<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Approach of the Second Sun" href="#" target="_blank">Approach of the Second Sun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| Art by <a href="https://www.howardlyon.com/">Howard Lyon</a>)</h6>
<h1>Win Conditions Aren't Equal</h1>
<p>People show up to Commander to play intense games of <em>Magic</em>. Counterspelling counterspells to ensure commanders can set up engines. Intense rushes to deal damage before an opponent draws their perfect card. Four-way political discussions where everyone bargains for just <em>one</em> more turn.</p>
<p>But what if instead of perfectly constructing a deck to achieve victory, you just… <strong>Won?</strong></p>
<p>There are plenty of alternate win conditions, or alt win cons, to damage and decking. As you would expect, not all of them are created equally. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have a home in Commander.</p>
<p>Afterall, think of the value.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The One Ring"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Llanowar Elves"></div></div>
<p><em>All valuable in their own way.</em></p>
<h3>The Value</h3>
<p>In a Standard game, you have to deal twenty damage to a single opponent, or have them deck out a sixty-card deck. But in Commander, both the life pools and deck sizes are inflated.</p>
<p>But the cost of alt win cons stays the same.</p>
<p>They might not be efficient. Or advisable. They might simply be ineffectual when you have three individuals who can counter, remove, and respond to what you play.</p>
<p>But it would be so funny if it worked, wouldn’t it?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Here’s The Deal</h2>
<p>There’s a visceral reaction folks have when they see an alt win con being played. At least in my experience, a player is more likely to take aggressive action against someone about to play an alt win con than someone who will win by traditional means.</p>
<p>Whether via commander damage or poison counters or milling, these “mundane” paths to victory often leave wiggle-room to still try your hand at negotiations.</p>
<p>But no one will listen to a word you’re saying under the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Approach of the Second Sun" href="#" target="_blank">Approach of the Second Sun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Despite the fact they’ll listen to someone fielding <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> while they have nine poison counters!</p>
<p>So how do you get around this?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sheoldred, the Apocalypse"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rhystic Study"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smothering Tithe"></div></div>
<p><em>Just a few Swords of Damocles some folks don't mind discussing under.</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Misdirect Them</h3>
<p>Whatever your engine for winning the game is, set aside just a few cards to give the impression you’re shooting for a traditional victory. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, don’t add needless heft to your deck.</p>
<p>Could be as simple as having some <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heroes&#039; Bane" href="#" target="_blank">Hydras</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to scale with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doubling Season" href="#" target="_blank">Doubling Season</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Chief Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Chief Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> being kept dirt cheap with a powerful army due to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Encroaching Mycosynth" href="#" target="_blank">Encroaching Mycosynth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Staple combos that are effective across two or three cards regardless of the subject-matter of your deck. Not necessarily two-card “win the game” combos like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Parun" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, Parun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curiosity" href="#" target="_blank">Curiosity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Just effective closed-loop combos that keep you relevant.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mossborn Hydra"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bristly Bill, Spine Sower"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fabled Passage"></div></div><br />
<em>This is a personal favorite to get explosive growth.</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Not only does this lead to your opponents suspecting nothing (the fools!), but it allows you to participate in the game normally. A problem with alt win con decks in casual Commander is that there’s not much to <em>do</em> until you are in a position to end the game.</p>
<p>Just a few cards to keep yourself an active participant alleviates that.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Be Disrespectful</h3>
<p>Alternatively, you could focus on denying victory to your opponents. Whether through <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Herald of Eternal Dawn" href="#" target="_blank">Herald of Eternal Dawn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Platinum Angel" href="#" target="_blank">Platinum Angel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you have multiple preventative measures to ensure your opponents can’t steamroll past you.</p>
<p>None of these directly assist your chances of winning the game, but they do buy you time to achieve your own goals.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Everybody Lives!"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Book of Exalted Deeds"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloudsteel Kirin"></div></div><br />
<em>With this and its lifegain, white stalls games longer than blue.</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Of course, if you were to be truly diabolical you would grab a card that forces you to lose such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archfiend of the Dross" href="#" target="_blank">Archfiend of the Dross</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Use any of the following cards to boot your Archfiend to an opponent once its usefulness (and oil) runs out.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fateful Handoff"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Coveted Falcon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Custody Battle"></div></div><br />
<em>Because Black’s removal is so useful, splashing into it isn’t even that bad!</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Actually Winning</h2>
<p>Below are just a few cards that allow you to win the game. Some are more viable than others, and certainly some require more support than others. It’s really up to you and your playstyle which ones you gravitate towards.</p>
<p>Just make sure to play it smart. One counter or removal spell or even any of the above-mentioned “win prevention cards” will ruin these strategies if you’re not careful.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Approach of the Second Sun" href="#" target="_blank">Approach of the Second Sun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Approach of the Second Sun"></div></div>
<p>I can’t speak to if this is the most famous alt win con, but it certainly feels as though it’s had its time to shine since its release in 2017.</p>
<p>This alt win con really is quite simple, in that once you play the first casting of it, your goal is to not die. If any of your opponents have any milling capabilities, that’s something to be careful for, but generally that shouldn’t be a major issue.</p>
<p>Further, watch out for red’s propensity to exile the top card of opponents' decks with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Etali, Primal Conqueror" href="#" target="_blank">Etali, Primal Conqueror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If they time it right, your second casting is exiled. So make sure you have access to counters, card draw, or a means of doing more than just waiting seven turns.</p>
<p>Also, a fun fact about this card is that the first casting doesn’t have to resolve for the second casting to win you the game. So if the first casting is countered and the second isn’t, you still win the game! Just make sure that second casting doesn’t get countered as well.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Biovisionary" href="#" target="_blank">Biovisionary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Biovisionary"></div></div>
<p>In a single-card format, having a creature requiring multiple copies of it seems ridiculous. And, frankly, it kind of is!</p>
<p>Which is exactly why no one will see it coming. Because tokens count towards this alt win con and it’s in your end step, all you need is a great deal of mana and a decent amount of cards in-hand. Fortunately for you, those are two things Simic excels at.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Croaking Counterpart" href="#" target="_blank">Croaking Counterpart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives you two castings in a single card, if you can afford it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Metamorph" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Metamorph</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows you to pay with your life for part of it, which is a fantastic boon. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Three Steps Ahead" href="#" target="_blank">Three Steps Ahead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the flexibility to act as a counter or card draw on top of advancing your alt win con.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phantasmal Image"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flesh Duplicate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cephalid Facetaker"></div></div><br />
<em>Cheap copies’ downsides don’t matter if you win the turn you cast them!</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Barren Glory" href="#" target="_blank">Barren Glory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Barren Glory"></div></div>
<p>This might be the most out-there of all these options. Afterall, how do you get to such a low point and still survive?</p>
<p>If you can get a board clear, you’re fine. Alternatively, do the math on how much damage your opponents can deal, Commander or otherwise. If you won’t lose as a result of that or something like poison counters, it doesn’t matter that you can’t defend yourself.</p>
<p>Don’t run the deck with too many permanents other than creatures, and all them to die before you play your alt win con. Then cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Armageddon" href="#" target="_blank">Armageddon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or a similar means of removing your lands from play.</p>
<p>If your opponents’ boards are clear or if the math checks out, you’ll win next turn assuming you can trash your hand. If you have cheap instants and sorceries, that will allow you to burn through your hand in your final turn. Self-discard is even better.</p>
<p>Just make sure no opponent has a means of destroying an enchantment on the board when you cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Armageddon" href="#" target="_blank">Armageddon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Otherwise, even with a single mana from their next-turn land drop, they’ll just remove your alt win con and you’re stuck behind the curve.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Various Counter-Building Cards</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Azor&#039;s Elocutors"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chance Encounter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Reactor"></div></div>
<p><em>All variations of “keep this card in play to eventually win the game.”</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>You build counters on them, sometimes with ways for opponents to remove counters. Other times, they're just hoping not to be removed before their clock can reach its endpoint.</p>
<p>As with most things counter-related, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doubling Season" href="#" target="_blank">Doubling Season</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is your friend and Proliferate is your new favorite mechanic. Look to All Will Be One and March of the Machine for plenty of cards to bump up your counter production.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ezuri, Stalker of Spheres"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vraska, Betrayal&#039;s Sting"></div></div><br />
<em>Phyrexians are your friends when proliferation is your goal.</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>And, of course, be on the lookout for removal. These are generally cards that take some time to mature, meaning there's plenty of time for them to be removed.</p>
<p>Particularly given that you're now the person seen as most likely to win, even if your alt win con isn't viable.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>A Fair Warning</h2>
<p>Just be aware that at any higher level of play, so much as the assumption you have an alt win con will put a target on your back.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter if someone has <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solphim, Mayhem Dominus" href="#" target="_blank">Solphim, Mayhem Dominus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and has been chipping away the pod’s life all game. Nor does it matter if someone went full Voltron and their <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heliod, Sun-Crowned" href="#" target="_blank">Heliod, Sun-Crowned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a 20/20 with Flying, Trample, and Infect. Though I’d love to see someone pull that off!</p>
<p>The mere existence of an alt win con will have the entire table rally against you. Expect no more negotiating and for past deals to be reneged. Every creature on the table to be pointed at you.</p>
<p>So either win fast or enjoy the chaos you’re causing on the way down.</p>
<p>Alternatively, play a game where no one is allowed to win via life loss, decking out, or poison counters. An Alt Win Contest, if you will.</p>


