<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duke Ulder Ravengard" href="#" target="_blank">Duke Ulder Ravengard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.ericdeschamps.com/">Eric Deschamps</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>, where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>Today's theme is a contentious one: infect.</p>
<p>Now, I know what you're thinking, "Nick, why infect? That's the worst!!" Believe me, I've been on the wrong side of an infect deck too, so I echo your sentiment. However, the combination of this theme with this commander was too good to pass up. Speaking of which...</p>
<p>Today's commander is a legendary creature from<em> Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate</em>: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duke Ulder Ravengard" href="#" target="_blank">Duke Ulder Ravengard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Duke Ulder Ravengard"></div></div>
<p>According to EDHREC, the most popular infect color combination, with 14,000 decks, is "Witch-Maw" (white, black, blue, and green). The printing of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was largely the reason for this, as her passive proliferate ability is quite good with poison counters.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice"></div></div>
<p>The least played color combination for infect is colorless, but after several days of brewing, this one stumped me. Colorless is already tricky to play, and focusing solely on infect made it even harder, so I looked for the second least played combination.</p>
<p>The second least played combination, with a modest 73 decks, is Boros (red and white). Boros is known for both Equipment and generally aggressive combat strategies, and these strategies align well with what infect is trying to accomplish.</p>
<p>Usually, infect suffers from one major drawback: it's hard to kill three players with infect. This is where myriad comes in. Duke Ulder can grant a creature myriad and haste, and giving myriad to infect or toxic creatures is an easy way to spread out poison counters to everyone.</p>
<h2>Category #1: Infect, and its younger brother, Toxic</h2>
<p>In Boros, there are only a handful of creatures with infect that we can include: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Core Prowler" href="#" target="_blank">Core Prowler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides us with extra value when it dies, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ichorclaw Myr" href="#" target="_blank">Ichorclaw Myr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gets bigger when it becomes blocked, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tine Shrike" href="#" target="_blank">Tine Shrike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a flying poisonous threat, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corpse Cur" href="#" target="_blank">Corpse Cur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can recur any of our infect creatures that die, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Razor Swine" href="#" target="_blank">Razor Swine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants us first strike on top of infect, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Juggernaut" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Juggernaut</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s "downside" of always attacking allows us to constantly pressure our opponents.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Core Prowler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ichorclaw Myr"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tine Shrike"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Corpse Cur"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Razor Swine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Juggernaut"></div></div>
<p>On top of our infect creatures, we have a few toxic creatures to help push toward our goal: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skrelv&#039;s Hive" href="#" target="_blank">Skrelv&#039;s Hive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a white <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bitterblossom" href="#" target="_blank">Bitterblossom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but for Phyrexian Mites, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="White Sun&#039;s Twilight" href="#" target="_blank">White Sun&#039;s Twilight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a board wipe that can leave us with a terrifying board, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Convert" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Convert</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can act as a mana dork <em>or</em> a toxic threat, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Annex Sentry" href="#" target="_blank">Annex Sentry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a good piece of removal in a pinch, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skrelv, Defector Mite" href="#" target="_blank">Skrelv, Defector Mite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great way to protect our creatures while giving them toxic 1.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skrelv&#039;s Hive"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="White Sun&#039;s Twilight"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Myr Convert"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Annex Sentry"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skrelv, Defector Mite"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: Copies, copies, copies!</h2>
<p>Since our options for infect and toxic creatures are so limited, I needed to find ways to make the most out of every creature we have. With this in mind, including creatures that can create copies of other creatures (even if they're temporary) is a must! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jaxis, the Troublemaker" href="#" target="_blank">Jaxis, the Troublemaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink" href="#" target="_blank">Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rionya, Fire Dancer" href="#" target="_blank">Rionya, Fire Dancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all are perfect ways to copy our infect creatures for maximum value.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jaxis, the Troublemaker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rionya, Fire Dancer"></div></div>
<p>Aside from Duke Ulder's ability, we have a few other ways to grant myriad to our creatures: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blade of Selves" href="#" target="_blank">Blade of Selves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants myriad to whichever creature is equipped, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Legion Loyalty" href="#" target="_blank">Legion Loyalty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants myriad to <em>all</em> of our creatures.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blade of Selves"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Legion Loyalty"></div></div>
<p>Also, for all of those pesky <em>temporary</em> copies that we make, I included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundial of the Infinite" href="#" target="_blank">Sundial of the Infinite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We can't let good tokens go to waste!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sundial of the Infinite"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: Proliferate</h2>
<p>It's not always guaranteed that we can get in for damage, but if we can get in early enough, that's all we need! If everyone has at least one poison counter, we have plenty of proliferate effects to ensure that our gameplan isn't stalled by a few blockers or an untimely fog.</p>
<p>Some of the best are: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glistening Sphere" href="#" target="_blank">Glistening Sphere</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to act as a mana rock that proliferates upon entering, <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> to act as a Swiss army knife for our deck, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Truth and Justice" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Truth and Justice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to make our infect creatures bigger while granting proliferation on combat damage, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Recon Craft Theta" href="#" target="_blank">Recon Craft Theta</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Filigree Vector" href="#" target="_blank">Filigree Vector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to act as repeatable ways to proliferate every turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glistening Sphere"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Staff of Compleation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword of Truth and Justice"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Recon Craft Theta"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Filigree Vector"></div></div>
<p>If you're wondering, yes, we <em>are</em> including the proliferate all-stars in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Clasp" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Clasp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Clasp"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Engine"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: Pushing Damage</h2>
<p>To win with poison, let's be honest, this deck needs to attack <em>a lot</em> in the early game. Here's what I included to help with that: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner" href="#" target="_blank">Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can make our small creatures unblockable, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard" href="#" target="_blank">Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give our attacking tokens double strike (this can be Mites <em>or</em> our myriad copies!), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Full Throttle" href="#" target="_blank">Full Throttle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give us extra combat steps, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dolmen Gate" href="#" target="_blank">Dolmen Gate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can guarantee the safety of our attackers, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Akroma&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give protection and act as a finisher, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Virtue of Loyalty" href="#" target="_blank">Virtue of Loyalty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can grow our army, as well as untap them, every turn!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Full Throttle"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dolmen Gate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akroma&#039;s Will"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Virtue of Loyalty"></div></div>
<h2>Category #5: "Secret Spice" 1 and 2</h2>
<p>Our first secret spice for today comes more in the form of a strategy rather than a specific card. Since we are relying heavily on the poison plan, we included a lot of proliferate effects.</p>
<p>What else is good with proliferate? +1/+1 counters. There are so many cards in this deck that grant +1/+1 counters to our creatures that we should have no problem presenting a threatening board even without any poison makers.</p>
<p>For example, if <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Virtue of Loyalty" href="#" target="_blank">Virtue of Loyalty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is on the board alongside <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetheric Amplifier" href="#" target="_blank">Aetheric Amplifier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? All of our creatures get HUGE. (Specifically, 1 counter turns into 3 then into 6)</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Virtue of Loyalty"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aetheric Amplifier"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Engine"></div></div>
<p>Even if you just wanted to focus on the +1/+1 counters side of this deck, you could take out all of the infect creatures and replace them with anything you want and the deck can still operate at a high level.</p>
<p>Our second secret spice is a card that I think deserves the spotlight more often: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier" href="#" target="_blank">Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier"></div></div>
<p>Our commander grants myriad and haste to something, and Agrus can copy that ability and apply it <em>every creature we control.</em> The same can be said about any additional copying effects (Jaxis, Orthion, etc.). If our entire battlefield has myriad and haste, the game is over.</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our ninth edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color combination in the world of infect! I know you might have tuned out for this one, as poison isn't for anyone, but give it a shot!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">If you have any thoughts or ideas about this decklist, let me know in the comments below!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Duke Ulder Ravengard" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Duke Ulder Ravengard
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier
*1 Annex Sentry
*1 Core Prowler
*1 Corpse Cur
*1 Crawling Chorus
*1 Feldon of the Third Path
*1 Filigree Vector
*1 Grateful Apparition
*1 Ichorclaw Myr
*1 Jawbone Duelist
*1 Jaxis, the Troublemaker
*1 Lost Leonin
*1 Mangara, the Diplomat
*1 Metastatic Evangel
*1 Myr Convert
*1 Necropede
*1 Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard
*1 Norn&#039;s Choirmaster
*1 Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink
*1 Phyrexian Juggernaut
*1 Plague Myr
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Razor Swine
*1 Rionya, Fire Dancer
*1 Skrelv, Defector Mite
*1 Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner
*1 Tine Shrike
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Land Tax
*1 Legion Loyalty
*1 Norn&#039;s Decree
*1 Skrelv&#039;s Hive
*1 Virtue of Loyalty // Ardenvale Fealty
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Aetheric Amplifier
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Astral Cornucopia
*1 Blade of Selves
*1 Boros Signet
*1 Contagion Clasp
*1 Contagion Engine
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Dolmen Gate
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Glistening Sphere
*1 Grafted Exoskeleton
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Hourglass of the Lost
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Recon Craft Theta
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Staff of Compleation
*1 Sundial of the Infinite
*1 Sword of Truth and Justice
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Throne of Geth
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Farewell
