoth Nexus
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*1 Kher Keep
*1 Mage-Ring Network
*18 Mountain
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Sea Gate Wreckage
*1 Smoldering Crater
*1 Springjack Pasture
*1 Temple of the False God
*1 Terrain Generator
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<h2>With Our Powers Combined...</h2>
<p>Well, now can all see why my playgroup was so concerned about my well-being. But I don't care! It think it's a terribly interesting concept, and makes for a far more plausible deck than first assumed. Please tell me your questions, comments, and snide remarks below. I'll be lurking there to laugh when someone finds the "hidden" wincon I snuck into the deck. Oh, and please let me know if there are any severely underplayed cards or commanders you'd like to see highlighted in this series. Until next time!</p>


Forgotten Harvest – Mono-Red Voltron

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Raff Capashen, Ship&#039;s Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Raff Capashen, Ship&#039;s Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://stankoillustration.com/">John Stanko</a>)</h6>
<h1>Start Your Engines</h1>
<p>Well, well, look at this! We are back again with some more <em>Uncommonders</em> goodness! My name is Seth Cross, but my friends call me DM. This series was inspired by the <em>Dominaria</em> set and its twenty legendary creatures printed at the uncommon rarity. Together, we dive into each one of these, along with callbacks to the many uncommon legendary creatures printed in <em>Magic: the Gathering</em>’s past, and brew something fun and exciting for the kitchen table and our best friends to “ooh” and “aah” over. Since we got excited over a recently rare-shifted legendary creature in last week’s article, we are back to <em>Dominaria</em> this week. I asked the <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/praetormagic">Twitch Subscribers</a> that have special access to the subs-only channel on the <a href="https://discord.gg/CrNHmTE">Praetor Magic Discord</a> to supply me with their favorite <em>Dominaria</em> Uncommonders, and naturally has a <a href="https://www.twitter.com/DM_Cross">Twitter poll</a> to find the victor! The four options were <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hallar, the Firefletcher" href="#" target="_blank">Hallar, the Firefletcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Danitha Capashen, Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Danitha Capashen, Paragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slimefoot, the Stowaway" href="#" target="_blank">Slimefoot, the Stowaway</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and of course, the winner for today's article:</p>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Raff Capashen, Ship’s Mage</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Raff Capashen, Ship&#039;s Mage"></div></div></p>
<p>Raff is one of <em>Dominaria's</em> uncommon legends - actually, one of the legends, regardless of rarity - that piqued my interest during preview week. What makes Raff slightly more interesting to me than some of the others are his colors. I talk about being a Golgari mage all the time, so Azorius can sometimes be a bit foreign to me. Raff is one of the <em>Dominaria</em> commanders that deal with the new 'historic' label. This new categorization of cards encompasses artifacts, spells that have the legendary supertype (whether they are creatures, artifacts, enchantments or even instants or sorceries), or the new Saga subtype. Come to think of it, if we get new Sagas in future sets, a Bant historic-based commander could make for an interesting Enchantress theme... oops! Sorry. We're not here for enchantments. We're actually here for Raff's historical artifacts!</p>
<p>Another fairly recent development within <em>Magic: the Gathering</em> is the Vehicle subtype. These artifacts become creatures when they are <em>Crewed</em> by tapping creatures with the right amount of power. The reason I find these so interesting is that a well-timed board wipe leaves us with part-time creatures on an empty field, putting us farther ahead in the game. Combined with Raff's ability to cast these artifacts with flash, it'll be even easier to finagle that timing to our advantage. That's right, this week we are talking about…</p>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Raff Capashen, Pod Racer!</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smuggler&#039;s Copter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Weatherlight"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Peacewalker Colossus"></div></div></p>
<p>First, I want to draw attention to a simple fact: there are only 25 Vehicles in all of <em>Magic: the Gathering</em>. My first impulse was to throw them all into the deck to fulfill the theme, but looking at the list, I realized that some of them just did not need to be in the deck. I trimmed it down to a total of 17 Vehicles. Some were cut out because their payoff was lackluster (like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fell Flagship" href="#" target="_blank">Fell Flagship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), and others were trimmed out based on their <em>Crew</em> cost (like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Consulate Dreadnought" href="#" target="_blank">Consulate Dreadnought</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<p>Only two Vehicles in the deck have a <em>Crew</em> cost of 4 or more, meaning that they are the only Vehicles that Raff cannot bring to life on his own. The first such Vehicle is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Peacewalker Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Peacewalker Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> which made the cut because we can pay mana to animate other Vehicles without needing to <em>Crew</em> them. The second Vehicle with a <em>Crew</em> cost of 4 is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conqueror’s Galleon" href="#" target="_blank">Conqueror’s Galleon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which I kept for the chance to transform it into <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conqueror’s Foothold" href="#" target="_blank">Conqueror’s Foothold</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a means of recurring our cards from the graveyard.</p>
