<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcades, the Strategist" href="#" target="_blank">Arcades, the Strategist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/mischeviouslittleelf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Even Amundsen</a></em></p>
<p>What did one wall say to the other? I'll meet you in the corner!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tasha&#039;s Hideous Laughter"></div></div>
<p>Welcome once again to <em>Fire and Ice,</em> the data-driven series where I go over cards that are becoming more or less popular for different Commander decks, and talk about why they may be gaining or losing popularity. I'm Julia, EDHREC's Duchess of Data, and I'm super excited to jump into today's article! But I might need to brush up on my dad jokes...</p>
<p>In this series, we draw conclusions from EDHREC's data about how certain commanders' decks have changed over time, give insight into how the format's players are thinking about new cards, and hopefully provide some tech for your favorite commander's list.</p>
<p>Today, we'll be focusing our analysis on a commander that lets defenders become attackers: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcades, the Strategist" href="#" target="_blank">Arcades, the Strategist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! This Elder Dragon ranks as the <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#36 commander on our site</a>, with nearly 22,000 decks to his name. Let's see what's gaining steam and what's falling out of favor with Arcades pilots!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arcades, the Strategist"></div></div>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcades, the Strategist" href="#" target="_blank">Arcades, the Strategist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div id="attachment_177833" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-5-4.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-177833" class="size-large wp-image-177833" src="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-5-4-1024x337.png" alt="What's hot and what's not for Arcades, the Strategist?" width="1024" height="337" srcset="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-5-4-1024x337.png 1024w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-5-4-300x99.png 300w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-5-4-768x253.png 768w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-5-4-1536x506.png 1536w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-5-4.png 1669w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-177833" class="wp-caption-text">What's hot and what's not for Arcades, the Strategist?</p></div>
<p>First, though, let's take a moment to understand the typical Arcades deck. This commander lets all of our creatures with defender attack as normal, removing the restrictions that are typically placed upon Walls. He also lets them assign damage equal to their toughness instead of their power.</p>
<p>So, we want to play lots of creatures with big butts in order to draw cards and hit our opponents for big chunks of damage each combat step.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wall of Denial"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overgrown Battlement"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive"></div></div>
<p>Arcades turns <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> (in 93% of decks) into a huge, three-mana flying 8/8. He also lets cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overgrown Battlement" href="#" target="_blank">Overgrown Battlement</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (94% of decks) flourish into huge mana production engines. Finally, cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive" href="#" target="_blank">Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provide us with the evasion we'll need to punch through for victory.</p>
<h2>What's Fiery for Arcades Decks?</h2>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Walls of Ba Sing Se" href="#" target="_blank">The Walls of Ba Sing Se</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 4.82</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Walls of Ba Sing Se"></div></div>
<p>The instant that I saw this card get spoiled during <em>Avatar</em> preview season, I knew it would become a staple for Arcades decks. I was right! This card is already in 3,398 lists and that number is sure to grow. Arcades turns this creature into a 30/30 that inherently makes all of our creatures indestructible.</p>
<p>Yes, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-8" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> is a high price to pay for any creature in Commander. But, a game-endingly large creature that protects our whole board is a great way to invest our mana, if we've got it.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sylvan Caryatid" href="#" target="_blank">Sylvan Caryatid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 4.06</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sylvan Caryatid"></div></div>
<p>A classic mana dork, this Plant's surging popularity may be due to its reprinting in the semi-recently released <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> Commander deck that focused on creatures with high toughness stats.</p>
<p>Putting that aside, Sylvan Caryatid is a virtual 3/3 with hexproof that both ramps us and fixes our mana. It even lets us curve into our commander on turn three, assuming we cast Sylvan Caryatid on turn two. While one-<a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/List_of_Magic_slang#Mana_dork" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mana dorks</a> may be more powerful, they're just not as thematic.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Restricted Office // Lecture Hall" href="#" target="_blank">Restricted Office // Lecture Hall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 2.61</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Restricted Office // Lecture Hall"></div></div>
