Blood Rites - Precon Review

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Folk Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Folk Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.kaicarpenterart.com/aboutcontact">Kai Carpenter</a>)</h6>
<p><strong><em><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/commander-legends-baldurs-gate-precon-review-party-time/">Party Time</a></em> | <a href="https://commandersherald.com/commander-legends-battle-for-baldurs-gate-edh-commander-deck-review-mind-flayarrrs-blue-black/"><em>Mind Flayarrs</em></a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/commander-legends-baldurs-gate-precon-review-draconic-dissent/"><em>Draconic Dissent</em></a> | </strong><a href="https://commandersherald.com/battle-for-baldurs-gate-exit-from-exile-new-card-review/"><strong><em>Exit from Exile</em></strong></a></p>
<h1>Let's Get This Party Started!</h1>
<p>Hello, and welcome to the set review for the <em>Commander Legends: Baldur's Gate</em> preconstructed deck <em>Party Time</em>! We'll be joining the festivities and seeing how this Orzhov deck builds on the party mechanic that was first introduced in <em>Zendikar Rising</em>.</p>
<p>With the introductions out of the way, let's meet the one throwing this shindig!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Mythics</h2>
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<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nalia de&#039;Arnise" href="#" target="_blank">Nalia de&#039;Arnise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nalia de&#039;Arnise"></div></div>
<p>Our host for the evening is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nalia de&#039;Arnise" href="#" target="_blank">Nalia de&#039;Arnise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. To understand what she does, we have to remember what the party mechanic even was. In order to have a full party, we must control a Cleric, a Rogue, a Warrior, and a Wizard. Once we've collected them all, then we can benefit from effects that care about having a full party. Party is a unique take on tribal decks, as we need four different creature types to make it work. Once the party has gathered, however, Nalia will give our guests party gifts in the form of +1/+1 counters and deathtouch; sheesh, that's a toxic party.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">On top of that, she gives us the ability to look at the top card of our library and the chance to cast creatures off the top if they happen to be one of the party types. I'll be honest, Nalia doesn't seem that impressive. We could work with a counters theme since that's what she gives out, but she only does so when we have the four party members. Keep in mind that she's also a Rogue, so it'll be interesting to see if we'll even need too many additional Rogues to begin with.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Lastly, the deathtouch is okay. It'll be a good incentive for our creatures to get through, and I look forward to pairing them with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archetype of Courage" href="#" target="_blank">Archetype of Courage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to ensure they survive combat.</p>
<hr />
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burakos, Party Leader" href="#" target="_blank">Burakos, Party Leader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Burakos, Party Leader"></div></div>
<p style="text-align: left;">Thematically, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burakos, Party Leader" href="#" target="_blank">Burakos, Party Leader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is perfect to lead a party-themed deck. What makes them such a great leader is how they can fill any role that might be missing. By themselves, they can only generate one Treasure token, but this will scale as we grow our party. Only being able to make one player lose 4 life, at max, is a tad insignificant, so we'll need to rely a little more on our 99 in order to win. The Treasure production is where I think the main focus will be. We can pair Burakos with all the new Treasure synergies that we've gotten in the past few sets. Plus, if we pair them with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guild Artisan" href="#" target="_blank">Guild Artisan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we'll be accelerating our gameplan faster than any of our opponents, especially with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rain of Riches" href="#" target="_blank">Rain of Riches</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Folk Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Folk Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Folk Hero"></div></div>
<p>And our new tribal stable is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Folk Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Folk Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. White has been gaining more and more cool ways to draw cards, and I think this one will be a solid inclusion in any tribal deck with white. I don't think the "once per turn" clause is much of a downside since we'll most likely be casting one creature per turn for most of the early-to-mid game anyway, and it's so cheap to cast, too! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burakos, Party Leader" href="#" target="_blank">Burakos, Party Leader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, unsurprisingly, is probably our best choice to pair with Folk Hero, given they have five creature types to take advantage of. Our other choices, that I could see at a glance, were <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ganax, Astral Hunter" href="#" target="_blank">Ganax, Astral Hunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Renari, Merchant of Marvels" href="#" target="_blank">Renari, Merchant of Marvels</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skanos Dragonheart" href="#" target="_blank">Skanos Dragonheart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; each one forms pretty unique color pairings for what would be Dragon tribal decks.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Rares</h2>
<hr />
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Black Market Connections" href="#" target="_blank">Black Market Connections</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Black Market Connections"></div></div>
