<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald" href="#" target="_blank">Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/jason_engle">Jason A. Engle</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo, and this is <em>Epic Experiment</em>, 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.</p>
<p>This week, it's all about the Dread Wolf Herald!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald" href="#" target="_blank">Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an impressive commander. For three mana we get a token-maker that also works as a draw engine. It's also surprisingly easy to create tokens with Faldorn! Exile effects, <em>Suspend</em>, <em>Foretell</em>, and <em>Rebound</em> are just a few ways to create tokens while also getting extra value, and we even get an infinite combo with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Squee, the Immortal" href="#" target="_blank">Squee, the Immortal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>/<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Scourge" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Scourge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> plus <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Food Chain" href="#" target="_blank">Food Chain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p>With that said, the second part of Faldorn's kit, while a good standalone enabler, can be a bit awkward at times, since it's easy to get an uncastable card. Some of those effects, such as <em>Suspend, </em>have alternative costs or abilities that won't work when they themselves wind up in exile from an effect like Faldorn's.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arrogant Wurm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Basking Rootwalla"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Insatiable Gorgers"></div></div>
<p>The problem with making obvious 'best-in-show' commanders for certain mechanics is that we often stop looking at that archetype for other commanders. <em>Madness</em> is a fun archetype that I feel got sucked into <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anje Falkenrath" href="#" target="_blank">Anje Falkenrath</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s shadow, but Faldorn could make great use of it too! <em>Madness </em>is usually shortcutted to 'you can cast this card when you discard it' but the mechanic actually puts the card into exile, so Faldorn will make tons of Wolf tokens from <em>Madness </em>cards!</p>
<p>Not only that, Faldorn is a great discard outlet! She's perfect for <em>Madness</em> decks that want to be more stompy. How about getting two 2/2 Wolf tokens, one 1/1 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rootwalla" href="#" target="_blank">Rootwalla</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, plus the extra card that we get with our commander, for just one mana (plus the exiled card's cost)? This leads to a very aggressive value-based strategy, as we get to put a lot of bodies on the battlefield very fast, and being Gruul means having a great stompy support suite to get maximum value out of them.</p>
<p>The lack of black can be a bit scary when considering a <em>Madness</em> deck, since a lot of the archetype is concentrated between it and red. However, our green cards feel like they were tailored to our needs. Cheap <em>Madness</em> creatures, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Basking Rootwalla" href="#" target="_blank">Basking Rootwalla</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blazing Rootwalla" href="#" target="_blank">Blazing Rootwalla</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are great cards to be discarded with Faldorn's ability since they reduce the chance of not being able to cast the card that we exile. While big creatures, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Incorrigible Youths" href="#" target="_blank">Incorrigible Youths</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arrogant Wurm" href="#" target="_blank">Arrogant Wurm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, usually aren't really all that relevant in the format, having them come out with up to two extra bodies and a card can really accelerate the board.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bonecrusher Giant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scorn Effigy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trumpeting Herd"></div></div>
<p>Besides <em>Madness</em>, there are a few ways of triggering our commander, which is important for making our gameplan more consistent. Our <em>Foretell</em> cards can be efficient "curve fillers", but between our commander's activated ability and the <em>Madness</em> costs that we're paying, we tend to be pretty mana-intensive anyways.</p>
<p>Then, we have plenty of heavy-hitting payoffs. It's a bit hard to find a balance between having enough of them to be able to consistently hit them, but not so many that we get flooded, or even hit them with our commander's activated ability, since they tend to be on the more expensive side of our curve. Damage-multipliers, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Emancipation" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Emancipation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are an easy way to instantly improve our all-in potential, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unnatural Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Unnatural Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an honorable mention that, while not a true damage multiplier, acts enough like it to be included here. Since we're putting a lot of bodies on the field, effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warstorm Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Warstorm Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terror of the Peaks" href="#" target="_blank">Terror of the Peaks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> give us a nice amount of reach.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Faldorn Madness" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*Basking Rootwalla
*Birds of Paradise
*Blazing Rootwalla
*Boreal Druid
*Elvish Mystic
*Fyndhorn Elves
*Llanowar Elves
*Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
*Conspiracy Theorist
*Fauna Shaman
*Anje&#039;s Raveger
*Birgi, God of Storytelling
*Bloodmad Vampire
*Bonecrusher Giant
*Green Slime
*Scorn Effigy
*Skophos Reaver
*Stromkirk Occultist
*Anger
*Insatiable Gorgers
*Purphoros, God of the Forge
*Sarulf&#039;s Packmate
*Arrogant Wurm
*Incorrigible Youths
*Reckless Wurm
*Terror of the Peaks
*Doomskar TItan
[/Creature]

[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*The Great Henge
[/Artifact]



