<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Octavia, Living Thesis" href="#" target="_blank">Octavia, Living Thesis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/simondominic">Simon Dominic</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparation</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo Melibeu, and this is <em>Epic Experiment</em>, 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.</p>
<p>In this article, let's talk about one very powerful yet underplayed tempo commander: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Octavia, Living Thesis" href="#" target="_blank">Octavia, Living Thesis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Octavia, Living Thesis"></div></div>
<p><strong>Observation 1</strong></p>
<p>Octavia is quite the powerhouse! She's exactly what the doctor ordered: a solid tempo commander who offers a cheap aggressive body that can pump other creatures.</p>
<p><strong>Observation 2</strong></p>
<p>While the cost reduction really turns Octavia into a viable tempo commander, it's not as easy as one might think. By playing a fast deck, we need to get our commander online ASAP, but requiring eight instants/sorceries in the 'yard can slow us down quite a lot.</p>
<p><strong>Observation 3</strong></p>
<p>It's a shame that there aren't enough <em>Infect</em> creatures to build a proper mono-blue <em>Infect</em> deck, but they are a nice alternative win condition to have against lifegain decks, since Octavia can buff them up so well.</p>
<p><strong>Observation 4</strong></p>
<p>Octavia's <em>Ward</em> means we're covered against most forms of spot removal, barring counterspells. This makes us a lot safer, since board wipes are far less common than single-target removal.</p>
<p><strong>Observation 5</strong></p>
<p>Octavia's ability can target <em>any </em>creature, not just ours.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<h2><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Octavia-Sig.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-67557" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Octavia-Sig-1024x516.png" alt="" width="1024" height="516" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Octavia-Sig-1024x516.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Octavia-Sig-300x151.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Octavia-Sig-768x387.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Octavia-Sig.png 1225w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></h2>
<p>As we can see, a lot of folks use Octavia as a way to pump up cheap, evasive bodies, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Looter Il-Kor" href="#" target="_blank">Looter Il-Kor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to play a tempo game against the opposition. This makes the deck even more reliant upon getting those eight instants/sorceries in the graveyard, since these critters don't exactly end a game without our commander buffing them up. However, because these are taking up spell slots, it gets even trickier to fill the graveyard in the first place! This increases the importance of looting and mill effects to get our commander online as soon as possible.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<p>Most folks think about Octavia's <em>Magecraft</em> trigger as an opportunity to pump cheap evasive bodies, but one thing that always let me down about this strategy was its play pattern. There's so much setup here: we need to fill the graveyard with instants or sorceries, put small creatures into play, <em>then</em> we can cast our commander, <em>then </em>cast a spell to trigger the <em>Magecraft,</em> and after all that, we can finally attack with a beefed-up creature. This is a lot of set up for a tempo-oriented shell that relies so heavily on their commander.</p>
<p>What if we could make our opponents do the job for us, and, thus, solely relying on them to help get our commander online more consistently? How, you ask? By using our <em>Magecraft</em> triggers as political tools to incentivize our opponents to attack each other!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pendant of Prosperity"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Temple Bell"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akroan Horse"></div></div>
<p>That's right, it's Octavia Group Hug time. Group Hugs are even better when your commander has eight arms! Octavia's ability can work on <em>any </em>creature, not just ours. If we give favors to our opponents, we can empower their creatures to take each other down. The best part about this political strategy is that it becomes much easier to close games out (and avoid kingmaking scenarios). After all, our commander can turn any leftover token into a late-game threat.</p>
<p>That being said, we still need some ways to show our opponents that <em>we're</em> not a threat. We do this by being the friendliest person on the table, either by drawing everyone cards with things like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Folio of Fancies" href="#" target="_blank">Folio of Fancies</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Horn of Greed" href="#" target="_blank">Horn of Greed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dictate of Kruphix" href="#" target="_blank">Dictate of Kruphix</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or by providing some additional bonus for our presence, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pendant of Prosperity" href="#" target="_blank">Pendant of Prosperity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tempting Contract" href="#" target="_blank">Tempting Contract</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. While these effects might make it seem like we're not actually trying to win, all of those effects are crucial for our own gameplan, because we need a stacked graveyard to reliably cast our commander.</p>
<p>Aside from that, we have some more indirect ways of "helping" our opponents. By giving everyone tokens (which we can pump with our commander), the game becomes a lot bloodier, which works great for us because it softens our opposition while placing everyone else in an aggressive position. Spite is a powerful tool.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crawlspace"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dissipation Field"></div></div>
<p>Sometimes, players aren't willing to play ball. We have two main ways of dealing with them: the first is trying to convince the two other players to help us, but if that fails, there are always cards that deter our opponents from trying to take a swing at us. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crawlspace" href="#" target="_blank">Crawlspace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Silent Arbiter" href="#" target="_blank">Silent Arbiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> completely stop go-wide decks, and our commander can help us cover bigger creatures. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Propaganda" href="#" target="_blank">Propaganda</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dissipation Field" href="#" target="_blank">Dissipation Field</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> won't prevent strikes, but they do impose a small tax for attacking us, and couple that with the fact that we're accelerating everyone else and the losses might become too much to bear.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Octavia Group Hug" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Octavia, Living Thesis
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Kami of the Crescent Moon
*Akroan Horse
*Murmuring Mystic
*Silent Arbiter
*Talrand, Sky Summoner
*Pursued Whale
[/Creature]
[Instant]
*Mental Note
*Opt
*Peek
*Pongify
*Rapid Hybridization
*Swan Song
*Thought Scour
*Visions of Beyond
*Whispers of the Muse
*Arcane Denial
*Counterspell
*Curate
*Cyclonic Rift
*Deliberate
*Jwari Disruption
*Negate
*Reality Shift
*Resculpt
*Thassa&#039;s Intervention
*Vision Skeins
*Fierce Guardianship
*Oona&#039;s Grace
*Silundi Vision
*Supreme Will
*Aetherize
*Engulf the Shore
*Aetherspouts
[/Instant]
[Enchantment]
*Search for Azcanta
*Dictate of Kruphix
*Propaganda
*Rhystic Study
*Dissipation Field
[/Enchantment]
[Artifact]
*Everflowing Chalice
*Sol Ring
*Fellwar Stone
*Folio of Fancies
*Mind Stone
*Sky Diamond
*Thaumatic Compass
*Thought Vessel
*Crawlspace
*Horn of Greed
*Pendant of Prosperity
*Skyclave Relic
*Temple Bell
*Tempting Contract
[/Artifact]
[Planeswalker]
*Jace Beleren
*Ugin, the Ineffable
[/Planeswalker]
[Sorcery]
*Careful Study
*Gitaxian Probe
*Multiple Choice
*Ponder
*Portent
*Preordain
*Serum Visions
*Sleight of Hand
*Scour All Possibilities
*Ingenious Mastery
*Ravenform
*Sea Gate Restoration
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Blinkmoth Nexus
*Crawling Barrens
*Faceless Haven
*Faerie Conclave
*Forbidden Orchard
*Inkmoth Nexus
*Mobilized District
*Mutavault
*25 Island
[/land]"></span></div></p>

