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

Too-Specific Top 10 - Fwip-Flumph

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Koll, the Forgemaster" href="#" target="_blank">Koll, the Forgemaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bram_sels/?hl=en">Bram Sels</a></h6>
<h1>Not Another Boros Equipment Deck...</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 week, we're combining the most popular Boros commander with the most popular Boros theme. It's Osgir Equipment! "But wait, Brian!" you ask, "That seems pretty straightforward and frankly, a little bor(os)ing." Well, to spice things up, we need to look a little closer.</p>
<p>Osgir quickly became the most popular Boros commander because he provides a grindy, value-oriented, graveyard-centric playstyle for the color pair, and finally gave us something other than just another Equipment or combat-focused commander. Just a few months earlier, we also received an uncommon legend from<em> Kaldheim</em> that looked like, yes, yet another Boros Equipment commander. However, when looking at these two side-by-side, I see some striking similarities that involve graveyards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Osgir, the Reconstructor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Koll, the Forgemaster"></div></div>
<p>What I didn't put together at first is that Koll is a combo-tacular commander that combines Equipment and graveyard strategies all the way up through cEDH tables. Inspired by Jake FitzSimons and his <a href="https://commandersherald.com/let-me-sell-ya-koll-skullclamp-cedh/">article</a> on Commander's Herald, we're going to slot Koll and his infinite combo pieces into our Osgir deck. Looking at the average Osgir Equipment list on EDHREC, the deck clocks in at a whopping $367.81. A sword and some mono-W staples contain most of the cost. Interestingly, we're removing only white or colorless cards from the deck. All the red cards stay put.</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="Sword of Feast and Famine" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Feast and Famine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($41.39)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><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> ($33.85)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esper Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Esper Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($27.79)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><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> ($24.40)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Protection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($23.88)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hammer of Nazahn" href="#" target="_blank">Hammer of Nazahn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($21.68)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shadowspear" href="#" target="_blank">Shadowspear</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($18.68)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Steelshaper&#039;s Gift" href="#" target="_blank">Steelshaper&#039;s Gift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($16.79)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enlightened Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Enlightened Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($14.92)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of the Animist" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of the Animist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($10.74)</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
<p style="padding-left: 200px; text-align: left;"><strong>Total Value of Cuts: $234.12</strong></p>
<p>Of note, this time only <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sacred Foundry" href="#" target="_blank">Sacred Foundry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($16.95) would be in the top 10 if we counted lands, so most of the mana base is pretty affordable! Replacing the Foundry with a budget option brings our total savings to <strong>$251.07</strong>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Additions</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Koll, the Forgemaster" href="#" target="_blank">Koll, the Forgemaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.09) is the obvious first addition to deck, and before we get into the individual swaps, here's how the combo works in a nutshell: using Equipment cost-reducers we equip a mana-neutral creature that will die and come back to our hand through Koll's ability over and over again. I'll go through the specifics of each card below, then sum up the combo lines at the end. Of course, these cards also have utility outside of just combo-ing off, so don't worry about adding cards to the deck that are dead without Koll.</p>
<h3>Fodder Creatures</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ornithopter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Myr Moonvessel"></div></div>
<p>Let's start with the mana-neutral creatures. The first place to look is creatures that literally cost zero mana. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh" href="#" target="_blank">Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.45), AKA Roger, is a familiar face in Equipment decks, as the plethora of keywords make him great at wielding a weapon of your choice. Next, and don't laugh, is the mighty <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ornithopter" href="#" target="_blank">Ornithopter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.08). Again, a zero-mana creature with evasion, it can wear Equipment just fine, but it also can be recurred with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daretti, Scrap Savant" href="#" target="_blank">Daretti, Scrap Savant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <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>, sacrificed to Osgir's first ability, or tutored up with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>The next two are not actually zero mana, but function in much the same way as we proceed through the combo. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Moonvessel" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Moonvessel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.30) pays for itself with its own ability after we sac it. It also offers a weird form of ramp if you make multiple copies of it, and it has synergies with the other artifact-matters cards, similar to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ornithopter" href="#" target="_blank">Ornithopter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Finally, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Impulsive Pilferer" href="#" target="_blank">Impulsive Pilferer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.08), which functions much in the same way as Moonvessel. Just make sure you don't <em>Encore</em> it for the combo, as it exiles the real card and just makes tokens of itself.</p>
