5 Budget Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander Deck Ideas

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Servant of the Scale" href="#" target="_blank">Servant of the Scale</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.winonanelsonart.com/">Winona Nelson</a></h6>
<h1>Get Out Your Dice!</h1>
<p>Hello, and welcome back to <em>Singleton Shmingleton</em>, where I bend the singleton rules of Commander by building decks with as many functional reprints of a certain card as possible. This week, I'll be talking about a design that has started to come up more in recent years: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Servant of the Scale" href="#" target="_blank">Servant of the Scale</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This original take came out in <em>Fate Reforged</em>, and it was several years before we got our second: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Star Pupil" href="#" target="_blank">Star Pupil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in <em>Strixhaven: School of Mages</em>. Just in the last year, we've received two more one-drops that move around their counters when they die, plus a couple of other cards with similar text.</p>
<p>Now, four cards is not usually enough to build a 100-card deck centered on consistency, especially when they appear so low-impact at first glance. But I've had a love of +1/+1 counter decks since I started playing Commander, and I've always wanted to make these little guys into an efficient engine that's hard to deal with, so I'm going to try to make it work. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enduring Bondwarden" href="#" target="_blank">Enduring Bondwarden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was the card I was most excited for during <em>March of the Machine</em> previews, and it wasn't even close.</p>
<p>Here's a list of creatures that can move their counters to any of your other creatures when they die:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Star Pupils" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Creatures]
*1 Enduring Bondwarden
*1 Iron Apprentice
*1 Parish-Blade Trainee
*1 Quirion Beastcaller
*1 Reyhan, Last of the Abzan
*1 Servant of the Scale
*1 Spiteful Squad
*1 Star Pupil
[/Creatures]"></span></div>


