<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.jasonrainville.com/">Jason Rainville</a></em></p>
<p>No bad cards? I thought you said no banned cards...</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jeweled Lotus"></div></div>
<p>Welcome once again to <em>Fire and Ice</em>! This is the data-driven series where I go over cards that are becoming more or less popular for different Commander decks, and talk about why they may be gaining or losing popularity. I'm Julia, EDHREC's Duchess of Data, and I'm super excited to jump into today's article!</p>
<p>EDHREC, of course, has a ton of data. We'll draw conclusions from that data about how certain commanders' decks have changed over time, give insight into new cards, and hopefully provide some tech for your favorite commander's list.</p>
<p>It's that time again, so we'll be focusing on a <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets">Bracket 5 (a.k.a. cEDH)</a> commander in this article. Today, we're focusing on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This two-drop is super powerful, and is considered to be one of the strongest competitive deck leaders out there!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy"></div></div>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div id="attachment_187804" style="width: 999px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-4-6.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-187804" class="wp-image-187804 size-full" src="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-4-6.png" alt="What's Hot and What's Not for Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy?" width="989" height="550" srcset="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-4-6.png 989w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-4-6-300x167.png 300w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-4-6-768x427.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 989px) 100vw, 989px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-187804" class="wp-caption-text">What's Hot and What's Not for Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy?</p></div>
<p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" 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>, Kinnan is a 2/2 Human Druid. He lets each of our nonland permanents add an extra mana when we activate their <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-tap" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> mana abilities. He also allows us to spend <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-5" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" 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> to grab a super strong non-Human creature from the top of our library right onto the battlefield.</p>
<p>Kinnan pilots want to run out a few mana dorks and mana rocks early in the game, generate value with the mana advantage that their commander creates, and go infinite with some infamous combos.</p>
<p>Among the most popular cards for this commander are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thrasios, Triton Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Thrasios, Triton Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (74% of decks), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fyndhorn Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Fyndhorn Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (79% of decks), and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hullbreaker Horror" href="#" target="_blank">Hullbreaker Horror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (81% of decks).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thrasios, Triton Hero"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fyndhorn Elves"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hullbreaker Horror"></div></div>
<h2>What's Fiery for Kinnan Decks?</h2>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu" href="#" target="_blank">Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 13.20</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu"></div></div>
<p>This card is fantastic for most every build of Kinnan. For just two mana, this Human Warrior Hero does a ton. He provides "haste" to our creatures to allow our mana dorks to tap for extra mana the turn they hit the field, while also adding two mana to use for activated abilities.</p>
<p>Pseudo-haste is, of course, fantastic for a creature-based deck. Shang-Chi also adds two mana that we can use to activate Thrasios, use our commander's ability, or pay for transmute costs.</p>
<p>Shang-Chi is better in faster versions of Kinnan,that want to flip into spooky creatures or combo off as fast as possible. But, even the slowest versions of this commander should consider including this mana dork.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gene Pollinator" href="#" target="_blank">Gene Pollinator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 3.28</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gene Pollinator"></div></div>
<p>The Kinnan players that I spoke to described this card as "fine." It can be great when played on turn one, because then it acts as another <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Birds of Paradise" href="#" target="_blank">Birds of Paradise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. But, outside of that dream scenario, it's just a worse version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Springleaf Drum" href="#" target="_blank">Springleaf Drum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. They weren't enthused by this creature, and I'm not either.</p>
<p>There are so many fantastic one-drop dorks and rocks out there that it's difficult to justify playing Gene Pollinator. It's neat to say "turn one, I play a Forest and cast Eugene," but that's not good enough to justify playing this creature in such a high-powered deck.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flash Photography" href="#" target="_blank">Flash Photography</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 2.74</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flash Photography"></div></div>
<p>While we're not in as clone-heavy of a meta as we were in the days of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dockside Extortionist" href="#" target="_blank">Dockside Extortionist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, clones are still super strong in cEDH. Using this spell, we can make copies of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhystic Study" href="#" target="_blank">Rhystic Study</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mystic Remora" href="#" target="_blank">Mystic Remora</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or other card advantage engines.</p>
<p>If we flip into a particularly potent creature, we can even make a copy of it. Imagine the fun that we can have with two copies of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Consecrated Sphinx" href="#" target="_blank">Consecrated Sphinx</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Whir of Invention" href="#" target="_blank">Whir of Invention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 1.88</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Whir of Invention"></div></div>
<p>Kinnan decks are filled with powerful artifacts. Some of these just make mana, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Talisman of Curiosity" href="#" target="_blank">Talisman of Curiosity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but others are part of game-ending combos, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Basalt Monolith" href="#" target="_blank">Basalt Monolith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div id="129-4131" 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="129-4131" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Kinnan%2C%20Bonder%20Prodigy%22%2C%22Basalt%20Monolith%22%5D&requires=%5B%5D&produces=%5B%22Infinite%20colorless%20mana%22%5D&id=129-4131&color=GU&extraRequirementCount=0"></script></div>
