Felisa, Fang of SilverquillFelisa, Fang of Silverquill | Art by Sara Winters

Nils' Felisa Deck Tech!

Hello fellow brewer and welcome back to Brew For Your Buck, where we swap out the top 10 most expensive cards in a deck with 10 budget cards that add a unique twist.

Today, we're taking a look at reader Nils' Felisa, Fang of SilverquillFelisa, Fang of Silverquill deck. Fun fact: Felisa was the Orzhov commander that I played before I found my soulmate, RatadrabikRatadrabik, so I have some experience with the cool things this deck can do. It's pretty powerful and can close the game out in a hurry!

The average deck from EDHREC isn't too bad, $208.08. Nil's list is a whopping $662.49, so we definitely have some room to work with. I suspect the difference might be the "precon effect" as people are playing the deck out of the box without making substantial upgrades.

Nils opts for a go-wide strategy, filling the board with Inklings, and overrunning opponents. Here's the list of cards we're going to remove:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Mondrak, Glory DominusMondrak, Glory Dominus ($44.11)
               2. Phyrexian AltarPhyrexian Altar ($40.08)
               3. Tymna the WeaverTymna the Weaver ($39.00)
               4. Teferi's ProtectionTeferi's Protection ($34.98)
               5. Esper SentinelEsper Sentinel ($31.28)
               6. Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe ($30.47)
               7. The OzolithThe Ozolith ($30.02)
               8. Yawgmoth, Thran PhysicianYawgmoth, Thran Physician ($12.25)
               9. Phyrexian DevourerPhyrexian Devourer ($11.89)
               10. Moonshaker CavalryMoonshaker Cavalry ($10.54)

Total Value of Cuts: $284.62

Some of the staples typical to a tokens deck rear show up as usual, but a few unique ones as well: Phyrexian DevourerPhyrexian Devourer in particular. Nils' mana base is excellent, but also expensive.

Replacing the expensive lands leads to an additional $198.95 in savings, for a total of $483.57. I've got a few cool replacements for the lands besides the typical basics: Spymaster's VaultSpymaster's Vault and Drannith RuinsDrannith Ruins. Getting counters from our mana base just gives us a few extra options.

Without further ado, let's dive into our additions.

Additions

Piñata Party

Nils' called out one of the coolest cards that synergize with Felisa, Black Sun's ZenithBlack Sun's Zenith. While also devastating opposing boards, the -1/-1 counters effectively turn all of our nontoken creatures into piñatas, exploding into Inklings as the spell resolves. I want to add more of that effect.

The first of our "piñata creatures" is Elenda's HierophantElenda's Hierophant ($3.26). While its inherent ability to add counters differs slightly than ElendaElenda herself, the idea is the same: if it dies with Felisa out, we get the Inklings and Vampires.

The new Skyknight SquireSkyknight Squire ($0.79) would REALLY like to be on the battlefield for that, since it'll get a counter whenever any creature enters, not just nontoken. With all the Inklings, this can get really large, really fast.

I'm always happy to feature a Lord of the Rings card, so Rosie Cotton of South LaneRosie Cotton of South Lane ($0.15) will slot in for this deck. Similar to Skyknight Squire above, any token (coughInklingcough) entering allows us to throw counters around, making any nontoken creature into a piñata.

Finally, although it isn't a creature, a card I just learned existed is Feast of the Victorious DeadFeast of the Victorious Dead ($0.10). Besides the obvious reason of working well with our Aristocrats + Counters themes, the lifegain makes up for the fact that the Inklings come in tapped and can't block. That buffer might be the difference between surviving until you untap with your flying army or not.

The Pen is Not Mightier

Now that we have some extra ways to flood the board with Inklings, let's buff them. The best way to do this of course, is with +1/+1 counters. Felisa won't trigger if a token dies but if we can buff our nontoken creatures at the same time, we build up an Inkling reserve at the same time.

Drana, Liberator of MalakirDrana, Liberator of Malakir ($0.56) makes another appearance after my previous article. When Drana hits before the rest of your creatures thanks to first strike, everything else you have attacking gets a counter.

Shaile, Dean of RadianceShaile, Dean of Radiance ($0.19) is a cheap way to get counters rolling quickly, while the flip side can work as a replacement for YawgmothYawgmoth if you squint hard enough.

Aron, Benalia's RuinAron, Benalia's Ruin ($0.04) is really cool as well. You sacrifice the creature as part of the cost to activate his ability, so the Inklings will conveniently hit the battlefield to receive the +1/+1 counter upon resolution.

The last mass pump effect might seem a little strange, but hear me out: Invasion of New CapennaInvasion of New Capenna ($0.15) enters the battlefield, and asks us to sacrifice a creature (something we want to do) to exile an opposing artifact or creature. Single target removal at sorcery speed is not very exciting, but we're just getting started.

Our evasive Inklings can help us flip this, and all of a sudden we have a very easy way to pump all of our Inklings over and over again. It's a little bit of work, but every part of this card adds to our deck in some way, so I think it's worth a shot.

Persistent Little Inklings

The last two cards are a bit on the expensive end, but I think really push the deck to the next level. Cauldron HazeCauldron Haze ($4.98) and Cauldron of SoulsCauldron of Souls ($3.57) allow all the nontoken creatures we're sacrificing to come back with a counter to boot.

Using them in response to an opposing board wipe is powerful on their own, but with Felisa out, we get all the Inklings and the entire board back, with counters if we want more Inklings!

In this deck especially, I'd spring for them even if they push the value of the budget package a little high.

Wrap Up & Savings

Let's see what we saved:

We saved a huge chunk and even got the price in under the average deck price. Honestly, I found so many sweet cards for this deck that I need to include a couple of honorable mentions:

• Carmen, Cruel SkymarcherCarmen, Cruel Skymarcher - another piñata featuring lifegain and reanimation.
• Body CountBody Count - massive draw spell! I'd probably replace Stinging StudyStinging Study with this.
• Metastatic EvangelMetastatic Evangel - the higher the creature count, the better this gets
• Sigarda's SummonsSigarda's Summons - Cathars' CrusadeCathars' Crusade is a pain to track - this probably gets the job done as a finisher too.
• Ghost LanternGhost Lantern - another cheap way to build a piñata, and this one comes with a Raise DeadRaise Dead effect stapled to it.

Nils, I hope you liked my take on your deck! I appreciate you sending it in, it was very fun to build. If you out there would like to have me do the same thing to one of your decks, send an email to editorial@spacecowmedia.com with the subject "BFYB Deck Tech".

Include an Archidekt link and a few sentences about the goals for your deck, and I'll add it to the list! If you have any feedback on this deck or Brew For Your Buck in general, let me know in the comments and I'll see you next time when we brew for your buck!

Please note: card prices listed in this article are accurate at the time of writing, but prices can vary over time and between locations.

Brian Cain

Brian played Magic intermittently between 2003 and 2017 when he fully embraced his love for Commander. Finding ways to maximize the value of each piece of cardboard in the deck is one of his favorite things to explore, especially if it involves putting lands in the graveyard! Outside of Magic, Brian works as a consultant in the marine industry, turning his passion for boats and ships into a career.