Yurlok of Scorch ThrashYurlok of Scorch Thrash | Art by Jesper Ejsing

Greetings and salutations dear brewers, and a warm welcome from a surprisingly tame October. I'm Arnaud and I'm thrilled to take you to a land of nostalgia, former rules, and burning cookery.

After tackling Atraxa and her Myojin posse two weeks ago, it's time to take a look at the contender who equaled her score. It's time for Yurlok of Scorch ThrashYurlok of Scorch Thrash.

This commander brings back so many memories. When I started playing back in 1995, mana burn was very much a thing. For those of you who may not be acquainted with the notion, removed from the rules in 2009, this essentially dealt one damage to you for each mana you had left unused in your pool as phases ended.

Apparently, R&D considered this to be uselessly complex and unnecessary, and removed it altogether. This decision also turned some cards into useless cardboard, as they relied on that very rule. Things like Citadel of PainCitadel of Pain and Power SurgePower Surge, which could see a second life today, with what's in essence a glorified revival of this rule lost in time.

Without delay, let's grab all cards from both the regular and cheap pages on EDHREC for Yurlok and throw them into Archidekt. This nets a nifty 342 cards, a great playground to tinker with. Let's get started.

First Trim – The Cardboard Chainsaw Massacre

As is customary in these articles, I'd like to bow my hat to each and every new player treading on these grounds. To those of you new to this series, a quick word of methodology. The main idea is to build a deck using whatever's available on EDHREC – with the occasional sidetracking – without using any card worth more than $1.10.

Already I can see many an outlet going away due to unduly prices. The aforementioned Citadel of PainCitadel of Pain ($4.78!), ManabarbsManabarbs ($3.85), Polluted BondsPolluted Bonds ($3.00)... A lot of staples for this build. Hopefully some hidden gems will eventually emerge to replace the loss.

This first trim was already brutal, bringing the total remaining cards to a modest 232. Before axing them as well, let's take a look at some worthy inclusions in the $1.10-$2 range:

• Horizon StoneHorizon Stone: a great, if a tad bit expensive, way to negate every downside from your commander, as well as hoarding mana for future turns.
• SpellshockSpellshock: This underplayed outlet speeds games, and speeds them hard. There's a reason why people groan when they see Liesa, Shroud of DuskLiesa, Shroud of Dusk in the command zone.
• Mana ReflectionMana Reflection: Giving six mana instead of three? Don't mind if I do.
• Primal OrderPrimal Order: another underplayed burn spell, this time in green. Play more basics, people!
• Radiant LotusRadiant Lotus: I love that it can give any player the mana.

This leaves eight cards worth between $1.00 and $1.10:

• Dictate of the Twin GodsDictate of the Twin Gods: Let's burn the world even faster.
• Ignoble HierarchIgnoble Hierarch: A fantastic mana dork. I'm impressed at how low its price has sunk.
• Klothys, God of DestinyKlothys, God of Destiny: A fantastic attrition outlet doubled with grave-hate that's hard to remove. What's not to love?
• Power SurgePower Surge: Oh joy, oh joy, this is one of the cards I really wanted to include. Not the most efficient outlet, but is cheap and it could chip some decent damage in the long run.
• Talisman of IndulgenceTalisman of Indulgence: one of the best two-mana rocks.
• Gemstone ArrayGemstone Array: not the most efficient of ramp spells, but a nice sink for Yurlok nonetheless.
• In Garruk's WakeIn Garruk's Wake: extremely expensive yet efficient asymmetrical board wipe.

Down to 210 cards, let's keep up the good pace.

Second Trim – Cardward Scissorhands

One more step before getting to the core of deck: eating the veggies. Which, in this case, seem plentiful. See for yourself:

In other words, they account for more than half of the remaining cards.

Ramp is going to be critical, as several of the remaining spells are quite mana-intensive. I'll keep draw fairly high, in the 12-14 range. As for removal, I'd like to keep things flexible. X spells can act as strong removal and finisher both.

With these considerations in mind, let the makeover commence!

After giving the mana base a healthy readjustment, the list is down to 125 cards already. Time to get hands muddy.

Third Trim – Cutting Off the Rough Edges

So, now that the tedious part has been taken care of, let's take a look at how the deck actually works.

In short, it's a race of attrition. You want to punish each and every action that your opponents take, each and every choice they make. In a way, it's not too far from the Zugzwang in chess. No matter their decision, it's going to end up badly for your opponents.

To achieve this goal, there's a well-stocked Burn section, filled with 20 spells already. Some will have to go, but I'd like to keep as many as possible.

