<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adelbert Steiner" href="#" target="_blank">Adelbert Steiner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/lorenzomastroianni" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lorenzo Mastroianni</a></em></p>
<p>It's very much my job here as the writer of <em>The Monolith</em>, aside from talking about monocolored decks of course, to tempt you in to building decks that aren't your standard fare. Decks that forgo obviousness and power for interesting ideas and fun restrictions. What better time then, as we continue to pick apart the legendary creatures revealed in the upcoming <em>Universes Beyond</em> set <em>Final Fantasy</em>, to talk about Pauper EDH!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Adelbert Steiner"></div></div>
<p>Now I'm not the first person to delve into the <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/does-shantotto-work-as-a-pauper-commander" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wonderful world of Pauper Commander</a> here on EDHREC.com. But when a set comes out with this many legends, some of them are bound to be non-rares. We had the same thing happen in <em>Lord of The Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth</em>. And when you've got access to uncommon legends with interesting effects, why not whack together a PEDH deck to fit around them!</p>
<h2>What Is Pauper Commander (PEDH)?</h2>
<p>Much like the absolutely wonderful 60-card format it's based on, Pauper EDH carries all the same rules that Commander does, but with one exception. You can only put a card in your deck if it was printed at common at some point in its history.</p>
<p>That includes cards that have been up-shifted in rarity in later sets, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark Ritual" href="#" target="_blank">Dark Ritual</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. As long as it was common at some point in <em>Magic</em>'s history, it's legal in PEDH. Otherwise, you can't put it in your 99. As for the commander itself though, you're allowed to push up to the uncommon rarity.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Guttersnipe"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Soulherder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Third Path Iconoclast"></div></div>
<p>The fun thing is, your uncommon commander doesn't even have to be legendary. You can play with regular old uncommons as your leader. That'll give you access to super powerful creatures you wouldn't normally be able to put in your command zone, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guttersnipe" href="#" target="_blank">Guttersnipe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soulherder" href="#" target="_blank">Soulherder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></p>
<h2>Adelbert's Finer</h2>
<p>To helm our Pauper EDH list we're looking at the brand new <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adelbert Steiner" href="#" target="_blank">Adelbert Steiner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> 2/1 Human Knight with an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="All That Glitters" href="#" target="_blank">All That Glitters</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> style effect on him. For each Equipment you control, Adelbert will get +1/+1. That's not Equipment attached to Adelbert either, that's just any Equipment you have on the battlefield.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Adelbert Steiner"></div></div>
<p>Combined with lifelink, we've got ourselves the potential for a really juicy, Equipment focused, Voltron Commander build. For those not in the know, <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/voltron" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Voltron decks</a> attempt to whack as many buffs onto a single creature they control as possible - usually your commander, so you can kill opponents even easier. Once they're big enough, swing in for the win!</p>
<h2>Free Real Estate</h2>
<p>As Adelbert gets a buff just from the Equipment hitting the field, we'll sort of get to have our cake and eat it too. Whereas most Voltrons would either need to pay for the equip cost of their Equipment, or have an ability to get around that, Adelbert can receive a small benefit right away.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="All That Glitters"></div></div>
<p>Then later, when we actually get the Equipment attached to him, we'll be double dipping with the buffs it provides. And that's if we even want to equip to him. By having another big threat with all the Equipment attached to them we can also split our attacks as we see fit.</p>
<h2>The Living Weapon</h2>
<p>Seeing as Adelbert doesn't mind where your Equipment cards are when he's checking for his buffs, we can use a certain type of Equipment to give us a bit of an edge in battle.</p>
<p>Equipment cards are great in comparison to Auras, because they won't send themselves to the graveyard when their attached creature leaves the battlefield. We can even use the equip ability to swap our swords and shields round to whichever creature needs them on the fly.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flayer Husk"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sickleslicer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skinwing"></div></div>
<p>The tradeoff though, is that Auras attach themselves as soon as you cast them. Equipment gets cast, and then needs additional buy-in to attach it to your creature. Enter: living weapon cards. These Equipment cards will enter the battlefield and immediately attach themselves to a token they make when they enter.</p>
<p>There's only so many Pauper legal living weapons, but a few other cards do the same thing. For Mirrodin! was a very similar mechanic from <em>All Will Be One</em>, for example.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mirran Bardiche"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancestral Blade"></div></div>
<h3>Leave Something Back</h3>
<p>One of the trickier aspects of playing a Voltron Commander deck is keeping yourself alive after you've swung. It's all well and good having a giant commander, but once they're tapped, who's defending your life total? Vigilance is great for that but so is just having some chump blockers available - especially when your opponents are going wide.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glimmerlight"></div></div>
<p>By using these cards that come with an extra body, we can hold the line after Adelbert attacks. And if we end up getting Adelbert killed so many times that his commander tax is untenable? There's backup options to fight with. Speaking of...</p>
<h2>Forking Your Voltron</h2>
<p>As I mentioned earlier, Adelbert can get a decent amount of pump without actually equipping our weapons. With that in mind, we have the option to fork off our damage between two different creatures. That way we'll get slightly less powerful creatures, but having two means we can swing at multiple players.</p>
<p>This is a four-person format, after all. And targeting down one player can leave our other two opponents a little too much space to build up their game plans.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gingerbrute"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Guardian of the Guildpact"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Beloved Princess"></div></div>
<p>If we want some solid targets for the wall of weapons we'll be equipping them with, we need to find something that'll get through our opponents' blockers. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guardian of the Guildpact" href="#" target="_blank">Guardian of the Guildpact</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have really solid evasion, with protection from monocolored giving it a good chance of slipping through the cracks of our opponents' defenses. Not to mention dodging a lot of removal!</p>
<p>Likewise, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gingerbrute" href="#" target="_blank">Gingerbrute</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can punish players who aren't equipped with hasty creatures by making itself all but unblockable. That'll teach you for not playing mono-red!</p>
<h2>Choosing the Right Gear</h2>
<p>The main consideration for building out Adelbert's arsenal is which Equipment cards we include in our 99. First of all, we're going to need a lot of them! In this deck we're going to favor quantity over quality, so low cost Equipments are best (unless they come with a friend).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bone Saw"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bonesplitter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Leather Armor"></div></div>
