Building an Artifact Deck With Golbez , Crystal Collector

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloud, Planet&#039;s Champion" href="#" target="_blank">Cloud, Planet&#039;s Champion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artofmtg.com/artist/magali-villeneuve/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Magali Villeneuve</a></em></p>
<p>Hello, and welcome back to <em>Beyond the Multiverse</em>. I'm Owain, and I'm here with a long-awaited article (one of three, in fact), featuring two Commanders. First up is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloud, Planet&#039;s Champion" href="#" target="_blank">Cloud, Planet&#039;s Champion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> who's all about Equipment. I've done Equipment decks before, but I'm going to make him slightly different from the others. More on that in a moment.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloud, Planet&#039;s Champion"></div></div>
<p>On the other side, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who absolutely doesn't have obsessively romantic feelings for Cloud. Not at all. Nothing to see here. Anyway, with Sephi here, we're killing off creatures, with perhaps some minor graveyard shenanigans along the way.</p>
<p>However, there's just one small problem: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aerith Gainsborough" href="#" target="_blank">Aerith Gainsborough</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, our third wheel, is in the way. How do we <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eliminate the Competition" href="#" target="_blank">Eliminate the Competition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Harmonize|fic|308"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sephiroth&#039;s Intervention"></div></div>
<p>Ah, thank you, Sephiroth. With Aerith now excused to be on a forever date with Sephiroth's sword, we can be on our way. Are you ready to rumble?</p>
<h2>Cloud, Planet's Champion Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Going Universes Beyond-Cloud" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Cloud, Planet&#039;s Champion
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Bloodforged Battle-Axe
*1 Brotherhood Regalia
*1 Colossus Hammer
*1 Endless Atlas
*1 Excalibur, Sword of Eden
*1 Inspiring Statuary
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mask of Memory
*1 Mithril Coat
*1 Shadowspear
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Sword of Feast and Famine
*1 Sword of Hearth and Home
*1 Sword of Light and Shadow
*1 Sword of War and Peace
*1 Sword of the Animist
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 The Spear of Leonidas
*1 Ultima Weapon
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Armory Paladin
*1 Bastion Protector
*1 Beatrix, Loyal General
*1 Bureau Headmaster
*1 Cid, Freeflier Pilot
*1 Codsworth, Handy Helper
*1 Freya Crescent
*1 Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms
*1 Gimli of the Glittering Caves
*1 Item Shopkeep
*1 Lightning, Security Sergeant
*1 Puresteel Paladin
*1 Raubahn, Bull of Ala Mhigo
*1 Rosa, Resolute White Mage
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer
*1 Weapons Vendor
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Battlefield Improvisation
*1 Big Score
*1 Boros Charm
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Crush Contraband
*1 Inventory Management
*1 Judgment Bolt
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Unexpected Windfall
*1 Wear // Tear
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cathartic Reunion
*1 Cleansing Nova
*1 Faithless Looting
*1 Overpowering Attack
*1 Secret Rendezvous
*1 Seize the Day
*1 Single Combat
*1 Unfinished Business
*1 Wake the Past
*1 What Must Be Done
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Forge Anew
*1 Sigarda&#039;s Aid
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Abstergo Entertainment
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Clifftop Retreat
*1 Command Tower
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Furycalm Snarl
*1 Inspiring Vantage
*8 Mountain
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Opal Palace
*1 Path of Ancestry
*8 Plains
*1 Rabanastre, Royal City
*1 Rugged Prairie
*1 Rustvale Bridge
*1 Sacred Peaks
*1 Sunbaked Canyon
*1 Sundown Pass
*1 Sunscorched Divide
*1 Temple of Triumph
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Rebel With A Cause</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Beatrix, Loyal General"></div></div>
<p>We begin with Cloud himself. Boros Equipment decks are nothing new in this series, as this is the third iteration. That said, I'm doing this list a tad differently this time, a small restriction that extends to the Sephiroth list as well: this deck was built with the <em>Final Fantasy Starter Kits</em> in mind. Now, that product isn't made for Commander, but it's a small starting point (Or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Starting Town" href="#" target="_blank">Starting Town</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as it were). While, at time of writing, we don't have the lists, the contents were leaked a while ago. With all the rares officially revealed before the lists, the stars aligned, and all of them are in here.</p>
