<p style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magda, Brazen Outlaw" href="#" target="_blank">Magda, Brazen Outlaw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/maniaks">Slawomir Maniak</a></p>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Best At, Worst At</em>. In this series, we look at some of Commander's most popular strategies, see which legendary creatures lead the most decks for them, and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of those cards. After we analyze a strategy's most popular commander, we'll look at another commander that fills in some of their weak spots.</p>
<p>In today's edition, we'll be looking at <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/dwarves">Dwarf decks</a>. These little guys are the 48th-most popular creature type to build a deck around, with 1,866 decks to their name at the time of writing. This creature type rocks, so let's dig a bit deeper into it.</p>
<h2>Why Play Dwarves?</h2>
<p>Dwarves tend to be centered around a few key themes. They often care about artifacts in one way or another, whether they're making Treasure tokens or making Equipment even better!</p>
<p>Among the most popular Dwarves are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dwarven Recruiter" href="#" target="_blank">Dwarven Recruiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (to fetch up more of its kin), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Digsite Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Digsite Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (to make some fearsome "Karnstructs"), and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seven Dwarves" href="#" target="_blank">Seven Dwarves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (for the fairy tale fans among us).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dwarven Recruiter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Digsite Engineer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seven Dwarves"></div></div>
<h2>Who's the Most Popular Dwarf Commander?</h2>
<p>The most popular commander for this creature type is, by far, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magda, Brazen Outlaw" href="#" target="_blank">Magda, Brazen Outlaw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. There are 1,094 Magda decks tagged as being Dwarf typal, comprising nearly 60% of all decks built around the type.</p>
<p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Magda is a 2/1 Dwarf with several super strong abilities. First, she gives all of our Dwarves +1/+0. Then, whenever one of our Dwarves becomes tapped, we get to make a Treasure. Finally, we can sacrifice five Treasures at any time to fetch an artifact or Dragon from our library directly onto the battlefield.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Magda, Brazen Outlaw"></div></div>
<h3>What Makes Magda So Powerful?</h3>
<p>Magda turns all of our creatures into Treasure making machines, providing the fuel we'll need to fetch up a steady stream of game-altering artifacts onto the battlefield.</p>
<p>There are tons of cheap Dwarves from throughout <em>Magic</em>'s history that Magda decks can make good use of. There are also some easy ways to tap those creatures, which makes this two-mana commander into an absolute powerhouse. Vehicles like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flywheel Racer" href="#" target="_blank">Flywheel Racer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and mana rocks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Honor-Worn Shaku" href="#" target="_blank">Honor-Worn Shaku</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are useful in some builds of this commander.</p>
<p>Best of all, the majority of Commander-legal Dwarves and Commander-legal artifacts are playable in mono-<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> decks! Magda pilots will never be starved for options.</p>
<h3>What's in a Magda Deck?</h3>
<p>To quote a famous Magda pilot, "Magda goes in Magda." That's to say that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magda, the Hoardmaster" href="#" target="_blank">Magda, the Hoardmaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great inclusion for the 99 of OG Magda decks. Sometimes, we'll have extra Treasures on hand and no good reason to search through our library with our commander's tutor ability. This Berserker lets us turn those artifacts into on-board advantage!</p>
<p>Another powerful Dwarf, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glóin, Dwarf Emissary" href="#" target="_blank">Glóin, Dwarf Emissary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can augment our Treasure production even further. He makes more tokens when we cast artifact spells, and can even tap himself to trigger our commander's ability! Finally, for Magda decks that operate at the <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets">highest power levels</a>, one-mana creatures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dwarven Trader" href="#" target="_blank">Dwarven Trader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be stellar.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Magda, the Hoardmaster"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glóin, Dwarf Emissary"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dwarven Trader"></div></div>