<p>We also want to keep an eye out for any gear that'll give Adelbert some evasion tactics to make it over walls of blockers. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bladed Pinions" href="#" target="_blank">Bladed Pinions</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will put in some vital keywords for our Voltron commander, like flying and first strike. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Haunted Cloak" href="#" target="_blank">Haunted Cloak</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will help as well with trample and vigilance allowing us to hit over and also keep our commander up to block.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bladed Pinions"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Haunted Cloak"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Whispersilk Cloak"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Whispersilk Cloak" href="#" target="_blank">Whispersilk Cloak</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will make our glorious leader unblockable and also give him protection from removal, but remember to equip it last as the shroud will also stop <em>us</em> from targeting him when it comes to attach more Equipment.</p>
<h3>Double Your Benefits</h3>
<p>Whilst it might be banned in regular 60-card Pauper, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="All That Glitters" href="#" target="_blank">All That Glitters</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (from what I can tell, anyway) is perfectly legal in PEDH. Adding this Aura to Adelbert will double his buff from Equipment cards as well as giving some additional power and toughness for any other artifacts or enchantments you control.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="All That Glitters"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Golem-Skin Gauntlets"></div></div>
<p>And don't sleep on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Golem-Skin Gauntlets" href="#" target="_blank">Golem-Skin Gauntlets</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> either. It might only affect the power of our commander and not benefit his toughness, but cards that say "for each" on them can get out of hand fast. Why do you think we're building this commander?</p>
<h2>Carry Some Protection</h2>
<p>A word of warning: whilst it might not have the flashiest removal spells in <em>Magic, </em>Pauper does tend to be quite removal heavy! It's worth padding the deck out with a few options to protect Adelbert from harm when swinging in for big damage.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blacksmith&#039;s Skill"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Benevolent Bodyguard"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ajani&#039;s Presence"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blacksmith&#039;s Skill" href="#" target="_blank">Blacksmith&#039;s Skill</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the best instant-speed protection spells in the game, let alone Pauper. But we can also run a few permanent versions to have in our back pocket for when we need them. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Benevolent Bodyguard" href="#" target="_blank">Benevolent Bodyguard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> acts as a perfect fit, giving us a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Selfless Savior" href="#" target="_blank">Selfless Savior</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> style protection effect we can activate at instant speed. But also allowing us to make Adelbert unblockable by any monocolored boards.</p>
<h2>Adelbert Steiner PEDH Decklist</h2>
<p>If you're interested in joining the PEDH community and giving Adelbert a build, I've included a rough example decklist below that you can build yourself or just jump off from. If you're new to Pauper in general I highly recommend giving either the Commander variant or 60-card competitive format a go. The latter is my absolute favorite way to play <em>Magic;</em> it's a format that just keeps on giving.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Adelbert Steiner Pauper EDH" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Adelbert Steiner
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Beloved Princess
*1 Benevolent Bodyguard
*1 Coalition Honor Guard
*1 Foundry Inspector
*1 Gingerbrute
*1 Guardian of the Guildpact
*1 Inspiring Overseer
*1 Outlaw Medic
*1 Voyager Quickwelder
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 +2 Mace
*1 Amorphous Axe
*1 Ancestral Blade
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Armory of Iroas
*1 Bladed Pinions
*1 Blight Sickle
*1 Bonder&#039;s Ornament
*1 Bone Saw
*1 Bonesplitter
*1 Candy Trail
*1 Ceremonial Knife
*1 Darksteel Axe
*1 Delver&#039;s Torch
*1 Flayer Husk
*1 Fountain of Ichor
*1 Gilded Pinions
*1 Glimmerlight
*1 Gold Pan
*1 Golden Egg
*1 Goldvein Pick
*1 Goldwarden&#039;s Helm
*1 Golem-Skin Gauntlets
*1 Greataxe
*1 Haunted Cloak
*1 Jalum Tome
*1 Leather Armor
*1 Mandibular Kite
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mirran Bardiche
*1 Network Terminal
*1 Prying Blade
*1 Relic of Progenitus
*1 Sickleslicer
*1 Skinwing
*1 Utility Knife
*1 Vorrac Battlehorns
*1 Whispersilk Cloak
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 All That Glitters
*1 Benevolent Blessing
*1 Journey to Nowhere
*1 Oblivion Ring
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Afterlife
*1 Ajani&#039;s Presence
*1 Blacksmith&#039;s Skill
*1 Break Ties
*1 Crib Swap
*1 Destroy Evil
*1 Frantic Salvage
*1 Lens Flare
*1 Thraben Charm
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Jolted Awake
*1 Recommission
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Ancient Den
*1 Avishkar Raceway
*1 Darksteel Citadel
*1 Desert of the True
*1 Escape Tunnel
*1 Haunted Fengraf
*1 Idyllic Grange
*29 Plains
*1 Secluded Steppe
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<p></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="Fn8wMpFCKJ"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/does-shantotto-work-as-a-pauper-commander/">Does Shantotto Work as a Pauper Commander?</a></p></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="dBILFsWxhN"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/brewing-a-pauper-commander-deck-with-kheru-goldkeeper/">Brewing a Pauper Commander Deck With Kheru Goldkeeper</a></p></blockquote>
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PEDH Voltron With Adelbert Steiner

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kheru Goldkeeper" href="#" target="_blank">Kheru Goldkeeper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://vargasni.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Randy Vargas</a></em></p>
<p>Today I'm tackling a commander that I've wanted to do for a while, ever since <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> came out. When I was reviewing this set I immediately singled out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kheru Goldkeeper" href="#" target="_blank">Kheru Goldkeeper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a unique Pauper commander that does a few things I've never seen before.</p>
<h2>What Does Kheru Goldkeeper Do?</h2>
<p>First, it mixes graveyard and artifact strategies. Technically, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kheru Goldkeeper" href="#" target="_blank">Kheru Goldkeeper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn't say anything about artifacts, but it makes Treasure tokens, and that really incentives us to lean into some cards that trigger off of artifacts being created or sacrificed. Second, it asks us to remove cards from our graveyard. That's pretty unusual, as most cards you see care about cards entering your graveyard, or dying in some way. Thanks to these oddities, building around this commander is going to be quite the interesting challenge. So let's see what's up.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kheru Goldkeeper"></div></div>
<p>Let's get our priorities in order. We need cards in our graveyard. Then we need cards that remove either themselves or other cards from the graveyard. After that, we want some stuff that takes advantage of the artifacts we're making. We could just use the Treasures for more mana, but that'd be boring, and I'm certain there's some advantage to be gained from treating this like an artifact deck, so I'm gonna insist on it. Finally, we need a way to win with all this stuff. That's the part I'm most concerned about, but we'll figure it out when we get there.</p>
<h2>Self Mill</h2>
