Quest: The lost soldier
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Dec. 10, 2018, 7:03 a.m. by AdvancedSteelGuard
This a quest, a challenge that I, Sir AdvancedSteelGuard, sends to you the community of Tappedout.net.
For the last few years I've been stuck on the same few edh deck, mostly mono-, and I'm tired of them. But for some obscure reasons I can't find another deck that is appealing to me, maybe because when I look at the generals on edhrec.com I can't see the potentials of the cards because I've never played the kind of strategy that they requires, I don't know.
My other problem is when I find a general I see some potential or I find some interest in playing, I go directly to this list Commanders by Power Level [EDH Tier List] and suddenly get turned off because my general turns out to be tier 4 or 5 (I'm a very competitive person and I'm "scared" of playing something weak, I know you can't win them all but still...)
Here you can find a list of what I'm looking for (the deck doesn't have to include all of these conditions only a majority will do):
Something Aggro, I've been playing control for the better part of 8 years I'm done with it.
Something simple but effective, No infinite loop as the main win con (I don't mind a loop that gives infinite mana but I don't want it to be the main win con(ex: infinit burn or infinite mill strategies).
Something bold?, by that I mean something you don't see at every EDH or cEDH night.
Ramp, I hate being mana screwed so even if the deck doesn't run green I want a way to get my mana as consistently as possible.
NO BLUE, this one is a must. No blue cards or general(s) in the deck.
NO FIVE COLORS deck either, Mono-colored-2-3-4-single general and partners are allowed.
And last one is I want ways to interact with my opponents board if they try to screw with me, I don't like to let my opponent screw with strategy and not retaliate.
With this list here I will without hesitation or second thought go with the generals you guys will list me.
Budget is not an issue Old cards new cards expensive cards or cheap cards are accepted.
Thank you to anyone who will take the time to read this post and is trying to help me out I really really appreciate it.
JANKYARD_DOG says... #3
Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund Dragon Tribal.
Doran, the Siege Tower Big Butts Tribal.
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death ETB/Recurring Weenies/Tokens/Wheels
Edgar Markov Vamps
Kaalia of the Vast good stuff
Krenko, Mob Boss Goblins
Now... I know you said no blue, but... in no way are you obligated to go a control route (could in fact throw off your opponents thinking you are indeed playing control when you're not. )
Edric, Spymaster of Trest unblockable tribal
Surrak Dragonclaw Clone tribal
There's some ideas to think about at least. As for what goes in them, that's up to you. These are the most aggro-ey "mess with your stuff if you mess with mine" commanders I could think of.
Hope it helps, enjoy!
December 10, 2018 8:44 a.m.
If you want non combo, sans blue aggro that works in a cEDH environment, Tymna the Weaver+Tana, the Bloodsower blood Stax seems like a decent fit.
December 10, 2018 9:29 a.m.
AdvancedSteelGuard says... #6
enpc what is a blood stax strategy? What kind of cards do you play with these 2?
December 10, 2018 9:48 a.m.
SynergyBuild says... #7
Actually, there is a deck that I alone am a proponent of. I have yet to see another player in all of my years of EDH, looking online, IRL, etc for this commander another user of it:
This commander is simple, a powerful mono-blue commander that while being considered low-tier, can be a powerful unblockable voltron draw-engine, a normal draw engine, or something to attach non-voltron equipment onto.
Ever seen a player be blown out by a few damage? Sword of Feast and Famine making them discard a card, Sigil of Sleep bouncing their biggie into their hand, Sword of Body and Mind milling them ten, and Quietus Spike doesn't help matters on their end ;)
It isn't the best commander, no, however it brings a mono-blue aggro commander onto the field, and can play a great midgame and lategame need be. Like drawing cards? It has you covered, and with extra turn spells for more damage, stacking Tandem Lookout, Sword of Fire and Ice, Fireshrieker and Ophidian Eye or Curiosity, you are drawing some 8 cards a turn, probably drawing another extra turn spell in the process. Sounds like Narset, Enlightened Master some of the time!
Don't worry about the big aggro problems of not being able to deal with threats, you often don't need to tap out, holding up mana for a Swan Song, Counterspell or Into the Roil, sometimes even the overloaded Cyclonic Rift, while still progressing your board by dropping a one or two mana enchantment onto Lu Xun.
See my following three lists for budget reasons:
14 Dollar Super-Duper Budget Varient:
$14 Budget Lu Xun (Mono-Blue Voltron)
Mid Budget Varient:
Mid Budget Lu Xun (Mono-Blue Voltron)
High Budget Varient:
December 10, 2018 9:55 a.m.
SynergyBuild says... #8
AdvancedSteelGuard, Blood Stax probably means Blood Pod, a deck that is based around controlling the board with creatures that hate out specific decks and stop them from playing, while using Birthing Pod and other tutor s to get the right hate.
It is called Blood Pod when you use Tana/Tymna because unlike the Green/White or Green/Black/White versions, red gives Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon, hence 'Blood' Pod versus the normal Pod decks.
December 10, 2018 9:58 a.m.
Non blue aggro is literally Saskia the Unyielding.
I have a deck with Saskia the Unyielding that has 100% legendary creatures and can be surprisingly aggressive. The non-creature cards are dedicated to the triple R - ramp, removal, recursion.
