<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Suki, Kyoshi Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Suki, Kyoshi Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CShiren%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shiren</a></span></i></p>
<p><a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/tla" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Avatar: The Last Airbender</span></i></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> represents a rarity for me: a </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Universes Beyond</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> intellectual property I actually enjoy. Regardless of the property, however, my approach remains the same: find the typal commanders and look for ones that breathe life into existing creature types, coalesce under-supported ones, or move them into new colors or directions. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Suki, Kyoshi Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Suki, Kyoshi Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, much like the character, breaks convention and supports a type that has been referenced a few times, but lacked a leader.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Suki, Kyoshi Captain"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Avatar</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> world, Suki is a Kyoshi Warrior, a group of geisha-like makeup-clad all-female Warriors who are named after Kyoshi, an incarnation of the titular embodiment of the bond between the “real” and “spirit” worlds. She breaks conformity by being a fearsome warrior while still embracing her feminine side.</span></p>
<h2>Warriors in <em>Magic</em></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Warriors in <em>Magic</em> have had some support, especially on Tarkir, with the Dromoka and Mardu Warriors. They're one of several white-based small creatures, like Soldiers and Knights. So, how do we tell them apart? </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Soldiers tend to be 1/1s that support each other with numbers. Knights tend to be 2/2s with first strike. Warriors are also 1/1s, but they don’t reference each other that much. Then again, they never got an </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Onslaught</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> set to themselves.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our commander, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Suki, Kyoshi Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Suki, Kyoshi Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is a strong example of a commander that leads from the front while supporting her friends. She and her ilk are clearly trained in martial arts, but, as the dangers grow, it becomes clear that they learned about fighting in the abstract, rather than having actual battlefield experience, leading her to get captured multiple times.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As a result, Warriors feel more like a militia than an army, differentiating them from Soldiers and Knights. But how do we get a type without a lot of overlap to work? And are there enough cheap Warriors to make a cohesive aggressive strategy?</span></p>
<h2>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Suki, Kyoshi Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Suki, Kyoshi Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Suki is a 3/3 for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, making her an excellent aggressive creature. She can easily lead from the front with her solid rate and is just as good on offense as defense, as shown by the shield and sword in her art. Her other abilities also show her strong leadership skills and the support she has for her teammates.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Suki’s primary ability is an anthem, one of an archetype of effects that provide a static power and toughness boost to all creatures that meet certain criteria: in this case, Warriors we control. These effects represent the resolution with which our Warriors fight. The longer the battle goes on, the stronger our resolve gets.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Suki’s second ability is incredibly powerful, but a bit over-costed. She gives attacking Warriors we control double strike until end of turn for the cost of four mana. She can do this at instant speed, but the benefits to doing so are limited. The best use is likely leaving mana up during declare blockers, so opponents have to play around the ability, and then activating it once blocks are lined up. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The inability to use it defensively, however, is a major limit on Suki’s power level.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Suki is an intriguing commander because, like her character, she defies conventions. She can lead from the front, with her aggressive stats and cost, or from the back, with her anthem effect and the activated ability granting her allies (well, Warriors) a considerable advantage in combat. </span></p>
<h2>Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Suki, Kyoshi Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Suki, Kyoshi Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aven Skirmisher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mardu Woe-Reaper"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Much of the core of the deck comes from Tarkir. Cheap Warriors include evasive threats like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aven Skirmisher" href="#" target="_blank">Aven Skirmisher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and incidental graveyard hate like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mardu Woe-Reaper" href="#" target="_blank">Mardu Woe-Reaper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These bodies can get quite threatening with enough anthems and synergize well with card draw that cares about casting small creatures.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Herald of Dromoka"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arashin Foremost"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tarkir also provided key support spells that reference the creature type. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Herald of Dromoka" href="#" target="_blank">Herald of Dromoka</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a vigilant <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grizzly Bears" href="#" target="_blank">Grizzly Bears</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that grants vigilance to all of our Warriors, allowing us to attack and keep up a defense. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arashin Foremost" href="#" target="_blank">Arashin Foremost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> acts as a smaller version of our commander’s activated ability, granting double strike to another attacking Warrior.