<p>Since the last time, we gained access to some new stuff. Firstly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beatrix, Loyal General" href="#" target="_blank">Beatrix, Loyal General</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will let us dump our Equipment on one creature during combat. This, ideally, would be Cloud, since he'll have double strike and indestructible. Moreover, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms" href="#" target="_blank">Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> compliments her very well, seeing as we can slam any number of Equipment we find from his trigger. Thirdly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Item Shopkeep" href="#" target="_blank">Item Shopkeep</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will give an attacking equipped creature menace, making them harder to block.</p>
<p>Thanks to the set's bonus sheet, we now have access to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sram, Senior Edificer|fca|3" href="#" target="_blank">Sram, Senior Edificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (skinned as Firion, Swordmaster), letting us draw cards. Next, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cid, Freeflier Pilot" href="#" target="_blank">Cid, Freeflier Pilot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who recurs Equipment, and makes them cost less to cast again.</p>
<h2>Expanding the Armory</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Embercleave"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sunforger"></div></div>
<p>If you're looking for some in-universe cards too add, there's plenty to tap into. The rest of the Sword of X and Y cycle (as well as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Wealth and Power" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Wealth and Power</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) becomes available to us. Further, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Embercleave" href="#" target="_blank">Embercleave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is brutal to put onto Cloud, if you can reduce the cost low enough to cast it during combat. Thirdly, <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> will surely give us lots of Treasure tokens to use if the equipped creature connects.</p>
<p>If you want to retool Cloud, and give him a more controlling slant, look no further than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sunforger" href="#" target="_blank">Sunforger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. There's a lot of amazing spells that meet the criteria within Cloud's colors (including a couple of Game Changers, if that's what you're into). As long as you keep reequipping Cloud with Sunforger, and having mana open, you'd be in a good position to respond to someone who might try and disrupt your board.</p>
<p>Next, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fighter Class" href="#" target="_blank">Fighter Class</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was made for this kind of deck (an aside: DnD cards aren't <em>Universes Beyond </em>cards, but they're also not in-universe, but they still count for this section). Secondly, a number of the Nahiri planeswalker variants work for the deck. I'd pick <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nahiri, the Lithomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Nahiri, the Lithomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> because of the utility she provides (be sure to add <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as well if you do).</p>
<h2>Play the Victory Tune</h2>
<p>Concluding this half of the article, and looking back, there was a noticeable difference between the past article and this one (besides the Starter Kit restriction): One had you focus on going wide, but Cloud wants you to put all of your eggs into one basket, Voltron-style. The <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kassandra, Eagle Bearer" href="#" target="_blank">Kassandra, Eagle Bearer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck from that article was more about going wide, using as many legendary Equipment as possible (and <em>Final Fantasy </em>has those in spades!).</p>
<p>That said, let's see about his opponent...</p>
<h2>Sephiroth, Planet's Heir Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Going Universes Beyond-Sephiroth" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Archfiend of Depravity
*1 Baleful Strix
*1 Gaius van Baelsar
*1 Merciless Executioner
*1 Morbid Opportunist
*1 Pitiless Plunderer
*1 Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER // Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Summon: Anima
*1 Ultimecia, Temporal Threat
*1 Xande, Dark Mage
*1 Zenos yae Galvus // Shinryu, Transcendent Rival
*1 Zodiark, Umbral God
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blight Grenade
*1 Bone Splinters
*1 Deadly Embrace
*1 Deep Analysis
*1 Exsanguinate
*1 Extract from Darkness
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Great Intelligence&#039;s Plan
*1 Languish
*1 Lórien Revealed
*1 Mutilate
*1 Night&#039;s Whisper
*1 Quantum Misalignment
*1 Reanimate
*1 Rite of Replication
*1 Toxic Deluge
*1 Windfall
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Brotherhood Regalia
*1 Endless Atlas
*1 Genesis Chamber
*1 Gilded Lotus
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Magitek Scythe
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mithril Coat
*1 Shadowspear
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 The Masamune
*1 Thought Vessel
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bastion of Remembrance
*1 Black Market
*1 Black Market Connections
*1 Phyrexian Reclamation
*1 Propaganda
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse
*1 Counterspell
*1 Cyber Conversion
*1 Deadly Dispute
*1 Dismember
*1 Flatline
*1 Orcish Medicine
*1 Overkill
*1 Sephiroth&#039;s Intervention
*1 V.A.T.S.
