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Yennett Midrange Control

Commander / EDH* WUB (Esper)

Honor_Basquiat

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Land (38)

Creature (20)

Sorcery (10)

Artifact (8)

Commander (1)

Commander: foil Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign

Instant (15)

Enchantment (8)

Sideboard

Creature (1)

Maybeboard

Creature (8)

Sorcery (2)

Enchantment (1)

Instant (1)

Land (1)

Artifact (1)

NAME is a semi-competitive designed for small multiplayer games but can also perform successfully in duels and larger multiplayer games. The deck is a midrange control deck led by Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign
Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign is a legendary Sphinx with a mana cost of . Her colors offer us excellent removal spells for all permanent types and counter spells along with aggressive and threatening win conditions. Her power is 3 and her toughness is 5, modest but respectable stats. One thing that stands out about Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign is her three keyword abilities:

Flying, vigilance, menace

Vigilance paired with a toughness of 5 makes Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign a reliable blocker against a wide array of offensive creatures in the format. When used in tandem, flying and menace incredibly potent. Aside from Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign, there are only three other creatures that unconditionally have both of these evasive abilities. This essentially makes our commander unblockable which is nice for poking our opponents and planeswalkers. Most importantly, Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign's evasiveness enables her signature triggered ability:

Whenever Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign attacks, reveal the top card of your library. If that card’s converted mana cost is odd, you may cast it without paying its mana cost. Otherwise, draw a card.

This incredibly unique triggered ability provides card advantage which is always nice in the command zone. With a respectable toughness along with flying and menace, it is virtually inevitable that during our combat step we can always ensure Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign can attack and survive combat. Worse case scenario this ability gives us a free card. Best case scenario we get to cast a spell for free provided the converted mana cost of the revealed card is odd. While lands and essential mana rocks are even, there are many removal spells and win conditions Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign can cheat into play (i.e. Vindicate , Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite , Blatant Thievery ).

The potential to cheat odd converted mana cost spells into play with Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign's triggered ability is so powerful, our list runs a higher rate of odd converted mana cost spells (~70% of our nonland cards have an odd converted mana cost) along with several spells that manipulate the top cards of our library.

You should play NAME if:

You like playing spells for free. You like having many options and making decisions. You like being able to control the board. You want to play a deck that is unique.

NAME might be for you if:

You prefer winning with combos rather than combat damage. You prefer "go wide" strategies that win with lots of creatures. You prefer to pilot a deck that heavily interacts with its graveyard.

Commander (1)

Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign CMDR

Creatures (17)

Kambal, Consul of Allocation does a great job at punishing combo strategies and other decks that aren't primarily creature focused. If he can manage to stick to the board, Kambal can provide a significant amount of life gain. He also is an odd spell.

Royal Assassin is a fantastic rattlensnake card that often is a voltron player's worse nightmare. It also checks mana dorks and utility creatures including Deathrite Shaman , Birds of Paradise , Captain Sisay and Jace, Vryn's Prodigy  . Royal Assassin is an odd spell.

Archon of Justice functions as an evasive beater, a removal deterrent and a makeshift Scour from Existance. Its a fantastic all around utility creature and a great odd spell for our commander to cheat into play.

Arvad the Cursed provides a respectable stat boost to our commander along with our other legendary creatures (NAME runs a dozen legendary creatures in addition to Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign. His deathtouch deters attacks that may normally come our way and the life gain is an added benefit. Arvad the Cursed is an odd spell and if cheated into play with Yennett's ability, it will boost her stats the same turn (attack trigger happens before combat damage).

Baneslayer Angel is a reliable beater that gains us life and has surprisingly relevant trinket text (demons and dragons are very popular in the format). She also is an odd spell.

Blood Baron of Vizkopa functions as a resilient beater and source of life gain. Protection from black and white makes it immune to some of the strongest removal spells in the format (i.e. Swords to Plowshares , Terminate , Dismember ). It's also not unusual to get the +6/+6 stat boost in a multiplayer game. Blood Baron of Vizkopa is an odd spell.

Dragonlord Ojutai has psuedo hexproof, evasion, built in card advantage and respectable power. When we're abble to attack with Dragonlord Ojutai and Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign each turn, the card advantage really comes through. Dragonlord Ojutai is another odd spell.

Lyra Dawnbringer functions as a similar role to Baneslayer Angel. While it loses out on the trinket text protection, the added benefit of pumping other Angels is can be essential. NAME has a minor Angel sub-theme ( Angel of Despair , Avacyn, Angel of Hope , Baneslayer Angel and Chancellor of the Annex ).

Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir is an all-star that shines in a midrange control deck like NAME. He shuts down combo and other control oriented strategies. He allows us to flash creatures our commander is unable to cheat into play and he has flash. Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir is an odd spell.

Angel of Despair

Chancellor of the Annex

Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is one of the strongest creatures YENNETT has to offer in creature and token heavy metas. Having both a static Dictate of Heliod and a one sided double Night of Souls' Betrayal on a creature is incredibly powerful. Combine those factors with a 4/7 toughness creature with vigilance and you have an amazing stax piece and win condition.

