<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jon Irenicus, Shattered One" href="#" target="_blank">Jon Irenicus, Shattered One</a> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/igorgrechanyi">Igor Grechanyi</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo, and this is Epic Experiment, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.
Let's talk about <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jon Irenicus, Shattered One" href="#" target="_blank">Jon Irenicus, Shattered One</a>.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jon Irenicus, Shattered One"></div></div>
Jon Irenicus is a fun take on Dimir Politics, where we give out "loans" to the rest of the table and collect the profits during the following turns.
There are a few different ways to build around this kit. Creatures with unwanted effects, such as <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Master of the Feast" href="#" target="_blank">Master of the Feast</a>, are great to pass around. Alternatively, we could invest in passive token-makers, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thopter Spy Network" href="#" target="_blank">Thopter Spy Network</a>, and not have to worry about playing a creature. We could even make our opponents do our dirty work for us with by playing Infect creatures, which become a sizeable threat with the two +1/+1 counters and the pseudo-haste that we get.
While the first part of Jon Irenicus's kit is the fun aspect of the card, the draw trigger is where most of his power comes from. This ability is pretty easy to trigger, as the creature only needs to attack, so it's very quick to snowball out of control.
With that being said, there are two main issues with Jon Irenicus: the first is the tempo loss for spending mana to give a threat to an opponent, and the second is the aftermath of our gameplan, which is the awkward position that we're left behind when the 1v1 scenario comes around.
<hr />
<h2>Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Relentless Rats"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cover of Darkness"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Coat of Arms"></div></div>
We don't get symmetrical effects that hit all players like we used to (and for a good reason). Usually, they lead to feel-bad situations where we can get blown out by our own card's effect. However, given that our commander wants to pass around creatures anyway, why not use symmetrical designs to our advantage? <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Relentless Rats" href="#" target="_blank">Relentless Rats</a> is the perfect card for this type of strategy, since it has a built-in global growth effect and, like any non-singleton strategy, they appreciate the draw support that Jon Irenicus provides.
We have a split between tribal and non-singleton support. Since our threats have an inherent anthem effect, we don't need that many straight power boosts, so having a suite that provides evasion and more cards is crucial for our success (though our commander helps a bit with the latter). <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marrow-Gnawer" href="#" target="_blank">Marrow-Gnawer</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cover of Darkness" href="#" target="_blank">Cover of Darkness</a> are efficient sources of evasion that affect our opponents' Rats as well. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kindred Discovery" href="#" target="_blank">Kindred Discovery</a> acts a bit as the opposite of our commander: it draws us cards for when we attack with our Rats as opposed to when someone does it for us. This kind of coverage helps us avoid some feel-bad situations where we must wait for someone else's turn to draw. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thrumming Stone" href="#" target="_blank">Thrumming Stone</a> is a powerful card for any non-singleton list and can be a great way to recover after getting blown out by removal.
While strict power boost cards aren't exactly what we're looking for, there are still a few cards that stand out. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coat of Arms" href="#" target="_blank">Coat of Arms</a> makes every <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Relentless Rats" href="#" target="_blank">Relentless Rats</a> at least twice as effective, which turns them into an even faster clock. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror Box" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror Box</a> isn't as explosive as <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coat of Arms" href="#" target="_blank">Coat of Arms</a>, but by only affecting our Rats, it's especially useful when it comes down to the 1v1 situation.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reflections of Littjara"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quasiduplicate"></div></div>
Clone effects, while a bit on the win-more side of the spectrum, can be an efficient way to get a different kind of card without diluting our deck too much. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reflections of Littjara" href="#" target="_blank">Reflections of Littjara</a> is a powerful payoff that negates the biggest drawback from our commander: giving up a creature every time we pass them. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror Image" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror Image</a> is, effectively, a two-mana <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Relentless Rats" href="#" target="_blank">Relentless Rats</a> that can come out as another creature on the battlefield in a pinch. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quasiduplicate" href="#" target="_blank">Quasiduplicate</a> is a bit blue-heavy and costs as much as a Relentless Rats, but it's very card-efficient and gives us two Rats after the Jump-Start.
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"></div>
[Commander]
*Jon Irenicus, Shattered One
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Phantasmal Image 
*38 Relentless Rats 
*Marrow-Gnawer 
[/Creature]
[Artifact]
*Sol Ring 
*Arcane Signet 
*Fellwar Stone 
*Jet Medallion 
*Talisman of Dominance
*Herald's Horn 
*Mirror Box 
*Coat of Arms 
*Thrumming Stone
[/Artifact]
[Enchantment]
*Phyrexian Reclamation 
*Cover of Darkness 
*Kindred Discovery 
*Reflections of Littjara
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Stubborn Denial 
*Arcane Denial 
*Cyclonic Rift 
*Baleful Mastery
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*Feed the Swarm 
*Quasiduplicate 
*Ravenform 
*Damnation 
*Patriarch's Bidding
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Bloodstained Mire 
*Bojuka Bog 
*Cabal Coffers 
*Choked Estuary 
*City of Brass 
*Clearwater Pathway 
*Command Tower 
*Drowned Catacomb 
*Mana Confluence 
*Marsh Flats 
*Morphic Pool 
*Polluted Delta 
*Shipwreck Marsh 
*Sunken Hollow 
*Sunken Ruins 
*Swarmyard 
*Tainted Isle 
*Temple of Deceit 
*Underground River 
*Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth 
*Verdant Catacombs 
*Watery Grave 
*15 Swamp 
[/Land]
[/Deck]