*1 Full Throttle
*1 White Sun&#039;s Twilight
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Akroma&#039;s Will
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Razorgrass Ambush // Razorgrass Field
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Untimely Malfunction
*1 Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Castle Embereth
*1 Command Tower
*1 Elegant Parlor
*1 Escape Tunnel
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Forgotten Cave
*1 Inkmoth Nexus
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
*1 Mirrex
*10 Mountain
*1 Path of Ancestry
*9 Plains
*1 Rustvale Bridge
*1 Secluded Steppe
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Temple of Triumph
*1 War Room
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Bottom of the Barrel - Duke Ulder Ravengard

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer" href="#" target="_blank">Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.chrisseamanart.com/">Chris Seaman</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>Now I know you see the title and are probably thinking: "Rocco? The infamous combo commander? Yuck!" I understand where you're coming from, but trust me on this one. This is probably one of the most unique Rocco decks you'll see today!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer"></div></div>
<p>Today's deck is focused around a very splashy theme: energy. The "energy" theme is something that has been explored very recently, with 3 precons being released focusing on the archetype.</p>
<p>With this in mind, the most popular color combination for energy is Jeskai (white, red, and blue) with 11,000 decks in the database. Outside of Jeskai and Temur (green, red, and blue), energy isn't really played very often in commander. This is where our man Rocco comes in.</p>
<p>Comparing Naya (red, green and white) energy decks to Jeskai or Temur is staggering, as Naya only has 21 decks listed on EDHREC.</p>
<p>This is exactly the kind of thing I like to see when writing this series: the bigger the gap between most played colors and least played colors, the better!</p>
<p>Sure, you could choose any other Naya commander to helm this deck, but Rocco allows us the ability to get whatever we need whenever we need it. Speaking of which, let's talk about some of the best energy producing creatures in our deck.</p>
<h2>Category #1: Energy Producers</h2>
<p>Keen-eyed observers might notice that most energy strategies rely heavily on having blue in the deck, but if you think that'll limit our options for this deck, you're sorely mistaken. Let's get creative!</p>
<p>We have a suite of cards with precon origins for this section, starting with my personal favorite: Nissa, Worldsoul Speaker.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nissa, Worldsoul Speaker"></div></div>
<p>If you told me that Nissa was going to have a new legendary creature card, and that creature was going to have something to do with energy, I would have told you simply: "I don't believe you." It's very strange to see Nissa messing around in this design space, but the landfall ability makes sense. Getting to 8 energy might be tough, but if we ever get there, watch out!</p>
<p>The remaining energy producing creatures that I would like to highlight are as follows: Aetherstorm Roc - turns all creatures entering into energy; Synth Eradicator - grants energy or impulse draw on attack, and for some reason has a lightning bolt attached to it; Sentry Bot - feels like a fog, but definitely isn't (don't let it's interesting text box fool you); Guide of Souls - a strictly better Aetherstorm Roc (power creep is real, folks); Eddytrail Hawk - giving something flying eventually seems pretty cool, albeit a little underwhelming; Amped Rapter - the scourge of modern; Electrostatic Pummeler - welcome back Aether Revolt standard; Lightning Runner - "oops, I just took 4 combats in a row"; and Aetherwind Basker - big board? Take a million energy.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aetherstorm Roc"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Synth Eradicator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sentry Bot"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Guide of Souls"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eddytrail Hawk"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Amped Raptor"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Electrostatic Pummeler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lightning Runner"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aetherwind Basker"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: Proliferate</h2>
<p>If any of you read my article on boros infect, you'll know that red and white excels at finding sneaky ways to proliferate. Now we're adding green, which is a known master at multiplying different kinds of counters. This is about to get wild.</p>
<p>Evolution Sage turns our land drops each turn into more and more energy; Metastatic Evangel turns each creature that enters into more energy; Staff of Compleation is what I like to call "The Phyrexian Swiss Army Knife"; Sword of Truth and Justice, while insanely expensive these days, is just ridiculous; Contagion Clasp is a great way to turn our mana into extra energy; and Park Heights Maverick is a practically unblockable way to proliferate every turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Evolution Sage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Metastatic Evangel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Staff of Compleation"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword of Truth and Justice"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Clasp"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Park Heights Maverick"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: Benefitting from Energy</h2>
<p>Getting energy is all well and good, but what do we do with it? Luckily, there are many ways for us to leverage having energy, as well as even gaining energy, into a potential win.</p>
<p>Aetherflux Conduit is one of those cards that you really want to pull off, but it might be too crazy to happen; Aether Revolt can translate our energy into direct damage; Deadlock Trap can shut down problematic creatures on the board; Consulate Surveillance can grant us terrific protection against any unwanted aggression; and The Motherlode, Excavator can turn our energy into one huge unblockable attack.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aetherflux Conduit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aether Revolt"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deadlock Trap"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Consulate Surveillance"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Motherlode, Excavator"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: The "Secret Spice"</h2>
<p>Today's "secret spice" comes in the form of a very convoluted combo involving every "module" card from the original Kaladesh set.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Decoction Module"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fabrication Module"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Animation Module"></div></div>
<p>These "modules" interact in a very interesting way. If a creature enters, Decoction Module with give us 1 energy. When we get that energy, Fabrication Module will put a +1/+1 counter on a creature we control. When we place that +1/+1 counter on a creature we control, we can pay 1 generic mana to create a 1/1 servo creature token with Animation Module. These cards combined with Ashnod's Altar create an infinite loop where we create infinite servo tokens, infinite colorless mana, and an infinitely large (power wise) board.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashnod&#039;s Altar"></div></div>
<p>If you aren't a fan of combos, you can leave Ashnod's Altar out and still do a cool "module thing" without going infinite.</p>
<h2>Category #5: Spice so secret it needs to be talked about last...</h2>
<p>Primal Prayers.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Primal Prayers"></div></div>
<p>This card might seem innocuous, but we have several creatures that create an amount of energy that is greater than or equal to their mana cost. What does this mean? Well, if we have Cloudstone Curio on the board, we can create a near infinite amount of energy, and with something like Aether Revolt on the field, that means game over.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloudstone Curio"></div></div>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our <strong>ninth</strong> edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>!! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of energy! It feels amazing to have had nine editions of this series, and I thank you all so much for checking out my wacky ideas over the past few months!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">If you have any thoughts or ideas about this decklist, let me know in the comments below!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh">
<div>
<div id="deck_for_archidekt_scraper">
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Aether Refinery
*1 Aetherflux Conduit
*1 Aetheric Amplifier
*1 Aetherworks Marvel
*1 Animation Module
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Automated Assembly Line
*1 Cloudstone Curio
*1 Contagion Clasp
*1 Conversion Apparatus
*1 Deadlock Trap
*1 Decoction Module
*1 Fabrication Module
*1 Panharmonicon
*1 Phyrexian Ironworks
*1 Recon Craft Theta
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Staff of Compleation
*1 Stone Idol Generator
*1 Sword of Truth and Justice
*1 Unstable Amulet
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Aether Revolt
*1 Consulate Surveillance
*1 Primal Prayers
*1 Scurry of Gremlins
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*1 Aetherstorm Roc
*1 Aethertorch Renegade
*1 Aetherwind Basker
*1 Amped Raptor
*1 Architect of the Untamed
*1 Blaster Hulk
*1 Cankerbloom
*1 Eddytrail Hawk
*1 Electrostatic Pummeler
*1 Evolution Sage
*1 Greenbelt Rampager
*1 Guide of Souls
*1 Lae&#039;zel, Vlaakith&#039;s Champion
*1 Lightning Runner
*1 Longtusk Cub
*1 Metastatic Evangel
*1 Nissa, Worldsoul Speaker
*1 Overclocked Electromancer
*1 Park Heights Maverick
*1 Sage of Shaila&#039;s Claim
*1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
*1 Salvation Colossus
*1 Sentry Bot
*1 Synth Eradicator
*1 Temur Sabertooth
*1 The Motherlode, Excavator
*1 Voltaic Brawler
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Attune with Aether
*1 Jolted Awake
*1 Localized Destruction
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Unnatural Restoration
*1 Wheel of Potential
*1 Wrath of the Skies
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Galvanic Discharge
*1 Path to Exile
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Aether Hub
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Bountiful Promenade
*1 Brushland
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Command Tower
*1 Emergence Zone
*6 Forest
*1 HELIOS One
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*1 Karplusan Forest
*1 Maze of Ith
*5 Mountain
*5 Plains
*1 Rustvale Bridge
*1 Sheltering Landscape
*1 Slagwoods Bridge
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Spire Garden
*1 Talon Gates of Madara
*1 Temple of Abandon
*1 Temple of Plenty
*1 Temple of Triumph
*1 Thornglint Bridge
[/Lands]"></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>


Bottom of the Barrel - Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cayth, Famed Mechanist|M3C|10" href="#" target="_blank">Cayth, Famed Mechanist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/boello">Boell Oyino</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>Today's edition takes a look at a <em>Modern Horizons 3</em> "backup commander" in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cayth, Famed Mechanist" href="#" target="_blank">Cayth, Famed Mechanist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cayth, Famed Mechanist"></div></div>
<p>Cayth is a very cool design, and reminds me a lot of <em>The Lost Caverns of Ixalan's</em> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Xavier Sal, Infested Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Xavier Sal, Infested Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Xavier Sal, Infested Captain"></div></div>
<p>You could take Cayth in so many different directions: tokens, +1/+1 counters, a deck themed around "fabricate" cards - the list goes on. Our deck today focuses on an archetype that's usually found in black, and is only found in Jeskai colors (red, white, and blue) 36 times on EDHREC: Aristocrats.</p>
<p>The "Aristocrat" theme is focused around sacrificing creatures for value, oftentimes leading to a crazy winning turn. The most popular color combination for this theme, with 26,000 decks on EDHREC, is Orzhov (black and white), and this makes a lot of sense.</p>
<p>In black, we have <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> to ensure we can win the game, but what happens when you take black away? Can Aristocrats still be good without its most crucial color?</p>
<p>Spoiler alert: Yes.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blood Artist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zulaport Cutthroat"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Category #1: Death Triggers</h2>
<p>A good Aristocrat deck benefits off of its own creatures dying, and while these colors don't have a "blood artist option", they do have some good value pieces. Boss's Chauffeur gets bigger over time and creates an instant board when it dies;</p>
<p>Anax, Hardened in the Forge creates 1/1 tokens when our nontoken creatures die; Gleaming Barrier is a cheeky piece of ramp; Solemn Simulacrum is always a great card;</p>
<p>Wurmcoil Engine creates 2 3/3 tokens when it dies; Runed Servitor and Friendly Teddy both draw cards (the "full table card draw" plan will be important later); and Cathodion can be a ridiculous combo piece.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boss&#039;s Chauffeur"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anax, Hardened in the Forge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gleaming Barrier"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Solemn Simulacrum"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wurmcoil Engine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Runed Servitor"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Friendly Teddy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cathodion"></div></div>
<p>A few of these cards create tokens, and tokens are amazing with Cayth because of her ability to populate any token we have! Speaking of tokens...</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Category #2: Tokens</h2>
<p>Our deck creates tokens in 2 main ways: the fabricate ability that Cayth grants our nontoken creatures, and multiple cards that create token copies of creatures temporarily.</p>
<p>Gaining Servo tokens from Cayth's fabricate ability is a great way to create disposable blockers as well as sacrifice fodder, but outside of these servo tokens, we have several cards that create tokens:</p>