Have You Tried Simply "Winning?" A Guide to Alt Win Cons in Commander

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria, Riptide Rogue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://borjapindado.com/">Borja Pindado</a></h6>
<h2><b>One odd otter</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hello! Welcome to </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Archetypes of Imagination</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, a brand new series where I'll be building decks based on popular Commander archetypes. I'll be using</span><a href="https://tagger.scryfall.com/"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Scryfall's tagging system</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and</span><a href="https://edhrec.com/tags"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">EDHREC's Tag pages</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to build around a new theme each week. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Scryfall has a really cool way of categorizing cards, where each card has specific labels attached to it for later reference. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivate" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the ramp tag and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Carrion Feeder" href="#" target="_blank">Carrion Feeder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the sacrifice outlet tag. EDHREC's tag system is really cool too, letting users see popular cards associated with a given strategy. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, the toughness matters tag shows users that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wall of Denial" href="#" target="_blank">Wall of Denial</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works well with the strategy and the Blink tag does the same for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ephemerate" href="#" target="_blank">Ephemerate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week, we'll be taking some really, really long turns. We're building a deck based around <strong>cantrips</strong>! For those who don't know, a card is considered a cantrip when it provides its caster with a card draw in addition to some other effects.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> One famous example, which you'll see in this week's full decklist, is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Opt" href="#" target="_blank">Opt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. There's tons of commanders that work well with cantrips, especially cantrips that happen to be instants or sorceries, and I'm pretty happy with the one I picked. From </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bloomburrow</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, my favorite recent set, this deck's commander is… <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria, Riptide Rogue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bria, Riptide Rogue"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides all of our creatures prowess, meaning they'll get temporarily bigger when we cast a noncreature spell. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She also makes one of our creatures unblockable for a turn when we cast a noncreature spell, meaning that they'll be able to chip in for damage with their buffed-up power and toughness. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s abilities encourage a somewhat straight-forward gameplan, there's still a lot of room for creativity in this decklist. Let's get going, and I'll show you what I mean!</span></p>
<h3><b>On the prowl…</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives all of our creatures prowess, we want to ensure that we've got a relatively wide board to capitalize on that ability. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, we also need to ensure that we've got enough noncreature spells in the deck to actually trigger that prowess. Some of you may already know where I'm going within this: token creators! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There's a ton of creatures in Izzet colors that make tokens when we cast instants and sorceries, so I've included a whole host of them here.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My favorite is the ever-popular <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shark Typhoon" href="#" target="_blank">Shark Typhoon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Not only is this a noncreature spell (which will trigger prowess), but it makes big, evasive creature tokens.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> I also think that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Young Pyromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Young Pyromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an all-star here. It only costs two mana, meaning that we can have it hit the board well before our commander, and start churning out tokens as early as turn two. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lastly, I'm a big fan of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drake Hatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Drake Hatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I know this card came out recently, but I don't think it got nearly the amount of popularity it's due.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> This creature has prowess already, and our commander will give it a second instance of prowess, meaning it'll grow by +2/+2 for every noncreature spell we cast. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, it acts as a sneaky efficient way to make evasive tokens at any time. This is the exact kind of card I want to play in my commander decks, and I think this deck is a perfect home for it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shark Typhoon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Young Pyromancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Drake Hatcher"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drake Hatcher" href="#" target="_blank">Drake Hatcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, there's a cadre of creatures that already have prowess (or an ability that's very close to it) in the 99 of this deck. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another card I think is underplayed finds a slot here: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Khenra Spellspear" href="#" target="_blank">Khenra Spellspear</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. With our commander out, and this creature transformed, it has three separate instances of prowess. With just one noncreature spell cast, that means we've got a 6/6 trampler with ward <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The rate only gets better from there. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kiln Fiend" href="#" target="_blank">Kiln Fiend</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crackling Cyclops" href="#" target="_blank">Crackling Cyclops</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slickshot Show-Off" href="#" target="_blank">Slickshot Show-Off</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are all very similar, growing progressively larger when we cast certain types of spells.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Plus, because our commander can make some of our creatures unblockable, meaning that the less evasive creatures from among this bunch can be sure to punch through for damage. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lastly, I wanted to shout out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Balmor, Battlemage Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Balmor, Battlemage Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This is, essentially, a cheaper and slightly-worse version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He provides +1/+0 to our whole team when we cast an instant or sorcery (slightly worse than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s +1/+1), and provides our whole team trample (arguably on par with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s ability to make one creature unblockable at a time).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If our commander ever becomes too expensive to recast, or is otherwise locked out of the game, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Balmor, Battlemage Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Balmor, Battlemage Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great second option.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Khenra Spellspear"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kiln Fiend"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Balmor, Battlemage Captain"></div></div></span></p>
<h3><b>Dancing the can-can</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck is, at its core, based around cantrips. So, let's talk about a few of the best ones I've included. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crimson Wisps" href="#" target="_blank">Crimson Wisps</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Expedite" href="#" target="_blank">Expedite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are functionally identical cards, and the ability to provide haste to any one of our creatures (particularly a creature with an instance of double prowess), can be game-ending when combined with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s ability to make one of our creatures unblockable. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If we can land a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kiln Fiend" href="#" target="_blank">Kiln Fiend</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the board, make it unblockable, and give it haste, we can easily knock out a player in the late game. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I also wanted to point out the inclusion of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychotic Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Psychotic Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can provide double strike to our commander and a select few other creatures in the deck. When combined with a pump effect like prowess, double strike is obviously immensely powerful in this deck. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There's a bunch of other cantrips too, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Opt" href="#" target="_blank">Opt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thought Scour" href="#" target="_blank">Thought Scour</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but those cards just aren't as much fun as the others I've mentioned.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crimson Wisps"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Expedite"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Psychotic Fury"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There's also a small package of cards that care about our graveyard, all of which work quite well together. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon&#039;s Rage Channeler" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon&#039;s Rage Channeler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will provide some nice card selection while also becoming a threatening attacker as the game goes on.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Haughty Djinn" href="#" target="_blank">Haughty Djinn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will reduce the cost of our most important spells, while also becoming huge as the game goes on. And, should we need a boatload of tokens, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rise from the Tides" href="#" target="_blank">Rise from the Tides</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can provide that easily.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Combined with some cantrips to fill the graveyard (like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Consider" href="#" target="_blank">Consider</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, these cards will be super effective here).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragon&#039;s Rage Channeler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Haughty Djinn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rise from the Tides"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lastly, I wanted to talk about a few cards in the deck that provide extra combat steps. Every extra combat card in this deck is either an instant or a sorcery, meaning that they all trigger prowess. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because prowess lasts until the end of the turn, our creatures will keep their pumped-up stats for all the combat steps we go through. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Again, because of the immense power of double strike, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Savage Beating" href="#" target="_blank">Savage Beating</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the top choices here. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For 7 mana, we can push through a crazy amount of damage with a sufficiently wide board of creatures. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="World at War" href="#" target="_blank">World at War</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great too, providing a cast trigger twice (triggering prowess again)! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, a new addition, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aetherdrift</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">'s <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Full Throttle" href="#" target="_blank">Full Throttle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can provide two extra combats for the price of one card. That's really strong, and I think this card will become an instant staple in EDH.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Savage Beating"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="World at War"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Full Throttle"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, here's the full decklist:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Archetypes of Imagination - Building a Cantrip Deck" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Bria, Riptide Rogue
[/Commander]

[Instants]
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Brainstorm
*1 Consider
*1 Counterspell
*1 Crimson Wisps
*1 Cryptic Command
*1 Disdainful Stroke
*1 Expedite
*1 Fists of Flame
*1 Flame of Anor
*1 Frantic Search
*1 Great Train Heist
*1 Leap
*1 Mental Note
*1 Opt
*1 Pongify
*1 Psychotic Fury
*1 Rapid Hybridization
*1 Rush of Inspiration // Crackling Falls
*1 Savage Beating
*1 Strix Serenade
*1 Swan Song
*1 Thought Scour
*1 Untimely Malfunction
[/Instants]

[Creatures]
*1 Archmage Emeritus
*1 Balmor, Battlemage Captain
*1 Crackling Cyclops
*1 Dragon&#039;s Rage Channeler
*1 Drake Hatcher
*1 Goblin Electromancer
*1 Harmonic Prodigy
*1 Haughty Djinn
*1 Khenra Spellspear // Gitaxian Spellstalker
*1 Kiln Fiend
*1 Murmuring Mystic
*1 Pinnacle Monk // Mystic Peak
*1 Slickshot Show-Off
*1 Stormcatch Mentor
*1 Talrand, Sky Summoner
*1 Third Path Iconoclast
*1 Valley Floodcaller
*1 Veyran, Voice of Duality
*1 Young Pyromancer
[/Creatures]

[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Chart a Course
*1 Crash Through
*1 Enter the Enigma
*1 Full Throttle
*1 Gitaxian Probe
*1 Haze of Rage
*1 Jeska&#039;s Will
*1 Ponder
*1 Preordain
*1 Relentless Assault
*1 Renegade Tactics
*1 Rise from the Tides
*1 Season of Weaving
*1 Serum Visions
*1 Slip Through Space
*1 Warlord&#039;s Fury
*1 World at War
[/Sorceries]

[Lands]
*1 Cascade Bluffs
*1 Ferrous Lake
*1 Fiery Islet
*12 Island
*11 Mountain
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*1 Riverglide Pathway // Lavaglide Pathway
*1 Riverpyre Verge
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
*1 Stormcarved Coast
*1 Training Center
[/Lands]

[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Izzet Signet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Creativity
[/Artifacts]

[Enchantments]
*1 Shark Typhoon
[/Enchantments]"></span></div></span></p>
<h3><b><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wave Goodbye" href="#" target="_blank">Wave Goodbye</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That's it for this week, everyone! I really like this deck, as it's a more focused version of a classic Spellslinger deck. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instead of just casting spells and hoping to eventually find a wincon like, this deck goes for our opponents' life totals aggressively.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> I think that's a more fun way to build this archetype of deck, as it avoids the bad feelings that result from long turns without game state advancement.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I'd love to know: who's your favorite Spellslinger commander? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bria, Riptide Rogue" href="#" target="_blank">Bria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s probably my new favorite, for all the reasons I listed above and because she's from my favorite set from last year. Let me know your favorite in the comments below!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I'll see you all next week, when we make a deck focused on death triggers!</span></p>


