<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire / / Ice|MH2|290" href="#" target="_blank">Fire / / Ice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by Dan Scott</h6>
<p>Hello, and welcome to <em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire // Ice" href="#" target="_blank">Fire // Ice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></em>, a brand new data-driven series where we'll go over some cards that are gaining and losing popularity in various Commander decks. I'm Julia, EDHREC's Duchess of Data.</p>
<p>Of course, EDHREC has a ton of data. Using that data, we'll draw some conclusions about how certain commander's decks are changing over time, give some insight into how the format's players are thinking about new cards, and maybe even give you some cool tech for your favorite commander's list.</p>
<p>With all that said, let's jump right into it.</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/introducing-the-math-behind-edhrecs-fire-and-ice-series"><strong><em>For information on how we calculate the </em>Fire and Ice<em> Scores used in this article, check out this writeup.</em></strong></a></p>
<h1><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nekusar, the Mindrazer" href="#" target="_blank">Nekusar, the Mindrazer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h1>
<p>Nekusar is an absolute menace for EDH players. This deck churns out damage using its commander's abilities and can make short work of any tables that don't have a way to deal with him quickly.</p>
<p>Nekusar is all in on punishing its opponents for playing the game and is feared for good reason. Looking quickly at its most popular cards, we see that 61% of Nekusar decks are running <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Razorkin Needlehead" href="#" target="_blank">Razorkin Needlehead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, 61% have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark Deal" href="#" target="_blank">Dark Deal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and 61% contain <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychosis Crawler" href="#" target="_blank">Psychosis Crawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Razorkin Needlehead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dark Deal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Psychosis Crawler"></div></div>
<h2>What's Fiery for Nekusar Decks?</h2>
<p>Now that we've got a grasp on what Nekusar does, let's see what cards are trending up for these decks since January of this year.</p>
<p>Some new cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mistrise Village" href="#" target="_blank">Mistrise Village</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, slot really nicely into this deck. From <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em>, it's actually the highest riser among all Nekusar decks, with a Fire Score of 5.77. After all, no one wants their spells countered when they're trying to group slug their way through a game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mistrise Village"></div></div>
<p>But, beyond the new cards, there's some really interesting rising stars:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reforge the Soul" href="#" target="_blank">Reforge the Soul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, 2.44 Fire Score</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wheel of Misfortune" href="#" target="_blank">Wheel of Misfortune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, 2.25 Fire Score</li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Molten Psyche" href="#" target="_blank">Molten Psyche</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, 2.09 Fire Score</li>
</ul>
<p>These wheels all fit nicely into the deck's general group slug gameplan, so it's interesting to see that so many decks didn't have them included before.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reforge the Soul"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wheel of Misfortune"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Molten Psyche"></div></div>
<p>Now, onto some more niche inclusions. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana&#039;s Caress" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana&#039;s Caress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a high Fire Score of 2.54 This card pairs nicely with the wheels often included in Nekusar lists, and players have taken notice.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil of Sleep" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil of Sleep</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has been a big riser too, seeing a Fire Score of 2.13. This card comes to us all the way from 1999's <em>Urza's Destiny</em>, and can turn our commander's already-bothersome pings into game-ending removal, too.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liliana&#039;s Caress"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sigil of Sleep"></div></div>
<h2>What's Icy for Nekusar Decks?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seizan, Perverter of Truth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Tyranny"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fevered Visions"></div></div>
<p>And, if cards are finding their way into Nekusar lists, other cards have got to come out. While the cuts from these decks are varied, three cards lead the pack with big changes in deck inclusion rate.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seizan, Perverter of Truth" href="#" target="_blank">Seizan, Perverter of Truth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a Ice Score of -3.58, the lowest score we'll see for this deck. This may be because of its mana cost: this card sits at the same slot in the curve as our commander.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Tyranny" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Tyranny</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has seen a big drop, too, with a slightly more extreme Ice Score of -3.45.While this card is good, its restrictive mana cost may be too much for deckbuilders to justify.</p>
<p>And, lastly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fevered Visions" href="#" target="_blank">Fevered Visions</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a -3.38 Ice Score.</p>
<p>Nekusar pilots may be looking for ways to deal more damage than just two-per-turn, possibly justifying this card's large percent change.</p>
<div class="mceTemp">
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.05.44 PM.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-158720 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.05.44 PM.png" alt="" width="1375" height="435" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.05.44 PM.png 1758w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.05.44 PM-300x95.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.05.44 PM-1024x324.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.05.44 PM-768x243.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.05.44 PM-1536x486.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1375px) 100vw, 1375px" /></a></p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chatterfang, Squirrel General" href="#" target="_blank">Chatterfang, Squirrel General</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chatterfang, Squirrel General"></div></div>
<p>Chatterfang is another super popular commander, leading nearly 20,000 decks and finding himself as the 23rd most popular commander as of the time of writing.</p>
<p>We'll see some notoriously powerful cards gaining popularity here, as some cute on-theme cards fall out of favor. That said, let's see what we can find <em>squirrelled</em> away in Chatterfang's data.</p>
<p>For those of you who haven't had the chance to play against Chatterfang, the deck generally aims to fill the board with tokens and drain out its opponents with Aristocrats-themed win conditions.</p>
<p>Some popular cards for the deck include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (73% of decks), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zulaport Cutthroat" href="#" target="_blank">Zulaport Cutthroat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (68% of decks), and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tireless Provisioner" href="#" target="_blank">Tireless Provisioner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (64% of decks).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skullclamp"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zulaport Cutthroat"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tireless Provisioner"></div></div>
<h2>What's Fiery for Chatterfang Decks?</h2>
<p>There's a few cards that have seen big rises in popularity, including eight cards that have seen big jumps in inclusion this year. Let's take a peek at some of the most interesting risers.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Warren Soultrader"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Diabolic Intent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nature&#039;s Rhythm"></div></div>
<p>First up is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warren Soultrader" href="#" target="_blank">Warren Soultrader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, carrying a Fire Score of 3.64. This card fits right in with the deck's aristocrat and token themes, making it a great inclusion.</p>
<p>It's also got <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/search/?q=card%3A%22Warren+Soultrader%22+ci%3Agolgari+legal%3Acommander">a huge number of combos that make use of it</a> within Chatterfang's black-green color identity.</p>
<p>Another popular addition is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diabolic Intent" href="#" target="_blank">Diabolic Intent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card got a Fire Score of 2.64, and it does a pretty good impression of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diabolic Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Diabolic Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in a deck with so many disposable creatures.</p>
<p>Last but not least is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nature&#039;s Rhythm" href="#" target="_blank">Nature&#039;s Rhythm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, another card from <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> that's found a home in one of the format's most popular decks. This card works great with the creature-heavy, graveyard-centric gameplan of the deck, so it's no surprise that it tops our list here with a Fire Score of 4.78.</p>
<h2>What's Icy for Chatterfang Decks?</h2>
<p>Quite a few cards have seen big drops in popularity, too, with nine cards seeing their inclusion rate drop by precipitously.</p>
<p>The card that left the most decks, by far, is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Squirrel Mob" href="#" target="_blank">Squirrel Mob</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with a Ice Score of -4.39 (the lowest we'll see today). While this card is cool and thematic for players who'd like a Squirrel-centric build, paying for a large creature with no built-in evasion is much less appealing now than it has been in the past.</p>
<p>The same holds true for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drey Keeper" href="#" target="_blank">Drey Keeper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a card that's got a Ice Score of -3.84. While this card is certainly flavorful, a higher casting cost and an expensive activated ability have likely taken this card out of contention for a slot in Chatterfang's army.</p>
<p>The last card that we'll touch on today is one that I wouldn't have expected to be on this list.</p>
<p>While <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Squirrel Sovereign" href="#" target="_blank">Squirrel Sovereign</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a Ice Score of -3.74, I view it as a key role-player for <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/wotc-introduces-new-bracket-system-for-edh">lower bracket</a> Chatterfang lists. However, it's possible that it's being replaced by the popular (and consequently more expensive) Treasure-maker <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warren Soultrader" href="#" target="_blank">Warren Soultrader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as demonstrated in the mirrored pattern of usage in the line graph below for these two cards.</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.06.35 PM.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-158719" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.06.35 PM.png" alt="" width="1772" height="588" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.06.35 PM.png 1772w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.06.35 PM-300x100.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.06.35 PM-1024x340.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.06.35 PM-768x255.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-10-at-2.06.35 PM-1536x510.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1772px) 100vw, 1772px" /></a></p>
<h1>Until next time, Stay Cool (or Hot)!</h1>
<p>That's all we have for this week, but we'll be back soon with another edition of <em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire // Ice" href="#" target="_blank">Fire // Ice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></em>. For now, I'd love to hear from you. Let me know what commander's you'd like a data deep dive on in the comments below. I'll take a few of the most interesting picks and include them in the next installment in this series. Until then, happy brewing!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nekusar, the Mindrazer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chatterfang, Squirrel General"></div></div>
</div>


Fire and Ice: What Cards are Hot and Cold for July 2025?