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Abstergo Entertainment
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Choked Estuary
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Command Tower
*1 Contaminated Aquifer
*1 Darkwater Catacombs
*1 Drowned Catacomb
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Fetid Pools
*7 Island
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Path of Ancestry
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 River of Tears
*1 Shipwreck Marsh
*1 Sunken Hollow
*1 Sunken Ruins
*7 Swamp
*1 Tainted Isle
*1 Temple of Deceit
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Treno, Dark City
*1 Underground River
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>It's Time To Bring Despair to <em>Magic: The Gathering</em></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER"></div></div>
<p>WARNING: If you love your friends, do <em>not</em> use this deck. You'll lose them by game's end.</p>
<p>In case you haven't figured out why, this is a removal-themed deck. We're blowing up everyone and everything (and stabbing Aeriths along the way) because it helps make our commander bigger and more lethal. That said, all that removal helps clear the way for Sephiroth to get through and impale our opponents with that massively long sword.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blight Grenade" href="#" target="_blank">Blight Grenade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> takes out a creature, then gives everything else -3/-3, perhaps wiping out an army of tokens. Next, <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> will ensure no one's board gets monstrously huge. However, for a real wipe, cast a kicked <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rite of Replication" href="#" target="_blank">Rite of Replication</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on our commander (even better if it's a token made from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quantum Misalignment" href="#" target="_blank">Quantum Misalignment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>). This will kill our commander, but they all enter, essentially wiping the board.</p>
<p>All this said, I do want to give a paragraph to one card in particular: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card is the lynchpin of the deck. You want to trigger him as much as you possibly can so you can flip him and get the emblem (Am I the only one who thinks the <em>Super Nova</em> ability is a flavor fail? Nothing like in the games to me). That said, you also want to keep him (and/or our commander) around long enough to make them threats. Fortunately, there's a few ways to do so, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orcish Medicine" href="#" target="_blank">Orcish Medicine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>Looking Beyond <em>Final Fantasy</em></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Not Dead After All"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deadeye Navigator"></div></div>
<p>Firstly, I'd retool the deck to be akin to those infamous Scam decks that terrorized Modern in recent years. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Undying Evil" href="#" target="_blank">Undying Evil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <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> would be great to keep Sephiroth from perishing while we wipe the board. On the other hand, both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Massacre Girl" href="#" target="_blank">Massacre Girl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Massacre Wurm" href="#" target="_blank">Massacre Wurm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> clear the board to make Sephiroth bigger (provided he didn't die in the aftermath).</p>
<p>Secondly, we also gain access to blue's blink effects, abusing our commander's ability to wipe the board, and perhaps soft-lock it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Displacer Kitten" href="#" target="_blank">Displacer Kitten</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadeye Navigator" href="#" target="_blank">Deadeye Navigator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> stand among the best of these, repeatedly blinking Sephiroth and making our opponents (perhaps) very salty. While not a blink spell, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drivnod, Carnage Dominus" href="#" target="_blank">Drivnod, Carnage Dominus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will double up on Sephiroth's death triggers, making him huge very quickly. It's an ability very akin to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Masamune" href="#" target="_blank">The Masamune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (aka, Aerith's best friend), which is in the deck's 99 already.</p>
<p>Lastly, while we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flatline" href="#" target="_blank">Flatline</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the deck, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sudden Spoiling" href="#" target="_blank">Sudden Spoiling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Polymorphist&#039;s Jest" href="#" target="_blank">Polymorphist&#039;s Jest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will also make opposing creatures much easier to kill. For an alternate win condition, look no further than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Revel in Riches" href="#" target="_blank">Revel in Riches</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It ramps us with all the creatures hitting the bin, and hitting the critical number of Treasure tokens with this deck should be a breeze.</p>