[Enchantment]
*Senseless Rage
*Elemental Bond
*Fires of Yaviamaya
*Furnace of Rath
*Parallel Lives
*Gratuitous Violence
*Unnatural Growth
*Fiery Emancipation
*Warstorm Surge
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Nature&#039;s Claim
*Cathartic Pyre
*Faithless Salvaging
*Thrill of Possibility
*Abandon Reason
*Chaos Warp
*Demon Bolt
*Fiery Temper
*Violent Eruption
*Return of the Wildspeaker
[/Instant]
[Planeswalker]
*Domri, Anarch of Bolas
[/Planeswalker]
[Sorcery]
*Faithless Looting
*Avacyn&#039;s Judgement
*Distemper of the Blood
*Farseek
*Hull Breach
*Nature&#039;s Lore
*Rampant Growth
*Three Visits
*Chain Reaction
*Dwarven Reinforcements
*Malevolent Whispers
*Trumpeting Herd
*Alchemist&#039;s Greeting
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*City of Brass
*Command Tower
*Copperline Gorge
*Cragcrown Pathway
*Exotic Orchard
*Ghost Quarter
*Grove of the Burnwillow
*Karplusan Forest
*Mana Confluence
*Rockfall Vale
*Rootbound Crag
*Spire Garden
*Stomping Ground
*Tectonic Edge
*Temple of Abandon
*Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
*10 Forest
*10 Mountain
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>Having a suite of cards that gives us an alternative source of advantage is important because we won't always have our commander available. When we <em>do </em>have them in play with our commander, things get really spicy. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fauna Shaman" href="#" target="_blank">Fauna Shaman</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works both as a <em>Madness</em> discard outlet and as a tutor that allows us to chain multiple creatures a turn. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Conspiracy Theorist" href="#" target="_blank">Conspiracy Theorist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is pretty similar to the second half of our commander, and together with her, it turns all of our looting effects into possible Wolf tokens.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>Our ideal opening hand probably involves having a one-mana dork to be able to cast our commander on turn two. Our gameplan starts once we're able to tap our commander and start playing our <em>Madness</em> threats. We can also opt to delay this a bit if we want to play some of our "slow" effects, like <em>Rebound</em> and <em>Foretell</em>, so that we have a more explosive turn later on.</p>
<p>By the mid-game, we should be starting to get a sizeable army. At this point we should start looking for one of our bigger payoffs, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gratuitous Violence" href="#" target="_blank">Gratuitous Violence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to start enhancing our damage potential. The normal turn structure can be a bit wonky since our commander is a wild card, so that usual pattern of playing lands first or even casting in the main phase #2 can lead to bad results if we start autopiloting the deck.</p>
<p>For an aggro deck, we're surprisingly good at rebuilding our board. It can be a bit draw-dependent, but we do have some ways to quickly rebuild or get back into the game after a setback; any of our looting effects can lead into a moderate board state, and some burn spells can be used to push for that last bit of damage, especially with any of our damage multipliers.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sensei&#039;s Divining Top"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Etali, Primal Storm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Plate"></div></div>
<p>Faldorn has a ton of directions to upgrade into. Top-deck manipulation might help us avoid bad hits with our commander, for instance. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sensei&#039;s Divining Top" href="#" target="_blank">Sensei&#039;s Divining Top</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sylvan Library" href="#" target="_blank">Sylvan Library</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are a good starting point for luxurious upgrades.</p>
<p>Increasing the number of standalone threats could also improve the deck's consistency and allow us to play getting our commander removed. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Etali, Primal Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Etali, Primal Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a good standalone threat because it's powerful even without Faldorn in play. However, we should consider their mana costs before stuffing too many of these big threats into our deck. Oh, and if removal is something you're worried about, adding in more protective Equipment/Auras might help keep Faldorn alive. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Plate" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Plate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spider Umbra" href="#" target="_blank">Spider Umbra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are ways to avoid board wipes, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Greaves" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Greaves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swiftfoot Boots" href="#" target="_blank">Swiftfoot Boots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are effective against single target removal.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! 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 Epic Experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Faldorn

