I'M BACK + Maelstrom Wanderer EDH Deck Tech

Hey Ladies and Gents!



I am back in the saddle here in Grand Rapids and looking forward to bringing you more EDH/Commander goodness in the weeks to come now that my summer job is over so expect to see a lot more of me soon! Also I will be picking back up with the EDH staples and Card of the Week! I might also consider doing a set review for Return to Ravnica but we shall see how my time pans out...



Now on the the Wanderer!

Sexy...

So there is a story behind this deck and why I wanted to make him my general. One night I was hanging out with my good friends Alec and Michael. We have played Magic together before and even talked about making EDH decks for the two of them but it had just never worked itself out. That night we were in the mood and went out and bought three of the new Planchase decks (which are sweet I might add) As I looked through the selection of decks one of my friends quickly grabbed the ninja deck and the other snagged up the GW Aura deck he had played with once before. This left the 5 color cascade deck and the GR Aggro deck. Obviously I was drawn to the Cascade deck. That night I played with the deck and found it so much fun to just flip cards off the top not really knowing what I would get but knowing that it was probably gonna be sweet.

Long story short the game went on for quite some time and I ended up with a 7 card library of Enigma Sphinx which kept on getting shuffled in and 6 basic land cards. It was one of the most memorable games I have ever played yet the entire time all I was thinking about was how I could make the deck better and EDH-ify it. This led to me discovering the Maelstrom Wanderer was in fact legendary.

I may have cried.

The deck focuses on ramping mana very quickly, drawing tons of cards, and manipulating the top of your library until you can cast your big, splashy cascade cards and big bombs. I have yet to find a deck I absolutely love to pilot as much as this deck. So without further ado the cards.

General:

1 Maelstrom Wanderer

Artifacts:
1 Birthing Pod
1 Coalition Relic
1 Crystal Ball

1 Crystal Shard
1 Expedition Map
1 Lightning Greaves


Creatures:
1 Aeon Chronicler
1 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Brooding Saurian
1 Coiling Oracle

1 Deadeye Navigator
1 Djinn of Wishes
1 Eternal Witness
1 Etherium-Horn Sorcerer
1 Garruk’s Horde
1 Inferno Titan

1 Izzet Chronarch
1 Jushi Apprentice

1 Magus of the Future
1 Manaplasm
1 Oracle of Mul Daya

1 Palinchron
1 Peregrine Drake
1 Phyrexian Ingester
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Primeval Titan
1 Seedborn Muse
1 Shardless Agent
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
1 Trygon Predator
1 Whirlpool Warrior
1 Yavimaya Elder

 Enchantments:
1 Druids' Repository
1 Honden of Seeing Winds
1 Leyline of Anticipation
1 Rites of Flourishing
1 Warstorm Surge

 Instants:
1 Beast Within
1 Spell Crumple

1 Violent Outburst


Lands:
1 Alchemist’s Refuge
1 Command Tower
1 Copperline Gorge

1 Desolate Lighthouse
1 Evolving Wilds
7 Forest
1 Gruul Turf
1 Hinterland Harbor
7 Island

1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Misty Rainforest

1 Mosswort Bridge

5 Mountain
1 Raging Ravine
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Rootbound Crag
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Temple of the False God

1 Verdant Catacombs


Legendary Creatures:
1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
1 Intet, the Dreamer

 Planeswalkers:
1 Garruk Wildspeaker

1 Jace Beleren

1 Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded

Sorceries:
1 Bonfire of the Damned

1 Boundless Realms
1 Cultivate
1 Decimate
1 Devastation Tide

1 Disaster Radius
1 Explosive Vegetation

1 Genesis Wave
1 Kodama’s Reach
1 Mass Mutiny
1 Mind’s Desire
1 Past in Flames
1 Praetor's Counsel
1 Rite of Replication

1 Time Warp

So that is the list. It is pretty cheap to make and very fun to run. Now the emphasis is FUN. For those of you that are crying out "where is the Mimic Vat" or "Lurking Predators would be sweet in this deck" I ask you this: do you ever really have fun using those cards? No they are combo cards that just lead to quicker kills and shorter less enjoyable games. Note that the deck is not completely finished at this point but it is specifically built to have a couple of infinite combos ( Deadeye Navigator + either Izzet Chronarch/Palinchron/Peregrine Drake for infinite mana or turns) to punish the douches of the world while still being a fun deck when I find players who really enjoy the game for what it is: a casual game type that promotes interacting with friends and making connections while watching sweet things happen.



If people like the deck I can go into more detail but or now I think I will leave the deck tech as is. One of my favorite parts of the deck is just playing with it and slowly discovering new things about it. I hope this inspires you to make your own RUG deck or use my deck to great success!



Monday I will be covering a brew I am working on with Omnath, Locus of Mana as the general!



