How to Build a Treasure Deck in EDH

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a href="https://scryfall.com/card/j25/54/shroofus-sproutsire">Shroofus Sproutsire</a> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CYukihiro+Maruo%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Yukihiro Maruo</a>)</h6>
<h1>Just a Fun Little Guy</h1>
<p>People have told me that I am a fun guy. Luckily, no one has ever told me I am a fungi. The same cannot be said for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shroofus Sproutsire" href="#" target="_blank">Shroofus Sproutsire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Few things in magic take a player back to the old days as much as making a Saproling token. I aim to make many of these little guys, and I am using a crop of cards that some players know all too well and others will be seeing for the first time.</p>
<p>It is fitting that Shroofus Sproutsire comes from <em>Foundations Jumpstart</em> because we are returning to the format's foundations with this one. I am Nick, and I hope you will join me as I Tech this Deck.</p>
<h2>There is a Fungus Among Us</h2>
<p>Two creature types in the game are forever joined at the hip; <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=name&amp;q=type%3Afungus+%28game%3Apaper%29+is%3Apaperart">Fungus</a> and Saproling. <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Plenty of Fungus creatures</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">, even six, have become legendary</span>. But it wasn't until Shroofus that we got the first legendary creature - Saproling. So why is this a big deal? Because Shroofus is just a little guy, and it would not be very nice if you were mean to him. I joke, but this is a very cool commander with many synergies with cards seen across the many years the game has been around. So, let's go deep into the forest and find some fungi.</p>
<h3>Mushroom Monsters</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thallid|FEM|74d"></div></div>
<p>It's the most classic of the monsters in our list and the one that explains the core of what our creatures are all about. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thallid" href="#" target="_blank">Thallid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can remove spore counters to make Saproling tokens. It's a simple effect, but without help, it will take three turns after casting before you can get a single 1/1 creature. While this effect isn't fast, it's frequent across many other Fungi.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Utopia Mycon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Savage Thallid"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Psychotrope Thallid"></div></div>
<p>Four more Fungus monsters, all with the same ability to get spore counters. But each one brings its twist to the same recipe. Utopia Mycon is not only the lone creature not having Thallid in its name of the above four, but it also can cash in your tokens for mana. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Savage Thallid" href="#" target="_blank">Savage Thallid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> brings a double dose of older themes with Regenerate, a keyword that card designers have moved away from as years gone by.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychotrope Thallid" href="#" target="_blank">Psychotrope Thallid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might be one of the best of the bunch outside of the Mycon. If we are not making mana, the next best thing to do is draw cards, and this Thallid knows a thing or two about drawing cards. Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vitaspore Thallid" href="#" target="_blank">Vitaspore Thallid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can allow us to send in our commander immediately or use some of our other nonfungus creatures in this deck when they hit the board.</p>
<p>But all of these cards have the same problem: they're slow. Even if all the other players let me put these four creatures on the board on turn one, they still would not look great when I got around to my fourth turn. The best scenario is I now have four additional 1/1 creatures, and I can parlay that into mana or card draw. The worst case is right before I get enough counters, someone casts a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and I am out of the game. So what do we do to go faster?</p>
<h2>We Evolve</h2>
<p>Join me in the glorious evolution of this deck featuring a green all-star for any strategy that requires someone to carry a dice bag with them, <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Evolution Sage"></div></div>. Proliferation is one of the best ways to send our Saproling generation into overdrive. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evolution Sage" href="#" target="_blank">Evolution Sage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the best cards for helping us out since all it requires is to make our land drops. We also have a few extra pieces of proliferation to pair up with the sage.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cankerbloom"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karn&#039;s Bastion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Staff of Compleation"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cankerbloom" href="#" target="_blank">Cankerbloom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a Swiss army knife creature offering us proliferation, artifact removal, and enchantment removal on a cheap body with great stats. I have undervalued this card for a long time, but I am glad that I got to see just how good they could be before putting this deck together.</p>
<p>Karn's Bastion gives us a repeatable proliferation effect on a land, so playing it with Evolution Sage on the battlefield should make you chuckle at the table. While <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Staff of Compleation" href="#" target="_blank">Staff of Compleation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does cost three life every time we want to use it, getting the one last counter we need could make all the difference. Believe it or not, we have a few other ways to use this proliferation in our deck besides strictly adding spore counters.</p>
<h3>Proliferating the Proliferation</h3>
<p>Proliferation would have been much different if it specified what counters you could add. Luckily for us and many other players, it does not. So, what are we proliferating outside of spore counters and +1/+1 counters?</p>
<p>How about Fading? <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Saproling Burst"></div></div> gives us a choice between a single 7/7 token that slowly shrinks until it is no more or a surprise of seven 1/1 tokens that will only be around for a single turn. But what if we could add more counters? Not only could we get multiple tokens that could be larger than a 1/1, but we could also increase the number of 1/1s that we can make.</p>
<p>Maybe you need to close out the game and do not have many turns left. If you have a few counters on your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beastmaster Ascension" href="#" target="_blank">Beastmaster Ascension</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> but not enough creatures to get the magic number of seven, proliferation can help you close out the game.</p>
<p>Similarly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Door of Destinies" href="#" target="_blank">Door of Destinies</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can get more and more and MORE counters growing our mushroom army. But the heart of this deck is and always will be the Saproling tokens, so let me show you what we've got.</p>
<h2>Saproling Synergies</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brightcap Badger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thelonite Hermit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Verdant Force"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sprout Swarm"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brightcap Badger" href="#" target="_blank">Brightcap Badger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of my favorite cards in the deck because it does everything. Makes Saproling creatures for us at instant speed and every end step. As well as turning all of our Saprolings and Fungi into mana dorks. Saddly, as a Badger Druid, it will not gain any synergies from our next card, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thelonite Hermit" href="#" target="_blank">Thelonite Hermit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>While <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thelonite Hermit" href="#" target="_blank">Thelonite Hermit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does have an expensive Morph cost at 3<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> after playing it face down, the payoff is worth the steep investment. Four 1/1 tokens that get buffed up will do just as well, if not better, than most of the cards in our deck at closing out a game or keeping us alive.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Verdant Force" href="#" target="_blank">Verdant Force</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is objectively past their prime. But I would be forced to turn in my deck building license if I did not include it in the list. We are in mono green, so there is a reasonable chance we can cast this large lad ahead of the curve, even with the heavy mana requirement. If we can't, we also run <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tendershoot Dryad" href="#" target="_blank">Tendershoot Dryad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> so that we can win the game.</p>
<p>A few cards in this deck will elicit a groan from others at the table, but one, in particular, has the possibility of sending someone into a breakdown.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sprout Swarm"></div></div>.</p>
<p>If you ever find a player who was around when this card first came out, be careful when mentioning <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sprout Swarm" href="#" target="_blank">Sprout Swarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. With the mix of Convoke and Buyback <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, the swarm will eventually give someone an unending swarm of Saprolings. This card can only be described as a mistake that should never have seen the light of day. But luckily for us, we got to pair it up with our happy little mushroom man. Sometimes, saddly, Saprolings beating down your opponents is not enough to win the game. So, the last part of our deck is where all the spice lives.</p>
<h2>Spicy Mushrooms</h2>
<p>Every good deck needs a plan B. Since our deck combines Fungus and Saproling typal, we start the game around plan C. Never fear because alternate win conditions are here.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Triumph of the Hordes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Strixhaven Stadium"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Epic Struggle"></div></div>
<p>While it might be cheating to consider <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triumph of the Hordes" href="#" target="_blank">Triumph of the Hordes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strixhaven Stadium" href="#" target="_blank">Strixhaven Stadium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as alternative ways to win the game, giving all of our creatures trample and infect drastically changes the math during the combat step. One moment, all of your opponents think they are safe with a few creatures to block; the next, they are shuffling up for game two. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strixhaven Stadium" href="#" target="_blank">Strixhaven Stadium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a risky card for most decks. Ideally, we should have less incurred risk since we should have enough creatures to stop getting counters removed from the stadium, and we can pair it with proliferation to up the counters as close to ten as possible.</p>
<p>There is no way that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Epic Struggle" href="#" target="_blank">Epic Struggle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be considered anything but an alternative to winning the game. The biggest downside to this card, and the reason most people have never seen it on a battlefield, is that it will become the immediate target no matter what. Someone will try to remove it, your creatures, or you from the game before losing to this card. But if you can pull off the win, it becomes a card where the name perfectly fits the feeling coursing through your body.</p>
<h2>Wrap Up</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shroofus Sproutsire" href="#" target="_blank">Shroofus Sproutsire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a card I expect to show up at a surprising amount of tables. It's a bit of a perfect storm for a commander deck. The art of this card is adorable, and while no one would ever say this card is broken, it can be made to be powerful. This deck hits the perfect middle on the Venn diagram of a new player getting into the format and a long-time player trying to recapture the feelings when they first found themselves tapping lands and slinging spells.</p>
<p>If you want to see more content around the new cards from <em>Foundations</em> or <em>Foundations Jumpstart,</em> check out the other deck techs I did or any other fantastic articles on both EDHREC and Commander's Herald. Once again, I'm Nick, and I will see you the next time we Tech the Deck.</p>
<h2>Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Fun Guy - Shroofus Sproutsire Deck Tech" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Shroofus Sproutsire
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Commander&#039;s Plate
*1 Door of Destinies
*1 Idol of Oblivion
*1 Patchwork Banner
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Staff of Compleation
*1 Strixhaven Stadium
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Asceticism
*1 Beastmaster Ascension
*1 Doubling Season
*1 Elven Chorus
*1 Epic Struggle
*1 Night Soil
*1 Parallel Lives
*1 Saproling Burst
*1 Song of the Dryads
*1 Sporogenesis
*1 Tribute to the World Tree
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*1 Brightcap Badger // Fungus Frolic
*1 Cankerbloom
*1 Champion of Lambholt
*1 Circle of Dreams Druid
*1 Craterhoof Behemoth
*1 Elvish Farmer
*1 Evolution Sage
*1 Insidious Fungus
*1 Jaheira, Friend of the Forest
*1 Mycoloth
*1 Nemata, Grove Guardian
*1 Ohran Frostfang
*1 Psychotrope Thallid
*1 Renata, Called to the Hunt
*1 Ruxa, Patient Professor
*1 Saryth, the Viper&#039;s Fang
*1 Savage Thallid
*1 Sporecrown Thallid
*1 Sporemound
*1 Sporesower Thallid
*1 Tendershoot Dryad
*1 Thallid
*1 Thelonite Hermit
*1 Thunderfoot Baloth
*1 Undercellar Myconid
*1 Utopia Mycon
*1 Verdant Force
*1 Vigor
*1 Vitaspore Thallid
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Collective Unconscious
*1 For the Common Good
*1 Fungal Sprouting
*1 Harvest Season
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Overrun
*1 Pest Infestation
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Triumph of the Hordes
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Fungal Rebirth
*1 Heroic Intervention
*1 Return of the Wildspeaker
*1 Second Harvest
*1 Sprout Swarm
*1 Wrap in Vigor
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*26 Forest
*1 Fountainport
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*1 Mosswort Bridge
*1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Three Tree City
*1 Tranquil Thicket
*1 War Room
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<hr />
<h4>Read more:</h4>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="LhebFMNuRv"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/rally-the-ancestors-50-lands-and-a-plan/">Rally the Ancestors - 50 Lands and a Plan</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Rally the Ancestors - 50 Lands and a Plan&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/rally-the-ancestors-50-lands-and-a-plan/embed/#?secret=toPht00Hp1#?secret=LhebFMNuRv" data-secret="LhebFMNuRv" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="qP6oeO4dx2"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/the-beast-in-me-slinza-the-spiked-stampede-deck/">The Beast In Me - Slinza, the Spiked Stampede Deck</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;The Beast In Me - Slinza, the Spiked Stampede Deck&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/the-beast-in-me-slinza-the-spiked-stampede-deck/embed/#?secret=jYtpmsxLso#?secret=qP6oeO4dx2" data-secret="qP6oeO4dx2" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>


Fun Guy - Shroofus Sproutsire Deck

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slinza, the Spiked Stampede" href="#" target="_blank">Slinza, the Spiked Stampede</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CIshikawa+Kenta%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Ishikawa Kenta</a>)</h6>
<h2>Why Was There No Beast Secret Lair?</h2>
<p>It turns out that there are <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=name&amp;q=%28type%3Acreature+type%3Abeast%29+commander%3ARG+%28game%3Apaper%29">333</a> legal creatures with the Beast type in Gruul. If <em>Wizards</em> had made a secret lair designed around the X-Men Beast, it would still be weaker than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storm, Force of Nature" href="#" target="_blank">Storm, Force of Nature</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. All this is to say that some of your favorite creatures might secretly be a Beast. The best way to find out is to play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slinza, the Spiked Stampede" href="#" target="_blank">Slinza, the Spiked Stampede</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and show all of your opponents the beast within.</p>
<p>My name is Nick, and welcome to a deck tech for <em>Foundations Jumpstart</em>, a set filled with anime art, fascinating new legendary creatures, and fun reprints!</p>
<h2>Fight or Fight Response</h2>
<p>In this deck, the only running we will do is run over our opponents to reduce their life totals to zero. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slinza, the Spiked Stampede" href="#" target="_blank">Slinza, the Spiked Stampede</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is another legendary creature in the ever-growing world of "Gruul Fight Club." The de facto leader up until now was <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Neyith of the Dire Hunt" href="#" target="_blank">Neyith of the Dire Hunt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but Slinza wants to bring a new martial arts style to the fight club.</p>
<p>Almost everything about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slinza, the Spiked Stampede" href="#" target="_blank">Slinza, the Spiked Stampede</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is perfect for a Beast Typal Commander deck. We get a <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> mana reduction to all our Beasts; they all enter with a +1/+1 counter, and the fighting is optional. The single downside is that we have to pay <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to cast our commander. It's good that we're green, so having enough mana will quickly become an afterthought.</p>
<h2>Fixing the Fight</h2>
<p>We don't want to lose once we start fighting in this deck. So, what cards do we have at our disposal to help make sure we win?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krosan Warchief"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anara, Wolvid Familiar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thunderfoot Baloth"></div></div>
<p>Regenerate is an older keyword in the game, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krosan Warchief" href="#" target="_blank">Krosan Warchief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to have a fight we are guaranteed to win thanks to its protection. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anara, Wolvid Familiar" href="#" target="_blank">Anara, Wolvid Familiar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spearbreaker Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Spearbreaker Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give our commander indestructible, and the pump from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thunderfoot Baloth" href="#" target="_blank">Thunderfoot Baloth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> should be enough to get over most creatures.</p>
<p>While we don't always have to use our commander to fight when our other Beasts come in, we want to avoid having Slinza, the Spiked Stampede die repeatedly.</p>
<h2>Another +1/+1</h2>
<p>The middle ability on Slinza grants all of our other Beasts an extra counter when they come into play, but what about getting Slinza some counters? As a matter of fact, what about getting all of our creatures more and more +1/+1 counters?</p>
<p>One of the staple cards in a counters deck is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Ozolith" href="#" target="_blank">The Ozolith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. While this card doesn't add counters to anything at the start, someone will eventually want to kill the creatures we have out. When that happens, we want a place for our counters to go, and that is where <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Ozolith" href="#" target="_blank">The Ozolith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> comes into play. And this works for any counter that we can get onto a creature. If we find ourselves with a Beast that doesn't have a trample, hopefully, we have already cycled our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Titanoth Rex" href="#" target="_blank">Titanoth Rex</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, allowing us to reuse the trample counter.</p>
<p>If one spire-shaped artifact is good, the broken version is even better. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ozolith, the Shattered Spire" href="#" target="_blank">Ozolith, the Shattered Spire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives our creatures a bonus counter and can even give bonus counters to the counters placed on the original <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Ozolith" href="#" target="_blank">The Ozolith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If that was not good enough for you, what about adding a way to give a creature a counter, which is secretly two counters, and cycling if, for some reason, you ever wanted to throw this card into the bin in an ill-fated attempt to find something better?</p>
<h2>More Counters</h2>
<p>Green is one of the best colors in <em>Magic</em> for +1/+1 counters. From creatures, instants, sorceries, and enchantments, we have many ways to pump up our board.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fangren Firstborn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ivy Lane Denizen"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Loyal Guardian"></div></div>
<p>Fangren Firstborn is one of the best Beasts I found when putting this deck together. It might have <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> in the cost preventing people from including it, but not us. Our deck is heavy green, and this Beast growing our team when we turn everything sideways adds fuel to our fire. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ivy Lane Denizen" href="#" target="_blank">Ivy Lane Denizen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> pairs perfectly with our commander, even without an infinite combo involved, which might be a first for the denizen. Every time we have a Beast with power four or greater enter, we can have the denizen give Slinza a counter, allowing it to fight something bigger every time.</p>
<p>An underrated across-the-color pie set of cards, the <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=name&amp;q=Loyal+oracle%3ALieutenant+%28game%3Apaper%29">Loyal creatures</a>. Each of these cards should, on average, see more play. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Loyal Guardian" href="#" target="_blank">Loyal Guardian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> fits perfectly for our needs. Another creature that can add counters to our entire team and being a 4/4 with trample itself means the guardian will get into the red zone along with the team.</p>
<p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Our good offense needs just as good of a defense, and in <em>Magic,</em> there is no better defense than preventing a board wipe. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inspiring Call" href="#" target="_blank">Inspiring Call</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the more niche protection cards you will see in Commander. While this deck also runs <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heroic Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Heroic Intervention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, most people will have forgotten that the call even exists, and there is never anything wrong with a backup plan to the backup plan.</span></p>