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chishiro, the Shattered Blade" href="#" target="_blank">Chishiro, the Shattered Blade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/lasahido">Lius Lasahido</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo, and this is <em>Epic Experiment</em>, 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.</p>
<p>Let's take a look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chishiro, the Shattered Blade" href="#" target="_blank">Chishiro, the Shattered Blade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chishiro, the Shattered Blade"></div></div>
<p>Chishiro is the real deal! A four-mana 4/4 that has two impactful abilities is already pretty good, but when you factor the ways that these abilities complement each other, we see Chishiro's true potential as a commander. Creating a 2/2 token for each Aura/Equipment that enters the battlefield is a pretty good rate, especially since there are many zero-mana Equipment, and Auras are well-known for their sheer versatility. The end-of-turn trigger can also be pretty powerful and can snowball pretty hard if we invest in counters synergies, since +1/+1 counters counts as modifications.</p>
<p>Red is perfect for going wide, and it offers cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for token-centric builds, while green has counter-based support, which we can use to leverage Chishiro's second ability for a more go-tall build.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Ingredients</h2>
<p>Chishiro's kit tends to point towards a go-wide strategy, and leveraging all the extra value from our spells to build a giant board - but what if we instead used our threats to go <em>taller</em>?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thundersteel Colossus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aradara Express"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Esika&#039;s Chariot"></div></div>
<p>Vehicles are cost-effective threats that have an implicit cost of needing other creatures to <em>Crew</em> them (I'll refer to those as 'pilots'). Chishiro provides a constant stream of 2/2s while still allowing us to advance our board by playing Aura-based mana acceleration or removal. It may sound suspicious at first, but the end result is a surprisingly smooth playstyle!</p>
<p>For our Vehicle selection, a good place to start is by looking at <em>Crew</em> costs that come in multiples of 2. For instance, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esika&#039;s Chariot" href="#" target="_blank">Esika&#039;s Chariot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an efficient way to make more tokens while maintaining a clock, and we have almost no trouble activating <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mighty Servant of Leuk-o" href="#" target="_blank">Mighty Servant of Leuk-o</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s <em>Crew</em> trigger, so it becomes a reliable source of card advantage that also smashes faces. Given that most of our cards are noncreatures, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mizzium Tank" href="#" target="_blank">Mizzium Tank</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a freebie that also grows, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thundersteel Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Thundersteel Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an exciting top-end threat that can easily push through that last bit of damage that we need.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nylea&#039;s Presence"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragon Mantle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kenrith&#039;s Transformation"></div></div>
<p>Our commander doesn't care who or what our Auras are placed on, merely that they enter the battlefield under our control. As such, we can play around with different effects to fill our Aura quota. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overgrowth" href="#" target="_blank">Overgrowth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects are usually less popular than their traditional ramp counterparts, but they allow us to play a large number of Auras and create lots of 2/2 tokens without sacrificing precious deck space. These Auras come in two different types: the vanilla, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fertile Ground" href="#" target="_blank">Fertile Ground</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which are early-to-mid-game-focused and provide more ramp for less mana; and the utility Auras, which come with small benefits attached to them, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kenrith&#039;s Transformation" href="#" target="_blank">Kenrith&#039;s Transformation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These are good draws all around, and they're even better when they knock down a terrible threat <em>and </em>create a creature for us!</p>
<p>Cheap cantripping Auras, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon Mantle" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon Mantle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Frog Tongue" href="#" target="_blank">Frog Tongue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are the lifeblood of our deck, acting as decent draw effects with excellent upside. One mana to draw a card and create a 2/2 token is dang powerful. We don't even care all that much about any further effects when these cheap enchantments draw cards!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reclamation Sage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Professional Face-Breaker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Quicksmith Genius"></div></div>
<p>One of the best things about Vehicle decks is that the usual utility creatures become pilots, so there's a lot of space to play around. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Champion of Lambholt" href="#" target="_blank">Champion of Lambholt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful card for Chishiro in general and gives evasion to our already beefy threats. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Professional Face-Breaker" href="#" target="_blank">Professional Face-Breaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives us an impressive combination of both mana ramp and card draw, which helps us in the early to mid-game, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quicksmith Genius" href="#" target="_blank">Quicksmith Genius</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great at filtering cards in our hand.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="header"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Chishiro Vehicles" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Chishiro, The Shattered Blade
[/Commander]
[Artifact]
*Accorder&#039;s Shield
*Bone Saw
*Cathar&#039;s Shield
*Kite Shield
*Paradise Mantle
*Sigil of Distinction
*Spidersilk Net
*Sol Ring
*Heart of Kiran
*Lightning Greaves
*Reckoner Bankbuster
*Smuggler&#039;s Copter
*Swiftfoot Boots
*Unlicensed Hearse
*Cultivator&#039;s Caravan
*Darksteel Plate
*Mighty Servant of Leuk-o
*Mizzium Tank
*Renegade Freighter
*Esika&#039;s Chariot
*Fleetwheel Cruiser
*Hoard Hauler
*Nautiloid Ship
*Smuggler&#039;s Buggy
*Surgehacker Mech
*Untethered Express
*Weatherlight
*Aradara Express
*Ballista Charger
*Enchanted Carriage
*Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
*Thundersteel Colossus
[/Artifact]
[Creature]
*Speedway Fanatic
*Champion of Lambholt
*Eternal Witness
*Foundry Inspector
*Professional Face-Breaker
*Quicksmith Genius
*Reclamation Sage
*Shimmer Myr
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*Abundant Growth
*Dragon Mantle
*Frog Tongue
*Rancor
*Spider Umbra
*Unbridled Growth
*Utopia Sprawl
*Wild Growth
*Fertile Ground
*Kenrith&#039;s Transformation
*Lignify
*Nylea&#039;s Presence
*Rune of Might
*Rune of Speed
*Wolfwillow Haven
*Grafted Growth
*Overgrowth
*Song of Dryad
*Weirding Wood
*Market Festival
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Chaos Warp
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*City of Brass
*Command Tower
*Copperline Gorge
*Cragcrown Pathway
*Exotic Orchard
*Game Trail
*Ghost Quarter
*Inventors&#039; Fair
*Karplusan Forest
*Mana Confluence
*Rootbound Crag
*Spire Garden
*Stomping Ground
*Tectonic Edge
*Temple of Abandon
*12 Forest
*9 Mountain
[/Land]"></span></div></div>
<div></div>
<div>
<hr />
</div>
<p>Aside from our ramp Auras pulling a two-for-one when our commander is out, we also get plenty of value from our utility-based Vehicles: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivator&#039;s Caravan" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivator&#039;s Caravan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hoard Hauler" href="#" target="_blank">Hoard Hauler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are good ways to get ahead in mana, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unlicensed Hearse" href="#" target="_blank">Unlicensed Hearse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nautiloid Ship" href="#" target="_blank">Nautiloid Ship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are "free" sources of graveyard hate, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reckoner Bankbuster" href="#" target="_blank">Reckoner Bankbuster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smuggler&#039;s Copter" href="#" target="_blank">Smuggler&#039;s Copter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provide more card draw, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Surgehacker Mech" href="#" target="_blank">Surgehacker Mech</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skysovereign, Consul Flagship" href="#" target="_blank">Skysovereign, Consul Flagship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are solid creature and planeswalker removal.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bone Saw"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unlicensed Hearse"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Plate"></div></div>
<p>Our Equipment suite is a lot less flashy than our Aura suite, but don't sleep on them. We have two types of Equipment: 'cheerios' and protection pieces. The first type, cheerios, are zero-mana Equipment, which serve as a great way to fill our board with tons of tokens all at once. I recommend sandbagging cheerios, holding them in hand to help rebuild after someone plays a board wipe and we need to reestablish our board. The second type are the usual protection Equipment, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Plate" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Plate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These are crucial because they help us keep our commander around, and we need that extra time for Chishiro to spit out all those pilots!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>For our opening hand, we're mostly looking for some cheap threats and enablers (Auras and Equipment). While it's true that our gameplan starts after we get our commander into play, that doesn't mean we have zero meaningful choices in the prior turns. Setting up our board by playing our Vehicles is one important step, and so is knowing when to commit our commander to the board. Usually, it's better to wait until we can cast him <em>and </em>several Auras on the same turn, to get immediate value out of him.</p>
<p>By the mid game, we should have a couple of Vehicles out and should start pressuring our opponents by activating them and attacking frequently. Usually, this stage of the game is when the board wipes start coming out, but this is why Vehicles work so nicely with Chishiro in the first place - our pilots are destroyable, but our actual threats dodge board wipes extremely well. We only need to care about keeping our commander safe. If he's removed too many times, we may have a rough go of it, but since so many of our Auras are also cantrips, it's hard for this deck to ever run out of steam!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Enchantress&#039;s Presence"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Daretti, Scrap Savant"></div></div>
<p>Chishiro is a versatile commander, and many readers may see the decklist and seek to make some adaptations. There are two main directions I think the list above could take when deciding upon future upgrades and evolutions: artifact/Equipment matters, and enchantments/Aura matters. I went for a more balanced build between the two, but there's plenty of power to be had when streamlining along just one of these themes.</p>
<p>The enchantment route has plenty of draw power, especially with Enchantress cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enchantress&#039;s Presence" href="#" target="_blank">Enchantress&#039;s Presence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Setessan Champion" href="#" target="_blank">Setessan Champion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which makes the ramp and removal suite even more effective. Meanwhile, the artifact route feels a bit better against removal-heavy games, since it gets a lot of recursion pieces like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daretti, Scrap Savant" href="#" target="_blank">Daretti, Scrap Savant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Making tons of 2/2 tokens after a huge <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrap Mastery" href="#" target="_blank">Scrap Mastery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does sound pretty wild. Enchantment themes lean into green's strengths, while artifact themes lean into red's, so the choice of streamlining the deck may depend upon your favorite color for modifications!</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! 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 Epic Experiment a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Chishiro

