Xavier Sal, Infested CaptainXavier Sal, Infested Captain | Art by Bryan Sola

Greetings and salutations my dear brewers, from a place where finally temperatures have dropped below hellfire, and I can finally breathe, and it feels so good! I'm Arnaud and I'm here to take you on a journey of wild scallywags, untapping shenanigans, and maybe some combos.

It's been a while since the last Trim, with the summer holidays taking their toll on my limited time. It seems I was not alone in this, as the last poll shows only 73 votes total. That, or the contenders weren't that exciting to you all.

Niv-Mizzet, VisionaryNiv-Mizzet, Visionary came dead last, with 17 votes (23%). This is the second time this has happened, so I got the message, he'll appear no more. Second place went to Halsin, Emerald ArchdruidHalsin, Emerald Archdruid with Inspiring LeaderInspiring Leader, earning 21 votes (29%). I'm a bit surprised at the scores for this one, as Halsin has been slept on for much too long. A great tokens commander, if you ask me. The grand winner, with 35 votes (48%), is therefore none other than Xavier Sal, Infested CaptainXavier Sal, Infested Captain.

I love this card for a variety of reasons. First, its simplicity. Get rid of X to get Y or Y to get X. It's also a card that practically screamed Comboooooooooooooo in my face the moment I saw it, basically begging to be cracked in half. And while I'm rather partial to combos in these brews, I may make an exception, if budget allows. Or not, I've yet to write the article.

Without further ado, let's grab each and every card from both the regular and cheap sections of this commander's page on EDHREC and plop them in Archidekt.

376 cards. Now that's a beefy stack!

Let's get to work.

First Trim – Ahoy Mateys, Get Rid of the Gold!

As it is now the custom, I'd like to give a warm welcome to each and every one of you who happen to read this series for the first time (and if you could let me know in the comments, that'd be great, I love to know there are still newcomers in these parts).

In From the Brim to the Trim, conveniently called Trims from now on, I try building a deck from a commander you chose for me, with one simple rule: no card worth $1.11 or more can be used.

This means that the very first task is to remove all the cards from the list that don't fit the bill.

Down to 266 cards, a rather high count at this stage.

Before moving on, let's take a look at the best cards in the $1.11-$2.00 range, just for the beauty of the shinies.

• Jugan Defends the TempleJugan Defends the Temple: An interesting if rather slow way to add a plethora of +1/+1 counters.
• Nissa, Ascended AnimistNissa, Ascended Animist: Make big tokens, use it as repeated removal, or use the ultimate ability to end the game. Simple and efficient.
• Kiora, the Crashing WaveKiora, the Crashing Wave: Another member of the Superfriends crew. Versatile if slightly underwhelming by today's standards.
• Adrix and Nev, TwincastersAdrix and Nev, Twincasters: The recent reprint tanked its price, but it's still too expensive. A shame.
• Insidious RootsInsidious Roots: An excellent ramp outlet in any tokens deck.
• Idol of OblivionIdol of Oblivion: My favourite draw outlet in any tokens deck.
• Tekuthal, Inquiry DominusTekuthal, Inquiry Dominus: Fantastic doubler. One or two more reprints should drive it below the $1 mark, or so I hope.
• Mirkwood BatsMirkwood Bats: One of the absolute best outlets for any Aristocrats build, period.
• Garruk, Primal HunterGarruk, Primal Hunter: Solid, solid draw outlet.
• DoppelgangDoppelgang: Expensive? Yes. Efficient? Also. Game-ending? Possibly.
• Flux ChannelerFlux Channeler: Looks like an auto-include, were it not for its price.
• Evolution SageEvolution Sage: Same.
• Tyvar, Jubilant BrawlerTyvar, Jubilant Brawler: Fantastic for both its static and first activated abilities.
• Double MajorDouble Major: This is a cheap and underrated gem in my book. It's essentially a second commander for close to nothing.

This leaves no less than 10 cards in the $1.00-$1.10 range:

• Gyre SageGyre Sage: Ramp and sustainable food for Xavier all in one.
• Narset, Parter of VeilsNarset, Parter of Veils: Cheap as she may be, she's still a Game Changer. So that's a hard pass.
• Bojuka BogBojuka Bog: Who in their right mind wouldn't play Bog in any black deck?
• Utopia MyconUtopia Mycon: A nostalgic piece from the most excellent Time Spiral set. Cute, but feels slightly underpowered.
• Tendershoot DryadTendershoot Dryad: This on the other hand looks like a no-brainer.
• Inexorable TideInexorable Tide: I love this card, but it's also been rather disappointing whenever I've tried playing it.
• Garruk, Cursed HuntsmanGarruk, Cursed Huntsman: Too expensive for what it actually achieves.
• Kasmina, Enigma SageKasmina, Enigma Sage: This, on the other hand, is both cheap and versatile.
• Ominous SeasOminous Seas: Combined with mass draw engines, this is a game-ending machine.
• Insight EngineInsight Engine: Underappreciated draw outlet, especially if you proliferate. Who needs The One RingThe One Ring anyway?

All this leaves a healthy 234 cards to work with.

Onwards mateys, the seas await!

Second Trim – Avoiding Scurvy

You know how it goes. When at sea (and also anywhere else), eat your veggies.

So let's get rid of the annoying part quickly. This is how things stand at the moment.

I'd like to keep ramp and draw in the 12-14 range. There are several outlets that lean toward the counters-matter strategy, so I'll try leaning toward that too.

Removal will be the usual 5-8.

Board wipes on the other hand are rather lacking, so I will add a couple more, just to be on the safe side.

Finally, protection outlets look rather fine, so most of them will remain untouched.

Let's cut.

