<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel" href="#" target="_blank">Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/indus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yongjae Choi</a></em></p>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>Today's episode explores the most popular green creature type: Elves. According to EDHREC, there are over 45 <em>thousand</em> Elf kindred decks in the database, second only to Dragons and their staggering 54 thousand decks. With numbers like this, I was curious if building an Elf deck without green was even possible, and stumbling upon <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel" href="#" target="_blank">Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, brought this idea to life.</p>
<p>And <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sakashima of a Thousand Faces" href="#" target="_blank">Sakashima of a Thousand Faces</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, well, is just for the blue.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sakashima of a Thousand Faces"></div></div>
<p>Nadier himself is an Elf who <em>makes more Elves</em>, and even though he's black, he feels much more like a green creature. I compare his ability to that of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lathril, Blade of the Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Lathril, Blade of the Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but one that's less reliant on combat damage, which can be much stronger. Also, notably, Nadier triggers when he <em>leaves the battlefield</em>, which means he triggers whenever he leaves play at all. Someone casts <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? You still get the Elves. He dies? Get Elves. Gets flickered? <em>Still get Elves.</em></p>
<h2>Category #1: Pump Our Boy</h2>
<p>Nadier's trigger relies on how big he is, which means pumping him can really boost our gameplan. There are plenty of ways to do this, but here are a couple of the most efficient in these colors.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultist of the Absolute" href="#" target="_blank">Cultist of the Absolute</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives Nadier a +3/+3 boost and flying, but forces us to sacrifice a creature on our upkeep. This might seem bad, but sacrificing Nadier just gives us more Elves!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cultist of the Absolute"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Haunted One" href="#" target="_blank">Haunted One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives Nadier and all of our other Elves +2/+0 <span style="text-decoration: underline;">and undying</span> when he becomes tapped, which is amazing considering we usually want him to die and will have ways to sacrifice him.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Haunted One"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blackblade Reforged" href="#" target="_blank">Blackblade Reforged</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> pumps Nadier equal to the amount of lands we have in play, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stoneforge Masterwork" href="#" target="_blank">Stoneforge Masterwork</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> pumps Nadier equal to our total Elf count. Both are very good.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blackblade Reforged"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stoneforge Masterwork"></div></div>
<p>Pumping Nadier is not our main goal; it's just the cherry on top of our "Dimir Elves sundae".</p>
<h2>Category #2: Make Nadier Go Home (Or Other Places)</h2>
<p>The easiest way to create Elves from Nadier's trigger is to find ways to sacrifice him. Luckily for us, black excels at this. We have a few ways to do this at instant speed, all of which will grant us card advantage in some way: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corrupted Conviction" href="#" target="_blank">Corrupted Conviction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadly Dispute" href="#" target="_blank">Deadly Dispute</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Village Rites" href="#" target="_blank">Village Rites</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vampiric Rites" href="#" target="_blank">Vampiric Rites</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Plumb the Forbidden" href="#" target="_blank">Plumb the Forbidden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shadowheart, Dark Justiciar" href="#" target="_blank">Shadowheart, Dark Justiciar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are all terrific inclusions that satisfy this category.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Corrupted Conviction"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deadly Dispute"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Village Rites"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vampiric Rites"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Plumb the Forbidden"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shadowheart, Dark Justiciar"></div></div>
<p>A cheeky way to sacrifice Nadier for his token-making trigger is to copy him. If the copy is legendary, we'll have to sacrifice it due to the "legend rule".</p>
<p>Ways to copy him would include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quasiduplicate" href="#" target="_blank">Quasiduplicate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reflections of Littjara" href="#" target="_blank">Reflections of Littjara</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glasspool Mimic" href="#" target="_blank">Glasspool Mimic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tomb of Horrors Adventurer" href="#" target="_blank">Tomb of Horrors Adventurer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We can keep our original Nadier around and just benefit from the copy's "leave the battlefield" trigger.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quasiduplicate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reflections of Littjara"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glasspool Mimic"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tomb of Horrors Adventurer"></div></div>
