Do Your Worst - Boros Landfall

Too-Specific Top 10 - Indestructiwhat?

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://baxaart.com/">Thomas Baxa</a>)</h6>
<h1>Vices for Virtue</h1>
<p>In Commander, board wipes are often regarded as a necessary evil. Nobody likes watching all of their creatures go to the graveyard - except for Aristocrats players, that is - but sometimes, a little collateral damage is justified when three other players are set back by your wrath.</p>
<p>As good as setting everybody back to square one is, though, it isn't always enough. Instead, we can gain the upper hand, either by applying a little more precision or by making sure that we can rocket ahead at the most opportune time. Whatever your intention, there's a whole library's worth of tools to work with, and curating the best two or three for a deck is nothing but rewarding, so let's enter the Biblioplex!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wrath of God"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is among the most iconic and quintessential board wipes in the format. At four mana, it sets the standard for mana cost and effect, and is the go-to comparison every time a new wipe is released, from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shatter the Sky" href="#" target="_blank">Shatter the Sky</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doomskar" href="#" target="_blank">Doomskar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. And there are many points of comparison: white is the king of cataclysmic sweepers, giving us the opportunity to select from a range of possibilities for our own decks. This week, we'll be looking at some of the possibilities and analyzing how we can better break parity using them than we could with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>A Series of Unfortunate Extinction Events</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hour of Revelation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sunscour"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rout"></div></div>
<p>The classic way to get the upper hand after a board wipe is simple: just be the fastest to redeploy! In order to do this, though, we need a few things: namely, a lot of card advantage and a lot of mana. Although card advantage is a topic best reserved for another article, there are quite a few ways to make the best use of the mana you have.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hour of Revelation" href="#" target="_blank">Hour of Revelation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of those cards that translates incredibly well to Commander, as the ten-permanent cost reduction is practically guaranteed to apply when you have a total of four players at the table. Clearing the table with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hour of Revelation" href="#" target="_blank">Hour of Revelation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> usually costs you only three mana, as opposed to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s four, which may not seem like a lot, but even being the first to have a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Llanowar Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Llanowar Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can set you on the path to victory. And for that cost, you even get a little extra, as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hour of Revelation" href="#" target="_blank">Hour of Revelation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> also hits nonland permanents, which is perfect when you're up against a <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/videos/962010475">particularly dominant Enchantress</a> or Artifacts deck.</p>
<p>If you're really hurting on mana but not on card advantage, then <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sunscour" href="#" target="_blank">Sunscour</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> takes that a step further. With an ability not unlike <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Force of Will" href="#" target="_blank">Force of Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sunscour" href="#" target="_blank">Sunscour</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will cost you absolutely <em>zero</em> mana to destroy all creatures. It's a lot narrower than most, but it's worth considering in any deck that's likely to draw a high number of white cards. In a strategy that doesn't rely a lot on creatures (such as, you guessed it, an Enchantress deck), it's even better, as you can set your opponents back several turns or more while still continuing on with your turn as normal.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rout" href="#" target="_blank">Rout</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows you to rebuild faster in a very different way than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sunscour" href="#" target="_blank">Sunscour</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hour of Revelation" href="#" target="_blank">Hour of Revelation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Instead of costing less, it actually costs quite a deal more than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but the added flexibility of casting it at instant speed is astronomical. By waiting until the end step before your turn to cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rout" href="#" target="_blank">Rout</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, not only are you ensuring that you are the first to rebuild, but you also gave three of your opponents a chance to spend mana on creatures that will effectively be wasted, which is well worth the extra three mana spent. There's a reason why they love <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> so much on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLsiaNUb42gRAP7ewbJ0ecQ">Game Knights</a>, after all!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urza&#039;s Ruinous Blast"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Slaughter the Strong"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Single Combat"></div></div>