<p>Milling ourselves is pretty simple. I'm fond of cards that sit around and do their thing, like:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scion of Halaster" href="#" target="_blank">Scion of Halaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crawling Infestation" href="#" target="_blank">Crawling Infestation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chronic Flooding" href="#" target="_blank">Chronic Flooding</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of the Bloody Tome" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of the Bloody Tome</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p>Yes, there's the risk of that Curse just killing us, but I'm sure it's a risk we can take. Yeah, I totally won't regret casting that on myself. But anyways, we've also got <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deranged Assistant" href="#" target="_blank">Deranged Assistant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghoulcaller&#039;s Bell" href="#" target="_blank">Ghoulcaller&#039;s Bell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for a bit more, and if we really need some cards in the graveyard ASAP, we can cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tome Scour" href="#" target="_blank">Tome Scour</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dream Twist" href="#" target="_blank">Dream Twist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of the Bloody Tome"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deranged Assistant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tome Scour"></div></div>
<h2>Triggering Kheru Goldkeeper</h2>
<p>Next up, cards leaving the graveyard. Ok, I can think of several ways to do that. The first is exiling cards from graveyards. Basically, we're just gonna play a bunch of graveyard hate cards, and then use them on our own graveyard.</p>
<p>But because <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kheru Goldkeeper" href="#" target="_blank">Kheru Goldkeeper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> says "One or more cards," <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tormod&#039;s Crypt" href="#" target="_blank">Tormod&#039;s Crypt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is no good here. We don't want to sacrifice our entire graveyard for just one Treasure token, now do we? Instead, we'll happily take <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Relic of Progenitus" href="#" target="_blank">Relic of Progenitus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which we can tap every turn to produce a Treasure. Does that mean it's basically just a one-mana <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that's fueled by our graveyard? Yes, but when we get some cards that trigger off of artifacts entering, it'll prove to be quite strong. We'll also run <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Merrow Bonegnawer" href="#" target="_blank">Merrow Bonegnawer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for the same purpose.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Relic of Progenitus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Merrow Bonegnawer"></div></div>
<p>We can also trigger our commander by returning cards from our graveyard to our hand, and that's certainly more efficient than exiling cards. So I quickly started adding cards that would return targets. But what I noticed was that there were a lot of instants and sorceries that returned creatures, and a lot of creatures that returned instants and sorceries. Huh. Well, the solution here is pretty obvious. We can't run either group exclusively, so we'll just run both sets of cards, and then they can return each other. It means the cards are less likely to have targets than if we were able to run creatures that returned creatures, but we can't do that, so this'll work just fine.</p>
<p>We'll even throw in some sacrifice outlets so that we can get <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> style cards into the graveyards. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mnemonic Wall" href="#" target="_blank">Mnemonic Wall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can return <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Revive the Shire" href="#" target="_blank">Revive the Shire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can return <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shipwreck Dowser" href="#" target="_blank">Shipwreck Dowser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can return <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pulse of Murasa" href="#" target="_blank">Pulse of Murasa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can return <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Salvager of Secrets" href="#" target="_blank">Salvager of Secrets</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can return <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul Manipulation" href="#" target="_blank">Soul Manipulation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can return <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mnemonic Wall" href="#" target="_blank">Mnemonic Wall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Perfect!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archaeomancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mnemonic Wall"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Soul Manipulation"></div></div>
<p>Finally, the best way to trigger our commander is with flashback and unearth. Both of these are great mechanics that can actually have more of an effect than just making a treasure. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dream Twist" href="#" target="_blank">Dream Twist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Otherworldly Gaze" href="#" target="_blank">Otherworldly Gaze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can mill us a bit, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eviscerator&#039;s Insight" href="#" target="_blank">Eviscerator&#039;s Insight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Think Twice" href="#" target="_blank">Think Twice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deep Analysis" href="#" target="_blank">Deep Analysis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can draw us some cards. One of my personal favorites is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moment&#039;s Peace" href="#" target="_blank">Moment&#039;s Peace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a card that will catch our opponents unaware one time, then ward them away for a long while afterwards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dream Twist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eviscerator&#039;s Insight"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Moment&#039;s Peace"></div></div>
<h2>How to Win With Kheru Goldkeeper</h2>
<p>Now that we've got a solid engine triggering our commander over and over again, let's try and take advantage of those artifacts, and maybe turn all that cycling into a win.</p>
<p>Now what can we do with Treasures? We can sacrifice them to cards like <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> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reckoner&#039;s Bargain" href="#" target="_blank">Reckoner&#039;s Bargain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Card advantage is always fantastic, and this is a pretty good way to do it. But usually artifact decks will use cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reckless Fireweaver" href="#" target="_blank">Reckless Fireweaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to turn Treasures into raw damage. We can do something similar with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Disciple of the Vault" href="#" target="_blank">Disciple of the Vault</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; it's a bit slower, but it still gets the job done.</p>
<p>And because Treasures are tokens, we can also use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirkwood Bats" href="#" target="_blank">Mirkwood Bats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <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> to thrash our opponents life totals.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deadly Dispute"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reckoner&#039;s Bargain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mirkwood Bats"></div></div>
<p>And with all of that ready, we can just toss in some ramp and removal, and call it good!</p>
<h2>Is This Kheru Goldkeeper pEDH Deck Good?</h2>
