Clawing Through the Ranks (Ezuri Primer)

Commander / EDH* Competitive Counters GU (Simic) Tempo

Logics

Creature (37)

• 1x Avenger of Zendikar
• 1x Chasm Skulker
• 1x Cold-Eyed Selkie
• 1x Crystalline Crawler
• 1x Draining Whelk
• 1x Eternal Witness
• 1x Faerie Artisans
• 1x Fathom Mage
• 1x Gyre Sage
• 1x Herald of Secret Streams
• 1x Hornet Queen
• 1x Invisible Stalker
• 1x Kalonian Hydra
• 1x Kruphix, God of Horizons
• 1x Master of Waves
• 1x Maulfist Revolutionary
• 1x Mindless Automaton
• 1x Mycoloth
• 1x Mystic Snake
• 1x Pathbreaker Ibex
• 1x Prime Speaker Zegana
• 1x Reclamation Sage
• 1x Rishkar, Peema Renegade
• 1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 1x Shardless Agent
• 1x Simic Manipulator
• 1x Skyship Plunderer
• 1x Slippery Bogle
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Spike Feeder
• 1x Thassa, God of the Sea
• 1x Thrummingbird
• 1x Triskelion
• 1x Trygon Predator
• 1x Venser, Shaper Savant
• 1x Weaver of Currents
• 1x Whirler Rogue

Land (37)

• 1x Alchemist's Refuge
• 1x Breeding Pool
• 1x Command Beacon
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Evolving Wilds
• 8x Forest
• 1x Hinterland Harbor
• 12x Island
• 1x Khalni Garden
• 1x Llanowar Reborn
• 1x Lumbering Falls
• 1x Mosswort Bridge
• 1x Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Simic Growth Chamber
• 1x Temple of Mystery
• 1x Terramorphic Expanse
• 1x Thornwood Falls

Artifact (5)

• 1x Panharmonicon
• 1x Simic Signet
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Thought Vessel

Planeswalker (3)

• 1x Jace Beleren
• 1x Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
• 1x Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

Commander (1)

Instant (6)

• 1x Arachnogenesis
• 1x Beast Within
• 1x Chord of Calling
• 1x Inspiring Call
• 1x Krosan Grip
• 1x Worldly Tutor

Sorcery (6)

• 1x Farseek
• 1x Nature's Way
• 1x Rampant Growth
• 1x Rishkar's Expertise
• 1x Rite of Replication
• 1x Tezzeret's Gambit

Enchantment (4)

• 1x Doubling Season
• 1x Fable of Wolf and Owl
• 1x Inexorable Tide
• 1x Primal Vigor

---

Sideboard

Creature (1)

• 1x Sage of Hours

---

Maybeboard

Creature (22)

• 1x Armorcraft Judge
• 1x Bane of Progress
• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Blighted Agent
• 1x Burnished Hart
• 1x Cephalid Constable
• 1x Coiling Oracle
• 1x Cold-Eyed Selkie
• 1x Cultivator of Blades
• 1x Deepglow Skate
• 1x Farhaven Elf
• 1x Fertilid
• 1x Forgotten Ancient
• 1x Hangarback Walker
• 1x Kaseto, Orochi Archmage
• 1x Lorescale Coatl
• 1x Master Biomancer
• 1x Mulldrifter
• 1x Plaxcaster Frogling
• 1x Vedalken AEthermage
• 1x Wild Beastmaster
• 1x Wood Elves

Artifact (5)

• 1x Animation Module
• 1x Contagion Engine
• 1x Emerald Medallion
• 1x Nevinyrral's Disk
• 1x Sapphire Medallion

Instant (2)

• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Mystic Confluence

Sorcery (2)

• 1x Ezuri's Predation
• 1x Overrun

Planeswalker (3)

• 1x Jace, Architect of Thought
• 1x Kiora, the Crashing Wave
• 1x Teferi, Temporal Archmage

Land (3)

• 1x High Market
• 1x Inkmoth Nexus
• 1x Novijen, Heart of Progress

Enchantment (1)

• 1x Beastmaster Ascension

---

Ezuri, Claw of Progress Primer

Hello and welcome to my deck primer for Ezuri, Claw of Progress.

