Power Sink - Light Paws Goes To Vegas

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Korvold, Fae-Cursed King" href="#" target="_blank">Korvold, Fae-Cursed King</a> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/wisnutan">Wisnu Tan</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo, and this is Epic Experiment, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.
Let's talk about <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Korvold, Fae-Cursed King" href="#" target="_blank">Korvold, Fae-Cursed King</a>.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Korvold, Fae-Cursed King"></div></div>
By this point, we all know Korvold is a must-answer threat and how easy it is to break his card draw ability. Korvold lets us draw a card for every permanent we sacrifice, whether it be a Treasure token, a fetch land, or cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unbridled Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Unbridled Growth</a>, giving us two cards for one mana. This flexibility allows him to be the perfect commander for almost every permanent-based Jund strategy. The indiscriminate draw enables him to go over the top and makes it almost impossible to defeat him in an attrition battle.
Given Korvold's power level, it's not that much of a stretch to think that he's going to become the target of removal from the other side of the table. This means that it's important to either get enough value from his arrival (which is easy) or to play in such a deliberately tamed shell that we might convince the table that we're not as much of a threat.
<hr />
<h2>Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bitterheart Witch"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Disturbance"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Opulence"></div></div>
It's a bit of a challenge to find a niche for such a popular commander. Luckily for me, the answer was pretty much in the name: Fae-Cursed. Curses are an interesting archetype to pair with Korvold because they provide a steady flow of tokens and an efficient timing window to sacrifice them with our commander's attack trigger.
One of the best aspects of a Curse-heavy deck is the ability to pinpoint our hate effects, which helps us avoid potential backlash from other players. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Death&#039;s Hold" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Death&#039;s Hold</a> can hold off tokens and go-wide strategies before they get to their anthems. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cruel Reality" href="#" target="_blank">Cruel Reality</a> is great against decks that are trying to stick a big threat into play. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Fool&#039;s Wisdom" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Fool&#039;s Wisdom</a> is a nice way to put control decks on a clock, and it's also very good against certain Spellslinger shells.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of Clinging Webs"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of the Restless Dead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Captive Audience"></div></div>
There are a lot of token-producer Curses that feed our commander rather nicely. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Clinging Webs" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Clinging Webs</a> is a great way to fight recursion-based decks and is very nice to have after a board wipe. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of the Restless Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of the Restless Dead</a> punishes greedy green players and provides useful self-sacrificing tokens. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Disturbance" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Disturbance</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Opulence" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Opulence</a> play nicely with Korvold's sacrifice trigger timing by being able to sacrifice the freshly created token.
While not necessarily Curses, Group Slug cards certainly fit the Curses style of death by a thousand cuts. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sheoldred, the Apocalypse" href="#" target="_blank">Sheoldred, the Apocalypse</a> is an impressive threat that acts as a global <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Fool&#039;s Wisdom" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Fool&#039;s Wisdom</a>. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arasta of the Endless Web" href="#" target="_blank">Arasta of the Endless Web</a> provides lots of useful bodies that can be used to either clog our board or feed Korvold. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Captive Audience" href="#" target="_blank">Captive Audience</a> is as close to an Aura as a card can get, and its effects are nasty and should be considered mostly as a way to deal with archenemy scenarios.
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Korvold, Curse King" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Korvold, Fae-Cursed King
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Birds of Paradise
*Caustic Caterpillar
*Gilded Goose
*Ignoble Hierarch
*Burglar Rat
*Destiny Spinner
*Elderfang Disciple
*Herald of the Pantheon
*Sanctum Weaver
*Tangled Florahedron
*Virus Beetle
*Weaver of Harmony
*Bothersome Quasit
*Demon&#039;s Disciple
*Gloomshrieker
*Plaguecrafter
*Arasta of the Endless Web
*Ravenous Chupacabra
*Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
*Silent Arbiter
*Bitterheart Witch
*Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant
*Shriekmaw
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*Curse of Opulence
*Phyrexian Reclamation
*Wild Growth
*Cindervine
*Curse of Shaken Faith
*Fertile Ground
*Trespasser&#039;s Curse
*Wolfwillow Haven
*Curse of Chaos
*Curse of the Clinging Webs
*Curse of Disturbance
*Curse of Hospitality
*Curse of the Restless Dead
*Descent into Avernus
*Maddening Hex
*Myth Unbound
*Overgrowth
*Vow of Lightning
*Vow of Malice
*Vow of Torment
*Vow of Wildness
*Weirding Woods
*Curse of Oblivion
*Curse of Bloodletting
*Curse of Death&#039;s Hold
*Curse of Misfortune
*Curse of Thirst
*Rite of the Raging Storm
*Curse of Fool&#039;s Wisdom
*Captive Audience
*Cruel Reality
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Assassin&#039;s Trophy
*Hagra Mauling
[/Instant]
[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*Crawlspace
[/Artifact]
[Sorcery]
*Shatterskull Smashing
*Agadeem&#039;s Awakening
*Bala Ged Recovery
*Toxic Deluge
*Damnation
*Turntimber Symbiosis
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Blood Crypt
*Bloodstained Mire
*Bojuka Bog
*Command Tower
*Fire-Lit Thicket
*Ghost Quarter
*Grave Cairns
*Grove of the Burnwillows
*Llanowar Wastes
*Luxury Suite
*Nurturing Peatland
*Overgrown Tomb
*Polluted Delta
*Prismatic Vista
*Riveters Outlook
*Savage Lands
*Spire Garden
*Stomping Ground
*Sulfurous Springs
*Tectonic Edge
*Twilight Mire
*Undergrowth Stadium
*Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*Verdant Catacombs
*Windswept Heath
*Wooded Foothills
*Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
*Zitora&#039;s Proving Ground
*3 Forest
*2 Swamp
*Mountain
[/Land]"></div> 