<h3>Equip Cost-Reducers</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Auriok Steelshaper"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nahiri, Storm of Stone"></div></div>
<p>Next thing we need is a way to equip without spending mana. Fortunately, the deck already has some of these effects, as we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Puresteel Paladin" href="#" target="_blank">Puresteel Paladin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fighter Class" href="#" target="_blank">Fighter Class</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bladehold War-Whip" href="#" target="_blank">Bladehold War-Whip</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Adding <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Auriok Steelshaper" href="#" target="_blank">Auriok Steelshaper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($1.26) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nahiri, Storm of Stone" href="#" target="_blank">Nahiri, Storm of Stone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.13) to the mix is basically automatic. You'll see that you may need two of these on the battlefield depending on which ones you have access to, though Osgir can clone <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bladehold War-Whip" href="#" target="_blank">Bladehold War-Whip</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if you want to be sneaky from the graveyard.</p>
<h3>Key Equipment</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skullclamp"></div></div>
<p>We have our fodder, we have our cost-reducers, now for the finale. This deck already has plenty of ways to find these key pieces of Equipment, but Osgir also lets us recur them from our 'yard pretty easily if they get binned before we pop off.</p>
<p>First up is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($3.81). Yea, it stretches the definition of a budget card a bit, but as one of the most powerful Equipment ever printed, it's worth every penny. With Koll and an equip-cost-reducer on the battlefield, equipping this to one of our non-<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ornithopter" href="#" target="_blank">Ornithopter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> fodder creatures this allows us to literally draw our entire deck at sorcery speed. Equip the clamp, our creature dies, Koll brings it back, and we cast it again to repeat. This combo is the heart of the cEDH versions of Koll, so we'd be remiss to not include it.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mortarpod"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mask of Immolation"></div></div>
<p>Now we need a way to win the game. For this, we turn to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mortarpod" href="#" target="_blank">Mortarpod</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.09) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mask of Immolation" href="#" target="_blank">Mask of Immolation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.05). In a similar fashion to the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> line, just equip and sacrifice the creature with its new ability to ping an opponent. Koll will trigger, returning the creature to your hand, then repeat to keep on pinging until the table is dead.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Wrap-Up and Savings</h2>
<p>Alright, let's recap the combo lines. We need Koll on the battlefield and:</p>
<ol>
<li>A mana-neutral creature</li>
<li>A way or ways to reduce the equip costs to zero</li>
<li><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="Mortarpod" href="#" target="_blank">Mortarpod</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mask of Immolation" href="#" target="_blank">Mask of Immolation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ol>
<p>Then, we equip the mana-neutral creature and go to town! Now for the savings:</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Picture1-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-97467 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Picture1-1.png" alt="" width="361" height="262" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Picture1-1.png 361w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Picture1-1-300x218.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 361px) 100vw, 361px" /></a></p>
<p>Sweet, we cut the deck's price by 2/3 and you get to keep all of the leftover Equipment staples. Plus you have the start of a really fun cEDH deck! Thanks again to Jake for the inspiration for this one, it was really fun to find an interesting home for this budget package! If you liked slotting in an infinite combo, you can also check out my <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/brew-for-your-buck-unearthing-the-infinite/">article</a> about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mishra, Tamer of Mak Fawa" href="#" target="_blank">Mishra, Tamer of Mak Fawa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Kolld Steel" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Osgir, the Reconstructor
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Akiri, Fearless Voyager
*1 Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist
*1 Astor, Bearer of Blades
*1 Auriok Steelshaper
*1 Bronze Guardian
*1 Bruenor Battlehammer
*1 Danitha Capashen, Paragon
*1 Goblin Engineer
*1 Halvar, God of Battle
*1 Impulsive Pilferer
*1 Koll, the Forgemaster
*1 Lion Sash
*1 Lizard Blades
*1 Myr Moonvessel
*1 Ornithopter
*1 Oswald Fiddlebender
*1 Puresteel Paladin
*1 Reyav, Master Smith
*1 Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer
*1 Stonehewer Giant
*1 Sun Titan
*1 Wyleth, Soul of Steel
*1 Zirda, the Dawnwaker
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Archaeomancer&#039;s Map
*1 Argentum Armor
*1 Blackblade Reforged
*1 Bladehold War-Whip
*1 Boros Signet
*1 Dragonwing Glider
*1 Goldwarden&#039;s Helm
*1 Hexgold Halberd
*1 Hexgold Hoverwings
*1 Hexplate Wallbreaker
*1 Ichor Wellspring
*1 Kemba&#039;s Banner
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mask of Immolation
*1 Masterwork of Ingenuity
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mortarpod
*1 Sculpting Steel
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Sunforger
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Thousand-Year Elixir
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Faithless Looting
*1 Open the Armory
*1 Vandalblast
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Boros Charm
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Dispatch
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Return to Dust
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Daretti, Scrap Savant
*1 Nahiri, Storm of Stone
[/Planeswalkers]
[Enchantments]
*1 Fighter Class
*1 Sigarda&#039;s Aid
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Ancient Den
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Boros Garrison
*1 Clifftop Retreat
*1 Command Tower
*1 Darksteel Citadel
