<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spectral Shift" href="#" target="_blank">Spectral Shift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://johnavonart.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Avon</a></em></p>
<div></p>
<p>Hello, and welcome back to the Archidekt Deckbuilding Contest. I'm back from vacation and ready to go, so let's get right into it!</p>
<p>This is a monthly contest with a different theme each month. Your goal is to build a Commander-legal deck that fulfills the prompt in a creative or unique fashion. At the end of each month, three finalists will be selected for you to vote on.</p>
<p>Whoever gets the most votes will be crowned the winner, although all three finalists receive a prize.</p>
<p>This month we're taking <em>Magic</em>'s creatures and pushing them into unfamiliar territory in the color pie.</p>
<p></div>
<div></p>
<h2>What’s the Contest All About?</h2>
<p>Working within the parameters of the prompt provided below, construct a deck list with your own creative spin. Three chosen finalists will be awarded <a href="https://www.cardsphere.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">store credit to use on Cardsphere</a>.</p>
<p><strong>For November's deck building contest - </strong>build a Commander-legal kindred/typal deck in colors that you wouldn't expect for that creature type.</p>
<p>Decks will be judged on their creativity, originality, and how unexpected their color identity is for the chosen creature type.</p>
<p></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pantlaza, Sun-Favored"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krenko, Mob Boss"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lathril, Blade of the Elves"></div></div>
<p>Kindred decks are an iconic part of <em>Magic</em>. The ability to summon classic mythical creatures like Angels and Dragons are a huge draw to the game, and many players' first decks are focused around a single creature type.</p>
<p>Which isn't to say these decks are only for beginners. Some of the most powerful competitive decks throughout <em>Magic</em>'s history have been built around Humans, Elves, and Merfolk.</p>
<p>In Commander, however, this can make a kindred deck predictable and repetitive, especially if you've been playing it for a few years.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Borborygmos Enraged"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mr. Foxglove"></div></div>
<p>One way to work around that problem is to shift the colors of your deck. Merfolk have branched into green in recent sets, opening up the possibility of a Gruul Merfolk deck. Similarly, Elves have gotten more support in black, making a Rakdos or Orzhov Elf deck possible.</p>
<p>Even Dragons, which are present in all five colors, are most commonly played in red decks. What would an Azorius or Bant dragon deck look like?</p>
<p>I took a similar approach when I took apart my Elf deck. I'd tried every commander out there, so I ditched green altogether and turned to the only red Elf, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Delina, Wild Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Delina, Wild Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. By targeting Delina herself, I can still swarm the battlefield with Elf tokens that get buffed by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shared Animosity" href="#" target="_blank">Shared Animosity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adaptive Automaton" href="#" target="_blank">Adaptive Automaton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Patchwork Banner" href="#" target="_blank">Patchwork Banner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Most importantly, board wipes are no longer game-ending disasters. I simply recast my commander and keep attacking.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boros Recruit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tobias, Doomed Conqueror"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yuki-Onna"></div></div>
<p>But that's just one example. How can you breath new life into an old creature type by pushing it into new colors?</p>
<h2>How To Participate</h2>
<ul>
<li>Brew a Commander-legal deck on <a href="https://archidekt.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Archidekt</a> that satisfies the prompt.</li>
<li>Any unreleased cards spoiled during the contest’s duration are allowed.</li>
<li>Silver-bordered and acorn cards, while cool, are not allowed.</li>
<li>Digital-only cards (such as those designed for the Alchemy format on Arena) are not allowed.</li>
<li>Strictly one deck submitted per user.</li>
</ul>
<p>As of a couple months ago, we've also revamped the submission process. Decks must now be submitted on Archidekt via a button on the <a href="https://archidekt.com/contest/17255222">newspost</a>. This will make it easier to view all submissions in a single place. Additionally, it will simplify the process of writing a description by sharing the same text on the submission page and the deck page itself.</p>
<p>You can also comment on individual decks directly from the submission, making those discussions easier to find and track later.</p>
<p>To submit a deck, select the orange button labeled "Submit a deck to this contest" and follow the form prompt. Submissions are accepted until <strong>9:00 pm EST</strong> (UTC -4, currently) on <strong>Wednesday, November 12, 2025</strong>.</p>
<p>Only one submission per user! If you change your mind and want to submit a different deck before submissions close, you may do so by first deleting your submission. To edit your description, you can do so from the deck page itself.</p>
<p>From the eligible submissions, we'll select three finalists with lists that we believe best embody the spirit of the prompt. Deck descriptions are not required but certainly may provide valuable context!</p>
<div></p>
<p>On <strong>Wednesday, November 19, 2025</strong>, we’ll announce three finalists via the Archidekt Discord and a brief article on EDHREC highlighting each deck.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cardsphere.com/sets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Each finalist will be awarded credit to use on Cardsphere</a>. The value of the credit is in US dollars and depends on the finalist's placement in deck upvotes at the end of the week-long polling period:</p>
<ul>
<li>1st Place Prize - $250</li>
<li>2nd Place Prize - $150</li>
<li>3rd Place Prize - $100</li>
</ul>
<p></div>
<p>Finalists will be contacted via email regarding their winnings within roughly 24 hours following the conclusion of voting on <strong>Wednesday, November 26, 2025</strong>.</p>
<p>Please note, you must have a Cardsphere account in order to receive your winnings. It's quick and free - <a href="https://www.cardsphere.com/signup?referrer=archidekt_contest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">register here</a> if you don't have an account already!</p>
<p>Here are the <a href="https://archidekt.com/contestRules" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official contest rules</a>. If you have any questions, feel free to ask here, or join the Archidekt <a href="https://discord.gg/sctEc9Ru36" target="_blank" rel="noopener">public Discord server</a>. We look forward to seeing what you all come up with!</p>


Archidekt Deckbuilding Contest - November 2025

<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urgoros, the Empty One" href="#" target="_blank">Urgoros, the Empty One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.daarken.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daarken</a></span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As we enter October, it makes sense to lean into a spooky creature type. Specters in <em>Magic</em> art seem to resemble mounted grim reapers, reaping cards from players’ hands using claws, sickles, or any other apparatus that can carve cardboard from a grip like a Thanksgiving turkey.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dark Ritual"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hypnotic Specter"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Their pedigree goes all the way back to the feared “Hippie” of early <em>Magic</em>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hypnotic Specter" href="#" target="_blank">Hypnotic Specter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. In an era when spells were far more powerful than creatures, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark Ritual" href="#" target="_blank">Dark Ritual</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> into <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hypnotic Specter" href="#" target="_blank">Hypnotic Specter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was one of the most devastating openings in the game. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A 2/2 flyer with built-in disruption on the first turn often meant doom for players, and, in the wild west of cheating in early <em>Magic</em>, could happen quite often.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Specters find themselves in an intriguing position in multiplayer formats, as discard strategies are often seen as oppressive even though, in the abstract, they’re not very powerful. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Similar to single-target removal, answering one threat means other threats go unanswered, and discard doesn’t even let the threats be known. </span>The oppressive perception can also hinder the ability to play politics.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So why play Specters?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The key is to find common ground within the family. Quite a lot of our creatures are legendary and share surnames along with complementary abilities. The patriarch of the family is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urgoros, the Empty One" href="#" target="_blank">Urgoros, the Empty One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the centerpiece of today’s Commander deck.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urgoros, the Empty One"></div></div>
<h2>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urgoros, the Empty One" href="#" target="_blank">Urgoros, the Empty One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Urgoros may be known as “the Empty One,” but what he does is make our opponents’ hands empty. Like most Specters, he's a mono-black flyer with a combat trigger that makes an opponent discard a card. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He has a few tricks up the sleeve of his hooded cloak, however, which make him a great leader.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Urgoros is bigger than other Specters, costing about twice as much but rewarding us with about twice the power of a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hypnotic Specter" href="#" target="_blank">Hypnotic Specter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Additionally, while most Specters are useless against a "hellbent" opponent (i.e., no cards in hand), Urogoros draws us a card if the opponent can’t discard. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This makes him a card draw engine if we can achieve the right setup.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So what does the right setup look like? Urgoros is deceptively difficult to play in a pod because it can operate like an aggressive deck, but that risks making enemies at the table. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nath of the Gilt-Leaf"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s more fun to play it like the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nath of the Gilt-Leaf" href="#" target="_blank">Nath of the Gilt-Leaf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck a friend of mine ran in the nascent days of EDH: use Group Hug cards to load everyone’s hands and then pick them apart with Specters. I mean…people can’t be mad at you for taking away cards you gave them, right?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The key to assuaging concerns about fun and power level with Specters is to make sure you understand why your group has reservations, if they do. For example, some groups will see discard as similar to mill, even if you give them extra cards, because those cards represent fun they can’t have.</span></p>
<h2>Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urgoros, the Empty One" href="#" target="_blank">Urgoros, the Empty One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Howling Mine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Temple Bell"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Group Hug effects are what opens the door for a deck like Specter typal. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Howling Mine" href="#" target="_blank">Howling Mine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temple Bell" href="#" target="_blank">Temple Bell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are typical effects for strategies like this, providing everyone with extra cards every turn.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rankle, Master of Pranks"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seizan, Perverter of Truth"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rankle, Master of Pranks" href="#" target="_blank">Rankle, Master of Pranks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seizan, Perverter of Truth" href="#" target="_blank">Seizan, Perverter of Truth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are more unique to black, and they help to advance the game by also lowering life totals.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Megrim"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liliana&#039;s Caress"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking of lowering life totals, we want to pack discard payoffs, so our opponents aren’t sitting there hellbent and helpless. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Megrim" href="#" target="_blank">Megrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana&#039;s Caress" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana&#039;s Caress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects make it so that we deal damage when opponents discard cards, helping us have more of a clock than just swinging with small flyers.