<p>Once we've got more Treasures than we know what to do with, it's time to fetch up some powerful artifacts. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="God-Pharaoh&#039;s Statue" href="#" target="_blank">God-Pharaoh&#039;s Statue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can lock our opponents out of the game while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Portal to Phyrexia" href="#" target="_blank">Portal to Phyrexia</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give us the burst we need to leap ahead! There are other artifacts that can provide us with some great value over time, too, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Fire Crystal" href="#" target="_blank">The Fire Crystal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="God-Pharaoh&#039;s Statue"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Portal to Phyrexia"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Fire Crystal"></div></div>
<p>Magda decks are also known for their infinite combos, the majority of which involve <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clock of Omens" href="#" target="_blank">Clock of Omens</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This commander even sees cEDH play, with a combo finish often capping off this mono-colored list's turn.</p>
<div id="486-1486-1651" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
<script id="486-1486-1651" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Magda%2C%20Brazen%20Outlaw%22%2C%22Clock%20of%20Omens%22%2C%22Liquimetal%20Torque%22%5D&requires=%5B%5D&produces=%5B%22Infinite%20tapped%20Treasure%20tokens%22%2C%22Put%20all%20artifact%20cards%20and%20a%20subset%20of%20creature%20cards%20from%20your%20library%20onto%20the%20battleifeld%22%5D&id=486-1486-1651&color=R&extraRequirementCount=0"></script></div>
<p>Here's Magda's average deck list, according to EDHREC. Please note that this isn't a cEDH list, and will have some significant differences when compared to what's popular in top-level play.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Mad Magda" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Magda, Brazen Outlaw
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Careening Mine Cart
*1 Clock of Omens
*1 Clown Car
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Firdoch Core
*1 Flywheel Racer
*1 God-Pharaoh&#039;s Statue
*1 High-Speed Hoverbike
*1 Lifecraft Engine
*1 Liquimetal Coating
*1 Liquimetal Torque
*1 Maskwood Nexus
*1 Portal to Phyrexia
*1 Sculpting Steel
*1 Smuggler&#039;s Copter
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Springleaf Drum
*1 Unlicensed Hearse
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Adaptive Automaton
*1 Axgard Cavalry
*1 Barkform Harvester
*1 Bloodfire Dwarf
*1 Bloodline Pretender
*1 Dwarven Armorer
*1 Dwarven Bloodboiler
*1 Dwarven Grunt
*1 Dwarven Miner
*1 Dwarven Scorcher
*1 Dwarven Trader
*1 Enslaved Dwarf
*1 Gimli of the Glittering Caves
*1 Glóin, Dwarf Emissary
*1 Hellkite Tyrant
*1 Liberated Dwarf
*1 Magda, the Hoardmaster
*1 Metallic Mimic
*1 Plundering Barbarian
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*6 Seven Dwarves
*1 Spark Mage
*1 Three Tree Mascot
*1 Universal Automaton
*1 Vault Robber
*1 Xorn
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Blood Moon
*1 Sticky Fingers
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Abrade
*1 Big Score
*1 Bottle-Cap Blast
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Galvanic Blast
*1 Lightning Bolt
*1 Return the Favor
*1 Unexpected Windfall
*1 Untimely Malfunction
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Faithless Looting
*1 Jeska&#039;s Will
*1 Seize the Spoils
*1 Strike It Rich
*1 Vandalblast
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Dwarven Mine
*1 Great Furnace
*1 Holdout Settlement
*1 Mines of Moria
*23 Mountain
*1 Mutavault
*1 Survivors&#039; Encampment
*1 Treasure Vault
*1 Volatile Fault
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h3>What Are Magda's Shortcomings?</h3>
<p>Magda's biggest shortcoming lies in her color identity. While she's a fantastic card that enables some wacky play patterns, she's still mono-<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. Her abilities are strong enough to elevate her mono-colored supporting cast beyond the heights they can normally reach, but <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> is among the weaker colors to play alone in Commander.</p>
<p>This leads to a distinct lack of card advantage and removal. While we can alleviate these problems by fetching specific artifacts with Magda, other colors would provide access to what we're looking for much more easily.</p>
<h2>How Can We Shore Up Magda's Weaknesses?</h2>
<p>To brighten things up a bit, let's take a look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Depala, Pilot Exemplar" href="#" target="_blank">Depala, Pilot Exemplar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! Just like Magda, this Dwarf cares about artifacts and provides an anthem to our creatures. But, Depala focuses on Vehicles instead of Treasures.</p>
<p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Depala is a 3/3 Dwarf Pilot that gives +1/+1 to our Dwarves and crewed Vehicles. Plus, when she's tapped, we get to pay <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-x" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to dig through our library in search of more Dwarves and more cars for them to drive.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Depala, Pilot Exemplar"></div></div>
