Bitterbloom BearerBitterbloom Bearer | Art by Rebecca Guay

Nearly 20 years ago, the original Lorwyn unleashed Dimir () Faeries upon Standard, introducing creatures like Spellstutter SpriteSpellstutter Sprite and Mistbind CliqueMistbind Clique alongside powerful spells like BitterblossomBitterblossom and Cryptic CommandCryptic Command. The result was Faeries having a huge presence from Standard to Extended.

In 2026, things have changed a little. The newly released Lorywn Eclipsed put the spotlight on other creature types while the support for Faeries was more muted. Nevertheless, the Faeries archetype received a few sweet new toys, and in this article I'm going to rebuild the most popular Dimir Faeries commander, Alela, Cunning ConquerorAlela, Cunning Conqueror, using the best of those toys.

What Does Alela, Cunning Conqueror Do?

Alela, Cunning ConquerorAlela, Cunning Conqueror is a 2/4 Faerie Warlock with flying and two tricky abilities. First, whenever her controller casts a spell on an opponent's turn, she makes a 1/1 Faerie RogueFaerie Rogue token. Then, whenever a Faerie her owner controls deals combat damage to an opponent, she goads a creature that player controls.

These two abilities give Alela a very clear direction: she's asking for a deck that's full of instants and spells with flash that can help her amass an army of Faerie tokens. Her ability to redirect her opponents' biggest creatures towards the other players with her goad ability also enables the deck to take a passive approach to the early and middle stages of the game. Games with Alela should, in broad strokes, be six turns of amassing a board of tokens and forcing the opponents to chip away at one another, followed by a big turn where an anthem effect pumps the board of tokens and allows the Alela player to generate a burst of damage great enough to finish off the whole table at once. The build I've prepared for this article pursues that plan very aggressively.

Key Cards for Alela, Cunning Conqueror

The New Additions

Most of the new tools from Lorwyn Eclipsed are here to draw a lot of cards. Harmonized CrescendoHarmonized Crescendo is a perfect mid-game draw spell that will often be cast for zero mana due to convoke (although I will note that the tokens Alela, Cunning ConquerorAlela, Cunning Conqueror makes are only black, so they can't be used to pay the in Harmonized CrescendoHarmonized Crescendo's cost.

Flitterwing NuisanceFlitterwing Nuisance is a one-mana Faerie that can remove its -1/-1 counter for to get a one-time CuriosityCuriosity effect on all creatures. I love this card because its ceiling is really high and its floor is being a flying body that triggers Alela when it connects and can be tapped for convoke.

While Faeries weren't the most supported creature type in Lorwyn Eclipsed, there was one callback to original Lorwyn that brings me a lot of joy. Bitterbloom BearerBitterbloom Bearer is a spiritual successor to BitterblossomBitterblossom, providing the same effect but on a creature with flash. If someone had asked me to design a card specifically for Alela, this is what I would've come up with. This token-generator is a way to get an extra token out of each turn cycle, which accelerates progress towards our late-game Faerie swarm win condition.

Voracious Tome-SkimmerVoracious Tome-Skimmer provides an additional copy of Wavebreak HippocampWavebreak Hippocamp with a more relevant creature type. Drawing a card whenever a spell is cast on an opponent's turn is very strong in the "cast spells on opposing turns" deck. I cannot overstate how elated I am to have a card draw engine that can be tutored by Faerie HarbingerFaerie Harbinger!

Protecting the Queen

The most important rule I have for piloting Alela, Cunning ConquerorAlela, Cunning Conqueror is this: I will not tap out to cast Alela with no way to protect her. If I play Alela into a counterspell or removal and don't get a single trigger from either of her abilities in the process, I have wasted four mana, taxed my commander, and received no benefit. It would be disastrous.

Keeping Alela on the board is priority number one. Alela being removed even a single time can be a pretty difficult setback. I've included 10 spells to protect Alela, alongside 10 more generic counterspells. This, combined with the fact that Alela is unlikely to be perceived as a must-remove threat by the rest of the table, should be enough to keep her around.

One choice I end up having to make more often than I'd expect with this deck is countering opposing board wipes. I've included Mithril CoatMithril Coat as a flexible piece of instant-speed protection that prevents total disaster when it is necessary to allow a board wipe to resolve. Unfortunately, Mithril Coat cannot save all of the tokens that Alela has generated, and being forced to rebuild a board of tokens to win the game with on turn seven or eight can put a game really far out of reach.

