Seton, Krosan ProtectorSeton, Krosan Protector | Art by Greg Staples

When I heard that this week was going to be “Commander Spellbook Week” at EDHREC, I jumped at the chance to represent my favorite deck archetype. I cut my teeth on combo decks, from Enduring IdealEnduring Ideal in Extended to Mind's DesireMind's Desire Storm, and even Jeskai AscendancyJeskai Ascendancy in Standard.

Heck, the first deck I built for myself consisted of four Cinder PyromancerCinder Pyromancers, four Flame JabFlame Jabs, and 52 Mountains. Retracing the Flame Jabs counts as casting red spells, which untaps the Pyromancers, enabling the deck to machine-gun creatures and opponents alike. It was a thing of beauty.

What draws me to combo decks is the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, which I’ve always found inspiring. Combo decks typically either elevate seemingly bad cards, or draw out all of the latent potential of powerful cards. Combo decks and Typal decks have that in common, which is one of the main reasons why I love building Typal decks week after week.

But there’s one creature type in particular that lends itself to a bevy of combos, with over 200 combos listed on its commander’s EDHREC page.

Have you guessed it? It’s Druids!

Druids ride the interesting line between the two major types of combos: engine-based, and cut-and-paste. Engine-based combos are ones where the whole deck works together as part of the combo, like Storm decks. Cut-and-paste combos are ones where assembling the pieces in the right zones does incredibly powerful things, like Splinter TwinSplinter Twin and Deceiver ExarchDeceiver Exarch. The former have the combo as the shell, with some light elements of other archetypes, while the latter have the combo nestled in the shell of a different archetype, like Control.

Druid History

Druids are a base-green creature type closely connected to nature and the primordial energy of the plane. They are a type related to an occupation instead of a species, often with the Human or Elf secondary typing. In fact, many of the most powerful Humans and Elves in green are also Druids.

Functionally, Druids tap to make bursts of mana like Elves do, but then untap themselves or lands to take it to another level. While Elves in general may be lower to the ground, Druids are far more explosive, leading to a suite of infinite mana combinations.

But how do we win a game with all that mana? And what kind of commander could maximize our mana explosion?

What Does Seton, Krosan ProtectorSeton, Krosan Protector Do?

Seton is a 2/2 for 3 mana, all of which is green, so it’s a bit behind on rate from the get-go. Since we’re a mono-green deck, the triple-green cost isn’t too much of a mitigating factor. This is what keeps it from being too bonkers, however, as Seton is still incredibly powerful.

Seton’s power lies in its activated ability. By tapping any Druid, including Seton, we make a green mana. This means that any Druid becomes a hasty Llanowar ElvesLlanowar Elves. As we churn through the deck, we continue making mana, enabling us to turn the infinite mana outlets into infinite draw outlets.

We’re not in the lower Brackets anymore; we’re teetering between 3 and 4, leaning towards Bracket 4’s proto-cEDH.

But what would a Druid deck look like? And how does it balance being both a Typal deck and a Combo one?

Key Cards for Seton, Krosan ProtectorSeton, Krosan Protector

Engine-based combos require three distinct categories of cards: mana, draw, and exhaust. Cut-and-paste combos require specific cards and effects that combine together. The mana of the deck is composed of creatures that tap for large amounts of mana and permanents that untap those mana-producing creatures for less than the amount created, going infinite. The card draw forms an engine with these effects, enabling us to find the exhaust, permanents that have activated abilities we can pour the infinite mana into, known as "mana sinks."

Priest of TitaniaPriest of Titania and Karametra's AcolyteKarametra's Acolyte both provide a ton of mana. The Priest makes mana equal to the number of Elves we control, and many Druids are also Elves. The Acolyte makes mana equal to our devotion to green, which gets quite high with a commander that has three green pips.

Both Umbral MantleUmbral Mantle and Staff of DominationStaff of Domination can untap creatures for a bit of mana. They go infinite with creatures that make bursts of mana because the Priest and Acolyte can tap to make enough mana to pay for the cost of untapping themselves through the artifacts, forming a cut-and-paste combo.

But what do we do with that mana?

Beast WhispererBeast Whisperer is one of several cards in green that act like the Game Changer Glimpse of NatureGlimpse of Nature, drawing cards when we cast a creature. It is also a Druid, so we can tap it and any new creatures to continue drawing through our deck. Augur of AutumnAugur of Autumn lets us play creatures from the top of the deck, so we can avoid fizzling in the event we don’t draw one. These effects form the engine of the deck.

Three Tree CityThree Tree City is one of several lands that make a burst of mana, meaning that we can simulate Priest and Acolyte by untapping those mana-burst lands. Wirewood LodgeWirewood Lodge untaps an Elf, simulating Mantle and Staff. Any way we can squeeze bonus copies of our combo pieces is welcome.

But how do we close the game out?

How Does This Seton, Krosan ProtectorSeton, Krosan Protector Commander Deck Win?

Kamahl, Fist of KrosaKamahl, Fist of Krosa could be a Druid commander at a lower Bracket, as it is an excellent mana sink. We can use it to animate any excess lands we have, and we can stack layers of OverrunOverruns to trample over our opponents. Helix PinnacleHelix Pinnacle is a somewhat silly-looking alternative, until you see that it only costs one mana, has shroud, and is an infinite mana sink.

The Deck List

Conclusion

Combo decks are a ton of fun. There are other combo-oriented Typal commanders in the upper Brackets, including Azami, Lady of ScrollsAzami, Lady of Scrolls Wizards; Magda, Brazen OutlawMagda, Brazen Outlaw Dwarves; and Scion of the Ur-DragonScion of the Ur-Dragon Dragons.

But how would you build a Typal Combo deck? And who would lead your Rube Goldberg contraption?