Going Universes Beyond - Shadow the Hedgehog

Shadow the Hedgehog | Art by Tracy Yardley

Hello, and welcome back to Beyond the Multiverse! Today, we're picking an option from the latest IP to enter Universes Beyond, Sonic the Hedgehog, with Shadow the Hedgehog.

Anyways, without further ado, let's jump right in.

The Ultimate Lifeform

Shadow the Hedgehog has quite a history across multiple forms of media. That being said, the overarching story is that he was a creation of Dr. Gerald Robotnik, the grandfather of Dr. Eggman.

After his birth, Shadow befriended his daughter, Maria. Tragically, Maria was killed in a lab attack. Shadow would survive, going on to get his revenge until Sonic and friends calmed him down. From there, Shadow would go on to protect the world, fulfilling Maria's wish for peace.

The Ultimate Edgelord (as I'll dub him in jest) requires a few things from us. First, he draws cards when creatures we control with flash or haste die, but we can cheat a bit here, and find ways to give them at least one of those abilities.

The other is mana from artifacts for his second, extremely powerful ability. The easiest way would be the first method that'll cross everyone's minds: Treasures! Better have a box of cheap jewelry handy.

Seeking Revenge

One common denominator I find with Treasure decks is that there's a lot of "steal" effects or impulse draws. With Shadow, if we can sacrifice at least one Treasure token to pay for the card's cost, we can make it uncounterable.

That said, we're limited by how many Treasures we control. While we'll have mana rocks to help, we can't always rely on them.

Our first option also comes from the Sonic IP in Knuckles the Echidna (not to be confused with those tasty enchiladas, please and thank you), who will net us Treasures when our creatures connect. While we won't often fire off his alt-win condition, it's one way to win.

Two of the best Treasure token makers we'll be running are Unexpected Windfall and Big Score. Not only do they give us treasures, but they draw us cards, too.

Both Gimli of the Glittering Caves and Professional Face-Breaker need us to punch faces to get more Treasures. Meanwhile, Ancient Copper Dragon and Cavern-Hoard Dragon have the potential to dump more Treasures on our board.

With all of these Treasures, who needs mana rocks?

Other noteworthy cards include The Reaver Cleaver, which turns a creature we control into a coin dispenser. Deadly Dispute can sacrifice a creature in a pinch to draw cards on top of more Treasure. Mastermind Plum works similarly to Shadow in that he draws us cards if we cast spells using our Treasure tokens.

Chaos Control!

With all of these Treasure tokens, what shall we do with them? Why, we cast spells, of course!

But not just our spells. On each of our upkeeps, Stolen Strategy will allow us to cast the top card from our opponents' decks. The Ruinous Powers is similar, but we only get the top card from a random opponent.

Meanwhile, Lidless Gaze lets us get a card from each player, plus its flashback will let us use it a second time.

Another good option is Locke, Treasure Hunter. The way he works is that everyone mills a card when he attacks, but if he hits multiple lands, you still only get one Treasure (booo!). Otherwise, we can cast any of the nonland cards hit this way.

If we're sneaky enough, Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer takes the top card from an opponent it hits, and gives us a Treasure for our trouble.

Coming to Terms

The list is about as much Treasures as it can be. That said, there are a few other notables.

Ashnod's Altar is a standout here: Sacrificing a creature means that the next spell you cast (or two, if you split it) will have split second. Having Pitiless Plunderer out as well means you get a Treasure for your loss.

Having enough Treasures out also means you can steal creatures with Kellogg, Dangerous Mind. That said, that will mean five fewer Treasures for you to use with Shadow later on. He has haste, and makes a Treasure on attack to offset this, but he's also quite frail.

Speaking of haste, we have a few ways to consistently have haste. As long as our commander's out, Loyal Apprentice will make a token with haste for the turn. In addition, both The Fire Crystal and Anger will give all of our creatures haste, ensuring we draw cards when they die.

An all-star here is Sabin, Master Monk. Paying the blitz cost with a Treasure will give him split second, and he'll have haste, so you'll end up drawing two cards for the price of one! Being a heavy hitter also helps, and double strike ensures Sabin can take down most creatures.

To close out games, we can always rely on combat, getting extra steps with the help of Bloodthirster. Both Knuckles and Hellkite Tyrant have alternate win conditions based on the number of artifacts we have.

Sacrificing and making Treasures will make the humble Mirkwood Bats a lethal threat in its own right.

We can also utilize commander damage with the help of The Spear of Leonidas, but we shouldn't rely on that. That inclusion is more so we can either dig deeper, or have Shadow survive when he attacks.

Shadow the Hedgehog Commander Deck List

Looking Beyond the Stars

Looking at in-universe options that are available, we gain access to more efficient ways to utilize Shadow's chaos control ability. A set of all-stars are the artifact lands, like Great Furnace and Drossforge Bridge. Tapping these will grant split second, but watch that they don't get blown up by a stray Vandalblast

In addition, Goldspan Dragon makes Treasures, has haste, and makes said Treasures tap for two instead of one.

We gain access to another way to win through Mayhem Devil, which operates similarly to the Bats. Xorn gives us an additional Treasure when we make them, and Rain of Riches gives cascade on top of split second. Yuck.

As if the Mayhem Devil weren't enough, we gain access to the infamous Revel in Riches, and more life loss effects with Marionette Master and Marionette Apprentice.

However, none shine more brightly in this section than Prosper, Tome-Bound. With all the cards we're casting from exile, he'll be stacking up Treasures fast, meaning more ammo for Shadow to make things hard to stop.

Alchemist's Talent is another solid option, doubling mana from Treasures, and hitting each opponent if we use mana from them to cast our spells.

Fulfilling a Promise

This is a more casual take on Shadow, but I'm positive you could do some even more disgusting things in the higher brackets. If you're one of those fortunate enough to have pulled a Lotus Petal from the Secret Lair drops, then that could fit right into the list. Especially if you can recur it multiple times.

Tune in next time when I'll take a road off the beaten path. I hope you, the reader, will enjoy what new kinds of articles I'll have in store for you.

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