This new commander brings new possibilities, and we are going to look in depth to find what works well, and what doesn't with this commander. In this primer, we will look to answer 5 main questions:

1) Why should you play this deck?

2) What is the reasoning behind some of these card choices?

3) What synergies are there in the deck that make it powerful?

4) How do I pilot the deck?

5) What budget options do I have to make a similar deck?

Note!

Keep in mind, the deck is fairly new as the commander has not been out long, so this list may change from time to time based on new or missed cards.

==============================================================================================================

1) Why play Ezuri, Claw of Progress?

In this section we simply look at the pros and cons to playing a deck like this one. We'll start off by looking directly at the commander himself.

Pros Show

==============================================================================================================

Although his ability seems weak, most 2 or less power creatures have a low cost, allowing us to add multiple experience counters quickly. The weakness of weak creatures is further hidden when we have such powerful effects coming from those creatures, making their low power unimportant, especially after being bolstered by our commander.

Another hidden power to Ezuri, Claw of Progress is that way that he actually protects himself. Opponents will identify him as a problem, but ultimately removing a 3/3 is a lot less relevant than removing the 11/11 flier that's coming at their face. and even if removed, you can simply recast him and not even lose out on a turn of his ability. Opponents will quickly realise the way to victory is not spot removal on your commander.

The deck itself is very flavorful, which makes for more fun gameplay, as well as allowing the player to innovate, and come up with new lines of play every game. The deck plays very much like a tempo deck, grinding incremental advantages while keeping your opponent off the board.

The deck allows the player to make anything a threat. If you want to win with a Birds of Paradise, that is a perfectly viable plan.That said, the one card that will almost never be a threat is our commander.

Cons Show

==============================================================================================================

Being in U/G you will find that the lack of spot removal or powerful sweepers can leave you stuck if you fall behind. It can be hard to dig your way out of a hole.

Also, due to the nature of the commander, you will not likely be winning with commander damage anytime soon. If you like that type of deck, then this really isn't the one for you.

Being a predominately creature deck, you have an adverse weakness to sweepers. You make up for it a little bit with counterspells and other ways to protect you things, as well as the ability to flash cards, but a well timed sweeper can be lights out for you.

All in all the deck is a very fun and synergistic tempo build, that has the potential to explode in a single turn. With blue being a color you will find consistency in the deck but due to the green base you will find removal can be a weakness, bot lack of for you, and weakness to.

==============================================================================================================

2) Card Choices

In this section we look at some of the higher impact cards in the deck, and why they are high impact. Keep in mind that I feel a lot of cards, such as the lands, Eternal Witness, ramp cards, etc. are all pretty self explanatory, and I will try to skip over cards of this nature. If you would like an explanation of a card, ask in the description and I'll be happy to give you my insight.

Card Choices Show

==============================================================================================================

Kaseto, Orochi Archmage:

At face value, he seems pretty good. In reality dropping him in the mid to late game usually means an opponent is going to die. His ability, even when used on a non-snake creature has the ability to push a lot of damage through at a relatively low cost and can be one of the most explosive plays in the deck.

==============================================================================================================

Cephalid Constable:

This card can get out of hand if left unchecked. If no one deals with it, it has the potential to clear boards, but even if it's only sneaking in there for 2 or 3 damage, the tempo gain from it is insane. It also triggers Ezuri, Claw of Progress on entry, so it's able to grow no matter what.

==============================================================================================================

Thrummingbird:

This card doesn't seem like an obvious choice, but it along side of Inexorable Tide actually come with more value than they seem. They can actually increase the amount of experience your commander has, making the deck progress much more quickly and causes some powerful lines of play.

==============================================================================================================

Blighted Agent/Invisible Stalker/Slippery Bogle:

All of these cards are in a similar boat, where they are powerful ways to close out a game, with the earlier 2 being unblockable, and the latter 2 being very difficult to remove. The mix of the 3 creatures means the probability of drawing one is higher, and you are happy to draw any of them at relatively any stage of the game.