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kefka, Court Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Kefka, Court Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Illustrated by <a href="https://www.yoshitakaamano.com/">Yoshitaka Amano</a></em></p>
<p>When someone asks an expert in the <em>Final Fantasy</em> series about its most detestable villain, Kefka Palazzo will often come to mind. After all, Kefka has committed a vast multitude of crimes that, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YJgM16uaq0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to paraphrase another RPG clown</a>, would make the Geneva Convention look more like "Geneva Suggestions." The role of Court Mage of the Gestahlian Empire and, later, as the God of Magic are, understandably, extremely oppressive titles to hold. Kefka achieves his goals with aplomb and fanfare, often to the chagrin of the protagonists of <em>Final Fantasy VI</em>.</p>
<p>Therefore, it may come as no surprise that this deck tech is almost certain to bring pain and despair to many a table. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kefka, Court Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Kefka, Court Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (and its rear face, Kefka, Ruler of Ruin) is extremely powerful as a commander. This commander wants to do multiple different things, but in a way that allows us to seamlessly pivot from one task to another as needed. By no means is this deck ever <em>not</em> going to be a "group slug" build; the deck wants to oppress the table at every turn. But, at the same time, you ought to have a little fun doing it, right? It's exactly what Lord Kefka would want.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kefka, Court Mage"></div></div>
<h2>What Does Kefka, Court Mage Do?</h2>
<p>Kefka, Court Mage is a legendary Human Wizard. His stats are relatively innocuous for his cost. He's a 4/5 for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, which isn't much to shout about. However, it's his abilities that allow Kefka to shine. On entry and whenever Kefka, Court Mage attacks, each player discards a card, then you get to draw a card for each card type among the discarded cards. For emphasis, this doesn't include subtypes or supertypes, but you'll often draw at least two cards with each resolution of this ability. Such is the way of forced discard!</p>
<p>To transform Kefka into his Ruler of Ruin iteration, you must pay a hefty eight generic mana. However, in addition to transforming Kefka, the ability also forces each opponent to sacrifice a permanent. This could be something as innocuous as a token or as impactful as a land, but that's at the whims of your opponents. Even so, ruination comes forth!</p>
<p>Kefka's rear face, the Ruler of Ruin, is a 5/7 with flying. He's now on rate, even considerably better, for his five-mana cost, but those stats don't make him worth eight. However, his triggered ability, which reads "Whenever an opponent loses life during your turn, you draw that many cards," fully makes up for this.</p>
<h3>A Contrapositive Nekusar?</h3>
<p>At the point where you read the front face of Kefka, you may be thinking to yourself, "This clown seems a <em>lot</em> like <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/nekusar-the-mindrazer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nekusar, the Mindrazer</a>!" And to that, I fully agree with you. After all, Kefka also draws you cards, and is built to cater to group slug strategies. But there's something slightly off about this line of thought. To that end, I say Kefka, Court Mage is a contrapositive to Nekusar. By that, I mean they affirmatively complement each other, but are still very different. You <em>could</em> always group them into the same deck, but to achieve similar results, it's actually not necessary.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nekusar, the Mindrazer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arjun, the Shifting Flame"></div></div>
<p>When you pivot over to Kefka, Ruler of Ruin, the commander that ensues does a good job at imitating <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/arjun-the-shifting-flame" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arjun, the Shifting Flame</a>. To an even slightly careless Arjun pilot, one slip-up might spell the difference between drawing your deck and winning, or drawing your deck and losing. The same is true of Kefka, Ruler of Ruin, except we have more fail-safe options to mitigate that possibility. Namely, we have the addition of sacrifice outlets to help us in case Kefka goes a little too mad with draw power. This deck tech doesn't utilize many black sacrifice outlets, but know that you <em>can</em>, and it might make a difference for you.</p>
<h3>Plans Befitting Ruination</h3>
<p>This deck tech will showcase a "group slug" strategy, as mentioned previously. This means affecting opponents in a relatively equal, very net-negative manner. This will be achieved through group discard and punishing card draw for opponents. Additionally, we'll utilize a plethora of triggered abilities that proc off of either draw or self-discard. Finally, when we transform Kefka into his Ruler of Ruin face, we'll aim to win by maximizing the extent of our triggers off card draw.</p>
<h2>Key Cards for Kefka, Court Mage</h2>
<p>A few cards make this deck tick exceptionally well. These cards can be divided into three groups:</p>
<h3>#1. Fail-Safes</h3>
<p>Before we get into the fun parts of running this deck, we need to discuss the fail-safes to keep you from losing by your own (literal) hand. Very often, you may find yourself in a situation where you're about to draw too many cards all at once. This is typically a bad situation, but it can be salvaged! For one, we run instant-speed enablers like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leyline of Anticipation" href="#" target="_blank">Leyline of Anticipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="High Fae Trickster" href="#" target="_blank">High Fae Trickster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to ensure we can fix things quickly if they were to go awry.</p>
<p>The solutions themselves include sacrifice outlets, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashnod&#039;s Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Ashnod&#039;s Altar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dimir House Guard" href="#" target="_blank">Dimir House Guard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, in case we need to remove Kefka from the field. They also include cards that halt draw in some fashion, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Obstinate Familiar" href="#" target="_blank">Obstinate Familiar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Words of Waste" href="#" target="_blank">Words of Waste</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ormos, Archive Keeper" href="#" target="_blank">Ormos, Archive Keeper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does a really good job of accruing +1/+1 counters instead of drawing in the worst case scenario - an empty library.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Obstinate Familiar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dimir House Guard"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ormos, Archive Keeper"></div></div>
<h3>#2. Card Draw Payoffs</h3>
<p>There are plenty of cards in this deck that pay off from drawing cards. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Locust God" href="#" target="_blank">The Locust God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes a ton of Insect tokens with haste with even one Kefka, Court Mage trigger. <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> could mill a player out quite handily in here if you've transformed Kefka. And, quite notably, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychosis Crawler" href="#" target="_blank">Psychosis Crawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Starving Revenant" href="#" target="_blank">Starving Revenant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> imitate the old <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-plus-<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curiosity" href="#" target="_blank">Curiosity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combo with Ruler of Ruin on the battlefield.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Starving Revenant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sphinx&#039;s Tutelage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Locust God"></div></div>
<h3>#3. Discard Payoffs</h3>
<p>This deck runs various ways to profit off of discard. This applies to opponents' discard, sure, but also self discard. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Waste Not" href="#" target="_blank">Waste Not</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bone Miser" href="#" target="_blank">Bone Miser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> work to create versatile and worthwhile situations. Through these scenarios, your opponents will ultimately suffer more than you. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archfiend of Ifnir" href="#" target="_blank">Archfiend of Ifnir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a straight-up one-sided board wipe if you can freely discard enough cards. And don't even get me started on the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Megrim" href="#" target="_blank">Megrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-style effects in this deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bone Miser"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tergrid, God of Fright"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Waste Not"></div></div>
