<p style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oloro, Ageless Ascetic" href="#" target="_blank">Oloro, Ageless Ascetic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by: <a href="https://www.ericdeschamps.com/">Eric Deschamps</a></p> <p>Hello everyone. I’m Levi from the <em>Thought Vessel</em>, and this is <em>Hidden Gems</em>, the series on EDHREC that looks at commanders all across the format to find those special cards that are flying under the radar.</p> <p>For a card to be eligible as a hidden gem, it must be in fifteen percent of decks or less for a particular commander.</p> <p>As we are in Precon Month here on <em>EDHREC</em>, it seemed appropriate to choose a commander from a precon all the way back from <em>Commander 2013</em>.</p> <p>This legendary creature used to be an absolute boogeyman in every pod that it showed up in and was a pioneer for one of the most polarizing mechanics to date.</p> <p>The commander I am referring to is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oloro, Ageless Ascetic" href="#" target="_blank">Oloro, Ageless Ascetic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Before we get into our list, let's first take a look at Oloro to see what this creature and deck does so we know what kind of cards we are looking for.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oloro, Ageless Ascetic"></div></div> <h2>The Commander</h2> <p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oloro, Ageless Ascetic" href="#" target="_blank">Oloro, Ageless Ascetic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a 4/5 Giant Soldier for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. At the beginning of our upkeep, we gain two life. If Oloro is in the command zone, we still gain two life.</p> <p>Regardless of whether we decide to cast it or not, we are getting value from the very start of the game like an emblem.</p> <p>This concept would eventually become the mechanic <em>eminence</em>, which allows for an effect or ability to be used both from the battlefield as well as the command zone.</p> <p>We actually see eminence on the top two commanders in the entire format, <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/yshtola-nights-blessed">for now</a>, in <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> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Edgar Markov" href="#" target="_blank">Edgar Markov</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Having an ability that we have access to immediately that really can’t be interacted with by our opponents is incredibly strong.</p> <p>If we decide to actually make Oloro get out of his chair, he can also serve as an excellent card advantage engine. Every time we gain life, we can pay one mana to draw a card and have each opponent lose one life.</p> <p>Pairing this effect with a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Queza, Augur of Agonies" href="#" target="_blank">Queza, Augur of Agonies</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be a nice 1-2 punch to refill our hand and take a chunk of life from the board.</p> <p>Generally speaking Oloro is either built as a Combo deck, a lifegain deck, or a hybrid of the two. The Combo decks are typically using the extra lifegain and colors as a buffer to absorb hits while they look to get one of the several combos available in the Esper color combination going.</p> <p>The Lifegain deck typically leans into more synergies since we have loaded up the deck with lifegain payoffs since we’re guaranteed to have at least one triggering event per turn.</p> <p>When we look at the amount of decks for each tag, Lifegain is far and away the most popular archetype to build Oloro around, so that is what this list will focus on today. Before we get into our list, we do have an honorable mention.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Celestine, the Living Saint"></div></div> <h3>Honorable Mention. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Celestine, the Living Saint" href="#" target="_blank">Celestine, the Living Saint</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (11%)</h3> <p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Celestine, the Living Saint" href="#" target="_blank">Celestine, the Living Saint</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a 3/4 Human Warrior with flying and lifelink. At the beginning of our end step, we can return a creature from our graveyard to the battlefield that has a mana value equal to or less than the life we gained this turn.</p> <p>With Oloro’s trigger alone, we can get a two mana creature every turn. With Oloro and a Celestine attack, we can get up to a five mana creature.</p> <p>While Oloro isn’t an explicit creature deck, there are a lot of creatures with fantastic lifegain payoffs that we tend to include. Being able to get some of them back as they get removed to keep the engines running really helps our long game as we keep building.</p> <p>The reason this is an honorable mention instead of on the list is that it comes from the <em>Warhammer</em> Commander decks, which are hard to find and can fetch a high price.</p> <p>As of writing this article, Celestine is nearly a $40 card, so I felt it was better suited as an honorable mention here. Now, onto the actual list!