(Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower | Art by Marta Nael)

Hugs and Taxes

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 Psychic PossessionPsychic Possession is the only aura that lets you draw a card when another player draws a card?)

There's a new Group Hug commander in town, and she turns everything you thought you knew about the genre on its head.

Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower, cute as she is, is also extremely flexible. Building a deck around her could go just about any way, from your typical Group Hug strategy, to mill, to general Storm, or even the route of aggro. What really makes her different, though? She provides a way to even the scales.

Top 10 Bant Opponent Draw Triggers

So, what does Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower do? Well, in a collective groan from try-hards everywhere, she gives your opponents cards. How can that possibly be a good thing? Well, let's talk about Archenemy.

Archenemy is a multiplayer format that pits three (usually lesser powered) decks against another single deck. If you haven't played it before, either with the preconstructed decks Wizards makes for it, or with some mismatched Commander decks, I highly suggest it. Archenemy is an excellent display of just how hard it is for a single player to overcome three player's worth of resources. Every time you draw a card, the table draws three. Every time you play a land, the table plays three. Every time you play a threat, chances are good that there are two more threats and and answer being played across the table.

My favorite thing about Archenemy, though? You don't have to be playing it officially to be playing it. Archenemy scenarios happen in near every Commander game, as one player gets too far ahead and the table unites against them briefly to bring them back down to Earth. Hopefully this even happens several times a game, as the table correctly identifies that who is "the threat" has changed and priorities shift.

So, what if we could play reverse Archenemy? What if instead of desperately trying to keep up with three opponents, we instead just calmly rode in their wake?

With three opponents, we could get triple the triggers on the nonsense that they're doing, and us giving them extra cards will only encourage them to do more nonsense! Now that's a pretty solid plan, but it does rely on our opponents doing what we want them to do. So how about instead, we get rid of that part of the equation, and entirely have our opponents play our game? With Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower in play, every time we play a spell, our opponents draw a card. At the very least, at every opponent's draw step, they draw a card. I don't know about you, but to me, that sounds like a lot of cards.

Which got me wondering... How many cards are there that trigger when your opponents play cards? Well, it turns out, not that many, and a good number of them aren't in Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower's colors. Shame.

Top 10 Rakdos Opponent Draw Triggers

1. Orcish BowmastersOrcish Bowmasters
2. Sheoldred, the ApocalypseSheoldred, the Apocalypse
3. Underworld DreamsUnderworld Dreams
4. Fate UnravelerFate Unraveler
5. Ob Nixilis, the Hate-TwistedOb Nixilis, the Hate-Twisted
6. Spiteful VisionsSpiteful Visions
7. Zurzoth, Chaos RiderZurzoth, Chaos Rider
8. Curse of Fool's WisdomCurse of Fool's Wisdom
9. Dogged DetectiveDogged Detective
10. ...

If you're seeing a pattern among the stuff we can't play, it's called Nekusar, the MindrazerNekusar, the Mindrazer. Nekusar is infamous, and for good reason. To put it mildly, he attracts a lot of attention, and is therefore routinely hated off the table. Having peeked at the Bant options, however, I can tell you that they're a lot subtler, on the whole.

So, the question is... With a "friendly" commander like Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower, can we be a Nekusar deck that won't get hated off the table? Well, let's take a look at the options and find out, shall we?

Criteria: Cards within the Bant color identity that trigger when another player or opponent draw a card. As is tradition, all results are ordered by EDHREC score.

10. Leela, Sevateem WarriorLeela, Sevateem Warrior

(Partners 303 Decks; 931 Inclusions, 0% of 999,392 Decks)

Four mana for +1/+1 counters we could already put on a creature (and without the flying that goes with it), the numbers for Leela, Sevateem WarriorLeela, Sevateem Warrior are going to stay low. We can just do better, as can pretty much every other deck out there. I give her a ten out of ten, in that she is the tenth best card among the ten cards in Magic that trigger upon an opponent drawing that are in Bant's colors. Congratulations.

