<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Captive Audience" href="#" target="_blank">Captive Audience</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&amp;artist=[%22Dmitry%20Burmak%22]">Dmitry Burmak</a>)</h6>
<h1>Down With the Establishment!</h1>
<p>Hey everyone, Kya here once again! Welcome back to <em>Turning Data to Decks</em>, the series where we take a different dive into the EDHREC site from the typical norm.</p>
<p>Today we're going to stick it to the man! And by 'the man' I mean all those who like telling us that we have to abide by set norms in EDH! I'm sure you've run into them once or twice throughout your EDH experience. They want to impose their vision of how EDH 'should' be played and what belongs where. No more, I say! The true beauty of EDH is that it gives us countless more options in deckcrafting than in any other format available. If you limit yourself to just going with the set standard, you're missing out on some great experiences with yourself and with your various pods.</p>
<p>I have to say, when I was a newer player, the people who really stood out to me were the deckbuilders who made wonky decks that devastated the game. It was rarely the person who won the game that left an impression. A combo of two cards is sort of interesting, but also common. Someone who wins with 20 Clerics, though? Rare and memorable. For me, it was the person who created a goofball level of a board state and still won that impressed everyone in the room.</p>
<p>Sometimes it wasn't even the final play that started people talking. Sometimes it was just an interesting, subtle, or just plain different take on a preconceived archetype or color combination. For example, look at <a href="http://twitter.com/TheKristenEmily">Kristen's</a> newer article to see what she does to <a href="http://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2019/10/keeping-gameplay-fresh-in-commander/">keep EDH fresh</a> by shaking up what everyone is used to in the color green!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Rocking Rakdos</h2>
<p>In the spirit of rocking the establishment, we're going to shake up one of my favorite archetypes of EDH: we're going to make a Group Hug deck in Rakdos colors! Exciting, right? What other color combination is more perfect for rebelling against the general consensus? Most Group Hugs like to keep it neat in Bant colors, which makes Rakdos the perfect color combination to contrast it.</p>
<p>Now, I know what you're thinking: "Kya, there aren't enough Group Hug cards in black!" That's where you're wrong! We recently got some fun black cards that we can label as Group Hug!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Clackbridge Troll"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wishclaw Talisman"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scheming Symmetry"></div></div>
<p>Look at all these goodies! Black is finally starting to see their unique contribution to the theme. Sure, we always had cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maralen of the Mornsong" href="#" target="_blank">Maralen of the Mornsong</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but they were few and far between. Adding to the tutor list gives us one of the strongest methods of "hugging" in all the colors. Not only will anyone be immensely excited to get their own Wishclaw, but we can tutor for even more Hug cards... or for something far more deadly, if we wish!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Humble Defector"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Guild Feud"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Opulence"></div></div>
<p>Now for the surprisingly more difficult part: we've got to find some Group Hug in red. Where do we find such cards?</p>
<p>Well, a while back, <em>Wizards</em> made a four-color Group Hug commander that included red: our mighty Group Hug kings, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis" href="#" target="_blank">Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who can help us out of this jam. By looking up their <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/kynaios-and-tiro-of-meletis">EDHREC page</a>, we can find a few red cards that can help us out. Of course, that may not be enough, so let's click on some of those specific cards, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Humble Defector" href="#" target="_blank">Humble Defector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guild Feud" href="#" target="_blank">Guild Feud</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to see what synergies we can find on their <a href="https://edhrec.com/cards/humble-defector">pages</a>. Red only has a handful of Hug-ish cards, so we gotta dive deep into EDHREC and explore plenty of pages!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anvil of Bogardan"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Horn of Greed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Howling Mine"></div></div>
<p>The best thing about artifacts, of course, is that we usually don't have to worry about colors. We can look at the Kynaios and Tiro's page or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phelddagrif" href="#" target="_blank">Phelddagrif</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/phelddagrif">page</a> to find a giant assortment of artifacts that will assist with our Group Hug. It's like color doesn't even matter, right? Don't forget to check out the <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/group-hug">Group Hug Theme section</a> for anything else you could be missing.</p>
<hr />
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/124f23da965dcace5fa78ea6b1c54f62.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40659" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/124f23da965dcace5fa78ea6b1c54f62.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="287" /></a></p>
<h2>"I'm Helping!"</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Havoc Festival"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Last One Standing"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sire of Insanity"></div></div>
<p>Let's find some unique Rakdos cards to add to our list. What's the point of Group Hug again, readers? To help out the rest of the table, of course! At the end of the day, everyone's goal is to try and win the game and/or stop the other players from doing so. Let's help them do exactly that!</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Havoc Festival" href="#" target="_blank">Havoc Festival</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great way to help everyone lower everyone else's life to make them easier to finish off. Does that blue player have too many cards in their hand? Let's help everyone out by throwing down a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sire of Insanity" href="#" target="_blank">Sire of Insanity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! See, we're helping! Oh, oops... looks like everyone else lost their hand too. Well, it's not fair for them to be selfish and expect that we'll only target one person anyway! We've got a lot of love to go around, and at the end of the day, we <em>did </em>stop one of their opponents from getting out of hand. What a perfect way to exemplify the Rakdos spirit: lavishing our love on our opponents by "accidentally" exploding a few caches of their resources now and then.</p>