<p>But special attention should be paid to the key reason this deck is Bracket 3 in letter as well as intent. <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> is a seriously intimidating card. It will do you absolutely no favors with how oppressive the card is. If you wish to tone the deck down at all, this should feasibly be the first card to consider cutting.</p>
<h2>How Does Kefka, Court Mage Win?</h2>
<p>Kefka, Court Mage wins a typical Commander game in a variety of different ways. One more apparent way is through <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>. Lab Man is a tried and true method of winning, and it isn't a bad one here. It also doesn't hurt that it can eat spot removal when you can use another method of winning.</p>
<p>Another method to win the game includes using Kefka, Ruler of Ruin to combo with Psychosis Crawler or Starving Revenant. This is a less effective means to win as it requires far more math, especially via Psychosis Crawler. The trajectory goes like this: with Kefka, Ruler of Ruin and Psychosis Crawler in play, when you draw a single card, each opponent loses one life. In a three-opponent game, that means you draw three cards. Psychosis Crawler causes your opponents to each lose three life, for nine life lost in total. You draw nine cards. They each lose nine life. You draw 27. If the next instance of 27 life lost can't defeat them all, you'd best have Ormos or a Lab Man handy. Starving Revenant does similarly, but on a 1-to-1 level of lifeless to draw as opposed to exponential degrees.</p>
<p>But overall, there are plenty of other means with which to win the game. This includes punisher effects and the potential for a go-wide strategy as well. The possibilities are endless!</p>
<h2>Kefka, Court Mage Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Kefka, Court Mage" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Kefka, Court Mage // Kefka, Ruler of Ruin
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Expedition Map
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Talisman of Creativity
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 Talisman of Indulgence
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Bedevil
*1 Fell the Profane // Fell Mire
*1 Forbid
*1 Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire
*1 Pongify
*1 Rakdos Charm
*1 Rapid Hybridization
*1 Slip Out the Back
*1 Withering Torment
[/Instants]
[Creatures]
*1 Archfiend of Ifnir
*1 Baleful Strix
*1 Bone Miser
*1 Captain Howler, Sea Scourge
*1 Chainer, Nightmare Adept
*1 Davros, Dalek Creator
*1 Dimir House Guard
*1 Fate Unraveler
*1 Glint-Horn Buccaneer
*1 High Fae Trickster
*1 Kederekt Parasite
*1 Laboratory Maniac
*1 Magus of the Jar
*1 Molten Gatekeeper
*1 Nightscape Familiar
*1 Obstinate Familiar
*1 Ormos, Archive Keeper
*1 Psychosis Crawler
*1 Razorkin Needlehead
*1 Sangromancer
*1 Scrawling Crawler
*1 Screaming Nemesis
*1 Starving Revenant
*1 Tergrid, God of Fright // Tergrid&#039;s Lantern
*1 The Locust God
*1 Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls
*1 Warren Soultrader
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Leyline of Anticipation
*1 Liliana&#039;s Caress
*1 Megrim
*1 Sphinx&#039;s Tutelage
*1 Teferi&#039;s Ageless Insight
*1 Teferi&#039;s Tutelage
*1 Waste Not
*1 Words of Waste
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Dark Deal
*1 Demonic Counsel
*1 Disrupt Decorum
*1 Ringsight
*1 Vandalblast
*1 Whispering Madness
*1 Windfall
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway
*1 Blood Crypt
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway
*1 Command Tower
*1 Crosis&#039;s Catacombs
*1 Crumbling Necropolis
*1 Drossforge Bridge
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Great Furnace
*1 Haunted Ridge
*1 Homeward Path
*2 Island
*1 Mistvault Bridge
*1 Mountain
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Raucous Theater
*1 Riverglide Pathway // Lavaglide Pathway
*1 Scalding Tarn
*1 Seat of the Synod
*1 Shipwreck Marsh
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Silverbluff Bridge
*1 Steam Vents
*1 Stormcarved Coast
*1 Sulfurous Springs
*2 Swamp
*1 Thundering Falls
*1 Undercity Sewers
*1 Underground River
*1 Valgavoth&#039;s Lair
*1 Vault of Whispers
*1 Watery Grave
*1 Xander&#039;s Lounge
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>The End Comes, Beyond Chaos</h2>
<p>This deck is, in a couple of words, certifiably evil. This is befitting of the good (read: despicable) name of Kefka Palazzo. It provides all manner of strong synergies with draw and discard effects. It's also readily able to pivot strategies to full-send draw payoffs as needed. Much like Kefka himself, this deck is sure to drive your opponents entirely up the wall, each scrambling in many ways to handle their inevitable collective demise. Just don't go dancing mad with too much power, or you'll fall to ruination yourself.</p>
<p>Finally, I hope you liked this deck tech and its diabolical fool of a commander. If you did, consider playing <a href="https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VI" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Final Fantasy VI</em></a> for yourself. It's an expansive title and does amazing things for the series at large.</p>


Group-Slugging With Kefka, Court Mage

Rally the Ancestors - Ogrekill

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Korvold, Fae-Cursed King" href="#" target="_blank">Korvold, Fae-Cursed King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/wisnutan">Wisnu Tan</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo, 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>Let's talk about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Korvold, Fae-Cursed King" href="#" target="_blank">Korvold, Fae-Cursed King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Korvold, Fae-Cursed King"></div></div>
<p>By this point, we all know Korvold is a must-answer threat and how easy it is to break his card draw ability. Korvold lets us draw a card for every permanent we sacrifice, whether it be a Treasure token, a fetch land, or cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unbridled Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Unbridled Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, giving us two cards for one mana. This flexibility allows him to be the perfect commander for almost every permanent-based Jund strategy. The indiscriminate draw enables him to go over the top and makes it almost impossible to defeat him in an attrition battle.</p>
<p>Given Korvold's power level, it's not that much of a stretch to think that he's going to become the target of removal from the other side of the table. This means that it's important to either get enough value from his arrival (which is easy) or to play in such a deliberately tamed shell that we might convince the table that we're not as much of a threat.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bitterheart Witch"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Disturbance"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Opulence"></div></div>
<p>It's a bit of a challenge to find a niche for such a popular commander. Luckily for me, the answer was pretty much in the name: Fae-Cursed. Curses are an interesting archetype to pair with Korvold because they provide a steady flow of tokens and an efficient timing window to sacrifice them with our commander's attack trigger.</p>
<p>One of the best aspects of a Curse-heavy deck is the ability to pinpoint our hate effects, which helps us avoid potential backlash from other players. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Death&#039;s Hold" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Death&#039;s Hold</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can hold off tokens and go-wide strategies before they get to their anthems. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cruel Reality" href="#" target="_blank">Cruel Reality</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great against decks that are trying to stick a big threat into play. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Fool&#039;s Wisdom" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Fool&#039;s Wisdom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a nice way to put control decks on a clock, and it's also very good against certain Spellslinger shells.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Clinging Webs"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of the Restless Dead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Captive Audience"></div></div>
<p>There are a lot of token-producer Curses that feed our commander rather nicely. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Clinging Webs" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Clinging Webs</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great way to fight recursion-based decks and is very nice to have after a board wipe. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of the Restless Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of the Restless Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> punishes greedy green players and provides useful self-sacrificing tokens. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Disturbance" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Disturbance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Opulence" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Opulence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> play nicely with Korvold's sacrifice trigger timing by being able to sacrifice the freshly created token.</p>
