Iroh, Firebending Instructor Commander Deck Tech

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toph, the First Metalbender" href="#" target="_blank">Toph, the First Metalbender</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/eilenecherie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eilene Cherie</a></em></p>
<p>Welcome back to another edition of <em>Beyond the Multiverse</em>! While I was going to begin this week's article on the <em>Spider-Man </em>stuff, things and stuff happened. We instead got spoilers from the <em>Avatar: The Last Airbender </em>set, and I knew I wanted to have an opportunity to build one of my favorite characters when she was spoiled.</p>
<p>That's right, we're diving into a deck helmed by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toph, the First Metalbender" href="#" target="_blank">Toph, the First Metalbender</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<h2>Quaking the Foundations With Toph</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Toph, the First Metalbender"></div></div>
<p>Toph may be a child, but she's an absolute savage of an earthbender (in more ways than one). Born blind and in a well-off family, Toph learned her techniques from the original earthbenders, the Badger Moles. It's through them she learned to "see" via the vibrations of the land itself.</p>
<p>She partook in earthbending tournaments as the "Blind Bandit" before joining Twinkle Toes...I mean Aang and his group. She would go on to be a powerhouse in the group, and discover the ability to metalbend, striking fear in the hearts of many in the Fire Nation. Oh no, what a nightmare!</p>
<p>...Sorry.</p>
<p>Anyway, like how Toph turned earthbending on its head when she learned to metalbend, she does this on the board, too. Every nontoken artifact on our side is a land. That's going to be an important ability as it's ripe for shenanigans. She also animates lands on our end step, which helps synergize with a few other themes as well.</p>
<h2>Buried in Value</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Panharmonicon|pip|237"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Combustible Gearhulk|fic|292"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Slip On the Ring"></div></div>
<p>When I was trying to find a way to approach Toph, I knew I needed a lot of artifacts. But how to use them? The answer came eventually: a blinking subtheme.</p>
<p>To that end, the decklist below will have a number of artifacts, including creatures, that do things when they come in. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Canoptek Scarab Swarm" href="#" target="_blank">Canoptek Scarab Swarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solemn Simulacrum|fic|360" href="#" target="_blank">Solemn Simulacrum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> do things when they enter. In addition, they also can get earthbent by Toph because she doesn't care what artifacts we animate, just they they're not tokens.</p>
<p>Also, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Hearth and Home|ltc|354" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Hearth and Home</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can blink a creature and ramp us. Talk about value! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cybermen Squadron" href="#" target="_blank">Cybermen Squadron</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows our nonlegendary artifact creatures to gain myriad, but the card gets the nod because this ability will apply to any noncreature artifacts we earthbend as well.</p>
<p>While not quite blinking, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flamerush Rider|ltc|216" href="#" target="_blank">Flamerush Rider</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> creates a token of another attacking creature of ours. Just remember that the token sacrifices itself during the end step.</p>
<h2>The Basics of Earthbending</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Earthbending Student"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Earthbending Lesson"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bumi, Eclectic Earthbender"></div></div>
<p>To summarize what the earthbending mechanic does: We animate a land as a 0/0, putting a number of +1/+1 counters on it equal to the earthbending number - in Toph's case, two.</p>
<p>The key piece to the ability is that if the land would go away, it will come right back in tapped. This is something for <em>landfall</em> triggers. Firstly, both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tifa Lockhart" href="#" target="_blank">Tifa Lockhart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gladiolus Amicitia" href="#" target="_blank">Gladiolus Amicitia</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will trigger their <em>landfall</em> abilities, so even if the board gets wiped, we won't lost any lands from it. They simply won't be animated anymore.</p>