Archetune-Up - Season's Beatings

Archetune-Up - A Hunt Most Dire

Deep Analysis - Tokens

Conditions Allow - Hans Eriksson

Evasive Maneuvers — Trample

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gallia of the Endless Dance" href="#" target="_blank">Gallia of the Endless Dance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| Illustrated by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/algenpfleger">Johannes Voss</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparations</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo Melibeu, and this is <em>Epic Experiment,</em> 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.</p>
<p>Today we're going to build around a very underrated commander from <em>Theros Beyond Death</em>. Given that part of her kit is dedicated to a underdeveloped tribe, she's become basically a tribal commander. That'll stop today, because today we're building a Gallia deck!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gallia of the Endless Dance"></div></div>
<p><strong>Haste</strong></p>
<p><strong>Other Satyrs you control get +1/+1 and have haste.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Whenever you attack with three or more creatures, you may discard a card at random. If you do, draw two cards.</strong></p>
<p>Observation 1:</p>
<p>Gallia's draw trigger is really powerful. She's in a color combination that has plenty of cheap dorks that can be used to accelerate in the early game and then be used as fodder to her trigger in the late game. The randomness of the discard can easily be mitigated by simply packing our deck with Goodstuff (or even by playing the important stuff in our first main phase)</p>
<p>Observation 2:</p>
<p>Gallia is an aggressive commander through and through: she's a cheap body with haste that provides card advantage for us. One way to take advantage of this is by playing with <em>Madness</em> cards to get even more bang for our buck.</p>
<p>Observation 3:</p>
<p>Satyr is a tribe that is lacking in terms of card quality. However, given that Gallia also grants haste to other Satyrs, we can experiment with otherwise lackluster creatures in order to help fuel her draw trigger. I would strongly suggest gravitating towards utility-based ones, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Satyr Wayfinder" href="#" target="_blank">Satyr Wayfinder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, rather than just going for maximum value.</p>
<p>Observation 4:</p>
<p><em>Madness</em> works great with Gallia, compensating for some of Aggro's shortcomings. However, <em>Madness</em> cards tend to be less effective in EDH.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Gallia-Sig2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-57673 size-full" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Gallia-Sig2.png" alt="" width="1402" height="610" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Gallia-Sig2.png 1402w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Gallia-Sig2-300x131.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Gallia-Sig2-1024x446.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Gallia-Sig2-768x334.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1402px) 100vw, 1402px" /></a></p>
<p>Like I said in my overview of the commander, Gallia is THE Satyr commander, so it's not surprising to see many Satyr cards in the top slots of the deck. This is a thematic approach, but I think that Satyr tribal fails to take full advantage of Gallia's potential.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Golgari Grave-Troll"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Azra Bladeseeker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Splendid Reclamation"></div></div>
<div>From the moment I saw Gallia, I knew I would build around her draw ability. There are basically two main dimensions to build around: the draw, and the discard. <em>Dredge</em> is a good example of a good mechanic to pair with Gallia: when we get dead cards that we want to discard, we can use the draw trigger to <em>Dredge</em> deeper.</div>
<div></div>
<div>To trigger Gallia's triggered ability, we still need a creature suite. Since we're already planning to <em>Dredge</em> around, looters are a perfect fit for this strategy. This leads us into an aggressive deck that invests in creatures with a looting ETB, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Azra Bladeseeker" href="#" target="_blank">Azra Bladeseeker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bomat Courier" href="#" target="_blank">Bomat Courier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burning-Tree Vandal" href="#" target="_blank">Burning-Tree Vandal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reckless Racer" href="#" target="_blank">Reckless Racer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might be a bit slower than their ETB counterpart, but the possibility of having multiple triggers more than makes up for this especially since two of them have haste.</div>
<div></div>
<div>Now that we've covered the what and how, we need to answer why we're <em>Dredging</em>. Usually when we think of <em>Dredge</em>, we think of Reanimator. Being in Gruul, Gallia has a tough time returning creatures that she's discarded. That being said, you know what kind of permanent Gruul loves to return? Lands! <em>Dredging</em> up lands and then using cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Splendid Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Splendid Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful way to get many <em>Landfall</em> triggers and get ahead in the mana department.</div>
<div></div>
<div><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Field of the Dead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dark Depths"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chandra&#039;s Ignition"></div></div></div>
<div></div>
<div>We're also stacking the deck with win conditions. We're mostly using two-card combos to end the game: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Splendid Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Splendid Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>/<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="World Shaper" href="#" target="_blank">World Shaper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scapeshift" href="#" target="_blank">Scapeshift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are great enablers for our more powerful <em>Landfall</em> triggers, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle" href="#" target="_blank">Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Field of the Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Field of the Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moraug, Fury of Akoum" href="#" target="_blank">Moraug, Fury of Akoum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark Depths" href="#" target="_blank">Dark Depths</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (and, by extension, its other combo pieces) provides a fast clock that can be hard for some lists to handle. Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chandra&#039;s Ignition" href="#" target="_blank">Chandra&#039;s Ignition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great way to close games where multiple opponents are alive with low life; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Multani, Yavimaya&#039;s Avatar" href="#" target="_blank">Multani, Yavimaya&#039;s Avatar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be used to great effect with Ignition since we can easily get him back to the battlefield, but even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ulvenwald Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Ulvenwald Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will do the trick.</div>
<div>
<hr />
</div>
<div>
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Gallia Dredgefall" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*Gallia of the Endless Dance
[/Commander]

