<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Barrin, Master Wizard" href="#" target="_blank">Barrin, Master Wizard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.mikesutfin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Sutfin</a></em></p>
<p>As <em>Magic</em> players, we've all been there: the aristocrats player waits for the perfect moment to unleash a long string of sacrifice effects that ends the game. On one hand, it's impressive to watch; it feels like a complex puzzle being assembled before your eyes. On the other hand, it can feel like an unsatisfying way to lose, essentially having your game plan amount to nothing.</p>
<p>Whatever your feelings may be on aristocrats, there's no denying their popularity within <em>Magic</em>, especially in Commander. According to EDHREC data, there are over 100 thousand <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/aristocrats?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">aristocrat decks in their database</a>. This huge amount of popularity means that there are only six deck "themes" or strategies that are more popular than it on EDHREC.</p>
<p>Most aristocrat decks are heavily associated with the color black, as it provides the most support for both sacrifice outlets and cards that benefit from creatures dying. However, there are plenty of great aristocrat cards outside of black, and this mini-series of articles covers the best options for aristocrat players in every color!</p>
<p>We began this series over on <a href="https://commandersherald.com/the-best-aristocrat-cards-in-commander-green-edition/?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Commander's Herald with green</a>, and continued our "mini-series" <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/the-best-white-aristocrat-cards-in-commander" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here last week with white</a>, which brings us to our 3rd excursion: blue.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geralf, Visionary Stitcher" href="#" target="_blank">Geralf, Visionary Stitcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geralf, Visionary Stitcher"></div></div>
<p>We start off this list with a commander that many people may have overlooked, but one that's very interesting nonetheless. While Geralf is not a "repeatable" effect unless you can untap him, he gives us one of the main things that aristocrat decks are looking for: ways to turn disposable creatures into something more effective. Even if we only have a 1/1 to sacrifice, it turns that 1/1 into a <em>flying</em> 1/1, as well as triggering any death triggers that our deck is bound to have.</p>
<p>Side note: this card is also an amazing include in any <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/defenders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defender-themed deck</a>, as it turns Walls into huge flying attackers.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Homarid Spawning Bed" href="#" target="_blank">Homarid Spawning Bed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Homarid Spawning Bed"></div></div>
<p>This one fits in a weird position in an aristocrat deck, but it can still act as a great way to create disposable bodies. Being able to sacrifice a creature to make an amount of 1/1 creatures equal to its mana value is very strong, especially as a response to targeted or mass removal. The only reason I could see people being hesitant to include this in an aristocrat deck is the fact that it limits the creatures that are created to <em>mana value</em>, which means that sacrificing tokens does nothing.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Barrin, Master Wizard" href="#" target="_blank">Barrin, Master Wizard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Barrin, Master Wizard"></div></div>
<p>Barrin acted as a popular boogeyman of cEDH when <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dockside Extortionist" href="#" target="_blank">Dockside Extortionist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was still running around, as it could sacrifice a Treasure to bounce Dockside back to your hand, rinse and repeat. Dockside is gone now (RIP), but this card is still a great piece of control at its floor. Sacrificing any permanent to return a creature to its controller's hand is very good, especially in a format where decks are based around a specific creature.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drowned Rusalka" href="#" target="_blank">Drowned Rusalka</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Drowned Rusalka"></div></div>
<p>If you read the white edition of this article series, you'll recognize the Rusalka creature cycle making its return. This card is a great way to cycle through cards that we may not want, as long as we have cards in our hand to begin with. A single blue to cycle a card is a great effect, especially if you're just looking for that final piece of the aristocrat puzzle.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jason Bright, Glowing Prophet" href="#" target="_blank">Jason Bright, Glowing Prophet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jason Bright, Glowing Prophet"></div></div>
<p>This card occupies an interesting space, as it can allow us to be aggressive, which is usually not something that aristocrat players are trying to be. Granting a creature a boost in power, as well as temporarily granting flying, may not seem very strong, but all it takes is a few pumps to really make a difference in combat. Also, if we have any Zombies or Mutants, Jason can draw us cards when those creatures die, which is a great bonus!</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stitcher&#039;s Apprentice" href="#" target="_blank">Stitcher&#039;s Apprentice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stitcher&#039;s Apprentice"></div></div>
<p>I know you're probably looking at this card and going "Huh?" Well, let me explain. This card does two things well: it creates a disposable body, and it is <em>technically</em> a sacrifice outlet. Since most aristocrat decks have creatures that want to die, Apprentice allows us to trigger those effects while creating a 2/2 creature token.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vodalian Hexcatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Vodalian Hexcatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vodalian Hexcatcher"></div></div>
<p>The next two cards on this list are focused on specific creature types, so they aren't as generically good, but they certainly pack a punch. This one is amazing in Merfolk decks, as it turns each Merfolk we control into a way to potentially counter a game-changing spell. Having your Merfolk tokens become a way to counter something like a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cyclonic Rift" href="#" target="_blank">Cyclonic Rift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> seems very good.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cleaver Skaab" href="#" target="_blank">Cleaver Skaab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cleaver Skaab"></div></div>
<p>This card might be the best sacrifice outlet for any Zombie deck, even if we include potential black sacrifice outlets. Creating two token copies of a Zombie we control is a crazy. Even if we turn one 2/2 Zombie token into two 2/2 Zombie tokens, this card is crazy. But copying something like a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gray Merchant of Asphodel" href="#" target="_blank">Gray Merchant of Asphodel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> twice? Yikes.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glen Elendra Archmage" href="#" target="_blank">Glen Elendra Archmage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glen Elendra Archmage"></div></div>
<p>Similar to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vodalian Hexcatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Vodalian Hexcatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this creature acts as a repeatable <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Negate" href="#" target="_blank">Negate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect. The best part about this card? It has persist, which means we can repeatedly use its sacrifice ability to counter any troublesome spells. This card particularly shines in decks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marchesa, the Black Rose" href="#" target="_blank">Marchesa, the Black Rose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cayth, Famed Mechanist" href="#" target="_blank">Cayth, Famed Mechanist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as these commanders allow you to negate the -1/-1 counter with a +1/+1 counter.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jalira, Master Polymorphist" href="#" target="_blank">Jalira, Master Polymorphist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jalira, Master Polymorphist"></div></div>