<p>We've got some new Dwarves to play with, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tataru Taru" href="#" target="_blank">Tataru Taru</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duergar Hedge-Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Duergar Hedge-Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These creatures both provide some excellent value, and are only available because we've added <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to our color identity!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tataru Taru"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Duergar Hedge-Mage"></div></div>
<p>We can even play with some super powerful Vehicles, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Parhelion II" href="#" target="_blank">Parhelion II</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Prydwen, Steel Flagship" href="#" target="_blank">The Prydwen, Steel Flagship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These two make for excellent curve-toppers, but we've got value lower down on the mana curve in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aerial Surveyor" href="#" target="_blank">Aerial Surveyor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unidentified Hovership" href="#" target="_blank">Unidentified Hovership</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Prydwen, Steel Flagship"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unidentified Hovership"></div></div>
<p>We've got access to more card advantage and removal, too! This color combination provides us with access to draw engines like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sram, Senior Edificer" href="#" target="_blank">Sram, Senior Edificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Astor, Bearer of Blades" href="#" target="_blank">Astor, Bearer of Blades</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, while also letting us play some top-shelf removal like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boros Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Boros Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dispatch" href="#" target="_blank">Dispatch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sram, Senior Edificer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dispatch"></div></div>
<p>Here's Depala's average decklist. While there are some commonalities with Magda decks, like the inclusion of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lifecraft Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Lifecraft Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and tons of Dwarves, this <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> deck is certainly unique! It's also important to note that Magda is absolutely more powerful than Depala. This series, however, gives us an interesting opportunity to look at a different commander for a well-trodden strategy!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="De Paul!" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Depala, Pilot Exemplar
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Aerial Surveyor
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Boros Signet
*1 Colossal Plow
*1 Consulate Dreadnought
*1 Cultivator&#039;s Caravan
*1 Fleetwheel Cruiser
*1 Hoard Hauler
*1 Lifecraft Engine
*1 Mechtitan Core
*1 Mighty Servant of Leuk-o
*1 Nautiloid Ship
*1 Parhelion II
*1 Peacewalker Colossus
*1 Raiders&#039; Karve
*1 Reaver Titan
*1 Reckoner Bankbuster
*1 Salvation Engine
*1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
*1 Smuggler&#039;s Copter
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Surgehacker Mech
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Untethered Express
*1 Weatherlight
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Aerial Responder
*1 Aeronaut Admiral
*1 Aethershield Artificer
*1 Astor, Bearer of Blades
*1 Digsite Engineer
*1 Duergar Hedge-Mage
*1 Dwarven Recruiter
*1 Fairgrounds Warden
*1 Foundry Inspector
*1 Gearshift Ace
*1 Glóin, Dwarf Emissary
*1 Hangar Scrounger
*1 Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer
*1 Kolodin, Triumph Caster
*1 Magda, Brazen Outlaw
*1 Plundering Barbarian
*1 Renegade Wheelsmith
*1 Restoration Specialist
*1 Speedway Fanatic
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer
*1 Stoic Farmer
*1 Toolcraft Exemplar
*1 Veteran Motorist
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Pia&#039;s Revolution
*1 Siege Modification
*1 Tempered Steel
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Armed and Armored
*1 Boros Charm
*1 Built to Last
*1 Dispatch
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Chandra, Spark Hunter
[/Planeswalkers]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 From Father to Son
*1 Reckless Crew
*1 Start Your Engines
*1 Wake the Past
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Ancient Den
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Boros Garrison
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Clifftop Retreat
*1 Command Tower
*1 Dwarven Mine
*1 Furycalm Snarl
*1 Great Furnace
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*1 Mech Hangar
*9 Mountain
*1 Path of Ancestry
*11 Plains
*1 Rugged Prairie
*1 Sacred Foundry
*1 Temple of Triumph
