<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gyome, Master Chef" href="#" target="_blank">Gyome, Master Chef</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art By <a href="https://www.originalmagicart.store/collections/steve-prescott">Steve Prescott</a>)</h6>
<h1 style="text-align: left;">Discussion Over Dinner</h1>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gyome, Master Chef" href="#" target="_blank">Gyome, Master Chef</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the best black green politics commander, and lifegain/artifact builds have been holding him back. Despite popularity for meme flavor builds, Gyome isn't particularly powerful. There were 13 new legendaries that create Food tokens printed in <em>The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth </em>(LOTR). These new commanders have somewhat diminished the novelty of Food decks and the cards that support them. This further reduces the reason to build Gyome for its unique niche and look for something better instead.</p>
<p>For those on the fence, I want you to give Gyome another look. While most build Gyome to abuse his end step trigger (a trigger now outclassed by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Samwise Gamgee" href="#" target="_blank">Samwise Gamgee</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), this build focuses on Gyome's activated ability. There's no exaggeration when I say Gyome has the most versatile activated ability in the format.</p>
<p>Let me explain.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gyome, Master Chef"></div></div>
<p>The ability is deceptively simple. It reads:</p>
<p>Pay 1, Sacrifice a Food: Target creature gains indestructible until end of turn. Tap it.</p>
<p>This is reminiscent of Regenerate. Likely, this is specifically referencing other Trolls getting Regenerate. Gyome's activated ability is much more open-ended and can benefit you in several ways. You can:</p>
<ol>
<li>Protect your creature from removal</li>
<li>Stop an opponent's creature from blocking</li>
<li>Prevent your attacking creature from dying in combat</li>
<li>Prevent your blocking creature from dying in combat</li>
<li>Interfere with a creature's tap ability</li>
<li>Prevent an opponent's creature from attacking</li>
<li>Safely trigger effects like <em>Inspired</em></li>
</ol>
<p>Most decks use this ability to protect their own game plan. This build uses it as political leverage, effectively doubling its use cases/value. Of course, Commander is a game of value. There's nothing better than being able to leverage player actions for a few carefully placed ability words.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Gyome Politics" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander] *1 Gyome, Master Chef [/Commander] [Creatures] *1 Academy Manufactor *1 Beast Whisperer *1 Birds of Paradise *1 Blossoming Bogbeast *1 Caustic Caterpillar *1 Disciple of the Vault *1 Dockside Chef *1 Elanor Gardner *1 Elves of Deep Shadow *1 Elvish Mystic *1 Farhaven Elf *1 Fyndhorn Elves *1 Gilded Goose *1 Gingerbrute *1 Gollum, Scheming Guide *1 Haywire Mite *1 Heartwood Storyteller *1 Horobi, Death&#039;s Wail *1 Jaheira, Friend of the Forest *1 Kaervek, the Spiteful *1 Keen Duelist *1 King Macar, the Gold-Cursed *1 Llanowar Elves *1 Manglehorn *1 Masked Vandal *1 Massacre Wurm *1 Meriadoc Brandybuck *1 Motivated Pony *1 Nullmage Advocate *1 Pain Seer *1 Peregrin Took *1 Pippin, Warden of Isengard *1 Reassembling Skeleton *1 Reclamation Sage *1 Rhonas the Indomitable *1 Rug of Smothering *1 Runic Armasaur *1 Sakura-Tribe Elder *1 Sarinth Steelseeker *1 Savvy Hunter *1 Silversmote Ghoul *1 Skullwinder *1 Thrashing Wumpus *1 Tireless Provisioner *1 Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root *1 Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire *1 Vhati il-Dal *1 Wandering Archaic // Explore the Vastlands [/Creatures] [Artifacts] *1 Coercive Portal *1 Idol of Oblivion *1 Nevinyrral&#039;s Disk *1 Victory Chimes *1 Wishclaw Talisman *1 Worldslayer [/Artifacts] [Instants] *1 Assassin&#039;s Trophy *1 Berserk *1 Heroic Intervention *1 Tainted Strike [/Instants] [Sorceries] *1 Revive the Shire *1 Scheming Symmetry [/Sorceries] [Enchantments] *1 Trail of Crumbs *1 Viridian Revel [/Enchantments] [Lands] *1 Arcane Lighthouse *1 Bojuka Bog *1 Command Tower *1 Field of Ruin *16 Forest *1 Ghost Quarter *1 Gingerbread Cabin *1 Golgari Rot Farm *1 High Market *1 Llanowar Wastes *1 Maze of Ith *9 Swamp *1 Temple of Malady *1 The Shire [/Lands]"></span></div>   </p>
<h2>Threat of Snacktivation</h2>
<p>Say Opponent One is ready to attack with something scary. Let's say <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blightsteel Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Blightsteel Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in this case. As a Gyome player, it takes three words to launch your game plan.</p>
<p>"Before you declare attackers..."</p>
<p>You have to act <em>now</em> because after someone declares attackers, Gyome can't prevent the swing. You need to make it very clear to your opponent you can activate Gyome to stop <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blightsteel Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Blightsteel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from coming your way.</p>