<p>Some other Vehicles also stood out in the list. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivator’s Caravan" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivator’s Caravan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doubles up as ramp. (In case you were not sure, it can indeed tap the turn it enters the battlefield, because if it's not a creature, it doesn't have summoning sickness.) The famous and nostalgic <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Weatherlight" href="#" target="_blank">Weatherlight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smuggler’s Copter" href="#" target="_blank">Smuggler’s Copter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> double up as forms of card advantage, helping dig deeper into the deck to keep our hand happy and full. Hailing from <em>Kaladesh,</em> the native plane of Vehicles, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skysovereign, Consul Flagship" href="#" target="_blank">Skysovereign, Consul Flagship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to swing at our opponents’ life totals while also bolting either creatures or planeswalkers. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mobile Garrison" href="#" target="_blank">Mobile Garrison</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to untap the creature that <em>Crewed</em> it, leaving up potential for some crafty blocking plays. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daredevil Dragster" href="#" target="_blank">Daredevil Dragster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a unique card that only gets two attacks and/or blocks in before being sacrificed, but that sacrifice draws us two cards. With a recursion package - which we will talk about next - there is potential to keep bringing Dragster back for more and more card advantage. Let's be honest, no one says no to more cards, right?!</p>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Spit, Polish, and Maintaining Our Pods</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Padeem, Consul of Innovation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hanna, Ship&#039;s Navigator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle"></div></div></p>
<p>It is important to realize that there are many effects that are popular in Commander that wipe out or surgically remove artifacts, regardless of whether or not they are creatures. With that in mind, we want to run a few ways to protect or bring back our artifacts.</p>
<p>Before we begin, my list is not running <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and honestly, how dare I, right? In all honesty, I felt like artifacts have so many ways to be recurred that simple indestructibility is just too easy and a touch boring. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Junk Diver" href="#" target="_blank">Junk Diver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Retriever" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Retriever</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and the artifact staple <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trading Post" href="#" target="_blank">Trading Post</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> help our artifacts come back to the battlefield. We also have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sun Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Sun Titan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and even another <em>Dominaria</em> addition, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teshar, Ancestor’s Apostle" href="#" target="_blank">Teshar, Ancestor’s Apostle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is slightly more restrictive. In addition to Teshar, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hanna, Ship’s Navigator" href="#" target="_blank">Hanna, Ship’s Navigator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> uniquely synergizes with Raff because she counts as a historic card that can be flashed in. Then, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Indomitable Archangel" href="#" target="_blank">Indomitable Archangel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Padeem, Consul of Innovation" href="#" target="_blank">Padeem, Consul of Innovation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> making targeting our artifacts much more difficult for our opponents.</p>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Fuel for the Engines</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jhoira&#039;s Familiar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smothering Tithe"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Etherium Sculptor"></div></div></p>
<p>Ramp in an artifact deck can be deceptive. Sure, running eight or more mana rocks can easily give us access to twice as much mana as anyone else on the board. When combined with discounting effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Etherium Sculptor" href="#" target="_blank">Etherium Sculptor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> we can suddenly cast ultra-big artifacts multiple times a turn. However, my main issue with this thinking is that mana rocks are not permanent sources of mana in the way that lands are. At least, not unless your meta is more comfortable with land destruction. If they are, then good for you! I personally think we are too against the idea of balancing mana sources, but I digress. My point is that we should be careful with vulnerable mana sources.</p>
<p>Because artifacts have such great recursion and we are running so many effects in the deck, I went with the classic <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burnished Hart" href="#" target="_blank">Burnished Hart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solemn Simulacrum" href="#" target="_blank">Solemn Simulacrum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to fetch for lands. While for most decks, that does not seem that odd, I was surprised at the folks who suggested them as cuts when I was slimming down the deck. The mentality was that we ran enough discount effects and rocks to ramp hard enough already, but did not sit right with me, so I stuck with my gut, and these should diversify our mana capabilities. Plus, they can <em>Crew </em>Vehicles!</p>