<p>New <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Arena" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Arena</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>??? I read this card a few times before I realized it even says "one or more"! That's an insane value at a hefty cost to our life total if we choose all three modes. In most black decks, I can see this being lose 3 life, make a Treasure, and a draw a card. The <em>Changeling</em> mode is a perfect fit in tribal decks. I like that we're seeing it here in the party deck as <em>Changelings</em> will help us meet our full party requirements, but in most cases, it'll be a way to have more Vampires... or Dragons... or Demons, etc, etc.</p>
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<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solemn Doomguide" href="#" target="_blank">Solemn Doomguide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Solemn Doomguide"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solemn Doomguide" href="#" target="_blank">Solemn Doomguide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is pretty narrow. It'll be another way to recur <em>Changelings</em>, but outside of tribal tribal decks, which already have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dregscape Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Dregscape Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as an option, it'll mostly see play in the respective tribes that care about it.</p>
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<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deep Gnome Terramancer" href="#" target="_blank">Deep Gnome Terramancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deep Gnome Terramancer"></div></div>
<p>I mentioned earlier that white card draw has been getting better, but holy cow, white has been getting some love in the ramp category. That being said, I think the community will see a white card that puts lands into play and call it the best ramp spell in white to ever grace the earth, and so in order to evaluate how strong <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deep Gnome Terramancer" href="#" target="_blank">Deep Gnome Terramancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is, I want to compare it to last year's best white ramp spell, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer&#039;s Map" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer&#039;s Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. When the <em>Strixhaven</em> precons came out, we thought this was the best it was going to get for white, but there are some notable limitations to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer&#039;s Map" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer&#039;s Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Don't get me wrong, it's still an amazing card, but we're limited on two fronts: one, we're limited by what lands we have in hand, and two, by how many lands our opponents control. I've played <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer&#039;s Map" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer&#039;s Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and after a few turns of getting it to trigger and putting me ahead, it stops working. Once we're ahead on mana, it doesn't do anything. And that's fine! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivate" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only gets one land into play and one to hand, so the fact that Archaeomancer's Map can do more than that is huge, but let's compare that to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deep Gnome Terramancer" href="#" target="_blank">Deep Gnome Terramancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The fact that it doesn't care if our opponents control more lands means this doesn't have a stopping point. It'll ramp us continuously and see every fetchland, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rampant Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Rampant Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer&#039;s Map" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer&#039;s Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>I think the two limitations Terramancer does have actually stop it from being the best ramp spell in the game. It only triggers once each turn and only if our opponents put in a land onto the battlefield that wasn't played, so it doesn't trigger with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exploration" href="#" target="_blank">Exploration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. However, getting to tutor for any land with a Plains type just means this card will see play in just about any deck that can afford it.</p>
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<h3 class="p1"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harper Recruiter" href="#" target="_blank">Harper Recruiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<p class="p1"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Harper Recruiter"></div></div></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harper Recruiter" href="#" target="_blank">Harper Recruiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> falls into the same niche that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solemn Doomguide" href="#" target="_blank">Solemn Doomguide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does. It's an evasive creature that has the potential to draw up to four cards, but they must be one of the four party types. One thing I find interesting about Harper Recruiter is that it only draws on attack, so if we're playing it in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nalia de&#039;Arnise" href="#" target="_blank">Nalia de&#039;Arnise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burakos, Party Leader" href="#" target="_blank">Burakos, Party Leader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it doesn't help us meet our full party requirement before the combat step, which feels a bit awkward given that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harper Recruiter" href="#" target="_blank">Harper Recruiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was designed with these commanders in mind.</p>
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<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seasoned Dungeoneer" href="#" target="_blank">Seasoned Dungeoneer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seasoned Dungeoneer"></div></div>
