<p style="text-align: right;"><em><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> by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/magali_villeneuve/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Magali Villeneuve</a></em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Welcome to <em>Roman Begs Anybody Else To Build a Bracket One Deck - Deck Tech Edition</em>. If you’re looking for the more “competitive” version of this deck, it will be coming later. But first, please, bear with me a moment and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1PPoIAOO2Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">consider the following</a>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Obviously the new <em>Final Fantasy</em> <em>Magic: the Gathering</em> set has a ton of very, very powerful cards. It has <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jumbo Cactuar" href="#" target="_blank">a creature which can attack for ten thousand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It has </span><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sin, Spira&#039;s Punishment" href="#" target="_blank">Sin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who you <span style="font-weight: 400;">only have to read once to know that it will be used with pure criminal intent. Heck, just the spoiler release of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vivi Ornitier" href="#" target="_blank">Vivi Ornitier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> caused upward of 50 reported hospitalizations. These cards are busted. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This means that but a single question remains about this set: Which card is the most fun? And to answer that, I present to you <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir</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="Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I missed the <em>Final Fantasy</em> games as a kid, so I know Sephiroth from two things. First, the incredible moment where he torpedoes 500 feet down from the sky to put a sword straight through Aerith. It’s a moment so iconic that they had him <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJo25Dtglbo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recreate it with Mario when they introduced him in <em>Smash</em></a>. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The second is his wonderful cameo in <em>Kingdom Hearts</em> where he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPjbwSH5Bps" target="_blank" rel="noopener">serves as a harsh reminder of the consequences of curiosity</a>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Given that the <em>Kingdom Hearts</em> version of this deck would require the inclusion of upwards of 50 <em>Lorcana</em> cards, we’ll stick with the first moment when looking to idolize Sephiroth with his own Bracket 1 deck. And to pay homage to that glorious moment, we’ll play it out again, and again, and again, in a deck I’ve lovingly titled<em> Oops, All Sephiroths.</em></span></p>
<h2>What Does Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir do?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, has two main abilities. The first pays wonderful tribute to that moment of terminal velocity swordplay. When he enters, creatures your opponents control get -2/-2 until end of turn. Eat that, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Mob Boss" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Sephiroth is a one-man board wipe for tokens and mana dorks. When he enters he really resets the playing field.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His second ability is what really sends him to the moon. Whenever a creature an opponent controls dies, he gets a +1/+1 counter. And given that he already has vigilance, this makes him a pretty tough customer to deal with. Especially if he has a deck to back him up that's loaded with removal. A deck very much like <em>Oops, All Sephiroths</em>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But not just any removal. The one thing <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> loses thematically, especially as a commander, is the suddenness of that moment. Everybody sees him up there, waiting to descend and wreak mass destruction. Where’s the surprise? The drama? This deck seeks to rectify this injustice.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">How do we do this? By making as many Sephiroths as we can. Not copies of Sephiroth, mind you. But creatures that come in suddenly and remove opposing creatures. But do they come in on our turn? Absolutely not! We're going to do our damage in cutscenes. Well, the closest thing <em>Magic</em> has to cutscenes: our opponents' turns. To that end, we’re giving everything flash.</span></p>
<h2>Key Cards for Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir</h2>
<h3>Flash: The 500-Foot Divebomb of <em>Magic: the Gathering</em></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vedalken Orrery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quicksilver Amulet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Leyline of Anticipation"></div></div></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These three beauties are going to help us bring out our creatures anytime. This is necessary to create removal at the height of drama, as is the Sephiroth way. There are only a few such cards in the deck, but your first mulligan is free, so don’t be afraid to search for them - especially that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leyline of Anticipation" href="#" target="_blank">Leyline of Anticipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. And don’t be afraid to mulligan down to six, five, even four for them, as reckless, insane risk taking in the pursuit of power is very much the Sephiroth way!</span></p>
