Haliya, Guided by Light Commander Deck Tech

<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Haliya, Ascendant Cadet" href="#" target="_blank">Haliya, Ascendant Cadet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/justynadura" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justyna Dura</a></span></i></p>
<p>Welcome... to the world of tomorrow! And to another <em>Edge of Eternities</em> deck tech. Today, we're taking a look at a super cool legend from <em>Magic</em>'s space opera set: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Haliya, Ascendant Cadet" href="#" target="_blank">Haliya, Ascendant Cadet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Haliya, Ascendant Cadet"></div></div>
<p>This Selesnya (<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>) commander provides +1/+1 counters and card draw, two things I firmly believe every Commander deck needs, so I'm super excited to show you what I've built around her!</p>
<p>Let's get right into it...</p>
<h2>What Does Haliya, Ascendant Cadet Do?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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 class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, we get a 3/3. That certainly doesn't pass the Vanilla Test, but we're not building a Voltron deck this week. Haliya also puts a +1/+1 counter on a creature when she enters or attacks, and lets us draw cards when our counter-ified creatures deal combat damage to our opponents. Now that's more like it. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Haliya wants us to have a board full of creatures and +1/+1 counters, rewarding us with cards when we manage to punch through in combat with those creatures. She even helps us buff up our board, which is a nice added benefit.</span></p>
<p>+1/+1 counters are an extremely well-explored theme for Selesnya commanders. Commanders like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hamza, Guardian of Arashin" href="#" target="_blank">Hamza, Guardian of Arashin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> find themselves leading thousands of decks, cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conclave Mentor" href="#" target="_blank">Conclave Mentor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are among EDH's most recognizable, and precons are constructed around simple premises like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leinore, Autumn Sovereign" href="#" target="_blank">Leinore, Autumn Sovereign</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s <a href="https://edhrec.com/precon/coven-counters" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Coven Counters</em> deck</a>.</p>
<p>Point is, we're certainly not starved for options here.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hamza, Guardian of Arashin"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Conclave Mentor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Leinore, Autumn Sovereign"></div></div>
<p>We'll fill our 99 with more ways to put +1/+1 counters on our creatures, ways to leverage those counters into more mana and card advantage, and wipe out our opponents with an unstoppable board of big guys.</p>
<p>It's a simple premise, and our commander will provide a top-end boost to an already strong strategy. I've even included some cool new cards from <em>Edge of Eternities</em>, and I'm excited to show you all what I've come up with!</p>
<h2>Key Cards for Haliya</h2>
<p>First, let's talk about how we'll be getting counters onto our creatures. While our commander does provide one +1/+1 counter per turn when it's on the battlefield, that's just not enough for us to win games.</p>
<p><em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> brought some pretty cool counter tech, including the new <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warden of the Grove" href="#" target="_blank">Warden of the Grove</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This Hydra provides an increasingly impressive number of counters to each creature we cast, accelerating our board development incrementally each turn. We can even substitute X/X creature tokens for those counters if we're in a sticky situation, meaning this card is great on offense and defense.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Warden of the Grove"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sovereign Okinec Ahau"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quilled Greatwurm"></div></div>
<p>One of my favorite cards from <em>Lost Caverns of Ixalan</em>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sovereign Okinec Ahau" href="#" target="_blank">Sovereign Okinec Ahau</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> slots in well too. This card can turn a board of creatures with just a few counters on each of them into a fearsome battlefield full of lethal attackers in just a turn or two.</p>
<p>Same goes for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quilled Greatwurm" href="#" target="_blank">Quilled Greatwurm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a six-drop that'll multiply our board's power quickly.</p>
<p>There's lots of other ways to distribute counters to our creatures, from enchantments like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Innkeeper&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Innkeeper&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Court of Garenbrig" href="#" target="_blank">Court of Garenbrig</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to removal spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Collective Effort" href="#" target="_blank">Collective Effort</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Requisition Raid" href="#" target="_blank">Requisition Raid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Court of Garenbrig"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Requisition Raid"></div></div>
<p>So we're putting all these counters on our creatures. How can we take advantage of that, aside from combat?</p>
<p>We can turn those counters into mana with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rishkar, Peema Renegade" href="#" target="_blank">Rishkar, Peema Renegade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kodama of the East Tree" href="#" target="_blank">Kodama of the East Tree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Incubation Druid" href="#" target="_blank">Incubation Druid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These cards can accelerate us into the mid-late game easily, letting us slam big creatures onto the battlefield turn after turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rishkar, Peema Renegade"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kodama of the East Tree"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Incubation Druid"></div></div>
<p>We can also turn those counters into ... even more counters! Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Generous Pup" href="#" target="_blank">Generous Pup</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wakka, Devoted Guardian" href="#" target="_blank">Wakka, Devoted Guardian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and the brand-new <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ouroboroid" href="#" target="_blank">Ouroboroid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will all put counters on our whole team when we put counters on them.</p>