<p>Lastly, a very recent card, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Season of Gathering" href="#" target="_blank">Season of Gathering</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, does everything that a green deck wants to do. It can put counters on up to five of our creatures, giving them vigilance and trample till the end of the turn, wipe the board of all artifacts and/or all enchantments, or draw us a massive amount of cards.</p>
<h2>Enchanting</h2>
<p>The enchantments in this deck might be the most crucial part outside of the Beasts themselves.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rhythm of the Wild"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Uncivil Unrest"></div></div>
<p>The wild and the unrest allow all of our creatures to riot. The choice is adding another +1/+1 counter or our creatures having haste, which lets them wait for friends, or jumping into the Donnybrook themselves. Bonus points to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Uncivil Unrest" href="#" target="_blank">Uncivil Unrest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doubling the damage almost every creature in our deck will dish out.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Court of Garenbrig"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Innkeeper&#039;s Talent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Beastmaster Ascension"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Court of Garenbrig" href="#" target="_blank">Court of Garenbrig</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can draw us cards, give us counters, and even double up all the counters we have already made. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Innkeeper&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Innkeeper&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has no level we cannot take advantage of; giving our creatures protection in the form of ward and having another effect that doubles up our counters all rolled into one. A prerequisite for this deck is having a lot of dice on hand, especially if you enter the court or witness <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Innkeeper&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Innkeeper&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> firsthand.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primeval Bounty" href="#" target="_blank">Primeval Bounty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> acts as this deck's Swiss army knife, and while we most likely get a 3/3 Beast with this card on the field, the times we trigger the other two effects shouldn't be slept on. The silliest card to be found in a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slinza, the Spiked Stampede" href="#" target="_blank">Slinza, the Spiked Stampede</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck, is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aether Charge" href="#" target="_blank">Aether Charge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: every beast now becomes four damage to our least favorite opponent's face.</p>
<h2>Biggest Baddest Beasts</h2>
<p>I have talked about many cards that help our beasts and help our commander, but what about the beasts themselves? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a card that needs one ever to say how good it is ever again, just so happens to be a beast. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Siege Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Siege Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is nowhere near as good of a card, but with Hexproof, it will not die easily, and its ability makes it so that even if an opponent has infinite blockers, we can still win the game.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rampaging Baloths" href="#" target="_blank">Rampaging Baloths</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thragtusk" href="#" target="_blank">Thragtusk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both act as a familiar song to a player's ears, but I, for one, have never focused on their creature type of Beast. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blossoming Bogbeast" href="#" target="_blank">Blossoming Bogbeast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is not going to pump our team to the moon since we do not have steady life gain, but giving our board trample pairs perfectly with the addition of a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quartzwood Crasher" href="#" target="_blank">Quartzwood Crasher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Finally, there are some other surprisingly good Beast creatures.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Herald of Ilharg"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Taurean Mauler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Caller of the Pack"></div></div>
<h2>Down With the Sickness</h2>
<p>A lot of green and a splash of red is just as good of a way to build a Commander deck as any other strategy. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slinza, the Spiked Stampede" href="#" target="_blank">Slinza, the Spiked Stampede</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, spoke to me when I looked through the <em>Foundations Jumpstart </em>card list. I was explicitly wrong in my thinking that there would be a small number of Beasts for the deck, and I was pleasantly surprised to see some creatures I have fond memories of playing that just so happened to be Beasts themselves.</p>
<p>A significant omission from this deck is a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doubling Season" href="#" target="_blank">Doubling Season</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or any of its slightly worse enchantment variations. Obviously, it would be fine in the deck, and if the deck's main focus was strictly +1/+1 counters, then I would definitely be included. I decided to focus on the Beast creature type in the deck and use counters and fighting as subthemes in the deck, leaving it out of the list.</p>
<p>I think <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slinza, the Spiked Stampede" href="#" target="_blank">Slinza, the Spiked Stampede</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is a commander who can bring a new player into the game and one that a seasoned veteran can fine-tune and have a blast with. If you want to see any of the other decks I have teched for <em>Foundations</em> or any previous sets, along with my series on Planeswalkers or anything else that other brilliant people have written, find it here on EDHREC or <a href="https://commandersherald.com/">Commanders Herald</a>. The rest of the deck list can be found below!</p>
<h2>Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="The Beast In Me" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Slinza, the Spiked Stampede
[/Commander]
[Enchantments]
*1 Aether Charge
*1 Beastmaster Ascension
*1 Court of Garenbrig
*1 Garruk&#039;s Uprising
*1 Guardian Project
*1 Innkeeper&#039;s Talent
*1 Primeval Bounty
*1 Rhythm of the Wild
*1 Uncivil Unrest
*1 Utopia Sprawl
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*1 Anara, Wolvid Familiar
*1 Beast Whisperer
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Blossoming Bogbeast
*1 Caller of the Pack
*1 Craterhoof Behemoth
*1 Elder Gargaroth
*1 Fanatic of Rhonas
*1 Fangren Firstborn
*1 Garruk&#039;s Horde
*1 Gemrazer
*1 Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma
*1 Gwenna, Eyes of Gaea
*1 Herald of Ilharg
*1 Herd Baloth
*1 Ivy Lane Denizen
*1 Krosan Warchief
*1 Loyal Guardian
*1 Migloz, Maze Crusher
*1 Migratory Greathorn
*1 Neyith of the Dire Hunt
*1 Quartzwood Crasher
*1 Questing Beast
*1 Quilled Greatwurm
*1 Rampaging Baloths
*1 Ridgescale Tusker
*1 Sawtusk Demolisher
*1 Siege Behemoth
*1 Spearbreaker Behemoth
*1 Spellbreaker Behemoth
*1 Taurean Mauler
*1 Thragtusk
*1 Thunderfoot Baloth
*1 Titanoth Rex
*1 Zhur-Taa Ancient
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Dolmen Gate
*1 Ozolith, the Shattered Spire
*1 Patchwork Banner
*1 Rhonas&#039;s Monument
*1 Sol Ring
*1 The Ozolith
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Beast Within
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Heroic Intervention
*1 Inspiring Call
*1 Return of the Wildspeaker
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Ezuri&#039;s Predation
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Rishkar&#039;s Expertise
*1 Season of Gathering
*1 Shamanic Revelation
*1 Three Visits
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Arena of Glory
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*1 Castle Garenbrig
*1 Cinder Glade
*1 Command Tower
*1 Commercial District
*1 Contested Cliffs
*1 Copperline Gorge
*10 Forest
*1 Gruul Turf
*1 Karplusan Forest
*1 Kessig Wolf Run
*3 Mountain
*1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
*1 Rockfall Vale
*1 Rootbound Crag
*1 Secluded Courtyard
*1 Sheltered Thicket
*1 Skarrg, the Rage Pits
*1 Spire Garden
*1 Stomping Ground
*1 Thornspire Verge
*1 Wooded Foothills
*1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
[/Lands]"></span></div>




The Beast In Me - Slinza, the Spiked Stampede Deck

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate" href="#" target="_blank">Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CDmitry+Burmak%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Dmitry Burmak</a>)</h6>
<h1>Laughing at Everything</h1>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alesha, Who Smiles at Death" href="#" target="_blank">Alesha, Who Smiles at Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is back in <em>Foundations</em> as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate" href="#" target="_blank">Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">While she might have lost the color white, she gained an ability <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">she hadn't seen in a while: <em>R</em><em>aid</em></span><em>. </em>The old version of Alesha, and by old, I mean the card printed in the past, was a reanimation machine thanks to her activated ability. While the newer version can still bring creatures back from the grave, there are more hoops to jump through.</span></p>
<p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">But a new card brings a new challenge, so join me, Nick, as we look at what <em>Foundations</em> offers with a deck tech that will leave you in stitches!</span></p>
<h2>Fate is a Cruel Mistress</h2>
<p><em>Raid </em>is not a mechanic I'm very fond of. It has its advantages, like usually not having a restriction on the creature with <em>Raid</em> attacking to get the trigger. But the major downside is that it triggers at the end of your turn. When it comes to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate" href="#" target="_blank">Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a single attack will allow you to bring back any creature with a mana value of three or less. While that might not look like much, there are some solid creatures to get back at the end of a turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Accursed Marauder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Imperial Recruiter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Voldaren Thrillseeker"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Accursed Marauder" href="#" target="_blank">Accursed Marauder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> messing up the opponents' boards with an end-of-turn sacrifice or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imperial Recruiter" href="#" target="_blank">Imperial Recruiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> getting you many of the creatures in your deck at the end of turn. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Voldaren Thrillseeker" href="#" target="_blank">Voldaren Thrillseeker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can add a few counters to something already on the board, but with extra mana lying around, you can throw a creature for damage and set yourself up for reanimation on a later turn.</p>