<p>You'll also find a couple of other helpers in this regard, notably <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> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for as long as you can keep them on the board. I've also included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emergence Zone" href="#" target="_blank">Emergence Zone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Borne Upon a Wind" href="#" target="_blank">Borne Upon a Wind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for some single-turn Sephirothing if you don't have access to these other tools. If you happen to have a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winding Canyons" href="#" target="_blank">Winding Canyons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> sitting around in your collection, this is certainly a use for it. But when I'm designing for Bracket 1, I use cards worth over $5 very sparingly, and never over $10, so the canyons didn't make the cut.</p>
<h3>It's Just Sephiroths, All The Way Down</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Big Game Hunter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Black Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Meteor Golem"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Behold: These are our Sephiroths. Bring them in with drama. With panache. These will come in to immediately remove opposing creatures, threats or no, all in service of powering up Sephiroth himself. For additional fun, I’d encourage you to use “Sephiroth” as a verb when playing these. For example, “I’m going to play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Big Game Hunter" href="#" target="_blank">Big Game Hunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to Sephiroth your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brion Stoutarm" href="#" target="_blank">Brion Stoutarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.” And for extra credit, have a button on your phone to play the “Sephiroth” sting from One Winged Angel whenever you do. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking of which, based on some research, it seems that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meteor Golem" href="#" target="_blank">Meteor Golem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fairly solid thematic and mechanical inclusion to this deck. Let me know in the comments if there are other thematic inclusions you'd make. As this is a Bracket 1 deck, thematic inclusions are just as important, if not more so, than actual mechanical cohesion.</span></p>
<h3>You Haven't Even Seen My Final Form</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flatline"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Massacre Girl"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These two are nasty combo pieces with Sephiroth. If you can play a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flatline" href="#" target="_blank">Flatline</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> before bringing in Sephiroth, he’ll get almost everything in one go (except for that troublesome <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ms. Bumbleflower" href="#" target="_blank">Ms. Bumbleflower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with 80 +1/+1 counters, Sephiroth’s eternal nemesis). This means that if you have your <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> on the board, <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> may be able to Sephiroth a whole player out of the game, which just feels correct.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><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> is also a fun combo, as she’ll progressively blow things up around the board, but Sephiroth’s +1/+1 counter for each death should help him outpace the coming storm. This is another one where I'd have to rely on MTG Arena triggers to keep me in line, but please get in the comments and let me know if I'm wrong.</span></p>
<h2>How Does Oops, All Sephiroths Win?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Well, as with all Bracket 1 gameplay, you win by having the silliest, most fun time at the table. But in terms of winning by the actual rules of <em>Magic</em>, you do have some options.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Your first option is, of course, winning by commander damage. It’s relatively easy to get <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> up to the point where he’ll be swinging for 21. And in a deck with so much removal, it'll be hard for many opponents to keep up enough blockers to stop you.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But you can also make use of the cards above, as well as board wipes like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="In Garruk’s Wake" href="#" target="_blank">In Garruk’s Wake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <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> to ensure that he’s both strong enough to swing for lethal and unhindered by pesky blockers.</span></p>
<h2>Oops, All Sephiroths Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Oops, All Sephiroths" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Sephiroth, Planet&#039;s Heir
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Audacious Thief
*1 Big Game Hunter
*1 Black Dragon
*1 Blood Artist
*1 Callidus Assassin
*1 Cavalier of Night
*1 Dread Cacodemon
*1 Dread Presence
*1 Farbog Boneflinger
*1 Harvester of Souls
*1 High Fae Trickster
*1 High-Society Hunter
*1 Kagemaro, First to Suffer
*1 Keening Banshee
*1 Malakir Cullblade
*1 Massacre Girl
*1 Massacre Girl, Known Killer
*1 Massacre Wurm
*1 Meteor Golem
*1 Morbid Opportunist
*1 Mulldrifter
*1 Nekrataal
*1 Nightshade Assassin
*1 Noxious Gearhulk
*1 Overseer of the Damned
*1 Ravenous Chupacabra
*1 Shriekmaw
*1 Silumgar Assassin
*1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
*1 Tidal Barracuda