[Artifact]
*Sol Ring
*Smuggler&#039;s Copter
[/Artifact]
[Creature]
*Arbor Elf
*Birds of Paradise
*Bomat Courier
*Boreal Druid
*Elvish Mystic
*Elvish Reclaimer
*Fyndhorn Elves
*Insolent Neonate
*Llanowar Elves
*Orcish Lumberjack
*Sylvan Safekeeper
*Fissure Wizard
*Sakura-Tribe Elder
*Satyr Wayfinder
*Azra Bladeseeker
*Burning-Tree Vandal
*Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
*Eternal Witness
*Golgari Brownscale
*Merchant of the Vale
*Radha, Heart of Keld
*Ramunap Excavator
*Reckless Racer
*Seasoned Pyromancer
*Springbloom Druid
*Viashino Racketeer
*Anger
*Greater Mossdog
*Rowdy Crew
*World Shaper
*Cavalier of Flame
*Cavalier of Thorn
*Golgari Grave-Troll
*Ancient Greenwarden
*Moraug, Fury of Akoum
*Multani, Yavimaya&#039;s Avatar
*Ulvenwald Hydra
*Omnath, Locus of Rage
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*Mass Hysteria
*Prismatic Omen
*Underworld Breach
*Ayula&#039;s Influence
[/Enchantment]
[Instant]
*Crop Rotation
*Heroic Intervention
*Thrill of Possibility
*Chaos Warp
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*Faithless Looting
*Traverse the Ulvenwald
*Cathartic Reunion
*Life From the Loam
*Recoup
*Chain Reaction
*Scapeshift
*Splendid Reclamation
*Chandra&#039;s Ignition
*Creeping Renaissance
*Blasphemous Act
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*Command Tower
*City of Brass
*Mana Confluence
*Karplusan Forest
*Grove of the Burnwillows
*Spire Garden
*Stomping Ground
*Cinder Glade
*Copperline Gorge
*Rootbound Crag
*Sheltered Thcket
*Temple of Abandon
*Wooded Foothills
*Prismatic Vista
*Ghitu Encampment
*Mutavault
*Treetop Village
*Forgotten Cave
*Tranquil Thicket
*Blighted Woodland
*Tectonic Edge
*Ghost Quarter
*Dark Depths
*Vesuva
*Thespian&#039;s Stage
*Field of the Dead
*Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
*Snow-Covered Forest
*Snow-Covered Mountain
*4 Forest
*7 Mountain
[/Land]"></span></div>

<p>Unlike the usual Lands Matter lists, we're heavily invested in mana dorks. We need to have the three attacking creatures mark as soon as possible, and they provide both a body and the mana acceleration to put more bodies into play.</p>
<p>With all the <em>Dredging</em>, we're likely to mill a relevant piece, so we have some powerful recursion pieces that can act as a pseudo-tutors. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Recoup" href="#" target="_blank">Recoup</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great because it targets big sorcery effects, and it's an easy card to find considering that we can <em>Dredge</em> it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Underworld Breach" href="#" target="_blank">Underworld Breach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is versatile, but it needs some setup, and it only works for a turn. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another body, which isn't that much for the type of effect that we want to recover from our graveyard, but it's still an upside.</p>
<hr />
<div>
<div id="mtgh_26fd7" class="mtgh">
<div class="header">
<div>
<h2>Methodology</h2>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p>For opening hands, we're mostly looking for early creatures to fuel our commander. From there, we can start making a plan according to our draws.</p>
<p>In the early game, our main concern is gathering three bodies to attack. Our commander is usually the third, so it's really more like finding two. While the <em>Dredge</em> suite is nice and all, we don't really need it at this stage of the game. After all, getting to trigger our commander means that we're seeing at least three new cards a turn, which is more than enough to give us a boost.</p>
<p>By the mid-game, between other players building up defenses and playing board wipes, our ability to trigger Gallia significantly diminishes. By this point we hopefully have dug enough to flip the switch and start acting like a more standard Lands Matter deck. This is the stage where we really want to start chaining some of our <em>Dredge</em> cards.</p>
<p>When we get to the late game, our priority is to find any of our win conditions, we have plenty of opportunities to find any of them, especially with our <em>Flashback</em> recursion spells. Finding the most effective winning line is fairly easy, cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cavalier of Flame" href="#" target="_blank">Cavalier of Flame</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chandra&#039;s Ignition" href="#" target="_blank">Chandra&#039;s Ignition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are great at bursting people out, while Field of the Dead and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Omnath, Locust of Rage" href="#" target="_blank">Omnath, Locust of Rage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are great at grinding.</p>
<hr />
<div>
<div id="mtgh_26fd7" class="mtgh">
<h2>Epic Results</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Manabond"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chandra, Flamecaller"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Harvest Season"></div></div>
<p>The list is basically a Lands Matter with a twist. This twist costs us some precious deck slots that we have to sacrifice in order to fit some of the other cards. One of the biggest problem that I see that this list suffers is that the only way it can effectively "tutor" for lands is to put them in the graveyard, unlike most decks that tend to use ramp effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivate" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
</div>
<p>Enablers, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Manabond" href="#" target="_blank">Manabond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, can be great in a list like this, as it's a way to consistently drop <em>Dredge</em> cards out of our hand. However, as mentioned before, we lack the land-pulling capabilities to make it that much better than an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exploration" href="#" target="_blank">Exploration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.<br />
<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chandra, Flamecaller" href="#" target="_blank">Chandra, Flamecaller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great card to cycle through bad hands and letting us get rid of some <em>Dredgers</em>. It may seem like an expensive investment, but the combination of Gallia and Chandra is a powerful draw engine.</p>
</div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harvest Season" href="#" target="_blank">Harvest Season</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a bit of a risky card, but if we are able to play it with two creatures on the field it's more effective than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivate" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment!</em> What do you think about this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Gallia Landfall