<hr />
Our commander is an important tool for this list, which means we need to have a few cheap permanents to get more mileage out of it. Most of our removal suite being creatures can help us with this. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burglar Rat" href="#" target="_blank">Burglar Rat</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elderfang Disciple" href="#" target="_blank">Elderfang Disciple</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Virus Beetle" href="#" target="_blank">Virus Beetle</a>'s discard ETBs are very useful for us to slow down the game to get more value out of our Curses. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ravenous Chupacabra" href="#" target="_blank">Ravenous Chupacabra</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shriekmaw" href="#" target="_blank">Shriekmaw</a> provide targeted creature removal, and together with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Plaguecrafter" href="#" target="_blank">Plaguecrafter</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demon&#039;s Disciple" href="#" target="_blank">Demon&#039;s Disciple</a>, we get a pretty decent creature removal suite.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rite of the Raging Storm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vow of Malice"></div></div>
It's important to make sure that everyone tries to get value out of our attack-based Curses, whether they want it or not. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant</a> is a great way to cover all bases; it provides everyone with another incentive to hit each other with, and the goad on attack is a nice bonus. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bothersome Quasit" href="#" target="_blank">Bothersome Quasit</a> plays well with our Curses by both providing a forced attack and by clearing the way for potential combatants. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rite of the Raging Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Rite of the Raging Storm</a> gives everyone a "why not" attacker, which, together with beneficial Curses like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Hospitality" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Hospitality</a>, can provide a nice amount of "incidental" damage.
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
Our early game tends to be a bit slow if we don't know what everyone else is playing. If that's the case, we should consider holding out our Curses so that we can properly gauge each deck and avoid king-making. If we know our opponents' strategies pretty well right off the bat, then we can instead start casting our Curses right away. We need to have a dedicated card to sacrifice when our commander comes down, so as to avoid losing a land. Don't get me wrong, we should still play Korvold even if we need to lose a land, but we don't want to get blown out by removal too badly.
By the mid-game, we should have our commander online and have a couple of Curses placed, but this is the pivotal point where the game tends to change depending on the harmful Auras we've managed to play. Curses that create tokens, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Opulence" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Opulence</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of the Restless Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of the Restless Dead</a>, tend to accelerate our gameplan, while Curses that punish our opponents, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Death&#039;s Hold" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Death&#039;s Hold</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Shaken Faith" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Shaken Faith</a>, tend to slow the game down.
Between our Curses, slugs pieces, and commander, we grind pretty well in the late game, though we do lack a bit in sheer power and instead rely on incremental advantages, which can lose us some top deck wars. The most important thing to do to win the late game is to make sure that, by this point, everyone is weakened by a full game's worth of conflicts!
That’s it for this Epic Experiment! What do you think of this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!

Epic Experiment - Korvold

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cleansing Meditation" href="#" target="_blank">Cleansing Meditation</a> | Art by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ron.spears.1?_fb_noscript=1">Ron Spears</a>)</h6>
<h1>Inhale</h1>
We find ourselves in a tranquil place, austere and empty. But there is no loneliness in this void. Rather, there's an effortless connection across distance with the purity of all, for, with a bit of transcendental meditation, you can find yourself with an enchantment in the command zone, and without having to resort to any rule-bending, à la <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Genju of the Realm" href="#" target="_blank">Genju of the Realm</a>.
Welcome to Dual Shot, where we brew two decks at the same time... in one deck. This time we're digging up an early experiment. We don't have to go all the way back to <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/dual-shot-the-beginning/">the Beginning</a>, but there will be some reminiscence required.
The original plan could be summarized like this: make a <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant" href="#" target="_blank">Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant</a> deck and fill in the blanks. In those earliest stages, the deck didn't really turn into anything, but some recent additions in the name of frivolity have straightened our spines and set us to breathing with the evenness of deep, ego-defeating thought.
Of course, this still gives us a relatively bad deck. But there are two paths that then revealed themselves. With Rune-Tail's own peculiar defensive theme atop an <a href="https://edhrec.com/tribes/angels">Angel tribal</a> subtheme - or instead, our perma-<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fog" href="#" target="_blank">Fog</a> can provide an awning for "alternate win-condition tribal." Though, before the journey of ascendance can unfold, one must first sit in the incense haze, let the sound of bells carry them to silence, and begin at the waypoint of the self.
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="The Essence of Pure Flavor" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Knight of Dawn
*1 Gold Myr
*1 Thalia&#039;s Lancers
*1 Lieutenants of the Guard
*1 White Knight
*1 Winged Shepherd
*1 Paragon of New Dawn
*1 Felidar Sovereign
*1 Kor Firewalker
*1 Soul of Theros
*1 Binding Souleater
*1 Serra&#039;s Guardian
*1 Kor Cartographer
*1 Mentor of the Meek
*1 Sephara, Sky&#039;s Blade
*1 Spirit of the Hearth
*1 Oreskos Explorer
*1 Relic Seeker
*1 Segovian Angel
*1 Walking Atlas
*1 Farfinder
*1 King of the Pride
*1 Burnished Hart
*1 Silver Knight
*1 Pilgrim&#039;s Eye
*1 Diamond Mare
*1 Regal Caracal
*1 Bygone Bishop
*1 Teshar, Ancestor&#039;s Apostle
*1 Daring Archeologist
*1 Bounty Agent
*1 Imperial Aerosaur
*1 Adorned Pouncer
*1 Vulpikeet
*1 Danitha Capashen, Paragon
*1 Hushwing Gryff
*1 Sunblade Angel
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Mana Tithe
*1 Divine Offering
*1 Rallying Roar
*1 Riot Control
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Serene Offering
*1 Charge Across the Araba
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Not Forgotten
*1 Approach of the Second Sun
*1 Gift of Estates
*1 Triplicate Spirits
*1 Proclamation of Rebirth
*1 Morningtide
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Inquisitor&#039;s Flail
*1 White Mana Battery
*1 Heraldic Banner
*1 Norn&#039;s Annex
*1 Chaos Wand
*1 Star Compass
*1 Lich&#039;s Mirror
*1 Angel&#039;s Feather
*1 Fireshrieker
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Farsight Mask
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Angelic Destiny
*1 Stasis Cocoon
*1 Face of Divinity
*1 Noble Stand
*1 Thopter Arrest
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*27 Plains
*1 Zhalfirin Void
*1 Guildless Commons
*1 Daru Encampment
*1 Emergence Zone
*1 Encroaching Wastes
[/Lands]"></div>