<p>Phantom Steed can make a token copy of a creature we exile with it each combat; Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink can grant us a temporary copy of something, as well as act as an amazing mana sink in the late game; Jaxis, the Troublemaker can make temporary token copies with card draw attached to them;</p>
<p>Muster the Departed allows us to populate every turn if a creature dies (which they will); The Jolly Balloon man can make flying balloon copies of our creatures, which is hilarious; and Feldon of the Third Path can copy something in our graveyard <em>every turn</em>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phantom Steed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jaxis, the Troublemaker"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Muster the Departed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Jolly Balloon Man"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Feldon of the Third Path"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Category #3: Sacrifice Outlets</h2>
<p>Since this is an Aristocrats deck, it would not be complete without sacrifice outlets. This category includes all the "usual suspects" like Goblin Bombardment, Ashnod's Altar, and Altar of Dementia, but also includes some outlets that are lesser played.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Bombardment"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashnod&#039;s Altar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Altar of Dementia"></div></div>
<p>The new Ravenous Amulet is a strong card draw piece; Drowned Rusalka lets us loot when we sacrifice a creature; Dark-Dweller Oracle gives us impulse draw; Trading Post acts as a way to sacrifice our creatures <em>and</em> artifacts for value; Spawning Pit is a sneaky way to build up to a huge board state; and High Market is a "free sacrifice outlet", as it doubles as a land!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ravenous Amulet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Drowned Rusalka"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trading Post"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spawning Pit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="High Market"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Category #4: Recursion/Reanimation</h2>
<p>Sacrificing creatures naturally means that we need ways to bring those creatures back, whether it be to our hand or directly to play. White has no shortage of recursion options, so our recursion package is as strong as it could be.</p>
<p>Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle lets us bring back small creatures when we cast historic spells (this deck is full of artifacts!); Sevinne's Reclamation is a 2-for-1 reanimation spell that copies itself from the graveyard; and Storm of Souls is a way to return our <em>entire </em>graveyard to play as a bunch of 1/1 flyers!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Storm of Souls"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Category #5: "Secret Spice"</h2>
<p>The "secret spice" for this deck comes in the form of creatures with persist. The persist mechanic means that if a creature dies without a -1/-1 counter on it, it returns to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.</p>
<p>Astute observers might see why this is so good: Cayth grants all creatures "fabricate", which means they can enter with a +1/+1 counter on them.</p>
<p>If they enter with both types of counters, they are cancelled out, allowing us to sacrifice the creature <em>all over again</em>. This means that any "persist creature" goes infinite with Cayth on the board, provided we have a free sacrifice outlet.</p>
<p>The "persist creature" package in this deck includes Glen Elendra Archmage, Lesser Masticore, Kithkin Spelldancer, and Furystoke Giant.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glen Elendra Archmage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lesser Masticore"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kithkin Spelldancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Furystoke Giant"></div></div>
<p>Outside of these cards going infinite with our commander, Ashnod's Altar + Cayth + Nim Deathmantle means that we have infinite "enters" <em>and</em> "dies" triggers if we choose to make the servos when we reanimate the sacrificed creature.</p>
<p>Remember the "group draw plan" from before? Yeah, Friendly Teddy or Runed Servitor means that <em>everyone</em> draws their deck, and in my opinion, that's beyond hilarious.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashnod&#039;s Altar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cayth, Famed Mechanist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nim Deathmantle"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our seventh edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of Aristocrats! This deck was so fun to brew, as it still feels like a very strong Aristocrats deck, even without black!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">If you have any thoughts or ideas about this decklist, let me know in the comments below!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Cayth, Famed Mechanist" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Cayth, Famed Mechanist
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Anax, Hardened in the Forge
*1 Boss&#039;s Chauffeur
*1 Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer
*1 Cathodion
*1 Crystalline Crawler
*1 Dark-Dweller Oracle
*1 Drowned Rusalka
*1 Feldon of the Third Path
*1 Friendly Teddy
*1 Furystoke Giant
*1 Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero
*1 Gleaming Barrier
*1 Glen Elendra Archmage
*1 Hangarback Walker
*1 Jaxis, the Troublemaker
*1 Kithkin Spellduster
*1 Lesser Masticore
*1 Marketback Walker
*1 Merchant of Truth
*1 Mindless Automaton
*1 Molten Gatekeeper
*1 Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink
*1 Palace Familiar
*1 Phantom Steed
*1 Runed Servitor
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Spirited Companion
*1 Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle
*1 The Jolly Balloon Man
*1 Treasure Keeper
*1 Wall of Omens
*1 Wurmcoil Engine
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Rootborn Defenses
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation
*1 Storm of Souls
*1 Wrath of God
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Altar of Dementia
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Cauldron of Souls
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Fabrication Foundry
*1 Idol of Oblivion
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Nim Deathmantle
*1 Norn&#039;s Wellspring
*1 Ravenous Amulet
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Spawning Pit
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Talisman of Creativity
*1 Talisman of Progress
*1 Trading Post
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Goblin Bombardment
*1 Intruder Alarm
*1 Muster the Departed
*1 Together Forever
*1 Warleader&#039;s Call
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Saheeli Rai
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Adarkar Wastes
*1 Archway of Innovation
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Command Tower
*1 Deserted Beach
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 High Market
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*4 Island
*1 Mirrorpool
*4 Mountain
*1 Perilous Landscape
*5 Plains
*1 Raugrin Triome
*1 Sea of Clouds
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Spire of Industry
*1 Stormcarved Coast
*1 Sundown Pass
*1 Temple of Enlightenment
*1 Temple of Epiphany
*1 Temple of Triumph
*1 Training Center
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Make a Jeskai Aristocrats Deck With Cayth, Famed Mechanist

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Victor, Valgavoth&#039;s Seneschal" href="#" target="_blank">Victor, Valgavoth&#039;s Seneschal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.jeremywilsonart.com/">Jeremy Wilson</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>Today's edition focuses on a mechanic that allows an overlooked new commander to shine: sagas. According to EDHREC, the most popular color combination for decks themed around sagas is Abzan (white, black, and green). Thanks to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Narci, Fable Singer" href="#" target="_blank">Narci, Fable Singer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> coming out with <em>Commander Masters</em>, this stat isn't surprising.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Narci, Fable Singer"></div></div>
<p>We always look at the "bottom of the barrel" with this series, but I bent the rules a little with this one. The lowest played color for the saga theme is mono-red, with 3 decks listed in the database.</p>
<p>Aside from Abzan and Naya (red, green, and white), most other colors aren't very popular for sagas. Most other color identities are under 100 decks, so it allowed a lot of space for experimentation.</p>
<p>With this in mind, I figured we could highlight an underplayed <em>Duskmourn</em> commander: Victor, Valgavoth's Seneschal. Orzhov (black and white) is at 59 decks in the database, and Victor only has 1 deck themed around sagas on the website, so this seems like the perfect choice!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Victor, Valgavoth&#039;s Seneschal"></div></div>
<h2>Category #1A: Messing With Lore Counters</h2>
<p>Sagas are an interesting card type because they only stick around for a little while before they are either transformed or sacrificed. With this in mind, it's important to note that we can manipulate their lore counters in order to keep them around for longer. This allows us to control when something is transformed or sacrificed, and that can help us to plan ahead for a massive turn.</p>
<p>Cards that shine in this category are: Ferropede to guarantee we can reset 1 chapter of a saga we control each combat; Power Conduit to pump up a creature we control while letting us reset a chapter; Hex Parasite to let us reset chapters on our sagas multiple times per turn by just paying mana; Scholar of New Horizons to let us remove a counter to search for a land; and Thrull Parasite to act as a one-time activation that can remove a counter from <em>any permanent.</em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ferropede"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Power Conduit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hex Parasite"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scholar of New Horizons"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thrull Parasite"></div></div>
<p>There aren't a lot of cards that let us mess with our sagas like this, but that's why these 5 cards are critical to our gameplan!</p>
<h2>Category #1B: Messing With Lore Counters (Differently)</h2>
<p>Our next batch of cards to talk about allows us to mess with lore counters, but in a completely different way. If a saga leaves the battlefield and then returns, it restarts at chapter 1. The first card that came to mind when thinking about this idea is Flicker, but since it's a sorcery, we can't respond to a saga reaching its final chapter.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flicker"></div></div>
<p>The cards I have chosen for category 1B are cards that let us operate at instant speed (for the most part) when trying to reset our sagas: Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd is only card where the effect is not at instant speed, but its attack trigger is a repeatable way to reset our sagas; Meticulous Excavation comes down early and lets us return sagas to our hand before they have to be sacrificed; Cosmic Intervention can bring back any sagas that get sacrificed during a turn (as well as creatures that die during the same turn); Scrollshift is a single-use flicker effect that also draws us a card; and Aerial Extortionist is not only an amazing piece of removal, but we can also exile our own permanents to cast again later, and trigger its "draw a card" ability while we're at it!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Meticulous Excavation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cosmic Intervention"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrollshift"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aerial Extortionist"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: Token Creation</h2>
<p>Sagas are great and all, but we need a way to win the game eventually. This brings us to a common theme in the sagas and other enchantments chosen for this deck: creating tokens. This category made me realize that I could easily swap Victor out for Daxos the Returned instead, but I felt like Victor still deserved the love.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Daxos the Returned"></div></div>
<p>Let's start with some sagas that create tokens: Firja's Retribution, Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit, Oath of the Grey Host, Genesis of the Daleks, Love Song of Night and Day, Vault 11: Voter's Dilemma, and Three Blind Mice are all token creating sagas each with their own upsides the longer they last in play.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Firja&#039;s Retribution"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oath of the Grey Host"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Genesis of the Daleks"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Love Song of Night and Day"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vault 11: Voter&#039;s Dilemma"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Three Blind Mice"></div></div>
<p>These are all terrific cards in our deck, as we can flicker the sagas or mess with the lore counters to create more and more tokens. Outside of these, we have the standard "enchantment token creators" that are seen in most enchantment decks.</p>
<p>Archon of Sun's Grace creates Pegasus creatures with flying and lifelink (you'd be surprised how relevant that is!); Monastery Mentor gives us Monk tokens with prowess for each noncreature spell we cast; Ghostly Dancers recurs an enchantment from our graveyard and gives us 3/1 flyers when enchantments enter the battlefield; Hallowed Haunting can give us spirits that continue to grow over the course of the game; Daxos the Returned gives us spirits that get bigger over time; and Historian's Boon is an absolute <em>house</em> in this deck, as it gives us tokens when sagas enter AND when their final chapters trigger.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archon of Sun&#039;s Grace"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Monastery Mentor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghostly Dancers"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hallowed Haunting"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Daxos the Returned"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Historian&#039;s Boon"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: Recursion</h2>
<p>Considering most sagas sacrifice themselves after their last chapter, recursion is critical to ensuring our deck operates effectively. Two of our best recursion pieces can act as alternate commanders as well, but that will ultimately be your decision in the end.</p>