*1 Vincent Valentine // Galian Beast
*1 Zenos yae Galvus // Shinryu, Transcendent Rival
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Dimir Locket
*1 Dimir Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Quicksilver Amulet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Vedalken Orrery
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Leyline of Anticipation
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Ambition&#039;s Cost
*1 Foreboding Fruit
*1 In Garruk&#039;s Wake
*1 Ponder
*1 Risky Shortcut
*1 Toxic Deluge
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Borne Upon a Wind
*1 Consider
*1 Flatline
*1 Go for the Throat
*1 Locust Spray
*1 Murder
*1 Mystic Confluence
*1 Quick Study
*1 Sephiroth&#039;s Intervention
*1 Tragic Slip
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Choked Estuary
*1 Command Tower
*1 Drowned Catacomb
*1 Emergence Zone
*10 Island
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Shipwreck Marsh
*1 Sunken Hollow
*17 Swamp
*1 Tainted Isle
*1 Temple of Deceit
*1 Temple of the False God
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Some Final Thoughts For Sephiroth, Planet's Heir</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Look, this is a bad guy deck. It has a lot of removal, and that can make for an unfun time for others at the table. My advice: delight in it. Make yourself the villain. Call that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muldrotha, the Gravetide" href="#" target="_blank">Muldrotha, the Gravetide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> an “Inferior Dullard.” Decide that things with swords are primary targets. Break out a villainous laugh if you must. If this causes everyone else to turn against you and overcome you in the end, excellent; you played your role well. The joy of this deck isn’t in the outcome, it’s in the experience.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Also, feel free to make this deck your own! Use whatever you have on hand. Put in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Butch DeLoria, Tunnel Snake" href="#" target="_blank">Butch DeLoria, Tunnel Snake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if you want to. See if your friends will let you run <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Nipton Lottery" href="#" target="_blank">The Nipton Lottery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> outside of color (a must-include in every Bracket 1 deck in my book), just to see if you can use it pre-combat, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIQ8laL0yQk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oliver Swanick</a> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Sephiroth, Planet’s Heir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and swing for lethal in the funniest way possible. Just get out there and have fun with it. It’s what Sephiroth would want*.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">*Disclaimer: I can’t stress this enough, I really don’t know Sephiroth very well. </span></p>


Sephiroth, Planet's Heir - Final Fantasy Bracket 1 Commander Deck

Under the Radar - Silumgar, the Drifting Death

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dimir Machinations" href="#" target="_blank">Dimir Machinations</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.gregstaples.com/">Greg Staples</a>)</h6>
<h1>The Truth Hurts</h1>
<p>In Commander, it doesn’t make much sense to mill your opponents. There are certainly synergies and combos you can put together, but milling just can’t keep up.</p>
<p>Most mill cards are designed around a sixty-card deck in a one-on-one format. In Commander, you have to account for three 100-card decks.</p>
<p>Even if you go hard on politics so you only have to mill one or two opponents, you’ll likely run out of steam halfway through the game.</p>
<p>On the other hand, you can always build some alt-win contingencies into your deck. But then you’re making it even harder to focus on milling your opponents. This creates a negative feedback loop, where you need to focus even more on non-mill strategies.</p>
<p>The best way to combat this is to shift your mentality...</p>
<p><strong>Bring only chaos. Leave only suffering.</strong></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Millstone"></div></div>
<h6><em>The titular millstone, old but not forgotten.</em></h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Mill Yourself</h2>
<p>The most straightforward way to bring milling to any game of <em>Magic</em> is to simply mill yourself. Afterall, who’s going to stop you?</p>
<p>From Golgari’s unhealthy obsession with recycling to blue’s misunderstanding of delayed gratification, you have plenty of options at your disposal.</p>
<p>Even red looks at the graveyard and thinks “yeah, that’s where I want my cards to be.”</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Octavia, Living Thesis"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anger"></div></div>
<h6><em>Self-mill may not be wise, but it can be effective.</em></h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>But Why Do That?</h3>
<p>The main reason to self-mill is to expedite your ability to access certain abilities.</p>
<p>You can speedrun your cards from the library to the battlefield with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muldrotha, the Gravetide" href="#" target="_blank">Muldrotha, the Gravetide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Or you can create a horde of fungus zombies with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Mycotyrant" href="#" target="_blank">The Mycotyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>You might prefer a less overtly fast-tracked influence on the game. Then a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grim Discovery" href="#" target="_blank">Grim Discovery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can always return the graveyard back into your hand.</p>