<p>But you don't want to have to do that, and neither does Opponent One. They'll want to get a swing in, or at least keep a scary blocker. As the Gyome player and experienced politician, you have a solution that works for both of you.</p>
<p>You and Opponent One agree they should swing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blightsteel Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Blightsteel Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> at Opponent Two.</p>
<p>If all goes well, Opponent Two dies to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blightsteel Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Blightsteel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Without Opponent One knowing it, you've effectively goaded their <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blightsteel Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Blightsteel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for free. Not one mana nor one card spent. Who says <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Disrupt Decorum" href="#" target="_blank">politics and dinner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> don't mix?</p>
<h2>Talking is a Free Action</h2>
<p>As the Gyome player, you're playing a fifth dimensional value game. You should be looking for opportunities to change the tide of battle. Your turn will be spent playing a few value pieces then ending by leaving mana open and a few Food tokens laying around. You then start making plays during your opponent's turns:</p>
<ul>
<li>Offer to save your opponent's commander from a board wipe.</li>
<li>Offer to take out a blocker for an opponent.</li>
<li>Offer to change the outcome of a combat step gone sour.</li>
</ul>
<p>Of course, there's no free lunch, but there <em>is</em> still plenty you could ask for to keep an opponent's game plan on track:</p>
<ul>
<li>Ask for "immunity", where the opponent promises not to attack you or harm your board.</li>
<li>Ask them to deal with a problem permanent.</li>
<li>Ask them to take a hit from one of your creatures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Savvy Hunter" href="#" target="_blank">Savvy Hunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</li>
</ul>
<p>If you have Food and mana leftover, you can turn that into card advantage with one of several engines in the deck. Of course, you can also "eat" the tokens as a treat.</p>
<h2>Kitchen Staff</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rhonas the Indomitable"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vhati il-Dal"></div></div>
<p>The most unique part of the deck is its suite of political cards. These cards are traditionally used on your own creatures, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tainted Strike" href="#" target="_blank">Tainted Strike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Berserk" href="#" target="_blank">Berserk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are just as lethal to opposing creatures.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhonas the Indomitable" href="#" target="_blank">Rhonas the Indomitable</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can attack and block with your commander out. Deathtouch and indestructible make for an excellent deterrent. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhonas the Indomitable" href="#" target="_blank">Rhonas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can pump and grant trample to an opponent's creature if they promise to swing it elsewhere (perhaps for a turn of immunity if it's not too much trouble).</p>
<p>The tutors in this deck can grab one of your viable toolbox answers. But you can also use them on your opponents. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire" href="#" target="_blank">Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vampiric Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Vampiric Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for your opponent. This is a big deal. You aren't going give someone one of the most powerful effects in the game for nothing. Ask for several turns of immunity, a permanent answer to another player, or a way to keep your opponent from winning next turn. Other tutors should be used in the same way.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vhati il-Dal" href="#" target="_blank">Vhati il-Dal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does a halfway decent impression of Gyome. You can make deals with his activated ability in the same way as Gyome allowing more political actions a turn cycle. There is value in not needing mana or Food lying around for use. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maze of Ith" href="#" target="_blank">Maze of Ith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be used the similarly.</p>
<h2>Did You Bring Enough Value to Share with Everybody?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thrashing Wumpus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wandering Archaic"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heartwood Storyteller"></div></div>
