The Over/Under - A Review of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Commanders

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kyodai, Soul of Kamigawa" href="#" target="_blank">Kyodai, Soul of Kamigawa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/danielzrom">Daniel Zrom</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo, and this is <em>Epic Experiment</em>, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.</p>
<p>Let's talk about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kyodai, Soul of Kamigawa" href="#" target="_blank">Kyodai, Soul of Kamigawa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kyodai, Soul of Kamigawa"></div></div>
<p>Kyodai is a very flexible commander, one that doesn't really lean in any particular direction and has a solid enough kit to be included in a number of archetypes. The ETB mileage may vary according to the type of permanent we're targeting; lands are pretty much irremovable while we have our commander out, but creatures are still pretty easy to get rid of. Given the vulnerability of the type, there needs to be a fast clock element to this deck (or else a heavy counterspell investment) if we want any creatures to become our indestructible targets. Otherwise, it's pretty easy for the table to gather two removal spells for Kyodai and its target, or to just use an exile effect.</p>
<p>The pump ability is expensive (and color-intensive), but it's very useful, and the Voltron aspect is great even for decks that aren't investing in it, providing a solid backup win condition.</p>
<p>Kyodai is also a great support commander for <em>Companion</em> builds. Since it's a five-color commander, we have more options to choose from. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zirda, the Dawnwaker" href="#" target="_blank">Zirda, the Dawnwaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + Kyodai might be my favorite duo to build around.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swarm Intelligence"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sunbird&#039;s Invocation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lithoform Engine"></div></div>
<p>Having the ability to protect any permanent can be quite strong with the right kind of cards, so how about we build around cards whose only downside is the potential blowout of getting removed before they can make up for their investment? There are a lot of cards that fit this category, but I think the inherent safety of the Spellslinger archetype will help us with some much-needed consistency for Kyodai!</p>
<p>Spell-copying effects, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swarm Intelligence" href="#" target="_blank">Swarm Intelligence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thousand-Year Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Thousand-Year Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloven Casting" href="#" target="_blank">Cloven Casting</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are a great way to pull ahead quickly. With a flexible suite of spells, it can provide a lot of options for each of our turns. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirari&#039;s Wake" href="#" target="_blank">Mirari&#039;s Wake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful mana-doubler that can very quickly take over the game, given the sheer amount of extra mana it provides! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maelstrom Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Maelstrom Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sunbird&#039;s Invocation" href="#" target="_blank">Sunbird&#039;s Invocation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are consistent sources of two-for-one that slowly take over the game. There's even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Song of Creation" href="#" target="_blank">Song of Creation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Whirlwind of Thought" href="#" target="_blank">Whirlwind of Thought</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which are a bit riskier, but which each offer a more explosive payoff.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eureka Moment"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Treacherous Terrain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Conflux"></div></div>
<p>For spells, we're choosing a powerful suite of ramp and removal, with plenty of them being gold to be copiable with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloven Casting" href="#" target="_blank">Cloven Casting</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Modal spells are great to either copy or <em>Cascade</em> into, since they'll hardly be blanks. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treacherous Terrain" href="#" target="_blank">Treacherous Terrain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful burn effect that can quickly take over the game if cast or copied multiple times, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fevered Suspicion" href="#" target="_blank">Fevered Suspicion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another powerful addition that helps us get ahead.</p>
<p>The best part of building a battlecruiser deck like this one is that each threat packs a lot of punch without the need of a huge board. We do have a few Plan B threats to help us diversify, though: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="General Ferrous Rokiric" href="#" target="_blank">General Ferrous Rokiric</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <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> are great sources of tokens, which can be used defensively in the earlier portions of the game and offensively when we flip the switch. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kess, Dissident Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Kess, Dissident Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elsha of the Infinite" href="#" target="_blank">Elsha of the Infinite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are two unconventional sources of card advantage, but they can play quite nicely with Kyodai. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zacama, Primal Calamity" href="#" target="_blank">Zacama, Primal Calamity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a crazy powerful defensive threat that can allow for really powerful board swings while also providing a solid clock.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Big Boy Spellslinger Kyodai" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Kyodai, Soul of Kamigawa
[/Commander]
[Companion]
*Jegantha, the Wellspring
[/Companion]
[Creature]
*Baral, Chief of Compliance
*Goblin Electormancer
*Soulfire Grandmaster