And remember a deck is only as good as the gentleman playing it!



Cards Any Good Gentleman Should Play: White

Howdy Ladies and Gents,


Kyle here and today I am going to be bringing, to you, the Top 10 White staples for the Commander format. I don't think there is too much more to be said about this so lets get into it shall we?!


1. Austere Command $3.00

It even destroys the kitchen sink...

If I am spending 6 mana to wrath something I am either hard casting Terminus or Austere Command. This is whites toolbox card. Artifacts got you down. Austere can kill them. Enchantments bugging you? Austere is on the case! Of course it wouldn't be a wrath effect if it didn't kill creatures but you get to decide which creatures live and which die or if any live at all. "I will Austere Command killing all your artifacts and big creatures. Good thing my Hanna survived so I can start getting my artifacts back!" This is the opposite of a permission card because you are getting to decide what you want to nuke. This card is particularly effective against decks that revolve around auras as many time Greater Auramancy or Diplomatic Immunity render traditional enchantment hate obsolete. So versatile it fits into just about any deck running White. Obviously there are other six mana wrath effects but none is quite as powerful or versatile as this.

 

2. Swords to Plowshare $4.00

The Real Slim Shady

This card is not only one of the representative cards for White cards it is in many ways one of the representative cards of Magic right next to Force of Will and Demonic Tutor in my mind. This card was the first in a long line of White one mana exile target creature effects. These cards are some of the least conditional removal in the entirety of Magic. As long as that creature does not have shroud or hexproof this card is hitting it and exiling it. Indestructable? Does it say destroy? Recurrable? Not unless you have a Riftsweeper or I'm wasting my removal on Misthollow Griffin. Often times, even in Commander, a format where most one for ones are awful, the ability to point and say that is gone for good is undervalued. It is cards like these that put White in the same league as Black or Red in terms of removal. Shoutout to some of the descendants of Swords: Path to Exile, Condemn, Soul Snare.

3. Oblivion Ring $1.50

O-Ring targeting O-Ring...

Oblivion Ring is one of the reasons that so many decks are able to function. What about enchantments? I have O-Ring. Planeswalkers? O-Ring. Lands? O-Riiiiiiwasteland. White doesn't really need the extra removal for creatures but Oblivion Ring is a staple because not only can it hit a creature if need be it also hits all of the really hard to hit permanents. On top of that it is decently recurrable if put into the right deck and can do some funky shenanigans with Venser in a W/U deck. Overall there really isn't a reason not to run Oblivion Ring over just about any other removal because odds are it is easier to cast, hits more things, and is harder to get rid of than it's would be replacement.

4. Reveillark $4.00

Do I get bonus points if one is Snapcaster and the other is Witness?

 

The first creature on the list and rightly so. This guy is crazy! Reveillark once is pretty cool and you have gotten your money's worth right there however, rarely does Reveillark only come to the party once. As my little under photo blerb would seem to suggest I would argue that he is not doing his best work in a mono white deck (although Reveillark for Stoneforge Mystic & Mirran Crusader seems like a pretty big game). The stipulation that the creatures have less than 2 power means that more times than not you will be returning utility creatures that were removed or used to chump block. That is by no means a bad thing, in fact I might argue it is what makes Reveillark so good. Even when you are only returning little guys you are getting value and there is always next time when you bring Reve back a la Emeria or some other recurrsion device. Cards that are similar include Sun Titan, Karmic Guide, and Ranger of Eos.

5. Enlightened Tutor $12.00

How does she find you stuff with her eyes closed?

Now I chose Enlightened Tutor over Academy Rector because, Academy Rector, while powerful and an amazing rattlesnake is not the right creature for every deck. On the otherhand I have yet to see a deck playing White that does not have or does not want Enlightened Tutor in it. The card is just too versatile! That is a pattern throughout these staple cards in fact. When cards allow players to make decisions and have more than one way out the card generally sees a lot of play or can even ascend to the level of staple. Finding any enchantment (like say #3 on the list) or artifact from your deck is incredibly powerful. I can pretty much garuntee this now that the tutors in each color are probably going to find their way on to these lists one way or another. There is just too much power in seeing a threat and responding to it with the exact answer or grabbing the last piece to make your threat a reality. Other good tutors in white include Academy Rector (obviously) and Idyllic Tutor.

 

6. Yosei, the Morning Star $7.00

The moment where you realize "I'm not doing anything next turn".

