The Best Ways to Play Kaheera, the Orphanguard in Commander

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slinza, the Spiked Stampede" href="#" target="_blank">Slinza, the Spiked Stampede</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CIshikawa+Kenta%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Ishikawa Kenta</a>)</h6>
<h2>Why Was There No Beast Secret Lair?</h2>
<p>It turns out that there are <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=name&amp;q=%28type%3Acreature+type%3Abeast%29+commander%3ARG+%28game%3Apaper%29">333</a> legal creatures with the Beast type in Gruul. If <em>Wizards</em> had made a secret lair designed around the X-Men Beast, it would still be weaker than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storm, Force of Nature" href="#" target="_blank">Storm, Force of Nature</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. All this is to say that some of your favorite creatures might secretly be a Beast. The best way to find out is to play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slinza, the Spiked Stampede" href="#" target="_blank">Slinza, the Spiked Stampede</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and show all of your opponents the beast within.</p>
<p>My name is Nick, and welcome to a deck tech for <em>Foundations Jumpstart</em>, a set filled with anime art, fascinating new legendary creatures, and fun reprints!</p>
<h2>Fight or Fight Response</h2>
<p>In this deck, the only running we will do is run over our opponents to reduce their life totals to zero. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slinza, the Spiked Stampede" href="#" target="_blank">Slinza, the Spiked Stampede</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is another legendary creature in the ever-growing world of "Gruul Fight Club." The de facto leader up until now was <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Neyith of the Dire Hunt" href="#" target="_blank">Neyith of the Dire Hunt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but Slinza wants to bring a new martial arts style to the fight club.</p>
<p>Almost everything about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slinza, the Spiked Stampede" href="#" target="_blank">Slinza, the Spiked Stampede</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is perfect for a Beast Typal Commander deck. We get a <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> mana reduction to all our Beasts; they all enter with a +1/+1 counter, and the fighting is optional. The single downside is that we have to pay <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to cast our commander. It's good that we're green, so having enough mana will quickly become an afterthought.</p>
<h2>Fixing the Fight</h2>
<p>We don't want to lose once we start fighting in this deck. So, what cards do we have at our disposal to help make sure we win?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krosan Warchief"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anara, Wolvid Familiar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thunderfoot Baloth"></div></div>
<p>Regenerate is an older keyword in the game, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krosan Warchief" href="#" target="_blank">Krosan Warchief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to have a fight we are guaranteed to win thanks to its protection. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anara, Wolvid Familiar" href="#" target="_blank">Anara, Wolvid Familiar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spearbreaker Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Spearbreaker Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give our commander indestructible, and the pump from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thunderfoot Baloth" href="#" target="_blank">Thunderfoot Baloth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> should be enough to get over most creatures.</p>
<p>While we don't always have to use our commander to fight when our other Beasts come in, we want to avoid having Slinza, the Spiked Stampede die repeatedly.</p>
<h2>Another +1/+1</h2>
<p>The middle ability on Slinza grants all of our other Beasts an extra counter when they come into play, but what about getting Slinza some counters? As a matter of fact, what about getting all of our creatures more and more +1/+1 counters?</p>
<p>One of the staple cards in a counters deck is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Ozolith" href="#" target="_blank">The Ozolith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. While this card doesn't add counters to anything at the start, someone will eventually want to kill the creatures we have out. When that happens, we want a place for our counters to go, and that is where <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Ozolith" href="#" target="_blank">The Ozolith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> comes into play. And this works for any counter that we can get onto a creature. If we find ourselves with a Beast that doesn't have a trample, hopefully, we have already cycled our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Titanoth Rex" href="#" target="_blank">Titanoth Rex</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, allowing us to reuse the trample counter.</p>
<p>If one spire-shaped artifact is good, the broken version is even better. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ozolith, the Shattered Spire" href="#" target="_blank">Ozolith, the Shattered Spire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives our creatures a bonus counter and can even give bonus counters to the counters placed on the original <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Ozolith" href="#" target="_blank">The Ozolith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If that was not good enough for you, what about adding a way to give a creature a counter, which is secretly two counters, and cycling if, for some reason, you ever wanted to throw this card into the bin in an ill-fated attempt to find something better?</p>