<hr />
<p>Our commander needs us to have a full graveyard, so we need a sufficient number of instants/sorceries to reliably cast her. Aside from that, it's also important to keep a steady flow of cards, both to get to that threshold and to keep triggering our commander's <em>Magecraft</em>. Cantrips are a great way to do this, as they allow us to cut a bit of lands and have a higher instants/sorceries count in our deck. It feels pretty good to cast an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Opt" href="#" target="_blank">Opt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for value that will also help turn someone else's unblocked 1/1 Thopter into a surprise 8/8!</p>
<p>The rest of the deck is dedicated to controlling the pace of the game, which is very important because we're accelerating combat steps, and we can't get drowned by our own gameplan. Mono-blue isn't always the best choice for combative matters, but we have plenty of tools to deal with troublesome creatures, and the combination of bounce effects and counterspells can cover the rest.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>For our opening hand, we are mostly looking for a way to get our commander's discount online and some of our group hug pieces. Our deck is filled with card draw, so we can be quite loose with opening hands as long as they are at least a bit functional. The most important ones are definitely <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thought Scour" href="#" target="_blank">Thought Scour</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curate" href="#" target="_blank">Curate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects, to filter our draws <em>and </em>get the ball rolling.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mental Note"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thought Scour"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curate"></div></div>
<p>Our early game is all about developing, either by playing mana rocks, group hug pieces, or even digging for some of those with our cantrips. Unlike the standard tempo builds, we aren't in a hurry to get our commander out right away. We can take our time and wait for others to develop a board, so that when we <em>do </em>cast our commander, we actually have creature targets to pump up.</p>
<p>The mid-game is where things start getting more explosive. By this time we should have landed a Group Hug piece (such as a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temple Bell" href="#" target="_blank">Temple Bell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Horn of Greed" href="#" target="_blank">Horn of Greed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) and should be able to make small deals. Eliminate a mutual threat with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reality Shift" href="#" target="_blank">Reality Shift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in exchange for pumping their double-striker. Give them the benefit of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ingenious Mastery" href="#" target="_blank">Ingenious Mastery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to get them enough mana to deploy a powerful creature. Getting our commander online starts to become a priority at this point because it's the best way to do some damage.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ingenious Mastery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Murmuring Mystic"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Faerie Conclave"></div></div>
<p>By the late game, we should probably be looking to flip the switch and become the aggressor. By the later stage of the game, this won't be hard, because our commander will be a cheap Voltron threat. Not only that, but the mana base of this deck is loaded with lands that can turn into creatures! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inkmoth Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Inkmoth Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faerie Conclave" href="#" target="_blank">Faerie Conclave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we can craft our own surprise lethal threats without taking spell slots in the deck by stuffing it with little creatures. Plus, the fact that our deck is chock full of so many cantrip effects means we'll come out way ahead if the game whittles down to a top-deck war, because we get to see a lot more cards than they do.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thopter Spy Network"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wrong Turn"></div></div>
<p>Octavia presents some deckbuilding considerations, especially when playing for instant-speed <em>Magecraft</em> triggers. But there are always other ways this commander could improve, and new lessons she could explore.</p>
<p>For example, if you don't want to rely upon creature lands, you could find room for a steady source of token production in the deck, especially ones that go under-the-radar and don't tip enemies off that you might be planning a big backstab. Alternatively, this deck could also invest more into control-switching effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrong Turn" href="#" target="_blank">Wrong Turn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to help get enemies onto our side much faster. These also play rather nicely, because they help us fill our graveyard quota.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think about this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Octavia Group Hug