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tahngarth, First Mate" href="#" target="_blank">Tahngarth, First Mate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/depingo">Anna Steinbauer</a>)</h6>
<h1>Your Deck... It Needs More Cowbell!</h1>
<p>Hello again, Commander faithful! Welcome back for another installment of <i>Replacement Commanders</i>, the series designed to look at the legendary creatures from the annual <i>Commander</i> precon product that didn't make it onto the face of each deck, and build a precon-like list specifically for them! Each year, we get these amazing commanders that are placed in decks built around a different legendary creature and those abilities and strategies. The series is quickly ending, though I have no idea how soon we'll have even more replacements, what with 2020 being the “Year of Commander” for <i>Wizards of the Coast</i>.</p>
<p>In the last article, we ended with a poll for the remaining two legendary creatures that are missing a color from the decks they were originally printed in. Readers got to vote on which to cover first, and which would be the last of the series. It was close in the end, but most of you wanted to see…</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Tahngarth, First Mate!</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tahngarth, First Mate"></div></div></p>
<p>Admittedly, Tahngarth was not high on my rankings of legendary creatures from last year’s product. For as much as I enjoy the way his first ability works when we can give him menace, nothing in his second ability prevents the person we loan Tahngarth to from just sacrificing him. As someone who loves to use and abuse sacrifice outlets and strategies, it’s mildly unnerving to see a commander that wants to go under other people's control without having the same kind of protection that an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Assault Suit" href="#" target="_blank">Assault Suit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would give. However, looking at the EDHREC page for Tahngarth, we can see that people have gravitated more toward an Equipment-based Voltron strategy. This makes me like the way the deck is bound to turn out, as it means that even if there are sacrifice players at the table, it shouldn’t be hard to suit up Tahngarth and get the work done ourselves.</p>
<p>For those games where there are no sacrifice players at the table, a third archetype that people are using with our Minotaur Warrior is “Forced Combat.” Ironically, I said in the last <i>Replacement Commanders</i> installment that I didn’t think this was a category on EDHREC, and <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/forced-combat">it looks like I was wrong</a>! Of course, we shouldn’t be surprised to see how thorough the site’s themes are. After all, it collects so much data from around the internet, I’m sure we have a snapshot of every kind of archetype in the format!</p>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Building a Better Beater (or Oooh, Shiny New Toys!)</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Embercleave"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hammer of Nazahn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blackblade Reforged"></div></div></p>
<p>The Equipment and Voltron parts of Tahngarth are interwoven, as one of the best ways to make him hit hard and fast is to pile him up with Equipment that makes him stronger. Whenever I look at a commander that wants to wear a lot of Equipment, I always think that, while there should be some bomb cards that shock and awe the table, it’s just as important to have Equipment that act as support cards. This way we don’t have to make the tough choice between taking up card slots on Equipment vs. taking up slots on ramp, removal, etc.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of the Animist" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of the Animist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prying Blade" href="#" target="_blank">Prying Blade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provide different variations of ramp, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rogue’s Gloves" href="#" target="_blank">Rogue’s Gloves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mask of Memory" href="#" target="_blank">Mask of Memory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> give us some incremental card advantage. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Argentum Armor" href="#" target="_blank">Argentum Armor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Sinew and Steel" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Sinew and Steel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will get rid of a few pesky parts of our opponents’ battlefields. We will need to also include those bombs that will turn our commander into a one-shot machine. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Embercleave" href="#" target="_blank">Embercleave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has been tearing up the Standard scene and still has massive value in Commander. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blackblade Reforged" href="#" target="_blank">Blackblade Reforged</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another great option, especially given that we’re in green and will have access to many ways to ramp with our lands. This next card is going to surprise some of you to list as a “bomb” card, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodthirsty Blade" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodthirsty Blade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does a surprising amount of work to facilitate Tahngarth's strategy, ensuring the rest of the table joins us in the red zone.</p>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">This Minotaur Brings the War!