Dueling Deck Techs: Brewing With Cantrips in Commander

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria, Riptide Rogue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://borjapindado.com/">Borja Pindado</a></h6>
<h2><b>One odd otter</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hello! Welcome to </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Archetypes of Imagination</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, a brand new series where I'll be building decks based on popular Commander archetypes. I'll be using</span><a href="https://tagger.scryfall.com/"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Scryfall's tagging system</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and</span><a href="https://edhrec.com/tags"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">EDHREC's Tag pages</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to build around a new theme each week. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Scryfall has a really cool way of categorizing cards, where each card has specific labels attached to it for later reference. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivate" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the ramp tag and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Carrion Feeder" href="#" target="_blank">Carrion Feeder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the sacrifice outlet tag. EDHREC's tag system is really cool too, letting users see popular cards associated with a given strategy. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, the toughness matters tag shows users that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wall of Denial" href="#" target="_blank">Wall of Denial</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works well with the strategy and the Blink tag does the same for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ephemerate" href="#" target="_blank">Ephemerate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week, we'll be taking some really, really long turns. We're building a deck based around <strong>cantrips</strong>! For those who don't know, a card is considered a cantrip when it provides its caster with a card draw in addition to some other effects.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> One famous example, which you'll see in this week's full decklist, is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Opt" href="#" target="_blank">Opt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. There's tons of commanders that work well with cantrips, especially cantrips that happen to be instants or sorceries, and I'm pretty happy with the one I picked. From </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bloomburrow</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, my favorite recent set, this deck's commander is… <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria, Riptide Rogue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bria, Riptide Rogue"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides all of our creatures prowess, meaning they'll get temporarily bigger when we cast a noncreature spell. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She also makes one of our creatures unblockable for a turn when we cast a noncreature spell, meaning that they'll be able to chip in for damage with their buffed-up power and toughness. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s abilities encourage a somewhat straight-forward gameplan, there's still a lot of room for creativity in this decklist. Let's get going, and I'll show you what I mean!</span></p>
<h3><b>On the prowl…</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives all of our creatures prowess, we want to ensure that we've got a relatively wide board to capitalize on that ability. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, we also need to ensure that we've got enough noncreature spells in the deck to actually trigger that prowess. Some of you may already know where I'm going within this: token creators! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There's a ton of creatures in Izzet colors that make tokens when we cast instants and sorceries, so I've included a whole host of them here.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My favorite is the ever-popular <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shark Typhoon" href="#" target="_blank">Shark Typhoon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Not only is this a noncreature spell (which will trigger prowess), but it makes big, evasive creature tokens.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> I also think that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Young Pyromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Young Pyromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an all-star here. It only costs two mana, meaning that we can have it hit the board well before our commander, and start churning out tokens as early as turn two. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lastly, I'm a big fan of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drake Hatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Drake Hatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I know this card came out recently, but I don't think it got nearly the amount of popularity it's due.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> This creature has prowess already, and our commander will give it a second instance of prowess, meaning it'll grow by +2/+2 for every noncreature spell we cast. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, it acts as a sneaky efficient way to make evasive tokens at any time. This is the exact kind of card I want to play in my commander decks, and I think this deck is a perfect home for it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shark Typhoon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Young Pyromancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Drake Hatcher"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drake Hatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Drake Hatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, there's a cadre of creatures that already have prowess (or an ability that's very close to it) in the 99 of this deck. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another card I think is underplayed finds a slot here: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Khenra Spellspear" href="#" target="_blank">Khenra Spellspear</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. With our commander out, and this creature transformed, it has three separate instances of prowess. With just one noncreature spell cast, that means we've got a 6/6 trampler with ward <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></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The rate only gets better from there. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kiln Fiend" href="#" target="_blank">Kiln Fiend</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crackling Cyclops" href="#" target="_blank">Crackling Cyclops</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slickshot Show-Off" href="#" target="_blank">Slickshot Show-Off</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are all very similar, growing progressively larger when we cast certain types of spells.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Plus, because our commander can make some of our creatures unblockable, meaning that the less evasive creatures from among this bunch can be sure to punch through for damage. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lastly, I wanted to shout out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Balmor, Battlemage Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Balmor, Battlemage Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This is, essentially, a cheaper and slightly-worse version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He provides +1/+0 to our whole team when we cast an instant or sorcery (slightly worse than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s +1/+1), and provides our whole team trample (arguably on par with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s ability to make one creature unblockable at a time).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If our commander ever becomes too expensive to recast, or is otherwise locked out of the game, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Balmor, Battlemage Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Balmor, Battlemage Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great second option.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Khenra Spellspear"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kiln Fiend"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Balmor, Battlemage Captain"></div></div></span></p>
<h3><b>Dancing the can-can</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck is, at its core, based around cantrips. So, let's talk about a few of the best ones I've included. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crimson Wisps" href="#" target="_blank">Crimson Wisps</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Expedite" href="#" target="_blank">Expedite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are functionally identical cards, and the ability to provide haste to any one of our creatures (particularly a creature with an instance of double prowess), can be game-ending when combined with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s ability to make one of our creatures unblockable. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If we can land a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kiln Fiend" href="#" target="_blank">Kiln Fiend</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the board, make it unblockable, and give it haste, we can easily knock out a player in the late game. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I also wanted to point out the inclusion of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychotic Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Psychotic Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can provide double strike to our commander and a select few other creatures in the deck. When combined with a pump effect like prowess, double strike is obviously immensely powerful in this deck. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There's a bunch of other cantrips too, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Opt" href="#" target="_blank">Opt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thought Scour" href="#" target="_blank">Thought Scour</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but those cards just aren't as much fun as the others I've mentioned.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crimson Wisps"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Expedite"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Psychotic Fury"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There's also a small package of cards that care about our graveyard, all of which work quite well together. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon&#039;s Rage Channeler" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon&#039;s Rage Channeler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will provide some nice card selection while also becoming a threatening attacker as the game goes on.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Haughty Djinn" href="#" target="_blank">Haughty Djinn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will reduce the cost of our most important spells, while also becoming huge as the game goes on. And, should we need a boatload of tokens, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rise from the Tides" href="#" target="_blank">Rise from the Tides</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can provide that easily.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Combined with some cantrips to fill the graveyard (like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Consider" href="#" target="_blank">Consider</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, these cards will be super effective here).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragon&#039;s Rage Channeler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Haughty Djinn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rise from the Tides"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lastly, I wanted to talk about a few cards in the deck that provide extra combat steps. Every extra combat card in this deck is either an instant or a sorcery, meaning that they all trigger prowess. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because prowess lasts until the end of the turn, our creatures will keep their pumped-up stats for all the combat steps we go through. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Again, because of the immense power of double strike, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Savage Beating" href="#" target="_blank">Savage Beating</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the top choices here. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For 7 mana, we can push through a crazy amount of damage with a sufficiently wide board of creatures. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="World at War" href="#" target="_blank">World at War</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great too, providing a cast trigger twice (triggering prowess again)! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, a new addition, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aetherdrift</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">'s <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Full Throttle" href="#" target="_blank">Full Throttle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can provide two extra combats for the price of one card. That's really strong, and I think this card will become an instant staple in EDH.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Savage Beating"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="World at War"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Full Throttle"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, here's the full decklist:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Archetypes of Imagination - Building a Cantrip Deck" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Bria, Riptide Rogue
[/Commander]