*General Ferrous Rokiric
*Kess, Dissident Mage
*Elsha of the Infinite
*Zacama, Primal Calamity
[/Creature]
[Sorcery]
*Ponder
*Preordain
*Serum Visions
*Expressive Iteration
*Farseek
*Nature&#039;s Lore
*Rampant Growth
*Scour All Possibilities
*Three Visits
*Grow from the Ashes
*Wargate
*Decimate
*Mizzix&#039;s Mastery
*Mystic Retrieval
*Skyshroud Claim
*Bring to Light
*Escape to the Wilds
*Urban Evolution
*Merciless Eviction
*Spelltwine
*Conflux
*Fevered Suspicion
*Treacherous Terrain
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Instant]
*Consider
*Opt
*Assassin&#039;s Trophy
*Deliberate
*Despark
*Dovin&#039;s Veto
*Fracture
*Galvanic Iteration
*Growth Spiral
*Izzet Charm
*Terminate
*Abzan Charm
*Fire Covenant
*Prismari Command
*Sultai Charm
*Eureka Moment
*Emergency Powers
[/Instant]
[Enchantment]
*Song of Creation
*Whirlwind of Thought
*Wilderness Reclamation
*Maelstrom Nexus
*Mirari&#039;s Waker
*Shark Typhoon
*Sunbird&#039;s Invocation
*Thousand-Year Storm
*Cloven Casting
*Swarm Intelligence
[/Enchantment]
[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*Lithoform Engine
[/Artifact]
[Land]
*Arid Mesa
*Blood Crypt
*Bloodstained Mire
*Breeding Pool
*City of Brass
*Command Tower
*Flooded Strand
*Godless Shrine
*Hallowed Fountain
*Indatha Triome
*Ketria Triome
*Mana Confluence
*Marsh Flats
*Misty Rainforest
*Overgrown Tomb
*Polluted Delta
*Raugrin Triome
*Sacred Foundry
*Savai Triome
*Scalding Tarn
*Steam Vents
*Stomping Ground
*Temple Garden
*Verdant Catacombs
*Watery Grave
*Windswept Heath
*Wooded Foothills
*Zagoth Triome
*3 Forest
*3 Island
*2 Mountain
*Plains
*2 Swamp
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>Since we're playing such a mana-intensive deck, I felt that this is a perfect shell to try out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jegantha, the Wellspring" href="#" target="_blank">Jegantha, the Wellspring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a <em>Companion</em>. Sure, we lose a few powerful cards (like the Ultimatum cycle), but the extra consistency of always having a mana dork is invaluable. Jegantha also works great with our Charms and makes casting a big card and our commander on the same turn cycle much more manageable.</p>
<p>Having a nice suite of cantrips and ramp closes out our deck perfectly. These effects are necessary because they massively enhance our most vulnerable moment: the early game. They're also great cards to copy, and can really speed up our late game when we get things going.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>We're looking to play the long game, and that means we should keep opening hands with some early control and ramp. We do have a few good early threats, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="General Ferrous Rokiric" href="#" target="_blank">General Ferrous Rokiric</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or the cost-reducing bros, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baral, Chief of Compliance" href="#" target="_blank">Baral, Chief of Compliance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Electromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Electromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Electromancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abzan Charm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Galvanic Iteration"></div></div>
<p>In the early game, one of our biggest priorities is developing a mana base that allows us to cast our spells. This might seem a bit obvious, but our deck is very color-intensive, and with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Abzan Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Abzan Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Galvanic Iteration" href="#" target="_blank">Galvanic Iteration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it'll pay off for us to take extra care and more deliberately craft our mana base to set us up for later success.</p>
<p>By the mid-game, when mana is no longer that much of an issue (and with Jegantha to smooth things out if necessary), we can start looking into playing some of our bigger threats. This is where having a ton of powerful instants is beneficial, as we can hold out playing spells on our turn and have the option to blank a destroy-based removal with our commander.</p>
<p>The late game is where we shine. Even with just one threat, we can take over a board. A single, indestructible <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zacama, Primal Calamity" href="#" target="_blank">Zacama, Primal Calamity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or hard-to-kill <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swarm Intelligence" href="#" target="_blank">Swarm Intelligence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will dominate the battlefield with ease. Since Kyodai can flash into play at instant speed to protect these big baddies, the later half of the game is where our commander will truly shine, and totally fluster our opponents by halting their usual removal effects. With enough mana, Kyodai itself will be a surprise source of commander damage. Watch out, folks!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<p>That was just my version of Kyodai, but other players might want to take this idea and make some tweaks!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zirda, the Dawnwaker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Inspired Ultimatum"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glistener Elf"></div></div>
<p>The first change one might consider is cutting Jegantha out of the <em>Companion</em> slot. Without it, the list can get a bit more streamlined and gain the ability to include some other, more powerful cards, such as some Ultimatums. One could also exchange the <em>Companion</em>; the aforementioned Zirda + Kyodai pair seems like a very fun deck to mess around with, for instance. Having a pseudo-five-color Zirda gives us the chance to have cards that we normally don't, not to mention the extra protection, is always nice when around a non-commander card.</p>
<p>If both of these brews aren't your cup of tea, why not try out <em>Infect</em>-based strategies? Having a way to protect one of your threats provides an extra layer of consistency that we don't usually see for that strategy.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think of this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this Epic Experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


kyodai soul of kamigawa

The Over/Under - A Review of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Commanders

Epic Experiment - Kyodai

The 600 - Predicting the Popularity of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Commanders