<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
Our deck is pretty consistent, since we have 38 of the same card. We're trying to cast a Rat on turn three and our commander on turn four, so any hand that has three mana and just one blue source is functional enough to work. Once we start getting things going, we need to be able to read the table to know how we're going to use our commander's ability to get ahead in the game. Spreading out our creatures might be the more politically neutral approach, but often we have to focus on a problematic player that all our Rats will be pointed towards.
By the mid-game, we should have access to one of our payoff cards and can start doing some real damage. We usually can grind a bit against board wipes since we have our commander to make up for our losses. However, we should still avoid overcommitting once we have a reasonable board state.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Patriarch&#039;s Bidding"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Reclamation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thrumming Stone"></div></div>
The later stages of the game can be a bit tricky because we need to have a certain number of Rats to be effective, and, as the game goes on, it gets increasingly harder to recover each board wipe. That being said, we still have some great cards to help us fight against this, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Reclamation</a>, which isn't exactly the faster card out there, but it gives us a steady flow of threats to play.
That’s it for this Epic Experiment! What do you think of this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this Epic Experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!

Epic Experiment - Jon Irenicus

Archetune-Up - Dimir Sneak and Show

Archetune-Up - No One Hits Like Gaston, Matches Wits Like Gaston...

Archetune-Up - License to Mill

Conditions Allow - Dralnu, Lich Lord

Archetune-Up - Attack of the Clones

Archetune-Up - Sea of Monsters

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ramirez DePietro" href="#" target="_blank">Ramirez DePietro</a> | Art by <a href="http://www.studiofoglio.com/">Phil Foglio</a>)</h6>
<h1>What do we do with a drunken sailor?</h1>
Hello again to all the Commander players out there! My name is Seth Crosss and I love writing about some of the most ridiculous deck ideas ever invented! Better yet, I love those decks led by uncommon legendary creatures, so welcome back to Uncommonders, where we talk about just that: uncommon commanders! My hype for this article is due to my excitement for Modern Horizons, where we've so many awesome new cards. I was lucky enough to write the review of the black cards of the set, which inspired today’s deck idea!
It feels like such an exciting time to be a Magic: the Gathering player, and even more so to be a fan of the Commander format. With every new set, it seems like we get a treasure trove of new goodies, from awesome legendary creatures to the supportive cards we need or want to build with some fun, silly ideas. For this article, we are heading back in time to an older uncommon legendary creature, a commander they call…
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Ramirez DePietro!</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ramirez DePietro"></div></div>
I know. At first glance, you're probably thinking, “Wow, DM has lost his mind!” But follow me down the rabbit hole for a moment: I understand that a six-mana 4/3 with first strike does not immediately inspire anyone. However, the original idea behind picking Ramirez was that I wanted to build a blue-black Pirates deck. Thanks to Ixalan, the tribe has gotten quite the boost, and I figured it would be a fun idea, especially with some themed support cards to boot. When I was writing the black set review for Modern Horizons, though, I realized I was so hyped for the newly-printed Ninjas in the set, and something struck me like a <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Bolt" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Bolt</a> to the brain!
Assassin’s. Creed. Black. Flag. Dot. Dek.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-34778 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ACBF.jpg" alt="" width="616" height="346" />
For those of you who may not know or even just not remember, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was based around pirates and the British Navy duking it out in the Caribbean. The main character is Edward Kenway, a pirate who finds himself rolled up in the war between the Assassins and the Templars, who were battling for yet another mystical artifact. Eventually, Kenway became one of the Assassins himself. While Ninjas are not the exact same as an Assassin, I figure the concepts of stealth and killing one’s opponent with a swift, precise strike translates well enough on their own.
