<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duke Ulder Ravengard" href="#" target="_blank">Duke Ulder Ravengard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.ericdeschamps.com/">Eric Deschamps</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>, where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>Today's theme is a contentious one: infect.</p>
<p>Now, I know what you're thinking, "Nick, why infect? That's the worst!!" Believe me, I've been on the wrong side of an infect deck too, so I echo your sentiment. However, the combination of this theme with this commander was too good to pass up. Speaking of which...</p>
<p>Today's commander is a legendary creature from<em> Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate</em>: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duke Ulder Ravengard" href="#" target="_blank">Duke Ulder Ravengard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Duke Ulder Ravengard"></div></div>
<p>According to EDHREC, the most popular infect color combination, with 14,000 decks, is "Witch-Maw" (white, black, blue, and green). The printing of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was largely the reason for this, as her passive proliferate ability is quite good with poison counters.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice"></div></div>
<p>The least played color combination for infect is colorless, but after several days of brewing, this one stumped me. Colorless is already tricky to play, and focusing solely on infect made it even harder, so I looked for the second least played combination.</p>
<p>The second least played combination, with a modest 73 decks, is Boros (red and white). Boros is known for both Equipment and generally aggressive combat strategies, and these strategies align well with what infect is trying to accomplish.</p>
<p>Usually, infect suffers from one major drawback: it's hard to kill three players with infect. This is where myriad comes in. Duke Ulder can grant a creature myriad and haste, and giving myriad to infect or toxic creatures is an easy way to spread out poison counters to everyone.</p>
<h2>Category #1: Infect, and its younger brother, Toxic</h2>
<p>In Boros, there are only a handful of creatures with infect that we can include: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Core Prowler" href="#" target="_blank">Core Prowler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides us with extra value when it dies, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ichorclaw Myr" href="#" target="_blank">Ichorclaw Myr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gets bigger when it becomes blocked, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tine Shrike" href="#" target="_blank">Tine Shrike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a flying poisonous threat, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corpse Cur" href="#" target="_blank">Corpse Cur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can recur any of our infect creatures that die, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Razor Swine" href="#" target="_blank">Razor Swine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants us first strike on top of infect, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Juggernaut" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Juggernaut</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s "downside" of always attacking allows us to constantly pressure our opponents.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Core Prowler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ichorclaw Myr"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tine Shrike"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Corpse Cur"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Razor Swine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Juggernaut"></div></div>
<p>On top of our infect creatures, we have a few toxic creatures to help push toward our goal: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skrelv&#039;s Hive" href="#" target="_blank">Skrelv&#039;s Hive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a white <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bitterblossom" href="#" target="_blank">Bitterblossom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but for Phyrexian Mites, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="White Sun&#039;s Twilight" href="#" target="_blank">White Sun&#039;s Twilight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a board wipe that can leave us with a terrifying board, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Convert" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Convert</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can act as a mana dork <em>or</em> a toxic threat, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Annex Sentry" href="#" target="_blank">Annex Sentry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a good piece of removal in a pinch, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skrelv, Defector Mite" href="#" target="_blank">Skrelv, Defector Mite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great way to protect our creatures while giving them toxic 1.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skrelv&#039;s Hive"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="White Sun&#039;s Twilight"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Myr Convert"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Annex Sentry"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skrelv, Defector Mite"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: Copies, copies, copies!</h2>
<p>Since our options for infect and toxic creatures are so limited, I needed to find ways to make the most out of every creature we have. With this in mind, including creatures that can create copies of other creatures (even if they're temporary) is a must! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jaxis, the Troublemaker" href="#" target="_blank">Jaxis, the Troublemaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink" href="#" target="_blank">Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rionya, Fire Dancer" href="#" target="_blank">Rionya, Fire Dancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all are perfect ways to copy our infect creatures for maximum value.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jaxis, the Troublemaker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rionya, Fire Dancer"></div></div>
<p>Aside from Duke Ulder's ability, we have a few other ways to grant myriad to our creatures: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blade of Selves" href="#" target="_blank">Blade of Selves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants myriad to whichever creature is equipped, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Legion Loyalty" href="#" target="_blank">Legion Loyalty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants myriad to <em>all</em> of our creatures.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blade of Selves"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Legion Loyalty"></div></div>