<p>The sweet spot of this deck for free reanimation outside of some combos, which we will get to late, is at four CMC.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pitiless Plunderer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Canoptek Tomb Sentinel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Murderous Redcap"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pitiless Plunderer" href="#" target="_blank">Pitiless Plunderer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a mainstay card in any black deck adopting an aristocratic strategy. Turning every creature that dies on your side of the field into treasures lets any turn that looks mild go wild. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Canoptek Tomb Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Canoptek Tomb Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> becomes a fabulous removal spell in this deck. Bring it back to exile, the biggest problem on the board, then attack it, hoping your opponent will send it back to the graveyard so you can do it all again.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murderous Redcap" href="#" target="_blank">Murderous Redcap</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> often looks like a waste of a card slot to those who have never been combo-killed by this card in a 60-card format. In our deck, this card can be as few as two damage a turn to as high as 10+, depending on what other cards we have. It is also a card on which I have always enjoyed the art. Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Garna, Bloodfist of Keld" href="#" target="_blank">Garna, Bloodfist of Keld</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, acts as another <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Judith, the Scourge Diva" href="#" target="_blank">Judith, the Scourge Diva</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and can sometimes draw an extra card or two.</p>
<h2>By a Thousand Cuts</h2>
<p>Speaking of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Judith, the Scourge Diva" href="#" target="_blank">Judith, the Scourge Diva</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the primary win condition of this deck is using creatures to poke away at the life total of the table. Rakdos has access to all of the major players in the aristocratic strategies in the commander format. While self-expression is part of the game, there are some must-play cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blood Artist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mayhem Devil"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marionette Apprentice"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zulaport Cutthroat" href="#" target="_blank">Zulaport Cutthroat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are the most classic cards in our primary strategy. Both creatures not only deal damage but gain life, with Zulaport being a small margin better by hitting all opponents simultaneously. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marionette Apprentice" href="#" target="_blank">Marionette Apprentice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is new on the scene but has the added benefit of creating a creature that can immediately trigger their effect, thanks to Fabricate. It can also work with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pitiless Plunderer" href="#" target="_blank">Pitiless Plunderer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Professional Face-Breaker" href="#" target="_blank">Professional Face-Breaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> by dealing damage whenever we sacrifice a treasure.</p>
<h2>What Makes Us Different?</h2>
<p>Our additional two combos make this deck different from your average Rakdos Aristrocrats commander deck. The first combo is an old-fashioned one from commander long past, known as the Worldgorger Combo. As the name implies, it uses the card <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worldgorger Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Worldgorger Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and how it interacts with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animate Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Animate Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The short version of this combo results in infinite enter and leaves the battlefield triggers and infinite mana. Still, I'll turn to our friends at Commander Spellbook for a more detailed interaction.</p>
<div id="4812-4846" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
<script id="4812-4846" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Animate%20Dead%22%2C%22Worldgorger%20Dragon%22%5D&produces=%5B%22Infinite%20colored%20mana%22%2C%22Infinite%20colorless%20mana%22%2C%22Infinite%20ETB%22%2C%22Infinite%20LTB%22%2C%22Infinite%20sacrifice%20triggers%22%5D&id=4812-4846&color=BR&extraRequirementCount=0"></script></div>
<div style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"></div>
<p>Most decks would take sole advantage of the mana generation to cast something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fireball" href="#" target="_blank">Fireball</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and win the game. We do not have any cards like that in the deck. Instead, we want to focus on another part of the combo.</p>
<h3>Infinite Enters</h3>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worldgorger Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Worldgorger Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to use some newer cards and one of the best red cards in the format to get a win.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Agate Instigator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="General Kreat, the Boltbringer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Impact Tremors"></div></div>
<p>These cards will trigger when creatures enter during the loop, pinging our opponent for one damage at a time. We can see how the math gets fun if we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murderous Redcap" href="#" target="_blank">Murderous Redcap</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> out during this time. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="General Kreat, the Boltbringer" href="#" target="_blank">General Kreat, the Boltbringer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is the newest addition to these types of cards and does an exciting interpretation of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>If we can sneak in some of our other under-the-radar cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Genesis Chamber" href="#" target="_blank">Genesis Chamber</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warstorm Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Warstorm Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Uncivil Unrest" href="#" target="_blank">Uncivil Unrest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, not only will we be able to shorten the number of iterations of the combo, but we can get ourselves on the fast track to another game.</p>
<h2>Fool Me Twice Shame on Me</h2>
<p>The second combo in this deck is vastly more involved than the first. We have more than one way to combine cards to use our "second" combo. The key part to the combo(s) is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dualcaster Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Dualcaster Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This creature allows us to not only catch an opponent off guard by flashing it in to copy something like a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterspell" href="#" target="_blank">Counterspell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a piece of removal like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or even a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demonic Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Demonic Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allowing us to grab the last piece we need for a win.</p>
<p>There are <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/search/?q=card%3A%22dualcaster+mage%22+ci%3Arakdos">34 </a>combos within the Rakdos color combination using the card <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dualcaster Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Dualcaster Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and we don't have all of them, but what we do have is a creature that can immediately come back thanks to our commander and multiple cards that allow us to win the game.</p>
<p>My favorite part of these combos is making an impossibly large number of copies of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dualcaster Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Dualcaster Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and then passing the turn. The tokens will all sacrifice themselves and allow us to trigger cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mayhem Devil" href="#" target="_blank">Mayhem Devil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bastion of Remembrance" href="#" target="_blank">Bastion of Remembrance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Agent of the Iron Throne" href="#" target="_blank">Agent of the Iron Throne</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Funeral Room // Awakening Hall" href="#" target="_blank">Funeral Room // Awakening Hall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards rotate"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Funeral Room // Awakening Hall"></div></div>
<h2>Wrap Up</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate" href="#" target="_blank">Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, might not be the easiest creature to lead a Rakdos Aristocrats strategy, but it's one of the newest. <em>Foundations</em> is one of the year's best sets and one of my favorites in recent memory. I expect to see a lot of Alesha as she's a fan favorite character, and I hope to see many of the cards from this set both in decks and leading them. We even have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder" href="#" target="_blank">Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as part of our 99, and it could very easily be used as the commander for this same deck style, if not our exact build.</p>
<p>If you need <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">more content about <em>Foundations,</em> check out the other articles I</span> and many others have written on <a href="https://edhrec.com/">EDHREC</a> and <a href="https://commandersherald.com/">Commander's Herald</a>.</p>
<h2>Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Laughing All the Way" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate
[/commander]
[Creature]
*1 Accursed Marauder
*1 Agate Instigator
*1 Anger
*1 Blood Artist
*1 Canoptek Tomb Sentinel
*1 Dualcaster Mage
*1 Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder
*1 Garna, Bloodfist of Keld
*1 General Kreat, the Boltbringer
*1 Imperial Recruiter
*1 Jaxis, the Troublemaker
*1 Judith, the Scourge Diva
*1 Juri, Master of the Revue
*1 Marionette Apprentice
*1 Mayhem Devil
*1 Murderous Redcap
*1 Pitiless Plunderer
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Stitcher&#039;s Supplier
*1 Viscera Seer
*1 Voldaren Thrillseeker
*1 Warren Soultrader
*1 Worldgorger Dragon
*1 Zulaport Cutthroat
[/creature]
[Enchantment]
*1 Agent of the Iron Throne
*1 Animate Dead
*1 Bastion of Remembrance
*1 Funeral Room // Awakening Hall
*1 Goblin Bombardment
*1 Impact Tremors
*1 Uncivil Unrest
*1 Warstorm Surge
[/Enchantment]
[Artifact]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Genesis Chamber
*1 Phyrexian Altar
*1 Rakdos Signet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Indulgence
[/Artifact]
[Sorcery]
*1 Buried Alive
*1 Come Back Wrong
*1 Diabolic Intent
*1 Faithless Looting
*1 Gamble
*1 Jeska&#039;s Will
*1 Molten Duplication
*1 Night&#039;s Whisper
*1 Persist
*1 Reanimate
*1 Twinflame
*1 Unearth
*1 Unmarked Grave
[/Sorcery]
[Instant]
*1 Dark Ritual
*1 Entomb
*1 Fake Your Own Death
*1 Feign Death
*1 Fell the Profane // Fell Mire
*1 Kazuul&#039;s Fury // Kazuul&#039;s Cliffs
*1 Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire
*1 Not Dead After All
*1 Rakdos Charm
*1 Saw in Half
*1 Village Rites
*1 Withering Torment
[/Instant]
[Land]
*1 Arena of Glory
*1 Blazemire Verge
*1 Blood Crypt
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 Canyon Slough
*1 Command Tower
*1 Dragonskull Summit
*1 Haunted Ridge
*1 High Market
*1 Luxury Suite
*5 Mountain
*1 Rakdos Carnarium
*1 Raucous Theater
*1 Smoldering Marsh
*1 Spymaster&#039;s Vault
*1 Sulfurous Springs
*13 Swamp
*1 Talon Gates of Madara
[/Land]"></span></div>


<hr />