<p>Gyome has the most pronounced leverage over huge, singular beaters. However, there are several other strategies you can't easily manipulate. Some of the deck is built to punish other strategies that Gyome can't take political control over. This is why the deck features several punishing pieces. You could add hard <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/stax">Stax</a> pieces and <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/hatebears">Hate Bears</a>. I've opted for pieces that don't stop your opponents, but punish them. Besides, Stax and Hate Bears draw too much ire. The best part of the punishing pieces in this deck is that they're much harder to remove because of Gyome.</p>
<p>Against go-wide strategies there are a few good options. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kaervek, the Spiteful" href="#" target="_blank">Kaervek, the Spiteful</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can wipe a board of tokens or buy enough time to stop the token player. With enough mana, <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> becomes a one-sided board wipe alongside Gyome's activated ability.</p>
<p>Spellslinger decks have to really think about their game plan with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wandering Archaic" href="#" target="_blank">Wandering Archaic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rug of Smothering" href="#" target="_blank">Rug of Smothering</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the battlefield.</p>
<p>Other artifact token decks could stand to drop a peg. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Manglehorn" href="#" target="_blank">Manglehorn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> slows Treasure decks down. <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> does a good job lowering life totals to where even Gyome himself could finish off an opponent.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heartwood Storyteller" href="#" target="_blank">Heartwood Storyteller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an incredible source of card advantage. Because this deck is creature-focused, your opponents won't benefit as much as you will. Your opponents are disincentivized to attack you since you're keeping their hand full. Also, non-creature strategies will be forced to fight upward through full hands from each player. Giving your opponents card advantage is all upside for this deck.</p>
<p>This deck packs little punch in terms of raw game pieces. Tuned decks will be able to overwhelm you with value. However, this is a hidden strength of this deck. You will seldom be perceived as a "real" threat. I recommend keeping anything that could <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worldslayer" href="#" target="_blank">draw attention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in hand unless you're winning with it or can fully redirect the table's attention.</p>
<p>By the time it's you and your last opponent, you've had plenty of time to amass resources. Thus, there are a few <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blossoming Bogbeast" href="#" target="_blank">finishers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that will get the job done. Amassed Food tokens can also be used to keep your opponent from ever getting to attack or block in a meaningful way.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>The best political commander from Strixhaven isn't <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Breena, the Demagogue" href="#" target="_blank">Breena</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shadrix Silverquill" href="#" target="_blank">Shadrix Silverquill</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gyome, Master Chef" href="#" target="_blank">Gyome, Master Chef</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>This is the kind of deck you want to talk to your playgroup about first. The key weakness to this deck (as with most politics) is betrayal. If an opponent doesn't hold their end of the bargain, you're toast. You can retaliate to show you can't be taken advantage of before things get too hairy. Also, you can try to get your other opponents to attack the one who betrayed you. But if the whole group doesn't care to play politics, it's done. Your opponents will walk into your kitchen, eat, then leave without paying.</p>
<p>If your playgroup is game, people generally enjoy playing against this deck. It gives more resources to the table. You get to make schemes and feel clever, but so do your opponents. It makes for sociable, memorable games.</p>
<p>Lastly, the flavor of the deck is arguably best in a political deck. Offering life-saving sustenance to doomed creatures or distracting a creature with a cauldron of soup is such a flavor win. The ceaseless silliness of game mechanic "flavor" and the flavor of Food is a true joy. It's not an obvious direction to build at first glance. The politics theme doesn't even show up on Gyome's EDHREC page, nor do many of the cards in this deck. I think players are missing out on a genuinely unique way to play. If you wanted to build a value Food deck, I suggest you look to one of the 13 new Food-centric commanders you could build with and around. If you want to try a taste of politics right now, give Gyome a chance.</p>