<p>While not necessarily Curses, Group Slug cards certainly fit the Curses style of death by a thousand cuts. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sheoldred, the Apocalypse" href="#" target="_blank">Sheoldred, the Apocalypse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an impressive threat that acts as a global <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Fool&#039;s Wisdom" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Fool&#039;s Wisdom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arasta of the Endless Web" href="#" target="_blank">Arasta of the Endless Web</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides lots of useful bodies that can be used to either clog our board or feed Korvold. <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> is as close to an Aura as a card can get, and its effects are nasty and should be considered mostly as a way to deal with archenemy scenarios.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Korvold, Curse King" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Korvold, Fae-Cursed King
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Birds of Paradise
*Caustic Caterpillar
*Gilded Goose
*Ignoble Hierarch
*Burglar Rat
*Destiny Spinner
*Elderfang Disciple
*Herald of the Pantheon
*Sanctum Weaver
*Tangled Florahedron
*Virus Beetle
*Weaver of Harmony
*Bothersome Quasit
*Demon&#039;s Disciple
*Gloomshrieker
*Plaguecrafter
*Arasta of the Endless Web
*Ravenous Chupacabra
*Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
*Silent Arbiter
*Bitterheart Witch
*Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant
*Shriekmaw
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*Curse of Opulence
*Phyrexian Reclamation
*Wild Growth
*Cindervine
*Curse of Shaken Faith
*Fertile Ground
*Trespasser&#039;s Curse
*Wolfwillow Haven
*Curse of Chaos
*Curse of the Clinging Webs
*Curse of Disturbance
*Curse of Hospitality
*Curse of the Restless Dead
*Descent into Avernus
*Maddening Hex
*Myth Unbound
*Overgrowth
*Vow of Lightning
*Vow of Malice
*Vow of Torment
*Vow of Wildness
*Weirding Woods
*Curse of Oblivion
*Curse of Bloodletting
*Curse of Death&#039;s Hold
*Curse of Misfortune
*Curse of Thirst
*Rite of the Raging Storm
*Curse of Fool&#039;s Wisdom
*Captive Audience
*Cruel Reality
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Assassin&#039;s Trophy
*Hagra Mauling
[/Instant]
[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*Crawlspace
[/Artifact]
[Sorcery]
*Shatterskull Smashing
*Agadeem&#039;s Awakening
*Bala Ged Recovery
*Toxic Deluge
*Damnation
*Turntimber Symbiosis
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Blood Crypt
*Bloodstained Mire
*Bojuka Bog
*Command Tower
*Fire-Lit Thicket
*Ghost Quarter
*Grave Cairns
*Grove of the Burnwillows
*Llanowar Wastes
*Luxury Suite
*Nurturing Peatland
*Overgrown Tomb
*Polluted Delta
*Prismatic Vista
*Riveters Outlook
*Savage Lands
*Spire Garden
*Stomping Ground
*Sulfurous Springs
*Tectonic Edge
*Twilight Mire
*Undergrowth Stadium
*Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*Verdant Catacombs
*Windswept Heath
*Wooded Foothills
*Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
*Zitora&#039;s Proving Ground
*3 Forest
*2 Swamp
*Mountain
[/Land]"></span></div><br />
</p>
<hr />
<p>Our commander is an important tool for this list, which means we need to have a few cheap permanents to get more mileage out of it. Most of our removal suite being creatures can help us with this. <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>, <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="Virus Beetle" href="#" target="_blank">Virus Beetle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s discard ETBs are very useful for us to slow down the game to get more value out of our Curses. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ravenous Chupacabra" href="#" target="_blank">Ravenous Chupacabra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shriekmaw" href="#" target="_blank">Shriekmaw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provide targeted creature removal, and together with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Plaguecrafter" href="#" target="_blank">Plaguecrafter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demon&#039;s Disciple" href="#" target="_blank">Demon&#039;s Disciple</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we get a pretty decent creature removal suite.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rite of the Raging Storm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vow of Malice"></div></div>
<p>It's important to make sure that everyone tries to get value out of our attack-based Curses, whether they want it or not. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great way to cover all bases; it provides everyone with another incentive to hit each other with, and the goad on attack is a nice bonus. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bothersome Quasit" href="#" target="_blank">Bothersome Quasit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> plays well with our Curses by both providing a forced attack and by clearing the way for potential combatants. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rite of the Raging Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Rite of the Raging Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives everyone a "why not" attacker, which, together with beneficial Curses like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Hospitality" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Hospitality</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, can provide a nice amount of "incidental" damage.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>Our early game tends to be a bit slow if we don't know what everyone else is playing. If that's the case, we should consider holding out our Curses so that we can properly gauge each deck and avoid king-making. If we know our opponents' strategies pretty well right off the bat, then we can instead start casting our Curses right away. We need to have a dedicated card to sacrifice when our commander comes down, so as to avoid losing a land. Don't get me wrong, we should still play Korvold even if we need to lose a land, but we don't want to get blown out by removal too badly.</p>
<p>By the mid-game, we should have our commander online and have a couple of Curses placed, but this is the pivotal point where the game tends to change depending on the harmful Auras we've managed to play. Curses that create tokens, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Opulence" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Opulence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of the Restless Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of the Restless Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, tend to accelerate our gameplan, while Curses that punish our opponents, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Death&#039;s Hold" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Death&#039;s Hold</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Shaken Faith" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Shaken Faith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, tend to slow the game down.</p>
<p>Between our Curses, slugs pieces, and commander, we grind pretty well in the late game, though we do lack a bit in sheer power and instead rely on incremental advantages, which can lose us some top deck wars. The most important thing to do to win the late game is to make sure that, by this point, everyone is weakened by a full game's worth of conflicts!</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think of this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Korvold

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atsushi, the Blazing Sky" href="#" target="_blank">Atsushi, the Blazing Sky</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/victoradameart">Victor Adame Minguez</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo, 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>Let's take a look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atsushi, the Blazing Sky" href="#" target="_blank">Atsushi, the Blazing Sky</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Atsushi, the Blazing Sky"></div></div>
<p>Atsushi suffers from being a better card in the 99 than as a commander. While the commander death rule change made it a lot easier to use commanders with these types of abilities, we still have to deal with an ever-increasing commander tax without any of the proper tools to deal with it. This goes double for pure-value-based commanders such as Atsushi, since we want to trigger them as often as possible.</p>
<p>That being said, once we accept our commander's shortcomings, we have a powerhouse of a tool for mono-red. Both modes on Atsushi's death trigger are solid, providing either mana or card draw, two things that mono-red always looks for.</p>
<p>While red won't be the best color to support a detah trigger commander, there are still plenty of good clone effects to copy our commander, forcing the copy to die to the legend rule. Bear in mind that these cards should be used mainly as support or a secondary theme, since it would be awkward to spend resources just to get more resources.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Ingredients</h2>
<p>So, how will we give this Dragon a brand new twist?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wrathful Red Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blazing Sunsteel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blasphemous Act"></div></div>