<p>The best pieces of recursion in this deck are: Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher, who lets us benefit from <em>anyone</em> <em>sacrificing anything</em> and can return sagas directly to play; Neva, Stalked by Nightmares, who lets us return an enchantment to our hand while providing advantage when any of our enchantments leave play; and Norika Yamazaki, the Poet, who lets us cast an artifact or enchantment from our graveyard when a warrior or samurai attacks alone (she's a samurai).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Neva, Stalked by Nightmares"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Norika Yamazaki, the Poet"></div></div>
<p>Argivian Find is also a sweet piece of recursion for only a single mana at instant speed!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Argivian Find"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4A: The First "Secret Spice" Ingredients</h2>
<p>Today's deck has two separate sub-categories of "Secret Spice", but it's because they are both separate ways to win the game.</p>
<p>Our first "secret spice" ingredients are the Phyrexian Praetors from March of the Machine: Sheoldred, and Elesh Norn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sheoldred"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elesh Norn"></div></div>
<p>Both of these creatures can transform into sagas, and with all of our counter manipulation, we can make extra usage of each chapter. Sheoldred's final chapter is a "rise of the dark realms" style effect, and Elesh Norn's final chapter turns our board into a lethal threat.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rise of the Dark Realms"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4B: The Second "Secret Spice" Ingredients</h2>
<p>Our second "secret spice" ingredients are 2 cards that work excellently in this strategy, but can form an infinite combo if played together: Ondu Spiritdancer and Secret Arcade / Dusty Parlor.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ondu Spiritdancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Secret Arcade // Dusty Parlor"></div></div>
<p>In order for this combo to work, when need to have the Secret Arcade in play <em>before</em> we cast Ondu Spiritdancer. When Ondu Spiritdancer enters the battlefield, it will see itself as an enchantment, and create a token copy of itself. This generates an infinite loop where we create an infinite number of Ondu Spiritdancer copies. Funnily enough, this exact combo was in the Aminatou, Veil Piercer precon!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aminatou, Veil Piercer"></div></div>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our sixth edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of sagas! As I mentioned before, this deck can just as easily operate with Neva, Stalked by Nightmares, Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher, or Daxos the Returned at the helm, so feel free to experiment!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">If you have any thoughts or ideas about this decklist, let me know in the comments below! (I do read them all and greatly appreciate your support!)</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Victor, Valgavoth&#039;s Seneschal" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Victor, Valgavoth&#039;s Seneschal
[/Commander]
[Enchantments]
*1 Black Market Connections
*1 Death in Heaven
*1 Elspeth Conquers Death
*1 Fall of the First Civilization
*1 Firja&#039;s Retribution
*1 Genesis of the Daleks
*1 Ghostly Prison
*1 Glasswing Grace // Age-Graced Chapel
*1 Hallowed Haunting
*1 Historian&#039;s Boon
*1 Love Song of Night and Day
*1 Meticulous Excavation
*1 Michiko&#039;s Reign of Truth // Portrait of Michiko
*1 Oath of the Grey Host
*1 Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
*1 Secret Arcade // Dusty Parlor
*1 Starfield of Nyx
*1 Tenuous Truce
*1 The Birth of Meletis
*1 The Cruelty of Gix
*1 The Eldest Reborn
*1 The Fall of Lord Konda // Fragment of Konda
*1 The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration
*1 Three Blind Mice
*1 Trial of a Time Lord
*1 Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death&#039;s Wail
*1 Vault 11: Voter&#039;s Dilemma
*1 Vault 13: Dweller&#039;s Journey
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*1 Aerial Extortionist
*1 Archon of Sun&#039;s Grace
*1 Ashiok&#039;s Reaper
*1 Auramancer
*1 Barbara Wright
*1 Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher
*1 Daxos the Returned
*1 Elesh Norn // The Argent Etchings
*1 Ferropede
*1 Ghostly Dancers
*1 Hex Parasite
*1 Ian Chesterton
*1 Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff
*1 Mesa Enchantress
*1 Monastery Mentor
*1 Neva, Stalked by Nightmares
*1 Norika Yamazaki, the Poet
*1 Ondu Spiritdancer
*1 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
*1 Scholar of New Horizons
*1 Sheoldred // The True Scriptures
*1 Starfield Mystic
*1 Starnheim Courser
*1 Thrull Parasite
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Mirage Mirror
*1 Orzhov Signet
*1 Power Conduit
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Hierarchy
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Argivian Find
*1 Cosmic Intervention
*1 Inkshield
*1 Scrollshift
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Redress Fate
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Caves of Koilos
*1 Command Tower
*1 Demolition Field
*1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Hall of Heliod&#039;s Generosity
*1 Isolated Chapel
*10 Plains
*1 Restless Fortress
*1 Shadowy Backstreet
*1 Shattered Sanctum
*1 Silent Clearing
*8 Swamp
*1 Temple of Silence
*1 Valgavoth&#039;s Lair
*1 Vault of Champions
*1 Vault of the Archangel
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Bottom of the Barrel - Victor, Valgavoth's Seneschal

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anafenza, the Foremost" href="#" target="_blank">Anafenza, the Foremost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| art by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jamesrymanart/?hl=en">James Ryman</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>In honor of <em>Aetherdrift's</em> release, this week's episode is based around a theme that I've never built around before: vehicles! The new "death race" set provides us with a ton a sweet tech for this archetype, and I couldn't wait to brew around it!</p>
<p>Thanks to <em>Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty's</em> vehicle precon, the most popular color combination for this archetype is Azorius (white and blue).</p>
<p>Looking at the "bottom of the barrel", one of the least played color combination for this archetype is Abzan (white, black, and green), with 47 decks in the database.</p>
<p>Seeing this color combination, I immediately thought of an old legend from the original <em>Tarkir</em> block: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anafenza, the Foremost" href="#" target="_blank">Anafenza, the Foremost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anafenza, the Foremost"></div></div>
<p>Anafenza is well known for her "<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leyline of the Void" href="#" target="_blank">Leyline of the Void</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>"-style ability, but this deck makes her first line of text really shine.</p>
<p>When Anafenza attacks, she can put a +1/+1 counter on another tapped creature, and since crewing a vehicle requires you to tap a creature, this seemed like the perfect match!</p>
<h2>Category #1: Kind-of Vehicles (Mounts!)</h2>
<p>Our first category acts similarly to our overall vehicle plan, as the new "Mount" sub-type requires us to tap a creature for an additional benefit. Mounts are interesting because they are still creatures that can attack without being saddled.</p>
<p>Because of this, they get around a common vehicle downside: without a creature to crew the vehicle, it usually does nothing.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, being creatures right off the bat also means that mounts are more susceptible to removal, so that's something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>Mounts were introduced in <em>Outlaws of Thunder Junction</em>, but there are a few new ones from <em>Aetherdrift</em> that <em>needed</em> to be in this deck.</p>
<p>Bulwark Ox doubles down on the +1/+1 counter sub-theme and provides our modified creatures with much needed protection; District Mascot provides artifact removal in an adorable package (I mean, just look at him!!); Guardian Sunmare may be the strongest mount in the deck as it provides a consistent tutor effect for nonland permanents under 4 mana value; Seraphic Steed comes down early and provides extra power in the air via 3/3 Angel tokens; and The Gitrog, Ravenous Ride can allow us to draw an <em>absurd</em> amount of cards and put any number of those cards into play if they're lands.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bulwark Ox"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="District Mascot"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Guardian Sunmare"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seraphic Steed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Gitrog, Ravenous Ride"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: Creatures that <em>want </em>to be tapped</h2>
<p>Any vehicle deck can benefit from creatures that have triggers when they become tapped, and we are lucky to have a suite of great new options thanks to <em>Duskmourn's</em> "survival" mechanic.</p>
<p>For example: Kona, Rescue Beastie lets us drop <em>any permanent</em> if it is tapped in our second main phase; Rip, Spawn Hunter allows us to dig for more creatures and vehicles; and Reluctant Role Model just gets better and better each time its survival ability triggers!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kona, Rescue Beastie"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rip, Spawn Hunter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reluctant Role Model"></div></div>
<p>Outside of these picks from Duskmourn, there are a few other stars of the show: Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero gives us great card draw; Emmara, Soul of the Accord creates a 1/1 soldier token with lifelink (which is nothing to scoff at); Stonybrook Schoolmaster <em>also</em> creates a 1/1 body; Sanwell, Avenger Ace lets us dig for more vehicles; and King Macar, the Gold-Cursed provides removal <em>and</em> a gold token for the low price of untapping him!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emmara, Soul of the Accord"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stonybrook Schoolmaster"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sanwell, Avenger Ace"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="King Macar, the Gold-Cursed"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: Creating "Pilots" and/or "Cowboys"</h2>
<p>We need creatures to crew our vehicles and saddle our mounts, and outside of that, just having consistent ways to generate creatures is never a bad thing!</p>
<p>Esika's Chariot was a standard all-star for a reason, and it allows us to double up on any creature token that we choose; Virtue of Loyalty lets us create a knight token at instant speed, all while being an absolute power house when we cast the 5-mana side; Parhelion II is expensive, but the pay-off for attacking with it is <em>insane; </em>Valor's Flagship is a fantastic new card that we can cycle in a pinch for some actual pilot tokens; The Prydwen, Steel Flagship gives us benefits for casting artifact spells; March of the Multitudes can create an instant board; Thousand Moons Smithy creates a huge Gnome token, which is hilarious; and Rolling Hamsphere creates hamster tokens, which is also hilarious.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Esika&#039;s Chariot"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Virtue of Loyalty"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Parhelion II"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Valor&#039;s Flagship"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Prydwen, Steel Flagship"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="March of the Multitudes"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thousand Moons Smithy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rolling Hamsphere"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: The "Secret Spice"</h2>
<p>There are 2 cards that round out our "secret spice" category this week, and one of them is a popular finisher in white token decks: Halo Fountain.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Halo Fountain"></div></div>
<p>This card is an absolute <em>house</em>, and can do just about anything. Need to create a token? Done. Draw a card? Done. Win the game?</p>
<p>Well, harder than the first two, but still an option. With all of the token makers in this deck, getting to 15 creatures should be no problem at all!</p>
<p>Our second "secret spice" is a card that I've been trying to brew around since it was spoiled: Mechtitan Core.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mechtitan Core"></div></div>
<p>With the sheer amount of vehicles in the deck, creating Mechtitan should be a breeze. The best part about this card?</p>
<p>If Mechtitan somehow gets removed, <em>we get everything we exiled back to the battlefield! </em>(Minus Mechtitan core, but hey, at least we did the cool thing once!)</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Now that <em>Aetherdrift</em> is here, it was the perfect time to build this deck. I hope this article builds some excitement for <em>Aetherdrift</em>, and I hope you can use my decklist as inspiration for your own vehicle deck!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our sixth edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of vehicles!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Anafenza, the Foremost" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Anafenza, the Foremost
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Avacyn&#039;s Pilgrim
*1 Bulwark Ox
*1 Caradora, Heart of Alacria
*1 Caustic Bronco
*1 District Mascot
*1 Drumbellower
*1 Emmara, Soul of the Accord
*1 Guardian Sunmare
*1 House Cartographer
*1 Intrepid Stablemaster
*1 King Macar, the Gold-Cursed
*1 Kona, Rescue Beastie
*1 Lita, Mechanical Engineer
*1 Miriam, Herd Whisperer
*1 Oviya, Automech Artisan
*1 Reluctant Role Model
*1 Rip, Spawn Hunter
*1 Sanwell, Avenger Ace
*1 Seraphic Steed
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer
*1 Stonybrook Schoolmaster
*1 Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle
*1 The Gitrog, Ravenous Ride
*1 Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Alacrian Armory
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Bessie, the Doctor&#039;s Roadster
*1 Conqueror&#039;s Galleon // Conqueror&#039;s Foothold
*1 Debris Beetle
*1 Demonic Junker
*1 Dodgy Jalopy
*1 Dune Drifter
*1 Ebony Fly
*1 Esika&#039;s Chariot
*1 Foreboding Steamboat
*1 Guidelight Matrix
*1 Halo Fountain
*1 Lumbering Worldwagon
*1 Mechtitan Core
*1 Mighty Servant of Leuk-o
*1 Parhelion II
