<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Derevi, Empyrial Tactician" href="#" target="_blank">Derevi, Empyrial Tactician</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://conceptartworld.com/artists/michael-komarck/">Michael Komarck</a>)</h6>
<h1>Plan 9 from Outer Bant</h1>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Power Sink</em>, the article series where we take the commanders with the most bite, and give them a deck that won't leave a pod in shambles. This time we have a bone to pick with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Derevi, Empyrial Tactician" href="#" target="_blank">Derevi, Empyrial Tactician</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Derevi, Empyrial Tactician"></div></div>
<p>Rather than bury the lede like I usually do, I'm going to let you know upfront that I'm building a Zombie deck. Before all the purists out there tear me limb from limb in the comments, let me just explain that Derevi is, in fact, a Zombie. First of all, Derevi just keeps coming back from the dead with her ability to come out of the command zone for just four mana. Second, as soon as she shows up, all of your creatures are afflicted with the ability to tap or untap permanents whenever they deal combat damage to an opponents. Seems like a Zombie plague to me. If anything, Derevi is more of a Zombie than any of the commanders that actually have the creature type!</p>
<p>Derevi's abilities are powerful if you build around them, and having access to blue green and white means you can utilize the cards and mana you need to deploy your strategy as well as the means to protect it. Derevi's been around since <em>Commander 2013, </em>so most players are familiar with how strong it can be, but let's take a look at the average deck on EDHREC and see what Derevi decks are up to these days.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Derevi: Average Deck" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Arbor Elf
*1 Archivist of Oghma
*1 Archon of Emeria
*1 Avacyn&#039;s Pilgrim
*1 Aven Mindcensor
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Bloom Tender
*1 Collector Ouphe
*1 Drannith Magistrate
*1 Edric, Spymaster of Trest
*1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
*1 Elvish Mystic
*1 Empyrean Eagle
*1 Esper Sentinel
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Faeburrow Elder
*1 Fyndhorn Elves
*1 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
*1 Hokori, Dust Drinker
*1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
*1 Llanowar Elves
*1 Loran of the Third Path
*1 Myrel, Shield of Argive
*1 Noble Hierarch
*1 Preston, the Vanisher
*1 Seedborn Muse
*1 Toski, Bearer of Secrets
*1 Watcher of the Spheres
*1 Willbreaker
*1 Yisan, the Wanderer Bard
[/Creatures]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Tamiyo, Field Researcher
[/Planeswalkers]
[Enchantments]
*1 Aura Shards
*1 Mystic Remora
*1 Reconnaissance Mission
*1 Rhystic Study
*1 Smothering Tithe
*1 Stasis
*1 Sylvan Library
*1 Verity Circle
*1 Wild Growth
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Azorius Signet
*1 Bident of Thassa
*1 Mana Crypt
*1 Selesnya Signet
*1 Simic Signet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Winter Orb
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cultivate
*1 Eldritch Evolution
*1 Farseek
*1 Finale of Devastation
*1 Green Sun&#039;s Zenith
*1 Kodama&#039;s Reach
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Beast Within
*1 Chord of Calling
*1 Counterspell
*1 Cyclonic Rift
*1 Dovin&#039;s Veto
*1 Eladamri&#039;s Call
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Fierce Guardianship
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swan Song
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Worldly Tutor
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Azorius Chancery
*1 Bountiful Promenade
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 Command Tower
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Flooded Strand
*5 Forest
*1 Glacial Fortress
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 Hinterland Harbor
*3 Island
*1 Misty Rainforest
*4 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Rejuvenating Springs
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Seaside Citadel
*1 Selesnya Sanctuary
*1 Simic Growth Chamber
*1 Spara&#039;s Headquarters
*1 Sunpetal Grove
*1 Temple Garden
*1 Windswept Heath
*1 Yavimaya Coast
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<h2>Undead-locked</h2>
<p>Derevi has long had a reputation as a stax commander, and that's certainly present in the average deck. While <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/derevi-empyrial-tactician/pod">Pod</a> may be the most popular theme on Derevi's page, if you take a close look, you can see that it's also basically a stax deck. The classic move here is to get in with small creatures to untap your lands, mitigating the effects of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stasis" href="#" target="_blank">Stasis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winter Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Winter Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hokori, Dust Drinker" href="#" target="_blank">Hokori, Dust Drinker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Once opponents have been locked out of mana, they can easily be beaten down by small creatures, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archon of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Archon of Emeria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Collector Ouphe" href="#" target="_blank">Collector Ouphe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and the controversial <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drannith Magistrate" href="#" target="_blank">Drannith Magistrate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which also restricts player options.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stasis"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archon of Emeria"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Myrel, Shield of Argive"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myrel, Shield of Argive" href="#" target="_blank">Myrel, Shield of Argive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> shows up in 21% of the 92 Derevi decks made since <em>The Brothers' War</em> was released, and it's easy to see why. Keeping opponents from responding during your turn is great for dropping a combo or a stax piece, and those Soldiers she makes are just more potential untaps for Derevi.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Verity Circle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tamiyo, Field Researcher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Willbreaker"></div></div>