<p>Both halves of this enchantment are relevant in this deck. Restricted Office is a one-sided board wipe for just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" 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-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. The average Arcades deck has no creatures with power three or greater, meaning we can obliterate our opponents' board states while leaving ours intact.</p>
<p>And, while Lecture Hall does cost a lot of mana, it can be a great way to seal a game. If our opponents can't interact with our scary creatures, they likely can't stop us from winning either.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Growth Spiral" href="#" target="_blank">Growth Spiral</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farseek" href="#" target="_blank">Farseek</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <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>- Fire Scores of 2.75, 2.54, and 2.46</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Growth Spiral"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Farseek"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rampant Growth"></div></div>
<p>All three of these cards let us get extra lands onto the battlefield. While they do it in slightly different ways, the end result is largely the same.</p>
<p>Ramping on turn two, with a four-mana commander helming our deck, is extremely important. If we get Arcades on the board a turn sooner, we can start making impactful plays earlier. This deck revolves heavily around its commander, so we really want to maximize its uptime.</p>
<p>Efficient two-mana ramp spells like these are vital for this strategy.</p>
<h2>What's Icy for Arcades Decks?</h2>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wave of Reckoning" href="#" target="_blank">Wave of Reckoning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Expel the Interlopers" href="#" target="_blank">Expel the Interlopers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Ice Scores of -2.62 and -2.16</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wave of Reckoning"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Expel the Interlopers"></div></div>
<p>The average Arcades list has no creatures with power greater than or equal to their toughness (if we choose to ignore <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wall of Stolen Identity" href="#" target="_blank">Wall of Stolen Identity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>). In fact, most of this deck's creatures have zero power. That makes Wave of Reckoning and Expel the Interlopers into wraths with the ability to wipe out our opponents' creatures while ignoring ours.</p>
<p>But, notably, these sorceries can be high variance. If an opponent just so happens to have creatures with high toughness stats or low power stats, this spell loses a lot of its potency. Arcades pilots may be looking towards other wipes, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dusk // Dawn" href="#" target="_blank">Dusk // Dawn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, that have some other redeeming qualities to fall back upon.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wall of Essence" href="#" target="_blank">Wall of Essence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Ice Score of -2.27</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wall of Essence"></div></div>
<p>Typically, we can't attack with Walls. That limits the effectiveness of a combat-focused defender like Wall of Essence. But when Arcades turns it into a 4/4 that can attack, our opponents suddenly have a reason not to block it.</p>
<p>Despite how interesting it is to attack with this creature, it is quite easy to block and kill. This Wall has no relevant combat abilities, and can be dealt with easily by any opponent willing to let us gain a few extra life points.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stoneskin" href="#" target="_blank">Stoneskin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Ice Score of -2.24</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stoneskin"></div></div>
<p>This is a neat combat trick, essentially providing +10/+10 to a creature of our choosing at instant speed. But for the same amount of mana, we can give all of our creatures +4/+4 with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bar the Door" href="#" target="_blank">Bar the Door</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We can even give all of our creatures a virtual +5/+5 for one mana less with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tower Defense" href="#" target="_blank">Tower Defense</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>This deck likes to go wide, and there's only so many slots for combat tricks in a Commander deck. We can spread more damage around with other spells, so Stoneskin is crumbling.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa" href="#" target="_blank">Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Ice Score of -2.19</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa"></div></div>