<p>Ok, so as you were reading this article, I'm sure you noticed a bit of a flaw with this deck. The whole thing is built around spending two mana to cast something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Raise the Draugr" href="#" target="_blank">Raise the Draugr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and return a creature to hand, making a Treasure that sacrifices itself for one mana. Do you see the problem? Yeah, half the time, we're spending upwards of three mana to make one. The term "spinning your wheels" applies to this deck. I've crafted a library around triggering our commander purely to trigger our commander. A few good cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Relic of Progenitus" href="#" target="_blank">Relic of Progenitus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will make us free mana, but most of the cards in this deck do nothing but make mana disappear.</p>
<p>That being said, I don't think this deck is a complete wreck. While it does a lot of nothing, eventually, that nothing can be converted into card advantage and damage. And that's what wins games. I'm not certain that there's enough density of damage dealing cards in here to really be consistent, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirkwood Bats" href="#" target="_blank">Mirkwood Bats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> absolutely can take us to victory. And because we're running so much recursion, our few important pieces are really difficult for our opponents to deal with.</p>
<p>In a long game, this deck really has a good shot.</p>


Brewing a Pauper Commander Deck With Kheru Goldkeeper

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shantotto, Tactician Magician" href="#" target="_blank">Shantotto, Tactician Magician</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/jsraphael" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joshua Raphael</a></em></p>
<p>Well, this is about the most up to date I've ever been in terms of new releases. As of the day I'm writing this, May 7th, the commander I'm doing a deck tech for hasn't even made it's way into the EDHREC database. But <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shantotto, Tactician Magician" href="#" target="_blank">Shantotto, Tactician Magician</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is just too interesting to not write about immediately. She's just been spoiled for the new Final Fantasy Set, and while I don't know a single thing about Final Fantasy, I do know a good deckbuilding challenge when I see one. So lets dive right into this weird spellslinger commander.</p>
<h2>Shantotto, Tactician Magician</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shantotto, Tactician Magician"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is the amount of mana spent to cast that spell. If X is 4 or greater, draw a card.</em></p>
<p>Ok, so I've done more than a few spellslinger commanders on this series. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Balmor, Battlemage Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Balmor, Battlemage Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adeliz, the Cinder Wind" href="#" target="_blank">Adeliz, the Cinder Wind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Third Path Iconoclast" href="#" target="_blank">Third Path Iconoclast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, they're all blue-red commanders that care about casting noncreature spells. It's a pretty basic formula. All you need for those decks is a bunch of cheap instants and sorceries that can draw cards or buff your team or whatever is helpful. Then you get a bunch of creatures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kessig Flamebreather" href="#" target="_blank">Kessig Flamebreather</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that'll ping your opponents whenever you cast one of those spells. It's a pretty tried and true formula, but I've built it a few too many times at this point. I've gotten quite bored of the whole game plan, and I need a challenge.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Balmor, Battlemage Captain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Third Path Iconoclast"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kessig Flamebreather"></div></div>
<h2>How Is Shantotto Different From Other Izzet Spellslinger Decks?</h2>
<p>So that's why I was elated when my editor recommended that I check out Shantotto. Yes, at the surface level, it's just another Izzet spellslinger commander. But there's a bit more to it than that. Rather than request the usual one-drop suspects of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Opt" href="#" target="_blank">Opt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Preordain" href="#" target="_blank">Preordain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serum Visions" href="#" target="_blank">Serum Visions</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and all those other crummy cantrips, Shantotto wants us to play spells with mana value four or greater. That's certainly a big difference from what other commanders want.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Opt"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Preordain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Serum Visions"></div></div>
<p>Shanotto doesn't technically require us to play big spells, but we draw a card whenever we do, and I'm certainly not one to turn down card advantage. Other than that, the only thing she does is get bigger when we play spells. But, man does she get a lot bigger. So let's build a deck around big noncreature spells and one big creature. I think that's pretty doable, and even if it's not, I'm sure it'll be interesting.</p>
<p>As with any big mana deck, the question is: how much? How big can our average mana value get before it becomes unmanageable? Well, there's a pretty clear minimum we have to follow. If we want to take advantage of our commander's ability throughout the game, we need to be drawing a four-drop every three cards or so. Because otherwise, our commander's ability is just gonna be a random bonus that occurs every once in a while. It would be like playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm" href="#" target="_blank">Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and only cloning a Dragon every other turn. We've got a cool commander, let's use it.</p>
<h2>Big Pauper Spells for Shantotto</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, there's a slight problem. I'm not sure if there are enough great four-drops to play in Pauper. Yeah, you've got <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unexpected Windfall" href="#" target="_blank">Unexpected Windfall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pirate&#039;s Pillage" href="#" target="_blank">Pirate&#039;s Pillage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Big Score" href="#" target="_blank">Big Score</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which are all fantastic, but I don't think there are 30+ four drops that are worth playing. I certainly don't want to play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Airborne Aid" href="#" target="_blank">Airborne Aid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> just to draw a card. There are a decent number of good cards though, so let's check those out first before giving up.</p>
<p>We've got plenty of card draw, from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Behold the Multiverse" href="#" target="_blank">Behold the Multiverse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deep Analysis" href="#" target="_blank">Deep Analysis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tamiyo&#039;s Epiphany" href="#" target="_blank">Tamiyo&#039;s Epiphany</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is worthwhile here. Then there's some red aggression in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin War Party" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin War Party</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hazardous Blast" href="#" target="_blank">Hazardous Blast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Empty the Warrens" href="#" target="_blank">Empty the Warrens</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Are Goblins particularly useful to us? Nah, but every deck needs chump blockers, and we'd rather create them with noncreature spells.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unexpected Windfall"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Behold the Multiverse"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin War Party"></div></div>