Let's add a couple of board wipes back into the list. Deadly TempestDeadly Tempest and Final ActFinal Act will do nicely.

After giving the land base a healthy makeover (much like Xavier's beard would need), the list is down to 162 cards.

Still a lot of work to do. Let's move to the fun part.

Third Trim – Setting a Course

Xavier Sal, Infested CaptainXavier Sal, Infested Captain is a design that achieves the impressive goal of being both great and annoying.

It's great because it's versatile. And it's annoying also because it's bloody verstatile.

You may have noticed already with the previous section that this list is basically all over the place.

There are token makers, and there are planeswalkers, and there are tutors, and there are proliferating outlets, and there are Sagas, and there are clones, and there are Fungi...

Good old Xavier suffers from the Rome syndrome: countless paths leading to it.

I'm rather tempted to go the classical route here: tokens and proliferation, with no exotic shenanigans. So let's create some order. First, let's have a look at the minor categories:

• Clones: Much as I'd love to make a bunch of self-replicating copies of the commander, I believe the list is lacking several key outlets to make this work. In another world, I believe that combining clones with the Mutate mechanic, much like what Ivy, Gleeful SpellthiefIvy, Gleeful Spellthief players do, could make for a very fun list. You could also try making tokens of your opponents' stuff and proliferate them, but it seems a bit far-fetched. Here, I'll keep only the one that circumvents the legendary rule, and no more.
• Poison: No, no, and yet another no. No.

• Tutors: Never been a fan of those in these brews. Out.
• Counterspells: The few available are not that exciting. Out.
• Recursion: A few interesting spells. Not that many though.
• Counters: There's only five such spells, and all are excellent. In.
• Untappers: More activations each turn? Yes please!

This leaves with two major categories: Proliferate, with 19 spells; Tokens, with 23.

These are the meat and bones of this brew, so I'll try to keep a significant number.

With all this in mind, here come the cuts:

And with this, the list is down to a surprisingly hard-to-reach 110 cards. Let's move on to the final cuts.

Final Trim – Where's a WhtzWhtz When You Need One?

All right, 10 more cards to obliterate. As usual, if something has made it this far, it's probably that's it's rather good, or at least good enough to be playable. Keep in mind that these are arbitrary decisions, and not necessarily the best ones.

Here goes:

• The Bath SongThe Bath Song and Fungal PlotsFungal Plots: Two draw outlets, leaving 12, which should be enough.
• Replicating RingReplicating Ring and Talisman of DominanceTalisman of Dominance: Two ramp outlets, same as above.
• Snakeskin VeilSnakeskin Veil and Kasmina, Enigmatic MentorKasmina, Enigmatic Mentor: Protection, Schmotection...
• Smell FearSmell Fear: I'm not 100% sure you'll have a relevant fighter all the time.
• Whisper of the DrossWhisper of the Dross: One mana proliferation is nice, but the removal is abysmally bad.
• Deadly TempestDeadly Tempest: I know, I was the one who added it to the list in the first place. Mea maxima culpa. But there's nothing else I want to cut at this point.
• Gruff TripletsGruff Triplets: This is a fantastic card, but the makes me wary.

And with these last, painful, no, excruciating cuts – hyperbola anyone? – I give you:

Additional Trim – A Look Into the Past

Let's end this grand tour by taking a look at a Gisa, the Hellraiser list from a year and half ago. Last time wasn't so bad, so let's hope the trend continues...

Nope, not this time. With 13 cards above the $1.10 mark, this is one for the books:

• Pact of the SerpentPact of the Serpent: $1.13
• Bounty BoardBounty Board: $1.25
• MutilateMutilate: $1.31
• DefileDefile: $1.41
• Idol of OblivionIdol of Oblivion: $1.45
• Mirkwood BatsMirkwood Bats: $1.48
• Not Dead After AllNot Dead After All: $1.59
• Fanatical OfferingFanatical Offering: $1.65
• Hagra MaulingHagra Mauling: $1.74
• Swiftfoot BootsSwiftfoot Boots: $1.96
• Thought VesselThought Vessel: $2.48 (!)
• Blood ArtistBlood Artist: $2.58 (!)
• Liquimetal TorqueLiquimetal Torque: $2.75 (!)

Ouch, that hurts. A lot of great draw and ramp, not mentioning other excellent tools for mono-. Let's see if there are somewhat decent replacements.

• Withering TormentWithering Torment: An excellent removal, which dropped in price "thanks" to Marvel.
• Priest of Forgotten GodsPriest of Forgotten Gods: A good way to use those corpses littering the battlefield.
• CryptbreakerCryptbreaker: Excellent draw engine. The first ability is incidental.
• Witch's CottageWitch's Cottage: Because recursion.
• Lost Monarch of IfnirLost Monarch of Ifnir: Makes it remarkably difficult to willingly block your horde.
• Accursed MarauderAccursed Marauder: Only two mana, and you'd be surprised at how efficient that nontoken clause is.
• Stronghold AssassinStronghold Assassin: Sac a Zombie, kill a creature, make two new Zombies.
• Plumb the ForbiddenPlumb the Forbidden: Draw and draw some more.
• Vampiric RitesVampiric Rites: A bit mana-intensive for my taste, but gets the job done.
• ExsanguinateExsanguinate: Another classic finisher.
• The Sackville-BagginsesThe Sackville-Bagginses: A new one from The Hobbit, which rewards token sacrifice.
• Two Swamps: The land count was decidedly too low back then.

You can find the updated list here.

Conclusion

Another Trim down, many more to go.

Until next time, I'd love to see comments, advice, opinions, thoughts, roasts, engagement, commitment, hooliganism (no, scratch that one), love letters, and more.

See you in two weeks for the next one!

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