So that is the idea for today. We are going full theme and meme, and I personally cannot wait. I do want to make a disclaimer that some of the cards included are for theme purposes. If I wanted to make a “real” or “better” Ninjas deck, it would be completely different, down to the commander. I hope we can put aside power levels for just today and have some fun!
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Privateers</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sidisi, Undead Vizier"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ingenious Infiltrator"></div></div>
Whenever I brew a deck according to theme, I tend to dive deep in relating certain cards back to places, situations, special items, and people. With a deck based on such a well-received game like Black Flag, I doubled down to ensure I had as many of my bases covered as possible. There are many characters to cover from the game, so unfortunately not everyone made it in, but I included what I felt were the biggest names from Black Flag.
My favorite character from the game, aside from Kenway himself, was James Kidd, a.k.a. Mary Read. A friend to Kenway, she was a pirate who was also part of the Assassin’s order, so I felt it was appropriate to have her represented by a Ninja for the deck. Mary was cool, confident, and very crafty as an Assassin, so I chose <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow</a> as her manifestation. Two of Kenway’s other pirate compatriots were Edward “Blackbeard” Thatch and Benjamin Hornigold. I chose <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pitiless Plunderer" href="#" target="_blank">Pitiless Plunderer</a> for Hornigold, who eventually changes sides to the Templars. For Blackbeard and his belief that there was power in being a scary spectacle, I chose <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dire Fleet Ravager" href="#" target="_blank">Dire Fleet Ravager</a> for a big, bursty effect on the life totals of the game.
The last of the big pirate crew was Charles Vane, who eventually fell victim to his own greed and anger and went crazy by the end of the game. While he was a pirate throughout most of the story, he becomes a traitor and a prisoner, so I chose something that illustrates his different phases while also helping the deck: <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Changeling Outcast" href="#" target="_blank">Changeling Outcast</a>!
Another major character from Black Flag was the sage Woodes Rogers. Woodes was the key to finding the mystical artifact of the story, so my first thought was an artifact tutor. However, when I remembered that the “mystical artifact” of Black Flag was a place, not an object, I knew that meant the card would need to be able to find lands as well. I finally settled on <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sidisi, Undead Vizier" href="#" target="_blank">Sidisi, Undead Vizier</a> to both illustrate Rogers’ cutthroat nature in sacrificing others, while also still being the key to finding whatever we need. The last character I made sure to represent was Adewale, Kenway’s quartermaster. Initially, I was going to use <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadeye Quartermaster" href="#" target="_blank">Deadeye Quartermaster</a> for the obvious connection both to being a quartermaster as well as finding Kenway’s ship, the Jackdaw. However, I remembered that Adewale eventually joins the Assassins, and thus chose to use a Ninja to represent him. Adewale is big on working as a group and supporting those he believes in, so <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ingenious Infiltrator" href="#" target="_blank">Ingenious Infiltrator</a> felt like a great fit for him.
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Gear Makes the Assassin</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Conqueror&#039;s Galleon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quietus Spike"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Temple Bell"></div></div>
A staple of the Assassin’s Creed series is collecting pieces of gear, as well as keys to get a legendary suit of Assassin armor. I figured the best way to represent these themes in the deck was by including Equipment cards. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quietus Spike" href="#" target="_blank">Quietus Spike</a> is a great option for the famous wrist blades, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prying Blade" href="#" target="_blank">Prying Blade</a> is solid as Kenway’s sword, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Whispersilk Cloak" href="#" target="_blank">Whispersilk Cloak</a> represents the hood of Kenway’s outfit, which he normally pulls on when going into stealth mode.