<hr />
<h2>A Heartless Way to End the Game</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heartless Hidetsugu"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dictate of the Twin Gods"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overblaze"></div></div>
<p>Now for the wincon. After all, every sneaky Group Hug deck should have one. How do we end the game quickly and indiscriminately out of nowhere? We blow up the pod in a blaze of glory!</p>
<p>Yes, double the damage output from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heartless Hidetsugu" href="#" target="_blank">Heartless Hidetsugu</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with an effect like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dictate of the Twin Gods" href="#" target="_blank">Dictate of the Twin Gods</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and everyone goes boom! Finally, the true end worthy of a Group Hug deck. How do we get these pieces in our hand? Look at all the tutors we saw earlier! While our opponents are distracted and gathering their goodies, we're slowly gathering ours too! Isn't it brilliant? Assuming, of course, that they don't win before us. But that's why we play so many powerful equalizing effects, to keep them in line.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Sneaky Lady is Sneaky</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Xantcha, Sleeper Agent"></div></div>
<p>Oh, right! We need a commander worthy of our new Group Hug mantle! I completely forgot about that. Obviously we're going to try out Xantcha. Just look at her! The perfect way to tear down the establishment. She infiltrates the hearts of our victims - I mean, friends - and mollifies them with gifts. Plus, I don't have any female commanders at the moment, which is really odd, now that I think about it. You give Xantcha to someone else, which is an automatic hug. Then you let everyone at the table have the option to draw. Now no one should have issues with a poor hand!</p>
<p>Let's build this deck already!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Rocking Rakdos" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Xantcha, Sleeper Agent
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Heartless Hidetsugu
*1 Shah of Naar Isle
*1 Seizan, Perverter of Truth
*1 Wildfire Devils
*1 Humble Defector
*1 Stormfist Crusader
*1 Crypt Champion
*1 Neheb, Dreadhorde Champion
*1 Goblin Spymaster
*1 Sire of Insanity
*1 Crypt Ghast
*1 Magus of the Wheel
*1 Silent Arbiter
*1 Aether Membrane
*1 Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor
*1 Clackbridge Troll
*1 Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Endless Whispers
*1 Infernal Genesis
*1 Guild Feud
*1 Oath of Ghouls
*1 Vow of Malice
*1 Vow of Lightning
*1 Curse of Disturbance
*1 Mana Flare
*1 Painful Quandary
*1 Bitter Feud
*1 Havoc Festival
*1 Dictate of the Twin Gods
*1 Captive Audience
*1 Curse of Opulence
*1 Rite of the Raging Storm
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Red Elemental Blast
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Rakdos Charm
*1 Overblaze
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Khorvath&#039;s Fury
*1 Awaken the Erstwhile
*1 Dark Deal
*1 Last One Standing
*1 Burning Inquiry
*1 Scheming Symmetry
*1 Wheel of Fortune
*1 Dreadbore
*1 Gamble
*1 Faithless Looting
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Victory Chimes
*1 Horn of Greed
*1 Gate to the Aether
*1 Teferi&#039;s Puzzle Box
*1 Anvil of Bogardan
*1 Well of Knowledge
*1 Wishclaw Talisman
*1 Horn of Plenty
*1 Font of Mythos
*1 Rakdos Signet
*1 Crawlspace
*1 Pendant of Prosperity
*1 Howling Mine
*1 Temple Bell
*1 Ghirapur Orrery
*1 Heartstone
[/Artifacts]
[Lands]
*1 Command Tower
*1 Rainbow Vale
*1 Forbidden Orchard
*1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*16 Mountain
*15 Swamp
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p>Special thanks to many of my followers, such as <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveRaffle">@SteveRaffle</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Dinkerbob">@Dinkerbob</a> on Twitter; if you follow me on social media, you know I like to craft and discuss deck ideas before the full articles are published, so thanks to everyone for the amazing suggestions!</p>
<p>What did you think? Were we successful in our quest to make Rakdos Group Hug viable? I think it's kind of neat that it still fulfills the Hug requirements while adding in its own, darker twist. Not <em>quite </em>Group Slug, but enough to both giveth and taketh away! You can definitely mix some good ol' chaos in there as well, and still have it be thematic. You can also raise the bar and really add in some mean cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fate Unraveler" href="#" target="_blank">Fate Unraveler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if you really want to lean into the pain like Rakdos intended!</p>
<p>What sort of decks do you build that go against the norm? Anything that you'd want to see? Let me know in the comments and we might see something wild in my next article!</p>
<p>Until next time,</p>
<p>Kya</p>


Turning Data into Decks - Rocking with Rakdos

Conditions Allow - Rohgahh of Kher Keep

Replacement Commanders - Recurring Nightmares

Epic Experiment - Anje Living End

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kazarov, Sengir Pureblood" href="#" target="_blank">Kazarov, Sengir Pureblood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/igorkieryluk">Igor Kieryluk</a>)</h6>
<h1>Let the Hate Flow Through You</h1>
<p>Boy, howdy! Has it been two weeks already? That must mean it's time to read some <em>Forgotten Harvest</em>! This week, in our never-ending quest to highlight cards that see play in 300 decks or less on EDHREC, we're taking a look at the color pairing of black and red, otherwise known as Rakdos. For those of you unfamiliar, the following gif should help to clarify what it means to be Rakdos:</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-38450 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/tenor.gif" alt="" width="320" height="160" /></p>
<p>Looking through the Rakdos commanders, I came across this neglected fellow in need of some love. His name is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kazarov, Sengir Pureblood" href="#" target="_blank">Kazarov, Sengir Pureblood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and he only sees play in a measly 262 decks (both as commander and in the 99):</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kazarov, Sengir Pureblood"></div></div>
<p>Based on Kazarov's text box, we want this deck to do two things: deal lots of damage to our opponents' creatures, and clear a path for a supersized Kazarov to deal 21 to the dome. To achieve this, we'll need to supplement the deck with both enough mana ramp to support our expensive general and proper Equipment to protect him, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Greaves" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Greaves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and the like. Additionally, it'll be great to have some ways to give some creatures to our opponents, like with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hunted Horror" href="#" target="_blank">Hunted Horror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroan Horse" href="#" target="_blank">Akroan Horse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, so we always have something for Kazarov to bite.</p>