<hr />
<h2>Mantra</h2>
This list is fine, but it needs more duality. A mono-white pilot that requires a certain life total to do its job immediately leads one to <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/lifegain">lifegain</a>. Since that felt too on-the-nose (and because lifegain tends to benefit from another color or two), a slight pivot to an adjacent theme of <a href="https://edhrec.com/tribes/angels">Angel tribal</a> was in order, and it works well to keep us above 30 for Rune-Tail.
As it stands, there's a lot of weird inclusions to excise. The weird Dual Shot beta list here was brought to 99 pretty much by adding <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vulpikeet" href="#" target="_blank">Vulpikeet</a>, so a lot needs to change to reliably incorporate the angelic subtheme.
That means out with Rune-Tail's vulpine friend, and we'll also make our peace with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="King of the Pride" href="#" target="_blank">King of the Pride</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adorned Pouncer" href="#" target="_blank">Adorned Pouncer</a>. The last thing this list needs is tertiary <a href="https://edhrec.com/tribes/cats">Cat tribal</a>, although house cats do seem to be in some sort of meditative state most of the time. What we'll lose in cuteness, we'll gain in more sensible slot-fillers.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bishop of Wings"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angelic Field Marshal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lyra Dawnbringer"></div></div>
Let's shed some more unwanted thoughts in the pursuit of mindfulness, and attenuation with the divine. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Danitha Capashen, Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Danitha Capashen, Paragon</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Regal Caracal" href="#" target="_blank">Regal Caracal</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imperial Aerosaur" href="#" target="_blank">Imperial Aerosaur</a>. How'd these even get in here? Well, there they are - let's breathe them out. And if we're hoping to provide a cleaner curve to our angelic host:
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Starnheim Aspirant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Righteous Valkyrie"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Resplendent Angel"></div></div>
All right, so that most seraphic of tribes offers a good deal of obvious flexibility in replacing our chakra-clogging chaff. And hark! there are plenty amongst the host that lean into the bridge of high life totals : <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angel of Vitality" href="#" target="_blank">Angel of Vitality</a> most obviously, and some that are more adjacent to the tribe, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serra Ascendant" href="#" target="_blank">Serra Ascendant</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ajani, Strength of the Pride" href="#" target="_blank">Ajani, Strength of the Pride</a>. But there are still some cards that don't really belong in the list as is, such as <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Walking Atlas" href="#" target="_blank">Walking Atlas</a>; the initial brew did have a fairly low curve, but 32 lands is far too risky and makes the Atlas much more useless besides. Some of the early inclusions should be cut, simply to make room for about four more lands. But if we divert our meditations from the Angel strategy, and indeed most combat in general, we can also exclude <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fireshrieker" href="#" target="_blank">Fireshrieker</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inquisitor&#039;s Flail" href="#" target="_blank">Inquisitor&#039;s Flail</a>.
What then? Inquisitor's Flail especially benefits from Rune-Tail, but rather than relying on Fog to win in combat, our meditative ideal can keep us afloat and gum up the board while we assemble instant wins: sudden realizations achieved after a long, transformative vision quest. That the divine was within us all along, and all our sacred icons, as beautiful as they are, are manifestations of ourselves.
So in addition to <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Felidar Sovereign" href="#" target="_blank">Felidar Sovereign</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Approach of the Second Sun" href="#" target="_blank">Approach of the Second Sun</a>, let's decide what we can do with all the space given to us in the absence of our celestial guides.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angel&#039;s Grace"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Celestial Convergence"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Test of Endurance"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2>Mindfulness</h2>
Oh, I guess that's it. Sure, there's <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Barren Glory" href="#" target="_blank">Barren Glory</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Near-Death Experience" href="#" target="_blank">Near-Death Experience</a>, but this isn't the list to enable that level of esoterica. So we can comfortably run about four self-contained alternate win-cons, as well as some flavorful support pieces like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angel&#039;s Grace" href="#" target="_blank">Angel&#039;s Grace</a>, or even <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gideon of the Trials" href="#" target="_blank">Gideon of the Trials</a>. We can achieve a modicum of transcendence with this cluttered list, transforming our muddied energy into something more focused. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant" href="#" target="_blank">Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant</a> can provide a thin layer of protective fog, otherwise obfuscating an Angel supertheme atop an alternate win condition subtheme.
Perhaps one space for white's design to meaningfully expand into could be alternate win conditions, given its purview of the rule-writers. In lieu of that, it does have great means with which to find those forgotten laws. From <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Academy Rector" href="#" target="_blank">Academy Rector</a> to <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Idyllic Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Idyllic Tutor</a>, "alternate win-con tribal" is certainly functional, if a little awkward. As for the correlation to Angels, there are two shining examples to act a bridge between themes, and through tempered practice, forge that mind-body connection so necessary to meditation.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Platinum Angel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angel of Destiny"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2>Exhale</h2>
That's it for this meditation session. When have you managed to take one of Magic's iconic tribes and reframe it alongside a new approach? Angels and Dragons and Demons and the like are all well-suited to focused isolation, but when have they worked in some strange tandem for you? Let us know in the comments below!
It's nice to take a look at these old decks that helped shape the experiment, but going forward will be a trend of explorations more suited to duality. Commanders like the Kirin, for example, all neatly direct a deckbuilder towards divergent themes. And furthermore, in anticipation of the 20th Dual Shot, a deviation from the usual lists and deck techs should avail us of studying some rudiments of synergy - and allow us to take a closer peak at the idea of "bridge" cards - where commanders like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alela, Artful Provocateur" href="#" target="_blank">Alela, Artful Provocateur</a> so obviously invite us to try two (or more) things at once, which cards actually enable such parallel strategies?
Well then, until next time. Namaste.

