ArzakonArzakon | Art by Alex Horley-Orlandelli

MicroProse's Magic: The Gathering game, Shandalar, is a top contender for my favorite video game of all time. I'd go so far as to say that Shandalar is easily the best way to play Magic digitally. Imagine my surprise when I saw that game's final boss on a planeswalker while scrolling through spoilers for Mystery Booster Commander Edition! I was overcome with pure, childlike giddiness. I knew I had to build a deck with ArzakonArzakon at the helm. I want to recreate for the deck's opponents the feeling of playing against Arzakon in Shandalar. So, in this deck tech, I'll be doing just that.

What Does Arzakon Do?

ArzakonArzakon is a five-color planeswalker that costs and enters with 4 loyalty. He has three loyalty abilities, each having the function of an iconic spell from Magic's history. His +2 is Lightning BoltLightning Bolt, dealing three damage to any other target. His -2 creates a Black LotusBlack Lotus token. Finally, his -7 is TimetwisterTimetwister, forcing each player to shuffle their hands and graveyards into their libraries, then draw seven cards.

Building Arzakon is definitely a challenge. Planeswalkers that don't immediately do something impactful aren't great in Commander. That's why Oko, Thief of CrownsOko, Thief of Crowns just barely survives the jump from 60-card formats to Commander, but Teferi, Hero of DominariaTeferi, Hero of Dominaria doesn't. Neither Lightning Bolt nor Black Lotus are spells I'd pay for. The Timetwister ability is more interesting, but for that ability to ever see the stack, Arzakon needs to +2 twice, taking three turns to get to and then use his -7. Given that this clock starts when I've already got five mana, that seems a little farfetched unless there's additional trickerytrickery afoot. So, what's the plan?

My build of Arzakon is going to primarily be a control deck. There will be counters, board wipes, and a hint of punishing opponents for playing the game. After spending most of the game stifling the opponents, Arzakon will arrive to subjugate the plane alongside the likes of Sheoldred, the ApocalypseSheoldred, the Apocalypse and Orcish BowmastersOrcish Bowmasters. If I played Archenemy, this is the deck I'd choose for it.

Key Cards for Arzakon

Part of being the final boss is making the heroes feel like you have an answer for literally everything. Thanks to Mystical TeachingsMystical Teachings and Waterlogged TeachingsWaterlogged Teachings, such a thing is possible! There are answers for nearly every situation hidden in this deck, and almost all of them can be found with either of these tutors.

My favorite feeling in all of Commander is when the opponents have spent several minutes in deep, political discussion about how to best take me down a notch. They agree to a plan that involves one player casting something at sorcery speed during their next turn. Armed with this knowledge, I cast SilenceSilence in that player's upkeep. The entire table sighs, defeated. These are scenarios Mystical Teachings can reliably set up. Everything from narrow countermagic, like Wash AwayWash Away, to graveyard hate in the form of Kaya's GuileKaya's Guile are present to create as many opportunities as possible to orchestrate complete blowouts when an opponent dares to make a move against ArzakonArzakon.

Notion ThiefNotion Thief, along with its cousin Orcish BowmastersOrcish Bowmasters, is a perfect fit for this deck's Mystical Teachings package. Everyone is already drawing too many extra cards for my liking in an average Commander game, and having a good silver bullet for this common scenario is always appreciated. I only wish I could add HullbreacherHullbreacher.

Arzakon's -7 ability combines very nicely with Notion Thief and Orcish Bowmasters, but I refuse to rely solely on the commander to make these two sparkle. There are four wheel effects in the deck to support Notion Thief, Orcish Bowmasters, Sheoldred, the ApocalypseSheoldred, the Apocalypse, and Narset, Parter of VeilsNarset, Parter of Veils. Dack FaydenDack Fayden can even step in and use his +1 to force one hapless opponent to become Notion Thief's victim. Denying opponents the ability to refill their hands is a very important step to decrease the likelihood that they'll have interaction when it's time to win the game.

Keeping the board clear is this deck's most important job. There are only three creatures in this deck, and they definitely aren't up to the task of fending off your opponents' armies. The added benefit of having a bunch of sweepers is that most of them sound like high-level spells a villain in a fantasy story would cast. Extinction EventExtinction Event and Mutinous MassacreMutinous Massacre in particular just sound like an evil spell I'd expect Arzakon to cast as he begins his incursion on Shandalar.

EvacuationEvacuation is not as permanent of an answer as Extinction Event or SunfallSunfall, but it has the advantage of being an instant that Mystical Teachings can fetch. This also gains some additional play from the deck's wheels. Casting an Evacuation, then untapping and slamming Wheel of FortuneWheel of Fortune allows it to act just like a conventional board wipe while somehow being more demoralizing for the opponents.

Winning the Game with Arzakon

The easiest to execute method of winning a game with this control deck is burning the table out through Sheoldred, the ApocalypseSheoldred, the Apocalypse, Orcish BowmastersOrcish Bowmasters, and Underworld DreamsUnderworld Dreams combined with Wheel of FortuneWheel of Fortune and TimetwisterTimetwister effects. In the long, board-wipe-filled games this deck wants to play, adding Arzakon's -7 ability to the mix is achievable.

The other win condition is where things get a little more convoluted. Aminatou, the FateshifterAminatou, the Fateshifter and Nicol Bolas, Dragon-GodNicol Bolas, Dragon-God can team up with either The Chain VeilThe Chain Veil or Oath of TeferiOath of Teferi to generate infinite planeswalker activations, infinite mana, and the ability to exile all opposing hands and permanents. ArzakonArzakon is a critical piece here, as its +2 ability to deal three damage can be used to deal infinite damage to each opponent.

To support this combo, the suite of tutors is tailored to access planeswalkers or legendary permanents. Search for GlorySearch for Glory and Call the GatewatchCall the Gatewatch have the least intense mana costs, with the trade-off of being sorceries. Ignite the BeaconIgnite the Beacon and Whir of InventionWhir of Invention are more difficult to cast, but can be found with Mystical Teachings, which drastically improves consistency.

It's difficult to deploy all the pieces of the combo simultaneously, especially given that it costs either 12 or 13 mana to cast each piece. That's where Borne Upon a WindBorne Upon a Wind comes in, allowing one or two pieces to sneak in on someone's end step, with the rest following on the next turn. Command the DreadhordeCommand the Dreadhorde also allows both planeswalkers to be reanimated for the low, low cost of six mana and eight life.

Arzakon Commander Deck List

Conclusion

This build of Arzakon fits neatly into Bracket 3 (Upgraded). There are three game changers and infinite combos are limited to a minimum of three cards, all occurring in the late stages of the game. Overall, it feels like a less all-in build of Nekusar, the MindrazerNekusar, the Mindrazer with some neat tricks up its sleeve that fall outside of Nekusar's colors.

The new commanders in Mystery Booster Commander Edition are among the most exciting cards of 2026, and Arzakon is by far my favorite of the bunch. All in one set, I've gotten a callback to an iconic character from my favorite game and it's now possible to build a deck with Yorion, Sky NomadYorion, Sky Nomad in the companion zone, thanks to Whtz, the BibliophileWhtz, the Bibliophile. They've even revitalized Counterbalance with Gustha EbbasdotterGustha Ebbasdotter!