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Eldrazi Incursion Upgrade Guide - Modern Horizons 3

Eldrazi Incursion Precon Review - Modern Horizons 3

<p style="text-align: right;">(Sliver Gravemother | Art by <a href="http://www.rahnart.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Rahn</a>)</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of the Scrap Trawlers Precon Upgrade Guides! I’m Bert and I’m here to help you upgrade the Sliver Swarm precon on a budget. Last time we talked about general strategies that were included in the deck, so now we'll go over some cards that we can change to increase the synergies in the deck. Let’s get into the deck list, shall we?</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Silver Swarm" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Sliver Gravemother
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Herald&#039;s Horn
*1 Icon of Ancestry
*1 Pillar of Origins
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Vanquisher&#039;s Banner
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Blade Sliver
*1 Blur Sliver
*1 Bonescythe Sliver
*1 Bonesplitter Sliver
*1 Brood Sliver
*1 Capricious Sliver
*1 Cleaving Sliver
*1 Clot Sliver
*1 Cloudshredder Sliver
*1 Constricting Sliver
*1 Crypt Sliver
*1 Crystalline Sliver
*1 Diffusion Sliver
*1 Firewake Sliver
*1 Galerider Sliver
*1 Gemhide Sliver
*1 Harmonic Sliver
*1 Hatchery Sliver
*1 Hibernation Sliver
*1 Hollowhead Sliver
*1 Lavabelly Sliver
*1 Lazotep Sliver
*1 Manaweft Sliver
*1 Megantic Sliver
*1 Might Sliver
*1 Necrotic Sliver
*1 Quick Sliver
*1 Realmwalker
*1 Regal Sliver
*1 Rukarumel, Biologist
*1 Sentinel Sliver
*1 Shifting Sliver
*1 Sinew Sliver
*1 Sliver Hivelord
*1 Spiteful Sliver
*1 Striking Sliver
*1 Synapse Sliver
*1 Syphon Sliver
*1 Taunting Sliver
*1 Titan of Littjara
*1 Two-Headed Sliver
*1 Venom Sliver
*1 Winged Sliver
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cleansing Nova
*1 Crippling Fear
*1 Cultivate
*1 Decimate
*1 Distant Melody
*1 Farseek
*1 Harsh Mercy
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Three Visits
*1 Windfall
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Descendants&#039; Fury
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 For the Ancestors
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Cinder Glade
*1 Command Tower
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Flood Plain
*3 Forest
*1 Frontier Bivouac
*1 Grasslands
*1 Irrigated Farmland
*2 Island
*1 Jungle Shrine
*2 Mountain
*1 Mountain Valley
*1 Mystic Monastery
*1 Nomad Outpost
*1 Opulent Palace
*1 Path of Ancestry
*2 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Rocky Tar Pit
*1 Sandsteppe Citadel
*1 Savage Lands
*1 Scattered Groves
*1 Seaside Citadel
*1 Secluded Courtyard
*1 Sheltered Thicket
*1 Smoldering Marsh
*1 Sunken Hollow
*2 Swamp
*1 Unclaimed Territory
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Swarmyard</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sliver Gravemother"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Before we get into the upgrades let’s go over our face commander. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sliver Gravemother" href="#" target="_blank">Sliver Gravemother</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a Sliver typal commander that gives us access to all five colors. This gives us a multitude of support cards that we can use and we need to get some of those to aid in our strategy. Sliver Gravemother gives us the option to give the Slivers in our graveyard Encore X. This makes it so we have a backup strategy later in the game where we can make and copy our strongest buff in the yard for the turn. As I stated in the Primer, this deck has a solid creature suite, but the support cards could use a bit of work. Making the deck more consistent is my goal so that we can have an easier time throughout the game. </span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Supporting The Swarm</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are a few cards that I would like to get added to the deck so that we can smooth out the experience. One of the cards that I love for the deck is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elven Chorus" href="#" target="_blank">Elven Chorus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It’s four mana but it gives us both card advantage and mana fixing, which the deck sorely needs in its current iteration. To further help with the mana of the deck, let’s also add a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chromatic Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Chromatic Lantern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> so that we can have access to all our colors and get a bit of ramp out of the exchange. To get a bit more card advantage, I'm also adding in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Horn of the Mark" href="#" target="_blank">Horn of the Mark</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> so that we get rewarded for being the aggro deck that we want to be.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elven Chorus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chromatic Lantern"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Horn of the Mark"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next we're going to add some basic draw spells so that we can more consistently hit our land drops and spells. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chart a Course" href="#" target="_blank">Chart a Course</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painful Truths" href="#" target="_blank">Painful Truths</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shamanic Revelation" href="#" target="_blank">Shamanic Revelation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> go a long way to give us some consistent draws and make it so that our deck plays a bit more consistently. Card draw is a vital part of an aggro deck, making it so that we always have gas in the tank to overrun our opponents.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chart a Course"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Painful Truths"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shamanic Revelation"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lastly, there are a couple of cards that I want to add because they're neat. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhythm of the Wild" href="#" target="_blank">Rhythm of the Wild</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a haste enabler and gives us a way to pump our creatures so that they can have a stronger presence. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Patriarch’s Bidding" href="#" target="_blank">Patriarch’s Bidding</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does an impression of Sliver Gravemother and brings back our Slivers from the graveyard, giving it a high ceiling for us. I also wanted extra ramp and removal, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pir’s Whim" href="#" target="_blank">Pir’s Whim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be both. It gives us any land while getting rid of artifacts or enchantments on our opponents' side of the board.