<p>Even though sacrificing Nadier is an easy way to guarantee his trigger, there are two ways to guarantee the trigger without sacrificing him, and both cards are incredibly similar: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa, Deep-Dwelling" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa, Deep-Dwelling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conjurer&#039;s Closet" href="#" target="_blank">Conjurer&#039;s Closet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. They are essentially the same card and serve the same purpose: blink Nadier on our end step to create more tokens. As previously mentioned, he only needs to <em>leave the battlefield</em>, so blinking him is not only a great alternative to sacrificing him, but it's also much stronger.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thassa, Deep-Dwelling"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Conjurer&#039;s Closet"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: We Have Elves... Now What?</h2>
<p>After blinking or sacrificing our commander, we will have some Elf tokens at our disposal. So, what do we do now? Well, we have plenty of options.</p>
<p>Our first option is arguably the best when it comes to 1/1 tokens: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Equipping Skullclamp to a token will instantly kill it, allowing us to draw two cards. That seems pretty broken to me.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skullclamp"></div></div>
<p>In a similar vein, we can draw bunches of cards with things like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pact of the Serpent" href="#" target="_blank">Pact of the Serpent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Distant Melody" href="#" target="_blank">Distant Melody</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kindred Discovery" href="#" target="_blank">Kindred Discovery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kindred Discovery" href="#" target="_blank">Kindred Discovery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a consistent and repeatable form of card draw, arguably being the strongest card draw option for kindred decks.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pact of the Serpent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Distant Melody"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kindred Discovery"></div></div>
<p>Okay, we can draw cards, but can we win?</p>
<p>Yes. Yes, we can.</p>
<p>Two incredible finishers in this deck are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Banner of Kinship" href="#" target="_blank">Banner of Kinship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coat of Arms" href="#" target="_blank">Coat of Arms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Sure, Coat of Arms can be very dangerous, but it makes our commander exponentially better each time he dies. Besides, we'll have so many Elves that it shouldn't matter. Not to mention, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rogue&#039;s Passage" href="#" target="_blank">Rogue&#039;s Passage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is in the deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Banner of Kinship"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Coat of Arms"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rogue&#039;s Passage"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: "Secret Sauce" - A Mantle for an Elf</h2>
<p>If any reader is familiar with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nim Deathmantle" href="#" target="_blank">Nim Deathmantle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you may have noticed how it interacts with Nadier. When Nadier leaves, he creates 3 Elves at minimum, which means when we have an <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> in play, we can create an infinite number of Elf tokens, along with infinite "enters" and "leaves" triggers.</p>
<p>If this combo is on the board and we also have a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nadier&#039;s Nightblade" href="#" target="_blank">Nadier&#039;s Nightblade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> out, that's game over.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashnod&#039;s Altar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nim Deathmantle"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nadier&#039;s Nightblade"></div></div>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p>Overall, this deck was super fun to build, and even though we rely pretty heavily on our commander to create our "Elf Kindred" theme, it still feels very strong. Sure, this might be stronger with green, but the whole point of this series is to explore new ways to play themes that are often locked in a specific color combination.</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Brewing Dimir Elves with Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel
*1 Sakashima of a Thousand Faces
[/Commander]
[Enchantments]
*1 Animate Dead
*1 Black Market Connections
*1 Cultist of the Absolute
*1 Haunted One
*1 Kindred Discovery
*1 Pride of the Perfect
*1 Reflections of Littjara
*1 Vampiric Rites
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*1 Elrond, Lord of Rivendell
*1 Elvish Dreadlord
*1 Elvish Mariner
*1 Eyeblight Cullers
*1 Glasspool Mimic // Glasspool Shore
*1 Haunt of the Dead Marshes
*1 Krydle of Baldur&#039;s Gate
*1 Lys Alana Scarblade
*1 Miara, Thorn of the Glade
*1 Nadier&#039;s Nightblade
*1 Nightshade Harvester
*1 Ruthless Winnower
*1 Shadowheart, Dark Justiciar
*1 Skemfar Avenger
*1 Skemfar Shadowsage
*1 Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
*1 Tomb of Horrors Adventurer
*1 Winter Eladrin
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Banner of Kinship
*1 Blackblade Reforged
*1 Bontu&#039;s Monument
*1 Coat of Arms
*1 Conjurer&#039;s Closet
*1 Heraldic Banner
*1 Lothlórien Blade
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Nim Deathmantle
*1 Patchwork Banner
*1 Serpent&#039;s Soul-Jar
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Stoneforge Masterwork
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 Urza&#039;s Incubator
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Diabolic Intent
*1 Distant Melody
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Pact of the Serpent
*1 Quasiduplicate
*1 Raise the Palisade
*1 Reanimate
*1 Return Upon the Tide
*1 Toxic Deluge
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Aetherize
*1 Corrupted Conviction
*1 Deadly Dispute
*1 Go for the Throat
*1 Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire
*1 Mystic Reflection
*1 Plumb the Forbidden
*1 Reality Shift
*1 Saw in Half
*1 Village Rites
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Crystal Vein
*1 Dimir Aqueduct
*1 High Market
*7 Island
*1 Miren, the Moaning Well
*1 Morphic Pool
*1 Mortuary Mire
*1 Path of Ancestry
*1 Peat Bog
*1 Phyrexian Tower
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Saprazzan Skerry
*1 Shipwreck Marsh
*1 Spymaster&#039;s Vault
*8 Swamp
*1 Temple of Deceit
*1 Undercity Sewers
*1 Underground River
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*1 War Room
[/Lands]"></span></div>


nadier agent of duskenel

Brewing Dimir Elves with Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel