Blech, Loafing PestBlech, Loafing Pest | Art by Ilse Gort

Secrets of Strixhaven has some really fun new commanders to build around, and today I'm doing a deck tech on a nifty multi-typal, lifegain matters critter!

According to the Wizards of the Coast article The Legends of Secrets of Strixhaven, Blech, Loafing PestBlech, Loafing Pest is the spawn of Blex, an escaped pest of the Witherbloom school that grew oversized in the bayou. While Blex is no more due to unfortunate circumstances, Blex's child has stepped into the role of beloved beast of the Witherbloom bayou.

What Does Blech, Loafing PestBlech, Loafing Pest Do?

Like its predecessor Blex, Blech cares about multiple creature types: Pests, Bats, Insects, Snakes, and Spiders you control.

Rather than a static buff to their stats, it grows these creatures types with +1/+1 counters whenever you gain life, which is pretty big game because, by and large, most of these creature types tend to start rather small. The key is to load the deck up with incremental life gain rather than single huge life gain effects since Blech's ability triggers once whenever you gain life and doesn't care how much life is gained.

Key Cards for Blech, Loafing PestBlech, Loafing Pest

The first time we went to Strixhaven we got Blight MoundBlight Mound, which gives attacking Pests you control +1/+0 and menace, as well as making a Pest token whenever you nontoken creature you control dies. This time around we've got another Pest-loving enchantment, Feral AppetiteFeral Appetite, which gives attacking Pests you control +1/+0 and deathtouch, making blocking incredibly painful! It also has an activated ability where it can exile target card from a graveyard, and if it happens to be a creature you get to make a Pest token. Holy Night SoilNight Soil, Batman!

So the commander is a Pest and we're running those Pest-loving enchantments; how about more Pests? It's not exactly a well-supported creature type outside of tokens, though this return to Strixhaven brings a few more to add to Blex, Vexing PestBlex, Vexing Pest and Signal PestSignal Pest. Gorma, the GulletGorma, the Gullet has lifelink, which is handy when you want to gain life, and while it starts as a tiny 1/1 it's got a built-in way to grow whenever another creature you control dies. It will also boost a nontoken creature you control that enters the battlefield for each creature that died under your control this turn.

The adorably named Teacher's PestTeacher's Pest does an excellent Reassembling SkeletonReassembling Skeleton impression with Pest-y upside. Pest MascotPest Mascot grows with the Blech pippy life gain plan, plus it has trample to get scary real fast. Shopkeeper's BaneShopkeeper's Bane is a sizeable 4/2 with trample for just three mana, and when it attacks it's got a life gain trigger that Blech can use to grow your team before combat damage is assigned. Go Badger Pest Go!

And... that's the end of our actual Pest cards. Next up?

I found a few Bat creatures that fit really well here. Starscape ClericStarscape Cleric turns your life gain into life drain for your opponents, and if you draw it later you can double your fun with the offspring ability. The Bat God Aclazotz, Deepest BetrayalAclazotz, Deepest Betrayal has built-in lifelink, can make Bat tokens whenever an opponent discards a land card, and if it dies it comes back transformed as a land that can flip back if an opponent has one or fewer cards in hand. Basilica ScreecherBasilica Screecher's extort ability seems like an excellent way to get a life gain pip to grow your team.

Next we dig into Insects, and there are a fair number of quality creatures in that creature type. Haywire MiteHaywire Mite provides excellent utility against a particularly noisome noncreature artifact or enchantment, and when it dies you gain life, which could grow the team with Blech! Eumidian TerrabotanistEumidian Terrabotanist is another way to increase your life gain pip, while Duskshell CrawlerDuskshell Crawler gives any of your team trample so long as they have a +1/+1 counter on them (and you know they will).

Casting Springheart NantukoSpringheart Nantuko with bestow gives you a little buffer from a battlefield sweeper, and you can either copy enchanted creature with the landfall trigger or make 1/1 Insects to grow with Blech. Canoptek Scarab SwarmCanoptek Scarab Swarm is another utility Insect, nuking target player's graveyard and creating Insect tokens (with flying!) for each artifact or land exiled this way. Then there's Iridescent HornbeetleIridescent Hornbeetle, which has the potential to really pump out an Insect token army from even just one trigger from Blech.

Moving on to the Snake section of the deck, we've got Lotus CobraLotus Cobra and Fanatic of RhonasFanatic of Rhonas, to make mana, and Sidisi, Regent of the MireSidisi, Regent of the Mire, for a bit of graveyard recursion.

Enduring TenacityEnduring Tenacity turns our life gain into a potential win condition, while being a bit sticky if it dies, coming back as a noncreature version. South Wind AvatarSouth Wind Avatar also has some of that life drain ability, along with some life gain whenever another creature you control dies. Ohran FrostfangOhran Frostfang makes your attackers deadly, and any that go unblocked and deal combat damage to an opponent draws you a card!

