Brew For Your Buck - Neriv Budget Burn

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Neriv, Crackling Vanguard" href="#" target="_blank">Neriv, Crackling Vanguard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.lucasgraciano.com/">Lucas Graciano</a></h6>
<p>If you’re one of the <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/mardu-surge-precon-guide-tarkir-dragonstorm">countless people who picked up the new Mardu precon</a> for <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em>, you probably got pulled towards running <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zurgo Stormrender" href="#" target="_blank">Zurgo Stormrender</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as your commander.</p>
<p>His mix of life drain, while drawing cards is a hard combo to pass up. However, today I will be shining a spotlight on the other legend in the box: Neriv, Crackling Vanguard, one of the new Spirit Dragons!</p>
<p>Neriv’s synergy with unique tokens is a deckbuilding challenge that a lot of <em>Magic</em> players will likely gravitate towards. The precon does a nice job with making tokens with a wide array of names, but I wanted to take that theme to the next level by highlighting a few mechanics and budget singles that will only amplify that plan.</p>
<p>Whether you’re building from the ground up or adding some cards to the deck off the shelf, this list will help you along the way! My name is Tyler ‘Savesya’ Bucks, and here are fourteen cards under $14 to help you build around <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Neriv, Crackling Vanguard" href="#" target="_blank">Neriv, Crackling Vanguard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">The Commander - Neriv, Crackling Vanguard</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Neriv, Crackling Vanguard"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Neriv, Crackling Vanguard" href="#" target="_blank">Neriv, Crackling Vanguard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> loves nothing more than variety. As proof of that, whenever your commander attacks, you’re going to exile a card for each uniquely named token you control. With that in mind, I found plenty of synergistic cards that make very specific tokens, all to appease the mighty Neriv.</p>
<p>So, because this deck will be filled with many one-off tokens, you might want to pick yourself up a fresh pack of <a href="http://www.infinitokens.com">InfiniTokens</a> (not a sponsor of this article, just a really good product to have on hand for this kind of build.)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Toby, Beastie Befriender</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Toby, Beastie Befriender"></div></div>
<p>Starting off our list, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toby, Beastie Befriender" href="#" target="_blank">Toby, Beastie Befriender</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card is an example of something that benefits your deck in two different ways. First, it helps give your board evasion if you have four or more tokens, which is great for closing out games.</p>
<p>Second, it does something that this deck will really take advantage of by being one of the only cards in these colors that can create a beast token. I can just imagine the excited look on Neriv's face when he sees that beastie on the board as he attacks!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Lagomos, Hand of Hatred</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lagomos, Hand of Hatred"></div></div>
<p>Our next card, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lagomos, Hand of Hatred" href="#" target="_blank">Lagomos, Hand of Hatred</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, ensures that you always have a new token at the start of each of your combats. Making a hasty Elemental each turn will be very helpful with triggering your commander, but its second ability is great in this type of deck as well.</p>
<p>Since you will most likely be swinging all out with your board, it’s inevitable that a lot of creatures won’t survive combat, making that tutor effect all the more possible.</p>
<p>Plus, even if five creatures don’t die when you attack, sacrificing that Elemental along with any of the Warrior tokens you make with the new <em>‘</em>mobilize’ mechanic will be sure to get you there.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Iraxxa, Empress of Mars</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Iraxxa, Empress of Mars"></div></div>
<p>A great way to capitalize off of casting so many spells from exile in this deck is with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iraxxa, Empress of Mars" href="#" target="_blank">Iraxxa, Empress of Mars</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a lesser-known legend from the <em><a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/who">Doctor Who</a> </em>set. Playing this creature on a turn where you’ll be casting a whole bunch of cards from exile will help amplify your board presence, especially since those Alien Warrior tokens are unique only to Iraxxa.</p>
<p>Plus, during combat, that battle cry ability will give a power buff to your creatures, making it even harder for your opponents to decide on blocks.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Elturel Survivors</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elturel Survivors"></div></div>
<p>Myriad is already powerful; in this deck, however, it can be taken to the next level. When you attack with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elturel Survivors" href="#" target="_blank">Elturel Survivors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you’ll make a copy of it attacking each of your other opponents, which your commander will see as a token with a new name and exile a card for you to play.</p>