<p>Our final inclusion comes in the form of a strong <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Polymorph" href="#" target="_blank">Polymorph</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-style effect. While the effect is only usable once each turn (unless we can untap her), it still grants us the ability to turn our plethora of disposable creatures into a potentially game-ending threat. Yes, a four-mana activation cost is a lot, and only flipping into a nonlegendary creature means the ability isn't as strong as it could be, <em>but </em>the amount of times I've seen this flip into a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blightsteel Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Blightsteel Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is insane.</p>
<p>That concludes my list for the color blue. I hope all you aristocrat players out there learned something new today. Stay tuned for my exploration into the remaining colors, all while saving the best (black) for last!</p>


The Best Blue Aristocrat Cards in Commander

Seeking (Birds of) Paradise: Building Choco, Seeker of Paradise in EDH

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adamaro, First to Desire" href="#" target="_blank">Adamaro, First to Desire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://paoloparente.com/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paolo Parente</a></em></p>
<p>I need to say a few things about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adamaro, First to Desire" href="#" target="_blank">Adamaro, First to Desire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. First, he's shredded like wheat. Second, the man is way too thirsty. I mean, he is down bad. I mean, it's such a known factor that he's named for it. I'll let you decide if that's good or bad, but acknowledging it does allow me to suggest to our editors we include this meme I just made:</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-46456 size-full" src="https://commandersherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/9pvpaj.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="500" /></p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adamaro, First to Desire" href="#" target="_blank">Adamaro, First to Desire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Adamaro, First to Desire"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adamaro has only one printing, from <em>Saviors of Kamigawa</em> (2005). His ability reads: <em>"<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adamaro, First to Desire" href="#" target="_blank">Adamaro, First to Desire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s power and toughness are each equal to the number of cards in the hand of the opponent with the most cards in hand."</em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Much like wine, Matthew McConaughey, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maze&#039;s End" href="#" target="_blank">Maze&#039;s End</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, Adamaro has gotten better with age. Thanks to the influx of card draw in Commander, he reliably hits the board as a 6+ power beater. This brew doubles down on his over-statted beef by being a <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/voltron" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Voltron</a> strategy at heart, but with a twist that makes for a unique Commander deck. By encouraging opponents to draw cards, we fuel Adamaro, turning their advantage into our win condition.</span></p>
<h2>Strategy One: Voltron</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unquenchable Fury"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Reaver Cleaver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Spear of Leonidas"></div></div></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adamaro can come down fast, and with haste enablers like <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>, he can attack as soon as turn three. The <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/voltron" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Voltron</a> plan is supported with <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/equipment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Equipment</a> like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Reaver Cleaver" href="#" target="_blank">The Reaver Cleaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Embercleave" href="#" target="_blank">Embercleave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to help our thirsty friend trample over blockers. And <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unquenchable Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Unquenchable Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, fittingly from <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/neo" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty</em></a>, is a recurrable Aura that ensures Adamaro is dishing out damage whenever he turns sideways. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, it plays into our subtheme of punishing card draw.</span></p>
<h2>Strategy Two: Punish Card Draw</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Razorkin Needlehead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrawling Crawler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Howling Mine"></div></div> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Part of the joy in brewing a fun Commander deck is finding the little ways your commander supports multiple strategies. Since Adamaro already punishes opponents for having a lot of cards in hand, let's lean into that. It is, after all, the closest thing our man has to an identity (outside of floating decapitated heads and Dracula-levels of thirst). </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anyway, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Razorkin Needlehead" href="#" target="_blank">Razorkin Needlehead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrawling Crawler" href="#" target="_blank">Scrawling Crawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both punish our opponents drawing cards. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Howling Mine" href="#" target="_blank">Howling Mine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temple Bell" href="#" target="_blank">Temple Bell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> force our opponents to draw cards. Savvy?</span></p>
<h2>Mono Red Card Advantage; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Monarchy</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emberwilde Captain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Court of Embereth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Coveted Jewel"></div></div> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adamaro and the <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/monarch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">monarchy</a> are made for each other. If your opponent takes it from you, they're drawing more cards, fueling Adamaro and your other draw hate. Of course, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Court of Embereth" href="#" target="_blank">Court of Embereth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Court of Ire" href="#" target="_blank">its sister court</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are here, but the real star is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emberwilde Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Emberwilde Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card is doing everything our deck wants by introducing the monarchy </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">and </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">punishing our opponents' hand size. <em>Simpatico</em>! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Also, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coveted Jewel" href="#" target="_blank">Coveted Jewel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is here. </span></p>
<h2>Goad to Hell</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bothersome Quasit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Baeloth Barrityl, Entertainer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vengeful Ancestor"></div></div> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is where I had a big-brain moment. If <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Howling Mine" href="#" target="_blank">Howling Mine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coveted Jewel" href="#" target="_blank">Coveted Jewel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are drawing opponents extra cards, they're likely playing creatures to the board. And, Adamaro is already incentivizing our opponents to dump their hands, so we can anticipate the board might get clogged pretty quickly. Now, if we also want to play to the board, what is the perfect mechanic to keep us alive without having to wipe our own creatures? </span></p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-46462 aligncenter" src="https://commandersherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-05-212152-300x217.png" alt="" width="300" height="217" /></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Enter: goad. <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/goad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Goad</a> is the perfect mechanic to clear messy boards, damage our opponents, and strengthen our own position. Using cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baeloth Barrityl, Entertainer" href="#" target="_blank">Baeloth Barrityl, Entertainer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vengeful Ancestor" href="#" target="_blank">Vengeful Ancestor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we can force our opponents to attack each other instead of us. It also ensures our opponents' creatures are tapped and unable to block the Spirit of Bodybuilders Past. This means that in many board states, goading is better than wiping the board. Trust me, I did the math on this. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Sound of Drums"></div></div> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Also, I found this hidden gem: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Sound of Drums" href="#" target="_blank">The Sound of Drums</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. From the <em>Doctor Who</em> set, this is the perfect card for Adamaro. It can goad an opponent's creature, or we can suit up our commander to double its damage! </span></p>
