<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychatog|ODY|292" href="#" target="_blank">Psychatog</a> | Art by <a href="https://www.edbeardjr.com/">Edward P. Beard, Jr.</a>
Hello! Welcome to 60 to 100, a series where I take beloved decks from 60-card formats and convert them to Commander.
Around the time Premodern was picking up steam last year, and before it was officially available on Magic: The Gathering Online, I fell down the rabbit hole. The first deck I put together was <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychatog" href="#" target="_blank">Psychatog</a>, a Dimir () control deck that seeks to gain a gluttonous amount of card advantage and weaponize it via a one-shot kill from the titular creature. This deck was unsurprisingly perfect for the kind of Magic I like to play. Recently, I had an epiphany about how I'd go about adapting this deck. So, in this installment of 60 to 100, I'm going to take a shot at building the deck in Commander and show off the new technology that lead me here.
<h2>The Source Material</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Psychatog by thekid" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Creatures]
*4 Psychatog
*1 Wonder
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*4 Accumulated Knowledge
*1 Chain of Vapor
*4 Counterspell
*3 Foil
*4 Gush
*3 Impulse
*2 Lim-Dûl&#039;s Vault
*3 Opt
*3 Smother
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*3 Duress
*4 Portent
*1 Sickening Dreams
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Powder Keg
[/Artifacts]
[Lands]
*10 Island
*4 Polluted Delta
*2 Swamp
*3 Underground River
[/Lands]"></div>
In a <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychatog" href="#" target="_blank">Psychatog</a> deck, you'll find all the usual trappings of a control deck. There's discard, countermagic, a ton of card draw, and a very light number of ways to win the game. A normal game with Psychatog will consist of fending the opponent off with interaction while picking apart their hand and maneuvering into a scenario where Psychatog can be deployed safely. After untapping with Psychatog, the formula for winning the game is rather simple: (1.5x) + (0.5y), where x is the number of cards in hand and y is the number of cards in graveyard. Against decks with a strong ground presence, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wonder" href="#" target="_blank">Wonder</a> is a neat piece of tech to give the Psychatog flying; just be sure not to exile it with Psychatog's second ability until after blockers are declared.
<h2>Choosing a Commander</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Temmet, Naktamun&#039;s Will"></div></div>
There was never any doubt in my mind about who should lead this deck. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temmet, Naktamun&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Temmet, Naktamun&#039;s Will</a> is, in his own way, a <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychatog" href="#" target="_blank">Psychatog</a>. Whenever you draw a card, Temmet gives all of your Zombies, himself included, +1/+1. Thanks to commander damage, killing an opponent with Temmet has a very Psychatog feel, cobbling together a lethal attack from a barrage of draw spells.
<h2>The Witch's Brew That Makes Psychatog Tick</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Psychatog"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arcanis the Omnipotent"></div></div>
While working on my <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hawkeye, Avenging Archer" href="#" target="_blank">Hawkeye, Avenging Archer</a> <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/hawkeye-avenging-archer-deck-tech">deck tech</a>, I had the idea to slip <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron" href="#" target="_blank">Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron</a> into the deck. I was already playing creatures with really powerful activated abilities, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vivi Ornitier" href="#" target="_blank">Vivi Ornitier</a>, and it made the deck much better. Including Agatha's Soul Cauldron and Vivi Ornitier in a deck isn't exactly revolutionary thought, given that it was dominant in Standard for most of 2025.
Some time later, it hit me that <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychatog" href="#" target="_blank">Psychatog</a> also has an activated ability! I've had a <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temmet, Naktamun&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Temmet</a> <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/voltron">Voltron</a> deck since Aetherdrift came out, and it always felt like it was missing an essential ingredient. That ingredient turned out to be Agatha's Soul Cauldron, Psychatog, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychic Frog" href="#" target="_blank">Psychic Frog</a>.
Using Agatha's Soul Cauldron to give Psychatog's ability to Temmet is a massive power increase that lowers the amount of effort required to get to 21 commander damage from drawing 17 cards in a single turn to drawing some number of cards, discarding some number of cards, and then exiling some number of cards from my graveyard. It also totally shatters that (1.5x) + (0.5y) formula from earlier, as a simple cantrip like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thought Scour" href="#" target="_blank">Thought Scour</a> now adds 3.5 damage. Psychatog's younger, power-crept cousin <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychic Frog" href="#" target="_blank">Psychic Frog</a> complicates the math even further, as its ability adds +1/+1 counters rather than a temporary +1/+1 until end of turn buff.