Archetypes of Imagination - Making a Cantrip Commander Deck

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dimir Machinations" href="#" target="_blank">Dimir Machinations</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.gregstaples.com/">Greg Staples</a>)</h6>
<h1>The Truth Hurts</h1>
<p>In Commander, it doesn’t make much sense to mill your opponents. There are certainly synergies and combos you can put together, but milling just can’t keep up.</p>
<p>Most mill cards are designed around a sixty-card deck in a one-on-one format. In Commander, you have to account for three 100-card decks.</p>
<p>Even if you go hard on politics so you only have to mill one or two opponents, you’ll likely run out of steam halfway through the game.</p>
<p>On the other hand, you can always build some alt-win contingencies into your deck. But then you’re making it even harder to focus on milling your opponents. This creates a negative feedback loop, where you need to focus even more on non-mill strategies.</p>
<p>The best way to combat this is to shift your mentality...</p>
<p><strong>Bring only chaos. Leave only suffering.</strong></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Millstone"></div></div>
<h6><em>The titular millstone, old but not forgotten.</em></h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Mill Yourself</h2>
<p>The most straightforward way to bring milling to any game of <em>Magic</em> is to simply mill yourself. Afterall, who’s going to stop you?</p>
<p>From Golgari’s unhealthy obsession with recycling to blue’s misunderstanding of delayed gratification, you have plenty of options at your disposal.</p>
<p>Even red looks at the graveyard and thinks “yeah, that’s where I want my cards to be.”</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Octavia, Living Thesis"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anger"></div></div>
<h6><em>Self-mill may not be wise, but it can be effective.</em></h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>But Why Do That?</h3>
<p>The main reason to self-mill is to expedite your ability to access certain abilities.</p>
<p>You can speedrun your cards from the library to the battlefield with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muldrotha, the Gravetide" href="#" target="_blank">Muldrotha, the Gravetide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Or you can create a horde of fungus zombies with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Mycotyrant" href="#" target="_blank">The Mycotyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>You might prefer a less overtly fast-tracked influence on the game. Then a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grim Discovery" href="#" target="_blank">Grim Discovery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can always return the graveyard back into your hand.</p>
<p>Or you might prefer exciting and explosive turns. <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> facilitates exactly that, assuming you can pay the costs.</p>
<p>At its core, self-mill facilitates <strong>efficiency</strong> in your deck. Whatever you’re trying to do, self-milling will make it happen faster. Not only for Golgari colors, but across the color pie.</p>
<p>And if you’re playing against a black deck, maybe they’ll force some discards on you to help you out... if you ask nicely.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sidisi, Brood Tyrant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grist, the Hunger Tide"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lost Monarch of Ifnir"></div></div>
<h6><em>Allowing these cards anywhere near a graveyard is a mistake.</em></h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Trash Your Cards</h2>
<p>But there’s more ways to get cards into your graveyard than just milling. Self-inflicted discarding and surveilling are the obvious choices.</p>
<p>But you can always sacrifice permanents that come back for round two. You can draw too many cards, being forced to discard at the end of your turn. The world is your oyster, if throwing away your hand were a pearl.</p>
<h3>Self-Discard</h3>
<p>Lowering costs a la <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer" href="#" target="_blank">Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> helps offset the wonky hands you’ll have trashing your cards. Discarding cards from your hand is basically playing them for free if your graveyard is accessible.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hashaton, Scarab&#039;s Fist" href="#" target="_blank">Hashaton, Scarab&#039;s Fist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> even lets you convert that into a small army! Combine this with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temmet, Naktamun&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Temmet, Naktamun&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and you can have an army of superpowered Zombies for the low cost of your entire hand.</p>
<p>A full graveyard can empower something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rielle, the Everwise" href="#" target="_blank">Rielle, the Everwise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but these sorts of cards’ strengths aren’t fully unlocked until you’re actively discarding cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hashaton, Scarab&#039;s Fist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Temmet, Naktamun&#039;s Will"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rielle, the Everwise"></div></div>
<p>Assuming you have an idea in-mind for a graveyard-centric deck, any combination of self-milling, surveilling, sacrificing, and self-discarding will be useful. So how do you actually go about discarding cards?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4>Blood Tokens</h4>
<p>Blood tokens give limited discard while also synergizing with artifact and Vampire decks. While not the most mana-efficient, token generation can always be expedited.</p>
<p>Plus, these have enough synergy with certain Vampire cards to keep you alive as you put your library in a shredder.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anje, Maid of Dishonor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blood Fountain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Odric, Blood-Cursed"></div></div>
<h6><em>These bloodsuckers are undead, the graveyard is their second home.</em></h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4>Activated Effects</h4>
<p>Certain commanders, such as <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> have activated abilities to discard. Others happen passively.</p>
<p>Whether used as your commander or not, having a few activated abilities to cause discards can ensure you have flexibility in your plays.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Malfegor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flubs, the Fool"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sauron, the Dark Lord"></div></div>
<h6><em>If you’re already milling your library, why not discard your hand?</em></h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4>Draw, Discard</h4>
<p>Any number of “draw a card, then discard a card” effects exist in the game. Sometimes, you even end up with net positive card draw!</p>
<p><em>Other times</em>, they have an alternative effect which is just as diabolical.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thirst for Discovery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Locust God"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thrill of Possibility"></div></div>
<h6><em>Izzet really does like tinkering with trashed cards.</em></h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4>Surveil?</h4>
<p>Surveilling is really just self-mill but with the added benefit of walking-back your choice if you want what’s on the top of your deck.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, you surveil in smaller quantities than you self-mill. Further, your graveyard is going to be accessible if you’re self-milling.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lazav, the Multifarious" href="#" target="_blank">Lazav, the Multifarious</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is nice to have in a deck that involves self-mill, self-discard, or anything similar. But surveilling as a whole isn’t really required.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nyx Weaver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Magar of the Magic Strings"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grolnok, the Omnivore"></div></div>
<h6><em>Your graveyard really is just a second hand at this point.</em></h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>What About Them?</h2>
<p>Up until now, this article was focused on self-mill, self-discard, and similar attributes. The reason is simply because mill on a three-way split with 100-card decks isn’t as feasible as other formats.</p>
<p>However, that isn’t to say you are <em>unable</em> to implement it.</p>
<p>There are really two specific flavors of targeted milling when it comes to Commander. You can either focus on milling one person at a time. Or you can focus on milling everyone at once.</p>
<h3>One Person</h3>
<p>While not the fastest method of winning, focusing your mill on a single player at a time gives you the ability to negotiate who you’ll mill and when. You aren’t making enemies by accidentally ruining the plan of the person next to you.</p>
<p>Just be aware, this means you’re vulnerable to “one-and-done” syndrome. That being, where you make an alliance with one player, you each take out a target, and then you’re in a one-on-one.</p>
<p>Given that in order to properly mill a 100-card deck you likely spent most of your resources, you might not be able to mill your former partner fast enough. Particularly given how late in the game this confrontation would take place.</p>
<p>Just don’t focus all your mill on a single player and you’ll be fine. <strong>Always have a contingency</strong>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Captain N&#039;ghathrod"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phenax, God of Deception"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Mindskinner"></div></div>
<h6><em>A selection of cards to ensure one specific player has a bad time.</em></h6>
<h3>Everyone</h3>
<p>Certainly the more expressive option of the two options, this very might paint a target on your back. You might not be the largest threat, but you’re quite the large and painful thorn in the side of everyone.</p>
<p>That being said, there’s a few ways to go about this.</p>
<p>The most straightforward is to play cards that mill everyone. Or if you’re feeling protective of your own library, cards that mill everyone else.</p>
<p>This won’t tend to win you games on their own, but multiple of them add up over time. Particularly when paired with a more targeted approach.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ruin Crab"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fractured Sanity"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mindcrank"></div></div>
<h6><em>None of these are subtle, though they certainly are effective.</em></h6>
<p>Further, there are cards that scale off of milling or otherwise have some sort of synergy with it. Use these to supplement your main sources of milling.</p>
<p>Don’t pivot away from your core strategy, but make sure you can support yourself while working through it.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Syr Konrad, the Grim"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Wise Mothman"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Consuming Aberration"></div></div>
<h6><em>Not every card that mills is about the sheer volume.</em></h6>
<p>You can put the pressure on the pod, decreasing hand sizes across the board in order to make every decision count. Afterall, you can make a deck that thrives off of your hand size being slashed in half. Why can’t they?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dark Deal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Winter, Misanthropic Guide"></div></div>
<h6><em>This is certainly the most direct of the various methods.</em></h6>
<h3>Just Exile Them</h3>
<p>Sometimes you don’t want to mill your opponents, you want to remove them from existence. Their cards, not the opponent's. Though when I go up against an Eldrazi deck, I certainly would prefer if my opponent ceased to exist.</p>
<p>Which is why it’s so fitting that the Ingest keyword is typical to Eldrazi Drones. Exiling the top card of your opponent’s deck when you deal damage to them isn’t a lot. But anything that copies creatures or can transfer Ingest?</p>
<p>Or even just using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crumbling Sanctuary" href="#" target="_blank">Crumbling Sanctuary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with otherwise normal beatdown strategies? That’s how you remove a library from existence.</p>
<p>Pair it with the aforementioned milling strategies and even a Golgari player can’t turn it to their advantage. Blue players will help you along with all their card draw. White’s ability to exile and gain life doesn’t help when you’re playing off the battlefield.</p>
<p>Even red players will get hesitant to impulse draw if you’re slashing their deck.</p>
<p>While they can exile the top card of their deck and play it that turn, should they? When they’re just speeding their time to deck-out?</p>
<p>If this specific strain of milling appeals to you, check out <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/too-specific-top-10-mill">this article</a> all about exiling-as-milling, plus a listing of some of the most notorious milling cards out there.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jace, the Mind Sculptor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger"></div></div>
<h6><em>If you see these, I hope you aren’t too attached to your library.</em></h6>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Why Mill?</h2>
<p>To mill in Commander is to show up to a game with chaos in your heart and an underdog mentality. You are purposely putting yourself at a disadvantage in order to make a more interesting game dynamic.</p>
<p>I respect that. I’ll curse your name and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murder" href="#" target="_blank">Murder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> any <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ruin Crab" href="#" target="_blank">Ruin Crab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on sight, but it’s certainly a respectable way to play! Particularly in the case where targeted milling is used as a force of negotiation.</p>
<p>The ability to promise “not” to do something is <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/commander-unoptimized-group-hugs">just as powerful as anything a Group Hug can provide.</a> It’s much like countering in that respect, but that’s for another article.</p>
<p>Remember to always mill responsibly!</p>