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Swarm Adjacent</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here we’ll go over some of the cards that'll be cut from the deck. First on my list is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crippling Fear" href="#" target="_blank">Crippling Fear</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's a subpar board wipe that won’t remove our opponents' creatures if they get too big, so I would rather have a card that would definitely deal with the problem. The next card is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Decimate" href="#" target="_blank">Decimate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which has the problem of having to have four different targets. It's a dead card if, for example, there are no enchantments on the board. Or an unfortunate card if you control the only enchantment and really don't want to destroy it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Descendants’ Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Descendants’ Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a bit lackluster to me. It seems to reward us for being ahead and incentivizes us to give up our board state for a random creature for our deck. This just isn't how I prefer to play the game, so I would like to avoid it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crippling Fear"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Decimate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Descendants’ Fury"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Windfall" href="#" target="_blank">Windfall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a card I'm not exactly happy to see as well. We do have a commander that cares a bit about the graveyard but it isn't the general strategy that we're doing, so I feel this is a wasted slot. I’m also cutting some of the redundant Slivers to make a bit of space for support for the deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crypt Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Crypt Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bonesplitter Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Bonesplitter Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have other cards in the deck that do what they do, but better. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next let's go over what I would do with the deck if there was no budget.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Budget Breaking Swarm</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here at Scrap Trawlers we're a budget focused group, but this deck being five colors means the mana base lends itself to being more expensive. In particular one of the first upgrades you can do here is Shock lands, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Steam Vents" href="#" target="_blank">Steam Vents</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hallowed Fountain" href="#" target="_blank">Hallowed Fountain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, etc. Fixing the mana issues in this deck should be your first priority. Even going as far as running the Pain lands that represent our three highest colors.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Steam Vents"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hallowed Fountain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blood Crypt"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We need a couple of protection spells that actually got reprints in the main set. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heroic Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Heroic Intervention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flawless Maneuver" href="#" target="_blank">Flawless Maneuver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are some amazing spells that can give our board that staying power that it needs.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lastly, I am yet again asking for a typal deck that comes with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kindred Discovery" href="#" target="_blank">Kindred Discovery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The draw power is just astounding, so it’s an inclusion that needs to be considered in the deck.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sliver Lineup</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here is our modified list:</span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Silver Swarm" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Sliver Gravemother
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Chromatic Lantern
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Herald&#039;s Horn
*1 Horn of the Mark
*1 Pillar of Origins
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Vanquisher&#039;s Banner
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Blade Sliver
*1 Blur Sliver
*1 Bonescythe Sliver
*1 Bonesplitter Sliver
*1 Brood Sliver
*1 Capricious Sliver
*1 Cleaving Sliver
*1 Clot Sliver
*1 Cloudshredder Sliver
*1 Constricting Sliver
*1 Crystalline Sliver
*1 Diffusion Sliver
*1 Firewake Sliver
*1 Galerider Sliver
*1 Gemhide Sliver
*1 Harmonic Sliver
*1 Hatchery Sliver
*1 Hibernation Sliver
*1 Hollowhead Sliver
*1 Lavabelly Sliver
*1 Lazotep Sliver
*1 Manaweft Sliver
*1 Might Sliver
*1 Necrotic Sliver
*1 Quick Sliver
*1 Realmwalker
*1 Regal Sliver
*1 Sentinel Sliver
*1 Shifting Sliver
*1 Sinew Sliver
*1 Sliver Hivelord
*1 Spiteful Sliver
*1 Striking Sliver
*1 Synapse Sliver
*1 Syphon Sliver
*1 Taunting Sliver
*1 Titan of Littjara
*1 Two-Headed Sliver
*1 Venom Sliver
*1 Winged Sliver
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Chart a Course
*1 Cleansing Nova
*1 Cultivate
*1 Distant Melody
*1 Farseek
*1 Harsh Mercy
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Painful Truths
*1 Patriarch&#039;s Bidding
*1 Pir&#039;s Whim
*1 Shamanic Revelation
*1 Three Visits
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Elven Chorus
*1 Rhythm of the Wild
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Cinder Glade
*1 Command Tower
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Flood Plain
*3 Forest
*1 Frontier Bivouac
*1 Grasslands
*1 Irrigated Farmland
*2 Island
*1 Jungle Shrine
*2 Mountain
*1 Mountain Valley
*1 Mystic Monastery
*1 Nomad Outpost
*1 Opulent Palace
*1 Path of Ancestry
*2 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Rocky Tar Pit
*1 Sandsteppe Citadel
*1 Savage Lands
*1 Scattered Groves
*1 Seaside Citadel
*1 Secluded Courtyard
*1 Sheltered Thicket
*1 Smoldering Marsh
*1 Sunken Hollow
*2 Swamp
*1 Unclaimed Territory
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is probably one of the more challenging decks that I've done, so let me know what you think about the upgrades and the deck in general.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Make sure to check back for more precon guides from us Scrap Trawlers. You can also check out our budget content over on </span><a href="https://www.twitch.tv/scraptrawlers"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/scraptrawlers"><span style="font-weight: 400;">YouTube,</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and follow us on </span><a href="https://twitter.com/scraptrawlers"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Don’t forget to upgrade your precon on a budget!</span></p>


Sliver Swarm - Upgrade Guide

