<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wraith, Vicious Vigilante" href="#" target="_blank">Wraith, Vicious Vigilante</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/nereida">Nereida</a></em></p>
<p>The <em>Marvel's Spider-Man</em> set is finally here! That means I'm undoubtedly at my local game store to get my hands on the many, many legends from this set I'm planning to build on the day this article goes out. One of those legends is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wraith, Vicious Vigilante" href="#" target="_blank">Wraith, Vicious Vigilante</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who I'll be covering in this deck tech.</p>
<p>In my years as a Modern grinder, I dreaded pairing against Hammer Time. Now that Hammer Time has largely been relegated to the fringes of the format rather than being one of the best decks, I actually find myself experiencing a bizarre nostalgia for it; this Wraith deck is my attempt to harness that nostalgia.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wraith, Vicious Vigilante"></div></div>
<h2>What Does Wraith, Vicious Vigilante Do?</h2>
<p>Wraith is an incredibly simple card. She's a 1/1 with just two lines of text: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wraith, Vicious Vigilante" href="#" target="_blank">Wraith, Vicious Vigilante</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has double strike, and she cannot be blocked.</p>
<p>Without any modifications, an unblockable 1/1, even one with double strike, is unimpressive. However, anyone that's ever played a deck like Hammer Time or Bogles knows these abilities can be incredibly venomous when properly leveraged.</p>
<p>There are two equally compelling directions one can take a Wraith commander deck in: Equipment or Auras. I'm choosing the Equipment flavor of Voltron strategies here, but both blue and white offer a fantastic selection of cards for either direction.</p>
<h2>Key Cards for Wraith, Vicious Vigilante</h2>
<h3>Shoring Up Weaknesses</h3>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wraith, Vicious Vigilante" href="#" target="_blank">Wraith, Vicious Vigilante</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> comes with evasion and double strike built-in, which eliminates the need for some of the categories of Equipment normally featured in Voltron decks. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brotherhood Regalia" href="#" target="_blank">Brotherhood Regalia</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fireshrieker" href="#" target="_blank">Fireshrieker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for example, are rendered redundant by Wraith's abilities. Wraith's weaknesses are her complete vulnerability to removal and her low power.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Robe of Stars"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mithril Coat"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Robe of Stars" href="#" target="_blank">Robe of Stars</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the most versatile piece of protection in this deck. For the admittedly steep cost of two mana, Robe of Stars can phase the equipped creature out at any time. This ability can be used to dodge anything and will make it nearly impossible for an opponent to remove Wraith.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mithril Coat" href="#" target="_blank">Mithril Coat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a piece of protection that plays a little differently to Robe of Stars. This Equipment spell has flash and attaches itself to a legendary creature when it enters. The fact that Mithril Coat circumvents its own equip cost and be case both proactively and reactively pushes it into being one of the most powerful ways to protect a legendary creature.</p>
<h3>Hammer Time</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Colossus Hammer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Puresteel Paladin"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stonehewer Giant"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Colossus Hammer" href="#" target="_blank">Colossus Hammer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is my favorite Equipment ever printed. It provides a huge buff at a huge cost, but since its printing in 2020, players have been finding ways to circumvent that cost. This deck includes as many of them as I could find. A particular favorite of mine is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stonehewer Giant" href="#" target="_blank">Stonehewer Giant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is both a way to tutor for Colossus Hammer and a way to attach it to a creature without paying its steep equip cost.</p>
<p>In Modern, the most common way to die to Colossus Hammer is the opponent flashing it in to be attached to an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ornithopter" href="#" target="_blank">Ornithopter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inkmoth Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Inkmoth Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigarda&#039;s Aid" href="#" target="_blank">Sigarda&#039;s Aid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h3>Playing Voltron Without Playing for Second Place</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Silent Arbiter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Propaganda"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloudsteel Kirin"></div></div>