<p>Unlike some of the other party-specific cards that we've received in this precon, I believe <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seasoned Dungeoneer" href="#" target="_blank">Seasoned Dungeoneer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the most applicable to commanders outside of party or any specific tribal deck. Did you forget that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kaalia of the Vast" href="#" target="_blank">Kaalia of the Vast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is also a Cleric? Or that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alesha, Who Smiles at Death" href="#" target="_blank">Alesha, Who Smiles at Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a Warrior? If any of your commanders in white happen to be a Cleric, a Rogue, a Warrior, or a Wizard, I'd highly suggest looking to see if <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seasoned Dungeoneer" href="#" target="_blank">Seasoned Dungeoneer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be slotted in, especially if the commander cares about attacking. Among the top 100 commanders on EDHREC, ten happen to be one of the party types that can also run Seasoned Dungeoneer. Not all of them should, but decks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist" href="#" target="_blank">Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh" href="#" target="_blank">Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will welcome the chance to make Rograkh unblockable, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sefris of the Hidden Ways" href="#" target="_blank">Sefris of the Hidden Ways</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> decks will be happy to see a powerful card that'll help them complete more dungeons.</p>
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<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stick Together" href="#" target="_blank">Stick Together</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stick Together"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stick Together" href="#" target="_blank">Stick Together</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a possible one-sided <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tragic Arrogance" href="#" target="_blank">Tragic Arrogance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Even if we don't have any of those creature types, this is just a five-mana sorcery that makes everyone sacrifice their creatures, and what makes it better than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="By Invitation Only" href="#" target="_blank">By Invitation Only</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the chance that we'll have creatures that can survive through it. Similar to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seasoned Dungeoneer" href="#" target="_blank">Seasoned Dungeoneer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, if your commander happens to be one of the party types, this could be a great board wipe that keeps your commander around and wipes away everything else. Any creatures you happen to control with party types will be a bonus, but unfortunately, that can also be true for your opponents. While there are better options, I'm glad we're seeing new one-sided boardwipes that work with more specific commanders.</p>
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<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Multiclass Baldric" href="#" target="_blank">Multiclass Baldric</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Multiclass Baldric"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Multiclass Baldric" href="#" target="_blank">Multiclass Baldric</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fairly cheap Equipment that can either do nothing at all or be an effective tool for protecting your key creature, and it's busted with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burakos, Party Leader" href="#" target="_blank">Burakos, Party Leader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, turning them into a keyword soup creature. We'll still need three other creatures to trigger the full party ability, but that won't be hard to do in a party deck. Outside of this precon, however, I don't see it popping up in many decks. If there's one specific keyword we care about for a commander, there'll probably be better options. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cliffhaven Kitesail" href="#" target="_blank">Cliffhaven Kitesail</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a better fit if we care about the evasion and it's even able to cheat the equip cost, so unless you're including a ton of creatures from this new set that incidentally have party types, it's unlikely you'll want this Equipment for just one keyword.</p>
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<h2>This Party's Coming to a Close</h2>
<p>I think this precon is solid, from incredible new cards to some impressive reprints. It appears that the deck has an aristocrat subtheme, which I'm digging with all this focus on the combat step. It's well-rounded without being broken in any way.</p>
<p>Which precon are you picking up from this set? Do you think the party mechanic is becoming a stronger archetype in commander, or does it still lack in power? Let me know in the comments!</p>


Commander Legends: Baldur's Gate Precon Review - Party Time

Solve the Equation – Are Vehicles Viable in Commander?

Archetune-Up - Spirited Away

Archetune-Up - The Silverquill Edition!

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lurrus of the Dream-Den" href="#" target="_blank">Lurrus of the Dream-Den</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/maniaks">Slawomir Maniak</a>)</h6>
<h1>Time to Make a New Friend</h1>
<p><em>Companions</em> are a game-changer. They give us access to a free card from the start of the game in exchange for some deckbuilding restrictions (and, of course, they now have an extra three-mana tax). Here on <em>Collected Company</em>, we’re going to take a look at all of them and see how we can build around their quirks.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lurrus of the Dream-Den"></div></div>
<p>Lurrus is a bit of an oddball<em> </em>to evaluate because it's a card that had an unprecedented impact in every format except EDH. Turns out a format that tends to go big doesn't appreciate having a CMC restriction. It's also a bit awkward to find a commander that meets this restriction, which leave us with a commander pool of just three, and let me tell you, none of them feel particularly good.</p>
