Atarka's Command

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Legality

Format Legality
1v1 Commander Legal
Archenemy Legal
Arena Legal
Block Constructed Legal
Canadian Highlander Legal
Casual Legal
Commander / EDH Legal
Commander: Rule 0 Legal
Custom Legal
Duel Commander Legal
Gladiator Legal
Highlander Legal
Historic Legal
Legacy Legal
Leviathan Legal
Limited Legal
Modern Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Pioneer Legal
Planechase Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Tiny Leaders Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Atarka's Command

Instant

Choose two —

  • Your opponents can't gain life this turn.
  • Atarka's Command deals 3 damage to each opponent.
  • You may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.
  • Creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain reach until end of turn.

wallisface on burn deck help to refurbish

1 month ago

9-lives if you're asking which brew you built is more competitive for modern burn, then it's going to be whichever list more-closely resembles the established list, which was you're Boros list.

I'm aware of what these red-green cards can do, I still don't think they're anywhere-near remotely playable, particularly in burn, and I've already detailed on why these cards feel unideal. But I'll give some further detail below:

  • Questing Druid is just a much slower Monastery Swiftspear. Yes the stat-buffs are permanent, but its at the cost of double the mana, no haste, and an initial toughness of 1, making it far too vulnerable to the abundant number of cards that deal 1 damage (Orcish Bowmasters, Wrenn and Six, Lava Dart, etc). The card is much better suited for longer, grindier games where its adventure and stat-buffs become more relevant - it's not useful in an archetype that's hoping for the game to be over on turn-4.

  • As stated earlier, burn decks never need more than 2 mana. By the time you can cast Black Market Tycoon, you already have all the mana you need to play the game. This card wastes a turn not dealing damage to the opponent, but also takes 2 full turns to create enough treasure to regain the mana you lost casting it to begin with. Burn has never had an issue with needing more than 2 lands, and so gaining treasure is largely pointless. Added to this, making treasure means this card isn't dealing damage, which means it's putting you further behind for achieving a turn-4 win.

  • Atarka's Command is situationally useful in some decks, which is why it's occasionally in some sideboards - however it needs to be stressed that the card isn't particularly useful for aggressive strategies. 99% of the time if you're putting this in a burn deck, you're either doing modes 1&2 (so, just a Skullcrack), or modes 2&4 (which is probably just doing 4 damage, so a Boros Charm). Remember that competitive burn is already not running Skullcrack at the moment, so that option isn't particularly powerful. The card isn't bad, but its not particularly strong when it means splashing green instead of the much-more capable white.

At the end of the day, you've already said you're playing a deck for being creative and having fun, and so if winning isn't a factor, then play whatever you want and don't worry about it. But if you are trying to make the deck stronger, then the correct option will always be to make changes which get the list closer to the established competitive list. In that vein, changing the deck from BW to BG will have made the overall deck weaker - not having options like Lightning Helix means you'll lose any burn-vs-burn matchups, as well as a lot of other aggro-races, and not having Boros Charm means missing out on one of burns biggest damage-dealing spells.

9-lives on burn deck help to refurbish

1 month ago

wallisface certainly one more mana isn't prohibitive that much is it? If it's 2 mana cost, it doesn't impact the game too much, does it? I can cast a lot of burn spells while Questing Druid is on the field. I thought I'd add Black Market Tycoon because it is giving me mana that I can use for burn very quickly, which speeds up my game quite well at the expense of life. I think Atarka's Command is the best burn card there is. All of the capabilities it offers are great. It's only one less damage than a Boros Charm, which is significant.

wallisface on burn deck help to refurbish

1 month ago

9-lives well, you know my opinion on the competitiveness of either option already based on my above comments ;)

This new version is at least closer to 60 cards, so that's one bonus going for it. However, none of the cards you've added in are particularly useful for the speed a burn deck is hoping to acquire - if you're going down this direction it might be better trying to turn this into something more midrange.