[Instants]
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Brainstorm
*1 Consider
*1 Counterspell
*1 Crimson Wisps
*1 Cryptic Command
*1 Disdainful Stroke
*1 Expedite
*1 Fists of Flame
*1 Flame of Anor
*1 Frantic Search
*1 Great Train Heist
*1 Leap
*1 Mental Note
*1 Opt
*1 Pongify
*1 Psychotic Fury
*1 Rapid Hybridization
*1 Rush of Inspiration // Crackling Falls
*1 Savage Beating
*1 Strix Serenade
*1 Swan Song
*1 Thought Scour
*1 Untimely Malfunction
[/Instants]

[Creatures]
*1 Archmage Emeritus
*1 Balmor, Battlemage Captain
*1 Crackling Cyclops
*1 Dragon&#039;s Rage Channeler
*1 Drake Hatcher
*1 Goblin Electromancer
*1 Harmonic Prodigy
*1 Haughty Djinn
*1 Khenra Spellspear // Gitaxian Spellstalker
*1 Kiln Fiend
*1 Murmuring Mystic
*1 Pinnacle Monk // Mystic Peak
*1 Slickshot Show-Off
*1 Stormcatch Mentor
*1 Talrand, Sky Summoner
*1 Third Path Iconoclast
*1 Valley Floodcaller
*1 Veyran, Voice of Duality
*1 Young Pyromancer
[/Creatures]

[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Chart a Course
*1 Crash Through
*1 Enter the Enigma
*1 Full Throttle
*1 Gitaxian Probe
*1 Haze of Rage
*1 Jeska&#039;s Will
*1 Ponder
*1 Preordain
*1 Relentless Assault
*1 Renegade Tactics
*1 Rise from the Tides
*1 Season of Weaving
*1 Serum Visions
*1 Slip Through Space
*1 Warlord&#039;s Fury
*1 World at War
[/Sorceries]

[Lands]
*1 Cascade Bluffs
*1 Ferrous Lake
*1 Fiery Islet
*12 Island
*11 Mountain
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*1 Riverglide Pathway // Lavaglide Pathway
*1 Riverpyre Verge
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
*1 Stormcarved Coast
*1 Training Center
[/Lands]

[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Izzet Signet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Creativity
[/Artifacts]

[Enchantments]
*1 Shark Typhoon
[/Enchantments]"></span></div></span></p>
<h3><b><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wave Goodbye" href="#" target="_blank">Wave Goodbye</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That's it for this week, everyone! I really like this deck, as it's a more focused version of a classic Spellslinger deck. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instead of just casting spells and hoping to eventually find a wincon like, this deck goes for our opponents' life totals aggressively.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> I think that's a more fun way to build this archetype of deck, as it avoids the bad feelings that result from long turns without game state advancement.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I'd love to know: who's your favorite Spellslinger commander? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s probably my new favorite, for all the reasons I listed above and because she's from my favorite set from last year. Let me know your favorite in the comments below!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I'll see you all next week, when we make a deck focused on death triggers!</span></p>


