(Captain Howler, Sea Scourge | Art by Mirko Failoni)

Looty and the Speedfish

Welcome to Too-Specific Top 10, where if there isn’t a category to rank our pet card at the top of, we’ll just make one up! (Did you know that Kitsa, Otterball Elite is the only Merfolk Looter that can both attack and activate its loot ability?)

Aetherdrift brings us a load of cards that care about us discarding, which is an amazing boon to Cycling decks the world over. Do you need to be Cycling to take advantage, though?

"Looting" is slang for an effect that actually predates Cycling, but does much the same thing: Draws a card to then have you discard a card. It's named after Merfolk Looter specifically, the most famous example of the effect.

What's actually closer to Cycling is rummaging, however, named after Rummaging Goblin. Rummaging has you first discard a card and then draw one, an inverse operation of looting.

Here's the thing, though. Neither Merfolk Looter or Rummaging Goblin are really cutting it anymore. While Rummaging Goblin was never considered very good to begin with, Merfolk Looter has just been steadily power-crept, with example after example trickling out with each set doing the exact effect at the exact same mana, only with more text on the card.

Which begs the question: If the namesakes aren't the best at this, then what cards are?

Top 10 Loot or Rummage Effects

1. Faithless Looting
2. Windfall
3. Frantic Search
4. Thrill of Possibility
5. Big Score
6. Unexpected Windfall
7. Wheel of Fortune
8. [REDACTED] (On Actual List)
9. Wheel of Misfortune
10. Demand Answers

Okay, I begin to see a problem here. Don't get me wrong, Captain Howler would be happy to be a spellslinger commander, given how good they'll be at drawing cards.

More generally, however, I think the call for discard is going to want something a bit more consistent. In fact, not only more consistent, but also something that can beat face?

Top 10 Repeatable Loot and Rummage Effects on Creatures

While both could certainly be built in other ways, there's no question that both Captain Howler, Sea Scourge and Hashaton, Scarab's Fist care about creatures.

While Howler could just make himself huge with a wheel and win with commander damage, the combat damage rider makes you actually want to spread his ability out, as does common sense saying that anyone could just chump block your 19/4 Shark Pirate.

Hashaton, on the other hand, doesn't necessarily need to go wide, but does need to have a fair amount of creatures in the deck for you to be able to take advantage of his "reanimator" effect.

In either case, you're going to want to both be able to loot/rummage, and also to have some bodies to use your commander's abilities.

So then, naturally, what we're looking for are creatures that can repeatedly draw and discard cards!

Criteria: Creatures that allow you to draw a card and discard a card repeatedly, in either order. As is tradition, all results are ordered by EDHREC score.

As a bit of a preview, I will say that this list didn't even remotely have the cards I expected it to on it, which is something that is rather rare for me these days. So, let's get to the list, and then we'll take a look at the cards I actually think might be better inclusions for these decks down in the honorable mentions.

10. Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel

(Helms 1,261 Decks, Rank #978; 36,449 Inclusions, 2% of 1,849,893 Decks)

Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel is amazing in Hashaton, and terrible in Captain Howler, and I'll tell you why. It all has to do with timing.

Are you beginning to see it now? Malcolm's combat damage trigger takes place after damage, meaning that by that point, +2/+0 won't matter, and it will be too late to draw a card with Captain Howler's own combat damage trigger.

In other words, don't make the mistake I did and throw this in there because it's a looter, only to find out that it's not going to do anything for your gameplan.

If you are brewing Hashaton, however, this thing is a slam dunk. Flash it in as a surprise flier on your opponent's end step, then immediately start swinging in and discarding creatures to cheat into play.

Literally the exact thing you want to be doing, at a premium price of two mana, and with evasion to boot. Windmill slam, all day.

9. Glint-Horn Buccaneer

(44,285 Inclusions, 2% of 2,508,714 Decks)

Best known for going infinite with Pirate partner commander Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator (along with half a dozen other cards), Glint-Horn Buccaneer is also just a great card on its own in a deck that's going to be discarding cards.

With its hasty entrance, it shouldn't be too uncommon at all for it to come down in the mid-game immediately followed by a huge discard spell, and end up doing 10-20 damage to the table between its ability and Captain Howler's.

That's not going infinite, but I would still definitely call it impactful.

8. Ghostly Pilferer

(46,519 Inclusions, 2% of 2,502,982 Decks)

Likewise, Ghostly Pilferer looks to be an all-star in either Captain Howler or Hashaton.

For either, it starts as a 2/1 for two that can discard cards whenever you want. Even if that didn't come with unblockability, that would still be a deal we're considering.

