Deck Construction Philosophy
The deck is designed around a simple yet powerful concept; you don't have to be stronger or faster than your opponent, though of course that helps. More importantly, you should be stronger or faster than they're prepared to deal with at crucial moments. For this deck, what that means is leaning on the leverage that being active on turns where opponents aren't gets you. It doesn't have the same overwhelming punch that many Commander decks strive to have, but what it does have are quick explosive bursts built to catch opponents sleeping. Cards like Tooth and Nail and Mob Rule are able to advance the deck's position in startling lunges, creating massive power swings and hopefully throwing people off their game for a crucial turn or two.
Of course, it wouldn't be Commander without flavor. The deck's commander is Radha of Keld, born both a strong Keldon warrior and a tough Skyshroud elf. Keldon battle tactics work off of the warlord and their warhost feeding each other with their emotions, and as such, many of the creatures synergize with each other, like Elvish Reclaimer + Heronblade Elite + Moraug, Fury of Akoum
. To express Radha's desire to be a warrior by her own definition, plenty of the creatures are also Warriors like she is and benefit from cards like Lovisa Coldeyes or Boldwyr Intimidator (the latter of which has the secondary benefit of being able to make any other creature a Warrior for an extra cost).
Another thing Radha is is aggressive. Very aggressive. Her ability to create mana on the attack means an RR discount on combat tricks, something that doesn't often find a home in Commander. Whether building her army with Summoning Trap or sidestepping defenses with Rogue's Passage or saving it up with Leyline Tyrant, her attack mana gives her a useful and unusual advantage. She's not alone, either; many cards in the deck, like Rubblebelt Raiders, benefit from being able to attack often, and cards that grant haste, like Ogre Battledriver, or a comparable effect, like Molten Echoes, add to the alacrity, making your moves harder to react to and forcing opponents onto the back foot more easily.
Radha's also established as being filled with mana despite the time rifts draining the rest of the world. In addition to standard ramping spells, this is expressed by cards that provide lots of mana over time like Druids' Repository. This in turn leads to what ties her mana and her aggression together; extra combat phases. This is key to her explosive approach, allowing her to hold the advantage for longer when she has it, especially combined with cards that get stronger with each attack like Pathbreaker Ibex or Nacatl War-Pride. An entwined Savage Beating with a sizable army could easily mean one or two dead opponents, and the combination of Aggravated Assault + Bear Umbra
can make even a single creature a game-ender. Even without the extra combat steps, the deck's attack mana can be sunk into effects like War Cadence or Kessig Wolf Run. A bit less flashy but certainly no less important, cards like Sylvan Library and Family's Favor make this aggressive strategy possible to sustain for a while.
Philosophy of Play
Tactically, part of the deck's power lies in ambiguity and deception, something that people might misunderstand about such an in-your-face color pair. One example of canny play is slowing your roll, coasting just far enough behind that you're neither wide open nor too threatening to ignore. While everyone's busy with their slugging match, hang back and suss out your targets. Offer alliances, do your part in taking down The Threat, and then sprint right through everyone before they realize you're their actual problem. This is where the aforementioned huge power swing cards come into play. One favorite example is, if you're facing a crowded board with, say, a lone Champion of Lambholt, using Tooth and Nail to fetch Lovisa Coldeyes + Nacatl War-Pride
. Another is having a sizable but unimpressive army rounded out with Frenzied Saddlebrute + Pathbreaker Ibex
. Finding enough missing pieces with the right timing will surprise more opponents than you'd think.
Another option is pushing from the start, hitting people just hard enough that they have to use up their answers trying to fight you and each other, but not so hard that you lose more than you're prepared to. This may sound difficult given how small many of the creatures start out, but aside from obvious defensive cards like Heroic Intervention or Galadhrim Ambush, there's Unstoppable Ash and Changeling Titan's Champion ability, which can help force out more removal than otherwise, and being strategic with what creatures you champion allows you to maintain offense while sculpting your post-wipe board. On top of that, cards like Wild Pair and Leyline Surge
let you build back up as needed. After you've rope-a-doped to satisfaction, you can finally floor it before they manage to rediscover their stride.
The gist of all these strategies is to give people something they can get used to, then change the rules the second they get comfortable. The deck can hit them much harder than they're expecting, and often much faster than they can go from neutral. That space between the start of your burst and them catching up is the space where you make your money.
Recognized Weaknesses
Of course, every deck has weaknesses, and Radha's is no exception. For example, discard and counterspells can be a real problem, given that many of the deck's power plays need to be saved for the perfect moment. It also lacks a robust flying defense (or any defense, really), and its ability to sustain itself often depends on being able to keep attacking.
Perhaps most importantly, much like its commander, the deck fails if its player is short-sighted and attempts to press an advantage they simply don't have. The deck's power lies in synergy and counter-timing, so as fatal as it is for opponents to underestimate Radha, it's just as fatal for you to misidentify your opportunity and overcommit at the wrong moment. What's more, the longer the game drags on, the worse your chances are, given that the deck has lots of trouble late-game against decks designed to clog the board with statistically superior muscle. Long story short, pick your battles, and pick them the instant your opponent blinks.
Places to Improve
- Strengthening the tribal and mechanical synergies
- More "lunging" cards to create big power swings
- Additional ways to exploit attacking
- Additional ways to ensure the ability to attack safely
- More fitting theme song? (Current theme song: "Wanna Be Crazy" from the Guilty Gear Xrd soundtrack)