<p>Most every creature in the average Arcades list has power two or less, so Sidar Kondo provides some fantastic evasion to our whole board. This Human Knight even has two power and five toughness himself, meaning he'll benefit from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Assault Formation" href="#" target="_blank">Assault Formation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, still untap while the board is under the effects of a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meekstone" href="#" target="_blank">Meekstone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and even let us gain a chunk of life with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angelic Chorus" href="#" target="_blank">Angelic Chorus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Sadly, Sidar Kondo does not have defender. Many of the synergy pieces that Arcades pilots put in their 99 are geared specifically towards that keyword, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wingmantle Chaplain" href="#" target="_blank">Wingmantle Chaplain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shield-Wall Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Shield-Wall Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Axebane Guardian" href="#" target="_blank">Axebane Guardian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. While Sidar does provide evasion to our board, he doesn't directly fit the theme we're building around.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jeskai Barricade" href="#" target="_blank">Jeskai Barricade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Ice Score of -2.10</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jeskai Barricade"></div></div>
<p>I am puzzled by this creature's declining popularity. With Arcades on the board, Jeskai Barricade is a two-mana 4/4 that lets us save another creature from danger at instant speed. We also get to recast whatever creature we choose to protect, drawing another card with Arcades and triggering other valuable enter the battlefield (ETB) abilities.</p>
<p>Jeskai Barricade seems comparable to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wall of Omens" href="#" target="_blank">Wall of Omens</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wall of Blossoms" href="#" target="_blank">Wall of Blossoms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which are staples of this list. It seems like a great include to me, but other Arcades pilots appear to disagree. If you're seeing a downside to this card that I'm not, please do let me know in the comments.</p>
<h2>What's in a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcades, the Strategist" href="#" target="_blank">Arcades, the Strategist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Deck?</h2>
<p>Here's an Arcades list with all of his Fiery cards included and all of his Icy cards excluded:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Fire and Ice - Arcades, the Strategist" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Arcades, the Strategist
[/Commander]
[Enchantments]
*1 Angelic Chorus
*1 Assault Formation
*1 Aura Shards
*1 Brave the Sands
*1 High Alert
*1 Restricted Office // Lecture Hall
*1 Unnatural Growth
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*1 Angelic Wall
*1 Axebane Guardian
*1 Carven Caryatid
*1 Corrupted Shapeshifter
*1 Crashing Drawbridge
*1 Crystal Barricade
*1 Escarpment Fortress
*1 Hover Barrier
*1 Overgrown Battlement
*1 Perimeter Captain
*1 Shield Sphere
*1 Shield-Wall Sentinel
*1 Stalwart Shield-Bearers
*1 Sunscape Familiar
*1 Sylvan Caryatid
*1 Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive
*1 The Pride of Hull Clade
*1 The Walls of Ba Sing Se
*1 Tree of Redemption
*1 Vine Trellis
*1 Walking Bulwark
*1 Wall of Blossoms
*1 Wall of Denial
*1 Wall of Frost
*1 Wall of Glare
*1 Wall of Junk
*1 Wall of Omens
*1 Wall of Roots
*1 Wall of Runes
*1 Wall of Stolen Identity
*1 Wall of Tanglecord
*1 Weathered Sentinels
*1 Wingmantle Chaplain
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Meekstone
*1 Rammas Echor, Ancient Shield
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Bar the Door
*1 Beast Within
*1 Counterspell
*1 Eerie Interlude
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Growth Spiral
*1 Heroic Intervention
*1 Negate
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Tower Defense
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cultivate
*1 Dusk // Dawn
*1 Farseek
*1 Fell the Mighty
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Slaughter the Strong
[/Sorceries]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Huatli, the Sun&#039;s Heart
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Access Tunnel
*1 Bountiful Promenade
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Command Tower
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*5 Forest
*1 Glacial Fortress
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 Hinterland Harbor
*5 Island
*7 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Rejuvenating Springs
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Sea of Clouds
*1 Seaside Citadel
*1 Spara&#039;s Headquarters
*1 Sunpetal Grove
*1 Temple Garden
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>I'm always shocked to see Arcades so high on EDHREC's rankings. But we keep seeing powerful new Walls get printed! From <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crystal Barricade" href="#" target="_blank">Crystal Barricade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in <em>Foundations</em> to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Escarpment Fortress" href="#" target="_blank">Escarpment Fortress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in <em>Assassin's Creed</em>, and it feels like we see a great card for this deck pop up every other set or so.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crystal Barricade"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Escarpment Fortress"></div></div>
<p>I love seeing powerful commanders breathe new life into niche cards! What other commanders do you know of that revitalize neglected cards? I'm reminded of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orvar, the All-Form" href="#" target="_blank">Orvar, the All-Form</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Let me know what commanders come to mind for you in the comments below!</p>


wall decks

Fire and Ice: Which Cards Are Hot and Cold for Arcades, the Strategist?