<p>With a commander that cares about dealing combat damage, it's natural for card draw like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bident of Thassa" href="#" target="_blank">Bident of Thassa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toski, Bearer of Secrets" href="#" target="_blank">Toski, Bearer of Secrets</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to show up. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tamiyo, Field Researcher" href="#" target="_blank">Tamiyo, Field Researcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can tap down permanents if you don't need more cards, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Verity Circle" href="#" target="_blank">Verity Circle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> lets you convert Derevi's taps into cards. While it's not a combat damage trigger on its own, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Willbreaker" href="#" target="_blank">Willbreaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> lets you use Derevi to steal opposing creatures by targeting them.</p>
<p>So now, let's change things up!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Derevi &#039;s Zombie Apocalypse" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Adorned Pouncer
*1 Adrix and Nev, Twincasters
*1 Ancient Greenwarden
*1 Angel of Sanctions
*1 Anointer Priest
*1 Aven Eternal
*1 Aven Wind Guide
*1 Binding Mummy
*1 Champion of Wits
*1 Cleaver Skaab
*1 Eternal Skylord
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Geralf, Visionary Stitcher
*1 God-Eternal Oketra
*1 Havengul Runebinder
*1 Honored Hydra
*1 Hordewing Skaab
*1 Murasa Rootgrazer
*1 Poppet Stitcher // Poppet Factory
*1 Ramunap Excavator
*1 Riftsweeper
*1 Ruin Ghost
*1 Stitcher Geralf
*1 Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun
*1 Timeless Dragon
*1 Timeless Witness
*1 Tobias, Doomed Conqueror
*1 Trostani, Selesnya&#039;s Voice
*1 Vizier of Many Faces
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Beast Within
*1 Crop Rotation
*1 Druid&#039;s Deliverance
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Keep Watch
*1 Lazotep Plating
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Rootborn Defenses
*1 Sundering Growth
*1 Thirst for Discovery
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Anointed Procession
*1 Kindred Discovery
*1 Legion Loyalty
*1 Song of the Worldsoul
*1 Verity Circle
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Chromatic Lantern
*1 God-Pharaoh&#039;s Gift
*1 Idol of Oblivion
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Symmetry Matrix
*1 Throne of the God-Pharaoh
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cultivate
*1 Distant Melody
*1 Farseek
*1 Hour of Promise
*1 Hour of Reckoning
*1 Kodama&#039;s Reach
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Pir&#039;s Whim
*1 Shamanic Revelation
*1 Sylvan Scrying
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Adarkar Wastes
*1 Azorius Chancery
*1 Brushland
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Command Tower
*1 Deserted Beach
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Field of the Dead
*3 Forest
*1 Gavony Township
*1 Glacial Fortress
*1 Hinterland Harbor
*3 Island
*1 Path of Ancestry
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Rejuvenating Springs
*1 Sea of Clouds
*1 Seaside Citadel
*1 Selesnya Sanctuary
*1 Simic Growth Chamber
*3 Snow-Covered Forest
*3 Snow-Covered Island
*3 Snow-Covered Plains
*1 Spara&#039;s Headquarters
*1 Thespian&#039;s Stage
*1 Treva&#039;s Ruins
*1 Vesuva
*1 Yavimaya Coast
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<h2>Zombieland</h2>
<p>While Zombies exist in every color of <em>Magic</em>, it's safe to say that black is <em>the</em> Zombie color. While we're cutting ourselves off from the best Zombies and Zombie payoffs, we still have ways to make ravenous brain-eating hordes.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Field of the Dead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Greenwarden"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ruin Ghost"></div></div>
<p>We're leaning heavily on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Field of the Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Field of the Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to make our Zombies. While it's not our only option, it is the most effective, and a chunk of our deck is going to be dedicated to it. We can tutor it up with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hour of Promise" href="#" target="_blank">Hour of Promise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sylvan Scrying" href="#" target="_blank">Sylvan Scrying</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pir&#039;s Whim" href="#" target="_blank">Pir&#039;s Whim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives us the added bonus of taking away our opponents' toys. If we already have our Field in play, we can find <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vesuva" href="#" target="_blank">Vesuva</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thespian&#039;s Stage" href="#" target="_blank">Thespian&#039;s Stage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> instead to copy it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancient Greenwarden" href="#" target="_blank">Ancient Greenwarden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will double up our field triggers and allows us to get it back if it ends up in the graveyard.</p>