<p>Or you might prefer exciting and explosive turns. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Underworld Breach" href="#" target="_blank">Underworld Breach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> facilitates exactly that, assuming you can pay the costs.</p>
<p>At its core, self-mill facilitates <strong>efficiency</strong> in your deck. Whatever you’re trying to do, self-milling will make it happen faster. Not only for Golgari colors, but across the color pie.</p>
<p>And if you’re playing against a black deck, maybe they’ll force some discards on you to help you out... if you ask nicely.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sidisi, Brood Tyrant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grist, the Hunger Tide"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lost Monarch of Ifnir"></div></div>
<h6><em>Allowing these cards anywhere near a graveyard is a mistake.</em></h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Trash Your Cards</h2>
<p>But there’s more ways to get cards into your graveyard than just milling. Self-inflicted discarding and surveilling are the obvious choices.</p>
<p>But you can always sacrifice permanents that come back for round two. You can draw too many cards, being forced to discard at the end of your turn. The world is your oyster, if throwing away your hand were a pearl.</p>
<h3>Self-Discard</h3>
<p>Lowering costs a la <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer" href="#" target="_blank">Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> helps offset the wonky hands you’ll have trashing your cards. Discarding cards from your hand is basically playing them for free if your graveyard is accessible.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hashaton, Scarab&#039;s Fist" href="#" target="_blank">Hashaton, Scarab&#039;s Fist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> even lets you convert that into a small army! Combine this with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temmet, Naktamun&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Temmet, Naktamun&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and you can have an army of superpowered Zombies for the low cost of your entire hand.</p>
<p>A full graveyard can empower something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rielle, the Everwise" href="#" target="_blank">Rielle, the Everwise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but these sorts of cards’ strengths aren’t fully unlocked until you’re actively discarding cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hashaton, Scarab&#039;s Fist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Temmet, Naktamun&#039;s Will"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rielle, the Everwise"></div></div>
<p>Assuming you have an idea in-mind for a graveyard-centric deck, any combination of self-milling, surveilling, sacrificing, and self-discarding will be useful. So how do you actually go about discarding cards?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4>Blood Tokens</h4>
<p>Blood tokens give limited discard while also synergizing with artifact and Vampire decks. While not the most mana-efficient, token generation can always be expedited.</p>
<p>Plus, these have enough synergy with certain Vampire cards to keep you alive as you put your library in a shredder.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anje, Maid of Dishonor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blood Fountain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Odric, Blood-Cursed"></div></div>
<h6><em>These bloodsuckers are undead, the graveyard is their second home.</em></h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4>Activated Effects</h4>
<p>Certain commanders, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anje Falkenrath" href="#" target="_blank">Anje Falkenrath</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have activated abilities to discard. Others happen passively.</p>
<p>Whether used as your commander or not, having a few activated abilities to cause discards can ensure you have flexibility in your plays.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Malfegor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flubs, the Fool"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sauron, the Dark Lord"></div></div>
<h6><em>If you’re already milling your library, why not discard your hand?</em></h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4>Draw, Discard</h4>
<p>Any number of “draw a card, then discard a card” effects exist in the game. Sometimes, you even end up with net positive card draw!</p>
<p><em>Other times</em>, they have an alternative effect which is just as diabolical.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thirst for Discovery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Locust God"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thrill of Possibility"></div></div>
<h6><em>Izzet really does like tinkering with trashed cards.</em></h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4>Surveil?</h4>
<p>Surveilling is really just self-mill but with the added benefit of walking-back your choice if you want what’s on the top of your deck.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, you surveil in smaller quantities than you self-mill. Further, your graveyard is going to be accessible if you’re self-milling.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lazav, the Multifarious" href="#" target="_blank">Lazav, the Multifarious</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is nice to have in a deck that involves self-mill, self-discard, or anything similar. But surveilling as a whole isn’t really required.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nyx Weaver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Magar of the Magic Strings"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grolnok, the Omnivore"></div></div>
