Baru, WurmspeakerBaru, Wurmspeaker | Art by Andrew Mar

Greetings and salutations, my dear lovers of scaly things. I'm Arnaud, and I'm delighted to take you on an adventure of vintage cards, massive mana costs, and absurd power levels.

Last time, we parted ways with the usual poll, where I asked you to choose between three candidates. With 24 votes (23%), third place went to Kazarov, Sengir PurebloodKazarov, Sengir Pureblood. Looks like you weren't in the mood to create an absurdly big Vampire. The second place went to Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerShirei, Shizo's Caretaker, with 34 votes (33%). I'm not entirely discounting the idea of making a trimmed version of him anyway one of these days.

Therefore, with 46 votes (44%), the top spot went to the Lord of Wurms, Baru, WurmspeakerBaru, Wurmspeaker.

I'm somewhat relieved to see that, for once, there is a straightforward, direct and no-nonsense commander to deal with. 3/3 for is all but exciting, but giving all Wurms a +2/+2 and trample buff is nothing to scoff at, especially if you can spew two or three each turn.

But more on that later.

For now, let's just take everything on Baru's page on EDHREC, both in the regular and budget sections, and dump everything into Archidekt.

285 cards. A good place to start.

First Trim – Getting Rid of the Golden Scales

To all of you coming to this place for the first time, the warmest of welcomes. In this series, I try my best to build a viable deck for Bracket 2 to low 3 with a specific constraint: no card may cost $1.11 and above.

To this end, let's first remove each and every card worth at least $2. This already trims down the count to 194 cards. This is a rather low count at this point of the build, but for once I'm not that worried.

Before removing them as well, I'd like to take a close look at the best options in the $1.11-$2 range:

• Instill EnergyInstill Energy: my favorite card in my own Baru deck. Being able to spit out two 6/6 with trample for is an amazing power-to-mana ratio.
• Saryth, the Viper's FangSaryth, the Viper's Fang: protection and deterrent all in one.
• Court of BountyCourt of Bounty: You'd be surprised at how efficient Wurms can be for keeping the monarchy safe.
• Rhonas's MonumentRhonas's Monument: mana reduction and buff in one neat package.
• Worldspine WurmWorldspine Wurm: Is it over-costed to cast fairly? Absolutely. Is it overkill? Probably. Is it still worth running? You can bet your grandma's last sock.
• Belbe's PortalBelbe's Portal: A bit pricey, but redeemed as soon as the turn after it comes into play.
• Disciple of FreyaliseDisciple of Freyalise: I'm willing to bet this will be a $4 uncommon in a not too distant future.
• Quicksilver AmuletQuicksilver Amulet: cheaper to cast but more expensive to activate than the Belbe counterpart.
• Symbiotic WurmSymbiotic Wurm: same as the Worldspine boy.
• Garruk, Primal HunterGarruk, Primal Hunter: Who wouldn't like to draw 10 cards with a single spell?
• Planar EngineeringPlanar Engineering: Still rather new, so it fetches a rather rather high price. But give it a month or two, and this will be nice Trim material.
• Rishkar's ExpertiseRishkar's Expertise: Garruk, but better.

A lot of excellent outlets there, and I willingly left some out to keep this list somewhat readable.

This leaves four cards in the $1.00-$1.10 range:

• Elvish PiperElvish Piper: Free is always good.
• Lifestream's BlessingLifestream's Blessing: an excellent draw outlet. Why it's that cheap eludes me.
• Wrap in VigorWrap in Vigor: Mass regeneration is often overlooked. This could save your board from a nasty wipe.
• Utopia SprawlUtopia Sprawl: for all intents and purposes, a second Wild GrowthWild Growth.

With all these initial cuts, the list is already down to 170 cards. Let's move on.

Second Trim – Eating the Veggies

Before diving into the actual Wurm shenanigans, I'd like to take a moment to address this deck's veggies package.

I'll keep it rather simple. While draw will likely remain in the usual 12-14 zone, I want to make sure that the ramp package is at least in the 16-18 range, and that there are around 37 lands in the deck in the end. The final curve is going to be abnormally high, so making sure you can consistently hit your land drops for the first four to five turns, as well as ramp efficiently on turns two and three, is essential. Better safe than sorry. Trust me, I've been there.

The reason is rather simple: Wurms are costly, so you need to make sure you have the means needed for your plan. Ideally, once you hit the six-land threshold, you want to spew at least one big boy per turn, and make sure your commander can spit another one out. Getting to critical mass quickly is key to winning with this deck.

With this in mind, let's have a look at what's already available:

Unsurprisingly, the board wipe package remains green's biggest weakness. But given that the goal here is to fill the board as much as possible, that's not too much of an issue.

Removal is all over the place, so I'm going to focus on a few key outlets. I'm also not going to focus heavily on protection. Baru is nice to have around, but not necessarily essential for this strategy to work out.

As for ramp, I think the sweet spot lies in focusing on the two- and four-mana land-fetching spells.

Let's cut.