<p>Also, for all of those pesky <em>temporary</em> copies that we make, I included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundial of the Infinite" href="#" target="_blank">Sundial of the Infinite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We can't let good tokens go to waste!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sundial of the Infinite"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: Proliferate</h2>
<p>It's not always guaranteed that we can get in for damage, but if we can get in early enough, that's all we need! If everyone has at least one poison counter, we have plenty of proliferate effects to ensure that our gameplan isn't stalled by a few blockers or an untimely fog.</p>
<p>Some of the best are: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glistening Sphere" href="#" target="_blank">Glistening Sphere</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to act as a mana rock that proliferates upon entering, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Staff of Compleation" href="#" target="_blank">Staff of Compleation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to act as a Swiss army knife for our deck, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Truth and Justice" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Truth and Justice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to make our infect creatures bigger while granting proliferation on combat damage, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Recon Craft Theta" href="#" target="_blank">Recon Craft Theta</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Filigree Vector" href="#" target="_blank">Filigree Vector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to act as repeatable ways to proliferate every turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glistening Sphere"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Staff of Compleation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword of Truth and Justice"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Recon Craft Theta"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Filigree Vector"></div></div>
<p>If you're wondering, yes, we <em>are</em> including the proliferate all-stars in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Clasp" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Clasp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Clasp"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Engine"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: Pushing Damage</h2>
<p>To win with poison, let's be honest, this deck needs to attack <em>a lot</em> in the early game. Here's what I included to help with that: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner" href="#" target="_blank">Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can make our small creatures unblockable, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard" href="#" target="_blank">Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give our attacking tokens double strike (this can be Mites <em>or</em> our myriad copies!), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Full Throttle" href="#" target="_blank">Full Throttle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give us extra combat steps, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dolmen Gate" href="#" target="_blank">Dolmen Gate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can guarantee the safety of our attackers, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Akroma&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give protection and act as a finisher, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Virtue of Loyalty" href="#" target="_blank">Virtue of Loyalty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can grow our army, as well as untap them, every turn!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Full Throttle"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dolmen Gate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akroma&#039;s Will"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Virtue of Loyalty"></div></div>
<h2>Category #5: "Secret Spice" 1 and 2</h2>
<p>Our first secret spice for today comes more in the form of a strategy rather than a specific card. Since we are relying heavily on the poison plan, we included a lot of proliferate effects.</p>
<p>What else is good with proliferate? +1/+1 counters. There are so many cards in this deck that grant +1/+1 counters to our creatures that we should have no problem presenting a threatening board even without any poison makers.</p>
<p>For example, if <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Virtue of Loyalty" href="#" target="_blank">Virtue of Loyalty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is on the board alongside <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetheric Amplifier" href="#" target="_blank">Aetheric Amplifier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? All of our creatures get HUGE. (Specifically, 1 counter turns into 3 then into 6)</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Virtue of Loyalty"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aetheric Amplifier"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Engine"></div></div>
<p>Even if you just wanted to focus on the +1/+1 counters side of this deck, you could take out all of the infect creatures and replace them with anything you want and the deck can still operate at a high level.</p>
<p>Our second secret spice is a card that I think deserves the spotlight more often: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier" href="#" target="_blank">Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier"></div></div>
<p>Our commander grants myriad and haste to something, and Agrus can copy that ability and apply it <em>every creature we control.</em> The same can be said about any additional copying effects (Jaxis, Orthion, etc.). If our entire battlefield has myriad and haste, the game is over.</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our ninth edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color combination in the world of infect! I know you might have tuned out for this one, as poison isn't for anyone, but give it a shot!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">If you have any thoughts or ideas about this decklist, let me know in the comments below!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Duke Ulder Ravengard" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Duke Ulder Ravengard
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier
*1 Annex Sentry
*1 Core Prowler
*1 Corpse Cur
*1 Crawling Chorus
*1 Feldon of the Third Path
*1 Filigree Vector
*1 Grateful Apparition
*1 Ichorclaw Myr
*1 Jawbone Duelist
