<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/castaguer">Manuel Castañón</a>)</h6>
<h1>Technically Playable - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h1>
<p>Welcome to <em>Technically Playable</em>, where our mission statement is "Every commander is <em>Technically</em> playable" (the best kind of playable).</p>
<p>The way this works is every article will have a commander generated using EDHREC's random button, I'll talk through the card and then write about how we can build around it!</p>
<p>This week's random commander is <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr"></div></div></p>
<p>This version of Katilda is another one of those Commanders that feels really split between what it wants. On the one hand, you want some Spirit synergies, but on the other, you want to load up on as many enchantments as you can.</p>
<p>And while they both buff Katilda you don't want to split yourself too much on the synergies between them. No one wants a handful of Spirits with only enchantment payoffs.</p>
<h2>In the Spirit of the game</h2>
<p>Spirits are inherently a fairly aggressive creature type. Since a lot of them fly, they get around the issue that some other, lower to the ground, creature types like Goblins and Soldiers struggle with.</p>
<p>Spirits still gain the lords that other types get in the form of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drogskol Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Drogskol Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (which also provides hexproof, completely bonkers) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Supreme Phantom" href="#" target="_blank">Supreme Phantom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> while getting cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Selfless Spirit" href="#" target="_blank">Selfless Spirit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to keep their board healthy and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shacklegeist" href="#" target="_blank">Shacklegeist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> which helps to lock down boards that threaten you like Dragons and Demons.</p>
<p>Unfortunately Katilda is only white, so we're not able to run a lot of the good cards in the same way a deck like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Millicent, Restless Revenant" href="#" target="_blank">Millicent, Restless Revenant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ranar the Ever-Watchful" href="#" target="_blank">Ranar the Ever-Watchful</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might, so we need to find other ways to make our Spirits dangerous in the same way.</p>
<p>Luckily, there are now 6,802 white cards legal in Commander (of which 163 are Spirits), so we have some to work with.</p>
<p>With only 143 decks of their own <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oyobi, Who Split the Heavens" href="#" target="_blank">Oyobi, Who Split the Heavens</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> may seem like a weak card, being a 3/6 for seven mana, but let's be honest.</p>
<p>In Commander, you often have seven mana by turn four or five, even in white, and Oyobi is incredibly powerful in any deck that cares about Spirits, and doubly so with a card like Katilda that needs as many Spirits as possible.</p>
<p>Effectively, what Oyobi does is make each Spirit you cast double up the power and toughness that it gives to Katilda while also creating a sizeable flying body that can help to keep you alive while you keep the pressure on with Katilda's commander damage.</p>
<p>Mono-white Spirits don't get cheap lords like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drogskol Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Drogskol Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but that doesn't mean they get no lords at all. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gallows Warden" href="#" target="_blank">Gallows Warden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spirit of the Spires" href="#" target="_blank">Spirit of the Spires</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are both half a lord, only buffing toughness while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Long-Forgotten Gohei" href="#" target="_blank">Long-Forgotten Gohei</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Celestial Crusader" href="#" target="_blank">Celestial Crusader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> act as lords closer to the kinds you expect in a kindred deck like this.</p>
<p>Additionally, white also gets <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drogskol Reinforcements" href="#" target="_blank">Drogskol Reinforcements</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. While not a traditional lord, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drogskol Reinforcements" href="#" target="_blank">Drogskol Reinforcements</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives all of your Spirits melee, which allows each one to get a max of +3/+3 as long as you are consistently aggressive, something this deck wants to be doing anyway.</p>
<p>And, of course, you need to be able to close out games. Chipping down your opponents with an array of cheap fliers often gets you there, and even though it isn't a Spirit, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Priest of the Blessed Graf" href="#" target="_blank">Priest of the Blessed Graf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does give you access to a consistently large board in part thanks to the lack of ramp that often plagues mono-white decks.</p>
<p>Being able to make a lot of flying threats works perfectly with the deck's best finisher (and it's not even really close either) <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moonshaker Cavalry" href="#" target="_blank">Moonshaker Cavalry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Often heralded as the mono-white <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and for good reason. Giving all of your 1/1 fliers +x/+x for each creature you control and also give any non-fliers the evasive keyword as well will very often be enough to close out a game, even against the most resilient board states.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oyobi, Who Split the Heavens"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Drogskol Reinforcements"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Priest of the Blessed Graf"></div></div>
<h2>An enchanting alternative</h2>
<p>But Katilda doesn't just care about Spirits, it also cares about the number of enchantments that you have. This version of the deck focuses much more on getting an evasive or a hard-to-kill threat, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geist of Saint Traft" href="#" target="_blank">Geist of Saint Traft</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and using that to close out games.</p>
<p>Katilda is one part of this strategy but you can only enchant its disturb side once it's already died. Instead, we want to use cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ethereal Armor" href="#" target="_blank">Ethereal Armor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="All That Glitters" href="#" target="_blank">All That Glitters</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to emulate the effect without the keyword.</p>
<p>The main issue with these Aura style decks is that you can easily run out of gas because they are so cheap to cast, and if you stack them onto one creature that then dies, you quickly lose them all.</p>