<h6><em>Your graveyard really is just a second hand at this point.</em></h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>What About Them?</h2>
<p>Up until now, this article was focused on self-mill, self-discard, and similar attributes. The reason is simply because mill on a three-way split with 100-card decks isn’t as feasible as other formats.</p>
<p>However, that isn’t to say you are <em>unable</em> to implement it.</p>
<p>There are really two specific flavors of targeted milling when it comes to Commander. You can either focus on milling one person at a time. Or you can focus on milling everyone at once.</p>
<h3>One Person</h3>
<p>While not the fastest method of winning, focusing your mill on a single player at a time gives you the ability to negotiate who you’ll mill and when. You aren’t making enemies by accidentally ruining the plan of the person next to you.</p>
<p>Just be aware, this means you’re vulnerable to “one-and-done” syndrome. That being, where you make an alliance with one player, you each take out a target, and then you’re in a one-on-one.</p>
<p>Given that in order to properly mill a 100-card deck you likely spent most of your resources, you might not be able to mill your former partner fast enough. Particularly given how late in the game this confrontation would take place.</p>
<p>Just don’t focus all your mill on a single player and you’ll be fine. <strong>Always have a contingency</strong>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Captain N&#039;ghathrod"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phenax, God of Deception"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Mindskinner"></div></div>
<h6><em>A selection of cards to ensure one specific player has a bad time.</em></h6>
<h3>Everyone</h3>
<p>Certainly the more expressive option of the two options, this very might paint a target on your back. You might not be the largest threat, but you’re quite the large and painful thorn in the side of everyone.</p>
<p>That being said, there’s a few ways to go about this.</p>
<p>The most straightforward is to play cards that mill everyone. Or if you’re feeling protective of your own library, cards that mill everyone else.</p>
<p>This won’t tend to win you games on their own, but multiple of them add up over time. Particularly when paired with a more targeted approach.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ruin Crab"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fractured Sanity"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mindcrank"></div></div>
<h6><em>None of these are subtle, though they certainly are effective.</em></h6>
<p>Further, there are cards that scale off of milling or otherwise have some sort of synergy with it. Use these to supplement your main sources of milling.</p>
<p>Don’t pivot away from your core strategy, but make sure you can support yourself while working through it.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Syr Konrad, the Grim"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Wise Mothman"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Consuming Aberration"></div></div>
<h6><em>Not every card that mills is about the sheer volume.</em></h6>
<p>You can put the pressure on the pod, decreasing hand sizes across the board in order to make every decision count. Afterall, you can make a deck that thrives off of your hand size being slashed in half. Why can’t they?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dark Deal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Winter, Misanthropic Guide"></div></div>
<h6><em>This is certainly the most direct of the various methods.</em></h6>
<h3>Just Exile Them</h3>
<p>Sometimes you don’t want to mill your opponents, you want to remove them from existence. Their cards, not the opponent's. Though when I go up against an Eldrazi deck, I certainly would prefer if my opponent ceased to exist.</p>
<p>Which is why it’s so fitting that the Ingest keyword is typical to Eldrazi Drones. Exiling the top card of your opponent’s deck when you deal damage to them isn’t a lot. But anything that copies creatures or can transfer Ingest?</p>
<p>Or even just using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crumbling Sanctuary" href="#" target="_blank">Crumbling Sanctuary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with otherwise normal beatdown strategies? That’s how you remove a library from existence.</p>
<p>Pair it with the aforementioned milling strategies and even a Golgari player can’t turn it to their advantage. Blue players will help you along with all their card draw. White’s ability to exile and gain life doesn’t help when you’re playing off the battlefield.</p>
<p>Even red players will get hesitant to impulse draw if you’re slashing their deck.</p>
<p>While they can exile the top card of their deck and play it that turn, should they? When they’re just speeding their time to deck-out?</p>
<p>If this specific strain of milling appeals to you, check out <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/too-specific-top-10-mill">this article</a> all about exiling-as-milling, plus a listing of some of the most notorious milling cards out there.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jace, the Mind Sculptor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger"></div></div>
<h6><em>If you see these, I hope you aren’t too attached to your library.</em></h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Why Mill?</h2>
<p>To mill in Commander is to show up to a game with chaos in your heart and an underdog mentality. You are purposely putting yourself at a disadvantage in order to make a more interesting game dynamic.</p>
