(Baba Lysaga, Night WitchBaba Lysaga, Night Witch | Art by Slawomir Maniak)

Ain't She an Old Sweet Lady?

Greetings and salutations my dear friends, from a place where I love to tell tales of yore. I'm Arnaud and I'm thrilled, as always, to take you on a journey of uncanny brews, sacrificial shenanigans and brutal deaths.

Last time, after we parted ways with the delicate and delicious Coram, the UndertakerCoram, the Undertaker, I gave you the usual choice between three new victims thinking that, whatever the outcome, I'd be glad to take any for a stroll.

Third place went to Rin and Seri, InseparableRin and Seri, Inseparable, earning 59 votes (24%). Looks like these besties get to spend a little more time cuddling and less time fighting.

Second place went to Yidris, Maelstrom Wandered, with 91 votes (36%). A close call for a very classic commander, and I might throw him back into the fray sometime in the future.

With 101 votes (40%), the top spot was won by none other than Joseph M. Schultz's favorite commander, Baba Lysaga, Night WitchBaba Lysaga, Night Witch. Which I incidentally also happen to play from time to time. Let's take a close look!

Our resident Lady of Darkness may as well sport unimpressive stats, these are not quite what we're interested in this time around.

This frisky old hag is all about sacrificing stuff and reaping huge benefits from them, while churning down our opponents into a well of misery. Card advantage teaming up with life gain and loss, what's not to like?

As usual, lets plop every single card from EDHREC's page, using both the normal and budget options.

This yields a plump list of 362 pieces of cardboard, more than enough to make sure we have some fun!

First Trim - The Cardboard Chainsaw Massacre

Time after time, I keep asking myself (and you through these reveries) whether there are still new readers. And time after time, whenever I ask this question I get at least a couple of positive answers in the comments below. So for the sake of our newcomers, here's a short breakdown of what we're up to.

In this series, we're all about budget. So much so that we don't retain any cards worth more than $1.10, the 10 cents being there as a buffer for price variation.

Although seeing how inflation is running these days, I guess we'll soon shift to $10 or less cards... but I digress.

After an initial trim, removing each card worth strictly more than $2, we're down to 256 cards. More than enough to build a decent deck.

Out of curiosity, let's take a look at the best of what we'll be missing by a smidge, just in case you felt like upgrading your list a bit:

• Witch of the MoorsWitch of the Moors: At , she's on the more expensive side. But it's a valuable recursion engine with your commander out.
• Eternal WitnessEternal Witness: Classic recursion engine, even more valuable here.
• Sting, the Glinting DaggerSting, the Glinting Dagger: This is a fantastic all-in-one package. Haste and untapping for a very reasonable equip cost. Sold.
• Marionette ApprenticeMarionette Apprentice: I've said it before, I'll say it again. Get 10 of these before their price soars. I could very well see this hitting the $3-$4 threshold a year from here, barring any reprints in the meantime.
• Nissa of Shadowed BoughsNissa of Shadowed Boughs: An elegant way to add a card type to a land you control
• Tyvar, Jubilant BrawlerTyvar, Jubilant Brawler: Basically another Sting. Lovely.
• Revitalizing RepastRevitalizing Repast: Probably one of my two favourite lands of the cycle, versatile, cheap and efficient. And same comment as for the Apprentice.
• Aspect of MongooseAspect of Mongoose: I love the fact that this can be used both as a protection outlet and a recurring enchantment.
• Vault of WhispersVault of Whispers: If there's one deck where this is justified, it's this one.
• Marionette MasterMarionette Master A classic finisher.
• Sanctum WeaverSanctum Weaver: Funny how you play this here more for its creature enchantment status than its ability to usually generate a ton of mana.
• Ramunap ExcavatorRamunap Excavator: Sacrifice a land, then get it back.
• Nature's ChosenNature's Chosen: An old, almost forgotten Aura, allowing you to untap Baba one more time per turn. Don't mind if I do.
• Undergrowth ReconUndergrowth Recon: And another recursion engine down the drain!

