The Witness | Art by Bungie

Greetings and salutations my dear brewers, and welcome to this new Beyond Universes Within, where I try to make a thematic Bracket 1 deck based on a popular theme or franchise.

Today, it's time to look at the other side of the mirror. After tackling The Traveler and the Guardians, let's try building a deck that features the villains of this universe.

Prior to entering this ordeal, I had hardly any knowledge about Destiny's surprisingly vast lore. The Destinypedia was helpful, as were the massive 221 pages which condensed what happened in the decade or so the games have been around.

The other deck focused on the good guys, but mostly on the Traveler and what it represents. I've seen comments arguing the Guardians should have been helming the deck, but I still believe that a showdown between The Traveler and The Witness is what would represent this saga best.

The first choice concerned colors. I initially strongly considered Jund (), as this would have led to an easy representation of the Worm. But since The Traveler was in Jeskai (), I figured that having Grixis () would make more sense in the end, for symmetry purposes.

Then came the commander. Before unveiling it, I need to tell you a bit about what The Witness represents. It is, according to the game's wiki: "The product of an entire species having merged into one entity using their mastery of the Darkness, their minds bound together into a single gestalt consciousness. It spent eons chasing the Traveler as part of its pursuit to impose "salvation" upon all reality through its vision of the Final Shape."

It believes there is one unique ideal to be reached, one of unity and unicity.

"Despair. Doubt. Sentimentality. Weakness.
We are above such… aberrations.
We are the Witness. We are the first knife who cuts free the final shape. We have found the only answer to the only question. We are all that we were, are, and will ever be. We alone understand the meaning of eternity."

I had to choose a Grixis commander that embodied a sense of finality and that influenced time itself. Meet Obeka, Brute ChronologistObeka, Brute Chronologist.

This might strike you as a peculiar choice. She does not bear any physical resemblance with The Witness, and her ability normally requires a build revolving around it. But in terms of flavour, I like the idea that she can possibly end anyone's turn on a whim (I know, that requires an agreement from the players, but that's a detail), and that she's depicted as a time manipulator.

The other option was probably an iteration of Nicol Bolas, but I felt the big boy was too emblematic on its own to represent anything else.

The base is set, let's move to the contents.

The Witness and the Darkness

The Witness is the prime and ultimate antagonist in the game, a being of almighty power. It seeks to bring an end to the universe's endless cycle of creation, growth, suffering, and death. It sees existence itself as fundamentally flawed: life is born without purpose, struggles to survive, and eventually disappears. To the Witness, the universe needs a definitive meaning and a final, permanent ending. Its ultimate goal is therefore the Final Shape: a state in which all change, uncertainty, and suffering have been brought to an end. The Witness does not simply seek to destroy the universe; it seeks to impose a perfect, immutable order upon it, ending the chaos of existence and entropy once and for all.

These are ambitious goals, and I felt like they should be depicted by several cards.

There are a surprisingly large number of cards that have the words Final or Finale in their title.

• Finale of RevelationFinale of Revelation represents the vision The Witness holds as the only truth.
• The same goes for Arbiter of the IdealArbiter of the Ideal, Silent ArbiterSilent Arbiter, and Docent of PerfectionDocent of Perfection, as The Witness seeks to decide the universe's outcome alone.
• Finale of EternityFinale of Eternity shows what would happen as the universe reached the Final Shape, which itself is represented by Life's FinaleLife's Finale, Final ActFinal Act, Final PartingFinal Parting and Living EndLiving End.
• Finally, StandstillStandstill shows what comes next, a place where time itself would lose its meaning.

In the Destinyverse, Darkness is opposed to Light. It's not inherently evil, more a cosmic power that has been used and weaponized by the Witness and its followers. There were several cards representing the Light in the other deck, so I felt it was only fair to give Darkness the same treatment. Add Sothera, the SupervoidSothera, the Supervoid to the three cards above, and you have a neat package.

The Main Antagonists

Alfred Hitchcock once said: "The more successful the villain, the more successful the picture". The same holds true for video games, and Destiny is no exception. There is a massive gallery of villains in this franchise, and these logically make for most of the cards in the deck.

Let's begin with the three major antagonists: Savathûn the Witch Queen, Xivu Arath, God of War, and Oryx, the Taken King.

First, Savathûn. She's one of the founders of the Hive, a true goddess of deceit and ruse, and a shrewd manipulator who played her enemies, her allies, her brethren, and even the Witness. She's the embodiment of a fundamental aspect in Destiny: the forces of the Darkness can't be reduced to simple Darkness faithful. To represent her, I chose Valki, God of LiesValki, God of Lies, Weaver of LiesWeaver of Lies, The Trickster-God's HeistThe Trickster-God's Heist, and DeceitDeceit.

Second, let's address Xivu Arath. She represents war as a principle, violence as a ritual, and conflict as a source of power. I've retained four cards as well: Rowan, Scion of WarRowan, Scion of War, In the Web of WarIn the Web of War, Myojin of Infinite RageMyojin of Infinite Rage, and War ElementalWar Elemental. Sure, it's not a subtle representation, but then again, neither is Xivu.