*1 Peacewalker Colossus
*1 Reckoner Bankbuster
*1 Recon Craft Theta
*1 Rolling Hamsphere
*1 Salvation Engine
*1 Smuggler&#039;s Copter
*1 Sol Ring
*1 The Prydwen, Steel Flagship
*1 Thousand Moons Smithy // Barracks of the Thousand
*1 Thunderhawk Gunship
*1 Thunderous Velocipede
*1 Unidentified Hovership
*1 Valor&#039;s Flagship
*1 Wand of the Worldsoul
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Dazzling Theater // Prop Room
*1 Virtue of Loyalty // Ardenvale Fealty
*1 Well Rested
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 One Last Job
*1 Split Up
*1 Tune Up
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Lethal Scheme
*1 March of the Multitudes
*1 Revitalizing Repast // Old-Growth Grove
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Abstergo Entertainment
*1 Ancient Den
*1 Bleachbone Verge
*1 Bountiful Promenade
*1 Brushland
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Caves of Koilos
*1 Command Tower
*1 Darkmoss Bridge
*1 Demolition Field
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Fabled Passage
*3 Forest
*1 Goldmire Bridge
*1 Indatha Triome
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*1 Llanowar Wastes
*1 Mech Hangar
*1 Minas Morgul, Dark Fortress
*1 Monumental Henge
*3 Plains
*1 Scene of the Crime
*1 Spire of Industry
*2 Swamp
*1 Temple of Malady
*1 Temple of Plenty
*1 Temple of Silence
*1 Thornglint Bridge
*1 Tree of Tales
*1 Vault of Whispers
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Bottom of the Barrel - Anafenza, the Foremost

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda and Lier" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda and Lier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/justynadura">Justyna Dura </a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>Today's episode is inspired by Saffron Olive over at MTGGoldfish - more specifically, inspired around a list he built for an episode of Commander Clash. The list itself seems strange, but he tried to sell it as "simic burn", and that gave me an idea.</p>
<p>Looking at the "burn" theme in EDHREC, to no one's surprise, Mono-red is the most popular color combination (with a whopping 22,000 decks!).</p>
<p>I really scraped the "bottom of the barrel" for this one because the least played color combination has 5 decks! Bant (green, white, and blue) is the least played color combination for the "burn" theme, and that makes a lot of sense. These three colors don't really care about dealing direct damage at all.</p>
<p>I'm sure you're wondering, "how can you build burn without red??"</p>
<p>Well, let me show you!</p>
<p>For our "burn without red" strategy, we will be enlisting the help of Katilda and Lier.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Katilda and Lier"></div></div>
<p>Katilda and Lier is a relatively overlooked commander from <em>March of the Machine</em>, and I can see why. The card itself asks for the player to focus equally on Humans AND instant and sorcery spells, which can be kind of tricky.</p>
<p>For today's deck, our major sources of burn are cards that we can flashback with Katilda and Lier in the late game, so this seemed like the perfect choice!</p>
<p>Unlike our usual explorations into the "bottom of the barrel", today's categories start with 3 specific gameplans with their own unique finishers.</p>
<h2>Category #1: "Swamps"</h2>
<p>When searching for cards that dealt damage, I came across a ridiculous card with a great name: Karma.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karma"></div></div>
<p>Karma made me think about committing a cardinal sin in commander (in my eyes, anyway): running Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth in a deck that <em>doesn't have black.</em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth"></div></div>
<p>Urborg turns on Karma, which is one of the funniest interactions I have ever seen. Leaning into this idea, I added cards to find Urborg in many different ways (Expedition Map, Sylvan Scrying, and Pir's Whim are the main examples of this).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Expedition Map"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sylvan Scrying"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pir&#039;s Whim"></div></div>
<p>Alongside Karma, Stern Judge does something similar, but we need to be very careful that we don't accidentally die from activating its ability.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stern Judge"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: Deserts</h2>
<p>This category is inspired by Saffron Olive, especially because we are focusing on 3 deserts in particular: Lonely Arroyo, Lush Oasis, and Creosote Heath.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lonely Arroyo"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lush Oasis"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Creosote Heath"></div></div>
<p>When these deserts enter, they deal 1 damage to an opponent, which is not nearly enough to win the game. This is why we are running every possible "copy land" effect that we can!</p>
<p>Doppelgang lets us pump our mana into copying any problematic permanent our opponents' may control, as well as copy our deserts; Replication Technique lets us copy any permanent we control and demonstrate it to make friends at the table.</p>
<p>Orvar, the All Form turns any "target" spells into ways to copy any of our permanents; Moritte of the Frost can copy any permanent we control.</p>
<p>For the Common Good allows to copy any tokens we already control (this is particularly great after a huge Doppelgang!); and Copy Land, well, copies a land.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doppelgang"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Replication Technique"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Orvar, the All-Form"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Moritte of the Frost"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="For the Common Good"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Copy Land"></div></div>
<p>One of the best cards to enhance our "desert" strategy is Ancient Greenwarden, as it doubles the ETB effects of all lands we control while letting us recur any lands that go to our graveyard.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Greenwarden"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: "General" Burn</h2>
<p>In order for us to have any chance of winning outside of our first 2 gameplans, we need to deal damage in unique ways. For this reason, I am including cards like Scrawling Crawler to deal damage when our opponents draw cards; Storm Seeker to punish any greedy blue players; Ankh of Mishra to deal damage when lands enter the battlefield (be careful with this one!); and Jinxed Choker and Squallmonger to provide excellent mana sinks.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrawling Crawler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Storm Seeker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ankh of Mishra"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jinxed Choker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Squallmonger"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: Recursion</h2>
<p>Recursion is necessary to our strategy, as our pieces are mostly single-use spells or easily-destroyed permanents. With this in mind, I included things like Skullwinder to get something back while currying favor with an opponent; The Mirari Conjecture to get back instants and sorceries while providing an amazing way to copy a haymaker; Archaeomancer to pull double duty, as it gets back a spell while triggering our commander's ability; Lier, Disciple of the Drowned to give every instant or sorcery flashback <em>and</em> turn off unwanted counterspells; and Bala Ged Recovery to recur anything while acting as a land in a pinch.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skullwinder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Mirari Conjecture"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archaeomancer"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lier, Disciple of the Drowned"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bala Ged Recovery"></div></div>
<h2>Category #5: "Secret Spice" = Our Finishers</h2>
<p>If you look at my decklist below, you'll notice that I have <em>filled</em> this deck with ramp spells, as well as a staggering 40 lands. This is because of the deck's main finishers, and today's "secret spice": Hurricane, Squall Line, and Borrowing the East Wind.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hurricane"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Squall Line"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Borrowing the East Wind"></div></div>
<p>These are green's version of the "X Mana Burn Spells", but they aren't nearly as good because they damage <em>each player</em>. These spells really feel like we're "playing with fire" with this deck, and if that doesn't capture the spirit of burn, what does?</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Overall, this deck was a really fun thought experiment that turned into one of my jankiest brews yet! I can't wait to see the reactions from the table when I pull out a "non-red burn deck"!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our fifth edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of burn!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Katilda and Lier" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Katilda and Lier
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Ancient Greenwarden
*1 Archaeomancer
*1 Cathar Commando
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
*1 Moritte of the Frost
*1 Nyxbloom Ancient
*1 Orvar, the All-Form
*1 Scrawling Crawler
*1 Shefet Monitor
*1 Skullwinder
*1 Snapcaster Mage
*1 Spellseeker
*1 Squallmonger
*1 Stern Judge
*1 Venser, Shaper Savant
*1 Wizards of Thay
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary
*1 Borrowing the East Wind
*1 Dance of the Tumbleweeds
*1 Doppelgang
*1 Explore
*1 Farseek
*1 For the Common Good
*1 Hour of Promise
*1 Hurricane
*1 Map the Frontier
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Open the Way
*1 Pir&#039;s Whim
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Replication Technique
*1 Rootcast Apprenticeship
*1 Solve the Equation
*1 Sylvan Scrying
*1 Three Visits
*1 Urban Evolution
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Beast Within
*1 Cyclonic Rift
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Growth Spiral
*1 Mystical Tutor
*1 Obscuring Haze
*1 Planar Genesis
*1 Squall Line
*1 Storm Seeker
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Amulet of Vigor
*1 Ankh of Mishra
*1 Expedition Map
*1 Jinxed Choker
*1 Shadowspear
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Copy Land
*1 Desert Warfare
*1 Karma
*1 Mirari&#039;s Wake
*1 Psychic Possession
*1 Spelunking
*1 The Mirari Conjecture
*1 Unbound Flourishing
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Arid Archway
*1 Bountiful Promenade
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 Command Tower
*1 Conduit Pylons
*1 Creosote Heath
*1 Desert of the Indomitable
*1 Desert of the Mindful
*1 Desert of the True
*1 Echoing Deeps
*1 Field of the Dead
*5 Forest
*1 Guildless Commons
*1 Hashep Oasis
*1 Ipnu Rivulet
*3 Island
*1 Lazotep Quarry
*1 Littjara Mirrorlake
*1 Lonely Arroyo
*1 Lush Oasis
*1 Maze of Ith
*1 Mirrorpool
*2 Plains
*1 Rejuvenating Springs
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Shefet Dunes
*1 Spara&#039;s Headquarters
*1 Sunscorched Desert
*1 Temple Garden
*1 Thespian&#039;s Stage
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*1 Urza&#039;s Cave
*1 Vesuva
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Bottom of the Barrel - Katilda and Lier

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marchesa, Dealer of Death" href="#" target="_blank">Marchesa, Dealer of Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.ryanpancoast.com/">Ryan Pancoast</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combination and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Today's theme is one that came up pretty organically for me, as I've been trying to brew around the old legend, Ramses Overdark, <em>forever.</em></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ramses Overdark"></div></div></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Ramses is <em>not</em> our commander today, but we <em>are</em> building a deck heavily inspired by the old guy. For that reason, today's theme is: Auras. Auras is extremely popular in decks that have white in their color identity, as white is the primary enchantment support color. This is what made old Ramses so intriguing to me; he was an Aura focused commander <em>not using white. </em></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Thus brings me to the stats: with 176 decks on EDHREC, the Grixis color combination (Red, Black, and Blue) was one of the lowest built color combos for Auras (the lowest overall being Jund (red, green, and black) at 42 decks). I brewed around Jund at first, but I couldn't stop thinking about old Ramses.</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">On EDHREC, only 5 Aura-based lists are focused around Machesa, Dealer of Death, so that seemed like the perfect option!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marchesa, Dealer of Death"></div></div></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Marchesa is great for 2 reasons:</p>
<ol>
<li data-slot-rendered-content="true">We're leaning into Ramses Overdark's want of enchanting our <em>opponents' </em>creatures, so our entire gameplan is built around "committing crimes".</li>
<li data-slot-rendered-content="true">She provides terrific card selection when we run out of steam. (There's only 1 "enchantress" effect in Grixis colors, you know!)</li>
</ol>
<p>Enchanting our opponents' creatures comes at a cost, but that leads us into our first category...</p>
<h2>Category #1: Goad/Incentivizing Combat</h2>
<p>I know the goad mechanic isn't for everyone, but this style of deck <em>thrives</em> off of it. Why enchant our opponents' creatures if they're just going to attack <em>us</em> with them? Luckily for us, there are a few Auras that goad the creature its attached to.</p>
<p>Shiny Impetus can help us ramp; Ghoulish Impetus is an underrated Aura that can keep recurring itself throughout the game (unless the creature is exiled); Parasitic Impetus can help us drain an opponent who may have a high life total; The Sound of Drums turns an opponent's threat into twice the problem ; and the new Incriminating Impetus gives a creature menace while taking away its ability to block.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shiny Impetus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghoulish Impetus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Parasitic Impetus"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Sound of Drums"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Incriminating Impetus"></div></div>