<p>One of the biggest challenges when using the '<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects + gigantic damage spell' interaction is, of course, choosing the right commander. These strategies often get stuck in a situation where they need to deal tons of damage to the whole table to trigger <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> cards, which of course kills their own commander, making it impossible to choose a ocmmander that you rely upon for help with that game plan. Atsushi negates this problem altogether! Our commander's death will only bring rewards! Atsushi's trigger is exactly what we need to either rebuild with a quick bump of extra mana to help replay our threats, to use the pseudo-draw to help us find them.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrathful Red Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Wrathful Red Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an impressive addition to our deck, as the tribal synergies with our commander could certainly be the difference between whether we can OHKO an opponent or not. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brash Taunter" href="#" target="_blank">Brash Taunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a more flexible <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and is an all-star in our list for its reliability, and for being so easily tutorable. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blazing Sunsteel" href="#" target="_blank">Blazing Sunsteel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a versatile card that makes any creature into a Stuffy Doll, turns our commander into a decent Voltron threat, and goes infinite with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brash Taunter" href="#" target="_blank">Brash Taunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toralf, God of Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Toralf, God of Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Repercussion" href="#" target="_blank">Repercussion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are excellent at punishing people for having too wide of a board.</p>
<p>The other part of our 'combo' is filled with some common red board wipes. This is a big upside when playing this type of strategy: we're able to fill both the interaction and synergy slots with cards that we'd want to play anyway, which opens up a lot in terms of deck slot economy. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blasphemous Act" href="#" target="_blank">Blasphemous Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the benchmark effect, as it's cheap and does a lot of damage. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Stroke" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Stroke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is very consistent in a mono-red deck and does a lot of damage, with or without our creatures on the board. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shatterskull Smashing" href="#" target="_blank">Shatterskull Smashing</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> goes even further on the versatility, working as either a combo piece, a removal spell, or a land.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sulfuric Vortex"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Burning Earth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ankh of Mishra"></div></div>
<p>While our deck wants to 'combo' off, we lack the consistency to make it our primary win condition. Enter the group slug package. <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/group-slug">Group slug</a> is a perfect theme to complement our strategy because it helps us lower everyone's life total low enough that our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blasphemous Act" href="#" target="_blank">Blasphemous Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combination will actually threaten lethal damage. Our deck is very mana-hungry, so having a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Descent into Avernus" href="#" target="_blank">Descent into Avernus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that can both ramp us and deal damage is very good, even if the ramp is symmetrical. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Manabarbs" href="#" target="_blank">Manabarbs</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burning Earth" href="#" target="_blank">Burning Earth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spellshock" href="#" target="_blank">Spellshock</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> punish players for casting spells in one way or another, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Moon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magus of the Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Magus of the Moon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> punish players for being too greedy with their mana base.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Atsushi Piñata" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Atsushi, the Blazing Sky
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Goblin Engineer
*Mogg Maniac
*Goblin Matron
*Imperial Recruiter
*Magus of the Moon
*Spiteful Sliver
*Defiler of Instinct
*Ill-Tempered Loner
*Jaxis, the Troublemaker
*Toralf, God of Fury
*Brash Taunter
*Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs
*Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
*Stuffy Doll
*Wrathful Red Dragon
*Coalhauler Swine
[/Creature]
[Sorcery]
*Earthquake
*Faithless Looting
*Magmatic Insight
*Rolling Earthquake
*Shattering Spree
*Vandalblast
*Crackle with Power
*Shatterskull Smashing
*Seize the Spoils
*Chain Reaction
*Shivan Meteor
*Star of Extinction
*Sundering Stroke
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Instant]
*Price of Progress
*Thrill of Possibility
*Wild Magic Surge
*Arcbond
*Chaos Warp
*Valakut Awakening
*Big Score
*Unexpected Windfall
[/Instant]
[Enchantment]
*Roiling Vortex
*Blood Moon
*Descent into Avernus
*Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
*Repercussion
*Spellshock
*Sulfuric Vortex
*Burning Earth
*Furnace of Rath
*Manabarbs
*Dictate of the Twin Gods
*Fiery Emancipation
[/Enchantment]
[Artifact]
*Everflowing Chalice
*Sol Ring
*Ankh of Mishra
*Blade of Selves
*Blazing Sunsteel
*Fellwar Stone
*Mind Stone
*Ruby Medallion
*Cursed Mirror
*Skyclave Relic
*Sword of Light and Shadow
*Hedron Archive
*Caged Sun
[/Artifact]
[Land]
*Tectonic Edge
*Ghost Quarter
*34 Mountain
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>We've assembled a decent tutor suite for mono-red. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can grab <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blazing Sunsteel" href="#" target="_blank">Blazing Sunsteel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if we want to go off even without a proper <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> creature, or it can grab <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Light and Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Light and Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if we want to rebuild after combing off, or even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cursed Mirror" href="#" target="_blank">Cursed Mirror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can be great in the right circumstances. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Matron" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Matron</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can fetch our key creatures, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brash Taunter" href="#" target="_blank">Brash Taunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mogg Maniac" href="#" target="_blank">Mogg Maniac</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, can grab enablers, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker" href="#" target="_blank">Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or it can chain tutors together by getting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. My favorite one, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imperial Recruiter" href="#" target="_blank">Imperial Recruiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is more flexible than the Matron, being able to tutor for any Goblin and even some of our cheaper non-Goblin 'combo' creatures, plus some heavy hitters like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magus of the Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Magus of the Moon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jaxis, the Troublemaker" href="#" target="_blank">Jaxis, the Troublemaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Engineer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Matron"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Imperial Recruiter"></div></div>
<p>Oh, and did I mention? Damage multiplier effects are great here because a <em>lot</em> of our cards deal a <em>lot </em>of damage. <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> goes buck wild, tripling our own damage to our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brash Taunter" href="#" target="_blank">Brash Taunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which then deal an <em>additional </em>triple damage to an opponent! Bear in mind that these types of cards take extra time to get into play, and attract a lot of attention, so opponents may gang up on us to remove them. To create a big explosion, we have to time the ignition just right.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>Our early game strategy should focus more on building a reliable foundation, rather than trying to goldfish our way through the game. As such, we should prioritize hands that offer early board interaction or mana. Our commander is a good failsafe for when we're lacking relevant plays. The mid-game is where we start tutoring to get our key pieces ready. This telegraphs our plan, but flexible deck searches will set us up quickly, and once we land a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with a big blowout damage spell, our opponents might not be able to survive the initial blast.</p>
