Mathas, Friend Seeker

Commander / EDH* Aristocrats Budget Control Group Hug Pillow Fort RBW (Mardu)

Futuremonk

Land (38)

• 1x Battlefield Forge
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Boros Garrison
• 1x Canyon Slough
• 1x Caves of Koilos
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Desert of the Fervent
• 1x Desert of the Glorified
• 1x Desert of the True
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 1x Isolated Chapel
• 3x Mountain
• 1x Nomad Outpost
• 1x Orzhov Basilica
• 6x Plains
• 1x Rakdos Carnarium
• 1x Rocky Tar Pit
• 1x Scavenger Grounds
• 1x Smoldering Marsh
• 1x Spire of Industry
• 8x Swamp
• 1x Tainted Field
• 1x Tectonic Edge
• 1x Terramorphic Expanse

Instant (5)

• 1x Dark Ritual
• 1x Leave / Chance
• 1x Rakdos Charm
• 1x Generous Gift
• 1x Reckless Spite

Sorcery (4)

• 1x Last One Standing
• 1x Secret Rendezvous
• 1x Divine Reckoning
• 1x Single Combat

Creature (20)

• 1x Humble Defector
• 1x Hunted Horror
• 1x Vizkopa Guildmage
• 1x Orzhov Advokist
• 1x Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
• 1x Akroan Horse
• 1x Archon of Absolution
• 1x Baird, Steward of Argive
• 1x Horobi, Death's Wail
• 1x Hunted Lammasu
• 1x Kardur, Doomscourge
• 1x Cavalier of Dawn
• 1x Clackbridge Troll
• 1x Doomwake Giant
• 1x Hunted Dragon
• 1x Hunter of Eyeblights
• 1x Kulrath Knight
• 1x Massacre Girl
• 1x Demon of Dark Schemes
• 1x Harvester of Souls

Artifact (13)

• 1x Blade of the Bloodchief
• 1x Nihil Spellbomb
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Boros Signet
• 1x Dowsing Dagger  ^Flip
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Mind Stone
• 1x Orzhov Signet
• 1x Rakdos Signet
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Talisman of Conviction
• 1x Talisman of Hierarchy

Commander (1)

Enchantment (19)

• 1x Arguel's Blood Fast  ^Flip
• 1x Baffling End
• 1x Dawn of Hope
• 1x Spectral Grasp
• 1x Underworld Breach
• 1x Curse of Disturbance
• 1x Curse of the Nightly Hunt
• 1x Hissing Miasma
• 1x Shielded by Faith
• 1x Vow of Duty
• 1x Vow of Lightning
• 1x Vow of Malice
• 1x Greed
• 1x Marchesa's Decree
• 1x Revenge of Ravens
• 1x Reverence
• 1x Ethereal Absolution
• 1x Captive Audience
• 1x Grave Betrayal

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Maybeboard

Creature (7)

• 1x Auramancer
• 1x Daxos the Returned
• 1x Mesa Enchantress
• 1x Monk Idealist
• 1x Agent of Erebos
• 1x Ajani's Chosen
• 1x Blightcaster

Enchantment (5)

• 1x Curse of Vengeance
• 1x Inheritance
• 1x Ashes of the Abhorrent
• 1x Doom Foretold
• 1x Sigil of the Empty Throne

Land (1)

• 1x Forbidden Orchard

Sorcery (3)

• 1x Idyllic Tutor
• 1x Promise of Power
• 1x Plea for Guidance

Artifact (2)

• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Well of Lost Dreams

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Mathas, Fiend Seeker is one of those super-interesting alternate commanders that seems to have been mostly forgotten.

My take on Mathas is that he's only good if your opponents have creatures to put bounty counters on. Then he has a weird group-hug-ish effect, where everyone but that creature's controller gains life and draws a card when that creature dies. So ideally he motivates your opponents to use their removal on each other's creatures, rather than your own. So first you can make friends by giving one player creatures, then you can make friends with everyone else by putting a bounty counter on the creature you gave to that player. Ideally, give the creature to someone who wants to sacrifice creatures anyway, then everyone is happy.

The other side of the deck is 1) removal so that you can collect the bounties yourself if you have to and 2) pillow fort effects to keep you safe from your opponents' creatures, especially since you will be intentionally giving them some. This also led to an enchantments theme that I might try to expand upon more. Maybe there's room for Sigil of the Empty Throne , for example.

But how do you win?

There is one long-shot win-con: Revel in Riches . It is mostly just in the deck for value. If it gets you a few treasures, it did its job. But if no one can deal with it, it can win you the game.

The sure-thing win-con is the two card combo of Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond . I may add Plea for Guidance and/or Enlightened Tutor to the list just to make this combo more consistent. Both cards are good in the deck on their own, however.

The last win-con is more of a lose-con for a single player: Captive Audience . It also happens to make creatures for you to put bounty counters on.

I guess I could also add, as a final win-con, just switching to jank beatdown mode. There are some decent creatures in the deck, though no big anthem or Overrun effects. Still, if you can get everyone to focus on each other, you might be able take a few down with old-fashioned combat as well.

Not sure if I will make this deck, but I did base some card choices on what I already own. So some could be cut for budget purposes. #1 on that list would be Exquisite Blood . The deck would be ~$25 cheaper, although it would be minus one wincon.... Still, it looks like a fun, political, and controlling deck.

Suggestions welcome!

Date added	4 years
Last updated	2 years
Key combos	Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	4 - 0 Mythic Rares 32 - 0 Rares 33 - 0 Uncommons 14 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.26
Tokens	Centaur 3/3 G w/ Pro Black, Dinosaur 3/3 G w/ Trample, Elephant 3/3 G, Goat 0/1 W, Golem 3/3 C, Horror 4/4 B, Knight 2/2 W w/ First Strike, Plant 0/2 G, Soldier 1/1 W, Soldier 1/1 W w/ Lifelink, Spirit 1/1 WB, The Monarch, Zombie 2/2 B