The Other Ability - Gyome, Political Mastermind

Challenge the Stats – Rakdos, Lord of Riots

<h1>Writer's Block, Meet Brewer's Block</h1>
<p>Welcome to <em>Superior Numbers,</em> where I try to do numerical analysis on cards and deckbuilding trends using a little bit of math.</p>
<p>Except in the case of this particular article, where I'm going to be doing none of those things. This instead will be entirely abstract; specifically, addressing the concept of brewing block. There's no data that I can really cite here that's going to help you blast past brewing block. Instead, I'm going to attempt to talk it out.</p>
<p>I had brewer's block in 2019, though I really didn't recognize it as such until the end of the year when I realized that I had only kept one deck I built over the previous 365 days, and it was one that I built in January. That means that the other 11 months added nothing to my library.</p>
<p>It wasn't just that though; sometimes you're going to have a streak where brews just don't work, or don't captivate you, etc. The problem wasn't that I was building decks and not keeping them. No, what I realized after looking back was that I wasn't building decks in 2019 at all, or at least not getting far enough in the process to try them out at a table. Aside from the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kresh the Bloodbraided" href="#" target="_blank">Kresh the Bloodbraided</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fling" href="#" target="_blank">Fling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck that I kept, the only two decks I really tried in 2019 were <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arvad the Cursed" href="#" target="_blank">Arvad the Cursed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts" href="#" target="_blank">Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Anything else that I built never made it past the virtual sandbox stage.</p>
<p>We're now halfway through the nightmare year that is 2020 and I have two finished decks added to the arsenal: a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tymaret the Murder King" href="#" target="_blank">Tymaret the Murder King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <em>Infect</em> build, and an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Athreos, Shroud-Veiled" href="#" target="_blank">Athreos, Shroud-Veiled</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pestilence" href="#" target="_blank">Pestilence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck. So what's the difference between 2019 and 2020, other than we're clearly living in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POT3plx0vBs">Darkest Timeline</a>? Well, in looking back, I can see a couple of things that were issues....</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arvad the Cursed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good</h2>
<p>My decks rarely show up fully formed. Maybe yours do, but mine don't. Goldfishing only goes so far for me. A deck requires reps to actually smooth off the rough edges. Take my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vela the Night-Clad" href="#" target="_blank">Vela the Night-Clad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck. It started with nothing more than the notion that a commander who grants intimidate would render a field of colorless creatures unblockable. That was the entire plan. So I slapped it together, initially using Eldrazi, then artifact creatures, and played some games. Over the course of playing them, I found out quite a few things:</p>
<ul>
<li>Since Vela deals damage when a creature leaves my battlefield, things that made artifact creature tokens were useful, so I added cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Battlesphere" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Battlesphere</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>.</li>
<li>At that point, since I was making artifact creature tokens, I would, by definition, have a lot of artifact creatures in play. There are multiple 'walkers, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas" href="#" target="_blank">Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who deal damage based on the number of artifacts I have in play, so why not run some of those?</li>
<li>What if I turn my other artifacts, like my rocks, into creatures? They'll also get unblockable, and I can sacrifice them afterward and Vela will generate even more damage.</li>
</ul>
<p>The important part here is that I found those things over the course of playing the deck. Would I have found them out had I abandoned the deck in the goldfishing phase, or even after 2-3 games like I did Teysa and Arvad? No. And who knows what other synergies I would have found that would have made Teysa or Arvad if I didn't give up so early? But I let the perfect be the enemy of the good; I let two decks that played fine go because they didn't play as well as a deck that had significantly evolved over the course of multiple years and a significant number of reps.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kenrith, the Returned King"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Talrand, Sky Summoner"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Don't Get Hung Up on Your Hangups</h2>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bluemander.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-51764" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bluemander-1024x462.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="462" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bluemander-1024x462.jpg 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bluemander-300x135.jpg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bluemander-768x347.jpg 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bluemander-1536x694.jpg 1536w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bluemander.jpg 2031w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p>I'm someone who doesn't like to build popular commanders for a multitude of reasons, almost all of which can in some way be traced back to ego. Yet I have a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Talrand, Sky Summoner" href="#" target="_blank">Talrand, Sky Summoner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck, the second-most-popular mono-blue commander by a margin of 400+ decks. How is that?</p>
<p>Well, I built the deck in 2014 before EDHREC was really a thing, so what was popular or not wasn't really a known quantity beyond what I saw pop up at my local tables. It's a deck I really enjoy, too. It's interactive, making tokens for all the mediocre one- and two-mana cantrips that I cast before winning with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gravitational Shift" href="#" target="_blank">Gravitational Shift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>- or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coat of Arms" href="#" target="_blank">Coat of Arms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-enabled alpha strike. I like playing it a lot. And you know what? If Talrand was released today and raced to the top of the popularity charts, I'd never have built the deck. I'd have let my own hangup get in the way of brewing up something I really enjoy.</p>