Moving on to Spiders, we've got the incredibly creepy Twitching DollTwitching Doll, which can provide mana early on, that you can later sacrifice it to make a bunch of Spider tokens. Note that any counters on the Doll count towards its second ability, so if Blech has been doing work this can be cashed in for a horde of Spiders. Then we've got Spider-Ham, Peter PorkerSpider-Ham, Peter Porker, another legendary creature that cares about a wide variety of creature types. Interestingly, the only overlap between Blech and Peter's Animal May-Ham ability are Spiders and Bats. Then there's the awesome Spinner of SoulsSpinner of Souls, which will replace any other creature cards that die with a creature card in hand from the top of your deck.

Speaking of dying, Skyfisher SpiderSkyfisher Spider's enters ability wants to sacrifice a creature (perhaps a Pest token?) to destroy a nonland permanent. And look, it's even got a life gain ability when it dies to liven up the Blech party! Gwenom, RemorselessGwenom, Remorseless is an incredibly good Spider with both deathtouch and, most importantly, lifelink, and when Gwen attacks you get to do a Bolas's CitadelBolas's Citadel impression until the end of turn. I've always loved Doom WeaverDoom Weaver, and in this deck both the soulbonded creature and D-Weavey should be larger than expected after some Blech triggers.

I went looking for other ways to make relevant creature type tokens and ended up with just these three. Tend the PestsTend the Pests can cash in a creature that's been growing quite a bit with Blech for a horde of Pest tokens, all at instant speed so you can surprise create an army, untap and crash in for a big smash. I love ArachnogenesisArachnogenesis in some decks anyway, but making a bunch of Spider tokens you can grow with Blech makes it even better. Then of course there's Spider SpawningSpider Spawning, an excellent way to rebuild an army after a battlefield sweeper; and then do it again with flashback!

I dropped a Maskwood NexusMaskwood Nexus in here mostly so all my creatures can benefit from the Pest enchantments, but there are some other corner cases where being a particular creature type will be helpful (such as the aforementioned ArachnogenesisArachnogenesis). Some other creatures with changeling can slot in nicely too, such as Masked VandalMasked Vandal for some more utility.

Chomping ChangelingChomping Changeling is more utility tied to a creature, and Mutable ExplorerMutable Explorer provides land ramp in the form of a Mutavault token, which can also turn into a creature with all creature types.

And now for the life gain cards!

I'm excited to have life gain abilities in my land base with High MarketHigh Market and Witch's ClinicWitch's Clinic, which can be quite good in the late game when Blech has grown to epic proportions. Vampiric RitesVampiric Rites is a nice way to cash in expendable token creatures to draw a card and gain a pip of life.

Sun DropletSun Droplet makes attacking you with any major source of damage when you have a Blech on the battlefield quite the exercise in futility. By the way, I have a great story about teaching my son how to play Magic, and his reaction when I played Sun DropletSun Droplet was pretty funny. If your curious, hit me up on Bluesky and I'll share it!

Cauldron of EssenceCauldron of Essence is incredible here, giving you little life pips when a creature you control dies and providing a way to trade in a creature in play for a creature in your graveyard. Aetherflux ReservoirAetherflux Reservoir is mostly here for small life pips, but it's possible to play a flurry of small spells to grow your army, and also possible to gain enough life where you can snipe off opponents' life totals.

Speaking of gaining a bunch of life, Whip of ErebosWhip of Erebos can do just that if you've got big enough creatures, but even starting out small if you've got Blech you can quickly grow your team. Bontu's MonumentBontu's Monument is another way to get small life pips while draining life from your opponents.

Oh, hey, Circuit MenderCircuit Mender is an Insect that gains life with it enters, and lets you draw a card when it leaves the battlefield. Moldervine ReclamationMoldervine Reclamation got close to getting cut so many times when I was paring the decklist down to 100 cards, but that card draw really sold it in the end.

How Does This Blech, Loafing PestBlech, Loafing Pest Commander Deck Win?

To be honest, if Blech sticks around for a couple turn cycles and a handful of creatures, it's going to be the win condition all on its own, but sometimes you got to end the game decisively, so I'm running a copy of Triumph of the HordesTriumph of the Hordes to help do just that. Weather the StormWeather the Storm is a tricky play in the deck, if an opponent is playing a flurry of spells and you've got Blech and a handful of creatures you can suddenly get three or four or more pips of three life to grow your team unexpectedly.

Lastly, since I do have a fair number of creatures that share a creature type, Secret TunnelSecret Tunnel can help get two of them through unblocked, hopefully also carrying a bunch of +1/+1 counters.

Blech, Loafing PestBlech, Loafing Pest Commander Deck List

Conclusion

Put your final thoughts here. How strong is this deck? How fun is it? What kind of player is this deck for?

I like how this deck is quite different from typical creature type strategies; it's mostly a pile of relatively small, pesky creatures tied together with Blech, Loafing PestBlech, Loafing Pest boosting them all from life gain triggers. It's a solidly Core (Bracket 2) deck, looking to grind value and have a nice long interactive game before rumbling towards the end game.

What other cards would you add to your own Blech deck?

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