*1 Jaxis, the Troublemaker
*1 Lost Leonin
*1 Mangara, the Diplomat
*1 Metastatic Evangel
*1 Myr Convert
*1 Necropede
*1 Neyali, Suns&#039; Vanguard
*1 Norn&#039;s Choirmaster
*1 Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink
*1 Phyrexian Juggernaut
*1 Plague Myr
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Razor Swine
*1 Rionya, Fire Dancer
*1 Skrelv, Defector Mite
*1 Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner
*1 Tine Shrike
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Land Tax
*1 Legion Loyalty
*1 Norn&#039;s Decree
*1 Skrelv&#039;s Hive
*1 Virtue of Loyalty // Ardenvale Fealty
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Aetheric Amplifier
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Astral Cornucopia
*1 Blade of Selves
*1 Boros Signet
*1 Contagion Clasp
*1 Contagion Engine
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Dolmen Gate
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Glistening Sphere
*1 Grafted Exoskeleton
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Hourglass of the Lost
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Recon Craft Theta
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Staff of Compleation
*1 Sundial of the Infinite
*1 Sword of Truth and Justice
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Throne of Geth
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Farewell
*1 Full Throttle
*1 White Sun&#039;s Twilight
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Akroma&#039;s Will
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Razorgrass Ambush // Razorgrass Field
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Untimely Malfunction
*1 Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Castle Embereth
*1 Command Tower
*1 Elegant Parlor
*1 Escape Tunnel
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Forgotten Cave
*1 Inkmoth Nexus
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
*1 Mirrex
*10 Mountain
*1 Path of Ancestry
*9 Plains
*1 Rustvale Bridge
*1 Secluded Steppe
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Temple of Triumph
*1 War Room
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Bottom of the Barrel - Duke Ulder Ravengard

From the Brim to the Trim - Basking in Nobility with a Pauper's Budget

The Over/Under - A Review of "Battle for Baldur's Gate" Commanders

Ranking Every Land with EDHREC- 2022 Edition

Mind Flayarrrs - Upgrade Guide

Mind Flayarrrs - Precon Primer

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Folk Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Folk Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.kaicarpenterart.com/aboutcontact">Kai Carpenter</a>)</h6>
<p><strong><em><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/commander-legends-baldurs-gate-precon-review-party-time/">Party Time</a></em> | <a href="https://commandersherald.com/commander-legends-battle-for-baldurs-gate-edh-commander-deck-review-mind-flayarrrs-blue-black/"><em>Mind Flayarrs</em></a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/commander-legends-baldurs-gate-precon-review-draconic-dissent/"><em>Draconic Dissent</em></a> | </strong><a href="https://commandersherald.com/battle-for-baldurs-gate-exit-from-exile-new-card-review/"><strong><em>Exit from Exile</em></strong></a></p>
<h1>Let's Get This Party Started!</h1>
<p>Hello, and welcome to the set review for the <em>Commander Legends: Baldur's Gate</em> preconstructed deck <em>Party Time</em>! We'll be joining the festivities and seeing how this Orzhov deck builds on the party mechanic that was first introduced in <em>Zendikar Rising</em>.</p>
<p>With the introductions out of the way, let's meet the one throwing this shindig!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Mythics</h2>
<hr />
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nalia de&#039;Arnise" href="#" target="_blank">Nalia de&#039;Arnise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nalia de&#039;Arnise"></div></div>
<p>Our host for the evening is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nalia de&#039;Arnise" href="#" target="_blank">Nalia de&#039;Arnise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. To understand what she does, we have to remember what the party mechanic even was. In order to have a full party, we must control a Cleric, a Rogue, a Warrior, and a Wizard. Once we've collected them all, then we can benefit from effects that care about having a full party. Party is a unique take on tribal decks, as we need four different creature types to make it work. Once the party has gathered, however, Nalia will give our guests party gifts in the form of +1/+1 counters and deathtouch; sheesh, that's a toxic party.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">On top of that, she gives us the ability to look at the top card of our library and the chance to cast creatures off the top if they happen to be one of the party types. I'll be honest, Nalia doesn't seem that impressive. We could work with a counters theme since that's what she gives out, but she only does so when we have the four party members. Keep in mind that she's also a Rogue, so it'll be interesting to see if we'll even need too many additional Rogues to begin with.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Lastly, the deathtouch is okay. It'll be a good incentive for our creatures to get through, and I look forward to pairing them with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archetype of Courage" href="#" target="_blank">Archetype of Courage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to ensure they survive combat.</p>
<hr />
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burakos, Party Leader" href="#" target="_blank">Burakos, Party Leader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Burakos, Party Leader"></div></div>
<p style="text-align: left;">Thematically, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burakos, Party Leader" href="#" target="_blank">Burakos, Party Leader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is perfect to lead a party-themed deck. What makes them such a great leader is how they can fill any role that might be missing. By themselves, they can only generate one Treasure token, but this will scale as we grow our party. Only being able to make one player lose 4 life, at max, is a tad insignificant, so we'll need to rely a little more on our 99 in order to win. The Treasure production is where I think the main focus will be. We can pair Burakos with all the new Treasure synergies that we've gotten in the past few sets. Plus, if we pair them with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guild Artisan" href="#" target="_blank">Guild Artisan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we'll be accelerating our gameplan faster than any of our opponents, especially with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rain of Riches" href="#" target="_blank">Rain of Riches</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Folk Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Folk Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Folk Hero"></div></div>