==============================================================================================================

Kalonian Hydra:

This card does work, plain and simple. It makes the math of your deck much hard on opponents, and allows you to spread out you Ezuri, Claw of Progress triggers out while growing your board at breakneck pace and more safely as removing a single creature won't phase you.

==============================================================================================================

Sage of Hours:

If you're into infinite combos, this is one of the simplest you can do. All you need is 5 experience, Sage of Hours, and Ezuri, Claw of Progress. You can remove the counters from Sage of Hours every turn and very easily go infinite on turns. Eventually you will be able to take 2 turns at a time and pump other things and eventually win that way. People usually concede to infinite turns though.

==============================================================================================================

Wild Beastmaster:

This allows you to make a powerful alpha strike with no real effort. When Wild Beastmaster enters the battlefield, it triggers Ezuri, Claw of Progress, even being able to move 3-4 counters onto the beastmaster can allow for some great Overrun style attacks.

==============================================================================================================

Master Biomancer:

A card that permanently turns off our Ezuri, Claw of Progress triggers seems counter intuitive, but in reality, once you hit 9 or 10 counters, you don't really need more, especially when you can have every creature enter the battlefield with 12 +1/+1 counters. It's more of a late game card, making every single card you play a threat, not matter the size.

==============================================================================================================

Fathom Mage:

You can draw a boatload of cards at the start of every combat. Reusable card advantage in these massive quantities usually puts you in a place that makes it difficult to lose, as you can dig for answers to most everything.

==============================================================================================================

Inspiring Call:

Although not an obvious choice for the deck, the ability for this card to be used as a protection spell and a card draw spell makes it very valuable to the deck and it's overall strategy. The deck looks to trade in favorable ways, and this card is a very easy and sneaky way to get ahead.

==============================================================================================================

Plaxcaster Frogling:

Although it doesn't trigger Ezuri, Claw of Progress, the ability to protect a creature you've been building up for just 2 mana can just render an opponent useless against you, as you smash them to dust.

==============================================================================================================

Mystic Snake/Venser, Shaper Savant/Draining Whelk:

These cards allow us to have counterspells for every stage of the game. What's more, they all trigger Ezuri, Claw of Progress upon entry, giving us double value =out of them. Being able to establish a board presence and stop opponents from doing the same puts us ahead on tempo.

==============================================================================================================

Muddle the Mixture:

For face value, this card seems fairly uninteresting, but in reality, it can allow us to search for many possible outs. 5 notable targets are Cyclonic Rift, Blighted Agent, Invisible Stalker, Sage of Hours, and Swiftfoot Boots.

==============================================================================================================

Vedalken AEthermage

This is another tutor that seems bad, but in reality can do more than face value. We actually have 6 powerful wizards in the deck to search for, all of which are great in different situations.

==============================================================================================================

3) Synergies

This section will be used to look at some of the synergies that can be found in the deck, as well as some of the cards that interact in an above average way with our commander. The cards covered here will be cards I left out in Card Choices for the most part.

Commander Synergies Show

==============================================================================================================

Ezuri, Claw of Progress + Thrummingbird:

These 2 cards work very well together. Thrummingbird, if able to get through, raises our commander's experience every turn including the turn it enters. But it does more than that, it also buff pretty much our entire board, and can even add that last poison counter if infect is the way we are winning. The synergy with our deck is pretty much endless.

==============================================================================================================

Ezuri, Claw of Progress + Hangarback Walker/Chasm Skulker:

With Ezuri's ability to grow them, they are threats from the time they hit the board, and even after they are removed. If they kill one of these 2 after you have buffed it with Ezuri, Claw of Progress, then you will get an army of tokens and a boatload of Ezuri triggers.

==============================================================================================================

Ezuri, Claw of Progress + Whirler Rogue:

This card being a 2 pronged attack with our commander makes it extremely powerful. Not only does it give us 3 Ezuri triggers upon entry, it can also give us an unblockable threat the turn it comes out, making it a good draw at any stage of the game, and a force to be reckoned with.

