Forgotten Commanders: Emmara Tandris

Commander / EDH Budget Casual GW (Selesnya) Primer Tokens

ThinkJank

Creature (22)

• 1x Ant Queen
• 1x Armada Wurm
• 1x Avacyn's Pilgrim
• 1x Avenger of Zendikar
• 1x Decimator of the Provinces
• 1x Elvish Mystic
• 1x Fyndhorn Elves
• 1x Heliod, God of the Sun
• 1x Hornet Queen
• 1x Jazal Goldmane
• 1x Kazandu Tuskcaller
• 1x Llanowar Elves
• 1x Mentor of the Meek
• 1x Odric, Master Tactician
• 1x Oviya Pashiri, Sage Lifecrafter
• 1x Palisade Giant
• 1x Protector of the Crown
• 1x Thraben Doomsayer
• 1x Trostani's Summoner
• 1x Verdant Force
• 1x Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage
• 1x Wayfaring Temple

Instant (7)

• 1x Enlightened Tutor
• 1x Make a Stand
• 1x Midnight Haunting
• 1x Raise the Alarm
• 1x Rootborn Defenses
• 1x Selesnya Charm
• 1x White Sun's Zenith

Enchantment (14)

• 1x Aura Shards
• 1x Beastmaster Ascension
• 1x Cathars' Crusade
• 1x Collective Blessing
• 1x From Beyond
• 1x Glare of Subdual
• 1x Grasp of Fate
• 1x Growing Ranks
• 1x Honor of the Pure
• 1x Intangible Virtue
• 1x Parallel Lives
• 1x Pariah
• 1x Quarantine Field
• 1x Spidersilk Armor

Land (36)

• 1x Blossoming Sands
• 1x Canopy Vista
• 13x Forest
• 1x Grove of the Guardian
• 16x Plains
• 1x Selesnya Guildgate
• 1x Selesnya Sanctuary
• 1x Sunpetal Grove
• 1x Temple of Plenty

Planeswalker (3)

• 1x Elspeth, Sun's Champion
• 1x Garruk, Primal Hunter
• 1x Garruk Wildspeaker

Commander (1)

Sorcery (9)

• 1x Call of the Conclave
• 1x Collective Effort
• 1x Gather the Townsfolk
• 1x Increasing Devotion
• 1x Nature's Lore
• 1x Overrun
• 1x Parallel Evolution
• 1x Skyshroud Claim
• 1x Triplicate Spirits

Artifact (8)

• 1x Pariah's Shield
• 1x Selesnya Cluestone
• 1x Selesnya Keyrune
• 1x Selesnya Signet
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Soul Separator
• 1x Spear of Heliod

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Maybeboard

Enchantment (2)

• 1x Cryptolith Rite
• 1x Oblivion Ring

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Here, have a Primer

Introduction

Welcome to this, my Emmara Tandris commander deck! This deck is a Green White token deck that I'm trying to keep in the $150 range.

This is not the sort of deck you want to build for any kind of competitive playgroup. In order to justify playing this deck, your friends should have decks like Grenzo, Dungeon Warden, or Ezuri, Claw of Progress - decks that aren't exactly known for being good in any way, shape or form.

Should you Play This Deck?

You will like this deck if: Show

You like having lots of creatures

You like strange synergies your friends have probably never seen.

You think that Soul Separator is playable

You will not like this deck if: Show

Your friends play Cyclonic Rift

You like counterspells

You like powerful combos

What Makes Emmara Special?

I can hear you in the back. "But ThinkJank," you ask, "If you're playing tokens, why wouldn't you just play Rhys the Redeemed or Trostani, Selesnya's Voice? Surely they're better for this strategy?" This is an especially good question when you consider that this deck has Rhys in the 99.

First of all, there's a reason this series is called "Forgotten Commanders." If Emmara was the optimal token commander this deck wouldn't be part of the series. Second of all, Emmara has an ability that makes combat a living hell for our opponent - something no other token commander does.

The most special thing Emmara does is a synergy with a neat little card called Pariah. Stick Pariah on a token, and you've got yourself a nice little soft lock that can provide a nigh-insurmountable challenge for many decks.

The Strategy

General Strategy

Emmara Tandris is Green White, the best color combination for tokens. Besides that, her ability provides an incentive to create a massive, tokenized board state. Besides the general token strategy, Emmara also creates a soft lock with Pariah effects. This strategy is secondary, but it's the biggest reason to build her over any other token commander.

Phases of the Game

Early Game

Anybody who has played against a dedicated token deck recognizes that it doesn't really matter which commander is at the helm - it is still a threatening strategy that can overwhelm quickly. Because of this, they want to get in damage wherever they can, and it's your job to play token generators in the first couple of turns to deter them.