<h2>Ramping in Style in Mono-Red</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Opulence"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Laser Screwdriver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Irencrag"></div></div> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Of course, we're running <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. But I'll also highlight some flavorful, on-theme ramp picks.</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Opulence" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Opulence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> supports our primary crash-out plan and incentivizes our opponents to hit each other. </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Laser Screwdriver" href="#" target="_blank">Laser Screwdriver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can goad creatures, which ties in to our defense strategy. </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Irencrag" href="#" target="_blank">The Irencrag</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a mana rock in the early game that can turn into an Adamaro-pumping Equipment when you no longer need the ramp. </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liquimetal Torque" href="#" target="_blank">Liquimetal Torque</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> turns all our artifact removal into permanent removal. </span></li>
</ul>
<h2>Oddities and Hidden Gems</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Woah there! I see you side-eyeing the deck list. I know it looks a little weird. Let me explain some of the hidden tech in this Commander deck tech. </span></p>
<h3>Breaking Symmetry</h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Expedited Inheritance"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Share the Spoils"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Hospitality"></div></div> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These three odd-ball enchantments come from my love of breaking symmetrical effects. The idea here is that we can encourage our opponents to keep cards in their hand by tempting them with impulse draw. And of course, we can get some card advantage from them as well. I don't know if it's the most effective way to spend these slots, but I've been looking for a home for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Expedited Inheritance" href="#" target="_blank">Expedited Inheritance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> since it was printed. </span></p>
<h3>Land Destruction? How Did You Get In Here?</h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Volcanic Offering"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ruination"></div></div> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hey! Woah! Hey! Who put land destruction in this list? That's weird. But now that it's here, a little land hate would slow down the rate at which our opponents could play cards, meaning their hands might be more full for Adamaro. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On that note, any artifact hate like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shattering Spree" href="#" target="_blank">Shattering Spree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Balor" href="#" target="_blank">Balor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> could be used to target mana rocks, similarly slowing down our opponents. Hmm... </span></p>
<h3>Hater Blockers</h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deflecting Swat"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Untimely Malfunction"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Commander&#039;s Plate"></div></div> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>It's dangerous to Adamaro alone! Take these.</em> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When optimizing decks for the Commander format, I like protection pieces that have utility. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Untimely Malfunction" href="#" target="_blank">Untimely Malfunction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the perfect example of a card that can protect our commander, but also remove troublesome blockers for a turn, or destroy an artifact. Incidental artifact hate like this is a great argument for making <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liquimetal Torque" href="#" target="_blank">Liquimetal Torque</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> a must-run in any red deck. </span></p>
<h3>Pillow Fort, But Mono-Red</h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brash Taunter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I'm not sure if you can tell, but I don't like to die. Voltron decks draw a lot of heat, and Adamaro isn't killing folks so quickly that we don't have a need to play defense. Thankfully, if anyone likes playing D, it's probably the guy named Adamaro.</span></p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adamaro, First to Desire" href="#" target="_blank">Adamaro, First to Desire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: a Surprisingly Threatening Voltron Commander</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck requires a little bit of politicking and strategizing to make it to the end game, but it's a lot of fun fitting all the pieces together. With a mix of Voltron pieces, draw punishment, and goad effects, Adamaro becomes a surprisingly consistent and threatening Voltron option.</span></p>


Is Adamaro, First to Desire a Voltron Hidden Gem?

Building Two Legendary Matters Commander Decks

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clement, the Worrywort|blb|329" href="#" target="_blank">Clement, the Worrywort</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.corygodbey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cory Godbey</a></em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hello there! Welcome back to </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Archetypes of Imagination</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the series where we build decks based on popular Commander archetypes. I'll be using </span><a href="https://tagger.scryfall.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Scryfall's tagging system</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and</span><a href="https://edhrec.com/tags" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> EDHREC's Tag pages</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to build around a new theme each week. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week, we'll be building a deck focused on bouncing creatures. But, a deck focused on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unsummon" href="#" target="_blank">Unsummon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> variants likely wouldn't be fun to play (and it definitely wouldn't be fun to play against). So, we'll be focused on bouncing our own creatures! Why would we do that? To recast them, and get value from cast triggers and enters triggers. Getting value from taking normal game actions is, definitively, a Simic trait. So, in case you hadn't guessed yet, this deck will be led by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clement, the Worrywort" href="#" target="_blank">Clement, the Worrywort</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Clement, the Worrywort"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clement, the Worrywort" href="#" target="_blank">Clement</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is from my favorite set in recent memory: </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bloomburrow</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">. This frog's got some serious legs, too. For just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, we get a <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> on a stick, the ability to send a small creature back to our hand every time that one of our creatures enters, and a 3/3 vigilant creature. This card does so much for us, and asks for so little mana investment. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So, we'll be casting cheap creatures, most of them Frogs for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clement, the Worrywort" href="#" target="_blank">Clement</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s sake, and then recasting them later for even more value. This deck can string together some super impressive game actions once we've got a critical mass of mana available, and I'm really excited to show you all what I've come up with. Let's hop to it!</span></p>
