Grand Arbiter Augustin IV... In Legacy?!

Deck Help forum

Posted on Jan. 13, 2019, 7:33 p.m. by Absolute_Cactus

A video I saw on YouTube the other day showed me a card that really peaked my interest. That card is (save the groaning) Grand Arbiter Augustin IV. I keep hearing about him in commander decks, but is it too ambitious to theme a legacy deck around him? I've been working on one for a couple of days now, but I'm having trouble cramming all that I need into 65 or less cards.

Caerwyn says... #2

Legacy is not really my forte, but I'll bite since you have not received a response yet.

Legacy is brutally fast, and GAAIV comes down a bit too late to make a difference. Though he both taxes and ramps, four mana means you needed to accelerate him onto the board, wasting precious time and cards in-hand.

Compare to a very successful Legacy deck--Death and Taxes. D&T seeks to drop powerful denial pieces early, such as the two-mana Thalia, Guardian of Thraben , and inexpensive threats, such as Stoneforge Mystic into Batterskull . Cards like Aether Vial are critical, allowing one to flood the board with these high-value, low-cost creatures, free from the threat of Force of Will .

GAAIV does not fit well into this strategy. It costs too much for Aether Vial , and there's no significant other ramp.


That said, if you have a decklist, I'd be curious what you are running, and would be happy to take a look.

Also, you should always run 60 cards. There's never a great reason to run 65, as that just decreases your odds of getting your necessary cards.

January 14, 2019 10:36 a.m.

Some of the points you have made, I have already considered. I have realized that he is way too slow for legacy. I did have a deck list, but the aforementioned realization caused me to delete it. I appreciate the input though.

January 14, 2019 12:08 p.m.

Turns out, I do have the deck plan. I took out Augustin and a couple of other cards, but I still have the idea.

January 14, 2019 12:14 p.m.

rockleemyhero says... #5

For competitive legacy, GAAIV is just too slow and low impact. Dies to almost every piece of removal, no immediate impact for 4 mana, and essentially has to compare to JTMS at 4 cmc. If it's a more casual, kitchen top build then all the more power to you, you could make some really fun taxing themes around him. If you want a deck that plays with a similar style to GAIIV, check out death and taxes, which uses cards like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben to great effect to tax your opponent's from using their spells well.

January 14, 2019 5:33 p.m.

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