<p>That's not a lot, but it's not nothing either. The most-played in the ninety-nine of 8,632 decks and co-piloting many others is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reyhan, Last of the Abzan" href="#" target="_blank">Reyhan, Last of the Abzan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It grants the counter-moving ability to your whole team, and was printed in a preconstructed deck, so it's not surprising to see it doing well. What did surprise me was seeing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iron Apprentice" href="#" target="_blank">Iron Apprentice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> catching up with it at 6,727 decks. Way to go, little Construct! The <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Servant of the Scale" href="#" target="_blank">original</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has found its way into 1,435 decks, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enduring Bondwarden" href="#" target="_blank">Enduring Bondwarden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is lagging behind the rest at only 331 decks. One thing that disappointed me when I saw this list was that there were only these four one-drops that I already knew about. What excites me the most about this mechanic? Its ability to go under other decks and start snowballing +1/+1 counter synergies early.</p>
<p>Yet there's hope for our list, because there's another mechanic very similar to this one. It also moves +1/+1 counters when creatures die, but it's a little more restricted in how that works. I'm talking about <em>Modular</em>, a mechanic from the original <em>Mirrodin</em> block that has received more support with <em>Modern Horizons 2</em>. Here's a list of cards with <em>Modular</em>:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Cards with Modular" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Creatures]
*1 Arcbound Bruiser
*1 Arcbound Crusher
*1 Arcbound Fiend
*1 Arcbound Hybrid
*1 Arcbound Javelineer
*1 Arcbound Lancer
*1 Arcbound Mouser
*1 Arcbound Overseer
*1 Arcbound Prototype
*1 Arcbound Ravager
*1 Arcbound Reclaimer
*1 Arcbound Shikari
*1 Arcbound Slasher
*1 Arcbound Slith
*1 Arcbound Stinger
*1 Arcbound Tracker
*1 Arcbound Wanderer
*1 Arcbound Whelp
*1 Arcbound Worker
*1 Blaster, Combat DJ // Blaster, Morale Booster
*1 Scrapyard Recombiner
*1 Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp
[/Creatures]
[Lands]
*1 Power Depot
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<p>Now <em>that's</em> more like it! Not only are we getting more cards to build an engine around, but there are also four <em>Modular</em> one-drops. <em>Modular</em> centers around red and white, but we can be flexible on colors since most of the the original cards were colorless. The best +1/+1 counter payoffs are in green, and three of our one-drops are in white, so we should plan on being green and white at the very least.</p>
<h2>How Do We Make Them Big?</h2>
<p>If we want to make little creatures with counters on them good, we'll want to add a bunch of cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hardened Scales" href="#" target="_blank">Hardened Scales</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that help to stack on extra counters. This is another design space that's received a lot of love since we started seeing more cards designed for Commander, and we've got a lot of options. There were two new versions of this effect just in the last set!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hardened Scales"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kami of Whispered Hopes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ozolith, the Shattered Spire"></div></div>
<p>Since we're trying to go low to the ground with our creatures, the cheaper versions of this effect are better than the higher-end ones in this deck. Funnily enough, I think this deck would rather have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conclave Mentor" href="#" target="_blank">Conclave Mentor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doubling Season" href="#" target="_blank">Doubling Season</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, despite the notoriety and price tag of the latter. We want to get our counter multipliers down early and abuse them by moving counters around multiple times.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hardened Scales" href="#" target="_blank">Hardened Scales</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects work particularly well with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Servant of the Scale" href="#" target="_blank">Servant of the Scale</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> because these creatures "place" counters on creatures multiple times. Together, they combine to make a 2/2, but when <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Servant of the Scale" href="#" target="_blank">Servant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> dies it gets to put three +1/+1 counters on another creature. That won't make our opponents shake in their boots, but it will continue to snowball, which is why we need to start stacking early.</p>
<p>To fill out the deck more, we need some sacrifice outlets and a lot more artifacts. <em>Modular</em> can only put counters onto other artifact creatures, and we don't want to let any counters go to waste when our creatures die. Luckily, there are plenty of cheap artifact creatures that care about counters.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Walking Ballista"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hangarback Walker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Steel Overseer"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Walking Ballista" href="#" target="_blank">Walking Ballista</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is even better than usual in a deck that can move counters onto it repeatedly, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Steel Overseer" href="#" target="_blank">Steel Overseer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is straight-up busted. It can easily represent four or five counters per turn, twice that with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hardened Scales" href="#" target="_blank">Hardened Scales</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect out. Beyond these cards, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Patchwork Automaton" href="#" target="_blank">Patchwork Automaton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> also grows quickly, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triskelion" href="#" target="_blank">Triskelion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> tops off the curve as a worse <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Walking Ballista" href="#" target="_blank">Walking Ballista</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Once we're into the realm of artifact synergies, the rabbit hole goes deeper. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Throne of Geth" href="#" target="_blank">Throne of Geth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> really ties the room together, acting as both sacrifice outlet and counter stacker. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrap Trawler" href="#" target="_blank">Scrap Trawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a perfect way to bring back all of our creatures that we've binned to move around their counters. For the top end, I've added some spicy card advantage creatures that don't have many other homes in other decks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Etched Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Etched Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mindless Automaton" href="#" target="_blank">Mindless Automaton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. With only their own counters applied these creatures are unimpressive, but when they can pick up some others off <em>Modular</em> triggers they get downright scary.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Throne of Geth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrap Trawler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mindless Automaton"></div></div>
