Deckbuilding Contest Finalists - December 2025

<p style="text-align: right;"><em>(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kilo, Apogee Mind" href="#" target="_blank">Kilo, Apogee Mind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art By: <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CTuan+Duong+Chu%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tuan Duong Chu</a>)</em></p>
<p>To Infinity and not Universes Beyond. Hello everyone, and welcome to another addition of <em>Tech The Deck</em>, this time with a card from the upcoming <em>Magic: The Gathering</em> set <em>Edge of Eternities.</em> Who, or better yet, <em>what</em> might be the card I am speaking of? Well, it is none other than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kilo, Apogee Mind" href="#" target="_blank">Kilo, Apogee Mind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kilo, Apogee Mind"></div></div>
<p>I'm incredibly excited about this upcoming set and jumped at the chance to do a deck tech for this card. And Kilo, respectfully... I'd tap that. With all that out of the way, let's dive into how I decided to take this card and build a Bracket 4 deck to maximize Kilo's insane tap ability.</p>
<h2>Tap, Tap, No Concede</h2>
<p>This deck has one primary plan: turn a specific creature sideways over and over. The combat step is irrelevant; all we care about is the number of times we can untap and tap <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kilo, Apogee Mind" href="#" target="_blank">Kilo, Apogee Mind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Thanks to some cards from the format's past and cards much older than the average player remembers, we have plenty of ways at our disposal.</p>
<h3>Aura You Glad I Untapped?</h3>
<p>Two Auras in blue allow this deck to go off.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Freed from the Real"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pemmin&#039;s Aura"></div></div>
<p>These two cards might not have seen the inside of a sleeve, let alone a Commander pod, in some time, but thanks to Kilo, they're coming back with a vengeance. Each one has some slight benefits/drawbacks over the other, but both are an absolute must-run in this deck.</p>
<p>While <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pemmin&#039;s Aura" href="#" target="_blank">Pemmin&#039;s Aura</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has more abilities granted to the creature it's enchanting, in this deck, two of the four options are irrelevant. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Freed from the Real" href="#" target="_blank">Freed from the Real</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only taps and untaps, but it has a more forgiving mana cost.</p>
<p>These two are the main highlights in the deck. Card draw and tutors like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gamble" href="#" target="_blank">Gamble</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enlightened Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Enlightened Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will help us find these early and often.</p>
<p>The eagle-eyed among you have probably noticed that neither of these Auras has a free activation cost. While our commander's proliferation effect is strong, it alone does not make mana. So what are we to do?</p>
<h2>Making Mana</h2>
<p>Some of my favorite mana rocks make an appearance in this deck list.</p>
<p>I would bet almost every Magic player knows <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Everflowing Chalice" href="#" target="_blank">Everflowing Chalice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> well. And the charge counters found on it are perfect for our commander to proliferate. But I have an even better mana rock at my disposal. Feast your eyes on the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Astral Cornucopia" href="#" target="_blank">Astral Cornucopia</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Astral Cornucopia"></div></div>
<p>The Cornucopia goes bananas in this or any deck that can proliferate the counters. Most times mana rocks such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are only kept slightly in check because they add colorless mana. But with Astral Cornucopia and our deck running on all cylinders, we can pump out <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> or <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" 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 class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" 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 class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> with ease.</p>
<p>The tricks don't stop there.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Paradise Mantle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Honor-Worn Shaku"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Relic of Legends"></div></div>
<p>I have a slew of artifacts that allow for tapping of Kilo both for mana and for value.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crystalline Crawler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Red Death, Shipwrecker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Magda, Brazen Outlaw"></div></div>
<p>I even come packing creatures that tap for all sorts of options: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crystalline Crawler" href="#" target="_blank">Crystalline Crawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to give us whatever color of mana we need; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Red Death, Shipwrecker" href="#" target="_blank">Red Death, Shipwrecker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to lock out an entire table if we can use the ability multiple times in a turn; And <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> to make mana and tutor out any artifact we could want straight from the deck.</p>