Dual Shot - Divine Meditation

Commander Legends Set Review - Wedge and Shard Legends

Conditions Allow - Hakim, Loreweaver

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shambling Suit" href="#" target="_blank">Shambling Suit</a> | Art by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NicholasGregoryIllustration/">Nicholas Gregory</a>)</h6>
<h1>Introduction</h1>
We find ourselves in a clear, clean space. The air here is pure, the landscape reposed in disciplined geometries. One is inclined to think of stoicism, sculpture. Simplicity. Without nuance, there is duality. This is the latest iteration of the experiment, now perhaps distilled into its crystalline form.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crystalline Crawler"></div></div>
Welcome to Dual Shot, where we brew two decks at the same time… in one deck. This time, the <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/artifacts">artifact theme</a> acts as an oversoul to an <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/enchantments">enchantment theme</a>, led by none other than <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alela, Artful Provocateur" href="#" target="_blank">Alela, Artful Provocateur</a>. Of the themes that EDHREC identifies, the artifact theme is the most populous, with 12,742 decks as of this writing. Additionally, there are 5,054 Aura decks and 4,925 enchantment decks. If we were to merge those two themes for the sake of an (arbitrary) metric, which we probably shouldn’t, we get 9,979 decks, making that hypothetical supertheme the second-most popular deck type.
Alela was a difficult general to ignore. At first glance, especially with more of a lay perspective, it looks like she’s asking to be built two ways. Then it seems clear: those Faerie tokens are the goal, and the artifacts and enchantments that generate them are likely to be conducive to that token strategy, anyway. If the inclusion percentages for decklists are any indicator, then the usual tactics employed are to that end.
But what if we were to shy away from the plan of going wide with evasive threats and instead focused on inverting that last block of text. Rather than artifacts and enchantments that would be good for Faeries (or for Esper, for that matter) by generating incidental value by making more 1/1 flyers, all the better to take advantage of Etchings of the Chosen (~51% inclusion rate for Alela lists), Favorable Winds (48% inclusion rate), and Bitterblossom (41%), what if the tokens. themselves. were the gratuity?
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Etchings of the Chosen"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Favorable Winds"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bitterblossom"></div></div>
It’s generally much easier to produce artifacts en masse than it is to create enchantments, and there are a number of enchantments that repeatedly produce token artifacts. The decision to prioritize the <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/artifacts">artifact theme</a> and incorporate an <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/enchantments">enchantment subtheme</a> was made thusly.
<hr />
<h2>Anyone Seen the Bridge?</h2>
In the <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/dual-shot-masks/">inaugural Dual Shot</a>, there was an attempt to capitalize on certain “bridge” cards, as it were; in that case, the cycle of Oaths – enchantments that cared about planeswalkers – leading to a utilization of those cards to support both themes. Here, while it’s true that <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smothering Tithe" href="#" target="_blank">Smothering Tithe</a> and cards like it are available and ideal, that most elegant reduction of the so-called bridge is presented to us in the form of only three cards: <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spear of Heliod" href="#" target="_blank">Spear of Heliod</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bident of Thassa" href="#" target="_blank">Bident of Thassa</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Whip of Erebos" href="#" target="_blank">Whip of Erebos</a>. There are two more legendary enchantment artifacts outside of Esper, and this cycle represents the totality of such a fusion. In the context of this brew, however, a mere three celestial weapons can still provide a good bit of utility.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spear of Heliod"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bident of Thassa"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Whip of Erebos"></div></div>
Let’s take a look.
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Alela’s Art Collection" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Alela, Artful Provocateur
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Burnished Hart
*1 Shambling Suit
*1 Darksteel Juggernaut
*1 Tezzeret&#039;s Simulacrum
*1 Arcanist&#039;s Owl
*1 Hanna, Ship&#039;s Navigator
*1 Cavalier of Dawn
*1 Phyrexian Metamorph
*1 Broodstar
*1 Sephara, Sky&#039;s Blade
*1 Sai, Master Thopterist
*1 Padeem, Consul of Innovation
*1 Shimmer Dragon
*1 Mentor of the Meek
*1 Ethersworn Canonist
*1 Emry, Lurker of the Loch
*1 Ethersworn Adjudicator
*1 Workshop Elders
*1 Magister Sphinx
*1 Marionette Master
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Negate
*1 Confirm Suspicions
*1 Machinate
*1 Banish into Fable
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Open the Vaults
*1 Hour of Reckoning
*1 Kefnet&#039;s Last Word
*1 Dance of the Manse
*1 Merciless Eviction
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Krark-Clan Ironworks
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Darksteel Ingot
*1 Spear of Heliod
*1 Bident of Thassa
*1 Whip of Erebos
*1 Tamiyo&#039;s Journal
*1 Helm of the Gods
*1 Mirage Mirror
*1 Scrapheap
*1 Thopter Foundry
*1 Time Sieve
*1 Inspiring Statuary
*1 Treasure Map
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Attrition
*1 Darksteel Mutation
*1 Mechanized Production
*1 Revel in Riches
*1 Thopter Spy Network
*1 Gift of Doom
*1 Anointed Procession
*1 Smothering Tithe
*1 Sphere of Safety
*1 Mirrormade
*1 All that Glitters
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Teferi, Time Raveler
*1 Tezzeret, Master of Metal
*1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
*1 Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge
*1 Ugin, the Ineffable
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Command Tower
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 Godless Shrine
*1 Watery Grave
*1 Isolated Chapel
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Caves of Koilos
*1 Thawing Glaciers
*1 Esper Panorama
*1 Arcane Sanctum
*1 Ancient Den
*1 Seat of the Synod
*1 Vault of Whispers
*1 Darksteel Citadel
*1 Hall of Heliod&#039;s Generosity
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Ghost Quarter
*7 Plains
*6 Island
*5 Swamp
[/Lands]"></div>