<p>That being said, Lurrus' kit is a lot of fun to experiment; it works like a mini-"<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muldrotha, the Gravetide" href="#" target="_blank">Muldrotha, the Gravetide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>", but the fact that we're stuck in Orzhov makes it a bit limited in what we can actually do with it. Being Orzhov with a recursive ability means that people will tend to go towards an Aristocrat build, but that can be a bit difficult because we lose most of the more powerful payoffs. In the end, regardless of where we put Lurrus, there'll always be this trend of lackluster payoffs, and this hurts Lurrus a lot.</p>
<p>Win conditions will be hard to come by, but we do have some powerful combos that are permanent-based and are easily tutorable, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter&#039;s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter&#039;s Servant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grindstone" href="#" target="_blank">Grindstone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mindcrank" href="#" target="_blank">Mindcrank</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodchief Ascension" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodchief Ascension</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div>
<h3>Notable Exclusions</h3>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crypt Ghast" href="#" target="_blank">Crypt Ghast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sidisi, Undead VIzier" href="#" target="_blank">Sidisi, Undead VIzier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sun Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Sun Titan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bolas&#039;s CItadel" href="#" target="_blank">Bolas&#039;s CItadel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smothering Tithe" href="#" target="_blank">Smothering Tithe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karmic Guide" href="#" target="_blank">Karmic Guide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li>Every commander except <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim" href="#" target="_blank">Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karlov of the Ghost Council" href="#" target="_blank">Karlov of the Ghost Council</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Miara, Thorn of the Glade" href="#" target="_blank">Miara, Thorn of the Glade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2>Endless Possibilities</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim" href="#" target="_blank">Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is probably the best Lurrus commander since it's the only one that has any kind of direct synergy with it. That being said, the low CMC restriction makes it difficult to get value from the lifegain trigger.</p>
<h3>Notable Exclusions</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Alhammarret&#039;s Archive"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Felidar Sovereign"></div></div>
</div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alhammarret&#039;s Archive" href="#" target="_blank">Alhammarret&#039;s Archive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grave Pact" href="#" target="_blank">Grave Pact</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>/<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dictate of Erebos" href="#" target="_blank">Dictate of Erebos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Felidar Sovereign" href="#" target="_blank">Felidar Sovereign</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karlov of the Ghost Council"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karlov of the Ghost Council" href="#" target="_blank">Karlov of the Ghost Council</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn't have a direct synergy with Lurrus, but having readily available recursion for some of the lifegain pieces can help out a bit. The trend of losing the payoff is still in here and, like with Ayli, we have some support, but not enough pay off. We do have some support for Soul Sister effects. and this could lead to an interesting build.</p>
<h3>Notable Exclusions</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heliod, Sun-Crowned"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archangel of Thune"></div></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heliod, Sun-Crowned" href="#" target="_blank">Heliod, Sun-Crowned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherflux Reservoir" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherflux Reservoir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose" href="#" target="_blank">Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kambal, Consul of Allocation" href="#" target="_blank">Kambal, Consul of Allocation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archangel of Thune" href="#" target="_blank">Archangel of Thune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2>Like Cat and Mouse</h2>
<p>One of the biggest problem when using Lurrus is that win conditions are hard to come by when they need to be less-than-three-mana permanents in Orzhov colors. However, what if I told you there's a two-mana creature that we can easily build our deck around that fulfills both requirements of being a win con and being under three CMC? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rat Colony" href="#" target="_blank">Rat Colony</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is exactly that.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rat Colony"></div></div>
<p>Rat Colony is one of the few ways to break the singleton in Commander. Unlike <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Relentless Rats" href="#" target="_blank">Relentless Rats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, though, it's more flexible because its ability only cares about having Rats on the field. However, one of the biggest problems with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rat Colony" href="#" target="_blank">Rat Colony</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is that, with only one toughness, they can very easily be traded with blockers, which makes it difficult to pressure our opponents while increasing our board. That pressures us to have a good evasion suite, and this is where Lurrus' restriction hits us pretty hard.</p>
<p>It's difficult to find permanent-based pieces that fulfill the requirement. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cover of Darkness" href="#" target="_blank">Cover of Darkness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great alternative: it's cheap, and intimidate can be close to true evasion in multiple decks. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Piper of the Swarm" href="#" target="_blank">Piper of the Swarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful card that provides evasion and, in longer games, can give our Rats a boost by creating some tokens.</p>