9. Psychic PossessionPsychic Possession

(3,528 Inclusions, 0% of 2,055,248 Decks)

Psychic PossessionPsychic Possession, on the other hand, can be my wingman anytime.

Even without Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower, Psychic PossessionPsychic Possession is going to put in work. There is always a deck at the table that is bound to draw an above-average amount of cards, and you can be right there alongside them. With Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower, however? This is an entirely new world, where every time you play a spell, you draw a card, and then you draw another one on top of that once a turn when you cast your second spell specifically. And I don't know about you, but I like this new world.

8. Struggle for Project PurityStruggle for Project Purity

(13,616 Inclusions, 2% of 623,648 Decks)

If we've got any group hug left in us, and I think we will, then Struggle for Project PurityStruggle for Project Purity is just what the doctor ordered. Either a Howling MineHowling Mine that lets you draw three, or a rattlesnake that keeps others from attacking you or aids in you milling an opponent out. Which one you choose will of course be up to the specific needs of the current game, but it's hard to see a situation where you won't want one or the other.

7. Wedding RingWedding Ring

(28,366 Inclusions, 1% of 1,917,153 Decks)

The "during your turn" restriction that keeps Wedding RingWedding Ring from going infinite with itself feels like a bit of a bummer here. Still, the card does a decent impression of Psychic PossessionPsychic Possession, which I've already copped to loving. All in all, in a Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower deck, we'll probably be more happy to see Psychic PossessionPsychic Possession, most of the time. That doesn't mean that Wedding RingWedding Ring isn't workable, however. It's hard to see a world where we aren't playing some instants that we'll be able to cast during our spouse's turn, and unlike Psychic PossessionPsychic Possession, you get to keep your own draw. In other words, it's all gravy.

6. The Council of FourThe Council of Four

(Helms 3,239 Decks, Rank #366; 28,490 Inclusions, 3% of 920,885 Decks)

While I do wish we were finding a few more cheap options that could get a Storm turn going with Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower, there's pretty much no question that with the amount of cards Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower hands out, The Council of FourThe Council of Four will draw cards and make Knights. Combine that with a huge defensive rear end, and The Council of FourThe Council of Four doesn't blow me away, but it probably makes the cut.

5. Trouble in PairsTrouble in Pairs

(33,593 Inclusions, 5% of 694,274 Decks)

With the initial hype of Trouble in PairsTrouble in Pairs, I was surprised to find it this low on the list. I've never personally acquired a copy, given its immediately ludicrous price tag, but I do see the appeal. The card basically reads as "if your opponent takes game actions, you draw a card, oh hey, and also, no looping extra turns over there, guy." That's under normal game conditions, mind you. When Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower enters the equation, the likelihood of someone drawing a second card goes way up, as does the likelihood of someone casting more spells now that they have more cards. The added rattlesnake of "don't attack me, or I'll draw yet more cards" feels pretty underwhelming, but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't take the cards anyhow!

4. Mind's EyeMind's Eye

(39,498 Inclusions, 1% of 4,186,424 Decks)

I'm on the record as thinking Mind's EyeMind's Eye is bad, and I don't think even Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower changes that opinion for me. If I wanted to pay six mana to draw a card, I'd be playing Urza's BlueprintsUrza's Blueprints. That's an obviously unfair and unreasonable position, but it's still my visceral feeling when it comes to Mind's EyeMind's Eye. I know, I know, if you untap with it, you'll get to draw a card every time you cast a spell, plus all the normal draw steps of your opponents! ...And you'll cast half the spells you would've otherwise, because you'll be spending all your mana on this to make you feel better about how you took a whole turn off last turn to cast it. No thanks.

3. Faerie MastermindFaerie Mastermind

(95,489 Inclusions, 6% of 1,620,163 Decks)

Yuta Takahashi's World Championship card continues to be amazing in every format you can play it in, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower is a little sad to see that he already flies, but not everyone can be perfect. Just keep in mind, Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower's ability is a cast trigger, so you will need another instant-speed thing to take advantage of Faerie MastermindFaerie Mastermind's trigger, as he won't be on the battlefield to see the draw if you use him as the spell. Unless, of course, you cast him during said player's upkeep, before their draw step. Which you should, you know, do.