</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curse of the Nightly Hunt"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Incite War"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vow of Wildness"></div></div></p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/replacement-commanders-furballs-of-warfare/">In our last article</a> for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marisi, Breaker of the Coil" href="#" target="_blank">Marisi, Breaker of the Coil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we discussed cards that force combat for the table. This means that it's slightly awkward to have another such theme for this article, especially when the commanders share two colors (out of a possible three from Marisi). I don’t want to focus too much on the cards that we went over in the Marisi article that also appear on Tahngarth’s EDHREC page, so instead I want to focus on some other cool cards that are unique to Tahngarth.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vow of Wildness" href="#" target="_blank">Vow of Wildness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vow of Lightning" href="#" target="_blank">Vow of Lightning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are interesting, inspiring enemies to attack each other with some extra damage, while not being a bad fit on Tahngarth as well. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curse of the Nightly Hunt" href="#" target="_blank">Curse of the Nightly Hunt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be tricky, since the enchanted player may point their aggression in our direction. Still, this opens them up for attacks from our other opponents, so there is room to play the political game, making deals about who to give Tahngarth to, depending on who wants to attack us. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Incite War" href="#" target="_blank">Incite War</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a unique card for this situation, giving Tahngarth first strike before he runs out to assist someone who suddenly is compelled to do some damage on their turn!</p>
<p>Don’t forget the standard card advantage, ramp, removal, and Wraths! Put together, we might have a list like this:</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Tahngarth and His War Toys" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards=""></span></div><br />
[Commander]<br />
*1 Tahngarth, First Mate<br />
[/Commander]<br />
[Creature]<br />
*1 Anger<br />
*1 Beast Whisperer<br />
*1 Brawn<br />
*1 Burnished Hart<br />
*1 Etali, Primal Storm<br />
*1 Eternal Witness<br />
*1 Fumiko the Lowblood<br />
*1 Goblin Diplomats<br />
*1 Goblin Racketeer<br />
*1 Goblin Spymaster<br />
*1 Ogre Battledriver<br />
*1 Reclamation Sage<br />
*1 Solemn Simulacrum<br />
*1 Warmonger Hellkite<br />
[/Creature]<br />
[Sorcery]<br />
*1 Blasphemous Act<br />
*1 Chandra's Ignition<br />
*1 Cultivate<br />
*1 Farseek<br />
*1 Harmonize<br />
*1 Kodama's Reach<br />
*1 Overwhelming Stampede<br />
*1 Pir's Whim<br />
*1 Rampant Growth<br />
*1 Rishkar's Expertise<br />
*1 Vandalblast<br />
[/Sorcery]<br />
[Enchantment]<br />
*1 Curse of the Nightly Hunt<br />
*1 Frenzied Rage<br />
*1 Grand Melee<br />
*1 Madcap Skills<br />
*1 Rancor<br />
*1 Rhythm of the Wild<br />
*1 Rite of the Raging Storm<br />
*1 Vow of Lightning<br />
*1 Vow of Wildness<br />
[/Enchantment]<br />
[Instant]<br />
*1 Beast Within<br />
*1 Chaos Warp<br />
*1 Incite War<br />
*1 Krosan Grip<br />
*1 Return of the Wildspeaker<br />
*1 Thrill of Possibility<br />
[/Instant]<br />
[Artifact]<br />
*1 Arcane Signet<br />
*1 Argentum Armor<br />
*1 Assault Suit<br />
*1 Blackblade Reforged<br />
*1 Bloodforged Battle-Axe<br />
*1 Bloodthirsty Blade<br />
*1 Captain's Hook<br />
*1 Chitinous Cloak<br />
*1 Commander's Sphere<br />
*1 Darksteel Plate<br />
*1 Embercleave<br />
*1 Fellwar Stone<br />
*1 Gruul Signet<br />
*1 Hammer of Nazahn<br />
*1 Mask of Memory<br />
*1 Prying Blade<br />
*1 Rogue's Gloves<br />
*1 Sol Ring<br />
*1 Swiftfoot Boots<br />
*1 Sword of Sinew and Steel<br />
*1 Sword of the Animist<br />
[/Artifact]<br />
[Land]<br />
*1 Cinder Glade<br />
*1 Command Tower<br />
*1 Evolving Wilds<br />
*8 Forest<br />
*1 Forge of Heroes<br />
*1 Forgotten Cave<br />
*1 Game Trail<br />
*1 Ghost Quarter<br />
*1 Gruul Turf<br />
*1 Inventors' Fair<br />
*1 Kazandu Refuge<br />
*1 Kessig Wolf Run<br />
*10 Mountain<br />
*1 Opal Palace<br />
*1 Rogue's Passage<br />
*1 Rootbound Crag<br />
*1 Scavenger Grounds<br />
*1 Sheltered Thicket<br />
*1 Stomping Ground<br />
*1 Temple of Abandon<br />
*1 Terramorphic Expanse<br />
*1 Tranquil Thicket<br />
[/Land]<br />
[/Deck]<br />
</p>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">A Warrior From the Stars? (Get it? Constellation!)</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nylea’s Colossus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bear Umbra"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Setessan Champion"></div></div></p>
<p>Something caught my eye when I was reviewing Tahngarth’s EDHREC page: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bear Umbra" href="#" target="_blank">Bear Umbra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It got me wondering how many <em>Totem Armor</em> enchantments there were in both green and red, since I am aware of quite a few in green and white. A quick <a href="https://scryfall.com/">Scryfall</a> search showed me that there are only five <em>Totem Armor</em> cards in our colors. Then I added <em>Constellation</em> into the mix. This added eleven more cards to the idea, and with sixteen total, I decided to go all-in on an enchantment version of Tahngarth!</p>
