Humble Defector

Creature — Human Rogue

{T}: Draw two cards. Target opponent gains control of Humble Defector. Activate this ability only during your turn.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Historic Brawl	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Modern Beyond Horizons	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (50)

DreadKhan on GROUP HUG FOR THE BLOOD GOD

3 weeks ago

I like this deck idea, so I've been looking it over and seeing if I can think of any ideas that are interesting! Here are a few, hopefully some of them will make sense as includes, apologies if none do!

Rite of the Raging Storm is a nice way to create chaos and get the weakest opponent dead sooner rather than later; in fact, any opponent that can't soak up 5 trample damage is in a lot of trouble. Similarly maybe Slicer, Hired Muscle  ^Flip and/or Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos in the 99 to get damage in? Any of these works well with Meekstone afaik, other than Slicer when you're down to 1v1 (but he's in the 99 here, so it's not as bad as when he's Commander and the main creature). Maddening Hex also speeds things up, as long as people aren't all on creatures!

If you're looking for another useful equipment I rather like either Embercleave or Two-Handed Axe. Scavenged Brawler isn't an equipment, but it's a very good effect I've found, that's a PILE of keywords. It's also really good if you use it on your Brash Taunter!

I have had very good results from Humble Defector in relevant decks. I also wondered about Starke of Rath, but I worried people would just use him to kill your Commander, so it seemed like a non-bo, then I figured you could always hold the other up while one is out, use Starke like a back up Commander of sorts. Goblin Welder can target anyone's stuff, meaning you can not only get back your own key card in exchange for an artifact token, you can also make an opponent trade their combo piece for their worst artifact. Dwarven Miner and Dwarven Blastminer are pretty fun cards IMHO, it's pretty funny when someone is getting out of hand and you just start taking away colours from their mana base (and if someone steals one they can't do anything to you!), and maybe Volcanic Offering. Another removal effect that can create a lot of chaos is Jaya Ballard, Task Mage, especially if anyone has a Blue Commander you don't like (or uses Blue permanents to wreck your day), fwiw the wipe is friendly to your Commander, as is the ping, that seems maybe relevant?

OOOH! I just had the most Chaos Gremlin idea ever for this deck, have you ever thought about Nemesis Mask? Maybe people will deck themselves!

Hope this deck is as much fun to play as it was to get in the headspace of!

PhotogenicParasympathetic on Card creation challenge

4 months ago

Boundary Guard {1}{W}{W}

Artifact Creature - Soldier

Creature spells cannot be cast from the Command Zone.

{2}{T}: Put target Creature in a Command Zone into play. Target opponent gains control of Boundary Guard.

2/1

---

Create another Humble Defector type card that does something, then gives itself to your opponent.

Profet93 on I have a bad feeling about this

6 months ago

Creatures

Siege-Gang Commander - Expensive but might be worth considering.

Feldon of the Third Path - Reuse ETB synergies

Flametongue Kavu - Removal on a creature

Humble Defector - While not ETB, gives you draw which you really need in red. it's a political tool and works best with Homeward Path, the other political tool, especially useful against GY decks that take your creatures

Zealous Conscripts - Super helpful on it's own and can combo with Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker. Kiki adds so much value on it's own as well

Terror of the Peaks - No explanation needed

Enchantments

Curse of Opulence - Politics + useful with Norin.

Outpost Siege > Vigilante justice - Different modes and while it works differently, it's almost the same. Card draw is very important in red EDH

Warstorm Surge - No explanation needed

DreadKhan on Going beyond 40 lands if …

7 months ago

I think I largely agree with lukecwolf, you need a very good reason to want to run more than about 35 lands, depending on your colour you almost certainly have SOME options for cheap card draw effects, and in most games you'd rather see these than extra lands later, stuff like Sign in Blood and Spirited Companion/Elvish Visionary/Humble Defector help grease hands where you drew either a bit fewer or a bit more land than is ideal, these will make sure you're not stuck when drawing another land in it's place would only help when you have too few lands (and would be brutal if you had extra).

If the Jund deck you're talking about is your Mr Orfeo deck, I think you have too many lands for your average MV, I'd definitely run more land ramp spells (to generate faster/more consistent hands, land ramp can fix too), there are even some janky options like Dire-Strain Rampage and Road / Ruin that offer you combination ramp and removal, there are others that provide blockers (like Wood Elves and Farhaven Elf), just running this many lands makes me fear land floods. For the record, if you've got access to Green you probably shouldn't bother with most of the artifact ramp, Nature's Lore and Three Visits are much better than any of those, especially since they can find non-Basics. The other thing your deck should look at is stuff like Night's Whisper, Sign in Blood, Humble Defector, and Llanowar Visionary/Elvish Visionary, these often play better than more lands. I guess the final thought would be you can sneak some MDFCs in to replace generic lands, the new Stump Stomp  ^Flip would probably be handy in your list for example, and I think most decks that can run Bala Ged Recovery  ^Flip and Valakut Awakening  ^Flip should do so, ymmv on others. At 40 lands I'd straight up shave lands for MDFCs.