==============================================================================================================

Ezuri, Claw of Progress + Doubling Season/Primal Vigor:

These cards work well with our commander as we are creating tokens, and moving around +1/+1 counters a lot. If you somehow manage to get both out, you will pretty much be able to 1 shot anyone. They just make everything the deck want to do twice as powerful, so it's very hard to say no to that.

==============================================================================================================

Ezuri, Claw of Progress + Shardless Agent:

The synergy between these cards seems fairly obvious. The ability to play a free spell and potentially get 2 Ezuri, Claw of Progress trigger, while deploying 2 powerful cards, all for 3 mana is something that cannot be looked upon lightly. It's good to note that all of the countermagic that it can cascade into will not stop it from entering.

Other Synergies Show

==============================================================================================================

Thrummingbird/Inexorable Tide + Planeswalkers:

These cards really give you some bang for their buck when you have a Planeswalker in play. Both allow you to use their powerful minus abilities while being able to keep them stable or even growing them.

==============================================================================================================

Fathom Mage + Inexorable Tide:

If you have even a single +1/+1 counter on Fathom Mage, every single spell you cast replaces itself with a new card due to proliferate. It allows you to keep a fully stocked hand at pretty much all times.

==============================================================================================================

Doubling Season + Planeswalkers:

The way this card interacts with Planeswalkers is that they enter with double the loyalty. This allows you to ultimate some of the Planeswalkers upon entry, and puts the others at very favorable amounts. The raw power of being able to ultimate Ugin, the Spirit Dragon on entry can be huge.

==============================================================================================================

Chord of Calling + Draining Whelk/Venser, Shaper Savant/Mystic Snake:

You may not look at Chord of Calling and see a counterspell, but I find in the deck that it's actually a very good use of the card. You develop your board, and find a timely answer all at the same time. The power level of this play is very high.

==============================================================================================================

Chasm Skulker/Lorescale Coatl + Card Draw:

I know this seems obvious but it can't be overlooked. These 2 creatures have the ability to grow without our commander, allowing us to focus our resources elsewhere. With all of the powerful draw effects in the deck, they can work like a sleeper agent almost, being activated by a timely Prime Speaker Zegana or Cold-Eyed Selkie attack.

==============================================================================================================

Master Biomancer + Ezuri's Predation:

Ezuri's Predation is about the best thing for us as far as a sweeper. To maximize it's ability, having a Master Biomancer with some counters on it can make it a 1 sided board wipe almost every time. These 2 cards can turn a game on it's head.

==============================================================================================================

4) Piloting the Deck

Knowing how to pilot the deck is one of the most important factors to know. In this section, we will cover the ins and the outs of making Ezuri, Claw of Progress as effective as possible. I will also give insight into personal thoughts on what works and what doesn't in an Ezuri, Claw of Progress deck.

Likes and Dislikes Show

==============================================================================================================

Likes:

With Ezuri, Claw of Progress, I like finding powerful cards with extra incidental power, as they trigger our commander. This includes cards like Shardless Agent, Draining Whelk, and Invisible Stalker. These cards all have powerful effects, that are further bolstered by our commander and deck building.

I also like cards that have strong synergy with our plan, like Kalonian Hydra, Doubling Season, and Prime Speaker Zegana. While these cards don't directly bolster our commander, they fit well with the overall game plan and thus are suitable cards.

==============================================================================================================

Dislikes:

The main thing I feel should never be in an Ezuri, Claw of Progress deck is repeatable token generation. In my opinion, if the token generator isn't good enough on it's own to be in any or most decks, that it's not good enough for Ezuri, Claw of Progress. You don't need to get you experience to absurd amounts to make the deck operate, and diluting the amount of good creatures in the deck to put simple tokens in feels bad. I would much rather be putting counters on one of the synergistic creatures in the deck than a 1/1 snake token.

Another thing I don't feel works well in an Ezuri, Claw of Progress deck is mana ramp. As in EDH, having a few ramp cards is always nice, and being able to play a turn 3 commander helps us a great deal. That said, we are a tempo deck with a relatively low curve as far as commander goes. We gain our advantages through incremental growth and plays to set our opponents off balance. You will get to the mana that you need to play spells most of the time, and playing less ramp makes the deck more consistent and less drawing mana effects.

