Esper CharmEsper Charm | Art by Michael Bruinsma

Greetings and salutations my dear brewers, and welcome to the final article in the Branching Out series, where I try to find spicy and out-of-bounds ideas for you to build around.

You read this right, this is indeed the last chapter of a saga that started about nine months ago. After tackling each color pair, wedge, and almost all shards, it's time to close this book. And Esper is the perfect color combination to do so.

contains the three most controlling colors in Magic's history, and it's often tied to staxy strategies. Let anyone who ever played against Oloro, Ageless AsceticOloro, Ageless Ascetic cast the first stone.

Let's see if the legends hold any truth, by having a look at the top commanders:

• Y'shtola, Night's BlessedY'shtola, Night's Blessed: 38,520 decks, with the most popular themes being Control (2.2K decks), Spellslinger (1.2K), and Lifegain (869).
• Hashaton, Scarab's FistHashaton, Scarab's Fist: 22,635 decks, with the most popular themes being Discard (1.7K decks), Reanimator (1.1K), and Tokens (752).
• Oloro, Ageless AsceticOloro, Ageless Ascetic: 19,945 decks, with the most popular themes being Lifegain (4.5K decks), Control (440), and Combo (352).
• Sidar Jabari of ZhalfirSidar Jabari of Zhalfir: 17,246 decks, with the most popular themes being Knights (3.9K decks), Reanimator (878), and Aggro (325).
• Urza, Chief ArtificerUrza, Chief Artificer: 16,444 decks, with the most popular themes being Artifacts (5.1K decks), Tokens (710), and Affinity (434).

There are already a few interesting insights here.

First, Y'shtola's versatility can partly explain her success. She recently became the fourth most played commander, and given the variety of ways you can build her, along with a very wide power spectrum to focus on, this is no real surprise.

Second, the Control theme. Of the top 20 commanders with that tag, five are Esper, and eight either Dimir () or Azorius ().

Third, the top five Esper commanders are all from preconstructed decks. I'm not sure this has been the case before.

Let's take a look at the most popular themes for :

• Artifacts: 10,922 decks.
• Enchantress: 9,130 decks.
• Tokens: 8,851 decks.
• Control: 7,870 decks.
• Lifegain: 6,957 decks.

Control and Lifegain still hold a respectable position, although below what I would have initially bet on.

With this in mind, let's take a close look at three peculiar brews and/or commanders in these colors.

Wernog, Rider's Chaplain and Hargilde, Kindly Runechanter

Oh how I wish Wizards of the Coast had kept releasing such in-lore commanders... You may know I'm rather... against Universes Beyond, but this is, in my book, a perfect way to make everyone happy.

This pair, in particular, is capable of doing really spicy things. Yet, it helms only 960 decks - much too low of a count for my taste.

Before going ahead, credit where credit's due. I first saw this idea implemented by my good friend Cedrian, who methodically and relentlessly crushed the table the first time he played it. May your mana never be screwed, Ced.

The way this is built is rather simple: play Wernog on turn two, and then proceed to blink the hell out of it, as much as you can. Hargilde is only here to provide a much needed blue splash. In my games, I might have summoned her at most a couple of times, and only because I either had nothing else to do, or I desperately needed a blocker.

Wernog's effect triggers both when it enters and when it leaves the field, generating an avalanche of Clues for you to play with. Unlike Treasures, Clues are not extremely scary. Sure, they can yield a steady flow of card draw, but the cost is rather high.

There are, however, several ways to abuse them.

The first is through good old Academy ManufactorAcademy Manufactor, probably the best card in the brew. The value it generates is positively insane. The second is through various pingers, such as Mirkwood BatsMirkwood Bats, or Marionette ApprenticeMarionette Apprentice. And the third is through finishers, like Cyberdrive AwakenerCyberdrive Awakener or Rise and ShineRise and Shine, to turn your meek tokens into an unstoppable army.

And don't forget all the stuff that cares about artifacts being on the field, such as Thought MonitorThought Monitor, or Shimmer DragonShimmer Dragon.

Chances are that your opponents will rarely scoff at getting a free draw outlet, and will only realize their mistake when it's already too late.

It's fun, it's interactive, it makes you everyone's best friend - except when you become their worst nightmare.

To make this work, you'll need:

• Blink, blink, and more blink: Don't be skimpy on these, they are the foundations that allow your deck to function. Don't listen to the Doctor, and blinkblink. At least 15-20.
• Payoffs: You need to put your tokens to good use, so go ahead and add the aforementioned finishers. My favorite killer however remains Tezzeret, Master of the BridgeTezzeret, Master of the Bridge, which can kill the table surprisingly fast with its +2 ability.
• Plan Bs: If Wernog is killed too often, or if players simply refuse your gifts, you have other ways to make some. Tivit, Seller of SecretsTivit, Seller of Secrets, is a perfect secondary secret commander.
• Pingers: These are perfectly acceptable ways to end games. Go ahead and blow your opponents to shreds like a true aristocrat.

You will like this deck if: 

• You like staying under the radar until it's too late.
• You enjoy giving people gifts and reaping the rewards.
• You kept flickering your eyes during that Doctor Who episode.
• You're called Cedrian.