<p>Going into this year, <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/author/joseph-schultz/">Dr. Joseph Schultz, Jr. III</a>, my podcast co-host and editor, challenged me to build a deck with a popular commander. I had been debating building a deck around the <em>Exalted</em> mechanic, and freed from my own weird hipster tendencies I picked <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kenrith, the Returned King" href="#" target="_blank">Kenrith, the Returned King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Kenrith as a commander is fairly strong, but, in a deck with all <em>Exalted</em> bodies, it makes for a playable deck against decks operating at just above the precon level.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pestilence"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karma"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Look for Ideas by Looking for Ideas</h2>
<p>After having not built a deck for well over a year, I started getting restless. I knew that I didn't want a combat damage deck, but I also detest combo as a win condition. Nothing immediately caught my attention as an idea, so I went back to the beginning and just started going through cards from <em>Alpha</em>. Two cards jumped out at me as something that one could build a deck around while not reliant on the combat phase: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karma" href="#" target="_blank">Karma</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pestilence" href="#" target="_blank">Pestilence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I couldn't really find anything else that felt like it would work well enough to make a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karma" href="#" target="_blank">Karma</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck in doing a search for similar effects, but I knew <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Withering Wisps" href="#" target="_blank">Withering Wisps</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> existed as a card, and a search quickly found me <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crypt Rats" href="#" target="_blank">Crypt Rats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pestilence Demon" href="#" target="_blank">Pestilence Demon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <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>. That seemed like enough redundant effects to build a deck around.</p>
<p>On top of all of that, a deck filled with effects to prevent damage to me on my turns and from my sources like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pestilence" href="#" target="_blank">Pestilence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works pretty well with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="" href="#" target="_blank"></a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>Karma<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="" href="#" target="_blank"></a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, too.</p>
<p>The lesson here is that inspiration doesn't always come to you. Sometimes you need to come to inspiration. That may take the form of just reading through cards on old sets, or it may entail looking through decks on your favorite deckbuilding site, or watching gameplay videos or streams. Whatever method you choose, sometimes you just need to go looking for the lightning instead of waiting for the strike.</p>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Fitter, Happier, More Productive, Comfortable</h2>
<p>Hopefully all of this is at least a little helpful if you're currently going through a brewing block. I'd love to hear from readers about what things worked for you when it comes to fighting threw the doldrums of deckbuilding. Sound off below with any tips or techniques.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading, and, as always, may your numbers be superior.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Athreos, Shroud-Veiled: Down with the Sickness" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Athreos, Shroud-Veiled
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Academy Rector
*1 Crypt Rats
*1 Pestilence Demon
*1 Stuffy Doll
*1 Thrashing Wumpus
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Black Market
*1 Blessed Sanctuary
*1 Blind Obedience
*1 Darksteel Mutation
*1 Death Pits of Rath
*1 Exquisite Blood
*1 Ghostly Prison
*1 Karma
*1 Land Tax
*1 Lashknife Barrier
*1 Leyline of the Void
*1 Mark of Asylum
*1 Pariah
*1 Personal Sanctuary
*1 Pestilence
*1 Phyrexian Arena
*1 Protective Sphere
*1 Revel in Riches
*1 Smothering Tithe
*1 Sphere of Grace
*1 Sphere of Safety
*1 Withering Wisps
*1 Wound Reflection
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Ambition&#039;s Cost
*1 Ancient Craving
*1 Austere Command
*1 Cleansing Nova
*1 Council&#039;s Judgment
*1 Demonic Tutor
*1 Merciless Eviction
*1 Night&#039;s Whisper
*1 Obzedat&#039;s Aid
*1 Read the Bones
*1 Replenish
*1 Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation
*1 Sign in Blood
*1 Vindicate
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Anguished Unmaking
*1 Equal Treatment
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Kaya&#039;s Guile
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Sudden Spoiling
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Teferi&#039;s Protection
*1 Utter End
*1 Vampiric Tutor
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Chromatic Lantern
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Orzhov Signet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Soul-Guide Lantern
*1 Talisman of Hierarchy
*1 Thought Vessel
[/Artifacts]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 The Wanderer
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Ancient Tomb
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Cabal Coffers
*1 Caves of Koilos
*1 Command Tower
*1 Fetid Heath
*1 Glacial Chasm
*1 Godless Shrine
*1 Hall of Heliod&#039;s Generosity
*1 Isolated Chapel
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Scrubland
*1 Serra&#039;s Sanctum
*1 Silent Clearing
*5 Snow-Covered Plains
*10 Snow-Covered Swamp
*1 Strip Mine
*1 Tainted Field
*1 Tectonic Edge
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*1 Vault of the Archangel
[/Lands]"></span></div>



Superior Numbers - Breaking Brewing Block

<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>


thrashing wumpus

The Other Ability - Gyome, Political Mastermind

Challenge the Stats – Rakdos, Lord of Riots

Superior Numbers - Breaking Brewing Block

Forgotten Harvest - Kazarov Damages Everything