Milling, Even In Commander

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhet-Tomb Mystic" href="#" target="_blank">Rhet-Tomb Mystic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://nord-sol.com/">Irina Nordsol</a>)</h6>
<p>Friendly Greetings, and welcome to the premier issue of <em>Bracketeering</em>! I'm John Sherwood, Commander Bracket convert. When Wizards of the Coast first teased the idea of Commander Brackets, I was a skeptic.</p>
<p>I seriously doubted a bracket system would ever work. The announcement of the Commander Bracket Beta and the subsequent discussion in the Commander community changed my mind.</p>
<p>I felt inspired to think differently about deck building, and I'm sharing my refreshed perspective in this new series about using sideboards to play a Commander deck in multiple brackets.</p>
<h2>Commander Brackets</h2>
<p style="text-align: left;">Let's briefly review the Commander Brackets. The Commander Bracket Beta is a two-part method of grading and talking about Commander Decks.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Part one is the five brackets, which define deck levels on a spectrum of social to competitive gameplay.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Part two is a list of Game Changers; cards with major impacts on the Commander ecosystem.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The chart below was posted by Rachel Weeks of the Commander Format Panel. In my personal opinion, this is the best summary of the Commander Bracket Beta.</p>
<h6 style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/bafkreifsw4y2lhndbag3mm27a7wvik66kqetueh6ujxksmvkac7igxydmi.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-145514" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/bafkreifsw4y2lhndbag3mm27a7wvik66kqetueh6ujxksmvkac7igxydmi.jpg" alt="Gradient chart of the Commander Brackets. Chart created by Rachel Weeks." width="600" height="400" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/bafkreifsw4y2lhndbag3mm27a7wvik66kqetueh6ujxksmvkac7igxydmi.jpg 600w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/bafkreifsw4y2lhndbag3mm27a7wvik66kqetueh6ujxksmvkac7igxydmi-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/rachelweeks.bsky.social/post/3liaihvemes2m">Commander Bracket Beta Chart from Rachel Weeks</a></h6>
<p>These brackets provide a framework for expressing a desirable Commander gameplay experience. Since the announcement of the bracket system, many Commander players have been excited to rate their existing decks, and build new decks within the parameters of a given bracket.</p>
<p>For those of us leaping into bracketeering: These new brackets also give us an opportunity to import a deckbuilding concept from other formats: sideboarding.</p>
<h2>Why Sideboard?</h2>
<p>For those who are unfamiliar, <em>Magic</em> formats that play best-of-three matches use a sideboard to tune a deck between the games of a match.</p>
<p>Now, I'm far from the first person to suggest sideboards for Commander, however I believe the new bracket system presents a perfect opportunity to adapt the concept for our format. A sideboard can fit in your deck box, taking up less space than multiple decks when you're traveling to play.</p>
<p>Building a sideboard can cost less money than building another deck. Maybe you have one commander or one theme that you really love, and you want to be able to adapt to the power of your pod.</p>
<p>Commander continues to be a dynamic format as the card pool expands outward and upward. A sideboard could be a great way to keep a deck's original feel, while also keeping up with new toys and power creep.</p>
<h2>Ground Rules</h2>
<p>Before we jump into the meat of the series and start Bracketeering our first deck, I'm going to lay out two guidelines for the series going forward.</p>
<p>First, our sideboards will not exceed twenty-five cards. This is consistent with other eternal formats in which a sideboard of fifteen cards equates to 25% of the deck.</p>
<p>Second, our sideboards will contain cards to enable a deck to shift up or down one bracket. This also means most of the decks in the series will begin in the Core (2), Upgraded (3) or Optimized (4) brackets.</p>
<h2>Eternal Might</h2>
<p>The recent release of <em>Aetherdrift</em> featured a preconstructed Commander deck themed around the undead of Amonkhet. <em>Eternal Might</em> is a Zombie theme deck seated firmly in the Core (2) Bracket.</p>
<p>The deck contains no combos, no Game Changers, and there is only one non-land tutor. Here's the whole deck list for reference:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="(DRC) - Eternal Might" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Temmet, Naktamun&#039;s Will
[/Commander]
[Creature]
*1 Angel of Sanctions
*1 Archfiend of Ifnir
*1 Binding Mummy
*1 Cemetery Reaper
*1 Champion of Wits
*1 Corpse Augur
*1 Corpse Knight
*1 Cryptbreaker
*1 Eternal Skylord
*1 Fleshbag Marauder
*1 Forgotten Creation
*1 Gempalm Polluter
*1 Gleaming Overseer
*1 God-Eternal Oketra
*1 Grave Titan
*1 Gravecrawler
*1 Hashaton, Scarab&#039;s Fist
*1 Lazotep Chancellor
*1 Lord of the Accursed
*1 Lost Monarch of Ifnir
*1 Midnight Reaper
*1 Murderous Rider // Swift End
*1 Plague Belcher
*1 Priest of the Crossing
*1 Prophet of the Scarab
*1 Rhet-Tomb Mystic
*1 Rot Hulk
*1 The Scarab God
*1 Timeless Dragon
*1 Twisted Abomination
*1 Undead Augur
*1 Vizier of Many Faces
*1 Wayward Servant
*1 Wizened Mentor
*1 Zombie Master
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*1 Cast Out
*1 Dreadhorde Invasion
*1 On Wings of Gold
*1 Renewed Solidarity
[/Enchantment]
[Land]
*1 Accursed Duneyard
*1 Adarkar Wastes
*1 Arcane Sanctum
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Caves of Koilos
*1 Command Tower
*1 Desert of the Glorified
*1 Desert of the Mindful
*1 Desert of the True
*1 Drowned Catacomb
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Fetid Pools
*1 Glacial Fortress
*1 Irrigated Farmland
*4 Island
*1 Isolated Chapel
*1 Orzhov Basilica
*1 Path of Ancestry
*5 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Sunken Hollow
*5 Swamp
*1 Temple of Deceit
*1 Temple of Silence
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Underground River
*1 Unholy Grotto
[/Land]
[Instant]
*1 Commence the Endgame
*1 Despark
*1 Pull from Tomorrow
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instant]
[Sorcery]
*1 Damn
*1 Dread Summons
*1 Dusk // Dawn
*1 Never // Return
[/Sorcery]
[Artifact]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Bontu&#039;s Monument
*1 Commander&#039;s Sphere
*1 Crowded Crypt
*1 Dimir Signet
*1 Gate to the Afterlife
*1 God-Pharaoh&#039;s Gift
*1 Maskwood Nexus
*1 Orzhov Signet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 Talisman of Hierarchy
[/Artifact]
[Planeswalker]
*1 Liliana, Death&#039;s Majesty
[/Planeswalker]"></span></div>
<p>Being centered in one of the most supported creature types, it should be easy to sideboard up into the Upgraded (3) Bracket. The real challenge for Bracketeering a Zombie deck will be stepping it down into the Exhibition (1) bracket.</p>
<h2>Upgrades</h2>
<p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/author/andy-zupke">Andy Zupke</a> published a great <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/eternal-might-precon-upgrade-guide-aetherdrift">Upgrade Guide</a> for this deck, which was very handy for preparing this article. I'm going to shamelessly borrow some of his ideas for our sideboard.</p>
<p>Three of Andy's picks are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cleaver Skaab" href="#" target="_blank">Cleaver Skaab</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Endless Ranks of the Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Endless Ranks of the Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rooftop Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Rooftop Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rooftop Storm"></div></div>
<p>Endless Ranks of the Dead and Cleaver Skaab are both strong synergy pieces for <em>Eternal Might</em>'s token subtheme. Rooftop Storm is an archetypal pillar for Zombies; powerful as an engine or combo piece.</p>
<p>Speaking of combo pieces, let's talk about a couple cards that are already in the deck. We've already got <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gravecrawler" href="#" target="_blank">Gravecrawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a one drop that loops like a teenage summer soundtrack.</p>
<p>The precon also comes with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Corpse Knight" href="#" target="_blank">Corpse Knight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a combo payoff. Plugging Gravecrawler into <a href="http://www.commanderspellbook.com">Commander Spellbook</a> yields some winning cards for the upgrade portion of our sideboard. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashnod&#039;s Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Ashnod&#039;s Altar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Carrion Feeder" href="#" target="_blank">Carrion Feeder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grimgrin, Corpse-Born" href="#" target="_blank">Grimgrin, Corpse-Born</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Altar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are all sacrfice outlets for looping that Gravecrawler.</p>
<p>Combos become more prevalent as we move up from Core (2) to Upgraded (3), and inluding multiple sacrifice outlets will help this deck consistently field a combo.</p>
<p>Another way we can make our combos more consistent is to tutor for the combo pieces. As an Esper deck, Eternal Might has access to the best tutors, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demonic Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Demonic Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imperial Seal" href="#" target="_blank">Imperial Seal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vampiric Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Vampiric Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are Game Changers.</p>
<p>Sideboarding too many Game Changers would push this deck into Optimized (4) instead of our target Uprgraded (3) bracket. To accurately hit that Upgraded (3) target, let's look at some <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Entomb" href="#" target="_blank">Entomb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects dump our Gravecrawler in the bin.</p>
<p>Two of my favorites are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Buried Alive" href="#" target="_blank">Buried Alive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lively Dirge" href="#" target="_blank">Lively Dirge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Buried Alive is outstanding value for mana, entombing three cards for one mana each. Lively Dirge does double duty as an entomb effect or reanimation spell.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lively Dirge"></div></div>
<h2>Game Changers</h2>
<p>Since we're sideboarding this deck into the Upgraded (3) Bracket, we're allowed up to three Game Changers in this sideboard. One easy pick in this category is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bolas&#039;s Citadel" href="#" target="_blank">Bolas&#039;s Citadel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bolas&#039;s Citadel"></div></div>This card provides card advantage, a sacrifice outlet and pressures our opponents' life totals while matching the deck's Egyptian-inspired aesthetic.</p>
<p>A deck that goes wide like <em>Eternal Might </em>should be able to leverage <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cyclonic Rift" href="#" target="_blank">Cyclonic Rift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for a win. Flooding the battlefield with Zombies and Rifting blockers out of the way is a tried and true recipe for victory. <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cyclonic Rift"></div></div></p>
<h2>Mana Base</h2>
<p>Eternal Might follows the precon pattern of slow, clunky lands. This is fine for an Exhbition (1) or Core (2) deck, but we want better tempo when we're bracketeering for Upgraded (3) game.</p>
<p>The precon contains six lands with cycling, and five of them are deserts that enter tapped. The deserts are thematic, but the deck doesn't have enough discard payoffs to justify their downsides at higher power tables. If you have the means to sideboard premium lands, then go for it.</p>
<p>Regardless of budget, a basic land is almost always better than a land that enters tapped. I would side out those deserts for basic lands, plus a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contaminated Landscape" href="#" target="_blank">Contaminated Landscape</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lazotep Quarry" href="#" target="_blank">Lazotep Quarry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contaminated Landscape"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lazotep Quarry"></div></div>
<p>These lands are budget friendly, produce mana without entering tapped and they can fix colors in a pinch.</p>
<h2>Downgrades</h2>
<p>I'm hesitant to call this section Downgrades, but I don't know what else to call it. I'm open to suggestions. Drop your positive-spin Downgrade synonyms in the comments please.</p>
<p>In the meantime, I'm going to sideboard some cards that will increase this deck's thematic consistency; possibly at the expense of strategic consistency.</p>
<p>I'm a sucker for set mechanics, and I fell hard for Amass drafting War of the Spark. The original Amass mechanic thematically represented the army Nicol Bolas raised on Amonkhet.</p>
<p>There are eleven Amass cards that are not in the Eternal Might precon, and that gives us an avenue to double down on the deck's flavor. A lot of these cards were balanced for limited play, which should help the deck let off the gas and bask in warmth of Amonkhet's suns.</p>
<p>I'm adding all of them except <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toll of the Invasion" href="#" target="_blank">Toll of the Invasion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crush Dissent" href="#" target="_blank">Crush Dissent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I personally feel targeted hand destruction like Toll of the Invasion doesn't belong in the social-forward atmosphere of an Exhibition (1) game.</p>
<p>Before <em>The</em> <em>Lord of the Rings</em> set improved Amass, I had a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kess, Dissident Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Kess, Dissident Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Amass deck. Even in that jank pile, Crush Dissent was frequently a dead card, and I don't wish dead cards on anyone. Fortunately we still have nine other Amass Zombies cards for Exhibition (1) gold.</p>
<h2>The Sideboard</h2>
<p>Archidekt's card packages are a great tool for building and upgrading decks. I created this <a href="https://archidekt.com/decks/11772093/bracketeering_eternal_might_sideboard">Eternal Might Sideboard</a> as a Card Package, so anyone can add it directly to their deck without searching for the individual cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bracketeering Eternal Might Sideboard" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Enchantments]
*1 Endless Ranks of the Dead
*1 Mindless Conscription
*1 Rooftop Storm
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*1 Aven Eternal
*1 Carrion Feeder
*1 Cleaver Skaab
*1 Grimgrin, Corpse-Born
*1 Lazotep Reaver
*1 Vizier of the Scorpion
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Bleeding Edge
*1 Buried Alive
*1 Callous Dismissal
*1 Enter the God-Eternals
*1 Lively Dirge
*1 Relentless Advance
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Cyclonic Rift
*1 Lazotep Plating
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Ashnod&#039;s Altar
*1 Bolas&#039;s Citadel
*1 Phyrexian Altar
[/Artifacts]
[Lands]
*1 Contaminated Landscape
*1 Lazotep Quarry
*1 Island
*1 Plains
*1 Swamp
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>What did the mummy say to the editor?</h2>
<p>"That's a wrap."</p>
<p>Bracketeering will be back next month with another deck and another sideboard. In addition to precons, Bracketeering will sometimes feature average decks from EDHREC's top commanders.</p>
<p>Comment below there's a deck you'd like to see featured in this series. Bracketeering a reader-submitted deck is also a possibility. Until next time, may your brews be fresh and your games be fabulous.</p>


