Making Friends with Xantcha

Commander / EDH* BR (Rakdos) Casual Combo Enchantment Infinite Combo Pillow Fort

Overlord_Steve

1 Curses: (13)

• 1x Accursed Witch  ^Flip
• 1x Bitterheart Witch
• 1x Captive Audience
• 1x Crown of Doom
• 1x Cruel Reality
• 1x Curse of Bloodletting
• 1x Curse of Disturbance
• 1x Curse of Fool's Wisdom
• 1x Curse of Misfortunes
• 1x Curse of Opulence
• 1x Curse of Thirst
• 1x Torment of Scarabs
• 1x Trespasser's Curse

2 Pillowfort (17)

• 1x Bitter Feud
• 1x Bloodthirsty Blade
• 1x Crawlspace
• 1x Disrupt Decorum
• 1x Fumiko the Lowblood
• 1x Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs
• 1x Marchesa's Decree
• 1x No Mercy
• 1x Revenge of Ravens
• 1x Rite of the Raging Storm
• 1x Sower of Discord
• 1x Stuffy Doll
• 1x Sudden Spoiling
• 1x Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor
• 1x Vow of Lightning
• 1x Vow of Malice
• 1x War's Toll

3 Removal (8)

• 1x Bedevil
• 1x Chaos Warp
• 1x Languish
• 1x Last One Standing
• 1x Rakdos Charm
• 1x Storm's Wrath
• 1x Terminate
• 1x Vandalblast

4 Xantcha synergy (10)

• 1x Endbringer
• 1x Heartstone
• 1x Key to the City
• 1x Labyrinth of Skophos
• 1x Maze of Ith
• 1x Opal Palace
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Sire Of Insanity
• 1x Thran Turbine

5 Win con (11)

• 1x Animate Dead
• 1x Comet Storm
• 1x Dance of the Dead
• 1x Diabolic Tutor
• 1x Exsanguinate
• 1x Final Parting
• 1x Magus of the Coffers
• 1x Scheming Symmetry
• 1x Torment of Hailfire
• 1x Umbral Mantle
• 1x Worldgorger Dragon

6 Mana & Ramp (40)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Burnished Hart
• 1x Commander's Sphere
• 1x Dragonskull Summit
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 1x Field of Ruin
• 1x Mana Geyser
• 1x Mind Stone
• 8x Mountain
• 1x Neheb, the Eternal
• 1x Rakdos Carnarium
• 1x Rakdos Cluestone
• 1x Rakdos Locket
• 1x Rakdos Signet
• 1x Rocky Tar Pit
• 1x Shadowblood Ridge
• 1x Smoldering Marsh
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 8x Swamp
• 1x Tainted Peak
• 1x Talisman of Indulgence
• 1x Temple of Malice
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Wayfarer's Bauble

Commander (1)

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Maybeboard

Alternative tutors (3)

• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Grim Tutor
• 1x Vampiric Tutor

Alternative win cons (2)

• 1x Psychosis Crawler
• 1x Walking Ballista

Infinite mana alternatives (2)

• 1x Basalt Monolith
• 1x Rings of Brighthearth

Xantcha protection (5)

• 1x Abnormal Endurance
• 1x Demonic Vigor
• 1x Mystifying Maze
• 1x Thrull Retainer
• 1x Unnatural Endurance

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Making Friends with Xantcha

This deck is a theorycrafted take on Xantcha without too much focus on discard you might often see (so that people actually want to play with you more than once). Instead, you use curses to balance the game while bravely hiding behind your pillowfort and finish the game off with one of your infinite mana combos.

Two out of three ain't bad

Slap Xantcha on the table on turn three, choose two players you like the most and give it to the third. They might ask: "Why me?" And you say: "Why because I love you!" But what you really mean is: "Well, because you are the least likely to play sac outlets." And voila, you have made two friends and one mildly confused acquaintance.

Make sure everyone shakes hands

Ask yourself: Who doesn't like card draw? That's right, everyone does. So let's help them to help themselves to some cards with the Heartstone. If they are still in doubt, give them no other choice with cute little horrors like the Sire Of Insanity, or just make sure they don't hold on to their mana with War's Toll. Now, you have to unerstand that, sometimes, the person holding Xantcha might think that enough is enough - or another friend simply does not want to die to her commander damage and either one of them makes sure that she runs into a beefy blocker. That's okay. You can still be friends. Just welcome them to some pictoresque destinations like Maze of Ith, Labyrinth of Skophos, Rogue's Passage or just simply given them the Key to the City.

Gifts for all

Has one of your friends done something to upset you? Give them a gift that keeps on giving, like a Curse of Opulence or Curse of Disturbance. Have they been outright naughty? Why not bless them with many gifts with Curse of Misfortunes? You have enough presents for everyone on your list, so don't skimp. It is fair to say, that you don't have all day and two games per evening are better than one, right? Give your friends at the table a nudge with Fumiko the Lowblood, Rite of the Raging Storm, Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor or go nuclear with War's Toll or Disrupt Decorum.

Establish a safe zone where people can develop their friendship

Has the board gone a bit too wide? Just disincentivise your friends' goblin legions from overrunning you with Revenge of Ravens, Marchesa's Decree or Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs. If that doesn't stop them, show your friends' minions No Mercy or provide them with only a Crawlspace to go through. Remember, you are friends and you have the right to protect that friendship. Does one of your friends land an Eldrazi Horror (cough, cough Ullamog, the Ceaseless Hunger)? Why not make sure they stay a friend with Vow of Malice, Vow of Lightning or Bloodthirsty Blade? Did your opponent decide to cleap up with a hoard of bloated Sprolings and a Craterhoof Behemoth? Well, it's good that you have that Sudden Spoiling isn't it?

Get ready to say: "Well it's been a wondeful evening!"

Stress is not good among friends. Relieve the pressure on everyone by tutoring with Grim Tutor, Diabolic Tutor, Demonic Tutor or Scheming Symmetry for one of your infinite mana combos - be it Worldgorger Dragon + Animate Dead / Dance with the Dead, or Umbral Mantle on yourMagus of the Coffers instead. Use your now infinite resources to draw with Xantcha until you find a Torment of Hailfire, Exsanguinate or Comet Storm. Equally you could simply use the Worldgorger Dragon and infinite mana to drain everyone with Xantcha, Sleeper Agent as long as zou have enough cards in your deck for the job. In the end, however, all that matters are the smiles you can put on your friends' faces. Enjoy!

Date added	4 years
Last updated	4 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	5 - 0 Mythic Rares 35 - 0 Rares 34 - 0 Uncommons 10 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.49
Tokens	Gold, Elemental 5/1 R, Ogre 3/3 R, Survivor 1/1 R, Monarch Emblem, Zombie 2/2 B