<h2>But What About the Nonbos?</h2>
<p>I'll admit that <em>Modular</em> creatures don't work perfectly with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Servant of the Scale" href="#" target="_blank">Servant of the Scale</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and their friends. We can't target non-artifact creatures with <em>Modular</em> triggers, and that will limit our options fairly often. But I wouldn't go so far to say that this is a "nonbo", or an anti-combo. The cards still work well together. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Servant of the Scale" href="#" target="_blank">Servant of the Scale</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can put its counters onto a <em>Modular</em> creature, and we just need to make sure we have another artifact creature in play to avoid a blowout afterwards. There is, however, one cheeky card that can help us if this does become a problem.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liquimetal Torque"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liquimetal Torque" href="#" target="_blank">Torque</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is my favorite two-mana mana rock in almost any deck, but in this deck it really pulls some weight. From the obvious use cases to more obscure ones (did you know <em>Modular</em> can target opponents' creatures?), I am always happy to draw it.</p>
<p>In general, cards that care about counters work better together than you'd expect. It's no big deal if <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcbound Slith" href="#" target="_blank">Arcbound Slith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can't put counters onto <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Managorger Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Managorger Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, since the Hydra is already going to be huge. And it also doesn't make much difference that it can't put counters on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Armorcraft Judge" href="#" target="_blank">Armorcraft Judge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, since the Judge already fulfilled its purpose. My final decklist has twenty-one artifact creatures, and that's been enough to support the <em>Modular</em> mechanic without feeling like I need to play any real stinkers like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcbound Fiend" href="#" target="_blank">Arcbound Fiend</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Here it is!</p>
<h2>The Decklist</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Modular" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Anafenza, the Foremost
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Arcbound Crusher
*1 Arcbound Javelineer
*1 Arcbound Mouser
*1 Arcbound Prototype
*1 Arcbound Ravager
*1 Arcbound Slith
*1 Arcbound Stinger
*1 Arcbound Worker
*1 Armorcraft Judge
*1 Carrion Feeder
*1 Conclave Mentor
*1 Corpsejack Menace
*1 Enduring Bondwarden
*1 Etched Oracle
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Evolution Sage
*1 Forgotten Ancient
*1 Ghave, Guru of Spores
*1 Hangarback Walker
*1 Iron Apprentice
*1 Kami of Whispered Hopes
*1 Knight of Autumn
*1 Lae&#039;zel, Vlaakith&#039;s Champion
*1 Lion Sash
*1 Luminarch Aspirant
*1 Managorger Hydra
*1 Mindless Automaton
*1 Myr Retriever
*1 Oswald Fiddlebender
*1 Patchwork Automaton
*1 Quirion Beastcaller
*1 Reyhan, Last of the Abzan
*1 Scrap Trawler
*1 Scrapyard Recombiner
*1 Scute Mob
*1 Servant of the Scale
*1 Siege Veteran
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Star Pupil
*1 Steel Overseer
*1 Triskelion
*1 Walking Ballista
*1 Winding Constrictor
*1 Yotian Dissident
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Abzan Charm
*1 Inspiring Call
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Cathars&#039; Crusade
*1 Hardened Scales
*1 Rancor
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation
*1 Wrath of God
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Cranial Plating
*1 Golgari Signet
*1 Liquimetal Torque
*1 Mishra&#039;s Bauble
*1 Nihil Spellbomb
*1 Ozolith, the Shattered Spire
*1 Selesnya Signet
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Throne of Geth
*1 Urza&#039;s Bauble
[/Artifacts]
[Lands]
*1 Ancient Den
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Command Tower
*1 Darkmoss Bridge
*1 Darksteel Citadel
*5 Forest
*1 Godless Shrine
*1 Goldmire Bridge
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*1 Llanowar Reborn
*1 Llanowar Wastes
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Murmuring Bosk
*1 Overgrown Tomb
*3 Plains
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Razorverge Thicket
*1 Scattered Groves
*1 Selesnya Sanctuary
*1 Sunpetal Grove
*1 Swamp
*1 Temple Garden
*1 The Mycosynth Gardens
*1 Thornglint Bridge
*1 Vault of Whispers
*1 Verdant Catacombs
*1 Windswept Heath
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<p>This deck is great at creating a huge board of threats quickly. Single-target removal just doesn't stack up well against a deck that can move counters this easily, but board wipes are still a potential liability. Our top end of card advantage pieces and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triskelion" href="#" target="_blank">Triskelion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> scale with the game state, and we can grind value respectably. This is my favorite deck that has come out of the <em>Shmingleton</em> experiment so far. There's just a wonderful feeling that comes from attacking with a 28/28 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iron Apprentice" href="#" target="_blank">Iron Apprentice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or sacrificing three artifact lands to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcbound Ravager" href="#" target="_blank">Arcbound Ravager</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. There are always tons of options, the starts are fast, and stacking counters never gets old.</p>
<h2>Until Next Time</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skyshroud Ranger"></div></div>
<p>Who needs an expensive <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exploration" href="#" target="_blank">Exploration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> when you can play fifty cent 1/1s? This card and its friends definitely have potential, but we're going to need to do something more than just play all our lands if we want to make them shine. Stay tuned for the next edition of <em>Singleton Shmingleton</em>, where you'll find out what that is!</p>