I like Bounce Lands in decks that have shaved a few lands, they give you another land drop, but they do make you VERY vulnerable to anyone crazy enough to run Dwarven Miner/Dwarven Blastminer, so keep that in mind I guess? Most people don't use stuff like that in Commander, it's considered anti-social by a plurality of the format, but you might see a Strip Mine, but most people would rather keep their Strip Mine for something like Gaea's Cradle than spend it on a Guildless Commons. I would say with some confidence that you can probably shave a land for every 2 Bounce Lands you replace normal lands with, but I doubt I'd go over 4 or 5 in a deck.

DreadKhan on Painful chaos

8 months ago

I have a Rakdos deck that's trying to do some similar things, I leaned into creatures that could double as removal, some games you can eliminate a player by resolving an early Dwarven Miner/Dwarven Blastminer, Tsabo Tavoc is a hilarious card in a Commander game, Olivia Voldaren and Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief make very good use of late game mana and can create a whole mess of trouble, maybe War Cadence is a very political card I love to try to sneak into decks, the really sweet part is you can use it on an opponent's attack to help THEM get in, and an Archenemy is tapped out that means you only need to spend {1} to make everything unblockable... it's a real skill testing card IMHO. Rite of the Raging Storm can kill off any opponents that don't have blockers, and it survives most Wraths. It's also a sacrifice effect when it dies, so it works with Mayhem Devil without support. Even without it's combo I find Exquisite Blood can be an amazing card, it's hilarious with Protection Racket out! If you want things to get chaotic/people to have to make choices you might like some of the Dr. Who stuff, the only card I personally use is Ensnared by the Mara, which isn't too jarring IMHO, most people wouldn't realize it's Universes Beyond at a Glance IMHO. Humble Defector is a fun card even if you don't run ways to kill him off right after he changes hands, some players will agree to trade him back even! Din of the Fireherd and Fevered Suspicion are pretty chaotic effects, though some people will really get up in arms if you take away more than a couple lands! Speaking of taking a couple lands, Volcanic Offering is hilarious IMHO.

Rakdos isn't the ideal colours to make him pop but I still like Brash Taunter, he's also great with anything that gives him lifelink, but it's surprising value if you can resolve something like Scavenged Brawler on Taunter, it's worth noting that Brawler would also help turn Vial Smasher into a much better threat/life source.

Finally, have you thought about some auctions, maybe Thieves' Auction or Illicit Auction? 5 mana to maybe not get a creature isn't amazing, but in practice if you ever have the most life it's just 5 mana to steal whichever creature you want! Thieves' Auction is a good card if you have a lot of permanents that work just by being out (like symmetrical chaos effects), but it's also decent if you don't run an especially sturdy board (since you pick first!), I've had situations where nothing on my board was taken until everyone else's boards were taken, my cards were that bad! Such a great feeling to get value out of stuff like Thieves' Auction.

I like the idea of your list here, you might get a kick out of my Pavel the Mighty, Hero We Deserve list, it's a Chaos deck that overflows with pet cards!

DreadKhan on Eye for Mischief

9 months ago

If you can get copies I feel like Exquisite Blood and Bloodchief Ascension would generate a ton of life with your Goading stuff, the risk of these cards is that you get targeted early, Goad helps offset this nicely I'd wager. It's a bit janky, but Elemental Mastery would be a nifty way to technically swing at each opponent while your Commander is out without risking anything of any value. Baeloth Barrityl, Entertainer seems interesting if you can count on having lots of stuff Goaded, he also makes it hard for someone to stockpile weenies to Craterhoof you later (I checked and you can get other versions for cheaper, I just can't seem to link to them!). Professional Face-Breaker is a nice option if you think you can get in for damage.

I absolutely love Ghoulish Impetus in a deck that wants to see people swinging, makes a whole bunch of dead stuff surprisingly quickly if you pick your creatures well.

I think if you really want to run something like Spiteful Visions I'd consider something like Fate Unraveler or even Underworld Dreams, these reinforce the effect. Another card that'd be amazing with it would be Exquisite Blood that I mentioned earlier. Temple Bell or Humble Defector are some draw effects that might synergize with what you're doing, adding political draw effects.

Oh yeah, if you like to sow Chaos, I love how much you can do with Dauthi Embrace. If you like Varchild, maybe Varchild's War-Riders? I remember finding one of these in a store's binder and picking it up, it worked well in 1v1, but if you can goad them all they won't be a problem until late (when you're 1v1), at which point the card lets you sacrifice it.

I bet this deck is a blast to play!

SufferFromEDHD on Wrath of Starke

11 months ago

With that many mountains Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle would be useful. Blood Moon good kind of mean.

Since this is a Homeward Path deck Humble Defector would be right at home.

Gamble this isn't a graveyard deck but a tutor is a tutor.

austintayshus on Friends (Group Hug, Gates and Landfall)

1 year ago

love the deck! I might recommend Humble Defector as a fun card draw spell and political tool.