Help with Aggro commander vs Combo/Control decks
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Feb. 23, 2017, 9:16 a.m. by Drakon562
Does anyone else have a friend that plays non-interactive decks (Baral, Chief of Compliance, Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord combo, Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix + Silas Renn, Seeker Adept eggs). Those are the decks my friend plays, and quite frankly sick of them. The only deck I play is Karador, Ghost Chieftain reanimator, because that is my only deck that is finished. I want to build an aggro deck to play against his combo/control decks.
Any thoughts on what commander to use? Also, trying to keep this relatively budget (sub ~250).
And stuff like Stranglehold screw over combo decks if you feel like running it
February 23, 2017 9:48 a.m.
Beastmaster Ascension is essential for any deck trying to close out the game through combat damage.
If tribal is your game, Coat of Arms is super effective at pushing for damage. Call for Unity is also pretty good.
Double damage enchantments like Furnace of Rath and Dictate of the Twin Gods are also good.
I'd definitely suggest running Stranglehold or Mindlock Orb as a way to slow down combo decks, as it prevents everyone from fetching for perfect mana, and prevents combo decks from tutoring the pieces they need.
February 23, 2017 10:44 a.m.
MagicalHacker says... #5
I like Anafenza, the Foremost as your commander because she shuts down eggs and Jarad by herself. You can add cards from MagicalHacker - List of All Anti-Control Cards to also shut down Baral and other control decks. In addition, you can play cards from MagicalHacker - List of All "Tuck" Cards and MagicalHacker - List of All Creature Removal Cards to always be ready for him.
Granted, if successful, he will have to adapt, prompting you to adapt again, but such is the wonderful ebb and flow of commander.
February 23, 2017 11:55 a.m.
DrukenReaps says... #6
karador is a solid base you could improve on it and have a deck to compete with your friend. Aura Shards is great with it and this page https://edhrec.com/commanders/karador-ghost-chieftain will have some good ideas.
if you are set on a new deck and really want aggro then saskia is a good one. she is one of the few that i think puts out enough damage for any table. again this will get you started https://edhrec.com/commanders/saskia-the-unyielding. another bonus is you shouldnt have any issue staying under 250 with her unless you really want an overpriced mana base.
as a combo player i can tell you it is very easy to shut them down, personally i like to exile other peoples combo pieces but if you send it to hand/deck/grave instead your friend wont feel as strong of a need to beef up his deck. cards like Stranglehold can level the playing field a bit too.
February 23, 2017 4:12 p.m.
Price of Glory is another anti-control card. Saskia can be good for aggro :)
February 23, 2017 6:36 p.m.
catrule3564 says... #9
A hatebears style deck can be a good way to beat combo/control. Gaddock Teeg is a good general that stops a lot of important cards. You also get things like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Grand Abolisher, Spirit of the Labyrinth, and Eidolon of Rhetoric which are a real headache for your opponents.
February 23, 2017 9:08 p.m.
An old deck that I used to run against my friend's control decks was an Uril, the Miststalker deck that ran some hate bear type cards and a land destruction sub-theme. The general plan was to ramp early; use cards like Grand Abolisher, Vexing Shusher, Spellbreaker Behemoth, and Cavern of Souls to get Uril past counterspells; slap down an aura or two so that Uril could win in a few swings; and then blow up all my opponents lands so that they couldn't cast spells like AEtherize or Cyclonic Rift. 1v1 the deck worked well but fell short in group games.
Another commander that may work out well is a Derevi, Empyrial Tactician voltron deck. Derevi's ability means you can but her into play at instant speed, dodging counterspells, and potentially tapping down mana for counterspells at the end of the opponent's turn. If she gets killed, you never have to worry about having to pay commander tax to put her back into play. Hero's Blade works great with Derevi, giving you an instant speed 5/5. Grafted Wargear is also useful because is equips for free and you can move it to another creature if you need to sac Derevi to get her out from under a Pacifism type effect. Any expensive equipment you may already have like Sword of Feast and Famine or Umezawa's Jitte are also great. Since you are running white, you once again have access to hate bear cards and Stax effects to back up your aggro plan. Competitive Derevi decks aim to lock down opponents' mana with cards like Winter Orb, Stasis, and Hokori, Dust Drinker while untapping their own mana with Derevi's untap ability and a bunch of creatures.
February 23, 2017 11:48 p.m.
landofMordor says... #11
The way to beat control/combo is by building a deck resilient enough to mess with your opponent, while still surviving their shenanigans. Karador can help you by simply ensuring that your stuff never dies. However, if you're looking for a new commander, I'd recommend Saskia the Unyielding, who can simply output absurd amounts of damage, and Surrak Dragonclaw, who provides ridiculously good resilience against control. Surrak especially lets you turn some U control back on your friend, while having beef in GR colors to secure a kill.
In any case, as you build this deck, make sure it's a good deck in and of itself, not merely a deck intended to hose your friend's strategies. Taking Surrak as an example, that doesn't mean you only put in control hate, but also build in good strategy like ways to abuse Surrak's trample-enabling, etc. Hope that helps! Mention me in this thread or on my page if I can do anything else to help.
February 24, 2017 11:09 a.m.
I have to agree that Saskia the Unyielding would be quite good. Zurgo Helmsmasher can also be fun (especially if you get mean and toss in World Slayer).
February 24, 2017 1:19 p.m.
Here is the prototype decklist-there are still creatures I want to put in (Namely Skyline Despot, Sun Quan, Lord of Wu, and Thunderfoot Baloth).
Entrei says... #2
Aggro really doesn't work out too well in EDH, as the 40 life makes that near impossible. The ideal aggro is something like Animar, Soul of Elements, but those decklists are a bit expensive for your 250 limit. May I suggest Xenagos, God of Revels along with extra combat cards e.g. World at War and Fury of the Horde plus bloodrush cards? Scourge of the Throne is also great in xenagos
February 23, 2017 9:47 a.m.