Bracketeering - Eternal Might

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Visionary" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, Visionary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>| art by <a href="https://danscottart.com/">Dan Murayama Scott</a></h6>
<h2><b>Which </b><a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=Niv-Mizzet"><b>Niv-Mizzet</b></a><b> is it?</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hello! Welcome to </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Archetypes of Imagination</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, a brand new series where I'll be building decks based on popular Commander archetypes. I'll be using</span><a href="https://tagger.scryfall.com/"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Scryfall's tagging system</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and</span><a href="https://edhrec.com/tags"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">EDHREC's Tag pages</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to build around a new theme each week.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Scryfall has a really cool way of categorizing cards, where each card has specific labels attached to it for later reference. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the sweeper tag and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirari&#039;s Wake" href="#" target="_blank">Mirari&#039;s Wake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the mana increaser tag. EDHREC's tag system is really cool too, letting users see popular cards associated with a given strategy. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Equipment tag shows users that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Puresteel Paladin" href="#" target="_blank">Puresteel Paladin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works well with the strategy and the Landfall tag does the same for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rampaging Baloths" href="#" target="_blank">Rampaging Baloths</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week, we'll use those two systems to build a Commander deck centered around everybody's favorite 60-card archetype: burn! Burn can sometimes struggle to keep up in a format with three players who each start with 40 life, but I've got some plans that should power this strategy up well. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To that end, I've chosen a super cool commander: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Visionary" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, Visionary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Niv-Mizzet, Visionary"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is Niv's seventh appearance on a </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Magic: The Gathering</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> card, which is quite something. I do think that this version is my favorite so far, and that's coming from someone who played <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Parun" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, Parun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in cEDH for years.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> And, hilariously, this version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Visionary" href="#" target="_blank">Niv</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> goes infinite with two of his previous iterations. Check out these combos from Commander Spellbook, a database with information on over 40,000 EDH combos:</span></p>
<div id="2353-6092" 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="2353-6092" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Niv-Mizzet%2C%20Visionary%22%2C%22Niv-Mizzet%2C%20Parun%22%5D&requires=%5B%5D&produces=%5B%22Near-infinite%20damage%22%2C%22Infinite%20card%20draw%22%2C%22Infinite%20draw%20triggers%22%5D&id=2353-6092&color=UR&extraRequirementCount=1"></script></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="4971-6092" 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="4971-6092" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/embed.js?v=1&uses=%5B%22Niv-Mizzet%2C%20Visionary%22%2C%22Niv-Mizzet%2C%20the%20Firemind%22%5D&requires=%5B%5D&produces=%5B%22Near-infinite%20damage%22%2C%22Infinite%20card%20draw%22%2C%22Infinite%20draw%20triggers%22%5D&id=4971-6092&color=UR&extraRequirementCount=1"></script></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That aside, let's talk about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, Visionary" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, Visionary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card wants us to do non-combat damage to our opponents, rewarding us with tons of card draw when we do so. So, I've packed this deck with lots of ways to ping our opponents for little bits of damage, lots of ways to hit them hard with big amounts of damage, and leaned hard into an Izzet spellslinger theme this week. I'm excited to show you what I've come up with, so let's go!</span></p>
<p><b>Burn, baby! Burn!</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This deck is focused heavily on instants and sorceries, having a total of 32 cards that fall into those categories. And, out of those cards, 11 of them can deal damage directly to our opponents. My favorite from this sub-group is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Confluence" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Confluence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can act as a board wipe, a way to hit our opponents in the face, and even some targeted artifact removal. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cave-In" href="#" target="_blank">Cave-In</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is from all the way back in 1999's </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mercadian Masques</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and can draw us a total of 6 cards for free if we cast it with our commander on the field. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wheel of Misfortune" href="#" target="_blank">Wheel of Misfortune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is extremely interesting too, adding even more complexity to its already-difficult mini-game by punishing our opponents who pick a high number. If one of our opponents wants to outbid us so that they can draw a full seven-card hand, then we'll be be drawing a ton of extra cards.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fiery Confluence"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cave-In"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wheel of Misfortune"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, with all the instants and sorceries we'll be casting, there's some sweet payoffs to let us draw even more cards. My favorite pinger in the deck is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coruscation Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Coruscation Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, acting as a typical two-mana one-damage pinger with the option to become a four-mana two-damage pinger if we cast it later in the game. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I think <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch" href="#" target="_blank">Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another fantastic card, both pinging our opponents whenever we cast a spell and rebuying a card at random on each of our turns. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, as a pretty cool storm enabler, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urabrask" href="#" target="_blank">Urabrask</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is here too. This Praetor will ping our opponents, as most of the creatures in this deck do, while also providing us some extra mana to keep slinging spells. And, should we choose to, he can flip into a saga that synergizes perfectly with our deck.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Coruscation Mage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urabrask"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, I hear you asking, what if we run out of instants and sorceries to cast? Well, I hope that never happens. But, in case it does, there's a few other ways to deal noncombat damage to our opponents.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> One of my favorite cards from last year, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Razorkin Needlehead" href="#" target="_blank">Razorkin Needlehead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will ensure at least one point of noncombat damage on each of our opponents' turns, and will usually provide even more pings as they inevitably take game actions. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I also love <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scalding Viper" href="#" target="_blank">Scalding Viper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a creature that can hit our opponents pretty easily combined with a (somewhat lackluster) removal spell. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While neither half of this card is absolutely stunning, the two halves combine to make a pretty good whole. Lastly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Descent into Avernus" href="#" target="_blank">Descent into Avernus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a slot here too.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> This card can speed up the game drastically, lowering life totals and raising the amount of mana available to players. We break parity on this card easily, drawing a boatload of cards once we have our commander and this card on the board together</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Razorkin Needlehead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scalding Viper"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Descent into Avernus"></div></div></span></p>
<p><b>Now that's a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gut Shot" href="#" target="_blank">Gut Shot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So, we'll be dealing a lot of noncombat damage to everyone at the table. But, most of that damage is coming in small increments (usually in ones). Let's see what we can do to bump those numbers up. </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Foundations</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">' <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Twinflame Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Twinflame Tyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an awesome card, doubling damage dealt to our opponents and providing a combat-relevant 3/5 flying creature all for just five mana! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Not to sound like a broken record, but this is yet another of my favorite cards from the past year. There's another damage doubler here too: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solphim, Mayhem Dominus" href="#" target="_blank">Solphim, Mayhem Dominus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Again, this creature can double damage while also acting as a pretty big 5/4 creature. Plus, this one can defend itself from removal at the low cost of discarding two cards, paying four life, and paying one mana. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lastly, there's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might" href="#" target="_blank">Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card is fantastic, usually quadrupling the damage that we'll be dealing to our opponents. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, much like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solphim, Mayhem Dominus" href="#" target="_blank">Solphim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this card is quite hard for our opponents to get rid of permanently.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Twinflame Tyrant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Solphim, Mayhem Dominus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here's the full decklist:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Archetypes of Imagination - Burn" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Niv-Mizzet, Visionary
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 Archmage Emeritus
*1 Archmage of Runes
*1 Ashling, Flame Dancer
*1 Chandra&#039;s Incinerator
*1 Coruscation Mage
*1 Electrostatic Field
*1 Erebor Flamesmith
*1 Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch
*1 Firebrand Archer
*1 Goblin Electromancer
*1 Guttersnipe
*1 Harmonic Prodigy
*1 Kessig Flamebreather
*1 Laboratory Maniac
*1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
*1 Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
*1 Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might // Temple of Power
*1 Pink Horror
*1 Psychosis Crawler
*1 Razorkin Needlehead
*1 Scalding Viper // Steam Clean
*1 Solphim, Mayhem Dominus
*1 Stormcatch Mentor
*1 The Locust God
*1 Thermo-Alchemist
*1 Twinflame Tyrant
*1 Unruly Catapult
*1 Urabrask // The Great Work
*1 Veyran, Voice of Duality
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Brainstorm
*1 Desperate Ritual
*1 Fierce Guardianship
*1 Flame of Anor
*1 Frantic Search
*1 Ghostfire Slice
*1 Gut Shot
*1 Into the Flood Maw
*1 Lightning Bolt
*1 Opt
*1 Pongify
*1 Pyretic Ritual
*1 Rush of Inspiration // Crackling Falls
*1 Seething Song
*1 Untimely Malfunction
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Sorceries]
*1 Boltwave
*1 Cave-In
*1 End the Festivities
*1 Fiery Confluence
*1 Flame Rift
*1 Gitaxian Probe
*1 Inner Fire
*1 Jeska&#039;s Will
*1 Mana Geyser
*1 Ponder
*1 Rite of Flame
*1 Season of Weaving
*1 Slagstorm
*1 Tectonic Hazard
*1 Wheel of Misfortune
[/Sorceries]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Descent into Avernus
*1 Ominous Seas
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Cascade Bluffs
*1 Command Tower
*1 Ferrous Lake
*1 Fiery Islet
*12 Island
*11 Mountain
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Riverglide Pathway // Lavaglide Pathway
*1 Riverpyre Verge
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Stormcarved Coast
*1 Sulfur Falls
*1 Training Center
[/Lands]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Thought Vessel
[/Artifacts]
&nbsp;"></span></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some of you may notice upon looking at this list that there's very few mana rocks. This is on purpose, I promise! For a spellslinger deck, I much prefer to run rituals. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mana Geyser" href="#" target="_blank">Mana Geyser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has much more synergy with the rest of this deck than something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Izzet Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Izzet Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Plus, I get to run some super cool, powerful rituals like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inner Fire" href="#" target="_blank">Inner Fire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that can provide enough mana to end the game outright.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mana Geyser"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Izzet Signet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Inner Fire"></div></div></span></p>
<h2><b><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Finish" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Finish</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thanks for reading this week's edition of </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Archetypes of Imagination</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">! Before you go, I wanted to talk about a few of my favorite cards in the deck. I like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archmage Emeritus" href="#" target="_blank">Archmage Emeritus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but I love <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archmage of Runes" href="#" target="_blank">Archmage of Runes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's exactly the kind of big, dumb five-mana creature that I think commander is all about. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I think that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chandra&#039;s Incinerator" href="#" target="_blank">Chandra&#039;s Incinerator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great in this deck too, both as an easy-to-cast big creature and as a payoff for all the noncombat damage we'll be dishing out. Finally, I also wanted to shoutout <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashling, Flame Dancer" href="#" target="_blank">Ashling, Flame Dancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> This card does everything that this deck wants out of a creature: it adds mana, burns our opponents, and even provides card selection.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archmage of Runes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chandra&#039;s Incinerator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashling, Flame Dancer"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I'll see you all next week, when I build another EDH deck centered around cantrips!</span></p>