<p>I respect that. I’ll curse your name and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murder" href="#" target="_blank">Murder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> any <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ruin Crab" href="#" target="_blank">Ruin Crab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on sight, but it’s certainly a respectable way to play! Particularly in the case where targeted milling is used as a force of negotiation.</p>
<p>The ability to promise “not” to do something is <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/commander-unoptimized-group-hugs">just as powerful as anything a Group Hug can provide.</a> It’s much like countering in that respect, but that’s for another article.</p>
<p>Remember to always mill responsibly!</p>


Milling, Even In Commander

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tobias, Doomed Conqueror" href="#" target="_blank">Tobias, Doomed Conqueror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://burmak.ru/">Dmitry Burmak</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combination and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">It’s likely that this commander has not been considered for this theme before, and that’s the point! This allows us to play around with themes that we enjoy while keeping our decks unique and interesting.</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">For today's edition, we're switching things up a bit. Usually we focus on a particular theme, but today we're focusing on a <em>type</em>: Zombies.</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This theme is very common in Dimir (black and blue), with the most popular "Zombies" commander coming from an <em>Innistrad: Midnight Hunt</em> preconstructed Commander deck. According to EDHREC, there is one thing that Zombie commander decks have in common: the color black.</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Scarab God"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Varina Lich Queen"></div></div></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gisa and Geralf"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grimgrin, Corpse-Born"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghoulcaller Gisa"></div></div></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">But what would happen if we replaced black with another color?</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">According to EDHREC, Azorius (white and blue) is on the "bottom of the barrel" for Zombie decks, with only 15 decks to its identity. Seeing <em>only 15 decks</em>, we have a winner! Looking into possible commanders, there was one that stood out above the rest: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tobias, Doomed Conqueror" href="#" target="_blank">Tobias, Doomed Conqueror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tobias, Doomed Conqueror"></div></div></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Now, I know what you're thinking: "Wait, isn't Tobias a human? Isn't this supposed to be a <em>Zombie</em> deck??"</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Allow me to explain...</p>
<h2>Category #1: Death Triggers</h2>
<p>Looking at Tobias, his ability to make Zombies cares about the amount nontoken creatures that can die in one turn. With this mind, our game plan will need to revolve around 1 huge turn of sacrificing our creatures for value. That being said, Tobias is also an amazing piece of board wipe protection, and can generate huge value if we keep the mana open to flash him in during critical points in the game.</p>
<p>Since our creatures need to die, it make sense to add creatures that <em>want</em> to die: Inga, Rune-Eyes can be a great source of card draw if enough creatures die; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Surveilling Sprite" href="#" target="_blank">Surveilling Sprite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Palace Familiar" href="#" target="_blank">Palace Familiar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Outlaw Medic," href="#" target="_blank">Outlaw Medic,</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Malcator&#039;s Watcher" href="#" target="_blank">Malcator&#039;s Watcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> generate card advantage and are the <em>perfect</em> blockers; and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ao, the Dawn Sky" href="#" target="_blank">Ao, the Dawn Sky</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can grant us crazy value when he dies.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Inga, Rune-Eyes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Surveilling Sprite"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Palace Familiar"></div></div>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Outlaw Medic"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Malacator&#039;s Watcher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ao, the Dawn Sky"></div></div></p>
<h2>Category #2: Sacrifice</h2>
<p>Since we want our creatures to die, sacrifice outlets are crucial: Ravenous Amulet is a great piece of new tech that does it all; Martyr's Cause can save us against any huge attackers; and Spawning Pit can help us create more tokens outside of the Zombies that Tobias makes.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ravenous Amulet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Martyr&#039;s Cause"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spawning Pit"></div></div>
<p>If we can't draw our sacrifice outlets, we still need ways to ensure that our creatures can die <em>on our own terms.</em> For this need, we can add creatures that sacrifice themselves to provide an effect.</p>