<hr />
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
Enchantifacts? Artiments? Please come up with something better.
Either way, these two card types work surprisingly well together, and staples from both themes can interplay beautifully with but a gentle push.
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arbiter of the Ideal" href="#" target="_blank">Arbiter of the Ideal</a> was an early cut: although it was our only way to produce a fourth enchantment artifact, it was proved to be fairly unreliable. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Argivian Find" href="#" target="_blank">Argivian Find</a> was another cut: although I didn't feel too good about this one, you still have <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hanna, Ship&#039;s Navigator" href="#" target="_blank">Hanna, Ship&#039;s Navigator</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cavalier of Dawn" href="#" target="_blank">Cavalier of Dawn</a> to pull something back in a pinch.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arbiter of the Ideal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Argivian Find"></div></div>
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloud Key" href="#" target="_blank">Cloud Key</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enlightened Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Enlightened Tutor</a> would make for powerful inclusions. Even more obviously, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Parallel Lives" href="#" target="_blank">Parallel Lives</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doubling Season" href="#" target="_blank">Doubling Season</a> make your various routes faster and more oppressive, although together, these cards cost as much as a Nintendo GameBoy Color. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Revel in Riches" href="#" target="_blank">Revel in Riches</a> becomes viable sooner, and your field is more rapidly filled with 1/1 flyers. And speaking of alternate win conditions, enchanting <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marionette Master" href="#" target="_blank">Marionette Master</a> with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="All That Glitters" href="#" target="_blank">All That Glitters</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Helm of the Gods" href="#" target="_blank">Helm of the Gods</a> and then cracking every Treasure and Clue you control is satisfyingly esoteric.
It’s looking more and more like I add <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sphere of Safety" href="#" target="_blank">Sphere of Safety</a> to every list that I possibly can, but at least here it seems to play well with our enchantments subtheme. The <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/pillow-fort">Pillow Fort</a> effect it provides is unlikely to be particularly relevant since it’s really the only instance of such an effect in this build, and we’re going to be rallying plenty of Fae folk to our chump-blocking cause each turn. So, sadly, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sphere of Safety" href="#" target="_blank">Sphere of Safety</a> makes for one of the early cuts should you modify the list.
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smothering Tithe" href="#" target="_blank">Smothering Tithe</a> is an enchantment that makes artifacts. So are <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thopter Spy Network" href="#" target="_blank">Thopter Spy Network</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Revel in Riches" href="#" target="_blank">Revel in Riches</a>, and even <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anointed Procession" href="#" target="_blank">Anointed Procession</a> after a fashion. This generates absurd value to your “Voltron” components – that is, your <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="All that Glitters" href="#" target="_blank">All that Glitters</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Helm of the Gods" href="#" target="_blank">Helm of the Gods</a>, and to a very real extent, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shambling Suit" href="#" target="_blank">Shambling Suit</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Juggernaut" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Juggernaut</a>. But it’s not unrealistic to grow a 1/1 lifelinking Faerie or a 1/1 Thopter (possibly an indestructible Thopter if you were to slot <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Forge</a> into the deck somewhere) to a meaningful height and then swing for a significant change in life totals.
In a modified brew, there could be a very accessible lane in the shape of symmetrically disrupting nonartifact mana-production. We all know <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/land-destruction">mass land destruction</a> can be seen as unsavory, but if you're feeling a more chaotic alignment one afternoon, well, running that as a tertiary theme is viable. Just do so with caution (both in terms of propagating your win condition and in terms of maintaining your relationships).
Your card draw comes from <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bident of Thassa" href="#" target="_blank">Bident of Thassa</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mentor of the Meek" href="#" target="_blank">Mentor of the Meek</a>, and even <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Machinate" href="#" target="_blank">Machinate</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcanist’s Owl" href="#" target="_blank">Arcanist’s Owl</a>. Less reliably, you have <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thopter Spy Network" href="#" target="_blank">Thopter Spy Network</a> and Clue tokens. As well, the legendary Artificers on-duty, and the planeswalker suite can provide even further card advantage.
As is Dual Shot tradition, this deck needs a more robust removal package, but we do at least have <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Attrition" href="#" target="_blank">Attrition</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Mutation" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Mutation</a> (which provides some flexibility insofar as it can, with a little work, turn one of our creatures into an indestructible threat). And speaking of a bit of work, nothing is quite so dramatic as sacrificing a Faerie token to morph <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gift of Doom" href="#" target="_blank">Gift of Doom</a> onto Alela, followed by Convoking a few other Faeries and perhaps a few white creatures to cast <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hour of Reckoning" href="#" target="_blank">Hour of Reckoning</a>, and then finishing with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Open the Vaults" href="#" target="_blank">Open the Vaults</a> to bring any artifact creatures and Auras back to the battlefield. All this for the low, low cost of 7WW and one ticket to Magical Christmasland.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gift of Doom"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hour of Reckoning"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Open the Vaults"></div></div>
That's all for this installment. When have you taken two such massively supported themes and mashed them together? Creatures and 'walkers? Spellslinging and stax? Goblins and Merfolk? Let us know in the comments below. Till we meet again.