<h2>They've Got Hops</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck will, hopefully, be casting a ton of creatures. It's got a full 39 of them, but we'll be returning them to our hand so often that it'll feel like a lot more. To that end, let's talk about the best enters and cast triggers that this deck has to offer. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beast Whisperer" href="#" target="_blank">Beast Whisperer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Great Henge" href="#" target="_blank">The Great Henge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are classic green cards, providing huge amounts of card advantage over the course of the game. These cards are hard to beat, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beast Whisperer" href="#" target="_blank">Beast Whisperer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will be easy to cast with the mana that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clement, the Worrywort" href="#" target="_blank">Clement</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides us. Next, I think I finally found the perfect deck for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Haze Frog" href="#" target="_blank">Haze Frog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Not only does this guy fit into our pre-existing typal shell, but a repeatable <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fog" href="#" target="_blank">Fog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on a Frog (see what I did there?) can be backbreaking for our opponents.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Beast Whisperer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Great Henge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Haze Frog"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let's talk about a few other creatures with powerful cast triggers. The somewhat newly printed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Octomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Octomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be a repeatable source of 8/8 beaters, ending the game in short order if we can find a way to recast him multiple times in one turn. And, although it doesn't have a cast trigger itself, I wanted to shout out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Silverback Elder" href="#" target="_blank">Silverback Elder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The ramp, removal, and lifegain provided by this card are hard to beat, and the <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> in his casting cost can easily be handled by our commander. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking of our commander, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Intruder Alarm" href="#" target="_blank">Intruder Alarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can do some absolutely bonkers things with him out. This card feels very, very strong with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clement, the Worrywort" href="#" target="_blank">Clement</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the board, but it may lead to solitaire-style gameplay. Your mileage may vary, so I suggest a bit of caution including <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Intruder Alarm" href="#" target="_blank">Intruder Alarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clement, the Worrywort" href="#" target="_blank">Clement</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Octomancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Silverback Elder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Intruder Alarm"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lastly, I wanted to talk a bit about some special items in this deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murkfiend Liege" href="#" target="_blank">Murkfiend Liege</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valley Floodcaller" href="#" target="_blank">Valley Floodcaller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combined with either <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Final-Word Phantom" href="#" target="_blank">Final-Word Phantom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="High Fae Trickster" href="#" target="_blank">High Fae Trickster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can essentially let us share each of our opponents' turns with them. Given the huge amount of mana that our commander can provide to us with a board full of kindred creatures, these cards can be extremely powerful. But, like I said with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Intruder Alarm" href="#" target="_blank">Intruder Alarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, that sort of play style isn't for everyone. Just something to keep in mind.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Murkfiend Liege"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Valley Floodcaller"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Final-Word Phantom"></div></div></span></p>
<h2>Up and Down, Up and Down…</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck isn't just about casting creatures and getting payoffs when they enter the battlefield. It's also about returning creatures to our hand so they can be played over and over again. One of the best ways to do this is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dour Port-Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Dour Port-Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, providing a relatively cheap way to bounce something we control and drawing cards along the way. For just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, this can even hit the battlefield before our commander for a sweet curve-out. I'm also a big fan of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Run Away Together" href="#" target="_blank">Run Away Together</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="This Town Ain&#039;t Big Enough" href="#" target="_blank">This Town Ain&#039;t Big Enough</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - removal spells we don't mind the downside of. And, as a one-mana 2/2 with upside, it's hard for me to not include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mistbreath Elder" href="#" target="_blank">Mistbreath Elder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dour Port-Mage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Run Away Together"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mistbreath Elder"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finally, there's a few cards that I couldn't leave out of this write-up: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Three Tree Scribe" href="#" target="_blank">Three Tree Scribe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Barrin, Tolarian Archmage" href="#" target="_blank">Barrin, Tolarian Archmage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gossip&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Gossip&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I really love cards like this; they provide us with several small advantages that add up to one solid card. My favorite among the bunch is probably <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gossip&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Gossip&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Although it doesn't let us recast the creature, it does let us get repeatable ETB (enter the battlefield) triggers, card selection, and evasion for our creatures. It's got many less notable, but powerful, effects that this deck really wants consistent access to.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Three Tree Scribe"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Barrin, Tolarian Archmage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gossip&#039;s Talent"></div></div></span></p>
<h2>Clement, the Worrywort Commander Deck List</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, here's the full decklist:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Archetypes of Imagination - Building a Bounce Deck" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Clement, the Worrywort
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Aeve, Progenitor Ooze
*1 Barrin, Tolarian Archmage
*1 Beast Whisperer
*1 Champion of Lambholt
*1 Clifftop Lookout
*1 Coiling Oracle
*1 Destiny Spinner
*1 Disciple of Freyalise // Garden of Freyalise
*1 Dour Port-Mage
*1 Dreamdew Entrancer
*1 Dryad Arbor
*1 Essence Warden
*1 Final-Word Phantom
*1 Froghemoth
*1 Grolnok, the Omnivore
*1 Haze Frog
*1 High Fae Trickster
