Tivash, Gloom SummonerTivash, Gloom Summoner | Art by Kieran Yanner

Greetings and salutations, my dear brewers, and welcome to a brand new Trim. I'm Arnaud, and I'm delighted to take you on a journey of sluice drainage, life transfer and massive demons.

Before moving on to today's commander, I'd like to address the results of the last poll. The question was "Do you want more Universes Beyond options [for Trims]?".

First, a big thank you. 144 of you took the time to answer, and this is really, truly, totally precious feedback.

The results were rather clear as well. 47% of you were against including UB options, 37% didn't care either way, and 17% were in favor (yes I know, this doesn't add up to 100, I rounded the results). So the conclusion is rather clear. I will stick to Universes Within options, but I may include something from UB from time to time.

With this out of the way, let's focus on today's commander. Meet Tivash, Gloom SummonerTivash, Gloom Summoner.

I had been eyeing this big boy for some time before actually building the deck a couple months ago. There is much to be loved with what he does.

First, it makes big bad demons, depending on the amount of life you managed to gain on your turn. I really like the idea of using lifegain not to reach untold heights, but to use it like any other resource.

Second, it's a 4/4 with lifelink, which means that, contrary to many other commanders, he is a self-built engine.

Third, this commander totally flew under the radar. With 594 decks to its name, it's not a popular choice. Something I really love.

I have a few ideas of where I want to take this brew, but before any of that, let's grab each and every card from the regular and budget options, and throw them all into Archidekt.

336 cards. Let's begin.

First Trim – Stripping Off All Adornments

For all of you reading this series for the first time, you've found the perfect spot if you're into budget brews. The idea here is to build a deck using only cards worth less than $1.11. I usually try to stick to what's available on EDHREC's page, but I may add a few juicy morsels from time to time.

After cutting each and every card above the $2.00 mark (why, Astarion's ThirstAstarion's Thirst, whyyyyyy???), let's have a look at the best options in the $1.11-$2.00 range, in case you felt like indulging yourself a bit.

• Loxodon WarhammerLoxodon Warhammer: I have trouble believing this is worth more than mere pennies. It's a bit steep mana-wise, but that lifelink associated with power boost has never been a dud. An absolute pet card of mine.
• Twilight ProphetTwilight Prophet: Card advantage and lifegain all in one, this is a bomb, plain and simple.
• DefileDefile: This is one card I'm very sad to have to cut. It's excellent removal for a single .
• Profane TransfusionProfane Transfusion: A fun way to replenish your life total.

This leaves the following in the $1.00-$1.10 range:

• Reckoner's BargainReckoner's Bargain: A great outlet, especially in here, where lifegain is of the essence.
• Witch's OvenWitch's Oven: An interesting option to recycle creatures, and generate decent lifegain in a jiffy.
• Starscape ClericStarscape Cleric: Not a bad pinger, but I'm not sure it will be impactful enough.
• Well of Lost DreamsWell of Lost Dreams: A classic card advantage engine in any lifegain deck. Note that you can pay less than the actual amount of life you gained.

With all the bling out of the way, the list is down to 240 cards. There's still a lot of work to do.

Second Trim — Eat Your Spoiled Veggies!

Tivash is a rather demanding commander to brew around. Since a lot rests on its shoulders, you need a beefy ramp package to make sure you can cast it as soon as possible, usually by turn 4.

You also require a decent protection package, since you don't want to have to recast him for what will quickly become prohibitive mana costs.

Draw shouldn't be overlooked, as there are a few key elements that could, if found, propel the brew to the stars.

Again, protection is paramount, as this is a very commander-centric brew.

This is where things stand, prior to any cuts:

You guessed it, I'm going to keep a decent number of cards in each section. Granted, this is going to strongly gnaw into the rest, but I feel like this is especially needed here.

After giving the land base a healthy makeover, there are still 177 cards left. That's a lot more than I expected at this point in the brew. Onwards.

Third Trim — Lifegaining Shenanigans

Right, let's talk about the game plan.

The way I see it, Tivash is a growing value machine. You cast your commander, swing with it and perhaps gain some life on the sidelines, then pay whatever you gained on your turn to make a massive flying demon.

Ideally, you'll have something on the field that will give lifelink in turn — Oh, Whip of ErebosWhip of Erebos, how I miss thee — as well as an outlet that makes your demon bigger. This combination will allow your big token to deal even more damage and net you even more life, eventually giving you enough bodies to win the game.

The problem is that I'm seeing quite a lot of cards in the current list that don't actually go with this plan. At the moment, this looks more like a "whatever gives life is good" pile rather than a streamlined deck. To make this work, you want life increments in big chunks, not small trickles. Granted, there are still 78 cards to remove, but still.

I'm also rather fond of having a few plan Bs. Tivash will inevitably attract unwanted attention, so you want to have some creatures that can take over in case it gets removed one too many times.

At the moment, I'm seeing the following categories:

• Lifegain: With 51 cards, this will be the section with the most drastic cuts.
• Drain effects: Most of these spells are rather too expensive or not efficient enough. Let's give it a good sweep.
• Recursion: Always nice to have a few backups, but seven is definitely too many.
• Pump: A few questionable choices here as well.
• Misc.: Things that don't quite belong anywhere else.

