Help me pick my Red Legendary Dude!
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Oct. 11, 2017, 10:07 a.m. by WizardOfTheNorthernCoast
Hey all,
So I'm a red mage at heart and the only EDH I have so far is based on Rashmi, Eternities Crafter because simic lets you do incredibly degenerate things. It's not designed for 1v1 but is doing just fine both at duels and multiplayers. However, a 2/3 isn't the best when it comes to being impressive and powning people with your CMDR.
However, not playing really hurts :)
I've narrowed down the list of the red CMDRs that I really like and would play :
Feldon of the Third Path - Low CMC, cool artwork and nice lore. Red has plenty of looting effect which helps the gameplan. I like the reanimator aspect but I'm afraid the deck would be too linear (loot - reanimate) and would rely too much on Feldon to stick into play to work decently. Also, it's a 2/3 like Rashmi so idk.
Urabrask the Hidden - Praetors are badasses and Urabrask's hate for the other Praetors in the storyline make me wanna play him. However, I don't know about a 4/4 for 5. Giving haste to all my dudes seems somewhat useful (cuz lots of red creatures already have haste) but making my opponents' creatures ETB tapped can bring chaos messing with blocks. And I like chaos. I'm simply afraid it would become a target and die instantly. I don't wanna play a commander that brings hate to the table and that I end up not playing :x
Neheb, the Eternal. Now this guy seems like a real deal. A 4/6 that deals 3 damage if blocked, 4 if not and that can make you cast stuff for -almost- free... I don't quite see any downside here?
Is there any red EDH player out there that has experience with one or more of these creatures? If so, would you be kind enough to take 1 minutes and give me your insights?
Thanks! :)
I would say it depends on how commander-centric you want your deck to be. An Urabrask the Hidden deck is generally just a "goodstuff" deck that can easily do it's think without its commander, but Urabrask definitely helps. A Neheb, the Eternal deck, on the other hand, relies on Neheb to win (same with Feldon of the Third Path decks), so it's hard to win if he gets hit with a Song of the Dryads, for example, or if he just dies frequently. I would personally recommend Urabrask; he's good without being ridiculously powerful, and you can really build him any way you want. While I haven't personally played him, I used to play against somebody who did, and I can say that Urabrask doesn't get a ton of hate; other players find him annoying, but he's generally not a prime target.
October 11, 2017 10:38 a.m.
I will add that I know all too well personally the hate the praetors can draw, such as when I either cast something like Natural Order and proceed in finding Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger or just hard casting him.
Then Feldon of the Third Path doesnt interest me enough as I prefer reanimating things in or colours, all the while in the case of Athreos, God of Passage playing a bunch of board wipes and having benefits like Grave Pact for my things dying off.
Im actually considering swapping to a Meren of Clan Nel Toth over Athreos, God of Passage and then also putting together a Oloro, Ageless Ascetic Deck in its place out of the remains of the life gain themes I had, but im still not quite sure on this as vampires also has some life gain/drain already.
Anyways if you need help with a decklist just let me know!
October 11, 2017 10:48 a.m.
KIngWiggins says... #5
Usually, when people want to play Red, I sat Purphoros, God of the Forge. It is the only mono red deck I've ever lost to.
Feldon just has so much flavor, so that always draws me to decks. But the 3 toughness and linearity can be a major downside.
Neheb is also one of the most unique and awesome creatures created ever. If you want a unique general, he is by far the choice.
However, of the ones you said, Urabrask can be the most straight forward. But in my experience, having any Praetor makes you a target.
If it were me picking I'd go for lore with upside.
October 11, 2017 11:04 a.m.
WizardOfTheNorthernCoast says... #6
Pieguy396 thanks for the input! I must say I'd like to use my commander a bit more to win. When I play Rashmi, I just use it as a 2/3 card advantage generator to get to resolve a big Primal Surge and put my whole deck into play (yes, I only have Surge + Mystical Tutor as non-permanent cards and that's the combo right there). I win thx to her but not WITH her if you know what I mean. Urabrask is pretty off the radar too and I like fringe cards but I'd still prefer using my commander as a cornerstone of the deck (my little brother plays Omnath, Locus of Mana and it's just wonderful).