There's more to this package than just turning Temmet into Psychatog, though. Because he has vigilance, I can declare Temmet as an attacker and then tap him to use <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcanis the Omnipotent" href="#" target="_blank">Arcanis the Omnipotent</a>'s first ability to draw three cards. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Morphling" href="#" target="_blank">Morphling</a>, another 60-card staple of old, can give Temmet the ability to make himself unblockable, give himself shroud, and untap himself to use Arcanis' ability multiple times in a turn. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Walking Ballista" href="#" target="_blank">Walking Ballista</a> can also convert all the +1/+1 counters Temmet gets from Psychic Frog's ability into burn damage to either pick off small creatures or eliminate opponents. The toolbox goes a lot deeper than I initially expected it to.
<h2>Too Many Draw Spells</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Echo of Eons"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Faithful Mending"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gush"></div></div>
There are 20 card draw spells in this deck, not counting creatures like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcanis the Omnipotent" href="#" target="_blank">Arcanis the Omnipotent</a>. This counts cantrips, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brainstorm" href="#" target="_blank">Brainstorm</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gitaxian Probe" href="#" target="_blank">Gitaxian Probe</a>, that aren't necessarily card advantage, alongside card positive offerings, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gush" href="#" target="_blank">Gush</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancestral Vision" href="#" target="_blank">Ancestral Vision</a>, and wheel effects, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Echo of Eons" href="#" target="_blank">Echo of Eons</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Windfall" href="#" target="_blank">Windfall</a>. I put these all in the same category because their differences aren't very meaningful in this context. They all pump <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temmet, Naktamun&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Temmet, Naktamun&#039;s Will</a> and add material either to the hand or graveyard to eat with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychatog" href="#" target="_blank">Psychatog</a>.
The key with these draw spells is patience. 20 sounds like a lot, but there are three opponents to get through. There are four reasons to cast a draw spell when piloting this deck: pumping Temmet, hitting land drops, finding pieces to set up <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron" href="#" target="_blank">Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron</a>, and finding interaction to stay alive. Timing matters, too. In testing, I lost count of the number of times I tanked my game plan by jumping the gun on using a cantrip to find a land when I could've afforded to wait another turn.
<h2>A Hint of Reanimator</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dream Trawler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hullbreaker Horror"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Toxrill, the Corrosive"></div></div>
This deck has to have a lot of ways to fill the graveyard to support <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron" href="#" target="_blank">Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron</a>. As a result, the conditions are perfect for a small <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/reanimator">Reanimator</a> package. Having a strong backup strategy also helps offset the issues that plague commander-damage-based decks by giving it something impactful to do both before <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temmet, Naktamun&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Temmet</a> comes out and after opponents have banded together to remove him. So, I've selected three prime targets for <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reanimate" href="#" target="_blank">Reanimate</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animate Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Animate Dead</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necromancy" href="#" target="_blank">Necromancy</a>.
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dream Trawler" href="#" target="_blank">Dream Trawler</a> is a powerful alternate attacking threat that does a really good Temmet impression, protects itself, is a discard outlet, and has lifelink. I don't think I've ever lost a game where I put this Sphinx into play. It isn't just good in situations where Temmet's command tax is too high to recast. Having Temmet and a Dream Trawler in play simultaneously can speed the deck's clock up by a full turn, killing two players in one combat step and gaining so much life that it will be a big ask for the remaining opponent to win the 1v1.
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hullbreaker Horror" href="#" target="_blank">Hullbreaker Horror</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toxrill, the Corrosive" href="#" target="_blank">Toxrill, the Corrosive</a> are the more generically good creatures to <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reanimate" href="#" target="_blank">Reanimate</a>. This deck is built to be able to cast a lot of spells per turn, and doing so with a Hullbreaker Horror in play can turn the tide of a losing game and potentially render the game unplayable for the opponents. Toxrill is the crowd control option for games where one or more opponents are flooding the board with small creatures.
