Brago, King EternalBrago, King Eternal | art by Karla Ortiz

Hello Everyone! I’m Levi from the Thought Vessel Show, and today I am very excited to debut a new series here at EDHREC called Ten Under Twenty, where we take a deep dive on a single commander and find those cards that are simply not getting the respect they deserve.

You may find similarities between this series and the “Challenge the Stats” segment on EDHRECCast. The main difference is we are looking for several hidden gems for only one commander at a time. This week, we are looking at one of my favorite commanders of all time, Brago, King EternalBrago, King Eternal.

In order to qualify for this list, the card has to appear in less than 20% of decks here on EDHREC. This is a buffet-style list, meaning you can take whatever you like and leave whatever you don't.

My goal here is to simply shine some light on some great cards that deserve some love. Let’s jump right in!

10.) Delney, Streetwise LookoutDelney, Streetwise Lookout (11%)

Starting out our list is an absolute beast of a PanharmoniconPanharmonicon effect in Delney, Streetwise Lookout. For starters, Delney’s first ability ensures that Brago cannot be blocked by creatures with power 3 or greater, which makes the chances of Brago being able to connect for damage almost a guarantee.

Speaking of that trigger, the Brago blink effect is also copied, meaning you can flicker every nonland permanent you control twice per turn. And those creatures coming into play with power two or less will also have their triggered abilities doubled.

Essentially, this means that one Wall of OmensWall of Omens will draw four cards per turn. That’s an incredible amount of value.

9.) The Mightstone and WeakstoneThe Mightstone and Weakstone (11%) 

Being that this is the second half of the melded combination, Urza, PlaneswalkerUrza, Planeswalker, The Mightstone and WeakstoneThe Mightstone and Weakstone goes under the radar. This card can do plenty on its own without its other half, being repeatable ramp, card draw, and spot removal at the same time.

In decks that are taking advantage of the Strionic ResonatorStrionic Resonator infinite combo, the mana can be used to activate the artifact and draw your entire deck at the same time.

8.) Glen Elendra ArchmageGlen Elendra Archmage (11%)

In a deck like this, keeping Brago safe from removal is essential. If you can do that with the right pieces on board, you can take complete control of the game. Glen Elendra ArchmageGlen Elendra Archmage is a great protective tool.

When Glen Elendra ArchmageGlen Elendra Archmage is sacrificed, it comes back into play with a -1/-1 counter. When you blink it with Brago, that ability resets, and you can counter something else and keep Glen Elendra ArchmageGlen Elendra Archmage around. It becomes an extremely effective removal engine.

7.) Sword of Hearth and HomeSword of Hearth and Home (10%)

 This one is pretty simple compared to the rest of the list. Being able to protect Brago from removal spells like Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares and Beast WithinBeast Within can function like hexproof.

Blink decks are also mana-hungry, so being able to get that extra land per turn can really add up if the game runs longer. Also, never underestimate being able to blink your best payoff one extra time per turn. Having a card like Agent of TreacheryAgent of Treachery to blink in play could make all the difference.

6.) Blessed SanctuaryBlessed Sanctuary (7%)

This one is more for the bracket two or bracket three style of lists. One of the biggest weaknesses of a blink-style deck is the lack of raw power to use in combat.

If Brago were to come across a mono-green stompy deck that had the capability to prevent Brago from connecting with combat damage, this would be a tough spot to work from. Blessed SanctuaryBlessed Sanctuary would protect against damage-based board wipes like Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act and also provide a very steady flow of attackers or blockers in the 2/2 Unicorns it makes every time a nontoken creature enters. Off of a Brago trigger, that number could easily be 5–10 Unicorns without a lot of difficulty.

5.) Elspeth Conquers DeathElspeth Conquers Death (7%)

Sagas are a really neat inclusion in a Brago deck since Brago has the capability of blinking them and resetting their lore counters to keep them around. On chapter one, you get a very versatile removal spell for any big threats.

When it gets to chapter two, you can consistently slow things down for your opponents by making spells cost two more mana. By chapter three, if you want to let it move toward chapter three, you can bring back your best creature or planeswalker from the graveyard to use again.

4.) Parting GustParting Gust (6%)

It’s important in a blink deck to have removal that isn’t tied to a creature in the event that an opponent plays a card like Elesh Norn, Mother of MachinesElesh Norn, Mother of Machines that can completely shut down our entire strategy. Parting GustParting Gust has the great ability to either be a removal spell or a single-target blink spell depending on what you need at the moment.