<p>But those cards are plenty popular. Let's get into some underplayed cards that could use more notoriety!</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Needlers</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fire Ants"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thrashing Wumpus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Subterranean Spirit"></div></div>
<p>First, let's look at some of the permanents that can repeatably ping opposing creatures. My favorite of them has to be <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire Ants" href="#" target="_blank">Fire Ants</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (59 decks). I love the imagery here of unleashing a swarm of bitey Insects to pester other creatures. Plus, the fact that the Ants don't damage themselves is a huge bonus.</p>
<p>The first walking <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pestilence" href="#" target="_blank">Pestilence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to be printed, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thrashing Wumpus" href="#" target="_blank">Thrashing Wumpus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives us exactly what we're looking for. It can function as a means to slowly ping creatures and build up Kazarov, but it can also be used to wipe the board should things begin to look hairy. It only sees play in 148 decks, but that number should be higher.</p>
<p>When working on this deck, I looked long and hard at creatures with protection from red and from black to help preserve the team while the rest of the board is soaking up all the untargeted damage. But I'll leave talk of protection to <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/author/elijah-klein/">Elijah</a> and his article today on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Earnest Fellowship" href="#" target="_blank">Earnest Fellowship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Instead, I'll only bring up <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Subterranean Spirit" href="#" target="_blank">Subterranean Spirit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. In just 35 decks, it's yet another wide pinger that, in this case, saves itself from all red damage.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Magmatic Core"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Circle of Flame"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Noxious Field"></div></div>
<p>I've talked about our next card in previous articles, and I'll continue to talk about it until its numbers increase from the paltry 20 decks that run it right now. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magmatic Core" href="#" target="_blank">Magmatic Core</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> needs your love, folks! It's a wonderful card that, when played right, can function as a repeatable one-sided board wipe. It fits perfectly into what Kazarov is trying to do. Pitter patter!</p>
<p>With this deck not always wanting to deal lethal damage to opposing creatures (if they die, then Kazarov can't get bigger until more hit the battlefield), it's tough to find a deterrent to keep opposing creatures from attacking. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Circle of Flame" href="#" target="_blank">Circle of Flame</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (281 decks) does a great job of that. It basically reads, "If you attack, Kazarov gets huge." Such a great deterrent.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Noxious Field" href="#" target="_blank">Noxious Field</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> plays much the same role as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire Ants" href="#" target="_blank">Fire Ants</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Subterranean Spirit" href="#" target="_blank">Subterranean Spirit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> do, laying out a fine layer of single-point damage on everything. This <em>Prophecy</em> card only sees play in 65 decks, but it offers this damage-dealing deck some excellent redundancy. Plus, all this damage won't kill off the land it enchants, making this a reliable source of damage.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Damage Done</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Widespread Brutality"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Slice and Dice"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wail of the Nim"></div></div>
<p>In addition to all of the options for repeatable damage sources, there are many instants and sorceries that help the cause, too. For instance, the recently printed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Widespread Brutality" href="#" target="_blank">Widespread Brutality</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is only seeing play in 104 decks, but it can cut a wide swath through each of the other creatures, making a token to boot. For me, this card feels undercosted for the ability, which is why I'm shocked it doesn't see more play.</p>
<p>Next up is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slice and Dice" href="#" target="_blank">Slice and Dice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from <em>Onslaught</em>. While I'll rarely play it for the full six mana, the <em>Cycling</em> effect is a great way to grow Kazarov while replacing itself, and all at instant speed. It only sees play in 203 decks, but it's a critical inclusion in this deck.</p>
<p>Another card with built-in versatility, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wail of the Nim" href="#" target="_blank">Wail of the Nim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can save our board from a wipe or pump up our Vampire commander. Ideally, it's going to do both every time thanks to <em>Entwine</em>. Given its 111 deck count on the site, it is a bit of a niche effect, but I'm always looking for an excuse to play it, and I'm happy to have one here.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Radiating Lightning"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Electrickery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Barrage of Boulders"></div></div>
<p>Moving into instants and sorceries also means that we can find options that only damage opposing creatures. For instance, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Radiating Lightning" href="#" target="_blank">Radiating Lightning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> throws some damage around on the opposing side of the field, both to a player and their creatures. It currently sees play in just 162 decks on EDHREC.</p>
<p>Instead of targeting a specific player, we could always try to hit everything, again at instant speed. For this, it doesn't get much better than an <em>Overload</em>ed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Electrickery" href="#" target="_blank">Electrickery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Appearing in 226 decks, this instant can be a great combat trick to jump an unblocked Kazarov to lethal quite unexpectedly.</p>