*1 Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory
*1 Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
*1 Lilysplash Mentor
*1 Long River Lurker
*1 Masked Vandal
*1 Mistbreath Elder
*1 Murkfiend Liege
*1 Octomancer
*1 Pollywog Prodigy
*1 Pond Prophet
*1 Rampant Frogantua
*1 Realmwalker
*1 Shrieking Drake
*1 Silverback Elder
*1 Spore Frog
*1 Stickytongue Sentinel
*1 Sunshower Druid
*1 Three Tree Scribe
*1 Twenty-Toed Toad
*1 Valley Floodcaller
*1 Valley Mightcaller
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Beast Within
*1 Counterspell
*1 Mystic Reflection
*1 Polliwallop
*1 Pongify
*1 Rapid Hybridization
*1 Run Away Together
*1 Simic Charm
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 This Town Ain&#039;t Big Enough
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Emerald Medallion
*1 Panharmonicon
*1 Sapphire Medallion
*1 The Great Henge
*1 Urza&#039;s Incubator
*1 Vanquisher&#039;s Banner
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Bridgeworks Battle // Tanglespan Bridgeworks
*1 Farseek
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Raise the Palisade
*1 Season of Weaving
*1 Splash Portal
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Gossip&#039;s Talent
*1 Intruder Alarm
*1 Kindred Discovery
*1 Leyline of Abundance
*1 Reflections of Littjara
*1 Virtue of Knowledge // Vantress Visions
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Barkchannel Pathway // Tidechannel Pathway
*1 Command Tower
*1 Dreamroot Cascade
*1 Flooded Grove
*9 Forest
*1 Hedge Maze
*9 Island
*1 Lilypad Village
*1 Oakhollow Village
*1 Overflowing Basin
*1 Path of Ancestry
*1 Rejuvenating Springs
*1 Secluded Courtyard
*1 Three Tree City
*1 Waterlogged Grove
*1 Willowrush Verge
[/Lands]"></span></div></span></p>
<h2>A Positively Ribbiting Conclusion</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Before I end this article, there's a few more cards I'd like to talk about. This deck is mostly Frogs, so there's room for some sweet typal payoffs. We've got plenty of on-theme card advantage, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kindred Discovery" href="#" target="_blank">Kindred Discovery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <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>, and even on-theme removal like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Polliwallop" href="#" target="_blank">Polliwallop</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kindred Discovery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grolnok, the Omnivore"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Polliwallop"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But my favorite card in this whole deck is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Long River Lurker" href="#" target="_blank">Long River Lurker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card does basically everything we want. It's a Frog, so it taps for mana. It protects all of our other Frogs. And it provides evasion to our best attacker every single time it enters the battlefield. This card is fantastic, and I think it works perfectly in a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clement, the Worrywort" href="#" target="_blank">Clement</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Long River Lurker"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thanks once again for reading! I'll see you all next time, for another edition of </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Archetypes of Imagination</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">: a fling deck!</span></p>


Making a Bounce Deck With Clement, the Worrywort

Top 10 Time Counter Cards for Taigam, Master Opportunist

Celes, Rune Knight Commander Deck Tech

Limit Break Precon Guide - Final Fantasy

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed" href="#" target="_blank">Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art By: <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CMagali+Villeneuve%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Magali Villeneuve</a></em></p>
<p>I have never played any <em>Final Fantasy</em> game. Yes, you read that right, I have <em>never</em> played any <em>Final Fantasy</em> game, unless you count the <em>Kingdom Hearts</em> franchise. Nevertheless, the upcoming <em>Final Fantasy</em> <em>Magic</em> set has some incredibly unique and fabulous cards. One card that I vibed with upon first seeing it was <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed" href="#" target="_blank">Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Welcome to the latest instalment of <em>Tech The Deck</em>, featuring a deck reminiscent of playing a video game on hard mode.</p>
<h2>New Game +</h2>
<p>For some reason, I like three-mana value (MV) cards way too much; my draft decks look like upside-down castles. So when I saw an Esper colored (white, blue, and black) commander that gets value off of casting a three MV spell, I was immediately interested. But when I started putting this deck together, something changed within me. Something deep inside, a primordial urge screamed out. It yelled at me, saying, "ONLY THREE TYPES!" I answered the call. This deck, outside of the lands and the commander, only runs three card types: sorceries, instants, and enchantments.</p>
<p>Why would I do this? Why would I not run <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? What prevented me from putting a planeswalker or a battle on my list? The deck just started me in this direction. I moved from hard control, to playing around with cloning the commander as much as possible, to playing a deck based around enchantments and cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Donate" href="#" target="_blank">Donate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Illusions of Grandeur" href="#" target="_blank">Illusions of Grandeur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. But in the end, I decided that three card types were the way to go. So, enough pontificating, let's get to the cards.</p>
<h2>End Credits</h2>
<p>We'll start at the end of the game's first run with our plans to beat the final boss. The first way we play to win the game is to live long enough to cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Approach of the Second Sun" href="#" target="_blank">Approach of the Second Sun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The life gain and card draw from our commander should help us both stave off death and dig to get the all-important second cast of Approach. This might not be the most exciting way to win the game, but when playing with this restriction, sometimes we use the busted items that the game gives us to balance the scales.</p>
<p>My preferred way to win is a bit more interesting.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nine Lives"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lich&#039;s Mastery"></div></div>
<p>Both of these enchantments serve double duty in the deck. First, they keep us alive, possibly the most significant challenge with a deck that does nothing until turn three. The second is that they have a built-in condition that can cause us to lose the game. This comes in very handy when you combine it with two other cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fractured Identity"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Patrician&#039;s Scorn"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fractured Identity" href="#" target="_blank">Fractured Identity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to give a copy of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nine Lives" href="#" target="_blank">Nine Lives</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lich&#039;s Mastery" href="#" target="_blank">Lich&#039;s Mastery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to the rest of the table. The Patrician's Scorn allows us to, at instant speed, blow them up, forcing the rest of the table to lose the game with our lose-the-game trigger on the stack. This is a combo I've been looking to cram into a deck, and I was glad that Y'shtola might be the commander to allow me to do it.</p>
<h2>Sorcerthrees</h2>
<p>Outside of our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fractured Identity" href="#" target="_blank">Fractured Identity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Approach of the Second Sun" href="#" target="_blank">Approach of the Second Sun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, three other sorceries highlight the deck quite nicely.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Risky Shortcut"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Battle of Bywater"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Toxic Deluge"></div></div>