*1 Great Furnace
*6 Mountain
*1 Needleverge Pathway
*11 Plains
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Rustvale Bridge
*1 Sacred Foundry
*1 Sacred Peaks
*1 Slayers&#039; Stronghold
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Sundown Pass
*1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
*1 Temple of Triumph
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>Do you have a cool combo idea to slot into a deck? Do you have a commander you want to see featured? Let me know in the comments below! If you want to see more budget content, follow me on Twitter @BrewForYourBuck! I post quick swaps for really expensive cards, and other budget deckbuilding content. I'll see you next time when we brew for your buck!</p>


Brew for Your Buck - Kolld Steel

Too-Specific Top 10 - Combo of Law

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atsushi, the Blazing Sky" href="#" target="_blank">Atsushi, the Blazing Sky</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/victoradameart">Victor Adame Minguez</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo, and this is <em>Epic Experiment</em>, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.</p>
<p>Let's take a look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atsushi, the Blazing Sky" href="#" target="_blank">Atsushi, the Blazing Sky</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Atsushi, the Blazing Sky"></div></div>
<p>Atsushi suffers from being a better card in the 99 than as a commander. While the commander death rule change made it a lot easier to use commanders with these types of abilities, we still have to deal with an ever-increasing commander tax without any of the proper tools to deal with it. This goes double for pure-value-based commanders such as Atsushi, since we want to trigger them as often as possible.</p>
<p>That being said, once we accept our commander's shortcomings, we have a powerhouse of a tool for mono-red. Both modes on Atsushi's death trigger are solid, providing either mana or card draw, two things that mono-red always looks for.</p>
<p>While red won't be the best color to support a detah trigger commander, there are still plenty of good clone effects to copy our commander, forcing the copy to die to the legend rule. Bear in mind that these cards should be used mainly as support or a secondary theme, since it would be awkward to spend resources just to get more resources.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Ingredients</h2>
<p>So, how will we give this Dragon a brand new twist?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wrathful Red Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blazing Sunsteel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blasphemous Act"></div></div>
<p>One of the biggest challenges when using the '<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects + gigantic damage spell' interaction is, of course, choosing the right commander. These strategies often get stuck in a situation where they need to deal tons of damage to the whole table to trigger <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> cards, which of course kills their own commander, making it impossible to choose a ocmmander that you rely upon for help with that game plan. Atsushi negates this problem altogether! Our commander's death will only bring rewards! Atsushi's trigger is exactly what we need to either rebuild with a quick bump of extra mana to help replay our threats, to use the pseudo-draw to help us find them.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrathful Red Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Wrathful Red Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an impressive addition to our deck, as the tribal synergies with our commander could certainly be the difference between whether we can OHKO an opponent or not. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brash Taunter" href="#" target="_blank">Brash Taunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a more flexible <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and is an all-star in our list for its reliability, and for being so easily tutorable. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blazing Sunsteel" href="#" target="_blank">Blazing Sunsteel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a versatile card that makes any creature into a Stuffy Doll, turns our commander into a decent Voltron threat, and goes infinite with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brash Taunter" href="#" target="_blank">Brash Taunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toralf, God of Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Toralf, God of Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Repercussion" href="#" target="_blank">Repercussion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are excellent at punishing people for having too wide of a board.</p>
<p>The other part of our 'combo' is filled with some common red board wipes. This is a big upside when playing this type of strategy: we're able to fill both the interaction and synergy slots with cards that we'd want to play anyway, which opens up a lot in terms of deck slot economy. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blasphemous Act" href="#" target="_blank">Blasphemous Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the benchmark effect, as it's cheap and does a lot of damage. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Stroke" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Stroke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is very consistent in a mono-red deck and does a lot of damage, with or without our creatures on the board. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shatterskull Smashing" href="#" target="_blank">Shatterskull Smashing</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> goes even further on the versatility, working as either a combo piece, a removal spell, or a land.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sulfuric Vortex"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Burning Earth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ankh of Mishra"></div></div>
<p>While our deck wants to 'combo' off, we lack the consistency to make it our primary win condition. Enter the group slug package. <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/group-slug">Group slug</a> is a perfect theme to complement our strategy because it helps us lower everyone's life total low enough that our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blasphemous Act" href="#" target="_blank">Blasphemous Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combination will actually threaten lethal damage. Our deck is very mana-hungry, so having a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Descent into Avernus" href="#" target="_blank">Descent into Avernus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that can both ramp us and deal damage is very good, even if the ramp is symmetrical. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Manabarbs" href="#" target="_blank">Manabarbs</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burning Earth" href="#" target="_blank">Burning Earth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spellshock" href="#" target="_blank">Spellshock</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> punish players for casting spells in one way or another, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Moon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magus of the Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Magus of the Moon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> punish players for being too greedy with their mana base.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Atsushi Piñata" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Atsushi, the Blazing Sky