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Dwarves may not be the most popular creature type in Commander, but they do have some neat commanders! Magda is obviously incredibly powerful, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Lady of Otaria" href="#" target="_blank">The Lady of Otaria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Giott, King of the Dwarves" href="#" target="_blank">Giott, King of the Dwarves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can provide an interesting deckbuilding prompt too.</p>
<p>Do you have a Dwarf commander that holds a special place in your heart? Will <em>The Hobbit </em>make you consider Dwarves more closely? Let me know in the comments, and I'll be back soon for more <em>Best At, Worst At</em>!</p>


Best At, Worst At: Magda, Brazen Outlaw

Best At, Worst At: K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth

<p style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tinybones, Bauble Burglar" href="#" target="_blank">Tinybones, Bauble Burglar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/leossart">Leonardo Santanna</a></p>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Best At, Worst At</em>. In this series, we look at some of Commander's most popular strategies, see which legendary creatures lead the most decks for them, and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of those cards.</p>
<p>In today's edition, we'll be looking at <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/discard">Discard decks</a>. Discard decks are among Commander's most popular. With 33,524 decks on EDHREC, they currently sit as the 26th most popular strategy in our format! Let's see what makes this strategy work.</p>
<h2>Why Play Discard?</h2>
<p>Discard decks seek to strip resources out of opposing players' hands, winning the game by preventing other players from taking meaningful game actions consistently.</p>
<p>Discard effects are primarily found in <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, and cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syphon Mind" href="#" target="_blank">Syphon Mind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark Deal" href="#" target="_blank">Dark Deal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> see heavy play. There are also some great payoffs for opponents ditching cards from their hand, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syr Konrad, the Grim" href="#" target="_blank">Syr Konrad, the Grim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Waste Not" href="#" target="_blank">Waste Not</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Syphon Mind"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Waste Not"></div></div>
<h2>Who's The Most Popular Discard Commander?</h2>
<p>The most popular discard commander is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tinybones, Bauble Burglar" href="#" target="_blank">Tinybones, Bauble Burglar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This little guy leads 9,607 decks, and while other commanders may have more decks to their name overall, Tinybones has the most tagged with "discard" in EDHREC's database.</p>
<p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, he's a 1/3 Skeleton Rogue that provides us with easy access to the cards that our opponents discard from their hands. He also lets us force each of our opponents to discard a card from their hand for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> with an activated ability.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tinybones, Bauble Burglar"></div></div>
<h3>What Makes Tinybones So Powerful?</h3>
<p>Tinybones gives us consistent, "fair" access to our opponents' discarded stuff. We can view him as a friendlier version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tergrid, God of Fright" href="#" target="_blank">Tergrid, God of Fright</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Tergrid can inspire fear in opponents, and is frequently the target of removal spells. She's widely known as a "kill on sight" commander, and her pilots are treated with a good degree of hostility at most Commander tables.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tergrid, God of Fright"></div></div>
<p>Tinybones may not give us the same amount of free value that Tergrid does, but this Skeleton Rogue does let us access our opponents' stuff in the same way that Tergrid does. In fact, Tinybones gives us access to a bit more than Tergrid! That five-mana God only lets us steal permanent cards from our opponents' hands, while Tinybones provides us access to permanents and nonpermanents alike.</p>
<p>Another advantage that Tinybones has is his low mana cost. He can be cast for just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, allowing him to hit the board and start making an impact on the game early. That low mana cost also allows this commander to be recast with ease, disincentivizing our opponents from removing him.</p>
<p>Finally, this creature's activated ability is nice to have. We'll often have more efficient discard effects available, but it's great to have this ability as a fallback. This <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-tap" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> ability makes our commander into a neat card advantage engine, in a roundabout way. We can spend <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to get three new cards from our opponents' hands to play with.</p>
<h3>What's in a Tinybones Deck?</h3>