Archetypes of Imagination - Making a Cantrip Commander Deck

Archetypes of Imagination - Making an Attack Triggers Deck

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Max Speed" href="#" target="_blank">Max Speed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> token | art by <a href="https://linktr.ee/josiahcameron">Josiah "Jo" Cameron</a></h6>
<p>Starting off 2025 with more than a couple bangs, Wizards of the Coast is releasing one of their most ambitious sets yet. <em>Aetherdrft</em>, set code DFT, continues <em>Magic's</em> trend of dressing everyone up in the same goofy clothes and hats all bought from the same store.</p>
<p>But this time the setting truly matches the outfits as the goggles and suits are all needed for the multiplanar death race known as the Avishkar Grand Prix!</p>
<p>This death race (its only a death race if you die) sees us travel across Avishkar (Formerly Kaladesh) Amonkhet and Muraganda, a first for a set not about a war.</p>
<p>Racing across these planes are ten teams, each representing the 2-color pairs we all know and love.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wind-Scarred Crag"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swiftwater Cliffs"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rugged Highlands"></div></div>
<p>Now, because we're going through soo many locals as well as a Ravnica-sized set worth of factions, we're going to be introduced to more than a couple mechanics this time around.</p>
<p>So lets strap in and take a look at all of the special abilities we'll be seeing.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vnwxt, Verbose Host"></div></div>
<h2>START YOUR ENGINES!!!!</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Starting Column"></div></div>
<p>No good race has ever involved drives going anything less than Max speed! Which means we need to start our collective engines if we want to win this race.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Samut, the Driving Force|DFT|367"></div></div>
<p>Start your engines! is similar to the day-night mechanic from Innistrad, but don't worry, it won't involve every player needing to keep track of something soo tedious.</p>
<p>So to start (your engines) you play a card with Start your engines! and you pull out a reminder card to help you keep track of your speed.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Start Your Engines!"></div></div>
<p>You start at speed 1 no matter what and you increase in speed when an opponent loses life on your turn. Increasing your speed only happens once on your turn with a Maximum speed of 4.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Far Fortune, End Boss"></div></div>
<p>So lets analyze this. We automatically start at speed 1 as soon as a Start your engines! card enters (the battlefield).</p>
<p>We have a maximum speed of four and we can only increase our speed once a turn no matter how much damage we do.</p>
<p>The ability cannot be responded to, so once that card lands it's looking for the next time your foes change their life totals.</p>
<p>With that in mind, we can see the fastest we can reach max speed (more on that latter) is in three turns if we cause life lose the turn we start counting.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Impact Tremors"></div></div>
<h2>"I SAID START"</h2>
<p>We can cause life loss any number of ways, most often through combat damage cards with evasion or trample will almost always guarantee a speed boost.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Access Tunnel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hazoret, Godseeker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bestow Greatness"></div></div>
<p>Cards with triggered abilities on attack work just as well, but will still only increase your speed once regardless if the attack connects or not.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sanguine Syphoner"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="General Kreat, the Boltbringer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Far Fortune, End Boss"></div></div>
<p>Cards that punish your opponents for taking actions on your turn work twice as well now. Pay a ward coast or take my combat damage, the boost god cares not!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Razorkin Needlehead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Harsh Mentor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hearthborn Battler"></div></div>
<p>The fact that Start your engines! is not a respond-able ability means that your opps who were leaving their fetchland cracking for your turn will net you a free speed.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Muraganda Raceway"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Avishkar Raceway"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Amonkhet Raceway"></div></div>
<p>There has yet to be a card that effects your speed, so nothing short of "set your speed to 0" will stop your climb to Max speed. Speaking of...</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zahur, Glory&#039;s Past"></div></div>
<p>It would be wild if this guy won huh?</p>
<h2>Max speed</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Racers&#039; Scoreboard"></div></div>
<p>Max speed gives you some pay off for breaking the Speedforce! Max speed abilities are active only if you are at speed 4 and nothing before.</p>
<p>This is not a triggered nor activated ability unless it's tied to one. You get to speed 4 and boom, you just get access to these abilities, much like Ascend from the original Ixalan.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Radiant Destiny"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gastal Raider"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arch of Orazca"></div></div>
<p>Max speed abilities come in a couple different sizes from activated abilities or passive ones that are usually attached to a card that gives some sort of value up front, and then much better value later on.</p>
<p>While some cards are also just only good if you have the speed to unlock them, leaving you as a player with a ton of options to weigh if having to wait no less than three turns is worth it for these abilities.</p>
<p>The best part, however, is that you will always be at speed 4 once you reach it, even if there is no Max speed or Start your engines! card on the field, so you can stop counting once you reach it.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mendicant Core, Guidelight"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Burnout Bashtronaut"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Perilous Snare"></div></div>
<p>Exhaust</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Redshift, Rocketeer Chief"></div></div>
<p>"I AM SPEED" - this guy, probably</p>
<h2>Exhaust</h2>
<p>You see that red button? Don't press it, NEVER PRESS THE RED BUTT- oh, jeez, ok, well... now we're <em>exhausted</em>!</p>
<p>Much like in the movies, once you hit that red button, your car/space ship actives its booster engines and moves soo fast that things break off.</p>
<p>Things change and can never go back to normal... until you get a new car of course! This is the vibe for the new Exhaust mechanic from <em>Aetherdrift</em>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rocketeer Boostbuggy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rangers&#039; Aetherhive"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skyserpent Seeker"></div></div>
<p>You activate an Exhaust ability just like any other activated ability in the game. You pay the cost, put the ability on the stack or whatever, resolve it and boom you're done.</p>
<p>Like <strong>Done Done</strong>; because now you can never use that ability again for the rest of the game with that card. Exhaust activates once and as long as that card stays on the battlefield, you won't get access to it ever again.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elvish Refueler"></div></div>
<p>Unless?</p>
<p>This mechanic reminds me a lot of exert, a returning sub mechanic from <em>Amonkhet</em> where you basically keep a creature tapped for an additional turn in trade for a powerful ability. The only difference is that this lasts the whole game, not just the turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Basri, Tomorrow&#039;s Champion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Draconautics Engineer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boommobile"></div></div>
<p>The best way fans have stated as a way to get around this is to more or less flicker, bounce or in some way get the exhausted card off of the field for a second and then back into play.</p>