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Goblin Engineer
*Mogg Maniac
*Goblin Matron
*Imperial Recruiter
*Magus of the Moon
*Spiteful Sliver
*Defiler of Instinct
*Ill-Tempered Loner
*Jaxis, the Troublemaker
*Toralf, God of Fury
*Brash Taunter
*Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs
*Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
*Stuffy Doll
*Wrathful Red Dragon
*Coalhauler Swine
[/Creature]
[Sorcery]
*Earthquake
*Faithless Looting
*Magmatic Insight
*Rolling Earthquake
*Shattering Spree
*Vandalblast
*Crackle with Power
*Shatterskull Smashing
*Seize the Spoils
*Chain Reaction
*Shivan Meteor
*Star of Extinction
*Sundering Stroke
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Instant]
*Price of Progress
*Thrill of Possibility
*Wild Magic Surge
*Arcbond
*Chaos Warp
*Valakut Awakening
*Big Score
*Unexpected Windfall
[/Instant]
[Enchantment]
*Roiling Vortex
*Blood Moon
*Descent into Avernus
*Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
*Repercussion
*Spellshock
*Sulfuric Vortex
*Burning Earth
*Furnace of Rath
*Manabarbs
*Dictate of the Twin Gods
*Fiery Emancipation
[/Enchantment]
[Artifact]
*Everflowing Chalice
*Sol Ring
*Ankh of Mishra
*Blade of Selves
*Blazing Sunsteel
*Fellwar Stone
*Mind Stone
*Ruby Medallion
*Cursed Mirror
*Skyclave Relic
*Sword of Light and Shadow
*Hedron Archive
*Caged Sun
[/Artifact]
[Land]
*Tectonic Edge
*Ghost Quarter
*34 Mountain
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>We've assembled a decent tutor suite for mono-red. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can grab <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blazing Sunsteel" href="#" target="_blank">Blazing Sunsteel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if we want to go off even without a proper <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> creature, or it can grab <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Light and Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Light and Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if we want to rebuild after combing off, or even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cursed Mirror" href="#" target="_blank">Cursed Mirror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can be great in the right circumstances. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Matron" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Matron</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can fetch our key creatures, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brash Taunter" href="#" target="_blank">Brash Taunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mogg Maniac" href="#" target="_blank">Mogg Maniac</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, can grab enablers, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker" href="#" target="_blank">Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or it can chain tutors together by getting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. My favorite one, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imperial Recruiter" href="#" target="_blank">Imperial Recruiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is more flexible than the Matron, being able to tutor for any Goblin and even some of our cheaper non-Goblin 'combo' creatures, plus some heavy hitters like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magus of the Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Magus of the Moon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jaxis, the Troublemaker" href="#" target="_blank">Jaxis, the Troublemaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Engineer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Matron"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Imperial Recruiter"></div></div>
<p>Oh, and did I mention? Damage multiplier effects are great here because a <em>lot</em> of our cards deal a <em>lot </em>of damage. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Emancipation" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Emancipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> goes buck wild, tripling our own damage to our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brash Taunter" href="#" target="_blank">Brash Taunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which then deal an <em>additional </em>triple damage to an opponent! Bear in mind that these types of cards take extra time to get into play, and attract a lot of attention, so opponents may gang up on us to remove them. To create a big explosion, we have to time the ignition just right.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>Our early game strategy should focus more on building a reliable foundation, rather than trying to goldfish our way through the game. As such, we should prioritize hands that offer early board interaction or mana. Our commander is a good failsafe for when we're lacking relevant plays. The mid-game is where we start tutoring to get our key pieces ready. This telegraphs our plan, but flexible deck searches will set us up quickly, and once we land a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with a big blowout damage spell, our opponents might not be able to survive the initial blast.</p>
<p>If they do survive, that's no problem - our late game is pretty good, and that's where the group slug cards come in handy! Life totals will be low, so even if our damage multipliers didn't secure the win, we can nickel and dime our way to victory... or set up for another explosion! Even games where we don't set up very well can end with a combination of damage multipliers and burn spells.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think of this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Atsushi

Epic Experiment - The Beamtown Bullies

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grolnok, the Omnivore" href="#" target="_blank">Grolnok, the Omnivore</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/simondominic">Simon Dominic</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo, and this is <em>Epic Experiment</em>, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.</p>