<p>These lists include tons of effects that force our opponents to play with very few cards in hand. Effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painful Quandary" href="#" target="_blank">Painful Quandary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oppression" href="#" target="_blank">Oppression</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cunning Lethemancer" href="#" target="_blank">Cunning Lethemancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> feature heavily.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Painful Quandary"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oppression"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cunning Lethemancer"></div></div>
<p>There are also a few effects that pay us off for all the cards we'll rip from opponents' hands. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bandit&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Bandit&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tinybones, Trinket Thief" href="#" target="_blank">Tinybones, Trinket Thief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Entropic Battlecruiser" href="#" target="_blank">Entropic Battlecruiser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all see significant play.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bandit&#039;s Talent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tinybones, Trinket Thief"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Entropic Battlecruiser"></div></div>
<p>Here's the average Tinybones decklist, according to EDHREC's data:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Tiny Bones, Big Dreams" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Tinybones, Bauble Burglar
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Charcoal Diamond
*1 Entropic Battlecruiser
*1 Geth&#039;s Grimoire
*1 Jet Medallion
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead
*1 Burglar Rat
*1 Crypt Ghast
*1 Cunning Lethemancer
*1 Elderfang Disciple
*1 Fell Specter
*1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
*1 Hecteyes
*1 Mindslicer
*1 Necrogoyf
*1 Nezumi Informant
*1 Plaguecrafter
*1 Rankle, Master of Pranks
*1 Sangromancer
*1 Tergrid, God of Fright // Tergrid&#039;s Lantern
*1 The Raven Man
*1 Thieving Varmint
*1 Tinybones, Trinket Thief
*1 Tinybones, the Pickpocket
*1 Tourach, Dread Cantor
*1 Virus Beetle
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bandit&#039;s Talent
*1 Bottomless Pit
*1 Hopeless Nightmare
*1 Liliana&#039;s Caress
*1 Megrim
*1 Necrogen Mists
*1 Oppression
*1 Painful Quandary
*1 Tinybones Joins Up
*1 Waste Not
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Dark Ritual
*1 Deadly Rollick
*1 Defile
*1 Fake Your Own Death
*1 Go for the Throat
*1 Imp&#039;s Mischief
*1 Infernal Grasp
*1 Withering Torment
[/Instants]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Liliana of the Veil
[/Planeswalkers]
[Sorceries]
*1 Arterial Flow
*1 Dark Deal
*1 Delirium Skeins
*1 Duress
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Let&#039;s Play a Game
*1 Mind Rake
*1 Pilfer
*1 Rankle&#039;s Prank
*1 Reanimate
*1 Sign in Blood
*1 Syphon Mind
*1 Thoughtseize
*1 Toxic Deluge
*1 Vicious Rumors
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Cabal Coffers
*1 Cabal Stronghold
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Reliquary Tower
*29 Swamp
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h3>What Are Tinybones' Shortcomings?</h3>
<p>Tinybones is a discard payoff and a way to force discard, but doesn't do either of those things in a stellar manner.</p>
<p>He gives us access to our opponents' cards, but those cards may not fit our game plan. If we steal a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wood Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Wood Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from an opponent's hand, that doesn't really do much for us. Because our decks aren't built around our opponents' game plans, it can sometimes be difficult to do anything meaningful with the cards we steal from them.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wood Elves"></div></div>
<p>There are other commanders that force discard in slightly more efficient ways, too. <span class="edhrecp__link side-by-side"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana, Heretical Healer" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana, Heretical Healer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s flip-side can cause discard every turn without any mana investment, and cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Victor, Valgavoth&#039;s Seneschal" href="#" target="_blank">Victor, Valgavoth&#039;s Seneschal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can cause discard naturally as we enact our game plan.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liliana, Heretical Healer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Victor, Valgavoth&#039;s Seneschal"></div></div>
<h2>How Can We Shore Up Tinybones' Weaknesses?</h2>
<p>I chose to stick with a mono-<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> commander here, as the best discard effects tend to be concentrated in this color. We'll be taking a closer look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal" href="#" target="_blank">Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Much like Tinybones, this flying beater both causes our opponents to discard cards and provides us with a payoff for when they do so. This Bat God costs <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, but he's pretty hard to get rid of permanently once he's roosted on the battlefield.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal"></div></div>