</p> <h2>Ten Hidden Gems for Oloro, Ageless Ascetic</h2> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sorin of House Markov"></div></div> <h3>10. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorin of House Markov" href="#" target="_blank">Sorin of House Markov</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (9.3%)</h3> <p>Starting us off is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorin of House Markov" href="#" target="_blank">Sorin of House Markov</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. On the early turns, we can get Sorin into play to use its extort keyword to pay one mana to steal one life from each opponent.</p> <p>Since Oloro is already gaining us two life, we only need to gain one life to flip over onto the planeswalker side.</p> <p>Once it is flipped, we can still use extort, but we can also make Food tokens, throw out damage equal to our life gained for the turn, which can be a very large number, and if we can protect Sorin, we might even be able to use the -6 ability to steal a creature from an opponent.</p> <p>With a deck that can be focused on the long game, it’s nice to mix in a few cards that can have an early game impact to set us up well for the rest of the game.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Revival // Revenge"></div></div> <h3>9. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Revival // Revenge" href="#" target="_blank">Revival // Revenge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (8.9%)</h3> <p>If there is one thing I like in cards for my Commander decks above everything else, it's <em>versatility</em>. Early in the game, we can cast Revival to get a creature mana value three or less from our grave back into play.</p> <p>On a later turn, we can cast Revenge to double our life total and cut an opponent’s life total in half. I’m not as big of a fan of a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beacon of Immortality" href="#" target="_blank">Beacon of Immortality</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as it isn’t particularly helpful in the early game and it doesn’t have any other effects. Revival // Revenge can help us in a multitude of ways.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Paradox Haze"></div></div> <h3>8. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Haze" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Haze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (8.5%)</h3> <p>At its baseline, this is a card that gives us an extra upkeep, so Oloro will gain us four life per turn. It definitely has a higher ceiling depending on what else is included in the ninety-nine of our list.</p> <p>Cards like <em>Archangel of Thune</em> and <em>Venser’s Journal</em> getting an extra trigger can really take off over multiple turns.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Excalibur II"></div></div> <h3>7. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Excalibur II" href="#" target="_blank">Excalibur II</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (7.7%)</h3> <p>Between lifelinking creatures and evasive ones with flying, there are ways to really take advantage of raw power that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Excalibur II" href="#" target="_blank">Excalibur II</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can provide.</p> <p>Every time we gain life, which will probably be several times per turn with Oloro, Excalibur II gets a charge counter, and the equipped creature gets +1/+1 for each of them. This can easily be +10-20 power on an attacker.</p> <p>If we give this Equipment to a creature with lifeline, we can really push our life total towards triple digits. We could even explore the option of casting Oloro and trying for a commander damage knockout if we need to. For a one mana Equipment card, it is definitely worth a spot in our deck. </p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Decorum Dissertation"></div></div> <h3>6. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Decorum Dissertation" href="#" target="_blank">Decorum Dissertation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (7.6%)</h3> <p>As the saying goes, sometimes you have to spend money to make money. For five mana, we can draw two cards and lose two life.</p> <p>If that was all the card did, then it wouldn't be playable, as that is a terrible rate. Luckily, this card has a new keyword, paradigm.</p> <p>Paradigm is a keyword that states that after we first resolve this spell, we may cast a copy of this spell from exile for free on our first main phase every turn for the rest of the game. Since we are already gaining two life per turn, the loss of life isn’t a huge setback.</p> <p>The main benefit is having a draw engine drawing an extra two cards per turn that is far more difficult to interact with than a permanent on the field like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhystic Study" href="#" target="_blank">Rhystic Study</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. With all the extra card advantage, we can make that life loss back and then come.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Revenge of Ravens"></div></div> <h3>5. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Revenge of Ravens" href="#" target="_blank">Revenge of Ravens</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (7.1%)</h3> <p>A big issue with Oloro is that a lot of players tend to attack whichever player has the most life without looking at the full board state.