Can You Build Simic in Commander Without... Going Simic?

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty" href="#" target="_blank">Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by Ekaterina Burmak</em></p>
<p>A pauper EDH deck built around a commander who cares about high mana values? There's no way that would ever work, right? I've been assuming that's the case for months now, and I've stubbornly avoided this commander. I've built decks that desperately want high mana value cards before, and they've never worked out. Not once. Pauper just doesn't have enough strong, big spells. It doesn't matter if your Pauper deck makes a million mana; if the best thing to spend that mana on is an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ulamog&#039;s Crusher" href="#" target="_blank">Ulamog&#039;s Crusher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you're not winning. But that's what happens when the big spells are your payoff. What if instead of them being the payoff, they were the strategy? You wouldn't need those spells to win the game, you'd just need them to carry you through it.</p>
<p>That's exactly what <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty" href="#" target="_blank">Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does. She gives every spell you cast with mana value six or greater cascade, so all you have to do is play big dudes, and you get rewarded. She offers the payoff of card advantage, and merely requires those large spells to create it. And while Pauper may not have game winning monsters, the format certainly has enough big stuff to fuel Imoti's game plan. So this might work out!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty"></div></div>
<h2>Big Spells to Play With Imoti</h2>
<p>We might as well start with the bulk of the deck. Which plus-size cards to use? Imoti requires us to play cards with mana value six, minimum, and since it's always best to keep our mana curve low, you'd think we'd want to play exclusively six-mana cards, and nothing larger. But if we did that, then the maximum mana value of a card we could hit with cascade would be five. And we don't want to play five-mana cards, because they don't trigger Imoti. So instead, our spells are going to cost anywhere from six to nine mana. That way, when we cast a seven-, eight-, or nine-mana spell, the chances of it cascading into another fairly sizeable spell go up significantly. Yeah, this strategy increases our average mana value, but it was gonna be huge anyways, so who cares? Don't worry, we'll have plenty of ramp to make up for it.</p>
<p>But what are the actual cards? How about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maelstrom Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Maelstrom Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Annoyed Altisaur" href="#" target="_blank">Annoyed Altisaur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? The more cascade, the better, right? Maybe we'll take the immense <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ulamog&#039;s Crusher" href="#" target="_blank">Ulamog&#039;s Crusher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for that satisfying annihilator trigger. Perhaps we'll grab a copy of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="It of the Horrid Swarm" href="#" target="_blank">It of the Horrid Swarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, because Eldrazi are just kind of menacing in general. There are at least a few big Pauper cards that do cool things, and these are all among them.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Maelstrom Colossus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ulamog&#039;s Crusher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="It of the Horrid Swarm"></div></div>
<p>But they won't make up the bulk of our horde. Instead, most of our cards are going to be spells that can be cast for six or more mana, but can also be used for much less. Think <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirrorshell Crab" href="#" target="_blank">Mirrorshell Crab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Yes, the card itself is a fearsome crab that would trigger Imoti, but earlier in the game, it can be used as a very effective counterspell.</p>
<p>Luckily for us, <em>Wizards of the Coast</em> has been printing cards like this left and right. Ever since <em>March of the Machine</em>, there's been a cycle of cards in every set that costs six or seven mana, but can be land-cycled for two. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timberland Ancient" href="#" target="_blank">Timberland Ancient</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Generous Ent" href="#" target="_blank">Generous Ent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Topiary Panther" href="#" target="_blank">Topiary Panther</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tidal Terror" href="#" target="_blank">Tidal Terror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are all examples of this. And there's more, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword Coast Serpent" href="#" target="_blank">Sword Coast Serpent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, that can go on an adventure, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krosan Tusker" href="#" target="_blank">Krosan Tusker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can find a basic land and draw a card when cycled.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mirrorshell Crab"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Timberland Ancient"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword Coast Serpent"></div></div>
<p>Then there are cards that will trigger Imoti, but won't actually cost us anything close to six mana. For example, there are the Eldrazi with emerge costs, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wretched Gryff" href="#" target="_blank">Wretched Gryff</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wretched Gryff" href="#" target="_blank">Wretched Gryff</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be cast for it's emerge cost, minus the cost of a creature that you sacrifice. Essentially, what this means is that you can trigger Imoti, and cascade for a mana value of six, while only paying a single mana.</p>
