<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ravenous Rats" href="#" target="_blank">Ravenous Rats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | <a href="http://www.carlcritchlow.com/">Art by Carl Critchlow</a></h6>
<h1>Rats, Baby!</h1>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Singleton Shmingleton</em>, where I bend the singleton rules of Commander by building decks with as many functional reprints of a certain card as possible. This week we're going to be talking about a classic engine of redundancy, everyone's favorite Rat. Or maybe <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rat Colony" href="#" target="_blank">second favorite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Relentless Rats" href="#" target="_blank">third favorite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marrow-Gnawer" href="#" target="_blank">Fourth favorite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Whatever, it's in the top twenty.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ravenous Rats"></div></div>
<p>That's right, this week we're building around the most underwhelming two-for-one imaginable, the card that has been filling out draft decks since <em>Urza's Destiny</em>. Two mana gets us a 1/1 and makes the opponent discard. They've printed three new versions of this effect within the last two years, which brings us up to five, which is fine but nothing to brag about.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Rats" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="*Burglar Rat
*Corrupt Court Official
*Elderfang Disciple
*Ravenous Rats
*Virus Beetle"></span></div>

<p>But this is a design space they've been playing around in for a long time, and there's plenty of redundancy if we widen the scope just a little bit. Here's a non-exhaustive list of cheap creatures that take a card from an opponent's hand when they enter the battlefield.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Rats" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="*Acquisitions Expert
*Brain Maggot
*Chittering Rats
*Elite Spellbinder
*Kitesail Freebooter
*Mardu Skullhunter
*Mesmeric Fiend
*Miasmic Mummy
*Mindleech Ghoul
*Nimble Larcenist
*Rotting Rats
*Sin Collector
*Thought-Knot Seer
*Tidehollow Sculler
*Tourach, Dread Cantor
*Vendilion Clique"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>Some versions of this effect are better than others. Some target an opponent, while some make each opponent discard. Some give the card back when they leave play, some make us discard as well. The nice thing is that we actually have room to be picky when building because there are twenty-one of these cards!</p>
<p>None of them see enormous amounts of play, with the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ravenous Rats" href="#" target="_blank">original</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> showing up in 2966 decks and the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mardu Skullhunter" href="#" target="_blank">least popular</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only seeing play in 94 decks. One card that is surprisingly low is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Miasmic Mummy" href="#" target="_blank">Miasmic Mummy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which forces you to discard as well but is also a Zombie. Zombie decks are perfect for breaking the symmetry of this effect by abusing their graveyards, and this little guy deserves more than 2870 decks. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elderfang Disciple" href="#" target="_blank">Elderfang Disciple</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burglar Rat" href="#" target="_blank">Burglar Rat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> see the most play since they say "each opponent," and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Virus Beetle" href="#" target="_blank">Virus Beetle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is catching up with them fast. All three slot into decks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tergrid, God of Fright" href="#" target="_blank">Tergrid, God of Fright</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tinybones, Trinket Thief" href="#" target="_blank">Tinybones, Trinket Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Raven Man" href="#" target="_blank">The Raven Man</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Those are all fine homes, but I wonder if mono-black really has the tools to capitalize on what these little critters offer.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elderfang Disciple"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tinybones, Trinket Thief"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tergrid, God of Fright"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2>What Do They Offer?</h2>
<p>All of these creatures provide disruption and a small amount of pressure. In twenty-life formats, 1/1s and 1/2s can eventually add up to a good chunk of damage, but in Commander these stats are basically negligible, so we'll have to take advantage of the bodies in other ways.</p>
<p>A tried and true way to take advantage of enter-the-battlefield abilities is to blink our Rats, both individually with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ephemerate" href="#" target="_blank">Ephemerate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or en masse using cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghostway" href="#" target="_blank">Ghostway</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. With enough redundancy, we can blink our Rats until our opponents are emptyhanded.</p>