Nezahal, Primal Tide

Sheoldred, Whispering One

Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts

Ashen Rider is an evasive 5/5 creature that can exile anything when it enters and when it dies. Ashen Rider is also an excellent rattlesnake defensive creature because if it dies, someone will be punished.

Avacyn, Angel of Hope

Spot Removal (16)

Fragmentize

Oust creates massive tempo advantage early game against mana dorks like Birds of Paradise but can also buy time against larger creature threats. Oust is criminally underplayed in the format. The spell can answer virtually any creature, and because of the placement of the creature on top of our opponent's library, it can discourage them from fetching, ramping or tutoring for a turn.

Path to Exile needs very little introduction. It is unconditional exile removal for one mana with a drawback that offers a small reward to the controller of creature it is used on. It is a powerful spell but better used towards the mid or late game.

Swords to Plowshares is the best removal spell of all time. What were they thinking? Similar to Path to Exile , it has a minor drawback that offers a benefit to the player that controls the creature it is used against. However, gaining life is not a problem at all for decks like YENNETT

Go for the Throat removes the vast majority of creatures regardless of their size (even against artifact based decks) for 1B. It also is an instant speed answer.

Anguished Unmaking is a phenomenal removal spell. This spell is essentially an instant speed Vindicate . While it can’t remove lands, being able to have a catch all removal spell that exiles for 3 mana is unprecedented.

Aura of Silence

Council's Judgment is an excellent versatile removal spell that does not target which means it can remove hexproof creatures and has the potential to answer multiple threats. It also exiles so it gets around indestructible effects or potential graveyard shenanigans. Keep in mind the will of our opponents may not always line up with our interests.

Dismember is another very powerful instant speed removal spell. For 1 and 4 life , 1B and 2 life or 1BB we get an instant speed Roast that can hit fliers and creatures with indestructible.

Imprisoned in the Moon

Vindicate requires three mana and can only be used as a sorcery but unconditionally destroys any permanent. Vindicate is one of the strongest removal spells we have, particularly because it can remove lands without dealing with a drawback.

Control Magic

No Mercy functions as a fantastic rattlesnake card. It deters attacks which enables us the ability to alpha strike our opponents without having to fear blocking as much. It provides tremendous value plus it doesn't target so it can answer creatures with hexproof and shroud.

Treachery

Banishing Stroke

Blatant Thievery is a an excellent huge bomb that steals utility lands, win conditions, enchantments or anything else.

Mass Removal (3)

Toxic Deluge is a very powerful creature board wipe that gets around indestructible and regeneration. The alternate cost of life can be steep at times but it is a drawback that is worth looking past because of the benefits this spell offers.

Merciless Eviction

Cyclonic Rift needs no introduction. It instantly bounces every nonland permanent that isn't ours. Seriously. The fact that it is instant is insane. If cast during the late game it means we can force an opponent to discard a bunch of permanents at their end step. Cyclonic Rift is one of the best cards in the format right now and it can flat out steal games.

Card Advantage (9)

Ponder needs little introduction and is widely regarded as one of the best card manipulation spells in the format. Ponder helps us smooth our draws and dig for mana fixing or answers. It is especially useful early game. ***

Preordain Sensei's Divining Top Ever-Watching Threshold Forbidden Alchemy Read the Bones Retreat to Coralhelm Future Sight Sphinx's Revelation

Permission (5)

Counterspell is Counterspell . Sometimes we don’t need a fancy flashy counter. Instead Counterspell allows us to pay UU to reliably counter any spell.

Countersquall answers noncreature spells which we are often more concerned about because of the large amount of creature removal the deck runs. It's easier to cast than Counterspell and also pings an opponent for 2 life.

Mana Drain is the strongest counterspell in the format. Essentially Plasm Capture for UU, early and mid game the among of tempo swing this card generates is flat out absurd. If you are playing on a budget, run Counterspell instead.

Negate functions as a less mana intensive Countersquall . It is an excellent permission spell and is incredibly easy to cast even when playing three colors.

Mystic Confluence

Protection (4)

Mother of Runes

Lightning Greaves needs no introduction. Haste and shroud on an equipment with a converted mana cost of two is very strong. The zero equip cost really seals the deal. Lightning Greaves protects Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign . Additionally it gives our major bombs and win conditions a protection and lets them attack the turn they enter the battlefield.

Spellskite is an excellent way to protect Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign and our win conditions from spot removal. It also can steal pump spells and auras that voltron oriented decks enjoy to play.

Kira, Great Glass-Spinner

Ramp/Acceleration (6)

Azorius Signet is a standard mana work. Good early game play, accelerates and fixes our mana.

Coldsteel Heart

Dimir Signet is the UB version of Azorius Signet .

Orzhov Signet is the WB version of Azorius Signet .

Talisman of Dominance functions like the signets but comes into play untapped. It is a very good mana rock.

Talisman of Progress is from the same cycle as Talisman of Dominance but it makes WU instead.

Acceleration and Fixing:

Card Advantage:

Control:

Offense:

Mass Removal:

Consistency/Tutoring:

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Thank you for taking the time for reading this decklist and analysis. I am open to constructive or complimentary feedback along with any recommendations. Please keep in mind this article is still a work in progress. Changes and additions will be coming in the near future.
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