Tam, Observant SequencerTam, Observant Sequencer | Art by Jodie Muir

The preview season for Secrets of Strixhaven is finally here! It feels like it's already been a year since Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles released (it's actually been only a month!) and I am practically frothing at the mouth to return to Arcavios.

During the spoiler season for Lorwyn Eclipsed, I covered Tam, Mindful First-YearTam, Mindful First-Year, and the deck I built with her at the helm was a mainstay of my Commander deck collection for several months. Now she has another commander: Tam, Observant SequencerTam, Observant Sequencer. In this deck tech, I'm going to find some more Simic () nonsense to do with Tam.

What Does Tam, Observant SequencerTam, Observant Sequencer Do?

Tam, Observant Sequencer is a four-mana Simic commander with a Landfall ability that prepares her. When prepared, she can cast the attached spell, Deep Sight. Casting it un-prepares her and she'll need another Landfall trigger to become prepared once more. Deep Sight draws a card and gains a life, much like the Landfall trigger on Tatyova, Benthic DruidTatyova, Benthic Druid. In that way, Tam is just a slower, less efficient Tatyova.

One of the ways I find it helpful to conceptualize commanders is with inputs and outputs. Tam and Tatyova both have the same input: a land coming into play. Their outputs is where they differ, and a deck that takes full advantage of Tam is one that can maximize the difference between Tam and Tatyova's outputs. Tatyova draws a card and gain a life automatically upon the land entering. Tam grants the opportunity to cast a sorcery each time she triggers. Here, I'll be leveraging Tam's ability to get a cast trigger from a sorcery every turn!

Key Cards for Tam, Observant Sequencer

While looking for Magecraft-esque triggers to capitalize on having guaranteed access to a sorcery every turn, it didn't take long to uncover the best way to utilize Tam, Observant SequencerTam, Observant Sequencer's output: token-generators. Poppet StitcherPoppet Stitcher, Murmuring MysticMurmuring Mystic, Talrand, Sky SummonerTalrand, Sky Summoner, and Hermes, Overseer of ElpisHermes, Overseer of Elpis take Tam's ability to repeatably cast Deep Sight and convert it into an ever-growing amount of material on the board.

Magecraft-style triggers aren't the only path to flooding the board with tokens. Scute SwarmScute Swarm, Springheart NantukoSpringheart Nantuko, Chocobo RacetrackChocobo Racetrack, and Rampaging BalothsRampaging Baloths add tokens to the board with Landfall triggers, something this deck is already built to enable. Springheart Nantuko gets bonus points as it can be bestowed on another token-generator, like Murmuring MysticMurmuring Mystic, to make additional copies of it when there's mana to spare.

Pest InfestationPest Infestation, a Vintage Cube staple, is one of my favorite pieces of mass artifact removal for decks that can easily generate a lot of mana. Here, it is not only removal but incredibly effective token generation! Once the opponents have a good idea of what this deck is up to, I'd wager that casting a huge Pest Infestation will often prompt a board wipe, but that's fine because the PestPest tokens provide value in the form of life gain on their way out.

For the Common GoodFor the Common Good is a protection spell I'd never seen before building the deck for this article. Making copies of whatever the best token is a few times and proactively preventing most board wipes from foiling the next phase of the deck's game plan is quite strong, even if I wish this card was an instant. (A problem Alchemist's RefugeAlchemist's Refuge can solve!)

In order for this deck to keep the land drops flowing, I've included Life from the LoamLife from the Loam and two Crucible of WorldsCrucible of Worlds analogues in the form of Icetill ExplorerIcetill Explorer and Conduit of WorldsConduit of Worlds. Running out of ways to trigger Tam for a couple turns would initiate an inescapable death spiral, and I'd like to avoid that.

To squeeze a little extra utility out of Life from the LoamLife from the Loam, I've included several cycling lands, like Tranquil ThicketTranquil Thicket, that can be used to generate card advantage while dredging Life from the Loam over and over again. The Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty channel lands, Otawara, Soaring CityOtawara, Soaring City and Boseiju, Who EnduresBoseiju, Who Endures also turn Life from the Loam into a source of repeatable removal. Both channel and cycling abilities from lands can be paid for with Sunken CitadelSunken Citadel, a utility land that can be found with either Analyze the PollenAnalyze the Pollen or Traverse the UlvenwaldTraverse the Ulvenwald! I love getting to include utility lands packages like this, as it really minimizes the impact of flooding when a large portion of a deck's lands can do more than just provide mana.

How Does This Tam, Observant Sequencer Deck Win the Game?

The big payoff for the mountain of tokens this deck generates is Glacier GodmawGlacier Godmaw and, to a lesser extent, Demolisher SpawnDemolisher Spawn. Glacier Godmaw is the perfect finisher in this deck for two reasons: it grants haste and it generates a massive amount of power with an Aftermath AnalystAftermath Analyst or Splendid ReclamationSplendid Reclamation bringing back a ton of lands in one fell swoop. This means that tokens generated from Landfall triggers from permanents like Scute SwarmScute Swarm and Chocobo RacetrackChocobo Racetrack won't be hindered by summoning sickness on the pivotal turn where I'm pushing to end the game.

Demolisher SpawnDemolisher Spawn is a perfect alternative to Glacier Godmaw. A flat +4/+4 and trample is nothing to sneeze at, and having four types in the graveyard by the point the deck is looking to end a game should be trivial. Furthermore, Demolisher Spawn is a hasty creature with an attack trigger, which allows it to get value from being copied by Shifting Woodland in a way that Craterhoof BehemothCraterhoof Behemoth can't.

By the time I was done assembling this deck, I realized that I'd accidentally included a convoluted infinite combo that generates infinite mana and Landfall triggers. A way to sacrifice lands, like Sylvan SafekeeperSylvan Safekeeper, plus a way to make lands enter untapped, like Horizon ExplorerHorizon Explorer or a Lotus CobraLotus Cobra effect and Aftermath AnalystAftermath Analyst goes infinite! With Tam, Observant SequencerTam, Observant Sequencer in play this also results in near-infinite casts of Deep Sight, limited only by the number of cards remaining in library! It is unlikely that this combo will be realistic to assemble before the deck is capable of ending the game in more straightforward ways, but it is something to keep in mind when piloting the deck.

Tam, Observant Sequencer Commander Deck List

Conclusion

I was surprised by how much I loved this deck! The tokens theme makes this Landfall commander feel pretty distinct from others that I've played, although that's fairly easy when nearly every Landfall deck I build inevitably turns into a High TideHigh Tide storm deck. I'm excited to assemble this one in paper when prerelease week rolls around.

As for classifying this deck, I initially assumed that this build of Tam, Observant SequencerTam, Observant Sequencer would find its way into Bracket 2 (Core) fairly easily. Now, I'd still put it in Bracket 2, but with an asterisk. For some tables, this deck could be a little too focused for Bracket 2 play. However, I don't see this deck ever producing a win quickly enough to warrant a bump up to Bracket 3 (Upgraded) regardless of its high consistency.