<p>Let's take a look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grolnok, the Omnivore" href="#" target="_blank">Grolnok, the Omnivore</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grolnok, the Omnivore"></div></div>
<p>Grolnok is a versatile permanent-based commander that acts as a self-mill card advantage engine. One of the most impressive things about it is its sheer flexibility, allowing it to be at the helm of a myriad of permanent-based strategies; even <em>Flashback</em>-heavy investments have a good payoff, since they don't get exiled. It honestly really feels more like a Sultai legend than like a Simic legend, which is a good thing. The tribal aspect of Grolnok might be an underrated element of its kit; it allows for cheap <em>Changeling</em> cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Universal Automaton" href="#" target="_blank">Universal Automaton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to accelerate its mill triggers, although I wouldn't invest too heavily in tribal synergies.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mental Note"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Knowledge Pool"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir"></div></div>
<p>Grolnk is a powerful way to get incremental advantages, but a secondary effect of its kit is a way to dig for specific cards. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mental Note" href="#" target="_blank">Mental Note</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thought Scour" href="#" target="_blank">Thought Scour</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> become powerful digging tools, and slower cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mesmeric Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Mesmeric Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are basically free looks. All this digging needs an actual payoff, otherwise what's the point? There are a bunch of powerful cards to consider, but one combination that caught my eye very early on was the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knowledge Pool" href="#" target="_blank">Knowledge Pool</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combo, a powerful hard lock that has a surprisingly safe play pattern for an 11-mana combo (we use Teferi on EOT and play Knowledge Pool on our turn).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Codex Shredder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hedron Crab"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crawling Sensation"></div></div>
<p>Self-mill is an important part of our deck, and we need a solid foundation in order to fully utilize our commander's ability. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Codex Shredder" href="#" target="_blank">Codex Shredder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wand of Vertebrae" href="#" target="_blank">Wand of Vertebrae</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are cheap self mill sources that can also help if we get an important card stuck in our graveyard. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Merfolk Secretkeeper" href="#" target="_blank">Merfolk Secretkeeper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Minister of Inquiries" href="#" target="_blank">Minister of Inquiries</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hedron Crab" href="#" target="_blank">Hedron Crab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Universal Automaton" href="#" target="_blank">Universal Automaton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (to some extent) are self-mill sources that can be used as blockers in a pinch. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crawling Infestation" href="#" target="_blank">Crawling Infestation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crawling Sensation" href="#" target="_blank">Crawling Sensation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are slow self-mill enchantments, but they provide a lot of defensive power in the mid-game.</p>
<p>Since we have the ability to dig through our deck and have access to a lot of permanents, we're using a silver bullet suite that allows us to have a nice array of answers to problematic effects. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Venser, Shaper Savant" href="#" target="_blank">Venser, Shaper Savant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Frilled Mystic" href="#" target="_blank">Frilled Mystic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are good defensive options; while we lose the element of surprise, having them constantly there can play mind games with the rest of the table whenever we leave mana open. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scavenging Ooze" href="#" target="_blank">Scavenging Ooze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul-Guide Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Soul-Guide Lantern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are effective graveyard hate that can also provide a bit of secondary value that might prove to be useful even when the graveyard hate is not all that necessary.</p>
<p>Our commander is our main source of card advantage, so keeping it alive is extremely important, which means that including a protection suite is very much a must if we want to have any sort of consistency. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Greaves" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Greaves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swiftfoot Boots" href="#" target="_blank">Swiftfoot Boots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Plate" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Plate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provide some solid protection against single and mass removal. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crystal Shard" href="#" target="_blank">Crystal Shard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Erratic Portal" href="#" target="_blank">Erratic Portal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are a bit of a spicy tech that not only can protect our commander, but also get value from our many strong ETB creatures.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Grolnok" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Grolnok, the Omnivore
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Birds of Paradise
*Hedron Crab
*Merfolk Secretkeeper
*Minister of Inquiries
*Universal Automaton
*Scavenging Ooze
*Brazen Borrower
*Eternal Witness
*Reclamation Sage
*Frilled Mystic
*Sower of Temptation
*Venser, Shaper Savant
*Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
*Hullbreaker Horror
*Waker of Waves
[/Creature]
[Artifact]
*Codex Shredder
*Sensei&#039;s Divining Top
*Sol Ring
*Soul-Guide Lantern
*Universal Solvent
*Wand of Vertebrae
*Lightning Greaves
*Mesmeric Orb
*Swiftfoot Boots
*Crystal Shard
*Erratic Portal
*Knowledge Pool
*Mycosynth Lattice
[/Artifact]
[Enchantment]
*Wild Growth
*Drowned Secrets
*Fertile Ground
*Frogify
*Jace&#039;s Erasure
*Kenrith&#039;s Transformation
*Omen of the Sea