<p style="text-align: right;">(Sliver Gravemother | Art by <a href="http://www.rahnart.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Rahn</a>)</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hello everyone! I’m Bert from the Scrap Trawlers, where we do EDH on a budget. Today we're taking a look at the Sliver Swarm precon from <em>Commander Masters</em>. Our face commander this time around is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sliver Gravemother" href="#" target="_blank">Sliver Gravemother</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which makes our deck Sliver typal. As always, let’s go over how the deck plays, the strengths and weaknesses, and which new and reprinted cards are worth chasing. Let’s get into it!</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Mother’s Love</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sliver Gravemother"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let’s give our face commander, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sliver Gravemother" href="#" target="_blank">Sliver Gravemother</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, another glance, shall we? She's a five-mana, five-color commander, and her first line of text is that the “legend rule” doesn't apply to Slivers you control. This has some powerful synergies with Slivers as they have strong legendary creatures at their disposal.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The next line of text gives each Sliver in our graveyard </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Encore </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">X, where X is its mana value. This enables some amazing recursion for our deck that already has a dynamic board presence. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lastly, she has Encore herself, allowing you to get an additional use out of her rather than immediately sending her into the command zone. Silver Gravemother wants to be played a bit later in the game so that we can profit off of the </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Encore </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">ability and give our Slivers even more effects from one another.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let’s go ahead and take a look at the list. </span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Silver Swarm" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Sliver Gravemother
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Herald&#039;s Horn
*1 Icon of Ancestry
*1 Pillar of Origins
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Vanquisher&#039;s Banner
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Blade Sliver
*1 Blur Sliver
*1 Bonescythe Sliver
*1 Bonesplitter Sliver
*1 Brood Sliver
*1 Capricious Sliver
*1 Cleaving Sliver
*1 Clot Sliver
*1 Cloudshredder Sliver
*1 Constricting Sliver
*1 Crypt Sliver
*1 Crystalline Sliver
*1 Diffusion Sliver
*1 Firewake Sliver
*1 Galerider Sliver
*1 Gemhide Sliver
*1 Harmonic Sliver
*1 Hatchery Sliver
*1 Hibernation Sliver
*1 Hollowhead Sliver
*1 Lavabelly Sliver
*1 Lazotep Sliver
*1 Manaweft Sliver
*1 Megantic Sliver
*1 Might Sliver
*1 Necrotic Sliver
*1 Quick Sliver
*1 Realmwalker
*1 Regal Sliver
*1 Rukarumel, Biologist
*1 Sentinel Sliver
*1 Shifting Sliver
*1 Sinew Sliver
*1 Sliver Hivelord
*1 Spiteful Sliver
*1 Striking Sliver
*1 Synapse Sliver
*1 Syphon Sliver
*1 Taunting Sliver
*1 Titan of Littjara
*1 Two-Headed Sliver
*1 Venom Sliver
*1 Winged Sliver
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Sorceries]
*1 Cleansing Nova
*1 Crippling Fear
*1 Cultivate
*1 Decimate
*1 Distant Melody
*1 Farseek
*1 Harsh Mercy
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Three Visits
*1 Windfall
[/Sorceries]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Descendants&#039; Fury
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 For the Ancestors
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Cinder Glade
*1 Command Tower
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Flood Plain
*3 Forest
*1 Frontier Bivouac
*1 Grasslands
*1 Irrigated Farmland
*2 Island
*1 Jungle Shrine
*2 Mountain
*1 Mountain Valley
*1 Mystic Monastery
*1 Nomad Outpost
*1 Opulent Palace
*1 Path of Ancestry
*2 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Rocky Tar Pit
*1 Sandsteppe Citadel
*1 Savage Lands
*1 Scattered Groves
*1 Seaside Citadel
*1 Secluded Courtyard
*1 Sheltered Thicket
*1 Smoldering Marsh
*1 Sunken Hollow
*2 Swamp
*1 Unclaimed Territory
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With this list we have a good setup for a Slivers deck that has the power to swarm the board. Slivers in particular are a creature type that excels with multiple creatures on the board that provide a buff to all of the creatures.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let’s go ahead and get specific in what our deck's strengths are!</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Slithering Swarm</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Harmonic Sliver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Two-headed Sliver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Manaweft Sliver"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Having an astonishing 43 creatures in the deck, it’s safe to say that we are an aggro deck that aims to spread our creatures around the board so that we can overrun our opponents. The average mana value this time around is 3.13, which is really good out of the box.<br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So how do the vital parts of the deck fare? Well, let's go ahead and talk about the elephant in the room. The mana base leaves much to be desired. The amount of tap-lands (lands that enter the battlefield tapped) that we have really slows down what is supposed to be an aggressive and low-to-the-ground deck. On that same note, the deck does have a decent bit of ramp, but for a five-color deck, I want to see more. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">We have some of the typical green staples, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivate" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nature’s Lore" href="#" target="_blank">Nature’s Lore</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farseek" href="#" target="_blank">Farseek</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, so that's a good start.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next, we're missing a consistent form of card draw in the deck. Included is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vanquisher’s banner" href="#" target="_blank">Vanquisher’s banner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which over the course of the game will draw us a vast amount of cards, but it’s the only recurring card draw that doesn't revolve around combat. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Herald’s Horn" href="#" target="_blank">Herald’s Horn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does its best, but giving us card draw is only half of what we want this card to do for us. Some good board wipes are included that'll see our Slivers live and prosper. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harsh Mercy" href="#" target="_blank">Harsh Mercy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will be great unless our opponent is in a typal deck like we are. We also have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crippling Fear" href="#" target="_blank">Crippling Fear</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cleansing Nova" href="#" target="_blank">Cleansing Nova</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which are great options when it comes to board wipes. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is probably the first time in a while that I'm a bit disappointed with a precon out of the box. Once again I'm asking for a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kindred Discovery" href="#" target="_blank">Kindred Discovery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> reprint in a typal deck that is aggressive and cares about specific creature types. The mana base needs a bit of an upgrade, even if that's just including a few more basics and fetches, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terramorphic Expanse" href="#" target="_blank">Terramorphic Expanse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evolving Wilds" href="#" target="_blank">Evolving Wilds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I will go into more detail into what can be fixed in my Upgrade Guide so be on the lookout for that. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So what <em>am</em> I happy with? Well, the creature suite is solid and our number of board wipes is right. We just need a bit more help in the other departments to make the deck flow a bit more. Enough about the negatives though, let’s take a look at those sweet new Commander cards that were printed in this deck. </span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">New to the Swarm</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We have ten new cards this time around, including Sliver Gravemother, so let’s go over all of them. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rukarumel, Biologist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Capricious Sliver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lazotep Sliver"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The alternate commander is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rukarumel, Biologist" href="#" target="_blank">Rukarumel, Biologist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who allows you to create a typal deck for the type of your choice. They make it so that nontoken creatures you control and creature spells that you cast are the selected type, as well as all Slivers you control. I'm interested to see lists for this commander once everyone starts to brew.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Capricious Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Capricious Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a four-mana Sliver that gives our Slivers the ability to impulse draw when they deal combat damage to a player. I'm a huge fan of this Sliver and the potential that it has. I mean, if you </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Encore</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> it and get copies, it just provides a massive amount of card advantage. Next is another one of my favorite new cards, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lazotep Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Lazotep Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card is a powerhouse by itself. Not only does it protect our board against wipes by making it so that we Amass whenever a Sliver dies, but it also gives Slivers we control </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Afflict </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">2</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> which disincentivizes our opponents from blocking. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Regal Sliver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Titan of Littjara"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hatchery Sliver"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some additional cards that make this deck stand out have to be <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hatchery Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Hatchery Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Regal Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Regal Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Titan of Littjara" href="#" target="_blank">Titan of Littjara</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. When it comes to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hatchery Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Hatchery Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, Replicate is a powerful effect that lets us double up on buffs in the late game. It can come down early, but really shines during later turns where you actually have the mana to replicate your spells. I am a huge fan of the </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Monarch </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Regal Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Regal Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> adding it to the game is just what I love to see. It also makes it easier to take the Monarch back, which is not always the case. Next we have our typal titan, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Titan of Littjara" href="#" target="_blank">Titan of Littjara</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, giving us a bit of card draw on entering the battlefield and attacks. I'm not a huge fan of this, but the amount of cards you can draw off of it in this deck is nothing to scoff at. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Descendants’ Fury"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="For the Ancestors"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Taunting Sliver"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lastly we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Descendants’ Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Descendants’ Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="For the Ancestors" href="#" target="_blank">For the Ancestors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Taunting Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Taunting Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Taunting Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Taunting Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is strong, as it gives us the ability to Goad our opponents' creatures and open them up from an attack from our buffed up Slivers. If I've learned one thing this year, it’s how powerful G</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">oad</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> can be when you have multiple instances of it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="For the Ancestors" href="#" target="_blank">For the Ancestors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fine card, but I would honestly just prefer that it be a card draw spell. It does have the added benefit of having F</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">lashback</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> which allows us to use it an additional time. [/el]Descendants’ Fury[/el] is a weird card as it has you give up your board presence for a chance to get something a bit more powerful. If we had a lower number of creatures and knew what we would get off of it, I think it would be a lot better, but with 43 creatures it’s a bit too random for me. </span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Returned to the Horde</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the new cards also comes the return of some old ones. One I am sure that people are excited to see is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sliver Hivelord" href="#" target="_blank">Sliver Hivelord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's a very powerful card, giving our Sliver creatures some protection in the form of indestructible. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Seeing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloudshredder Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Cloudshredder Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> brings me joy as it's a powerful and efficient card giving our Slivers two notable abilities. I've already talked about the ramp package reprints <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivate" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nature’s Lore" href="#" target="_blank">Nature’s Lore</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farseek" href="#" target="_blank">Farseek</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which are always welcome to show up in products such as this. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vanquisher’s Banner" href="#" target="_blank">Vanquisher’s Banner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is also a great card to see included.