<p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Risky Shortcut" href="#" target="_blank">Risky Shortcut</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of my favorite cards from <em>Aetherdrift,</em> and it allows us to trigger both of Y'shtola's abilities with one single card. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Battle of Bywater" href="#" target="_blank">The Battle of Bywater</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a cheap Wrath effect that might not clear everything off the board. It will eliminate the most threatening things from our opponents, while allowing our two-power commander to stick around. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toxic Deluge" href="#" target="_blank">Toxic Deluge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the best black mass removal spells ever made and fits perfectly with this deck - especially if we pay four or more life, we can draw a card from our commander's effect.</span></p>
<h2>Three Scoops of Instant Speed</h2>
<h3>Counter Magic</h3>
<p>This deck might feature some of the least played seen instants in the format. But believe me when I say they're some of my favorite cards ever. They're full of pips and full of potential.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Perplex"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Render Silent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Undermine"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Perplex" href="#" target="_blank">Perplex</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might be the secret best card in the entire deck. While I'm not just playing cards that cost three MV, I am playing 31, so there's 30 other cards that I can tutor with the transmute ability.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Render Silent" href="#" target="_blank">Render Silent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> isn't the most efficient counterspell out there, but it shuts down an entire player's turn, no matter what spell they decide to start with. This will often make at least one player at the table your enemy, so don't use this spell unless you're sure it's worth it.</p>
<p>Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Undermine" href="#" target="_blank">Undermine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the darker side of another card in the deck, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Absorb" href="#" target="_blank">Absorb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Countering a spell and giving us another card that can fulfill both aspects of our commander's triggered abilities is music to my ears.</p>
<h3>You Are Not Hitting Me</h3>
<p>Sometimes permanents can't be countered. Most often, it's because they are already on the board. Our opponents may swing their permanents in our direction when they find their way onto the board. When this happens, we need to make them pay. Most players are well aware of the card <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>, and while it is in the deck, it's the least exciting of the anti-combat instants we have.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hellish Rebuke"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Inkshield"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Settle the Wreckage"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hellish Rebuke" href="#" target="_blank">Hellish Rebuke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is not only one of the most fun spells from <em>Dungeons and Dragons</em>, it can be a total blowout to the player that attacks you. We'll take some damage, but forcing the player who did that damage to lose all those creatures and two life for each creature will often be worth it.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inkshield" href="#" target="_blank">Inkshield</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is possibly the best <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fog" href="#" target="_blank">Fog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ever made, as it solves the biggest issue with that card: winning the game after you cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fog" href="#" target="_blank">Fog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The best part about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inkshield" href="#" target="_blank">Inkshield</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is when an opponent gets too confident and goes for overkill, allowing you to get even more inklings to win the game.</p>
<p>Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Settle the Wreckage" href="#" target="_blank">Settle the Wreckage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> looks like it's all downside because it ramps your opponent, but that's hardly ever the case. Players are greedy and will never run enough basics, and if it means you get to live another turn, the trade-off of giving them basics will always be worth it.</p>
<h2>They Don't Make 'Em Like This Anymore</h2>
<p>I don't have 31 enchantments in this deck, but the ones I do have are possibly more relevant than anything else. Outside of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nine Lives" href="#" target="_blank">Nine Lives</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lich&#039;s Mastery" href="#" target="_blank">Lich&#039;s Mastery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> being win conditions, we have some interesting "not lose" conditions at our disposal.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Breathstealer&#039;s Crypt"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dream Tides"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mist of Stagnation"></div></div>
<p>A card I just learned existed is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Breathstealer&#039;s Crypt" href="#" target="_blank">Breathstealer&#039;s Crypt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. One of the most lopsided effects we could ask for is a card at our fingertips. Sure, our opponents will know all the cards we draw, but the trade-off is that we'll learn all the cards they draw and never take damage or discard. It might not hit every time, but against some opponents, this card will be backbreaking.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dream Tides" href="#" target="_blank">Dream Tides</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an old favorite of mine from when I moonlighted as a Stax player. Both punishing to creature decks of all colors, but especially to those big green baddies that love to find themselves across the table.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mist of Stagnation" href="#" target="_blank">Mist of Stagnation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can hurt us just as much or possibly worse than anyone else at the table, but this deck operates with a slight vibe of "high risk, high reward."</p>
<h2>One, Two, Free Spells</h2>
<p>When your deck doesn't start playing the game until turn three, you need some cards that can break serve against the rest of the table. That's where free spells come in. Our deck runs the classic free counter magic suite of cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Force of Will"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Force of Negation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fierce Guardianship"></div></div>
<p>Black also gives us access to a triple threat of free removal spells.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deadly Rollick"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Snuff Out"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Force of Despair"></div></div>
<p>Finally, some cards allow us to refund their mana cost when they resolve, making them essentially free.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rewind"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Frantic Search"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unwind"></div></div>
<p>People say cheaters never win, but those people have never cast a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Frantic Search" href="#" target="_blank">Frantic Search</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with lands like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dimir Aqueduct" href="#" target="_blank">Dimir Aqueduct</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in play.</p>
<h2>Y'shtola, Night's Blessed Deck List</h2>
<p>Here's the final deck list:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Three of a Kind - Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 Absorb
*1 Aetherize
*1 Baleful Mastery
*1 Bane&#039;s Contingency
*1 Commit // Memory
*1 Deadly Rollick
*1 Dig Through Time
*1 Fact or Fiction
*1 Fierce Guardianship
*1 Force of Despair
*1 Force of Negation
*1 Force of Will
*1 Frantic Search
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Hellish Rebuke
*1 Inkshield
*1 Memory Plunder
*1 Patrician&#039;s Scorn
*1 Perch Protection
*1 Perplex
*1 Quick Study
*1 Render Silent
*1 Rewind
*1 Settle the Wreckage
*1 Silundi Vision // Silundi Isle
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 Snuff Out
*1 Sphinx&#039;s Revelation
*1 Teferi&#039;s Protection
*1 Undermine
*1 Unwind
*1 Void Rend
*1 Waterlogged Teachings // Inundated Archive
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Approach of the Second Sun
*1 Austere Command
*1 Blasphemous Edict
*1 Fractured Identity
*1 Idyllic Tutor
*1 Lórien Revealed
*1 Risky Shortcut
*1 Supreme Verdict
*1 The Battle of Bywater
*1 Toxic Deluge
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 As Foretold
*1 Black Market Connections