<h2>Psychatog Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Mister Doctor Teeth in Commander" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Temmet, Naktamun&#039;s Will
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Arcanis the Omnipotent
*1 Dream Trawler
*1 Hullbreaker Horror
*1 Jace&#039;s Archivist
*1 Morphling
*1 Mother of Runes
*1 Ornithopter of Paradise
*1 Palladium Myr
*1 Psychatog
*1 Psychic Frog
*1 Toxrill, the Corrosive
*1 Tribute Mage
*1 Walking Ballista
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Ancestral Vision
*1 Buried Alive
*1 Careful Study
*1 Divine Reckoning
*1 Echo of Eons
*1 Fabricate
*1 Gitaxian Probe
*1 Ideas Unbound
*1 Lively Dirge
*1 Lórien Revealed
*1 Ponder
*1 Reanimate
*1 Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation
*1 Single Combat
*1 Step Through
*1 Toxic Deluge
*1 Treasure Cruise
*1 Unmarked Grave
*1 Windfall
*1 Winternight Stories
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Azorius Signet
*1 Dimir Signet
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 Talisman of Progress
*1 Worn Powerstone
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse
*1 Brainstorm
*1 Brainsurge
*1 Cabal Ritual
*1 Dark Ritual
*1 Entomb
*1 Faithful Mending
*1 Fell the Profane // Fell Mire
*1 Frantic Search
*1 Gush
*1 Lim-Dûl&#039;s Vault
*1 Mental Note
*1 Pull from Tomorrow
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 Stubborn Denial
*1 Swan Song
*1 Thought Scour
*1 Tolarian Winds
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Animate Dead
*1 Necromancy
*1 Proft&#039;s Eidetic Memory
*1 Stark&#039;s Ingenuity
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Adarkar Wastes
*1 Arid Mesa
*1 Bleachbone Verge
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 Caves of Koilos
*1 Cephalid Coliseum
*1 Drowned Catacomb
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Floodfarm Verge
*1 Glacial Fortress
*1 Gloomlake Verge
*1 Godless Shrine
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*2 Island
*1 Isolated Chapel
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Meticulous Archive
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Morphic Pool
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Raffine&#039;s Tower
*1 Scalding Tarn
*1 Sea of Clouds
*2 Snow-Covered Island
*1 Snow-Covered Plains
*1 Swamp
*1 Undercity Sewers
*1 Underground River
*1 Vault of Champions
*1 Verdant Catacombs
*1 Watery Grave
*1 Windswept Heath
[/Lands]"></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
This deck is firmly <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets">Bracket</a> 2 (Core). I had a lot of different builds planned out for Bracket 3 (Upgraded), but ultimately this strategy is too slow to keep up with decks that are looking to end games in that window of turns six through eight. Most decks with a combo win the game outright when they execute that combo. Here, assembling <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron" href="#" target="_blank">Agatha&#039;s Soul Cauldron</a> plus a stocked graveyard and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temmet, Naktamun&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Temmet</a> and a bunch of draw spells merely offers the opportunity to win the game. Even worse, it will likely take more than one turn to do so. That isn't an issue to be solved for me, however, because in Bracket 2 it works just fine and the game play is fun.
If I wanted to move it up to Bracket 3, I would use my <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/game-changers">Game Changer</a> slots on either three pieces of fast mana or better tutors, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demonic Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Demonic Tutor</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Intuition" href="#" target="_blank">Intuition</a>, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gifts Ungiven" href="#" target="_blank">Gifts Ungiven</a>. I'd also look to include avenues to go infinite with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pensive Professor" href="#" target="_blank">Pensive Professor</a>, more burn in the form of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Psychosis Crawler" href="#" target="_blank">Psychosis Crawler</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sheoldred, the Apocalypse" href="#" target="_blank">Sheoldred, the Apocalypse</a>, and a couple extra turn spells.
As it stands, I'm really happy with how this 60 to 100 conversion worked out! I suspect I'm going to be tinkering with my paper version of the deck for up to a year before I'm 100% satisfied, but the foundation is really strong as is. And, since this deck is actually using the namesake card of the original deck as a key strategy piece, this might be the most faithful deck I've built for the series since <a href="https://commandersherald.com/60-to-100-jeskai-splinter-twin/">the first one I wrote</a> about <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Splinter Twin" href="#" target="_blank">Splinter Twin</a>.

psychatog

Building Premodern Psychatog in Commander