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sliver Hivelord"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloudshredder Sliver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vanquisher’s Banner"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Overall, we could have used some more noteworthy reprints, but we definitely have a bunch of Slivers that were included that I haven’t mentioned. </span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Final Thoughts</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While it’s not my favorite deck, I like what the Sliver Swarm precon is trying to do. The deck has some synergies built in even though it's missing a bit of the gears that make the deck tick. Be sure to let me know what </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">you</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> think about the deck in the comments below. Come back next time so we can go over some upgrades for the deck. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Make sure to check back for more precon guides from us Scrap Trawlers. The other Trawlers are coming up with the guides for the other decks, so be sure to check them out. You can also check out our budget content over on </span><a href="https://www.twitch.tv/scraptrawlers"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/scraptrawlers"><span style="font-weight: 400;">YouTube</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and follow us on </span><a href="https://twitter.com/scraptrawlers"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>


Sliver Swarm - Precon Primer

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jodah, the Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Jodah, the Unifier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.ryanpancoast.com/">Ryan Pancoast</a>)</h6>
<h1 style="text-align: left;">Epic Preparations</h1>
<p style="text-align: left;">Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo, and this is <em>Epic Experiment</em>, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jodah, the Unifier"></div></div></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jodah, the Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Jodah, the Unifier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides a powerful legendary <em>Cascade</em>-esque ability, and to complement it, Jodah also pumps up every legendary creature we control - including himself! This combination of strong abilities makes Jodah a serious threat that can very easily take over the game.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Getting card advantage in Commander is nothing out of the ordinary, and when we combine this with inherent card selection (since Jodah's ability only hits other legendary cards) and the fact that we also get to play that card for free (which technically also counts as mana acceleration) we can accumulate a truly astounding board presence. In a format where we have such a deep card pool, a 'legendary only' restriction is frankly quite close to having <em>no</em> restriction, especially with a five-color commander!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">While the pump effect may at first seem overshadowed by the <em>Cascade</em> ability, believe me, it adds up quickly. That's exponential damage growth! The extra bump in power can even be useful for a Voltron win condition if you don't want to invest in playing a ton of other legendary creatures.</p>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Epic Ingredients</h2>
<p><em>Cascade</em> is quite an intriguing ability for people that enjoy messing around with the brewing process, and Jodah gives us a unique spin on the mechanic. Usually, when building around <em>Cascade</em>, we need to decide if we're digging for a specific card to hit off a <em>Cascade </em>trigger, or if we're just using it for straight-up value. Many Jodah decks go for the value, but this is <em>Epic </em><em>Experiment, </em>and oh boy, I have just the right target to <em>Cascade </em>into!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jegantha, the Wellspring"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Norin the Wary"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Impact Tremors"></div></div></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Norin the Wary" href="#" target="_blank">Norin the Wary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might not seem all that much of a threat, but in the right shell, he's a hard-to-remove threat that can fuel ETB-based decks all by himself.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">So that's the 'what', but now let's address the 'how'. Jodah can guarantee us access to Norin if we build our deck such that we don't have any other one-mana (or less) legendary cards in the 99, which isn't very difficult to do, to be honest. A key way to make sure we can achieve a guaranteed legendary <em>Cascade </em>is to also have a Companion. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jegantha, the Wellspring" href="#" target="_blank">Jegantha, the Wellspring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> fits in nicely here, since the Companion restriction is rather mild, and the extra mana it provides is very welcome.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">This means, however, that we can't play any other legendary cards with a mana value less than five. If we cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jegantha, the Wellspring" href="#" target="_blank">Jegantha, the Wellspring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we need it to hit [e]Norin, the Wary[/el] 100% of the time. Note that Jegantha isn't the <em>only </em>way we can dig for Norin; Jegantha is here for the small extra consistency rather than for speed, which often means we don't even have to play it to get our strategy underway.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Soul Warden"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Genesis Chamber"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gala Greeters"></div></div></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">To get the most out of Norin, we need to build an engine dedicated to getting value out of creatures entering and leaving the battlefield. 'Soul Sisters' like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Essence Warden" href="#" target="_blank">Essence Warden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are a great starting point, giving us both a starting direction and a high level of consistency through the sheer number of available variants out there. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Genesis Chamber" href="#" target="_blank">Genesis Chamber</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives us a steady stream of bodies. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gala Greeters" href="#" target="_blank">Gala Greeters</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an all-around powerful addition to the archetype, mostly providing two <em>Alliance </em>triggers on our turn and, generally, a Treasure token on everyone else's turn.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Warstorm Surge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vela the Night-Clad"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marauding Blight-Priest"></div></div></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">We also have a lot of direct damage sources, which are essential to our plan to keep the pressure on our anamies while avoiding combat ourselves. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warstorm Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Warstorm Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a classic Norin staple that loves to watch him arrive at the party, and <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> loves to watch him leave! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corpse Knight" href="#" target="_blank">Corpse Knight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Witty Roastmaster" href="#" target="_blank">Witty Roastmaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are essentially reverse Soul Sister effects, which stack pretty quickly when Norin's constantly going on and off the battlefield. While <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Outpost Siege" href="#" target="_blank">Outpost Siege</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s LTB triggers are less frequent than the usual ETB triggers, the versatility to act either as a poking tool or as a draw engine is useful enough to warrant inclusion here.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">We run a bit low on lifegain payoffs, since we're also trying to balance out the 99 with a bunch of Soul Sister effects, ETBs, LTBs, and legendary cards, as well as the normal necessities like removal, mana acceleration, or card advantage. Still, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cliffhaven Vampire" href="#" target="_blank">Cliffhaven Vampire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marauding Blight-Priest" href="#" target="_blank">Marauding Blight-Priest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Indulging Patrician" href="#" target="_blank">Indulging Patrician</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, combined with our other pingers, will all give us a steady amount of damage output, putting a clock on our enemies. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trudge Garden" href="#" target="_blank">Trudge Garden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Griffin Aerie" href="#" target="_blank">Griffin Aerie</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> give us some beefier tools that we can use to smash face. And for a personal favorite, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blossoming Bogbeast" href="#" target="_blank">Blossoming Bogbeast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a repeatable <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overrun" href="#" target="_blank">Overrun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect that works extremely well with all our lifegain!</p>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">The Mixture</h2>
<p style="text-align: left;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Jodah Norinfall" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Jodah, the Unifier
[/Commander]
[Companion]
*Jegantha, the Wellspring
[/Companion]
[Creature]
*Essence Warden
*Lunarch Veteran
*Norin the Wary
*Soul Warden
*Soul&#039;s Attendant
*Bloom Tender
*Corpse Knight
*Gala Greeters
*Prosperous Innkeeper
*Suture Priest
*Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
*Imperial Recruiter
*Indulging Patrician
*Marauding Blight-Priest
*Mentor of the Meek
*Recruiter of the Guard
*Witty Roastmaster
*Cliffhaven Vampire
*Rose Room Treasurer
*Saltskitter
*Blossoming Bogbeast
*Celestine, the Living Saint
*Yarok, the Desecrated
*Oloro, Ageless Ascetic
*Vela the Night-Clad
[/Creature]
[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*Genesis Chamber
*Nevinyrral&#039;s Disk
*Panharmonicon
*Well of Lost Dreams
*The Mightstone and Weakstone
*Timeless Lotus
[/Artifact]
[Enchantment]
*Ajani&#039;s Welcome
*Dawn of Hope
*Griffin Aerie
*Impact Tremors
*Aura Shards
*Tocasia&#039;s Welcome
*Trudge Garden
*Guardian Project
*Outpost Siege
*Pandemonium
*Mirari&#039;s Wake
*Warstorm Surge
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Path to Exile
*Swords to Plowshares
*Despark
*Rite of Harmony
*Tear Asunder
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*Explore
*Farseek
*Nature&#039;s Lore
*Three Visits
*Skyshroud Claim
*Iridian Maelstrom
*Urban Evolution
*Merciless Eviction
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Arid Mesa
*Blood Crypt
*Bloodstained Mire
*Breeding Pool
*City of Brass
*Command Tower
*Flooded Strand
*Godless Shrine
*Hallowed Fountain
*Indatha Triome
*Jetmir&#039;s Garden
*Ketria Triome
*Mana Confluence
*Marsh Flats
*Misty Rainforest
*Overgrown Tomb
*Polluted Delta
*Prismatic Vista
*Raffine&#039;s Tower
*Raugrin Triome
*Sacred Foundry
*Savai Triome
*Scalding Tarn
*Spara&#039;s Headquarters
*Steam Vents
*Stomping Ground
*Temple Garden
*The World Tree
*Verdant Catacombs
*Watery Grave
*Windswept Heath
*Wooded Foothills
*Xander&#039;s Lodge
*Zagoth Triome
*Zitora&#039;s Proving Ground
*3 Forest
*2 Plains
* Swamp
[/Land]"></span></div></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: left;">Our card draw is good once we get Norin out. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tocasia&#039;s Welcome" href="#" target="_blank">Tocasia&#039;s Welcome</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guardian Project" href="#" target="_blank">Guardian Project</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> passively draw at least four cards per turn cycle just from the usual Norin shenanigans alone. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oloro, Ageless Ascetic" href="#" target="_blank">Oloro, Ageless Ascetic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dawn of Hope" href="#" target="_blank">Dawn of Hope</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are very easy to trigger and can be useful mana sinks for when we're lacking other options or when we don't want to commit more to the board. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rite of Harmony" href="#" target="_blank">Rite of Harmony</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a more explosive card draw that can help us restock our hand for two turns.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tocasia&#039;s Welcome"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Guardian Project"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yarok, the Desecrated"></div></div>
<p style="text-align: left;">We have a few other legendary cards in the 99 too, that way we don't always have to rely on Jegantha to help dig for Norin in the first place. Note again that any legendary cards in the deck must have a mana value of five or higher, and they can't have multiples of the same colored pips in their mana costs. This somewhat limits our options, but the ones we can play are truly excellent. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Mightstone and Weakstone" href="#" target="_blank">The Mightstone and Weakstone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timeless Lotus" href="#" target="_blank">Timeless Lotus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are big mana rocks that help us rocket ahead in the late game while also providing a chance for a <em>Cascade</em>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Celestine, the Living Saint" href="#" target="_blank">Celestine, the Living Saint</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides some recursion for our smaller creatures, which we have tons of, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yarok, the Desecrated" href="#" target="_blank">Yarok, the Desecrated</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is yet another copy of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Panharmonicon" href="#" target="_blank">Panharmonicon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, doubling up all our Norin shenanigans!</p>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Be Wary!</h2>
<p style="text-align: left;">That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think of this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Jodah

Too-Specific Top 10 - WUBRG Lands

Epic Experiment - Tiamat