</p> <p>Since this is a lifegain deck, that player is probably going to be you a lot of the time. We need to add a few cards to our deck to either recoup the life loss or hurt the attacker. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Revenge of Ravens" href="#" target="_blank">Revenge of Ravens</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help us with both.</p> <p>Every time a creature attacks us or a planeswalker we control, that creature’s controller loses one life, and we gain one life.</p> <p>This can trigger a lot of our permanents and is a major issue for go-wide decks that want to attack with several creatures at once. This should prevent a few attacks here and there to let us build up our life total more easily.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sheltered by Ghosts"></div></div> <h3>4. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sheltered by Ghosts" href="#" target="_blank">Sheltered by Ghosts</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (0.6%)</h3> <p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sheltered by Ghosts" href="#" target="_blank">Sheltered by Ghosts</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> isn’t a card that I would use in higher brackets, but I do like this card for brackets three and below.</p> <p>To start, we can temporarily exile a nonland permanent for as long as Sheltered by Ghosts is in play. If we target someone’s commander with this, they are likely going to elect to put it back in their command zone instead.</p> <p>Once it’s in play, a creature we control gets +1/+0, ward 2, and lifelink. This can help protect one of our value pieces while giving us another way to gain life.</p> <p>These are the kind of cards that can help round out our deck by combining cards from the removal category with game plan cards.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Leech Collector"></div></div> <h3>3. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leech Collector" href="#" target="_blank">Leech Collector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (0.52%)</h3> <p>This is not a flashy card, but it does give us a play early in the game as well as a method of ticking down our opponents’ life totals.</p> <p>Every time we gain life for the first time each turn, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leech Collector" href="#" target="_blank">Leech Collector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> becomes prepared. Once prepared, we can cast the second spell on the card, Blood Letting, for one black mana to have each opponent lose two life.</p> <p>Since we’re guaranteed to gain life every turn, we can simply save one mana on our turn to chip the table for two life if we don’t have anything better to do. It’s a nice budget card for both mana and price to include in the deck.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abigale, Eloquent First-Year"></div></div> <h3>2. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Abigale, Eloquent First-Year" href="#" target="_blank">Abigale, Eloquent First-Year</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (0.23%)</h3> <p>I absolutely love this card. Most decks that I play Abigale in simply want to use this as a removal piece, blanking out a creature with powerful abilities, but giving it flying and lifelink.</p> <p>We can absolutely use it in Oloro this way as well, but there are other options available to us. We have cards in our deck like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ajani&#039;s Pridemate" href="#" target="_blank">Ajani&#039;s Pridemate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a 2/2 Cat Soldier of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> that gets a +1/+1 counter every time we gain life.</p> <p>At some point, there can be diminishing returns on this as it can get arbitrarily big without having evasion or trample.</p> <p>At this point, Abigale can come in to wipe out the ability to get any more counters, but it would then have flying and lifelink to gain us life and hopefully connect for combat damage through the air.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Irma, Part-Time Mutant"></div></div> <h3>1. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Irma, Part-Time Mutant" href="#" target="_blank">Irma, Part-Time Mutant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (0.04%)</h3> <p>Finally, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Irma, Part-Time Mutant" href="#" target="_blank">Irma, Part-Time Mutant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Irma is a card that I have been thrilled with ever since its release in the <em>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Commander</em> precon.</p> <p>Every turn during our combat step, Irma gains a +1/+1 counter and can become a copy of another creature we control, except Irma retains the name <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Irma, Part-Time Mutant" href="#" target="_blank">Irma, Part-Time Mutant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and gains this ability. We can constantly rotate between our value pieces.