Singleton Shmingleton - Servant of the Scale

Replacement Commanders - Reanimator Boros from the Weatherlight's Hero

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grumgully, the Generous" href="#" target="_blank">Grumgully, the Generous</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| Art by <a href="https://www.mceran-art.com/">Milivoj Ćeran</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo Melibeu, 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>This week we'll be exploring one of the most interesting commanders released in <em>Throne of Eldraine. </em>He's a very generous Goblin whose versatility makes him incredibly fun to build around: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grumgully, the Generous" href="#" target="_blank">Grumgully, the Generous</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grumgully, the Generous"></div></div>
<p><strong>Each other non-Human creature you control enters the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on it. </strong></p>
<p>Observation 1:</p>
<p>While I appreciate the versatility of the card, I feel that there's something wrong with the non-Human cards of <em>Throne of Eldraine</em>. They feel a lot like Changelings, whose support is helpful, but may erode a little bit of a tribe's unique identity.</p>
<p>Observation 2:</p>
<p><em>Persist</em> creatures come back into play with a -1/-1 counter, which Grumgully's +1/+1 counter would eliminate. With a free sacrifice outlet, that means we have a important combo piece in the command zone, and with red in the color identity, we even have great ways to capitalize on the infinite ETB triggers that result from this combo.</p>
<p>Observation 3:</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grumgully, the Generous" href="#" target="_blank">Grumgully, the Generous</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> puts counters on both nontoken <em>and</em> token creatures entering the battlefield. This opens up quite a few ways to build him, and makes <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animation Module" href="#" target="_blank">Animation Module</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, in particular, quite strong.</p>
<p>Observation 4:</p>
<p>As a Goblin commander, Grumgully seems great. A <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Metallic Mimic" href="#" target="_blank">Metallic Mimic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the command zone is awesome, and access to green creature-based tutors and card draw can really boost the consistency of the tribe.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Grumgully-Sig.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-41175" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Grumgully-Sig.png" alt="" width="546" height="284" /></a></p>
<p>As we can see, the average Grumgully list tries to utilize the interaction between Grumgully and creatures with <em>Persist</em> to make infinite ETB effects with a sacrifice outlet. There's also a low-key Goblin tribal strategy hidden within those cards, which we can see with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Matron" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Matron</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arcbound Ravager"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hardened Scales"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Death&#039;s Presence"></div></div></div>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/epic-experiment-olivia-modular/">Back in April</a>, I wrote about an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Olivia, Mobilized For War" href="#" target="_blank">Olivia, Mobilized For War</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> build that sought to use her as a way to put counters on <em>Modular</em> creatures. When <em>Modern Horizons</em> was released, I saw some great additions to that list. Then <em>Throne of Eldraine</em> was spoiled, and with it came this very strange Goblin, with crazy art and basically the same ability I was using Olivia for. The best part is that Grumgully is a Gruul commander, meaning that we actually get +1/+1 counter support from green, which is something we didn't have when we were in Rakdos!</p>
<p>Grumgully is great as a support for this kind of <em>Affinity</em> aggro, because the robots used in the deck are never Humans that Grumgully would ignore. This, combined with the counter support from green, means that we go tall pretty quickly. <em>Modular</em> creatures are a great way to keep from getting blown out by single-target removal, since the counters can just go to another creature.</p>
<p>Some of the new cards available to us really shift the list into overdrive. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Truth and Justice" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Truth and Justice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great protection against target-based exile removal and has the powerful upside to <em>Proliferate</em> our counters, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pir, Imaginative Rascal" href="#" target="_blank">Pir, Imaginative Rascal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hardened Scales" href="#" target="_blank">Hardened Scales</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are great ways to increase the number of counters that we get, turning even our smaller creatures into giants.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Great Henge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrap Mastery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Return of the Wildspeaker"></div></div>