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wall of Denial" href="#" target="_blank">Wall of Denial</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.howardlyon.com/blog/tag/magic+the+gathering">Howard Lyon</a>)</h6>
<h1>Introduction</h1>
<p>We find ourselves in a meandering place, one where the subtle shifts of earth lead our thoughts to wandering along with our legs. A place where history, mythology, and imagination all meld together in a blur of paint on the canvasses of culture.</p>
<p>Welcome to <em>Dual Shot</em>, where we brew two decks at the same time... in one deck.</p>
<p>This time, we'll be considering a list led by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis" href="#" target="_blank">Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a fairly popular commander, though, in the context of its peers, one that's <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/underdogs-corner-kynaios-and-tiro-of-meletis/">often underutilized</a>, in comparison.</p>
<p>Now, in a more focused and levelheaded write-up, we might explore the inspirations of Kynaios and Tiro - <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/author/charles-allison/">historically speaking</a> - and lean into the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmodius_and_Aristogeiton">Tyrannicides</a> or the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Band_of_Thebes">Sacred Theban Band</a>, and their reflections in Theros. But no: I'm veering off into another plane and peering through a much more distant lens. So despite our Therosian commander(s), we'll instead be scrying at the great Indian subcontinent for ideas - the inspirational spark for Kaladesh.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Welding Sparks"></div></div>
<p>One of the avatars of the supreme being is Kurma - the tortoise whose many domains include the churning rod of the Ocean of Milk, vegetal life, arteries and nerves, steadfastness... and countless others. The sphere we're interested in, however, is <em>yajna</em> - that is, the sacred flame and the acts before it. It is in this incarnation that we see the <em>fire tortoise</em>.</p>
<p>From here, we can begin to make sense of the duality of our deck. This is a <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/burn">burn</a> deck inside a <a href="https://edhrec.com/tribes/walls">Wall tribal</a> deck. We will play defense, turtling, deflecting, withstanding - while simultaneously keeping pressure on opponents with scalable noncombat damage and even discouraging retribution though the innate group hug built-in by our general. This is about as antipodal as <em>Dual Shot</em> gets, folks.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="The Fire Tortoise" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Chandra&#039;s Incinerator
*1 Angrath&#039;s Marauders
*1 Soulfire Grand Master
*1 Heartless Hidetsugu
*1 Balefire Liege
*1 Spear Spewer
*1 Hornet Nest
*1 Pramikon, Sky Rampart
*1 Arcades, the Strategist
*1 Wall of Denial
*1 Wall of Blossoms
*1 Overgrown Battlement
*1 Sylvan Caryatid
*1 Axebane Guardian
*1 Stalwart Shield-Bearers
*1 Perimeter Captain
*1 Wall of Stolen Identity
*1 Wall of Mulch
*1 Aether Membrane
*1 Wall of Shards
*1 Wall of Stone
*1 Rage Nimbus
*1 Vent Sentinel
*1 Drift of Phantasms
*1 Electrostatic Field
*1 Kaijin of the Vanishing Touch
*1 Psychic Membrane
*1 Ripjaw Raptor
*1 Mnemonic Wall
*1 Fog Bank
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Negate
*1 Comet Storm
*1 Atarka&#039;s Command
*1 Fall of the Titans
*1 Price of Progress
*1 Lightning Helix
*1 Lightning Bolt
*1 Smash to Smithereens
*1 Tower Defense
*1 Seething Song
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Earthquake
*1 Jaya&#039;s Immolating Inferno
*1 Browbeat
*1 Flame Rift
*1 Acidic Soil
*1 Sizzle
*1 Light Up the Stage
*1 Slaughter the Strong
*1 Fell the Mighty
*1 Dusk // Dawn
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Magebane Armor
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Pyrohemia
*1 Mark of Asylum
*1 Dictate of the Twin Gods
*1 Furnace of Rath
*1 Assault Formation
*1 High Alert
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 The Wanderer
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Command Tower
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Cascading Cataracts
*1 Shimmerdrift Vale
*1 Rugged Prairie
*8 Plains
*6 Island
*8 Mountain
*7 Forest
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<h2>Meditations on Duality</h2>
<p>We talk about "bridge cards" on here with some frequency, either seeking them out to ford disparate concepts, or else starting with them as the foundation of these two-headed decks. In this list, the most apparent are cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Electrostatic Field" href="#" target="_blank">Electrostatic Field</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vent Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Vent Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Earthquake" href="#" target="_blank">Earthquake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for its provision of scaling to our needs in any given board state. Wipe out our opponents creatures while retaining our high-toughness defenders? Sure. Pumping it up with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seething Song" href="#" target="_blank">Seething Song</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to stir your own <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hornet Nest" href="#" target="_blank">Hornet Nest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Wonderful.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Electrostatic Field"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vent Sentinel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Earthquake"></div></div>