<p>The king of these damage spells for Kazarov has to be <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cosmotronic Wave" href="#" target="_blank">Cosmotronic Wave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Dealing damage across the board to opposing creatures AND ensuring that Kazarov is going to go unblocked is the dream! Sadly, it sees play in 316 decks, which is 16 too many decks to meet my super-scientific requirements. However, its cousin, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Barrage of Boulders" href="#" target="_blank">Barrage of Boulders</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, clocks in at 173 decks, so I can talk about that instead! For one less mana, we see the same damage to all opposing creatures, with a <em>Ferocious </em>rider that prevents creatures form blocking. Kazaorv will definitely qualify for that rider!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Damage Utility</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Frilled Deathspitter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shield of the Realm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unstable Footing"></div></div>
<p>There are a few other cards that don't quite fit in under the categories above, but will still help get our Kazarov big and unblockable. The first of these is features an entire mechanic that's built around similar concept: <em>Enrage</em> fits this deck's theme quite well, turning minor bits of damage to our creatures into big effects. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Frilled Deathspitter" href="#" target="_blank">Frilled Deathspitter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great prehistoric example of this, and sees play in only 286 decks. Adding on two extra damage to all these spells and effects is certainly going to add up over time.</p>
<p>With all this global damage floating around, it may become necessary to prevent that damage to one of our own utility creatures. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shield of the Realm" href="#" target="_blank">Shield of the Realm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (161 decks) can certainly help with that. This is one of those cards that I'm shocked doesn't see more play; it has such a wide variety of applications, and its usefulness in Equipment decks alone should have those numbers spiking.</p>
<p>There are other times, however, when you're going to want to make sure your damage gets through. For those moments, there's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unstable Footing" href="#" target="_blank">Unstable Footing</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, played in 119 decks on the site. I prefer this option over something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Everlasting Torment" href="#" target="_blank">Everlasting Torment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as I want to have control over when damage can and can't be dealt. Plus, <em>Wither</em> will lead to the death of opposing creatures. That being said, we don't want them dying, necessarily, just neutralized.</p>
<p>How about we snag a peek at the full decklist?</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Kazarov Damages Everything" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards=""></span></div></p>
<p>[Commander]<br />
*1 Kazarov, Sengir Pureblood<br />
[/Commander]</p>
<p>[Creatures]<br />
*1 Hunted Horror<br />
*1 Burnished Hart<br />
*1 Fire Ants<br />
*1 Frilled Deathspitter<br />
*1 Goblin Spymaster<br />
*1 Plague Spitter<br />
*1 Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor<br />
*1 Akroan Horse<br />
*1 Rakdos, Lord of Riots<br />
*1 Sangromancer<br />
*1 Solemn Simulacrum<br />
*1 Hunted Dragon<br />
*1 Kulrath Knight<br />
*1 Subterranean Spirit<br />
*1 Thrashing Wumpus<br />
*1 Harvester of Souls<br />
*1 Mephidross Vampire<br />
*1 Silverclad Ferocidons<br />
[/Creatures]</p>
<p>[Instants]<br />
*1 Electrickery<br />
*1 Unstable Footing<br />
*1 Magmaquake<br />
*1 Terminate<br />
*1 Arcbond<br />
*1 Bedevil<br />
*1 Chaos Warp<br />
*1 Wail of the Nim<br />
*1 Radiating Lightning<br />
[/Instants]</p>
<p>[Sorceries]<br />
*1 Blazing Volley<br />
*1 Vandalblast<br />
*1 Demonic Tutor<br />
*1 Mire in Misery<br />
*1 Barrage of Boulders<br />
*1 Cosmotronic Wave<br />
*1 Widespread Brutality<br />
*1 Slice and Dice<br />
[/Sorceries]</p>
<p>[Artifacts]<br />
*1 Basilisk Collar<br />
*1 Blade of the Bloodchief<br />
*1 Sol Ring<br />
*1 Wayfarer's Bauble<br />
*1 Dowsing Dagger<br />
*1 Lightning Greaves<br />
*1 Rakdos Signet<br />
*1 Shield of the Realm<br />
*1 Tablet of the Guilds<br />
*1 Caltrops<br />
*1 Chromatic Lantern<br />
*1 Commander's Sphere<br />
*1 Loxodon Warhammer<br />
*1 Pristine Talisman<br />
[/Artifacts]</p>
<p>[Enchantments]<br />
*1 Vampiric Link<br />
*1 Circle of Flame<br />
*1 Dragon Shadow<br />
*1 Eternal Thirst<br />
*1 Phyresis<br />
*1 Dauthi Embrace<br />
*1 Noxious Field<br />
*1 Endless Whispers<br />
*1 Magmatic Core<br />
*1 Pestilence<br />
*1 Pyrohemia<br />
[/Enchantments]</p>
<p>[Lands]<br />
*1 Blood Crypt<br />
*1 Bloodstained Mire<br />
*1 Command Tower<br />
*1 Desert<br />
*1 Dragonskull Summit<br />
*1 Forbidden Orchard<br />
*1 Graven Cairns<br />
*1 Luxury Suite<br />
*14 Mountain<br />
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx<br />
*1 Rogue's Passage<br />
*1 Smoldering Marsh<br />
*11 Swamp<br />
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth<br />
[/Lands]</p>
<p>[/Deck]</p>

<hr />
<h2>Damage Assessment</h2>
<p>That about does it for Kazarov and his mighty damage-makers. What did you think of the article? Any questions, comments, or snide remarks? If so, leave them in the comments below. I'll be down there to rant and rave yet again about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magmatic Core" href="#" target="_blank">Magmatic Core</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or about how I included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in this deck, but failed to talk about it in the article. Are there any neglected commanders or cards you'd like me to talk about? So long as they see play in 300 decks or less on the site, I'm game to write about them. See you next time!</p>


Forgotten Harvest - Kazarov Damages Everything

Ultra Budget Brews - C19 Merciless Rage Upgrade

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana&#039;s Contract" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana&#039;s Contract</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiuwpz5srDjAhVWGs0KHdBEAuAQFjAAegQIARAB&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.artstation.com%2Fdeharme&amp;usg=AOvVaw0EXdkC7o5JkBbhSGEwaBqQ">Bastien L. Deharme</a>)</h6>
<h1>Burning the Table in Demonic Flames!</h1>
<p>It feels like it's been so long, but once again, we are reunited, Commander faithful! Welcome to this week’s edition of <i>Uncommonders</i>, the series that explores underappreciated commanders printed at the uncommon level. My name is Seth Cross and if I can tell you a little secret, I would tell you that I am normally not the kind of player that enjoys “chaos” cards. It's therefore going to be awkward when I tell you about the deck today, led by none other than a blast from <i>Magic: the Gathering</i><em>’s</em> past, the one and only…</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Boris Devilboon</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boris Devilboon"></div></div></p>