*Wolfwillow Haven
*Crawling Infestation
*Crawling Sensation
*Glittering Frost
*Imprisoned in the Moon
*Overgrowth
*Verdant Haven
*Words of Wilding
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Consider
*Mental Note
*Opt
*Otherworldy Gaze
*Thought Scour
*Arcane Denial
*Curate
*Cyclonic Rift
*Deliberate
*Long-Term Plans
*Commit // Memory
[/Instant]
[Planeswalker]
*Narset, Parter of Veils
*Karn, the Great Creator
*Tamiyo, Collector of Tales
[/Planeswalker]
[Sorcery]
*Increasing Confusion
*Ponder
*Preordain
*Serum Visions
*Sleight of Hand
*Echo of Eons
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Barkchannel Pathway
*Botanical Sanctum
*Breeding Pool
*City of Brass
*Command Tower
*Dreamroot Cascade
*Exotic Orchard
*Hinterland Harbor
*Mana Confluence
*Prismatic Vista
*Mana Confluence
*Rejuvenating Springs
*Yavimaya Coast
*Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
*9 Forest
*14 Island
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>We have three powerful planeswalkers that, because of their sheer power, I feel are very relevant to discuss. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karn, the Great Creator" href="#" target="_blank">Karn, the Great Creator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an interesting addition; on the one hand, it acts as a silver bullet, but its main purpose is to imitate our commander for our key artifacts (mainly <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knowledge Pool" href="#" target="_blank">Knowledge Pool</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karn, the Great Creator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tamiyo, Collector of Tales"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Narset, Parter of Veils"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tamiyo, Collector of Tales" href="#" target="_blank">Tamiyo, Collector of Tales</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fantastic card in this list. Her +1 is great when we have our commander out, and her -3 is a great failsafe ability in case we get a card in the graveyard that we really want back. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Narset, Parter of Veils" href="#" target="_blank">Narset, Parter of Veils</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful lock piece, and together with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Commit // Memory" href="#" target="_blank">Commit // Memory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Echo of Eons" href="#" target="_blank">Echo of Eons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we have a powerful easy to execute combo that doesn't really rely on our commander and can buy us the time to assemble our main lock.</p>
<hr />
<div id="mtgh_f554a" class="mtgh">
<div class="header">
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>For our opening hands, we're looking for cheap ways to start self-milling, because once we start going it's <em>very</em> hard to stop us. Lands and ramp are nice, but I'd prioritize ways to actually capitalize on Grolnok's ability from the first moment that it hits the table.</p>
<p>In the early game, we're trying to set up for our commander's arrival, either with some of our cheap self-mill-enablers or simply by ramping into a faster buildup. Self-milling without our commander is very dangerous, so we should carefully consider if it's worth getting a card stuck in our graveyard.</p>
<p>By the mid-game, if we're able to establish a self-mill engine with our commander, then we'll be rolling in resources. It's hard to miss on stuff like land drops or action cards with the number of cards that we can see, and the best part is that it tends to snowball. In the later stages, we should always pay attention for opportunities to flash in Teferi at the end of the turn.</p>
<p>Our deck has a very strong late game because it can build back up very quickly whenever our commander hits the table. All those precious cards that we hadn't had the chance to cast are still available to us, and by this point, mana isn't that much of a problem, so we probably will have the opportunity to chain at least one or two huge cards before passing the turn.</p>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<div id="mtgh_f554a" class="mtgh">
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
</div>
<p>Say this current list isn't 100% your style. What else could you pursue to assist this strategy?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Earthcraft"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Propaganda"></div></div>
<p>Investing heavily into Stax effects, removing the cantrips, and playing more like a pillow fort strategy could be quite effective, since one of the main obstacles of such strategy is finding its relevant effects in time.</p>
<p>Finding another permanent-based combo can also change the deck up a bit. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Earthcraft" href="#" target="_blank">Earthcraft</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> plus <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Squirrel Nest" href="#" target="_blank">Squirrel Nest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a cheap (at least mana-wise) "I win" combo that can be very easily dug out with our engine. We could even put more priority on self-mill cards to go even faster!</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think of this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this Epic Experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Grolnok

Epic Experiment - Tiamat

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esika, God of the Tree" href="#" target="_blank">Esika, God of the Tree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/algenpfleger">Johannes Voss</a>)</h6>

<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo Melibeu, and this is <em>Epic Experiment</em>, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.</p>
<p>This week, we'll start exploring <em>Kaldheim</em> with what's probably one of the most powerful commanders recently released. It's part creature, part enchantment, 100% bomb. Yes, it's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esika, God of the Tree" href="#" target="_blank">Esika, God of the Tree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/esika.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-62708" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/esika.jpg" alt="" width="243" height="339" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/esika.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/esika-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 243px) 100vw, 243px" /></a> <a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prismatic-bridge.jpg"> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-62709" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prismatic-bridge.jpg" alt="" width="244" height="339" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prismatic-bridge.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prismatic-bridge-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 244px) 100vw, 244px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Esika, God of the Tree</strong></p>