<p>If you're going to try to win with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heartless Hidetsugu" href="#" target="_blank">Heartless Hidetsugu</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Furnace of Rath" href="#" target="_blank">Furnace of Rath</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, make sure you have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Wanderer" href="#" target="_blank">The Wanderer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in play lest you risk forcing a draw. Otherwise, sudden combative turns with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tower Defense" href="#" target="_blank">Tower Defense</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Assault Formation" href="#" target="_blank">Assault Formation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcades, the Strategist" href="#" target="_blank">Arcades, the Strategist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can turn the tide in your favor. Meanwhile, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mark of Asylum" href="#" target="_blank">Mark of Asylum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pramikon, Sky Rampart" href="#" target="_blank">Pramikon, Sky Rampart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and, you know, a dozen other Walls, can stop the tide altogether.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Furnace of Rath"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Assault Formation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pramikon, Sky Rampart"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Manabarbs" href="#" target="_blank">Manabarbs</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great inclusion, but it might attract too much attention, even considering that your opponents might want to keep you around for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis" href="#" target="_blank">Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. At any rate, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wall of Shards" href="#" target="_blank">Wall of Shards</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> certainly won't be enough in the way of politicking your way out of the spotlight, should it land on you. Another great inclusion is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fortified Area" href="#" target="_blank">Fortified Area</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but, oh no, I've gone cross-eyed.</p>
<p>We do buy ourselves a good bit of time with our cheap defenders gumming up the board, and with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wall of Mulch" href="#" target="_blank">Wall of Mulch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcades, the Strategist" href="#" target="_blank">Arcades, the Strategist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we can continue to draw into and replace our blockers. And <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overgrown Battlement" href="#" target="_blank">Overgrown Battlement</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Axebane Guardian" href="#" target="_blank">Axebane Guardian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> should help us pay for what we need. Fortunately, the average mana value of our defenders is comfortably below 3 CMC, so despite some demanding color pips, costs aren't too oppressive here, even in four colors.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Emancipation" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Emancipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great upgrade to one of our damage-multipliers, say, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Furnace of Rath" href="#" target="_blank">Furnace of Rath</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for its oppressive color cost, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angrath&#039;s Marauders" href="#" target="_blank">Angrath&#039;s Marauders</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for its mana value of 7. Just don't try to slot in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tree of Perdition" href="#" target="_blank">Tree of Perdition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> hoping for a quick burn victory, because that card is <em>not</em> in our color identity, and it costs ten dollars, haha, oops.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Anyway, this all makes for a deck that's deeply at odds with itself in the best way possible. It's fun not knowing if you'll draw into fiery offense <em>or</em> something to shell up with and play defense, and, like the <em>fire tortoise</em>, this deck is slow and steady until it isn't.</p>
<p>That's it for this... <em>20th installment of Dual Shot!</em> That's a milestone, one should think. In the length of this series, if it served its purpose to entertain and inspire and play with the spirit of place, what wacky strategies have you since juxtaposed into one pile? When have you gotten that forced combat tech to work from inside your pillowfort? Or perhaps you have a Strixhaven-ready artifact brew that's actually Spirit tribal? Tell us about them in the comments! Until next time.</p>