<p>And artifacts are another central piece that allows us to win the game with this deck.</p>
<h2>The Artifacts</h2>
<p>Some combos in the game are complicated to explain. They're long and drawn out, and if you mess up even one step, the entire thing falls apart. Other combos are so devilishly simple, and that is what makes them great. I've found a way to pack both into this deck.</p>
<p>First up is the devilishly simple one, and the best one in the deck: the classic combination of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Isochron Scepter" href="#" target="_blank">Isochron Scepter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dramatic Reversal" href="#" target="_blank">Dramatic Reversal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div id="4821-5261" 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="4821-5261" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Dramatic%20Reversal%22%2C%22Isochron%20Scepter%22%5D&requires=%5B%5D&produces=%5B%22Infinite%20magecraft%20triggers%22%2C%22Infinite%20mana%20nonland%20permanents%20you%20control%20can%20produce%22%2C%22Infinite%20storm%20count%22%2C%22Infinite%20untap%20of%20nonland%20permanents%20you%20control%22%5D&id=4821-5261&color=U&extraRequirementCount=1"></script></div>
<p>Beautiful. This is the main combo that we want to assemble in this deck. Two open mana and the listed cards above, and then finding a way to win becomes trivial. Now onto the excitingly complicated one.</p>
<p>Combining the powers of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kilo, Apogee Mind" href="#" target="_blank">Kilo, Apogee Mind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magosi, the Waterveil" href="#" target="_blank">Magosi, the Waterveil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Resourceful Defense" href="#" target="_blank">Resourceful Defense</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to give us infinite turns.</p>
<div id="757-4153-6702" 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="757-4153-6702" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Kilo%2C%20Apogee%20Mind%22%2C%22Magosi%2C%20the%20Waterveil%22%2C%22Resourceful%20Defense%22%5D&requires=%5B%5D&produces=%5B%22Infinite%20turns%22%5D&id=757-4153-6702&color=URW&extraRequirementCount=0"></script></div>
<p>I don't think that without <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Commander Spellbook</a>, I would be able to explain the above combo with any form of confidence. Either way, it's one of many combos in this deck, and that's one reason that Kilo is a "busted" commander.</p>
<p>I'd go so far as to say that Kilo is the epitome of a <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/find-my-combos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">combotastic</a> commander. With 34 combos inside and another 298 possible combos that would only need a single card addition, I'm living in the fast lane with this deck.</p>
<p>Never fear, though, Kilo does have plenty of cool lines that can be taken if you want a bit more spice when it comes to winning the game.</p>
<h2>Spice, Spice, Baby</h2>
<p>They say variety is the spice of life, and this deck has a fair bit of spice jammed inside the 99.</p>
<p>This is a proliferation deck after all, and one of the best proliferate cards comes courtesy of <em>Universes Beyond: Fallout</em>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Radstorm" href="#" target="_blank">Radstorm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> benefits significantly from the infinite storm count generated thanks to our Dramatic Scepter combo. And with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prologue to Phyresis" href="#" target="_blank">Prologue to Phyresis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and a few other spells, I can kill a table thanks to poison counters if I so choose.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Radstorm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Reactor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Prologue to Phyresis"></div></div>
<p>And since Radstorm is an instant, I can use it to speed up a clock on the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Reactor" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Reactor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> living in the deck.</p>
<p>One final combo I want to mention in the deck involves an overlooked card from <em>Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth</em>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="There and Back Again" href="#" target="_blank">There and Back Again</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Now I did lie to you at the start of the article by saying "The combat step is irrelevant." It's just close enough to irrelevant for this deck that using this combo would be akin to a bank robber going to plan E when executing a heist.</p>
<div id="974-4183-4222" 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="974-4183-4222" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Saheeli%2C%20the%20Sun's%20Brilliance%22%2C%22There%20and%20Back%20Again%22%2C%22Freed%20from%20the%20Real%22%5D&requires=%5B%5D&produces=%5B%22Infinite%20colored%20mana%22%2C%22Infinite%20copies%20of%20artifacts%20you%20control%22%2C%22Infinite%20copies%20of%20creatures%20you%20control%22%2C%22Infinite%20creature%20tokens%22%2C%22Infinite%20death%20triggers%22%2C%22Infinite%20ETB%22%2C%22Infinite%20LTB%22%2C%22Infinite%20mana%20creatures%20you%20control%20can%20produce%22%2C%22Infinite%20Treasure%20tokens%22%2C%22Infinite%20untap%20of%20creatures%22%5D&id=974-4183-4222&color=UR&extraRequirementCount=2"></script></div>
<p>Infinity is the name of the game when it comes to Kilo.</p>