Dual Shot - True Duality

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Siona, Captain of the Pyleas" href="#" target="_blank">Siona, Captain of the Pyleas</a>| Art by <a href="https://chrisrallis.artstation.com/">Chris Rallis</a>)</h6>
<h1>Stax and Attacks</h1>
Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo Melibeu, and this is Epic Experiment, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.
In this article we'll be talking about a very interesting Selesnya commander, who has the ability to go both wide and tall: <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Siona, Captain of the Pyleas" href="#" target="_blank">Siona, Captain of the Pyleas</a>.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Siona, Captain of the Pyleas"></div></div>
When Siona, Captain of the Pyleas enters the battlefield, look at the top seven cards of your library. You may reveal an Aura card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Whenever an Aura you control becomes attached to a creature you control, create a 1/1 white Human Soldier creature token.
Observation 1:
Siona is an amazing card; it does the usual Selesnya token stuff, but with the unique spin of 'Auras matter'.
Observation 2:
The combination of a decent ETB and a great static ability makes her kit impressive for such a cheap commander.
Observation 3:
Siona's ability to flood the board with cheap Auras is kind of lackluster at face value. However, there are many ways that we can abuse the extra bodies in green.
Observation 4:
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shielded by Faith" href="#" target="_blank">Shielded by Faith</a> is a two-card combo with Siona, which in itself is already impressive, but even more so when you consider that one piece of the combo (Siona) digs for the other.
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Siona-Sig.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-46816" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Siona-Sig.png" alt="" width="1189" height="330" /></a>
Siona is full of powerful synergies. Her kit brings to her EDHREC page a bevy of low-cost Auras, which work great with Enchantress effects. We even get full value from the stricter forms of these abilities, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kor Spiritdancer" href="#" target="_blank">Kor Spiritdancer</a>.
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smokestack"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rancor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Martyr&#039;s Bond"></div></div> 
When <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Siona, Captain of the Pyleas" href="#" target="_blank">Siona, Captain of the Pyleas</a> was spoiled, I was impressed by her potential to flood the board by using cheap Auras like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flickering Ward" href="#" target="_blank">Flickering Ward</a>, which can be easily built around in GW. The ability to put that many permanents into play goes really well with one of my guilty pleasures cards: <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smokestack" href="#" target="_blank">Smokestack</a>. Siona's kit allows her to easily negate the downsides of a <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smokestack" href="#" target="_blank">Smokestack</a> with two or three counters. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="World Queller" href="#" target="_blank">World Queller</a> works here, too, which is not as disruptive as Smokestack, but the redundancy is quite nice and can pretty much shut down decks that aren't dedicated to a theme as strongly as we are.
Siona's ETB naturally gravitates her towards <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wild Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Wild Growth</a> effects. This means our lands will be a more efficient than the rest of the table, which breaks the symmetry of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winter Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Winter Orb</a> effects. As you can see, Siona can has all the makings of an interesting Stax commander!
We have quite a diverse hate suite, hitting many of the most common threats; however, this is a section where we should look to adapt to our meta. For example, against artifacts, we have <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Damping Matrix" href="#" target="_blank">Damping Matrix</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Collector Ouphe" href="#" target="_blank">Collector Ouphe</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stony Silence" href="#" target="_blank">Stony Silence</a>, or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aura Shards" href="#" target="_blank">Aura Shards</a>. Against graveyard decks, there's <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Containment Priest" href="#" target="_blank">Containment Priest</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ground Seal" href="#" target="_blank">Ground Seal</a>, or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wheel of Sun and Moon" href="#" target="_blank">Wheel of Sun and Moon</a>. To slow down decks with heavy tutor or card advantage abilities, we can use <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alms Collector" href="#" target="_blank">Alms Collector</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aven Mindcensor" href="#" target="_blank">Aven Mindcensor</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smothering Tithe" href="#" target="_blank">Smothering Tithe</a>. The possibilities are plentiful, and how deep we go against a particular archetype is metagame-dependent.
Another key factor in this deck is our recurring enchantment suite. These enchantments are a guaranteed way to get consistent ETB triggers, providing us value and card advantage when combined with Enchantress effects. We mostly have two kinds of Auras. First, the ones that come back after going to the graveyard, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aspect of Mongoose" href="#" target="_blank">Aspect of Mongoose</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brilliant Halo" href="#" target="_blank">Brilliant Halo</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rancor" href="#" target="_blank">Rancor</a>. These are important effects, since we use them as sacrifice fodder, then replay them to get even more tokens. Second, the Auras that we get to bounce back to our hand, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flickering Ward" href="#" target="_blank">Flickering Ward</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Whip Silk" href="#" target="_blank">Whip Silk</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conviction" href="#" target="_blank">Conviction</a>. These make grindy games a whole lot easier.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shielded By Faith"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sigil of the Empty Throne"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Triumph of the Hordes"></div></div>
Since we actually need to win, let's talk about win conditions. The <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shielded by Faith" href="#" target="_blank">Shielded by Faith</a> combo is a must-include, a cheap two-card combo that we have a shot at digging it with our commander. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil of the Empty Throne" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil of the Empty Throne</a> is exactly the type of grindy permanent-producing win con that we're looking for. On the other hand, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triumph of the Hordes" href="#" target="_blank">Triumph of the Hordes</a> lacks the permanent threat potential of other win cons, but can eliminate one problematic player much faster, giving us a nice balance of effects for immediate victory or for longer games.
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"></div>
[Commander]Siona, Captain of the Pyleas[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Avacyn's Pilgrim 
*Birds of Paradise 
*Argothian Enchantress 
*Auratog 
*Collector Ouphe 
*Containment Priest 
*Grand Abolisher 
*Kor Spiritdancer 
*Qasali Pridemage 
*Sram, Senior Edificer 
*Aven Mindcensor 
*Setessan Champion 
*Thalia, Heretic Cathar 
*Alms Collector
*Eidolon of Blossoms 
*Hokori, Dust Drinker 
*Loxodon Gatekeeper 
*World Queller 
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*Flickering Ward 
*Land Tax 
*On Thin Ice 
*Rancor 
*Sentinel's Eyes 
*Spider Umbra 
*Utopia Sprawl 
*Whip Silk 
*Wild Growth 
*Aspect of Mongoose 
*Brilliant Halo 
*Conviction 
*Darksteel Mutation 
*Felidar Umbra 
*Fertile Ground 
*Ground Seal 
*Kenrith's Transformation 
*Seal of Primordium 
*Sterling Grove 
*Stony Silence 
*Sun Clasp 
*Wheel of Sun and Moon
*Wolfwillow Haven 
*Aura Shard 
*Enchantress's Presence 
*Overgrowth 
*Shielded by Faith 
*Verdant Haven 
*Weirdling Woods
*Dawn's Reflection
*Market Festival
*Smothering Tithe 
*Sigil of the Empty Throne 
*Martyr's Bond 
[/Enchantment]
[Artifact]
*Skullclamp
*Sol Ring 
*Winter Orb 
*Damping Matrix 
*Static Orb 
*Tangle WIre 
*Smokestack
[/Artifact]
[Sorcery]
*Idyllic Tutor 
*Triumph of the Hordes 
*Wrath of God 
*Austere Command
[/Sorcery]
[Instant]
*Enlightened Tutor
[/Instant]
[Land]
*Command Tower 
*Bountiful Promenade 
*Temple Garden 
*City of Brass 
*Mana Confluence 
*Brushland 
*Sunpetal Grove 
*Fortified Village 
*Canopy Vista 
*Scattered Grove 
*Temple of Plenty 
*Stirring Wildwood 
*Blossoming Sands 
*Tranquil Thicket 
*Secluded Steppe 
*Ash Barrens 
*Ghost Quarter 
*Tectonic Edge 
*10 Snow-Covered Forest 
*7 Snow-Covered Plains 
[/Land]
[/Deck]
<hr />
Now let's get one thing straight about this list and, to some extent, its archetype. Stax is pretty divisive among EDH's community, with many people having negative feelings about it. As a social format, part of our goal is to adjust our decks according to our meta and games are only fun if everyone is enjoying them. Because of that, it might be better to ask how your playgroup feels about stax before playing it, so you don't build something that will make people unhappy.
Since our commander can dig pretty deep for Auras, we're also using Auras as our removal suite. Opting out of instant-speed interaction has the obvious downside of losing the flexibility of acting in response; however, our removal has the knee-capping potential of permanently locking an opponent out of their commander. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kenrith&#039;s Transformation" href="#" target="_blank">Kenrith&#039;s Transformation</a> is an efficient removal that also cantrips, for instance, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Mutation" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Mutation</a> is a nasty card which can pretty much shut down someone's commander, since it doesn't allow the enchanted creature to be destroyed as collateral by board wipes.
Our card draw suite is mainly Enchantress effects, with some focus on those of the <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kor Spiritdancer" href="#" target="_blank">Kor Spiritdancer</a> style, since they are cheaper. It's usually not a good idea to only use these kinds of draw effects, and to diversify the card advantage suite a bit more, but our deck has a tendency of being able to recast the same enchantment multiple times, so I'm happy to lean into these abilities.
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
Our priorities for an opening hand vary based on our opponents because some of our lock pieces are more effective than others. Normally, what we want to see is a form of mana acceleration and some source of disruption. Our commander is great at finding some more action, which can lead into more flexibility for what we keep in our opening hand.
In the early game our priority is to accelerate to either put down a stax piece or to start putting out Soldiers with Siona. A good early game is crucial to keep the rest of the table in check, but we always have to keep in mind that we need to be ahead on board before playing things like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winter Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Winter Orb</a>.
By the mid game we should start layering down our disruption by playing multiple pieces that lock other players down. This is really crucial if we want to actually stop our opponents instead of just slowly annoying them. Another key aspect that we must not forget is the free damage that we can dish out with our tokens, especially when blocking might mean that we get back one of our <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rancor" href="#" target="_blank">Rancor</a>-type of Auras.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Winter Orb"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rancor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Triumph of the Hordes"></div></div>
In the late game we should have found the combo, or even just ground people out with our tokens. Otherwise our deck will start to be out-scaled pretty quickly. Luckily for us, this is where the more explosive cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shielded By Faith" href="#" target="_blank">Shielded By Faith</a> or even <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triumph of the Hordes" href="#" target="_blank">Triumph of the Hordes</a> come in handy.
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Linvala, Keeper of Silence"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cryptolith Rite"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Calix, Destiny&#039;s Hand"></div></div>
Like I said before, there are plenty of ways to lock the game out, and there are many things to take into consideration, such as power level and environment. So if you want to take this deck and adapt it, there's plenty of opportunity to do so! For instance, one could capitalize on the tokens with effects like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cryptolith Rite" href="#" target="_blank">Cryptolith Rite</a> and even <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glare of Subdual" href="#" target="_blank">Glare of Subdual</a>.
That’s it for this Epic Experiment! What do you think about this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which didn’t you? Was the Epic Experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!