2. Consecrated SphinxConsecrated Sphinx

(105,202 Inclusions, 5% of 2,055,248 Decks)

To be clear, you don't need Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower for Consecrated SphinxConsecrated Sphinx to be good. I will, however, remind you, that the card will essentially read "whenever you cast a spell, draw two cards", which does seem quite good.

1. Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe

(492,296 Inclusions, 26% of 1,917,153 Decks)

All of this card draw is great, but if you can't use any of it because you're tapped out, what's the use? Enter Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe, the card that will actually make Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower Storm wins a possibility. I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen anyone pay the two, so there's no question that with a trigger every time you cast a spell, you're going to be drowning in Treasure.

Honorable Mentions

We've hit all ten of the available options that trigger when an opponent draws cards, but our initial line of thinking was a little different, and a little deeper.

Top 10 Bant Player Taxes

1. Rhystic StudyRhystic Study
2. Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe
3. Esper SentinelEsper Sentinel
4. Mystic RemoraMystic Remora
5. Archivist of OghmaArchivist of Oghma
6. Forgotten AncientForgotten Ancient
7. Consecrated SphinxConsecrated Sphinx
8. Faerie MastermindFaerie Mastermind
9. Authority of the ConsulsAuthority of the Consuls
10. Archaeomancer's MapArchaeomancer's Map

Pretty much this whole list is going straight in the deck, as increased card draw will result in increased game actions from our opponents. That said, we've hit a ton of expensive spells along the way here, which doesn't bode well for our plan of having cheap cards to keep things rolling and to keep our opponents drawing cards and giving us triggers. So, what else do we need to finish this thing off? How about a dozen cheap, instant ways to make sure that all these opponents we're handing cards to don't just win the game off of them?

Top 10 Bant One-Mana-Or-Less Interaction Instants

1. Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares
2. Path to ExilePath to Exile
3. An Offer You Can't RefuseAn Offer You Can't Refuse
4. Swan SongSwan Song
5. PongifyPongify
6. Nature's ClaimNature's Claim
7. Rapid HybridizationRapid Hybridization
8. Pact of NegationPact of Negation
9. FlusterstormFlusterstorm
10. Veil of SummerVeil of Summer

I'm usually against just going with the best staples available, but this deck is going to need to keep the curve low, and it's going to have to stop constant attempts to win the game by opponents. That means the most efficient interaction available, and this is pretty much it.

All right, so we've got a controlling, taxing hugs deck that can make creatures huge and evasive. Let's take a look at this weird list, shall we?

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the deck. With all of the efficient mana dorks, it routinely gets Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower down on turn three with a mana or two to spare to immediately begin handing out counters and cards. From there, if you find an engine, things get out of control more or less immediately. It's also not uncommon to be attempting to win the game outright the turn after you land a Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe or a BurgeoningBurgeoning with some sort of "draw when your opponents draw" trigger. All in all, a blast to play as you hand out cards to everyone and dare them to try and keep up with you.

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?

While I couldn't resist bringing an aggro group hug deck to the table, as I opened the article saying, there's innumerable ways you can go with Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower. So... which way would you build her?

And finally, what's your favorite card that draws when an opponent draws? Have you ever put a bunch of taxes in a group hug deck? Made an aggro group hug deck?

Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you at the table we rented. You got the paperwork done on that, right?

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DougY

Doug has been an avid Magic player since Fallen Empires, when his older brother traded him some epic blue Homarids for all of his Islands. As for Commander, he's been playing since 2010, when he started off by making a two-player oriented G/R Land Destruction deck. Nailed it. In his spare time when he's not playing Magic, writing about Magic or doing his day job, he runs a YouTube channel or two, keeps up a College Football Computer Poll, and is attempting to gif every scene of the Star Wars prequels.