3.) Scroll of FateScroll of Fate (5%) 

This card is criminally underplayed. With a Brago trigger on the stack, you can manifest a card into play, which will be blinked and come in on the face-up side. This can allow us to cheat a high mana value card or combo piece without giving opponents the chance to counter the spell.

At its floor, it can be used to manifest extra lands. Routinely, we can flash in a card like Teferi, Time RavelerTeferi, Time Raveler to prevent players from casting spells on our turns. Since manifest is a more niche mechanic, this card is flying under the radar. Hopefully, that will change.

2.) Plagon, Lord of the BeachPlagon, Lord of the Beach (0.88%)

For a super sleeper, we have Plagon, Lord of the Beach. Plagon allows us to draw a card for each creature you have that has a toughness greater than power. With Brago in play, this is a minimum of two cards per trigger.

Since blink creatures are usually smaller and a good portion of them do, in fact, have greater toughness than power, Plagon can easily draw 5+ cards per turn. In a lesser capacity, you can also pay one mana to have Brago attack for four damage rather than two.

1.) The Raven’s WarningThe Raven’s Warning (0.57%)

Our second saga on the list, The Raven’s WarningThe Raven’s Warning, is a great card for information. Initially, it will produce a 1/1 flying Bird with some life gain, which when repeated can actually be pretty effective. The second chapter lets you look at each opponent’s hand and draw cards.

When playing a deck like this, being able to know the potential threats your opponents are hiding can make you borderline invincible. This card definitely scales with the skill of the pilot, but fair warning: this card does take a lot of time to resolve and can lead to a bit of analysis paralysis.

3 Cards You Don't Always Need for Brago

Now, with all these cards that I am suggesting, it can be intimidating to find cards to cut from the deck to make room. So, in our section, we’ll be looking at some cut candidates.

These are good cards, showing up in over 50% of Brago decks here on EDHREC. Just because something is popular doesn’t mean it's an undisputed auto-include. Let's start off with a blink staple.

1.) MulldrifterMulldrifter (59%)

Ah yes, the flying fish. Drawing two cards per entering the battlefield is indeed a strong ability. If you have a card in hand like EphemerateEphemerate, you can actually get around the sacrifice portion of the evoke cost.

However, with The Mightstone and WeakstoneThe Mightstone and Weakstone and Plagon, Lord of the BeachPlagon, Lord of the Beach being on the list, we’re simply able to get more bang for the buck with these cards over MulldrifterMulldrifter.

Card advantage isn’t as much of a problem in a deck like Brago that has so many repeatable card advantage engines in the 99, and it’s good to look for cards that can wear multiple hats.

2.) Reality AcidReality Acid (53%)

This is a card that I actually used to run in my personal Brago list. Being able to remove something for three mana repeatedly is a very solid effect. Since you can blink this card, the time counters running out really isn’t as big of an issue as it appears to be.

It's also nice to have a removal spell that simply says “permanent” instead of “nonland permanent” or something even more restrictive. The downside of this card is that this is a leaves-the-battlefield ability instead of an enters-the-battlefield ability.

This means that any type of ETB-doubling cards in the deck do not impact this card at all. Additionally, with a traditional removal ETB ability like on SolitudeSolitude, this can be used twice in the turn it is cast. You also have to telegraph your next removal target by enchanting it without an effective way of using it again until your next turn.

If the enchanted permanent can be removed by sacrificing, for example, then the Reality AcidReality Acid is taken off the board without any real ability to stop it from happening. Because of this, I’m more cold on this card than the average Brago player.

3.) Ghostly FlickerGhostly Flicker (54%)

Another staple in blink decks. The main problem with this card is that we simply have access to better cards. For less mana I would want something like EphemerateEphemerate, for more versatility I want Parting GustParting Gust, and for a better utility, I want Eerie InterludeEerie Interlude of GhostwayGhostway at a minimum.

In a blink deck that also uses white, I just feel we have better things that we can be doing in the 99 with the exception of using this card as a combo piece to win the game.

And there you have it! These are some incredible cards that you might want to consider putting in your Brago, King Eternal deck. If you have a commander that you would like to see in the next Ten Under Twenty article or a card you feel needs some love, leave a comment. Until next time, happy brewing!