<p>Look, I know what you're thinking right now. You're right, the first thought most people get when seeing Boris is not “chaos” deck. If we look at the EDHREC page for Boris, we would see the makings of a Demons and Devil deck, in dual tribal synergy.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-36143 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Devils.png" alt="" width="700" height="391" /></p>
<p>While that does seem fun for the right table, I've done tribal builds before and I was ultimately uninterested. I briefly considered a Rakdos “punisher” or “group slug” deck with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Polluted Bonds" href="#" target="_blank">Polluted Bonds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aether Flash" href="#" target="_blank">Aether Flash</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but then a random thought struck me that hearkened back to the days when I played <i>Dungeons and Dragons</i><em>:</em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Demons. Are. Chaotic. Evil.</p>
<p>Naturally, this led me to a crazy idea to build a chaos deck, true to the theme of Demons and demonic energy. Plus, well, chaos decks are evil, so I've that part of the alignment covered, too. In the end, I did include some punisher-style cards, but mainly because they felt “chaotic” and “evil” enough to fit the theme. Of course, some of them just felt evil, and in a deck like this, that's good enough for me. I also threw in a fun, janky wincon into the deck that I've been hoping to pull off for some time now. Let's check it out.</p>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Harness the Chaos</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gamble"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rakdos, the Showstopper"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boompile"></div></div></p>
<p>When I think of chaos decks, some of the first cards that come to mind are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Possibility Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Possibility Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thieves’ Auction" href="#" target="_blank">Thieves’ Auction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and my personal pet peeve, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warp World" href="#" target="_blank">Warp World</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. With a token generator in the command zone, I reluctantly do think <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warp World" href="#" target="_blank">Warp World</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a good addition to the deck, but the other cards are not necessarily the kind of chaos I want to embrace. I want cards that are going to work more for us than they'll work just randomly for everyone. Thus, my first thoughts were cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stolen Strategy" href="#" target="_blank">Stolen Strategy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gamble" href="#" target="_blank">Gamble</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and we can't have a chaos deck without <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chaos Warp" href="#" target="_blank">Chaos Warp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Creepy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Creepy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes for a good blocker that will basically have occasional deathtouch. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boompile" href="#" target="_blank">Boompile</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rakdos, the Showstopper" href="#" target="_blank">Rakdos, the Showstopper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are each wrath effects whose efficacy is dependent on the flip of a coin (or two, or five, or seventeen). Finally, I haven't made a deck recently that felt like a good spot for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chaos Wand" href="#" target="_blank">Chaos Wand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> despite really enjoying the flavor of the card, so I was happy to slot one in for this deck.</p>
<p>At this point, we should note that many of our cards are dependent on flipping one or more coins, so I included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark’s Thumb" href="#" target="_blank">Krark’s Thumb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to ensure that the odds are ever in our favor. For the sake of having more ways to get the Thumb into play, I figured a couple more tutors to go with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gamble" href="#" target="_blank">Gamble</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would be a good idea. Again, for the sake of theme, I chose <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diabolic Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Diabolic Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demonic Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Demonic Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Taking further advantage of our commander, who provides us with token bodies, I also added <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> because I love my redundancy!</p>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Punishing the Sinners</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kaervek the Merciless"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seizan, Perverter of Truth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ob Nixilis, Unshackled"></div></div></p>
<p>“Group slug” cards deal damage or negatively affect each player in the game. An infamous group slug card is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zo-Zu the Punisher" href="#" target="_blank">Zo-Zu the Punisher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; if someone plays a land, they get “slugged” by taking damage. These kinds of effects can speed the game up, especially if left unchecked. They have some overlap with “punisher” cards, where opponents are forced to choose their terrible fate. Take, for example, the recent <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Captive Audience" href="#" target="_blank">Captive Audience</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, where the chosen player must make horrible decisions once a turn unless they can remove the enchantment. Other good examples include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Risk Factor" href="#" target="_blank">Risk Factor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and another pet peeve card of mine, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Torment of Hailfire" href="#" target="_blank">Torment of Hailfire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (though that was a little too much of a 'big mana' to fit into this particular deck).</p>
<p>In addition to the cards above, I like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Polluted Bonds" href="#" target="_blank">Polluted Bonds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kaervek the Merciless" href="#" target="_blank">Kaervek the Merciless</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to slug it out with the table in this deck. This is more of a meta call, but if there are many tutors happening in your games, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ob Nixilis, Unshackled" href="#" target="_blank">Ob Nixilis, Unshackled</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be a great way to balance the scales, while also being another Demon in our nightmare army. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seizan, Perverter of Truth" href="#" target="_blank">Seizan, Perverter of Truth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a unique slug card that sometimes gets left alone because people like the extra card advantage, even when it comes at a price.</p>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">A Demonic Pact</h3>