<p>The eternal struggle of Voltron strategies in Commander is that, once the opponents figure out what's going on, they gang up on the Voltron player and eliminate them faster than the three combat steps the Voltron player needs to win the game. This results in Voltron decks like this one getting more second place finishes than first. I'm not particularly content with second, so this Wraith deck will need a few tricks to prevent that.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Silent Arbiter" href="#" target="_blank">Silent Arbiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a symmetrical stax piece that isn't very symmetrical. Each player being limited to one attacking creature each turn isn't a big deal for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wraith, Vicious Vigilante" href="#" target="_blank">Wraith, Vicious Vigilante</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. However, most common Commander strategies can be crippled by this restriction.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Propaganda" href="#" target="_blank">Propaganda</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another way to keep opposing creatures off of Wraith's back. I often say that the real text on Propaganda is "Opponents cannot attack you unless they really want to." However, I've been choosing to include it in my decks more often lately and I've found that it actually wards off attacks more often than I predicted or put my opponents in awkward positions where they had to choose between developing their board further or applying pressure to me and both of those choices seem favorable enough that this enchantment warrants its inclusion here.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloudsteel Kirin" href="#" target="_blank">Cloudsteel Kirin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a really fun reconfigure creature that pairs well with equip-enablers, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Forge Anew" href="#" target="_blank">Forge Anew</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Puresteel Paladin" href="#" target="_blank">Puresteel Paladin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Rather than a simple stax piece, Cloudsteel Kirin takes a proactive approach to fending off opposing pressure. As long as it's equipped to a creature, Cloudsteel Kirin's controller can't lose the game. With the other tricks this deck has up its sleeve, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigarda&#039;s Aid" href="#" target="_blank">Sigarda&#039;s Aid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Whir of Invention" href="#" target="_blank">Whir of Invention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this effect can even be accessed at instant speed!</p>
<h3>Overthinking Tutors</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Open the Armory"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unable to Scream"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Combat Research"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Open the Armory" href="#" target="_blank">Open the Armory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is, at face value, a less efficient Equipment tutor than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Steelshaper&#039;s Gift" href="#" target="_blank">Steelshaper&#039;s Gift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in this deck. However, it can also be used to grab Auras, and there's a little bit of value to be squeezed out of this one. Alongside all the wonderful Equipment spells that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wraith, Vicious Vigilante" href="#" target="_blank">Wraith, Vicious Vigilante</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> loves to take advantage of, Open the Armory can find a removal spell in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unable to Scream" href="#" target="_blank">Unable to Scream</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and a draw engine in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Combat Research" href="#" target="_blank">Combat Research</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Open the Armory is also accessible via <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muddle the Mixture" href="#" target="_blank">Muddle the Mixture</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s transmute ability, making those tools even more accessible! I treat Unable to Scream and Combat Research as free spaces. Every deck is already devoting a certain amount of space to removal and card draw, so why not fill those slots with cards that can be accessed incidentally by tutors the deck was always going to play anyways?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Whir of Invention"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Silent Arbiter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Codsworth, Handy Helper"></div></div>
<p>In the later stages of building this deck, I ended up cutting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Steelshaper&#039;s Gift" href="#" target="_blank">Steelshaper&#039;s Gift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Whir of Invention" href="#" target="_blank">Whir of Invention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. In retrospect, it was a pretty obvious inclusion. Most of the time, this deck will have a bunch of Equipment sitting on the battlefield to tap with improvise and Whir of Invention can find all the cards that Steelshaper's Gift can while also being able to access a plethora of other utility artifacts. Having additional ways to find critical pieces like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Silent Arbiter" href="#" target="_blank">Silent Arbiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can't be a bad thing!</p>