In the game, players could also upgrade their ships to have a diving bell in order to find treasure in the ocean, and it honestly looked like a gigantic <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temple Bell" href="#" target="_blank">Temple Bell</a>, so I added that as well. For Kenway’s ship, the Jackdaw, I chose <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conqueror’s Galleon" href="#" target="_blank">Conqueror’s Galleon</a>. I realize that a Galleon is much bigger than Kenway’s small ship, but I liked that this Galleon can transform into <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conqueror’s Foothold" href="#" target="_blank">Conqueror’s Foothold</a>, which represents the pirate base of Nassau.
I tossed in some other goodies like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thaumatic Compass" href="#" target="_blank">Thaumatic Compass</a> (because every sailor needs to know how to find their way!) and I felt <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Key to the City" href="#" target="_blank">Key to the City</a> could work according to that theme as well, since throughout the game you pick many locks and steal many keys. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cover of Darkness" href="#" target="_blank">Cover of Darkness</a> also fit, as every good Assassin does their best work in the dark. For Wrath effects, I was lucky to be able to find a connection for <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cyclonic Rift" href="#" target="_blank">Cyclonic Rift</a>, as there are many instances while sailing wherein you must avoid waterspouts. Speaking of spouts, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherspouts" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherspouts</a> works here as well, alongside <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Devastation Tide" href="#" target="_blank">Devastation Tide</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wash Out" href="#" target="_blank">Wash Out</a>.
The truth is that I could name every card in this deck and where I saw it represented in the game. I spent hours cutting, substituting, researching game information, looking up weird cards, looking at different decklists, and just overall trying to make this deck perfect. But if I detailed the entire process from start to finish, we would never see the list! So let us cut to the good part:
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"></div> 
[Commander] 
*1 Ramirez DePietro 
[/Commander] 
[Creature] 
*1 Baleful Strix 
*1 Burnished Hart 
*1 Changeling Outcast 
*1 Dire Fleet Ravager 
*1 Fallen Shinobi 
*1 Graveshifter 
*1 Higure, the Still Wind 
*1 Ingenious Infiltrator 
*1 Invisible Stalker 
*1 Mistblade Shinobi 
*1 Moonblade Shinobi 
*1 Ninja of the Deep Hours 
*1 Phantom Ninja 
*1 Pitiless Plunderer 
*1 Sakashima's Student 
*1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier 
*1 Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive 
*1 Thassa, God of the Sea 
*1 Throatseeker 
*1 Walker of Secret Ways 
*1 Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow 
[/Creature] 
[Sorcery] 
*1 Devastation Tide 
*1 Merchant Scroll 
*1 Sign in Blood 
*1 Stolen Identity 
*1 Treasure Cruise 
*1 Wash Out 
[/Sorcery] 
[Enchantment] 
*1 Coastal Piracy 
*1 Cover of Darkness 
*1 Cunning Evasion 
*1 Kindred Discovery 
*1 Unnatural Selection 
[/Enchantment] 
[Instant] 
*1 Aetherspouts 
*1 Cyclonic Rift 
*1 Dig Through Time 
*1 Go for the Throat 
*1 Murder 
*1 Opt 
*1 Price of Fame 
*1 Reality Shift 
*1 Swan Song 
[/Instant] 
[Artifact] 
*1 Aetherflux Reservoir 
*1 Bident of Thassa 
*1 Bolas's Citadel 
*1 Commander's Sphere 
*1 Conqueror's Galleon 
*1 Dimir Locket 
*1 Dimir Signet 
*1 Fellwar Stone 
*1 Hedron Archive 
*1 Key to the City 
*1 Mind Stone 
*1 Prying Blade 
*1 Quietus Spike 
*1 Sol Ring 
*1 Swiftfoot Boots 
*1 Talisman of Dominance 
*1 Temple Bell 
*1 Thaumatic Compass 
*1 Vanquisher's Banner 
*1 Whispersilk Cloak 
[/Artifact] 
[Land] 
*1 Cavern of Souls 
*1 Command Tower 
*1 Darkwater Catacombs 
*1 Dreadship Reef 
*1 Drowned Catacomb 
*1 Halimar Depths 
*12 Island 
*1 Jwar Isle Refuge 
*1 Lonely Sandbar * 
*1 Remote Isle 
*1 Rishadan Port 
*1 Rogue's Passage 
*1 Scavenger Grounds 
*1 Submerged Boneyard 
*1 Sunken Ruins 
*9 Swamp 
*1 Tainted Isle 
*1 Underground River 
*1 Watery Grave 
[/Land] 
[/Deck] 