<p>On top of that value, this is just a great creature in the deck, making some really big trampling bodies to pressure your opponents' life totals,; especially that one player who somehow always ends up having seventeen lands on the board…</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">The Jolly Balloon Man</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Jolly Balloon Man"></div></div>
<p>I hope you're not afraid of clowns, because <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Jolly Balloon Man" href="#" target="_blank">The Jolly Balloon Man</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> helps this deck on its quest to make as many one-off tokens as possible, by creating balloon copies of your creatures.</p>
<p>Say you have a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beetleback Chief" href="#" target="_blank">Beetleback Chief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the battlefield (which comes in the <em><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/mardu-surge-precon-guide-tarkir-dragonstorm">Mardu Precon</a></em>); you can have the Balloon Man make a 1/1 flying token copy of it. Neriv will then see that as a token with a new name once you move to combat, all while you get to reuse that ETB effect, and hit someone in the face with a goblin shaped balloon! Sounds like a good time, right?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon"></div></div>
<p>Now believe it or not, Gnome tokens can be made by a few different cards, but none do it better than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. In this deck, if this card goes unchecked, each combat will be more impactful than the last.</p>
<p>Hitting your foes over and over again with a growing army of Gnomes is a great enough gameplan, but the fact that you have a way to repeatedly make unorthodox tokens will ensure you’re consistently exiling at least one card with your commander when you attack.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Quintorius Kand</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quintorius Kand"></div></div>
<p>The planeswalker <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quintorius Kand" href="#" target="_blank">Quintorius Kand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great example of a card that helps you at several different points in the game. Its static ability of shocking the table and gaining you some life when you cast spells from exile will help pad your life total while you push forward a very aggressive gameplan.</p>
<p>The first plus ability making a 3/2 Spirit can give you some benefits if you don’t already have a Spirit on the board. Even its two minus abilities can help the deck, either discovering into something impactful or using its ultimate and recurring some spells, plus gaining a whole bunch of mana to cast them!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Darkstar Augur</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darkstar Augur"></div></div>
<p>Flying in from <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/blb"><em>Bloomburrow</em></a>, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darkstar Augur" href="#" target="_blank">Darkstar Augur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, bringing card draw and offspring along with it! When you cast the Augur you have the option to pay a mana to get a token copy of it, which again works very well with your commander.</p>
<p>However, even though Neriv’s ability is a form of ‘card draw’, you could get stuck in a spot where you can’t get any good attacks in and those cards stay in exile, and you don’t want to be caught in that position, so adding additional ways to gain some card advantage along the way will be very important.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Space Marine Devastator</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Space Marine Devastator"></div></div>
<p>A mechanic very similar to offspring is squad, showcased here on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Space Marine Devastator" href="#" target="_blank">Space Marine Devastator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. When it comes to squad, you can pay its cost as many times as you would like, which turns this into a partial board wipe if you have the resources for it.</p>
<p>Of course, by the end of it, you’ll have a unique token to go with your gameplan, all while messing with your opponents' boards. That type of crossover will assist your deck with not feeling too one-note, and a dynamic deck is always more enjoyable to play!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Curse of Opulence</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Opulence"></div></div>
<p>A card I was surprised didn’t show up in the Mardu precon was <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> (it did however appear in the <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/jeskai-striker-precon-guide-tarkir-dragonstorm"><em>Jeskai</em> deck</a>). Neriv doesn’t just love looking at different types of <em>creature</em> tokens but instead marvels at any token you can create! So, in a deck where you’ll be constantly pushing into the red zone, having a cheap way to gain some mana back will help your engine to continue forward.</p>
<p>Also, since <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> makes a Gold token, you can still have all the Treasure-makers you want, and you’ll still be triggering your commander often.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">We Ride at Dawn</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="We Ride at Dawn"></div></div>
<p>Speaking of helping with mana, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="We Ride at Dawn" href="#" target="_blank">We Ride at Dawn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> offers a powerful twist to this list. It gives all those creature tokens you’re making a way to assist with casting not just your commander but every other powerful legend in your deck. Not only does it add convoke to your utility belt, but it also makes you a mercenary token whenever your commander attacks, which is this deck’s whole thing.</p>