<p>After that, we have to reach into five-mana spells. Luckily, there are a few that are great inclusions even if our commander didn't ask for it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lórien Revealed" href="#" target="_blank">Lórien Revealed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is just a handy card to have, early and late game. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temporal Fissure" href="#" target="_blank">Temporal Fissure</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can decimate a board state. And <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mana Geyser" href="#" target="_blank">Mana Geyser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> just makes a ridiculous amount of mana. Then, even more expensive than those is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treasure Cruise" href="#" target="_blank">Treasure Cruise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Eight Mana? How could that possibly be worth it? Oh, hold up, it's got delve. Basically, it's castable for just a single mana. And it'll still trigger our commander! Right?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lórien Revealed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mana Geyser"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Treasure Cruise"></div></div>
<h2>This Commander Got Nerfed</h2>
<p>Well, actually, there's something unusual about our commander that I've concealed. I said that Shantotto checks the mana value of your cards when deciding what X is, but actually, she checks how much mana is spent. That means that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treasure Cruise" href="#" target="_blank">Treasure Cruise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn't give Shantotto +8/+0, it gives Shantotto +1/+0 if you delve away all the generic mana. That's super disappointing, especially considering that Shantotto is one of the first commanders to be worded like this. I'm sure it was a balancing decision, but honestly the result of it is that Shantotto is extremely underpowered.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Treasure Cruise"></div></div>
<p>This is the reason that I haven't been including cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meeting of Minds" href="#" target="_blank">Meeting of Minds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Normally, for a commander that checks mana value, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meeting of Minds" href="#" target="_blank">Meeting of Minds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would be great because it can be cast for less than its advertised cost, but still trigger an ability. But here, if we don't pay any mana, we don't get any value. This is also the reason that I'm not including <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Electromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Electromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, despite it being one of the best spellslinger staples of all time. If it reduces a four-cost card to three mana, we just don't get the card draw from Shantotto.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Meeting of Minds"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Electromancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mocking Sprite"></div></div>
<p>The most I can do to patch this deck up is add a ton of ramp and some stuff to make Shantotto unblockable, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Artful Dodge" href="#" target="_blank">Artful Dodge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Maybe we'll also add <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temur Battle Rage" href="#" target="_blank">Temur Battle Rage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> into the mix, because double strike on our commander sounds pretty intimidating. But I think that's about all I can do. Unfortunately, all we have right now is a deck with an absurdly high average mana value, and a pretty lousy payoff for it. I know I made a comparison to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm" href="#" target="_blank">Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> earlier in this article, but anyone with eyes can see that drawing a card for casting a four-mana spell is not the same as making a copy of a Dragon for two mana.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Firemind Vessel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Artful Dodge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Temur Battle Rage"></div></div>
<h2>Shantotto Pauper Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Pauper Commander - Shantotto, the Radical Lady" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Shantotto, Tactician Magician
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 Abrade
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Behold the Multiverse
*1 Big Score
*1 Brainstorm
*1 Choking Tethers
*1 Counterspell
*1 Fling
*1 Foil
*1 Frantic Firebolt
*1 Frantic Search
*1 Into the Roil
*1 Izzet Charm
*1 Lightning Bolt
*1 Mizzium Skin
*1 Negate
*1 Psychotic Fury
*1 Raking Claws
*1 Resculpt
*1 Rewind
*1 Shadow Rift
*1 Siege Smash
*1 Teach by Example
*1 Temur Battle Rage
*1 Trip Up
*1 Unexpected Windfall
*1 Unfathomable Truths
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Brass Knuckles
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Firemind Vessel
*1 Hulldrifter
*1 Izzet Signet
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Neurok Stealthsuit
*1 Sisay&#039;s Ring
*1 Thought Vessel
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Artful Dodge
*1 Assault Strobe
*1 Daring Discovery
*1 Deep Analysis
*1 Distortion Strike
*1 Empty the Warrens
*1 Faithless Looting
*1 Goblin War Party
*1 Hazardous Blast
*1 Lórien Revealed
*1 Mana Geyser
*1 Pirate&#039;s Pillage
*1 Tamiyo&#039;s Epiphany
*1 Temporal Fissure
*1 Treason of Isengard
*1 Treasure Cruise
[/Sorceries]
[Creatures]
*1 Apprentice Wizard
*1 Goblin Electromancer
*1 Guttersnipe
*1 Kiln Fiend
*1 Mocking Sprite
*1 Murmuring Mystic
*1 Nivix Cyclops
[/Creatures]
[Lands]
*1 Command Tower
*19 Island
*18 Mountain
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<p>I'm not gonna lie, this deck is hilariously bad. A lack of good four-drops wasn't even my biggest problem, because trying to take advantage of the four mana clause was just a terrible idea when the payoff is so bad. I think this deck would be better off if you just played a bunch of one-drops, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Balmor, Battlemage Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Balmor, Battlemage Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. But then you should just play Balmor.</p>
<p>The one thing that could've saved this deck would've been <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Electromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Electromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but the wording of Shantotto makes that card actively detrimental. I understand why the card is phrased like that, and it'll probably make some future legend much less abusable. But here, it just makes the commander mediocre.</p>


Does Shantotto Work as a Pauper Commander?

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty" href="#" target="_blank">Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by Ekaterina Burmak</em></p>
<p>A pauper EDH deck built around a commander who cares about high mana values? There's no way that would ever work, right? I've been assuming that's the case for months now, and I've stubbornly avoided this commander. I've built decks that desperately want high mana value cards before, and they've never worked out. Not once. Pauper just doesn't have enough strong, big spells. It doesn't matter if your Pauper deck makes a million mana; if the best thing to spend that mana on is an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ulamog&#039;s Crusher" href="#" target="_blank">Ulamog&#039;s Crusher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you're not winning. But that's what happens when the big spells are your payoff. What if instead of them being the payoff, they were the strategy? You wouldn't need those spells to win the game, you'd just need them to carry you through it.</p>
<p>That's exactly what <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty" href="#" target="_blank">Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does. She gives every spell you cast with mana value six or greater cascade, so all you have to do is play big dudes, and you get rewarded. She offers the payoff of card advantage, and merely requires those large spells to create it. And while Pauper may not have game winning monsters, the format certainly has enough big stuff to fuel Imoti's game plan. So this might work out!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty"></div></div>
<h2>Big Spells to Play With Imoti</h2>