With such a well known strategy as tokens, not playing anything for the first couple of turns doesn't help you at all. A commander with a genuinely bad strategy like Triad of Fates can often pull off the "helpless bad opening hand" bluff, but that's because opponents know that they probably won't come back and take over the game. Play tokens fast.

Mid Game

Most of your hand has been emptied at this point. You might have one or two cards left, but by and large you have very little to do. Hopefully you have a skullclamp that can generate more value, but if you've run out of gas? Cast your commander. Trust me, when the going gets tough it's nice to be able to block that Inferno Titan with a 1/1 every turn for the rest of the game, no fear of it dying. Plus, she provides Blasphemous Act insurance.

End Game

This deck wins by beating down with all it's creatures, imbued with the strength of Emmara Tandris. If you can get Pariah on one of your tokens, so much the better. If someone has enough creatures to stave you off, just hold on a moment! You've got decent topdecking abilities, and if it comes to a standstill... just remember who can't be dealt damage because of Pariah.

Card Choices

Key Cards

Pariah's Shield, Pariah: These cards can be paired to great effect with both Emmara Tandris and Cho-Manno, Revolutionary to provide a soft lock resulting in you not taking any damage! These cards are the whole reason to run Emmara at the helm.

Rhys the Redeemed: Rhys is not only a token generator, he's one of the best ways the deck has to break board stalls. His second ability is fantastic for when an opponent has blockers, and provides something to do when your hand is empty.

Planeswalkers

Elspeth, Sun's Champion: Her -3 can be a useful boardwipe, but where this planeswalker shines is in her +1. Three 1/1s for a net gain in loyalty is fantastic, and it only gets better when you activate her -7 and get a game winning emblem. Unless your opponent is holding Whirlwind, it's very hard to lose after an Elspeth ultimate.

Garruk, Primal Hunter: With a +1 that creates a token, a -3 that draw cards, and a -6 that creates an army, this iteration of Garruk is a perfect for this deck. In particular, the card draw ability can ensure the deck never runs out of gas. If you do end up using his -6, it creates so many 6/6 wurm tokens that your opponents will often just crumble beneath their onslaught.

Garruk Wildspeaker: This iteration of Garruk is good for two reasons. The first is the ability to ramp for two extra mana every turn. The second is to create an Overrun effect for the low cost of 4 loyalty. His ultimate is low enough that you can often activate it multiple times in one game. If you do, it provides enough of a buff that you might as well be incapable of losing, at least in a vaccuum.

Other Cards

Soul Separator: Take a look at the creatures in this deck. How many of them are bigger than a 2/2? The answer is 7. Out of those seven, the only ones that does not either create tokens upon entry or generate them later on is Odric, Master Tactician and Palisade Giant. That being said, the other 5 are still capable of being useful, even as a 1/1. This is true for Palisade Giant, too, since it becomes a Pariah on a stick that recieves the Emmara Tandris bonus. Many other creatures aren't even affected by the 1/1 change, like Rhys the Redeemed or Trostani's Summoner.

Honden of Cleansing Fire, Honden of Life's Web: The two Hondens aren't fantastic on their own, but they provide a passive source of advantage that can keep you in the game. The extra two life adds up quickly, as does a 1/1 every turn for no mana investment.

Other Information

Other Decks in the Series

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Forgotten Commanders: Triad of Fates

Commander / EDH ThinkJank

SCORE: 4 | 4 COMMENTS | 359 VIEWS | IN 3 FOLDERS

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Forgotten Commanders: Tymaret

Commander / EDH ThinkJank

183 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER

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Forgotten Commanders: Vhati il-Dal

Commander / EDH ThinkJank

132 VIEWS

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Thanks for checking out the deck! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Date added	7 years
Last updated	6 years
Exclude colors	UBR
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	8 - 0 Mythic Rares 34 - 0 Rares 13 - 0 Uncommons 15 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.66
Tokens	Beast 3/3 G, Cat 2/2 W, Centaur 3/3 G, Construct */* C, Copy Clone, Eldrazi Scion 1/1 C, Elemental 8/8 GW, Elephant 3/3 G, Emblem Elspeth, Sun's Champion, Enchantment Cleric 2/1 W, Human 1/1 W, Insect 1/1 G, Insect 1/1 G w/ Flying, Deathtouch, Knight 2/2 W w/ Vigilance, Plant 0/1 G, Rhino 4/4 G, Saproling 1/1 G, Servo 1/1 C, Soldier 1/1 W, Spirit 1/1 W, The Monarch, Wurm 5/5 G w/ Trample, Wurm 6/6 G
Folders	Forgotten Commanders, Commanders, Commander Ideas, Decks I Like, budget, Commander, Cool Deck Ideas, Commander Ideas