  • Play with Fire only deals 2 damage, making it unplayable at any level above the absolute most-casual of play. There's zero reason playing it when you're not even playing the full playset of Lightning Bolt

  • Atarka's Command is a decent card, but typically better as a sideboard option as a lot of the time it's not going to give you enough value to warrant its inclusion. It's effectively a slightly better Skullcrack, but considering that card already doesn't make it into current burn lists, i'm not sure how useful it is running 8 copies of this effect. This card is much stronger in builds tending-towards midrange (or straddling between aggro-and-midrange)

  • Yavimaya Iconoclast... I'm really not sure what you're hoping to achieve with this card... it's neither fast nor powerful? Just a vanilla creature??

  • I'm also not sure what the purpose of Black Market Tycoon is... you don't need mana, and this card is actively hurting you while also not helping to kill the opponent.

Personally I think you're previously rendition was better, in that the cards at least slightly-more resembled traditional burn. This version seems slower but for no apparent gain.

9-lives on burn deck help to refurbish

1 month ago

I replaced Boros Charm, Lightning Helix, and Deflecting Palm. Switched them out with Atarka's Command, and Play with Fire. Removed Risk Factor and Light Up the Stage. Put into play Yavimaya Iconoclast and Black Market Tycoon. Got rid of Satyr Firedancer. I'm not asking if it looks fun, haha. I'm wondering if it's so-called competitive.

CinnaBunMon on Wacky Waving Infallible Life Flailing Masochists

5 months ago

@jamochawoke

Thanks for the tip!

I've actually been using this deck for a few years now and haven't run into cards that stop life gain too often (I think my playgroups just don't use them very much). It does slow the deck down quite a bit and makes you have to actually think more... might take that extra removal into consideration. Maybe something like Felidar Cub so I can get it back with Ravos and other graveyard recursion cards. I do have Sunforger which helps search them up (but that's really it...).

For the most part, when I've ran into things that stop life gain I've either been able to remove it pretty easily, or put both me and it's controller in a position where we're easy to kill (sort of a "take you down with me" move). Using something like Repay in Kind or Magus of the Mirror to take us both to 1 life is dang satisfying.

Lol yeah, I've been knocked out of the game with Atarka's Command before and got a good laugh out of it.

jamochawoke on Wacky Waving Infallible Life Flailing Masochists

5 months ago

This is a really solid deck!

But how would you deal with things that mess up your lifegain?

I mean stuff like Erebos, God of the Dead, Forsaken Wastes, Everlasting Torment, Havoc Festival, Knight of Dusk's Shadow, Leyline of Punishment, Giant Cindermaw, Rampaging Ferocidon, and Witch Hunt.

I've seen people just scoop and leave when they were running a lifegain-based deck when they run into those cards. You've definitely got removal for sure, but you should either run more or have ways of digging for them just in case since those are total hosers for your strategy.

Also, to note, Atarka's Command, Molten Disaster, Sudden Shock, or Skullcrack could kill you in the middle of doing stuff so you shouldn't get too low if you've got a red player on the board. I've seen this very thing happen to someone running a K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth deck. Just something to keep in mind!

Icbrgr on Naya Zookeepers (1st place RCQ)

6 months ago

well done and congratulations! I share your thoughts on Atarka's Command... I love the card but i feel like its a little forced in my decks but; I was surprised to see Roast go until i saw Witchstalker Frenzy that card looks amazing and i cant wait to get myself one.... im assuming this works as soon as you declare attackers ad you can kill Sheoldred, the Apocalypse before losing a creature?

Icbrgr on RDW: Enchantment Removal?

7 months ago

Yeah for Pioneer I want to stay Mono-Red as long as Possible...I just love my RDW deck.

I have a pretty decent mana base to eventually go with having full playsets of Stomping Ground/Copperline Gorge to pickup access to Atarka's Command and Destructive Revelry.... but Modern has me Brainwashed into thinking that is the way to go for Boros Charm and Wear / Tear... but my mana base is far less convincing.

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