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Format | Legality |
1v1 Commander | Legal |
Archenemy | Legal |
Canadian Highlander | Legal |
Casual | Legal |
Commander / EDH | Legal |
Commander: Rule 0 | Legal |
Custom | Legal |
Duel Commander | Legal |
Highlander | Legal |
Legacy | Legal |
Leviathan | Legal |
Limited | Legal |
Oathbreaker | Legal |
Pauper | Legal |
Pauper Duel Commander | Legal |
Pauper EDH | Legal |
Planar Constructed | Legal |
Planechase | Legal |
Premodern | Legal |
Quest Magic | Legal |
Tiny Leaders | Legal |
Vanguard | Legal |
Vintage | Legal |
Errantry
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +3/+0 and can only attack alone.
king-saproling on Xantcha, Sleeper Agent
4 years ago
Xantcha is so rad. Have you considered Heartstone? It would make it easier for everybody to use her draw ability.
These might interest you too: Revel in Riches, Unholy Indenture, Minion's Return, Blessing of Leeches, Soul Channeling, Visions of Brutality, Treacherous Link, Ragged Veins, Binding Agony, Spiteful Shadows, Unnatural Hunger, Errantry, Inner Demon, Psychotic Fury, Vampiric Link (unlike lifelink, the controller of the aura gets life, not the creature's controller)
crabclaw on Xantcha, Suicide Agent
5 years ago
Thanks Rivenor! Silent Arbiter is the more widely known version of that effect, but the +3 power on Errantry is huge.
As for weaknesses, going up against any sort of sacrifice / aristocrats deck can be troublesome, even if I don't give her to the aristocrats player. Grave Pact effects shut her down pretty hard. In theory control decks like Baral, Chief of Compliance would be hard since this deck runs a pretty high and flat mana curve. I'm debating whether Red Elemental Blast or Imp's Mischief are worth running in addition to Pyroblast and Thoughtseize to attempt to mitigate some of that weakness.
The deck does really well against token strategies though, which are exceptionally common at the store I frequent.
Guviwex on Xantcha wish your girlfriend was hot like me
6 years ago
Great list so far. Here are you my suggestions:
I'd swap out the infect cards for an evasion suite. Infect is great on paper, but you don't get to direct where it's going. Thus, it comes with #1 negative (painting a large target on yourself that says: 'kill me now') without the #1 benefit (eliminating your greatest threat in a turn or two). I think you'll do better flying lower on the radar. Stick the five commander damage and be happy. Some combination of Corrupting Licid, Sleeper's Guile, Dauthi Embrace, Shizo, Death's Storehouse, and Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep should do the trick. Add in a Nim Deathmantle to keep Xantcha on the field indefinitely.
Total War seems particularly punishing. As does Errantry. I wouldn't run many Creature Auras, but Errantry locks down a board state and shortens the commander damage clock to 3 hits.
War's Toll should incentivize others to use Xantcha as a mana sink on their own turn. Which is exactly what you want.
Unnerve is both a 10/10 flavor win, and another incentive for others to activate Xantcha's draw ability. Also Arterial Flow and Words of Waste come to mind.
Glacial Chasm is good protection. Sit back and watch the world burn.
Alhammarret's Archive seems great w/Xantcha's ability, although it is quite slow. Maybe get a feel for how your opponents are dealing with Xantcha first. If you get to sit around a lot, slot this in.
I'd switch out some of your Xantcha-killing board wipes for Languish and Wildfire. Xantcha on turn three, ramp into Wildfire on turn 4-5? Yikes.
If you find that Xantcha is eating removal often, Fury Storm seems like a good add. Playing Xantcha three times, and quintupling an x=6 Exsanguinate to drain the table for 30 sounds like a positively delightful way to spend 10 mana. Works with that Profane Command in your Maybeboard as well.
Speaking of mana, you probably want Cabal Stronghold and Neheb, the Eternal in here.
Maybe Mana Geyser for a game ending drain from Xantcha or Exsanguinate-- although that might be too cute. Works great with War's Toll.