<p>Once you do that, since the card is now a new object, aka its not technically the same card that was once there, you are free to use its Exhaust ability again!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Displacer Kitten"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ephemerate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Into the Flood Maw"></div></div>
<p>Typical <em>Magic</em> players, the moment they try to give us just one limitation on a card everyone just wants to break through it.</p>
<p>Yet that is just the name of the game, and honestly I'm pretty sure Wizards knew that going into this.</p>
<p>All in all exhausted cards are a decent trick to try and make work, and even through the 'fake' limitation might have been broken through immediately, we still get to experience what looks like a character's ultimate move that leaves them winded afterward.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Winter, Cursed Rider"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sita Varma, Masked Racer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boommobile"></div></div>
<p>It will be fun to learn about more exhaust cards and it's interesting to see that there's a place for them to be pretty powerful since you're only going to use the ability once in most Standard cases. Unless you're specifically building a deck around the flicker mechanic.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Loot, the Pathfinder"></div></div>
<p>At least he can only use this once right?...right?</p>
<h2>Vehicles and Mounts, Mounts and Vehicles</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kolodin, Triumph Caster"></div></div>
<p>This card is peak actually</p>
<p>Vehicles and Mounts are back from <em>Kaladesh</em> (the set) and <em>Outlaws of Thunder Junction</em> respectively and they have never been more iconic than here in <em>Aetherdrift</em>.</p>
<p>The crews in this race need some way to get around and they are bringing all of their custom transportation options to this Grand Prix.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lagorin, Soul of Alacria"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thunderous Velocipede"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Last Ride"></div></div>
<p>With Vehicles, you'll notice that it has the same stats as a creature, a power and toughness and all that. Yet once it reaches the battlefield, it's just an artifact, heck, even when it was a card in your hand it was just an artifact.</p>
<p>These artifacts typically have abilities, many a call back to creatures from <em>Magic's</em> past, that they've stuck onto the side of these cars and ships.</p>
<p>In order to turn these cards into creatures however you just need to crew them, which you do by tapping any number of creatures, add their combined power, and compare it to the crew cost written on the card.</p>
<p>If you have equal to or more power, the artifact becomes an artifact creature and now that power and toughness actually means something.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Valor&#039;s Flagship"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unidentified Hovership"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skysovereign, Consul Flagship"></div></div>
<p>You can activate the crew ability at any time and on any turn, which has some wide reaching effects from instant blockers that get to dodge early turn sorcery speed removal.</p>
<p>Or simply just needing something to tap (and later untap on your turn) your creatures to. So Kona and Rip, Spawn hunter will both absolutely love this set as will King Macar.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kona, Rescue Beastie"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rip, Spawn Hunter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="King Macar, the Gold-Cursed"></div></div>
<p>Vehicles follow all of the same rules as creatures when they become them, so be sure not to turn your mana-producing Vehicle into a creature on first cast and then expect to be able to tap for mana. Summoning sickness, stun counters, health hitting zero, etc. all will suddenly lead to a bad misplay.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cultivator&#039;s Caravan"></div></div>
<p>It is also very worth noting that if a Vehicle gets to copy a creature, say with an ability to untap itself if you place a -1/-1 counter on itself, untap it.</p>
<p>You would be able to add infinite -1/-1 counters to the Vehicle because its power and toughness only matter when it is a creature. So combo off to your heart's content.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Imposter Mech"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Devoted Druid"></div></div>
<p>"Take that, Green"</p>
<p>Saddle and Mounts work very similarly to vehicles but were made after all the 'flaws' with vehicles were well documented.</p>
<p>Meaning they have stripped down the fun rather significantly. No tapping at instant speed and only on your turns is a bit of a bummer however there is one thing that Mounts have over vehicles and that is the fact that they are always a creature from the start.</p>
<p>Now there is no pesky crew cost when you want to swing out with your Mount!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lagorin, Soul of Alacria"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gloryheath Lynx"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gilded Ghoda"></div></div>
<p>The only thing the Mount wants to do is to rustle up some someone to saddle it so that it can attack with enhanced attack, usually in the form of an automatic "on attack" trigger. These triggers don't care what the card was saddled by, just that it was saddled.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bulwark Ox"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloudspire Captain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Autarch Mammoth"></div></div>
<p>Nothing bad happens to the neither the saddler nor the crew-er regardless of what happens to their Mounts and vehicles if they are destroyed. Perhaps they all come with really cool airbags?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="District Mascot"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloudspire Coordinator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brightfield Glider"></div></div>
<p>You wouldn't hurt these lil guys would you?</p>
<h2>Cycling</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Agonasaur Rex"></div></div>
<p>"Roarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"</p>
<p>The final mechanic in the set is cycling, which is a returning mechanic that will probably become evergreen at some point!</p>
<p>This is an activated ability on a card in your hand and only your hand. You pay the cost of the cycle and then you discard the card and draw a card from the top of you deck. It's that simple!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curator of Mysteries"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hekma Sentinels"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shadow of the Grave"></div></div>
<p>Part of the cost to cycle is to discard the card, so your opponent cannot respond to your activation by making you get rid of that card before you discard it somehow, they can only do something before you draw the card itself.</p>
<p>There are also many cards in magic that trigger when you discard or even specifically cycle a card which we will certainly see some of the cards in this set.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archfiend of Ifnir"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shadowstorm Vizier"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shark Typhoon"></div></div>
<p>You might even find some cycling cards have triggered abilities that activate when you cycle the very card, usually giving a lesser version of the card's regular casted ability.</p>
<p>This gives you added value to picking the right time and place to Cycle instead of cast that only the greatest of <em>Magic</em> players know how to Maximize, which is why it's one of their most beloved mechanics!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dirge of Dread"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stir the Sands"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nimble Obstructionist"></div></div>
<p>With that we have reached the end of the main mechanics in the set. Honestly, it's refreshing to see some returning mechanics that could use more design love, especially Mount and Saddle.</p>
<p>Adding a new side mission to the game of reaching, or attempting to prevent, maximum speed is always a novel concept and this time I don't think it will lead to nearly the same eye-rolling frustration that Initiative or Day and Night brings.</p>
<p>What are your favorite <em>Aetherdrift</em> mechanics? And how did you fare in the Avishkar death race?</p>


