(Re)Brew For Your Buck - Ratadrabik's Rings

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Samwise Gamgee" href="#" target="_blank">Samwise Gamgee</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/katemaxpaint">Ekaterina Burmak</a></h6>
<h1>Cats and Potatoes</h1>
<p>Hello fellow brewer, and welcome back to <em>Brew for your Buck</em>, where we swap out the top 10 most expensive cards in a deck with 10 budget cards that add a unique twist. Well, I couldn’t resist it any longer, we need to feature <em>The</em> <em>Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth </em>(LTR) cards. I am a HUGE <em>Lord of the Rings</em> fan and completely <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Decimate" href="#" target="_blank">decimated</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> my wallet when the set was released. When I say huge fan: my best man quoted Gandalf in his speech at my wedding. This set did it all for me.</p>
<p>We also haven’t done a combo package <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/brew-for-your-buck-kolld-steel/">in a while</a>, and our largest <em>Universes Beyond</em> installment came with a new best friend for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Protean Hulk" href="#" target="_blank">Protean Hulk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Samwise Gamgee" href="#" target="_blank">Samwise Gamgee</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($2.09). In conjunction with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cauldron Familiar" href="#" target="_blank">Cauldron Familiar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($2.94) and a sac outlet, we can win the game on the spot. This even showed up in the Pro Tour not too long ago, which could be why Cauldron Familiar has been seeing an upward price spike lately. Anyway, I didn’t pay attention to cEDH during the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flash" href="#" target="_blank">Flash</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-Hulk days, but apparently it used to be pretty busted. The idea was to use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flash" href="#" target="_blank">Flash</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to cheat in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Protean Hulk" href="#" target="_blank">Protean Hulk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, then when it sacrificed itself, you can go find a combination of creatures <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/search/?q=protean%20hulk">that win the game</a>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Protean Hulk" href="#" target="_blank">Protean Hulk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has seen less play of late, but that’s ok, because it’s still a little expensive dollars-wise, and we don’t want to bother getting it out of the deck anyway. Instead, we look to a commander that does a similar thing, but from the graveyard:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nethroi, Apex of Death"></div></div>
<p><em>Mutating</em> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nethroi, Apex of Death" href="#" target="_blank">Nethroi</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will let us do a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Protean Hulk" href="#" target="_blank">Protean Hulk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> imitation once we get all the pieces in the bin, or just provide us with an insane amount of value after milling, discarding, and dredging our deck away. We have some of the usual staples making up the bulk of Nethroi’s $228.08 list, so here’s what we’ll remove:</p>
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Delighted Halfling" href="#" target="_blank">Delighted Halfling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($13.93)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guardian Project" href="#" target="_blank">Guardian Project</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($8.91)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Luminous Broodmoth" href="#" target="_blank">Luminous Broodmoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($8.12)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiend Artisan" href="#" target="_blank">Fiend Artisan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($8.08)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Life from the Loam" href="#" target="_blank">Life from the Loam</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($7.69)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Assassin&#039;s Trophy" href="#" target="_blank">Assassin&#039;s Trophy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($7.09)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Buried Alive" href="#" target="_blank">Buried Alive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($5.85)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Birds of Paradise" href="#" target="_blank">Birds of Paradise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($5.39)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grist, the Hunger Tide" href="#" target="_blank">Grist, the Hunger Tide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($4.86)</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animate Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Animate Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($4.77)</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
<p style="padding-left: 200px;"><strong>Total Value of Cuts: $76.49</strong></p>
<p>As we’ve come to expect with three color decks, the mana base gets pretty expensive (though I have a sleeper for you down below) so replacing the lands that would otherwise make the above list would save an additional $77.09, bringing the total to <strong>$146.76</strong>.</p>
<h2>Additions</h2>
<h3>Combo Pieces</h3>

