Magda, Brazen OutlawMagda, Brazen Outlaw | Art by Slawomir Maniak

Hello and welcome back to Fire and Ice! This is EDHREC's 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, your Duchess of Data, and I'm excited to examine a more competitive commander today!

EDHREC, of course, has a ton of data. Using that data, we'll draw conclusions 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.

This edition of Fire and Ice will focus on one of the most powerful mono- commanders that's ever been printed. This Dwarf is popular at the highest levels of Commander play, and is known for efficient combo victories. I'm talking about everyone's favorite two-drop, Magda, Brazen OutlawMagda, Brazen Outlaw!

This ridiculously powerful commander is just one of two mono- commanders to be listed on the cEDH Decklist Database (alongside Godo, Bandit WarlordGodo, Bandit Warlord), and can pull off some pretty crazy plays. She currently sits as the #84 commander on EDHREC and the second most popular mono-red commander behind Krenko, Mob BossKrenko, Mob Boss, so she's got a devout following.

Let's see what makes Magda so popular.

Magda, Brazen OutlawMagda, Brazen Outlaw

What's Hot and What's Not for Magda, Brazen Outlaw

Magda is a competitive deck, described on the Decklist Database as "a proactive midrange combo deck, with both stax and fast combo pivots." It makes great use of stax pieces - cards that slow down the pace of play for all players - and can combo off quickly by making a "Robo-Dwarf" (a Dwarf that's been transformed into an artifact with something like Ashnod's TransmograntAshnod's Transmogrant) and Clock of OmensClock of Omens.

Among Magda's most popular cards are old, cheap Dwarves like Axgard CavalryAxgard Cavalry (in 79% of decks), synergistic stax cards like Tangle WireTangle Wire (in 23% of decks), and other game pieces like XornXorn (in 81% of decks) that work well with all the TreasureTreasure tokens that our commander can create.

What's Fiery for Magda Decks?

Stalactite DaggerStalactite Dagger - Fire Score of 10.42

This is actually not the Lorwyn card I expected to see on this list. While this Equipment does make a token that's a Dwarf, I expected to see Firdoch CoreFirdoch Core, a pre-made artifact Dwarf, gaining popularity. That aside, Stalactite Dagger is a great card for Magda decks. There aren't that many Dwarves available for Commander players, so any newcomers are likely to see significant play.

It's also nice that this Equipment can turn a utility creature, like Professional Face-BreakerProfessional Face-Breaker, into a Dwarf! I think this will become a staple of Magda lists.

Peter Parker's CameraPeter Parker's Camera - Fire Score of 5.22

Activating Magda once can get a pilot close to victory. But, activating Magda twice all but guarantees it. Fetching up Battered GolemBattered Golem and Maskwood NexusMaskwood Nexus with a way to tap creatures on the board is one such combo, but there's tons of overlapping combo lines that are in this deck's 99.

Typically we need five Treasures per Magda activation, but this artifact makes it much cheaper to win the game. As a fast combo deck, that acceleration is valuable.

Redirect LightningRedirect Lightning - Fire Score of 3.70

Red decks don't have many ways to protect their most valuable permanents and spells. They usually need to rely on Deflecting SwatDeflecting Swat and PyroblastPyroblast to ward off counterspells. This is another fantastic way to keep our stuff safe.

It's not quite as good as Deflecting Swat, which was once a Game Changer, but it's still absolutely worth a slot in our 99.

Kavaron, Memorial WorldKavaron, Memorial World - Fire Score of 2.81

As a monocolored deck, we've got a lot of Mountains. That makes it easy to find room for utility lands, especially ones that tap for colored mana. Kavaron makes an artifact creature token (which can be a Dwarf if we've got Maskwood NexusMaskwood Nexus on the battlefield) and can grant our creatures haste.

We want to attack with our creatures in order to make Treasures with Magda, so haste is valuable when we need a few extra triggers from our commander.