<h4>Read more:</h4>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="nkfplFkjRe"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/technically-playable-the-dalek-emperor/">Technically Playable - The Dalek Emperor</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Technically Playable - The Dalek Emperor&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/technically-playable-the-dalek-emperor/embed/#?secret=y1AKQEppes#?secret=nkfplFkjRe" data-secret="nkfplFkjRe" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="FfsIRvDlun"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/eiffel-65-the-mindskinner-deck/">Eiffel 65 - The Mindskinner Deck</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Eiffel 65 - The Mindskinner Deck&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/eiffel-65-the-mindskinner-deck/embed/#?secret=dW0jiapQST#?secret=FfsIRvDlun" data-secret="FfsIRvDlun" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>


Build An Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate Deck

Build A Demons Deck With Valgavoth, Terror Eater

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=released&amp;q=%21%22The+Mindskinner%22+include%3Aextras&amp;unique=prints">The Mindskinner</a> | <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CGo%C3%B1i+Montes%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Goñi Montes</a>)</h6>
<h1>Here's a story about a little guy</h1>
<p>That little guy is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Mindskinner" href="#" target="_blank">The Mindskinner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and they're not very blue. Welcome to another deck tech! My name's Nick, and this is my take on one of the most exciting commanders from <em>Duskmourn: House of Horror</em>. What does <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> do in <em>Magic</em>? Most notably, <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=name&amp;q=%28oracle%3Adraw+oracle%3Acard%29+color%3DU+%28game%3Apaper%29">draw cards</a> and<a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=name&amp;q=%28oracle%3Acounter+oracle%3Atarget+oracle%3Aspell%29+color%3DU+%28game%3Apaper%29"> counter spells</a>. Another thing that the color is known for is a recently keyworded mechanic; mill.</p>
<p>Not only is mill an alternate win condition in the game, but outside of an opponent having something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Laboratory Maniac" href="#" target="_blank">Laboratory Maniac</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it might be the #1 annoyance to opposing players at a table. Anger can often come to the surface when another player mills cards from your deck or exiles your graveyard. In Commander, with the increase in deck size and opponents, mill tends to be used to fill your graveyard rather than your opponents'. But at the low cost of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and a stat line of 10/1, <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Mindskinner|DSK|357"></div></div> is hungry for every card your opponents have to offer.</p>
<h2>What you should do</h2>
<p>I will not sugarcoat it; this is not the "ideal" way to build this deck. The most effective way to build the deck is to lean heavily into the Voltron strategy. Cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Mindskinner" href="#" target="_blank">The Mindskinner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, slam any Equipment that pumps the power: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blackblade Reforged" href="#" target="_blank">Blackblade Reforged</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mjölnir, Storm Hammer" href="#" target="_blank">Mjölnir, Storm Hammer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hammer of Nazahn" href="#" target="_blank">Hammer of Nazahn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Colossus Hammer" href="#" target="_blank">Colossus Hammer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and turn sideways. A form of evasion, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rogue&#039;s Passage" href="#" target="_blank">Rogue&#039;s Passage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, helps out, too. If you could guess, this is not what I did.</p>
<h2>What I did</h2>
<p>I instead decided to put my faith in a man named <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prodigal Sorcerer|SLD|1672" href="#" target="_blank">Tim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and pingers. Tim is the nickname for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prodigal Sorcerer|3ED|75" href="#" target="_blank">Prodigal Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and pinger is the term applied to all cards with the same or similar effect as Tim. The most important part of the card <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Mindskinner" href="#" target="_blank">The Mindskinner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> isn't what the card says in the textbox, but what it doesn't say. And what it does not say is the word combat. This means that any form of damage that you can do will allow you to mill your opponents. One damage at a time is very slow, especially when you are staring down 276 cards on average that need to hit the graveyard at the start of a game. So we go all in.</p>
<h2>Tim</h2>
<p>Sixteen. I am running sixteen different pingers in this deck. The few that I am omitting tend to be very "single-use" like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psionic Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Psionic Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. There are subtle differences between each pinger.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reveka, Wizard Savant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stuffy Doll"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Capricious Sorcerer"></div></div>
<p>Timing restrictions, staying tapped, and being locked in on only one opponent means that even with all 16, we are not flying through libraries. But Tim has some tricks up their sleeves.</p>
<h2>Timmy</h2>
<p>For every deck that runs an abundance of creatures with a <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-tap" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> symbol, haste is the name of the game. One of the best cards in the deck is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thousand-Year Elixir" href="#" target="_blank">Thousand-Year Elixir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Allowing your Tims to tap immediately and, as a bonus with mana lying around, you can use one again. What if your opponent(s) happen to all of a sudden have <a href="oracle:hexproof (game:paper)">hexproof</a>? You're going to steal every creature they leave behind.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Willbreaker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Charisma"></div></div>
<p>These two cards allow us to stop filling the graveyard or picking off x/1 creatures and add other creatures to our noble cause. While those creatures might not be named Tim, it does not mean that we cannot show them the joys of being blue. Worst case, they say, as a blocker to keep us alive because mill = mad.</p>
<h2>Mill = Mad</h2>
<p>Once you commit to the mill plan, nay the lifestyle, you will cause an abundance of anger directed your way. So it would help if you found a way to stay alive. I said earlier that <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> is good at countering spells. It just so happens that a few are counter cards and mill as a bonus.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thought Collapse"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Didn&#039;t Say Please"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Countermand"></div></div>
<p>Blue also tends to be annoying. And since we can access colorless cards, we can also snag a few more annoying pieces. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Propaganda" href="#" target="_blank">Propaganda</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the most played cards in the format for a reason, but your opponents can always have mana. That's where the following cards come in.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crawlspace"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Silent Arbiter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Misleading Signpost"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crawlspace" href="#" target="_blank">Crawlspace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Silent Arbiter" href="#" target="_blank">Silent Arbiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> limit the number of creatures that can harm us, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Misleading Signpost" href="#" target="_blank">Misleading Signpost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of my favorite new ways to mess up the combat step. Even our mana base can get in on the action. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maze of Ith" href="#" target="_blank">Maze of Ith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Labyrinth of Skophos" href="#" target="_blank">Labyrinth of Skophos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can take one pesky creature throw it away. Finally, there are some other ways to assist in our mill strategy.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mindcrank"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Psychic Corrosion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fractured Sanity"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mindcrank" href="#" target="_blank">Mindcrank</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will trigger off more things than most players realize until it hits the battlefield. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychic Corrosion" href="#" target="_blank">Psychic Corrosion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has an effect featured on a few other enchantments, but those other ones force you to pick one individual player. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fractured Sanity" href="#" target="_blank">Fractured Sanity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a good chunk at 14 cards per opponent but has the added benefit of Cycling with a smaller mill added on.</p>
<h2>You Remind Me of My Friend Tim</h2>
<p>Tim is a conditional guy. He only does one damage; he has to hit a creature or player. Tim might be a bit picky. We run some other picky cards in this deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Soul Barrier"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Psychic Allergy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Psychic Venom"></div></div>
<p>Are these cards conditional? Yes. Are these cards good? Debateable. Are they going to get a reaction from the table? Absolutely. And those are just some of the permanent effects.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Suffocation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mind Bomb"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Psionic Blast|P07|4"></div></div>
<p>Other than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psionic Blast|P07|4" href="#" target="_blank">Psionic Blast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> having some of the best art in the game, it and the cards above will catch people off guard and might allow you to get a critical mill at a crucial moment.</p>
<h2>How Do We "Really" Win?</h2>
<p>Low power, slow strategy, disrupted by a slight breeze. All downsides to the deck. This deck can thrive when players underestimate the overall strategy and the ability to catch a table off guard with a game-winning combo. We return to a well-known and fairly groan-inducing combo to do so.</p>
<div id="4821-5261" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
<script id="4821-5261" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Dramatic%20Reversal%22%2C%22Isochron%20Scepter%22%5D&produces=%5B%22Infinite%20magecraft%20triggers%22%2C%22Infinite%20mana%20nonland%20permanents%20you%20control%20can%20produce%22%2C%22Infinite%20storm%20count%22%2C%22Infinite%20untap%20of%20nonland%20permanents%20you%20control%22%5D&id=4821-5261&color=U&extraRequirementCount=1"></script><iframe loading="lazy" src="." width="0" height="0"></iframe></div>
<div>Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control; that's how we win the game. This combo allows all of our Tims, without summoning sickness, to ping our opponents until the job is done. The best part is that this combo will allow us to win with or without <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Mindskinner" href="#" target="_blank">The Mindskinner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the battlefield. The biggest downside is that this combo has been around for a long time, and many players don't like it. But when running a deck like this, you can take a few liberties.</div>