Since it does, however, we also know that we can attack in with Ghostly Pilferer even if our opponents have blockers, which brings its untap trigger to bear.

Now, two mana to draw a card once a turn isn't an amazing rate, but it's still one you'll find yourself paying on occasion when you don't have a full hand of stuff you're looking to cast with your mana.

So, with just those two abilities, we'd be in on Ghostly Pilferer. Which makes it all the more insane that we haven't even gotten to its best ability yet. Pilferer has you draw a card whenever an opponent casts a spell from anywhere other than their hand.

That might not sound like something you can count on if you don't have a Prosper deck across the table, but those of us who have spent some time across from an opposing Drannith Magistrate should have alarm bells going off right now.

That's right, Ghostly Pilferer triggers off of folks casting their commanders, in addition to other common mechanics like impulse draw and flashback.

That takes this fairly fair "loot, but not until the beginning of your next turn, and it costs two mana" creature, and pushes it squarely into unfair territory as you draw a card anytime anything comes out of the command zone.

Slam dunk include, no matter what discard commander you're going with.

7. Jace's Archivist

(50,369 Inclusions, 2% of 2,502,982 Decks)

So the first thing most folks probably thought about when it came to these commanders was Wheels. Well then, may I present the good wheel on a stick (get outta here, Magus of the Wheel), Jace's Archivist.

Presenting a Windfall once a turn, Jace's Archivist will cheat the best creature you have in your hand into play for four mana with Hashaton, and will give up to seven creatures +2/+0 and the ability to Ophidian with Captain Howler.

In other words, this is the best card in your deck if you can get it to stick for a turn cycle. But let me tell you: That's a big if.

6. Jaxis, the Troublemaker

(Helms 1,232 Decks, Rank #993; 55,318 Inclusions, 2% of 2,497,113 Decks)

Here, however, is where I start being surprised by the creatures on this list. Don't get me wrong, I like Jaxis, the Troublemaker. I would even go so far as to say I've made a fair amount of contributions toward its 55,000 inclusions.

Just as often, however, she's ended up on the cutting room floor for being too expensive, and too clunky. It always seems like it'll be an amazing play to Blitz her out for two and activate her ability to double up on your best creature for a turn, then draw a card when it dies.

In practice, however, I've consistently found that outside of Gruul, Jaxis just feels bad in the hand. The three-mana Blitz copy doesn't seem worth it, despite the card draw attached, and the four-mana cost to then wait a turn to start copying feels like the game will be over by the time you get to start abusing things.

Combine that with her being entirely reliant on you already having a good, non-legendary creature in play, and most times I think I'd rather just be playing another good creature.

With that said, I do think Jaxis might be just good enough to sneak into the 99 of Captain Howler.

Why? Because you don't need a good creature for her ability to be impactful, just about any non-legendary creature will do.

Discarding a card to make a copy of said vanilla creature would already get you +2/+0, whatever damage said creature can do doubled, and two cards back.

I don't know about you, but I would cast that three-mana sorcery.

5. The Locust God

(Helms 5,637 Decks, Rank #243; 56,156 Inclusions, 5% of 1,167,834 Decks)

Nope. Don't get me wrong, I like The Locust God. It's resilient, it combos, and it would absolutely flood the board with hasty Insects every turn in a Captain Howler deck.

But it should do all those things. Why? Because it costs six mana. So why am I out on it? Because that's just too much mana for what a Captain Howler deck is trying to do.

By the time Howler comes down for four mana, you should already have at least two cheap creatures that can discard cards in some capacity down on the battlefield, ready to immediately do just that and swing in for huge damage in addition to drawing you two cards.

When you inevitably get board wiped two turns later for being an out of control weenie factory, your rebuild doesn't look like tapping out for a six-mana God, it looks like playing out all the weenies you drew off of Captain Howler's combat damage triggers.

Then, if you're feeling greedy, you can tap out to replay Captain Howler himself, not another six-mana card that won't do anything on its own.

4. Rankle, Master of Pranks

(Helms 795 Decks, Rank #1,213; 67,111 Inclusions, 3% of 2,590,850 Decks)

I'm not gonna say that it will feel amazing cheating a Rankle into play with Hashaton.

In fact, I think under most circumstances, that probably won't be your main plan. But it is a mana cheaper to do so, and will immediately reward you with another card to discard so you can move onto your main plan.

Combine that with the sacrifice trigger being one of the best pieces of board control out there, and Rankle is worth the slot, period.