<hr />
A tough thing about flavor-based or theme decks is that it can obstruct your ability to use solid staple cards in EDH. Luckily, there are a few that still fit into this flavorful build: <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a>, for example, can represent Kenway’s wedding ring he gave to the wife that left him; <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burnished Hart" href="#" target="_blank">Burnished Hart</a> is one of many creatures you can hunt in the game; rocks like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dimir Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Dimir Signet</a> are useful to represent the treasures and gems that Kenway is always trying to steal away. If you're clever, you can find connections for just about everything!
Before we wrap up, per tradition, let's tune in to the comments from last week’s <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tiana, Ship’s Caretaker" href="#" target="_blank">Tiana, Ship’s Caretaker</a> article. The article received many great comments, especially over on the /r/EDH subreddit. This made it very hard to pick one to respond to in today’s article, but I think my favorite was from /u/Gluttony4, who wrote:
<blockquote>I love Tiana, and I quite like your take on her, especially because most of the (admittedly few) people I've seen talk about her always go right for the Equipments and tend to forget that good Auras exist!
Swap out just a few cards (coughTeferi'sProtectioncough) and maybe simplify the land base a little, and your list is also pretty great for players on a budget!</blockquote>
They suggested a bunch of other awesome stuff for Tiana, and you can read the full comment <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/EDH/comments/bvxznj/how_to_make_a_boros_deck_look_golgari/eptjhsf?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web2x">here</a>. I loved this reply for several reasons. First, I enjoy that people recognize Tiana has two possible tracks, since Tiana is often stuck with just Equipment; <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valduk, Keeper of the Flame" href="#" target="_blank">Valduk, Keeper of the Flame</a> suffers from the same kind of stereotyping. The second reason I loved this comment is the attention it gives to people playing on a budget. Any time anyone has some ideas for budget options for my lists, I thoroughly enjoy hearing them! I try to build my lists with a lower budget in mind, if only to ensure new players can enjoy them relatively easily and cheaply.
Alright, Assassin’s Creed faithful, how did I do? Is there anything in the list that makes no sense to you? Feel free to let me know in the comments below and I will try to explain my thinking for the included cards! As I said earlier, I could go over each card selection, but I think the article would run out of room! I hope you enjoyed this week’s fun theme, and I hope I find room to do more of these in the future. If this article was especially interesting to you, let me know that in the comments, too!
In the meantime, remember you can <a href="https://www.twitter.com/DM_Cross">follow me on Twitter</a> and enjoy all of my daily Commander and Magic: the Gathering ramblings! I also stream twice a week on the <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/praetormagic">Praetor Magic Twitch channel</a> and we do gameplay videos and more over on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/praetormagic">YouTube channel</a>. Our podcast comes out on basically every podcast platform if you search “Praetor Magic” or “Reflections of the Council”. Of course, you can join us on our public <a href="https://discord.gg/CrNHmTE">Praetor Magic Discord server</a>, too! Until next time, though…
Keep assassinating those opponents! Bombs away!

Uncommonders - Sneaking on the High Seas

Epic Experiment - Bolas's Citadel

Pursuit of Knowledge - Dimir

dimir