<h2>Down To Your Last Pathetic Card</h2>
<p>This deck can be fun, but it also can be the deck at the table that spins some wheels and does nothing. Either way, I would love to see one in a Commander pod I'm part of, since it will be full of weird cards, strange effects, and good times. I like my decks to be stronger, and if I were building a personal version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Mindskinner" href="#" target="_blank">The Mindskinner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, I would lean towards the Voltron strategy with plenty of protection for my commander.</p>
<p>I would jam every <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fierce Guardianship" href="#" target="_blank">Fierce Guardianship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slip Out the Back" href="#" target="_blank">Slip Out the Back</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fleet Swallower" href="#" target="_blank">Fleet Swallower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> type card I could get my hands on. But if I wanted to be in a silly, goofy mood, I would grab this deck without a second thought.</p>
<p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Whatever path you decide with this deck, or if you choose to go in a direction I never thought of, you can surely find help by checking out all the other fantastic content at <a href="https://edhrec.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EDHREC</a> and<em><a href="https://commandersherald.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Commander's Herald.</a></em></span></p>
<p>You can find my article series talking about what would happen if every Planeswalker was legal as your commander under <em><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/myth-realized-what-if-any-planeswalker-could-be-your-commander-simic/">Myth Realized</a>. </em>Thank you for reading and checking out the decklist below!</p>
<h2>Decklist</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Eiffel 65" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 The Mindskinner
[/Commander]
[Sorceries]
*1 Fractured Sanity
*1 Mind Bomb
*1 Ponder
*1 Preordain
*1 Psychic Purge
[/Sorceries]
[Creatures]
*1 Apprentice Sorcerer
*1 Bruvac the Grandiloquent
*1 Capricious Sorcerer
*1 Fledgling Mawcor
*1 Fog Bank
*1 Giggling Skitterspike
*1 Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory
*1 Mawcor
*1 Pirate Ship
*1 Prodigal Sorcerer
*1 Reveka, Wizard Savant
*1 Rootwater Hunter
*1 Silent Arbiter
*1 Stinging Barrier
*1 Stuffy Doll
*1 Suq&#039;Ata Firewalker
*1 Willbreaker
*1 Zellix, Sanity Flayer
*1 Zuran Spellcaster
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Consider
*1 Countermand
*1 Counterspell
*1 Didn&#039;t Say Please
*1 Dramatic Reversal
*1 Opt
*1 Pongify
*1 Psionic Blast
*1 Rapid Hybridization
*1 Reality Shift
*1 Shore Up
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 Suffocation
*1 Thought Collapse
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Crawlspace
*1 Isochron Scepter
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Midnight Clock
*1 Mindcrank
*1 Misleading Signpost
*1 Sapphire Medallion
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Staff of Nin
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Thousand-Year Elixir
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Backfire
*1 Charisma
*1 Chronic Flooding
*1 Creature Bond
*1 Errant Minion
*1 Estrid&#039;s Invocation
*1 Feedback
*1 Mirrormade
*1 Propaganda
*1 Psychic Allergy
*1 Psychic Corrosion
*1 Psychic Venom
*1 Relic Bind
*1 Soul Barrier
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*27 Island
*1 Labyrinth of Skophos
*1 Maze of Ith
*1 Mystic Sanctuary
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*1 Terrain Generator
*1 War Room
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<hr />
<h4>Read more:</h4>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="a5iM3tTNAI"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/start-me-up-3-more-duskmourn-commanders/">Start Me Up! - 3 (More) Duskmourn Commanders</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Start Me Up! - 3 (More) Duskmourn Commanders&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/start-me-up-3-more-duskmourn-commanders/embed/#?secret=NTmHIJORgy#?secret=a5iM3tTNAI" data-secret="a5iM3tTNAI" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="PDDKumqFV5"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/brew-for-your-buck-arabella-arabudget/">Brew For Your Buck - Arabella, Arabudget</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Brew For Your Buck - Arabella, Arabudget&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/brew-for-your-buck-arabella-arabudget/embed/#?secret=w0yTwoft8g#?secret=PDDKumqFV5" data-secret="PDDKumqFV5" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>


Eiffel 65 - The Mindskinner Deck

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a href="https://scryfall.com/card/dsk/360/marina-vendrell">Marina Vendrell</a> | Art by: <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CJack+Hughes%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Jack Hughes</a>)</h6>
<h2>What's Your Favorite Room In The House?</h2>
<p>Maybe it's your home office? They're usually calm and relaxed and built to increase productivity. It might be a living room with big couches and a large television. Or maybe it's the kitchen, full of snacks. It's actually the <span class="edhrecp__link rotate"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Central Elevator // Promising Stairs" href="#" target="_blank">Central Elevator // Promising Stairs</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, because it wins the game.</p>
<p>Hello everyone, my name is Nick, and we're back with another deck tech! This time we're featuring a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marina Vendrell" href="#" target="_blank">Marina Vendrell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> room service deck. We're trying to win the game by building a house, and if the worst happens, we will use the building blocks of our estate to beat our opponents in the style of Beauty and the Beast gone wrong.</p>
<h2>Blueprints</h2>
<p>So, how do we build our house...of horrors? At its core, this deck looks much like a typical <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/enchantments">Enchantress</a> deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Argothian Enchantress"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sythis, Harvest&#039;s Hand"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Entity Tracker"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mesa Enchantress"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Verduran Enchantress"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eidolon of Blossoms"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Satyr Enchanter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Setessan Champion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Enchantress&#039;s Presence"></div></div>
<p>These Enchantress cards keep our building going steadily so we can finish the project by the agreed-upon deadline. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sythis, Harvest&#039;s Hand" href="#" target="_blank">Sythis, Harvest&#039;s Hand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is the foreman of the deck on this job. Not only does she draw us cards, but she keeps us nice and healthy with a steady stream of life gain.</p>
<p>The more of these cards we can get out on the job at a time, the better every card in this deck gets.</p>
<h2>Building Materials</h2>
<p>Houses, like enchantments, can be expensive. While I'm unsure how to reduce the cost of a home, I do know how to do it for this deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Herald of the Pantheon" href="#" target="_blank">Herald of the Pantheon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and brand new card <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inquisitive Glimmer" href="#" target="_blank">Inquisitive Glimmer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both give us a nice reduction on the cost of our cards. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inquisitive Glimmer" href="#" target="_blank">Inquisitive Glimmer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does double duty to make unlocking our rooms cheaper.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wildsear, Scouring Maw" href="#" target="_blank">Wildsear, Scouring Maw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> turns all the enchantments we cast from our hand into a bonus card thanks to cascade. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Composer of Spring" href="#" target="_blank">Composer of Spring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> lets us put a land and potentially a creature onto the battlefield every time we trigger <em>constellation.</em></p>
<h2>15 Bedrooms</h2>
<p>The point of this deck is to play as many of the new enchantment sub-type, Rooms, as possible to synergize with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marina Vendrell" href="#" target="_blank">Marina Vendrell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and her ability to unlock and relock them and find them off her enter-the-battlefield (ETB) trigger. The easiest thing is to find the Rooms. After all, most of them are on the main floor and across the hall from one another. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conjurer&#039;s Closet" href="#" target="_blank">Conjurer&#039;s Closet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa, Deep-Dwelling" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa, Deep-Dwelling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teleportation Circle" href="#" target="_blank">Teleportation Circle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allow us to have Marina enter repeatedly.</p>
<p>Inside all of the Rooms, we have endless possibilities. With Rooms, we have two choices when we cast them. Whatever side we pay the mana for gives us that ability when it enters. The other side remains locked. The locked Room must have the mana cost paid for after it has entered or be unlocked with some effect, like with our Commander, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marina Vendrell" href="#" target="_blank">Marina Vendrell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If a Room gets blinked or enters in some way where it is not cast, both haves are locked until the mana cost is paid. So what are the best Rooms?</p>
<h3>Master Bedroom, Master Bathroom, Walk-in Closet</h3>
<p>The "best" Room in the deck is <div class="edhrecp__cards rotate"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Central Elevator // Promising Stairs"></div></div>. It can get us any other Room we might need from the deck and is the primary way we want to try and win the game. Next up is the <div class="edhrecp__cards rotate"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Greenhouse // Rickety Gazebo"></div></div>. This does wonders for helping with our five-color mana base. Finally is the actual <div class="edhrecp__cards rotate"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Walk-In Closet // Forgotten Cellar"></div></div>. This allows us to replay lands that end up in our graveyard and a way to recast cards if they were to get destroyed or be used again.</p>
<h3>Home Office, Guest Room, Guest Bathroom</h3>
<p>One of the more expensive rooms in the house is the guest room, <div class="edhrecp__cards rotate"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Restricted Office // Lecture Hall"></div></div>. It's a conditional but needed wrath effect and a way to protect our deck, which is full of permanents that we do not want getting destroyed. <div class="edhrecp__cards rotate"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cramped Vents // Access Maze"></div></div> offers us single target removal and life gain that can be used to help buffer paying life to cast a spell off the access maze half. <div class="edhrecp__cards rotate"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Secret Arcade // Dusty Parlor"></div></div> might not look impressive, but additional draws could be game-changing when we cast any non-enchantment permanents.</p>
<h2>Clean Your Room</h2>