<p>Aclazotz is more expensive to cast than Tinybones, but has some significant advantages over the Skeleton.</p>
<p>First, he provides us with a consistent way to force cards from other players' hands. His attack trigger causes each opponent to discard every single turn, and provides us with card advantage if they're unable to do so. It's entirely possible that our opponents will run out of cards, so it's nice that this commander can still give something tangible in that edge case.</p>
<p>Second, Aclazotz provides us with concrete, on-board advantage as our opponents discard land cards. He may not give us as many cards to play with as Tinybones does, but 1/1 flying creature tokens are great as attackers and blockers, and often opponents are more likely to pitch lands first, rather than spells. We can even use effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grim Hireling" href="#" target="_blank">Grim Hireling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor" href="#" target="_blank">Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to augment those Bats further.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grim Hireling"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor"></div></div>
<p>Finally, it's a nice bonus that Aclazotz actually allows discarded cards to go to the graveyard. That lets us use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reanimate" href="#" target="_blank">Reanimate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on some juicy creatures or steal something enticing with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dauthi Voidwalker" href="#" target="_blank">Dauthi Voidwalker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reanimate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dauthi Voidwalker"></div></div>
<p>Decklists built around this five-drop are somewhat similar to those built around Tinybones. But, we can take advantage of the fact that Aclazotz is a great attacker with effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Raiders&#039; Wake" href="#" target="_blank">Raiders&#039; Wake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We can also use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valley Rotcaller" href="#" target="_blank">Valley Rotcaller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to great effect, leveraging our growing Bat battalion to drain opposing life totals.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Raiders&#039; Wake"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Valley Rotcaller"></div></div>
<p>For comparison's sake, here's the average Aclazotz decklist according to EDHREC's data:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Batman, but no Robin" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Charcoal Diamond
*1 Entropic Battlecruiser
*1 Geth&#039;s Grimoire
*1 Jet Medallion
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Thought Vessel
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Asylum Visitor
*1 Burglar Rat
*1 Crypt Ghast
*1 Cunning Lethemancer
*1 Elderfang Disciple
*1 Fell Specter
*1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
*1 Hypnotic Specter
*1 Liliana&#039;s Specter
*1 Mindslicer
*1 Necrogoyf
*1 Nezumi Informant
*1 Plaguecrafter
*1 Rankle, Master of Pranks
*1 Sangromancer
*1 Syr Konrad, the Grim
*1 Tergrid, God of Fright // Tergrid&#039;s Lantern
*1 The Haunt of Hightower
*1 The Raven Man
*1 Tinybones, Bauble Burglar
*1 Tinybones, Trinket Thief
*1 Tourach, Dread Cantor
*1 Virus Beetle
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bandit&#039;s Talent
*1 Bottomless Pit
*1 Court of Ambition
*1 Liliana&#039;s Caress
*1 Megrim
*1 Oppression
*1 Painful Quandary
*1 Phyrexian Arena
*1 Quest for the Nihil Stone
*1 Raiders&#039; Wake
*1 Waste Not
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Bitter Triumph
*1 Dark Ritual
*1 Defile
*1 Go for the Throat
*1 Imp&#039;s Mischief
*1 Infernal Grasp
*1 Withering Torment
[/Instants]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Liliana, Waker of the Dead
[/Planeswalkers]
[Sorceries]
*1 Dark Deal
*1 Delirium Skeins
*1 Duress
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Mind Rake
*1 Rankle&#039;s Prank
*1 Reanimate
*1 Sign in Blood
*1 Syphon Mind
*1 Torment of Hailfire
*1 Toxic Deluge
*1 Vicious Rumors
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Cabal Coffers
*1 Cabal Stronghold
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Reliquary Tower
*28 Swamp
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Ultimately, these commanders are quite similar. Aclazotz does the same thing as Tinybones, but has more powerful abilities at a higher mana cost. Both of these creatures provide interesting ways to force consistent discard and add some meaningful payoff for our efforts. I may be partial to Aclazotz due to my love for everything to do with bats in real life, but I'd take this commander over Tinybones any day of the week.</p>
<p>Which of these two legends do you think is stronger? Let me know in the comments down below, and I'll see you soon for another <em>Best at, Worst at</em>!</p>


https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/fdn-72-tinybones-bauble-burglar.jpg

best at worst at

Best At, Worst At: Magda, Brazen Outlaw

Best At, Worst At: K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth

Best At, Worst At: Tinybones, Bauble Burglar

Best At, Worst At: Baylen, the Haymaker