Howl from Beyond and Torment of Hailfire are also good ways to finish people off.
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As far as what to swap out:
Spiteful Visions isn't asymmetrical enough. You're probably going to be using Xantcha's ability often enough to make this hurt.
Exquisite Blood isn't really working within your game plan. You're using it as a defensive option here. I think there are better options (Chasm, for example).
Blood Sun works against you too much.
Polluted Bonds could probably be swapped out for something. I get that your opponents will be drawing more, but if feels like 5 mana good stuff.
I think War Cadence could be swappped out for any of the evasion enchantments suggested above. Dauthi Embrace probably.
Vow of Lightning and Vow of Malice should probably also be swapped out for more solid evasion.
Rite of the Raging Storm might also be too cute, but it's hard to judge.
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Overall, this is a really good list. Xantcha is a cool card and it's fun to see how many niche interactions she enables. Good luck with it!
t3hdarkness on My Xantcha-nizzle Dizzle Rakdos Izzle
6 years ago
I personally don't like too many one an done effects. Rakdos colors have a lot of trouble with recursion of enchantments and non permanents without warping the deck to support them so I have a few cuts to suggest.
Piranha Marsh hurts you with that tapped land than it will your opponent's one life.
Sands of Time is cute, but since mana burn isn't part of the game any more it might no do very much. Its still probably fine if you only want to hit creatures.
Sudden Impact Is probably not good enough unless your meta is full of guys that draw their whole deck and combo off. Most of those decks win at instant speed anyway so it still doesn't really help. Supernatural Stamina and Undying Evil are equally small without some recursion effect. In a pinch you can add Charmbreaker Devils, Isochron Scepter, or Toshiro Umezawa. If you want to choose who lives and who dies while politiking on a bigger level try Cauldron of Souls.
Some of your enchantments don't do much either Bestial Fury doesn't stop the creature from hitting you while Errantry and Unnatural Hunger pretty much guarantees whatever creature you enchant will only hit you.
Blasphemous Act will usually be more damage for less mana than Chain Reaction. Only because you're running Xantcha, you can probably replace any of your card draw spells with mana acceleration.
There is one more problem I noticed, but it might just be a matter of deckbuilding philosophy. What's your win-con? How do you foresee this deck finishing the game?
nuggnugg on Gotcha with Xantcha! (New C18 Commander)
6 years ago
Morgothra I did have Errantry in the deck but in my rework of the deck, I must have taken it out. Good suggestion! I may also consider putting Havoc Festival in the deck. However it is risky as I do not have much in the way of defense with this deck.
shadow63 I think it does too. It may not be a great deck. But I think it will be somewhat unique and interesting to play. And in my description I did say that I would work out the mana base. However I have not :p it should be a pretty simple mana base. It is only two colors so your basic tap lands for budget or up to dual lands and fetch if you want to get a tad expensive.
Morgothra on Gotcha with Xantcha! (New C18 Commander)
6 years ago
If my rules understanding is correct Errantry on Xantcha should mean they can't attack with other creatures. Destructive Urge and Latulla's Orders also seem fun. I would put Havoc Festival , Sire Of Insanity and other Group Slug cards in there, as you really want to punish everyone as much and as quickly as possible.
DeathChant17 on No Whine With My Cheese, Please
8 years ago
It's a decent buff and vigilance is nice to have. Plus if anyone plays one of those "gain control of all creatures, untap and swing them" red spells, at least you can't get hit with Narset. I'd use it.
Other good enchantments in addition to the ones I mentioned are:
Bonds of Faith, Battle Mastery, Daybreak Coronet, Ethereal Armor, and Unquestioned Authority.
I use all of them in my Zur the Enchanter deck except Sphere of Safety. Since I run Zur I'm not very familiar with red enchantments. There is Dragon Mantle to give narset fire-breathing, Errantry is perfect for narset, Fearsome Temper, Giant Strength, Immolation, Lightning Talons, Madcap Skills, and probably plenty others.