<p><strong>Vigilance</strong></p>
<p><strong>{T}: Add one mana of any color.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Other legendary creatures you control have vigilance and “{T}: Add one mana of any color.”</strong></p>
<p><strong>The Prismatic Bridge</strong></p>
<p><strong>At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature or planeswalker card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.</strong></p>
<p>Observation 1:</p>
<p>Esika has tough competition on her front side; both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kethis, the Hidden Hand" href="#" target="_blank">Kethis, the Hidden Hand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sisay, Weatherlight Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Sisay, Weatherlight Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> offer a better support for the 'legendary matters' archetype. However, the versatility of having two forms can't be underestimated.</p>
<p>Observation 2:</p>
<p>The enchantment is quite strong. In fact, it's probably the main reason one should consider running Esika as a commander.</p>
<p>Observation 3:</p>
<p>The combination of the creature side plus the enchantment side is really powerful in a deck dedicated to playing haymakers, as both halves can help the gameplan in their own way.</p>
<p>Observation 4:</p>
<p>Cheating creatures or planeswalkers into play can be used in plenty of different ways, from getting big haymakers to a more combo-focused approach.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-62299" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig-1024x510.png" alt="" width="1024" height="510" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig-1024x510.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig-300x150.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig-768x383.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig.png 1224w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p>As we can see, Esika is often used as the head of a God tribal, which makes sense, in a way, since Gods tend to be quite good. This seems more like a thematic choice than one based on power, though.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stuffy Doll"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brash Taunter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spiteful Sliver"></div></div>
<p>Like in my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Illuna, Apex of Wishes" href="#" target="_blank">Illuna, Apex of Wishes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/epic-experiment-illuda-storm/">article</a>, the challenge of building around The Prismatic Bridge is to find out what we're trying to cheat into play. One of my favorite two-card combos is a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect plus some big damage spell. This combo has always felt a bit clunky because we need to find one combo piece, play them, and then cast our damage effect. This is can lead us into two outcomes: either we play our creature early and wait for our next turn to play the damage spell, or we wait until we have the mana to cast both cards on the same turn. The Prismatic Bridge helps us find our creatures and play them for free. This makes so we can hold playing our commander until we find a damage spell, and then on the next turn we can combo out.</p>
<p>We have basically every variation of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. They all look very similar, but upon further look we can see their differences. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coalhauler Swine" href="#" target="_blank">Coalhauler Swine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> being able to damage every opponent makes it a very effective threat. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spiteful Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Spiteful Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the best target for our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clone" href="#" target="_blank">Clone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects, because they'll get multiple instances of the damage trigger. Aside from these creatures, we do have some honorable mentions that help us, too. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Repercussion" href="#" target="_blank">Repercussion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcbond" href="#" target="_blank">Arcbond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toralf, God of Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Toralf, God of Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> turn our opponents' creatures into our own <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s.</p>
<p>The best part of this archetype is that one of its combo pieces are board wipes. This means that we are somewhat slot-efficient and we can reliably interact with our opponents' creatures. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blasphemous Act" href="#" target="_blank">Blasphemous Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the best options out there. It's cheap and does a lot of damage. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Earthquake" href="#" target="_blank">Earthquake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rolling Earthquake" href="#" target="_blank">Rolling Earthquake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> do a good job both triggering our creatures and as a burn to face. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Stroke" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Stroke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful burn spell that can act both as a way to spread damage across and as a way to focus damage onto one opponent.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spellshock"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sulfuric Vortex"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ankh of Mishra"></div></div>
<p>We probably won't be able to wipe out all of our opponents with our combo, so we need a way to soften everyone up. This is a bit of a challenge because we want to avoid playing creatures (other than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s) and planeswalkers, so we need another way to find a constant source of pressure. Group Slug enchantments do a great job covering that weakness. They punish greed and play nicely with damage multiplier effects, another key part of our gameplan. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cindervines" href="#" target="_blank">Cindervines</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spellshock" href="#" target="_blank">Spellshock</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> punish our opponents for playing multiple spells, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Roiling Vortex" href="#" target="_blank">Roiling Vortex</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sulfuric Vortex" href="#" target="_blank">Sulfuric Vortex</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might seem a bit too slow, but they do add up by the time we're combing out.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Esika Piñata" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Esika, God of the Tree