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spear of Heliod"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Always Watching"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anthems are strong effects in small creature decks (or "weenie" decks), and they get better and better as they stack up. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spear of Heliod" href="#" target="_blank">Spear of Heliod</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an anthem that gives our hyperaggressive build some important defense, acting as a “rattlesnake” card, one that disincentivizes counterattacks. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Always Watching" href="#" target="_blank">Always Watching</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Herald of Dromoka" href="#" target="_blank">Herald of Dromoka</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, grants our nontoken creatures vigilance.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Secure the Wastes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jazal Goldmane"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some decks want removal, while others want to go full throttle. Rather than waste time trying to find removal and line it up against opposing threats, we’d rather answer the questions. We can go wide with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Secure the Wastes" href="#" target="_blank">Secure the Wastes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or tall with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jazal Goldmane" href="#" target="_blank">Jazal Goldmane</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, either of which threaten to end games in short succession, regardless of what threats opponents put out.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akroma&#039;s Will"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Prismatic Strands"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With a deck that’s committed to the board as much as this one, we need ways to protect against interaction, rather than attempting to remove threats. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Akroma&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> pulls double-duty as a finisher and a protection spell, while <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>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flare of Fortitude" href="#" target="_blank">Flare of Fortitude</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>, as well as the flashback on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prismatic Strands" href="#" target="_blank">Prismatic Strands</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, can catch opponents by surprise.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Folk Hero"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mentor of the Meek"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As mentioned earlier, we want small Warriors because they trigger certain draw effects. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Folk Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Folk Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> draws us cards for casting Warriors with our commander out, while <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> lets us use the excess mana we get from casting cheap creature spells. This helps us dig to find our board-breaking spells.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Windbrisk Heights"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Minas Tirith"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our nonbasics are primarily centered around swarming the board and attacking. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Windbrisk Heights" href="#" target="_blank">Windbrisk Heights</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Minas Tirith" href="#" target="_blank">Minas Tirith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are among the stronger hidden draw spells in the deck, giving even more benefits to turning our Warriors sideways.</span></p>
<h2>How Does This <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Suki, Kyoshi Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Suki, Kyoshi Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Commander Deck Win?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Similar to Knights and Soldiers, we’re looking to add to the board early and often, cementing our position with anthems and protection spells while drawing cards to find boardbreaking finishers.</span></p>
<h2>Suki, Kyoshi Captain Commander Deck List</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Suki, Kyoshi Captain Commander Deck Tech" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Suki, Kyoshi Captain
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 Arashin Foremost
*1 Aurora Champion
*1 Aven Skirmisher
*1 Beskir Shieldmate
*1 Blaring Recruiter
*1 Dragonscale General
*1 Enduring Innocence
*1 Firemane Commando
*1 Harper Recruiter
*1 Herald of Dromoka
*1 Hidden Dragonslayer
*1 Jazal Goldmane
*1 Katara, Heroic Healer
*1 Mardu Hordechief
*1 Mardu Woe-Reaper
*1 Mentor of the Meek
*1 Mothrider Patrol
*1 Paired Tactician
*1 Resplendent Marshal
*1 Rumor Gatherer
*1 Seasoned Dungeoneer
*1 Selfless Squire
*1 Shepherd of the Cosmos
*1 Solemn Recruit
*1 Steward of Solidarity
*1 Suki, Courageous Rescuer
*1 Thunderwolf Cavalry
*1 Trueheart Duelist
*1 Twinblade Geist // Twinblade Invocation
*1 Urdnan, Dromoka Warrior
*1 Usher of the Fallen
*1 Welcoming Vampire
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Always Watching
*1 Amazing Alliance
*1 Chivalric Alliance
*1 Defenders of Humanity
*1 Flowering of the White Tree
*1 Folk Hero
*1 Glorious Anthem
*1 Honor of the Pure
*1 Radiant Destiny
*1 Rally the Ranks
*1 Renewed Solidarity
*1 Rent Is Due
*1 Tenuous Truce
*1 Tocasia&#039;s Welcome
*1 True Conviction
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 Akroma&#039;s Will
*1 And They Shall Know No Fear
*1 Clever Concealment
*1 Eerie Interlude
*1 Flare of Fortitude
*1 Flawless Maneuver
*1 Galadriel&#039;s Dismissal
*1 Prismatic Strands
*1 Secure the Wastes
*1 Unbreakable Formation
*1 Your Temple Is Under Attack
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Spear of Heliod
[/Artifacts]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Cavern of Souls
*1 Dalkovan Encampment
*1 Minas Tirith
*1 Monumental Henge
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Path of Ancestry
*30 Plains
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Three Tree City
*1 War Room
*1 Windbrisk Heights
[/Lands]
&nbsp;"></span></div></span></p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Warriors are, admittedly, similar to other white weenie strategies. They represent martial artists, rather than military Soldiers or feudal Knights, using fighting more as a form of meditation than a form of warfare. As a result, their strength comes more from leadership, tactics, and teamwork than from individual strength.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how would you build Warriors? And how do you differentiate them from other white weenie types?</span></p>
<h3>More <em>Avatar</em>:</h3>
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