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esika, God of the Tree" href="#" target="_blank">Esika, God of the Tree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/algenpfleger">Johannes Voss</a>)</h6>

<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo Melibeu, and this is <em>Epic Experiment</em>, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.</p>
<p>This week, we'll start exploring <em>Kaldheim</em> with what's probably one of the most powerful commanders recently released. It's part creature, part enchantment, 100% bomb. Yes, it's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esika, God of the Tree" href="#" target="_blank">Esika, God of the Tree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/esika.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-62708" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/esika.jpg" alt="" width="243" height="339" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/esika.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/esika-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 243px) 100vw, 243px" /></a> <a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prismatic-bridge.jpg"> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-62709" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prismatic-bridge.jpg" alt="" width="244" height="339" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prismatic-bridge.jpg 672w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/prismatic-bridge-215x300.jpg 215w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 244px) 100vw, 244px" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Esika, God of the Tree</strong></p>
<p><strong>Vigilance</strong></p>
<p><strong>{T}: Add one mana of any color.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Other legendary creatures you control have vigilance and “{T}: Add one mana of any color.”</strong></p>
<p><strong>The Prismatic Bridge</strong></p>
<p><strong>At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature or planeswalker card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.</strong></p>
<p>Observation 1:</p>
<p>Esika has tough competition on her front side; both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kethis, the Hidden Hand" href="#" target="_blank">Kethis, the Hidden Hand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sisay, Weatherlight Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Sisay, Weatherlight Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> offer a better support for the 'legendary matters' archetype. However, the versatility of having two forms can't be underestimated.</p>
<p>Observation 2:</p>
<p>The enchantment is quite strong. In fact, it's probably the main reason one should consider running Esika as a commander.</p>
<p>Observation 3:</p>
<p>The combination of the creature side plus the enchantment side is really powerful in a deck dedicated to playing haymakers, as both halves can help the gameplan in their own way.</p>
<p>Observation 4:</p>
<p>Cheating creatures or planeswalkers into play can be used in plenty of different ways, from getting big haymakers to a more combo-focused approach.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-62299" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig-1024x510.png" alt="" width="1024" height="510" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig-1024x510.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig-300x150.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig-768x383.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Esika-Sig.png 1224w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p>As we can see, Esika is often used as the head of a God tribal, which makes sense, in a way, since Gods tend to be quite good. This seems more like a thematic choice than one based on power, though.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stuffy Doll"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brash Taunter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spiteful Sliver"></div></div>
<p>Like in my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Illuna, Apex of Wishes" href="#" target="_blank">Illuna, Apex of Wishes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/epic-experiment-illuda-storm/">article</a>, the challenge of building around The Prismatic Bridge is to find out what we're trying to cheat into play. One of my favorite two-card combos is a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect plus some big damage spell. This combo has always felt a bit clunky because we need to find one combo piece, play them, and then cast our damage effect. This is can lead us into two outcomes: either we play our creature early and wait for our next turn to play the damage spell, or we wait until we have the mana to cast both cards on the same turn. The Prismatic Bridge helps us find our creatures and play them for free. This makes so we can hold playing our commander until we find a damage spell, and then on the next turn we can combo out.</p>
<p>We have basically every variation of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. They all look very similar, but upon further look we can see their differences. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coalhauler Swine" href="#" target="_blank">Coalhauler Swine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> being able to damage every opponent makes it a very effective threat. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spiteful Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Spiteful Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the best target for our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clone" href="#" target="_blank">Clone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects, because they'll get multiple instances of the damage trigger. Aside from these creatures, we do have some honorable mentions that help us, too. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Repercussion" href="#" target="_blank">Repercussion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcbond" href="#" target="_blank">Arcbond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toralf, God of Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Toralf, God of Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> turn our opponents' creatures into our own <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s.</p>
<p>The best part of this archetype is that one of its combo pieces are board wipes. This means that we are somewhat slot-efficient and we can reliably interact with our opponents' creatures. <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> is one of the best options out there. It's cheap and does a lot of damage. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Earthquake" href="#" target="_blank">Earthquake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rolling Earthquake" href="#" target="_blank">Rolling Earthquake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> do a good job both triggering our creatures and as a burn to face. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Stroke" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Stroke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful burn spell that can act both as a way to spread damage across and as a way to focus damage onto one opponent.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spellshock"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sulfuric Vortex"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ankh of Mishra"></div></div>