<p>To get around this we can use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mesa Enchantress" href="#" target="_blank">Mesa Enchantress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sram, Senior Edificer" href="#" target="_blank">Sram, Senior Edificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and the new(ish) <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enduring Innocence" href="#" target="_blank">Enduring Innocence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to keep our hand full and then you can use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mantle of the Ancients" href="#" target="_blank">Mantle of the Ancients</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to return any Auras should your creatures die.</p>
<p>We can also quickly stack up our enchantment count in other ways. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ondu Spiritdancer" href="#" target="_blank">Ondu Spiritdancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a really powerful option that allows you to copy the first enchantment you cast each turn.</p>
<p>This can very quickly get out of hand by copying something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil of the Empty Throne" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil of the Empty Throne</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to fill the board with angels or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soaring Lightbringer" href="#" target="_blank">Soaring Lightbringer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to make a ton of enchantment birds every time you attack.</p>
<p>You can also use this defensively by making copies of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghostly Prison" href="#" target="_blank">Ghostly Prison</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sphere of Safety" href="#" target="_blank">Sphere of Safety</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to keep you alive until you can meet the critical mass of enchantments needed to either lock down the board or make Katilda into a one-shot machine.</p>
<p>If you decide to go down the Aura route, you can also run <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Light-Paws, Emperor&#039;s Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Light-Paws, Emperor&#039;s Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pearl-Ear, Imperial Advisor" href="#" target="_blank">Pearl-Ear, Imperial Advisor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Both of these cards have amazing synergy with Auras by giving you either card advantage in the form of raw card draw or the ability to search for silver bullet Auras, as well as (in the case of Pearl-Ear) making all of your enchantments cheaper.</p>
<p>This can lead to some really powerful turns by giving you access to cheap versions of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eldrazi Conscription" href="#" target="_blank">Eldrazi Conscription</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mammoth Umbra" href="#" target="_blank">Mammoth Umbra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and the new <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tempest Technique" href="#" target="_blank">Tempest Technique</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to finish a turn off after casting a ton of cheap Auras.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ethereal Armor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Enduring Innocence"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ondu Spiritdancer"></div></div>
<h2>Por que no los dos?</h2>
<p>But of course, you don't need to just go for one <em>or </em>the other. There are plenty of Spirits and enchantments to go around, and surprisingly, a lot of them synergize really well with each other.</p>
<p>One of the effects that seems to be very prevalent is creating Spirit tokens based on the number of enchantments you have. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hallowed Haunting" href="#" target="_blank">Hallowed Haunting</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was one of the earlier cards to do this and remains one of the more powerful.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hallowed Haunting" href="#" target="_blank">Hallowed Haunting</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> plays similarly to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil of the Empty Throne" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil of the Empty Throne</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> by giving you creatures whenever you play enchantments. The main difference here is that each of these Spirits is a mini <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that grows based on your number of enchantments.</p>
<p>If you can play this on turn four and then play six more enchantments, you end up with six 7/7s, each with flying and vigilance, a board that <em>needs</em> to be wiped.</p>
<p>In a similar vein, <em>Duskmourn</em> gave us <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghostly Dancers" href="#" target="_blank">Ghostly Dancers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> an enchantment specific <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that also gives you a 3/1 flier every time an enchantment enters the battlefield.</p>
<p>This important part here is that unlike <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hallowed Haunting" href="#" target="_blank">Hallowed Haunting</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil of the Empty Throne" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil of the Empty Throne</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> it says <em>enters</em> instead of <em>cast</em><em> </em> meaning if you run it alongside anything that makes enchantment tokens like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soaring Lightbringer" href="#" target="_blank">Soaring Lightbringer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> you can make a huge board very quickly.</p>
<p>There are also some Spirits that double up as enchantments. A lot of the bestow cards are Spirits, this means you can benefit from both the Spirit and enchantment synergies. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Indebted Spirit" href="#" target="_blank">Indebted Spirit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives you a really cheap option to bestow as well as having afterlife, creating another Spirit when it dies.</p>
<p>While it does synergise well <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Indebted Spirit" href="#" target="_blank">Indebted Spirit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is, however, pretty low on the power level of these kinds of effects. For this deck in particular, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eidolon of Countless Battles" href="#" target="_blank">Eidolon of Countless Battles</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> really pulls double duty by effectively being a second Katilda that you can equip to it if needed to halve the number of creatures and enchantments needed to get to that magical 21 commander damage.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hallowed Haunting"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghostly Dancers"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eidolon of Countless Battles"></div></div>
<p>As with all <em>Technically Playable</em> articles, this was a very quick look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a commander and a few of the cards that can really make a deck with Katilda as the commander tick.</p>
<p>Let me know in the comments below if you play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, if you want to build a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck, or even if you just enjoyed this article!</p>