Third, let's talk about Oryx, the Taken King. He's one of the biggest antagonists in the first game, and absolutely central to understanding Sword Logic (more on that later). He conquers, he kills, and he transforms his enemies into Taken, beings whose will is subjected to a higher power. I've gone with a newcomer for this one: Tresserhorn's Lord, ReturnedTresserhorn's Lord, Returned. This in my opinion represents both power and alienation all in one.

Speaking of Oryx, I could not leave Crota aside. Oryx's son is responsible for the Great Disaster, closely tied to the Guardian's catastrophe on the Moon, and overall a figurehead of the first major events in the storyline. To represent him, I chose Disaster RadiusDisaster Radius, for the scale of the mayhem he wreaks, and Rona, Herald of InvasionRona, Herald of Invasion, since he does indeed represent the themes of both heritage and invasion.

Next up is Fikrul, the Fanatic. The leader of the Scorn – Eliksini who died and were brought back in corrupted form – embodies several aspects: gruesome immortality, monstrous resurrection, and corruption. I believe Gisa, Glorious ResurrectorGisa, Glorious Resurrector is a fitting figure, as she brings back dying creatures to the battlefield with decayed.

How could I not include Eramis, the leader of the Fallen? She represents resentment against the Traveler, who traveled with the Eliksini for a while, before leaving them. For Eramis, humanity is the people who received what was stolen from her own. I found two cards to represent this feeling: Fallen IdealFallen Ideal, and Sorin the MirthlessSorin the Mirthless, with the latter representing all the gloom and bitterness she's capable of.

Let's wrap up this section with a few more major figureheads.

Calus is a very peculiar figure. The Emperor of the Cabal is a hedonist, and nurtures a peculiar objective: seeing the end of the universe like one would attend a glorious show. He represents both decadence and excess, but also an understanding of the inevitable. To represent this imposing figure, I chose Decadent DragonDecadent Dragon – Korvold would also have been a nice fit, but alas he's not in the right colors – and Final FortuneFinal Fortune, as a token of one last stupendous moment before the end.

Rhulk is the first disciple of the Witness the players meet in person. He does not simply build an army, he finds individuals and civilizations able to adopt his philosophy and turns them into tools. Rhulk destroyed his own world, played a crucial role in the story of the Worm Gods, and has served the Witness for ages. He's also tied to the Upended, a weapon able to destroy an entire world. To represent him, I added Planetary AnnihilationPlanetary Annihilation, and Disciple of BolasDisciple of Bolas. The latter would have been even more fitting if the commander was actually Nicol Bolas, but it's close enough.

Finally, Nezarec is another of the Witness's disciples, tied to themes like nightmares, fear, corruption or horror. Even after his demise, he continues to influence events. For this reason, I decided to include Chainer, Nightmare AdeptChainer, Nightmare Adept.

Enemy Factions

Now that the major villains have been covered, it's time to address their relative factions, and what they represent.

First, let's take a look at the Taken (no pun intended). These are beings from various species, corrupted and submitted to a greater will. They have been stripped of their identity, and remodeled for a greater purpose. Their philosophy could be summed up as "I'm taking what was yours, and I turn it into an extension of myself". In a way, they're almost an archetype of theft and corruption. In the Magic lore, the Aetherborn on Avishkar look like almost a perfect fit. Gonti, Lord of LuxuryGonti, Lord of Luxury looks perfect here, but so do Heartless ConscriptionHeartless Conscription, Control MagicControl Magic, and Fevered SuspicionFevered Suspicion. I may have gone a little overboard in this section, but it's one of the aspects of the lore I enjoyed the most.

Second, the Hive. Led by Savathûn, Oryx, and Xivu Arath, they are an ancient species transformed by the Worm Gods after making a deal with them. They're one of the major forces of Darkness. Hive MindHive Mind seems almost too perfect here.

Third, The Dread, an army created by the Witness to serve its deeds, and its main armed force during the events of The Final Shape. They are soldiers devoted to the accomplishment of their task. Two cards emerged above all the others to represent this: Command the DreadhordeCommand the Dreadhorde, and Dreadhorde InvasionDreadhorde Invasion.

Last but not least, the Scorn. Revived by Fikrul with Dark Aether, they are twisted lifeforms, animated by hatred and corruption. To represent this deformed monstrosity, I chose Gruesome MenagerieGruesome Menagerie.

Now that almost all the main antagonists have been dealt with, let's dive even deeper.

Worm Gods and Sword Logic

I could not begin this section without addressing the Worm Gods. I'm almost positive that the most dedicated players among you jumped out of their seats when they didn't see them appear in the former sections. Their influence on the overall Destinyverse is so vast I believe they deserve their own section.