<p>What's cool about this interaction is the ability to force our opponents to discard at instant speed. Outside of weird cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Piracy Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Piracy Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, there are very few instant-speed ways to interact with people's hands. It's why <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vendilion Clique" href="#" target="_blank">Vendilion Clique</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is so special in 60-card formats. One play pattern that comes up with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vendilion Clique" href="#" target="_blank">Vendilion Clique</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and almost no other card is to play the Clique in the opponent's draw step in order to be able to nab whatever they drew before they can play it. We can replicate this pattern with our blink spells, casting them just as our opponents draw and before they can play anything, effectively locking them out of playing any sorcery-speed cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vendilion Clique"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2>Some Sweet Interactions</h2>
<p>The best card in our deck is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadeye Navigator" href="#" target="_blank">Deadeye Navigator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. That won't come as a surprise to anyone who was around when players were asking for it to catch a ban, nor even for anyone who has just seen the card work. Deadeye and a Rat form the strongest engine in the deck, as with just two mana for each opponent we can stop their draws without spending any cards of our own.</p>
<p>Some of our Rats don't work very well with blink. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kitesail Freebooter" href="#" target="_blank">Kitesail Freebooter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only takes a card until it leaves play, so it's the worst one. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mesmeric Fiend" href="#" target="_blank">Mesmeric Fiend</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tidehollow Sculler" href="#" target="_blank">Tidehollow Sculler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are worded differently, though, since they have two triggered abilities instead of one. If we blink them in response to their enter-the-battlefield trigger, the second ability resolves first and attempts to give the card back before we take it. Then the first ability takes the card for good. This won't help when we need to time our blinks to our opponents' draw steps, but it can help when people still have multiple cards in hand.</p>
<p>Once we get our engine running, cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherize" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherize</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rebuild" href="#" target="_blank">Rebuild</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> become very strong. Returning cards to hand is usually a tempo play that doesn't actually gain card advantage, but we can use our Rats to make our opponents discard all of the goodies they just picked up. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cyclonic Rift" href="#" target="_blank">Cyclonic Rift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s single-target mode can basically be <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vindicate" href="#" target="_blank">Vindicate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in our deck (not that Cyclonic Rift needed to get better).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aetherize"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rebuild"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cyclonic Rift"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2>Some Realism</h2>
<p>If all of this sounds a little optimistic to you, you're exactly right. This deck suffers the same problem that other discard decks face: if our opponents get ahead on board or find some other way to gain card advantage, they can overpower us. We put a target on our heads by making our opponents discard those fun cards they wanted to cast, even if we aren't doing anything broken. Our lock isn't incredibly strong; it relies on us drawing blink spells for every opponent every turn, and many of our Rats give cards back when they die.</p>
<p>But maybe our weakness is a hidden strength (it's funny how you can say that in multiplayer). We can use our disruption politically, lock down the draws of the opponent who's farthest ahead, then give the rest of the table the ability to catch up. We can slow the game down very well, but we still need a way to win.</p>
<p>Here's where we can turn to a combo I've been putting in a lot of decks recently. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mindcrank" href="#" target="_blank">Mindcrank</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes our opponents mill when they lose life, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duskmantle Guildmage" href="#" target="_blank">Duskmantle Guildmage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s ability makes them lose life when they mill. I like this combo because it's very compact. Both pieces cost two mana, so they can sneak in whenever there's a window. Our deck is also full of two-drops, so we can add a <em>Transmute</em> package easily.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Duskmantle Guildmage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mindcrank"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Muddle the Mixture"></div></div>
<p>If you're not a fan of combos, you can try to grind opponents out with Rats and beat down with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yorion, Sky Nomad" href="#" target="_blank">Yorion, Sky Nomad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soulherder" href="#" target="_blank">Soulherder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It will be a lot harder, but it does sound like a heckuva good time. Rounding out the deck we have some ways to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mentor of the Meek" href="#" target="_blank">draw cards</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, some ways to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Return to the Ranks" href="#" target="_blank">recur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> our Rats if they get killed, and some general purpose answers.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Decklist</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Which Card? Discard." site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Aminatou, the Fateshifter