Technically Playable - Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr

Brew For Your Buck - Budget Giada &#038; Series News

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Grand Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa, Grand Unifier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>/ By <a href="https://martanael.com/">Marta Nael)</a></h6>
<h1>Blink, and You'll Miss It</h1>
<p>Commander players can be greedy.</p>
<p>Case in point, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Grand Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa, Grand Unifier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Atraxa, Grand Unifier"></div></div>
<p>Whenever she enters the battlefield, she lets you look at the top 10 cards of your library and up to 8 of those cards go to hand. Digging that deep and picking specific cards is tremendously powerful. This is a game-ending amount of value.</p>
<p>However, players want to do this every turn. Multiple times a turn; filling your hand with more cards than you can possibly cast. Atraxa, Grand Unifier, in my mind, is the premier “winmore.deck”</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/blink">Blink</a> strategies are the most popular build path for this <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Grand Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/search/?q=blink">Blink</a> is shorthand for any effect that exiles a permanent and then returns it to the battlefield. This lets players get ETB, enter the battlefield, triggers multiple times instead of once.</p>
<p>These decks have no problem controlling a board or accruing an incredible amount of resources. The problem these decks face is turning that into victory.</p>
<p>The strategy I'm about to outline is just as "win more" as any other Atraxa brew. Like her <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice" href="#" target="_blank">original iteration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, even less optimized decks will still be powerful. This strategy creates an unstoppable, impenetrable board state. Atraxa won't be in and out gathering supplies. She's going to lead the invasion firsthand.</p>
<h2>The Other Abilities</h2>
<p>Atraxa's unique combination of <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/keywords">keywords</a> make combat a nightmare for our opponents.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Raffine, Scheming Seer"></div></div>
<h3><strong>Flying</strong></h3>
<p>Atraxa has no issue finding someone to fly over. Players often don't have an answer to flyers barring an incidental instance of flying or reach. The rest only hope to draw removal.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thunderous Orator"></div></div>
<h3><strong>Vigilance</strong></h3>
<p>Atraxa is online at all times. Without vigilance, an offensive creature is effectively gone after the attack. After swinging a big creature, that player is left open on their opponent's turns. Atraxa gets to swing and stays open to block each other turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sephara, Sky&#039;s Blade"></div></div>
<h3><strong>Lifelink</strong></h3>
<p>Atraxa always collects. The biggest downside to big attacking creatures without trample is chump blocks. Your opponents will gladly sacrifice a Bird token to prevent losing seven. Lifelink ensures that we get value out of every single swing and block. Each swing and block grants you a substantial chunk of health back.</p>
<p>This pairs well with vigilance. Opponents will have to be careful not to increase your life from swinging into your blockers.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Baleful Strix"></div></div>
<h3><strong>Deathtouch</strong></h3>
<p>Atraxa is taking her threats down with her. If you wanted to power past Atraxa you have one more thing to consider. Is swinging at the Atraxa player worth losing whatever I'm swinging with? It doesn’t matter if you're swinging with some gigantic monstrosity. Any instance of damage will be lethal.</p>
<h2>Secret Weapon</h2>
<p>Atraxa's keywords make it difficult for our opponents to approach.</p>
<p>But what if every single creature you control had those game-warping abilities?</p>
<p>Our secret commander, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Odric, Lunarch Marshal" href="#" target="_blank">Odric, Lunarch Marshal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does just that.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Odric, Lunarch Marshal"></div></div>
<p>This is my first secret commander deck of the series.</p>