<h2>PSA</h2>
<p>Now, I like Kilo. I like Kilo quite a bit. This is a very cool card, and one that I'm glad they showed off early. But I do think that it needs to come with a warning label. I built this deck as a Bracket 4 deck that's all in and fairly labeled as a "glass cannon." I don't think this is the only way that you can build Kilo, but I don't believe that anyone you play with will believe you when you tell them you have no combos in your Kilo deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deflecting Swat"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smothering Tithe"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The One Ring"></div></div>
<p>A commander that's this easy to combo with is going to catch some strays, so I built this deck without going full cEDH, but I wanted to go as close as I could. That's why I run cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deflecting Swat" href="#" target="_blank">Deflecting Swat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fierce Guardianship" href="#" target="_blank">Fierce Guardianship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for protection, fast mana, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mana Vault" href="#" target="_blank">Mana Vault</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and some truly hated cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smothering Tithe" href="#" target="_blank">Smothering Tithe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The One Ring" href="#" target="_blank">The One Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Punches for this deck were not going to be pulled.</p>
<p>But that's not the only thing that can be done with Kilo. While players might not believe you at the start when you tell them you're using Kilo for a <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/planeswalkers/jeskai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jeskai Planeswalker</a> deck, trust that they'll come around the first time Kilo is tapped to add a counter to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jace Beleren" href="#" target="_blank">Jace Beleren</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>On the Edge</h2>
<p>I'm more excited than I have been all year for the release of <em>Edge of Eternities</em>. I might not end up building a deck with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kilo, Apogee Mind" href="#" target="_blank">Kilo, Apogee Mind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and it's too early to tell if I want to put it into my personal Jeskai Superfriends list. But I will be looking to see what everyone does with this once players can get their hands on it.</p>
<p>What will you be doing once <em>Edge of Eternitie</em>s is released? Are you excited for Kilo in Commander? I'd like to know, so please share with me on Bluesky at nicnax96. Keep an eye out for all the upcoming content for the last "real <em>Magic</em>" set of the year. And if I ever run into you and Kilo at a commander table, tell me the number of combos in your deck.</p>
<h2>Kilo, Apogee Mind Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Tech The Deck - Kilo, Apogee Mind" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Kilo, Apogee Mind
[/commander]
[Artifact]
*1 Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Astral Cornucopia
*1 Darksteel Reactor
*1 Empowered Autogenerator
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Gilded Lotus
*1 Glistening Sphere
*1 Honor-Worn Shaku
*1 Isochron Scepter
*1 Mana Vault
*1 Paradise Mantle
*1 Pentad Prism
*1 Relic of Legends
*1 Rings of Brighthearth
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Springleaf Drum
*1 Strionic Resonator
*1 The One Ring
*1 Umbral Mantle
[/Artifact]
[Enchantment]
*1 All Will Be One
*1 Freed from the Real
*1 Intruder Alarm
*1 Pemmin&#039;s Aura
*1 Resourceful Defense
*1 Search for Azcanta // Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin
*1 Smothering Tithe
*1 There and Back Again
[/Enchantment]
[Creature]
*1 Anger
*1 Aphetto Alchemist
*1 Barrenton Medic
*1 Cayth, Famed Mechanist
*1 Coretapper
*1 Crystalline Crawler
*1 Fatestitcher
*1 Idris, Soul of the TARDIS
*1 Ioreth of the Healing House
*1 Kwain, Itinerant Meddler
*1 Laboratory Maniac
*1 Magda, Brazen Outlaw
*1 O&#039;aka, Traveling Merchant
*1 Ornithopter of Paradise
*1 Red Death, Shipwrecker
*1 Saheeli, the Sun&#039;s Brilliance
*1 Spark Double
*1 Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus
*1 Unctus, Grand Metatect
[/creature]
[Sorcery]
*1 Contentious Plan
*1 Gamble
*1 Jeska&#039;s Will
*1 Search for Glory
[/Sorcery]
[Instant]
*1 Counterspell
*1 Deflecting Swat
*1 Dramatic Reversal
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Experimental Augury
*1 Fierce Guardianship
*1 Prologue to Phyresis
*1 Radstorm
*1 Silence
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 Steady Progress
*1 Teferi&#039;s Protection
[/Instant]
[Planeswalker]
*1 Karn, the Great Creator
[/Planeswalker]
[Land]
*1 Arid Mesa
*1 Clifftop Retreat
*1 Command Tower
*1 Deserted Beach
*1 Desolate Lighthouse
*1 Elegant Parlor
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Floodfarm Verge
*1 Glacial Fortress
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*2 Island
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*1 Magosi, the Waterveil
*1 Meticulous Archive
*1 Minamo, School at Water&#039;s Edge
*2 Mountain
*1 Nesting Grounds
*2 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Raugrin Triome
*1 Riverpyre Verge
*1 Sacred Foundry
*1 Scalding Tarn
*1 Sea of Clouds
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Steam Vents
*1 Stormcarved Coast
*1 Sulfur Falls
*1 Sundown Pass
*1 Thundering Falls
*1 Training Center
[/Land]"></span></div>


combo commander

Deckbuilding Contest Finalists - December 2025

Kilo, Apogee Mind Commander Deck Tech - Bracket 4