<h2>I Will Never Be a Memory</h2>
<p>In summary, this deck has to be about the most evil, diabolical deck I've come up with so far. It might be something you play once in a blue moon, then perhaps never again. Your friends won't let you bring it out again, I assure you. Then again, it does its job well.</p>
<p>In any case, both of these decks tackle the archetype in different ways. One with a more traditional approach, the other a more controlling style. That said, this is a non-budget path one could take with the Starter Kit. A budget one would drastically change both decks.</p>
<p>Hopefully you enjoyed my take on both of these commanders (and survived my mischief throughout the article. It really came out in force here. No disrespect to Aerith intended). Perhaps they might guide you in creating your own builds. Tune in next time as we dive into the second of the three long-awaited articles (It won't be like today's).</p>


Beyond the Multiverse-Cloud and Sephiroth

<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emet-Selch of the Third Seat" href="#" target="_blank">Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CMagali+Villeneuve%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Magali Villeneuve</a><br />
</i></p>
<p>Hey, nerds! Welcome to my first <i>Final Fantasy </i>$50 budget deck tech featuring <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emet-Selch of the Third Seat" href="#" target="_blank">Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (excluding the cost of the commander). I’ve been looking for an interesting spellslinger commander for years now. My first spellslinger deck was a pile of cards I opened from <i>Guilds of Ravnica </i>and bulk I owned featuring <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Parun" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, Parun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It was a hot mess that kind of functioned, but it wasn’t great. Then I got gifted a budget <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark, the Thumbless" href="#" target="_blank">Krark, the Thumbless</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> // <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix" href="#" target="_blank">Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> partner deck one Christmas. It was such a fun deck, but it only came out on occasion since the turns would take longer than I wanted, so I put it back on my shelf and accepted the fact I’d never find a spell commander that jived with me.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emet-Selch of the Third Seat"></div></div>
<p>That was until <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emet-Selch of the Third Seat" href="#" target="_blank">Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was spoiled.</p>

<hr />
<h2>What Does Emet-Selch of the Third Seat Do?</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emet-Selch of the Third Seat" href="#" target="_blank">Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> reduces the cost of any spell you cast from your graveyard by two. This effect might seem innocuous, but cheating on mana is one of the strongest things you can do in a game. If you only cast two spells from your graveyard, it's like you got to cast Emet for free. However, that second ability is what drew me in. There are two key things to note about this ability. First, you don’t need to be the one to deal the damage. Second, the spell would only be exiled if it were put back into the graveyard.</p>
<p>The first idea I had was a Dimir Buyback deck. Buyback is an additional cost, which Emet would reduce. Let’s say you cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clockspinning" href="#" target="_blank">Clockspinning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from your graveyard and pay for the buyback cost. Instead of being exiled, it would return to your hand, since Emet’s second ability only exiles the spell if it goes back to your graveyard. However, there are only 18 spells with buyback in Dimir, and that isn’t enough to build a dedicated deck.</p>
<p>That was when I remembered a deck I played a few weeks ago. My best friend built a budget <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord of the Nazgûl" href="#" target="_blank">Lord of the Nazgûl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Dimir spells deck. He wanted some feedback, so I took it for a spin. After playing it, it got me thinking about how to improve the deck. One idea I had was to use it as a Spellslinger Aristocrat deck. The deck makes tokens that can be sacrificed for value, and black has plenty of cards that drain when creatures die.</p>