Archetypes of Imagination - Making a Burn Deck

Archetypes of Imagination - Making an Attack Triggers Deck

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a href="https://scryfall.com/card/exo/129/survival-of-the-fittest">Survival of the Fittest</a> | <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CPete+Venters%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Pete Venters</a>)</h6>
<p>A voice comes over an intercom: "Now boarding Group One." It's time to check your bag one last time before you board your plane. You see a fresh box of sleeves, a brand new deck box, and all 25 of your freshly-made Commander decks.</p>
<p>Have you ever played any of them? No, but that is what a Magic Con is for, right?</p>
<p>Plus, you must have all of these decks when taking a break between your seven events booked between Friday and Saturday. And how could you forget your front bag pocket with all of your triple sleeve and slabbed cards that you need to get signed by 15 artists there? All this leaves plenty of room for you to come home with that oversized card from the prize wall.</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="What (Not) to Bring to MagicCon | Magic: the Gathering | Commander" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B6Eo_FhnT3E?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>This might sound like a great idea, but I promise it will only make your weekend a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dismal Failure" href="#" target="_blank">Dismal Failure</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I have been to a few Magic Cons and thought I would share some things I have learned to help you best "survive" a Magic Con.</p>
<p>My name is Nick, and you do not have to listen to all my tips and tricks, but hopefully, one of them will lead you on the road to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Success!" href="#" target="_blank">Success!</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Success"></div></div>
<h2>Hatching Plans</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hatching Plans"></div></div>
<p>The best advice I can give anyone outside of having fun is to put a plan together for your trip. You do not need to have a full detailed itinerary planning out every minute of your day down to what time you will draw a card, but in my opinion, you should come in with at least a basic outline of how you would like your day(s) to go, otherwise you'll get overwhelmed and overplan. You may have to rely on a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Backup Plan" href="#" target="_blank">Backup Plan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Change of Plans" href="#" target="_blank">Change of Plans</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and maybe even a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contingency Plan" href="#" target="_blank">Contingency Plan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> by the time you get to the convention.</p>
<p>One of the best things I took advantage of for this year's Magic Con Chicago was to have an idea of what I wanted out of each day I was there.</p>
<p>I was confident in my plans, and even then, I still learned by the end that my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Game Plan" href="#" target="_blank">Game Plan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was not foolproof. For an event like this, things must be done in advance, so even the most well-thought-out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Long-Term Plans" href="#" target="_blank">Long-Term Plans</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will not always result in success.</p>
<h2>Playable</h2>
<p>Magic Cons offers many options for many different types of people. Most people go to Magic Cons to do one thing above all else: sit down and play <em>Magic: The Gathering. </em>Heck yeah.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Assemble the Players"></div></div>
<p>It doesn't matter if you're in the tank and sweating it out to try and win a last-chance qualifier or the Secret Lair Showdown. Maybe you're doing a full box Sealed or Two-Headed Giant with your best mate after a long travel day. Most people are there to sling spells, play a turn-one <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or expertly read all the signals in the triple <em>Homelands</em> draft running Sunday morning.</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nicknaxdeck-scaled.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-146174" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nicknaxdeck-1024x768.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="525" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nicknaxdeck-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nicknaxdeck-300x225.jpg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nicknaxdeck-768x576.jpg 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nicknaxdeck-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nicknaxdeck-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a></p>
<h6 style="text-align: center;">Good times at the Commander table</h6>
<p>This year, I knew that there were three particular things I wanted to play: Commander, Canadian Highlander, and Gavin's Mystery Event. I prioritized time each day to do these things and packed accordingly.</p>
<p>This leads me to my downer point for this topic: you <strong>cannot</strong> play everything you want. That might be decks, events, or even with specific individuals.</p>
<p>I won't tell you not to bring all 25 of your commander decks, but do yourself a favor and don't bring all 25 of your commander decks. You have a finite amount of time at these, so I urge people to take advantage and make their best personal impression of the card <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time Stretch" href="#" target="_blank">Time Stretch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>Paint Me Like One Of Your French Cards</h2>
<p>At this year's Magic Con Chicago, I hit what I will consider the artistic jackpot. I had a small list of cards I wanted to get signed, and if you have ever been to one of these, you know that sometimes that is daunting.</p>
<p>While I missed out on the incredible Tyler Jacobson, I got all the other cards and more signed by various artists and MTG personalities. I commend you if this is why you go to Magic Cons, and honestly, you might be the strongest among us at these events, outside of the cosplayers.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abstract Iguanart"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Artist&#039;s Talent"></div></div>
<p>Many people in the art sphere of the game have great tips and tricks and even complete Scryfall lists of all the artists going so that you do not have to dig through your deck boxes while standing in line looking for cards to get signed.</p>
<p>Just know the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Artist&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Artist&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does not come cheap when considering the time it can take for some lines. If you are like me this year, even your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Well-Laid Plans" href="#" target="_blank">Well-Laid Plans</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be hit by the ticking clock of another commitment.</p>
<h2>It's a Mystery</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trail of Mystery"></div></div>
<p>I have told you a thing or two I would suggest not doing. I have also mentioned the downside to some of those choices, but there is one thing above all of these events that I have and will not recommend to everyone who attends.</p>
<p>That is the Gavin Verhey Mystery Event. For years, Gavin has put on a fantastic event with a cool and unique twist, all while tricking everyone into playing the largest paper brawl event of all time.</p>
<p>This year was no different. Sealed decks built from <em>Mystery Booster 2</em> and what I have been calling the "Gavin Pack." A pack of unique playtest cards that are everything from super funny to extremely broken to loving tributes to those who make the community great.</p>
<p>I never have as much fun as I do playing at this event, and it's something I will always sign up for. Highly recommended, but try to get your tickets fast as they <em>will</em> sell out, even long before the event.</p>
<h2>Mistakes Were Made</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mistakes Were Made"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mistakes Were Made" href="#" target="_blank">Mistakes Were Made</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This is the secret of my Magic Con experience this year. I still made some errors in the tips I tried to follow and thought I had done everything correctly. The first mistake was packing my schedule too tightly from Saturday to Sunday.</p>
<p>I did not realize how a late night and lousy sleep on Saturday would lead to one of the most miserable experiences I have had while participating in a Commander Sealed event on Sunday.</p>
<p>It made me reconsider many life decisions during an event I was genuinely pumped to join in. I also made the classic blunder of waiting till the last day to try and use my little tickets at the prize wall and walked away empty-handed.</p>
<p>Secondly, I did not play as much Commander with friends or randoms as I wanted. I should've used my Sunday for this instead of deckbuilding and waiting for seat pairings to be announced.</p>
<p>Lastly, I did not get to enough panels. This was a new mistake, but it might be my second recommendation for people going. The live EDHRECast was a blast, and while I did not win my challenge against the stats, it was a great time.</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/livecastaudience-scaled.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-146173" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/livecastaudience-1024x478.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="327" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/livecastaudience-1024x478.jpg 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/livecastaudience-300x140.jpg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/livecastaudience-768x359.jpg 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/livecastaudience-1536x717.jpg 1536w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/livecastaudience-2048x956.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a></p>
<h6 style="text-align: center;">The first Live EDHRECast challenged the hosts' knowledge of the stats! Photo credit: Nick Wolf</h6>
<p>Try to play as much as you can and want and get to all the artists, meetings, and greets, but don't make my mistake of missing out on the great panels people put on in the IRL meet space rather than online.</p>
<h2>Exceeding Expectations</h2>
<p>I won't bore anyone with "normal" travel suggestions. Everyone is already prepared with their food plans, and people often know where they will be for the always fun "Lobby Cons" in the various hotel lobby and bar areas after the convention hall closes for the night. And while this might be a fun little article about "surviving" Magic Cons, this year did not run super smooth for me by comparison.</p>
<p>Luckily, this led me to some <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unexpected Results" href="#" target="_blank">Unexpected Results</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as Magic Con Chicago was full of... <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unexpected Potential" href="#" target="_blank">Unexpected Potential</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I got to chill with friends, new and old; p<span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">lay games with creators like Rachel Weeks and notable artists like <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CJesper+Ejsing%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jesper Ejsing</a> and <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CEvyn+Fong%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evyn Fong.</a> </span></p>
<p>In my mind, the most important thing about going to one of these events is maximizing the defining statement of a Magic Con: It's not about the <em>Magic</em>; it's about <em>The Gathering</em>.</p>
<p>I hope to gather with you at a Magic Con soon, and if you can make one, I suggest you try your best to make it out. If you want to tell me how your Magic Con went or show me what cards you got signed, you can find me here or elsewhere on the internet as nicnax96.</p>
<p>Check out all the other great articles here, and as a treat, if you happen to be in the venn diagram of sports fans and <em>Magic: The Gathering</em> fans, stay tuned in during the start of March Madness...</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mandatory Friendship Shackles"></div></div>


