Bringing Magic to Life - Playtime with Clementine!
January 7, 2020 by
Kya Vess 
The Cutest EDH Player
Happy New Year, everyone!
Welcome to 2020! Anyone have any New Years resolutions? I know I do, but to go through all my self-imposed false promises would take more than my 2,000 word limit would allow. Instead of boring everyone with those, I would like to give thanks to yet another year with that certain special someone. I thought today's article would be a perfect chance to look into the past of some of my favorite moments with the love of my life, as we jump together into the new year!
And who is this magic someone, you ask? My significant other, you say? Oh no, we had this conversation last month. We're not letting that go, are we readers? Not until every Night Lord is bought and assembled. No, this article is dedicated to the cutest girl around!
That's right! You all know her and it's about darn time we introduce her properly! Meet Clementine, my little EDH helper! Here she was posing with our Arcane Signet that we created in a previous article.
Oh, and what better way to remember 2019 than our very own preview card from Commander 2019! Fun fact, Clementine broke the Aeon Engine 10 minutes after it was made. Was it an oopsie? Or did she psychically collect the world's reaction to our preview card and attempt to correct a horrible, horrible mistake? You decide.
She insists that the dog did it. We don't own a dog.
Anyways, she's not always the best helper, but she's been with me since before I started writing for EDHREC and made an appearance in my articles near the very beginning. She's even slowly creeping her way to become the unofficial EDHREC mascot on Instagram. Only a few are aware, but she even plays EDH and has her very own deck. To think it's been over 2 years without her getting her very own article! As Clementine would say, "You got to be kitten me"!
Well don't worry my little sunshine, we're going to show the world what a great EDH player you are!
Enter Clementine, Master of Cat-Fu
As mentioned briefly, Clementine has actually been a longtime EDH player. Why haven't you seen her around? Well, she will only play in dimly lit rooms and high-stakes tables where the talented fight for the privilege of being number one. That, and wherever there's tons of catnip.
Clementine enjoys kitchen table action, especially when guests are over. She can get a little moody when her board state gets touched, though, and quickly throws the game with the flick of her tail. However, don't be misled by her pretty face and peerless charm - she plays one heck of a deck! And who sits at the helm of her devastating collection of EDH cards?
Well I'm sure it's not a surprise to anyone. To be fair, we tried to get her to play blue, but every time she played Rhystic Study she would ask everyone if they "pet one more" on every cast.
Anyways, Arahbo was one of my favorite Eminence cards from Commander 2017. It gives a simple combat buff to any Cat and doubles the attack of any Cat for just three mana! With trample to boot! This means that any Cat can easily get at least +6/+6 at any moment. Although the buff is nice, it definitely isn't one of the more broken Eminence abilities that some folks take umbrage with (looking at you, Edgar Markov). I personally hope Eminence comes back with similar effects as Arahbo, restrictive enough on the overall deck that the free effect from the command zone isn't too overbearing.
More importantly, Arahbo helps bring something EDH will always need more of a push of: combat decks. Not mass token spam. Not Voltron decks. Not Craterhoof Behemoth flashes. Not Infect shenanigans. Just pure, simple combat. Being the leader of Cat Tribal, Arahbo definitely adds in a sharp edge to every Cat's claw and fang, and that's how Clementine enjoys playing EDH the most!
It's Raining Cats... and Cats!
There are a lot of powerful Cats worthy of Clementine's affection. The best part is that you have quite a few options of you're ever bored of your commander and want a quick switch!
Although most EDH precons aim for this, few do it as well as our lovely little kitties. Your playgroup a little too aggressive? We have Mirri, who will be happy to slow down the game! Want to focus more on artifacts because your playgroup has a habit of board wipes? Well don't fall for that cat-astrophe, put Nazahn at the helm and equip a good old Darksteel Plate! Then of course even within our 99 we have some game-ending Lions and Tigers such as Jazal, who will be happy to end the game for their fluffy overlords.
Becoming a Crazy Cat Lady
Of course, sticking with our current commander, we have a lot of Cat creatures who love having company! This can get especially risky when you have cards like Jazal in your deck! All is fair here though, as Jazal wont surprise anyone, unlike some flash cards or instants.
Although we all love having one or two really scary tigers on the field, sometimes it's important to remember that the collective noun for a group of cats is called a 'glaring' for good reason! One of the biggest frustrations with a combat-focused deck is having to deal with boardwipe after boardwipe. Well, these little Cats will be happy to keep you company soon after losing it all! After all, if life gets you down, just get more cats!