<h2>More Counters</h2>
<p>Green is one of the best colors in <em>Magic</em> for +1/+1 counters. From creatures, instants, sorceries, and enchantments, we have many ways to pump up our board.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fangren Firstborn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ivy Lane Denizen"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Loyal Guardian"></div></div>
<p>Fangren Firstborn is one of the best Beasts I found when putting this deck together. It might have <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> in the cost preventing people from including it, but not us. Our deck is heavy green, and this Beast growing our team when we turn everything sideways adds fuel to our fire. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ivy Lane Denizen" href="#" target="_blank">Ivy Lane Denizen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> pairs perfectly with our commander, even without an infinite combo involved, which might be a first for the denizen. Every time we have a Beast with power four or greater enter, we can have the denizen give Slinza a counter, allowing it to fight something bigger every time.</p>
<p>An underrated across-the-color pie set of cards, the <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=name&amp;q=Loyal+oracle%3ALieutenant+%28game%3Apaper%29">Loyal creatures</a>. Each of these cards should, on average, see more play. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Loyal Guardian" href="#" target="_blank">Loyal Guardian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> fits perfectly for our needs. Another creature that can add counters to our entire team and being a 4/4 with trample itself means the guardian will get into the red zone along with the team.</p>
<p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Our good offense needs just as good of a defense, and in <em>Magic,</em> there is no better defense than preventing a board wipe. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inspiring Call" href="#" target="_blank">Inspiring Call</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the more niche protection cards you will see in Commander. While this deck also runs <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heroic Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Heroic Intervention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, most people will have forgotten that the call even exists, and there is never anything wrong with a backup plan to the backup plan.</span></p>
<p>Lastly, a very recent card, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Season of Gathering" href="#" target="_blank">Season of Gathering</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, does everything that a green deck wants to do. It can put counters on up to five of our creatures, giving them vigilance and trample till the end of the turn, wipe the board of all artifacts and/or all enchantments, or draw us a massive amount of cards.</p>
<h2>Enchanting</h2>
<p>The enchantments in this deck might be the most crucial part outside of the Beasts themselves.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rhythm of the Wild"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Uncivil Unrest"></div></div>
<p>The wild and the unrest allow all of our creatures to riot. The choice is adding another +1/+1 counter or our creatures having haste, which lets them wait for friends, or jumping into the Donnybrook themselves. Bonus points to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Uncivil Unrest" href="#" target="_blank">Uncivil Unrest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doubling the damage almost every creature in our deck will dish out.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Court of Garenbrig"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Innkeeper&#039;s Talent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Beastmaster Ascension"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Court of Garenbrig" href="#" target="_blank">Court of Garenbrig</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can draw us cards, give us counters, and even double up all the counters we have already made. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Innkeeper&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Innkeeper&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has no level we cannot take advantage of; giving our creatures protection in the form of ward and having another effect that doubles up our counters all rolled into one. A prerequisite for this deck is having a lot of dice on hand, especially if you enter the court or witness <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Innkeeper&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Innkeeper&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> firsthand.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primeval Bounty" href="#" target="_blank">Primeval Bounty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> acts as this deck's Swiss army knife, and while we most likely get a 3/3 Beast with this card on the field, the times we trigger the other two effects shouldn't be slept on. The silliest card to be found in a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slinza, the Spiked Stampede" href="#" target="_blank">Slinza, the Spiked Stampede</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck, is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aether Charge" href="#" target="_blank">Aether Charge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>: every beast now becomes four damage to our least favorite opponent's face.</p>
<h2>Biggest Baddest Beasts</h2>