<p>Some of the <em>Constellation</em> cards I want to draw special attention to are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nylea’s Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Nylea’s Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and the new <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Setessan Champion" href="#" target="_blank">Setessan Champion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from <i>Theros Beyond Death.</i> Colossus turns Tahngarth into a massive threat very quickly, while Champion is another Enchantress-style effect, which is going to be a major subtheme for this list. Naturally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eidolon of Blossoms" href="#" target="_blank">Eidolon of Blossoms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another great <em>Constellation</em> card for card advantage, and we're going to include <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Argothian Enchantress" href="#" target="_blank">Argothian Enchantress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enchantress’s Presence" href="#" target="_blank">Enchantress’s Presence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Verduran Enchantress" href="#" target="_blank">Verduran Enchantress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as well, so we can draw all the cards! Since this list won’t be running Equipment cards as our bombs, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Runes of the Deus" href="#" target="_blank">Runes of the Deus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works similarly to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Embercleave" href="#" target="_blank">Embercleave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancestral Mask" href="#" target="_blank">Ancestral Mask</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might just end games. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Destiny Spinner" href="#" target="_blank">Destiny Spinner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> seems like a great way to keep control decks from stopping us, while cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Road of Return" href="#" target="_blank">Road of Return</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> give us some recursion.</p>
<p>Wrap the list up with some removal, Wraths, ramp, and a few more bits of card advantage, and the list comes out looking like this:</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Warrior of the Stars" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards=""></span></div><br />
[Commander]<br />
*1 Tahngarth, First Mate<br />
[/Commander]<br />
[Creature]<br />
*1 Acidic Slime<br />
*1 Argothian Enchantress<br />
*1 Burnished Hart<br />
*1 Destiny Spinner *<br />
*1 Eidolon of Blossoms<br />
*1 Eternal Witness<br />
*1 Eternal Witness<br />
*1 Humbler of Mortals<br />
*1 Manglehorn<br />
*1 Nessian Wanderer *<br />
*1 Nexus Wardens *<br />
*1 Nylea's Colossus<br />
*1 Ohran Frostfang<br />
*1 Reclamation Sage<br />
*1 Setessan Champion *<br />
*1 Skullwinder<br />
*1 Solemn Simulacrum<br />
*1 Verduran Enchantress<br />
*1 Wood Elves<br />
*1 Xenagos, God of Revels<br />
[/Creature]<br />
[Sorcery]<br />
*1 Blasphemous Act<br />
*1 Cultivate<br />
*1 Faithless Looting<br />
*1 Farseek<br />
*1 Kodama's Reach<br />
*1 Rampant Growth<br />
*1 Regrowth<br />
*1 Rishkar's Expertise<br />
*1 Road of Return<br />
*1 Seasons Past<br />
*1 Soul's Majesty<br />
*1 Vandalblast<br />
[/Sorcery]<br />
[Artifact]<br />
*1 Arcane Signet<br />
*1 Commander's Sphere<br />
*1 Fellwar Stone<br />
*1 Sol Ring<br />
*1 Swiftfoot Boots<br />
*1 Thran Dynamo<br />
*1 Worn Powerstone<br />
[/Artifact]<br />
[Enchantment]<br />
*1 Ancestral Mask<br />
*1 Asceticism<br />
*1 Bear Umbra<br />
*1 Boar Umbra<br />
*1 Colossal Majesty<br />
*1 Enchantress's Presence<br />
*1 Frenzied Rage<br />
*1 Giant Spectacle<br />
*1 Goblin War Drums<br />
*1 Gruul War Chant<br />
*1 Keen Sense<br />
*1 Madcap Skills<br />
*1 Rancor<br />
*1 Runes of the Deus<br />
*1 Sixth Sense<br />
*1 Snake Umbra<br />
*1 Spider Umbra<br />
*1 Sylvan Library<br />
[/Enchantment]<br />
[Instant]<br />
*1 Beast Within<br />
*1 Heroic Intervention<br />
*1 Krosan Grip<br />
*1 Return of the Wildspeaker<br />
[/Instant]<br />
[Land]<br />
*1 Command Tower<br />
*1 Evolving Wilds<br />
*12 Forest<br />
*1 Forge of Heroes<br />
*1 Forgotten Cave<br />
*1 Ghost Quarter<br />
*1 Kessig Wolf Run<br />
*9 Mountain<br />
*1 Opal Palace<br />
*1 Rogue's Passage<br />
*1 Rootbound Crag<br />
*1 Scavenger Grounds<br />
*1 Stomping Ground<br />
*1 Strip Mine<br />
*1 Taiga<br />
*1 Temple of Abandon<br />
*1 Terramorphic Expanse<br />
*1 Tranquil Thicket<br />
*1 Wooded Foothills<br />
[/Land]<br />
[/Deck]<br />
</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> Just a friendly reminder that this second list is less about that "precon" feel and more just "What would Seth do with this commander?" Therefore, there is less of a budget restriction in the list, hence seeing cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Taiga" href="#" target="_blank">Taiga</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">First Mate, But Not the Last Replacement!</h2>
<p>Phew! I won’t lie, this was not the easiest article of the series to write. As I said in the beginning, in my eyes, Tahngarth was not the most interesting legendary creature to come out of this year’s product. Still, that is obviously down to personal preference, and I recognize that Tahngarth is still a very powerful commander with explosive plays. I'm both very excited and very nervous for this year, since we're getting so many additional precons. Hopefully this means we'll be getting an even wider array of unique abilities and strategies to play with!</p>
<p>There are three more Replacements left to go over for the 2019 product, and they have some spicy, interesting builds to investigate! Of course, if you need some more Commander talk in your life, you can <a href="https://www.twitter.com/DM_Cross">follow me on Twitter</a> or join the <a href="https://discord.gg/CrNHmTE">public Praetor Magic Discord server</a>. Praetor Magic is the content creation team I run with my wife and some friends, so feel free to check us out throughout the week on <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/praetormagic">Twitch</a> or see our previous content on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/praetormagic">YouTube channel</a>! Until next time…</p>
<p>Thanks for reading!</p>


gruul

Epic Experiment - Faldorn

Epic Experiment - Chishiro

Archetune-Up - Season's Beatings

Archetune-Up - A Hunt Most Dire

Deep Analysis - Tokens

Conditions Allow - Hans Eriksson

Evasive Maneuvers — Trample

Epic Experiment - Gallia Landfall

Archetune-Up - A Hunt Most Dire

Replacement Commanders - Tahngarth Goes to War!