<p>Of course, you don't need to rebuild much if you're the only one left with any resources. The most popular board wipe that enables playing around is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Austere Command" href="#" target="_blank">Austere Command</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and for good reason. But in decks that are unlikely to utilize the full modality of the card, the added modes might not be worth the mana cost.</p>
<p>The easiest picks are ones that simply ignore some permanents, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza&#039;s Ruinous Blast" href="#" target="_blank">Urza&#039;s Ruinous Blast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If your deck is built around legendary permanents, or if you just happen to have a good number of them, then Urza's reckless usage of the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Golgothian Sylex" href="#" target="_blank">Golgothian Sylex</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give you the upper hand. (<a href="https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Sylex_Blast">Too bad for Argoth, though</a>). A similar contender is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slash the Ranks" href="#" target="_blank">Slash the Ranks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a newer card that only leaves Commanders untouched from among the creatures and planeswalkers on the battlefield. If you're likely to have more Commanders than everybody else, such as two <em>Partners</em> or theft effects, then this card can serve you well.</p>
<p>One of my personal favorites is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slaughter the Strong" href="#" target="_blank">Slaughter the Strong</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as it combines an inexpensive cost with the ability to break parity, on top of hitting indestructible creatures by forcing them to be sacrificed. Decks built around smaller creatures, such as my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Derevi, Empyrial Tactician" href="#" target="_blank">Derevi, Empyrial Tactician</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck, are the most likely to be left unaffected by a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slaughter the Strong" href="#" target="_blank">Slaughter the Strong</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and they're simultaneously the most likely to utilize the saved mana to quickly redeploy any creatures that may have been lost. There are a plethora of effects like this that come at a very low cost, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Retribution of the Meek" href="#" target="_blank">Retribution of the Meek</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or that have additional functionality, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dusk // Dawn" href="#" target="_blank">Dusk // Dawn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>If your deck really hinges on a single creature that you'd like to keep around, then there are also a great deal of board wipes that can leave one or two creatures behind for each player. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Single Combat" href="#" target="_blank">Single Combat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does this and more, leaving everybody with their best creature or planeswalker, but also preventing them from grabbing any more for one turn cycle. There are a lot of ways to break parity on this effect: simply having the most valuable creature is the simplest, but certain decks can either ignore or work around the casting restriction, allowing you a full turn of building a board state and reanimating creatures while your opponents sit in time-out. In a similar vein, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tragic Arrogance" href="#" target="_blank">Tragic Arrogance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cataclysmic Gearhulk" href="#" target="_blank">Cataclysmic Gearhulk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which take advantage of having a diverse array of card types, should your deck contain them.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Sound of Silence</h2>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Fell-the-Mighty-MtG-Art.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-63901 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Fell-the-Mighty-MtG-Art.jpg" alt="" width="546" height="396" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Fell-the-Mighty-MtG-Art.jpg 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Fell-the-Mighty-MtG-Art-300x217.jpg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Fell-the-Mighty-MtG-Art-768x557.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 546px) 100vw, 546px" /></a></p>
<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fell the Mighty" href="#" target="_blank">Fell the Mighty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://raymondswanland.com/">Raymond Swanland</a>)</h6>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Winds of Abandon"></div></div>
<p>The entire purpose of <em>Staple Remover</em> is to find and showcase unique, synergistic, and powerful cards that you won't easily find scrolling through EDHREC's database, and although there are some amazing cards to pick from when tailoring to a specific deck or archetype, it's very rare that I find underrated cards that are amazing in any deck, even without synergy. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winds of Abandon" href="#" target="_blank">Winds of Abandon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of these rare cards.</p>