You won't like this deck if: 

• You hate relying on your opponents' goodwill to build your board.
• You don't like to manage a slew of tokens.
• You're sick and tired of Detectives.
• You have no Clue why you're here.

And since I know some will ask for it, here's my current version of this brew:

Dakkon BlackbladeDakkon Blackblade

Let's continue with another rather underplayed archetype. There are currently 1,784 decks with Dakkon at their helm, and only 228 with the Lands Matter tag and 58 with Landfall.

Both have their own merits, but in the end the idea is related to both: Go big on the mana by dumping a bunch of lands on the field.

This is, by essence, green territory, but that's what's fun about this challenge: grab more lands than anybody else at the table while not playing a single verdant pip.

The game plan is rather simple: accrue many lands, play a big bad Dakkon, equip him with a double-striking something, then swoop in for the kill.

The beauty of gathering so many lands is that this will open the way to more expensive yet effective spells. ExpropriateExpropriate might be a tad excessive, but In Garruk's WakeIn Garruk's Wake or Decree of PainDecree of Pain sound rather nice.

And if all else fails, there are several fun landfall outlets you can make use of.

To make this work, you'll need:

• A lot of ramp: Since getting lands directly on the field without resorting to green is a hassle, you'll need to play all the outlets you can. Sword of the AnimistSword of the Animist, Burnished HartBurnished Hart, and Wayfarer's BaubleWayfarer's Bauble are your best friends, but don't discount outlets that allow you to directly put land cards into play. And don't forget Oblivion SowerOblivion Sower either. I'd go wide on this, probably in the 15-17 range.
• A lot of lands: Getting a high land count as fast as possible is of the essence, so I'd play rather more lands than I'm used to. Probably in the 40 range or so.
• Evasive outlets: Making Dakkon huge is all well and good, but in the end it serves no purpose if he can be blocked by a mere 1/1. Play some Equipment like Haunted CloakHaunted Cloak, Mask of RiddlesMask of Riddles, or Trailblazer's BootsTrailblazer's Boots to drive the point home.
• Plan Bs: Dakkon will be removed, so make sure you have a few alternatives.

You will like this deck if:

• You like playing unexpected strategies.
• You enjoy the idea of tinkering with a commander from Legends.
• You like swinging with a big hunk of beef.
• You appreciate playing Blackblade ReforgedBlackblade Reforged on its rightful owner.

You won't like this deck if: 

• Clunky is not your style.
• You don't like to put your eggs in the same basket.
• You're reluctant to play a lot of lands in a deck.
• You feel dirty playing ramp without green.

Zur, Eternal SchemerZur, Eternal Schemer and Friend of Gods

Let's round this up with another deck I like to take out for a spin from time to time.

To say Zur is underplayed is an insult. With almost 6,000 decks to its name, it's a well established commander, loved and revered. And yet...

And yet there are only 16 Gods decks on EDHREC. I feel there's more to be exploited here, as the deities are made to go hand in hand with this commander.

What I really like is their innate indestructibility. And while the pesky devotion condition makes it usually hard for them to become creatures that smack faces, Zur solves that problem rather elegantly.

First, Zur provides excellent protection to said creatures. Hexproof is a rather annoying keyword, so if that's plastered on each and every one of your Gods, your opponents are going to be thoroughly annoyed.

Second, you can actually turn any God lacking devotion into a creature with Zur's ability. Granted, this will usually come with a reduction in power, so you'll probably resort to that only when there are no other options available.

What I'm getting at is that the combination of both make for a versatile tandem of unrelenting and unkillable power, barring a mass-exile board wipe. The included lifelink is just gravy on top.

Throw in some protection for your commander, and your opponents will have a hard time dealing with your board.

Oh, and Zur works wonderfully with the Avatars from Duskmourn and the Summons from Final Fantasy.

To make this work, you'll need:

• All the Gods, all the Overlords: Seriously, play them all. They'll be your muscle, so you need as much power as you can.
• Protection: You need to keep your commander around, so make sure you have the means to either bring him back from the dead, or cause each and every spell sent its way to fizzle.
• Recursion: The key in this build lies not so much in consistency as in resiliency. Make copies of your stuff from the bin, send them back into play, blink them... In a word, keep them around.
• Card draw: Since this is mostly built around enchantments, you might as well benefit from the Enchantress package.

You will like this deck if: 

• You always wanted to jam all the Gods into a deck.
• You like the idea of an indestructible board.
• You feel like Zur is unjustly unloved.
• You're sick and tired of the other version.

You won't like this deck if: 

• You're reluctant to keep an eye out for your commander.
• You don't like to attract too much attention.
• You're sick and tired of Enchantress.
• You think devotion is for the weak.

Conclusion

Well folks, we're here. The conclusion to this chapter... well, almost.

You see, I've seen several comments in the past iterations asking for the deck lists for this or that suggestion.

So to close things neatly, I'm going to make one final iteration of Branching Out, one where you get to pick the three ideas I'll produce a brew for.

I've compiled a table here that sums up all the 80 commanders that have been featured in this series. I've also highlighted my personal brews, just in case.

I'm counting on you to mention in the comments below which ones you'd like me to pick next time.

Don't be shy, comment below, and I'll see you in two weeks for the last article in this series!