</p> <p>We can start out making Irma a copy of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ajani&#039;s Pridemate" href="#" target="_blank">Ajani&#039;s Pridemate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to build up +1/+1 counters and then turn into something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drogskol Reaver" href="#" target="_blank">Drogskol Reaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to capitalize on the size.</p> <p>We could copy our commander if we put it into play or something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crested Sunmare" href="#" target="_blank">Crested Sunmare</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to lock up an indestructible board of Horses.</p> <p>The only limit on Irma is our imagination, and it deserves a lot more play in Oloro and Commander as a whole.</p> <h2>Wrapping Up</h2> <p>Oloro is such a neat commander, from its pioneering mechanics to its endurance to stay in the format over ten years after its release.</p> <p>While these are some fantastic hidden gems, this is by no means a complete list. The lifegain mine is a deep one, and there is plenty more to explore.</p> <p>If you have an Oloro deck that uses a hidden gem, let us know in the comments below. We’re here for good vibes and great cards. Until next time, Happy brewing!</p> 

Hidden Gems for Oloro, Ageless Ascetic

Building Colorless Spellslinger in Commander with The Dawning Archaic

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animar, Soul of Elements" href="#" target="_blank">Animar, Soul of Elements</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> </em>| Art by: <a href="https://www.artstation.com/filipburburan">Filip Burburan</a></p> <p>Hello everyone! I’m Levi from The Thought Vessel, and this is <em>Hidden Gems,</em> the series on EDHREC that looks at commanders from around the format and the cards that are flying under the radar for their decks that need a little love.</p> <p>For a card to qualify as a <em>Hidden Gem</em>, it has to appear in 15% or fewer decks for a commander. This week we are looking at a classic commander of the format that has been around since <em>Commander 2011</em> and is still in the <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders">top 40</a> to this day.</p> <p>This commander has the versatility to be played as a bracket one deck or a cEDH bracket five deck. The commander I am talking about, of course, is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animar, Soul of Elements" href="#" target="_blank">Animar, Soul of Elements</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p> <p>So what does it do to stay so beloved for so long in a world that is constantly looking for the next big thing? Let’s take a look!</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Animar, Soul of Elements"></div></div> <h2>The Commander</h2> <p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animar, Soul of Elements" href="#" target="_blank">Animar, Soul of Elements</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a 1/1 Elemental for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> that has protection from white and black.</p> <p>This is a very underrated part of the card, as it keeps our commander safe from popular removal spells like <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> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadly Rollick" href="#" target="_blank">Deadly Rollick</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. But the protection isn’t typically why Animar is played.</p> <p>Every time we cast a creature spell, Animar gets a +1/+1 counter. Our creature spells in return cost one less for each +1/+1 counter on Animar.</p> <p>This allows us to either play a +1/+1 counter strategy like with <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/hydras">Hydras</a>, <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/combo">Combo</a> with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancestral Statue" href="#" target="_blank">Ancestral Statue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or my personal favorite, <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/stompy">Stompy</a> with all of our favorite high mana value creatures like <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/dragons">Dragons</a> and <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/eldrazi">Eldrazi</a>.</p> <p>These decks definitely take on their own feel, as the options for cards are practically limitless, but there are some cards that I was surprised to see weren’t being added very much at all. We will get into our list, but first we have an honorable mention.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wave Goodbye"></div></div> <h3>Honorable Mention. <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> (8.8%)</h3> <p>Our honorable mention is <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>. This is going to have varying degrees of success depending on what kind of build we ultimately decide on, as Wave Goodbye returns every creature without a +1/+1 counter on it to its owner’s hand.</p> <p>It is effectively blue’s version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Damning Verdict" href="#" target="_blank">Damning Verdict</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Worst case scenario, we bounce all of our own creatures except Animar and cast them again.</p> <p>If we’re playing a deck like the Hydra build I mentioned earlier, this could serve as a win condition by clearing out all the blockers in our way.