Your Swiftfoot Boots-on-the-Ground Guide to Surviving Magic Con

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares|J13|1" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://samwolfeconnelly.com/">Sam Wolfe Connelly</a></h6>
<h1>Threats and Resource Management</h1>
<h4><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/how-to-build-a-commander-deck" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Article 1: How to Build a Commander Deck</a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/how-to-choose-your-commander">Article 2: How to Choose Your Commander</a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/beginner-content-how-to-win-a-commander-game">Article 3: How to Win a Commander Game</a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/commander-mana-curves-for-beginners">Article 4: Commander Mana Curves</a> |</h4>
<p>Hello there, and welcome to the world of Commander, <em>Magic: The Gathering's </em>most popular format! My name is Brian, and I aim to be your guide for navigating this format that we at EDHREC know and love so much. In this series, we're focused on helping out players new to the format get started. If you missed the previous articles, make sure to check out the links above.</p>
<p>Today, we're talking about two somewhat related topics: threat assessment and managing your resources. The former has a big effect on the latter; if you're going to spend resources to deal with a threat, you need to make sure it's worthwhile. We touched on these a bit in Article 3, but I wanted to expand on them a bit further to hammer home their importance to your gameplay.</p>
<h3>Definitions</h3>
<p>I'm going to define a "threat" in two ways. The first is anything that will make you lose the game. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Impact Tremors" href="#" target="_blank">Impact Tremors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Mob Boss" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck. The other type of threat is something that stops you from winning the game, like an opponent playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rest in Peace" href="#" target="_blank">Rest in Peace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> against your graveyard deck. Both types of threats need to be dealt with ASAP if you're planning on winning (or not losing) the game. We'll get into how and when they're dealt with in more detail below.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Impact Tremors"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rest in Peace"></div></div>
<p>Resources are a little more straightforward. In <em>Magic,</em> there are two main resources: mana and cards. Some players (especially black mages like me) might argue that your life total is also a resource, but we'll focus on the first two for today's article. Mana and cards go hand in hand. If you have a lot of mana and no cards (commonly called mana flood), you can't do much of anything.</p>
<p>Conversely, if you have a lot of cards but no mana to play them (mana screw), you'll be outpaced by your opponents.</p>
<p>Some of the most popular and powerful commanders are cards that increase access to these resources. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muldrotha, the Gravetide" href="#" target="_blank">Muldrotha</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives you access to more cards, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Ur-Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">The Ur-Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> reduces the cost of your Dragons, giving you access to more mana.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prosper, Tome-Bound" href="#" target="_blank">Prosper, Tome-Bound</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait" href="#" target="_blank">Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are examples of commanders that give you both, probably why they're so popular!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Muldrotha, the Gravetide"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Ur-Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait"></div></div>
<h3>Threats</h3>
<p>Threat assessment is an important part of Commander, especially given the multiplayer nature of the format. You'll have to be on the lookout for threats from three different opponents, all of whom need to be watching out for the threats coming from you and the rest of the table.</p>
<p>This means everyone will be adding and removing threats to the game. The tough part is deciding when <strong>you</strong> should be the one to deal with a threat.</p>
<p>Let's go back to the Krenko example. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Impact Tremors" href="#" target="_blank">Impact Tremors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will become a problem real fast if the Krenko player can untap with it. All three of that player's opponents should consider it threat level midnight, and use their combined resources to take it out before it wins the Krenko player the game. It's an easy example, but as we'll see when we get to resources, it's important to asses it properly.</p>
<p>Other cases might have a little more nuance. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rest in Peace" href="#" target="_blank">Rest in Peace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might be a threat to your graveyard deck but not to the other players. You can't rely on them to deal with it for you. After all, why should they spend the resources to help you? For this reason you need to save resources for cards that really impede YOUR gameplan.</p>
<p>Of course, you probably won't have the luxury of dealing with only one threat at a time so prioritizing them is another skill you need to practice. Let's say you're playing your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muldrotha, the Gravetide" href="#" target="_blank">Muldrotha</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck against <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Mob Boss" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>/<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Impact Tremors" href="#" target="_blank">Impact Tremors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rest in Peace" href="#" target="_blank">Rest in Peace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>You've got ways in your deck to deal with both. In this case, I might aim for the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rest in Peace" href="#" target="_blank">Rest in Peace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> first. Once it's gone, I can use leverage my commander's ability to then deal with the Krenko player while simultaneously opening up my avenue to win the game. In the meantime, my opponents might deal with the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Impact Tremors" href="#" target="_blank">Impact Tremors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, saving me the need to do so.</p>
<p>As a game evolves, threats will come and go, shift their level of importance, and be the topic for table politics. Commander games can get very complicated for this exact reason, and there isn't really a "correct" formula. A lot of it will come from playing your deck and experiencing how other decks operate. Get into the habit of asking yourself "what stops me from winning?" and you'll get better and better at threat assessment.</p>
<h3>Resource Management - Gameplay</h3>
<p>Outside of win conditions, ramp and card velocity are the most important aspects to a Commander deck. Why? They give you access to more resources, which you desperately need. At the start of the game, it's your 100 cards versus your opponents' collective 300. At the beginning of turn 2, it's your one land versus your opponents' collective three.</p>
<p>This wild imbalance means you need to catch up fast, and if your opponents are good players, they'll be wanting to do the same thing. You can't just sit there and amass mana and cards without using them, (despite what many blue players might think) so let's look at a few ways to effectively use the resources you have access to.</p>
<p>This is where threat assessment plays a big part. Let's say you're holding a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in hand, and your opponent has some big monster like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghalta, Primal Hunger" href="#" target="_blank">Ghalta, Primal Hunger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on their board. Do you fire off the Swords right away?</p>
<p>Heck, no! Ghalta might seem threatening, but I'd rather not spend my card to deal with it unless I absolutely have to. If it's likely to hit one of my opponents, I'm happy to sandbag my card and force my opponent to deal with the big Dino.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swords to Plowshares"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghalta, Primal Hunger"></div></div>
<p>Here's another example: It's turn two, I've got five cards in hand and two lands on the battlefield. One of my cards is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reckless Impulse" href="#" target="_blank">Reckless Impulse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a very efficient card velocity spell. If you've got nothing else to do on turn 2, it might be tempting to fire it off. But it's really unlikely that I'll be able to do anything with those exiled cards by the end of my next turn. It's probably better to take the turn off and wait to use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reckless Impulse" href="#" target="_blank">Reckless Impulse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> later when it's more likely to be more impactful.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reckless Impulse"></div></div>
<p>Both of these examples are simplified, but they work to demonstrate the concept of resource management during a game. Remember it's your cards and mana versus three times that, so keep it in mind during a game to maximize what you have!</p>
<h3>Resource Management - Deckbuilding</h3>
<p>If you didn't read Article 3 (and you should) we used the example of casting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> versus <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Using Swords will actually be resource negative for you: you spent your mana and card to deal with one opponent's creature, but the other two players spent no mana and no cards. On the other hand, casting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> into a big board allows you to spend four mana and a card to deal with far more than that from your opponents.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Utter End"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wrath of God"></div></div>
<p>This is not me saying that you should never play targeted removal like Swords. In fact, Swords is one of the best ways to deal with a single threat <em>because</em> it only costs one mana. Imagine if the example was <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Utter End" href="#" target="_blank">Utter End</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> versus <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wrath of God" href="#" target="_blank">Wrath of God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> instead. Would you rather pay four mana and a card to deal with one thing or a lot of things? It becomes a lot more clear which one is better.</p>
<p>In this way you can "manage" your resources via deckbuilding choices. Unless I'm paying a premium for flexibility, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beast Within" href="#" target="_blank">Beast Within</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, I want my single-target removal under three mana. Otherwise, I want to be able to hit more than one target; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Casualties of War" href="#" target="_blank">Casualties of War</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for example.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Beast Within"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Casualties of War"></div></div>
<p>I want to write an entire article comparing types of interaction, so I'll leave it there for now. The lesson is to think about how you can include and use certain cards that will negate your starting 1:3 resource deficit, while simultaneously allowing you to deal with opposing threats</p>
<h3>Wrap Up</h3>
<p>Alright, I know that was a lot more conceptual than the previous beginner content you might have seen from me or other writers. If you want me to expand or clarify anything, drop me a comment below. Threat and resource management are skills that take practice, but I'll leave you with the two main things to consider:</p>
<ol>
<li>What stops you from winning the game?</li>
<li>What is the best way to negate the resource imbalance between you and your opponents?</li>
</ol>
<p>Look out for more beginner articles from me soon, and if you're looking for cheap and effective decks, check out my other series <em>Brew For Your Buck</em> here on EDHREC. Until the next time, have fun assessing threats and managing resources!</p>


