Splinter Nin
Commander / EDH*
SCORE: 9 | 18 COMMENTS | 6070 VIEWS | IN 5 FOLDERS
Keranos > Greater Gargadon —June 4, 2015
Yup, the title says it all. The original intent with Greater Gargadon was to be a set-it-and-forget-it sacrifice outlet that would give me resilience to Wrath of God and Armageddon effects. The only problem is, once Greater Gargadon entered the battlefield, I didn't really want a 9/7 vanilla creature. There was always room for neat plays with Feldon or Kiki-Jiki, but that was pretty situational, and even then, did the deck really want just a beater? Sometimes, maybe, but it was still a bad topdeck, 10 mana isn't a good look for any card, so I would almost never get to play it when I wanted.
Enter Keranos. Originally I dismissed the card because it didn't have enough synergy with the deck. An extra card every turn is good, but Nin is always there to help with that, and a Lightning Bolt every turn isn't that big of a deal in EDH, plus you never knew what you would get. On the other hand, Keranos is a better fit for the deck than a 9/7 vanilla creature. Sure, I would lose the unkillable but situational sacrifice outlet, but I gained an unkillable value engine with the chance to become a big indestructible body. Neither are great topdecks, but both give me resilience to Wrath of God and Armageddon effects. Keranos is the real set-it-and-forget-it engine that this deck wants.