<p>We don't want to rely solely on lands to trigger the Field, so we're also running <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murasa Rootgrazer" href="#" target="_blank">Murasa Rootgrazer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ruin Ghost" href="#" target="_blank">Ruin Ghost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to get extra <em>Landfall</em> triggers. Plus, these also give us something else to do with the untap triggers from our commander.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stitcher Geralf"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geralf, Visionary Stitcher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Havengul Runebinder"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stitcher Geralf" href="#" target="_blank">Stitcher Geralf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Havengul Runebinder" href="#" target="_blank">Havengul Runebinder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geralf, Visionary Stitcher" href="#" target="_blank">Geralf, Visionary Stitcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all have tap abilities that create Zombies which we can untap with Derevi. In fact, Derevi makes a good target to sacrifice for Geralf since she negates commander tax.</p>
<p>Creatures with <em>Embalm</em> and <em>Eternalize</em> are another avenue to grow our Zombie horde, and many of them have useful effects. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angel of Sanctions" href="#" target="_blank">Angel of Sanctions</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is removal, we can draw with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Champion of Wits" href="#" target="_blank">Champion of Wits</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aven Wind Guide" href="#" target="_blank">Aven Wind Guide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants flying and vigilance to our token creatures. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timeless Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Timeless Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Honored Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Honored Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are there for when we just need a big creature. Finally we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="God-Pharaoh&#039;s Gift" href="#" target="_blank">God-Pharaoh&#039;s Gift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to "<em>Eternalize</em>" any creature in our graveyard.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angel of Sanctions"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aven Wind Guide"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="God-Pharaoh&#039;s Gift"></div></div>
<p>These tokens are the best targets for our <em>Populate</em> effects, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trostani, Selesnya&#039;s Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Trostani, Selesnya&#039;s Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Song of the Worldsoul" href="#" target="_blank">Song of the Worldsoul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and we can copy them by sacrificing them to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cleaver Skaab" href="#" target="_blank">Cleaver Skaab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trostani, Selesnya&#039;s Voice"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Song of the Worldsoul"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cleaver Skaab"></div></div>
<p>Since we don't want games with this deck to end 28 days later, we're splurging a bit with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anointed Procession" href="#" target="_blank">Anointed Procession</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to facilitate making an overwhelming army of tokens. We also have a cheaper version of the effect with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adrix and Nev, Twincasters" href="#" target="_blank">Adrix and Nev, Twincasters</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and we can drop <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Legion Loyalty" href="#" target="_blank">Legion Loyalty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in advance of a big swing to close out the game. Of course, if combat isn't an option we're throwing in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Throne of the God-Pharaoh" href="#" target="_blank">Throne of the God-Pharaoh</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to drain the table directly.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Adrix and Nev, Twincasters"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Legion Loyalty"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Throne of the God-Pharaoh"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2>Left 4 Dead</h2>
<p>I want to give credit to my buddy Alex for inspiring this deck. I was enamored with his Selesnya Zombies deck when I'd seen him talk about in a few online communities. I've had the opportunity to play against the deck a few times, and it's a ton of fun to see in action. You can check out his current version <a href="https://www.moxfield.com/decks/ILGjbsDkh0q_dwMvHwD_EQ">here</a>, or you can listen to <a href="https://cmdrcentral.libsyn.com/">CMDR Central</a> do a breakdown of an older version when it was led by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trostani, Selesnya&#039;s Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Trostani, Selesnya&#039;s Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <a href="https://cmdrcentral.libsyn.com/196-decks-you-play-trostani-selesnyas-voice">here.</a> Alex's deck is way more tuned than what I put together, but I think both are unique conversation piece decks.</p>
<p>Much like how society collapsing due to a Zombie outbreak brings people together in a tenuous alliance for survival, an interesting Commander deck can build connections with people you wouldn't expect. What did you think of this deck? Was it a thriller? Or do I not have any Braaaaiiinns? Let me know in the comments.</p>


havengul runebinder

Power Sink - Derevi's Zombie Apocalypse