Dual Shot - The Fire Tortoise

Too-Specific Top 10 - A Rising Tide

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Keruga the Macrosage" href="#" target="_blank">Keruga the Macrosage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://danscottart.format.com/">Dan Scott</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo Melibeu, and this is <em>Epic Experiment,</em> 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.</p>
<p>This week we'll be looking into one very angry Hippo. While it has probably the most controversial keyword ever created, we're using it the good ol' fashioned way. We're talking about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Keruga, the Macrosage" href="#" target="_blank">Keruga, the Macrosage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Note: the <em>Companion</em> text below is the errata version, not how the card was originally printed.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Keruga, the Macrosage"></div></div>
<p><strong>Companion — Your starting deck contains only cards with converted mana cost 3 or greater and land cards. <em>(If this card is your chosen companion, you may put it into your hand from outside the game for {3} any time you could cast a sorcery.)</em></strong></p>
<p><strong>When Keruga, the Macrosage enters the battlefield, draw a card for each other permanent you control with converted mana cost 3 or greater. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Observation 1:</strong></p>
<p>There are a lot of differences between Keruga as a <em>Companion</em> and as a commander. In this article we'll be looking at Keruga as the latter. To read about Keruga in the <em>Companion</em> zone, here's a link to my <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/collected-company-keruga/"><em>Collected Company</em> article</a>.</span></p>
<p><strong>Observation 2:</strong></p>
<p>Keruga's ability is really strong in the Simic colors: having an explosive draw effect that rewards committing to the board can be quite powerful, and we have enough support to exploit it.</p>
<p><strong>Observation 3:</strong></p>
<p>Unlike its <em>Companion</em> version, Keruga as a commander is not restricted to three-CMC and greater cards, so it can pack normal interaction, such as counterspells and cheap removal, which makes building it as a commander much less risky.</p>
<p><strong>Observation 4:</strong></p>
<p>Keruga has one glaring weakness: it needs to overextend to reap the benefit from the draw. This leads into situations where we can get blown out by board wipes while trying to get more value from Keruga.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Keruga-Sig-2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-53855" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Keruga-Sig-2-1024x466.png" alt="" width="1024" height="466" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Keruga-Sig-2-1024x466.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Keruga-Sig-2-300x136.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Keruga-Sig-2-768x349.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Keruga-Sig-2.png 1361w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p>Keruga is a powerful midrange commander; most lists are packing creatures with powerful effects to fuel Keruga's card draw, this is similar to a blink shell, and it can even be adapted to become one. There's something to be said about the risk of using creatures to get value from Keruga, since it's very easy to get blown out by board wipes.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Control Magic"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rites of Flourishing"></div></div>
<p>To counteract the need of overextending, we could use cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alhammarret&#039;s Archive" href="#" target="_blank">Alhammarret&#039;s Archive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to make Keruga's trigger more efficient; however, that means that we need to find and play them before casting our commander. This play pattern can be awkward because these are kill on sight cards, which means that it's very likely that we won't untap with them. But what if I told you that, without having to rely on any specific enablers, there's a way to <em>always</em> get double the value from our cards?</p>
<p>Enter <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Control Magic" href="#" target="_blank">Control Magic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a four-mana enchantment that allows us to steal creatures from our opponents. Which ultimately means that we get double the card draw for each of these effects that we've played!</p>
<p>While our core theme is set, we still need to find a shell to enable this interaction. Group Hug is great for this as it allows us to develop our game plan while flying under the radar. Our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Control Magic" href="#" target="_blank">Control Magic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects can even help this strategy as a whole because we can steal threats from our opponents, if their board state gets too big.</p>
<p>Our game plan is very mana hungry. Because of that, the <em>Hug </em>pieces that we are looking for are mainly ones that provide us said mana, either by ramping or drawing into them. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="New Frontiers" href="#" target="_blank">New Frontiers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Collective Voyage" href="#" target="_blank">Collective Voyage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Veteran Explorer" href="#" target="_blank">Veteran Explorer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are explosive pieces that, if played early on, opens up the game right from the start. Since our commander can be a great source of card draw, it isn't our main concern; however, it still helps both at finding our ramp and as a political currency.</p>
<p>Here are some cards that help us along in our plans:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temple bell" href="#" target="_blank">Temple bell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an amazing tool, as we get to choose when we want to activate it, and there's a lot of potentials for deals here</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jace Beleren" href="#" target="_blank">Jace Beleren</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has some similarities to Temple Bell, but it trades the instant speed aspect for the potential of selfish activation</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Horn of Greed" href="#" target="_blank">Horn of Greed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> becomes a powerful draw engine that tends to stay on board because it's symmetrical</li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sphinx&#039;s Tutelage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ominous Seas"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Folio of Fancies"></div></div>
<p>Our game plan isn't so efficient at closing games. After all, beating people with their own creatures can be quite slow, especially when said creatures can disappear after their owner is eliminated from the game. Therefore, we still need some threats of our own. The hardest part, for me at least, in any politics-oriented deck is finding the right win condition; we need them to be effective, but they can't be too effective or else they'll attract aggro and undo all of our hard political work. Mill works perfectly for what we're trying to accomplish; cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sphinx&#039;s Tutelage" href="#" target="_blank">Sphinx&#039;s Tutelage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychic Corrosion" href="#" target="_blank">Psychic Corrosion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be great "concealed" win conditions because, until we start going off, they don't present as themselves as immediate threats for the rest of the table.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Keruga Group Hug" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Keruga, the Macrosage