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Mogg Maniac
*Boros Reckoner
*Hornet Nest
*Spiteful Sliver
*Toralf, God of Fury
*Spitemare
*Truefire Captain
*Brash Taunter
*Stuffy Doll
*Coalhauler Swine
[/Creature]
[Sorcery]
*Earthquake
*Faithless Looting
*Magmatic Insight
*Reanimate
*Rolling Earthquake
*Vandalblast
*Explore
*Farseek
*Nature&#039;s Lore
*Three Visits
*Tormenting Voice
*Twinflame
*Cultivate
*Grow from the Ashes
*Kodama&#039;s Reach
*Chain Reaction
*Pirate&#039;s Pillage
*Skyshroud Claim
*Shivan Meteor
*Into the Maw of Hell
*Star of Extinction
*Sundering Stroke
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*Ankh of Mishra
*Arcane Signet
*Chromatic Lantern
*Lithoform Engine
[/Artifact]
[Enchantment]
*Phyrexian Reclamation
*Animate Dead
*Cindervines
*No Rest for the Wicked
*Roiling Vortex
*Overabundance
*Repercussion
*Spellshock
*Sulfuric Vortex
*Flameshadow Conjuring
*Manabarbs
*Dictate of the Twin Gods
*Fiery Emancipation
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Mystical Tutor
*Vampiric Tutor
*Arcane Denial
*Boros Charm
*Cyclonic Rift
*Heroic Intervention
*Thrill of Possibility
*Arcbond
*Chaos Warp
*Kolaghan&#039;s Command
*Faith&#039;s Reward
[/Instant]
[Land]
*Arid Mesa
*Blood Crypt
*Bloodstained Mire
*Cinder Glade
*City of Brass
*Command Tower
*Flooded Strand
*Ketria Triome
*Luxury Suite
*Mana Confluence
*Marsh Flats
*Misty Rainforest
*Polluted Delta
*Raugrin Triome
*Sacred Foundry
*Savai Triome
*Scalding Tarn
*Spectator Seating
*Spire Garden
*Steam Vents
*Stomping Ground
*Training Center
*Verdant Catacombs
*Windswept Heath
*Wooded Foothills
*12 Mountain
[/Land]"></span></div>
<hr />
<p>Another key component of our list are damage multiplier effects. These effects stack amazingly well with our creatures (both the damage on our creatures and the triggers are affected by the multipliers). While they are great, we do have to be careful because they tend to be win-more. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Emancipation" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Emancipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful new addition that not only scales better than any other, it's also safer because it doesn't apply to us. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dictate of the Twin Gods" href="#" target="_blank">Dictate of the Twin Gods</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has flash, which is a pretty nice way to get first value out of it.</p>
<p>Most of our pieces lack protection, which makes them mostly a "one-time deal". That being said, having a bit of recursion goes a long way to help us continue going off. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="No Rest for the Wicked" href="#" target="_blank">No Rest for the Wicked</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great because we pay it in advance. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to use our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects as effective blockers. We can also give the missing protection for our creatures: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boros Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Boros Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heroic Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Heroic Intervention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are both great protection spells that could be used both to protect our pieces from removal and to allow us to continue the combo.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>We have some different kinds of opening hands and their usefulness will vary according to the type of game we're looking for. Hands with hate pieces are great for slower games where we don't need to rush for our combo out. Hands with ramp, on the other hand, can be good for faster combos, but without the board wipes we might run out of steam by the mid game.</p>
<p>For our early game we need a clear starting plan. Are we going to try to rush for our combo? Are we playing early Slug pieces? We can even take it a bit slow and dig for a plan. Regardless of the path chosen, we need to stick to it; it doesn't make any sense to try to rush for our commander without access to board wipes to combo after. One thing that is very important to keep in mind is that having access to all of our colors can be a bit tricky because our mana based is stretched to fit <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Stroke" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Stroke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sundering Stroke"></div></div>
<p>In the mid game we can, hopefully, start looking to combo. Even if we don't get to, however, that's okay: our Group Slug pieces can go a long way throughout the game. A bit of politics go a long way in lying low while we search for our threats.</p>
<p>By the time we get to the late game we should be careful to not die to our own effects, but aside from that we have lots of one-shot potential even with spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Earthquake" href="#" target="_blank">Earthquake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angrath&#039;s Marauders"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archaeomancer"></div></div>
<p>Esika is a really fun commander to build around, and it's too bad that I can't show more builds that I've tried. However, I can tell you some that were pretty close to being featured: Turbo Turns using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects to recur our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time Warp" href="#" target="_blank">Time Warp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s, Burn using damage multipliers on creatures to get more value out of our Burn spells and slug pieces, even a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curiosity" href="#" target="_blank">Curiosity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combo deck featuring every single variation of those effects and some cards that combo with it.</p>
<p>As for this build, cutting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Stroke" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Stroke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help out alleviate our mana problems. Having more <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clone" href="#" target="_blank">Clone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects can also increase our all-in potential at the cost of being dead draws outside of the combo.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think about this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


combo