Knights, the plan:
Initially, use Aryel, Knight of Windgrace's ability to destroy annoying or dangerous creatures as they enter the field. I've run into a bit of a snag with this premise. It's only real good at doing this with tiny creatures off the bat (0-1) power. Second snag is the has to Tap to do this. Okay, so what if I ramp like crazy, and get an oodle bunch of mana? It still is a one shot, even if I have a board state of knights. So, I've added Sword of the Paruns as an attempt to address this. Bunches of mana, create knight, untap, create again, untap, create again, untap, force tap untapped knights destroying x power or less target creature. I get to the mana a few different ways: being two color, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx is always welcome, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth + Crypt Ghast + Cabal Stronghold + (coming) Cabala Coffers. Might not be infinite mana, but I'm willing to bet it's enough to feel like I have options in play. Not to mention all the land ramp this deck uses. I'm going to have mana.
Next plan, ETB for fun stuff, and yes, some of it is ramp. Sometimes even put Gift of Immortality on a land ramp creature to get sick amounts of land. Put in an Eldrazi Displacer and I can recur my ETBs at whim, or use to disrupt opponent's tokens or blockers. Slap on a Blackblade Reforged onto any creature I have had in play for a bit and an opponent is going to be hurting. Hurting worse and possibly losing if it's attached to the commander.
Final plan, that I'm going to try to make thoroughly redundant is sacrifice life gain/life drain.
Currently, it's Yahenni, Undying Partisan + Pitiless Plunderer + Bontu's Monument + Oathsworn Vampire, but I think I can have redundant and semi-replaceable pieces with the following: Bloodsoaked Champion + Phyrexian Altar + Zulaport Cutthroat and a possible interchangeable piece of Blasting Station.
Suggestions are welcome, trying to support the Knight tribal theme.
Here goes: controlly with the commander Aryel, Knight of Windgrace - get a bunch of knights out, fairly quickly, and remove problem creatures for the pod. hopefully before that opponent has time to equip Swiftfoot Boots or whatever else gives their creatures hexproof.
ETB - main weapon to reuse ETBs is Eldrazi Displacer, it works on both enemy creatures, to either tap down prior to some ugly ability, attacking, or defending against me or another opponenet I'd like to let damage through for, and my own creatures that I want ETBs from. Weakness of course, is the Amulet of Vigor, but better to have a decent answer to haste and defence than nothing.
Demonlord Belzenlok - ETB exiles cards until I get a nonland card, if it's CMC is 4 or greater, repeat. Great way to fill my hand.
Forerunner of the Legion - ETB search for a vampire, let's set things up.
Gonti, Lord of Luxury - ETB he gives me options - opponent's options!
Knight of the White Orchid - ETB gets me lands, especially helpfull when an opponent land ramps, just do him again if someone's omnath or other land intensive deck!
Skittering Surveyor - ETB search for a basic land card. What's not to like?
Suture Priest - ETB (well, not it's own ETB) when other creatures ETB, I either gain 1 life, or my opponents lose one life for each.
Thalia's Lancers - ETB search for a legendary card! Awesome, remember, this is commander, 1 offs are required, and legendary cards are not penalized for only having one ofs.
Token multiplier:
Anointed procession - doubles any tokens you might produce. I have some token producers, the commander, Heliod, Gideon (who produces knight ally tokens, BTW), Helm of the Host. Get enough knights on the field, opponents will have trouble keeping support creatures, and maybe even creatures at all.
Limit opponent's creatures - Suture Priest. Sure, make your infinite copies of Kiki Jiki goblin tokens... and kill yourself while you're at it before you swing!
Odric, Lunarch Marshal - for that extra, je ne sais quoi, oh, let all my creatures have vigilance, lifelink, first strike (and maybe double strike too), indestructible, flying, etc...
Lifelink and life gain: Because life gain in control decks is fun, and watching opponents who have worked hard to deliver fatal blows is fun, and because I have an unhealthy disregard for poison counters. Plus, mill as a strategy isn't used too terribly often in commander.
Commander, Profane Procession, Vona, anguished, declaration, decommision, disenchant, settle the wreckage, swords to plowshares, vraska's contempt are all part of the control and removal package for problem opponent creatures, artifacts and enchantments. I'll put out a description of each more in depth later.
Added in a nifty infinite combo:
Yahenni, Undying Partisan because, sac outlet +
Oathsworn Vampire can cast from the graveyard when I gained life this turn +
Pitiless Plunderer get a treasure token every time one of my creatures dies +
Bontu's Monument black creatures are one less to cast, and each opponent loses 1 life and I gain one life every time a creature I control ETBs.
Added, optional synergy pieces are Oketra's Monument white creatures are one less to cast and I get a creature token.
Suture Priest everytime a bring a creature ETB, I gain one life
Athreos, God of Passage do you want to pay three life to have this creature go back to the graveyard?
Elenda, the Dusk Rose getting bigger every time a creature dies!
Vanquisher's Banner draw a card every creature I cast ETB. Draw my deck, other wincons, have fun, keep up!
Runs smooth. I've only had one commander game where I've had to mulligan, and then mulligan more than once with this deck. It ramps almost as good as if it were a green deck.
So, doesn't do much to touch the super controlly decks, but it has the ability to hit someone in the face for a bunch, with some good life gain for me and life drain for opponents. There is an infinite combo that I want to make redundant and remove some of the tribal for. I'm really pleased with how this deck mana ramps. It gets where it needs to almost exactly as needed. Smooth as silk. Getting the mana is fine, now I just need ways for cheap to untap the commander, both for creating knight tokens and for destroying opponent's creatures.
I'm thinking my Yahenni, Undying Partisan + Pitiless Plunderer + Bontu's Monument + Oathsworn Vampire can have redundancy with the addition of the following to similar effect Bloodsoaked Champion + Phyrexian Altar + Zulaport Cutthroat. That said, playing controlly decks negated my diabolic tutor on a stick to be able to start getting the combo pieces. So I have three specific tutors for digging out different pieces, and I have a tutor for a legendary card and a tutor for a vampire card. Multiple of the ramp and search for a land card, and several ETB triggers. I might need to add Conspiracy (for knight) if I do those, meaning I need to find four cards to replace...
Suggestions on what to replace for those 3/4 cards, please let me know what you think. It'd be nice to see suggestions on good ETB triggers too. It's awesome getting useful ideas from others. I'm currently acquiring Knight Exemplar.