<p>Not only do we get those amazing enablers, we also get plenty of great support! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inspiring Call" href="#" target="_blank">Inspiring Call</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is flexible card draw that can be used as the ultimate "Gotcha!" against a control player's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Getting to play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Great Henge" href="#" target="_blank">The Great Henge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is always a treat, and accruing even more counters while drawing cards is an amazing feeling. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Death&#039;s Presence" href="#" target="_blank">Death&#039;s Presence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effectively gives all of our creatures <em>Modular, </em>and even stacks with the actual <em>Modular </em>creatures.</p>
<p>Like its Rakdos counterpart, we are also packing a reanimator package to get full advantage of our death triggers. The Goblin trio of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Welder" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Welder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daretti, Scrap Savant" href="#" target="_blank">Daretti, Scrap Savant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are great source of constant in-and-out-of-the-battlefield triggers. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrap Mastery" href="#" target="_blank">Scrap Mastery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is also always a great way to come back into the game. Just be careful about possible enemy artifacts coming back, too.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Grumgully Affinity" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Artifact]
*Everflowing Chalice
*Animation Module
*Skullclamp
*Sol Ring
*Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
*Arcane Signet
*Fellwar Stone
*Gruul Signet
*Mind Stone
*Talisman of Impulse
*Throne of Geth
*Sword of Truth and Justice
*Mystic Forge
*Cauldron of Souls
*the Great Henge
[/Artifact]
[Creature]
*Hangarback Walker
*Stonecoil Serpent
*Walking Ballista
*Arcbound Worker
*Goblin Welder
*Sparring Construct
*Arcbound Ravager
*Arcbound Slith
*Arcbound Stinger
*Goblin Engineer
*Loyal Apprentice
*Myr Retriever
*Steel Overseer
*Chief of the Foundry
*Evolution Sage
*Foundry Inspector
*Iron Bully
*Pir, Imaginative Rascal
*Scrap Trawler
*Shimmer Myr
*Thopter Engineer
*Tuskguard Captain
*Arcbound Crusher
*Arcbound Hybrid
*Arcbound Reclaimer
*Traxos, Scourge of Kroog
*Arcbound Bruiser
*Arcbound Fiend
*Triskelion
*Wurmcoil Engine
*Myr Battlesphere
[/Creature]
[Sorcery]
*Trash For Treasure
*Chain Reaction
*Triumph of the Hordes
*Scrap Mastery
*Rishkar&#039;s Expertise
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Instant]
*Heroic Intervention
*Return to Nature
*Chaos Warp
*Inspiring Call
*Return of the Wildspeaker
[/Instant]
[Planeswalker]
*Jiang Yanggu, Wildcrafter
*Daretti, Scrap Savant
*Ugin, the Ineffable
[/Planeswalker]
[Enchantment]
*Hardened Scales
*Rhythm of the Wild
*Death&#039;s Presence
[/Enchantment]
[Land]
*Command Tower
*Stomping Ground
*Spire Garden
*City of Brass
*Mana Confluence
*Karplusan Forest
*Rootbound Crag
*Temple of Abandon
*Karn&#039;s Bastion
*Inventors&#039; Fair
*Buried Ruin
*Ghost Quarter
*Tectonic Edge
*12 Forest
*11 Mountain
[/Land]"></span></div>
<hr />
<p>The list packs a lot of punch, especially with all the great support that gives our creatures combative keywords. For haste, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thopter Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Thopter Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhythm of the Wild" href="#" target="_blank">Rhythm of the Wild</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tuskguard Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Tuskguard Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives trample to all creatures with +1/+1 counters (which is basically all of them). <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cauldron of Souls" href="#" target="_blank">Cauldron of Souls</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> also helps us protect ourselves against board destruction.</p>