<p>Earlier in the article, I mentioned there was a somewhat janky wincon that I have been hoping to pull off. Are you ready for it? Because here it is! We're going to win the game by signing a simple, legal, binding document: a contract!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liliana’s Contract"></div></div></p>
<p>The Vorthos in me is in love with this card! My only regret is that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Griselbrand" href="#" target="_blank">Griselbrand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is banned, so there is no way to ever win a game with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana, Heretical Healer" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana, Heretical Healer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck that has a Contract in it with her four Demon patrons. Here, we still plan on casting multiple Demons, and we even get an easy one by making the Demon Minion token from Boris. The hardest part will be protecting Contract until our next upkeep, so I ran some tricky cards that might help us pull it off. With <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emergence Zone" href="#" target="_blank">Emergence Zone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from <i>War of the Spark</i>, we have a one-turn chance to flash the Contract in, but I also ran <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vedalken Orrery" href="#" target="_blank">Vedalken Orrery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a more resilient means of doing it. My greatest joy is flashing Contract in at the end of the turn before ours when we have four Demons on the battlefield and winning the game out of nowhere!</p>
<p>As always, throw in some demonic ramp, diabolic card advantage, and evil Wrath effects, and the deck looks like this:</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Boris and the Bad Demon Boys" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Boris Devilboon
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*1 Abhorrent Overlord
*1 Bloodgift Demon
*1 Burnished Hart
*1 Charmbreaker Devils
*1 Creepy Doll
*1 Crypt Ghast
*1 Goblin Engineer
*1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
*1 Grim Haruspex
*1 Harvester of Souls
*1 Kaervek the Merciless
*1 Krav, the Unredeemed
*1 Ob Nixilis, Unshackled
*1 Overseer of the Damned
*1 Rakdos, the Showstopper
*1 Rune-Scarred Demon
*1 Seizan, Perverter of Truth
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Zo-Zu the Punisher
[/Creature]
[Artifact]
*1 Boompile
*1 Chaos Wand
*1 Commander&#039;s Sphere
*1 Gilded Lotus
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Jet Medallion
*1 Krark&#039;s Thumb
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Rakdos Signet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Indulgence
*1 Teferi&#039;s Puzzle Box
*1 Unstable Obelisk
*1 Vedalken Orrery
*1 Worn Powerstone
[/Artifact]
[Sorcery]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Damnation
*1 Demonic Tutor
*1 Diabolic Intent
*1 Diabolic Tutor
*1 Disrupt Decorum
*1 Gamble
*1 Read the Bones
*1 Reforge the Soul
*1 Sign in Blood
*1 Vandalblast
*1 Warp World
[/Sorcery]
[Enchantment]
*1 Arguel&#039;s Blood Fast
*1 Captive Audience
*1 Liliana&#039;s Contract
*1 Mirror March
*1 Phyrexian Arena
*1 Polluted Bonds
*1 Stolen Strategy
*1 Sunbird&#039;s Invocation
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*1 Bedevil
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Hero&#039;s Downfall
*1 Murder
*1 Risk Factor
*1 Wild Ricochet
[/Instant]
[Land]
*1 Barren Moor
*1 Blood Crypt
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Cabal Coffers
*1 Canyon Slough
*1 Command Tower
*1 Emergence Zone
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Forgotten Cave
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Ghost Quarter
*8 Mountain
*1 Rakdos Carnarium
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Strip Mine
*10 Swamp
*1 Temple of Malice
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*1 Volrath&#039;s Stronghold
[/land]"></span></div><br />
</p>
<hr />
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">From Demons to Devils?</h3>
<p>The last <i>Uncommonders</i> was based on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Danitha Capashen, Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Danitha Capashen, Paragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and a bunch of other chivalrous equestrian enthusiasts recreating <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/uncommonders-knights-of-the-round-table/">Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table</a>. Folks seemed to love the idea, and several of you pitched so many great ideas about Camelot-like connections that I either completely missed or was unsure of adding in the first place. Some people even had cool ideas for more decks based on different crazy themes! One of those ideas came from George Frey in the <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/uncommonders-knights-of-the-round-table/">comments of the article</a>, who wrote:</p>
<blockquote><p>I'm curious as to what you can come up with for a "The Golden Army" style deck going with Golem tribal and using cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Golden Guardian" href="#" target="_blank">Golden Guardian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Golem Foundry" href="#" target="_blank">Golem Foundry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Titan Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Titan Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to make a massive never-ending army.</p></blockquote>
<p>I am a huge fan of the Hellboy movies, with Hellboy II: The Golden Army being my favorite of the two. I would love to do something like this in the future! Maybe it could even be a series, basing decks around movies, books, etc. Tackling big ones like The Lord of the Rings or maybe even comic books like the Avengers or the X-Men would be both stressful and exciting at the same time!</p>
<p>We are still stomping toward the end of the <i>Uncommonders</i> series. Each article makes me more excited to reach the end of such a huge project and I hope it's been as much for all of you as it has been for me. We're heading back to <i>Dominaria</i> for the next article, and after that we may very well be seeing some more <i>Replacement Commanders</i><em>!</em> If you enjoy my takes on <em>Magic</em> and <em>Commander</em> and want to discuss in the meantime, feel free to <a href="https://www.twitter.com/DM_Cross">find me on Twitter</a>. You can also see more of my shenanigans via the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/praetormagic">Praetor Magic YouTube channel</a>, both for videos and weekly streams! And if you want to join our community, head over to the public <a href="https://discord.gg/CrNHmTE">Praetor Magic Discord server</a>! But until next time, everyone, you know what to do…</p>
<p>Keep (randomly) droppin’ bombs!</p>


Uncommonders - Demons, Deals, and Danger!