<p>I can see a nice play pattern where you make a whole board of tokens, tap them for a few big creatures, and move to close out the game as soon as you can.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Not Dead After All</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Not Dead After All"></div></div>
<p>If you can’t tell, this deck is very reliant on its commander, which will make it a big target for removal. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Not Dead After All" href="#" target="_blank">Not Dead After All</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only costing a single mana, and bringing your most important piece back from the dead is great, but it also has another layer which helps your deck!</p>
<p>Your creature will come back with a Wicked Role attached to it, which will be yet another unique token to add to your list. Protection, on top of adding to your gameplan, this card fits perfectly into your dastardly plans…</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Caesar, Legion's Emperor</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Caesar, Legion&#039;s Emperor"></div></div>
<p>A commander we got last year in these colors that happens to enjoy tokens as well is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Caesar, Legion&#039;s Emperor" href="#" target="_blank">Caesar, Legion&#039;s Emperor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Adding this card to a token deck brings a lot of necessary toolbox affects you might need. It can give you tokens, card draw, and even removal when you need it the most, just at the cost of one of your creatures.</p>
<p>Caesar also fits nicely into your curve, since you can cast him the turn before your commander and start setting the groundwork for your explosive endgame.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Neyali, Suns' Vanguard</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard"></div></div>
<p>Finally, we have a card that fits perfectly into this strategy, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard" href="#" target="_blank">Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Giving your board full of one-of-a-kind tokens double strike is enough of a reason for it to be here, but there’s more! Neyali also lets you exile cards from the top of your library, with the condition that you can only cast them on a turn you’ve attacked with a token.</p>
<p>Luckily, in this deck, that won’t be a problem. Just be sure not to mix up your exile piles, and prolong the game trying to figure out who exiled what… That will only give your opponents more reasons to dislike this deck.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">In Closing</h2>
<p>Well, there you have it, fourteen cards under $14 to help you upgrade that Mardu precon, or to start a build from the ground up. Neriv is such an interesting take on a token deck, and putting this list together was a whole lot of fun.</p>
<p><a href="https://archidekt.com/decks/12391401/neriv_crackling_vanguard_pillow_fortteen">If you want to see the cards I considered for this deck, check out my Archidekt list</a> for it right here. Let me know in the comments what cards you would add to this list, I would love to see even more ways to make wild tokens!</p>


14 Budget Cards Under $14 for Neriv, Crackling Vanguard

Adapting Your Decks to Core Bracket 2

Jank No More - The Legendary Power of Vanilla

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.cynthia-sheppard.com/">Cynthia Sheppard</a>)</h6>
<h1>One card that sends me into a blood-rage is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</h1>
<p>It's not because it's part of a two card combo. My combo rage is reserved for anything using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Peregrine Drake" href="#" target="_blank">Peregrine Drake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Food Chain" href="#" target="_blank">Food Chain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div id="690-3966" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
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<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="." width="0" height="0"></iframe><br />
I fly into a rage when I see <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> because it is a very political card. I love a little politics in my games, like a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tempt with Discovery" href="#" target="_blank">Tempt with Discovery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but the reason I can't handle the politics of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is because most of my opponents don't recognize it's a political card.</p>
<p>Even if someone utters, "I'm not running the combo," it's a card that reads, "Whenever an opponent loses life, you gain that much life." That means when any of my opponents attack each other, a huge life advantage will be given to the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> player.</p>
<p>We all should know what that means. We have to to eliminate the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or the player. This shift might not be noticed early enough, making that player gain too much life by their next turn.</p>
<p>If they are running <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, they likely are running life as a resource cards, which could be very bad for us. Waiting for a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Generous Gift" href="#" target="_blank">Generous Gift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beast Within" href="#" target="_blank">Beast Within</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to remove the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might be tough even though according to EDHREC <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Generous Gift" href="#" target="_blank">Generous Gift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is in 637,047 of decks and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beast Within" href="#" target="_blank">Beast Within</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is in 975,995.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Generous Gift"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Beast Within"></div></div>