Every Year is a Great Year When You're a Cat!
To celebrate our New Year, let's look at some of the new cards that came out in 2019! We got quite a few new powerful Cats to really up the power level of our Cat deck. Even a simple three-mana card like King of the Pride can make a huge difference with Jazal. Combine it with Regal Caracal and suddenly even our little 1/1s have become 4/3s! Add in our commander's buff ability and now we have little Adorned Pouncer smacking people like an Elder Dragon! Pay three mana and now that Pouncer is pouncing Nicol Bolas, just like this:
Poor little Bolas. He didn't expect Ajani's older sister to have his back. Fun fact, Clementine has broken a total of four Bolas statues as of this day. We no longer have anything Bolas in this house, out of fear. She says "you're welcome for protecting the multiverse". She'll come back to you when we find a way to fit Catnip in Paypal transactions.
Sneaky Like a Lion
One of the great things about Cat tribal is that we have a lot more available to us than just attacking, pumping, and generating tokens. We have tricksy little kitties who love to lure their prey into a false sense of safety.
Why did we get a mono-white Notion Thief-esque Cat like Alms Collector? Because Cats own everything, including design spaces, that's why. They make the purrrfect versions of any of our famous Magic cards. What? That Windborn Muse? Not fluffy enough, bring in Leonin Arbiter to show everyone how a Cat taxes people! We'll show those pesky blue players that colors like green and white can be just as crafty if they want to! Without being overly oppressive, we can bring some twists and turns to the game that keep Clementine's opponents on their toes!
Fangs of the Tiger
Ever wondered what happened to all my Swords after I broke apart some of my older decks? Well, Clementine now owns the full set. She won or stole them fair and square, depending on who you ask. However she got them, she's sure as heck happy she can protect her creatures from various nasty blue and red spells with Sword of Fire and Ice, or any other color with the other Swords.
Thanks to legendary options like Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith or other creatures such as Taj-Nar Swordsmith, we can grab any Equipment we want and start swinging those extra sharp claws! This is another reason Clementine and like-minded EDH players love Cat decks, as Equipment fits into a nice subtheme of the deck as well. By balancing your Equipment and Cats, you'll dominate the battlefield! After all what's a better sight in this world then a Clementine in shining armor?
Winner Winner, Chicken- Oh... the Cat Ate It
Okay so... remember when I complained about Infect a moment ago? Well... I also recall mentioning Clementine doesn't like losing. In fact, she's an oddly spiteful little cat. Just look at her reaction above to the idea of losing her commander!
She doesn't even know what's coming next, the poor thing. So how does she justify such evil cards? Well, she doesn't search for these cards (I'm sure you've heard that excuse before), there are just a few win conditions hidden in the deck so she can eventually win after a good drawn-out game. Infect too much, you say? We have a few lifegain options in our deck, so winning with Felidar Sovereign is a nice option as well!
Then again, some folks get just as salty about Felidar as they do about Infect.... Oh, what's a poor little demonic kitty to do?
Anyways, without further stalling, let us show off Clementine's decklist:
Rawr of a Thousand Meows
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Buy this decklist from TCGplayer
Closing Thoughts
So what did everyone think? Does anyone else have any decks for their little fluffy friends? To those wondering, by the way, this is in fact Clementine's deck and she does play with us. We have her sniff the cards she wants to play from her paw - I mean, hand. Although somehow she keeps "accidentally" picking the high-cost cards on turn one...
And hey, does anyone have any Magic-themed New Years Resolutions? Let me know in the comments below! Oh and quickly before the heads of EDHREC catch on... a small little poll if you have a moment... don't worry about what I'm planning to do with it:
Until next time,
Kya
Ps: Odin just found out Clementine got her own article and wants one too!
Kya Vess
Never fear! Kya's here! Kya has been a long time EDH player and hobbyist. With an extended history of blacksmithing and 3d printing various MTG related items for fun, she has turned her attention to sharing her mad scientist brews to the public. Although a competitive player by nature, her aim is to provide fun and silly deck ideas to those looking to spice up their play groups. Kya is here to scratch that demented individual's itch for pure chaos and show everyone that a Warp World can be a fun experience! Except when you have a Hive Mind and Eye of the Storm out...
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