</p> <p>I wanted to mention it because I think it can be really strong, but context really matters on this one. But with our honorable mention out of the way, we move onto our list starting with number ten.</p> <h2>Ten Underplayed Cards for Animar, Soul of Elements</h2> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tishana, Voice of Thunder"></div></div> <h3>10.<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tishana, Voice of Thunder" href="#" target="_blank">Tishana, Voice of Thunder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (8.0%)</h3> <p>Animar is a creature heavy deck. No matter how we want to build it, this <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/elementals">Elemental</a> loves its friends. This can make Animar massive in a hurry and our spells that much cheaper.</p> <p>With all of our spells cheaper, it can be pretty easy to run out of cards. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tishana, Voice of Thunder" href="#" target="_blank">Tishana, Voice of Thunder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help with that. When Tishana enters, we draw a card for each creature in play.</p> <p>This includes tokens too, so if we are playing something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Avenger of Zendikar" href="#" target="_blank">Avenger of Zendikar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this could be a huge boost of card draw. It also says we have no maximum hand size and has power and toughness equal to our hand size.</p> <p>We can keep cards back and use our creature as a beater or simply develop our board. Having the option to choose is great either way.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chandra&#039;s Ignition"></div></div> <h3>9. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chandra&#039;s Ignition" href="#" target="_blank">Chandra&#039;s Ignition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (7.8%)</h3> <p>Some commanders have a major problem if they are not able to win the game through combat damage. It could be shut down by a creature like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spore Frog" href="#" target="_blank">Spore Frog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or even a wall of pillows like with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sphere of Safety" href="#" target="_blank">Sphere of Safety</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Either way, we want to have something in our deck to deal with this potential problem. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chandra&#039;s Ignition" href="#" target="_blank">Chandra&#039;s Ignition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a very natural fit here.</p> <p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, we can have any target creature we control deal damage equal to its power to each other creature and each opponent. We can put this on our biggest creature for a sweep or a smaller creature to clear out blockers.</p> <p>There are games in which Animar will simply get big enough that this is a lethal amount of damage for everyone and the game will immediately be over. If you really want to have fun, find a way to give Animar lifelink prior to casting it to launch your life total into triple digits.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Genesis Hydra"></div></div> <h3>8. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Genesis Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Genesis Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (7.4%)</h3> <p>Some people might call <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Genesis Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Genesis Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> a win more card for Animar, and they would be correct. But in a Stompy build for casual Commander, what’s a game without a little <em>razzle dazzle</em>? Genesis Hydra cost <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-x" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>.</p> <p>For the value of X, we reveal that many cards from out library and put one into play mana value X or less. It’s a great way to sink all the extra mana and cost reduction into making a massive Hydra, as well as getting a free permanent from the revealed cards. With the right card cheated into play, it’s very possible to win the game from that alone.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Evendo, Waking Haven"></div></div> <h3>7. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evendo, Waking Haven" href="#" target="_blank">Evendo, Waking Haven</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (6.8%)</h3> <p>Animar can reduce the cost of creatures <em>significantly</em>, but having excess levels of mana never hurt anyone. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evendo, Waking Haven" href="#" target="_blank">Evendo, Waking Haven</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gaea&#039;s Cradle" href="#" target="_blank">Gaea&#039;s Cradle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with extra steps. Fortunately, with our creatures being as big as they are, it really doesn’t take a lot to get enough charge counters onto Evendo to unlock its ability.