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Tayam Is On My Side

Commander / EDH BGW (Abzan, Junk) Combo Competitive Infinite Combo Multiplayer Reanimator

makarzorklin

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Commander: foil Tayam, Luminous Enigma

Instant (18)

Artifact (8)

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Creature (16)

Enchantment (7)

Land (2)

Artifact (5)

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Overview

...Yes it is.

Tayam, Luminous Enigma has the combo potential of Ghave, Guru of Spores paired with the recursive potential of Karador, Ghost Chieftain.

Tayam could be the most powerful Abzan commander yet. The biggest restriction is balancing counters with the ability to generate mana. For high powered non-cEDH, this commander will shine with its ability to grind value.

For cEDH, its still up in the air. Lets try to break it...

I'll also be building a powered down aristocrats style deck here: tayam-to-die

Here is what I have explored:

Tayam, Luminous Enigma is a fun synergistic commander that can sit at a cEDH table and get some wins, but its power level isn't top tier.

Tayam's advantages are:

  1. Tayam is a win con from the command zone since you can go infinite, mill yourself, and recur your win con. An altar and card that generates 3 creatures/counters or a pumped Devoted Druid are the leanest combos.
  2. Tayam has the built in recursion to help get combo pieces back.
  3. Tayam has a solid stax toolbox and can recur them as well.
  4. Tayam being black allows for all the "anything" tutors and the Ad Nauseam and Necropotence package. Necro can also be recurred when milled.

Tayam has 3 drawbacks:

  1. Tayam's main combo lines are less efficient than other decks. Either 2 combo pieces at 3 mana apiece, that are not good on their own and require 3 mana to activate. This is a big investment that usually takes a turn to setup and then a turn to combo off. Or if you go the Devoted Druid route, it requires you to untap with it on the board or have a haste enabler.
  2. Counters are often hard to come by for value grinds. You need Tayam to stick on the board first before casting your creatures.
  3. Weaker and inconsistent interaction. You may not draw the right stax piece or spot removal and don't have access to counterspells which can stop most things.

These 3 things combined likely put it in the middle of competitive tier 2: list-multiplayer-edh-generals-by-tier. For Abzan, the verdict is still out if Tayam is better than Ghave, Guru of Spores. Ghave has more combo pieces that are just good on their own, cheaper to cast, or built in resilience with undying. Tayam is the win con so its one less piece for a same turn win.

Tayam, Luminous Enigma + Ashnod's Altar / Phyrexian Altar + a generator: A card cmc3 and under that generates 3+ bodies, with 3+ counters, and can be sacrificed to the Altars for 3+ mana meeting Tayam's restrictions. Once the chain is started you self mill your library for a win con Blood Artist/Geralf's Messenger,Eternal Witness loops, reanimate the win con (3 counters, 3 mana), and continue the loop.

The final list will include 2-3 generators, below is my ranking.

a. Promise of Bunrei - Is probably the best generator as it generates 4 bodies/counters/mana and only requires one death trigger to get the party started. This mean you have extra activations to reanimate your win con without having to invest more and can active extra times at instant speed to get around interactions.

b. Hallowed Spiritkeeper - Requires 2 other creatures in your graveyard to get started. It however is body/counter/mana positive so you get extra activations for your win con or in response to interaction.

c. Caller of the Claw - Requires 2 non-token death triggers to get started, but it is also body/counter/mana positive. It also has flash so it can sneak in to block Tymna or after a board wipe.

d. Weaponcraft Enthusiast - Meets the 3 bodies/counters/mana requirement. It has no other conditions to loop, so card wise its the leanest. It however, it can't recur the win con and continue the chain without 3 additional counters and mana.

f. Ministrant of Obligation - This is the most restrictive and wont be included. It requires 2 creatures with counters on the battlefield with it to get started. It also doesn't produce any more than 3 creatures and requires more resources for an extra activation to recur the win con.

Tayam, Luminous Enigma + Earthcraft + a generator + a sac outlet - gives you the same combos above with one more piece. Earthcraft is good on its own, so will be included.

Tayam, Luminous Enigma and Devoted Druid with 4+ toughness - the druid can place 3 negative counters on itself, generate 3 mana, and have Tayam activate to remove the counters. This allows Tayam to mill your library, find your win con, and reanimate your graveyard. This is the leanest and cheapest combo for Tayam as it only costs 3 mana for the pieces and 4 for Tayam. The only downside is you need to untap with the druid on the board or have a haste enabler.

Top pumpers:

  1. One mana permanents - Shield Mate, Seal of Strength - These one mana pumpers can be cast ahead of time and be recurred with Tayam. Shield Mate is the best enabler since it can be found with creature tutors.
  2. Pump lands - Centaur Garden and Hashep Oasis - These take up a land spot, come into play untapped, and produce green. They do weaken the mana base, but not by much. The garden is the cheapest to activate (2) but requires threshold. The Oasis costs 4 to activate, but is unconditional. Crop Rotation is already in the deck for Gaea's Cradle and Emergence Zone and can also be used to find the pump lands.
  3. Spell Pumpers - Blossoming Defense is cheep and can be used as protection outside of the combo. Wax / Wane is decent since it doubles as enchantment removal. Thrill of the Hunt has built in resilience in case someone removes druid in response or it gets milled. Mutagenic Growth can be free with 2 life. Sudden Spinnerets - gives you an extra counter and untap so it can provide extra value and mana neutral on a dork.
  4. Big reanimator - If you're going with the big reanimation route Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is pretty strong as removal and a druid combo enabler.