<p>Secret commander decks are where the “Build around card” is a card in the deck not the command zone.</p>
<p>I am a fan of this strategy as it allows for deck building outside of a commander's colors, and allows for building around cards that aren’t legendary creatures.</p>
<p>Black and green have several <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demonic Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> spells to pull Odric from the deck. With some luck, Atraxa's ETB trigger is pretty good at finding him herself.</p>
<p>Odric is the premier "Keywords" commander. This wall of text effectively reads:</p>
<p><strong><em>At the beginning of each combat, creatures you control gain each keyword for each keyword on a creature you control.</em></strong></p>
<p>In our case, with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Grand Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the field, Odric would gain flying, vigilance, deathtouch, and lifelink at the beginning of combat. Each other creature you control gains those abilities too!</p>
<p>Some nuances:</p>
<ul>
<li>This is includes your opponent's combat steps</li>
<li>The abilities remain on each creature until end of turn</li>
<li>It covers 13 specific keywords, not all of them</li>
</ul>
<h2>Key to Victory</h2>
<p>Now for the fun part, the keywords that push <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Grand Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from powerful to unstoppable.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oketra the True"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Avenging Huntbonder"></div></div>
<h3><strong>Double Strike</strong></h3>
<p>What's better than a 7/7 body? One that hits twice! Double strike lets you deal damage on the first strike step and the regular damage step of combat. Alongside deathtouch, anything blocking Atraxa will die before it deals damage. Anything that gets blocked will face the same fate.</p>
<p>First strike will interact the same way with deathtouch except there won't be an additional instance of damage at the regular damage step.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crashing Drawbridge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hall of the Bandit Lord"></div></div>
<h3><strong>Haste</strong></h3>
<p>What's better than a 7/7 blocker entering the battlefield? One that can attack that same turn.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crashing Drawbridge" href="#" target="_blank">Crashing Drawbridge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is boots on a stick. What I mean by that ridiculous sentence is that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Greaves" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Greaves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants haste to one creature at a time, where Crashing Drawbridge grants haste to each creature, every turn.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hall of the Bandit Lord" href="#" target="_blank">Hall of the Bandit Lord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> takes a chunk of life to use, but after your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Grand Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> swings immediately, you actually come ahead due to lifelink. Also, that haste doesn't go away from end of turn. So if you have Odric out (which is the point of the deck) your whole board has haste. I'd pay three life for that.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stonehoof Chieftain"></div></div>
<h3><strong>Trample</strong></h3>
<p>I didn't forget about trample. Only, with a whole board of flyers, trample becomes a little redundant. There's an incidental smattering of trample in the deck. It plays well with deathtouch. As we only need to assign one point of deathtouch damage to a blocker for it to be lethal. Meaning our 7/7 can assign the other six other damage to our opponent regardless of the blocker's toughness.</p>
<h2>Attacking From a Different Angle</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akroma, Angel of Wrath"></div></div>