<p>Sometimes, you let your room get messy, and it might need a good clean. So, if we can't win with our Rooms, how can we use our Rooms to win the game? The most efficient way would be to turn those rooms into creatures and turn them sideways. First up <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Starfield of Nyx"></div></div>. The new school version of another card in this deck, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Opalescence" href="#" target="_blank">Opalescence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, Starfield gets us back an enchantment and turns all those sitting on the board into a fighting force. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bello, Bard of the Brambles" href="#" target="_blank">Bello, Bard of the Brambles</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> turns our enchantments into 4/4s with indestructible, haste, and card draw. Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zur, Eternal Schemer" href="#" target="_blank">Zur, Eternal Schemer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can animate and enchantment for 1<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> at a time while giving your enchantment creatures deathtouch, lifelink, and hexproof.</p>
<p>There are instances where we might not be able to, or might not want to, attack with our enchantments-turned-creatures. In that case, archetype all-stars <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil of the Empty Throne" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil of the Empty Throne</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archon of Sun&#039;s Grace" href="#" target="_blank">Archon of Sun&#039;s Grace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> paired with newcomers <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hallowed Haunting" href="#" target="_blank">Hallowed Haunting</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghostly Dancers" href="#" target="_blank">Ghostly Dancers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> give us expendable creatures to do battle instead.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doomwake Giant" href="#" target="_blank">Doomwake Giant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to clear out small pesky creatures that can get in our way. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grim Guardian" href="#" target="_blank">Grim Guardian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will enable us to chip away at the life totals of the table as the game goes on. Staying alive until we can set up a win is also an essential part of the deck, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sphere of Safety" href="#" target="_blank">Sphere of Safety</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes attacking us nearly impossible for some decks. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yenna, Redtooth Regent" href="#" target="_blank">Yenna, Redtooth Regent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can take any of these effects and give us a bonus copy to up the shenanigans we're capable of.</p>
<h2>Home Repairs</h2>
<p>Every home will suffer some damage over time and there is little that this deck can do against something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farewell" href="#" target="_blank">Farewell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If the table decides to put our enchantments into the graveyard though, we can fix it.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brilliant Restoration"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Replenish"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Redress Fate"></div></div>
<p>These cards allow us to bring back our enchantments in one big swing. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Replenish" href="#" target="_blank">Replenish</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the best of the bunch, thanks to the mana cost, but it is the most expensive in real-world price. A spicy addition in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Redress Fate" href="#" target="_blank">Redress Fate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> acting as one of the best top decks you could imagine. Suppose we are in a super late game with all the mana at our fingertips. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dance of the Manse" href="#" target="_blank">Dance of the Manse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives us both reanimation and transformation by bringing everything back and making them permanently 4/4 creatures.</p>
<h2>Heated Bathroom Floors</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serra&#039;s Sanctum" href="#" target="_blank">Serra&#039;s Sanctum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one particular card I need to call out from the deck. It's a card from one of the most powerful cycles in the game's history. The white representative for the cycle of cards featuring:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gaea&#039;s Cradle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tolarian Academy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Tower"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tolarian Academy" href="#" target="_blank">Tolarian Academy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is so strong it is banned in the format. There is also <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shivan Gorge" href="#" target="_blank">Shivan Gorge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is, I promise, the actual final card in this cycle, and I want everyone to let that sink in. Serra's Sanctum is super powerful, even more so in this deck, which features 36 enchantments. It is also a card on the Reserved List, and check any place that sells you <em>Magic </em>cards and you will see why it'll not often be present at a table across from you. It's that one particular thing that is present in a house that makes everyone a little bit jealous.</p>
<h2>Making the House a Home</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marina Vendrell" href="#" target="_blank">Marina Vendrell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an excellent new commander, and the Rooms have a cool twist on enchantments. This deck might catch the unexpected table by surprise but it is a bit fragile with the reliance on one type of card. I think rooms will be seen for a long time, and unlike Battles, jamming all of the Rooms into one deck leads to more synergy and less of a pile of cards that might do good things but might not do good things together.</p>
<p>Here's the deck list! What do you think? Will you be building a Marina Vendrell deck?</p>
<h2>Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Room Service" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Marina Vendrell
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Chromatic Lantern
*1 Conjurer&#039;s Closet
*1 Sol Ring
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Archon of Sun&#039;s Grace
*1 Argothian Enchantress
*1 Bello, Bard of the Brambles
*1 Calix, Guided by Fate
*1 Composer of Spring
*1 Doomwake Giant
*1 Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
*1 Eidolon of Blossoms
*1 Entity Tracker
*1 Ghostly Dancers
*1 Grim Guardian
*1 Herald of the Pantheon
*1 Inquisitive Glimmer
*1 Mesa Enchantress
*1 Satyr Enchanter
*1 Setessan Champion
*1 Sythis, Harvest&#039;s Hand
*1 Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
*1 Verduran Enchantress
*1 Weaver of Harmony
*1 Wildsear, Scouring Maw
*1 Yenna, Redtooth Regent
*1 Zur, Eternal Schemer
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bottomless Pool // Locker Room
*1 Central Elevator // Promising Stairs
*1 Cramped Vents // Access Maze
*1 Derelict Attic // Widow&#039;s Walk
*1 Enchantress&#039;s Presence
*1 Fertile Ground
*1 Funeral Room // Awakening Hall
*1 Greenhouse // Rickety Gazebo
*1 Hallowed Haunting
*1 Meat Locker // Drowned Diner
*1 Mirari&#039;s Wake
*1 Mirror Room // Fractured Realm
*1 Mirrormade
*1 Moldering Gym // Weight Room
*1 Opalescence
*1 Painter&#039;s Studio // Defaced Gallery
*1 Restricted Office // Lecture Hall
*1 Roaring Furnace // Steaming Sauna
*1 Secret Arcade // Dusty Parlor
*1 Sigil of the Empty Throne
*1 Smoky Lounge // Misty Salon
*1 Sphere of Safety
*1 Starfield of Nyx
*1 Sterling Grove
*1 Teleportation Circle
*1 Underwater Tunnel // Slimy Aquarium
*1 Walk-In Closet // Forgotten Cellar
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Brilliant Restoration
*1 Dance of the Manse
*1 Idyllic Tutor
*1 Redress Fate
*1 Replenish
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Teferi&#039;s Protection
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Bountiful Promenade
*1 Command Tower
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Fabled Passage
*2 Forest
*1 Hall of Heliod&#039;s Generosity
*1 Indatha Triome
*2 Island
*1 Jetmir&#039;s Garden
*1 Ketria Triome
*2 Mountain
*3 Plains
*1 Prismatic Vista
*1 Raffine&#039;s Tower
*1 Raugrin Triome
*1 Reflecting Pool
*1 Rejuvenating Springs
*1 Savai Triome
*1 Sea of Clouds
*1 Serra&#039;s Sanctum
*1 Spara&#039;s Headquarters
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Spire Garden
*2 Swamp
*1 The World Tree
*1 Undergrowth Stadium
*1 Vault of Champions
*1 Xander&#039;s Lounge
*1 Zagoth Triome
*1 Ziatora&#039;s Proving Ground
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<hr />
<h3>Read more:</h3>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="G7xnRpjFvX"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/bonk-bunny-baylen-the-haymaker-deck-tech/">Bonk Bunny - Baylen, the Haymaker Deck</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Bonk Bunny - Baylen, the Haymaker Deck&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/bonk-bunny-baylen-the-haymaker-deck-tech/embed/#?secret=1iyVqKzLHr#?secret=G7xnRpjFvX" data-secret="G7xnRpjFvX" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="ICNkjNwZGf"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/top-10-library-manipulation-enchantments/">Top 10 Library Manipulation Enchantments</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Top 10 Library Manipulation Enchantments&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/top-10-library-manipulation-enchantments/embed/#?secret=Lq4tyPicwm#?secret=ICNkjNwZGf" data-secret="ICNkjNwZGf" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


Room Service - Marina Vendrell Deck

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=released&amp;q=%21%22Baylen%2C+the+Haymaker%22+include%3Aextras&amp;unique=prints">Baylen, the Hammer</a> | Art By: <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CKemonomichi%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Kemonomichi</a>)</h6>
<h1>Silly Rabbit Trix Are For Kids</h1>
<p>Cereal is delicious. Most people would agree on this enough to call it a fact. <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Another fact is that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baylen, the Haymaker|BLB|345" href="#" target="_blank">Baylen, the Haymaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">, is the <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/blb">most built Commander</a> in <em>Bloomburrow </em>when writing this piece</span>.</span> Another fact is that I have teched a deck that is so unique that there are no other entries on the site that have the Bonk Bunny and a particular ten-mana sorcery in the 99. Venture into the land of adorable woodland creatures with me, Nick, for another outside-the-box deck tech.</p>
<h2>Why Does This Deck Look So Weird?</h2>
<p>Baylen, the Haymaker is undoubtedly powerful. The card does everything anyone wants and stays nice and safe in the command zone. All versions of Baylen will utilize tokens to an extent, but how we use those tokens is the key. Are we making mana? Drawing cards? Or making the single biggest bunny anyone has ever seen and swinging for lethal? If I told you none of these are true, you'd stop reading this article and move on, so I won't say that. I can say the ability to pump up Baylen is something I am trying never to have to use in this deck. Using that ability to kill someone is plan Z in the "ways, this deck wants to win the game" handbook.</p>
<p>I can say that the ability to draw a card and, to a lesser extent, make mana is vital to this deck's ability to win the game. Card draw is always crucial to commander decks, and it is no surprise that commanders who can draw cards are often "better" than those who can't. This deck is also a bit mana intensive; remember, we built around a ten-mana card. We also have green, so mana production isn't as hard to come by as with other colors.</p>
<h2>One, Two, Punch</h2>