Guide to Aetherdrift Mechanics

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Grand Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa, Grand Unifier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>/ By <a href="https://martanael.com/">Marta Nael)</a></h6>
<h1>Blink, and You'll Miss It</h1>
<p>Commander players can be greedy.</p>
<p>Case in point, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Grand Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa, Grand Unifier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Atraxa, Grand Unifier"></div></div>
<p>Whenever she enters the battlefield, she lets you look at the top 10 cards of your library and up to 8 of those cards go to hand. Digging that deep and picking specific cards is tremendously powerful. This is a game-ending amount of value.</p>
<p>However, players want to do this every turn. Multiple times a turn; filling your hand with more cards than you can possibly cast. Atraxa, Grand Unifier, in my mind, is the premier “winmore.deck”</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/blink">Blink</a> strategies are the most popular build path for this <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Grand Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/search/?q=blink">Blink</a> is shorthand for any effect that exiles a permanent and then returns it to the battlefield. This lets players get ETB, enter the battlefield, triggers multiple times instead of once.</p>
<p>These decks have no problem controlling a board or accruing an incredible amount of resources. The problem these decks face is turning that into victory.</p>
<p>The strategy I'm about to outline is just as "win more" as any other Atraxa brew. Like her <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice" href="#" target="_blank">original iteration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, even less optimized decks will still be powerful. This strategy creates an unstoppable, impenetrable board state. Atraxa won't be in and out gathering supplies. She's going to lead the invasion firsthand.</p>
<h2>The Other Abilities</h2>
<p>Atraxa's unique combination of <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/keywords">keywords</a> make combat a nightmare for our opponents.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Raffine, Scheming Seer"></div></div>
<h3><strong>Flying</strong></h3>
<p>Atraxa has no issue finding someone to fly over. Players often don't have an answer to flyers barring an incidental instance of flying or reach. The rest only hope to draw removal.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thunderous Orator"></div></div>
<h3><strong>Vigilance</strong></h3>
<p>Atraxa is online at all times. Without vigilance, an offensive creature is effectively gone after the attack. After swinging a big creature, that player is left open on their opponent's turns. Atraxa gets to swing and stays open to block each other turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sephara, Sky&#039;s Blade"></div></div>
<h3><strong>Lifelink</strong></h3>
<p>Atraxa always collects. The biggest downside to big attacking creatures without trample is chump blocks. Your opponents will gladly sacrifice a Bird token to prevent losing seven. Lifelink ensures that we get value out of every single swing and block. Each swing and block grants you a substantial chunk of health back.</p>
<p>This pairs well with vigilance. Opponents will have to be careful not to increase your life from swinging into your blockers.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Baleful Strix"></div></div>
<h3><strong>Deathtouch</strong></h3>
<p>Atraxa is taking her threats down with her. If you wanted to power past Atraxa you have one more thing to consider. Is swinging at the Atraxa player worth losing whatever I'm swinging with? It doesn’t matter if you're swinging with some gigantic monstrosity. Any instance of damage will be lethal.</p>
<h2>Secret Weapon</h2>
<p>Atraxa's keywords make it difficult for our opponents to approach.</p>
<p>But what if every single creature you control had those game-warping abilities?</p>
<p>Our secret commander, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Odric, Lunarch Marshal" href="#" target="_blank">Odric, Lunarch Marshal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does just that.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Odric, Lunarch Marshal"></div></div>
<p>This is my first secret commander deck of the series.</p>
<p>Secret commander decks are where the “Build around card” is a card in the deck not the command zone.</p>
<p>I am a fan of this strategy as it allows for deck building outside of a commander's colors, and allows for building around cards that aren’t legendary creatures.</p>
<p>Black and green have several <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demonic Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> spells to pull Odric from the deck. With some luck, Atraxa's ETB trigger is pretty good at finding him herself.</p>
<p>Odric is the premier "Keywords" commander. This wall of text effectively reads:</p>
<p><strong><em>At the beginning of each combat, creatures you control gain each keyword for each keyword on a creature you control.</em></strong></p>
<p>In our case, with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Grand Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the field, Odric would gain flying, vigilance, deathtouch, and lifelink at the beginning of combat. Each other creature you control gains those abilities too!</p>
<p>Some nuances:</p>
<ul>
<li>This is includes your opponent's combat steps</li>
<li>The abilities remain on each creature until end of turn</li>
<li>It covers 13 specific keywords, not all of them</li>
</ul>
<h2>Key to Victory</h2>
<p>Now for the fun part, the keywords that push <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Grand Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from powerful to unstoppable.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oketra the True"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Avenging Huntbonder"></div></div>
<h3><strong>Double Strike</strong></h3>
<p>What's better than a 7/7 body? One that hits twice! Double strike lets you deal damage on the first strike step and the regular damage step of combat. Alongside deathtouch, anything blocking Atraxa will die before it deals damage. Anything that gets blocked will face the same fate.</p>
<p>First strike will interact the same way with deathtouch except there won't be an additional instance of damage at the regular damage step.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crashing Drawbridge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hall of the Bandit Lord"></div></div>
<h3><strong>Haste</strong></h3>
<p>What's better than a 7/7 blocker entering the battlefield? One that can attack that same turn.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crashing Drawbridge" href="#" target="_blank">Crashing Drawbridge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is boots on a stick. What I mean by that ridiculous sentence is that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Greaves" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Greaves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants haste to one creature at a time, where Crashing Drawbridge grants haste to each creature, every turn.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hall of the Bandit Lord" href="#" target="_blank">Hall of the Bandit Lord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> takes a chunk of life to use, but after your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Grand Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> swings immediately, you actually come ahead due to lifelink. Also, that haste doesn't go away from end of turn. So if you have Odric out (which is the point of the deck) your whole board has haste. I'd pay three life for that.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stonehoof Chieftain"></div></div>
<h3><strong>Trample</strong></h3>
<p>I didn't forget about trample. Only, with a whole board of flyers, trample becomes a little redundant. There's an incidental smattering of trample in the deck. It plays well with deathtouch. As we only need to assign one point of deathtouch damage to a blocker for it to be lethal. Meaning our 7/7 can assign the other six other damage to our opponent regardless of the blocker's toughness.</p>
<h2>Attacking From a Different Angle</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akroma, Angel of Wrath"></div></div>
