Squall, Gunblade DuelistSquall, Gunblade Duelist | Art by Lius Lasahido

The holiday season is wrapping up, so if you were nice enough this year, you might have found the Final Fantasy VIII Scene Box under your tree. One great legend from that box is none other than Squall, Gunblade DuelistSquall, Gunblade Duelist, who was one of my favorite characters when I was a kid.

So, join me, Tyler 'Savesya' Bucks, as we cover a full budget 99 that you can pick up for only $45. Warning: I take this deck in a pretty aggressive direction.

What Does Squall, Gunblade DuelistSquall, Gunblade Duelist Do?

Something that makes Squall, Gunblade DuelistSquall, Gunblade Duelist such an interesting commander is the fact that you can choose any number for his ability. When it comes to this deck, I picked one as the number to choose when Squall enters. Not only is it a common power or toughness to assist with your opponents triggering your commander, but it also opened things up for a specific kind of creature.

The main engine of this deck is centered around creatures with a high power, but only one toughness. Let's get right into some key cards for this list to show you exactly what I mean!

Hit the Ground Running

• Ball LightningBall Lightning: Here's a prime example of a card that shows off this deck's game plan. Dropping this onto the battlefield and proceeding to have this creature deal six trample damage, while your commander punches in for even more pain is a nasty combo.
• Lightning SkelementalLightning Skelemental: This is the first creature that came to mind when I thought of this strategy. It's just a powerful one-two punch, especially if you send it towards the archenemy at the table.
• Spark TrooperSpark Trooper: Time for a blast from the past for me, this card used to be the bane of my kitchen table games over a decade ago, and it fits in perfectly with this commander. Plus, it brings a little bit of life gain to the 99, which is always good for an aggressive game plan.

• Urabrask's ForgeUrabrask's Forge: If you're planning to build Squall with this strategy in mind, then this is a must-have for the deck. It ensures that you're always dealing out extra damage with your commander turn after turn, while also having the tokens it makes scale with the game as it goes on.
• Lagomos, Hand of HatredLagomos, Hand of Hatred: Since the goal of this list is to send creatures into combat, without knowing if they'll come back, having a possible tutor to capitalize off of all that destruction could be what sets you up for a win.
• Rite of the Raging StormRite of the Raging Storm: A key part of this commander is the fact that it also triggers when your opponents' creatures attack each other. So, handing out some 5/1s to the board just ensures that maximum damage is being spread around the table during everyone's turn.

Card Advantage & Recursion

• Breena, the DemagogueBreena, the Demagogue: This creature is a slam-dunk in this deck, since it helps you in four different ways: It incentivizes your opponents to attack each other, triggers your commander when it swings in the air, draws you cards, and can put counters on Squall in order to escalate the damage he deals out.
• Garna, Bloodfist of KeldGarna, Bloodfist of Keld: Since a large portion of the creatures in your deck only have one toughness, there's a good chance they won't make it through combat. Garna will then swoop in to replace those creatures with some card draw in order to help you keep up with the table.
• Doom WeaverDoom Weaver: When I first came across this card, I said out loud to myself "This is so funny." When you cast a creature like Spark TrooperSpark Trooper, you can soulbond it to the Doom Weaver, so that when the Trooper dies, you'll draw six cards. Doing that over and over again will make it hard for your opponents to keep up.

• UnearthUnearth: Returning something with three mana value to play is great in this deck, since a lot of the creatures in the 99 meet that description, plus this can return Squall if he ends up in the bin. Costing only one mana is such a great rate for something that could just save you the game.
• Call a Surprise WitnessCall a Surprise Witness: Not only does this card bring a creature back from your graveyard, but it also gives it an upgrade. Adding flying to some of your aggressive creatures could be just the thing you need to bust through someone's defenses.
• Sevinne's ReclamationSevinne's Reclamation: This card is a great way to return something in the mid game, while sitting in your bin waiting for you to bring two permanents back to close things out later in a match.

Getting Tricky

• Goblin SpymasterGoblin Spymaster: Here's another card that'll make for some really funny moments during a game. It hands out 1/1 creatures to your opponents, in order to help your commander deal more damage, but they also come with the text "creatures you control attack each combat if able" which should lead to some truly chaotic moments.
• Nelly Borca, Impulsive AccuserNelly Borca, Impulsive Accuser: This legend goads your opponents' creatures, while also giving you card advantage when your foes hit each other. That'll ensure you're spreading damage around the table, on top of refilling your hand.
• RMS TitanicRMS Titanic: Squall having three power makes him perfect to jump behind the wheel of this ship. Once it hits another player, and you make all those Treasure tokens, that should propel you towards a winning position from there.

Squall, Gunblade Duelist Budget Commander Deck List

In Closing

There you have it, a full budget 99 centered around Squall, Gunblade DuelistSquall, Gunblade Duelist that you could pick up for about $45. This deck is a whole lot of fun, and can truly make for a wild play experience. If you've been looking for a deck to make for faster games, then this just might be what your collection needs.

If you want to check out more budget decks, you can find them on my YouTube channel The Pillow Fort, or right here on EDHREC!