<p>Other cards with <em>landfall</em> include both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tireless Tracker|fic|316" href="#" target="_blank">Tireless Tracker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tireless Provisioner|ltc|262" href="#" target="_blank">Tireless Provisioner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which will gain value when a land comes in, be it card draw or Treasure tokens. Or Food, if we're hungry for some life. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sabotender" href="#" target="_blank">Sabotender</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will ping our opponents slowly with each land drop, and is sure to become a nuisance.</p>
<p>All of this being said, there aren't many eartbending cards at the moment. The set is months away, and more support is bound to be revealed closer to release. I'm sure the number of earthbending cards in a future version of the deck list will go up. However, this is Toph, the Metalbender we're talking about here. Nontoken artifacts are lands, too. So, yeah! Let's break some rules!</p>
<h2>The Art of Metalbending</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chocobo Racetrack"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashnod&#039;s Altar|sld|1679"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Canoptek Spyder"></div></div>
<p>That key line in the reminder text of the earthbending mechanic, combined with Toph, changes the ball game. Now <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chocobo Racetrack" href="#" target="_blank">Chocobo Racetrack</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and other landfall cards will create a Bird if an (nontoken) artifact or land comes in. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Feast and Famine|acr|99" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Feast and Famine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> won't just untap lands, but also our artifacts, too.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashnod&#039;s Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Ashnod&#039;s Altar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, when we sacrifice an earthbent artifact, will give us two mana, and said artifact back, allowing us to reuse its abilities again. This is important for creatures with effects when they enter. Also, since these artifacts are historic, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bayek of Siwa" href="#" target="_blank">Bayek of Siwa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will see them gain double strike.</p>
<p>There's these implications, and more as I'll uncover later in the article. For now, let's get to the deck list.</p>
<h2>Toph, the First Metalbender Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Going Universes Beyond-Toph" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Toph, the First Metalbender
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Ambrosia Whiteheart
*1 Angel of the Ruins
*1 Anger
*1 Badgermole
*1 Bayek of Siwa
*1 Bronze Guardian
*1 Bumi, Eclectic Earthbender
*1 Canoptek Scarab Swarm
*1 Canoptek Spyder
*1 Canoptek Tomb Sentinel
*1 Combustible Gearhulk
*1 Cryptothrall
*1 Cyberman Patrol
*1 Cybermen Squadron
*1 Earthbending Student
*1 Flamerush Rider
*1 Gladiolus Amicitia
*1 Meteor Golem
*1 Ruin Grinder
*1 Sabotender
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Tifa Lockhart
*1 Tireless Provisioner
*1 Tireless Tracker
*1 Zell Dincht
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Chocobo Racetrack
*1 Cloudstone Curio
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mithril Coat
*1 Panharmonicon
*1 RMS Titanic
*1 Resurrection Orb
*1 Sculpting Steel
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Sword of Feast and Famine
*1 Sword of Hearth and Home
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Big Score
*1 Boros Charm
*1 Clever Concealment
*1 Crush Contraband
*1 Dispatch
*1 Entish Restoration
*1 Harrow
*1 Lifestream&#039;s Blessing
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Slip On the Ring
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Ultimate Magic: Holy
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Austere Command
*1 Cleansing Nova
*1 Cultivate
*1 Earth Rumble
*1 Earthbending Lesson
*1 Farseek
*1 Hull Breach
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Wake the Past
*1 What Must Be Done
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Branching Evolution
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Clifftop Retreat
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Command Tower
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Fabled Passage
*6 Forest
*1 Fortified Village
*1 Furycalm Snarl
*1 Game Trail
*1 Ishgard, the Holy See // Faith &amp; Grief
*1 Jungle Shrine
*6 Mountain
*1 Overgrown Farmland
*1 Path of Ancestry
*6 Plains
*1 Radiant Grove
*1 Rockfall Vale
*1 Rootbound Crag
*1 Sacred Peaks
*1 Sundown Pass
*1 Sunpetal Grove
*1 Wooded Ridgeline
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>More to Unearth</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cyberman Patrol"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Canoptek Tomb Sentinel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Branching Evolution|pip|195"></div></div>
<p>...what's that? It's not Toph at all. It's Melon Lord! Mwahahaha!</p>