Yosei, the Morning Star, definitely the second best of the Kamigawa Dragons (behind Kokusho). Now I sort of hesitate to put Yosei on this list only because one of the reasons he is so good is because of his applications in various lockdown strategies. I would like to evaluate him less as a combo piece and more as a creature that is nothing but upside. Yosei is actually one of the best mono White generals that White has avalible. He is a 5/5 flying beastie that you can attack or block with pretty freely. If and when Yosei dies you get the ability to Time Walk one guy by tapping down all of his permanents and then making him skip his untap step. A powerful effect even for a legendary dragon spirirt. The other White dragons are soemwhat mediocre with Eternal Dragon being the only other card of real note. If, however, we decide to list him in broader tems as a White bomb, cards like Baneslayer Angel and Akroma would become decent replacements.

 

7. Land Tax $10.00

And now we play the waiting game...

 

Land Tax is arguably the best in a bizarre line of White spells that ramp mana when behind on lands. I really love this card (other than the art which I personally think is atrocious) for its incredibly unique effect. When a player thinks of what mono White does ramping up on Plains is not generally the first thing that comes to mind. Can sometimes create a wierd subgame in smaller games where people will not play lands once they have enough just so you don't get to activte Land Tax. There are only a few cards that are even similar to this card: Weathered Wayfarer, Oath of Lieges, and Gift of Estates.



8. Terminus $5.00

Top-deck of the century

Now I am gonna make a bold statement and suggest that Terminus is better than Hallowed Burial, the card that might have filled this slot not a month ago. At their core these cards are what is called a "tuck" effect. The primary use for a tuck effect is to either get rid of a general, stop someone from doing some graveyard tomfoolery, or to get around natural recursion like flashback or undying. These effects, while good in other formats, are completely necessary in every Commander deck that can find them because it is one of the few ways to get rid of a general for any extended amount of time. Similar cards include Hallowed Burial and Oblation.

9. Stoneforge Mystic $8.00

We meet again!

Anyone who has played Magic for the past year or so knows exactly who this is. The best equipment tutor to every be printed Stoneforge allows a commander to re-live the good old days of Caw Blade. Add a dash of Jace and some Swords and it will be like she never got banned! Too bad you can only have one copy of Squadron Hawk. Not only does Mystic find the equipment for you she puts the equipment onto the field for less mana and makes it uncounterable barring a couple of fringe counterspells. For those on a budget Stonehewer Giant can fill a similar role in any deck running equipment.



10. Mother of Runes $5.00

Not to be confused with Mother of Goons

Sometimes the cards that are most useful are the cheapest ones. A common theme in these staples is the protection of your general. Generals are usually the centerpiece of a deck and without them many decks can feel a bit awkward or clunky. This is why it is often very wise to include in your 99 a couple of protection cards. For the White commander fewer options are cheaper than Mother of Runes. In the early game unless you are being focused by multiple people odds are your wouldbe assailant will have to go through Mother of Runes to get to your general. Now you may say to yourself "why does having to get through a 1/1 creature seem hard." My answer is that it doesn't the issue is resources. Most decks only run a small spot removal suite because, for the most part, spot removal is rather bad in large multiplayer formats. This means that an opponent has to have two forms of removal in his hand or your general gets to live to fight a turn or two. Sweepers don't even stop Mother of Runes as she can just give your general protection from the sweepers color. Also serves as a way for generals to get that last bit of general damage in by making your general unblockable to a certain color. This is defenitely one of the more undervalued abilities in Magic and can really frustrate people when done correctly. Other good color protecters include Glory, Eight-and-a-Half-Tails, and Story Circle.

Well I hope you have enjoyed my Top 10 White Staple cards. Remeber ladies and gents these are my own personal opinions on the format staples form my own experience. I am not claiming to be an expert. All of the prices are taken from starcitygames.com so take them with a grain of salt.

The Blue Staples will be coming either tomorrow or Wednesday (whenever I have enough time) so look out for that.

As always the deck is only as good as the Gentleman playing it.



Budget Solutions for the Discerning Gent #1

Hey Ladies and Gents



I don't know if I want to make this a series but I feel as if this is an issue that should at least be addressed once. The issue in question is money.



Commander for all its fun is an expensive hobby. Many of the cards that are staples in decks are staples because they are good! Anyone with even a semblance of economic knowledge knows that when a product is in demand the price will rise. Especially if the supply is low which can be the case for many of the older (and newer) EDH bombs.



I know I personally have invested well over $400 overtime in my EDH decks. Many of those purchases I will never have to make again (it is a singleton format thankfully) but at some point a commander needs to take the monetary leap of faith.



Now for those of you that are not ready to make that leap yet there are solutions! Thankfully Commander is a fairly slow format. The only time a 4 or 8 man game ends on turn 5 is when someone is being on the douchier side of things. Since these games go on for much longer it is easier to run subpar cards and still come out on top.



It is going to be true that your deck will likely be clunkier than you intended it to be but you get what you pay for.



The purpose of this article is to take some of the pricier buys that a Commander is likely to make and giving a couple of cheaper substitutes that could fill the place of the more expensive card well. I will cover a number of lands which are often the most expensive part and if I recieve positive feedback I will try posting other budget articles. Maybe even a budget deck. Something under $50?