<p>The strongest among these card is definitively <em>Edge of Eternities</em>' Ouroboroid, which will always put at least one +1/+1 counter on each of our creatures the turn it hits the board (even if we don't buff it in any way).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Generous Pup"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wakka, Devoted Guardian"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ouroboroid"></div></div>
<p>There's some other utility picks in here. We can give our whole team combat-relevant abilities with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Abzan Battle Priest" href="#" target="_blank">Abzan Battle Priest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drix Fatemaker" href="#" target="_blank">Drix Fatemaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, get some repeatable removal with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="District Mascot" href="#" target="_blank">District Mascot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and interact with graveyards through <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lion Sash" href="#" target="_blank">Lion Sash</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evolution Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Evolution Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We really cover all of our bases here!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Drix Fatemaker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="District Mascot"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Evolution Witness"></div></div>
<h2>How Does This Deck Win?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck wins through combat. Whether we're multiplying our counter production through <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ozolith, the Shattered Spire" href="#" target="_blank">Ozolith, the Shattered Spire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and swinging in with a few creatures, sacrificing a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Twitching Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Twitching Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to make a huge board of tokens, or crashing in with a huge <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mossborn Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Mossborn Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, counter-centric combat is this deck's M.O.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ozolith, the Shattered Spire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Twitching Doll"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mossborn Hydra"></div></div>
<p>There are a few finishers in the deck, should we encounter a particularly clogged board state. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kalonian Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Kalonian Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one such finisher, growing itself and the rest of our board to threatening size quickly. Same goes for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fangs of Kalonia" href="#" target="_blank">Fangs of Kalonia</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a fantastic sorcery that can turn a middling board state into a game-ending one for just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kalonian Hydra"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fangs of Kalonia"></div></div>
<h2>Haliya, Ascendant Cadet Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Building a +1/+1 Counter Deck with Haliya, Ascendant Cadet" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Haliya, Ascendant Cadet
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Abzan Battle Priest
*1 Abzan Falconer
*1 Arwen, Weaver of Hope
*1 Beast Whisperer
*1 Benevolent Hydra
*1 Botanical Brawler
*1 Bulwark Ox
*1 Cankerbloom
*1 Conclave Mentor
*1 Cosmogrand Zenith
*1 Crystalline Crawler
*1 District Mascot
*1 Drix Fatemaker
*1 Duskshell Crawler
*1 Envoy of the Ancestors
*1 Esper Sentinel
*1 Evolution Witness
*1 Generous Pup
*1 Gyre Sage
*1 Hamza, Guardian of Arashin
*1 Incubation Druid
*1 Kalonian Hydra
*1 Kami of Whispered Hopes
*1 Kodama of the West Tree
*1 Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar
*1 Lion Sash
*1 Metastatic Evangel
*1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
*1 Mossborn Hydra
*1 Ouroboroid
*1 Quilled Greatwurm
*1 Reluctant Role Model
*1 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
*1 Selvala, Eager Trailblazer
*1 Sovereign Okinec Ahau
*1 Twitching Doll
*1 Urdnan, Dromoka Warrior
*1 Wakka, Devoted Guardian
*1 Warden of the Grove
*1 Zack Fair
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Branching Evolution
*1 Communal Brewing
*1 Court of Garenbrig
*1 Growing Rites of Itlimoc // Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun
*1 Hardened Scales
*1 Innkeeper&#039;s Talent
*1 Sphere Grid
*1 Terrasymbiosis
*1 Tribute to the World Tree
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron
*1 Ozolith, the Shattered Spire
*1 The Earth Crystal
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Archdruid&#039;s Charm
*1 Beast Within
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Inspiring Call
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Collective Effort
*1 Damning Verdict
*1 Fangs of Kalonia
*1 Requisition Raid
*1 Sunfall
[/Sorceries]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Jiang Yanggu, Wildcrafter
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Brushland
*1 Canopy Vista
*16 Forest
*1 Horizon Canopy
*1 Hushwood Verge
*1 Krosan Verge
*1 Overgrown Farmland
*10 Plains
*1 Scattered Groves
*1 Sungrass Prairie
*1 Wooded Bastion
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Before I go, I've got one more thing to talk about: board wipes! I typically include two sweepers in each of my Commander decks, and I try to ensure that they're as on-theme for the deck as possible.</p>
<p>Here, I wanted to ensure that my board wipes were as thematic as possible, so I included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Damning Verdict" href="#" target="_blank">Damning Verdict</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sunfall" href="#" target="_blank">Sunfall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Damning Verdict is a great card, and one-sided wipes are some of the best cards in the game. But, this card isn't always one-sided. +1/+1 counters are given out like candy in modern EDH, so it's key to be aware of your opponents' board states when you cast this card.</p>
<p>Sunfall, on the other hand, is one-sided. This exile-wipe is an all-star, leaving us with a pretty large creature to rebuild around. In a deck that cares about creatures with counters, this Incubator token is invaluable.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Damning Verdict"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sunfall"></div></div>
<p>Combined with a suite of 10 removal pieces that synergize with the deck's plan, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cankerbloom" href="#" target="_blank">Cankerbloom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archdruid&#039;s Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Archdruid&#039;s Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, I'm happy with this deck's interaction.</p>
<p>What do you think? Should a Bracket 2 deck like this have more interaction? I'm curious to hear your thoughts in the comments. For now, I'll see you all next week for another deck tech!</p>
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haliya

Haliya, Guided by Light Commander Deck Tech

Building a +1/+1 Counter Deck with Haliya, Ascendant Cadet