Teval, the Balanced ScaleTeval, the Balanced Scale | Illustrated by Chris Rahn

Hey nerds! With the release of Tarkir: Dragonstorm, we got a bunch of new legendaries to build fun and spicy decks with. And for the first deck of the Tarkir season, we have an absolute banger with Teval, the Balanced ScaleTeval, the Balanced Scale. This Sultai Dragon wants us to move cards in and out of the graveyard.

Now, there are a few ways to build this commander. Teval is a great commander for lands, self-mill, dredge, Zombies, or heck a Gyruda, Doom of DepthsGyruda, Doom of Depths companion deck. As always, you can find my list down below or at Archidekt. 

Self-mill

The Creatures

In order to remove cards from our graveyard, we need to get cards in our graveyard. There are mana dorks that mill us like Deranged AssistantDeranged Assistant, MillikinMillikin, and Skull ProphetSkull Prophet. But only milling one or two cards a turn isn't enough for us to pump out a Zombie army.

We can mill with enter triggers from Stitcher's SupplierStitcher's Supplier, Aftermath AnalystAftermath Analyst, and Satyr WayfinderSatyr Wayfinder. If you love the Fallout set rad counters are another great way to fill your yard. I've only added Screeching ScorchbeastScreeching Scorchbeast and Tato FarmerTato Farmer to my personal list.

Both of these creatures have overperformed in every deck I've played them. The The Wise MothmanThe Wise Mothman is also another creature I considered, but it didn't make the cut. 

One of my favorite creatures in the deck is Underrealm LichUnderrealm Lich. I wish this creature was legendary, and there is a legendary creature with this effect, Taigam, Sidisi's HandTaigam, Sidisi's Hand. Underrealm Lich replaces all of your draws, not just your first.

So if you draw three with something like Treasure CruiseTreasure Cruise or more with a wheel, you see nine or more cards. And you dodge Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe and Orcish BowmastersOrcish Bowmasters effects. We could even build a Gyruda, Doom of DepthsGyruda, Doom of Depths companion deck, as I mentioned earlier. Or just include them in the deck, just like I did. 

The Noncreatures

As for the noncreature mill, Life from the LoamLife from the Loam is probably my favorite spell of all time and can give you multiple Zombies a turn thanks to its dredge ability. Another powerful dredge card is Dakmor SalvageDakmor Salvage. You can combine this with The Gitrog MonsterThe Gitrog Monster to create a ton of Zombies on your end step.

The loop is complicated, but the basic idea is you discard Dakmor Salvage if you have more than seven cards in hand. Which triggers Gitrog, allowing you to draw a card. But instead, you dredge Dakmor back to your hand.

If you mill a land off the dredge, you draw another card. Then you go to cleanup again and discard Dakmor. Triggering Gitrog and repeat. If you want a more in-depth look into this combo, check out the many Gitrog CEDH primers online. 

Grapple with the PastGrapple with the Past is card draw from your graveyard. I had Grisly SalvageGrisly Salvage in the deck originally, but it doesn't mill or trigger our commander, so I decided to cut it. Otherworldly GazeOtherworldly Gaze lets us surveil three and has a cheap flashback cost, so we can trigger our commander while filling our graveyard.

And finally, Ripples of UndeathRipples of Undeath has us mill on upkeep and can trigger our commander. I've played Out of the TombsOut of the Tombs in my Tormod deck, and while incredibly powerful, I didn't feel like I could take full advantage of it.

Removing Cards From The Yard

Slow & Steady

Next, we need ways to move cards in and out of our graveyard. An important thing to note is that if you remove ten cards at once, you will only get one trigger from Teval. So we want ways to remove one card at a time, if possible, to maximize the triggers. Armored ScrapgorgerArmored Scrapgorger, Scavenging OozeScavenging Ooze, and Molt TenderMolt Tender are great since they exile cards one at a time.

And we can use them to exile cards from our opponents' graveyards when needed. The recently reprinted Phyrexian ReclamationPhyrexian Reclamation and Oversold CemeteryOversold Cemetery are great repeatable ways to take creatures out of our graveyard.

Reanimation

Another way we can trigger Teval is by using reanimation. The new Colossal Grave-ReaverColossal Grave-Reaver is an incredible reanimation engine and reanimation target. Life // DeathLife // Death, Dread ReturnDread Return, and VictimizeVictimize are great budget options we can use to reanimate creatures we mill over. 