<p>I have talked about many cards that help our beasts and help our commander, but what about the beasts themselves? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a card that needs one ever to say how good it is ever again, just so happens to be a beast. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Siege Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Siege Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is nowhere near as good of a card, but with Hexproof, it will not die easily, and its ability makes it so that even if an opponent has infinite blockers, we can still win the game.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rampaging Baloths" href="#" target="_blank">Rampaging Baloths</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thragtusk" href="#" target="_blank">Thragtusk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both act as a familiar song to a player's ears, but I, for one, have never focused on their creature type of Beast. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blossoming Bogbeast" href="#" target="_blank">Blossoming Bogbeast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is not going to pump our team to the moon since we do not have steady life gain, but giving our board trample pairs perfectly with the addition of a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quartzwood Crasher" href="#" target="_blank">Quartzwood Crasher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Finally, there are some other surprisingly good Beast creatures.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Herald of Ilharg"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Taurean Mauler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Caller of the Pack"></div></div>
<h2>Down With the Sickness</h2>
<p>A lot of green and a splash of red is just as good of a way to build a Commander deck as any other strategy. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slinza, the Spiked Stampede" href="#" target="_blank">Slinza, the Spiked Stampede</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, spoke to me when I looked through the <em>Foundations Jumpstart </em>card list. I was explicitly wrong in my thinking that there would be a small number of Beasts for the deck, and I was pleasantly surprised to see some creatures I have fond memories of playing that just so happened to be Beasts themselves.</p>
<p>A significant omission from this deck is a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doubling Season" href="#" target="_blank">Doubling Season</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or any of its slightly worse enchantment variations. Obviously, it would be fine in the deck, and if the deck's main focus was strictly +1/+1 counters, then I would definitely be included. I decided to focus on the Beast creature type in the deck and use counters and fighting as subthemes in the deck, leaving it out of the list.</p>
<p>I think <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slinza, the Spiked Stampede" href="#" target="_blank">Slinza, the Spiked Stampede</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is a commander who can bring a new player into the game and one that a seasoned veteran can fine-tune and have a blast with. If you want to see any of the other decks I have teched for <em>Foundations</em> or any previous sets, along with my series on Planeswalkers or anything else that other brilliant people have written, find it here on EDHREC or <a href="https://commandersherald.com/">Commanders Herald</a>. The rest of the deck list can be found below!</p>
<h2>Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="The Beast In Me" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Slinza, the Spiked Stampede
[/Commander]
[Enchantments]
*1 Aether Charge
*1 Beastmaster Ascension
*1 Court of Garenbrig
*1 Garruk&#039;s Uprising
*1 Guardian Project
*1 Innkeeper&#039;s Talent
*1 Primeval Bounty
*1 Rhythm of the Wild
*1 Uncivil Unrest
*1 Utopia Sprawl
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*1 Anara, Wolvid Familiar
*1 Beast Whisperer
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Blossoming Bogbeast
*1 Caller of the Pack
*1 Craterhoof Behemoth
*1 Elder Gargaroth
*1 Fanatic of Rhonas
*1 Fangren Firstborn
*1 Garruk&#039;s Horde
*1 Gemrazer
*1 Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma
*1 Gwenna, Eyes of Gaea
*1 Herald of Ilharg
*1 Herd Baloth
*1 Ivy Lane Denizen
*1 Krosan Warchief
*1 Loyal Guardian
*1 Migloz, Maze Crusher
*1 Migratory Greathorn
*1 Neyith of the Dire Hunt
*1 Quartzwood Crasher
*1 Questing Beast
*1 Quilled Greatwurm
*1 Rampaging Baloths
*1 Ridgescale Tusker
*1 Sawtusk Demolisher
*1 Siege Behemoth
*1 Spearbreaker Behemoth
*1 Spellbreaker Behemoth
*1 Taurean Mauler
*1 Thragtusk
*1 Thunderfoot Baloth
*1 Titanoth Rex
*1 Zhur-Taa Ancient
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Dolmen Gate
*1 Ozolith, the Shattered Spire
*1 Patchwork Banner
*1 Rhonas&#039;s Monument
*1 Sol Ring
*1 The Ozolith
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Beast Within
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Heroic Intervention
*1 Inspiring Call
*1 Return of the Wildspeaker
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Ezuri&#039;s Predation
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Rishkar&#039;s Expertise
*1 Season of Gathering
*1 Shamanic Revelation
*1 Three Visits
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Arena of Glory
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*1 Castle Garenbrig
*1 Cinder Glade
*1 Command Tower
*1 Commercial District
*1 Contested Cliffs
*1 Copperline Gorge
*10 Forest
*1 Gruul Turf
*1 Karplusan Forest
*1 Kessig Wolf Run
*3 Mountain
*1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
*1 Rockfall Vale
*1 Rootbound Crag
*1 Secluded Courtyard
*1 Sheltered Thicket
*1 Skarrg, the Rage Pits
*1 Spire Garden
*1 Stomping Ground
*1 Thornspire Verge
*1 Wooded Foothills
*1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
[/Lands]"></span></div>




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