<p>And our new tribal stable is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Folk Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Folk Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. White has been gaining more and more cool ways to draw cards, and I think this one will be a solid inclusion in any tribal deck with white. I don't think the "once per turn" clause is much of a downside since we'll most likely be casting one creature per turn for most of the early-to-mid game anyway, and it's so cheap to cast, too! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burakos, Party Leader" href="#" target="_blank">Burakos, Party Leader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, unsurprisingly, is probably our best choice to pair with Folk Hero, given they have five creature types to take advantage of. Our other choices, that I could see at a glance, were <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ganax, Astral Hunter" href="#" target="_blank">Ganax, Astral Hunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Renari, Merchant of Marvels" href="#" target="_blank">Renari, Merchant of Marvels</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skanos Dragonheart" href="#" target="_blank">Skanos Dragonheart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; each one forms pretty unique color pairings for what would be Dragon tribal decks.</p>
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<h2>Rares</h2>
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<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Black Market Connections" href="#" target="_blank">Black Market Connections</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Black Market Connections"></div></div>
<p>New <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Arena" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Arena</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>??? I read this card a few times before I realized it even says "one or more"! That's an insane value at a hefty cost to our life total if we choose all three modes. In most black decks, I can see this being lose 3 life, make a Treasure, and a draw a card. The <em>Changeling</em> mode is a perfect fit in tribal decks. I like that we're seeing it here in the party deck as <em>Changelings</em> will help us meet our full party requirements, but in most cases, it'll be a way to have more Vampires... or Dragons... or Demons, etc, etc.</p>
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<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solemn Doomguide" href="#" target="_blank">Solemn Doomguide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Solemn Doomguide"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solemn Doomguide" href="#" target="_blank">Solemn Doomguide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is pretty narrow. It'll be another way to recur <em>Changelings</em>, but outside of tribal tribal decks, which already have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dregscape Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Dregscape Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as an option, it'll mostly see play in the respective tribes that care about it.</p>
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<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deep Gnome Terramancer" href="#" target="_blank">Deep Gnome Terramancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deep Gnome Terramancer"></div></div>
<p>I mentioned earlier that white card draw has been getting better, but holy cow, white has been getting some love in the ramp category. That being said, I think the community will see a white card that puts lands into play and call it the best ramp spell in white to ever grace the earth, and so in order to evaluate how strong <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deep Gnome Terramancer" href="#" target="_blank">Deep Gnome Terramancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is, I want to compare it to last year's best white ramp spell, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer&#039;s Map" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer&#039;s Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. When the <em>Strixhaven</em> precons came out, we thought this was the best it was going to get for white, but there are some notable limitations to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer&#039;s Map" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer&#039;s Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Don't get me wrong, it's still an amazing card, but we're limited on two fronts: one, we're limited by what lands we have in hand, and two, by how many lands our opponents control. I've played <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer&#039;s Map" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer&#039;s Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and after a few turns of getting it to trigger and putting me ahead, it stops working. Once we're ahead on mana, it doesn't do anything. And that's fine! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivate" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only gets one land into play and one to hand, so the fact that Archaeomancer's Map can do more than that is huge, but let's compare that to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deep Gnome Terramancer" href="#" target="_blank">Deep Gnome Terramancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The fact that it doesn't care if our opponents control more lands means this doesn't have a stopping point. It'll ramp us continuously and see every fetchland, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rampant Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Rampant Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer&#039;s Map" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer&#039;s Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>I think the two limitations Terramancer does have actually stop it from being the best ramp spell in the game. It only triggers once each turn and only if our opponents put in a land onto the battlefield that wasn't played, so it doesn't trigger with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exploration" href="#" target="_blank">Exploration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. However, getting to tutor for any land with a Plains type just means this card will see play in just about any deck that can afford it.</p>