The Other Stuff

Graveyard Payoffs

Teval isn't the only creature that triggers from cards moving in and out of the graveyard. There is Tormod, the DesecratorTormod, the Desecrator, Screeching ScorchbeastScreeching Scorchbeast, and Sidisi, Brood TyrantSidisi, Brood Tyrant to give us additional 2/2s. While the new Kishla SkimmerKishla Skimmer and Kheru GoldkeeperKheru Goldkeeper provide us with card draw and Treasures.

And the famous, or infamous, Syr Konrad, the GrimSyr Konrad, the Grim. We also have access to some powerful noncreature payoffs thanks to Insidious RootsInsidious Roots and Teval's JudgmentTeval's Judgment.

Zombie Support

Let's talk about some of the Zombie support. I've tried Zombie lords like Undead WarchiefUndead Warchief, Zombie MasterZombie Master, and Lord of the AccursedLord of the Accursed in my Tormod deck with mixed success. These lords might be better in Teval since they make untapped Zombies. Instead of lords, I added Lost Monarch of IfnirLost Monarch of Ifnir and The Scarab GodThe Scarab God. Both cards work great without an army of Zombies in play. 

We Can Combo

What kind of Sultai deck would I be without a combo? Now this combo isn't going to win you the game on the spot without some work, but I thought it would be fun to add. You can go infinite with Kheru GoldkeeperKheru Goldkeeper, GravecrawlerGravecrawler, and Grimgrin, Corpse-BornGrimgrin, Corpse-Born.

Technically, any sac outlet will work, but there is a specific reason I choose Grimgrin. There is a new card in Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Lotuslight DancersLotuslight Dancers, which lets us put a black, green, and blue card from our library into our graveyard. So with Lotuslight, we can put all three combo pieces directly into the graveyard. 

Then we can use VictimizeVictimize, or any number of reanimation effects to return Grimgrin and Kheru into play. And finally, we cast Gravecrawler from our graveyard, which gives us a treasure, thanks to Kheru. We sacrifice Gravecrawler to Grimgrin, giving them a counter. And now we repeat. If we have our commander or Tormod, the DesecratorTormod, the Desecrator in play, we get infinite Zombie tokens. Or we can just win the game with Syr Konrad, the GrimSyr Konrad, the Grim. This isn't the most efficient combo, but I love the fact we can tutor for all three pieces from a single creature. If you want to streamline the combo, you can just add Warren SoultraderWarren Soultrader or Phyrexian AltarPhyrexian Altar as sac outlets. And whatever Blood ArtistBlood Artist effect you want. 

Upgrades

Self-Mill

If you love Teval, and want to improve the deck, there are some pretty easy ugprades we can make. We can add more self-mill with Overlord of the BalemurkOverlord of the Balemurk, Hermit DruidHermit Druid, and Out of the TombsOut of the Tombs. Overlord and Out of the Tombs are incredibly powerful value pieces that help fuel our game plan. Hermit Druid can become a one-card combo if you include Thassa's OracleThassa's Oracle in your list. You can't run any basics if you want to guarantee the win with Hermit Druid. But as a fun random value card, I love Hermit Druid. 

Lands

You could also add more land payoffs and switch the deck to a pseudo-lands theme. Azusa, Lost but SeekingAzusa, Lost but Seeking, Ancient GreenwardenAncient Greenwarden, and Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre StraitAesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait work great when we can play additional lands from our graveyard. Field of the DeadField of the Dead is an option as a way to generate more Zombies. If you decide to go this route, I'd suggest adding Zuran OrbZuran Orb and Sylvan SafekeeperSylvan Safekeeper as ways to sacrifice lands. 

Beating Face

The final set of upgrades are just value pieces that can fit into any version of the deck. Natural OrderNatural Order, Craterhoof BehemothCraterhoof Behemoth, and Gilt-Leaf ArchdruidGilt-Leaf Archdruid. Natural Order and Craterhoof is a tried-and-true combo that can easily win the game for you on the spot. And Gilt-Leaf Archdruid can steal someone's lands. Or everyone's lands if you have a Seedborn MuseSeedborn Muse in play.