<p>We might as well start with the bulk of the deck. Which plus-size cards to use? Imoti requires us to play cards with mana value six, minimum, and since it's always best to keep our mana curve low, you'd think we'd want to play exclusively six-mana cards, and nothing larger. But if we did that, then the maximum mana value of a card we could hit with cascade would be five. And we don't want to play five-mana cards, because they don't trigger Imoti. So instead, our spells are going to cost anywhere from six to nine mana. That way, when we cast a seven-, eight-, or nine-mana spell, the chances of it cascading into another fairly sizeable spell go up significantly. Yeah, this strategy increases our average mana value, but it was gonna be huge anyways, so who cares? Don't worry, we'll have plenty of ramp to make up for it.</p>
<p>But what are the actual cards? How about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maelstrom Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Maelstrom Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Annoyed Altisaur" href="#" target="_blank">Annoyed Altisaur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? The more cascade, the better, right? Maybe we'll take the immense <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ulamog&#039;s Crusher" href="#" target="_blank">Ulamog&#039;s Crusher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for that satisfying annihilator trigger. Perhaps we'll grab a copy of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="It of the Horrid Swarm" href="#" target="_blank">It of the Horrid Swarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, because Eldrazi are just kind of menacing in general. There are at least a few big Pauper cards that do cool things, and these are all among them.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Maelstrom Colossus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ulamog&#039;s Crusher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="It of the Horrid Swarm"></div></div>
<p>But they won't make up the bulk of our horde. Instead, most of our cards are going to be spells that can be cast for six or more mana, but can also be used for much less. Think <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirrorshell Crab" href="#" target="_blank">Mirrorshell Crab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Yes, the card itself is a fearsome crab that would trigger Imoti, but earlier in the game, it can be used as a very effective counterspell.</p>
<p>Luckily for us, <em>Wizards of the Coast</em> has been printing cards like this left and right. Ever since <em>March of the Machine</em>, there's been a cycle of cards in every set that costs six or seven mana, but can be land-cycled for two. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timberland Ancient" href="#" target="_blank">Timberland Ancient</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Generous Ent" href="#" target="_blank">Generous Ent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Topiary Panther" href="#" target="_blank">Topiary Panther</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tidal Terror" href="#" target="_blank">Tidal Terror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are all examples of this. And there's more, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword Coast Serpent" href="#" target="_blank">Sword Coast Serpent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, that can go on an adventure, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krosan Tusker" href="#" target="_blank">Krosan Tusker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can find a basic land and draw a card when cycled.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mirrorshell Crab"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Timberland Ancient"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword Coast Serpent"></div></div>
<p>Then there are cards that will trigger Imoti, but won't actually cost us anything close to six mana. For example, there are the Eldrazi with emerge costs, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wretched Gryff" href="#" target="_blank">Wretched Gryff</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wretched Gryff" href="#" target="_blank">Wretched Gryff</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be cast for it's emerge cost, minus the cost of a creature that you sacrifice. Essentially, what this means is that you can trigger Imoti, and cascade for a mana value of six, while only paying a single mana.</p>
<p>There are plenty more cards that have the same effect, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treasure Cruise" href="#" target="_blank">Treasure Cruise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which has delve, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Siege Wurm" href="#" target="_blank">Siege Wurm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which has convoke. Honestly, it's fairly easy to play cards for less than their advertised cost. Delve, convoke, affinity, emerge, and evoke are all ways that <em>Wizards</em> has made it possible to trigger Imoti for less than six mana.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wretched Gryff"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Treasure Cruise"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Siege Wurm"></div></div>
<h2>Top Deck Manipulation</h2>
<p>So that's pretty much a summary of the big cards we're playing. But there's another aspect of this deck that I think is underexplored: top deck manipulation. Of course, right? Cascade flips cards off the top of your library, so if you can stack the deck, you'll have much more success. So why is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigiled Starfish" href="#" target="_blank">Sigiled Starfish</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> not a staple of this deck? The ability to check what's on top before you cast a big spell is so incredibly handy, because you're optimizing your cascades by a significant percentage when you send an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Mystic" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Mystic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to the bottom of your deck in hopes of an Eldrazi. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigiled Starfish" href="#" target="_blank">Sigiled Starfish</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does that for free, but I'm willing to pay one or two mana to do that that every turn with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Pendant" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Pendant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seer&#039;s Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Seer&#039;s Lantern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>And of course, we can run the classic cantrips, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Opt" href="#" target="_blank">Opt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Preordain" href="#" target="_blank">Preordain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serum Visions" href="#" target="_blank">Serum Visions</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The top of our deck will never be left to fate.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sigiled Starfish"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Pendant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Serum Visions"></div></div>
<h2>Other Spells for Imoti</h2>
<p>The rest of the deck is some removal in the form of bounce spells and counters, and a heck of a lot of ramp, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kodama&#039;s Reach" href="#" target="_blank">Kodama&#039;s Reach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivate" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <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 all the mana rocks we can run. We're even playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Aberration" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Aberration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is overkill in almost every situation, but is fairly fitting here. We certainly don't want to be running out of mana when our average mana value is... 4.12?! Damn, that's pretty high. But whatever, this deck can handle it.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kodama&#039;s Reach"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rampant Growth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elvish Aberration"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Pauper Commander - Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 Counterspell
*1 Eureka Moment
*1 Growth Spiral
*1 Negate
*1 Opt
*1 Scour from Existence
*1 Unsummon
*1 Vapor Snag
*1 You Find the Villains&#039; Lair
[/Instants]
[Creatures]
*1 Aethersnipe
*1 Annoyed Altisaur
*1 Coiling Oracle
*1 Crashing Drawbridge
*1 Elvish Aberration
*1 Etherium Spinner
*1 Fierce Empath
*1 Gearseeker Serpent
*1 Generous Ent
*1 Greater Sandwurm
*1 Greater Tanuki
*1 It of the Horrid Swarm