Check it out at The Legend of Saskia.
December 10, 2018 11:16 a.m.
SynergyBuild says... #10
Tana, the Bloodsower & Tymna the Weaver is better, abuse Tana with Skullclamp, and win through card advantage and Birthing Pod.
December 10, 2018 3 p.m.
Tana and Tymna Blood Pod - Primer
Commander / EDH*
SCORE: 224 | 103 COMMENTS | 101915 VIEWS | IN 145 FOLDERS
Here's an example of a Tymna/Tana Blood Pod deck. It packs a bunch of stax effects as well as a combo line with either Yisan or Birthing Pod to assemble Felidar Guardian + Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker as your backup to close out games.
December 10, 2018 7:05 p.m.
SynergyBuild says... #12
The line is commonly where you sacrifice Tymna the Weaver to Birthing Pod, fetching Felidar Guardian to flicker the Birthing Pod, which in turn 'untap's it allowing you to sacrifice Felidar Guardian to find Karmic Guide, which returns Felidar Guardian to the field, flickering Birthing Pod, in which you can again sacrifice Felidar Guardian to fetch Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, which can copy Karmic Guide to return Felidar Guardian which can flicker Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, you can then tap Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker targeting Felidar Guardian for copying, which causes you to be able to repeatedly loop and make infinite hasty cat tokens, in which you swing with them to win the game.
This is one card that is a little good...
December 10, 2018 7:14 p.m.
AdvancedSteelGuard says... #13
I think I'm gonna go with Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund suggested by Mj3913. I got some great ideas for it.
December 10, 2018 7:35 p.m.
AdvancedSteelGuard says... #15
enpc why is Homeward Path so important in the deck ?
December 10, 2018 8:54 p.m.
So you cast Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund and take control of all dragons. Then your opponent plays a Phantasmal Image, copying Karrthus and taking control of all dragons (including yours). Then they send their copy of Karrthus to the graveyard. End result, they has dragons, you has no dragons.
December 10, 2018 9:22 p.m.
I will agree about @Mj3913 Edgar Markov that deck and get powerful my son runs Edgar Markov vampire deck lots of fun cool vampires to use as while like Olivia Voldaren & Captivating Vampire are just some examples
Zur the Enchanter Also have a guy we play with that runs him as a commander on one of his decks and this one can also get quite fun and lots off options and you can change it up all the time by shuffling in and out enchantments as your mood goes or if you get different enchantments or decks you play against change.
December 11, 2018 1:31 p.m.
AdvancedSteelGuard says... #18
Other than the obvious Sol Ring, Cultivate and Chromatic Lantern what would be some super awesome ramp spells for Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund?
December 11, 2018 9:28 p.m.
JANKYARD_DOG says... #19
Dragonlord's Servant and Dragonspeaker Shaman, Herald's Horn, Sarkhan, Fireblood. There's also Savage Ventmaw that pairs well with an extra attack phase strategy.
December 11, 2018 9:54 p.m.
AdvancedSteelGuard says... #20
Mj3913 thanks. Do you have any suggestions about cards that gives me more lands on the field or maybe some mana fixing.
December 11, 2018 10:37 p.m.
JANKYARD_DOG says... #21
Expedition Map and/or Wayfarer's Bauble, Solemn Simulacrum, Burnished Hart,Sylvan Scrying, Rampant Growth, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Dragon's Hoard, Explosive Vegetation and Farseek. Think that about covers it...
December 11, 2018 11:32 p.m.
JANKYARD_DOG says... #22
Expedition Map and/or Wayfarer's Bauble, Solemn Simulacrum, Burnished Hart,Sylvan Scrying, Rampant Growth, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Dragon's Hoard, Explosive Vegetation and Farseek. Think that about covers it...
December 11, 2018 11:33 p.m.
Here is some other mana cards Chromatic Lantern I find this very helpful on 4 color decks Prismatic Geoscope
Also other cards Mirari's Wake Gilded Lotus Gyre Sage Selvala, Heart of the WildsCaged SunJourneyer's Kite Sword of the Animist
extra Land Play Wayward Swordtooth Mina and Denn, Wildborn Exploration Burgeoning Azusa, Lost but Seeking this goes while with cards like this Courser of Kruphix
There are more depending on what type of deck and colors you are playing
December 12, 2018 1:54 a.m. Edited.
AdvancedSteelGuard says... #24
Looking for some awesome dragons for my School for future tyrants deck if you guys have any ideas.
LordBlackblade says... #2
Two Ideas and some advice. Rakdos, Lord of Riots and Mayael the Anima are two reasonably powerful, aggressive commanders that I've seen do quite well in my personal meta. They both "cheat" mana cost, which is akin to mana ramp as you can do more with less. Rakdos is the more interactive of the two, but Mayael still can pack plenty of responses.
As for the advice, don't let a general's ranking on the tier list dissuade you. The tier list is specifically curated with cEDH in mind, so unless that's your aim, look at it more as a guideline than "anything below X tier is unplayable." If the commander intrigues you, build it! Even a lower tier commander can still do some work if you put time into refining it.
December 10, 2018 8:34 a.m.