Agatha of the Vile CauldronAgatha of the Vile Cauldron | Art by Jason A. Engle

Greetings and salutations dear brewers, and welcome to the enchanted lands of Eldraine. I'm Arnaud, and I'm delighted to take you on a journey of budget brews, weird cards and melting faces.

When we parted ways last time, I asked you to vote between the usual three candidates. With 38 votes (30%), Shorikai, Genesis EngineShorikai, Genesis Engine came dead last. No reanimation shenanigans this time it seems. Second place went to Jarad, Golgari Lich LordJarad, Golgari Lich Lord, with 43 votes (34%). Close, but not good enough.

Winning by a close margin, with 45 votes (36%), today's guest is none other that everyone's favorite witch, Agatha of the Vile CauldronAgatha of the Vile Cauldron.

Agatha's rather unique strategy lies in her power to reduce activated abilities' costs, leading to some silly situations. It's a rather straightforward strategy, but also one that requires careful planning to succeed.

Let's grab each and every card from both the regular and budget sections and transfer them to Archidekt.

293 cards. A good start.

First Trim – Stripping Agatha's Jewelry

To any of you new to this series, first of all, a very warm (and in this case sweet) welcome. These deck brews all follow a strict pattern and limitation: building a deck by progressively lowering the count down to 100, with no cards worth $1.11 and above.

With this in mind, I'm going to mercifully remove each and every card up to the $2 spot, just to see what's in store in case you feel like going a little easier on the constraints.

There are indeed a few juicy cards to be found:

• Thran Power SuitThran Power Suit: An excellent outlet that provides protection, especially good if you decide to undertake the Equipment route.
• Goro-Goro, Disciple of RyuseiGoro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei: Getting a 5/5 flyer for sounds rather appealing in my book.
• Hydra's GrowthHydra's Growth: Cheap and effective way to grow Agatha to new summits.
• Tyvar's StandTyvar's Stand: The cost is cute, but this will mostly serve as an excellent protection outlet.
• Gaea's GiftGaea's Gift: Protection with a +1/+1 counter to boot, don't mind if I do.
• Collective ResistanceCollective Resistance: Protection and/or removal.
• Sol RingSol Ring: Would you look at that! From $0.73 two weeks ago to $1.32 today. Go figure.
• Soul's MajestySoul's Majesty: It's weak to targeted removal in response to you casting the spell, but can be so rewarding!
• Rishkar's ExpertiseRishkar's Expertise: Doesn't target, which is good, and comes with a free spell, which is better.

Also worthy of notice, Disciple of FreyaliseDisciple of Freyalise has gone above the $2 mark. This is an excellent outlet for most green builds, and I strongly advise you grab a few copies before it goes even higher (which I'm convinced it will, barring any reprints).

This leaves three cards wedged between $1 and $1.10:

• Fellwar StoneFellwar Stone: Probably one of the best mana rocks, right behind Arcane SignetArcane Signet
• Strength of WillStrength of Will: A recent addition from the Spider-Man set, that can grow Agatha to new heights in no time.
• Rhonas's MonumentRhonas's Monument: Mana reduction and targeted boost all in one.

With these initial cuts, the deck is already at 194 cards. Let's move on.

Second Trim – Eating Agatha's Veggies

Have I told you I really, really like the monicker veggies to speak about the necessary yet rather boring outlets in your deck?

Speaking of which, here's what the situation looks like at the moment.

That's the beauty of today's Magic. No more trouble finding any sort of effect you need, no matter the color (well, almost no trouble).

I want to keep a decent count of draw spells. Good as she might be, there will be times where Agatha will not be around to enable cheap hand refills, so I'd like at least a couple of independent sources, just in case.

Ramp will be as usual, between 10 and 12 sources.

Removal is going to be kept at a minimum. There are several payoffs that will generate massive effects in the Payoffs section, so I'm not too worried. Like card draw, I'll keep a couple universal ones, but that's it, though I'll make an exception for MDFCs.

A couple of board wipes should do the trick.

And I'll keep a high count of protection spells. As this strategy strongly relies on your commander being on the field, you need to make sure she stays there.

After giving the landbase a healthy makeover, the list is already down to 130 cards. You will notice that I removed each and every land that entered tapped, MDFCs aside. From my experience, being able to make use of mana sources the moment they come down on the battlefield is crucial if you don't want to lose precious time. More on that in the next section.

Speaking of which...

Third Trim – Accounting for Counters and Paying for Payoffs

Now that the somewhat boring stuff has been dealt with, let's take a look at what the deck actually wants to achieve.