<p><a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=name&amp;q=type%3Asorcery+commander%3AWRG+%28game%3Apaper%29+cmc%3D10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nine</a> legal sorceries cost ten CMC, which we could build around in this deck. Five of them wrath the board in one way or another. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Explosive Singularity" href="#" target="_blank">Explosive Singularity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deals damage.<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Apex of Power" href="#" target="_blank">Apex of Power</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can let you cast more spells. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storm Herd" href="#" target="_blank">Storm Herd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes pegasi. But there is one card that makes our deck unique: <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Primal Surge"></div></div>.</p>
<p>Some of you may have seen a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primal Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Primal Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck before. Most often, it's in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nikya of the Old Ways" href="#" target="_blank">Nikya of the Old Ways</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ruric Thar, the Unbowed" href="#" target="_blank">Ruric Thar, the Unbowed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Both cards actively force you to run very few to no other non-permanents outside of the surge itself. I've always wanted to make a deck using Primal Surge as the win condition, and I think Baylen is a sneaky way to do it. There is no small list of permanents that reward you, HEAVILY, for making tokens. Almost every commander player has seen one, if not all, of these cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doubling Season"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Parallel Lives"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anointed Procession"></div></div>
<p>These three are the most popular. They are often the best of the bunch. Four CMC for Anointed Procession and Parallel Lives means they come down faster, and Doubling Season has a historic pedigree and extra synergy with planeswalkers. But let me introduce you to the B-Team of these effects.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Primal Vigor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dual Nature"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation"></div></div>
<p>The CMC and added effects bring down the ratings for all these cards: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation" href="#" target="_blank">Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dual Nature" href="#" target="_blank">Dual Nature</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only affect creatures. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primal Vigor" href="#" target="_blank">Primal Vigor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the slight drawback of giving benefits to your opponents, not just you. As someone who has gotten many more Bs in my academic career than As, these will do just fine. One more card in the deck can make between zero and an indeterminate amount of tokens. It just depends on if you feel lucky, punk, do you?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mirror March"></div></div>
<p>But how do we get to cast all these spells, and more importantly, how do we get to cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primal Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Primal Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, with its high cost? Dorks, lots of dorks.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Birds of Paradise"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Circle of Dreams Druid"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Faeburrow Elder"></div></div>
<h2>How We Build It</h2>
<p>We need to make a lot of mana and fast. If you are flush with cash or have access to specific pieces of technology, like a sharpie, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gaea&#039;s Cradle" href="#" target="_blank">Gaea&#039;s Cradle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will be a boon to this deck. Land enchantments like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Utopia Sprawl" href="#" target="_blank">Utopia Sprawl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> help ramp and color fix. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Selvala, Explorer Returned" href="#" target="_blank">Selvala, Explorer Returned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Selvala, Heart of the Wilds" href="#" target="_blank">Selvala, Heart of the Wilds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both give us access to more cards, more mana, and a small amount of lifegain. And since we can't run the typical green staple cards such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kodama&#039;s Reach" href="#" target="_blank">Kodama&#039;s Reach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Three Visits" href="#" target="_blank">Three Visits</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we're running all three of the Signets:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boros Signet|SLD|291"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gruul Signet|SLD|288"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Selesnya Signet|SLD|290"></div></div>
<p>I will always shout out the card <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cryptolith Rite" href="#" target="_blank">Cryptolith Rite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, especially when it is so good in this deck.</p>
<h2>Gotta Go Fast</h2>
<p>As the saying goes, "haste makes waste." I want to make waste of the other players at the table, so haste seems essential to this deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Concordant Crossroads" href="#" target="_blank">Concordant Crossroads</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhythm of the Wild" href="#" target="_blank">Rhythm of the Wild</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Samut, Voice of Dissent" href="#" target="_blank">Samut, Voice of Dissent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. But haste often comes with attacking, as does making a massive board of tokens. But why would I not care about how big Baylen can get if that is the case? Why would I not want to use the Bonk Bunny?</p>
<p>Because I've been lying to you this entire time, readers.</p>
<h2>Burn it Down</h2>
<p>We are not "just" built around <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primal Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Primal Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We are also the only Baylen deck with the card <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flame Fusillade" href="#" target="_blank">Flame Fusillade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Attacking with creatures is so 2014; we're all about tapping creatures in 2024. Firstly, this causes a problem for our deck. It stops the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primal Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Primal Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as it's not a permanent. This is what makes Baylen's ability to draw cards so good. It can help us find both sorceries in the deck so that the surge does not stop. Once we <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surge_(drink)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surge</a> our deck like 1995, we can tap dance our way to victory unless we are playing against a table full of pesky <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/lifegain">lifegain</a> decks. Then, once again, we turn to our furry friend, make some mana, and activate <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aggravated Assault" href="#" target="_blank">Aggravated Assault</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as many times as necessary.</p>
<h2>In Conclusion</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baylen, the Haymaker" href="#" target="_blank">Baylen, the Haymaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is one of the strongest commanders I've seen recently, which says a lot. It's a Swiss army knife of a card living in your command zone. But truthfully, to me, it is a bit boring. I wanted to stretch the limits on this card in a way that still takes advantage of what the deck is trying to do at its heart but also catches people by surprise. The deck runs many expensive to cast and "not very strong" token-making creatures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trostani&#039;s Summoner" href="#" target="_blank">Trostani&#039;s Summoner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Godsire" href="#" target="_blank">Godsire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but that's the point. There's also three different <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects if we ever lose our wincons.</p>
<p>There's one type of card I did omit from this deck for many reasons. Those would be the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overrun" href="#" target="_blank">Overrun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> creatures, famously <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Should it be in the deck for efficiency's sake? Yes, it should. Is it super predictable and somewhat played out? I think so. But this is my build of the deck and I'm wearing my hipster hat, so if you sleeve up Baylen, put in whatever cards make you happy. If you want to see any other deck techs I have done, set reviews where I undoubtedly judged a card wrong, or the many things I have said about Planeswalkers, check out <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/author/nicholas-lucchesi/">my previous articles on EDHREC</a> under my name or the <em>Myth Realized</em> series.</p>
<h2>Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Silly Rabbit Trix are for Kids" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Baylen, the Haymaker
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*1 Adipose Offspring
*1 Angel of Invention
*1 Avacyn&#039;s Pilgrim
*1 Avenger of Zendikar
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Bloom Tender
*1 Canoptek Scarab Swarm
*1 Chancellor of the Forge
*1 Circle of Dreams Druid
*1 Cloudgoat Ranger
*1 Deep Forest Hermit
*1 Delighted Halfling
*1 Deranged Hermit
*1 Elvish Mystic
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Faeburrow Elder
*1 Fanatic of Rhonas
*1 Ghired, Mirror of the Wilds
*1 Godsire
*1 Hornet Queen
*1 Llanowar Elves
*1 Loran of the Third Path
*1 Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation // Temple of Civilization
*1 Preston, the Vanisher
*1 Prosperous Innkeeper
*1 Rampaging Baloths
*1 Rhys the Redeemed
*1 Rose Room Treasurer
*1 Samut, Voice of Dissent
*1 Selfless Squire
*1 Selvala, Explorer Returned
*1 Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
*1 Skullwinder
*1 Timeless Witness
*1 Trostani&#039;s Summoner
*1 Ulasht, the Hate Seed
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*1 Aggravated Assault
*1 Anointed Procession
*1 Concordant Crossroads
*1 Cryptolith Rite
*1 Doubling Season
*1 Dual Nature
*1 Felidar Retreat
*1 Fertile Ground
*1 Guardian Project
*1 Mirari&#039;s Wake
*1 Mirror March
*1 Parallel Lives
*1 Primal Vigor
*1 Rhythm of the Wild
*1 Utopia Sprawl
*1 Wild Growth
[/Enchantment]
[Artifact]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Boros Signet
*1 Gruul Signet
*1 Selesnya Signet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Sonic Screwdriver
[/Artifact]
[Sorcery]
*1 Flame Fusillade
*1 Primal Surge
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*1 Ancient Tomb
*1 Arid Mesa
*1 Boros Garrison
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*1 Bountiful Promenade
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Castle Garenbrig
*1 Cinder Glade
*1 Clifftop Retreat
*1 Command Tower
*1 Commercial District
*1 Exotic Orchard
*7 Forest
*1 Gruul Turf
*1 Jetmir&#039;s Garden
*1 Jungle Shrine
*1 Lush Portico
*1 Mountain
*1 Overgrown Farmland
*1 Plains
*1 Rockfall Vale
*1 Rootbound Crag
*1 Sacred Foundry
*1 Selesnya Sanctuary
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Spire Garden
*1 Stomping Ground
*1 Sundown Pass
*1 Sunpetal Grove
*1 Temple Garden
*1 Windswept Heath
*1 Wooded Foothills
*1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
[/Land]
&nbsp;"></span></div>


<hr />
<h4>Read more:</h4>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Nicholas Lucchesi