Epic Experiment - Siona Stax

Shape Anew - Atraxa's Sagas

Conditions Allow - Rohgahh of Kher Keep

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tiana, Ship&#039;s Caretaker" href="#" target="_blank">Tiana, Ship&#039;s Caretaker</a> | Art by <a href="http://www.ericdeschamps.com/">Eric Deschamps</a>)</h6>
<h1>What a Boros</h1>
Hello once again, all of you fine readers out there on the interwebs! My name is Seth Cross and welcome back to Uncommonders, the series that explores underappreciated commanders printed at the uncommon level. Having visited the history of Magic: the Gathering in the <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/uncommonders-xiahou-bolass-janitor/">last installment</a>, we are back to the set that started this series: Dominaria! The last two articles have been about black decks, so let's switch things up! There's been a lot of hype around <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Feather, the Redeemed" href="#" target="_blank">Feather, the Redeemed</a> lately, but there's a different Boros Angel I want to discuss this week:
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Tiana, Ship’s Caretaker!</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tiana, Ship’s Caretaker"></div></div>
One of the things that makes Feather so interesting is that Boros did not previously recur cards like instants and sorceries for value. Given that so many combat tricks and other cantrips in Boros colors draw cards, this was a huge factor. For Tiana, it is basically the same thing. There are white enchantress effects, such as <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sram, Senior Edificer" href="#" target="_blank">Sram, Senior Edificer</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mesa Enchantress" href="#" target="_blank">Mesa Enchantress</a>, which draw cards when you cast enchantment or Aura spells. Whenever our Auras hit the graveyard, Tiana will recur them right back to our hand... so how do we send our Auras to the graveayrd, to recast them with Tiana and get even more <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mesa Enchantress" href="#" target="_blank">Mesa Enchantress</a> triggers? Well, I have an idea:
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Auratog"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Claws of Gix"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Faith Healer"></div></div>
Cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Auratog" href="#" target="_blank">Auratog</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faith Healer" href="#" target="_blank">Faith Healer</a> allow us to get value from the enchantments and effects that trigger when they enter the battlefield, sacrifice them, bring them back to our hand, and recast them for a “rinse and repeat” style of play, rather like what Feather wants to do with cantrips. I wanted to go a step further and decided to run <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigarda’s Aid" href="#" target="_blank">Sigarda’s Aid</a> and everyone’s favorite value card, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vedalken Orrery" href="#" target="_blank">Vedalken Orrery</a>, so that we could be even more tricky and reactive with our Auras. This also opens the ability to cast defensive Auras like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pacifism" href="#" target="_blank">Pacifism</a> effects at instant speed, giving us the chance to play some politics as our opponents move to their combat phase.
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">The Art of Auramancy</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mesa Enchantress"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Capashen Standard"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Valduk, Keeper of the Flame"></div></div>
Alright, so we know we want to have instant-speed Auras, ways to sacrifice them so Tiana will bring them back, and things that give us value when our Auras enter and leave the battlefield. We just need to figure out what that value is. Drawing cards is always good, so that we can keep moving forward with our plans. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mesa Enchantress" href="#" target="_blank">Mesa Enchantress</a>, the previously mentioned Sram, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kor Spiritdancer" href="#" target="_blank">Kor Spiritdancer</a> are all ways to draw cards. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil of the Empty Throne" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil of the Empty Throne</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ajani’s Chosen" href="#" target="_blank">Ajani’s Chosen</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brood Keeper" href="#" target="_blank">Brood Keeper</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valduk, Keeper of the Flame" href="#" target="_blank">Valduk, Keeper of the Flame</a> will all supply us with an army. With the 'rinse and repeat' strategy, this is not too bad, but it is still on the lesser side of our power spectrum.
We mentioned a few Auras that give us value just for entering the battlefield. These are especially useful if we don't have effects like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mesa Enchantress" href="#" target="_blank">Mesa Enchantress</a> to give us extra value when the enchantments hit the field. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon Mantle" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon Mantle</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chosen by Heliod" href="#" target="_blank">Chosen by Heliod</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angelic Gift" href="#" target="_blank">Angelic Gift</a> are all cheaper Auras but their effects are mostly not that interesting outside of drawing a card. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unquestioned Authority" href="#" target="_blank">Unquestioned Authority</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pentarch Ward" href="#" target="_blank">Pentarch Ward</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sage’s Reverie" href="#" target="_blank">Sage’s Reverie</a> are much more interesting Auras. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Capashen Standard" href="#" target="_blank">Capashen Standard</a> is extra fun, providing a consistent way of drawing cards if Tiana stays on the battlefield.
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Putting Them in (Enchanted) Chains</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Weight of Conscience"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overwhelming Splendor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Faith’s Fetters"></div></div>
While placing Auras on our own creatures is certainly a major part of the deck, locking down the most threatening pieces of the enemy’s board will also help us out. I mentioned <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pacifism" href="#" target="_blank">Pacifism</a> before, as it is one of the more stereotypical, famous pieces of Aura lock-down strategies, but there are several other such effects. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Weight of Conscience" href="#" target="_blank">Weight of Conscience</a> becomes repeatable exile removal thanks to Tiana. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Choking Restraints" href="#" target="_blank">Choking Restraints</a> is similar, but a bit more mana-intensive. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faith’s Fetters" href="#" target="_blank">Faith’s Fetters</a> helps lock down those pesky creatures with activated abilities, as does <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Suppression Bonds" href="#" target="_blank">Suppression Bonds</a>.
I almost forgot it when I was making this deck, but Curses are Auras as well. The important thing to remember is that locking down one creature per Aura can be slow, and sometimes we just will not have enough Auras for the creatures on the other side of the field. With that in mind, I looked at <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overwhelming Splendor" href="#" target="_blank">Overwhelming Splendor</a> to shut down the scariest player, while <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Opulence" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Opulence</a> can help us with ramp. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of Exhaustion" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of Exhaustion</a> can help us slow down whoever else is spiraling out beyond our reach.
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Taking Care of Tiana</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Winds of Rath"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sunforger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Danitha Capashen, Paragon"></div></div>
Finally, I'd like to highlight a few cards that are unique to Tiana or are extra thematic because of her abilities. While our focus for this deck has been Auras, Tiana also works well with Equipment cards. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of the Animist" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of the Animist</a> gives us ramp, and is hard to remove thanks to our commander. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winds of Rath" href="#" target="_blank">Winds of Rath</a> can keep some of our creatures around, thanks to our enchantments. We have seen <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sunforger" href="#" target="_blank">Sunforger</a> do amazing work in Feather decks, and while our strategy will not be recurring cantrips, it's great to tutor up important spells like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a> or the blowout that is <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi’s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi’s Protection</a> when the time is right.
In terms of ramp, we will be running <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smothering Tithe" href="#" target="_blank">Smothering Tithe</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burnished Hart" href="#" target="_blank">Burnished Hart</a> and a few other classics, but there's another path to take for ramping. A good portion of our ramp package are cards that make our cards cheaper. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Danitha Capashen, Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Danitha Capashen, Paragon</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hero of Iroas" href="#" target="_blank">Hero of Iroas</a> can help us quite a bit by reducing the cost of our Auras. Most of our Auras and spells in general are white, too, so <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pearl Medallion" href="#" target="_blank">Pearl Medallion</a> should have a bigger impact than the red version.
If we load up with our standard removal, Wraths, ramp, and whatever card advantage we can get in Boros, the deck should look like this:
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"></div> 
[Commander] 
*1 Tiana, Ship's Caretaker 
[/Commander] 
[Creature] 
*1 Ajani's Chosen 
*1 Auramancer 
*1 Auratog 
*1 Brood Keeper 
*1 Burnished Hart 
*1 Danitha Capashen, Paragon 
*1 Faith Healer 
*1 Heliod's Pilgrim 
*1 Hero of Iroas 
*1 Kor Spiritdancer 
*1 Mesa Enchantress 
*1 Nomad Mythmaker 
*1 Solemn Simulacrum 
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer 
*1 Sun Titan 
*1 Umbra Mystic 
*1 Valduk, Keeper of the Flame 
[/Creature] 
[Enchantment] 
*1 Angelic Gift 
*1 Capashen Standard 
*1 Choking Restraints 
*1 Chosen by Heliod 
*1 Curse of Exhaustion 
*1 Curse of Opulence 
*1 Darksteel Mutation 
*1 Dragon Mantle 
*1 Land Tax 
*1 Ethereal Armor 
*1 Faith's Fetters 
*1 Felidar Umbra 
*1 Overwhelming Splendor 
*1 Pentarch Ward 
*1 Sage's Reverie 
*1 Sigarda's Aid 
*1 Sigil of the Empty Throne 
*1 Smothering Tithe 
*1 Sphere of Safety 
*1 Suppression Bonds 
*1 Unquestioned Authority 
*1 Weight of Conscience 
[/Enchantment] 
[Artifact] 
*1 Boros Signet 
*1 Claws of Gix 
*1 Mind Stone 
*1 Pearl Medallion 
*1 Sol Ring 
*1 Sunforger 
*1 Swiftfoot Boots 
*1 Sword of the Animist 
*1 Vedalken Orrery 
[/Artifact] 
[Sorcery] 
*1 Blasphemous Act 
*1 Open the Armory 
*1 Three Dreams 
*1 Vandalblast 
*1 Winds of Rath 
[/Sorcery] 
[Instant] 
*1 Boros Charm 
*1 Chaos Warp 
*1 Enlightened Tutor 
*1 Forsake the Worldly 
*1 Return to Dust 
*1 Swords to Plowshares 
*1 Teferi's Protection 
*1 Wear // Tear 
[/Instant] 
[Land] 
*1 Arid Mesa 
*1 Boros Garrison 
*1 Command Tower 
*1 Evolving Wilds 
*1 Forgotten Cave 
*10 Mountain 
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx 
*15 Plains 
*1 Rogue's Passage 
*1 Sacred Foundry 
*1 Secluded Steppe 
*1 Serra's Sanctum 
*1 Temple of Triumph 
*1 Terramorphic Expanse 
*1 Throne of the High City 
[/Land] 
[/Deck]