<p>First, let me outline the combo: when everything enters the battlefield, Sam will make a Food for each one, and the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nethroi, Apex of Death" href="#" target="_blank">Cat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will drain our opponents. We sacrifice <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cauldron Familiar" href="#" target="_blank">Cauldron Familiar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to our sac outlet, and then sacrifice a Food to reanimate it. Sam n' Cat trigger again, and then repeat for the win. In cEDH, this is all tutor-able straight onto the battlefield with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Protean Hulk" href="#" target="_blank">Protean Hulk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and you can even bring <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> out with the combo pieces to ensure no one can interact. Pretty awesome! Even more awesome, the deck already contains some of the best sacrifice outlets (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Viscera Seer" href="#" target="_blank">Viscera Seer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Carrion Feeder" href="#" target="_blank">Carrion Feeder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) and a similar loop with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reveillark" href="#" target="_blank">Reveillark</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karmic Guide" href="#" target="_blank">Karmic Guide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, so we have a built in back up plan as well. We can even throw in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Saffi Eriksdotter" href="#" target="_blank">Saffi Eriksdotter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.94) to make this line even more efficient.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Samwise Gamgee"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cauldron Familiar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Saffi Eriksdotter"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Set up</h3>
<p>Of course, since we aren’t using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Protean Hulk" href="#" target="_blank">Protean Hulk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we’ll need ways to get our combo pieces into the graveyard. We have some good ways already via <em>Dredge</em>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Death&#039;s Oasis" href="#" target="_blank">Death&#039;s Oasis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Greater Good" href="#" target="_blank">Greater Good</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, etc. Sadly, we had to remove <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Buried Alive" href="#" target="_blank">Buried Alive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> due to the budget constraints, but we can add some cards with similar effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jarad&#039;s Orders" href="#" target="_blank">Jarad&#039;s Orders</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.74), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unmarked Grave" href="#" target="_blank">Unmarked Grave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.77), and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fauna Shaman" href="#" target="_blank">Fauna Shaman</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($1.10). The first two will tutor the combo pieces directly into the graveyard, while Fauna Shaman allows us to pitch them from our hand in exchange for another value piece, some ramp, or any of our other utility creatures. Lastly, we can add a BFYB classic: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mausoleum Secrets" href="#" target="_blank">Mausoleum Secrets</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($1.15). I'm going to keep plugging this card. It's just so sweet in a heavy creature/graveyard deck.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jarad&#039;s Orders"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unmarked Grave"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fauna Shaman"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Graveyard Value</h3>
<p>While we're preparing for our big combo turn, we can spend that time eeking out extra value from our graveyard. For this, I was really looking for cards that offered value just by being in the graveyard. First up, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Genesis" href="#" target="_blank">Genesis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.34) which can buy us back a creature every turn, and ups our creature count for additional synergies. In the same vein, we have the recently reprinted <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glory" href="#" target="_blank">Glory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.12). We can use Glory offensively during a big attack, or defensively to protect our board. Using your graveyard as a second hand is something newer players can take some time to discover, and just having these<a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?type=+[incarnation]%7C%7Csubtype=+[incarnation]"> Incarnations</a> sitting there is a great way to educate!</p>
<p>Finally, I've been waiting and waiting to get one of my favorite cards into a deck, and I think this is the one. I present to you... <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Riftstone Portal" href="#" target="_blank">Riftstone Portal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($1.11). While it sits in your graveyard it allows ALL of the lands you have on the battlefield to tap for green and white. It's an easy thing to discard or sacrifice for value, and even taps for colorless AND comes into play untapped! I've never wanted a cycle to be completed more than this one. Imagine this thing in Golgari colors? It’s what dreams are made of!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Genesis"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glory"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Riftstone Portal"></div></div>
<h2>Wrap-Up and Savings</h2>
<p>Let’s take a look at our savings:</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Picture1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-102242 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Picture1.png" alt="" width="413" height="305" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Picture1.png 355w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Picture1-300x221.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 413px) 100vw, 413px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Excellent, another combo win-con that saves 62% of the original decklist. Here’s the final list:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Stick &#039;Em in a Stew" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Nethroi, Apex of Death
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Altar of Dementia
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Conduit of Worlds
*1 Sol Ring
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Auspicious Starrix
*1 Blood Artist
*1 Boneyard Lurker
*1 Carrion Feeder
*1 Cauldron Familiar
*1 Cruel Celebrant
*1 Cubwarden
*1 Dirge Bat
*1 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Faeburrow Elder
*1 Fauna Shaman
*1 Fertilid
*1 Gemrazer
*1 Genesis
*1 Glory
*1 Golgari Grave-Troll
*1 Karmic Guide
*1 Llanowar Elves
*1 Migratory Greathorn
*1 Necropanther
*1 Nyx Weaver
*1 Old Rutstein
*1 Old Stickfingers
*1 Polukranos, Unchained
*1 Ravenous Chupacabra
*1 Reclamation Sage
*1 Reveillark
*1 Saffi Eriksdotter
*1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
*1 Samwise Gamgee
*1 Satyr Wayfinder
*1 Skull Prophet
*1 Stinkweed Imp
*1 Stitcher&#039;s Supplier
*1 Syr Konrad, the Grim
*1 Underrealm Lich
*1 Viscera Seer
*1 World Shaper
*1 Zulaport Cutthroat
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Beast Within
*1 Cosmic Rebirth
*1 Grisly Salvage
*1 Mausoleum Secrets
*1 Mythos of Nethroi
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Cemetery Tampering
*1 Death&#039;s Oasis
*1 Greater Good
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cultivate
*1 Damn
*1 Eerie Ultimatum
*1 Farseek
*1 Jarad&#039;s Orders
*1 Kodama&#039;s Reach
*1 Living Death
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Unmarked Grave
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Caves of Koilos
*1 Command Tower
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*7 Forest
*1 Godless Shrine
*1 Indatha Triome
*1 Isolated Chapel
*1 Llanowar Wastes
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Overgrown Tomb
*2 Plains
*1 Riftstone Portal
*1 Sandsteppe Citadel
*1 Sunpetal Grove
*6 Swamp
*1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
*1 Temple Garden
*1 Undergrowth Stadium
*1 Verdant Catacombs
*1 Woodland Cemetery
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>A question of all of you related to <em>The Lord of the Rings</em>: Longtime readers will know that the first article in the series featured <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ratadrabik of Urborg" href="#" target="_blank">Ratadrabik of Urborg</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as the commander. There are some silly synergies with <em>the Ring tempts you</em> cards from LTR that I’d love to highlight, so if you’re ok with a revisit, I’ll be glad to do one. Just vote in the poll below!</p>
<p><script>var pd_tags = new Array;pd_tags["12598164-src"]="poll-oembed-simple";</script><script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="https://secure.polldaddy.com/p/12598164.js"></script><noscript><iframe title="Want to see more Ratadrabik?" src="https://poll.fm/12598164/embed" frameborder="0" class="cs-iframe-embed"></iframe></noscript></p>
<p>Anyway, I hope you liked another combo budget package for your Abzan decks. Let me know if there are some cards that I missed or if you’d like to see a specific commander or budget package, and I’ll see you next time when we brew for your buck!</p>
<p>Follow me on Twitter @BrewForYourBuck</p>
<p><em>Please note: card prices listed in this article are accurate at the time of writing, but prices can vary over time and between locations.</em></p>


Brew For Your Buck - Stick 'Em in a Stew

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


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


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