The Worms are an ancient species that thrive on survival. Worms exist in two forms: massive, serpentine beings known as Worm Gods, and smaller parasitic "larvae" that can live within the bodies of other beings. Once a being hosts a Worm, they will be driven by a desire to overcome more and more foes, thus extending their life and feeding their parasite, in exchange for great power. This is also known as the Sword Logic. The problem is that the Worm demands an ever-increasing tribute to its host.

I've found several fitting cards for both these concepts. For the Worms, I focused on the Hunger they drive in their host, with Kalakscion, Hunger TyrantKalakscion, Hunger Tyrant, He Who HungersHe Who Hungers, Demonic AppetiteDemonic Appetite, Kroxa, Titan of Death's HungerKroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger, and Exquisite BloodExquisite Blood. I also wanted to symbolize the deal the host makes with the Worm, and this I chose to represent with Infernal ContractInfernal Contract and Pact WeaponPact Weapon.

As for the Sword Logic, its base idea of Strong-Survives-Weak-Dies led me to two cards: Death Pit OfferingDeath Pit Offering, and Culling the WeakCulling the Weak. Combined, they show the relentlessness that the agents of the Worm are capable of, and the unfortunate demise their weaker adversaries will eventually meet.

Clovis Bray, Exos, and the Deep Stone Crypt

Clovis Bray is a central figure in the Destiny universe. This brilliant mind was obsessed with the idea of extracting the mind of living beings and transplanting it in artificial shells, thus ridding them of the weakness of the flesh. In some way he's not unlike Mishra. In the end, I chose the much more ambiguous savant Ashnod, Flesh MechanistAshnod, Flesh Mechanist to represent him.

I could not thereafter forgo the Exos altogether. These have proven hard to embody. Grafted WargearGrafted Wargear looks like a decent fit, for lack of a better solution.

Finally, the Deep Stone Crypt is the secret facility where Clovis conducted his experiments. I chose no less than four cards to represent this: Ashnod's TransmograntAshnod's Transmogrant, Crumbling NecropolisCrumbling Necropolis, Soul ConduitSoul Conduit, and Havengul LaboratoryHavengul Laboratory.

Technology and Events

I'm going to keep this section a little more concise than the rest. Here you'll find items of various sizes as well as representations of significant milestones in the story.

• The Collapse: A cataclysm in human history that nearly brought the species to extinction. DamnationDamnation is the direct counterpart to Wrath of GodWrath of God from the other deck.
• Pyramids: Massive vessels that make up the armada known as the Black Fleet. There are several cards with fitting names, but Sunset PyramidSunset Pyramid feels like the best choice, with Sunset hinting at the Black Fleet and the incoming Dark Age.
• The Black Fleet: The armada sent by the Witness to the Solar System. I chose Entropic BattlecruiserEntropic Battlecruiser not so much for the name – entropy is the antithesis of what the Witness wishes to achieve – as much as for the threat it represents.
• The Dreadnought: A massive Hive spaceship, which serves as a mobile Throne World for Oryx, the Taken King. Dawnsire, Sunstar DreadnoughtDawnsire, Sunstar Dreadnought made it the obvious candidate.
• The Leviathan: A massive Cabal ship, which formerly belonged to Emperor Calus. A symbol of hedonism if there ever was one. Skysovereign, Consul FlagshipSkysovereign, Consul Flagship looked luxurious enough.
• The Upended: This is a weapon capable of destroying worlds. WorldslayerWorldslayer seemed appropriate.

Locations

The world of Destiny is vast. Just as the Guardians had several key locations, so do the forces of the Witness. Let's go through the most significant ones:

• Fundament: A gas giant planet in an unknown star system that gave rise to the Hive billions of years ago. A barren and hostile place. For this, I chose GlimmervoidGlimmervoid.
• Savathûn's Throne World: These are personal realms whose forms and laws are defined by their creators. Savathûn's is the most prominent one, and Throne of the High CityThrone of the High City feels close both in flavour and ability.
• The Ascendant Plane: An extra-dimensional plane of existence tied to the Darkness. It is there that Throne Worlds are created. This one stumped me for a while, but in the end I resorted to Contact Other PlaneContact Other Plane.
• The Black Garden: A mysterious place out of space and time, and home to the Vex. Unchanged from the other list, still Exotic OrchardExotic Orchard.
• The Veil: A web of consciousness and a power source, connected to the Traveler. This is a weird entity, which I chose to represent with Mystic VeilMystic Veil, and Psychic MembranePsychic Membrane.
• And to wrap things up, 10 MountainMountain, 10 SwampSwamp, and 10 IslandIsland. A round number to represent the Witness's will for unity and unicity.

All this leads to:

The Deck List

And if you want the version with detailed categories, you can find it here. 

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this journey throughout the darker side of the Destiny universe. I've spent a long time diving deep into this incredibly vast lore.

I'd love to hear from you, especially the fans. Did I miss something? Are some cards still obscure? Which commander would you have chosen?

Let me know in the comments below, and I'll see you in a month with another universe to cram Within!