<p>So instead of doing a buyback deck or some generic Dimir spells deck, I want to build a Dimir Tokens deck. The idea is simple. You play instants, sorceries, and creature-token-generators, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects for value when your creatures die, and sacrifice outlets to enable the deaths of said creatures, plus some other key cards you’ll play in any Emet deck.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Key Cards for Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lab Rats"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cackling Counterpart"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geralf, the Fleshwright"></div></div>
<p>The first set of spells is the token-generators. These spells either make their own tokens, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lab Rats" href="#" target="_blank">Lab Rats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Retrieve the Esper" href="#" target="_blank">Retrieve the Esper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Otterball Antics" href="#" target="_blank">Otterball Antics</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, make token copies of your creatures, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cackling Counterpart" href="#" target="_blank">Cackling Counterpart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quasiduplicate" href="#" target="_blank">Quasiduplicate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Self-Reflection" href="#" target="_blank">Self-Reflection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or creatures that are payoffs for casting spells, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord of the Nazgûl" href="#" target="_blank">Lord of the Nazgûl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sedgemoor Witch" href="#" target="_blank">Sedgemoor Witch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geralf, the Fleshwright" href="#" target="_blank">Geralf, the Fleshwright</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. When choosing token-generators, I prioritized cards that we could cast from the graveyard without Emet’s ability.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nasty End"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Corrupted Conviction"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yahenni, Undying Partisan"></div></div>
<p>Next are value sacrifice spells. These are usually cheap instants that require us to sacrifice a creature to draw cards. Cheap cantrips, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nasty End" href="#" target="_blank">Nasty End</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadly Dispute" href="#" target="_blank">Deadly Dispute</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corrupted Conviction" href="#" target="_blank">Corrupted Conviction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are great here. Because of how the stack works, you won’t be able to cast a Deadly Dispute from your graveyard the same turn you cast it, unless you have your opponent lose life again, since it won’t be in the graveyard to target, which is why I’d add more sacrifice outlets, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Carrion Feeder" href="#" target="_blank">Carrion Feeder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Viscera Seer" href="#" target="_blank">Viscera Seer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yahenni, Undying Partisan" href="#" target="_blank">Yahenni, Undying Partisan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lier, Disciple of the Drowned"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Taigam, Master Opportunist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oona&#039;s Grace"></div></div>
<p>Now, before we get into the Blood Artist effects, I wanted to share five cards I think are worth considering in nearly every Emet deck, those being <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lier, Disciple of the Drowned" href="#" target="_blank">Lier, Disciple of the Drowned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="River Kelpie" href="#" target="_blank">River Kelpie</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Taigam, Master Opportunist" href="#" target="_blank">Taigam, Master Opportunist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oona&#039;s Grace" href="#" target="_blank">Oona&#039;s Grace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syphon Life" href="#" target="_blank">Syphon Life</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Lier turns Emet into a powerful mana acceleration tool, allowing you to recast your instants and sorceries for cheaper. River Kelpie provides card advantage by just existing, and persist makes it a bit harder to kill. Taigam can put spells you cast from your graveyard with Emet’s ability suspend instead of them getting exiled forever. This interaction works great with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clockspinning" href="#" target="_blank">Clockspinning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Oona's Grace essentially gives lands in your hand cycling for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> if Emet is in play, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syphon Life" href="#" target="_blank">Syphon Life</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides a consistent way to trigger Emet’s ability at the cost of a land.</p>
<hr />
<h2>How to Win with Emet-Selch of the Third Seat</h2>