[/Commander]
[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*Folio of Fancies
*Crystal Shard
*Horn of Greed
*Pendant of Prosperity
*Portal of Sanctuary
*Temple Bell
*Erratic Portal
*Panharmonicon
*Vedalken Orrery
*Alhammarret&#039;s Archive
*Keening Stone
[/Artifact]
[Creature]
*Veteran Explorer
*Farhaven Elf
*Springbloom Druid
*Wood Elves
*Sower of Temptation
*Grothama, All-Devouring
*Tatyova, Benthic Druid
*Consecrated Sphinx
*Rampaging Baloths
*Agent of Treachery
*Avenger of Zendikar
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*Ominous Seas
*Psychic Corrosion
*Rhystic Study
*Rites of Flourishing
*Sphinx&#039;s Tutelage
*Teferi&#039;s Tutelage
*Control Magic
*Leyline of Anticipation
*Vernal Equinox
*Control Magic
*Treachery
*Confiscate
*In Bolas&#039;s Clutches
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Nature&#039;s Claim
*Pongify
*Rapid Hybridization
*Swan Song
*Arcane Denial
*Counterspell
*Cyclonic Rift
*Reality Shift
*Beast Within
*Aetherize
*Sudden Substitution
*Aetherspouts
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*Collective Voyage
*Minds Aglow
*New Frontier
*Wildest Dreams
*Farseek
*Nature&#039;s Lore
*Rampant Growth
*Show and Tell
*Tempt with Discovery
*Hour of Promise
*Blatant Thievery
[/Sorcery]
[Planeswalker]
*Jace Beleren
[/Planeswalker]
[Land]
*Command Tower
*Breeding Pool
*Botanical Sanctum
*City of Brass
*Mana Confluence
*Waterlogged Grove
*Hinterland Harbor
*Yavimaya Coast
*Exotic Orchard
*Temple of Mystery
*Alchemist&#039;s Refuge
*Thespian&#039;s Stage
*Dark Depths
*11 Forest
*15 Island
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>Our deck is lacking in targets for cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Erratic Portal" href="#" target="_blank">Erratic Portal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Panharmonicon" href="#" target="_blank">Panharmonicon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; however, when considering that our commander is our main way to recover cards, it's easy to understand how this support suite can be effective. These pieces become especially good in the later portions of the game, when we have enough mana to both draw and play cards on the same turn.</p>
<p>One of the main setbacks when playing Group Hug decks is that we can sometimes accidentally act as a kingmaker. This happens because many of our more explosive effects can only be played on our turn, regardless if the next player is already too far ahead or is unwilling to cooperate. To get around this, we're playing some <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vedalken Orrery" href="#" target="_blank">Vedalken Orrery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects; these cards are great because they give us a new dimension by which to bargain because now we can try to make deals regarding when we play a Hug effect. They also play well into our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Control Magic" href="#" target="_blank">Control Magic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> spells, as stealing a creature at instant speed allows us to have a pseudo-haste effect.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>Our opening hands are very flexible; we're mostly looking to play some ramp and stay on curve. Overall, some easy mulligans are hands that contain too many late-game pieces, such as: expensive threats, mill pieces, and Keruga support. We have an expensive deck, and we won't have the time to cast them all if our opening hand is full of them. The sooner we start playing our Group Hug cards, the sooner we can start making deals (and hopefully steal some important threats); however, if we take too long to ramp it, can slow us down by the mid-game.</p>
<p>By the mid-game, we should be looking for the opportunity to either: play Keruga and draw some cards if we're running out of steam; start making deals with the table, if we drew some of our Hug pieces; or even steal some threats, if we need to break parity or control the board. When looking to make deals, especially when it involves symmetrical effects, we need to carefully consider how it affects each other player, because games tend spiral out of control when we fail to do so. Alternatively, we could try to make a deal with the already established threat, if we think that we can out-scale them in the late game. This allows us to use them to eliminate other players while we develop, waiting for a chance to strike. Needless to say, this might be a bit salt-inducing for the rest of the table, especially if we go on to lose the game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Keening Stone"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rampaging Baloths"></div></div>
<p>Our late-game chances are pretty good, and if we're doing our job right, we have a decent chance of living to see this stage of the game quite comfortably. This gives us the time we need to develop our mana in order to play some of our more expensive threats, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Avenger of Zendikar" href="#" target="_blank">Avenger of Zendikar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rampaging Baloths" href="#" target="_blank">Rampaging Baloths</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; or even go crazy on the mill pieces. It's important to understand when to make the face-heel turn; if we go too soon, we might not have what it takes to finish the game, and if we take too long, we might be too late.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thassa, Deep-Dwelling"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reclamation Sage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Food Chain"></div></div>
<p>Another way to build is investing deeper into creatures with ETB triggers, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reclamation Sage" href="#" target="_blank">Reclamation Sage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wood Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Wood Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and lean heavier in the flicker side. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa, Deep Dwelling" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa, Deep Dwelling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conjurer&#039;s Closet" href="#" target="_blank">Conjurer&#039;s Closet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can do some work, but they're just awkwardly slow without a higher number of decent ETB creatures in our deck.</p>
<p>Another change could be substituting some win condition (probably mill, as it's very slot-heavy) to be more combo-oriented. The <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Food Chain" href="#" target="_blank">Food Chain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> plus <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Scourge" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Scourge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>/<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Misthollow Griffin" href="#" target="_blank">Misthollow Griffin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combo is game-ending when combined with our commander, as we get to draw our entire library and then use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Laboratory Maniac" href="#" target="_blank">Laboratory Maniac</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>/<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa&#039;s Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to win the game. If considering this approach, we should also include a dedicated tutor suite to help to find our combo pieces.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment!</em> What do you think about this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which didn’t you? Was this <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Keruga Theft