Lets get started...



Fetchlands = Evolving Wilds/Terramorphic Expanse/Panoramas

Landbases are going to be the theme of this article as they are often the most expensive part of a deck. Every single deck needs a manabase. This means that the popularity of your color essentially determines how much you have to pay for lands (good luck blue). Fetch lands are often on another level however because they can be run in any deck even if one of the colors it fetches for is not in the deck because it does not explicitly show the mana symbols of the colors it fetches only naming the basic land type. These are soem of the few cards that actually sneak under Commander's color rules. As a rule of thumb the Zendikar fetches (Misty Rainforest, Arid Mesa, Scalding Tarn, Verdant Catacomb, Marsh Flats) are around $20 while the Onslaught fetches (Polluted Delta, Flooded Strand, Windswept Heath, Bloodstained Mire, Wooded Foothills) are all around $40. That can be a big dent in a 2 color deck with 5 color decks hitting double digit price tags on these lands alone.

Thankfully there are replacements though in the form of Evolving Wilds, Terramorphic Expanse, and the Panorama cycle of lands (Esper Panorama, Naya Panorama, Jund Panorama, Bant Panorama, Grixis Panorama). Now you might be asking yourself why pay so much money if there are cards that replace them. The answer is this: fetches are amazing. They thin your deck making sure you don't draw land as often late game, are recurrable with Crucible of Worlds and fix your mana by grabbing Dual Lands (of the original or shock variety). The difference that makes the original fetches so good is that they fetch the land untapped so you do not waste a land drop. This may seem trivial at first but once you play a game with a fetch and then play a game with an Evolving Wilds you will know the difference.


Savings: Zendikar- $19.00 Onslaught- $39.00





Wasteland = Tectonic Edge/Ghost Quarter


Land destruction is rarely smiled upon but having some in your deck is never a bad thing. The first time you play against Cabal Coffers or Gaea's Cradle you'll wish you had put that Strip Mine in for that basic mountain. Wasteland and Strip Mine are the premeier in land destruction as they don't even take up a spell slot. Thankfully Strip Mine has been reprinted before with a white boarder. These can be found in excess for around $3.99 if you don't mind the white, not bad for one of the best land killers in the business. Wasteland on the otherhand has never been reprinted outside of Judge Foils and those go for $80.00. A regualr Tempest block Wasteland is going to set you back around $50.00.

I personally do not own a Wasteland because of how similar it is to Tectonic Edge. With Strip Mine and Tec Edge I have been able to deal with almost every problem land I have come across. It should be said however, that Wasteland is a strictly better card. Unlike fetches the difference here is trivial unless your intention is to "Waste-lock" someone with Crucible but if you are doing that the $50.00 price tag is the least of your worries.

Savings: $48.00 for Tectonic Edge, $44.00 if you want to shell out for an FNM promo of Tec Edge(you know you wanna).





Dual Lands = Many

Mono colored commanders can ignore this. These are the "money cards" of Magic save for the Moxes and a select few cards from way back in the day (although the Beta duals are pretty old). There are really two series of true dual lands those being the Ravnica shocklands (Hallowed Fountain, Blood Crypt, Breeding Pool, Overgrown Tomb, Watery Grave, Steam Vents, Stomping Ground, Sacred Foundry, Godless Shrine, and Temple Garden) and the Beta duals (Volcanic Island, Underground Sea, Tropical Island, Taiga, Badlands, Tundra, Scrubland, Savannah, Plateau, Bayou). The most expensive shockland is Hallowed Fountain at $30.00 while the an actual Beta dual is around $1500.00. That is not a typo. Ya! You can pick up white border versions for around $150 (all these prices are for Underground Sea some are a little cheaper).

Now there have been many iterations of the dual lands since but none have been quite up to par. For all intents and purposes however these lands function in a similar way. There are three cycles of lands that come to mind the Karoo lands (Azorius Chancery, Boros Garrison, Simic Growth Chamber, Golgari Rot Farm, Selesnya Sanctuary, Izzet Boilerworks, Orzhov Basilica, Gruul Turf, Rakdos Carnarium, Dimir Aqueduct), the Scarslands (Seachrome Coast, Darkslick Shores, Copperline Gorge, Blackcleave Cliffs, Razorverge Thicket), and the taplands (Glacial Fortress, Drowned Catacomb, Rootbound Crag, Dragonskull Summit, Sunpetal Grove, Clifftop Retreat, Sulfur Falls, Isolated Chapel, Hinterland Harbor, Woodland Cemetery). All of these lands produce two types of mana and have some sort of stipulation that determines whether they come into play tapped or not. The Karoo lands are probably the worst replacements for the duals but should be used for any "enemy color" (W/B, U/R, W/R, B/G, U/G) combo as there are no Scarsland cards in those combos. The biggest issue with these lands that does not make them dual lands in the traditional sense is that these lands are simply non-basic lands. The original duals and shocklands all count as both basic land type of each of the colors they produce (example Badlands is a Mountain Swamp because it produces B/R). This is why they can be fetched out by the fetchlands discussed earlier.