<p>There are plenty more cards that have the same effect, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treasure Cruise" href="#" target="_blank">Treasure Cruise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which has delve, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Siege Wurm" href="#" target="_blank">Siege Wurm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which has convoke. Honestly, it's fairly easy to play cards for less than their advertised cost. Delve, convoke, affinity, emerge, and evoke are all ways that <em>Wizards</em> has made it possible to trigger Imoti for less than six mana.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wretched Gryff"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Treasure Cruise"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Siege Wurm"></div></div>
<h2>Top Deck Manipulation</h2>
<p>So that's pretty much a summary of the big cards we're playing. But there's another aspect of this deck that I think is underexplored: top deck manipulation. Of course, right? Cascade flips cards off the top of your library, so if you can stack the deck, you'll have much more success. So why is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigiled Starfish" href="#" target="_blank">Sigiled Starfish</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> not a staple of this deck? The ability to check what's on top before you cast a big spell is so incredibly handy, because you're optimizing your cascades by a significant percentage when you send an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Mystic" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Mystic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to the bottom of your deck in hopes of an Eldrazi. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigiled Starfish" href="#" target="_blank">Sigiled Starfish</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does that for free, but I'm willing to pay one or two mana to do that that every turn with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Pendant" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Pendant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seer&#039;s Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Seer&#039;s Lantern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>And of course, we can run the classic cantrips, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Opt" href="#" target="_blank">Opt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Preordain" href="#" target="_blank">Preordain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serum Visions" href="#" target="_blank">Serum Visions</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The top of our deck will never be left to fate.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sigiled Starfish"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Pendant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Serum Visions"></div></div>
<h2>Other Spells for Imoti</h2>
<p>The rest of the deck is some removal in the form of bounce spells and counters, and a heck of a lot of ramp, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kodama&#039;s Reach" href="#" target="_blank">Kodama&#039;s Reach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivate" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rampant Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Rampant Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and all the mana rocks we can run. We're even playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Aberration" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Aberration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is overkill in almost every situation, but is fairly fitting here. We certainly don't want to be running out of mana when our average mana value is... 4.12?! Damn, that's pretty high. But whatever, this deck can handle it.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kodama&#039;s Reach"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rampant Growth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elvish Aberration"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Pauper Commander - Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 Counterspell
*1 Eureka Moment
*1 Growth Spiral
*1 Negate
*1 Opt
*1 Scour from Existence
*1 Unsummon
*1 Vapor Snag
*1 You Find the Villains&#039; Lair
[/Instants]
[Creatures]
*1 Aethersnipe
*1 Annoyed Altisaur
*1 Coiling Oracle
*1 Crashing Drawbridge
*1 Elvish Aberration
*1 Etherium Spinner
*1 Fierce Empath
*1 Gearseeker Serpent
*1 Generous Ent
*1 Greater Sandwurm
*1 Greater Tanuki
*1 It of the Horrid Swarm
*1 Krosan Drover
*1 Krosan Tusker
*1 Llanowar Visionary
*1 Maelstrom Colossus
*1 Mirrorshell Crab
*1 Orchard Strider
*1 Ornithopter of Paradise
*1 Siege Wurm
*1 Sigiled Starfish
*1 Slavering Branchsnapper
*1 Snapping Voidcraw
*1 Spire Golem
*1 Sword Coast Serpent // Capsizing Wave
*1 Tangle Golem
*1 Thunderhead Squadron
*1 Tidal Terror
*1 Timberland Ancient
*1 Topiary Panther
*1 Ulamog&#039;s Crusher
*1 Walker of the Grove
*1 Will-Forged Golem
*1 Wretched Gryff
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Darksteel Pendant
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Seer&#039;s Lantern
*1 Simic Signet
*1 Whispersilk Cloak
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cultivate
*1 Edge of Autumn
*1 Elven Farsight
*1 Energy Tap
*1 Explore
*1 Kodama&#039;s Reach
*1 Preordain
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Rush of Knowledge
*1 Serum Visions
*1 Skyshroud Claim
*1 Treasure Cruise
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Aqueous Form
*1 Utter Insignificance
*1 Witness Protection
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Command Tower
*15 Forest
*16 Island
*1 Lonely Sandbar
*1 Tranquil Thicket
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<p>What do you think of this <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty" href="#" target="_blank">Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> list? Is this finally a Pauper deck that thrives with high mana values? Or does it fall victim to all the typical problems that an average mana value of four would face? It's a pretty ridiculous deck when you think about it, given that it waits till turn five to do anything really significant. But there's certainly a lot of power in there. What's your opinion?</p>


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