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doom Blade"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Terror"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Infernal Grasp"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since our creatures are small- to medium-sized flyers, they can get outclassed by Dragons, Sphinxes, and the like. As a result, we need ways to clear a path for our Specters to connect. “Dies to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doom Blade" href="#" target="_blank">Doom Blade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>” is a common saying for a reason, and we have several analogues: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terror" href="#" target="_blank">Terror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Go for the Throat" href="#" target="_blank">Go for the Throat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Infernal Grasp" href="#" target="_blank">Infernal Grasp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all test opponents’ threat diversity.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cabal Coffers"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cabal Stronghold"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geier Reach Sanitarium"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our nonbasic lands either ramp us or draw cards. The Cabal lands - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cabal Coffers" href="#" target="_blank">Cabal Coffers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cabal Stronghold" href="#" target="_blank">Cabal Stronghold</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - give us a big boost for playing Swamps. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geier Reach Sanitarium" href="#" target="_blank">Geier Reach Sanitarium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Castle Locthwain" href="#" target="_blank">Castle Locthwain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> give us a sneaky way to draw cards and, in the case of the former, to trigger <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Megrim" href="#" target="_blank">Megrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects.</span></p>
<h2>How Does This <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urgoros, the Empty One" href="#" target="_blank">Urgoros, the Empty One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Commander Deck Win?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our primary aim is to attack with evasive threats while limiting our opponents’ options and dealing direct damage. We can play politics by feeding opponents cards and removing key permanents…but only when it benefits us.</span></p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urgoros, the Empty One" href="#" target="_blank">Urgoros, the Empty One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Commander Deck List</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Urgoros, the Empty One Commander Deck Tech" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Urgoros, the Empty One
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 Abyssal Specter
*1 Cairn Wanderer
*1 Changeling Outcast
*1 Dread Specter
*1 Entropic Specter
*1 Fell Specter
*1 Ghostly Changeling
*1 Graveshifter
*1 Guul Draz Specter
*1 Headless Specter
*1 Hollow Marauder
*1 Hollow Specter
*1 Hypnotic Specter
*1 Liliana&#039;s Specter
*1 Moonglove Changeling
*1 Needle Specter
*1 Rankle, Master of Pranks
*1 Reaper of Night // Harvest Fear
*1 Sangromancer
*1 Scrawling Crawler
*1 Scythe Specter
*1 Seizan, Perverter of Truth
*1 Shimian Specter
*1 Shrieking Specter
*1 Silent Specter
*1 Skeletal Changeling
*1 Specter of Mortality
*1 Specter of the Fens
*1 Tainted Specter
*1 The Raven Man
*1 Tourach, Dread Cantor
*1 Universal Automaton
*1 Venomous Changeling
*1 Whispering Specter
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Black Market Connections
*1 Larceny
*1 Liliana&#039;s Caress
*1 Megrim
*1 Raiders&#039; Wake
*1 Shrieking Affliction
*1 Waste Not
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Anvil of Bogardan
*1 Font of Mythos
*1 Geth&#039;s Grimoire
*1 Ghirapur Orrery
*1 Howling Mine
*1 Otherworld Atlas
*1 Temple Bell
[/Artifacts]
&nbsp;
[Sorceries]
*1 Dark Deal
[/Sorceries]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 Baleful Mastery
*1 Consuming Corruption
*1 Defenestrate
*1 Defile
*1 Doom Blade
*1 Go for the Throat
*1 Infernal Grasp
*1 Murder
*1 Rend Flesh
*1 Terror
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Arch of Orazca
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Cabal Coffers
*1 Cabal Stronghold
*1 Castle Locthwain
*1 Cavern of Souls
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Path of Ancestry
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*30 Swamp
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
[/Lands]
&nbsp;"></span></div></span></p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Specters are an iconic creature type, but have historically had a rough go in multiplayer formats. Staying true to a creature type and providing extra cards to discard can help. And it can be fun to be evil sometimes, right?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how would you build Specters? And do you think discard can ever be a palatable strategy in Commander?</span></p>
<h3>Read More:</h3>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="nTjnMOCs6u"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-ape-typal-commander-with-kibo-uktabi-prince/">Building Ape Typal Commander With Kibo, Uktabi Prince</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Building Ape Typal Commander With Kibo, Uktabi Prince&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-ape-typal-commander-with-kibo-uktabi-prince/embed/#?secret=t65vwrIgPv#?secret=nTjnMOCs6u" data-secret="nTjnMOCs6u" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="kq6HRlrJYE"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-ally-typal-with-haru-hidden-talent/">Building Ally Typal with Haru, Hidden Talent</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Building Ally Typal with Haru, Hidden Talent&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-ally-typal-with-haru-hidden-talent/embed/#?secret=m3LEPzaENb#?secret=kq6HRlrJYE" data-secret="kq6HRlrJYE" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="ge5DqCbQqv"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-ninja-typal-with-taeko-the-patient-avalanche/">Building Ninja Typal With Taeko, the Patient Avalanche</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Building Ninja Typal With Taeko, the Patient Avalanche&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-ninja-typal-with-taeko-the-patient-avalanche/embed/#?secret=QLHtS4QJeC#?secret=ge5DqCbQqv" data-secret="ge5DqCbQqv" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>


kindred commander

Archidekt Deckbuilding Contest - November 2025

Building Specter Typal with Urgoros, the Empty One