Savings:
Shocklands = Scarslands- $14.00
Shocklands = Taplands- $24.00
Shocklands = Karoo- $39.00



Well I hope this small article has helped you. Again if this is something yall wanna see more of I am more than happy to write more of these type of article as money can be one of the things that holds people back the most when it comes to EDH.


Also and I cannot stress this enough. This is not Standard! If your deck is incomplete use it anyway and see how it goes!  Everytime you play you gain more insight into the format and your own cards. I never fully decide a decklist until after I have played with it a little cause I always find myself changing cards around that I found less than satisfying. Worst comes to worst ask your playgroup if you can use proxies. This is a last resort but if it gets you paying that seems like a sucess in my book.


Well yall thanks for reading I will be posting the White EDH Staples tomorrow so be on the lookout for that!


Remeber the deck is only as good as the Gentleman playing it!

Cards Any Good Gentleman Should Play: Artifacts

Hey ladies and gents,



Happy Monday! So I finally got all of the card links into the Hanna article if you were wishing for those over the weekend and I wanted to start off this week right. I also want to apologize if you are having trouble viewing the aformentioned deck right now as the site is busy integrating the new set, Avacyn Restored.



Humor me for a minute. When I was starting out I wanted to build my deck to win but, I also wanted to put the best backup cards I coud find into the deck. So I went online and looked up "staple EDH cards". I found list after list that were usually 25-50 cards long. I eventually used these and experience to find out what cards were best but, I found that many of those lists were misleading or just too broad.


For me a staple card is a card that is nearly auto-included in almost every single deck that can run it. A player is not running 25 staples in a deck let alone 50. That is why I am going to attempt my own list of staples starting with artifacts then going around the color wheel (W,U,B,R,G in that order) and ending with colorless utility lands. These 10 card lists will have no particular order since you should at least consider for a moment running these cards in every deck they could be run in.

For those new players aquiring these cards will help you in setting up a solid foundaion no matter the deck you want to build.

So lets start it off...

1. Sol Ring $6.00

One ring to rule them all...

Sol Ring is a classic card. Every single game that I start out Turn 1 Sol Ring has been a good game. Playing this card puts you so far ahead of everyone that else everyone has to play it or risk always being behind. This means Turn 2 you are putting down a 4 drop with Sol Ring and a colorless 2 drop already in play. Thats a mana rock I can get behind. Cards in the same vein are Mana Crypt and Mana Vault. They didn't make it on the list because there are some deck where the extra damage you take is just not worth it, Sol Ring is painless. I would say this card is fighting for the title of #1 Trinket Mage target with...



2. Sensei's Divining Top $15.00

Top, go.

Top, top, top. Known for being banned in Modern, not for its raw power, but for making games go far too long. Commander players have learned over the years to Top on their own turns to save people the hassle but still tends to be a game-slower particularly if in the hands of a blue player. This card is just so cheap and so useful. What color deck doesn't want to smooth out their draws? I'll tell you: not a single one. Missed a land drop? Top for a land! Need a bomb? Top might just find ya one! DO NOT be that guy that combos this with Counterbalance. I will sit with my monocle and shake my head all game long. A similar card that almost made the list is Scroll Rack. I personally run both in almost all of my decks but Scroll Rack can be less useful in some decks.


3. Solemn Simulacrum $7.00

Sad robot is sad.

This guy is just 4 mana-worth of value! Not only do you get a colorless Rampant Growth on a dude but when he does die (hopefully after inflicting mild damage) you get to draw a card. He becomes a "2 drop" if used with #1 on the list. Add in some reanimation (#6 on the list) or flicker (Venser, the Sojourner) shenanigans and this guy is an all-star in basically every deck he is put in. It's a rare deck that has him cut from the lineup.

4. Lightning Greaves $2.00

Shoes...

So generals tend to be big tatgets when they hit the board. If I had a dime for everytime Hanna ate a removal spell the minute I cast her well, I wouldn't be in college right now. I'd be playing Commander casting Hanna against seven mono black opponents. That however is beside the point. Greaves has been saving commanders for 0 mana since Mirrodin block. Not only does it give your most prized creature the inability to be targeted but it also allows you to attack or activate the sweet ability of said creature the minute it comes on the the battlefield. Also sweet to put out Turn 1 with Sol Ring (it's almost like that card is good or something). Generals are never safe. If this forces your opponents to waste a "wrath" effect to get rid of your general, Greaves has done its job. Bonus it probably stuck around and two turns later when you recast your general it will still protect your main man (or woman). Honorable mentions go out to Swiftfoot Boots and Darksteel Plate, the trifecta of general protecting equipment.