This leaves us with a fairly high number of cards in the $1-$1.10 bracket:

• FarseekFarseek: This is the classic outlet to go get fetches. An excellent ramp spell, although I'm a bit more circumspect here.
• Courser of KruphixCourser of Kruphix: This on the other hand is here to stay. An excellent way to clean the top of your library.
• Swiftfoot BootsSwiftfoot Boots: I'm glad these are still affordable enough for us to play. Protection and haste baby!
• The Gitrog MonsterThe Gitrog Monster: I've had this bad boy become a jack-of-all-trades too often not to include it.
• Tireless ProvisionerTireless Provisioner: At worst it's ramp, at best it also serves to feed our commander.
• Llanowar WastesLlanowar Wastes: With all the life we're aiming to gain, the ping is anecdotal.

Well then, after this first healthy axing, we're down to 231 cards. Not a bad start. Let's proceed.

Second Trim - Cardward Scissorhands

Did you listen to your mama's advice and take your veggies this week? Had enough? Good card draw, consistent ramp, mmh?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Baba Lysaga makes for an interesting case, as she's a massive draw engine right in the command zone. However, she's also very likely to get removed as soon as your opponents see her hitting the field, so we need some contingency plans as well.

The same argument can be made for ramp. While she in herself costs a measly 3, we need to assure a decent enough mana support to be able to recast her if needed.

With that in mind, I'm aiming at 10-12 draw outlets. The ramp package will likely be in the 12-14 range. Many of these cards will serve nicely as fodder for our commander. Removal should be in the 6-8s, with 2-3 board wipes for dire situations.

Which brings us to the current situation. At the moment, we have:

Which we're going to severely axe to get down to more reasonable grounds.

This is looking much better, but we still have a long way to go. Which, in a way, is a good thing. After trimming down the mana base to 36 lands, we're still at 155 cards. Let's get to the fun part!

Third Trim - Cutting Off the Rough Edges

So, let's settle down and talk for a while.

This commander is quite specific. It aims at using and abusing the sacrificial ability of its commander, accruing insane value turn after turn, possibly multiple times in a row. There is also an inherent Aristocrats red tape: since stuff is dying, we might as well squeeze every ounce of life from our opponents.

To reach that goal, we need to keep a hefty pinging package, as well as make sure our commander never runs out of fodder.

To this end, we need to privilege either cards with multiple types, those creating a nice gift when departing the battlefield, or those who kindly return to our hand when thrown into the bin. This is the primary reason why you're seeing a slew of artifact or enchantment creatures.

With that in mind, a quick look at our categories shows a massive recursion package (24 cards), a lot of protection spells (16), quite a few token makers (17), some recurring Auras, and some other miscellaneous stuff.

I'm quite keen on keeping a decent amount of protection Auras, as these can both serve to keep our commander around in addition to be munched down if need be.

One thing that strikes my mind is the absence of several cheap untapping outlets. Getting one Baba trigger per rotation is good, getting two or three is even better!

To this end, I'm arbitrarily adding a few of these outlets straight into the deck. These are:

• Seeker of SkybreakSeeker of Skybreak
• Scryb Ranger
• Puppet Strings

I would have loved to include Magewright's StoneMagewright's Stone and Thousand-Year ElixirThousand-Year Elixir were it not for their prohibitive price.

Still in our price range, you may also want to keep an eye on Jandor's SaddlebagsJandor's Saddlebags, Initiate's CompanionInitiate's Companion, Civic GardenerCivic Gardener and/or Fyndhorn BrownieFyndhorn Brownie.

Granted, you'll also need a steady flow of stuff to feed your witch, but with all the cards you're likely to draw, that shouldn't be too much of an issue.

So in the end, this will be a tricky selection. We need to cut more or less 50 cards before we move on to the final section, and most of the card present at this moment are already more than decent.

One common denominator determining whether to keep something or let it go will be how mana intensive it is, and how much our strategy can depend on this. Which all leads to the following cuts:

Well... I knew this would be a difficult one. I had not anticipated how each and every cut would feel like a betrayal. And we're not quite done just yet. 10 cards to go.

Final Trim - Heart-Wrenching Choices

Well everyone, this has been a fun journey, thanks for tuning in and I'll see you in two w... What? The final cards? What final cards? Oh, those final cards............