<p>Arkoma has been long beloved for having a staggering amount of keywords. She has so many keywords she had keywords before they <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma, Angel of Wrath|lgn|1" href="#" target="_blank">existed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. She's a fast, resilient threat that makes opponents think twice when engaging in any form of combat. She brings four unique keywords to our board that Atraxa doesn't provide: Haste, first strike, protection from black and red, and trample. Because this deck aims to grant every creature the same swath of keywords, this makes Akroma one of the best cards in the deck. You can discard her and get those juicy keywords in play with one of our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cairn Wanderer" href="#" target="_blank">graveyard centric</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Keyword cards.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zetalpa, Primal Dawn" href="#" target="_blank">Zetalpa, Primal Dawn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be used similarly. While not having haste, Zetalpa brings indestructible, trample, and double strike to the field. Every keyword you could want more on Atraxa, Zetalpa brings.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akroma, Vision of Ixidor"></div></div>
<p>The original <em>Commander Legends</em> product brought a phenomenal update to Akroma. She brings first strike and trample to the table, but more importantly a +1/+1 buff to each other creature for every keyword they have. This payoff is game-ending. Atraxa alone becomes an 11/11, letting her kill anyone after two swings from commander damage. If Odric is out, it's a +6/+6 to every creature you control. While unlikely, this brew is capable at maxing out at +10/+10 to each creature alongside ten bonkers keywords.</p>
<h2>Preparing For Invasion</h2>
<p>Atrxa is a magnet for removal. And for good reason. An Atraxa player left unchecked will have little issue taking over a game. That's why a chunk of our strategy is dedicated to make removing her as difficult as possible.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thryx, the Sudden Storm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elvish Piper"></div></div>
<p>Prevention beats a cure. A key weakness to any big spell strategy is counterspells. If a player answers our seven mana commander for two, that is a huge loss of value for us. If a player can counter Atraxa before she hits the field, they will. That's why we don't give our opponents that option.</p>
<p>I wanted to highlight <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thryx, the Sudden Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Thryx, the Sudden Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> specifically. In a deck packed with huge spells, Thryx takes away the guess work. We cast these Angels easier, unafraid of counterspells.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Piper" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Piper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and other similar cards are fantastic for this deck. It lets us play or huge creatures much faster and stops opponents from using conventional counter magic to stop us.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Daring Fiendbonder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bastion Protector"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Avacyn, Angel of Hope"></div></div>
<p>If you've managed to resolve Atraxa, the next step is keeping her on the battlefield. Indestructible is pretty good at that. Swinging and blocking become even easier. Most board wipes and removal spells become a fleeting gesture.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sigarda, Font of Blessings"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Slippery Bogbonder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swiftfoot Boots"></div></div>
<p>Hexproof, like indestructible, is an ability we want on Atraxa at all times. Your opponents will remove her if given the opportunity. So don't give them that opportunity. If you're lucky, they'll send it somewhere else too.</p>
<p>The only way around Atraxa from this point, are specific board wipes, that exile, bounce, or reduce toughness. That's what our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swan Song" href="#" target="_blank">counter magic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is for.</p>
<p>Nothing is stopping <strong>compleat</strong> invasion.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Atraxa Keywords" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
*1 Akroma, Vision of Ixidor
*1 Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice
*1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
*1 Avenging Huntbonder
*1 Baleful Strix
*1 Bastion Protector
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Bloom Tender
*1 Cairn Wanderer
*1 Crashing Drawbridge
*1 Daring Fiendbonder
*1 Delighted Halfling
*1 Elvish Piper
*1 Esper Sentinel
*1 Faeburrow Elder
*1 Kathril, Aspect Warper
*1 Likeness Looter
*1 Majestic Myriarch
*1 Obsessive Stitcher
*1 Odric, Lunarch Marshal
*1 Oketra the True
*1 Raffine, Scheming Seer
*1 Rayami, First of the Fallen
*1 Scavenged Brawler
*1 Sephara, Sky&#039;s Blade
*1 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
*1 Sigarda, Font of Blessings
*1 Slippery Bogbonder
*1 Stonehoof Chieftain
*1 Thryx, the Sudden Storm
*1 Thunderous Orator
*1 Toski, Bearer of Secrets
*1 Urborg Scavengers
*1 Zetalpa, Primal Dawn
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse
*1 Assassin&#039;s Trophy
*1 Fact or Fiction
*1 Faithful Mending
*1 Frantic Search
*1 Stroke of Midnight
*1 Swan Song
*1 Vampiric Tutor
*1 Worldly Tutor
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Black Market Connections
*1 Concerted Effort
*1 Defense of the Heart
*1 Mystic Remora
*1 Rhystic Study
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Chromatic Lantern
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mana Crypt
*1 Monster Manual // Zoological Study
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cultivate
*1 Demonic Tutor
*1 Farseek
*1 Kodama&#039;s Reach
*1 Profane Tutor
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Sublime Exhalation
*1 Tooth and Nail
*1 Vanquish the Horde
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*1 Cavern of Souls
*1 City of Brass
*1 Command Tower
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Field of Ruin
*6 Forest
*1 Ghost Quarter
*1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
*1 Indatha Triome
*4 Island
*1 Mana Confluence
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*6 Plains
*1 Raffine&#039;s Tower
*1 Spara&#039;s Headquarters
*4 Swamp
*1 Zagoth Triome
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<h2>Final Words of Advice</h2>
<p>While she remains unique for her color combination, I would argue that those four keywords are what make her as iconic as a commander.</p>
<p>I feel keywords are underrated in general. Their power is demonstrated with standout cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma&#039;s Memorial" href="#" target="_blank">Akroma&#039;s Memorial</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Akroma&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. However, the strategy itself is not particularly popular.</p>
<p>There are already blink decks, there are already proliferate decks. There are decks that love putting cards in hand. While Atraxa can pull off each of these strategies with great success, I am more interested in pulling off a strategy that no other commander has; blessing a board of creatures with a unique combination of keywords.</p>
<p>Each Atraxa represents the format itself in a way. Her combined <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders">popularity</a> is a testament to that. They are powerful, but allow for countless directions to brew in. This brew itself could be modified in a few different directions. In my mind, that's where much of the fun of Commander is. Pulling off ridiculous, absurdly powerful board states and interactions. Each Atraxa represents this desire perfectly.</p>
<p>I am not the first to brew Atraxa as a "Keywords" commander, and I am certain new ways to build will continue to evolve with time.</p>
<p>Thanks for exploring keywords with me! I'd love to hear how your brews are going.</p>
<p>What is your favorite way to <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/search/?q=atraxa">brew with Atraxa</a>? What are your favorite combination of keywords?</p>
<h3><strong>Read More:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/ultra-budget-brews-odric-lunarch-marshal/">Ultra Budget Brews - Odric, Lunarch Marshal</a></li>
<li><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/the-other-ability-pia-nalaar-consul-of-madness/">The Other Ability- Pia Nalar, Consul of Madness</a></li>
<li><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/deep-analysis-blink/">Deep Analysis - Blink</a></li>
</ul>