After giving the land base a proper trim, the list is down to a somewhat more manageable 138 cards. Onwards.

Third Trim – Wurm Management

Now that the deck's down to more reasonable grounds, let's talk strategy for a bit.

The game plan is rather easy: ramp, play Wurms, swing, win. You can't get greener than that.

However, I believe you don't need your deck to be filled to the brim with beasts to achieve this goal. Remember, Baru does have a built-in ability that, for all intents and purposes, will grow your army for a puny .

Don't get me wrong, you still require a decent package of the beasts to make sure you can consistently bring several to the field. But the mass draw package that I've kept should keep your hand full. I believe that keeping the beasties in the 20-25 range should prove sufficient.

What's left is a bunch of untappers, a few pump spells, and some random outlets.

I believe the first are rather pointless if they can't be repeated, and the second are mostly overkill, albeit fun to play.

As for Wurms, I'll just privilege whatever has power at least equal to its mana cost. And yes, I'm keeping Craw WurmCraw Wurm, because nostalgia.

Axing is on:

108 cards. Let's move on to the final cuts.

Final Trim – Not So Painful Choices

Usually at this point of the trim I complain about how heart-wrenching the final cuts are likely to be, and that I don't want to cut anything, else, yadda yadda.

Not quite this time. I know exactly which things to remove:

• Gravetiller WurmGravetiller Wurm: 50/50 chance to get the four +1/+1 counters in this brew is not good enough.
• Soul SwallowerSoul Swallower: Delirium is hard to attain here.
• Blanchwood ArmorBlanchwood Armor: I love this card, but it feels win-more.
• OverrunOverrun: Baru already provides a similar effect.
• Scale UpScale Up: Most Wurms have already six power, if not more.
• Wurmweaver CoilWurmweaver Coil: thematic, but not great in practice.
• RegrowthRegrowth: full-speed ahead, no turning back.
• Sight of the ScalelordsSight of the Scalelords: nice buff, but expensive enchantment.

All of this leads to:

Baru, Wurmspeaker Commander Deck List

Additional Trim – A Look Into the Past

In this weeks nostalgia trip, let's take a look at how the Trim Wilson, Refined Grizzly fared.

Well, I'll phrase it thusly: Holy Grandma Biscuit Swamp Licking Azure Maker of a Ghost! (mind, I never said I was good at swearing in English).

There are no less than 16 cards that have jumped above the $1.10 threshold:

• Enchantress's PresenceEnchantress's Presence: $1.12
• Danitha, New Benalia's LightDanitha, New Benalia's Light: $1.13
• Unquestioned AuthorityUnquestioned Authority: $1.16
• Ancestral MaskAncestral Mask: $1.32
• Inquisitor's FlailInquisitor's Flail: $1.40
• Bloodforged Battle-AxeBloodforged Battle-Axe: $1.44
• Sejiri ShelterSejiri Shelter: $1.45
• Kutzil, Malamet ExemplarKutzil, Malamet Exemplar: $1.53
• Swiftfoot BootsSwiftfoot Boots: $1.60
• Fyndhorn ElvesFyndhorn Elves: $1.88
• Yenna, Redtooth RegentYenna, Redtooth Regent: $1.90
• NettlecystNettlecyst: $2.50
• Eidolon of BlossomsEidolon of Blossoms: $2.63
• Blackblade ReforgedBlackblade Reforged: $2.64
• Tyrite SanctumTyrite Sanctum: $2.64
• Timely WardTimely Ward: $5.33 (!!)

These are massive blows dealt to the deck, as many of these outlets are key draw engines or damage enablers. Let's do some damage control:

• Sage's ReverieSage's Reverie: That recent reprint tanked its price. An excellent outlet, both drawing and pumping the Bear.
• Spirit MantleSpirit Mantle: same as above, thank you Silverquill.
• Arcane SignetArcane Signet: to replace the Elves.
• Mesa EnchantressMesa Enchantress: I'll never scoff at an Enchantress, especially when other pieces are missing.
• Darksteel MutationDarksteel Mutation: fantastic piece of removal.
• Kor SpiritdancerKor Spiritdancer: Again, Silverquill did a great job.
• Single CombatSingle Combat: Chances are Wilson will be bigger than anything left on the field.
• Sheltered by GhostsSheltered by Ghosts: Protection, pump, and removal all in one? Sign me up!
• Sixth SenseSixth Sense: There are better draw outlets, but this one should be consistent enough.
• Tanglespan LookoutTanglespan Lookout: Look out! Another Enchantress!
• Tyvar's StandTyvar's Stand: protection and/or finisher.
• Raised by GiantsRaised by Giants: a bit on the more expensive end, but should make Wilson lethal.
• 2 Forests, 1 Plains: to bring the count back to 36.

You can find the updated list here.

Conclusion

One down, another million to go! I hope you enjoyed this journey into Wurmland.

Are there any secret techs you've experienced with your own brew? Any wild ideas I've missed?

Let me know in the comments below, and I'll see you in two weeks!

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