<p>If they do survive, that's no problem - our late game is pretty good, and that's where the group slug cards come in handy! Life totals will be low, so even if our damage multipliers didn't secure the win, we can nickel and dime our way to victory... or set up for another explosion! Even games where we don't set up very well can end with a combination of damage multipliers and burn spells.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think of this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Atsushi

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strefan, Maurer Progenitor" href="#" target="_blank">Strefan, Maurer Progenitor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.rallisart.com/">Chris Rallis</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo, 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>Let's take a look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strefan, Maurer Progenitor" href="#" target="_blank">Strefan, Maurer Progenitor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Strefan, Maurer Progenitor"></div></div>
<p>Blood tokens, like Clue tokens, are a super fun mechanic! Creating a bunch of useful artifacts is great, and there's a lot that we can do with them, such as using them to fuel graveyard-matters strategies or artifact-based strategies. The color pairing of BR is perfect for these types of artifact-token strategies, so having a commander that generates a ton of them is a very solid starting point. It's worth noting that this ability only triggers at the end of our turn, which means that many traditional 'punisher' effects in red don't directly interact with Strefan. However, some of them can allow us to ping ourselves for that fourth token.</p>
<p>Strefan's attack trigger is just as powerful as his first ability, allowing us to cheat Vampires into play. If you ever played Standard when <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord" href="#" target="_blank">Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was legal, you know how strong cheating a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Champion of Dusk" href="#" target="_blank">Champion of Dusk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be in the right shell, and with the whole Vampire pool to choose from, this type of ability is even more powerful. With enough support, it's very easy to consistently hit people without much mana investment. As if that isn't impressive enough, we can also build around type-changing cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conspiracy" href="#" target="_blank">Conspiracy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and use this ability to cheat out any creature that we want!</p>
<p>All in all, Strefan is an interesting build-around commander that has a lot of potential even outside of his intended tribal shell.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hellkite Igniter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragon&#039;s Approach"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Knollspine Dragon"></div></div>
<p>One of the many upsides of having so many cheap discard outlets (Blood tokens) is the ability to set up our graveyard. [elDragon's Approach[/el] is a great enabler for a Dragon-tastic strategy, one that also gets enabled by Strefan's ability. Damage means Blood, Blood means filtering, filtering means a bigger yard and more toys to play with. This duo synergy makes for a consistent strategy, where one part sets up our draw, while the other acts as our finisher.</p>
<p>Let's talk about Dragons. In a shell that pumps out this many artifacts, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hellkite Igniter" href="#" target="_blank">Hellkite Igniter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> becomes a fast clock, especially since we can often get it into play for three mana with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon&#039;s Approach" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon&#039;s Approach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, leaving more mana aside for us to use that pump effect multiple times! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hellkite Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Hellkite Tyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can also be a reasonable win condition, since we'll make so many artifacts with our commander! Even when we can't threaten to win the game with it, we can still use it to steal our opponents' artifacts, and it's always useful to acquire more utility artifacts and mana rocks. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knollspine Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Knollspine Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great target for when we're trying to recover, as our deck already tends to deal consistent damage to our opponents, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Utvara Hellkite" href="#" target="_blank">Utvara Hellkite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a good mid-range option for when we want to get value across multiple turns.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ankh of Mishra"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rampaging Ferocidon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sulfuric Vortex"></div></div>
<p>Our Dragons are good at dealing huge bursts of damage, but they're not all able to one-shot an opponent, so we also have to set the stage for their arrival by lowering enemy life totals before any winged beasts arrive. One effective way to help lower everyone's life total is to play a few hate pieces that provide a constant clock to our opponents. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ankh of Mishra" href="#" target="_blank">Ankh of Mishra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burning Earth" href="#" target="_blank">Burning Earth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Manabarbs" href="#" target="_blank">Manabarbs</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are a good way to punish players for going bigger than us. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harsh Mentor" href="#" target="_blank">Harsh Mentor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Immolation Shaman" href="#" target="_blank">Immolation Shaman</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are great at slowing down some specific strategies, such as Aristocrats, while also being generally useful for minor punishments here and there, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rampaging Ferocidon" href="#" target="_blank">Rampaging Ferocidon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sulfuric Vortex" href="#" target="_blank">Sulfuric Vortex</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are great ways to ensure that all of our damage is permanent. Even if some of these cards don't always reliably trigger our commander's Blood generation, they work great at controlling the pace of the game.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Strefan&#039;s Approach" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Strefan, Maurer Progenitor
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Firebrand Archer
*Harsh Mentor
*Immolation Shaman
*Kessig Flamebreather
*Reckless Fireweaver
*Glint-Horn Buccaneer
*Rampaging Ferocidon
*Fathom Fleet Swordjack
*Hellkite Tyrant
*Hellkite Igniter
*Knollspine Dragon
*Utvara Hellkite
[/Creature]
[Sorcery]
*26 Dragon&#039;s Approach
*Damnation
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Instant]
*Price of Progress
*Terminate
*Chaos Warp
[/Instant]
[Land]
*Arid Mesa
*Blood Crypt
*Bloodstained Mire
*City of Brass
*Command Tower
*Mana Confluence
*Polluted Delta
*Prismatic Vista
*Scalding Tarn
*Smoldering Marsh
*Sulfurous Springs
*Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*Wooded Foothills
*18 Mountain
*6 Swamp
[/Land]
[Enchantment]
*Roiling Vortex
*Ghirapur Aether Grid
*Spellshock
*Sulfuric Vortex
*Burning Earth
*Mana Barbs
*Triskaidekaphobia[/Enchantment]
[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*Ankh of Mishra
*Arcane Signet
*Dragonspark Reactor
*Fellwar Stone
*Lightning Greaves
*Oni-Cult Anvil
*Rakdos Signet
*Ruby Medallion
*Swiftfoot Boots
*Talisman of Indulgence
*Cryptolith Fragment
[/Artifact]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>Besides <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon&#039;s Approach" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon&#039;s Approach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we still have some 'poking' effects to trigger our commander as much as possible. While their damage output will be severely limited, their main purpose is to make sure that we're able to continue getting Blood tokens even while developing our board. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Firebrand Archer" href="#" target="_blank">Firebrand Archer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kessig Flamebreather" href="#" target="_blank">Kessig Flamebreather</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are solid creatures because they're cheap enough to be played on curve with our other Slug pieces (and our commander). <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triskaidekaphobia" href="#" target="_blank">Triskaidekaphobia</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a bit on the expensive side, but it more than makes up by allowing us to get the full four tokens every turn (and it can even act as an alternative win condition).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragonspark Reactor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oni-Cult Anvil"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glint-Horn Buccaneer"></div></div>