*1 Krosan Drover
*1 Krosan Tusker
*1 Llanowar Visionary
*1 Maelstrom Colossus
*1 Mirrorshell Crab
*1 Orchard Strider
*1 Ornithopter of Paradise
*1 Siege Wurm
*1 Sigiled Starfish
*1 Slavering Branchsnapper
*1 Snapping Voidcraw
*1 Spire Golem
*1 Sword Coast Serpent // Capsizing Wave
*1 Tangle Golem
*1 Thunderhead Squadron
*1 Tidal Terror
*1 Timberland Ancient
*1 Topiary Panther
*1 Ulamog&#039;s Crusher
*1 Walker of the Grove
*1 Will-Forged Golem
*1 Wretched Gryff
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Darksteel Pendant
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Seer&#039;s Lantern
*1 Simic Signet
*1 Whispersilk Cloak
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cultivate
*1 Edge of Autumn
*1 Elven Farsight
*1 Energy Tap
*1 Explore
*1 Kodama&#039;s Reach
*1 Preordain
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Rush of Knowledge
*1 Serum Visions
*1 Skyshroud Claim
*1 Treasure Cruise
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Aqueous Form
*1 Utter Insignificance
*1 Witness Protection
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Command Tower
*15 Forest
*16 Island
*1 Lonely Sandbar
*1 Tranquil Thicket
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<p>What do you think of this <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty" href="#" target="_blank">Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> list? Is this finally a Pauper deck that thrives with high mana values? Or does it fall victim to all the typical problems that an average mana value of four would face? It's a pretty ridiculous deck when you think about it, given that it waits till turn five to do anything really significant. But there's certainly a lot of power in there. What's your opinion?</p>


Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty - Pauper Commander Deck

Digital Deckbuilding - EDHREC Themes and Tags

Ultra Budget Brews - Tiana, Ship's Caretaker

<p style="text-align: center"><em>Composite Golem</em> art by Mark Tedin</p>
<hr />
<h2>Double or Nothing</h2>
<p>Many moons ago, we here at Low Market made a <a href="http://articles.edhrec.com/low-market-pauper-commander-double-feature/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brief double-foray</a> into Pauper Commander, a Commander subformat where any Uncommon creature can be at the helm of deck composed entirely of Commons. My love for this obscure little format has not diminished, so we're bringing you the triumphant (?) return of the Pauper Commander Double Feature. Our decks this time around: Composite Golem Zubera Combo, and Nyx Weaver Dredge! Let's start things off in five colors with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Composite Golem" href="#" target="_blank">Composite Golem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Putting It All Together</h2>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-13968" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Composite-Golem-Card.jpg" alt="" width="243" height="330" /></p>
<p>The broad workings of this Composite Golem Zubera deck should smell faintly familiar, for those who recall my <a href="http://articles.edhrec.com/low-market-hondens-enchantress/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five-color Hondens Enchantress article</a>. Each Honden triggers an ability at each of your upkeeps, and these abilities scale with the number of Hondens you control. The five common Zubera (Zuberas?) have the same abilities as their Honden counterparts, but scale off of the number of Zubera that died this turn. Whereas Hondens thrive in a grindy, pillowfort deck, Zubera lean towards combo and reanimation. Our commander, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Composite Golem" href="#" target="_blank">Composite Golem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, exists primarily as a way to build up mana for an explosive turn.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-13969" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Zubera-Fiver.jpg" alt="" width="709" height="423" /></p>
<p>Necessarily, we are playing all five of these Zubera... and then some. There are only five Commons with "Zubera" written on the typeline, but for more, we turn to our old friends the Changelings from Lorwyn, who are simultaneously every creature type. Our usual gameplan involves building a boardstate of at least one honest-to-goodness Zubera and as many additional Changelings / Zubera as possible, and sacrificing them all at once for maximum damage / card draw / et cetera.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-13970" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Changeling-Spread.jpg" alt="" width="709" height="330" /></p>
<hr />
<h2>Turning Chaff into Gold</h2>
<p>In Pauper Commander, tutor effects are few and far between. This makes the mechanic <em>Transmute</em> especially valuable: a card with Transmute can be discarded to search for a card with the same converted mana cost. Conveniently, there are three Transmute cards with a converted mana cost of two: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muddle the Mixture" href="#" target="_blank">Muddle the Mixture</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dimir Infiltrator" href="#" target="_blank">Dimir Infiltrator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shred Memory" href="#" target="_blank">Shred Memory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These act as our sixth-through-eighth copies of our favorite Zubera, since we require a minimum of one Zubera to do anything impactful.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-13971" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Transmute-Spread.jpg" alt="" width="709" height="330" /></p>
<p>If we're already going to play all those Transmute spells, we might as well build a small package around them. Creature recursion like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Disturbed Burial" href="#" target="_blank">Disturbed Burial</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Death Denied" href="#" target="_blank">Death Denied</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> helps pump up our bursty combo, or rebuild if it went awry. Occasionally, we can use one-off sacrifice effects such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fling" href="#" target="_blank">Fling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Altar&#039;s Reap" href="#" target="_blank">Altar&#039;s Reap</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If we need repeatable sacrifice outlets, we go for one of our creature sac outlets, most notably <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodthrone Vampire" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodthrone Vampire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-13972" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Transmute-Package-Spread.jpg" alt="" width="709" height="330" /></p>
<hr />
<h2>Smells Like Green Spirits</h2>
<p>We would do well to recall that the second half of a Zubera's typeline is "Spirit". Kamigawa block is rife with Spirit-matters effects, and is home to the mechanic <em>Soulshift</em>, which is all about recurring our Spirits. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elder Pine of Jukai" href="#" target="_blank">Elder Pine of Jukai</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is efficient for providing excellent land-securing for the duration of its life, followed by probable Zubera recursion upon its death. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ribbons of the Reikai" href="#" target="_blank">Ribbons of the Reikai</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <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> are nearly identical for us, providing huge bursts of card draw (especially in a creature-heavy format like this one). <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Devouring Greed" href="#" target="_blank">Devouring Greed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the most niche cards that works fantastically in this particular deck, and contributes to some of our most destruction game-conclusions.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-13973" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Spirit-Tribal-Spread.jpg" alt="" width="709" height="330" /></p>
<hr />
<h2>Checking Out - Composite Golem</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Composite Golem Zubera" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Composite Golem
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Ashen-Skin Zubera
*1 Avian Changeling
*1 Bloodthrone Vampire
*1 Burr Grafter
*1 Dimir House Guard
*1 Dimir Infiltrator
*1 Dreamcatcher
*1 Drift of Phantasms
*1 Dripping-Tongue Zubera
*1 Driver of the Dead
*1 Elder Pine of Jukai
*1 Ember-Fist Zubera
*1 Floating-Dream Zubera