3. Baral, Chief of Compliance

(Helms 3,819 Decks, Rank #401; 72,656 Inclusions, 3% of 2,502,982 Decks)

The fact that Baral is this far up the list isn't just sad, it's wrong. Let me explain why, in my typical fashion:

Top 10 Two-Mana Goblin Electromancers

1. Goblin Electromancer
2. Baral, Chief of Compliance
3. Stormcatch Mentor
4. Thunderclap Drake
5. Stenn, Paranoid Partisan
6. Ral, Monsoon Mage
7. Curious Homunculus
8. Kaza, Roil Chaser
9. Battlefield Thaumaturge
10. Spellbinding Soprano

Here's the thing about the current state of Goblin Electromancer: It's one of the worst examples of its effect, as is Baral, Chief of Compliance. Why? Power creep, of course!

There has been printing after printing of strictly better Goblin Electromancers in the last two years, and folks simply haven't caught up with the times.

Maybe that's people like me who just can't keep up with the flood of sets anymore and have restricted how often they update their decks.

Maybe it's people just operating off of memory or the cards they have. Or maybe its that folks really just don't know that there are better options out there.

Regardless, I extend those reasons to Baral in addition to Goblin Electromancer.

Even if you're in mono-blue, unless you're a full-on "there's only so much fun in a game of Magic, and I'm here to have all of it" person and are playing 40 Counterspells, there's now a better option in Thunderclap Drake.

Most likely, however, if you are going so deep on spellslinger, you're in at least Izzet, meaning that Stormcatch Mentor and Ral, Monsoon Mage are right there. But let's continue the hypothetical: You're in mono-blue, you've already thrown in Thunderclap Drake, and you want a second cost reducer. Setting aside the more expensive options like Haughty Djinn, Wizards of Thay, and Archmage of Runes, that still leaves you Curious Homunculus.

Sure, it's not a cost reducer early, but it is a mana dork that flips into one with Prowess. And unless you're playing very high-powered, a cost reducer and a mana dork are probably much the same on turn two.

As for what we're here for, Baral being a Merfolk Looter? Yeah, no. Neither Hashaton or Captain Howler are looking to run even 20 Counters, much less the full 30 you'd need to guarantee him looting every turn.

2. Ledger Shredder

(83,624 Inclusions, 3% of 2,502,982 Decks)

If you haven't heard, Hashaton is already getting cEDH buzz, and one of the main reasons why is Ledger Shredder.

From the moment it was printed, Ledger Shredder has been on the list of some of the best value creatures in the game.

In blue, it often gets overshadowed by Faerie Mastermind, but if your high-powered deck has even an inkling of a plan that involves aggro, or any synergy with discard, then it gets the nod.

Put simply, whether you're playing Hashaton or Captain Howler, this is the best card in your deck.

Even in low-powered Commander, people are casting two spells all the time, to say nothing of the fast pace as you climb the ladder.

That means Hashaton is getting to draw and throw down creatures at instant speed during opponent's turns.

As for Captain Howler, Ledger Shredder triggers on you playing your second spell as well, meaning in the very real scenario that you play down a Ledger Shredder, it gets two +1/+1 counters as the table goes through their turns while it has summoning sickness, and then you untap to play two spells, Ledger Shredder will be a 6/6 flier that draws a card when it hits.

And that's just if the spells you cast don't discard cards. If they both do, then you're looking at it being a 10/6 if you decide not to spread the love around.

Regardless of which deck you're playing, Ledger Shredder is a threat and an engine that has to be answered.

1. Nezahal, Primal Tide

(Helms 624 Decks, Rank #1,346; 90,000 Inclusions, 4% of 2,502,982 Decks)

Nezahal, on the other hand, is really only playing for one team. Don't get me wrong, there is a version of the Captain Howler deck where you're playing some kind of grindy, long control game.

If you're doing that, however, then you're probably forcing it. Everything about Captain Howler screams aggro and speed, whether you go in a creature-heavy build with lots of Merfolk Looters or in a Token Storm brew.

When it comes to Hashaton, however, Nezahal is everything you want to be doing.

You can cheat it into play with Hashaton's ability much earlier than most folks are going to be comfortable seeing a seven-mana Dinosaur.

Once it's down, it will refill your hand with tons of things you can discard to also abuse Hashaton's ability. Finally, it can protect itself by--you guessed it--discarding cards, meaning that you can also use it to throw down more huge creatures.

While us including it in this list as a "looter" is a bit questionable, its inclusion in Hashaton decks the world over is not.