Haste Enablers:

  1. Earthcraft allows you to tap Devoted Druid through its effect and acts similar to haste. This card is good on its own and is a combo enabler for the 3 creature/counter line above.
  2. Concordant Crossroads - Allows your dorks to tap the turn they come out and druid to combo off on the same turn it's cast. If your in a creature heavy meta it gets worse as gives all creatures haste.

Devoted Druid is great on its own for ramp and extra counters, so even without the 4 toughness combo its good to include in Tayam.

  1. Tayam + Undying/Persist x2 + Ashnod's Altar / Phyrexian Altar - Sacrifice both creatures for 2-4 mana (Phyrexian will require 1 more mana), get 4 counters, remove 3 counters with Tayam, reanimate a creature, sacrifice undying/persist (Phyrexian will require the reanimated creature to be saced). I was hopeful for this combo as its the bread and butter of Ghave, Guru of Spores. Due to the number of cards required and that undying/persist creatures don't do much on their own, I'm not sure if its worth including. I'll still include Young Wolf since it's cheep, can be cast ahead of Tayam and bounce back with 2 counters. An upside is if you include Yawgmoth, Thran Physician a second undying creature will combo with him for another Necropotence effect. Add Earthcraft + 2 undying/persist + and a sac outlet for the same loop.
  2. Tayam + Luminous Broodmoth + Ashnod's Altar / Phyrexian Altar + 2-3 creatures - This combo allows you to loop the 2-3 creatures for 3-6 mana and 4-6 counters allowing you to mill your library and find a win con. Phyrexian alter will require mana to reanimate the win con. Earthcraft can be used in place of an Altar if you have a sac outlet. An undying/persist creature and a sac outlet also goes infinite with Luminous Broodmoth.

Combos That Synergize

  1. Big Reanimator combos - Animate Dead / Dance of the Dead / Necromancy and Razaketh, the Foulblooded / Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite - This package requires a pivot from the Ad Nauseam strategy and requires more grave enablers like Entomb and Survival of the Fittest. Elesh wrecks the opponent's board and can combo with Devoted Druid. Razaketh allows you to sac creatures to find your combo pieces. The 3 main reanimator enchantments can also be recurred with Tayam.
  2. Yawgmoth, Thran Physician and two undying creatures. Allows you to draw a card for a life for a Necropotence style effect. Against a creature heavy meta Yawgmoth can shine, but in a more spell slinging meta isn't as good. Tayam struggles through interaction so Yawgmoth can help you claw your way back.
  3. Luminous Broodmoth + one undying/persist + a sac outlet - Allows you to repeat the sacrifice effect by looping the undying/persist creature alternating a +/- counter and a flying counter. Mothra isn't great on its own or without a board state, but does synergize especially if moving in the undying direction with additional sac outlets already.
  4. Saffi Eriksdotter and Renegade Rallier and a sac outlet - This combo generates infinite etb, ltb, and sac effects. It synergizes very well with the deck and both cards are ok on their own inside it. Saffi can protect Tayam or help get additional triggers and Renegade can ramp or bring something back. If you have additional sac outlets like Yawgmoth, Thran Physician or Carrion Feeder it ups the reliability of this, but it's questionable if it makes the cut.

Combos explored but aren't viable

  1. Bomber Man Auriok Salvagers + Lion's Eye Diamond - this doesn't produce counters and the salvagers is CMC4. It would require additional setup to pull off.
  2. Hermit Druid lines - These combos don't overlap with our existing deck and is a nombo with Earthcraft.
  3. Leonin Relic-Warder and Animate Dead (or Dance of the Dead / Necromancy) - Animate dead can reanimate the Relic-Warder who targets Animate Dead, dies, and then loops. This triggers infinite etb/ltb effects, but you need another effect to win or get value. If you already include a reanimation and Blood Artist package, this can be good.

Tayam, Luminous Enigma's colors have access to some good stax pieces to help slow your opponents down. With the ability to recur them at instant speed, Tayam can stop your opponents after removal and by surprise.

The stax pieces (and other interaction) you include will be meta dependent so what is included will change from list to list. Tutor and resource hate is fairly universal. Oracle/Consultation is the most efficient and widespread win con in cEDH right now. So you will need to be able to slow or stop it. Hate pieces can fit into multiple categories slowing multiple strategies.

  1. Ad Nauseam - This is the best enabler and can be cast on your opponent's end step before your turn. It can usually get you 14 cards depending how low you want your curve and how much incidental damage you've taken.
  2. Necropotence - The second best enabler allows you to draw 20-30 cards depending on the board state. Since you draw at your end step it puts a target on you though.
  3. Devoted Druid and Wall of Roots - I'd consider these to be the best mana dorks for the deck as they incidentally provide extra counters for Tayam. As mentioned in the combo section Devoted Druid with 4 toughness goes infinite with Tayam. Wall of Roots gets you 3 counters for Tayam each round since you can activate on opponents' turns.
  4. Undying - Young Wolf, Butcher Ghoul, Strangleroot Geist, Geralf's Messenger - In slower metas undying can work fairly well since their resilience provides extra counters to grind with and can give you a combo piece that tends to stick on the board. They are pretty lack luster in faster metas as they are not good on their own. As mentioned in the combo section 2 undying creatures with an Altar combos with Tayam. Two with Yawgmoth, Thran Physician combo for Necropotence. One undying with Luminous Broodmoth and a sac outlet get infinite etb/ltb effects.

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46% Casual

54% Competitive

Top Ranked
Date added 4 years
Last updated 1 year
Legality

This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)

13 - 0 Mythic Rares

54 - 0 Rares

18 - 0 Uncommons

11 - 0 Commons
Cards 100
Avg. CMC 1.67
Tokens Spirit 1/1 C
Folders 3 Primer Reading List, 3 Prio, cEDH, Interesting Brews, Abzan, Tayam, cEDH decks, EDH
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