Spreading the Love - Giving Gifts... Literally

Conditions Allow - Triad of Fates

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Captive Audience" href="#" target="_blank">Captive Audience</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&amp;artist=[%22Dmitry%20Burmak%22]">Dmitry Burmak</a>)</h6>
<h1>Down With the Establishment!</h1>
<p>Hey everyone, Kya here once again! Welcome back to <em>Turning Data to Decks</em>, the series where we take a different dive into the EDHREC site from the typical norm.</p>
<p>Today we're going to stick it to the man! And by 'the man' I mean all those who like telling us that we have to abide by set norms in EDH! I'm sure you've run into them once or twice throughout your EDH experience. They want to impose their vision of how EDH 'should' be played and what belongs where. No more, I say! The true beauty of EDH is that it gives us countless more options in deckcrafting than in any other format available. If you limit yourself to just going with the set standard, you're missing out on some great experiences with yourself and with your various pods.</p>
<p>I have to say, when I was a newer player, the people who really stood out to me were the deckbuilders who made wonky decks that devastated the game. It was rarely the person who won the game that left an impression. A combo of two cards is sort of interesting, but also common. Someone who wins with 20 Clerics, though? Rare and memorable. For me, it was the person who created a goofball level of a board state and still won that impressed everyone in the room.</p>
<p>Sometimes it wasn't even the final play that started people talking. Sometimes it was just an interesting, subtle, or just plain different take on a preconceived archetype or color combination. For example, look at <a href="http://twitter.com/TheKristenEmily">Kristen's</a> newer article to see what she does to <a href="http://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2019/10/keeping-gameplay-fresh-in-commander/">keep EDH fresh</a> by shaking up what everyone is used to in the color green!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Rocking Rakdos</h2>
<p>In the spirit of rocking the establishment, we're going to shake up one of my favorite archetypes of EDH: we're going to make a Group Hug deck in Rakdos colors! Exciting, right? What other color combination is more perfect for rebelling against the general consensus? Most Group Hugs like to keep it neat in Bant colors, which makes Rakdos the perfect color combination to contrast it.</p>
<p>Now, I know what you're thinking: "Kya, there aren't enough Group Hug cards in black!" That's where you're wrong! We recently got some fun black cards that we can label as Group Hug!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Clackbridge Troll"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wishclaw Talisman"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scheming Symmetry"></div></div>
<p>Look at all these goodies! Black is finally starting to see their unique contribution to the theme. Sure, we always had cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maralen of the Mornsong" href="#" target="_blank">Maralen of the Mornsong</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but they were few and far between. Adding to the tutor list gives us one of the strongest methods of "hugging" in all the colors. Not only will anyone be immensely excited to get their own Wishclaw, but we can tutor for even more Hug cards... or for something far more deadly, if we wish!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Humble Defector"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Guild Feud"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Opulence"></div></div>
<p>Now for the surprisingly more difficult part: we've got to find some Group Hug in red. Where do we find such cards?</p>
<p>Well, a while back, <em>Wizards</em> made a four-color Group Hug commander that included red: our mighty Group Hug kings, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis" href="#" target="_blank">Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who can help us out of this jam. By looking up their <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/kynaios-and-tiro-of-meletis">EDHREC page</a>, we can find a few red cards that can help us out. Of course, that may not be enough, so let's click on some of those specific cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Humble Defector" href="#" target="_blank">Humble Defector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guild Feud" href="#" target="_blank">Guild Feud</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to see what synergies we can find on their <a href="https://edhrec.com/cards/humble-defector">pages</a>. Red only has a handful of Hug-ish cards, so we gotta dive deep into EDHREC and explore plenty of pages!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anvil of Bogardan"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Horn of Greed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Howling Mine"></div></div>
<p>The best thing about artifacts, of course, is that we usually don't have to worry about colors. We can look at the Kynaios and Tiro's page or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phelddagrif" href="#" target="_blank">Phelddagrif</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/phelddagrif">page</a> to find a giant assortment of artifacts that will assist with our Group Hug. It's like color doesn't even matter, right? Don't forget to check out the <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/group-hug">Group Hug Theme section</a> for anything else you could be missing.</p>
<hr />
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/124f23da965dcace5fa78ea6b1c54f62.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40659" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/124f23da965dcace5fa78ea6b1c54f62.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="287" /></a></p>
<h2>"I'm Helping!"</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Havoc Festival"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Last One Standing"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sire of Insanity"></div></div>