Knuckles the EchidnaKnuckles the Echidna - Fire Score of 2.36

Both of this Echidna's abilities are fantastic in this deck. We've got a lot of creatures in this deck, so we'll often connect with an opponent in combat. The Treasures that Knuckles makes get us closer to a Magda activation! Then, if we can't find a way to win through opposing interaction, Magda decks can easily make infinite Treasure tokens. This allows Knuckles' alternative win condition to easily be met.

Tezzeret, Cruel CaptainTezzeret, Cruel Captain - Fire Score of 2.07

It's hard to explain just how good Tezzeret is for Magda decks. Each of his loyalty abilities are useful. His 0 ability can untap a Mana VaultMana Vault or a Dwarf to make an extra Treasure. His -3 ability can put a Vexing BaubleVexing Bauble, Universal AutomatonUniversal Automaton, and even a Treasure VaultTreasure Vault into our hand. Finally, his -7 can provide a way to close out games through clogged-up board states.

This planeswalker should have a slot in most every Magda deck.

Lifecraft EngineLifecraft Engine - Fire Score of 2.06

One of the easiest ways for pilots to combo off is with a Dwarf that's been turned into an artifact and Clock of OmensClock of Omens. Lifecraft Engine turns all of our Vehicles, including itself, into Dwarves. It also provides an easy, repeatable way to tap our Dwarves to generate Treasures.

The +1/+1 anthem it gives us access to isn't extremely valuable, but it's nice to have.

What's Icy for Magda Decks?

AbradeAbrade - Ice Score of -2.54

While it doesn't kill creatures like Abrade does, I'd swap this spell out for Untimely MalfunctionUntimely Malfunction. The ability to change the target of a spell is extremely valuable. If we really need to kill a creature, we've got access to Lightning BoltLightning Bolt for less anyways.

Blood MoonBlood Moon and Magus of the MoonMagus of the Moon - Ice Scores of -2.26 and -2.05

Blood Moon effects are fun. It's amusing to watch the other players at the table panic as their $1,000+ mana bases become useless before their very eyes. But we run a good few utility lands ourselves. Cavern of SoulsCavern of Souls, Holdout SettlementHoldout Settlement, and even Urza's SagaUrza's Saga are nullified by these effects.

Plus, when opponents see that we've brought a mono- deck to the table, they're likely to fetch up a basic or two to avoid getting completely blown out.

Disruptor FluteDisruptor Flute - Ice Score of -2.23

This artifact can really screw over certain decks. If we see an opponent attempting to win through an Underworld BreachUnderworld Breach line, we can flash this card in and name Lion's Eye DiamondLion's Eye Diamond. If we see someone trying to fetch up a win with Sisay, Weatherlight CaptainSisay, Weatherlight Captain, we can derail their plans too.

But the Flute doesn't usually stop them from winning the game, it just delays it. While we may just need an extra turn to turn the corner, Magda pilots seem to be leaning towards other ways of interacting with their opponents.

Ruby MedallionRuby Medallion - Ice Score of -2.16

While the Medallions are great in low-color decks, we're not actually casting that many spells. Magda decks tend to win through activated abilities, making this artifact less useful. It's also of note that a lot of cards in this deck cost just , making Ruby Medallion's cost reduction even less relevant.

What's in a Magda, Brazen Outlaw Deck?

I'm lucky enough to have a close friend that's a prolific Magda pilot. I've used his cEDH deck as the basis for this list, but I've added all of our Fiery cards and removed all of our Icy cards. I'm particularly fond of his inclusion of Clown CarClown Car, a silly, yet powerful, Vehicle.

Conclusion

Magda is one of the most interesting Bracket 5 decks out there. It plays a lot of cards that are individually quite bad, like Spark MageSpark Mage, and brings them to unbelievable heights. I never thought I'd see Mirror of the ForebearsMirror of the Forebears as an absolute staple of any cEDH archetype, but here we are!

Do you have any spicy Magda inclusions that other pilots may have missed? Did you enjoy this higher power edition of Fire and Ice? Let me know in the comments below, and we'll get back to our usual Bracket 2 and 3 decks next week!