5. Oblivion Stone $2.50

Boom.

A colorless wrath effect that can miss one or even multiple cards on your side of the board. It's a permanent on top of all that. A permanent that happens to be of one of the most recurrable types in Magic! Wrath effects are so good in Commander! I cannot stress that enough. If board sweepers are good enough to see Standard play (and those are 1v1) think about wiping 8 boards. The beauty of this card is that it can go in any deck. This is incredibly significant for a decks like mono green or mono blue which don't have many reliable sweepers in their colors. This time I want to shoutout to Nevinyrral's Disk the first colorless sweeper. While Disk is more aggressively costed, this card can save your stuff and hits planeswalkers which is not insignificant. Often times I will put both in my decks but if I'm going to choose one I will always grab O-Stone.

6. Mimic Vat $2.50

 

Put Fleshbag Maurader under? I think so!

A rather new addition to a "staples" list this card follows the pattern of giving an effect not usually avalible to all colors and making it colorless. In Commander creatures will die. It is a fact of the game. There has not been a real game of EDH that has not seen the death of at least one creature. This card gives recursion to your guys while allowing you to steal your opponents fatties at a huge discount. At the same time this gives you an awesome way to abuse those 187 (enter the battlefield) creatures like Woodfall Primus, Fleshbag Marauder, and Mulldrifter. Just throwing it out there but Reveillark plus this thing and a bunch of small dudes in your graveyard is bonkers. Bonus points for pictures!

7.  Sword of Fire and Ice $40.00

Hey at least it's not being held by a Hawk!

Obviously all five of the swords (Sword of Fire and Ice, Sword of Feast and Famine, Sword of Light and Shadow, Sword of Body and Mind, and Sword of War and Peace) are amazing and if I could put all of them on the list I would but, that wouldn't be very interesting now would it? The truth is that in more decks than not at least one sword is present. These cards are amazing! For five mana you can make one of your dudes possibly unblockable, bigger, and give him two sweet abilities if he does connect give free value. Then when someone does finally answer your beasty if they didn't kill the sword every single guy you play from then on out is two mana away from being just as much a problem. This is one of those cards that is laid down and screams answer me or die. Amazing equipment that did not make the list include Umezawa's Jitte, Batterskull, and Loxodon Warhammer


8. Crucible of Worlds $25.00

Why you gotta be so good Strip Mine?

Alright now if you have read some of my other articles you know that I generally disapprove of this card but, the fact of the matter is, this card is AMAZING. Like it or not there is going to be land destruction, either from the sadist with the other Crucible and a Strip Mine or from some DB running Obliterate. This card helps you out. Everytime I play this artifact I try to play it fairly only getting back fetchlands or only getting Tectonic Edge if someone lays down Cabal Coffers or some other unfair land. The truth is this card is just insurance for your lands and produces an effect that would be unique to one color (Life from the Loam) or incredibly slow (Petrified Field) otherwise. Abusable but, played fairly, is still an amazing card with fetchlands.


9. Skullclamp $3.00

You use it for the +1 right?

I thought long and hard about adding this card to the list and I finally caved in because, no matter how much I don't want to admit it, this card is fantastic and could easily be run in every deck I have ever even thought about building. There is good, GOOD reason that this card was banned in Standard while it was legal, Modern AND Legacy. This card is banned in LEGACY! Only in Vintage and Commander is it considered even mildly fair. Spoiler alert for those of you that do not know the only thing you will likely use this for is as a 1 mana draw two with some sort of token engine or as a rattlesnake card that says don't kill this guy or I get a huge advantage. While this card is not douchebaggery and will often be destroyed the minute it hits the table, this card is just unfair if allowed to go off. I cannot morally tell you to run it in a deck but if you must be aware that it is often target #1 on a table.

10. Expedition Map $0.50

Grabbing Academy Ruins. Muah ha ha!

Okay so if there was a card on this list that someone was going to argue with, this would probably be the one. I have a soft spot for this particular artifact but it is just way too good to pass up. The ability for a deck to seach up any land at any time is top 10 material if I have ever seen it. I am a huge fan of utility lands to the point where I have ruined perfectly good mana bases by shoving in as many utility lands as I could think up. I know one of these days I'm gonna build a mono brown (all artifact) deck and be in heaven. I auto-include this card in every deck I have ever built, including mono green, and have never regretted it. Think about this card in your opening hand! Are you ever saying to yourself darn I wish this were X or Y? No you are saying "sweet Expedition Map now I can get a land and fix my mana or grab a utility land. Some of my favorite targets are Bojuka Bog, Academy Ruins, Mistveil Plains, and Mystifying Maze. For those of you that disagree with me (as I am by no means an expert) I have included a more traditional honorable mention that can be subbed in for # 10 if you would like.



