Spellswarm Derevi

Commander / EDH Combo Competitive

LabManiac_cobblepott

Instant (27)

• 1x Banishing Knack
• 1x Brainstorm
• 1x Chain of Vapor
• 1x Chord of Calling
• 1x Crop Rotation
• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Dispel
• 1x Dramatic Reversal
• 1x Eladamri's Call
• 1x Enlightened Tutor
• 1x Flurry of Wings
• 1x Flusterstorm
• 1x Force of Will
• 1x Intuition
• 1x Keep Watch
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Mental Misstep
• 1x Mystical Tutor
• 1x Natural Affinity
• 1x Pull from Tomorrow
• 1x Rapid Hybridization
• 1x Retraction Helix
• 1x Secure the Wastes
• 1x Snap
• 1x Stroke of Genius
• 1x Swan Song
• 1x Worldly Tutor

Enchantment (8)

• 1x Carpet of Flowers
• 1x Compost
• 1x Earthcraft
• 1x Intruder Alarm
• 1x Mystic Remora
• 1x Sacred Mesa
• 1x Utopia Sprawl
• 1x Wild Growth

Land (28)

• 1x Arid Mesa
• 1x Breeding Pool
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 4x Forest
• 1x Gaea's Cradle
• 1x Hallowed Fountain
• 1x Inventors' Fair
• 4x Island
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
• 1x Plains
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Savannah
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 1x Temple Garden
• 1x Tropical Island
• 1x Tundra
• 1x Verdant Catacombs
• 1x Windswept Heath
• 1x Wooded Foothills

Sorcery (11)

• 1x Beck / Call
• 1x Eldritch Evolution
• 1x Harvest Season
• 1x Launch the Fleet
• 1x Martyr's Cry
• 1x Merchant Scroll
• 1x Regrowth
• 1x Sylvan Offering
• 1x Timetwister
• 1x Transmute Artifact
• 1x Windfall

Commander (1)

Artifact (14)

• 1x Candelabra of Tawnos
• 1x Chrome Mox
• 1x Dowsing Dagger  ^Flip
• 1x Grim Monolith
• 1x Isochron Scepter
• 1x Lotus Petal
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Mana Vault
• 1x Mox Diamond
• 1x Mox Opal
• 1x Paradox Engine
• 1x Sensei's Divining Top
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Sol Ring

Creature (11)

• 1x Arbor Elf
• 1x Aven Mindcensor
• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Bloom Tender
• 1x Edric, Spymaster of Trest
• 1x Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
• 1x Jade Mage
• 1x Linvala, Keeper of Silence
• 1x Monastery Mentor
• 1x Seedborn Muse
• 1x Weathered Wayfarer

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Yes, I know. This is yet another escoteric Derevi variant.

This time around the idea is playing spellslinger, which may (and should) sound somewhat odd for a commander like Derevi, Empyrial Tactician. Canonically, you'd expect a high creature count and low density of instants and sorceries. Of course, this list is precisely the opposite of that tradition.

Since her release, people have investigated ways to exploit Derevi's capabilities during the combat step. The efficacy of such strategies hinges proportionally on the number creatures in play. If you jam out a bunch of creatures fast enough, you're well on your way. If you don't (or you get board wiped), rebuild time is likely to put you out of the running.

Noncreature strategies (Ad Naus, Eggs, Storm, etc), are able to bounce back from setbacks very quickly because their enablers (mainly artifacts and instants) aren't saddled with summoning sickness. They're also typically able to get off the ground at the start of the game faster for the same reason.

Derevi still does need creatures to be effective, but they don't have to be creature cards. All you really want is Derevi in play with some means of getting lots of damage triggers to exploit Gaea's Cradle, Lost Vale, Bloom Tender, lands decorated with Utopia Sprawl / Wild Growth etc.

As it happens, Secure the Wastes, Launch the Fleet, Monastery Mentor, Natural Affinity, Flurry of Wings, Sylvan Offering, Sacred Mesa, Jade Mage, etc, satisfy this desire surprisingly well. They also compound one another.

For example, suppose you have Derevi and five other creatures able to go unblocked and you've got a Lost Vale ready to go. Six triggers all on Lost Value means you've got 18 mana to pump into instant spells / abilities. This can be pumped into draw outlets like Stroke of Genius, Pull from Tomorrow, etc. Or you can reinvest that mana for an enormous Secure the Wastes or Sacred Mesa. Since this is happening during combat, feel free to cast Flurry of Wings or Keep Watch as needed. It will keep compounding.

Second main, dump all the fast mana, leverage Earthcraft or Intruder Alarm to go off, cast Harvest Season to ensure you've got all the basics you need, employ Skullclamp or Martyr's Cry to dig for whatever. You know the drill.

Win cons:

• Retraction Helix / Banishing Knack - Rift enemy boards and generate infinite mana.

• Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite + Natural Affinity - Sure, Living Plane is epic, but Natural Affinity does everything we want. It gives us a bunch of creatures 'from out of nowhere' that don't have summoning sickness. It only lasts to eot, so opponents (who are likely mostly tapped out when you cast it) can't leverage it to their advantage. Regardless of board position, an asymmetric Armageddon and dork wipe is pretty hard for opponents to overcome.

Date added	6 years
Last updated	6 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	11 - 0 Mythic Rares 51 - 0 Rares 16 - 0 Uncommons 13 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.00
Tokens	Bird 1/1 W, Bird 2/2 U, Bird Soldier 1/1 W, Elf Warrior 1/1 G, Frog Lizard 3/3 G, Monk 1/1 W, Pegasus 1/1 W, Plant 0/2 G, Saproling 1/1 G, Soldier 1/1 W, Treefolk X/X G, Warrior 1/1 W
Folders	Interesting, Derevi, 3 Prio