<p>Commander choice is a bit lacking (to say the least), but out of all the possible legends, I do think that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has some potential as a support to Lurrus. In a format with plenty of powerful exile-based removal, having a way to protect Lurrus can be the difference between being able to grind out our opponents or not. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Miara, Thorn of the Glade" href="#" target="_blank">Miara, Thorn of the Glade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, our other <em>Partner</em> commander, is a bit lackluster in a deck without any other Elf creatures; however, when considering that we also have access to Lurrus, having a really bad Egg effect could help us to dig through some cards in a top-deck mode.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mishra&#039;s Bauble"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chromatic Sphere"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Conjurer&#039;s Bauble"></div></div>
<p>For consistency's sake, we're a running a cantrip suite that involves cheap artifacts that we can sacrifice to draw a card. They're great because we can combine them with Lurrus to set up a cheap draw engine. Don't expect them to be near as good as the usual blue cantrip suite, of course, but they do give us a way to keep going in the later portions of the game. They are also efficient to play on curve, since there'll be many turns where we'll have an odd amount of mana, and having these one-mana cantrips allows us to curve out more effectively while also allowing us to see more cards.</p>
<p>Lurrus is an important piece to our deck, so we need to supplement its recursion ability with some protection/redundancy of our own. Luckily for us, Orzhov offers plenty of great options for effective recursion sources. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Call of the Death-Dweller" href="#" target="_blank">Call of the Death-Dweller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great two-for-one for that. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is weaker on the front side, but it's a bit more flexible; however, when we get to flash it back, we get even more value. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animate Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Animate Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is less effective than the previous two spells, but we can target our opponents' creatures with it as well.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Lurrus Rat Colony" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel
*Miara, Thorn of the Glade
[/Commander]
[Companion]
*Lurrus of the Dream-Den
[/Companion]
[Artifact]
*Mishra&#039;s Bauble
*Urza&#039;s Bauble
*Barbed Sextant
*Chromatic Sphere
*Chromatic Star
*Conjurer&#039;s Bauble
*Nihil Spellbomb
*Skullclamp
*Sol Ring
*Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
*Charcoal Diamond
*Fellwar Stone
*Jet Medallion
*Mind Stone
*Talisman of Hierarchy
[/Artifact]
[Creature]
*Pack Rat
*Piper of the Swarm
*31 Rat Colony
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*Animate Dead
*Cover of Darkness
*No Rest for the Wicked
*Seal of Cleansing
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Path to Exile
*Swords to Plowshares
*Despark
*Flawless Maneuver
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*Call of the Death-Dweller
*Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation
*Damnation
*Patriarch&#039;s Bidding
*Secret Salvage
*Austere Command
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Bojuka Bog
*Brightclimb Pathway
*Caves of Koilos
*Command Tower
*Concealed Courtyard
*Ghost Quarter
*Godless Shrine
*Isolated Chapel
*Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*Rogue&#039;s Passage
*Silent Clearing
*Swarmyard
*Tainted Field
*Tectonic Edge
*Temple of Silence
*Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*Vault of Champions
*Vault of the Archangel
*6 Plains
*12 Swamp
[/Land]"></span></div><br />
</p>
<hr />
<h2>This is the Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shared Triumph"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Diabolic Intent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rally the Ancestors"></div></div>
<p>As I said before, our Rats are pretty weak to blockers, so one way to counter that would be giving evasion. Another way is to boost the toughness of our creatures to make it harder for creatures to trade. Tribal boosts like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shared Triumph" href="#" target="_blank">Shared Triumph</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are cheaper than the generic anthem effect, and this allow us to play them with Lurrus.</p>
<p>Having one or two extra mass reanimation spells could help us recover from those games where we can't establish a board. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rally the Ancestors" href="#" target="_blank">Rally the Ancestors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a neat way to give our Rats some out-of-nowhere potential.</p>
<p>Incorporating Miara into our curve could also be an interesting build-around. By having some sacrifice spells to target Miara, we could get a bit more value from our second commander and get access to some effects that we wouldn't have otherwise. I do think that they need to have a huge impact, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diabolic Intent" href="#" target="_blank">Diabolic Intent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or even <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>, because otherwise they won't be worth the three extra mana that we need to attach to them.</p>
<p>Lurrus is a pretty underwhelming <em>Companion, </em>but that's more on the format than the card itself. That's a bit sad because its ability could have been a cool artifact-based <em>Companion </em>or even an aggressive one. It's also a bit of a let-down that it'll be hard to have new commanders (especially with extra colors) for it. That being said, Lurrus is a very fun card to play; its power is noticed, and it feels really good to grind out games with it.</p>
<p>That’s it for <em>Collected Company</em>! What do you think about this article? What are your thoughts on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lurrus of the Dream-Den" href="#" target="_blank">Lurrus of the Dream-Den</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Share your opinions in the comments.</p>


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