*1 Breathstealer&#039;s Crypt
*1 Dream Tides
*1 Estrid&#039;s Invocation
*1 Ghostly Prison
*1 Grasp of Fate
*1 Imprisoned in the Moon
*1 Lich&#039;s Mastery
*1 Mist of Stagnation
*1 Nine Lives
*1 Painful Quandary
*1 Pendrell Mists
*1 Propaganda
*1 Smothering Tithe
*1 Soul Barrier
*1 Sphere of Safety
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Arcane Sanctum
*1 Bleachbone Verge
*1 City of Brass
*1 Command Tower
*1 Deserted Beach
*1 Dimir Aqueduct
*1 Drowned Catacomb
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Floodfarm Verge
*1 Glacial Fortress
*1 Gloomlake Verge
*1 Godless Shrine
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*4 Island
*1 Isolated Chapel
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Meticulous Archive
*1 Mistrise Village
*1 Morphic Pool
*1 Mystic Sanctuary
*1 Orzhov Basilica
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*2 Plains
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Raffine&#039;s Tower
*1 Sea of Clouds
*1 Shadowy Backstreet
*1 Shattered Sanctum
*1 Shipwreck Marsh
*2 Swamp
*1 Undercity Sewers
*1 Vault of Champions
*1 Watery Grave
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Wrap Up on Y'shtola</h2>
<p>The more that I think about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed" href="#" target="_blank">Y&#039;shtola, Night&#039;s Blessed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the more I like it. While it's not as flashy as some of the cards released recently, there are a lot of ways you could build the deck. Many of them involve being much less thematic than I am, but all of them are interesting. Hopefully everyone is pumped about the collaboration with <em>Final Fantasy</em>, and if Y'shtola is your favorite character, I hope this card did them justice.</p>
<p>If you liked this deck or want to see more content related to <em>Final Fantasy</em>, keep a lookout here on EDHREC for all the great content from the fantastic team of writers, or bookmark our <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/final-fantasy-commander-deck-techs"><em>Final Fantasy </em>deck tech collection</a>. As always, I'm Nick, and you can find me at all the internet places where I've laid claim to nicnax96 as a username. I hope to see your version of this very cool Cat Warlock at a table one day.</p>


Y'shtola, Night's Blessed Commander Deck Tech

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ardyn, the Usurper" href="#" target="_blank">Ardyn, the Usurper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/ludongjun" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russel Lu</a></em></p>
<p>I might not have the best history with the <em>Final Fantasy</em> games, but I <em>do</em> have a long history with the Demon creature type, which is why <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ardyn, the Usurper" href="#" target="_blank">Ardyn, the Usurper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> stood out to me as the previews for the newest set came in. My first-ever booster pack was a <em>Champions of Kamigawa</em> pack, which had some real beauties in it, including one of my prized Magic possessions: a foil <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kuro, Pitlord" href="#" target="_blank">Kuro, Pitlord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. While time and power creep haven’t been kind to poor Kuro, the creature type has remained iconic. Like they have been since <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord of the Pit" href="#" target="_blank">Lord of the Pit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in <em>Alpha</em>, Demons are huge flying creatures based in black. Over the years, however, they’ve been released from the shackles of drawbacks to become truly terrifying!</p>
<h2>Notable Demons for Ardyn, the Usurper</h2>
<p>Ardyn is not a Demon, nor does he meet many of the requirements of a Demon, outside of a high mana value and a whole lot of black color pips. What Ardyn <em>does</em> do, however, is give Demons a host of keywords: menace, lifelink, and haste. He also reanimates creatures of any type from our graveyard as 5/5 black Demons (which, of course, get all the keywords he provides).</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ardyn, the Usurper"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ob Nixilis, Unshackled"></div></div><br />
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Valgavoth, Terror Eater"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vilis, Broker of Blood"></div></div></p>
<p>We want our Demons to be big creatures that dominate the board and provide large chunks of flying damage. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rune-Scarred Demon" href="#" target="_blank">Rune-Scarred Demon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a big, beefy brawler that battles above the clouds, but the best aspect of this bruiser is that he brings along a buddy. With all the different jobs Demons can do, he’s a veritable swiss army knife!</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Demonlord Belzenlok"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rot-Curse Rakshasa"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rune-Scarred Demon"></div></div><br />
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Harvester of Souls"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Great Unclean One"></div></div></p>
<p>One of my favorite Demons is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodgift Demon" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodgift Demon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a medium-sized flying threat that gives a mini-<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sign in Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Sign in Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to any player each upkeep. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Arena" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Arena</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is still potent, and one attached to a large flyer is fairly good. Even better, though, is the political aspect. If someone else needs cards to catch up we can give them some, and it can also deal the final point of damage in a pinch!</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Plague Drone"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bloodgift Demon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bloodletter of Aclazotz"></div></div><br />
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sower of Discord"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archfiend of Despair"></div></div></p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Desecration Demon" href="#" target="_blank">Desecration Demon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> used to dominate <em>Return to Ravnica</em> Standard, and it’s still a cheap political threat that gets better as the game goes on. While it appears to be an above-rate flyer, it gets better in the context of a Demon deck. By itself, it forces opponents to choose between letting him grow and sacrificing a creature to tap him down and grow him. Some decks will have spare bodies, but most will have to make a tough call; even those who can regularly pay the sac tax will eventually have to pay the piper once our other removal goes online.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Burning-Rune Demon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lord of the Void"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Razaketh, the Foulblooded"></div></div><br />
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Venomcrawler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Desecration Demon"></div></div></p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Abhorrent Overlord" href="#" target="_blank">Abhorrent Overlord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is our equivalent to Gary (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gray Merchant of Asphodel" href="#" target="_blank">Gray Merchant of Asphodel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>). Maybe we should call her Abby. Would that catch on? Let me know in the comments below! Regardless, the Overlord gives us a host of Harpies equal to our devotion to black, which should be quite high. While not quite the game-ending big bang shot of Gary, Abby gives us enough power to close games out in one or two big, evasive swings.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Demon of Wailing Agonies"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reiver Demon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abhorrent Overlord"></div></div><br />
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Demon of Loathing"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kothophed, Soul Hoarder"></div></div></p>