The Other Ability - Atraxa's Four Other Abilities (They're Keywords)

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Force of Nature" href="#" target="_blank">Force of Nature</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/gregstaples">Greg Staples</a>)</h6>
<h1>Keywords as a Keystone</h1>
<p>Welcome to <em>Too-Specific Top 10</em>, where if there isn’t a category to rank our pet card at the top of, we’ll just make one up! (Did you know that <em>Banding</em> is the best new mechanic out of <em>Alpha</em>?)</p>
<p>This year, Commander Christmas brought us a full helping of legends based around underutilized keywords. From <em>Flashback </em>to <em>Madness</em>, we got some build-around commanders specifically made to help out archetypes that weren't really viable before. But while we're looking for new goodies, are we missing other excellent mechanics right under our noses? Have we really used all the available keywords that are build-aroundable?</p>
<p>To find out, let's dive into what the best mechanically-minded commanders are.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Top 10 Commanders Featuring a <a href="https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Evergreen">Non-Evergreen Keyword</a></h2>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/1-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37092" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/1-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Atraxa, Praetor&#039;s Voice"></div></div>
<p>If anyone was doing some quick mental math while reading the theme for this week, it probably wasn't hard to figure out that the number one card that fit the criteria would also be the number one commander of all time. While Atraxa has been knocked off of the top of the <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders#pastweek">Past Week</a> and <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders#pastmonth">Past Month</a> lists, she's still good enough and flexible enough that she continues to stick around the middle of them despite all the new and exciting commanders we've seen in the past few months. As for her featured keyword, <em>Proliferate</em>, it's only gotten more popular of late with the return visit to the plane of Ravnica and the +1/+1 counters and planeswalkers that came with it.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for this too-specific list, however, <em>Proliferate</em> may not be the main reason that everyone plays Atraxa: given just how good her keyword soup is, and the fact that she's in four colors, Atraxa can often built as a "goodstuff outside the color red" commander rather than around a central theme that takes advantage of her <em>Proliferate </em>ability.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37093" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Edgar Markov"></div></div>
<p>Perhaps we haven't gone specific enough with our top 10 this week, as our number two happens to be found on the second-most popular commander of the past two years. With the inclusion of <em>Eminence</em> as a keyword, however, it perhaps isn't much of a surprise that we ran into <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Edgar Markov" href="#" target="_blank">Edgar Markov</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> so soon. Having a commander that can affect the game state without ever having to be cast is extremely powerful, even if that ability is restricted to a tribe. Maybe if a more obscure tribe than Vampires had been chosen, however...</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37094" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/3-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Queen Marchesa"></div></div>
<p>Moving a little bit further down the popular commanders list, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Queen Marchesa" href="#" target="_blank">Queen Marchesa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is ranked the number ten commander overall, and number three on our list of keyword commanders. Often seen as a fun casual commander that allows for you to do pretty much anything you want in Mardu colors, Marchesa makes you the <em>Monarch</em> when she enters the battlefield, and then punishes others for taking the crown from you, thereby making it easier for you to take the crown back. Deathtouch Assassin tokens will do that, after all.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/10-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37095" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/4-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Ur-Dragon"></div></div>
<p>Speaking of <em>Eminence</em>, here is the most powerful of Dragons, whose mere presence allows other Dragons to rush forth from your hand, and whose actual arrival to the battlefield can even bring forth more Dragons from the top of your library. While throwing Dragons (and other permanents) onto the battlefield is certainly a lot of fun, this isn't quite the "building around keywords" type of thing we were looking for, now was it? In another universe where <em>Wizards of the Coast </em>hadn't brought back Protection to evergreen status, we would have had our number four in this list appear in the form of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animar, Soul of Elements" href="#" target="_blank">Animar, Soul of Elements</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. As it is, we'll have to wait for our number five ranking before we find a legend who gives us a keyword to build around, rather than just building around some (admittedly awesome) large flying reptiles.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/10-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37096" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/5-resized.png" alt="" width="346" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tasigur, the Golden Fang"></div></div>
<p>There we go! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tasigur, the Golden Fang" href="#" target="_blank">Tasigur, the Golden Fang</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is rather expensive when looking at his CMC, but in all actuality you're rarely casting him for that much thanks to the inclusion of <em>Delve</em>, which gets even better since his activated ability puts more cards into the graveyard. Indeed, in a Sultai deck built around getting things into and out of the graveyard, it's not uncommon to see him come down for a single black mana, even with a few instances of commander tax stacked on him. Speaking of cheap, he's also the first commander on the list under the $10.00 mark, coming in at only 35 cents (as of the posting of this article)!</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/10-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37097" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/6-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Omnath, Locus of Rage"></div></div>
<p>Perhaps one of the most popular and most commonplace keywords to grace commander tables everywhere, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Omnath, Locus of Rage" href="#" target="_blank">Omnath, Locus of Rage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> brings us one heck of a <em>Landfall</em> trigger in the form of 5/5 Elementals; not only that, but he also gets to tack a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Bolt" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Bolt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> onto each death trigger. It probably comes as no surprise, then, that Omnath is number 23 on the most popular commanders list. Being rewarded for playing lands, something you were already going to do, looks to be quite powerful on its face, but once you start building decks around it, it gets to a whole other level of ridiculousness.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/10-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37098" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/7-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder"></div></div>