Delta-117 thanks I'll let you know if I need a decklist refined ;)
KIngWiggins having any Praetor draws attention? Because off all of them, Urabrask seems like the least strong honestly. I mean Sheoldred is just disgusting, Vorinclex is annyoing af, Jin-Gitaxias is pretty lame and Elesh Norn is OK but really expensive. I'd want to play a commander that sticks around and helps me deal damage. Dammit we're playing after all!
October 11, 2017 11:18 a.m.
KIngWiggins says... #7
I would whole-heartedly agree that Urabrask is by far the worst of the Praetors. However, by association, they all become targets. Although Sheoldred and Elesh are the biggest of the targets, in my personal experience, all Praetors are targeted.
Your playgroup might be different, but I can only express from my experience.
It comes down to what you want out of the deck. Sometimes, even with being a target, you can overwhelm and win. There is also the potential to be underrated as they see Urabrask is the worst Praetor. That could be an advantage. So many variables.
October 11, 2017 11:35 a.m.
rob_shifflett says... #8
I built my Neheb as a red dragon tribal with dragonstorm and extra combat steps as wincons. It is truly fun and explosive.
October 11, 2017 1:03 p.m.
Steelspike says... #9
If you REALLY want to build an ultra-aggro mono red deck, run Krenko, Mob Boss, jam in all the broken-ass goblins you can find, and turn 'em sideways for fun and profit.
Or, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker. Although, I must say, I think he's much more useful in the 99 of a Boros/Naya/Jeskai commander deck to abuse with Felidar Guardian or Stonehorn Dignitary...
October 11, 2017 1:09 p.m.
MindAblaze says... #10
I would say Krenko or Purphoros are my gut reactions when I think mono-red.
I have a Feldon deck and if Im honest with myself I dont enjoy it. Its not all pimped out power-wise, but its not weak either. There just arent as many nuances to it, just kind of loot loot swing as you said. And its really annoying when people start realizing they can just kill him and youre stuck with a mitt/yard full of fatties.
You could also try Godo, Bandit Warlord or Fumiko the Lowblood. Fumiko really encourages going all in, and Godo encourages a certain build. Could be fun? Zada, Hedron Grinder makes for an interesting build. Maybe somewhat dangerous...
October 11, 2017 6:20 p.m.
Suns_Champion says... #11
I wholeheartedly recommend Neheb, the Eternal. I just built a deck with him at the helm and he's an absolute blast to pilot.
October 11, 2017 10:30 p.m.
There are quite a number of great Red commanders really, some already mentioned above. These are my two cents.
Krenko is almost staple, but also very hated: play only if you want to play competitive.
Purphoros: fun, bounce and token shenanigans
Urabrask: Really, really good and undervalued commander. I build a Krenko deck, but my Urabrask deck is so much more fun to play: The Red (Will Come)
October 12, 2017 7:19 a.m.
WizardOfTheNorthernCoast says... #14
Thanks to all of you for your answers and inputs! I was very well aware of Krenko/Purphoros and others, but I really want to use my commander as a central element for the deck and built it around him.
I've decided to go with Neheb, the Eternal since he's a real badass with an insane ability that can lead to crazy explosive turns so... I'll throw the other ones in there with him! ;)
Cheers!
_Delta_ says... #2
I dont tend to play much of red primarily if my choice of decks doesnt tell you that already but I have 8 decks for numerous colour combinations and strategies, Atraxa, Praetors' Voice
Sliver Overlord
Talrand, The Sky Summoner
Kruphix, God of Horizons
Athreos, God of Passage
Edgar Markov
Nekusar, the Mindrazer
The Ur-Dragon
I honestly would avoid the first two in my own personal preference if I was building a mono red deck. While I do have some aggressive decks (I.e vampires and dragons) I try to play very passively for the most part, also not attract too much attention, and discourage others from attacking me (not necessarily by pillow Fort strategies) for the most part with my decks and wait to win by doing something big. For that reason I would myself choose Neheb, the Eternal, as just like my Nekusar, the Mindrazer deck, and Sliver Overlord I like to set up some form of play, but not come off as a threat until its too late. Although now that people have saw my sliver deck and what its capable of, thats not so easy with slivers lol.
October 11, 2017 10:37 a.m.