</p> <p>This can help cover the mana value for our key noncreature spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Greater Good" href="#" target="_blank">Greater Good</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Finale of Devastation" href="#" target="_blank">Finale of Devastation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Herd Heirloom"></div></div> <h3>6. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Herd Heirloom" href="#" target="_blank">Herd Heirloom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (6.0%)</h3> <p>I <em>love</em> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Herd Heirloom" href="#" target="_blank">Herd Heirloom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It’s an unsung hero in decks that are set up to take advantage of it. Having a mana rock for two mana in the early game for ramp that can become card advantage in the middle and later parts of the game to keep our hand full is always helpful.</p> <p>There really isn’t a turn in a game of Commander where I would be disappointed in drawing it. Even if it isn’t flashy, these are the kinds of cards we want to be putting in our decks.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Equilibrium"></div></div> <h3>5. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Equilibrium" href="#" target="_blank">Equilibrium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (5.5%)</h3> <p>With <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Equilibrium" href="#" target="_blank">Equilibrium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in play, we can use this card both offensively and economically. Every time we cast a creature spell, we can pay one mana to bounce a creature back to its owner’s hand. If we are playing cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre" href="#" target="_blank">Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nulldrifter" href="#" target="_blank">Nulldrifter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we can reuse their effects over and over again.</p> <p>If we don’t need those effects, we can bounce an opponent’s creature every time we cast a creature. This level of tempo can really bring the game to a standstill, as blocking becomes very difficult. </p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Steel Hellkite"></div></div> <h3>4. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Steel Hellkite" href="#" target="_blank">Steel Hellkite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (4.4%)</h3> <p>I’ve spoken about this card before, as I am a big fan of this creature even though it's not a modern pick. There are games where <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Steel Hellkite" href="#" target="_blank">Steel Hellkite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will be a free cast since there is no colored mana requirement.</p> <p>When it connects for combat damage, we can destroy every nonland permanent with a mana value the defending player controls.</p> <p>If we pick zero, we can clear every token in play. No matter what we pick, we’ll typically remove at least one very good target.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Transcendent Dragon"></div></div> <h3>3. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Transcendent Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Transcendent Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (1.7%)</h3> <p>At <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, this is a solid counterspell, as it gives us the chance to take a spell from an opponent and give it to ourselves. When we only have to pay two blue mana thanks to Animar, this becomes significantly better.</p> <p>We get a 4/3 flyer and the ability to cast whatever creature or spell we just countered at the same time. Imagine pulling an uno reverse card on a <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> or a haymaker like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hullbreaker Horror" href="#" target="_blank">Hullbreaker Horror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The chance of that happening one time is enough for me to add it to Animar.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sunbird&#039;s Invocation"></div></div> <h3>2. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sunbird&#039;s Invocation" href="#" target="_blank">Sunbird&#039;s Invocation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (1.2%)</h3> <p>Since we have a deck that is going to have a high mana curve, we might as well take advantage of it. Every spell we cast from our hand lets us reveal the top X cards of our library and cast a spell with mana value X or less, where X is the mana value of the spell.</p> <p>This lets us double up our spells and flood the board with threats. Any creature we cast this way will also put a +1/+1 counter on Animar, speeding up our buildup.</p> <p>These are the type of effects that can really make Animar a powerhouse since we can usually put out more threats than our opponents can use their removal on.</p> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Earth King"></div></div> <h3>1. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Earth King" href="#" target="_blank">The Earth King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (0.6%)</h3> <p>Finally at number one on our list, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Earth King" href="#" target="_blank">The Earth King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. With our Stompy build, the odds of a creature we control having four power or greater to trigger The Earth King are very high. Every time we attack with a creature with power four or greater, he can put a basic land from our deck into play.</p> <p>This can let us get every basic land out of our deck in only a couple of turns, increasing our chances of drawing into nonland cards to keep the pressure on. We also have the added bonus of having enough mana to cast every spell in our hand every single turn.</p> <h2>Wrapping Up</h2> <p>Animar embodies the old school minimalistic approach to design for Commander cards that lets players take their brews in a variety of different directions. This list is focused more on cards that will be helpful in as many of those different strategies as possible, but this is far from the bottom of the gem mine.</p> <p>There are plenty of cards out there that are amazing for Animar that we didn’t cover today. If you have an Animar deck with a hidden gem you adore, share it in the comments below. We’re here for good vibes and great cards. Until next time, happy brewing!</p> 

Underplayed Cards for Animar, Soul of Elements

How to Brew Three Bant-astic Builds

Borderland Explorer – Hidetsugu, Devouring Chaos

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marchesa, Dealer of Death" href="#" target="_blank">Marchesa, Dealer of Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.ryanpancoast.com/">Ryan Pancoast</a></h6>
<p> Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combination and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around! </p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Today's theme is one that came up pretty organically for me, as I've been trying to brew around the old legend, Ramses Overdark, <em>forever.</em></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ramses Overdark"></div></div></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Ramses is <em>not</em> our commander today, but we <em>are</em> building a deck heavily inspired by the old guy. For that reason, today's theme is: Auras. Auras is extremely popular in decks that have white in their color identity, as white is the primary enchantment support color. This is what made old Ramses so intriguing to me; he was an Aura focused commander <em>not using white. </em></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Thus brings me to the stats: with 176 decks on EDHREC, the Grixis color combination (Red, Black, and Blue) was one of the lowest built color combos for Auras (the lowest overall being Jund (red, green, and black) at 42 decks). I brewed around Jund at first, but I couldn't stop thinking about old Ramses.</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">On EDHREC, only 5 Aura-based lists are focused around Machesa, Dealer of Death, so that seemed like the perfect option!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marchesa, Dealer of Death"></div></div></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Marchesa is great for 2 reasons:</p>
<ol>
<li data-slot-rendered-content="true">We're leaning into Ramses Overdark's want of enchanting our <em>opponents' </em>creatures, so our entire gameplan is built around "committing crimes".</li>
<li data-slot-rendered-content="true">She provides terrific card selection when we run out of steam. (There's only 1 "enchantress" effect in Grixis colors, you know!)</li>
</ol>
<p> Enchanting our opponents' creatures comes at a cost, but that leads us into our first category... </p>
<h2>Category #1: Goad/Incentivizing Combat</h2>
<p> I know the goad mechanic isn't for everyone, but this style of deck <em>thrives</em> off of it. Why enchant our opponents' creatures if they're just going to attack <em>us</em> with them? Luckily for us, there are a few Auras that goad the creature its attached to. Shiny Impetus can help us ramp; Ghoulish Impetus is an underrated Aura that can keep recurring itself throughout the game (unless the creature is exiled); Parasitic Impetus can help us drain an opponent who may have a high life total; The Sound of Drums turns an opponent's threat into twice the problem ; and the new Incriminating Impetus gives a creature menace while taking away its ability to block. <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shiny Impetus Ghoulish Impetus Parasitic Impetus"></div></div> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Sound of Drums Incriminating Impetus"></div></div> Outside of Auras that goad our opponents' creatures, there are other ways that we can incentivize combat. Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant draws us cards when our opponents attack each other; Vengeful Ancestor goads creatures and deals damage when goaded creatures attack; and Bothersome Quasit goads creatures whenever we cast noncreature spells, which is great considering Auras are noncreature spells! <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant Vengeful Ancestor Bothersome Quasit"></div></div> </p>
<h2>Category #2: Protecting Ourselves</h2>