<p>The strength of Whir of Invention lies in its flexibility and its lack of timing restriction. We can cast this spell at any moment, grabbing whichever artifact seems to fit the situation at hand. We can grab a combo piece to win on top of an opponent's attempt, fetch up <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> to blunt a strong combat, or go find an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imposter Mech" href="#" target="_blank">Imposter Mech</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to generate some value.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Snapback" href="#" target="_blank">Snapback</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Commandeer" href="#" target="_blank">Commandeer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 1.70 and 1.67</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Snapback"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Commandeer"></div></div>
<p>Although these are "second-tier" free spells, and certainly not as strong as the likes of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Force of Will" href="#" target="_blank">Force of Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Force of Negation" href="#" target="_blank">Force of Negation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, they're still fantastic cards.</p>
<p>The vast majority of our cards are <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> anyway, meaning that we'll be able to cast these spells for free pretty consistently.</p>
<h2>What's Icy for Kinnan Decks?</h2>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nyxbloom Ancient" href="#" target="_blank">Nyxbloom Ancient</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Ice Score of -2.03</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nyxbloom Ancient"></div></div>
<p>This Elemental is fantastic when we get to flip it off the top of our deck with Kinnan...but it's not great otherwise. Spending <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> on a creature that doesn't draw cards or win us the game on the spot is a big risk!</p>
<p>This card's Ice Score isn't that high, meaning that many players are still finding a slot for this in their decks. But with big creatures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Unagi of Kyoshi Island" href="#" target="_blank">The Unagi of Kyoshi Island</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> coming out recently, it's harder to justify playing Nyxbloom.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tezzeret the Seeker" href="#" target="_blank">Tezzeret the Seeker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Ice Score of -2.00</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tezzeret the Seeker"></div></div>
<p>This five-mana 'walker is great. Its <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-loyalty-up" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and first <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-loyalty-down" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> abilities are both super useful!</p>
<p>We need to hard-cast Tezzy every time we want to use him. There's no good way to tutor planeswalkers onto the battlefield, and we can't flip into planeswalkers with Kinnan's ability. Tezzeret is great, but only works well in slower Kinnan decks that can extract value from him over multiple turns.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Green Sun&#039;s Zenith" href="#" target="_blank">Green Sun&#039;s Zenith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Ice Score of -1.66</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Green Sun&#039;s Zenith"></div></div>
<p>This spell has a few things working against it. First off, it's a sorcery. Timing restrictions are not great in cEDH, where flexibility really matters. We also need to pay the full mana value of the creature that we're searching for, while some other spells provide us with a discount. Finally, Green Sun's can't be recast from the graveyard.</p>
<p>There are tons of other options that shore up one (or multiple) of these weaknesses, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archdruid&#039;s Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Archdruid&#039;s Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chord of Calling" href="#" target="_blank">Chord of Calling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nature&#039;s Rhythm" href="#" target="_blank">Nature&#039;s Rhythm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's hard to find a spot for GSZ with all of this in mind.</p>
<h2>What's in a Kinnan Deck?</h2>
<p>Here's a Kinnan list that includes all of his Fiery cards and none of his Icy cards. This deck was based heavily on the <a href="https://moxfield.com/decks/Mi4yPy0jFUGPx6pI5x3OVw">NBC (No Bad Cards) Kinnan list</a>, which can be found on the <a href="https://cedh-decklist-database.com/">cEDH Decklist Database</a>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Fire and Ice - Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Basalt Monolith
*1 Chrome Mox
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Grim Monolith
*1 Imposter Mech
*1 Lotus Petal
*1 Mana Vault
*1 Mirage Mirror
*1 Mox Amber
*1 Mox Diamond
*1 Mox Opal
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Springleaf Drum
*1 Talisman of Curiosity
*1 The One Ring
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Clever Impersonator
*1 Consecrated Sphinx
*1 Delighted Halfling
*1 Drift of Phantasms
*1 Elvish Mystic
*1 Elvish Spirit Guide
*1 Endurance
*1 Enduring Vitality
*1 Faerie Mastermind
*1 Flesh Duplicate
*1 Fyndhorn Elves
*1 Gene Pollinator
*1 High Fae Trickster
*1 Hullbreaker Horror
*1 Llanowar Elves
*1 Mockingbird
*1 Nezahal, Primal Tide
*1 Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu
*1 The Cabbage Merchant
*1 The Unagi of Kyoshi Island
*1 Thrasios, Triton Hero
*1 Trophy Mage
*1 Valley Floodcaller
*1 Wan Shi Tong, Librarian
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Borne Upon a Wind
*1 Chain of Vapor
*1 Chord of Calling
*1 Commandeer
*1 Dispel
*1 Disrupting Shoal
*1 Dizzy Spell
*1 Dramatic Reversal
*1 Fierce Guardianship
*1 Flusterstorm
*1 Force of Negation
*1 Force of Will
*1 Mental Misstep
*1 Mindbreak Trap
*1 Misdirection
*1 Pact of Negation
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 Snapback
*1 Sudden Substitution
*1 Swan Song
*1 Whir of Invention
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Copy Artifact
*1 Copy Enchantment
*1 Mirrormade
*1 Mystic Remora
*1 Rhystic Study
*1 Sylvan Library
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Finale of Devastation
*1 Flash Photography
*1 Hidden Strings
*1 Nature&#039;s Rhythm
*1 Transmute Artifact
[/Sorceries]
[Battles]
*1 Invasion of Ikoria // Zilortha, Apex of Ikoria
[/Battles]
[Lands]
*1 Ancient Tomb
*1 Barkchannel Pathway // Tidechannel Pathway
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*1 Botanical Sanctum
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 City of Brass
*1 Command Tower
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Forest
*1 Gemstone Caverns
*1 Ipnu Rivulet
*1 Island
*1 Mana Confluence
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Rejuvenating Springs
*1 Scalding Tarn
*1 Tarnished Citadel
*1 Tropical Island
*1 Verdant Catacombs
*1 Waterlogged Grove
*1 Windswept Heath
*1 Wooded Foothills
*1 Yavimaya Coast
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>As with all of our cEDH editions, this article wouldn't have been possible without the help of the fine folks over at the <a href="https://discord.gg/PpM58T9">Kinnan Discord Server</a>. They gave great insight on free spells, "Eugene the Pollinator," and more.</p>
<p>If you're interested in learning more about this commander, please check out their server. And, if you're interested in seeing more Commander data, please come back next week for more <em>Fire and Ice.</em></p>


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