Let's cut.

And just like that, the list is down to a much tidier 109 cards. Let's proceed to the finishing touches.

Final Trim — Last-Minute Blotches

Already this is looking much better. There's a clear course of action, and enough outlets to last for days.

Axing the final cards is going to be difficult, all the more so since I'm adding a couple of my own: Gilded LotusGilded Lotus and O-NaginataO-Naginata. The first is a better ramp spell than several other outlets currently in the ramp category. The second is just a cheap pump outlet that should have no trouble finding a home.

As usual, note that all of these are personal choices, and not necessarily bad cards. If they made it this far, chances are they're actually rather decent.

Here are my final cuts:

• Pristine TalismanPristine Talisman: Cute, but a tad too expensive for my taste, even in this build. And I've added Gilded Lotus.
• Rush of VitalityRush of Vitality: All the other protective outlets cost a single mana. Out.
• Nighthawk ScavengerNighthawk Scavenger: I truly love the card. But I fear it won't be as big as you'd wish it to be.
• Deadly DisputeDeadly Dispute and Village RitesVillage Rites: Excellent card draw outlets, but I'm not sure you'll have that much fodder you'll be willing to dispose of.
• Murderous RiderMurderous Rider and Gumdrop PoisonerGumdrop Poisoner: Sure, they both have lifelink. But they're also a bit slow for my taste, and don't impact the board that much.
• Pontiff of BlightPontiff of Blight: I've pondered a lot about this one. But six mana is a lot to ask for, even for such a great effect. I'm not 100% convinced this is a good decision.
• Sorin's VengeanceSorin's Vengeance: +10/-10 for an eventual 10/10 flyer is nice. But is a very, very steep cost.
• Aspect of LampreyAspect of Lamprey: Much as I like keeping lifelink givers, the effect is otherwise rather lackluster for .
• K'rrik, Son of YawgmothK'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth: His is a terrific ability. But it's also a terrifying one. If you play this, expect all of your opponents to gang up on you, stat. And you really don't need that.

And with this, I give you...

Additional Trim — A Look Into the Past

Today, it's time to put the Witch to the test. Will the Baba Lysaga, Night Witch Trim stand the test of time?

Short answer: No. Longer answer: NOOOOOOO, not even close, not by a mile, absolutely, totally, formidably NO.

At the time of writing, there are no less than 14 cards above the $1.11 mark:

• Not Dead After AllNot Dead After All: $1.18
• Sol RingSol Ring: $1.23
• Instill EnergyInstill Energy: $1.30
• Gixian PuppeteerGixian Puppeteer: $1.32
• Tree of TalesTree of Tales: $1.34
• Quirion DruidQuirion Druid: $1.35
• Quirion RangerQuirion Ranger: $1.51
• Blood ArtistBlood Artist: $1.68
• Tireless ProvisionerTireless Provisioner: $1.77
• Swiftfoot BootsSwiftfoot Boots: $1.84
• Courser of KruphixCourser of Kruphix: $2.26 (!)
• Kaya's GhostformKaya's Ghostform: $2.27 (!)
• Seeker of SkybreakSeeker of Skybreak: $2.49 (!)
• On the TrailOn the Trail: $4.52 (!!)

There have been worse cases, but not many. Let's try to find suitable replacements:

• Ordeal of NyleaOrdeal of Nylea: I like the fact that you can immediately sacrifice it to Baba in order to reap the rewards. Two lands for is a great ratio.
• Titania, Protector of ArgothTitania, Protector of Argoth: You will sacrifice lands, so you might as well benefit from that.
• Assassin's TrophyAssassin's Trophy: Great removal.
• Splendid ReclamationSplendid Reclamation: It's cheap, might as well use the best recursion outlet for the deck.
• Valgavoth's LairValgavoth's Lair: Enchantment Land is a great combo. And it makes up for the Tree of Tales.
• Copper MyrCopper Myr: It's not a Sol Ring, but it will make do.
• Marionette ApprenticeMarionette Apprentice: Ping, ping, and then ping some more.
• Jolrael, Mwonvuli RecluseJolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse: Make at least a token a turn, if not more, then turn them into a massive army. Approved.
• Mazirek, Kraul Death PriestMazirek, Kraul Death Priest: Given how many sacrifices you'll make, this will become monstrous in no time.
• Myr SireMyr Sire: Self-replacing double-typed creature.
• Prized StatuePrized Statue: Two shinies for the price of a card. Yes please.
• Necrogen CommunionNecrogen Communion: It's not a Kaya's Ghostform, but it's still protection.
• Talisman of ResilienceTalisman of Resilience: More ramp never hurt anybody.
• And a Forest, because 35 lands is a bit on the low end.

You can find the updated list here.

Conclusion

I hope you liked this journey into lifegain seesaws. My personal brew is not quite so budget-friendly, but I've had a lot of fun piloting it so far.

I'm really curious to know if there are other Tivash pilots out there.

Thoughts? Advice? Hidden gems? Let me know in the comments below!

And since the commander for next time has already been decided, I'll leave you with another existential question.

Thanks for reading, and see you in two weeks!

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