<p>One of the more instantly impactful Demons on a game of Commander is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doom Whisperer" href="#" target="_blank">Doom Whisperer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Believe it or not, the most dangerous aspect of this card isn’t a word or a number: it’s a punctuation mark. The colon between the phrase “Pay 2 life” and “Surveil 2” means that we can pay any amount of life in increments of two to stack our topdeck and load up the graveyard. We can even set up the reanimation of powerful creatures.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doom Whisperer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Demon of Dark Schemes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nightmare Shepherd"></div></div><br />
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rakshasa Debaser"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Infernal Sovereign"></div></div></p>
<h2>Cards for Demon Typal Strategies</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana&#039;s Contract" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana&#039;s Contract</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the more powerful pieces of typal technology any creature type has access to. Even in a deck without Demons, four Changelings can facilitate the alternate win condition. Since the deck is packed with them, fulfilling the condition is nice and easy.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liliana&#039;s Contract"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blood Speaker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Demonic Counsel"></div></div><br />
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Living Death"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Whip of Erebos"></div></div></p>
<p>One of the aspects of Demons in popular culture is that they're closely tied to death, making them incredibly difficult to put down once and for all. Reanimation spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animate Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Animate Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> epitomize this, although perhaps the scariest and deadliest reanimation spell in <em>Magic</em> is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dread Return" href="#" target="_blank">Dread Return</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, castable from the graveyard without paying any mana, combining perfectly with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doom Whisperer" href="#" target="_blank">Doom Whisperer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>’s graveyard loading to bin the threat and the reanimation spell without paying a single mana.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dread Return"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Demonic Covenant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Animate Dead"></div></div><br />
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Haunting Voyage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bringer of the Last Gift"></div></div></p>
<h2>Demon Ramp</h2>
<p>One of the major downsides of Demons is their high casting cost. Rituals can help pay costs beyond the amount of mana we have, but we start to feel the aftereffects later when removal starts to catch up. Foretelling Demons with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dream Devourer" href="#" target="_blank">Dream Devourer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> helps us to control how wide and how quickly our board develops, letting us play around removal and pressure just enough to provoke responses.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dark Ritual"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cabal Ritual"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dream Devourer"></div></div><br />
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Cellarspawn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abyssal Harvester"></div></div></p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bontu&#039;s Monument" href="#" target="_blank">Bontu&#039;s Monument</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another cost reducer, this time coming with a repeated source of card advantage. Each creature we create comes with a mini-<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sign in Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Sign in Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, just like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodgift Demon" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodgift Demon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, helping us find more creatures and dig deeper and deeper for the pieces we need to close out the game.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Herald&#039;s Horn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urza&#039;s Incubator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sol Ring"></div></div><br />
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bontu&#039;s Monument"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jet Medallion"></div></div></p>
<h2>Removal Spells for Ardyn</h2>
<p>Demons are warped and twisted minds, thriving on asserting their power over the living. This is shown in their propensity for forcing opponents to sacrifice creatures rather than using targeted destruction. After all, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doom Blade" href="#" target="_blank">Doom Blade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is more likely to answer the specific threat, making the opponent choose between their favorite creatures with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archfiend of Depravity" href="#" target="_blank">Archfiend of Depravity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is so much more delicious!</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archfiend of Depravity"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reaper from the Abyss"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Indulgent Tormentor"></div></div><br />
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overseer of the Damned"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Withering Torment"></div></div></p>
<p>While spot removal might not be the Demon's way, sometimes it is necessary. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Infernal Grasp" href="#" target="_blank">Infernal Grasp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Feed the Swarm" href="#" target="_blank">Feed the Swarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are some of the rare bits of enchantment removal in mono-black, although some say that they're color pie breaks. Here, however, they're necessary bits of removal for permanents we can’t easily answer.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Infernal Grasp"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Feed the Swarm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kindred Dominance"></div></div><br />
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shadowgrange Archfiend"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pestilence Demon"></div></div></p>
<h2>Ardyn, the Usurper Commander Deck List</h2>
<p>Here's our list:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Ardyn, the Usurper Commander Deck Tech" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Ardyn, the Usurper
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Abhorrent Overlord
*1 Abyssal Harvester
*1 Ancient Cellarspawn
*1 Archfiend of Depravity
*1 Archfiend of Despair
*1 Blood Speaker
*1 Bloodgift Demon
*1 Bloodletter of Aclazotz
*1 Bringer of the Last Gift
*1 Burning-Rune Demon
*1 Demon of Dark Schemes
*1 Demon of Loathing
*1 Demon of Wailing Agonies
*1 Demonlord Belzenlok
*1 Desecration Demon
*1 Doom Whisperer
*1 Dream Devourer
*1 Great Unclean One
*1 Harvester of Souls
*1 Indulgent Tormentor
*1 Infernal Sovereign
*1 Kothophed, Soul Hoarder
*1 Lord of the Void
*1 Nightmare Shepherd
*1 Ob Nixilis, Unshackled
*1 Overseer of the Damned
*1 Pestilence Demon
*1 Plague Drone
*1 Rakshasa Debaser
*1 Razaketh, the Foulblooded
*1 Reaper from the Abyss
*1 Reiver Demon
*1 Rot-Curse Rakshasa
*1 Rune-Scarred Demon
*1 Shadowgrange Archfiend
*1 Sower of Discord
*1 Valgavoth, Terror Eater
*1 Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire
*1 Venomcrawler
*1 Vilis, Broker of Blood
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Animate Dead
*1 Demonic Covenant
*1 Liliana&#039;s Contract
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Demonic Counsel
*1 Dread Return
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Haunting Voyage
*1 Kindred Dominance
*1 Living Death
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Bontu&#039;s Monument
*1 Herald&#039;s Horn
*1 Jet Medallion
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Urza&#039;s Incubator
*1 Whip of Erebos
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Cabal Ritual
*1 Dark Ritual
*1 Infernal Grasp
*1 Withering Torment
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*40 Swamp
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Final Thoughts on Ardyn, the Usurper Demon Typal</h2>
<p>Demons are large black flyers, and Ardyn helps make them ever more dangerous and threatening. They do a variety of jobs, from drawing cards to forcing opponents to sacrifice their own creatures. Sometimes they're a little slow at contributing to the board, but there are cost reducers to help with that, and they've been power crept in a definitive way!</p>