<p>*ahem* Anyway, the list has all the makings of a bizarre artifacts deck that's coupled with landfall. Normally, cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harrow|40K|216" href="#" target="_blank">Harrow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have us sacrifice a land as a cost. Here? Sacrifice an earthbent artifact instead, and it'll come right back alongside the two lands we searched for.</p>
<p>Like I said earlier, we're going to need more cards with the earthbending mechanic to really make this deck tick. Nonetheless, going the blink route, I hope, is a unique angle on Toph, and Naya (<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>) colors as a whole.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Branching Evolution|pip|195" href="#" target="_blank">Branching Evolution</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will double up any +1/+1 counters on anything animated by earthbending. One of the spicier tech is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Canoptek Tomb Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Canoptek Tomb Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a prime target for earthbending. That way, you don't need to pay the unearth cost, but bring it back from the graveyard repeatedly!</p>
<p>With enough counters on it and other animated artifacts, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cyberman Patrol" href="#" target="_blank">Cyberman Patrol</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s afflict ability will add up fast, giving our opponents a real villainous choice. Speaking of synergies...</p>
<p>Oh, an infinite combo!</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>That's the reaction we'll get when we see it. *waves hand in front of my face*</p>
<p>While there aren't any infinite combos that I'm aware of in the deck list, once we open the floodgates to in-universe cards, things really begin to shine.</p>
<h2>Bending Beyond the World</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scute Swarm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tiller Engine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grinding Station"></div></div>
<p>Glossing over <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/toph-the-first-metalbender" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Toph's EDHREC page</a>, we see there's a definite slant towards combos. Firstly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grinding Station" href="#" target="_blank">Grinding Station</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an absolute menace with Toph, and will only get stronger with more earthbending cards added. We earthbend an artifact, sacrifice it to the Station for its effect, then said artifact will come right back in, untapping the Station to do it again, leading to infinite combo shenanigans.</p>
<p>Even better if it came back in untapped via the likes of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tiller Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Tiller Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spelunking" href="#" target="_blank">Spelunking</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (since the artifacts will be lands again. Correct me if I'm wrong).</p>
<p>Speaking of rulings, why not give judges nightmare fuel by combining Toph with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashaya, Soul of the Wild" href="#" target="_blank">Ashaya, Soul of the Wild</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?</p>
<p>We also have more landfall options to choose from. Each artifact with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scute Swarm" href="#" target="_blank">Scute Swarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will explode that swarm into a mass. Or perhaps multiple <em>landfall</em> triggers with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Avenger of Zendikar" href="#" target="_blank">Avenger of Zendikar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?</p>
<p>The possibilities are almost endless, and the EDHREC page will surely be a guide to help you assemble your own Toph list.</p>
<h2>Grounded, at Last</h2>
<p>The featured deck list is worlds apart from what a typical Toph deck might be running, but I hoped you liked the unique angle on it. However, before I call it for a week, there's going to be a minor change. Traditionally, I only allowed <em>Univereses Beyond</em> cards because of the unique holo stamps and borders. This put the two <em>Dungeons and Dragons</em>-related sets, <em>Adventures in the Forgotten Realms</em> and <em>Battle for Baldur's Gate</em> in a strange state of limbo. That said, the aforementioned stamps and borders are going away with the <em>Spider-Man</em> set coming out in a few weeks.</p>
<p>To that end, this allows me to lump all of <em>DnD </em>with the rest of <em>Universes Beyond</em>, since it's not canon to <em>Magic</em>. So, you can expect me to start using cards from that IP going forward. Tune in next time when we travel to New York City, and listen to a certain "menace" or sorts (I'll also have a surprise twist for this article as well).</p>
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Iroh, Firebending Instructor Commander Deck Tech

Toph, the First Metalbender Commander Deck Tech