<p>Taking a look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winds of Abandon" href="#" target="_blank">Winds of Abandon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s EDHREC page reveals that it sits in 6% of eligible decks, half as much as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Austere Command" href="#" target="_blank">Austere Command</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (at 12%) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (at 13%). But looking at the decks in which it sees play, mostly mono-white commanders use it, suggesting that it's most often picked when the options are restricted. But <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winds of Abandon" href="#" target="_blank">Winds of Abandon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a lot going for it, not just compared to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but all of the format's staple board wipes, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blasphemous Act" href="#" target="_blank">Blasphemous Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toxic Deluge" href="#" target="_blank">Toxic Deluge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Most obviously, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winds of Abandon" href="#" target="_blank">Winds of Abandon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> breaks parity. One of the biggest deterrents from board wipes is that players simply don't want to lose their board, and a large amount of effort goes into playing around them to mitigate that. Winds takes all of that required effort away. It also has modality and flexibility: if you don't need a board wipe, or lack the mana to <em>Overload</em> it, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winds of Abandon" href="#" target="_blank">Winds of Abandon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes a pretty decent removal spell. Finally, no amount of indestructibility or graveyard recursion is able to stop it, as exile is a much more permanent solution. As a tradeoff, your opponents get to ramp a considerable amount (if they have the basics in their deck), but in many situations, them ramping is preferable to them being able to rebuild a value engine, which is very possible after a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cyclonic Rift" href="#" target="_blank">Cyclonic Rift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Below is my deck built around <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tiana, Ship&#039;s Caretaker" href="#" target="_blank">Tiana, Ship&#039;s Caretaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This deck is especially resilient to board wipes thanks to Tiana's ability, so it's a great place to showcase some of my favorite sweeper effects from today.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Tiana, the Blacksmith" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Tiana, Ship&#039;s Caretaker
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Armored Skyhunter
*1 Danitha Capashen, Paragon
*1 Eidolon of Countless Battles
*1 Giver of Runes
*1 Halvar, God of Battle
*1 Heavenly Blademaster
*1 Imperial Recruiter
*1 Kitsune Mystic
*1 Koll, the Forgemaster
*1 Kor Spiritdancer
*1 Mesa Enchantress
*1 Recruiter of the Guard
*1 Reyav, Master Smith
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer
*1 Starfield Mystic
*1 Transcendent Envoy
*1 Umbra Mystic
*1 Wyleth, Soul of Steel
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 All That Glitters
*1 Angelic Destiny
*1 Angelic Gift
*1 Benevolent Blessing
*1 Darksteel Mutation
*1 Dreadful Apathy
*1 Ethereal Armor
*1 Faith Unbroken
*1 Footfall Crater
*1 Gift of Immortality
*1 Heliod&#039;s Punishment
*1 Hyena Umbra
*1 On Thin Ice
*1 Pursuit of Knowledge
*1 Reprobation
*1 Rune of Speed
*1 Sage&#039;s Reverie
*1 Seal Away
*1 Shielded by Faith
*1 Shiny Impetus
*1 Sigarda&#039;s Aid
*1 Spirit Mantle
*1 Timely Ward
*1 Unquestioned Authority
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Replenish
*1 Retether
*1 Tragic Arrogance
*1 Winds of Abandon
*1 Winds of Rath
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Boros Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Marble Diamond
*1 Mask of Memory
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Prismatic Lens
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Sword of Fire and Ice
*1 Sword of the Animist
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Tome of Legends
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Crush Contraband
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Forgotten Cave
*1 Furycalm Snarl
*1 Hall of Heliod&#039;s Generosity
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*1 Secluded Steppe
*8 Snow-Covered Mountain
*20 Snow-Covered Plains
*1 Sunbaked Canyon
*1 Throne of the High City
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>What're your favorite Wrath effects in Commander? How many do you run in each of your decks, if any? Let me know in the comments below. See you next time!</p>


Staple Remover - Wrath of God

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aura of Silence" href="#" target="_blank">Aura of Silence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://dalexandergregory.com/">D. Alexander Gregory</a>)</h6>
<h1>Bringing Them Down to Our Level</h1>
<p>Greetings, everyone, and welcome back to <em>Monomania</em>. In this article series we build mono-colored decks as a way to explore ramp and draw packages that are synergistic with our particular deck’s strategy, challenging staples and misconceptions about the color pie. Today, we’re examining another way to make mono-white work in Commander. This time, we’re leaning into the color’s meanest tendencies.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hokori, Dust Drinker"></div></div>
<p>The seemingly abject struggle of mono-white in EDH has been topical very recently within the Commander community. While white has been the weakest mono-color option for a long time, it seems that over the last year every color except white has received interesting commander options that are tuned to our format. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Lord High Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Lord High Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syr Konrad, the Grim" href="#" target="_blank">Syr Konrad, the Grim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, Bronze-Blooded" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, Bronze-Blooded</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gargos, Vicious Watcher" href="#" target="_blank">Gargos, Vicious Watcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are all unique generals that can go toe-to-toe with powerful multi-color commanders. Sure, the new <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heliod, Sun-Crowned" href="#" target="_blank">Heliod, Sun-Crowned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has combo potential, but the mono-white options from the last year have all seemed bland and uninspired.</p>