<p>I was excited to include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smothering Tithe" href="#" target="_blank">Smothering Tithe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the list, a new card from Ravnica Allegiance that seems like it is going to become very popular in most white decks. I debated going a bit more tax-based with a few other cards, but realized something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grand Arbiter Augustin IV" href="#" target="_blank">Grand Arbiter Augustin IV</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does not benefit us enough, considering most of our cards are colorless. Since we don't get the classic Arbiter, we are running three kinds of discounts for artifacts (or historic cards) in the form of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Etherium Sculptor" href="#" target="_blank">Etherium Sculptor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Foundry Inspector" href="#" target="_blank">Foundry Inspector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and the newer <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jhoira’s Familiar" href="#" target="_blank">Jhoira’s Familiar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Throw everything together with some more draw, ramp and then the right removal and Wrath effects, and the list looks like this:</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Pod Racer Champion Raff" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Raff Capashen, Ship&#039;s Mage
[/commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Ballista Charger
*1 Bomat Bazaar Barge
*1 Conqueror&#039;s Galleon
*1 Daredevil Dragster
*1 Dusk Legion Dreadnought
*1 Fleetwheel Cruiser
*1 Mobile Garrison
*1 Peacewalker Colossus
*1 Renegade Freighter
*1 Sky Skiff
*1 Sleek Schooner
*1 Untethered Express
*1 Cultivator&#039;s Caravan
*1 Smuggler&#039;s Copter
*1 Junk Diver
*1 Jhoira&#039;s Familiar
*1 Kuldotha Forgemaster
*1 Scrap Trawler
*1 Foundry Inspector
*1 Burnished Hart
*1 Myr Retriever
*1 Duplicant
*1 Etherium Sculptor
*1 Indomitable Archangel
*1 Sun Titan
*1 Aeronaut Admiral
*1 Trophy Mage
*1 Heart of Kiran
*1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
*1 Weatherlight
*1 Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer
*1 Hanna, Ship&#039;s Navigator
*1 Sai, Master Thopterist
*1 Padeem, Consul of Innovation
[/creatures]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Tezzeret, Artifice Master
*1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
*1 Tezzeret the Seeker
[/Planeswalkers]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bident of Thassa
*1 Smothering Tithe
*1 Rhystic Study
*1 The Antiquities War
[/enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Trading Post
*1 Unwinding Clock
*1 Azorius Signet
*1 Blinkmoth Urn
*1 Commander&#039;s Sphere
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Lightning Greaves
[/artifacts]
[Instant]
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Crush Contraband
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Reality Shift
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Cyclonic Rift
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*1 Fabricate
*1 Open the Vaults
*1 Remember the Fallen
*1 Cleansing Nova
*1 Wrath of God
[/Sorcery]
[Lands]
*1 Academy Ruins
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Command Tower
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Ghost Quarter
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*10 Island
*1 Lonely Sandbar
*1 Minamo, School at Water&#039;s Edge
*12 Plains
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Secluded Steppe
*1 Strip Mine
*1 Temple of Enlightenment
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
[/lands]"></span></div><br />
</p>
<p>NOTE: For the sake of the list, I included the Vehicles as creatures, which makes it look like there are tons of creatures. As we touched on earlier, some of the Vehicles fulfill different categories or simply do not need to be creatures in order to provide value. Just something to keep in mind when looking at the list!</p>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Beep Beep, Outta the Way!</h3>
<p>When Raff first came out in a set with twenty uncommon legendary creatures and a host of rare and mythic rare legendary creatures, my first thought was to flash in all the white and blue legendary creatures I could stick into a deck. Then, when Sagas were revealed, I had the idea to do an Azorius Enchantress-type deck. Sadly, only six Sagas exist in these colors, so that idea quickly went out the window. I resisted the urge to do a basic artifact deck with Raff, because <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> exists in the same set and she seems like such a better artifact commander. In the end, the Vehicle idea seemed fun, and brewing the list proved it to be true, especially with all the surprise combat shenanigans Raff is capable of sneaking into play. I enjoy a unique twist on my decks, so this is the icing on the cake.</p>
<p>To wrap this up, my favorite comment from last week’s article came from /u/GRxBerserker on the /r/EDH subreddit. They said:</p>
<blockquote><p>This looks like an awesome budget deck! I play Shirei without consideration for budget and it still looks awfully similar. Good work.</p></blockquote>
<p>I enjoyed this comment so much because it illustrates how powerful of a deck you can build in the 3DH format. To recap, 3DH is 3 Dollar Highlander, where we play Commander on <em>Magic: the Gathering Online</em> and each deck can cost no more than 3 TIX (which equates to $3). Because of the unique Online economy, there are very powerful cards that sometimes cost next to nothing. My favorite example is always that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vampiric Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Vampiric Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only costs a penny for Season 3.</p>
<p>If this sounds like fun for you, make sure you check out the <a href="https://discord.gg/CrNHmTE">Praetor Magic Discord</a>! We talk about the format and you can sign up to play on the games <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/praetormagic">I stream</a> every Wednesday and Friday at 9 PM EST. You can also throw questions at me on the big blue bird site by following me there and see some of my older games on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/praetormagic">Praetor Magic YouTube channel</a>.</p>
<p>Until next time, keep brewing and keep casting those bombs!</p>


artifacts

Forgotten Harvest - Raff Capashen, Master of Baubles

Underdog's Corner - Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle

Uncommonders - Umezawa's Tainted Blade

Archetune-Up - A Crown for a (Reaper) King

The Knowledge Pool - Breya, Etherium Shaper

Forgotten Harvest – Mono-Red Voltron

Uncommonders - Who Taught Raff How to Drive?!

The Knowledge Pool - Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain

Replacement Commanders - Izzet Tokens? IT IS!

Commander Showdown - Vela vs Yuriko