<p>Arkoma has been long beloved for having a staggering amount of keywords. She has so many keywords she had keywords before they <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma, Angel of Wrath|lgn|1" href="#" target="_blank">existed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. She's a fast, resilient threat that makes opponents think twice when engaging in any form of combat. She brings four unique keywords to our board that Atraxa doesn't provide: Haste, first strike, protection from black and red, and trample. Because this deck aims to grant every creature the same swath of keywords, this makes Akroma one of the best cards in the deck. You can discard her and get those juicy keywords in play with one of our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cairn Wanderer" href="#" target="_blank">graveyard centric</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Keyword cards.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zetalpa, Primal Dawn" href="#" target="_blank">Zetalpa, Primal Dawn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be used similarly. While not having haste, Zetalpa brings indestructible, trample, and double strike to the field. Every keyword you could want more on Atraxa, Zetalpa brings.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akroma, Vision of Ixidor"></div></div>
<p>The original <em>Commander Legends</em> product brought a phenomenal update to Akroma. She brings first strike and trample to the table, but more importantly a +1/+1 buff to each other creature for every keyword they have. This payoff is game-ending. Atraxa alone becomes an 11/11, letting her kill anyone after two swings from commander damage. If Odric is out, it's a +6/+6 to every creature you control. While unlikely, this brew is capable at maxing out at +10/+10 to each creature alongside ten bonkers keywords.</p>
<h2>Preparing For Invasion</h2>
<p>Atrxa is a magnet for removal. And for good reason. An Atraxa player left unchecked will have little issue taking over a game. That's why a chunk of our strategy is dedicated to make removing her as difficult as possible.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thryx, the Sudden Storm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elvish Piper"></div></div>
<p>Prevention beats a cure. A key weakness to any big spell strategy is counterspells. If a player answers our seven mana commander for two, that is a huge loss of value for us. If a player can counter Atraxa before she hits the field, they will. That's why we don't give our opponents that option.</p>
<p>I wanted to highlight <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thryx, the Sudden Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Thryx, the Sudden Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> specifically. In a deck packed with huge spells, Thryx takes away the guess work. We cast these Angels easier, unafraid of counterspells.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Piper" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Piper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and other similar cards are fantastic for this deck. It lets us play or huge creatures much faster and stops opponents from using conventional counter magic to stop us.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Daring Fiendbonder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bastion Protector"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Avacyn, Angel of Hope"></div></div>
<p>If you've managed to resolve Atraxa, the next step is keeping her on the battlefield. Indestructible is pretty good at that. Swinging and blocking become even easier. Most board wipes and removal spells become a fleeting gesture.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sigarda, Font of Blessings"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Slippery Bogbonder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swiftfoot Boots"></div></div>
<p>Hexproof, like indestructible, is an ability we want on Atraxa at all times. Your opponents will remove her if given the opportunity. So don't give them that opportunity. If you're lucky, they'll send it somewhere else too.</p>
<p>The only way around Atraxa from this point, are specific board wipes, that exile, bounce, or reduce toughness. That's what our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swan Song" href="#" target="_blank">counter magic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is for.</p>
<p>Nothing is stopping <strong>compleat</strong> invasion.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Atraxa Keywords" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
*1 Akroma, Vision of Ixidor
*1 Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice
*1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
*1 Avenging Huntbonder
*1 Baleful Strix
*1 Bastion Protector
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Bloom Tender
*1 Cairn Wanderer
*1 Crashing Drawbridge
*1 Daring Fiendbonder
*1 Delighted Halfling