<p>We probably won't be able to wipe out all of our opponents with our combo, so we need a way to soften everyone up. This is a bit of a challenge because we want to avoid playing creatures (other than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s) and planeswalkers, so we need another way to find a constant source of pressure. Group Slug enchantments do a great job covering that weakness. They punish greed and play nicely with damage multiplier effects, another key part of our gameplan. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cindervines" href="#" target="_blank">Cindervines</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spellshock" href="#" target="_blank">Spellshock</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> punish our opponents for playing multiple spells, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Roiling Vortex" href="#" target="_blank">Roiling Vortex</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sulfuric Vortex" href="#" target="_blank">Sulfuric Vortex</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might seem a bit too slow, but they do add up by the time we're combing out.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Esika Piñata" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Esika, God of the Tree
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Mogg Maniac
*Boros Reckoner
*Hornet Nest
*Spiteful Sliver
*Toralf, God of Fury
*Spitemare
*Truefire Captain
*Brash Taunter
*Stuffy Doll
*Coalhauler Swine
[/Creature]
[Sorcery]
*Earthquake
*Faithless Looting
*Magmatic Insight
*Reanimate
*Rolling Earthquake
*Vandalblast
*Explore
*Farseek
*Nature&#039;s Lore
*Three Visits
*Tormenting Voice
*Twinflame
*Cultivate
*Grow from the Ashes
*Kodama&#039;s Reach
*Chain Reaction
*Pirate&#039;s Pillage
*Skyshroud Claim
*Shivan Meteor
*Into the Maw of Hell
*Star of Extinction
*Sundering Stroke
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*Ankh of Mishra
*Arcane Signet
*Chromatic Lantern
*Lithoform Engine
[/Artifact]
[Enchantment]
*Phyrexian Reclamation
*Animate Dead
*Cindervines
*No Rest for the Wicked
*Roiling Vortex
*Overabundance
*Repercussion
*Spellshock
*Sulfuric Vortex
*Flameshadow Conjuring
*Manabarbs
*Dictate of the Twin Gods
*Fiery Emancipation
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Mystical Tutor
*Vampiric Tutor
*Arcane Denial
*Boros Charm
*Cyclonic Rift
*Heroic Intervention
*Thrill of Possibility
*Arcbond
*Chaos Warp
*Kolaghan&#039;s Command
*Faith&#039;s Reward
[/Instant]
[Land]
*Arid Mesa
*Blood Crypt
*Bloodstained Mire
*Cinder Glade
*City of Brass
*Command Tower
*Flooded Strand
*Ketria Triome
*Luxury Suite
*Mana Confluence
*Marsh Flats
*Misty Rainforest
*Polluted Delta
*Raugrin Triome
*Sacred Foundry
*Savai Triome
*Scalding Tarn
*Spectator Seating
*Spire Garden
*Steam Vents
*Stomping Ground
*Training Center
*Verdant Catacombs
*Windswept Heath
*Wooded Foothills
*12 Mountain
[/Land]"></span></div>
<hr />
<p>Another key component of our list are damage multiplier effects. These effects stack amazingly well with our creatures (both the damage on our creatures and the triggers are affected by the multipliers). While they are great, we do have to be careful because they tend to be win-more. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Emancipation" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Emancipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful new addition that not only scales better than any other, it's also safer because it doesn't apply to us. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dictate of the Twin Gods" href="#" target="_blank">Dictate of the Twin Gods</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has flash, which is a pretty nice way to get first value out of it.</p>
<p>Most of our pieces lack protection, which makes them mostly a "one-time deal". That being said, having a bit of recursion goes a long way to help us continue going off. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="No Rest for the Wicked" href="#" target="_blank">No Rest for the Wicked</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great because we pay it in advance. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to use our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stuffy Doll" href="#" target="_blank">Stuffy Doll</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects as effective blockers. We can also give the missing protection for our creatures: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boros Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Boros Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heroic Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Heroic Intervention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are both great protection spells that could be used both to protect our pieces from removal and to allow us to continue the combo.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>We have some different kinds of opening hands and their usefulness will vary according to the type of game we're looking for. Hands with hate pieces are great for slower games where we don't need to rush for our combo out. Hands with ramp, on the other hand, can be good for faster combos, but without the board wipes we might run out of steam by the mid game.</p>
<p>For our early game we need a clear starting plan. Are we going to try to rush for our combo? Are we playing early Slug pieces? We can even take it a bit slow and dig for a plan. Regardless of the path chosen, we need to stick to it; it doesn't make any sense to try to rush for our commander without access to board wipes to combo after. One thing that is very important to keep in mind is that having access to all of our colors can be a bit tricky because our mana based is stretched to fit <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Stroke" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Stroke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sundering Stroke"></div></div>
<p>In the mid game we can, hopefully, start looking to combo. Even if we don't get to, however, that's okay: our Group Slug pieces can go a long way throughout the game. A bit of politics go a long way in lying low while we search for our threats.</p>
<p>By the time we get to the late game we should be careful to not die to our own effects, but aside from that we have lots of one-shot potential even with spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Earthquake" href="#" target="_blank">Earthquake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angrath&#039;s Marauders"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archaeomancer"></div></div>
<p>Esika is a really fun commander to build around, and it's too bad that I can't show more builds that I've tried. However, I can tell you some that were pretty close to being featured: Turbo Turns using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects to recur our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time Warp" href="#" target="_blank">Time Warp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s, Burn using damage multipliers on creatures to get more value out of our Burn spells and slug pieces, even a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curiosity" href="#" target="_blank">Curiosity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combo deck featuring every single variation of those effects and some cards that combo with it.</p>
<p>As for this build, cutting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Stroke" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Stroke</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help out alleviate our mana problems. Having more <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clone" href="#" target="_blank">Clone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects can also increase our all-in potential at the cost of being dead draws outside of the combo.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think about this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


wubrg