<p>The easier, most relevant game action might actually be player removal. No player, no <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, no player with the combined life of your opponents after you eliminate them.</p>
<h2>The Etiquette of Player Removal</h2>
<p>When is it socially acceptable to remove a player? Some things I've noted, talking with other players:</p>
<ul>
<li>How long a game of Commander is and how long the eliminated player will have to wait for the next game?</li>
<li>How it feels to be removed from a game before you're able to to do "the thing."</li>
<li>What is optimal for those on the back foot in a game versus the archenemy?</li>
<li>Isn't Commander supposed to be casual and fun?</li>
</ul>
<p>This is by far no the most exhaustive list. Let us know if you've personally encountered any others.</p>
<h3>Early Elimination</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Farewell"></div></div>
<p>We all know it feels bad to get mana screwed or mana flooded in a game of Commander and have to basically take zero to one game actions before passing the turn.</p>
<p>On average, a game of "healthy" Commander is between 1 hour to 2 hours. The only thing worst than zero to 1 game actions is getting removed from the game before a board wipe like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farewell" href="#" target="_blank">Farewell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>You play for maybe 40 minutes, you lose gloriously, and then have to play on your phone or spectate a game for another hour or so while players rebuild after a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farewell" href="#" target="_blank">Farewell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Hey, I'm not arguing that it doesn't suck. It does, but this probably divides players into two categories: Win-at-any-cost players and Fun-at-any-cost players. Some players when left with the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> player's necessary removal will choose to remove them, while others won't for the overall enjoyment of the table.</p>
<p>I'm not sure which I personally prefer, but there has to be some kind of middle ground, right? The sneaky thing about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is that every piece of damage you deal to another player become double duty, you'll have to deal that damage again to the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> player.</p>
<p>Any ounce of compassion you show, you'll pay back double.</p>
<h3>Before Archenemy Status</h3>
<p>It's doubly rough to remove a player when they become a threat before they become archenemy. I played a game where someone played an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to just keep their life total up while attacking their their three or four creature cards. They'd mentioned they'd stopped playing <em>Magic</em> because of how hostile and mean players could be.</p>
<p>They talked about the subtle bullying in the game. This put me in a pickle because I needed to eliminate the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and I'd used the only removal I had already (Pro-tip: don't use your removal as early as I used to, which is to say before turn five).</p>
<p>So I swung into them ruthlessly. They started to get a little salty, understandably, and my partner had to tell me to chill out. I sighed and agreed. It does feel like bullying to swing out everything I have on one player that isn't going to win next turn cycle. Unfortunately, other players felt the same.</p>
<p>We all swung at each other, putting the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> player from a manageable 9 life to 50. It's tough. How do I win over that kind of emotional pressure?</p>
<p>If you're wondering what I'd do, I'd remove the the player. If you don't want to get targeted in a game of Commander, don't play a card that puts a huge target on your back with huge obvious advantage.</p>
<p>This might seem harsh, but with no choice in a format with a winner, it might be the only option for a win. However, my mind and heart are at odds. Sometimes I will be compassionate, and let that player live, like in my example above.</p>
<p>I <em>ALWAYS</em> lose and regret it, but having a soft heart makes me a more fun player to have in a pod, I like to think. Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves.</p>
<h3>Timing of Removal</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stella Lee, Wild Card"></div></div>
<p>It also comes down to something that I don't think we talk about enough, and that's timing/context. If someone is playing a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stella Lee, Wild Card" href="#" target="_blank">Stella Lee, Wild Card</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck and goes from a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ponder" href="#" target="_blank">Ponder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, holding priority to a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mystical Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Mystical Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you have to remove Stella Lee on the stack.</p>
<p>The next card cast is going to be <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Twisted Fealty" href="#" target="_blank">Twisted Fealty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and that's going to be game. Threat Assessment tinglies should be telling you to remove or counter. It's weird though because imagine if this is the fourth time you've removed Stella Lee, imagine it's in the wake of the third board wipe.</p>
<p>What do we do? This is where the etiquette gets weird. We want the game to be over, but we still want to win. Do we remove the Stella Lee, do we counter the Tutor?</p>