<p>Outside of Auras that goad our opponents' creatures, there are other ways that we can incentivize combat. Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant draws us cards when our opponents attack each other; Vengeful Ancestor goads creatures and deals damage when goaded creatures attack; and Bothersome Quasit goads creatures whenever we cast noncreature spells, which is great considering Auras are noncreature spells!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vengeful Ancestor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bothersome Quasit"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: Protecting Ourselves</h2>
<p>We can't always guarantee we won't be attacked, so we need to have ways that ensure opponents have a hard time attacking us. Baleful Strix is a great blocker that comes down early and draws us a card; Giggling Skitterspike deals damage to our opponents whenever it blocks or is targeted; Brash Taunter is arguably the best blocker ever printed; Backfire redirects any damage dealt to us to the enchanted creature's controller; Propaganda forces opponents to use mana to attack us; and Ragged Veins deals damage to an opponent if their enchanted creature becomes blocked.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Baleful Strix"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Giggling Skitterspike"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brash Taunter"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Backfire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Propaganda"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ragged Veins"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3- "Borrowing" Threats</h2>
<p>Forcing our opponents' threats to attack is fun, but we need a way to <em>win</em>, eventually. This is where our "borrowing" category is the most important. Cards like: Corrupted Conscience can KO someone out of nowhere; Fealty to the Realm is not a "hard steal" spell, so hopefully people won't be too mad about their creature being borrowed; Willbreaker is a little more mean, but it can finish the game; Fool's Demise is a repeatable way to gain control of creatures; Abduction temporarily "borrows" a creature; and Virtue of Persistence can act as an endgame reanimation haymaker.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Corrupted Conscience"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fealty to the Realm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Willbreaker"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fool&#039;s Demise"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abduction"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Virtue of Persistence"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4- Secret Spice</h2>
<p>As always, we have our "secret spice" for the deck, and to no one's surprise it comes in the form of the old man himself, Ramses Overdark. Ramses is an amazing way to ensure that the creatures we enchant never become too much of a threat <em>to us. </em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ramses Overdark"></div></div>
<p>Aside from Ramses, there's another "secret commander" of the deck that we can load up with Auras and pass around the table to sow chaos: Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos"></div></div>
<p>Alexios is very similar to Slicer, Hired Muscle, but, in my opinion, is a bit stronger. Giving it trample <em>and</em> making it bigger every single turn is hugely effective, even without a single Aura attached to it.</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p>Overall, this deck started as a thought-experiment/love letter to Ramses Overdark, and turned into a very political and interactive deck. I know this kind of deck is not for everyone, but for those that love to be a "political puppet-master", this is the perfect thing to build!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our fourth edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of Auras!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<p><em><strong>An important note about budget:</strong> I found that if you have a budget-friendly mana base, this deck can be extremely cheap to build effectively. Most of the Auras have either been reprinted into oblivion, or are just forgotten commons from older sets. Ramses is a little on the expensive side, so if you wanted to run the deck without him, that is doable, I just couldn't bring myself to cut the old guy.</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Marchesa, Dealer of Death" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Marchesa, Dealer of Death
[/Commander]
[Enchantments]
*1 Abduction
*1 Amphibian Downpour
*1 Animate Dead
*1 Backfire
*1 Betrayal
*1 Binding Agony
*1 Captivating Glance
*1 Corrupted Conscience
*1 Curse of Opulence
*1 Dead Man&#039;s Chest
*1 Draconic Destiny
*1 Estrid&#039;s Invocation
*1 Fall from Favor
*1 Fealty to the Realm
*1 Followed Footsteps
*1 Fool&#039;s Demise
*1 Frenzied Fugue
*1 Ghoulish Impetus
*1 Grievous Wound
*1 Imprisoned in the Moon
*1 Incriminating Impetus
*1 Leyline of Anticipation
*1 Nurgle&#039;s Rot
*1 Parasitic Impetus
*1 Propaganda
*1 Psychic Impetus
*1 Public Enemy
*1 Ragged Veins
*1 Shiny Impetus
*1 Sleeper&#039;s Robe
*1 Sticky Fingers
*1 The Sound of Drums
*1 Vampiric Link
*1 Virtue of Persistence // Locthwain Scorn
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*1 Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos
*1 Baleful Strix
*1 Bothersome Quasit
*1 Brash Taunter
*1 Entity Tracker
*1 Fiendish Duo
*1 Giggling Skitterspike
*1 Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant
*1 Keen Duelist
*1 Life of the Party
*1 Nettling Nuisance
*1 Protean Thaumaturge
*1 Ramses Overdark
*1 Rassilon, the War President
*1 The Rani
*1 Vengeful Ancestor
*1 Willbreaker
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Crystal Chimes
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Helm of the Gods
*1 Midnight Clock
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Misleading Signpost
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Creativity
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 Talisman of Indulgence
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Disrupt Decorum
*1 Spectacular Showdown
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Arcane Lighthouse
*1 Blood Crypt
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Command Tower
*1 Detection Tower
*1 Dragonskull Summit
*1 Drowned Catacomb
*5 Island
*1 Luxury Suite
*1 Maestros Theater
*1 Maze of Ith
*1 Morphic Pool
*3 Mountain
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Raucous Theater
*1 Roadside Reliquary
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Steam Vents
*1 Sulfur Falls
*1 Sulfurous Springs
*3 Swamp
*1 Thundering Falls
*1 Training Center
*1 Undercity Sewers
*1 Underground River
*1 Watery Grave
*1 Xander&#039;s Lounge
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Bottom of the Barrel - Marchesa, Dealer of Death

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tobias, Doomed Conqueror" href="#" target="_blank">Tobias, Doomed Conqueror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://burmak.ru/">Dmitry Burmak</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combination and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">It’s likely that this commander has not been considered for this theme before, and that’s the point! This allows us to play around with themes that we enjoy while keeping our decks unique and interesting.</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">For today's edition, we're switching things up a bit. Usually we focus on a particular theme, but today we're focusing on a <em>type</em>: Zombies.</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This theme is very common in Dimir (black and blue), with the most popular "Zombies" commander coming from an <em>Innistrad: Midnight Hunt</em> preconstructed Commander deck. According to EDHREC, there is one thing that Zombie commander decks have in common: the color black.</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Scarab God"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Varina Lich Queen"></div></div></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gisa and Geralf"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grimgrin, Corpse-Born"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghoulcaller Gisa"></div></div></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">But what would happen if we replaced black with another color?</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">According to EDHREC, Azorius (white and blue) is on the "bottom of the barrel" for Zombie decks, with only 15 decks to its identity. Seeing <em>only 15 decks</em>, we have a winner! Looking into possible commanders, there was one that stood out above the rest: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tobias, Doomed Conqueror" href="#" target="_blank">Tobias, Doomed Conqueror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tobias, Doomed Conqueror"></div></div></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Now, I know what you're thinking: "Wait, isn't Tobias a human? Isn't this supposed to be a <em>Zombie</em> deck??"</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Allow me to explain...</p>
<h2>Category #1: Death Triggers</h2>
<p>Looking at Tobias, his ability to make Zombies cares about the amount nontoken creatures that can die in one turn. With this mind, our game plan will need to revolve around 1 huge turn of sacrificing our creatures for value. That being said, Tobias is also an amazing piece of board wipe protection, and can generate huge value if we keep the mana open to flash him in during critical points in the game.</p>
<p>Since our creatures need to die, it make sense to add creatures that <em>want</em> to die: Inga, Rune-Eyes can be a great source of card draw if enough creatures die; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Surveilling Sprite" href="#" target="_blank">Surveilling Sprite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Palace Familiar" href="#" target="_blank">Palace Familiar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Outlaw Medic," href="#" target="_blank">Outlaw Medic,</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Malcator&#039;s Watcher" href="#" target="_blank">Malcator&#039;s Watcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> generate card advantage and are the <em>perfect</em> blockers; and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ao, the Dawn Sky" href="#" target="_blank">Ao, the Dawn Sky</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can grant us crazy value when he dies.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Inga, Rune-Eyes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Surveilling Sprite"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Palace Familiar"></div></div>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Outlaw Medic"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Malacator&#039;s Watcher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ao, the Dawn Sky"></div></div></p>
<h2>Category #2: Sacrifice</h2>
<p>Since we want our creatures to die, sacrifice outlets are crucial: Ravenous Amulet is a great piece of new tech that does it all; Martyr's Cause can save us against any huge attackers; and Spawning Pit can help us create more tokens outside of the Zombies that Tobias makes.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ravenous Amulet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Martyr&#039;s Cause"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spawning Pit"></div></div>
<p>If we can't draw our sacrifice outlets, we still need ways to ensure that our creatures can die <em>on our own terms.</em> For this need, we can add creatures that sacrifice themselves to provide an effect.</p>
<p>For example: Bounty Agent can kill a commander or another "legendary" threat; Cathar Commando can remove a problem artifact or enchantment; Glen Elendra Archmage can counter any pesky noncreature spells that could put us in trouble (I'm looking at you, Expropriate!); and Benevolent Bodyguard can protect any of our creatures from any targeted action (as long as the source has a color).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bounty Agent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cathar Commando"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glen Elendra Archmage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Benevolent Bodyguard"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: Recursion</h2>
<p>With any strategy that relies on our own creatures dying, it's important that we have enough recursion pieces to keep our engine moving. My decklist has a whopping 12 pieces of recursion, but that is necessary for our game plan to succeed.</p>
<p>I won't list all 12 here, but here are a few of the highlights: God-Pharoah's Gift goes from former standard all star to arguably our best piece of recursion (not to mention, it turns the creatures into <em>Zombies</em>!); Enduring Renewal has a bit of a downside, but getting our creatures back to our hand when they die is incredibly powerful; and Starfall Invocation acts as both a board wipe <em>and</em> a reanimation spell - what's not to love!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="God-Pharaoh&#039;s Gift"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Enduring Renewal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Starfall invocation"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: The "Secret <em>Zombie</em> Spice"</h2>
<p>I'm sure by now you may have forgotten that this deck is a Zombie deck, but have no fear! We have plenty of sneaky ways to ensure that our "Zombie plan" is fulfilled! The first, and most obvious, card is Maskwood Nexus, as it turns <em>all</em> of our creatures into Zombies, and this will allow us to copy any creature on our board with a card like Cleaver Skaab.</p>
<p>God-Eternal Oketra creates 4/4 Zombies whenever we cast a creature spell, which is amazing on its own, but can get really ridiculous with things like Aven Wind Guide.</p>
<p>Stitcher Geralf gets a nod in this deck as well, as he is able to creature a <em>huge</em> Zombie token while removing resources from our opponents. When we have our Zombies, either from Tobias or otherwise, Hordewing Skaab can help close out the game by granting our undead friends flying.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Maskwood Nexus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cleaver Skaab"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="God-Eternal Oketra"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aven Wind Guide"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stitcher Geralf"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hordewing Skaab"></div></div>
<p>For today's deck, we also have a "secret spice MVP", and that is Geralf, Visionary Stitcher.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geralf, Visionary Stitcher"></div></div>
<p>Geralf does everything this decks wants: sacrifices creatures AND makes Zombies. Turning our value creatures into <em>flying Zombies</em> can create problems our opponents will struggle to handle.</p>