<p>Strefan is one of those commanders that benefit greatly from having a dedicated support suite. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oni-Cult Anvil" href="#" target="_blank">Oni-Cult Anvil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great artifact, providing a constant stream of bodies and life that helps us get around aggression. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragonspark Reactor" href="#" target="_blank">Dragonspark Reactor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works very similarly to a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fireball" href="#" target="_blank">Fireball</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but it has the benefit of growing in damage without having to invest mana. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glint-Horn Buccaneer" href="#" target="_blank">Glint-Horn Buccaneer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reckless Fireweaver" href="#" target="_blank">Reckless Fireweaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are fast sources of chip damage, which, unlike the aforementioned sources, have the benefit of being either cheaper or more effective than their competition. However, they do tend to be a bit more unreliable when it comes to triggering Strefan's ability, so watch out for that!</p>
<hr />
<div id="mtgh_7dde8" class="mtgh">
<div class="header">
<div>
<h2>Methodology</h2>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div id="mtgh_f554a" class="mtgh">
<p>For opening hands, we're mostly looking to start creating our precious Blood tokens ASAP. This means we're trying to get our commander out as soon as possible. In the early game, we need to set up for our commander, either with ramp or an early damage enabler, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kessig Flamebreather" href="#" target="_blank">Kessig Flamebreather</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We'll be set once we start creating Blood tokens, so we shouldn't be afraid of sacrificing a few to dig for more cards.</p>
<p>By the mid-game, we should be very close to triggering <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon&#039;s Approach" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon&#039;s Approach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and we may even use Blood to get some extra Approaches into the graveyard early to help us hit their threshhold as quickly as possible. Choosing a good target for the first Approach payoff is key to maintaining pressure throughout the game. If we think our opponents lack removal, we can opt for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Utvara Hellkite" href="#" target="_blank">Utvara Hellkite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If we have a few Blood tokens around, we can pick <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hellkite Igniter" href="#" target="_blank">Hellkite Igniter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. At this stage, the damage that we've done with our hate pieces starts piling on, so it's important to find as soon as possible a way to finish off some of our opponents - otherwise they might gang on us.</p>
<p>Our deck the explosive power found in many other strategies, so the late game can be challenging if we're in top deck mode. Try to keep up persistent pressure, and find an opening for a late-game Approach to shake up the table if you find yourself in a board stall.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bladewing the Risen"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stinkweed Imp"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="War&#039;s Toll"></div></div>
<p>Non-singleton decks tend to be a bit slot-intensive, so keep this in mind when adding new cards to this deck, or trying out a few tweaks to the list! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bladewing the Risen" href="#" target="_blank">Bladewing the Risen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a good addition to the Dragon suite, as it allows us to discard Dragons when we draw them without that much concern. Since we have a graveyard-based synergy and do a lot of looting, it isn't a stretch to want to include a few <em>Dredge </em>cards, either. A few of those might allow us to reduce the numbers of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon&#039;s Approach" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon&#039;s Approach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> needed in the 99, since we can get four into the graveyard more quickly that way. Adjusting our Group Slug pieces is another fun way to give this deck some variance too, and there are tons of interesting punisher cards out there to choose from.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think of this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this Epic Experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Strefan

Archetune-Up - Season's Beatings

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esika, God of the Tree" href="#" target="_blank">Esika, God of the Tree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/algenpfleger">Johannes Voss</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 start exploring <em>Kaldheim</em> with what's probably one of the most powerful commanders recently released. It's part creature, part enchantment, 100% bomb. Yes, it's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esika, God of the Tree" href="#" target="_blank">Esika, God of the Tree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/esika.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-62708" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/esika.jpg" alt="" width="243" height="339" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/esika.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/esika-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 243px) 100vw, 243px" /></a> <a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prismatic-bridge.jpg"> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-62709" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prismatic-bridge.jpg" alt="" width="244" height="339" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prismatic-bridge.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prismatic-bridge-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 244px) 100vw, 244px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Esika, God of the Tree</strong></p>
<p><strong>Vigilance</strong></p>
<p><strong>{T}: Add one mana of any color.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Other legendary creatures you control have vigilance and “{T}: Add one mana of any color.”</strong></p>
<p><strong>The Prismatic Bridge</strong></p>
<p><strong>At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature or planeswalker card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.</strong></p>
<p>Observation 1:</p>
<p>Esika has tough competition on her front side; both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kethis, the Hidden Hand" href="#" target="_blank">Kethis, the Hidden Hand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sisay, Weatherlight Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Sisay, Weatherlight Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> offer a better support for the 'legendary matters' archetype. However, the versatility of having two forms can't be underestimated.</p>
<p>Observation 2:</p>
<p>The enchantment is quite strong. In fact, it's probably the main reason one should consider running Esika as a commander.</p>
<p>Observation 3:</p>
<p>The combination of the creature side plus the enchantment side is really powerful in a deck dedicated to playing haymakers, as both halves can help the gameplan in their own way.</p>
<p>Observation 4:</p>
<p>Cheating creatures or planeswalkers into play can be used in plenty of different ways, from getting big haymakers to a more combo-focused approach.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-62299" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig-1024x510.png" alt="" width="1024" height="510" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig-1024x510.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig-300x150.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig-768x383.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig.png 1224w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p>As we can see, Esika is often used as the head of a God tribal, which makes sense, in a way, since Gods tend to be quite good. This seems more like a thematic choice than one based on power, though.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stuffy Doll"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brash Taunter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spiteful Sliver"></div></div>
<p>Like in my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Illuna, Apex of Wishes" href="#" target="_blank">Illuna, Apex of Wishes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/epic-experiment-illuda-storm/">article</a>, the challenge of building around The Prismatic Bridge is to find out what we're trying to cheat into play. One of my favorite two-card combos is a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect plus some big damage spell. This combo has always felt a bit clunky because we need to find one combo piece, play them, and then cast our damage effect. This is can lead us into two outcomes: either we play our creature early and wait for our next turn to play the damage spell, or we wait until we have the mana to cast both cards on the same turn. The Prismatic Bridge helps us find our creatures and play them for free. This makes so we can hold playing our commander until we find a damage spell, and then on the next turn we can combo out.</p>