<p>There are three ways to win with the deck. First are the aforementioned Blood Artist effects. These are cards that ping to our opponent when creatures die, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Al Bhed Salvagers" href="#" target="_blank">Al Bhed Salvagers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirkwood Bats" href="#" target="_blank">Mirkwood Bats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zulaport Cutthroat" href="#" target="_blank">Zulaport Cutthroat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bastion of Remembrance" href="#" target="_blank">Bastion of Remembrance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. They make great kicked <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rite of Replication" href="#" target="_blank">Rite of Replication</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> targets.</p>
<p>The second option is just to beat face with the tokens. Many of the tokens have some evasion, either flying or menace. I even toyed around with the idea of adding <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maskwood Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Maskwood Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conspiracy" href="#" target="_blank">Conspiracy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Adaptation" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Adaptation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to make <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord of the Nazgûl" href="#" target="_blank">Lord of the Nazgûl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geralf, the Fleshwright" href="#" target="_blank">Geralf, the Fleshwright</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> better, but that interaction is too cute and doesn’t help the main gameplan enough.</p>
<p>Finally, I always like adding one generically powerful win condition to a deck. Sometimes your key cards are exiled, or you’re too behind on the board. My go-to budget option is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exsanguinate" href="#" target="_blank">Exsanguinate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It can get your opponents low enough to finish off with drain effects, or if you have enough mana, just end the game on its own.</p>
<h2>Emet-Selch of the Third Seat Commander Decklist</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Budget Emet-Selch Spellslinger Sacrifice" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Emet-Selch of the Third Seat
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Al Bhed Salvagers
*1 Archmage of Runes
*1 Baral, Chief of Compliance
*1 Blood Artist
*1 Boggart Trawler // Boggart Bog
*1 Carrion Feeder
*1 Geralf, the Fleshwright
*1 Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory
*1 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
*1 Lord of the Nazgûl
*1 Mirkwood Bats
*1 Morbid Opportunist
*1 Murmuring Mystic
*1 Osteomancer Adept
*1 River Kelpie
*1 Sedgemoor Witch
*1 Skyclave Shade
*1 Taigam, Master Opportunist
*1 Talrand, Sky Summoner
*1 Viscera Seer
*1 Wizards of Thay
*1 Yahenni, Undying Partisan
*1 Zulaport Cutthroat
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Dimir Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Liquimetal Torque
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bastion of Remembrance
*1 Case of the Ransacked Lab
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Cackling Counterpart
*1 Corrupted Conviction
*1 Deadly Dispute
*1 Drag the Canal
*1 Fanatical Offering
*1 Filter Out
*1 Go for the Throat
*1 Infernal Grasp
*1 Jwari Disruption // Jwari Ruins
*1 Nasty End
*1 Oona&#039;s Grace
*1 Plumb the Forbidden
*1 Reality Shift
*1 Rotten Reunion
*1 Szat&#039;s Will
*1 Village Rites
*1 Waterlogged Teachings // Inundated Archive
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Exsanguinate
*1 Irenicus&#039;s Vile Duplication
*1 Lab Rats
*1 Lórien Revealed
*1 Otterball Antics
*1 Quasiduplicate
*1 Retrieve the Esper
*1 Ringsight
*1 Rite of Replication
*1 Self-Reflection
*1 Syphon Life
*1 Unending Whisper
*1 Winternight Stories
[/Sorceries]
[Battles]
*1 Invasion of Segovia // Caetus, Sea Tyrant of Segovia
[/Battles]
[Lands]
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Choked Estuary
*1 Command Tower
*1 Darkslick Shores
*1 Darkwater Catacombs
*1 Dimir Aqueduct
*1 Drowned Catacomb
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Fetid Pools
*1 Field of Ruin
*8 Island
*1 Murky Sewer
*1 Mystic Sanctuary
*1 Sunken Hollow
*7 Swamp
*1 Tainted Isle
*1 Temple of Deceit
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Underground River
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>I love playing decks that break the norms of what people expect, and this particular build of Emet is exactly that. I wouldn’t put it up against any Bracket Four decks, but if you’re looking for a solid middle-of-the-road deck that can have insane turns and is always doing something, I’d try Emet.</p>
<p>I’d love to hear your thoughts on this list below. Do you think I missed any cards? What upgrades would you make? Alrighty nerds, I’ll see you in the next one!</p>


dimir commander

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Beyond the Multiverse-Cloud and Sephiroth

Budget Dimir Spellslinger Sacrifice: Emet-Selch of the Third Seat

Storming Off With an Emet-Selch, Unsundered Commander Deck