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Honorable Mentions

While we were looking to zero in on the probably creature-heavy styles of our two new commanders that love looting, we skipped over all of the other permanents out there that could help out. So, let's start there:

 

Top 10 Non-Creature, Non-Land Permanent Repeatable Loot Effects For Hashaton or Captain Howler

1. Mask of Memory
2. Daretti, Scrap Savant
3. Teferi, Master of Time
4. Key to the City
5. Hazoret's Monument
6. Collector's Vault
7. Smuggler's Copter
8. Shorikai, Genesis Engine
9. Mirrodin Besieged
10. Chivalric Alliance

While that's not the deepest pool of good options I've ever seen, there are still some options here.

Teferi, Master of Time is a card I've specifically had arguments with cEDH Hashaton folks about including. Key to the City makes Captain Howler into a Voltron threat, where he's normally just the huge creature that will get chump blocked while your tiny minions get around the edges for three and a card.

Speaking of your little guys in Captain Howler, Hazoret's Monument will keep them cheap while also keeping you rummaging for more damage and more cards.

Finally, Shorikai, Genesis Engine is a bit of an up-front cost, but nets you cards while still discarding on the cheap for Hashaton, along with flooding the ground with little Pilots to gum up the works.

All this talk of decks makes me feel like we're ready to move onto some actual decklists, though. First off, I've mentioned the cEDH buzz surrounding Hashaton a couple times now, and while it's caught on in a big way across the globe, I have personal experience in my local meta with a brew by Mechanaught that's hit the ground running:

For those that haven't experienced cEDH, it's a bit of a midrange hell as of late, and Hashaton is joining as a +1.

In general, the deck is looking to survive the first few turns by stopping others win attempts, then grind value with creatures or powerful enchantments like Necropotence until it's acquired enough mana and cards to go for a win, often at instant speed.

That win can either be the already common Thassa's Oracle into Demonic Consultation or Tainted Pact to empty out your library, or cheating Astral Dragon into play with Hashaton to make copies of Machine God's Effigy, which will in turn become more copies of Astral Dragon, resulting in infinite 3/3 creatures and/or infinite non-creature artifacts you control.

More importantly here, however, I wanted to highlight the cards that are being deemed good enough for the highest level of play that aren't appearing on our list of most-played looters:

I've already mentioned Kitsa, but the long and short of it is that if you're looking for a traditional Merfolk Looter, this is the best one available at this point, hands down.

For the same mana cost, you get a 1/3 that can attack and loot, that also gets bigger with Prowess and can copy a spell once in a blue moon. If we get a better one soon, I'd be amazed.

Psychic Frog is a bit more niche, mostly because it requires two colors, but is an upgrade to one of the most dominant Standard cards ever printed, and feels like it.

Finally, Necropotence is neither a loot effect nor a creature, but bears mentioning just because of how good it is with Hashaton specifically.

If you land it, you can immediately pay 10-30 life, and with mana available, are going to have an end step that wins you the game, no matter what power level you're playing at. Just... maybe don't bring a Necropotence to a mid-power table?

As for the high-powered brew, only time will tell how well Hashaton will do in the tournament grind, and how much lists like these will evolve over time. Still, seeing the deck in action out of the gate, it can certainly hold its own.

As for Captain Howler, I did make a good faith attempt, but he probably just belongs on the casual side of things. And what a casual commander he is!

If you're looking to fly under the radar, this is not the deck for you. It comes out of the gates hard with aggro creatures and cheap card draw, then plops down Captain Howler with discard effects on board for an immediate return on both damage and cards.

When you get board wiped, because if you don't you'll just win, you can then just dump out your hand again with all the goodies you've been drawing, making for a rarity in a resilient aggro deck. All in all, it's a blast to play, just don't pretend like you're not gonna end up as archenemy at some point.

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Nuts and Bolts

There always seems to be a bit of interest in how these lists are made (this seems like a good time to stress once again that they are based on EDHREC score, NOT my personal opinion…), and people are often surprised that I’m not using any special data or .json from EDHREC, but rather just muddling my way through with some Scryfall knowledge! For your enjoyment/research, here is this week’s Scryfall search.

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What Do You Think?

We didn't talk about cycling at all today, despite the fact that it's a heavy theme in Aetherdrift, and works well with both of these commanders. The question is, which would you rather do?

And finally, what is your favorite Merfolk Looter? Do you have opinions about my strong opinions on Baral, Chief of Compliance? Are you currently building either Hashaton or Captain Howler, and if so, at what power level?

Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you at the table they threw out back. Dunno, seems fine to me...