<p>We have basically every variation of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. They all look very similar, but upon further look we can see their differences. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coalhauler Swine" href="#" target="_blank">Coalhauler Swine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> being able to damage every opponent makes it a very effective threat. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spiteful Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Spiteful Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the best target for our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clone" href="#" target="_blank">Clone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects, because they'll get multiple instances of the damage trigger. Aside from these creatures, we do have some honorable mentions that help us, too. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Repercussion" href="#" target="_blank">Repercussion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcbond" href="#" target="_blank">Arcbond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toralf, God of Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Toralf, God of Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> turn our opponents' creatures into our own <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s.</p>
<p>The best part of this archetype is that one of its combo pieces are board wipes. This means that we are somewhat slot-efficient and we can reliably interact with our opponents' creatures. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blasphemous Act" href="#" target="_blank">Blasphemous Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the best options out there. It's cheap and does a lot of damage. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Earthquake" href="#" target="_blank">Earthquake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rolling Earthquake" href="#" target="_blank">Rolling Earthquake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> do a good job both triggering our creatures and as a burn to face. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Stroke" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Stroke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful burn spell that can act both as a way to spread damage across and as a way to focus damage onto one opponent.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spellshock"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sulfuric Vortex"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ankh of Mishra"></div></div>
<p>We probably won't be able to wipe out all of our opponents with our combo, so we need a way to soften everyone up. This is a bit of a challenge because we want to avoid playing creatures (other than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s) and planeswalkers, so we need another way to find a constant source of pressure. Group Slug enchantments do a great job covering that weakness. They punish greed and play nicely with damage multiplier effects, another key part of our gameplan. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cindervines" href="#" target="_blank">Cindervines</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spellshock" href="#" target="_blank">Spellshock</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> punish our opponents for playing multiple spells, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Roiling Vortex" href="#" target="_blank">Roiling Vortex</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sulfuric Vortex" href="#" target="_blank">Sulfuric Vortex</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might seem a bit too slow, but they do add up by the time we're combing out.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Esika Piñata" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Esika, God of the Tree
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Mogg Maniac
*Boros Reckoner
*Hornet Nest
*Spiteful Sliver
*Toralf, God of Fury
*Spitemare
*Truefire Captain
*Brash Taunter
*Stuffy Doll
*Coalhauler Swine
[/Creature]
[Sorcery]
*Earthquake
*Faithless Looting
*Magmatic Insight
*Reanimate
*Rolling Earthquake
*Vandalblast
*Explore
*Farseek
*Nature&#039;s Lore
*Three Visits
*Tormenting Voice
*Twinflame
*Cultivate
*Grow from the Ashes
*Kodama&#039;s Reach
*Chain Reaction
*Pirate&#039;s Pillage
*Skyshroud Claim
*Shivan Meteor
*Into the Maw of Hell
*Star of Extinction
*Sundering Stroke
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*Ankh of Mishra
*Arcane Signet
*Chromatic Lantern
*Lithoform Engine
[/Artifact]
[Enchantment]
*Phyrexian Reclamation
*Animate Dead
*Cindervines
*No Rest for the Wicked
*Roiling Vortex
*Overabundance
*Repercussion
*Spellshock
*Sulfuric Vortex
*Flameshadow Conjuring
*Manabarbs
*Dictate of the Twin Gods
*Fiery Emancipation
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Mystical Tutor
*Vampiric Tutor
*Arcane Denial
*Boros Charm
*Cyclonic Rift
*Heroic Intervention
*Thrill of Possibility
*Arcbond
*Chaos Warp
*Kolaghan&#039;s Command
*Faith&#039;s Reward
[/Instant]
[Land]
*Arid Mesa
*Blood Crypt
*Bloodstained Mire
*Cinder Glade
*City of Brass
*Command Tower
*Flooded Strand
*Ketria Triome
*Luxury Suite
*Mana Confluence
*Marsh Flats
*Misty Rainforest
*Polluted Delta
*Raugrin Triome
*Sacred Foundry
*Savai Triome
*Scalding Tarn
*Spectator Seating
*Spire Garden
*Steam Vents
*Stomping Ground
*Training Center
*Verdant Catacombs
*Windswept Heath
*Wooded Foothills
*12 Mountain
[/Land]"></span></div>
<hr />
<p>Another key component of our list are damage multiplier effects. These effects stack amazingly well with our creatures (both the damage on our creatures and the triggers are affected by the multipliers). While they are great, we do have to be careful because they tend to be win-more. <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 powerful new addition that not only scales better than any other, it's also safer because it doesn't apply to us. <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> has flash, which is a pretty nice way to get first value out of it.</p>
<p>Most of our pieces lack protection, which makes them mostly a "one-time deal". That being said, having a bit of recursion goes a long way to help us continue going off. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="No Rest for the Wicked" href="#" target="_blank">No Rest for the Wicked</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great because we pay it in advance. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to use our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects as effective blockers. We can also give the missing protection for our creatures: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boros Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Boros Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heroic Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Heroic Intervention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are both great protection spells that could be used both to protect our pieces from removal and to allow us to continue the combo.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>We have some different kinds of opening hands and their usefulness will vary according to the type of game we're looking for. Hands with hate pieces are great for slower games where we don't need to rush for our combo out. Hands with ramp, on the other hand, can be good for faster combos, but without the board wipes we might run out of steam by the mid game.</p>
<p>For our early game we need a clear starting plan. Are we going to try to rush for our combo? Are we playing early Slug pieces? We can even take it a bit slow and dig for a plan. Regardless of the path chosen, we need to stick to it; it doesn't make any sense to try to rush for our commander without access to board wipes to combo after. One thing that is very important to keep in mind is that having access to all of our colors can be a bit tricky because our mana based is stretched to fit <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Stroke" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Stroke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sundering Stroke"></div></div>
<p>In the mid game we can, hopefully, start looking to combo. Even if we don't get to, however, that's okay: our Group Slug pieces can go a long way throughout the game. A bit of politics go a long way in lying low while we search for our threats.</p>
<p>By the time we get to the late game we should be careful to not die to our own effects, but aside from that we have lots of one-shot potential even with spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Earthquake" href="#" target="_blank">Earthquake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angrath&#039;s Marauders"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archaeomancer"></div></div>
<p>Esika is a really fun commander to build around, and it's too bad that I can't show more builds that I've tried. However, I can tell you some that were pretty close to being featured: Turbo Turns using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects to recur our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time Warp" href="#" target="_blank">Time Warp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s, Burn using damage multipliers on creatures to get more value out of our Burn spells and slug pieces, even a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curiosity" href="#" target="_blank">Curiosity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combo deck featuring every single variation of those effects and some cards that combo with it.</p>
<p>As for this build, cutting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Stroke" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Stroke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help out alleviate our mana problems. Having more <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clone" href="#" target="_blank">Clone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects can also increase our all-in potential at the cost of being dead draws outside of the combo.</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>


group slug