There's also a decent number of untap outlets. I quite like getting multiple Yurlok activations per turn, so I'll try keeping most in.

A few protection outlets as well, but these aren't that critical. One mistake I've seen in the past is relying too strongly on the commander for the win. While that mana burn part is indeed why the deck is built in the first place, I've seen too many players circumvent that restriction by sinking all of their mana in various cards, making tokens, drawing cards, or simply absorbing it so it doesn't hurt them.

Incidentally, you don't want to give mana to your opponents when they can use it. This is the reason why I ousted all spells that provide more resources when your opponents can use them. The best time to bestow them mana is either during their upkeep, their end step, or during your turn. Or, said in another way, only when they can use it for instants or abilities.

You decide when they get to use it, not them.

Finally, there are a couple of tutors, which I'll simply let go. These are decks intended for Bracket 2 to low 3s, and I'm reluctant to go fetch the same card each and every time.

This was a difficult section, as it's getting harder and harder to find reasons to cut stuff. Nevertheless, the list is down to 110 cards. Onwards to the final stretch.

Final Trim – Heart-Wrenching Choices

10 cards to go then, and at this point, there are no bad decisions. See the following as a matter of personal taste.

• Bootleggers' StashBootleggers' Stash: When in doubt, try lowering the curve. This is a neat outlet, but is a lot to ask for.
• Comet StormComet Storm: Lovely outlet, yet I fear it's going to be slightly underwhelming.
• Rakdos, Lord of RiotsRakdos, Lord of Riots: I've pondered a lot on this one, as the reduction it can provide is huge. But it's also a colorless reduction, it applies only to creatures, and there's an annoying in its cost.
• Svella, Ice ShaperSvella, Ice Shaper: Another painful quandary, but in the end, eight mana is a lot to ask for, especially when all your biggest spells have an X in their cost, thus being useless with this ability.
• Hydra BroodmasterHydra Broodmaster: It's a big boy all right, but not that big, and that restriction means you won't pop neither many nor huge Hydras. You'd need to make four 4/4s, which is nice, but not game-ending.
• Savageborn HydraSavageborn Hydra: It's going to hit hard, but it lacks some sorely needed evasion. And that sink only works at sorcery speed.
• Commune with LavaCommune with Lava: On the upside, it's an instant. On the other, it's going to net three cards more often than not - not a fantastic ratio for five mana.
• Rakdos CharmRakdos Charm: I've gone back and forth three times with this one, but I'm running out of ideas. And of all the removal, this is the one I feel least concerned about.
• Gaze of GraniteGaze of Granite: nice if you have the mana, underwhelming if you don't, very demanding in resources in both cases.
• Dictate of the Twin GodsDictate of the Twin Gods: It pains me, but it doesn't work with Yurlok. Still good with the other outlets, but cutting it lowers the curve.

And with that, I give you:

Yurlok of Scorch Thrash Commander Deck List

Additional Trim – A Look Into the Past

Token-makers rejoice! It's time to examine how Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer aged. So, fine wine or vinegar?

Well, it could be worse. There are, as of now, eight cards worth more than $1.10:

• Spell SwindleSpell Swindle: $1.14
• Sol RingSol Ring: $1.21
• Liquimetal TorqueLiquimetal Torque: $1.22
• Mystic SanctuaryMystic Sanctuary: $1.27
• Song of TotentanzSong of Totentanz: $1.34
• MirrorpoolMirrorpool: $1.62
• Access DeniedAccess Denied: $2.79
• Magnus the RedMagnus the Red: $3.29 (!)

Not too bad, considering the price surges observed in the few past articles.

Let's replace those with:

• Izzet SignetIzzet Signet and Talisman of CreativityTalisman of Creativity: Sol Ring they are not, but they'll have to do.
• Shivan ReefShivan Reef and Frostboil SnarlFrostboil Snarl: Let's replace recursion with fixing.
• Rite of ReplicationRite of Replication: hilarious if you manage to kick it with Brudiclad on the field.
• Curiosity CrafterCuriosity Crafter: because draw.
• Moonlit MeditationMoonlit Meditation: Why make puny 1/1s when you can create huge monsters?
• Supplant FormSupplant Form: Get rid of the best thing on a board and make a copy for yourself. Archon of CrueltyArchon of Cruelty anyone?

You can find the updated list here.

Conclusion

Thus ends another Trim, and now I get to that final part where I rant about comments, yadda yadda, what do you think, yadda yadda, strike your fancy, Baba LysagaBaba Lysaga.

You know the aging yet necessary drill. Nevertheless, I'm still curious, so go ahead and roast me like any decent Yurlok player would!

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