Very well, if you insist, here are my last cuts. Ones I really didn't want to do.

• Circuit MenderCircuit Mender and Filigree FamiliarFiligree Familiar: Both are on the higher end of the curve, and both act more as cantrips rather than actual card draw.
• Noxious GearhulkNoxious Gearhulk: The removal package is already hefty, and while cute, this is quite mana intensive.
• Essence PulseEssence Pulse: Not high and reliable enough lifegain to truly do what you'll want it to.
• Mycosynth WellspringMycosynth Wellspring: I hesitated quite a lot on this one, but I feel like the value from Baba will give you enough lands anyway.
• Emergency WeldEmergency Weld: Cute, but I'm not a huge fan of paying two mana to retrieve a single creature, even if this provides a token in the process.
• Agent of the Iron ThroneAgent of the Iron Throne: Useless without Baba out. But it's a painful cut.
• Myr RetrieverMyr Retriever and Scrap TrawlerScrap Trawler. We only have 10 artifacts including these two in the list. Not worth it.
• Myr SireMyr Sire: The least efficient of all token spewers.
• ForestForest: Low curve (2.6ish) and out of ideas. Go ahead, roast me.

And with that, we're done. 99 cards. Wait, 99?

That's right. I really, really, REALLY wanted to find one more spot for what I consider to be a hidden gem in this deck. Please say hello to

At the time of writing, this nice nature boy can be found for $0.69. Turn one of your lands into a creature for an additional type, or open the way for spot removal, this is both versatile and efficient. Plus, it'll make heads turn assorted with "wait, what's that?". Trendy.

And so, here's our final iteration:

Additional Trim - A Look Into the Past

Last but not least, let's check on an old deck of this series. Namely, Shalai and Hallar.

And would you look at that. Some of those prices have significantly risen in the last year and a half:

• Champion of LambholtChampion of Lambholt: $1.16
• Krenko, Tin Street KingpinKrenko, Tin Street Kingpin: $1.18
• Kodama's ReachKodama's Reach: $1.25
• Skyshroud ClaimSkyshroud Claim: $1.51
• Felidar RetreatFelidar Retreat: $1.53
• Gavony TownshipGavony Township: $1.69
• Fractal HarnessFractal Harness: $1.94
• Incubation DruidIncubation Druid: $2.05
• Rockfall ValeRockfall Vale: $2.05
• Kami of Whispered HopesKami of Whispered Hopes: $2.45

That's... nasty. 10 cards that have become prohibitively expensive for our purposes. Let's replace those with:

• Selesnya SignetSelesnya Signet, Boros SignetBoros Signet and Gruul SignetGruul Signet: We're a bit on the short end when it comes to ramp.
• Fortified VillageFortified Village and Game TrailGame Trail: A couple more lands won't hurt one bit.
• Kutzil, Malamet ExemplarKutzil, Malamet Exemplar: A great protection outlet, and with our strategy this will almost certainly net some additional card draw.
• Loyal GuardianLoyal Guardian: Expensive mana-wise, but very effective.
• Fangs of KaloniaFangs of Kalonia: More, MORE, MOOOOOOORE COUNTERS!!!
• Evolution WitnessEvolution Witness: This has value written all over it.
• Herd BalothHerd Baloth: Fancy an army of Beasts?

You can find the updated list here.

Conclusion

I'd like to finish this article with a few comments on the thought process behind any of these brews. Basically, I'd like to imagine that most of them can be right at home in Bracket 2 and hold their own in not too nasty 3s.

With that being said, it's more about sharing the fantastic potential of cheap decks more than showing off sheer power.

Also, my next article will mark my two-year anniversary since I started writing for EDHREC. Therefore, I'm offering you an additional choice. Should we stick to a classic trim, or would you fancy something more... bizarre?

Let me know in the comments below, and I'll see you in two weeks!

Arnaud Gompertz

Arnaud Gompertz has been playing Magic since 4th Edition, back in 1995. He's been an assiduous EDH enthusiast since 2012, with a soft spot for unusual and casual Commanders. He'll always favour spectacular plays against a boring path to victory. Aside from mistreating cardboard, he's a dedicated board games player, loves a challenging video game and occasionally tries to sing with his choir.