<h2>How Does Wraith, Vicious Vigilante Win the Game?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Colossus Hammer"></div></div>
<p>A Wraith with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Colossus Hammer" href="#" target="_blank">Colossus Hammer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> equipped kills a player. It really is that simple. Of course, this strategy alone can win the game in a minimum of three combat steps and after one player gets beaten down with the Hammer, the other two opponents will begin turning their attention and their interaction towards Wraith. In theory, this deck is built to handle that kind of heat and survive in spite of the remaining opponents' best effort.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Genji Glove"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shield of the Righteous"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Masterwork of Ingenuity"></div></div>
<p>There is one fairly convoluted way for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wraith, Vicious Vigilante" href="#" target="_blank">Wraith, Vicious Vigilante</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to eliminate all three opponents in a single turn! If both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Genji Glove" href="#" target="_blank">Genji Glove</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Masterwork of Ingenuity" href="#" target="_blank">Masterwork of Ingenuity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a copy of Genji Glove are attached to Wraith along with any way to give her vigilance, she can attack, get two additional combats from the two Genji Gloves, and then kill all three opponents as long as her power is high enough. The vigilance-enabler is required as the trigger from Genji Glove that provides an extra combat untaps the equipped creature immediately, and the second additional combat won't be of much use if Wraith is tapped at the beginning of that step.</p>
<h2>Wraith, Vicious Vigilante Commander Decklist</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="YURIIII" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Wraith, Vicious Vigilante
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist
*1 Boromir, Warden of the Tower
*1 Cloud, Midgar Mercenary
*1 Cloudsteel Kirin
*1 Codsworth, Handy Helper
*1 Emry, Lurker of the Loch
*1 Envoy of the Ancestors
*1 Esper Sentinel
*1 Giver of Runes
*1 Grand Abolisher
*1 Hydroelectric Specimen
*1 Lion Sash
*1 Mother of Runes
*1 Puresteel Paladin
*1 Selfless Spirit
*1 Silent Arbiter
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer
*1 Stoneforge Mystic
*1 Stonehewer Giant
*1 Voice of Victory
*1 Weapons Vendor
*1 Witch Enchanter
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Combat Research
*1 Forge Anew
*1 Propaganda
*1 Sigarda&#039;s Aid
*1 Unable to Scream
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Argentum Armor
*1 Batterskull
*1 Buster Sword
*1 Caduceus, Staff of Hermes
*1 Colossus Hammer
*1 Commander&#039;s Plate
*1 Conqueror&#039;s Flail
*1 Genji Glove
*1 Hammer of Nazahn
*1 Kaldra Compleat
*1 Lavaspur Boots
*1 Lost Jitte
*1 Loxodon Warhammer
*1 Masterwork of Ingenuity
*1 Mithril Coat
*1 Mox Amber
*1 Mox Opal
*1 Robe of Stars
*1 Shadowspear
*1 Shield of the Righteous
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Springleaf Drum
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Sword of Feast and Famine
*1 Sword of Fire and Ice
*1 Thousand Moons Smithy
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Eagle Vision
*1 Open the Armory
*1 Slash the Ranks
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse
*1 Fierce Guardianship
*1 Flawless Maneuver
*1 Flusterstorm
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Muddle the Mixture
*1 Razorgrass Ambush
*1 Sejiri Shelter
*1 Shore Up
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 Stubborn Denial
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Whir of Invention
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Adarkar Wastes
*1 Ancient Den
*1 Arid Mesa
*1 Command Tower
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 Inkmoth Nexus
*3 Island
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Meticulous Archive
*1 Misty Rainforest
*6 Plains
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Razortide Bridge
*1 Scalding Tarn
*1 Seat of the Synod
*1 Spire of Industry
*1 Starting Town
*1 Strip Mine
*1 The Mycosynth Gardens
*1 Urza&#039;s Saga
*1 Windswept Heath
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>I'm so excited to take this deck for a test drive! In a couple articles about decks like this, I've said that I'm on a little bit of a Voltron kick lately. By the ninth month of saying that, it is possible that this is just my preferred style of play and that my non-Voltron decks are the real abnormalities.</p>
<p>This <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wraith, Vicious Vigilante" href="#" target="_blank">Wraith, Vicious Vigilante</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck has a surprising amount of depth for such a simple strategy. I'd recommend this one to someone that loves Voltron but wants a bit of a challenge. The experience I'm always trying to capture in my Commander decks is reaching that moment where I look at the cards in my hand, do a little math, tap my fingers on the table while I think for a moment, and then realize that I can kill someone this turn. That's a typical turn four or five with Wraith!</p>


wraith

Wraith, Vicious Vigilante Deck Tech