Lo and Li, Royal AdvisorsLo and Li, Royal Advisors | Art by Kieran Yanner

Welcome to Too-Specific Top 10, where if there isn’t a category to rank our pet card at the top of, we’ll just make one up! (Did you know that Glistener SeerGlistener Seer is the only one-mana Advisor that can scry?)

Well, they went and spelled it out for me. Normally that's the kind of thing that makes me not want to build a deck, but what can I say? I can't quit Persistent Petitioners.

The Petitioners mill, Lo and LiLo and Li mill, and Lo and Li put +1/+1 counters on all the Advisors, including themselves. The deck builds itself, right?

Well, not quite. How are we supposed to get all those Petitioners in hand?

Top 10 Dimir Advisors That Draw Cards

Criteria: Cards either with the Advisor creature type or that create tokens with the Advisor creature type that can provide repeatable card advantage or card selection. As is tradition, all results are ordered by EDHREC score.

10. Furtive CourierFurtive Courier

(391 Inclusions, 0.01% of 3.44M Decks)

I'm torn. I'm torn because Furtive CourierFurtive Courier isn't as bad as its inclusion numbers say it is. 391 inclusions is mediocre limited Gray OgreGray Ogre territory, and Furtive Courier is much better than that. Three mana for a 3/2 that can be unblockable at times, and loots every attack step. That's honestly pretty good, especially because we're expecting this to be much bigger with all the +1/+1 counters that Lo and LiLo and Li are going to be handing out.

The problem is, it's not good enough to pass the test of "would I rather have this Advisor or another Persistent PetitionersPersistent Petitioners?" Why? Well, in a normal Petitioners deck, you'd be fine with having a three-mana Advisor with upside, because it still comes down and is a body that can help activate the big deal ability of "target player mills 12 cards".

In Lo and Li, however, the number of cards milled doesn't matter, it's the number of instances of milling. Combine that with the fact that we're going to try to kill at least two opponents with aggro, not mill, and this specific Petitioners deck actually doesn't like the four-Advisor ability nearly as much as it does each specific Petitioner's ability to mill a single card.

Long story short, Furtive CourierFurtive Courier should make the cut in most Petitioners decks; just not this one.

9. Novijen SagesNovijen Sages

(1.12K Inclusions, 0.03% of 3.61M Decks)

Six mana is a lot of mana, so if we're paying that, the effect better be worth it.

And the truth is, Novijen SagesNovijen Sages is close, but not quite there. Lo and Li hand out +1/+1 counters like they were candy, but the truth is, we want those counters for aggro more than we do for drawing cards.

Combine that with the ability also costing mana that we're desperately going to need to be casting and activating more Petitioners, and I think we'll skip on this one.

8. Hurkyl, Master WizardHurkyl, Master Wizard

(Helms 236 Decks, Rank #2,264; 3.89K Inclusions, 0.11% of 3.61M Decks)

Somehow over the last three years, I've never seen this card, and I'm blaming all of you. Hurkyl, Master WizardHurkyl, Master Wizard is immensely cool, and should be seeing more play! Y'all are crazy for not putting this thing in your Spellslinger, Artifact, and Enchantment decks and going to town!

With that said, we're going to be playing 25-30 Persistent PetitionersPersistent Petitioners (a.k.a., creatures) in our deck, so this won't be going in. So uhhhh... Do as I say, not as I do?

7. Duelist of the MindDuelist of the Mind

(8.73K Inclusions, 0.26% of 3.36M Decks)

Okay, I was starting to get concerned there for a second, but we got there. Duelist of the MindDuelist of the Mind absolutely passes the Petitioners test, not only in a Lo and Li deck, but in just about any Petitioners deck.

Being vigilant, it can attack and still tap for mill, it has the same toughness but can also block fliers, and every time you mill someone, it will loot. In short, this card is cracked, and feels like it was especially made for this deck. So thanks for being a Petitioners fan, World Champion Nathan Steur!

6. Jacob Hauken, InspectorJacob Hauken, Inspector

(Helms 1,178 Decks, Rank #1,253; 7.59K Inclusions, 0.21% of 3.61M Decks)

I've lost track of how many decks it is now that I've left Jacob Hauken, InspectorJacob Hauken, Inspector out of. The fact is, he's just not cutting it as a LooterLooter, and really never has. He doesn't discard, so he doesn't help in decks that want to fill the graveyard, and his upside is locked behind a six-mana cost.

Why mess with that when you could just play KitsaKitsa, RonaRona, JaceJace, or heck, Duelist of the MindDuelist of the Mind?

5. Archivist of GondorArchivist of Gondor

(9.76K Inclusions, 0.27% of 3.61M Decks)

Monarch effects for three mana are rare, so the ceiling on Archivist of GondorArchivist of Gondor is high. Just... If you thought the table was coming after you for a single card when you're wearing the crown, get ready, because the incentive just doubled.

That said, we're playing big butts.dec, and this card's amazing. Windmill slam into the 99.

4. Gríma, Saruman's FootmanGríma, Saruman's Footman

(Helms 673 Decks, Rank #1,621 ; 40K Inclusions, 2.21% of 1.81M Decks)

Four mana is a lot, when the constant comparison is a two-mana 1/3 that triggers our commander. That said, Gríma, Saruman's FootmanGríma, Saruman's Footman is an unblockable 1/4 in our aggro deck that makes creatures huge, and also draws cards. Granted, those cards aren't going to be Persistent PetitionersPersistent Petitioners, given that they're coming from our opponent's decks, but that just means we can brew even less responsibly and rely on our opponents for removal.