Honorable Mention Caged Sun $1.00

Finally it's asymmetrical!

Caged Sun is the latest member in a long line of artifacts that are "mana doublers". Other cards that are often played in addition to Caged Sun are Gauntlet of Power, Extraplanar Lens and the original Gauntlet of Might. Caged Sun stands out from the rest of the pack as being the first of these artifacts to make the effect asymmetrical (only effecting your side of the board). There is not a single deck, not even a white weenies deck, that would not enjoy having their mana doubled and all of their dudes made bigger. This card is an autoinclude in any sort of mono colored deck and should definitely be considered in 2 color decks for its utility and raw power.



Well I hope this has been informative and will give you a good starting place for aquiring the artifacts you need to start or improve your Commander deck. I'm sure for those veteran players who are reading this, this list doesn't really have too many surprises but these articles are geared more towards the newer players.


I will be posting maybe one more article today but keep checking back here or on Facebook as I will be sharing my articles as I write them. If there is anything you specifically want me to write about message me on Facebook and I will see what I can do! All card prices are according to starcitygames.com so take them with a grain of salt.

The White staples will be coming tomorrow! Thanks for Reading!


Remember the deck is only as good as the Gentleman playing it!

Deck Tech: Hanna, Ships Navigator & a Primer on Deckbuilding

Hey yall Kyle here,

So I have gotten a couple of people who have asked me what a Commander deck looks like and how one should go about making one of their own.

First I am going to include one of my first and favorite decks and then I am going to include the process that I went through to make the deck at the end to give you an idea of where to start in determining your first Commander deck.

So here it is my Hanna, Ship's Navigator Commander Deck!

Hanna is a Blue/White general who works very well with artifacts and enchantments that usually are only one time effects (they sac themselves). She can also be very condusive to combos (both fair and unfair) as many of the combo pieces that are most broken are in these colors and enchantments or artifacts.

Since I try to keep things low on the DB scale I have only included two real combos in the deck for when the games get stale.

Hanna might be the general for you if:

• You like using enchantments to do goofy or whacky things
• You like using enchantment and artifact "rattlesnakes" to deter attacks
• You like Enduring Ideal
• You enjoy flying under the radar politically until you see an opening
• You like utility lands

Some of the reasons to NOT choose Hanna:

• Absolutely no board presence (if I have three creatures someone used Terastodon or something wierd is goin' on)
• Very mana hungry
• Taps out almost every turn
• If you are known for comboing this will put up red flags

Now I want to go over some of the synergies within the deck.

Hive Mind + Enduring Ideal: If I want to end the game right away this is the combo I use. Effectively what this means is that the only things that matter for the rest of the game are the enchantments in everyones deck (you have a LOT more than most) and the cards on the field. To deal with the cards on the field I usually go grab...

Teferi's Care + Enchanted Evening: These cards must have been made for each other. This allows me to sac any permanent on the field to kill any of their permanents. That could be any of their lands, any of their creatures or any of their artifacts. The first time you trade a plains for Thraximundar you will know how good this feels. Be careful Enchanted Evening and Enduring Ideal do not always play well together if everyone is Hive Minded. I have found myself staring down Blightsteels and Eldrazi before because my opponents searched up "enchantments" and put them on the field. Which brings us to the next combo...

Enchanted Evening + Enduring Ideal: If your opponents are not doing anything relevant don't search up Hive Mind, search up Evening! This means every other Enduring Ideal will be able to tutor from your deck to play 89% of your deck!!! Unless they answer you, you will get out of hand quick.

Crucible of Worlds + Tectonic Edge/Wasteland: Now these next two combos are the most DB-esque so think before using these turn three. With this I can essentially lock my opponent at three lands or kill off all of their significant duals and utility lands until all they have are basics. I will however shoot Cabal Coffers, Gaea's Cradle, and Academy Ruins without remorse.

Mindslaver + Hanna, Ship's Navigator/Academy Ruins: I always want to take this out of the deck. Evertime I do however, I end up so underwhelmed by Soul Conduit my fun little replacement for it. The concept is simple aquire so much mana that you are able to Mindslaver the last one or two significant people in the game and then sabotage them turn, after turn, after turn. You will not make friends doing this.

Those are the basic combos in the deck you will find others as you play it but it lends itself well to multiplayer and I often find myself in a winning situation.

Now on to the process that I went through to make the deck.