<p>Let's find some unique Rakdos cards to add to our list. What's the point of Group Hug again, readers? To help out the rest of the table, of course! At the end of the day, everyone's goal is to try and win the game and/or stop the other players from doing so. Let's help them do exactly that!</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Havoc Festival" href="#" target="_blank">Havoc Festival</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great way to help everyone lower everyone else's life to make them easier to finish off. Does that blue player have too many cards in their hand? Let's help everyone out by throwing down a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sire of Insanity" href="#" target="_blank">Sire of Insanity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! See, we're helping! Oh, oops... looks like everyone else lost their hand too. Well, it's not fair for them to be selfish and expect that we'll only target one person anyway! We've got a lot of love to go around, and at the end of the day, we <em>did </em>stop one of their opponents from getting out of hand. What a perfect way to exemplify the Rakdos spirit: lavishing our love on our opponents by "accidentally" exploding a few caches of their resources now and then.</p>
<hr />
<h2>A Heartless Way to End the Game</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heartless Hidetsugu"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dictate of the Twin Gods"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overblaze"></div></div>
<p>Now for the wincon. After all, every sneaky Group Hug deck should have one. How do we end the game quickly and indiscriminately out of nowhere? We blow up the pod in a blaze of glory!</p>
<p>Yes, double the damage output from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heartless Hidetsugu" href="#" target="_blank">Heartless Hidetsugu</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with an effect like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dictate of the Twin Gods" href="#" target="_blank">Dictate of the Twin Gods</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and everyone goes boom! Finally, the true end worthy of a Group Hug deck. How do we get these pieces in our hand? Look at all the tutors we saw earlier! While our opponents are distracted and gathering their goodies, we're slowly gathering ours too! Isn't it brilliant? Assuming, of course, that they don't win before us. But that's why we play so many powerful equalizing effects, to keep them in line.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Sneaky Lady is Sneaky</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Xantcha, Sleeper Agent"></div></div>
<p>Oh, right! We need a commander worthy of our new Group Hug mantle! I completely forgot about that. Obviously we're going to try out Xantcha. Just look at her! The perfect way to tear down the establishment. She infiltrates the hearts of our victims - I mean, friends - and mollifies them with gifts. Plus, I don't have any female commanders at the moment, which is really odd, now that I think about it. You give Xantcha to someone else, which is an automatic hug. Then you let everyone at the table have the option to draw. Now no one should have issues with a poor hand!</p>
<p>Let's build this deck already!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Rocking Rakdos" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Xantcha, Sleeper Agent
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Heartless Hidetsugu
*1 Shah of Naar Isle
*1 Seizan, Perverter of Truth
*1 Wildfire Devils
*1 Humble Defector
*1 Stormfist Crusader
*1 Crypt Champion
*1 Neheb, Dreadhorde Champion
*1 Goblin Spymaster
*1 Sire of Insanity
*1 Crypt Ghast
*1 Magus of the Wheel
*1 Silent Arbiter
*1 Aether Membrane
*1 Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor
*1 Clackbridge Troll
*1 Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Endless Whispers
*1 Infernal Genesis
*1 Guild Feud
*1 Oath of Ghouls
*1 Vow of Malice
*1 Vow of Lightning
*1 Curse of Disturbance
*1 Mana Flare
*1 Painful Quandary
*1 Bitter Feud
*1 Havoc Festival
*1 Dictate of the Twin Gods
*1 Captive Audience
*1 Curse of Opulence
*1 Rite of the Raging Storm
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Red Elemental Blast
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Rakdos Charm
*1 Overblaze
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Khorvath&#039;s Fury
*1 Awaken the Erstwhile
*1 Dark Deal
*1 Last One Standing
*1 Burning Inquiry
*1 Scheming Symmetry
*1 Wheel of Fortune
*1 Dreadbore
*1 Gamble
*1 Faithless Looting
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Victory Chimes
*1 Horn of Greed
*1 Gate to the Aether
*1 Teferi&#039;s Puzzle Box
*1 Anvil of Bogardan
*1 Well of Knowledge
*1 Wishclaw Talisman
*1 Horn of Plenty
*1 Font of Mythos
*1 Rakdos Signet
*1 Crawlspace
*1 Pendant of Prosperity
*1 Howling Mine
*1 Temple Bell
*1 Ghirapur Orrery
*1 Heartstone
[/Artifacts]
[Lands]
*1 Command Tower
*1 Rainbow Vale
*1 Forbidden Orchard
*1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*16 Mountain
*15 Swamp
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p>Special thanks to many of my followers, such as <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveRaffle">@SteveRaffle</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Dinkerbob">@Dinkerbob</a> on Twitter; if you follow me on social media, you know I like to craft and discuss deck ideas before the full articles are published, so thanks to everyone for the amazing suggestions!</p>
<p>What did you think? Were we successful in our quest to make Rakdos Group Hug viable? I think it's kind of neat that it still fulfills the Hug requirements while adding in its own, darker twist. Not <em>quite </em>Group Slug, but enough to both giveth and taketh away! You can definitely mix some good ol' chaos in there as well, and still have it be thematic. You can also raise the bar and really add in some mean cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fate Unraveler" href="#" target="_blank">Fate Unraveler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if you really want to lean into the pain like Rakdos intended!</p>
<p>What sort of decks do you build that go against the norm? Anything that you'd want to see? Let me know in the comments and we might see something wild in my next article!</p>
<p>Until next time,</p>
<p>Kya</p>


group hug

Epic Experiment - Octavia Group Hug

Dual Shot - The Fire Tortoise

Too-Specific Top 10 - A Rising Tide

Epic Experiment - Keruga Theft

Spreading the Love - Giving Gifts... Literally

Conditions Allow - Triad of Fates

Turning Data into Decks - Rocking with Rakdos

Shape Anew - Goup Hug that Wins with Phelddagrif

Forgotten Harvest - Zedruu Land Grant

Making the Cut - Friendly Neighborhood Infinite Mana Combos