<p>Personally, I enjoy playing mono-white, but I also recognize that there are only a handful of fun options for the command zone. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teshar, Ancestor’s Apostle" href="#" target="_blank">Teshar, Ancestor’s Apostle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mangara of Corondor" href="#" target="_blank">Mangara of Corondor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both gesture toward unique, powerful strategies that are flavorfully white, where <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Linden, the Steadfast Queen" href="#" target="_blank">Linden, the Steadfast Queen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does not.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hokori, Dust Drinker" href="#" target="_blank">Hokori, Dust Drinker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> highlights another aspect of white that can be productive if built correctly. It won’t make you any friends, however.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kismet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Winter Orb"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ethersworn Canonist"></div></div>
<p>Instead of putting itself ahead, white likes to bring others down. If you can’t draw cards, why not restrict how your opponents’ use their cards with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eidolon of Rhetoric" href="#" target="_blank">Eidolon of Rhetoric</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rule of Law" href="#" target="_blank">Rule of Law</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? If you can’t ramp, why not tax your opponents with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aura of Silence" href="#" target="_blank">Aura of Silence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghostly Prison" href="#" target="_blank">Ghostly Prison</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hokori, Dust Drinker" href="#" target="_blank">Hokori, Dust Drinker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the embodiment of this area of white's wheelhouse. This is a stax commander, essentially a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winter Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Winter Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect, and leads to a deck that aims to prevent your opponents from playing the game. As any good degenerate knows, there are ways to break the symmetry of this effect to give yourself a distinct advantage. In this deck, for example, we will rely heavily on artifact mana sources rather than lands. In fact, the lands in our deck are mostly for show. We’ll be bouncing them, sacrificing them, or pitching them to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Abolish" href="#" target="_blank">Abolish</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This style of deck is extremely polarizing. I both don’t recommend building this sort of list and I don’t play it myself. With all that being said, let’s get into it and see how we’ll ruin everyone’s day.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Surrogate Mana</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hokori, Dust Drinker" href="#" target="_blank">Hokori, Dust Drinker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of those commanders that requires an intensive ramp package. The major theme of this deck is breaking symmetry—playing so many mana rocks that the stax component of our strategy only minimally affects us.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marble Diamond"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Ingot"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tooth of Ramos"></div></div>
<p>We need white mana to cast most of our spells. For this reason, I’ve crammed as many white-producing mana rocks into this deck as I could possibly justify. Without white mana rocks, we might catch ourselves in the same situation as our opponents: with a hand full of uncastable cards. From <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coldsteel Heart" href="#" target="_blank">Coldsteel Heart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, I’ve included eleven mana rocks that can produce white mana.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Worn Powerstone"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hedron Archive"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thran Dynamo"></div></div>
<p>On the other hand, we also need efficient mana rocks that can pump out a lot of colorless mana at a time. Because we’re only untapping one land a turn, we want to produce enough mana to continue on at a regular clip. This becomes even more important when our opponents will most likely point everything they have in our direction. Nobody likes the stax player. To combat the combined resources of three players, we need access to triple the amount of mana that they have access to.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Fake Friends</h2>
<p>Because we’ll be choking our opponents on mana, chances are that they'll be unable to cast more than one spell a turn, if they can even cast one to begin with. As such, our draw package can also break the symmetry of the game in an interesting way. If we play symmetrical draw effects, we can hopefully strand unplayable cards in our opponents’ hands.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Otherworld Atlas"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Howling Mine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Font of Mythos"></div></div>
<p>This style of effect is exactly what we need to keep the card advantage flowing. Group Hug staples become something much more sinister here. These cards give our opponents all of their toys but prohibit them from playing with them, many to be discarded at the end of turn. The goal of this deck is to be able to play these extra cards out of our hand faster than any opponent. That is our path to victory.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Truce"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Temporary Truce"></div></div>