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Abdel Adrian, Gorion&#039;s Ward
*Acquisitions Expert
*Agent of Treachery
*Brago, King Eternal
*Burglar Rat
*Bygone Bishop
*Charming Prince
*Chittering Rats
*Corrupt Court Official
*Deadeye Navigator
*Dimir Infiltrator
*Displacer Kitten
*Duskmantle Guildmage
*Elderfang Disciple
*Kitesail Freebooter
*Lurrus of the Dream-Den
*Mardu Skullhunter
*Mentor of the Meek
*Mesmeric Fiend
*Miasmic Mummy
*Mindleech Ghoul
*Mistmeadow Witch
*Nimble Larcenist
*Ravenous Rats
*Rotting Rats
*Sin Collector
*Soulherder
*Sun Titan
*Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
*The Raven Man
*Tidehollow Sculler
*Tinybones, Trinket Thief
*Tourach, Dread Cantor
*Vendilion Clique
*Virus Beetle
*Welcoming Vampire
*Yorion, Sky Nomad
[/Creature]
[Instant]
*Acrobatic Maneuver
*Aetherize
*Blur
*Cloudshift
*Cyclonic Rift
*Eerie Interlude
*Ephemerate
*Ghostly Flicker
*Ghostway
*Illusionist&#039;s Stratagem
*Lae&#039;zel&#039;s Acrobatics
*Momentary Blink
*Muddle the Mixture
*Path to Exile
*Predict
*Rally the Ancestors
*Rebuild
*Semester&#039;s End
*Shred Memory
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*Ascend from Avernus
*Return to the Ranks
[/Sorcery]
[Artifact]
*Arcane Signet
*Mindcrank
*Panharmonicon
*Sol Ring
[/Artifact]
[Enchantment]
*Mind Slash
*Tocasia&#039;s Welcome
[/Enchantment]
[Land]
*Arcane Sanctum
*Ash Barrens
*Command Tower
*Dimir Aqueduct
*Dismal Backwater
*Drowned Catacomb
*Evolving Wilds
*Glacial Fortress
*4x Island
*Isolated Chapel
*Orzhov Basilica
*7x Plains
*Scoured Barrens
*8x Swamp
*Tainted Field
*Temple of Deceit
*Temple of Enlightenment
*Temple of Silence
*Terramorphic Expanse
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<h2>Until Next Time</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Manalith"></div></div>
<p>You don't want to miss this next one, folks. I'm going to take on one of the pillars (get it?) of the format to see if I can make a functional deck out of nothing but overcosted ramp. If <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Manalith" href="#" target="_blank">Manalith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> wasn't already the <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/too-specific-top-10-manaliths/">most</a>-<a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/in-the-margins-manalith/">written</a>-<a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/ranking-every-mana-rock-with-edhrec-part-8-two-ramp-or-not-two-ramp/">about</a> <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/too-specific-top-10-common-core/">card</a> on this website, it will be now.</p>


Singleton Shmingleton - Ravenous Rats

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Protection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.chasestoneart.com/">Chase Stone</a>)</h6>
<h1>Timeless Wisdom</h1>
<p>The <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zhalfirin Void" href="#" target="_blank">Zhalfirin Void</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Isle" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Isle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Accidents, sure, but also, mistakes of the past - er, future, or whenever they show up again. Point is, now, such a mistake could never happen again, as Teferi has finally mastered <em>Phasing</em> magic, making everybody's lives all the better.</p>
<p>Need to babyproof the house for Niambi? Just remove every single hazard from this timeline! Has a spider built a web over her crib, scaring her? Just <em>poof</em> that thing into next Wednesday.</p>
<p>And this mastery couldn't have happened at a better time, as Teferi has found himself in the direst of situations: Jhoira has showed up, offering to take him on a luxury cruise on the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Weatherlight" href="#" target="_blank">Weatherlight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and nobody's around to house-sit for Teferi! It'd be absolutely <em>dismal</em> if he came home to find all of his plants dead, after all. So, in proper application of his godlike powers, he casts <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Protection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, phasing his house out of existence for the next two weeks.</p>
<p>He arrives home just in time for it to reappear - but something is wrong. The bricks are all cracked, vines are growing over the walls, and his prize-winning tulips have withered away! As it turns out, instead of making it so no time passes for his home, a hundred years have passed in the span of two weeks, leaving it subject to neglect in some other timeline.</p>
<p>Of course, under careful supervision (and a little time magic), Teferi can grow his tulips back, but what would he have done had this been an irreparable mistake? In the heat of battle, you can't afford to phase out your allies for a century; most humans couldn't handle that. Maybe it's time to look for some alternatives to protect his allies....</p>
<hr />
<h2>Not Just a Phase</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teferi&#039;s Protection"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Protection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is often cited as one of the most potent mono-white cards printed within the last few years, alongside <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smothering Tithe" href="#" target="_blank">Smothering Tithe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Protection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> protects like no other, allowing you and your entire board to blink out of existence for an entire round: phased-out permanents are simply treated as though they don't exist, allowing them to dodge any and every threat that exists in the game. A phased-out permanent is even better-protected than the mythical <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Progenitus" href="#" target="_blank">Progenitus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! You even get to keep your tokens!</p>