The Big Counterspells

This deck is, for the most part, pretty ruthlessly mana-efficient. However, I've chosen to indulge myself with a few higher-cost, higher-upside pieces of countermagic.

Cryptic CommandCryptic Command is a timeless classic that's incredibly versatile. From tapping opposing creatures to clear the way for attacks or blank an opposing combat step to countering a spell and bouncing Mystic SanctuaryMystic Sanctuary to recur it, there's very little this spell can't do.

Summary DismissalSummary Dismissal used to be a common sideboard card in 60-card formats as an answer to Eldrazi, as it exiles the creature spell and its cast triggers. Here, it serves as the deck's only answer to spells that can't be countered. It's also a fantastic tool to end long battles on the stack when there are multiple blue mages at the table!

Mystic ConfluenceMystic Confluence is a Vintage Cube all-star that I can't get enough of. Every combination of its modes feel fantastic to cast. If I had to cut a card to include something else, Mystic Confluence is probably first on the chopping block, but for now I'm happy to keep this one around.

The Flash Package

Waterlogged TeachingsWaterlogged Teachings and Mystical TeachingsMystical Teachings offer the ability to search out specific pieces of interaction as needed. The nature of a reactive deck is that many of its cards can be a little niche. There are few feelings better than responding to a Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares targeting Alela, Cunning ConquerorAlela, Cunning Conqueror with a Mystical Teachings that searches for Mental MisstepMental Misstep.

The existence of these tutors in the deck adds a dimension to piloting it that I find really interesting. There's a lot of room for creative plays and opportunities to make crazy judgement calls, or even set up crazy threats. How will the table play differently when I have a face-up CommandeerCommandeer in my hand? The possibilities are nearly infinite.

How Does this Alela, Cunning Conqueror Deck Win the Game?

This deck's gameplan is pretty straightforward: play Alela, Cunning ConquerorAlela, Cunning Conqueror with protection spells up, cast a spell on each opponent's turn, force opponents to chip away at each other's life totals, and then untap and slam a game-ending anthem spell. Coat of ArmsCoat of Arms and Shadow PuppeteersShadow Puppeteers both pump Faeries, although Coat of Arms produces much bigger numbers much faster. Both of these should only be cast when their resolution wins the game, and both should be protected by a counterspell.

Notorious ThrongNotorious Throng is a venomous extra turn spell that can easily generate a lot of tokens. However, it will often need a little help it end a game. Obyra, Dreaming DuelistObyra, Dreaming Duelist pings the opponents whenever a Faerie enters. With Obyra in play, the tokens produced by Notorious Throng can easily deal 20 damage to each opponent. Add in the combat step from the extra turn and suddenly all three opponents are dead.

Alela, Cunning Conqueror Commander Deck List

Notable Exclusions

There are a lot of cards that see a lot of play in Alela, Cunning ConquerorAlela, Cunning Conqueror decks that don't quite fit into my build. Tegwyll, Duke of SplendorTegwyll, Duke of Splendor, Nymris, Oona's TricksterNymris, Oona's Trickster, and Blightwing BanditBlightwing Bandit all have one thing in common: they cost more mana than they're worth to me. Nymris, Oona's Trickster having flash is fantastic, but five mana is a lot for a play I can't get value out of the turn I cast it. Tegwyll and Blightwing Bandit are both sorcery-speed and they compete for a spot on the mana curve with more impactful cards, like Voracious Tome-SkimmerVoracious Tome-Skimmer or Alela herself.

My initial draft of this deck was 110 cards, and those three are part of the 10 that simply didn't make the cut.

Conclusion

My build of Alela is intended for Bracket 3 (Upgraded), but I've chosen to exclude Game Changers from this list. My rationale is that different suites of Game Changers will appeal to different players, and anyone looking to build Alela can make those choices on their own. I prefer to "spend" my Game Changer slots on free interaction, like Force of WillForce of Will and Fierce GuardianshipFierce Guardianship, even if it isn't strictly optimal. Meanwhile, players looking for tighter optimization will prefer the cream of the crop, like Rhystic StudyRhystic Study, Mana VaultMana Vault, or Chrome MoxChrome Mox. Some may even prefer to go without Game Changers at all, which is totally reasonable given the existing power level of this deck.

This one was a joy to build! I spent a lot of time theorycrafting for this deck during spoiler season, and I'm very pleased by the end result. I look forward to reading about the card choices I missed or the alternate directions I could've taken in the comments!