<p>Overall, this deck was an absolute blast to build and playtest, and I hope you'll feel inspired to give this lesser-played commander a chance!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our third edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of Zombies, and hope you’ll take my ideas to brew your own craziness!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Tobias, Doomed Conqueror" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Tobias, Doomed Conqueror
[/Commander]
[Sorceries]
*1 Ascend from Avernus
*1 Starfall Invocation
*1 Storm of Souls
*1 Time Wipe
[/Sorceries]
[Creatures]
*1 Ao, the Dawn Sky
*1 Aven Wind Guide
*1 Benevolent Bodyguard
*1 Boss&#039;s Chauffeur
*1 Bounty Agent
*1 Cathar Commando
*1 Champion of Wits
*1 Cleaver Skaab
*1 Elesh Norn // The Argent Etchings
*1 Enduring Innocence
*1 Eternal of Harsh Truths
*1 Geralf, Visionary Stitcher
*1 Glen Elendra Archmage
*1 God-Eternal Oketra
*1 High Fae Trickster
*1 Hordewing Skaab
*1 Inga Rune-Eyes
*1 Jason Bright, Glowing Prophet
*1 Luminous Broodmoth
*1 Malcator&#039;s Watcher
*1 Mulldrifter
*1 Nulldrifter
*1 Outlaw Medic
*1 Palace Familiar
*1 Phantasmal Image
*1 Phantasmal Shieldback
*1 Phantom Steed
*1 Selfless Spirit
*1 Stitched Assistant
*1 Stitcher Geralf
*1 Surveilling Sprite
*1 The Council of Four
*1 Vizier of Many Faces
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Cauldron of Souls
*1 Gate to the Afterlife
*1 God-Pharaoh&#039;s Gift
*1 Hourglass of the Lost
*1 Maskwood Nexus
*1 Midnight Clock
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Ravenous Amulet
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Spawning Pit
*1 Talisman of Progress
*1 Thought Vessel
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Enduring Renewal
*1 Gift of Immortality
*1 Martyr&#039;s Cause
*1 Promise of Tomorrow
*1 Valkyrie&#039;s Call
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Akroma&#039;s Will
*1 Brought Back
*1 Faith&#039;s Reward
*1 Lazotep Plating
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Rally the Ancestors
*1 Second Sunrise
*1 Startle
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Adarkar Wastes
*1 Azorius Chancery
*1 Command Tower
*1 Cradle of the Accursed
*1 Demolition Field
*1 Deserted Beach
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Field of the Dead
*1 High Market
*9 Island
*1 Lazotep Quarry
*1 Meticulous Archive
*1 Myriad Landscape
*10 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 War Room
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Bottom of the Barrel - Tobias, Doomed Conqueror

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jenny Flint" href="#" target="_blank">Jenny Flint</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/vetyyr/?hl=en">Syd Mills</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combination and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>It’s likely that this commander has not been considered for this theme before, and that’s the point! This allows us to play around with themes that we enjoy while keeping our decks unique and interesting.</p>
<p>Our theme for today's edition is: lifegain. This theme is very common in Selesnya and Orzhov colors (green and white; black and white, respectively), but today we're going to try something new.</p>
<p>According to EDHREC, the least played color combination for the "lifegain" theme is Temur (Green, Red, and Blue), so that's where we'll start. Looking at our options, I ultimately settled on an underrated Doctor Who partner pair: Jenny Flint and Madame Vastra.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jenny Flint"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Madame Vastra"></div></div>
<p>At first glance, this doesn't look like a "lifegain" commander, but Madame Vastra's ability to create Food tokens shouldn't be understated, and Jenny Flint's ability to pump up her partner is just a sweet bonus.</p>
<p>Madame Vastra's Food generation will be our primary source of lifegain from the command zone, but we have plenty of spicy includes for the 99 to ensure our life total remains high while crushing our opponents.</p>
<h2>Category #1: Ways to Gain Life</h2>
<p>Having access to green allows us to play well-known cards like Essence Warden, Courser of Kruphix, and Elder Gargaroth, but we also have the ability to include cards that are seldom seen in commander in 2024.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Essence Warden"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Courser of Kruphix"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elder Gargaroth"></div></div>
<p>Cards like: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Horizon Chimera" href="#" target="_blank">Horizon Chimera</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> benefits us from drawing cards; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lifeblood Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Lifeblood Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives us a huge beater that can turn into lifegain and card advantage later on; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Candy Trail" href="#" target="_blank">Candy Trail</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to set up our draws in the early turns while providing a way to draw a card later; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scavenged Brawler" href="#" target="_blank">Scavenged Brawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great attacking threat that can distribute its abilities from the graveyard; and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sproutback Trudge" href="#" target="_blank">Sproutback Trudge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a huge threat that we can cast over and over again.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Horizon Chimera"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lifeblood Hydra"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Candy Trail"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scavenged Brawler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sproutback Trudge"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: Benefitting From Lifegain</h2>
<p>The most obvious lifegain payoff comes in the form of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherflux Reservoir" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherflux Reservoir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and while that is included in this deck, there are a few other cards that are much more interesting. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trudge Garden" href="#" target="_blank">Trudge Garden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can turn our lifegain into 4/4 trampling beasts; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Assemble the Entmoot" href="#" target="_blank">Assemble the Entmoot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can create 3 huge treefolk; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fortifying Draught" href="#" target="_blank">Fortifying Draught</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> could potentially knock out an opponent out of nowhere; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Azor&#039;s Gateway" href="#" target="_blank">Azor&#039;s Gateway</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can generate TONS of mana; and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marina Vendrell&#039;s Grimoire" href="#" target="_blank">Marina Vendrell&#039;s Grimoire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> acts as a "We Have Lich's Mastery At Home", drawing us cards for the amount of life we gain.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aetherflux Reservoir"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trudge Garden"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Assemble the Entmoot"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fortifying Draught"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Azor&#039;s Gateway"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marina Vendrell&#039;s Grimoire"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: Finishers</h2>
<p>While <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherflux Reservoir" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherflux Reservoir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great finisher in this deck, my personal favorite way to close out a game is with Blossoming Bogbeast.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blossoming Bogbeast"></div></div>
<p>This deck also includes a spicy lifegain-centric combo: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sporeweb Weaver" href="#" target="_blank">Sporeweb Weaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> plus <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blazing Sunsteel" href="#" target="_blank">Blazing Sunsteel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Outside of being a combo piece, Sporeweb Weaver is an amazing blocker that creates a saproling when its dealt damage, but with Blazing Sunsteel you can choose to deal damage to <em>any target.</em></p>
<p>This means we can target the Sporeweb Weaver, and if it's equipped with the Blazing Sunsteel, we rinse and repeat the process. Deal a damage to the Sporeweb Weaver, gain a life and create a saproling, deal another damage to the Sporeweb Weaver, etc.</p>
<p>The important thing to note with this combo: <em>it is not infinite unless Sporeweb Weaver has indestructible! </em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sporeweb Weaver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blazing Sunsteel"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: Our First Secret Spice = A Secret Commander?</h2>
<p>As always, we have some "secret spice" for this deck, but today's "secret spice" acts a "secret commander" of sorts. Allow me to introduce you to Soulgorger Orgg.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Soulgorger Orgg"></div></div>
<p>This card seems strange, right? Losing all but 1 life seems extremely risky, but that's what makes it fun! This card allows us to repeatedly gain a ridiculous amount of life, all while providing a sneaky way to win.</p>
<p>We can get the Orgg's "leave the battlefield "trigger in two ways:</p>
<ol>
<li>Bouncing it to our hand with Temur Sabertooth.</li>
<li>Sacrificing it with cards like Greater Good or Momentous Fall, and then recurring it with cards like Resurrection Orb or Mimic Vat.</li>
</ol>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Temur Sabertooth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Greater Good"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Momentous Fall"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Resurrection Orb"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mimic Vat"></div></div>
<p>While this might sound cool, we aren't <em>only</em> looking at the Orgg's ability to gain us life. When we're at 1 life, we can pull off some really sneaky things. Things like: swapping life totals with Soul Conduit or doubling our card draw and lifegain with Phial of Galadriel.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Soul Conduit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phial of Galadriel"></div></div>
<h2>Category #5: Our Second Secret Spice = Coin Flips?</h2>
<p>Our second "secret spice" for this deck exists in the form of a game: a Game of Chaos. This card is a little ridiculous, especially considering that if you lose a flip your "game" is over, but if you can win a few flips in a row, this could be the most efficient lifegain spell in the entire deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Game of Chaos"></div></div>
<p>Even though this is isn't super reliable, it will definitely create some memories at the table.</p>
<p>This brings us to the end of our second edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of lifegain, and hope you’ll take my ideas to brew your own craziness in the world of Temur lifegain!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel #2 - Jenny Flint and Madame Vastra" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Jenny Flint
*1 Madame Vastra
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Accomplished Alchemist
*1 Blossoming Bogbeast
*1 Courser of Kruphix
*1 Disciple of Freyalise // Garden of Freyalise
*1 Elder Gargaroth
*1 Essence Warden
*1 Forgotten Ancient
*1 Horizon Chimera
*1 Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory
*1 Hydroid Krasis
*1 Lifeblood Hydra
*1 Prize Pig
*1 Prosperous Innkeeper
*1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
*1 Scavenged Brawler
*1 Soulgorger Orgg
*1 Sporeweb Weaver
*1 Sproutback Trudge
*1 Tatyova, Benthic Druid
*1 Temur Sabertooth
*1 Uro, Titan of Nature&#039;s Wrath
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Blunt the Assault
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Fortifying Draught
*1 Momentous Fall
*1 Nature&#039;s Claim
*1 Pulse of Murasa
*1 Sheltering Word
*1 Worldly Tutor
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Aetherflux Reservoir
*1 Ancient Cornucopia
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Azor&#039;s Gateway // Sanctum of the Sun
*1 Basilisk Collar
*1 Blazing Sunsteel
*1 Candy Trail
*1 Cosmos Elixir
*1 Elixir of Immortality
*1 Loxodon Warhammer
*1 Marina Vendrell&#039;s Grimoire
*1 Mimic Vat
*1 Phial of Galadriel
*1 Resurrection Orb
*1 Shadowspear
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Soul Conduit
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary
*1 Cultivate
*1 Fabricate
*1 Farseek
*1 Game of Chaos
*1 Healing Technique
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Pest Infestation
*1 Primal Command
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Scale the Heights
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Assemble the Entmoot
*1 Azusa&#039;s Many Journeys // Likeness of the Seeker
*1 Garruk&#039;s Uprising
*1 Greater Good
*1 Trudge Garden
*1 Well Rested
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Alchemist&#039;s Refuge
*1 Brokers Hideout
*1 Cabaretti Courtyard
*1 Command Tower
*1 Demolition Field
*1 Emergence Zone
*10 Forest
*1 Frontier Bivouac
*1 High Market
*4 Island
*1 Kessig Wolf Run
*1 Littjara Mirrorlake
*1 Miren, the Moaning Well
*4 Mountain
*1 Rugged Highlands
*1 Spire Garden
*1 Swiftwater Cliffs
*1 Thornwood Falls
*1 Training Center
*1 Witch&#039;s Clinic
[/Lands]"></span></div>




Bottom of the Barrel - Jenny Flint and Madame Vastra

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vhal, Candlekeep Researcher" href="#" target="_blank">Vhal, Candlekeep Researcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> art by David Gaillet</h6>
<p>Welcome to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a new series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combination and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>It’s likely that this commander has not been considered for this theme before, and that’s the point! This allows us to play around with themes that we enjoy while keeping our decks unique and interesting.</p>
<p>Our theme for our first excursion into the “bottom of the barrel” is: Equipment. This is an extremely popular theme, especially in Boros/Lorehold colors (red and white).</p>