Threats and Resource Management

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mana Confluence|EXP|042" href="#" target="_blank">Mana Confluence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.howardlyon.com/">Howard Lyon</a></h6>
<h4><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/how-to-build-a-commander-deck" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Article 1: How to Build a Commander Deck</a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/how-to-choose-your-commander">Article 2: How to Choose Your Commander</a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/beginner-content-how-to-win-a-commander-game">Article 3: How to Win a Commander Game</a> |</h4>
<p>Hello there, and welcome to the world of Commander, <em>Magic: The Gathering's </em>most popular format! My name is Brian, and I aim to be your guide for navigating this format that we at EDHREC know and love so much.</p>
<p>In this series, we're focused on helping out players new to the format get started. If you missed the previous articles, make sure to check out the links above.</p>
<p>Today, we're talking about mana curves. What is a mana curve, why it's important, how to examine your deck's curve, and what to keep in mind when you're adding or removing cards.</p>
<h3>What is a mana curve?</h3>
<p>If you're new to the game, you may have not heard of a mana curve before. A mana curve is the distribution of mana values of the nonland cards in your deck.</p>
<p>If that still doesn't make sense, that's okay. It's much easier to visualize. Here's the mana curve of a deck recently featured in my other series, <em><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/brew-for-your-buck-mary-read-and-anne-bonny-budget-combo">Brew For Your Buck</a>:</em></p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.31.03.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-143409 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.31.03.png" alt="" width="1796" height="400" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.31.03.png 1796w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.31.03-300x67.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.31.03-1024x228.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.31.03-768x171.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.31.03-1536x342.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1796px) 100vw, 1796px" /></a></p>
<p>Much better. You can see the "curve" on the graph, with most of the cards clustered in the 2-4 mana range.</p>
<h3>Why does it matter?</h3>
<p>Okay, so who cares? You should! Having a well-structured mana curve means you will be able to play out your cards, making your deck more effective, meaning you'll win more, which is ultimately more fun! I often see newer players struggle in games because they can't play enough of their cards.</p>
<p>It's a frustrating experience for them, and takes away from the dynamic gameplay of a multiplayer format, making it less fun for the rest of the table.</p>
<p>Here's another way to think about it: Let's assume that the average game of Commander lasts about 12 turns. How many five mana cards are you reasonably going to play in those 12 turns? Better yet, how many total cards will you see during the game? It's probably less than you think.</p>
<p>Adjusting your mana curve to maximize the effectiveness of your deck is one of the most important deckbuilding decisions you can make.</p>
<h3>Commander Matters</h3>
<p>There are many different ways and reasons to adjust your mana curve, and as usual, it starts with your commander. There are two reasons: 1) you probably want to cast your commander as soon as you get to that point in the curve, and 2) your commander's abilities will affect the other decisions around your mana curve. Let's take a look at two of my personal decks:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rose, Cutthroat Raider"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Belbe, Corrupted Observer"></div></div>
<p><a href="https://archidekt.com/decks/10673136/rosie_the_riveter">Rosie the Riveter</a>:</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.56.16.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-143412 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.56.16.png" alt="" width="1800" height="372" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.56.16.png 1800w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.56.16-300x62.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.56.16-1024x212.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.56.16-768x159.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.56.16-1536x317.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://archidekt.com/decks/10673122/beldrazi">Beldrazi</a>:</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.56.04.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-143411 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.56.04.png" alt="" width="1808" height="390" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.56.04.png 1808w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.56.04-300x65.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.56.04-1024x221.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.56.04-768x166.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-10.56.04-1536x331.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1808px) 100vw, 1808px" /></a></p>
<p>The mana curves for these two decks are wildly different. The first one is weighted heavily towards mana value 1-3, while the second has a huge spike after six mana. Why? It's all about the commanders.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rose, Cutthroat Raider" href="#" target="_blank">Rose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> wants me to attack all three of my opponents so I can make the max amount of Junk tokens, so I focused on cheap creatures for turns one through three so that by turn four, I can cast Rose and get the maximum benefit.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Belbe, Corrupted Observer" href="#" target="_blank">Belbe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (with the help of some key one drops) can pretty easily generate six mana as early as turn two, so I want to have plenty of Eldrazi haymakers to cast way ahead of schedule.</p>
<p>Despite the big difference in the mana curves, in both cases you can see the importance of the commander's mana value, and the resulting mana value of the cards around it. I love these examples since they showcase the extremes of how your mana curve can change based on the commander.</p>
<h3>Nuts and Bolts</h3>
<p>Okay, hopefully you've got the concept down, so let's get into some actionable things to consider during your deckbuilding:</p>
<h4><strong><em>In general</em><em> </em>it is better to lower your curve where you can</strong>.</h4>
<p>Belbe in the example above shows that doing so is not always the case, but if you're just starting out, keeping your curve low will yield the fastest results. There is a reason why <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rampant Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Rampant Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is played in nearly 810,000 decks and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Natural Connection" href="#" target="_blank">Natural Connection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is played in only 6,000.</p>
<p>Putting a bunch of 6+ mana cards in your deck might seem fun and powerful, but if you can only cast two of them in a game, drawing a bunch of them isn't very effective. Look for cards that do something similar but for less mana.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rampant Growth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Natural Connection"></div></div>
<h4>Concentrate the majority of your cards between 2-4 mana.</h4>
<p>There are a lot of effective cards printed in this mana value range that can really swing the tide of the game. Keeping your cards in this range will also open up a lot more options during gameplay and let you react to different game scenarios.</p>
<p>If you're at five mana, you can cast two 2-drops, a 4-drop, or cast your three mana commander like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vadrik, Astral Archmage" href="#" target="_blank">Vadrik</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and hold up a two mana <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterspell" href="#" target="_blank">Counterspell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to protect it.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vadrik, Astral Archmage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Counterspell"></div></div>
<h4>Make sure your high mana cards are impactful</h4>
<p>On the flip side, when you do play one of your higher mana value cards, make sure it's something that's extremely impactful. A generic example is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cyclonic Rift" href="#" target="_blank">Cyclonic Rift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which will send opposing boards back to the stone age.</p>
<p>Something a little more niche might be <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> in your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm" href="#" target="_blank">Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cyclonic Rift"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Terror of the Peaks"></div></div>
<h4>Consider the "actual" mana value of your cards</h4>
<p>Many cards that are commonly played in Commander have cost reduction effects attached to them. The most common example of course is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blasphemous Act" href="#" target="_blank">Blasphemous Act</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It will show up on your curve as an 8+ mana card, but in reality you can cast it for a lot less than that.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, an X spell like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hangarback Walker" href="#" target="_blank">Hangarback Walker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will show up as zero mana value, but you probably won't be casting it for no mana since it will insta-die.</p>
<p>An advantage of X spells is that they can slot in at multiple spots on the curve, but consider them at the mana value you'll be casting them most often.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blasphemous Act"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hangarback Walker"></div></div>
<h4>Look for cards with "multiple" mana values</h4>
<p>Similar to the last point about X spells, there are also cards that have "multiple" mana values. These cards are often powerful because of their flexibility.</p>
<p>One of my favorite card types, Adventures, are a good example. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Virtue of Persistence" href="#" target="_blank">Virtue of Persistence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is considered a seven mana card, but it helps offset its high cost by having Locthwain Scorn as a mode you can cast early while you wait to get there.</p>
<p>The mana value of split cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wear // Tear" href="#" target="_blank">Wear // Tear</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is equal to the mana value of both halves (three in this case) but you can cast either (or both in this case) half for less than that.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Virtue of Persistence"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wear // Tear"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Mana Curve Tools</h3>
<p>Now that you've got those mana curve concepts in your tool belt, you can apply them to your deckbuilding. The last thing to touch on are the tools available to help you mana all of these numbers. Look no further than <a href="https://archidekt.com/">Archidekt</a>.</p>
<p>The graphs I included above all game from my lists from Archidekt. Those screenshots are just of the basic and general mana curve, which is where you should focus your attention early. As you become a more experienced deckbuilder, you can dive even deeper, including filters by color...</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-11.59.15.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-143416 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-11.59.15.png" alt="" width="1812" height="1000" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-11.59.15.png 1812w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-11.59.15-300x166.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-11.59.15-1024x565.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-11.59.15-768x424.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-11.59.15-1536x848.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1812px) 100vw, 1812px" /></a></p>
<p>...or by any number of other options, including personalized categories if you make them:</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-11.59.35.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-143417 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-11.59.35.png" alt="" width="1798" height="652" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-11.59.35.png 1798w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-11.59.35-300x109.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-11.59.35-1024x371.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-11.59.35-768x278.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screen-Shot-2024-12-30-at-11.59.35-1536x557.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1798px) 100vw, 1798px" /></a></p>
<p>If you have a deck that you feel like isn't firing on all cylinders, try plugging it into Archidekt and seeing what the mana curve section reveals. You might be surprised at the results, and you'll have a good starting point for improving your mana curve if necessary.</p>
<h3>Wrap Up</h3>
<p>Whew! We covered a lot today, and I hope it wasn't too overwhelming. The idea of a mana curve is really important for our game, and not just in Commander. It's even more of a focus in other formats that are much faster and more competitive than Commander, where even a tiny slip up might spell disaster.</p>
<p>If your decks aren't performing as well as you'd like, I highly encourage you to review your decks and check out your mana curve. And when you build a new one, make sure you take these ideas into account! I promise it'll lead to more plays and as a result, more fun.</p>
<p>Look out for more beginner articles from me soon, and if you're looking for cheap and effective decks, check out my other series <em>Brew For Your Buck</em> here on EDHREC. If you have any questions or comments, drop them down below and I'll be sure to address them. Until then, happy deckbuilding and watch out for the curve!</p>


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