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Olivia, Mobilized for War" href="#" target="_blank">Olivia, Mobilized for War</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.ericdeschamps.com/">Eric Deschamps</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p> <span id="m_7985745279735501680gmail-docs-internal-guid-971aaafd-7fff-35c2-bef7-2bbb00875c9e">Hello, EDHREC! I’m Bernardo Melibeu and this is <em>Epic Experiment,</em> a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally play our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.</span></p>
<p> In this article, we'll be exploring the second appearance of Olivia Voldaren, a card that has a very powerful effect, but it got outshined by the release of Edgar Markov: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Olivia, Mobilized for War" href="#" target="_blank">Olivia, Mobilized for War</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p> Let's start by taking a quick look at her kit:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Olivia, Mobilized for War"></div></div>
<p> <strong>Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may discard a card. If you do put a +1/+1 counter on that creature, it gains haste until the end of turn, and it becomes a Vampire in addition to its other types.</strong></p>
<p> Observation 1: She's kind of funny, because with that kind of ability (granting +1/+1) one would expect her to be good in go-wide strategies. In fact, it's the opposite, since we probably won't be able to discard cards for every creature we play. She really cares about card quality.</p>
<p> Observation 2: She's decent as a <em>Dredge</em> support; she can have all the black graveyard goodies with the explosive red enablers.</p>
<p> Observation 3: She's interesting as a tribal lord because, while she can give some extra power to her tribe, she benefits non-Vampires even more! Her contribution to the tribe is the ability to add other quality cards while still garnering tribal bonuses.</p>
<hr />
<h1>The Old Formula</h1>
<p>With that in mind, let’s see how this vampire queen is usually built:</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-31914" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Olivia-Top.png" alt="" width="688" height="360" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-31913" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Olivia-Sig.png" alt="" width="695" height="355" /></p>
<p>It's not a complete shock that most of her cards are Vampires. If we delve a little deeper, we can see a trend that distinguishes her from other Vampire commanders: the discard/<em>Madness</em> theme. Both enablers and payoffs are heavily represented in those lists.</p>
<hr />
<h1>The Epic Ingredients</h1>
<p>It's gonna sound obvious, but outside of Vampire tribal, there are two main advantages to using her as a commander: haste enabler and +1/+1 counters. It seems simple enough, but the key here is finding a shell that cares about both of them. We need to see past our Rakdos color identity and take a glimpse into the future, where machines dominate and there's almost no need for colored mana.</p>
<p>We're building an artifact deck!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arcbound Ravager"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hangarback Walker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Animation Module"></div></div>
<p>Artifact creatures are naturally drawn into counters, as with the ability <em>Modular,</em> or simply by gaining counters when entering the battlefield, and because of that, many of them have ways to use those counters to our advantage. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcbound Ravager" href="#" target="_blank">Arcbound Ravager</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcbound Crusher" href="#" target="_blank">Arcbound Crusher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Steel Overseer" href="#" target="_blank">Steel Overseer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are efficient ways to gain a large amount of counters. When combined with the <em>Proliferate</em> support of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Throne of Geth" href="#" target="_blank">Throne of Geth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Clasp" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Clasp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> we get an efficient engine that cranks up the power of cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hangarback Walker" href="#" target="_blank">Hangarback Walker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Walking Ballista" href="#" target="_blank">Walking Ballista</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and even the unexpected <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherborn Marauder" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherborn Marauder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to the maximum.</p>
<p>Another selling point into building an artifact-based deck is the access to some of the best artifact reanimation packages. By combining both black generic reanimation spells with red artifact-specific ones. This let us get back some of the cards that we'll eventually lose both with Olivia discarding and by sacrificing ourselves to gain more value, making it a quasi-Golgari playstyle.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Victimize" href="#" target="_blank">Victimize</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trash for Treasure" href="#" target="_blank">Trash for Treasure</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrap Mastery" href="#" target="_blank">Scrap Mastery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are highly efficient one-shot effects that provide some explosiveness, since they are cheaper and faster than the recurring abilities like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Welder" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Welder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daretti, Scrap Savant" href="#" target="_blank">Daretti, Scrap Savant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bomat Courier" href="#" target="_blank">Bomat Courier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Retriever" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Retriever</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hangarback Walker" href="#" target="_blank">Hangarback Walker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are great early game plays that give us value when they die. Same with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wurmcoil Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Wurmcoil Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duplicant" href="#" target="_blank">Duplicant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triskelion" href="#" target="_blank">Triskelion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as they provide value when entering and leaving the battlefield, but, because of their high CMC, they are usually discarded early to fuel Olivia's ability.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrap Mastery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Welder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Victimize"></div></div>