<p>There have been a plethora of commanders that have been printed with Equipment in mind, and we’ve even gotten a couple of Esper (black/white/blue) options this year in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arna Kennerüd, Skycaptain" href="#" target="_blank">Arna Kennerüd, Skycaptain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ratonhnhaké:ton" href="#" target="_blank">Ratonhnhaké:ton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arna Kennerüd, Skycaptain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ratonhnhaké:ton"></div></div>
<p>Esper Equipment provides an interesting new territory to explore, and I personally loved the idea of adding new colors into an already-developed theme. With this being said, I believe today’s deck shows just how interesting Equipment strategies can be in non-Boros colors.</p>
<p>Since our theme of the article is Equipment, I clicked around the color combinations to see which ones needed some love.</p>
<p>With a whopping 183 decks to its identity, Simic/Quandrix (green and blue), was our winner! There were several 4-color combinations that had under 183 decks with an Equipment theme, but limiting our colors will really force us to find creative ways to play, and that’s the whole point of this series!</p>
<p>Let’s meet our commander, or should I say commanders:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vhal, Candlekeep Researcher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Raised by Giants"></div></div>
<p>Why <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vhal, Candlekeep Researcher" href="#" target="_blank">Vhal, Candlekeep Researcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? The simple answer is: she helps to pay for equip costs. I’m sure you’re thinking: “wait, but she’ll be tapped if you use her to pay for equip costs! How will that work??” Thus, takes us into our first category…</p>
<h2>Category #1: Evasive Threats</h2>
<p>Unlike most Equipment decks that are solely reliant on making their commander huge and killing someone in one hit, this deck relies on small evasive threats to carry our sword for us. For example, something like a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pollywog Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Pollywog Prodigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an absolute house in a deck like this.</p>
<p>It comes down early, and the bigger it gets, the more likely we are to draw cards from its ability! It’s a win/win! The other all-stars from this category are cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ledger Shredder" href="#" target="_blank">Ledger Shredder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Invisible Stalker" href="#" target="_blank">Invisible Stalker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cold-Eyed Selkie" href="#" target="_blank">Cold-Eyed Selkie</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ledger Shredder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Invisible Stalker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cold-Eyed Selkie"></div></div>
<p>We can include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blighted Agent" href="#" target="_blank">Blighted Agent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inkmoth Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Inkmoth Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if we want to go the poison route, but I know that’s not for everyone, so I didn't include those in my list.</p>
<p>There are 3 specific cards I wanted to mention in this category that pull double duty for us: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel" href="#" target="_blank">Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Azure Beastbinder" href="#" target="_blank">Azure Beastbinder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cephalid Facetaker" href="#" target="_blank">Cephalid Facetaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Azure Beastbinder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cephalid Facetaker"></div></div>
<p>Malcolm is a powerful commander in his own right, but in this deck he gives us the ability to consistently loot from turn 2, and can turn into a powerful value engine when he gets to 4 chorus counters.</p>
<p>Azure Beastbinder can blank our opponent’s best creature on attack until our next turn, which is absolutely crazy. Finally, Cephalid Facetaker is already unblockable, but can turn into an unblockable version of the best creature on the board! (Yes, it’ll still be a 1/4, but that’s nothing a few swords can’t fix!)</p>
<p>Now that we’ve covered a few great evasive threats, let’s move into our next category: using Vhal’s ability.</p>
<h2>Category 2: Using Vhal’s Ability</h2>
<p>Seeing Vhal’s ability, it’s no secret that she can go infinite with just about anything, but we’re trying to avoid that in this deck. In my list, I do include Umbral Mantle, and while that’s a notorious combo piece, it’s also an Equipment, so it’s on theme. It can also make Vhal huge. <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Umbral Mantle"></div></div></p>
<p>In theory, using Vhal’s ability for equip costs makes sense, but there are other cards that can profit off of her, and I have included those cards in this deck.</p>
<p>For example, we can draw cards with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prophet of Distortion" href="#" target="_blank">Prophet of Distortion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diviner’s Wand" href="#" target="_blank">Diviner’s Wand</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Book of Rass" href="#" target="_blank">Book of Rass</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; untap our lands with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magus of the Candelabra" href="#" target="_blank">Magus of the Candelabra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; filter out mana of any color with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Energy Refractor" href="#" target="_blank">Energy Refractor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; or just store mana for later with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kruphix, God of Horizons" href="#" target="_blank">Kruphix, God of Horizons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>These abilities are only the tip of the iceberg, as Vhal’s ability only cares about not casting spells from our hands. What this means is, we can take huge advantage of casting spells from other zones. One of the best cards in this deck for this reason, is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Forge and Frontier" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Forge and Frontier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>It allows us to “impulse draw” 2 cards, which we can use Vhal’s mana to cast. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dream Thief’s Bandana" href="#" target="_blank">Dream Thief’s Bandana</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to do something similar, but we are getting spells from the top of an opponent’s deck instead of our own.</p>
<p>Since flashback is also casting a spell not from our hand, I added <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dryad’s Revival" href="#" target="_blank">Dryad’s Revival</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a piece of recursion that we can cast from our graveyard on later turns.</p>
<p>Plot costs can also be paid with her mana, so I included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fblthp, Lost on the Range" href="#" target="_blank">Fblthp, Lost on the Range</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to let us plot cards from the top of our library and set up huge turns.</p>
<p>Using Vhal’s mana for equip costs is a way for us to spread the Equipment to our evasive threats, but we can also wait until our second main phase to activate Vhal. This way, she can attack if she’s equipped, and since she has vigilance, we can use her ability to equip something after combat.</p>
<h2>Category #3: Protection and Removal</h2>
<p>Whenever you go all in with an aggressive strategy like Equipment, you need to make sure you can protect yourself and deal with any problems on the board. For that reason, I’ve decided to add cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherize" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherize</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Propaganda" href="#" target="_blank">Propaganda</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, both of which serve as fantastic protection against any aggression we may cause.</p>
<p>To protect our creatures, I have included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ring of Evos Isle" href="#" target="_blank">Ring of Evos Isle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This can give the equipped creature hexproof while growing the equipped creature on each of our upkeeps. (Growing Vhal every single turn is very good)</p>
<p>The removal portion of this deck is tricky because most removal spells in blue and green involve giving a creature in “exchange” for destroying something (i.e. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pongify" href="#" target="_blank">Pongify</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>). This can cause problems because we need to get in for damage and giving opponents blockers can put a wrench in our gameplan. I still included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beast Within" href="#" target="_blank">Beast Within</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in this deck, as it’s too versatile to not include, but I shied away from things like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pongify" href="#" target="_blank">Pongify</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rapid Hybridization" href="#" target="_blank">Rapid Hybridization</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>Category #4: Cost/Budget</h2>
<p>With any deck building, it’s important that we keep budget in mind. Equipment decks would seem strange without any of the “sword of” cycle, but I tried to keep this deck as “budget conscious” as I could. I splurged on a couple of cards, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Academy Ruins" href="#" target="_blank">Academy Ruins</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shadowspear" href="#" target="_blank">Shadowspear</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> especially, but there are easy swaps for these cards that I recommend.</p>
<p>Shadowspear can be swapped for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Loxodon Warhammer" href="#" target="_blank">Loxodon Warhammer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as those cards occupy a similar space with what they do. There is already <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Buried Ruin" href="#" target="_blank">Buried Ruin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the deck, so Academy Ruins isn’t necessary, but extra recursion is never bad.</p>
<h2>Category #5: Secret Spice</h2>
<p>When it comes to building a deck, there’s always an option to add those few tech cards that can make your deck truly unique. I call this the “secret spice” of the deck, and this deck’s “secret spice” revolves around 2 cards.</p>
<h3>1. Assault Formation</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Assault Formation"></div></div>
<p>Assault Formation seems like a strange inclusion, but it allows us to sink our mana from Vhal into something before damage because she has vigilance! This can lead to Vhal dealing a ton of damage out of nowhere. We are already including a few Equipment that care about boosting toughness, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slagwurm Armor" href="#" target="_blank">Slagwurm Armor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Accorder’s Shield" href="#" target="_blank">Accorder’s Shield</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, so Assault Formation can put in some work in the right circumstances.</p>
<h3>2. Swashbuckler's Whip</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swashbuckler&#039;s Whip"></div></div>
<p>This relatively unknown card from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan might seem underwhelming at first, but remember, Vhal has vigilance. This allows us to attack with Vhal, and then activate the whip in our second main phase as long as it’s attached to another creature we control. Discover 10 is insane, and it’s sure to grant us some ridiculous value. Even if we can’t tap for 8, the first ability gets a blocker out of the way in a pinch, and that’s very valuable in this deck.</p>
<p>This brings us to the end of our first edition of Bottom of the Barrel! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of Equipment, and hope you’ll take my ideas and brew your own craziness around Vhal and Raised by Giants!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel 1 Vhal, Candlekeep Researcher and Raised by Giants" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Raised by Giants
*1 Vhal, Candlekeep Researcher
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Azure Beastbinder
*1 Cephalid Facetaker
*1 Cold-Eyed Selkie
*1 Cyberdrive Awakener
*1 Edric, Spymaster of Trest
*1 Emry, Lurker of the Loch
*1 Etherium Sculptor
*1 Fblthp, Lost on the Range
*1 Gunner Conscript
*1 Invisible Stalker
*1 Kodama of the West Tree
*1 Kruphix, God of Horizons
*1 Looter il-Kor
*1 Magus of the Candelabra
*1 Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel
*1 Phyrexian Metamorph
*1 Pollywog Prodigy
*1 Prophet of Distortion
*1 Sai, Master Thopterist
*1 Shimmer Dragon
*1 Tanuki Transplanter
*1 The Reality Chip
*1 Urza, Lord High Artificer
*1 Vedalken Archmage
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Accorder&#039;s Shield
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Bitterthorn, Nissa&#039;s Animus
*1 Bone Sabres
*1 Book of Rass
*1 Champion&#039;s Helm
*1 Diviner&#039;s Wand
*1 Dream-Thief&#039;s Bandana
*1 Energy Refractor
*1 Mask of Memory
*1 Nettlecyst
*1 Pip-Boy 3000
*1 Power Fist
*1 Quietus Spike
*1 Ring of Evos Isle
*1 Robe of the Archmagi
*1 Scepter of Celebration
*1 Shadowspear
*1 Simic Signet
*1 Slagwurm Armor
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swashbuckler&#039;s Whip
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Sword of Forge and Frontier
*1 Talisman of Curiosity
*1 Umbral Mantle
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Dryad&#039;s Revival
*1 Ezuri&#039;s Predation
*1 Rise and Shine
[/Sorceries]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Ugin, the Ineffable
[/Planeswalkers]
[Instants]
*1 Aetherize
*1 Beast Within
*1 Heroic Intervention
*1 Three Steps Ahead
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Assault Formation
*1 Kenrith&#039;s Transformation
*1 Propaganda
*1 Well Rested
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Academy Ruins
*1 Archway of Innovation
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Command Tower
*1 Dreamroot Cascade
*1 Evolving Wilds
*8 Forest
*1 Hedge Maze
*1 Hinterland Harbor
*11 Island
*1 Overflowing Basin
*1 Rejuvenating Springs
*1 Roadside Reliquary
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Seat of the Synod
*1 Tanglepool Bridge
*1 Temple of Mystery
*1 Tree of Tales
*1 Yavimaya Coast
[/Lands]"></span></div>



Nick Benstead