Oh, and did I mention that those instants and sorceries from our opponents' decks will be free? Yeah, we're playing this slimy little Wormtongue.

3. Danny PinkDanny Pink

(Helms 417 Decks, Rank #1,926; 43.4K Inclusions, 1.20% of 3.61M Decks)

If you're a long-time reader and you've been getting some deja vu, that's because yes, I've done an Aggro Advisors brew before, with Danny PinkDanny Pink.

Lo and Li feel a bit like the opposite of that deck. Where it had card draw and was doing everything it could to put out +1/+1 counters, we have +1/+1 counters and are trying desperately to get more cards. Either way, however, the marriage is sound, and Danny Pink will not only be worth the four mana, he'll probably be the best card in the deck.

"Draw cards equal to the amount of [creature type] you control" is a deal that any Kindred deck takes, even if it was only once, instead of once a turn.

2. Ledger ShredderLedger Shredder

(128K Inclusions, 3.53% of 3.61M Decks)

If you've played any format over the last few years, you've become aware of Ledger ShredderLedger Shredder.

Super efficient, often getting huge, and looting constantly - the Bird is busted. It also happens to be an Advisor, for the exact same cost as a Petitioner, with the exact same power and toughness. Throw in that it's going to be evasive and keep on making itself bigger than the rest of the crew, and this thing more than passes the test.

1. Black Market ConnectionsBlack Market Connections

(440K Inclusions, 11.9% of 3.70M Decks)

"Full send! Full send! Full send!" We're going to live up to that Game Knights mantra with Black Market ConnectionsBlack Market Connections, because we want the card draw and we want the changelings. And what, are we gonna say no to the Treasure for the least life loss?

Honorable Mentions

Things get bleak fast after the bottom of our list, with nothing really worth even discussing, much less playing. With that said, there are a couple of other angles that incorporated themselves into the decklist that I did want to go over.

Do you know what's better than a beater for two mana? A beater for one mana. Throw in some mana to mill with in the case of Omen HawkerOmen Hawker, and you have our favorite turn one play.

Second place gets a little more competitive, however, as we have to choose between the unblockability of Changeling OutcastChangeling Outcast that will close out games, or the early game scries of Glistener SeerGlistener Seer that will get us to the late game in the first place.

In our rush toward Advisor tech, however, we've overlooked the more general Kindred tech. Let's remedy that with another top ten list, shall we?

Top 10 Dimir Kindred Draw Engines

1. Herald's HornHerald's Horn
2. Vanquisher's BannerVanquisher's Banner
3. Kindred DiscoveryKindred Discovery
4. Distant MelodyDistant Melody
5. Patriarch's BiddingPatriarch's Bidding
6. Pact of the SerpentPact of the Serpent
7. Icon of AncestryIcon of Ancestry
8. Species SpecialistSpecies Specialist
9. Heirloom BladeHeirloom Blade
10. Titan of LittjaraTitan of Littjara

We're used to seeing the colorless options here in just about any Kindred deck, and ours will be no exception, at least in the case of Herald's HornHerald's Horn and Vanquisher's BannerVanquisher's Banner (Icon of AncestryIcon of Ancestry and Heirloom BladeHeirloom Blade are bad).

Where things start to get interesting, however, is with Kindred DiscoveryKindred Discovery. The enters trigger is good enough at five mana, (that's why we're playing Vanquisher's BannerVanquisher's Banner), but drawing a card on each Advisor attack? That's going to be straight-up game-winning for us.

What really has me excited for this brew, however, is Patriarch's BiddingPatriarch's Bidding. We'll want to be milling our opponents for counters whenever possible, but one board wipe or one 12-card mill pointed at us instead will have Bidding locked and loaded, to say nothing of if we get both, say, in response to the board wipe. In fact, I think we're going to throw Raise the DraugrRaise the Draugr and Return from ExtinctionReturn from Extinction into the deck too, because it's going to be so easy to fill our graveyard.

Speaking of which, shall we take a look at the decklist?

The deck can be a bit slow at times, and it feels like it has a split focus - because it does.

That said, if you focus that split focus and mill one player out while attacking the other two, then things tend to work out pretty well. Lo and Li feel like a pain to get down at four mana, but immediately make you a threat when they hit the table. Even better, the general answer to that threat is board wipes, which the deck is very resilient against with the likes of Patriarch's BiddingPatriarch's Bidding and Raise the DraugrRaise the Draugr.

Overall, this should more than stand up to your bracket two or even low bracket three tables, surviving better than most decks in the early game and finishing out the late game with ease and a cavalcade of giant Advisors partaking in aggressive negotiations.

Nuts and Bolts

There always seems to be a bit of interest in how these lists are made (this seems like a good time to stress once again that they are based on EDHREC score, NOT my personal opinion…), and people are often surprised that I’m not using any special data or .json from EDHREC, but rather just muddling my way through with some Scryfall knowledge! For your enjoyment/research, here is this week’s Scryfall search.

What Do You Think?

And finally, what is your favorite Advisor? Does it draw cards? Would you play it in a Persistent Petitioners deck? Are you brewing Lo and Li?

Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you at the table that's missing a leg, but it's okay, because we replaced it with books.

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