<p>One of this deck's biggest weakness is running low on cards, which makes having a strong card advantage package one of the keys to our success. We already covered using recursion as a way to recoup some of the losses, but let's also acknowledge the raw card draw spells available to us.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daredevil Dragster" href="#" target="_blank">Daredevil Dragster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an aggro card that net us two cards, and we can even get it back multiple times for more value. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is very strong in this deck, as we play somewhat as an aristocrats strategy and we're counting on losing a few creatures. <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> isn't a powerhouse, but a reliable source of cards is difficult to say 'no' to. Finally, we also have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reforge the Soul" href="#" target="_blank">Reforge the Soul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wheel of Fate" href="#" target="_blank">Wheel of Fate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, cards that do basically everything we'd like a card draw spell to do, both putting old cards in our graveyard and drawing us new cards.</p>
<hr />
<h1>The Mixture</h1>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Olivia Affinity" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Olivia, Mobilized for War
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Hangarback Walker
*Walking Ballista
*Arcbound Worker
*Bomat Courier
*Goblin Welder
*Sparring Construct
*Arcbound Ravager
*Arcbound Stinger
*Epochrasite
*Myr Retriever
*Steel Overseer
*Chief of the Foundry
*Foundry Inspector
*Quicksmith Genius
*Scarecrone
*Scrap Trawler
*Shimmer Myr
*Thopter Engineer
*Aetherborn Marauder
*Arcbound Crusher
*Arcbound Reclaimer
*Traxos, Scourge of Kroog
*Kuldotha Forgemaster
*Thopter Squadron
*Duplicant
*Hellkite Tyrant
*Triskelion
*Wurmcoil Engine
*Meteor Golem
[/Creature]
[Artifact]
*Everflowing Chalice
*Animation Module
*Skullclamp
*Sol Ring
*Universal Solvent
*Contagion Clasp
*Cranial Plating
*Fellwar Stone
*Mind Stone
*Rakdos Signet
*Talisman of indulgence
*Throne of Geth
*Commander&#039;s Sphere
*Daredevil Dragster
*Worn Powerstone
*Hedron Archive
*Thran Dynamo
*Contagion Engine
*Spine of Ish Sah
[/Artifact]
[Sorcery]
*Wheel of Fate
*Vandalblast
*Diabolic Intent
*Trash for Treasure
*Victimize
*Damnation
*Reforge the Soul
*Scrap Mastery
*All Is Dust
[/Sorcery]
[Instant]
*Terminate
*Bedevil
*Chaos Warp
[/Instant]
[Enchantment]
*Phyrexian Reclamation
*Phyrexian Arena
*Pia&#039;s Revolution
[/Enchantment]
[Planeswalker]
*Daretti, Scrap Savant
[/Planeswalker]
[Land]
*Command Tower
*Blood Crypt
*Smoldering Marsh
*Canyon Slough
*Bloodstained Mire
*Polluted Delta
*Wooded Foothills
*Dragonskull Summit
*Foreboding Ruins
*Luxury Suite
*Graven Cairns
*Exotic Orchard
*Sulfurous Springs
*Spire of Industry
*Temple of Malice
*Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*Bojuka Bog
*Great Furnace
*Vault of Whispers
*Ghost Quarter
*Tectonic Edge
*Ruins of Oran-Rief
*Inventors&#039; Fair
*Buried Ruin
*Darksteel Citadel
*5Mountain
*5 Swamp
[/Land]"></span></div><br />
</p>
<p>The list, while not the most competitive, is very well-rounded and it doesn't lack anything particular. Our ramp is strong because we can get full value from colorless mana rocks, and our removal is flexible, ranging from some of the Rakdos staples to artifact-based permanent destruction, which we can recur, if needed. While we're only playing two board wipes, they're very powerful: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Damnation" href="#" target="_blank">Damnation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is a no-nonsense version of this effect, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="All is Dust" href="#" target="_blank">All is Dust</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is very often is a asymmetrical effect.</p>
<p>Aside from all the synergy we have, there are two cards worth mentioning: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Traxos, Scourge of Kroog" href="#" target="_blank">Traxos, Scourge of Kroog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hellkite Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Hellkite Tyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Both of those are just in for the ride and provide a very valuable contribution as a simple threat that doesn't really care about having support, which is something very crucial for when everything else fails.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Traxos, Scourge of Kroog"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hellkite Tyrant"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>This is an aggro deck, and as such we need a low curve to make it work, prioritizing hands with that have some sort of game plan. 2-3 lands, a mana rock, and some small creatures is a good start, but there'll be some hands that won't get us anywhere simply because of the lack of card draw.</p>
<p>In the early game we need to plan our curve carefully. It's important to know when to discard cards to Olivia's ability, since this is the point of the game where we are more restricted in mana and, at the same time, have a higher amount of cards in hand. Discarding to many cards without thinking is a sure way to be <em>Hellbent</em> by the mid game.</p>
<p>The mid game starts to become uphill battle where we can either hit or miss, but in these deck's case we still have lots of explosive draws either by assembling some engine or by drawing wheels and getting a reset from there. It's important to know which threats to prioritize when powering up our creatures with counters. This is where having basically an entire board of artifacts really starts to become a liability, as we're vulnerable to random <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vandalblast" href="#" target="_blank">Vandalblast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s and Wraths.</p>
<p>Our late game will depend on how many cards we actually got to see (via drawing, looting, etc). This means if we can establish the engine, it's very hard to truly keep us down, but on the other hand, if we are stuck with the same parts for too long, our deck will not go off. This point in the game our "isolated" threats can shine, and Olivia's haste is going to be crucial, so knowing when to hold cards is also something worth learning.</p>
<hr />
<h1>Epic Results</h1>
<p>Looking back at this list there are some changes that could be made to better suit other playstyles.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Faithless Looting"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Forge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eldrazi Monument"></div></div>
<p>Adding powerful looting spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faithless Looting" href="#" target="_blank">Faithless Looting</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tormeting Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Tormeting Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cathartic Reunion" href="#" target="_blank">Cathartic Reunion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help alleviate some of the need for fresh cards. Just be careful with those cards when <em>Hellbent</em>. If going this route, adding more reanimation spells and targets would be also a good change; this deck is effectively an artifact reanimator deck, abusing Olivia's ability to both fuel graveyards and give haste to reanimation targets, which means there's always room to lean more into that strategy.</p>
<p>If board wipes are predominant, adding <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eldrazi Monument" href="#" target="_blank">Eldrazi Monument</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might prove useful.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think about this "modern" (wink, wink) take on Olivia? Please fell free to leave any suggestions in the comments section. Do you have any questions about the list? Which cards did you like? Which didn’t you? Was the <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know!</p>


rakdos