Now I started out know which colors I wanted to build and the concept. I wanted a blue white enchantment deck. So I went to gatherer and typed in what I wanted. I saw Hanna and instantly knew who my general was (I LOVE the Weatherlight and all the cast associated with it saga). Another way to go about picking your general is to look through your collection for Legends and Legendary Creatures. You will be surprised sometimes at who is legendary (Experimental Kraj, Geist of Saint Traft, Spirit of the Night).

  

Once you have a legend you need a theme or concept for the deck. All of my most fun and rewarding decks are the ones I build with a theme in mind. I will list some of the most common themes and some suggested generals below:

• Artifact (Hanna, Sharuum, Arcum Dagsson, Karn, Thada Adel)
• Combo (Grimgrin, Melira, Kiki-Jiki)
• Voltron Equipment (Raksha, Kemba, Godo, Rafiq)
• Voltron Aura (Uril, Zur, Bruna Light of Alabaster)
• Reanimator (The Mimeoplasm, Teneb, Karador, Glissa the Traitor)
• Chaos (Norin, Ruhan)
• Group Hug (Phelddagrif, Zedruu, Blue Braids)
• Token (Rhys the Redeemed, Sliver Queen, Hazezon Tamar)
• Stax (Savra, Black Braids when she was legal, Hokori, Kaervek)
• Ramp (Azusa, Omnath, Rosheen Meanderer)
• Tribal (Ezuri, Sliver Legion, Ib Halfheart)

Some definitions:

• Voltron: Like the robot you are attempting to assemble the pieces (either auras or equipment) and then hit for 21 general damage.
• Chaos: These decks revolve around randomness. This kind of deck can include Warp World, Confusion in the Ranks, Scrambleverse, other such tomfoolery
• Group Hug: Revolves around hurting the player in the lead and helping the players that are mana screwed or falling behind.
• Stax: Named after the infamous artifact Smokestack this strategy revolves around hurting everyone equally but still hurting everyone. These can become really unfun if not built right.
• Ramp: You "ramp" up your mana to play big things before everyone else.
• Tribal: Pretty self-explainitory, however these decks recieved a huge boon in the form of Cavern of Souls.

Now that you have a genral and a theme build from thereby ensuring you enclude some of these card types (I will also list colors that are best suited to each type. U=Blue every other one is self explainitory):

• Board Sweepers (W/B/R have the best): Wrath of God, Oblivion Stone, All is Dust, Damnation
• Spot Removal (W/B/G have the best): Path to Exile, Woodfall Primus, Vindicate
• Artifact/Enchant Hate (W/G): Krosan Grip, Austere Command, Sylvok Replica
• Card Draw (B/U): Phyrexian Arena, Necropotence, Rhystic Study, Consecrated Sphinx, Fact or Fiction, Harmonize
• Tutors (B, All have them): Vampiric Tutor, Demonic Tutor, Mystical Tutor, Green Sun's Zenith, Enlightened Tutor, Gamble
• "Mana Rocks": Sol Ring, Gilded Lotus, Thran Dynamo, Coalition Relic
• Reanimation (B): Reanimate, Exhume, Victimize
• Graveyard Hate: Bojuka Bog, Tormod's Crypt, Nihil Spellbomb, Grafdigger's Cage
• Tuck Effect (U): Hinder, Spell Crumple, Oblation, Proteus Staff, Terminus

 Commander is a casual format so there are no universal ratios everthing should be based on your own communities meta-game. I can't tell you what the right number of artifact hate cards is or how many board sweepers to include. Just look at the Hanna deck. I have 9 creatures (10 if you include Hanna) in the deck and 22 enchantments. In most other decks that sort of ratio would be rediculous but it works here. The only thing I can recommend for every deck is this: USE BASIC LANDS!

Mana bases are the easiest and hardest part of building a Commander deck. As a rule of thumb try to run anywhere from 40-36 lands that produce mana and a couple of mana producing artifacts. If there is one part of all of my decks that is constantly changing it is my mana base. Looking back on it RIGHT NOW I am thinking do I really need those vivid lands or would basics be better...

It is so easy for a deck to flounder and die because the mana base is subpar or above par but filled with too many colorless utility lands. Running too many non-basics also leaves you vulnerable to Ruination, Wasteland, and Blood Moon.

And remember even if your first deck sucks a little if you have a good community they will help you to make the best, most enjoyable deck possible. Every Commander deck is a project even to the day I still do not have a Flooded Strand and a Wasteland in my Hanna deck (Misty Rainforest and Ghost Quarter are filling in). Don't think because your deck is not 100% complete it is not playable.

One final note is that since Wizards has released their Commander product almost all of those decks are capable of being played with success right out of the box so if you don't have the time or money to build a Commander deck try shelling out the $25 or so so to get a deck full of fun powerful cards and some good staples for when you wanna improve on it or make your own.

I hope this has helped you in your first foray into one of the most fun formats in Magic.

Remember the deck is only as good as the Gentleman playing it!