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<h3 class="p1"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harper Recruiter" href="#" target="_blank">Harper Recruiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<p class="p1"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Harper Recruiter"></div></div></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harper Recruiter" href="#" target="_blank">Harper Recruiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> falls into the same niche that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solemn Doomguide" href="#" target="_blank">Solemn Doomguide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does. It's an evasive creature that has the potential to draw up to four cards, but they must be one of the four party types. One thing I find interesting about Harper Recruiter is that it only draws on attack, so if we're playing it in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nalia de&#039;Arnise" href="#" target="_blank">Nalia de&#039;Arnise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burakos, Party Leader" href="#" target="_blank">Burakos, Party Leader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it doesn't help us meet our full party requirement before the combat step, which feels a bit awkward given that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harper Recruiter" href="#" target="_blank">Harper Recruiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was designed with these commanders in mind.</p>
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<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seasoned Dungeoneer" href="#" target="_blank">Seasoned Dungeoneer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seasoned Dungeoneer"></div></div>
<p>Unlike some of the other party-specific cards that we've received in this precon, I believe <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seasoned Dungeoneer" href="#" target="_blank">Seasoned Dungeoneer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the most applicable to commanders outside of party or any specific tribal deck. Did you forget that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kaalia of the Vast" href="#" target="_blank">Kaalia of the Vast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is also a Cleric? Or that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alesha, Who Smiles at Death" href="#" target="_blank">Alesha, Who Smiles at Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a Warrior? If any of your commanders in white happen to be a Cleric, a Rogue, a Warrior, or a Wizard, I'd highly suggest looking to see if <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seasoned Dungeoneer" href="#" target="_blank">Seasoned Dungeoneer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be slotted in, especially if the commander cares about attacking. Among the top 100 commanders on EDHREC, ten happen to be one of the party types that can also run Seasoned Dungeoneer. Not all of them should, but decks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist" href="#" target="_blank">Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh" href="#" target="_blank">Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will welcome the chance to make Rograkh unblockable, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sefris of the Hidden Ways" href="#" target="_blank">Sefris of the Hidden Ways</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> decks will be happy to see a powerful card that'll help them complete more dungeons.</p>
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<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stick Together" href="#" target="_blank">Stick Together</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stick Together"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stick Together" href="#" target="_blank">Stick Together</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a possible one-sided <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tragic Arrogance" href="#" target="_blank">Tragic Arrogance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Even if we don't have any of those creature types, this is just a five-mana sorcery that makes everyone sacrifice their creatures, and what makes it better than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="By Invitation Only" href="#" target="_blank">By Invitation Only</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the chance that we'll have creatures that can survive through it. Similar to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seasoned Dungeoneer" href="#" target="_blank">Seasoned Dungeoneer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, if your commander happens to be one of the party types, this could be a great board wipe that keeps your commander around and wipes away everything else. Any creatures you happen to control with party types will be a bonus, but unfortunately, that can also be true for your opponents. While there are better options, I'm glad we're seeing new one-sided boardwipes that work with more specific commanders.</p>
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<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Multiclass Baldric" href="#" target="_blank">Multiclass Baldric</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Multiclass Baldric"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Multiclass Baldric" href="#" target="_blank">Multiclass Baldric</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fairly cheap Equipment that can either do nothing at all or be an effective tool for protecting your key creature, and it's busted with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burakos, Party Leader" href="#" target="_blank">Burakos, Party Leader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, turning them into a keyword soup creature. We'll still need three other creatures to trigger the full party ability, but that won't be hard to do in a party deck. Outside of this precon, however, I don't see it popping up in many decks. If there's one specific keyword we care about for a commander, there'll probably be better options. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cliffhaven Kitesail" href="#" target="_blank">Cliffhaven Kitesail</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a better fit if we care about the evasion and it's even able to cheat the equip cost, so unless you're including a ton of creatures from this new set that incidentally have party types, it's unlikely you'll want this Equipment for just one keyword.</p>
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<h2>This Party's Coming to a Close</h2>
<p>I think this precon is solid, from incredible new cards to some impressive reprints. It appears that the deck has an aristocrat subtheme, which I'm digging with all this focus on the combat step. It's well-rounded without being broken in any way.</p>
<p>Which precon are you picking up from this set? Do you think the party mechanic is becoming a stronger archetype in commander, or does it still lack in power? Let me know in the comments!</p>


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Mind Flayarrrs - Upgrade Guide

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