Piloting Show

==============================================================================================================

Here we will cover all of the key points about this deck and how to play it. The first thing that you need to know is that his is a commander centered strategy, meaning that you want to deploy your commander as quickly as possible. This also means that you want to save any synergistic cards until after he's played.

For example, if you have the ability to play a turn 3 Shardless Agent, but know that you will have a turn 4 Ezuri, Claw of Progress, then hold off on your turn 3 play. It's better to get extra value out of the Shardless Agent by holding onto in for an extra turn, and likely on turn 6 you can swing in with a 5/5 Shardless Agent or some other threat because of your patience.

The next thing to note is don't try to overdevelop your board. When you have 5 or 6 experience, and 3 or 4 creatures plus Ezuri, Claw of Progress, you're in a good place. If you can, try to protect the board, rather than clutter it. You won't be sorry when you Mystic Snake the opponent's Damnation, effectively wasting their turn and improving your board at the same time.

The last bit of important information is don't go all in on a creature that you think is going to die. It seems obvious, but putting extra counters on Wild Beastmaster when your opponent who's playing black passed with 4 cards in hand and no play, could cost you. If you spread out the pain, the blocking math becomes more difficult for opponents, and you run a safer offense.

Other than these guidelines, you just play the deck to the situation at hand. For example, if an opponent used a Mystical Tutor to find a Damnation, you should probably hold up a counterspell to protect yourself from getting wiped. Essentially do what you believe needs to be done in any given situation, and the deck should work well for you.

==============================================================================================================

5) Budget Cuts

Sometime expensive cards like Ugin, the Spirit Dragon and Doubling Season just oren't viable due to their price point. This section will act as a guide for lowering the overall cost of the deck, while attempting to maintain most of the power. To craft this list, I'm looking at every card valued at $8 or higher and finding the most suitable replacement for it.

Budget Cards Show

==============================================================================================================

Breeding Pool ---> Simic Guildgate (Save $11)

Inkmoth Nexus ---> Zoetic Cavern (Save $22)

Kalonina Hydra ---> Hooded Hydra (Save $7)

Slippery Bogle ---> Gladecover Scout (Save $2)

Doubling Season ---> Momir Vig, Simic Visionary (Save $21)

Shardless Agent ---> Elvish Visionary Save $15)

Hangarback Walker ---> Gyre Sage (Save $14)

Mystic Confluence ---> Plasm Capture (Save $9)

Venser, Shaper Savant ---> Simlugar's Sorcerer (Save $14)

Garruk Wildspeaker ---> Freyelise, Llanowar's Fury (Save $2)

Jace Belren ---> Jace, Memory Adept (Save $2)

Ugin, the Spirit Dragon ---> Jace, Architect of Thought (Save $38)

Although not every card has a suitable replacement, and making these changes will lower the overall power of the deck, these changes will put ~$157 back in your pocket.

==============================================================================================================

Feedback

I am always looking for ways to evolve the deck and make it more powerful, so any and all comments are appreciated. If you like what you see feel free to give the deck a +1. It let's me know I'm doing something right and gives me the confidence to keep deck building, as well as hopefully creating more primers. Hope you guys enjoy!

Date added	8 years
Last updated	4 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	12 - 1 Mythic Rares 31 - 0 Rares 23 - 0 Uncommons 13 - 0 Commons
Cards	99
Avg. CMC	3.65
Tokens	Beast 3/3 G, Bird 1/1 U, Copy Clone, Elemental 1/0 U, Experience Token, Insect 1/1 G w/ Flying, Deathtouch, Plant 0/1 G, Saproling 1/1 G, Spider 1/2 G, Squid 1/1 U, Thopter 1/1 C, Wolf 2/2 G
Folders	Idea, Deck Ideas, decks I like, 1, stuff, deck to look at, Commander Folder, Ezuri, My Commanders, EDH Decks