<p>Speaking of things you were probably already going to be doing in a game of Commander, how about attacking? Casting spells, maybe? If you do manage to connect with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder" href="#" target="_blank">Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you're rewarded with your spells casting other spells for you! <em>Cascade</em> is another popular keyword, sometimes just acting as a train to value town, while other times finding specific combo pieces through careful manipulation of mana costs in your deck construction. Pairing either of those kinds of upside with four-colors-worth of resources leads to great options, no matter how you swing it.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/10-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-37099" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/8-resized.png" alt="" width="300" height="238" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow"></div></div>
<p><em>Ninjitsu</em> is a keyword utilized exclusively by the Ninjas of the <em>Kamigawa</em> block. Or at least, it was, up until <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> crashed onto the scene in <em>Commander 2018.</em> Her slightly modified version of the Ninja keyword allows her to play switcheroo from the command zone when one of your creatures attacks and isn't blocked. The resulting combat damage allows both her and any other Ninja who happens to be getting through at the time to pull a reverse <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark Confidant" href="#" target="_blank">Dark Confidant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, drawing you a card and having your opponents lose life equal to that card's mana cost. Add to that that the <em>Commander Ninjitsu</em> cost gets around commander tax, and it's not surprising that quite a few folks out there decided on dusting off their old Ninjas.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-37100" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/9-resized.png" alt="" width="300" height="195" /></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trostani, Selesnya&#039;s Voice"></div></div>
<p>All right, so I may have exaggerated in the intro when I said that all of the new keyword commanders from <em>Commander 2019</em> allowed strategies that weren't possible before. In the case of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghired, Conclave Exile" href="#" target="_blank">Ghired, Conclave Exile</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it just allowed their keywords to be utilized in new color combinations. <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> is an example of another commander that could helm a deck based around the <em>Populate</em> keyword, which encourages you to play bigger tokens so you can keep on making copies of them. How <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Godsire" href="#" target="_blank">Godsire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> didn't make the cut in the <em>Naya </em>version is a bit beyond me, though....</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/10-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37101" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/10-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Inalla, Archmage Ritualist"></div></div>
<p>And... another <em>Eminence </em>commander, straight out of <em>Commander 2017</em> and warping a power curve near you. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inalla, Archmage Ritualist" href="#" target="_blank">Inalla, Archmage Ritualist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is centered around Wizards rather than keywords, although that doesn't mean you couldn't get up to some serious <em>Prowess</em> shenanigans if you put your mind to it!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Honorable Mentions</h2>
<p>Let's be honest, you're disappointed that a third of this list is <em>Eminence</em> commanders, and so am I. Abilities which operate from the command zone have long been a controversial topic, and the general increase in power level stemming from them is a large part of that controversy. With that in mind, then, let's take a look at what our Top 10 would look like without any cards that have the word "commander" or "command zone" on them. From that list we'll also remove any commanders that share a keyword with another commander in <em>that</em> top 10 (which edges out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karametra, God of Harvests" href="#" target="_blank">Karametra, God of Harvests</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Xenagos, God of Revels" href="#" target="_blank">Xenagos, God of Revels</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kruphix, God of Horizons" href="#" target="_blank">Kruphix, God of Horizons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Athreos, God of Passage" href="#" target="_blank">Athreos, God of Passage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marchesa, the Black Rose"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phenax, God of Deception"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest"></div></div>
<ol>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Praetor&#039;s Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa, Praetor&#039;s Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: <em>Proliferate</em></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Queen Marchesa" href="#" target="_blank">Queen Marchesa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: <em>Monarch</em></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tasigur, the Golden Fang" href="#" target="_blank">Tasigur, the Golden Fang</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: <em>Delve</em></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Omnath, Locus of Rage" href="#" target="_blank">Omnath, Locus of Rage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: <em>Landfall</em></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder" href="#" target="_blank">Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: <em>Cascade</em></li>
<li><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>: <em>Populate</em></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marchesa, the Black Rose" href="#" target="_blank">Marchesa, the Black Rose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: <em>Dethrone</em></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phenax, God of Deception" href="#" target="_blank">Phenax, God of Deception</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: <em>Devotion</em></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: <em>Historic</em></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest" href="#" target="_blank">Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: <em>Prowess</em></li>
</ol>
<p>And there we have it! For those of you confused about our new #10, <em>Prowess</em> was dropped from evergreen status back in <em>Hour of Devastation</em>, allegedly for issues of complexity. That makes me doubt whether bringing back Protection was the right call, but I do still remember the old acronym D.E.B.T. (Damage, Equip/Enchant, Block, and Target), which makes remembering how Protection works a bit easier.</p>
<hr />
<h2>What Do You Think?</h2>
<p>With all of the keyworded commanders out and about from <em>Commander 2019</em>, are you excited that we're expanding on the list above? Are keywords something you'd like to see expanded on when it comes to future commanders, or would you rather <em>Wizards of the Coast</em> broaden their focus a bit?</p>
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<p>And finally, what are keyword mechanics you're building around?</p>
<p>Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you at the Mandatory <em>Monarch</em> tables soon!</p>


keyword

Dueling Deck Techs: Brewing With Cantrips in Commander

Archetypes of Imagination - Making a Cantrip Commander Deck

Archetypes of Imagination - Making an Attack Triggers Deck

Guide to Aetherdrift Mechanics

The Other Ability - Atraxa's Four Other Abilities (They're Keywords)

Too-Specific Top 10 - Evergreen, Schmevergreen