<p> We can't always guarantee we won't be attacked, so we need to have ways that ensure opponents have a hard time attacking us. Baleful Strix is a great blocker that comes down early and draws us a card; Giggling Skitterspike deals damage to our opponents whenever it blocks or is targeted; Brash Taunter is arguably the best blocker ever printed; Backfire redirects any damage dealt to us to the enchanted creature's controller; Propaganda forces opponents to use mana to attack us; and Ragged Veins deals damage to an opponent if their enchanted creature becomes blocked. <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Baleful Strix Giggling Skitterspike Brash Taunter"></div></div> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Backfire Propaganda Ragged Veins"></div></div> </p>
<h2>Category #3- "Borrowing" Threats</h2>
<p> Forcing our opponents' threats to attack is fun, but we need a way to <em>win</em>, eventually. This is where our "borrowing" category is the most important. Cards like: Corrupted Conscience can KO someone out of nowhere; Fealty to the Realm is not a "hard steal" spell, so hopefully people won't be too mad about their creature being borrowed; Willbreaker is a little more mean, but it can finish the game; Fool's Demise is a repeatable way to gain control of creatures; Abduction temporarily "borrows" a creature; and Virtue of Persistence can act as an endgame reanimation haymaker. <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Corrupted Conscience Fealty to the Realm Willbreaker"></div></div> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fool&#039;s Demise Abduction Virtue of Persistence"></div></div> </p>
<h2>Category #4- Secret Spice</h2>
<p> As always, we have our "secret spice" for the deck, and to no one's surprise it comes in the form of the old man himself, Ramses Overdark. Ramses is an amazing way to ensure that the creatures we enchant never become too much of a threat <em>to us. </em> <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ramses Overdark"></div></div> Aside from Ramses, there's another "secret commander" of the deck that we can load up with Auras and pass around the table to sow chaos: Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos. <div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos"></div></div> Alexios is very similar to Slicer, Hired Muscle, but, in my opinion, is a bit stronger. Giving it trample <em>and</em> making it bigger every single turn is hugely effective, even without a single Aura attached to it. </p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p> Overall, this deck started as a thought-experiment/love letter to Ramses Overdark, and turned into a very political and interactive deck. I know this kind of deck is not for everyone, but for those that love to be a "political puppet-master", this is the perfect thing to build! </p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our fourth edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of Auras!</p>
<p> Check out my decklist below! <em><strong>An important note about budget:</strong> I found that if you have a budget-friendly mana base, this deck can be extremely cheap to build effectively. Most of the Auras have either been reprinted into oblivion, or are just forgotten commons from older sets. Ramses is a little on the expensive side, so if you wanted to run the deck without him, that is doable, I just couldn't bring myself to cut the old guy.</em> &nbsp; <div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Marchesa, Dealer of Death" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander] *1 Marchesa, Dealer of Death [/Commander] [Enchantments] *1 Abduction *1 Amphibian Downpour *1 Animate Dead *1 Backfire *1 Betrayal *1 Binding Agony *1 Captivating Glance *1 Corrupted Conscience *1 Curse of Opulence *1 Dead Man&#039;s Chest *1 Draconic Destiny *1 Estrid&#039;s Invocation *1 Fall from Favor *1 Fealty to the Realm *1 Followed Footsteps *1 Fool&#039;s Demise *1 Frenzied Fugue *1 Ghoulish Impetus *1 Grievous Wound *1 Imprisoned in the Moon *1 Incriminating Impetus *1 Leyline of Anticipation *1 Nurgle&#039;s Rot *1 Parasitic Impetus *1 Propaganda *1 Psychic Impetus *1 Public Enemy *1 Ragged Veins *1 Shiny Impetus *1 Sleeper&#039;s Robe *1 Sticky Fingers *1 The Sound of Drums *1 Vampiric Link *1 Virtue of Persistence // Locthwain Scorn [/Enchantments] [Creatures] *1 Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos *1 Baleful Strix *1 Bothersome Quasit *1 Brash Taunter *1 Entity Tracker *1 Fiendish Duo *1 Giggling Skitterspike *1 Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant *1 Keen Duelist *1 Life of the Party *1 Nettling Nuisance *1 Protean Thaumaturge *1 Ramses Overdark *1 Rassilon, the War President *1 The Rani *1 Vengeful Ancestor *1 Willbreaker [/Creatures] [Artifacts] *1 Arcane Signet *1 Crystal Chimes *1 Cursed Mirror *1 Helm of the Gods *1 Midnight Clock *1 Mind Stone *1 Misleading Signpost *1 Sol Ring *1 Talisman of Creativity *1 Talisman of Dominance *1 Talisman of Indulgence [/Artifacts] [Sorceries] *1 Disrupt Decorum *1 Spectacular Showdown [/Sorceries] [Lands] *1 Arcane Lighthouse *1 Blood Crypt *1 Bojuka Bog *1 Command Tower *1 Detection Tower *1 Dragonskull Summit *1 Drowned Catacomb *5 Island *1 Luxury Suite *1 Maestros Theater *1 Maze of Ith *1 Morphic Pool *3 Mountain *1 Myriad Landscape *1 Raucous Theater *1 Roadside Reliquary *1 Shivan Reef *1 Steam Vents *1 Sulfur Falls *1 Sulfurous Springs *3 Swamp *1 Thundering Falls *1 Training Center *1 Undercity Sewers *1 Underground River *1 Watery Grave *1 Xander&#039;s Lounge [/Lands]"></span></div></p>