<p>For standalone threats, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Traxos, Scourge of Kroog" href="#" target="_blank">Traxos, Scourge of Kroog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is a nice beater regardless of counters, since we can constantly untap it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stonecoil Serpent" href="#" target="_blank">Stonecoil Serpent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is also a great beater that can grow regardless of how much we support it, but we also have plenty of support to give it.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>For our opening hand, we're looking for easy access to our commander. Even though they won't necessarily allow us to play our commander before turn three, a two-mana rock like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gruul Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Gruul Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great way to accelerate our turns without sacrificing our curve. Also, as an aggressive deck, we need a few creatures to go with our hand. If we happen to find an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animation Module" href="#" target="_blank">Animation Module</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this is an army-in-a-can, and can pretty much carry us all the way if we manage to keep Grumgully alive.</p>
<p>The early game is pretty much divided into two parts: before Grumgully, and after Grumgully. The first part is all setup, which means that we'll be building towards playing our commander, so we're either developing our mana or playing support cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hardened Scales" href="#" target="_blank">Hardened Scales</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Transitioning to the mid-game involves capitalizing on all the preparations we've made. In other words, curving out on mana is the most important part of our plan.</p>
<p>In the mid-game we should have a strong board presence, with our commander making any creatures we play just a little bigger. This is where we need to find the "bigger guns" and support cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Great Henge" href="#" target="_blank">The Great Henge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daretti, Scrap Savant" href="#" target="_blank">Daretti, Scrap Savant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cauldron of Souls" href="#" target="_blank">Cauldron of Souls</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These cards help us survive the point of the game where people start casting Wraths, since sheer brute force won't get us through them alone.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Triumph of the Hordes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tuskguard Captain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Traxos, Scourge of Kroog"></div></div>
<p>In the late game we have all sorts of epic plays, from great draw spells (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rishkar&#039;s Expertise" href="#" target="_blank">Rishkar&#039;s Expertise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), to great finishers (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triumph of the Hordes" href="#" target="_blank">Triumph of the Hordes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), or even comeback tools like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrap Mastery" href="#" target="_blank">Scrap Mastery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We're vulnerable to a removal-heavy opposition since we tend to need a wide board, but since we can go pretty tall pretty fast, it eases the burden of having to close out quickly.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Domri, Anarch of Bolas"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doubling Season"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Forge"></div></div>
<p>For those seeking potential upgrades, planeswalkers are great additions to the list. There are many Gruul planeswalkers that can provide the needed support for our creatures and synergize pretty well with our counters and our <em>Proliferate </em>effects. In that vein, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doubling Season" href="#" target="_blank">Doubling Season</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great addition to the list if we're adding more planeswalkers.</p>
<p>For faster acceleration in more aggressive metas, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Opulence" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Opulence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help us get ahead of the opposition. On the other hand, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (and probably some more ways to cheat it into play) can help fight through more control-oriented metas. The list goes pretty deep with artifact creatures, so cutting some of the them to add more streamlined card draw might help balance the deck out.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment!</em> What do you think about this list? Is this a well-oiled machine? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which didn’t you? Was the <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


modular

5 Budget Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander Deck Ideas

Singleton Shmingleton - Servant of the Scale

Replacement Commanders - Reanimator Boros from the Weatherlight's Hero

Epic Experiment - Grumgully Affinity

Mind Bend - Colorless Sunburst