<hr />
It's odd, but I think I took a Boros deck and turned it into Golgari, sacrificing, recurring, and playing things repeatedly for value. Still, this is what I have been waiting for in Boros commanders. I hope to see more of this kind of design in the future for my least favorite color combination! Who knows, it may even become a new favorite.
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/author/dm-cross/">Last week’s article</a> on <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed" href="#" target="_blank">Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed</a> got quite a few good comments between both the article and Reddit, so it was difficult to pick out my favorite. This one from /u/sir_timotheus on Reddit did catch my eye, though:
<blockquote>I felt exactly the same. I immediately slammed the Citadel into my Aminatou deck and the value is honestly unbelievable. The thing is I haven't even been able to take advantage of the sac ability because she isn't built for that. I can only imagine how crazy it is in a deck that could take full advantage of the card and use it to its true potential.</blockquote>
I am also working on an <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aminatou, the Fateshifter" href="#" target="_blank">Aminatou, the Fateshifter</a> deck, so I was excited at the possibilities of playing cards from the top of our library with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bolas’s Citadel" href="#" target="_blank">Bolas’s Citadel</a> that we put there with Aminatou’s ability. I also think the “sacrifice permanents to deal lots of damage” part of Citadel is good, but the real power comes from playing your library with your life.
With that, we have completed twenty articles of Uncommonders! Since this series was inspired by the twenty uncommon legends from Dominaria, this is still a major milestone! I cannot wait to start counting down the rest of this series with you, so until next time, <a href="https://www.twitter.com/DM_Cross">find me out on Twitter</a>, join the <a href="https://discord.gg/CrNHmTE">public Praetor Magic Discord server</a> (or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/praetormagic">follow us on YouTube</a> for our gameplay content) or check out one of <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/praetormagic">our weekly streams</a> on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays! And as always, you know what to do…
Keep enchanting those bombs!