<p>Finally, here are two symmetrical card advantage effects that few people have seen at a Commander pod. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Truce" href="#" target="_blank">Truce</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is being played in 219 decks, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temporary Truce" href="#" target="_blank">Temporary Truce</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only makes it into 66 lists. Looking through their EDHREC pages, they’re both seeing play exclusively with Group Hug commanders such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phelddagrif" href="#" target="_blank">Phelddagrif</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <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>. While I like Group Hug, I think these two cards are much better with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hokori, Dust Drinker" href="#" target="_blank">Hokori, Dust Drinker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Deck</h2>
<p>Now that we have the foundation set, let’s look at the rest of the deck. Again, I don’t advocate for building this deck. I’ve never had fun playing or playing against stax. But, if you want to be mean, and the group you know will let you get away with it, maybe play around with this commander. As always, season to taste.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Misers&#039; Cage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Luminarch Ascension"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Winds of Abandon"></div></div>
<p>Among the other notable inclusions here we have a suite of effects that drain our opponents' life totals when we strand cards in their hand. If we have the game locked down, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Misers&#039; Cage" href="#" target="_blank">Misers&#039; Cage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iron Maiden" href="#" target="_blank">Iron Maiden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Viseling" href="#" target="_blank">Viseling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be win conditions over the course of a very long game. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Luminarch Ascension" href="#" target="_blank">Luminarch Ascension</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is probably my favorite win condition for white control decks—it's resilient, cheap, and puts a fast clock on the table.</p>
<p>Finally, I’ve included a few Hokori-specific removal spells such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winds of Abandon" href="#" target="_blank">Winds of Abandon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Settle the Wreckage" href="#" target="_blank">Settle the Wreckage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. With Hokori, the lands fetched by these two incredibly potent removal spells becomes almost nonexistent. Lands are irrelevant, so a four-mana mass exile effect is well above the curve. In addition, because of how we value lands, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lotus Field" href="#" target="_blank">Lotus Field</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lotus Vale" href="#" target="_blank">Lotus Vale</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karoo" href="#" target="_blank">Karoo</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are some of the best cards in our deck. Because we only untap one land per turn, having that land be a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lotus Field" href="#" target="_blank">Lotus Field</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> maximizes our mana potential in a given turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Mean-Spirited" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Hokori, Dust Drinker
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Ethersworn Canonist
*1 Thalie, Heretic Cathar
*1 Loxodon Gatekeeper
*1 Viseling
*1 Windborn Muse
*1 Chancellor of the Annex
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Condemn
*1 Dispatch
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Gods Willing
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Rebuff the Wicked
*1 Sheltering Light
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Ephemeral Shields
*1 Shelter
*1 Valorous Stance
*1 Abolish
*1 Forsake the Worldly
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Truce
*1 Apostle&#039;s Blessing
*1 Crush Contraband
*1 Return to Dust
*1 Settle the Wreckage
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Temporary Truce
*1 Winds of Abandon
*1 Citywide Bust
*1 Slaughter the Strong
*1 Austere Command
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Coldsteel Heart
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Howling Mine
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Marble Diamond
*1 Prismatic Lens
*1 Sphere of the Suns
*1 Star Compass
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Winter Orb
*1 Commander&#039;s Sphere
*1 Crawlspace
*1 Crystal Chimes
*1 Darksteel Ingot
*1 Iron Maiden
*1 Misers&#039; Cage
*1 Temple Bell
*1 Tooth of Ramos
*1 Worn Powerstone
*1 Font of Mythos
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Otherworld Atlas
*1 Thran Dynamo
*1 Gilded Lotus
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Land Tax
*1 Luminarch Ascension
*1 Aura of Silence
*1 Ghostly Prison
*1 Endless Horizons
*1 Kismet
*1 Smothering Tithe
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Ancient Den
*1 Arch of Orazca
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Darksteel Citadel
*1 Desert of the True
*1 Drifting Meadow
*1 Emergence Zone
*1 Field of Ruin
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Ghost Quarter
*1 Glacial Chasm
*1 Icatian Store
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*1 Karoo
*1 Kor Haven
*1 Lotus Field
*1 Lotus Vale
*1 Maze of Ith
*1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
*12 Plains
*1 Rishadan Port
*1 Secluded Steppe
*1 Strip Mine
*1 Tectonic Edge
*1 Wasteland
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>What do you all think? I’m genuinely very curious to hear about your experiences with stax. Have you played it? Does a friend play it? How does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hokori, Dust Drinker" href="#" target="_blank">Hokori, Dust Drinker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> stack up? Am I evil for even whispering its name? Let me know in the comments below! Remember to EDHREC responsibly: always dig a little beyond the statistics. I’ll see you all on down the road.</p>


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