<p>If you're asking what I'd do? If I can win, I'm going to try to stop Stella Lee, but if it's just removal for the sake of potentially digging into my deck for a win, then I'm not removing it. I'll shuffle up and play another, hopefully, less miserable game. Like so many players have echoed, Commander is meant to be fun.</p>
<p>It's not fun after tons of board wipes, extended gameplay, and a miserable crawl to win, at least for me. I don't know if casual is the right word for the game anymore even on Bracket 3-4, though.</p>
<p>There is a deep desire for competition even at those levels. Players fight for their wins, with optimal cards, threat assessment, politics, and interaction.</p>
<h2>Etiquette of Targeted Removal in Commander</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kaalia of the Vast"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kaalia of the Vast" href="#" target="_blank">Kaalia of the Vast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Yeah. 23,955 decks on EDHREC. 8th most popular commander right now. They all know, after reading the title of this section, the question I'm going to ask. How many times can I remove <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kaalia of the Vast" href="#" target="_blank">Kaalia of the Vast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> before I'm the mean one. Turn 4 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Avacyn, Angel of Hope" href="#" target="_blank">Avacyn, Angel of Hope</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Turn 5 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Master of Cruelties" href="#" target="_blank">Master of Cruelties</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? I know the trigger doesn't go off with Kaalia putting it into play, but oh how are you going to remove it with Avacyn on board? You can't counter it entering. I know I'm basically ranting at this point, but the point is right there. How many times is it socially acceptable to targeted remove Kaalia before I'm the bully?</p>
<p>I played a game against a Kaalia player a few years ago. She was up against my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcades, The Strategist" href="#" target="_blank">Arcades, The Strategist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck, which stood no chance. The other player was playing a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mizzix of the Izmagnus" href="#" target="_blank">Mizzix of the Izmagnus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Control deck. You best believe Kaalia was countered, bounced, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pongify" href="#" target="_blank">Pongify</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-ed.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pongify"></div></div>
<p>The Kaalia player got so upset that he picked up his cards and went home mid-game, ranting that everyone comes to this shop for a fun time, not a "whatever this was".</p>
<p>I can understand getting upset when your commander is removed a ton of times, but maybe that's the only solution to the commander or the deck?</p>
<h3>Amount of Targets</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Druid of Purification"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anikthea, Hand of Erebos"></div></div>
<p>Similarly, when you <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Druid of Purification" href="#" target="_blank">Druid of Purification</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, how many targets do you all, collectively, pick from one player? If I'm playing against an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anikthea, Hand of Erebos" href="#" target="_blank">Anikthea, Hand of Erebos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck or <em>ANY</em> artifact synergy deck, should we be picking down one player into oblivion?</p>
<p>How many pieces of removal should we use on one player even if they are the archenemy. I don't mean in the technical sense to secure your win. I mean, ethically. If you have tons of interaction to protect your own board state, how much of it should go into dismantling one player's board? It's tough.</p>
<p>I want to say that it has to be whichever brings you closer to your win, while holding back. You shouldn't spend all your removal on one player and not win: spread it out.</p>
<p>Don't think another player is out for the count just because they aren't going off yet. That and the table feels a little better about it. It protects against <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/salt">saltiness</a>. I'd spread it out every time, except against Anikthea or Ironman-types, but that's just me.</p>
<h2>The Last Bit of Removal</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seal of Removal"></div></div>
<p>So, I've been going on and on about how this might make others feel in a game of Commander. The ecosystem of a good friend group or pod of Commander comes down to the communal feeling of the group about these things.</p>
<p>These scenarios are conversations we should be having as we develop our play groups to see if we're a good fit for each other, or how we can better cater to our pods.</p>
<p>A compromise might be that Kaalia can only be removed a certain amount of times a game or she can only be played in high power tables that don't care about removing her (Gonna be honest, I don't know if either of those solutions solves the Kaalia problem, but I thought I'd give it a shot).</p>
<p>Either way, I'm not sure there is a one rule above all with this kind of thing, like cultural etiquette outside of card games, it depends on your playgroup to figure what's acceptable. <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-enforcing-the-mulligan-rules">For more of that in depth, check out Mike Carrozza's Column Am I the Bolas?</a> And let me know what you think at <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/strixhavendropout.bsky.social">@strixhavendropout</a> on Bluesky, we'll see you next time when we chat about the etiquette of conceding the game!</p>


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