The game plan for Agatha of the Vile CauldronAgatha of the Vile Cauldron is rather easy to follow:

1. Play Agatha, and pump her to bring her power into the five-six range, ideally up to eight.
2. Play and use one or more payoffs.
3. Use and abuse their once costly abilities to win the game by flooding the board or burning the world to a crisp.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this brew is that you get to play cards that would be considered draft chaff even by someone with low standards. Paying eight mana to deal five damage to an opponent is laughable. Paying a single or even a couple mana to do so is chilling.

Aside from the veggies, the brew is currently divided into four categories:

• +1/+1 counters
• Pump effects
• Payoffs
• Miscellaneous

Since there are still 20 cards to cut before the final trim, let's cut to the chase. I'll privilege cards that are cheap and effective at what they're doing. You don't want to spend massive amounts of mana for puny payoffs. You want to go high and tall in a swift manner, so that each and every mana you have at hand can be put to good use.

To this end, I'm going to cut the most expensive stuff first, and then see what the most effective spells are at cost parity. I rather like the idea of keeping Equipment around, as they hopefully will stick around to reequip Agatha, should she meet a premature demise.

And just like that, the list is down to 110 cards. Let's finish the job.

Final Trim – Fine-Tuning the Edges

For once, I have the feeling these final cuts will be rather easy, as several of the remaining cards have caught my eye in the previous section.

As always, if a card has made it to this section, it's probably good enough to give it at least a try.

This is what I'd remove:

• O-NaginataO-Naginata: Cute, but requires Agatha to be at three power already. Plus I'm not a fan of that cost to equip.
• The Dominion BraceletThe Dominion Bracelet: Is it powerful? Of course it is. Is it going to sour the mood at the table? Also yes.
• Tendril of the MycotyrantTendril of the Mycotyrant: I'm not a huge fan of turning lands into creatures. Especially in a deck where each mana counts.
• Thundering SpinebackThundering Spineback: Getting an army of 3/3s sounds great on paper. But seven mana is a lot to ask for that effect.
• Drillworks MoleDrillworks Mole: If you can get it on turn one, it's great. But the fact that it needs to wait for a full turn before activating... Not a fan.
• Retreat to KazanduRetreat to Kazandu: Simply too slow.
• Silvanus's InvokerSilvanus's Invoker: Same reason as for the Tendril. A land you use to bash heads is a land you don't tap for mana.
• Elder of LaurelsElder of Laurels: Looks great on paper, will usually boost a creature by three or four. Not impactful enough.
• Utopia SprawlUtopia Sprawl: The curve is low enough that I feel confident I can cut a ramp spell.
• Trash the TownTrash the Town: I like the versatility, but the costs pile up fast. Too fast.

And with that, I give you:

Agatha of the Vile Cauldron Commander Deck List

Additional Trim – A Look Into the Past

It's time to take a look at a past Trim and see how it stood the test of time.

Today, Doran, the Siege Tower is back under the spotlight. How did this big oaky oaf fare?

Aaaaand... Yowza owza ouchie bowza, why did these cards spike so much???

• Path to ExilePath to Exile: $1.15
• Bedrock TortoiseBedrock Tortoise: $1.22
• Nethroi, Apex of DeathNethroi, Apex of Death: $2.22
• StoneskinStoneskin: $2.26
• Slagwurm ArmorSlagwurm Armor: $2.53
• Treebeard, Gracious HostTreebeard, Gracious Host: $3.88 (!!)
• Sapling of ColfenorSapling of Colfenor: $ 11.34 (!!!)

If someone knows why the good old Sapling has spiked this high, I'd be curious to know...

Let's replace these costly outlets with the following:

• Assault FormationAssault Formation: Reprinted in the Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander decks, it's an excellent addition
• Faeburrow ElderFaeburrow Elder: Yes it's a Treefolk, and also a fantastic ramp outlet.
• Ikra Shidiqi, the UsurperIkra Shidiqi, the Usurper: Lifegain galore!
• Doran, Besieged by TimeDoran, Besieged by Time: A new go-to for all Toughness Matters decks. Get yours while it's still dirt cheap!
• Expel the InterlopersExpel the Interlopers: Asymetrical board wipes are so satisfying...
• Baldin, Century HerdmasterBaldin, Century Herdmaster: Thanks again, Tarkir!
• Ulvenwald ObserverUlvenwald Observer: Card draw is never a bad thing. Never.

You can find the updated list here.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into Agatha's trove of sweets. I'd love to hear your opinion on this. Too sweet? Bittersweet? Bitter and that's it?

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

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