*1 Elvish Piper
*1 Esper Sentinel
*1 Faeburrow Elder
*1 Kathril, Aspect Warper
*1 Likeness Looter
*1 Majestic Myriarch
*1 Obsessive Stitcher
*1 Odric, Lunarch Marshal
*1 Oketra the True
*1 Raffine, Scheming Seer
*1 Rayami, First of the Fallen
*1 Scavenged Brawler
*1 Sephara, Sky&#039;s Blade
*1 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
*1 Sigarda, Font of Blessings
*1 Slippery Bogbonder
*1 Stonehoof Chieftain
*1 Thryx, the Sudden Storm
*1 Thunderous Orator
*1 Toski, Bearer of Secrets
*1 Urborg Scavengers
*1 Zetalpa, Primal Dawn
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse
*1 Assassin&#039;s Trophy
*1 Fact or Fiction
*1 Faithful Mending
*1 Frantic Search
*1 Stroke of Midnight
*1 Swan Song
*1 Vampiric Tutor
*1 Worldly Tutor
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Black Market Connections
*1 Concerted Effort
*1 Defense of the Heart
*1 Mystic Remora
*1 Rhystic Study
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Chromatic Lantern
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mana Crypt
*1 Monster Manual // Zoological Study
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cultivate
*1 Demonic Tutor
*1 Farseek
*1 Kodama&#039;s Reach
*1 Profane Tutor
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Sublime Exhalation
*1 Tooth and Nail
*1 Vanquish the Horde
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*1 Cavern of Souls
*1 City of Brass
*1 Command Tower
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Field of Ruin
*6 Forest
*1 Ghost Quarter
*1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
*1 Indatha Triome
*4 Island
*1 Mana Confluence
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*6 Plains
*1 Raffine&#039;s Tower
*1 Spara&#039;s Headquarters
*4 Swamp
*1 Zagoth Triome
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<h2>Final Words of Advice</h2>
<p>While she remains unique for her color combination, I would argue that those four keywords are what make her as iconic as a commander.</p>
<p>I feel keywords are underrated in general. Their power is demonstrated with standout cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma&#039;s Memorial" href="#" target="_blank">Akroma&#039;s Memorial</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Akroma&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. However, the strategy itself is not particularly popular.</p>
<p>There are already blink decks, there are already proliferate decks. There are decks that love putting cards in hand. While Atraxa can pull off each of these strategies with great success, I am more interested in pulling off a strategy that no other commander has; blessing a board of creatures with a unique combination of keywords.</p>
<p>Each Atraxa represents the format itself in a way. Her combined <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders">popularity</a> is a testament to that. They are powerful, but allow for countless directions to brew in. This brew itself could be modified in a few different directions. In my mind, that's where much of the fun of Commander is. Pulling off ridiculous, absurdly powerful board states and interactions. Each Atraxa represents this desire perfectly.</p>
<p>I am not the first to brew Atraxa as a "Keywords" commander, and I am certain new ways to build will continue to evolve with time.</p>
<p>Thanks for exploring keywords with me! I'd love to hear how your brews are going.</p>
<p>What is your favorite way to <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/search/?q=atraxa">brew with Atraxa</a>? What are your favorite combination of keywords?</p>
<h3><strong>Read More:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/ultra-budget-brews-odric-lunarch-marshal/">Ultra Budget Brews - Odric, Lunarch Marshal</a></li>
<li><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/the-other-ability-pia-nalaar-consul-of-madness/">The Other Ability- Pia Nalar, Consul of Madness</a></li>
<li><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/deep-analysis-blink/">Deep Analysis - Blink</a></li>
</ul>


flying

Technically Playable - Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr

Brew For Your Buck - Budget Giada & Series News

The Other Ability - Atraxa's Four Other Abilities (They're Keywords)

The Other Ability - Pia Nalaar, Consul of Madness

Evasive Maneuvers — The Synthesis

Commander Legends Set Review - Uncommon Guild Legends

Conditions Allow - Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner

Archetune-Up - Welcome to Tornado Alley

Evasive Maneuvers - Flying

Archetune-Up - The Most Cryptic of Cryptids