<p>For example: Bounty Agent can kill a commander or another "legendary" threat; Cathar Commando can remove a problem artifact or enchantment; Glen Elendra Archmage can counter any pesky noncreature spells that could put us in trouble (I'm looking at you, Expropriate!); and Benevolent Bodyguard can protect any of our creatures from any targeted action (as long as the source has a color).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bounty Agent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cathar Commando"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glen Elendra Archmage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Benevolent Bodyguard"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: Recursion</h2>
<p>With any strategy that relies on our own creatures dying, it's important that we have enough recursion pieces to keep our engine moving. My decklist has a whopping 12 pieces of recursion, but that is necessary for our game plan to succeed.</p>
<p>I won't list all 12 here, but here are a few of the highlights: God-Pharoah's Gift goes from former standard all star to arguably our best piece of recursion (not to mention, it turns the creatures into <em>Zombies</em>!); Enduring Renewal has a bit of a downside, but getting our creatures back to our hand when they die is incredibly powerful; and Starfall Invocation acts as both a board wipe <em>and</em> a reanimation spell - what's not to love!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="God-Pharaoh&#039;s Gift"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Enduring Renewal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Starfall invocation"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: The "Secret <em>Zombie</em> Spice"</h2>
<p>I'm sure by now you may have forgotten that this deck is a Zombie deck, but have no fear! We have plenty of sneaky ways to ensure that our "Zombie plan" is fulfilled! The first, and most obvious, card is Maskwood Nexus, as it turns <em>all</em> of our creatures into Zombies, and this will allow us to copy any creature on our board with a card like Cleaver Skaab.</p>
<p>God-Eternal Oketra creates 4/4 Zombies whenever we cast a creature spell, which is amazing on its own, but can get really ridiculous with things like Aven Wind Guide.</p>
<p>Stitcher Geralf gets a nod in this deck as well, as he is able to creature a <em>huge</em> Zombie token while removing resources from our opponents. When we have our Zombies, either from Tobias or otherwise, Hordewing Skaab can help close out the game by granting our undead friends flying.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Maskwood Nexus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cleaver Skaab"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="God-Eternal Oketra"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aven Wind Guide"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stitcher Geralf"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hordewing Skaab"></div></div>
<p>For today's deck, we also have a "secret spice MVP", and that is Geralf, Visionary Stitcher.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geralf, Visionary Stitcher"></div></div>
<p>Geralf does everything this decks wants: sacrifices creatures AND makes Zombies. Turning our value creatures into <em>flying Zombies</em> can create problems our opponents will struggle to handle.</p>
<p>Overall, this deck was an absolute blast to build and playtest, and I hope you'll feel inspired to give this lesser-played commander a chance!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our third edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of Zombies, and hope you’ll take my ideas to brew your own craziness!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Tobias, Doomed Conqueror" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Tobias, Doomed Conqueror
[/Commander]
[Sorceries]
*1 Ascend from Avernus
*1 Starfall Invocation
*1 Storm of Souls
*1 Time Wipe
[/Sorceries]
[Creatures]
*1 Ao, the Dawn Sky
*1 Aven Wind Guide
*1 Benevolent Bodyguard
*1 Boss&#039;s Chauffeur
*1 Bounty Agent
*1 Cathar Commando
*1 Champion of Wits
*1 Cleaver Skaab
*1 Elesh Norn // The Argent Etchings
*1 Enduring Innocence
*1 Eternal of Harsh Truths
*1 Geralf, Visionary Stitcher
*1 Glen Elendra Archmage
*1 God-Eternal Oketra
*1 High Fae Trickster
*1 Hordewing Skaab
*1 Inga Rune-Eyes
*1 Jason Bright, Glowing Prophet
*1 Luminous Broodmoth
*1 Malcator&#039;s Watcher
*1 Mulldrifter
*1 Nulldrifter
*1 Outlaw Medic
*1 Palace Familiar
*1 Phantasmal Image
*1 Phantasmal Shieldback
*1 Phantom Steed
*1 Selfless Spirit
*1 Stitched Assistant
*1 Stitcher Geralf
*1 Surveilling Sprite
*1 The Council of Four
*1 Vizier of Many Faces
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Cauldron of Souls
*1 Gate to the Afterlife
*1 God-Pharaoh&#039;s Gift
*1 Hourglass of the Lost
*1 Maskwood Nexus
*1 Midnight Clock
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Ravenous Amulet
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Spawning Pit
*1 Talisman of Progress
*1 Thought Vessel
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Enduring Renewal
*1 Gift of Immortality
*1 Martyr&#039;s Cause
*1 Promise of Tomorrow
*1 Valkyrie&#039;s Call
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Akroma&#039;s Will
*1 Brought Back
*1 Faith&#039;s Reward
*1 Lazotep Plating
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Rally the Ancestors
*1 Second Sunrise
*1 Startle
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Adarkar Wastes
*1 Azorius Chancery
*1 Command Tower
*1 Cradle of the Accursed
*1 Demolition Field
*1 Deserted Beach
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Field of the Dead
*1 High Market
*9 Island
*1 Lazotep Quarry
*1 Meticulous Archive
*1 Myriad Landscape
*10 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 War Room
[/Lands]"></span></div>


dimir

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Milling, Even In Commander

Bottom of the Barrel - Tobias, Doomed Conqueror

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Back to Basics - The Top 10 Most Played Dimir Cards in Commander

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