<p>Of course, losing all of your permanents for several turns could have dire repercussions, which is why <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Protection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> also gives <em>you</em> protection from everything. By protecting both you and your permanents, this spell will allow you to survive nearly any situation you find yourself in. It's so good at what it does that it can even combo with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lethal Vapors" href="#" target="_blank">Lethal Vapors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to allow you to sit out the rest of the game while your opponents deck themselves, in a typical Zhalfirin fashion.</p>
<p>But as fun as these things are, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Protection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> brings with it some potential problems. The most glaring of them is that the darn thing costs more than <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145360/Hades/">Hades</a>, a hefty price to pay for a one-off effect that doesn't advance your board state at all. Certain decks and metas have some better options that will serve them better.</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/faiths-reward.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-59238 size-full" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/faiths-reward.jpg" alt="" width="620" height="450" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/faiths-reward.jpg 620w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/faiths-reward-300x218.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px" /></a></p>
<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faith&#039;s Reward" href="#" target="_blank">Faith&#039;s Reward</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://raymondswanland.com/home">Raymond Swanland</a>)</h6>
<h2>Temporal Intervention</h2>
<p>Ultimately, the utility of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Protection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is that it will save you and your board from catastrophe when you need it. Here, we're looking for alternatives that can either save you or help you recover quickly, all while having potential to offer more value than our Staple card.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Second Sunrise"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation"></div></div>
<p>One of the better candidates to use instead of chronomancy is actually a brand-new card, and one of the biggest sleepers from <em>Zendikar Rising</em>: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate" href="#" target="_blank">Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Many are turned away by her <em>Party</em> ability, but her major utility goes far beyond that: being able to sacrifice herself to protect your team (either with indestructible or hexproof) is incredibly useful, and is mostly an upgrade from the already playable <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dauntless Escort" href="#" target="_blank">Dauntless Escort</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Although <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate" href="#" target="_blank">Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dauntless Escort" href="#" target="_blank">Dauntless Escort</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> don't advance your board state much more than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Protection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, they are potentially reusable, allowing you to get more out of them at the expense of a little versatility. If you can manage to trigger that <em>Party</em> ability, it's just a sweet bonus!</p>
<p>Reanimation is also a very viable strategy to take, especially with the numerous "reactive reanimation" cards that we have access to, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Second Sunrise" href="#" target="_blank">Second Sunrise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Despite their lack of popularity in EDH, any strategy banworthy in Modern has a lot of potential in the format. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Second Sunrise" href="#" target="_blank">Second Sunrise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faith&#039;s Reward" href="#" target="_blank">Faith&#039;s Reward</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brought Back" href="#" target="_blank">Brought Back</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all have the potential to two-for-one your opponents when they cast board wipes or kill spells, or they can just return your permanents back after you've sacrificed them all for value, in the classic <a href="https://strategy.channelfireball.com/all-strategy/mtg/channelmagic-articles/breaking-through-explaining-eggs/">Modern Eggs</a> fashion. Some of these cards can even mana ramp when played with Fetchlands!</p>
<p>If reactive reanimation isn't your cup of tea, <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/mechanical-color-pie-2017-2017-06-05">white is secondary in regular reanimation, too</a>. We already covered several different types of black reanimation spells in a <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/staple-remover-all-hallows-eve/">previous <em>Staple Remover</em> article</a>, but white has awesome contenders to offer, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. In a pinch, they can allow you to rebuild as fast as possible after a board wipe or combat gone wrong, but, outside of those situations, they can still generate formidable amounts of value, where <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Protection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would just be a dead card in your hand. Like black, white also has some mass reanimation options, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Open the Vaults" href="#" target="_blank">Open the Vaults</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Replenish" href="#" target="_blank">Replenish</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or the new <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triumphant Reckoning" href="#" target="_blank">Triumphant Reckoning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to really kick it up to 11.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Ghoulish Protection</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eerie Interlude"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghostway"></div></div>
