Kinnan, Bonder ProdigyKinnan, Bonder Prodigy | Art by Jason Rainville

Do you like good-ol'-fashioned Simic () decks, chock full of massive creatures and even more massive amounts of mana? Are you tired of playing against (or with) cEDH decks that jam two creatures into the command zone?

If you said yes to those questions, then boy oh boy do I have a deck for you. Let me introduce you to Kinnan, Bonder ProdigyKinnan, Bonder Prodigy, one of the most busted mana engines (and mana outlets) that cEDH has to offer.

What Does Kinnan, Bonder ProdigyKinnan, Bonder Prodigy Do?

For , Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy is a 2/2 legendary Human Druid creature with the triggered ability "Whenever a you tap a nonland permanent for mana, add one mana of any type that permanent produced." Additionally, Kinnan has the activated ability ": Look at the top five cards of your library. You may put a non-Human creature card from among them onto the battlefield. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order."

Let's break both of those chunks of text down.

Kinnan's triggered ability effectively means that this commander is a mana doubler for just two mana. Sure, there are some instances where an extra mana isn't quite a full double of what was produced, like Sol RingSol Ring making and not , but basically every mana rock or dork that cEDH plays adds a single mana at a time, which means that Kinnan is optimized for a go-wide mana production strategy.

Roll out all the Elves, Birds, Talismans, and Monoliths you can find; Kinnan makes these traditionally good cards into ludicrously broken value plays.

As for that activated ability, seven mana is traditionally a prohibitively high cost in cEDH, but Kinnan's aforementioned mana doubling means that this is a much more achievable payment than it first appears. Tapping three mana dorks and an Island covers the full cost, and that's a pretty standard board state for any Simic or Simic+ deck these days. In exchange, you get to dig for some of the craziest creatures in cEDH, some of which can immediately present wins on their own.

Taken together, Kinnan is a two-mana commander that both produces mana and provides card advantage through an activated ability that has no restrictions other than its cost. Hold up mana for interaction, then turn it into an end step value play by digging through the top of your library.

Key Cards for Kinnan, Bonder ProdigyKinnan, Bonder Prodigy

Dorks and Rocks

If you're a low-cost nonland permanent that adds mana (ideally with a mana value of one or less), chances are pretty high that you can be found in this deck. From cEDH staples like Sol RingSol Ring and Birds of ParadiseBirds of Paradise to lesser-played picks like Elvish MysticElvish Mystic and Llanowar ElvesLlanowar Elves, every mana dork and mana rock is welcome.

Plus, since Kinnan is a low-cost commander itself, you can bet that this deck jams Mox AmberMox Amber and Springleaf DrumSpringleaf Drum with extra efficiency.

Massive Creatures

Next up, the cards you want to see when you cross that threshold to activate Kinnan: cards like Nezahal, Primal TideNezahal, Primal Tide and Consecrated SphinxConsecrated Sphinx provide an absurd amount of value when they stick around, and Hullbreaker HorrorHullbreaker Horror is a win condition that's almost impossible to remove once it lands.

Plus, with the amount of mana this deck generates, there's never a worry if you draw these cards - they may be more exciting in the moment when revealed off a Kinnan flip, but they're just as dangerous when cast from hand the good ol' fashioned way.

Artifact Tutors

Last up, a class of cards that's not too often found in Simic decks: artifact tutors. Kinnan can make infinite mana pretty easily with Basalt MonolithBasalt Monolith, so - as opposed to going all-in on creature combos - the deck also packs some handy artifact tutors in order to abuse the potency of this one-card infinite mana source.

How Does Kinnan, Bonder ProdigyKinnan, Bonder Prodigy Win?

Basalt MonolithBasalt Monolith and an Outlet

For , Basalt Monolith is an artifact that doesn't untap during your untap step, has ": Add ," and has ": Untap Basalt Monolith." Without Kinnan in play, this already means that you can tap the Monolith, then take the and immediately untap the Monolith, then rinse and repeat infinitely. This nets no mana, but with Kinnan in play the Monolith instead adds , meaning each iteration of the loop nets .

This infinite can then be put directly into Thrasios, Triton HeroThrasios, Triton Hero's activated ability (or paired with to cast Wan Shi Tong, LibrarianWan Shi Tong, Librarian), effectively allowing you to draw your deck. Pairing this infinite with Mirage MirrorMirage Mirror, meanwhile, allows you to filter it into infinite , as you can stack Mirage Mirror's activated ability (which turns it into a copy of an artifact, creature, enchantment, or land until end of turn) infinitely such that the Mirror alternates between copying a land (the colored-mana source) and the Monolith (which provides the sink for paying in order to untap it).

Regardless of which route you take, this ends with Basalt Monolith and your outlet of choice putting all the cards in your deck into your hand, and from there you'll cast every creature, then cast an infinitely-large Finale of DevastationFinale of Devastation.

Now that's a Simic win if ever there was one.

Hullbreaker HorrorHullbreaker Horror Loops

If Basalt MonolithBasalt Monolith eludes you, then there's always Hullbreaker HorrorHullbreaker Horror. For , this 7/8 Kraken Horror creature with flash that can't be countered brings with it a game-ending triggered ability: whenever you cast a spell, choose up to one - return target spell you don't control to its owner's hand, or return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand.

When paired with two mana rocks that, together, are mana-positive, Hullbreaker Horror enables an infinite mana loop. To illustrate this, we'll use Mox AmberMox Amber and Lotus PetalLotus Petal.

• Starting conditions: Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy, Hullbreaker Horror, and Mox Amber in play. Lotus Petal in hand.
• Tap Mox Amber to add either or (the mana is doubled from one to two because of Kinnan, which is also the source of Mox Amber's ability to tap for mana).
• Cast Lotus Petal. Place the Hullbreaker Horror trigger onto the stack, choosing to return a nonland permanent to its owner's hand. Target Mox Amber.
• Resolve the trigger, then resolve Lotus Petal.
• Cast Mox Amber, triggering Hullbreaker Horror. Use the Hullbreaker Horror trigger to return Lotus Petal.
• Tap Mox Amber for mana, then cast Lotus Petal, trigger Hullbreaker Horror and returning the Mox Amber. Rinse and repeat from here, adding infinite . Sink this mana into Kinnan's activated ability, eventually finding Thrasios, Triton HeroThrasios, Triton Hero. Sink more of the infinite mana into Thrasios activations, drawing your deck.

Kinnan, Bonder ProdigyKinnan, Bonder Prodigy cEDH Deck List

Wrap Up

When it comes to consistent, turn-after-turn mana production, Kinnan, Bonder ProdigyKinnan, Bonder Prodigy exists in a tier on its own, just barely within view of the next-biggest mana deck, RogThras. Seriously, a turn-one Kinnan is a pretty easy feat in cEDH, and once that's secured you're pretty much set to have four-plus mana on turn two. That's Rhystic StudyRhystic Study plus mana for interaction, or the launchpad for even more mana, or - if you're bold enough - enough mana to slam Basalt MonolithBasalt Monolith and push from there.

Kinnan truly is a top-tier cEDH list, despite being a partnerless commander with just Simic as the color identity. Who knew big mana was such a powerful force in commander?