*1 Game-Trail Changeling
*1 Gatecreeper Vine
*1 Ghostly Changeling
*1 Gibbering Kami
*1 Gnawing Zombie
*1 Kami of Ancient Law
*1 Kami of Empty Graves
*1 Kami of False Hope
*1 Moonlit Strider
*1 Mothdust Changeling
*1 Nantuko Husk
*1 Petalmane Baku
*1 Pilgrim&#039;s Eye
*1 Promised Kannushi
*1 Scuttling Death
*1 Silent-Chant Zubera
*1 Teller of Tales
*1 Thief of Hope
*1 War-Spike Changeling
*1 Waxmane Baku
*1 Woodland Changeling
*1 Yavimaya Granger
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Prismatic Lens
*1 Prophetic Prism
*1 Springleaf Drum
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Altar&#039;s Reap
*1 Death Denied
*1 Fling
*1 Grisly Salvage
*1 Luminescent Rain
*1 Nameless Inversion
*1 Negate
*1 Pack&#039;s Disdain
*1 Perilous Research
*1 Perplex
*1 Pulse of Murasa
*1 Shields of Velis Vel
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Devouring Greed
*1 Distant Melody
*1 Farseek
*1 Foresee
*1 Ribbons of the Reikai
*1 Roar of the Crowd
*1 Rush of Knowledge
*1 Stir the Grave
*1 Terashi&#039;s Grasp
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Azorius Guildgate
*1 Boros Guildgate
*1 Dimir Guildgate
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Golgari Guildgate
*1 Gruul Guildgate
*1 Haunted Fengraf
*1 Izzet Guildgate
*1 Orzhov Guildgate
*1 Rakdos Guildgate
*1 Rupture Spire
*1 Selesnya Guildgate
*1 Shimmering Grotto
*1 Simic Guildgate
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Transguild Promenade
*1 Unknown Shores
*3 Plains
*5 Island
*5 Swamp
*3 Mountain
*6 Forest
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<hr />
<h2>Weaving a Tale</h2>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-13974" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Nyx-Weaver-Card.jpg" alt="" width="243" height="330" /></p>
<p>We're not done with Pauper Commander yet: we're not even done playing in the mud (that is, the graveyard). <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nyx Weaver" href="#" target="_blank">Nyx Weaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the perfect card for a <em>Dredge</em>-themed deck. It self-mills, it's in the most prominent self-mill colors, and it provides unconditional recursion, an effect that is extraordinarily hard to come by in Pauper Commander. (Also, I have a soft spot for enchantment creatures). Let's get to the deck!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Back to the Grind</h2>
<p>A word of warning for the Weaver: this is one grindy, control-y deck. It tends to slowly build up its graveyard while landing bigger and bigger threats, efficiently employing its endless removal to keep the game going long. Even its alpha strikes take forever to build up to. Two of the more prominent win conditions are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Undergrowth Scavenger" href="#" target="_blank">Undergrowth Scavenger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soulshriek" href="#" target="_blank">Soulshriek</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, both of which scale with the number of creatures in our graveyard. If we've been filling our 'yard for long enough, then we can flashback <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Traitor&#039;s Clutch" href="#" target="_blank">Traitor&#039;s Clutch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to turn either of the previous cards into near-guaranteed direct hits.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-13975" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Win-Con-Spread.jpg" alt="" width="709" height="330" /></p>
<p>The other sure(ish) way to defeat your opponents–potentially by making them concede from boredom, is to dismantle their access to resources. Y'know, like cards in hand. A surprising number of commons creatures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mournwhelk" href="#" target="_blank">Mournwhelk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Augur of Skulls" href="#" target="_blank">Augur of Skulls</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> cause a player to discard multiple cards, which is further helped by creatures being the easiest card type to recur in this format. If you're worried about feeding into opposing graveyard decks (like, I don't know, 5C Zubera Combo), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nihil Spellbomb" href="#" target="_blank">Nihil Spellbomb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is just one piece of excellnt graveyard-hate available.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-13976" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Denial-Spread.jpg" alt="" width="709" height="330" /></p>
<hr />
<h2>Cleaning Up</h2>
<p>Pauper Commander is so boardstate-focused since mass removal is (understandably) difficult to come by at common. Fortunately for Nyx Weaver, at least two quasi-boardwipes exist at common: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evincar&#039;s Justice" href="#" target="_blank">Evincar&#039;s Justice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (which is by no means efficient) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pestilence" href="#" target="_blank">Pestilence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (which belongs firmly in the category of, "WHO THOUGHT THIS MADE SENSE TO PRINT AT COMMON?!") If you happen to find yourself besieged by auras–more common in PDH than in EDH–then <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hush" href="#" target="_blank">Hush</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> should address your concerns.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-13977" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Boardwipe-Spread.jpg" alt="" width="709" height="330" /></p>
<hr />
<h2>Checking Out - Nyx Weaver</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Nyx Weaver Dredge" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Nyx Weaver
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Augur of Skulls
*1 Caustic Caterpillar
*1 Crypt Rats
*1 Diligent Farmhand
*1 Dimir House Guard
*1 Elvish Aberration
*1 Golgari Brownscale
*1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
*1 Greater Mossdog
*1 Krosan Restorer
*1 Krosan Tusker
*1 Mold Shambler
*1 Moriok Replica
*1 Mournwhelk
*1 Pit Keeper
*1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
*1 Satyr Wayfinder
*1 Shambling Shell
*1 Spore Frog
*1 Stinkweed Imp
*1 Sylvok Replica
*1 Thrull Surgeon
*1 Tilling Treefolk
*1 Twisted Abomination
*1 Undergrowth Scavenger
*1 Vulturous Aven
*1 Wild Mongrel
*1 Yavimaya Elder
*1 Yavimaya Granger
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Golgari Signet
*1 Nihil Spellbomb
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Death&#039;s Approach
*1 Font of Return
*1 Lignify
*1 Pestilence
*1 Tortured Existence
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Altar&#039;s Reap
*1 Death Denied
*1 Death Rattle
*1 Ghastly Demise
*1 Gnaw to the Bone
*1 Gravepurge
*1 Grisly Salvage
*1 Merciless Resolve
*1 Nature&#039;s Claim
*1 Repopulate
*1 Scour from Existence
*1 Soulshriek
*1 Traitor&#039;s Clutch
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Disturbed Burial
*1 Drown in Filth
*1 Elven Cache
*1 Evincar&#039;s Justice
*1 Far Wanderings
*1 Hush
*1 Innocent Blood
*1 Morgue Theft
*1 Restless Dreams
*1 Sign in Blood
*1 Skulltap
*1 Stir the Grave
*1 Tasigur&#039;s Cruelty
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Bant Panorama
*1 Barren Moor
*1 Esper Panorama
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Golgari Guildgate
*1 Golgari Rot Farm
*1 Grixis Panorama
*1 Haunted Fengraf
*1 Jund Panorama
*1 Jungle Hollow
*1 Mortuary Mire
*1 Naya Panorama
*1 Polluted Mire
*1 Slippery Karst
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Tranquil Thicket
*1 Warped Landscape
*10 Swamp
*9 Forest
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<hr />
<h2>Broke from the Holidays?</h2>
<p>My gift to you this holiday season: a pair of fun decks in an odd little subformat. Composite Golem checks out for $14.00 by TCG Mid pricing, and Nyx Weaver checks out for $24.00. Here are the <a href="https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/lm023-composite-golem-zubera/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two</a> <a href="http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/lm023-nyx-weaver-dredge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decklists</a> on TappedOut. Care to chat about PDH, or share your own killer decks? Find me on <a href="https://twitter.com/Walking_Atlas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>, or shoot me an <a href="mailto:the.atlas.walks@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">email</a>. And, until next we meet, enjoy your time browsing the Low Market.</p>


pauper commander