<p>Out of all the cards to slot in instead of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Protection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, my personal favorites are a pair of mass-blink spells with oddly macabre names: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eerie Interlude" href="#" target="_blank">Eerie Interlude</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghostway" href="#" target="_blank">Ghostway</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Exiling your creatures until the next end step is functionally just as good at protecting them as <em>Phasing</em> is, with the added bonus of triggering enters-the-battlefield and leaves-the-battlefield triggers. Because of this, decks designed specifically to abuse these triggers, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Roon of the Hidden Realm" href="#" target="_blank">Roon of the Hidden Realm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brago, King Eternal" href="#" target="_blank">Brago, King Eternal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> especially love them. But other decks make good use of them, too, as they both remain much cheaper and easier to abuse than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Protection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> while still fulfilling their roles exceptionally.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winota, Joiner of Forces" href="#" target="_blank">Winota, Joiner of Forces</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a force to be reckoned with, quickly becoming the most powerful Boros commander in terms of value (and often, damage output). But like most Boros decks, Winota decks have to commit heavily to the board. To alleviate this, many Winota decks run a full suite of protection spells, often on Humans such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or on instant spells such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eerie Interlude" href="#" target="_blank">Eerie Interlude</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Overall, Winota makes better use of cards that she can flip off the top of the library with her ability, or cards that can sometimes synergize with her token-generators like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geist-Honored Monk" href="#" target="_blank">Geist-Honored Monk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Here's my decklist for Winota, created just after her release:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Package Deals" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Winota, Joiner of Forces
[/Commander]
[Lands]
*1 Arid Mesa
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Blinkmoth Nexus
*1 Clifftop Retreat
*1 Command Tower
*1 Inspiring Vantage
*1 Mishra&#039;s Factory
*8 Mountain
*1 Myriad Landscape
*14 Plains
*1 Rugged Prairie
*1 Sacred Foundry
*1 Slayers&#039; Stronghold
*1 Strip Mine
*1 Sunbaked Canyon
*1 Temple of Triumph
*1 Unclaimed Territory
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
*1 Angrath&#039;s Marauders
*1 Banisher Priest
*1 Bastion Protector
*1 Captain of the Watch
*1 Darien, King of Kjeldor
*1 Dire Fleet Daredevil
*1 Ethersworn Canonist
*1 Evangel of Heliod
*1 Fiend Hunter
*1 Geist-Honored Monk
*1 Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero
*1 Ghirapur Gearcrafter
*1 Grand Abolisher
*1 Knight-Captain of Eos
*1 Legion Warboss
*1 Lena, Selfless Champion
*1 Loyal Apprentice
*1 Mentor of the Meek
*1 Mother of Runes
*1 Palace Jailer
*1 Pia Nalaar
*1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
*1 Resolute Blademaster
*1 Robber of the Rich
*1 Seasoned Pyromancer
*1 Silverwing Squadron
*1 Thalia&#039;s Lancers
*1 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
*1 Thopter Engineer
*1 Keeper of the Accord
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Chance for Glory
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Eerie Interlude
*1 Flawless Maneuver
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Secure the Wastes
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Austere Command
*1 Citywide Bust
*1 Nomads&#039; Assembly
*1 Tempt with Vengeance
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Boros Signet
*1 Coldsteel Heart
*1 Fire Diamond
*1 Genesis Chamber
*1 Mana Crypt
*1 Marble Diamond
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Pearl Medallion
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Sword of the Animist
*1 Throne of the God-Pharaoh
*1 Tome of Legends
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Assemble the Legion
*1 Divine Visitation
*1 Experimental Frenzy
*1 Grasp of Fate
*1 Mirror March
*1 Reconnaissance
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
[/Planeswalkers]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>What do you do to ensure that your deck never falls prey to a board wipe? Do you prefer to just muscle through them and hope you come out on top? Let me know in the comments, or elsewhere on social media such as <a href="https://twitter.com/rosequartz_26">my Twitter</a>, the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/EDH/">EDH subreddit</a>, or <a href="https://discord.gg/x5Q5PVg">RC Discord</a>.</p>


ghostway

Singleton Shmingleton - Ravenous Rats

Staple Remover - Teferi's Protection